Development of method of transdifferentiation of human umbilical cord blood cells to hepatocyte

2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 14570469
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Gastroenterology
• Research Institution: Tottori University
• Principal Investigator: SHIOTA Goshi Tottori University, Division of Molecular and Genetic Medicine, Department of Genetic Medicine and Regenerative Therapeutics, Graduate School of Medicine, Professor, 大学院・医学系研究科, 教授 (70263457)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): HARADA Tasuku Tottori University, Division of Reproductive-Perinatal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Departmnt of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, 医学部, 講師 (40218649) ; TAJIMA Fumihito Tottori University, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, 医学部附属病院, 講師 (60335528)
• Project Period (FY): 2002 – 2003
• Keywords: umbilical cord blood cell / stem cell / hepatocyte / transdifferentiation / induction

Research Abstract

Umbilical cord blood contains many types of stem cells. One kind of stem cells in cord blood can transdifferentiate into hepatocytes. Therefore, cord blood cells contain hepatocyte-progenitor cells or stem-like cells. It is very important to identify these progenitor cells in order to develop regenerative medicine in the field of hepatology. We tried to identy these cells in human cord cells using NOD/SCID mice. After depletion of CD&positive cells, CD34, CD38 and c-kit were used for isolation of stem cells. These cells were introduced into NOD/SCID mice after acute liver injury, and were assessed to transdifferentiate into hepatocyte using human albumin mRNA as a marker. As a result, CD34-positive cells contain many hepatic progenitor cells, and CD34-positive, CD38-positive cells and CD-34-positive, CD-38-negative cells are different in the time of transdifferentiation. cidt is not a useful marker in isolating hepatic progenitor cells. Fish method identified that both fusion cells of human cord blood cells and mouse hepatocytes and transdifferentiated cells from cord blood cells to hepatocytes actually exist. Importnatly, both cells express human albumin. These data suggest that hepatocyte-like cells are composed of trnasdifferentiated hepatocyte and fused cells between cord blood cells and hepatocytes.