Stable Phenotype and Function of Immortalized Lin(-)Sca-1(+) Cardiac Progenitor Cells in Long-Term Culture: A Step Closer to Standardization

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2014

Authors

Freire, AG (Author) Other; Nascimento, DS (Author) ICBAS; Forte, G (Author) Other; Valente, M (Author) Other; Resende, TP (Author) Other; Pagliari, S (Author) Other; Abreu, C (Author) Other; Carvalho, I (Author) Other; Di Nardo, P (Author) Other; Perpetua Pinto do O (Author) ICBAS

Journal

Title: Stem Cells and Development

Vol. 23

Pages: 1012-1026

ISSN: 1547-3287

Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 9 Citations

Scopus - 10 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-009-B2C

DOI: 10.1089/scd.2013.0305

Abstract (EN): Putative cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) have been identified in the myocardium and are regarded as promising candidates for cardiac cell-based therapies. Although two distinct populations of CPCs reached the clinical setting, more detailed studies are required to portray the optimal cell type and therapeutic setting to drive robust cell engraftment and cardiomyogenesis after injury. Owing to the scarcity of the CPCs and the need for reproducibility, the generation of faithful cellular models would facilitate this scrutiny. Here, we evaluate whether immortalized Lin(-)Sca-1(+) CPCs (iCPC(Sca-1)) represent their native-cell counterpart, thereby constituting a robust in vitro model system for standardized investigation in the cardiac field. iCPC(Sca-1) were established in vitro as plastic adherent cells endowed with robust self-renewal capacity while preserving a stable phenotype in long-term culture. iCPC(Sca-1) differentiated into cardiomyocytic-, endothelial-, and smooth muscle-like cells when subjected to appropriate stimuli. The cell line consistently displayed features of Lin(-)Sca-1(+) CPCs in vitro, as well as in vivo after intramyocardial delivery in the onset of myocardial infarction (MI). Transplanted iCPC(Sca-1) significantly attenuated the functional and anatomical alterations caused by MI while promoting neovascularization. iCPC(Sca-1) are further shown to engraft, establish functional connections, and differentiate in loco into cardiomyocyte- and vasculature-like cells. These data validate iCPC(Sca-1) as an in vitro model system for Lin(-)Sca-1(+) progenitors and for systematic dissection of mechanisms underlying CPC subsets engraftment/differentiation in vivo. Moreover, iCPC(Sca-1) can be regarded as a ready-to-use CPCs source for pre-clinical bioengineering studies toward the development of novel strategies for restoration of the damaged myocardium.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 15