Basal cell carcinoma stem cells exhibit osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation potential

Specific cell subpopulations identified as cancer stem cells(CSCs)can be found in basal cell carcinoma(BCC).Generally,CSCs have a marked trans-differentiation potential that could potentially be used in differentiation therapies.However,there are no studies regarding BCC CSCs multipotency.The aim of the study was to analyze the characteristic of CSCs of BCC with emphasis on their differentiation potential upon specific induction.Specific staining and cell morphology were used for differentiation confirmation,along with the expression analysis of osteogenic(ALP,BSP,Runx2,OCN,BMP2),chondrogenic(COL1 and COL2A1),adipogenic(PPAR-γ)and neurogenic(Nestin and MAP2)markers.BCC CSCs differentiated into osteogenic and chondrogenic lineages,as judged by staining and high expression of specific markers(from 2-to 92-fold higher upon induction).Concomitantly with differentiation,the levels of cancer stem cell markers decreased in the cultures.Adipo-differentiation and neuro-differentiation were unsuccessful.In conclusion,BCC CSCs exhibit the capacity to trans-differentiate,a characteristic that may potentially be useful in the development of new strategies for the treatment of aggressive BCCs.

Glypican 4 down-regulation in pluripotent stem cells as a potential strategy to improve differentiation and to impair tumorigenicity of cell transplants

Recent advances in stem cell technologies have opened new avenues for the treatment of a number of diseases still lacking effective therapeutic options.Cell transplantation has emerged as among the most promising clinical intervention for disorders such as injuries,diabetes,liver diseases, neurodegeneration and heart failure （Lee et al., 2013; Forbes and Rosenthal, 2014; Tabar and Studer, 2014）.

Stem cell properties and neural differentiation of sheep amniotic epithelial cells

This study was designed to verify the stem cell properties of sheep amniotic epithelial cells and their capacity for neural differentiation. Immunofluorescence microscopy and reverse transcription-PCR revealed that the sheep amniotic epithelial cells were positive for the embryonic stem cell marker proteins SSEA-1, SSEA-3, SSEA-4, TRA-1-60 and TRA-1-81, and the totipotency-associated genes Oct-4, Sox-2 and Rex-1, but negative for Nanog. Amniotic epithelial cells expressed β-Ⅲ-tubulin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, nestin and microtubule-associated protein-2 at 28 days after induction with serum-free neurobasal-A medium containing B-27. Thus, sheep amniotic epithelial cells could differentiate into neurons expressing β-Ⅲ-tubulin and microtubule-associated protein-2, and glial-like cells expressing glial fibrillary acidic protein, under specific conditions.

Differential Proteomics Reveals the Potential Injury Mechanism Induced by Heavy Ion Radiation in Mice Ovaries

In the present study, we used a proteomics approach based on a two-dimensional electrophoresis （2-DE） reference map to investigate protein expression in the ovarian tissues of pubertal Swiss-Webster mice subjected to carbon ion radiation （CIR）. Among the identified proteins, ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 （UCH-L1） is associated with the cell cycle[1] and that it influences proliferation in ovarian tissues. We analyzed the expression of UCH-L1 and the proliferation marker proliferation cell nuclear antigen （PCNA） following CIR using immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. The proteomics and biochemical results provide insight into the underlying mechanisms of CIR toxicity in ovarian tissues.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Proliferation on Konjac Glucomannan Microcarriers:Effect of Rigidity

Mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)have attracted great attention as a source of cells for regenerative medicine owing to their self-renewal ability and multiple differentiation potential.However,the serious shortage of MSCs and the difficulty of maintaining the differentiation potential during culture in vitro limit their application.Microcarrier culture technology is an effective method to realize large-scale culture of MSCs,whereas the effect of microcarriers properties on MSCs proliferation and differentiation potential maintenance should be investigated.In this study,Konjac glucomannan(KGM)microcarriers with a wide range of rigidity from 0.2 MPa to 10 MPa were prepared using water-in-oil emulsion polymerization.It was found that the microcarriers rigidity had great influence on MSCs by regulating cell spreading rate.Rapid proliferation and good differentiation potential maintenance of MSCs were achieved on the intermediate rigidity about 2.51±0.65 MPa with the faster spreading rate of cells.As a result,MSCs on 2.51±0.65 MPa KGM microcarriers proliferated about 27 times,which was 1.7 times as much as MSCs cultured on the commercial microcarriers Cytodex-1.The differentiation potential was also improved about 3.2 times compared to Cytodex-1.Therefore,it is indispensable to regulate microcarriers rigidity,especially for application of MSCs.