Pedro L. Azevedo (1), Rhayra B. Dias (2), Liebert P. Nogueira (3), Simone Maradei (4), Ricardo Bigni (5), Jordana S. R. Aragao (5), Eliana Abdelhay (1), Renata Binato (1)
International Journal of Stem Cells, 14, Issue 4, December 2021. DOI: 10.15283/ijsc21138

Keywords

Mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs); Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML); Osteogenic differentiation potential; BMP4 gene expression

Abstract

The osteogenic differentiation potential of mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) is an essential process for the haematopoiesis and the maintenance of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate this potential in hMSCs from AML patients (hMSCs-AML) and whether it is associated with BMP4 expression. The results showed that bone formation potential in vivo was reduced in hMSCs-AML compared to hMSCs from healthy donors (hMSCs-HD). Moreover, the fact that hMSCs-AML were not able to develop supportive haematopoietic cells or to differentiate into osteocytes suggests possible changes in the bone marrow microenvironment. Furthermore, the expression of BMP4 was decreased, indicating a lack of gene expression committed to the osteogenic lineage. Overall, these alterations could be associated with changes in the maintenance of HSCs, the leukaemic transformation process and the development of AML.

How Our Software Was Used

Dragonfly was used to perform image segmentation.

Author Affiliation

(1) Stem Cell Laboratory, Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
(2) Research Division, National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
(3) Oral Research Laboratory, Department of Biomaterials, Institute of Clinical Dentistry, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
(4) Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
(5) Hematology Service, National Cancer Institute (INCA), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil