Insensitive Effects of Inflammatory Cytokines on the Reference Genes of Synovial Fluid Resident-Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

Mesenchymal stem cells derived from rheumatoid arthritis patients (RA-MSCs) provide an understanding of a variety of cellular and immunological responses within the inflammatory milieu. Sustained exposure of MSCs to inflammatory cytokines is likely to exert an influence on genetic variations, including reference genes (RGs). The sensitive effect of cytokines on the reference genes of RA-SF-MSCs may be a variation factor affecting patient-derived MSCs as well as the accuracy and reliability of data. Here, we comparatively evaluated the stability levels of nine RG candidates, namely GAPDH, ACTB, B2M, EEF1A1, TBP, RPLP0, PPIA, YWHAZ, and HPRT1, to find the most stable ones. Alteration of the RG expression was evaluated in MSCs derived from the SF of healthy donors (H-SF-MSCs) and in RA-SF-MSCs using the geNorm and NormFinder software programs. The results showed that TBP, PPIA, and YWHAZ were the most stable RGs for the normalization of H-SF-MSCs and RA-SF-MSCs using RT-qPCR, whereas ACTB, the most commonly used RG, was less stable and performed poorly. Additionally, the sensitivity of RG expression upon exposure to proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1ß) was evaluated. RG stability was sensitive in the H-SF-MSCs exposed to TNF-α and IL-1ß but insensitive in the RA-SF-MSCs. Furthermore, the normalization of IDO expression using ACTB falsely diminished the magnitude of biological significance, which was further confirmed with a functional analysis and an IDO activity assay. In conclusion, the results suggest that TBP, PPIA, and YWHAZ can be used in SF-MSCs, regardless of their exposure to inflammatory cytokines.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate Treatment Improves Cryopreservation Efficiency in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

The actin cytoskeleton plays a crucial role not only in maintaining cell shape and viability but also in homing/engraftment properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a valuable source of cell therapy. Therefore, during the cryopreservation process of MSCs, protecting the actin cytoskeleton from the freezing/thawing stress is critical in maintaining their functionality and therapeutic potential. In this study, the safety and cryoprotective potential of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), which has a stabilizing effect on actin cytoskeleton, on dental pulp-derived MSCs (DP-MSCs) was investigated. Our results demonstrated that S1P treatment did not adversely affect viability and stemness of DP-MSCs. Furthermore, S1P pretreatment enhanced cell viability and proliferation properties of post-freeze/thaw DP-MSCs, protecting them against damage to the actin cytoskeleton and adhesion ability as well. These findings suggest that a new cryopreservation method using S1P pretreatment can enhance the overall quality of cryopreserved MSCs by stabilizing the actin cytoskeleton and making them more suitable for various applications in regenerative medicine and cell therapy.

HPRT1 Most Suitable Reference Gene for Accurate Normalization of mRNA Expression in Canine Dermal Tissues with Radiation Therapy.

