Bone marrow derived pluripotent cells are pericytes which contribute to vascularization

Abstract

Pericytes are essential to vascularization, but the purification and characterization of pericytes remain unclear. Smooth muscle actin alpha (alpha-SMA) is one marker [corrected] of pericytes. The aim of this study is to purify the alpha-SMA positive cells from bone marrow and study the characteristics of these cells and the interaction between alpha-SMA positive cells and endothelial cells. The bone marrow stromal cells were harvested from alpha-SMA-GFP transgenic mice, and the alpha-SMA-GFP positive cells were sorted by FACS. The proliferative characteristics and multilineage differentiation ability of the alpha-SMA-GFP positive cells were tested. A 3-D culture model was then applied to test their vascularization by loading alpha-SMA-GFP positive cells and endothelial cells on collagen-fibronectin gel. Results demonstrated that bone marrow stromal cells are mostly alpha-SMA-GFP positive cells which are pluripotent, and these cells expressed alpha-SMA during differentiation. The alpha-SMA-GFP positive cells could stimulate the endothelial cells to form tube-like structures and subsequently robust vascular networks in 3-D culture. In conclusion, the bone marrow derived pluripotent cells include [corrected] pericytes and can contribute to vascularization.