Umbilical cord tissue is a robust source for mesenchymal stem cells with enhanced myogenic differentiation potential compared to cord blood

Shivangi Mishra,Suchitra D Gopinath,Anamica Das,Shinjini Bhatnagar,G Aneeshkumar Arimbasseri,Jayesh Kumar Sevak

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-75102-9

Abstract

Differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from two different sources of fetal tissues such as umbilical cord blood (UCB) and tissue (UCT) into skeletal muscle have remained underexplored. Here, we present a comparative analysis of UCB and UCT MSCs, in terms of surface markers, proliferation and senescence marker expression. We find that CD45−CD34− MSCs obtained from UCT and UCB of term births display differences in the combinatorial expression of key MSC markers CD105 and CD90. Importantly, UCT MSCs display greater yield, higher purity, shorter culture time, and lower rates of senescence in culture compared to UCB MSCs. Using a robust myogenic differentiation protocol, we show that UCT MSCs differentiate more robustly into muscle than UCB MSCs by transcriptomic sequencing and specific myogenic markers. Functional assays reveal that CD90, and not CD105 expression promotes myogenic differentiation in MSCs and could explain the enhanced myogenic potential of UCT MSCs. These results suggest that in comparison to large volumes of UCB that are routinely used to obtain MSCs and with limited success, UCT is a more reliable, robust, and convenient source of MSCs to derive cells of the myogenic lineage for both therapeutic purposes and increasing our understanding of developmental processes.

Highlights

Differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from two different sources of fetal tissues such as umbilical cord blood (UCB) and tissue (UCT) into skeletal muscle have remained underexplored
To determine the expression of key surface markers of MSCs derived from UCT and UCB, we evaluated combinatorial expression patterns of CD105, CD90, and CD73
We found that the combined expression pattern of CD105 and CD90 was different between UCT and UCB MSCs

Summary

Introduction

Differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from two different sources of fetal tissues such as umbilical cord blood (UCB) and tissue (UCT) into skeletal muscle have remained underexplored. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based cellular therapies rely on the clonogenic, proliferative, genetically stable, differentiation ability into the three germ layers, and immunological privileged state exhibited by M SCs1,2 This has led to several studies exploring sources of MSCs that represent a robust reservoir, convenient to isolate, and exhibiting potent differentiation p otential[3]. A comprehensive comparative characterization of myogenic differentiation potentials between MSCs from different compartments of the umbilical cord is lacking This has been in part due to inconsistent rates in establishing successful cultures of MSCs from UCB from term births and conflicting results on the volumes of cord blood required to be collected for obtaining sufficient numbers of MSCs4,11–13. Functional assays demonstrate a necessary requirement for CD90 expression as a key factor in promoting myogenic differentiation in uMSCs, thereby accounting for the superior myogenic potential of UCT over UCB MSCs

Methods

Results

Conclusion