Reference genes are crucial in molecular biological studies as an internal control for gene re-search as they exhibit consistent expression patterns across many tissue types. In canines, radiation therapy is the most important therapeutic tool to cure various diseases like cancer. However, when using radiation for therapeutic strategy, radiation exposure to healthy tissues leads to some possible side effects such as acute radiation-induced skin injury and alters gene expression. Therefore, the analysis of a change in reference gene expression during the skin recovery process after radiation therapy is essential in healthy canine tissue. In the present study, we analyzed eight reference genes (ACTB, GAPDH, YWHAZ, GUSB, HPRT1, RPL4, RPS5, and TBP) in canine dermal tissues at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 9 weeks of radiation exposure that affected the skin condition of canines. The stability of reference genes is determined by evaluating radiation therapy's effect on healthy canine dermal tissue. Epidermal marker, Keratin 10 expression varies each week after irradiation, and HPRT1 is found to be the most suitable for normalization of mRNA expression in radiation-exposed canine dermal tissues. Changes in the gene expression level were evaluated by using a reliable tool such as quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). In order to achieve a valid qRT-PCR result, the most stable reference genes used for normalization after the radiation exposure process are important. Therefore, the current study was designed to evaluate the most stable reference gene for the post-irradiation canine tissues. After radiation exposure, the alternation of reference gene expression was estimated by three algorithms (geNorm, Normfinder, and Bestkeeper). The RG validation programs (GeNorm and NormFinder) suggested that HPRT1, RPL4, and TBP were suitable for normalization in qRT-PCR. Furthermore, three algorithms suggested that HPRT1 was the most stable reference gene for normalization with qRT-PCR results, regardless of before and after radiation exposure. Whereas GAPDH was found to be the most unstable reference gene. In addition, the use of stable or unstable reference genes for the normalization of Keratin 10 expression showed statistical differences. Therefore, we observed that, to obtain accurate and suitable PCR results of the canine tissues with and without radiation exposure, the HPRT1 reference gene is recommended for normalization with its high stability. Additionally, the use of RGs such as HPRT1, RPL4, and TBP for normalization in qRT-PCR experiments is recommended for post-radiation canine tissues to generate more accurate and reliable data. These results will provide fundamental information regarding internal controls for gene expression studies and can be used for the analysis of gene patterns in regenerative medicine.

Scaffold-free 3D culturing enhance pluripotency, immunomodulatory factors, and differentiation potential of Wharton's jelly-mesenchymal stem cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) show a decline in pluripotency and differentiation with increased cell culture passages in 2D cultures. The 2D monolayer culture fails to correctly imitate the architecture and microenvironments of in-vivo cell models. Alternatively, 3D culture may improve the simulations of in-vivo cell microenvironments with wide applications in cell culture and drug discovery. In the present study, we compared various 3D culturing techniques such as 3D micro-well (3D-S), hanging drop (HD), and ultra-low attachment (ULA) plate-based spheroid culture to study their effect on morphology, viability, pluripotency, cell surface markers, immunomodulatory factors, and differentiation capabilities of Wharton's jelly-mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs). The cell morphology, viability, and senescence of 3D cultured WJ-MSCs were comparable to cells in 2D culture. The expression of pluripotency markers (OCT4, SOX2, and NANOG) was enhanced upto 2-8 fold in 3D cultured WJ-MSCs when compared to 2D culture. Moreover, the immunomodulatory factors (IDO, IL-10, LIF, ANG1, and VEGF) were significantly elevated in ULA based 3D cultured WJ-MSCs. Furthermore, significant enhancement in the differentiation potential of WJ-MSCs towards adipocyte (ADP and C/EBP-α), osteocyte (OPN and RUNX2), and definitive endodermal (SOX17, FOXA2, and CXCR4) lineages in 3D culture conditions were observed. Additionally, the osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation potential of WJ-MSCs over the time points 7 days, 14 days, and 28 days was also significantly increased in 3D culture groups. Our study demonstrates that stemness properties of WJ-MSCs were significantly enhanced in 3D cultures and ULA-based culture outperformed other methods with high pluripotency gene expression and enhanced differentiation potential. This study indicates the efficacy of 3D cultures to bridge the gap between 2D cell culture and animal models in regenerative medicine.

PPIA, HPRT1, and YWHAZ are suitable reference genes for quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in sows.

