title: Peripheral Blood Monocytes as Adult Stem Cells: Molecular Characterization and Improvements in Culture Conditions to Enhance Stem Cell Features and Proliferative Potential.
abstract: Adult stem or programmable cells hold great promise in diseases in which damaged or nonfunctional cells need to be replaced. We have recently demonstrated that peripheral blood monocytes can be differentiated in vitro into cells resembling specialized cell types like hepatocytes and pancreatic beta cells. During phenotypic conversion, the monocytes downregulate monocyte/macrophage differentiation markers, being indicative of partial dedifferentiation, and are partially reprogrammed to acquire a state of plasticity along with expression of various markers of pluripotency and resumption of mitosis. Upregulation of stem cell markers and mitotic activity in the cultures was shown to be controlled by autocrine production/secretion of activin A and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). These reprogrammed monocyte derivatives were termed "programmable cells of monocytic origin" (PCMO). Current efforts focus on establishing culture conditions that increase both the plasticity and proliferation potential of PCMO in order to be able to generate large amounts of blood-derived cells suitable for both autologous and allogeneic therapies.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, UKSH, Campus Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ungefroren
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Applied Cellular Medicine, UKSH, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller Strasse 3, Haus 18, 24105 Kiel, Germany; Faculty of Science, Damietta University, Damietta 34517, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ayman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hyder
authors.affiliation: Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45147 Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: Maren
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Conservative Dentistry and Periodontology, School of Dental Medicine, UKSH, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller Strasse 3, Haus 26, 24105 Kiel, Germany; Oral Medicine and Periodontology Department, Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine, Cairo University, 1 Mathaf El Manial Street, Giza, Egypt.
authors.forename: Karim M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Fawzy El-Sayed
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, UKSH, Campus Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538 Lübeck, Germany.
authors.forename: Evelin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grage-Griebenow
authors.affiliation: BG Unfallklinik Tübingen, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Schnarrenbergstraße 95, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Nussler
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Applied Cellular Medicine, UKSH, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller Strasse 3, Haus 18, 24105 Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fändrich