Stem Cells Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Stem Cells, including details on research, transplants, therapy, benefits. | ||||||||
|
Enrichment of putative human epidermal stem cells based on cell size and collagen type IV adhesiveness.Li J, Miao C, Guo W, Jia L, Zhou J, Ma B, Peng S, Liu S, Cao Y, Duan E State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China. The enrichment and identification of human epidermal stem cells (EpSCs) are of paramount importance for both basic research and clinical application. Although several approaches for the enrichment of EpSCs have been established, enriching a pure population of viable EpSCs is still a challenging task. An improved approach is worth developing to enhance the purity and viability of EpSCs. Here we report that cell size combined with collagen type IV adhesiveness can be used in an improved approach to enrich pure and viable human EpSCs. We separated the rapidly adherent keratinocytes into three populations that range in size from 5-7 microm (population A), to 7-9 microm (population B), to > or =9 microm (population C) in diameter, and found that human putative EpSCs could be further enriched in population A with the smallest size. Among the three populations, population A displayed the highest density of beta1-integrin receptor, contained the highest percentage of cells in G0/G1 phase, showed the highest nucleus to cytoplasm ratio, and possessed the highest colony formation efficiency (CFE). When injected into murine blastocysts, these cells participated in multi-tissue formation. More significantly, compared with a previous approach that sorted putative EpSCs according to beta1-integrin antibody staining, the viability of the EpSCs enriched by the improved approach was significantly enhanced. Our results provide a putative strategy for the enrichment of human EpSCs, and encourage further study into the role of cell size in stem cell biology. Published 3 March 2008 in Cell Res, 18(3): 360-71.
© 2004-2008 Stem Cells Research Today. All Rights Reserved. |
| ||||||