OBJECTIVE: The quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is the most accurate and reliable technique for analysis of gene expression. Endogenous reference genes (RGs) have been used to normalize qPCR data, although their expression may vary in different tissues and experimental conditions. Verification of the stability of RGs in selected samples is a prerequisite for reliable results. Therefore, we attempted to identify the most stable RGs in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in sows. METHODS: The cycle threshold values of nine commonly used RGs (18S, HPRT1, GAPDH, RPL4, PPIA, B2M, YWHAZ, ACTB, and SDHA) from HPG axis-related tissues in the domestic sows in the different stages of estrus cycle were analyzed using two RG-finding programs, geNorm and Normfinder, to rank the stability of the pool of RGs. In addition, the effect of the most and least stable RGs was examined by normalization of the target gene, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), in the hypothalamus. RESULTS: PPIA, HPRT1, and YWHAZ were the most stable RGs in the HPG axis-related tissues in sows regardless of the stages of estrus cycle. In contrast, traditional RGs, including 18S and ACTB, were found to be the least stable under these experimental conditions. In particular, in the normalization of GnRH expression in the hypothalamus against several stable RGs, PPIA, HPRT1, and YWHAZ, could generate significant (p<0.05) elevation of GnRH in the preovulatory phase compared to the luteal phase, but the traditional RGs with the least stability (18S and ACTB) did not show a significant difference between groups. CONCLUSION: These results indicate the importance of verifying RG stability prior to commencing research and may contribute to experimental design in the field of animal reproductive physiology as reference data.

IFN-γ Licensing Does Not Enhance the Reduced Immunomodulatory Potential and Migratory Ability of Differentiation-Induced Porcine Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in an In Vitro Xenogeneic Application.

IFN-γ licensing to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is applied to enhance the therapeutic potential of MSCs. However, although the features of MSCs are affected by several stimuli, little information is available on changes to the therapeutic potential of IFN-γ-licensed differentiated MSCs during xenogeneic applications. Therefore, the present study is aimed at clarifying the effects of adipogenic/osteogenic differentiation and IFN-γ licensing on the in vitro immunomodulatory and migratory properties of porcine bone marrow-derived MSCs in xenogeneic applications using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). IFN-γ licensing in differentiated MSCs lowered lineage-specific gene expression but did not affect MSC-specific cell surface molecules. Although indoleamine 2,3 deoxygenase (IDO) activity and expression were increased after IFN-γ licensing in undifferentiated MSCs, they were reduced after differentiation. IFN-γ licensing to differentiated MSCs elevated the reduced IDO expression in differentiated MSCs; however, the increase was not sufficient to reach to the level achieved by undifferentiated MSCs. During a mixed lymphocyte reaction with quantification of TNF-α concentration, proliferation and activation of xenogeneic PBMCs were suppressed by undifferentiated MSCs but inhibited to a lesser extent by differentiated MSCs. IFN-γ licensing increasingly suppressed proliferation of PBMCs in undifferentiated MSCs but it was incapable of elevating the reduced immunosuppressive ability of differentiated MSCs. Migratory ability through a scratch assay and gene expression study was reduced in differentiated MSCs than their undifferentiated counterparts; IFN-γ licensing was unable to enhance the reduced migratory ability in differentiated MSCs. Similar results were found in a Transwell system with differentiated MSCs in the upper chamber toward xenogeneic PBMCs in the lower chamber, despite IFN-γ licensing increased the migratory ability of undifferentiated MSCs. Overall, IFN-γ licensing did not enhance the reduced immunomodulatory and migratory properties of differentiated MSCs in a xenogeneic application. This study provides a better understanding of the ways in which MSC therapy can be applied.

