Trans-differentiation Induction of Human-mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Different Tissue Origin and Evaluation of their Potential for Differentiation into Corneal Epithelial-like Cells

• Main Authors: Sun-Woung Moon (Author), Hyeon-Jeong Lee (Author), Won-Jae Lee (Author), Sun-A Ock (Author), Sung-Lim Lee (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: The Korean Society of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology, 2018-06-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.12750/JET.2018.33.2.85; 2671-4639; 2671-4663
• Keywords: mesenchymal stem cells; corneal epithelial cells; trans-differentiation; umbilical cord matrix-msc; dental tissue-msc; Biotechnology; TP248.13-248.65; Medicine (General); R5-920; Internal medicine; RC31-1245
• Source: Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology, Vol 33, Iss 2, Pp 85-97 (2018)

The trans-differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is employed, but there is little understanding of the cell source-dependent trans-differentiation potential of MSCs into corneal epithelial cells. In the present study, we induced trans-differentiation of MSCs derived from umbilical cord matrix (UCM-MSCs) and from dental tissue (D-MSCs), and we comparatively evaluated the in vitro trans-differentiation properties of both MSCs into corneal epithelial-like cells. Specific cell surface markers of MSC (CD44, CD73, CD90, and CD105) were detected in both UCM-MSCs and D-MSCs, but MHCII and CD119 were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in UCM-MSCs than in D-MSCs. In UCM-MSCs, not only expression levels of Oct3/4 and Nanog but also proliferation ability were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than in D-MSCs. In vitro differentiation abilities into adipocytes and osteocytes were confirmed for both MSCs. UCM-MSCs and D-MSCs were successfully trans-differentiated into corneal epithelial cells, and expression of lineage-specific markers (Cytokeratin-3, -8, and -12) were confirmed in both MSCs using immunofluorescence staining and qRT-PCR analysis. In particular, the differentiation capacity of UCM-MSCs into corneal epithelial cells was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of D-MSCs. In conclusion, UCM-MSCs have higher differentiation potential into corneal epithelial-like cells and have lower expression of CD119 and MHC class II than D-MSCs, which makes them a better source for the treatment of corneal opacity.