A New Human Somatic Stem Cell from Placental Cord Blood with Intrinsic Pluripotent Differentiation Potential

• DOI: 10.1084/jem.20040440
• Publication Date: 2004-07-19T19:07:36Z
• Authors: Gesine Kögler; Sandra Sensken; Judith A. Airey; Thorsten Trapp; Markus Müschen; Niklas Feldhahn; Stefanie Liedtke; Rüdiger V. Sorg; Johannes Fischer; Claudia Rosenbaum; Susanne Greschat; Andreas Knipper; Jörg Bender; Özer Degistirici; Jizong Gao; Arnold I. Caplan; Evan J. Colletti; Graça Almeida-Po...; Hans W. Müller; Esmail Zanjani; Peter Wernet
• Keywords: Cord blood; Neuropil

Here a new, intrinsically pluripotent, CD45-negative population from human cord blood, termed unrestricted somatic stem cells (USSCs) is described. This rare grows adherently and can be expanded to 1015 without losing pluripotency. In vitro USSCs showed homogeneous differentiation into osteoblasts, chondroblasts, adipocytes, hematopoietic neural including astrocytes neurons that express neurofilament, sodium channel protein, various neurotransmitter phenotypes. Stereotactic implantation of intact adult rat brain revealed Tau-positive persisted for up 3 mo migratory activity typical neuron-like morphology. vivo along mesodermal endodermal pathways was demonstrated in animal models. Bony reconstitution observed after transplantation USSC-loaded calcium phosphate cylinders nude femurs. Chondrogenesis occurred transplanting cell-loaded gelfoam sponges mice. Transplantation noninjury model, the preimmune fetal sheep, resulted 5% engraftment. More than 20% albumin-producing parenchymal hepatic with absence cell fusion substantial numbers cardiomyocytes both atria ventricles sheep heart were detected many months USSC transplantation. No tumor formation any these animals.