[Artificial endothelial cell. From stem cells to transdifferentiated endothelial cells]

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Stem Cell Biology
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Tissue engineering requires a consistent supply of functional cells.
• Human Wharton's jelly stem cells (HWJSC) are a potential cell source.
• Investigating HWJSC transdifferentiation into endothelial-like cells (Tr-ELC) for vascular applications.

Discussion:

• Transdifferentiated endothelial-like cells (Tr-ELC) exhibit altered morphology, becoming more polygonal and less proliferative than HWJSC.
• Downregulation of CD9 marker in Tr-ELC suggests a shift towards adult cell differentiation.
• Gene expression analysis reveals upregulation of key endothelial genes (CDH5, ICAM2, PECAM1) but partial induction of others (CD36, VWF).

Key Insights:

• HWJSC can phenotypically transdifferentiate into Tr-ELC.
• The transdifferentiation follows a hierarchical gene activation pattern.
• Morphological and phenotypical genes are activated earlier in the process.

Outlook:

• HWJSC-derived Tr-ELC show promise for vascular tissue engineering.
• Further research is needed to fully induce all relevant endothelial cell functions.
• Optimization of transdifferentiation protocols could enhance cell function for clinical applications.