Isolation and application of progenitor cells from annulus fibrosus of the intervertebral disc

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24592212
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Orthopaedic surgery
• Research Institution: Tokai University
• Principal Investigator: NAKAI Tomoko 東海大学, 医学部, 特定研究員 (20624589)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): SAKAI Daisuke 東海大学, 医学部, 准教授 (10408007)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 椎間板再生医療 / 線維輪組織再構築 / 線維輪培養細胞 / 前駆細胞 / 細胞表面マーカー / ｺﾗｰｹﾞﾝｹﾞﾙ収縮

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Introduction; We focused on CD146, a marker for mesenchymal stem cells and detected in the cultured mouse annulus fibrosus (AF) cells to know whether it is a progenitor marker to restore functional AF tissue. AF cell culture was subjected to mesenchymal differentiation assay. Effects of transforming growth factor β-1 on CD146 expression was tested. Sorted CD146+ cells and CD146- cells were compared in their mRNA and protein expression. Morphology and contractile ability in three dimensional collagen gels were also determined.
Results: CD146+ cells showed only weak osteogeneic potential. Expression of CD146 was up regulated by TGFβ-1. In CD146+ cells, significantly higher expression of mRNA of smooth muscle protein 22 alpha and higher collagen gel contractile ability were detected. Our findings suggest that CD146+ cells are differentiated AF cells that are highly contractile and capable of interaction between cell-cell or cell-matrix for remodeling functional AF tissue-like structure.

Free Research Field

整形外科学