title: Identification of Meflin as a Potential Marker for Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.
abstract: Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) in culture are derived from BM stromal cells or skeletal stem cells. Whereas MSCs have been exploited in clinical medicine, the identification of MSC-specific markers has been limited. Here, we report that a cell surface and secreted protein, Meflin, is expressed in cultured MSCs, fibroblasts and pericytes, but not other types of cells including epithelial, endothelial and smooth muscle cells. In vivo, Meflin is expressed by immature osteoblasts and chondroblasts. In addition, Meflin is found on stromal cells distributed throughout the BM, and on pericytes and perivascular cells in multiple organs. Meflin maintains the undifferentiated state of cultured MSCs and is downregulated upon their differentiation, consistent with the observation that Meflin-deficient mice exhibit increased number of osteoblasts and accelerated bone development. In the bone and BM, Meflin is more highly expressed in primitive stromal cells that express platelet-derived growth factor receptor α and Sca-1 than the Sca-1-negative adipo-osteogenic progenitors, which create a niche for hematopoiesis. Those results are consistent with a decrease in the number of clonogenic colony-forming unit-fibroblasts within the BM of Meflin-deficient mice. These preliminary data suggest that Meflin is a potential marker for cultured MSCs and their source cells in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.|Department of Gastroenterology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Akitoshi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Naoya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Asai
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Asuka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horinouchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Shoichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, , 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, , 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, , 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kiyoi
authors.affiliation: Tumour Cell Biology Laboratory, The Francis-Crick Institute, 44 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3LY, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenju
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mii
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asai
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.|Department of Gastroenterology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mizutani
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirooka
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidemi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahide
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D041721:3T3-L1 Cells; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D001846:Bone Development / Q000235:genetics; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D020286:Pericytes / Q000378:metabolism; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C108610:ISLR protein, human; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins