First published online February 15, 2007
Stem Cells
Vol. 25 No.
6
June 2007, pp.
1364
-1374
doi:10.1634/stemcells.2006-0194; www.StemCells.com
© 2007 AlphaMed Press
TISSUE-SPECIFIC STEM CELLS |
Evaluation of Sca-1 and c-Kit As Selective Markers for Muscle Remodelling by Nonhemopoietic Bone Marrow Cells
Sharon H.A. Wonga,b,c,
Kym N. Lowesa,b,c,j,
Ivan Bertoncellod,e,f,
Anita F. Quigleya,b,c,h,j,
Paul J. Simmonsd,g,
Mark J. Cookc,h,
Andrew J. Kornberga,b,i,
Robert M.I. Kapsaa,b,c,h,j
aNational Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia;
bHoward Florey Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;
cDepartment of Medicine, The University of Melbourne, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia;
dStem Cell Laboratory, Peter McCallum Cancer Research Institute, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia;
eDepartment of Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;
fAustralian Stem Cell Centre Ltd, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia;
gCenter for Stem Cell Biology, Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas, USA;
hCentre for Neurology and Neuroscience Research, St Vincent's Hospital, Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia;
iDepartment of Neurology and Royal Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia;
jThe Bionic Ear Institute, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Key Words. Bone marrow • Stem cells • Stem cell antigen-1 • c-Kit • mdx • Muscular dystrophy • Muscle regeneration • Mice
Correspondence: Robert M.I. Kapsa, Ph.D., National Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, St. Vincent's Hospital, 35 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, Victoria, 3065, Australia. Telephone: 61-3-9288-3341; Fax: 61-3-9288-3350; e-mail: RKAPSA{at}iinet.net.au
Received April 3, 2006;
accepted for publication February 9, 2007.
First published online in STEM CELLS EXPRESS February 15, 2007.
Bone marrow (BM)-derived cells (BMCs) have demonstrated a myogenic tissue remodeling capacity. However, because the myoremodeling is limited to approximately 1%–3% of recipient muscle fibers in vivo, there is disagreement regarding the clinical relevance of BM for therapeutic application in myodegenerative conditions. This study sought to determine whether rare selectable cell surface markers (in particular, c-Kit) could be used to identify a BMC population with enhanced myoremodeling capacity. Dystrophic mdx muscle remodeling has been achieved using BMCs sorted by expression of stem cell antigen-1 (Sca-1). The inference that Sca-1 is also a selectable marker associated with myoremodeling capacity by muscle-derived cells prompted this study of relative myoremodeling contributions from BMCs (compared with muscle cells) on the basis of expression or absence of Sca-1. We show that myoremodeling activity does not differ in cells sorted solely on the basis of Sca-1 from either muscle or BM. In addition, further fractionation of BM to a more mesenchymal-like cell population with lineage markers and CD45 subsequently revealed a stronger selectability of myoremodeling capacity with c-Kit/Sca-1 (p < .005) than with Sca-1 alone. These results suggest that c-Kit may provide a useful selectable marker that facilitates selection of cells with an augmented myoremodeling capacity derived from BM and possibly from other nonmuscle tissues. In turn, this may provide a new methodology for rapid isolation of myoremodeling capacities from muscle and nonmuscle tissues.
Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.

Copyright © 2007 by AlphaMed Press.