Publication: Umbilical cord revisited: from Wharton’s jelly myofibroblasts to mesenchymal stem cells
Authors
Corrao, Simona ; La Rocca, Giampiero ; Lo Iacono, Melania ; Corsello, Tiziana ; Farina, Felicia ; Anzalone, Rita
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Publisher
F. Hernández y Juan F. Madrid. Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología
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DOI
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
The umbilical cord (UC) is an essential part
of the placenta, contributing to foetal development by
ensuring the blood flow between mother and foetus. The
UC is formed within the first weeks of gestation by the
enclosure of the vessels (one vein and two arteries) into
a bulk of mucous connective tissue, named Wharton’s
jelly (WJ) and lined by the umbilical epithelium. Since
their first identification, cells populating WJ were
described as unusual fibroblasts (or myofibroblasts).
Recent literature data further highlighted the functional
interconnection between UC and the resident cells. The
UC represents a reservoir of progenitor populations
which are collectively grouped into MSCs
(mesenchymal stem cells). Such cells have been sourced
from each component of the cord, namely the subamnion
layer, the WJ, the perivascular region, and the
vessels. These cells mainly show adherence to the
phenotype of adult MSCs (as bone marrow-derived
ones) and can differentiate towards mature cell types
belonging to all the three germ layers. In addition, cells
from human UC are derived from an immunoprivileged
organ, namely the placenta: in fact, its development and
function depend on the elusion of the maternal immune
response towards the semi-allogeneic embryo. This is
reflected in the expression of immunomodulatory
molecules by UC-derived MSCs. The present paper
describes UC structural features and the cell types which
can be derived, with a focus on their phenotype and the
novel results which boosted the use of UC-derived cells
for regenerative medicine applications.
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