Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2026
09:46
Megakaryocyte Differentiation and Platelet Formation from Human Cord Blood-derived CD34+ Cells
Published on: December 27, 2017
Human CD34+/KDR+ cells are generated from circulating CD34+ cells after immobilization on activated platelets
H C de Boer1, M M Hovens, A M van Oeveren-Rietdijk
1Department of Nephrology, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology
|October 30, 2010
Summary
Circulating CD34+/KDR+ cells, crucial for vascular repair, are generated at injury sites, not bone marrow. Their levels may indicate vascular damage, especially in diabetes.
Area of Science:
- Endothelial progenitor cell biology
- Vascular repair mechanisms
- Hematopoietic stem cell research
Background:
- Kinase-insert domain-containing receptor (KDR) on CD34+ cells is linked to vascular repair.
- Low KDR co-expression on CD34+ cells in bone marrow and G-CSF-mobilized blood suggests limited endogenous supply.
- The origin and generation of circulating CD34+/KDR+ cells remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the generation of CD34+/KDR+ cells in peripheral circulation.
- Determine the role of activated platelets in CD34+/KDR+ cell formation.
- Assess the clinical relevance of circulating CD34+/KDR+ cells as a marker for vascular injury.
Main Methods:
- Utilized an ex vivo flow model to study CD34+ cell-platelet interactions.
- Analyzed KDR translocation dynamics upon CD34+ cell immobilization.
- Compared circulating CD34+/KDR+ cell percentages in type 2 diabetes patients and controls, including aspirin-treated patients.
Main Results:
- Activated platelets facilitate CD34+ cell homing to vascular injury sites.
- KDR translocates to the CD34+ cell surface within 15 minutes of immobilization.
- Elevated CD34+/KDR+ cells in type 2 diabetes patients, reduced by aspirin, link levels to platelet activation.
Conclusions:
- Circulating CD34+/KDR+ cells are primarily generated at vascular injury sites from circulating CD34+ cells.
- These cells are not a pre-mobilized endothelial progenitor population from bone marrow.
- Circulating CD34+/KDR+ cell counts may serve as a valuable biomarker for vascular injury.
