Limbal niche cells are a potent resource of adult mesenchymal progenitors.

Limbal niche cells are a potent resource of adult mesenchymal progenitors.
J Cell Mol Med. 2018 Apr 20;:
Authors: Guo P, Sun H, Zhang Y, Tighe S, Chen S, Su CW, Liu Y, Zhao H, Hu M, Zhu Y
Abstract
Limbal niche cells located in the limbal Palisades of Vogt are mesenchymal stem cells that reside next to limbal basal epithelial cells. Limbal niche cells are progenitors that express embryonic stem cell markers such as Nanog, Nestin, Oct4, Rex1, Sox2 and SSEA4, mesenchymal cell markers such as CD73, CD90 and CD105, and angiogenesis markers such as Flk-1, CD31, CD34, VWF, PDGFRβ and α-SMA, but negative for CD45. In addition, the stemness of limbal niche cells can be maintained during their cell culture in a three-dimension environment. Furthermore, expanded limbal niche cells have the capability to undergo adipogenesis, chondrogenesis, osteogenesis and endogenesis in vitro, indicating that they are in fact a valuable resource of adult progenitors. Furthermore studies on how the limbal niche cells regulate the aforementioned stemness and corneal fate decision are warranted, as those investigations will shed new light on how mesenchymal progenitors reverse limbal stem cell deficiency and lead to new methods for limbal niche cell treatment.
PMID: 29679460 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: J Cell Mol Med - April 20, 2018 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Guo P, Sun H, Zhang Y, Tighe S, Chen S, Su CW, Liu Y, Zhao H, Hu M, Zhu Y Tags: J Cell Mol Med Source Type: research