Identification and isolation from either adult human bone marrow or G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood of CD34(+)/CD133(+)/CXCR4(+)/ Lin(-)CD45(-) cells, featuring morphological, molecular, and phenotypic characteristics of very small embryonic-like (VSEL) stem cells.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, we demonstrated that normal human bone marrow (hBM)-derived CD34(+) cells, released into the peripheral blood after granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilization, contain cell subpopulations committed along endothelial and cardiac differentiation pathways. These subpopulations could play a key role in the regeneration of post-ischemic myocardial lesion after their direct intracardiac delivery. We hypothesized that these relevant cells might be issued from very small embryonic-like stem cells deposited in the BM during ontogenesis and reside lifelong in the adult BM, and that they could be mobilized into peripheral blood by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples of normal hBM and leukapheresis products harvested from cancer patients after granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilization were analyzed and sorted by multiparameter flow cytometry strategy. Immunofluorescence and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays were performed to analyze the expression of typical pluripotent stem cells markers. RESULTS: A population of CD34(+)/CD133(+)/CXCR4(+)/Lin(-) CD45(-) immature cells was first isolated from the hBM or from leukapheresis products. Among this population, very small (2-5 µm) cells expressing Oct-4, Nanog, and stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 at protein and messenger RNA levels were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports the hypothesis that very small embryonic-like stem cells constitute a "mobile" pool of primitive/pluripotent stem cells that could be released from the BM into the peripheral blood under the influence of various physiological or pathological stimuli. In order to fully support that hBM- and leukapheresis product-derived very small embryonic-like stem cells are actually pluripotent, we are currently testing their ability to differentiate in vitro into cells from all three germ layers.

Long-term benefit of intracardiac delivery of autologous granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor-mobilized blood CD34+ cells containing cardiac progenitors on regional heart structure and function after myocardial infarct.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Starting from experimental data proposing hematopoietic stem cells as candidates for cardiac repair, we postulated that human peripheral blood (PB) CD34+ cells mobilized by hematopoietic growth-factor (G-CSF) would contain cell subpopulations capable of regenerating post-ischemic myocardial damages. METHODS: In a phase I clinical assay enrolling seven patients with acute myocardial infarct, we directly delivered to the injured myocardium autologous PB CD34+ cells previously mobilized by G-CSF, collected by leukapheresis and purified by immunoselection. In parallel, we looked for the eventual presence of cardiomyocytic and endothelial progenitor cells in leukapheresis products of these patients and controls, using flow cytometry, reverse transcription-quantitative (RTQ)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR), cell cultures and immunofluorescence analyzes. RESULTS: The whole clinical process was feasible and safe. All patients were alive at an average follow-up of 49 months (range 24-76 months). Improvement of heart function parameters became obvious from the third month following cell reinjection. Left ventricular ejection fraction values progressively and dramatically increased with time, associated with PetScan demonstration of myocardial structure regeneration and revascularization and New York Heart Association (NYHA) grade improvement. Furthermore, we identified PB CD34+ cell subpopulations expressing characteristics of both immature and mature endothelial and cardiomyocyte progenitor cells. In vitro CD34+ cell cultures on a specific medium induced development of adherent cells featuring morphologies, gene expression and immunocytochemistry characteristics of endothelial and cardiac muscle cells. CONCLUSIONS: Mobilized CD34+ cells contain stem cells committed along endothelial and cardiac differentiation pathways, which could play a key role in a proposed two-phase mechanism of myocardial regeneration after direct intracardiac delivery, probably being responsible for the long-term clinical benefit observed.

Transcription enhancer factor-1-dependent expression of the alpha-tropomyosin gene in the three muscle cell types.

In vertebrates, the actin-binding proteins tropomyosins are encoded by four distinct genes that are expressed in a complex pattern during development and muscle differentiation. In this study, we have characterized the transcriptional machinery of the alpha-tropomyosin (alpha-Tm) gene in muscle cells. Promoter analysis revealed that a 284-bp proximal promoter region of the Xenopus laevis alpha-Tm gene is sufficient for maximal activity in the three muscle cell types. The transcriptional activity of this promoter in the three muscle cell types depends on both distinct and common cis-regulatory sequences. We have identified a 30-bp conserved sequence unique to all vertebrate alpha-Tm genes that contains an MCAT site that is critical for expression of the gene in all muscle cell types. This site can bind transcription enhancer factor-1 (TEF-1) present in muscle cells both in vitro and in vivo. In serum-deprived differentiated smooth muscle cells, TEF-1 was redistributed to the nucleus, and this correlated with increased activity of the alpha-Tm promoter. Overexpression of TEF-1 mRNA in Xenopus embryonic cells led to activation of both the endogenous alpha-Tm gene and the exogenous 284-bp promoter. Finally, we show that, in transgenic embryos and juveniles, an intact MCAT sequence is required for correct temporal and spatial expression of the 284-bp gene promoter. This study represents the first analysis of the transcriptional regulation of the alpha-Tm gene in vivo and highlights a common TEF-1-dependent regulatory mechanism necessary for expression of the gene in the three muscle lineages.