Aims
Amongst different stem cell populations derived from human cord blood (CB), unrestricted somatic stem cells (USSC) are distinguished from CB mesenchymal stromal cells (CB MSC) by expression patterns of homeobox (HOX) genes, delta-like1 homolog (DLK1) expression and adipogenic differentiation potential. In this study we investigated the effects of oxygen tension on the generation, proliferation and expression of stem cell marker genes, which could be critical during large-scale cell culture for clinical applications.
Conclusions
Altering culture conditions during generation can impact cell characteristics such as the HOX code. These effects need to be considered when dealing with cell cultures for clinical applications.
Methods
We cultured CB-derived stem cells at 5% and 20% O(2). Telomere length shortening was analyzed and we investigated gene expression using reverse-transcription (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR. Additionally we performed adipogenic and osteogenic in vitro differentiation.