title: Endothelial Progenitors: A Consensus Statement on Nomenclature.
abstract: Endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) nomenclature remains ambiguous and there is a general lack of concordance in the stem cell field with many distinct cell subtypes continually grouped under the term "EPC." It would be highly advantageous to agree on standards to confirm an endothelial progenitor phenotype and this should include detailed immunophenotyping, potency assays, and clear separation from hematopoietic angiogenic cells which are not endothelial progenitors. In this review, we seek to discourage the indiscriminate use of "EPCs," and instead propose precise terminology based on defining cellular phenotype and function. Endothelial colony forming cells and myeloid angiogenic cells are examples of two distinct and well-defined cell types that have been considered EPCs because they both promote vascular repair, albeit by completely different mechanisms of action. It is acknowledged that scientific nomenclature should be a dynamic process driven by technological and conceptual advances; ergo the ongoing "EPC" nomenclature ought not to be permanent and should become more precise in the light of strong scientific evidence. This is especially important as these cells become recognized for their role in vascular repair in health and disease and, in some cases, progress toward use in cell therapy. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:1316-1320.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Reinhold J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Medina
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, California, USA.
authors.forename: Chad L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Barber
authors.affiliation: Vascular Research Centre Marseille, INSERM, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Florence
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sabatier
authors.affiliation: Vascular Research Centre Marseille, INSERM, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Francoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dignat-George
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiac Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Massachusetts, USA.|Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Melero-Martin
authors.affiliation: University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, Herston, Queensland, Australia.|University of Queensland Diamantina Institute, Translational Research Institute, Woolloongabba, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Kiarash
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khosrotehrani
authors.affiliation: Lab of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ohneda
authors.affiliation: National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) Vascular Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Randi
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproductive Medicine, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: Jerry K Y
authors.initials: JKY
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: University of Kanazawa Technical Institute, Ishikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Teruhide
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute for Cardiovascular Research, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Victor W M
authors.initials: VWM
authors.lastname: Van Hinsbergh
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
authors.forename: Mervin C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Yoder
authors.affiliation: Centre for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alan W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Stitt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000379:methods; D066026:Endothelial Progenitor Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology; D009626:Terminology as Topic
keywords: Angiogenesis; Cellular therapy; Endothelial cell; Progenitor cells