Thromb Haemost 2004; 92(04): 767-775
DOI: 10.1160/TH04-02-0079
Rapid and Short Communication
Schattauer GmbH

Expression of transcription factor Oct-4 and other embryonic genes in CD133 positive cells from human umbilical cord blood

Nelli Baal
1   Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology
,
Kerstin Reisinger
1   Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology
,
Henning Jahr
3   Internal Medicine and
,
Rainer M. Bohle
4   Pathology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Germany
,
Olin Liang
1   Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology
,
Karsten Münstedt
1   Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology
,
C.V. Rao
5   Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
,
Klaus T. Preissner
,
Marek T. Zygmunt
1   Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology
› Author Affiliations
Financial support: This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgesellschaft, Bonn, Germany (Zy 19/3-1, Zy 19/3-2).
Further Information

Publication History

Received 09 February 2004

Accepted after resubmission 09 July 2004

Publication Date:
06 December 2017 (online)

Summary

A significant number of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) in human umbilical cord blood could serve as a reservoir for the placental vasculature, yet, their morphological and functional features are not completely understood. Here, we describe the characterization of purified CD133+ progenitor cells from umbilical cord blood, a subset of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors that were grown in proliferation medium containing Flt3-ligand, thrombopoietin and stem cell factor. Following isolation and enrichment of the CD133+ cells by immunomagnetic cell sorting, they remained non-adherent for up to 40 days in culture and expressed different pluripotency markers including Sox-1, Sox-2, FGF-4, Rex-1 and Oct-4. Oct-4 expression was confirmed by laser-assisted single cell picking with subsequent quantitative real-time RT-PCR.The expression of Oct-4 indicates a pluripotent phenotype of CD133+ cells and appears to be of functional relevance: After three weeks in endothelial differentiation medium, suspended cells became adherent, developed an endothelial cell-like morphology, bound fluoresceine isothiocyanate-labeled Ulex europaeus agglutinin-1, took up acetylated Di-LDL, and expressed other endothelial markers such as PECAM-1 or VEGFR-2. Concomitantly, Oct-4 expression was significantly reduced. Moreover, following treatment with retinoic acid, CD133+ cells exhibited neural morphology associated with the expression of β-III-tubulin. CD133+ cells were found to express the luteinizing hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin (LH/hCG) receptor, detected by RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry. The recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin induced proliferation of the CD133+ cells in a dose-specific manner. Our results indicate that CD133+ HSPC from umbilical cord blood may have a greater differentiation potential than previously recognized and give rise to proliferative endothelial cells participating in placental vasculogenesis.

 
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