Expandable Arterial Endothelial Precursors from Human CD34 Cells Differ in Their Proclivity to Undergo an Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition.

Arterial diseases continue to pose a major health concern but in vitro studies are limited because explanted cells can exhibit poor proliferative capacity and a loss of specificity. Here, we find that two transcription factors, MYCN and SOX17, induce and indefinitely expand in culture precursors of human arterial endothelial cells (expandable arterial endothelial precursors [eAEPs]). The eAEPs are derived from CD34 cells found in umbilical cord blood or adult bone marrow.

Pax3-induced expansion enables the genetic correction of dystrophic satellite cells.

Background: Satellite cells (SCs) are indispensable for muscle regeneration and repair; however, due to low frequency in primary muscle and loss of engraftment potential after ex vivo expansion, their use in cell therapy is currently unfeasible. To date, an alternative to this limitation has been the transplantation of SC-derived myogenic progenitor cells (MPCs), although these do not hold the same attractive properties of stem cells, such as self-renewal and long-term regenerative potential.

Methods: We develop a method to expand wild-type and dystrophic fresh isolated satellite cells using transient expression of Pax3.