Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume 50, Issue 4 , Pages 447-457, December 2011

Comparative transcriptome analysis reveals a fetal origin for mesenchymal stem cells and novel fetal surface antigens for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis

  • Shun-Long Weng

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hsinchu Mackay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
    • Mackay Medicine, Nursing and Management College, Taipei 112, Taiwan
    • Both authors contributed equally to this work.
    • ,
  • Shing-Jyh Chang

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hsinchu Mackay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
    • Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
    • Both authors contributed equally to this work.
    • ,
  • Yi-Chieh Cheng

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Hua-Yong Wang

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Tao-Yeuan Wang

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pathology, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei 104, Taiwan
    • Mackay Medicine, Nursing and Management College, Taipei 112, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Margaret Dah-Tsyr Chang

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Hsei-Wei Wang

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
    • VGH-YM Genome Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan
    • Department of Education and Research, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei 103, Taiwan
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, National Yang-Ming University, 155, Section 2, Li-Nong Street, Taipei, Taiwan.

Accepted 10 March 2011.

Abstract 

Objective

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an attractive source for providing the cells necessary for regenerating damaged tissues. Fetal MSCs (fMSCs) are known to proliferate fast and have an excellent osteogenic capacity, yet the underlying mechanisms need to be explored. A better understanding of MSCs from different anatomic origins and ages will eventually benefit cell-based therapies, as well as subsequent mechanistic studies in the field of stem cell biology.

Materials and Methods

We identified the molecular signatures of fetal and adult MSCs via a meta-analytic strategy and compared the enriched canonical pathways and genetic networks within each signature.

Results

Fetal MSCs were found to express more cell cycle genes, which is consistent with the results of wetlab functional assays. In addition, the genes involved in vasculogenesis, neurogenesis, Wnt, MAPKKK pathways, and RNA splicing were found to be enriched in fMSCs. Correlating with the overexpression of multilineage differentiation genes, fMSCs share more genes with embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and are, therefore, more primitive. Further exploration into the transcriptome similarities revealed that MSCs from umbilical cord blood (UCB) express dominant fMSC genes, but not adult genes, suggesting a fetal origin for UCB MSCs. Novel surface proteins that were dominantly expressed in fetal and UCB MSCs, but not in adult MSCs or maternal PBMCs, were also identified.

Conclusion

Our results systematically revealed the underlying genes and regulatory networks of two MSCs from unique origins, the resulting phenotypes, as well as the origin of UCB MSCs. The novel membrane proteins on the fetal MSC surface are promising candidate biomarkers for positively isolating fetal MSCs from maternal blood for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis.

Keywords: Genetic networks, Mesenchymal stem cells, Noninvasive prenatal diagnosis, Surface antigens, Transcriptome analysis

 

PII: S1028-4559(11)00168-9

doi:10.1016/j.tjog.2011.10.009

Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Volume 50, Issue 4 , Pages 447-457, December 2011

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