Temporal expression of calcium channel subunits in satellite cells and bone marrow mesenchymal cells.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) can be differentiated into myocytes, as well as adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteocytes in culture. Calcium channels mediate excitation-contraction coupling and are essential for the function of muscle. However, little is known about the expression of calcium channel subunits and calcium handling in stem cells.

Commitment of Satellite Cells Expressing the Calcium Channel α2δ1 Subunit to the Muscle Lineage.

Satellite cells can maintain or repair muscle because they possess stem cell properties, making them a valuable option for cell therapy. However, cell transplants into skeletal muscle of patients with muscular dystrophy are limited by donor cell attachment, migration, and survival in the host tissue. Cells used for therapy are selected based on specific markers present in the plasma membrane.

Induction of cardiac myogenic lineage development differs between mesenchymal and satellite cells and is accelerated by bone morphogenetic protein-4.

Our aim was to further elucidate the cardiac lineage development of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and to identify cells which had the potential for cardiac myogenic differentiation when compared to skeletal muscle satellite (Sk-sat) myogenesis. Unlike Sk-sat, MSC expressed the early cardiac markers Nkx2.5 and GATA4.

Delayed enrichment of mesenchymal cells promotes cardiac lineage and calcium transient development.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) can be induced to differentiate into myogenic cells. Despite their potential, previous studies have not been successful in producing a high percentage of cardiac-like cells with a muscle phenotype. We hypothesized that cardiac lineage development in BM-MSC is related to cell passage, culture milieu, and enrichment for specific cell subtypes before and during differentiation.