Role of Wnt/-Catenin Signaling in Epithelial Differentiation of Lung Resident Mesenchymal Stem Cells

• Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that stem cells have the ability to repair the lung tissue injuries following either injection of cultured cells or bone marrow transplantation. As a result, increasing attention has focused on the lung resident mesenchymal stem cells (LR-MSCs) for repairing damaged lung tissues. Meanwhile, some studies have revealed that Wnt/-catenin signaling plays an important role in the epithelial differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In the current study, our aim was to explore the roles of Wnt/-catenin signaling on cell proliferation and epithelial differentiation of LR-MSCs. We have successfully isolated the stem cell antigen (Sca)-1(+)CD45(-)CD31(-) cells which were proposed to be LR-MSCs by magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS). Furthermore, we demonstrated the expression of epithelial markers on LR-MSCs following indirect co-culture of these cells with alveolar epithelial type II (ATII) cells, confirming the epithelial phenotype of LR-MSCs following co-culture. In order to clarify the regulatory mechanisms of Wnt/-catenin signaling in epithelial differentiation of LR-MSCs, we measured the protein levels of several important members involved in Wnt/-catenin signaling in the presence or absence of some canonical activators and inhibitors of the -catenin pathways. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that Wnt/-catenin signaling may be an essential mechanism underlying the regulation of epithelial differentiation of LR-MSCs. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 1532-1539, 2015. (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Cell- och molekylärbiologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Cell and Molecular Biology (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi -- Biokemi och molekylärbiologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences -- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

LUNG RESIDENT MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS (LR-MSCs)

DIFFERENTIATION

ALVEOLAR EPITHELIAL

SUPPRESSES OSTEOGENIC DIFFERENTIATION

PROMOTES PROLIFERATION

STROMAL

CELLS

PROGENITOR

DICKKOPF-1

MORPHOGENESIS

ADIPOGENESIS

POPULATION

INHIBITION

NICHES

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Cell Biology

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)