Chronic inflammation-induced senescence impairs immunomodulatory properties of synovial fluid mesenchymal stem cells in rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Although the immunomodulatory properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been highlighted as a new therapy for autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), the disease-specific characteristics of MSCs derived from elderly RA patients are not well understood. METHODS: We established MSCs derived from synovial fluid (SF) from age-matched early (average duration of the disease: 1.7 years) and long-standing (average duration of the disease: 13.8 years) RA patients (E-/L-SF-MSCs) and then analyzed the MSC characteristics such as stemness, proliferation, cellular senescence, in vitro differentiation, and in vivo immunomodulatory properties. RESULTS: The presence of MSC populations in the SF from RA patients was identified. We found that L-SF-MSCs exhibited impaired proliferation, intensified cellular senescence, reduced immunomodulatory properties, and attenuated anti-arthritic capacity in an RA animal model. In particular, E-SF-MSCs demonstrated cellular senescence progression and attenuated immunomodulatory properties similar to those of L-SF-MSC in an RA joint-mimetic milieu due to hypoxia and pro-inflammatory cytokine exposure. Due to a long-term exposure to the chronic inflammatory milieu, cellular senescence, attenuated immunomodulatory properties, and the loss of anti-arthritic potentials were more often identified in SF-MSCs in a long-term RA than early RA. CONCLUSION: We conclude that a chronic RA inflammatory milieu affects the MSC potential. Therefore, this work addresses the importance of understanding MSC characteristics during disease states prior to their application in patients.

Comparison of Pluripotency, Differentiation, and Mitochondrial Metabolism Capacity in Three-Dimensional Spheroid Formation of Dental Pulp-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are valuable candidates in tissue engineering and stem cell-based therapy. Traditionally, MSCs derived from various tissues have been successfully expanded in vitro using adherent culture plates commonly called as monolayer two-dimensional (2D) cultures. Recently, many studies demonstrated that stemness and multilineage differentiation potential could be enhanced to greater extent when MSCs are cultured as suspended aggregates by means of three-dimensional (3D) culturing techniques. However, there are limited reports on changed mitochondrial metabolism on 3D spheroid formation of MSCs. Therefore, the present study was aimed at investigating the stemness, differentiation potential, and mitochondrial metabolism capacity of 3D dental pulp-derived MSC (DPSC) spheroids in comparison to monolayer cultured DPSCs. We isolated dental pulp-derived MSCs (DPSCs) and successfully developed a 3D culture system which facilitated the formation of MSC spheroids. The cell aggregation was observed after 2 hours, and spheroids were formed after 24 hours and remained in shape for 72 hours. After spheroid formation, the levels of pluripotent markers increased along with enhancement in adipogenic and osteogenic potential compared to 2D cultured control cells. However, decreased proliferative capacity, cell cycle arrest, and elevated apoptosis rate were observed with the time course of the 3D culture except for the initial 24-hour aggregation. Furthermore, oxygen consumption rates of living cells decreased with the time course of the aggregation except for the initial 24 hours. Overall, our study indicated that the short-term 3D culture of MSCs could be a suitable alternative to culture the cells.

Metastasis prognostic factors and cancer stem cell-related transcription factors associated with metastasis induction in canine metastatic mammary gland tumors.

BACKGROUND: Canine mammary gland tumor (MGT) is the most common cancer in aged female dogs. Although it's important to identify reliable metastasis or prognostic factors by evaluating related to cell division, adhesion, and cancer stem cell-related transcription factor (TF) in metastasis-induced canine MGT, but there are limited studies. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to identify metastasis prognostic factors and cancer stem cell-TFs in canine MGTs. METHODS: Age-matched female dogs diagnosed with MGT only were classified into metastatic and non-metastatic groups by histopathological staining of MGT tissues. The mRNA levels of cancer prognostic metastasis molecular factors (E-cadherin, ICAM-1, PRR14, VEGF, HPRT1, RPL4 and hnRNP H) and cancer stem cell-related TFs (Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog) were compared between metastatic and non-metastatic canine MGT tissues using qRT-PCR analysis. RESULTS: The mRNA levels of ICAM-1, PRR14, VEGF, hnRNP H, Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog in metastatic MGT group were significantly higher than those in non-metastatic MGT group. However, mRNA level of RPL4 was significantly lower in metastatic MGT group. Loss of E-cadherin and HPRT1 was observed in the metastatic MGT group but it was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent expression patterns of all metastasis-related factors showing elevation in ICAM-1, PRR14, VEGF, hnRNP H, Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog, but decreases in RPL4 levels occurred in canine MGT tissues, which was associated with metastasis. Thus, these cancer prognostic metastasis factors and TFs of cancer stem cells, except for E-cadherin and HPRT1, can be used as reliable metastasis factors for canine MGT and therapeutic strategy.

