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Published on: May 5, 2016
Endothelial differentiation by multipotent fetal mouse lung mesenchymal cells
Yasutoshi Yamamoto1, Harold Scott Baldwin, Lawrence S Prince
1Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Center for Stem Cell Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA.
Stem Cells and Development
|October 20, 2011
Summary
Researchers developed a novel mouse lung cell model to study how mesenchymal cells become vascular endothelial cells. This model aids understanding of lung vasculogenesis and pulmonary vascular diseases.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Pulmonary Medicine
Background:
- Fetal lung development involves mesenchymal cells differentiating into vascular endothelia, forming the alveolar capillary bed.
- The precise cellular mechanisms governing lung vasculogenesis are not well understood.
- Existing experimental systems for studying this process are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize a novel cell culture model for mesenchymal to endothelial differentiation using fetal mouse lung cells.
- To investigate the factors and conditions that promote endothelial cell formation from lung mesenchymal cells.
- To explore the plasticity and multipotency of these differentiated cells.
Main Methods:
- Utilized mesenchymal cells from embryonal day 15 mouse lungs (Immortomice).
- Cultured cells in media supplemented with fibroblast growth factor-2 and vascular endothelial growth factor.
- Assessed differentiation using vascular markers and α-smooth muscle actin expression.
- Analyzed Flk-1 expression levels and performed clonal analysis.
- Tested multipotency through osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation assays.
Main Results:
- Endothelial growth media successfully stimulated the formation of vascular endothelial cells from mesenchymal cells in culture.
- Newly formed endothelial cells exhibited plasticity, reverting upon removal of endothelial growth media.
- Higher Flk-1 expression correlated with more efficient endothelial differentiation.
- Individual mesenchymal cell clones displayed variable potential for endothelial phenotype acquisition.
- The fetal lung mesenchymal cells demonstrated multipotency, differentiating into endothelial, osteogenic, and chondrogenic lineages.
Conclusions:
- A novel and effective cell culture model for studying mesenchymal to endothelial differentiation in the fetal lung has been established.
- This model provides a valuable tool for future mechanistic studies of lung vasculogenesis during normal development.
- The model can also be applied to investigate the pathogenesis of pulmonary vascular diseases.
