Spontaneous cardiomyocyte differentiation from adipose tissue stroma cells

V Planat-Benard, C Menard, M André… - Circulation …, 2004 - Am Heart Assoc
V Planat-Benard, C Menard, M André, M Puceat, A Perez, JM Garcia-Verdugo, L Pénicaud…
Circulation research, 2004Am Heart Assoc
Cardiomyocyte regeneration is limited in adult life. Thus, the identification of a putative
source of cardiomyocyte progenitors is of great interest to provide a usable model in vitro
and new perspective in regenerative therapy. As adipose tissues were recently
demonstrated to contain pluripotent stem cells, the emergence of cardiomyocyte phenotype
from adipose-derived cells was investigated. We demonstrated that rare beating cells with
cardiomyocyte features could be identified after culture of adipose stroma cells without …
Cardiomyocyte regeneration is limited in adult life. Thus, the identification of a putative source of cardiomyocyte progenitors is of great interest to provide a usable model in vitro and new perspective in regenerative therapy. As adipose tissues were recently demonstrated to contain pluripotent stem cells, the emergence of cardiomyocyte phenotype from adipose-derived cells was investigated. We demonstrated that rare beating cells with cardiomyocyte features could be identified after culture of adipose stroma cells without addition of 5-azacytidine. The cardiomyocyte phenotype was first identified by morphological observation, confirmed with expression of specific cardiac markers, immunocytochemistry staining, and ultrastructural analysis, revealing the presence of ventricle- and atrial-like cells. Electrophysiological studies performed on early culture revealed a pacemaker activity of the cells. Finally, functional studies showed that adrenergic agonist stimulated the beating rate whereas cholinergic agonist decreased it. Taken together, this study demonstrated that functional cardiomyocyte-like cells could be directly obtained from adipose tissue. According to the large amount of this tissue in adult mammal, it could represent a useful source of cardiomyocyte progenitors.
Am Heart Assoc