Research
Gene expression changes with differentiation of cord blood stem cells to respiratory epithelial cells: a preliminary observation
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* Corresponding author: Michael J Berger berg0754@umn.edu
1 Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware Street SE, MMC609, Minneapolis, MN 5545, USA
2 Fairview Molecular Diagnostics Lab, University of Minnesota, D210 Mayo Building, 420 Delaware Street SE, MMC198, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
3 Molecular Cellular Therapy, University of Minnesota, 1900 Fitch Avenue, St Paul, MN 55108, USA
4 BioE Inc., 4280 Centerville Road, St Paul, MN 55127, USA
Stem Cell Research & Therapy 2011, 2:19 doi:10.1186/scrt60
Published: 13 April 2011Abstract
Introduction
Owing to wide availability, low cost and avoidance of ethical concerns, umbilical cord blood (UCB) provides an attractive source of stem cells for investigational and therapeutic uses. In this study, we sought to characterize the gene expression changes as stem cells from UCB differentiate toward alveolar type II pneumocytes (ATII).
Methods
Control and experimental cells were cultured in maintenance medium (mesenchymal stem cell growth medium) or differentiation medium (small airway growth medium (SAGM)), respectively, for 8 days. Total RNA was isolated from control and experimental groups for gene expression profiling and real-time polymerase chain reaction assay.
Results
Analysis of only mixed cell lines (n = 2) with parameters including a P value of 0.01 and an intergroup gap of 2.0 yielded a set of 373 differentially expressed genes. Prominently upregulated genes included several genes associated with ATII cells and also lung cancers: ALDH3A1, VDR and CHKA. Several upregulated genes have been shown to be integral or related to ATII functioning: SGK1, HSD17B11 and LEPR. Finally, several upregulated genes appear to play a role in lung cancers, including FDXR and GP96. Downregulated genes appear to be associated with bone, muscle and central nervous system tissues as well as other widespread tissues.
Conclusions
To the best of our knowledge, this accounting of the gene expression changes associated with the differentiation of a human UCB-derived stem cell toward an ATII cell represents the first such effort. Dissecting which components of SAGM affect specific gene regulation events is warranted.