Adipose Stem Cells With Telomerase and Myocardin A

Houston, Texas -

One of the main concerns regarding adult stem cells that is often mentioned is their limited expression of telomerase in contrast to embryonic stem cells. In a recent study (Madonna et al. Myocardin A Enhances Telomerase Activities in Adipose Tissue Mesenchymal Cells and Embryonic Stem Cells Undergoing Cardiovascular Myogenic Differentiation. em Cells. 2007 Oct 4) it was demonstrated that a subpopulation of adipose stem cells exists that actually expresses telomerase at amounts relatively similar to embryonic stem cells.

What is perhaps even more surprising it that this subpopulation contained myocardin A completexted to hTERT. By complexed, the authors mean that if they immunopercipitated myocardin A, hTERT would co-percipitate and vice versa.

The authors conclude that "myocardin A may have a function in maintaining the myogenic stemness in developing MSCs and EBs by enhancing telomerase activation and promoting myogenic gene expression".