Female Germ Cell Development, Functioning and Associated Adversities under Unfavorable Circumstances.

In the present era, infertility is one of the major issues which restricts many couples to have their own children. Infertility is the inability to achieve a clinical pregnancy after regular unprotected sexual intercourse for the period of one year or more. Various factors including defective male or female germ cell development, unhealthy and improper lifestyles, diseases like cancer and associated chemo-or-radiation therapies, congenital disorders, etc., may be responsible for infertility. Therefore, it is highly important to understand the basic concepts of germ cell development including primordial germ cell (PGC) formation, specification, migration, entry to genital ridges and their molecular mechanisms, activated pathways, paracrine and autocrine signaling, along with possible alteration which can hamper germ cell development and can cause adversities like cancer progression and infertility. Knowing all these aspects in a proper way can be very much helpful in improving our understanding about gametogenesis and finding possible ways to cure related disorders. Here in this review, various aspects of gametogenesis especially female gametes and relevant factors causing functional impairment have been thoroughly discussed.

Therapeutic Status and Available Strategies in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

One of the most severe and devastating cancer is pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the major pancreatic exocrine cancer with a poor prognosis and growing prevalence. It is the most deadly disease, with an overall five-year survival rate of 6% to 10%. According to various reports, it has been demonstrated that pancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSCs) are the main factor responsible for the tumor development, proliferation, resistance to anti-cancer drugs, and recurrence of tumors after surgery. PCSCs have encouraged new therapeutic methods to be explored that can specifically target cancer cells. Furthermore, stem cells, especially mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are known as influential anti-cancer agents as they function through anti-inflammatory, paracrine, cytokines, and chemokine's action. The properties of MSCs, such as migration to the site of infection and host immune cell activation by its secretome, seem to control the microenvironment of the pancreatic tumor. MSCs secretome exhibits similar therapeutic advantages as a conventional cell-based therapy. Moreover, the potential for drug delivery could be enhanced by engineered MSCs to increase drug bioactivity and absorption at the tumor site. In this review, we have discussed available therapeutic strategies, treatment hurdles, and the role of different factors such as PCSCs, cysteine, GPCR, PKM2, signaling pathways, immunotherapy, and NK-based therapy in pancreatic cancer.

Human Dental Pulp-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Potential to Differentiate into Smooth Muscle-Like Cells In Vitro.

Previous studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from various tissue sources can be differentiated into smooth muscle-like cells (SMLCs) in vitro. In this paper, dental pulp-derived mesenchymal stem cells (DPSCs) were evaluated for their differentiation ability towards smooth muscle-like cells (SMLCs) under the effect of widely used cytokines (TGF-ß1 and PDGF-BB) with special focus on different culturing environments. For this purpose, both the commercially used culturing plates (Norm-c) and 0.1% gelatin-precoated (Gel-c) plates were used. Isolated cells displayed plastic adherence, pluripotency and cell surface marker profiling, and adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation potential with lineage specific marker expression. Differentiated cells induced under different culturing plates showed successful differentiation into SMLCs by positively expressing smooth muscle cell (SMC) specific markers both at the mRNA and protein levels. Gelatin coating could substantially enhance DPSC differentiation potential than Norm-c-induced cells. However, the absence of mature marker MHY-11 by immunostaining results from all treatment groups further indicated the development of immature and synthetic SMLCs. Finally, it was concluded that DPSC differentiation ability into SMLCs can be enhanced under cytokine treatment as well as by altering the cellular niche by precoating the culturing plates with suitable substrates. However, to get fully functional, contractile, and mature SMLCs, still many different cytokine cocktail combinations and more suitable coating substrates will be needed.

