title: Urine is a novel source of autologous mesenchymal stem cells for patients with epidermolysis bullosa.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Regenerative medicine is strictly dependent on stem cells as a source for a high diversity of somatic cells. However, the isolation of such from individuals suffering from severe genetic skin blistering diseases like epidermolysis bullosa (EB) is often associated with further organ damage.
  
  
  METHODS
  Stem cells were isolated from 112 urine samples from 21 different healthy donors, as well as from 33 urine samples from 25 donors with EB. The cultivation of these cells was optimized by testing different media formulations and pre-coating of culture vessels with collagen. The identity of cells was confirmed by testing marker expression, differentiation potential and immune-modulatory properties.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We provide here an optimized protocol for the reproducible isolation of mesenchymal stem cells from urine, even from small volumes as obtained from patients with EB. Furthermore, we offer a basic characterization of those urine-derived stem cells (USCs) from healthy donors, as well as from patients with EB, and demonstrate their potential to differentiate into chondrocytes, osteoblasts and adipocytes, as well as their immune-modulatory properties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thus, USCs provide a novel and non-invasive source of stem cells, which might be applied for gene-therapeutic approaches to improve medical conditions of patients with EB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria. markus.schosserer@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schosserer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria. ritareynoso@gmx.com.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reynoso
authors.affiliation: Division of Experimental Dermatology, EB House Austria, Department of Dermatology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Muellner Hauptstrasse 48, 5020, Salzburg, Austria. v.wally@salk.at.
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Wally
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria. jugbogdan2@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Bogdan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jug
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria. viktoria.kantner@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: Viktoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kantner
authors.affiliation: Evercyte GmbH, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria. sylvia.weilner@evercyte.com.|Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Vienna, Austria. sylvia.weilner@evercyte.com.
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weilner
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria. ivana.buric@gmx.at.
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Buric
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria. johannes.grillari@boku.ac.at.|Evercyte GmbH, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria. johannes.grillari@boku.ac.at.|Christian Doppler-Laboratory on Biotechnology of Skin Aging, 1190, Vienna, Austria. johannes.grillari@boku.ac.at.|Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Vienna, Austria. johannes.grillari@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grillari
authors.affiliation: Division of Experimental Dermatology, EB House Austria, Department of Dermatology, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Muellner Hauptstrasse 48, 5020, Salzburg, Austria. Jo.Bauer@salk.at.
authors.forename: Johann W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria. regina.grillari@boku.ac.at.|Evercyte GmbH, Muthgasse 18, 1190, Vienna, Austria. regina.grillari@boku.ac.at.|Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Vienna, Austria. regina.grillari@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grillari-Voglauer
mesh_terms: D050156:Adipogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D053674:Aggrecans / Q000235:genetics; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000235:genetics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020219:Chondrogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D024121:Collagen Type X / Q000235:genetics; D004820:Epidermolysis Bullosa / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015870:Gene Expression; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping / Q000379:methods; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D015675:Osteocalcin / Q000235:genetics; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D053674:Aggrecans; D024121:Collagen Type X; D015675:Osteocalcin; D005987:Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases