Transplantation of MAPC-derived hepatocyte-like cells

描述（由申请人提供）：我们的实验室已经分离出多能成体祖细胞，或MAPC，从人类和啮齿动物骨髓或其他组织中产生的人类间充质干细胞培养物中的稀有细胞。MAPCs能够在体外分化为三个胚层的细胞。此外，MAPC在体外可分化为具有肝细胞形态、表型和功能特征的细胞。我们推测，未分化的MAPC或诱导分化为肝细胞样分化细胞的MAPC的移植将植入到天然肝脏中，并有助于功能性再生。使用反曲马氨酸-部分肝切除模型，我们将评估MAPC和肝细胞样分化的MAPC是否能够植入天然肝脏。将使用FISH、RT-PCR、细胞发光和直接肝脏质量测量进行植入评价。将用涉及Cre/Lox重组的方法评价移植细胞与天然细胞的融合。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Our lab has isolated multipotent adult progenitor cells, or MAPC, rare cells within human mesenchymal stem cell cultures generated from human and rodent bone marrow or other tissues. MAPCs are capable of differentiating in vitro to cells of the three germ layers. In addition, MAPC differentiate into cells with morphological, phenotypic, and functional characteristics of hepatocytes in vitro. We hypothesize that transplantation of undifferentiated MAPC or MAPC induced to differentiate to hepatocyte-like differentiated cells will engraft into the native liver and contribute to functional regeneration. Using a retrorsine - partial hepatectomy model we will evaluate whether MAPC and hepatocyte-like differentiated MAPCs are able to engraft into native liver. Evaluation of engraftment will be done using FISH, RT-PCR, cell luminescence, and direct liver mass measurements. Fusion of transplanted cells to native cells will be evaluated with a method involving Cre/Lox recombination.