Hematological patterns and histopathological assessment of Miniature Pigs in the experiments on human mesenchymal stem cell transplantation.

Background: Multipotent and immune privileged properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were investigated for the treatment of various clinical diseases. For the years, many researches into the animal studies evaluated human stem cell therapeutic capacity related to the regenerative medicine. However, there were limited reports on immune privileged properties of human MSCs in animal studies. The present study investigated hematological and biochemical parameter and lymphocyte subset in mini-pigs following human MSCs transplantation as a means of validation of reliability that influence the animal test results. Methods: The miniature pigs were transplanted with human MSCs seeded with scaffold. After transplantation, all animals were evaluated by CBC, biochemistry and lymphocyte subset test. After 9 weeks, all pigs were sacrificed and organs were histologically analyzed. Results: CBC test showed that levels of RBC were decreased and reticulocyte, WBC and neutrophil were increased in transient state initially after transplantation, but returned to normal value. The proportion of B lymphocyte and cytotoxic T cell were also initially enhanced within the normal range temporarily. The female and male miniature pigs showed normal ranges for blood chemistry assessments. During the 9 weeks post-operative period, the animals showed a continuous increase in body weight and length. Furthermore, no abnormal findings were observed from the histological analysis of sacrificed pigs. Conclusions: Overall, miniature pigs transplanted with human MSCs seeded with scaffold were found to have physiologically similar results to normal animals. This result might be a reliable indicator of the animal experiments using miniature pigs with human MSCs.

Evaluation of odonto/osteogenic differentiation potential from different regions derived dental tissue stem cells and effect of 17ß-estradiol on efficiency.

BACKGROUND: The dentin is a tissue, which is formed by odontoblasts at the pulp interface of the teeth that supports the enamel. Odontoblasts, the cranial neural crest cells are derived from ectodermal mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and are long and polarized cells. They are present at the outer surface of dentin and play a prominent role about dentin formation. Recently, attention has been focused on induction of odontoblast using various type of MSCs and effects of the 17ß-estradiol supplementation. In this study, we establish an efficient odonto/osteoblast differentiation protocol using 17ß-estradiol supplementation while comparing the odonto/osteoblast ability of various dental MSCs. METHODS: Same donor derived four types of dental MSCs namely dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), stem cells from apical papilla (SCAP), dental follicle stem cells (DFSCs), and periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) were evaluated for their stemness characteristics and potency towards odonto/osteoblast (Induced odonto/osteoblast) differentiation. Then 17ß-estradiol supplementation of 0 and 10 µM was applied to the odonto/osteoblast differentiation media for 14 days respectively. Furthermore, mRNA and protein levels of odonto/osteoblast markers were evaluated. RESULTS: All of the experimental groups displayed stemness characteristics by showing adipocyte and chondrocyte differentiation abilities, expression for cell surface markers and cell proliferation capacity without any significant differences. Moreover, all dental derived MSCs were shown to have odonto/osteoblast differentiation ability when cultured under specific conditions and also showed positive expression for odontoblast markers at both mRNA and protein level. Among all, DPSCs revealed the higher differentiation potential than other dental MSCs. Furthermore, odonto/osteoblast differentiation potential was enhanced by supplementing the differentiation media with 17ß-estradiol (E2). CONCLUSIONS: Thus, DPSCs possess higher odonto/osteogenic potential than the SCAPs, DFSCs, PDLSCs and their differentiation capacity can by further enhanced under E2 supplementation.

TATA box binding protein and ribosomal protein 4 are suitable reference genes for normalization during quantitative polymerase chain reaction study in bovine mesenchymal stem cells.

