Epidermal growth factor can signal via ß-catenin to control proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells independently of canonical Wnt signalling.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) maintain bone homeostasis and repair through the ability to expand in response to mitotic stimuli and differentiate into skeletal lineages. Signalling mechanisms that enable precise control of MSC function remain unclear. Here we report that by initially examining differences in signalling pathway expression profiles of individual MSC clones, we identified a previously unrecognised signalling mechanism regulated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) in primary human MSCs. We demonstrate that EGF is able to activate ß-catenin, a key component of the canonical Wnt signalling pathway. EGF is able to induce nuclear translocation of ß-catenin in human MSCs but does not drive expression of Wnt target genes or T cell factor (TCF) activity in MSC reporter cell lines. Using an efficient Design of Experiments (DoE) statistical analysis, with different combinations and concentrations of EGF and Wnt ligands, we were able to confirm that EGF does not influence the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in MSCs. We show that the effects of EGF on MSCs are temporally regulated to initiate early "classical" EGF signalling mechanisms (e.g via mitogen activated protein kinase) with delayed activation of ß-catenin. By RNA-sequencing, we identified gene sets that were exclusively regulated by the EGF/ß-catenin pathway, which were distinct from classical EGF-regulated genes. However, subsets of classical EGF gene targets were significantly influenced by EGF/ß-catenin activation. These signalling pathways cooperate to enable EGF-mediated proliferation of MSCs by alleviating the suppression of cell cycle pathways induced by classical EGF signalling.

Multiparameter Analysis of Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Identifies Distinct Immunomodulatory and Differentiation-Competent Subtypes.

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs, also called bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells) provide hematopoietic support and immunoregulation and contain a stem cell fraction capable of skeletogenic differentiation. We used immortalized human BMSC clonal lines for multi-level analysis of functional markers for BMSC subsets. All clones expressed typical BMSC cell-surface antigens; however, clones with trilineage differentiation capacity exhibited enhanced vascular interaction gene sets, whereas non-differentiating clones were uniquely CD317 positive with significantly enriched immunomodulatory transcriptional networks and high IL-7 production. IL-7 lineage tracing and CD317 immunolocalization confirmed the existence of a rare non-differentiating BMSC subtype, distinct from Cxcl12-DsRed(+) perivascular stromal cells in vivo. Colony-forming CD317(+) IL-7(hi) cells, identified at ∼ 1%-3% frequency in heterogeneous human BMSC fractions, were found to have the same biomolecular profile as non-differentiating BMSC clones using Raman spectroscopy. Distinct functional identities can be assigned to BMSC subpopulations, which are likely to have specific roles in immune control, lymphopoiesis, and bone homeostasis.

In vivo biocompatibility of custom-fabricated apatite-wollastonite-mesenchymal stromal cell constructs.

We have used the additive manufacturing technology of selective laser sintering (SLS), together with post SLS heat treatment, to produce porous three dimensional scaffolds from the glass-ceramic apatite-wollastonite (A-W). The A-W scaffolds were custom-designed to incorporate a cylindrical central channel to increase cell penetration and medium flow to the center of the scaffolds under dynamic culture conditions during in vitro testing and subsequent in vivo implantation. The scaffolds were seeded with human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and cultured in spinner flasks. Using confocal and scanning electron microscopy, we demonstrated that MSCs formed and maintained a confluent layer of viable cells on all surfaces of the A-W scaffolds during dynamic culture. MSC-seeded, with and without osteogenic pre-differentiation, and unseeded A-W scaffolds were implanted subcutaneously in MF1 nude mice where osteoid formation and tissue in-growth were observed following histological assessment. The results demonstrate that the in vivo biocompatibility and osteo-supportive capacity of A-W scaffolds can be enhanced by SLS-custom design, without the requirement for osteogenic pre-induction, to advance their potential as patient-specific bone replacement materials.