Enhanced stem cells characteristic of fibroblastic mesenchymal cells from HHT patients

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are self-renewing, multipotent cells that are present in many adult tissues, adipose, bone marrow, trabecular bone and muscle. Dermal skin-derived fibroblasts exhibit mesenchymal surface antigen immunophenotype and differentiation along the three main mesenchymal tissue (bone, fat and cartilage). We isolated human dermal fibroblasts from 4 patients with Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia (HHT) and from 2 healthy controls. The aim of this work was to evaluate the mesenchymal property of HHT cells in comparison with the control cells. HHT cells possesses the same surface markers expression of mesenchymal stem cells, they are highly clonogenic, showing a high proliferation potential and an enhanced capacity of self renewal.