Donofrio Gaetano, Franceschi Valentina, Capocefalo Antonio, Cavirani Sandro, Sheldon Iain Martin
Università di Parma, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Dipartimento di Salute Animale, Sezione di Malattie Infettive degli Animali, Via del Taglio 8, 43100 Parma, Italy.
Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2008 Dec 16;6:65. doi: 10.1186/1477-7827-6-65.
The endometrium is central to mammalian fertility. The endometrial stromal cells are very dynamic, growing and differentiating throughout the estrous cycle and pregnancy. In humans, stromal cells appear to have progenitor or stem cell capabilities and the cells can even differentiate into bone. It is not clear whether bovine endometrial stromal cells exhibit a similar phenotypic plasticity. So, the present study tested the hypothesis that bovine endometrial stromal cells could be differentiated along an osteogenic lineage. Pure populations of bovine stromal cells were isolated from the endometrium. The endometrial stromal cell phenotype was confirmed by morphology, prostaglandin secretion, and susceptibility to viral infection. However, cultivation of the cells in standard endometrial cell culture medium lead to a mesenchymal phenotype similar to that of bovine bone marrow cells. Furthermore, the endometrial stromal cells developed signs of osteogenesis, such as alizarin positive nodules. When the stromal cells were cultured in a specific osteogenic medium the cells rapidly developed the characteristics of mineralized bone. In conclusion, the present study has identified that stromal cells from the bovine endometrium show a capability for phenotype plasticity similar to mesenchymal progenitor cells. These observations pave the way for further investigation of the mechanisms of stroma cell differentiation in the bovine reproductive tract.
子宫内膜是哺乳动物生育能力的核心。子宫内膜基质细胞非常活跃，在整个发情周期和妊娠期不断生长和分化。在人类中，基质细胞似乎具有祖细胞或干细胞的能力，甚至可以分化为骨细胞。目前尚不清楚牛子宫内膜基质细胞是否表现出类似的表型可塑性。因此，本研究检验了牛子宫内膜基质细胞可沿成骨谱系分化的假说。从子宫内膜中分离出纯的牛基质细胞群体。通过形态学、前列腺素分泌以及对病毒感染的易感性来确认子宫内膜基质细胞的表型。然而，在标准的子宫内膜细胞培养基中培养这些细胞会导致其呈现出与牛骨髓细胞相似的间充质表型。此外，子宫内膜基质细胞出现了成骨迹象，如茜素阳性结节。当基质细胞在特定的成骨培养基中培养时，细胞迅速发展出矿化骨的特征。总之，本研究已确定牛子宫内膜的基质细胞表现出与间充质祖细胞相似的表型可塑性能力。这些观察结果为进一步研究牛生殖道中基质细胞分化的机制铺平了道路。
