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Updated: Jun 28, 2025

Isolation of Human BAMBIhighMFGE8high Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells
Published on: January 10, 2025
Functional diversity of apoptotic vesicle subpopulations from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in tissue
Xuanhao Zhang1,2, Jian Yang1, Shixing Ma1
1State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases &National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & Engineering Research Center of Oral Translational Medicine, Ministry of Education & National Engineering Laboratory for Oral Regenerative Medicine, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
Abstract:
Apoptosis releases numerous apoptotic vesicles that regulate processes such as cell proliferation, immunity, and tissue regeneration and repair. Now, it has also emerged as an attractive candidate for biotherapeutics. However, apoptotic vesicles encompass a diverse range of subtypes, and it remains unclear which specific subtypes play a pivotal role. In this study, we successfully isolated different apoptotic vesicle subtypes based on their sizes and characterized them using NTA and TEM techniques, respectively. We compared the functional variances among the distinct subtypes of apoptotic vesicles in terms of stem cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation, as well as for endothelial cell and macrophage function, effectively identifying subtypes that exhibit discernible functional differences. ApoSEV (with diameter <1000 nm) promoted stem cell proliferation, migration, and multi-potent differentiation, and accelerated skin wound healing of diabetes mouse model, while apoBD (with diameter >1000 nm) played the opposite effect on cell function and tissue regeneration. Lastly, employing protein analysis and gene sequencing techniques, we elucidated the intrinsic mechanisms underlying these differences between different subtypes of apoEVs. Collectively, this study identified that apoptotic vesicle subtypes possessed distinct bio-functions in regulating stem cell function and behaviour and modulating tissue regeneration, which primarily attribute to the distinct profiling of protein and mRNA in different subtypes. This comprehensive analysis of specific subtypes of apoEVs would provide novel insights for potential therapeutic applications in cell biology and tissue regeneration.
Insights
Smaller apoptotic vesicles (ApoSEV) promote stem cell functions and wound healing, while larger ones (apoBD) have opposite effects. This difference stems from distinct protein and mRNA profiles, offering therapeutic insights.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Tissue Engineering
- Biotherapeutics
Background:
- Apoptosis releases apoptotic vesicles with roles in cell regulation and tissue repair.
- Apoptotic vesicles are promising biotherapeutics, but subtype functions are poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and characterize apoptotic vesicle subtypes.
- To compare the distinct bio-functions of these subtypes.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind functional differences.
Main Methods:
- Apoptotic vesicle isolation and size-based subtype separation.
- Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) for characterization.
- Functional assays for stem cell and endothelial cell behavior, plus in vivo wound healing models.
- Proteomic and transcriptomic analyses.
Main Results:
- Successfully isolated and characterized distinct apoptotic vesicle subtypes (ApoSEV <1000 nm, apoBD >1000 nm).
- ApoSEV enhanced stem cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, and accelerated wound healing in diabetic mice.
- apoBD exhibited opposing effects on cell function and tissue regeneration.
- Distinct protein and mRNA profiles correlated with functional differences between subtypes.
Conclusions:
- Apoptotic vesicle subtypes possess distinct biological functions.
- Size-dependent differences in protein and mRNA content drive these bio-functions.
- This study provides critical insights for developing targeted biotherapeutics for regenerative medicine.
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