Martin Cindy M, Meeson Annette P, Robertson Scott M, Hawke Thomas J, Richardson James A, Bates Susan, Goetsch Sean C, Gallardo Teresa D, Garry Daniel J
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-8573, USA.
Dev Biol. 2004 Jan 1;265(1):262-75. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2003.09.028.
Stem cells are important in the maintenance and repair of adult tissues. A population of cells, termed side population (SP) cells, has stem cell characteristics as they have been shown to contribute to diverse lineages. In this study, we confirm that Abcg2 is a determinant of the SP cell phenotype. Therefore, we examined Abcg2 expression during murine embryogenesis and observed robust expression in the blood islands of the E8.5 yolk sac and in developing tissues including the heart. During the latter stages of embryogenesis, Abcg2 identifies a rare cell population in the developing organs. We further establish that the adult heart contains an Abcg2 expressing SP cell population and these progenitor cells are capable of proliferation and differentiation. We define the molecular signature of cardiac SP cells and compare it to embryonic stem cells and adult cardiomyocytes using emerging technologies. We propose that the cardiac SP cell population functions as a progenitor cell population for the development, maintenance, and repair of the heart.
干细胞在成体组织的维持和修复中起着重要作用。一群被称为侧群（SP）细胞的细胞具有干细胞特征，因为它们已被证明可分化为多种细胞谱系。在本研究中，我们证实Abcg2是SP细胞表型的决定因素。因此，我们检测了小鼠胚胎发育过程中Abcg2的表达情况，发现在E8.5卵黄囊的血岛以及包括心脏在内的发育组织中均有较强表达。在胚胎发育的后期阶段，Abcg2可识别发育器官中的稀有细胞群。我们进一步证实，成年心脏中含有表达Abcg2的SP细胞群，这些祖细胞能够增殖和分化。我们确定了心脏SP细胞的分子特征，并使用新兴技术将其与胚胎干细胞和成年心肌细胞进行比较。我们认为，心脏SP细胞群作为祖细胞群，对心脏的发育、维持和修复发挥作用。
