Abstract
Human amniotic fluid cells are immune-privileged with low immunogenicity and anti-inflammatory properties. They are able to self-renew, are highly proliferative, and have a broad differentiation potential, making them amenable for cell-based therapies. Amniotic fluid (AF) is routinely obtained via amniocentesis and contains heterogeneous populations of foetal-derived progenitor cells including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In this study, we isolated human MSCs from AF (AF-MSCs) obtained during Caesarean sections (C-sections) and characterized them. These AF-MSCs showed typical MSC characteristics such as morphology, in vitro differentiation potential, surface marker expression, and secreted factors. Besides vimentin and the stem cell marker CD133, subpopulations of AF-MSCs expressed pluripotency-associated markers such as SSEA4, c-Kit, TRA-1-60, and TRA-1-81. The secretome and related gene ontology (GO) terms underline their immune modulatory properties. Furthermore, transcriptome analyses revealed similarities with native foetal bone marrow-derived MSCs. Significant KEGG pathways as well as GO terms are mostly related to immune function, embryonic skeletal system, and TGFβ-signalling. An AF-MSC-enriched gene set included putative AF-MSC markers PSG5, EMX-2, and EVR-3. In essence, C-section-derived AF-MSCs can be routinely obtained and are amenable for personalized cell therapies and disease modelling.
Highlights
Recent human Amniotic fluid (AF) research has shown that stem cells from the first and second trimester can be collected during amniocentesis [1]
In 2003, it was reported that a small subpopulation of amniotic fluid-derived stem cells (AFSCs) expresses the pluripotency-regulating marker, octamerbinding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) [6]
We have demonstrated that a subpopulation of human AFSCs (AF-mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)) isolated from AF collected during C-sections is MSCs meeting the accepted criteria and definition [16]
Summary
Recent human AF research has shown that stem cells from the first and second trimester can be collected during amniocentesis (an invasive method of prenatal diagnosis of chromosomal abnormalities and foetal infections) [1]. The therapeutic potential including in vitro characterization of human amniotic fluid-derived stem cells (AFSCs) was first reported by the Atala group [2]. Because of their low immunogenicity, anti-inflammatory properties, and high proliferative and differentiation capacity in vitro, AFSCs are amenable for clinical application and tissue engineering. They lack carcinogenesis after transplantation in nude mice and have the ability to create embryoid body-like structures after specific treatments.
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