Human mesenchymal stromal cell proteomics: contribution for identification of new markers and targets for medicine...

Mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSCs) have become of great interest for cell-based therapy owing to their roles in tissue repair and immune suppression. MSCs have the ability to differentiate into specialized tissues, including bone, cartilage and muscle, among several others. Furthermore, it has been found that MSCs can also serve as cellular factories that secrete mediators to stimulate in situ regeneration of injured tissues. Proteomics has contributed significantly to the identification of new proteins to improve cellular characterization of MSCs, to identify new targets for therapeutic intervention and to elucidate important pathways utilized by MSCs to differentiate into distinct tissues. As proteomics technology advances, several studies can be revisited and analyzed in depth, employing state-of-the-art approaches, helping to uncover the cellular mechanisms utilized by MSCs to exert their regenerative functionalities. In this article, we will review the progress made so far and discuss further opportunities for proteomics to contribute to the clinical applications of MSCs.