Abstract
Insufficient cell number hampers therapies utilizing adult human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and current ex vivo expansion strategies lead to a loss of multipotentiality. Here we show that supplementation with an embryonic form of heparan sulfate (HS-2) can both increase the initial recovery of hMSCs from bone marrow aspirates and increase their ex vivo expansion by up to 13-fold. HS-2 acts to amplify a subpopulation of hMSCs harboring longer telomeres and increased expression of the MSC surface marker stromal precursor antigen-1. Gene expression profiling revealed that hMSCs cultured in HS-2 possess a distinct signature that reflects their enhanced multipotentiality and improved bone-forming ability when transplanted into critical-sized bone defects. Thus, HS-2 offers a novel means for decreasing the expansion time necessary for obtaining therapeutic numbers of multipotent hMSCs without the addition of exogenous growth factors that compromise stem cell fate.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1897-1910 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Stem Cells and Development |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 11 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 20 2012 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Hematology
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology