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Updated: May 3, 2026
Reprogramming Primary Amniotic Fluid and Membrane Cells to Pluripotency in Xeno-free Conditions
Published on: November 27, 2017
Nodal, Nanog, DAZL and SMAD gene expression in human amniotic fluid stem cells
Konstantinos Stefanidis1, Vasileios Pergialiotis2, Dimitrios Christakis2
1Laboratory of Stem Cells, Division of Reproductive Medicine, Alexandra Maternity Hospital,1st Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Athens - Medical School, Greece. kstefanidis@med.uoa.gr
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of Nodal (NODAL Homolog (mouse), Nanog (Nanog Homeobox), DAZL (Deleted in Azoospermia Like) and SMAD (SMAD Family member) genes and their potential role in the regulation of self-renewal in human amniotic fluid-derived stem cells. In this experimental study human amniotic fluid-derived stem cells were analyzed for messenger RNA expression of Nodal. Immunocytochemistry also was performed to determine Nanog and DAZL. SMAD genes expression analysis was performed using cDNA Microarray analysis. Nodal mRNA was positively expressed in all samples of amniotic fluid derived stem cells. Amniotic fluid-derived stem cells showed strong immunoreactivity for molecular markers of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells including Nanog and DAZL. Among the 8 SMAD genes expressions analyzed SMAD1, SMAD2, SMAD3, SMAD4 and SMAD7 showed positive expression. In conclusion amniotic fluid-derived stem cells seem to express Nodal, Nanog and DAZL and it speculated that the regulation of self-renewal in AFSc could be similar as in human embryonic stem cells.
