title: Comprehensive Screening of Cell Surface Markers Expressed by Adult-Derived Human Liver Stem/Progenitor Cells Harvested at Passage 5: Potential Implications for Engraftment.
abstract: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are known to have potential therapeutic benefits for a number of diseases. However, many studies report low engraftment levels, regardless of the target organ. One possible explanation could be that MSCs do not express the necessary receptors for engraftment. Indeed, MSCs appear to use a similar mechanism to leukocytes to engraft into injured organs, relying on various receptors for rolling, firm adhesion, and transmigration. In this study, we conducted an extensive surface molecule screening of adult-derived human liver stem/progenitor cells (ADHLSC) in an attempt to shed some light on this subject. We observed that ADHLSCs lack expression of most of the costimulatory molecules tested. Furthermore, study of the adhesion molecule profile of ADHLSCs revealed that they do not express selectin ligands or LFA-1 which are, respectively, involved in the rolling process and the firm adhesion. In addition, ADHLSCs slightly express VLA-4 and lose expression of CXCR4 altogether on their surface during culture expansion. However, ADHLSCs express all the integrin couples and matrix metalloproteinases needed to bind and integrate the extracellular matrix once the endothelial barrier is crossed. Collectively, these results suggest that binding to the endothelium may be the critical weak point in the engraftment process.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pediatric Hepatology and Cell Therapy, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 52, 1200 Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Pierre-Edouard
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5534-2495
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Dollet
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pediatric Hepatology and Cell Therapy, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 52, 1200 Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3503-6831
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ravau
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pediatric Hepatology and Cell Therapy, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 52, 1200 Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Floriane
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-2900-514X
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: André
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pediatric Hepatology and Cell Therapy, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 52, 1200 Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Mustapha
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7329-9635
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Najimi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pediatric Hepatology and Cell Therapy, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 52, 1200 Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Etienne
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sokal
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pediatric Hepatology and Cell Therapy, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique (IREC), Université Catholique de Louvain, Avenue Mounier 52, 1200 Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5653-9545
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lombard