Identification of cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cell populations with distinct growth kinetics, differentiation potentials, and gene expression profiles.

Phenotypic heterogeneity has been observed among mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) populations, but specific genes associated with this variability have not been defined. To study this question, we analyzed two distinct isogenic MSC populations isolated from umbilical cord blood (UCB1 and UCB2). The use of isogenic populations eliminated differences contributed by genetic background.