Mouse Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Abstract

There is a general belief that adult stem cells are an essential aspect of maintaining tissue health as we age and undergo wound healing, but the mechanisms by which adult stem cells contribute to these processes are poorly understood. One of the more highly investigated adult stem cell populations has been the bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC). The rare presence of BMSCs within the bone marrow has made it a challenge to understand how this adult stem cell population naturally functions in vivo. While human BMSC research has direct therapeutic application, we believe murine animal models have an important role to play in understanding mechanisms of BMSC biology that are likely to influence how BMSCs are therapeutically used. In this chapter, we discuss the current beliefs in the field with regard to the therapeutic benefit of BMSCs and how we define BMSCs. We also include detailed information on mouse BMSCs and methods that we have developed over the past few years to isolate, identify, and work with mouse BMSCs.