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Alpha-smooth muscle actin expression and structure integrity in chondrogenesis of human mesenchymal stem cells

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Abstract

The expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA) by human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) during chondrogenesis was investigated by the use of pellet culture. Undifferentiated hMSCs expressed low but detectable amounts of SMA and the addition of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) to the culture medium increased SMA expression in a dose-dependent manner. Differentiation in pellet culture was rapidly induced in the presence of TGF-β1 and was accompanied by the development of annular layers at the surface of the pellet. These peripheral layers lacked expression of glycosaminoglycan and type II collagen during early differentiation. Progress in differentiation increased the synthesis of glycosaminoglycan and type II collagen and the expression of SMA in these layers. Double-staining for type II collagen and SMA by immunofluorescence demonstrated the differentiation of hMSCs into cells positive for these two proteins. The addition of cytochalasin D, a potent inhibitor of the polymerization of actin microfilaments, caused damage to the structural integrity and surface smoothness of the chondrogenic pellets. The SMA-positive cells in the peripheral layers of the chondrogenic pellets mimic those within the superficial layer of articular cartilage and are speculated to play a major role in cartilage development and maintenance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, 201 Sec. 2, Shih-Pai Road, 11217, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Shih-Chieh Hung & Tain-Hsiung Chen

  2. Stem Cell Laboratory, Medical Research and Education, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Shih-Chieh Hung, Pei-Yin Kuo, Ching-Fang Chang & Larry Low-Tone Ho

  3. Department of Surgery, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Shih-Chieh Hung & Tain-Hsiung Chen

  4. Orthopaedics and Traumatology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

    Larry Low-Tone Ho

Authors
  1. Shih-Chieh Hung
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  2. Pei-Yin Kuo
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  3. Ching-Fang Chang
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  4. Tain-Hsiung Chen
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  5. Larry Low-Tone Ho
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Correspondence to Shih-Chieh Hung.

Additional information

This work was supported by grants R92-001-1 and R92-001-2 from the Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, and grant NSC-92-2314-B-075-022 from the National Science Council, Taiwan.

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Hung, SC., Kuo, PY., Chang, CF. et al. Alpha-smooth muscle actin expression and structure integrity in chondrogenesis of human mesenchymal stem cells. Cell Tissue Res 324, 457–466 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-006-0156-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-006-0156-x

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