title: Biological characteristics of embryonic epicardial cells in vitro correlate with embryonic day.
abstract: The epicardial cell (EpiC) culture system plays an important role in investigating the specific mechanisms and signaling molecules that are involved in the development of EpiCs. From this early formation until adulthood, EpiCs undergo dynamic changes in the expression of embryonic genes that correlate with changes in the embryonic EpiC properties. The differences of embryonic EpiC properties may affect the related results of experiments in which EpiC culture system is used; however, these differences have not been explored. Therefore, in this study we examined the differences in the biological characteristics of EpiCs on different embryonic days in vitro EpiCs were isolated from embryonic ventricle explants on embryonic day (E) 11.5, E13.5, and E15.5. The differences in the migration, proliferation and differentiation were studied in EpiCs of different embryonic day by scratch assay, cell cycle analysis and platelet derived growth factor-bb (PDGF-BB) treatment. The results showed that EpiCs were successfully cultured from E11.5, E13.5, and E15.5 embryonic ventricle explants. The time windows of E11.5, E13.5, and E15.5 EpiC isolation out of the explants were different. The migration abilities of E11.5, E13.5, and E15.5 EpiCs decreased during embryonic development. Smooth muscle cell differentiation potential of early stage EpiCs was better than that of the later stage EpiCs. Although the proliferation ability of E11.5 EpiCs was significantly weaker than those of E13.5 and E15.5 EpiCs, the proliferation abilities of E13.5 and E15.5 EpiCs did not differ. These results suggest that the biological characteristics of EpiCs correlate with the timing of embryonic development, and different embryonic stage of ventricle should be properly chosen for culturing EpiCs depending on the purposes of the specific experiments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University , Chongqing 400010, China.|Department of Cardiology, the Nanchuan People's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Nanchuan 408400, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University , Chongqing 400010, China.
authors.forename: Yulin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University , Chongqing 400010, China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University , Chongqing 400010, China.
authors.forename: Songbai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University , Chongqing 400010, China.
authors.forename: Jianlin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University , Chongqing 400010, China.
authors.forename: Yajie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University , Chongqing 400010, China qshe98@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: She
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000077214:Becaplermin; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002465:Cell Movement; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010496:Pericardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D020574:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D020574:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis; D000077214:Becaplermin
keywords: differentiation; embryonic mouse epicardium; migration; progenitor cell culture; proliferation