OBJECTIVE: Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) has been extensively used in the field of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) research to elucidate their characteristics and clinical potential by normalization of target genes against reference genes (RGs), which are believed to be stably expressed irrespective of various experimental conditions. However, the expression of RGs is also variable depending on the experimental conditions, which may lead to false or contradictory conclusions upon normalization. Due to the current lack of information for a clear list of stable RGs in bovine MSCs, we conducted this study to identify suitable RGs in bovine MSCs. METHODS: The cycle threshold values of ten traditionally used RGs (18S ribosomal RNA [18S], beta-2-microglobulin [B2M], H2A histone family, member Z [H2A], peptidylprolyl isomerase A [PPIA], ribosomal protein 4 [RPL4], succinate dehydrogenase complex, subunit A [SDHA], beta actin [ACTB], glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase [GAPDH], TATA box binding protein [TBP], and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltrasnfrase1 [HPRT1]) in bovine bone marrow-derived MSCs (bBMMSCs) were validated for their stabilities using three types of RG evaluation algorithms (geNorm, Normfinder, and Bestkeeper). The effect of validated RGs was then verified by normalization of lineage-specific genes (fatty acid binding protein 4 [FABP4] and osteonectin [ON]) expressions during differentiations of bBMMSCs or POU class 5 homeobox 1 (OCT4) expression between bBMMSCs and dermal skins. RESULTS: Based on the results obtained for the three most stable RGs from geNorm (TBP, RPL4, and H2A), Normfinder (TBP, RPL4, and SDHA), and Bestkeeper (TBP, RPL4, and SDHA), it was comprehensively determined that TBP and RPL4 were the most stable RGs in bBMMSCs. However, traditional RGs were suggested to be the least stable (18S) or moderately stable (GAPDH and ACTB) in bBMMSCs. Normalization of FABP4 or ON against TBP, RPL4, and 18S presented significant differences during differentiation of bBMMSCs. However, although significantly low expression of OCT4 was detected in dermal skins compared to that in bBMMSCs when TBP and RPL4 were used in normalization, normalization against 18S exhibited no significance. CONCLUSION: This study proposes that TBP and RPL4 were suitable as stable RGs for qPCR study in bovine MSCs.

Erratum: Bharti D., et al. In Vitro Generation of Oocyte Like Cells and Their In Vivo Efficacy: How Far We have been Succeeded. Cells 2020, 9, 557.

The wrong grant number was erroneously entered in the original manuscript and needs to be changed from NRF-2017R1D1A1B03035677 to NRF-2019R1I1A3A01060073 in [...].

Small Molecule-Induced Pancreatic ß-Like Cell Development: Mechanistic Approaches and Available Strategies.

Diabetes is a metabolic disease which affects not only glucose metabolism but also lipid and protein metabolism. It encompasses two major types: type 1 and 2 diabetes. Despite the different etiologies of type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM and T2DM, respectively), the defining features of the two forms are insulin deficiency and resistance, respectively. Stem cell therapy is an efficient method for the treatment of diabetes, which can be achieved by differentiating pancreatic ß-like cells. The consistent generation of glucose-responsive insulin releasing cells remains challenging. In this review article, we present basic concepts of pancreatic organogenesis, which intermittently provides a basis for engineering differentiation procedures, mainly based on the use of small molecules. Small molecules are more auspicious than any other growth factors, as they have unique, valuable properties like cell-permeability, as well as a nonimmunogenic nature; furthermore, they offer immense benefits in terms of generating efficient functional beta-like cells. We also summarize advances in the generation of stem cell-derived pancreatic cell lineages, especially endocrine ß-like cells or islet organoids. The successful induction of stem cells depends on the quantity and quality of available stem cells and the efficient use of small molecules.

In Vitro Generation of Oocyte Like Cells and Their In Vivo Efficacy: How Far We have been Succeeded.

