Dissecting the molecular relationship among various cardiogenic progenitor cells
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Updated: May 13, 2026
Induction of Endothelial Differentiation in Cardiac Progenitor Cells Under Low Serum Conditions
Published on: January 7, 2019
Devaveena Dey1, Leng Han, Michael Bauer
1Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Institute of Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5454, USA.
Insights
Cardiac ckit(+) cells are the most primitive heart progenitors, distinct from bone marrow cells. Understanding these progenitor differences is key for developing effective cardiac stem cell therapies.
Area of Science:
- Stem cell biology
- Regenerative medicine
- Molecular cardiology
Background:
- Cardiac repair utilizes progenitors from heart and bone marrow (BM).
- Limited knowledge exists on the molecular identity and relationships of these progenitors.
- Understanding progenitor molecular identity is crucial for robust cardiac stem cell therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To perform high-throughput transcriptional profiling of cardiogenic progenitor cells.
- To compare molecular profiles of cardiac and BM-derived progenitors on an identical platform.
Main Methods:
- Microarray-based transcriptional profiling.
- Analysis of three cardiac progenitors (ckit(+), Sca1(+), side population) and two BM progenitors (ckit(+), mesenchymal stem cell).
- Utilized age- and sex-matched wild-type C57BL/6 mice.
Main Results:
- Cardiac ckit(+) cells showed distinct gene expression compared to Sca1(+) and side population cells.
- BM progenitors were enriched for DNA replication and repair transcripts.
- BM ckit(+) cells exhibited the least correlation with other progenitors, showing immature neutrophil markers.
Conclusions:
- Cardiac ckit(+) cells represent the most primitive progenitor population in the rodent heart.
- Primitive cardiac and BM progenitors differ significantly in stemness and cardiac lineage genes.
- This molecular profiling serves as a reference for future stem cell studies.
Rationale:
Multiple progenitors derived from the heart and bone marrow (BM) have been used for cardiac repair. Despite this, not much is known about the molecular identity and relationship among these progenitors. To develop a robust stem cell therapy for the heart, it is critical to understand the molecular identity of the multiple cardiogenic progenitor cells.
Objective:
This study is the first report of high-throughput transcriptional profiling of cardiogenic progenitor cells carried out on an identical platform.
Method And Results:
Microarray-based transcriptional profiling was carried out for 3 cardiac (ckit(+), Sca1(+), and side population) and 2 BM (ckit(+) and mesenchymal stem cell) progenitors, obtained from age- and sex-matched wild-type C57BL/6 mice. Analysis indicated that cardiac-derived ckit(+) population was very distinct from Sca1(+) and side population cells in the downregulation of genes encoding for cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion proteins, and in the upregulation of developmental genes. Significant enrichment of transcripts involved in DNA replication and repair was observed in BM-derived progenitors. The BM ckit(+) cells seemed to have the least correlation with the other progenitors, with enrichment of immature neutrophil-specific molecules.
Conclusions:
Our study indicates that cardiac ckit(+) cells represent the most primitive population in the rodent heart. Primitive cells of cardiac versus BM origin differ significantly with respect to stemness and cardiac lineage-specific genes, and molecules involved in DNA replication and repair. The detailed molecular profile of progenitors reported here will serve as a useful reference to determine the molecular identity of progenitors used in future preclinical and clinical studies.
