Accelerating Mesenchymal Stem Cell Migration

Beijing, China -

Mesenchymal stem cells are currently being explored by companies such as pluristem for the acceleration of bone marrow hematopoietic stem cell engraftment after transplantation. In a recent study (Shi et al. Regulation of CXCR4 expression in human mesenchymal stem cells by cytokine treatment: role in homing efficiency in NOD/SCID mice. Haematologica. 2007 Jul;92(7):897-904) fetal bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were used to investigate the homing mechanisms by which mesenchymal stem cells home to bone marrow.

The study showed that fetal mesenchymal stem cells have stores of intracellular CXCR4 that is brought to the cell surface after exposure to cytokine cocktails in vitro. This rapid surface expresson of CXCR4 allows the stem cells to home to the bone marrow more effectively, since bone marrow stroma constitutively secretes SDF-1, which is the chemoattractant ligand for CXCR4.

Identification of methods that increase stem cell homing to ligands such as SDF-1 are important not only for the acceleration of hematopoietic stem cell engraftment, but also for increasing stem cell efficacy in treatment of conditions such as stroke or myocardial infarction where stem cells are also chemoattracted to the injured tissue by virtue of SDF-1 gradients.