In the last few decades, stem cell therapy has grown as a boon for many pathological complications including female reproductive disorders. In this review, a brief description of available strategies that are related to stem cell-based in vitro oocyte-like cell (OLC) development are given. We have tried to cover all the aspects and latest updates of the in vitro OLC developmental methodologies, marker profiling, available disease models, and in vivo efficacies, with a special focus on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) usage. The differentiation abilities of both the ovarian and non-ovarian stem cell sources under various induction conditions have shown different effects on morphological alterations, proliferation- and size-associated developments, hormonal secretions under gonadotropic stimulations, and their neo-oogenesis or folliculogenesis abilities after in vivo transplantations. The attainment of characters like oocyte-like morphology, size expansion, and meiosis initiation have been found to be major obstacles during in vitro oogenesis. A number of reports have either lacked in vivo studies or have shown their functional incapability to produce viable and healthy offspring. Though researchers have gained many valuable insights regarding in vitro gametogenesis, still there are many things to do to make stem cell-derived OLCs fully functional.

Subpopulations of miniature pig mesenchymal stromal cells with different differentiation potentials differ in the expression of octamer-binding transcription factor 4 and sex determining region Y-box 2.

OBJECTIVE: Human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) exhibit variable differentiation potential and can be divided accordingly into distinct subpopulations whose ratios vary with donor age. However, it is unknown whether the same is true in pigs. This study investigated MSC subpopulations in miniature pig and compared their characteristics in young (2 to 3 months) and adult (27 to 35 months) pigs. METHODS: Osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic capacity of isolated MSCs was evaluated by von Kossa, Alcian blue, and oil red O staining, respectively. Cell surface antigen expression was determined by flow cytometry. Proliferative capacity was assessed with the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Expression of marker genes was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Porcine MSCs comprised cells with trilineage and bilineage differentiation potential (tMSCs and bMSCs, respectively) and non-differentiating stromal cells (NDSCs). The tMSC and bMSC fractions were smaller in adult than in young pigs (63.0% vs 71.2% and 11.6% vs 24.0%, respectively, p<0.05); NDSCs showed the opposite trend (25.4% vs 4.8%; p<0.05). Subpopulations showed no differences in morphology, cell surface antigen expression, or proliferative capacity, but octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) expression was higher in tMSCs than in bMSCs and NDSCs (p<0.05), whereas sex determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2) expression was higher in tMSCs and bMSCs than in NDSCs (p<0.05). Aging had no effect on these trends. CONCLUSION: Porcine MSCs comprise distinct subpopulations that differ in their differentiation potential and OCT4 and SOX2 expression. Aging does not affect the characteristics of each subpopulation but alters their ratios.

Terminal differentiation into adipocyte and growth inhibition by PPARγ activation in human A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells.

The present study investigated the terminal differentiation capacity into adipocytes and subsequent growth inhibition in A549 cancer cells treated with pioglitazone (PGZ), a PPARγ activator. The rate of cell growth in A549 cells was significantly (P < .05) inhibited in concentrations above 10 µM PGZ while maintaining less cytotoxic effects in MRC-5 fibroblasts. Following 50 µM PGZ treatment, population doubling time (PDT) was significantly (P < .05) increased by inhibition of cell growth, as per increasing PGZ exposure time by up to 4 weeks. The adiposome-like vesicles were commonly observed in the PGZ-treated A549 cells, and the vesicles were highly stained with Oil-Red O solution. In addition, the cell size and expression of GLUT4 and PPARγ were significantly (P < .05) increased, as per increasing PGZ exposure time by up to 4 weeks. The significant (P < .05) down-regulation of telomerase activity and up-regulation of senescence-associated ß-galactosidase (SA ß-GAL) activity was displayed in the PGZ-treated A549 cells, as per increasing PGZ exposure time by up to 4 weeks. The G1 phase of the cell cycle was also significantly (P < .05) increased in the PGZ-treated A549 cells compared with untreated A549 cells. The present results have demonstrated that activation of PPARγ using PGZ induces cellular differentiation into adipocytes and inhibits cell growth in the A549 cancer cells. The terminal differentiation into adipocytes could offer potent chemotherapy in the cancer cells showing high glucose metabolism.