Reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is one of the most sensitive, economical and widely used methods for evaluating gene expression. However, the utility of this method continues to be undermined by a number of challenges including normalization using appropriate reference genes. The need to develop tailored and effective strategies is further underscored by the burgeoning field of extracellular vesicle (EV) biology. EVs contain unique signatures of small RNAs including microRNAs (miRs). In this study we develop and validate a comprehensive strategy for identifying highly stable reference genes in a therapeutically relevant cell type, cardiosphere-derived cells. Data were analysed using the four major approaches for reference gene evaluation: NormFinder, GeNorm, BestKeeper and the Delta Ct method. The weighted geometric mean of all of these methods was obtained for the final ranking. Analysis of RNA sequencing identified miR-101-3p, miR-23a-3p and a previously identified EV reference gene, miR-26a-5p. Analysis of a chip-based method (NanoString) identified miR-23a, miR-217 and miR-379 as stable candidates. RT-qPCR validation revealed that the mean of miR-23a-3p, miR-101-3p and miR-26a-5p was the most stable normalization strategy. Here, we demonstrate that a comprehensive approach of a diverse data set of conditions using multiple algorithms reliably identifies stable reference genes which will increase the utility of gene expression evaluation of therapeutically relevant EVs.
Altogether we show that the microRNA-146a and its target DLST are important metabolic players in left ventricular dysfunction.
BackgroundBlood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) mediate therapeutic neovascularization in experimental models, but outgrowth characteristics and functionality of BOECs from patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICMP) are unknown. We compared outgrowth efficiency and in vitro and in vivo functionality of BOECs derived from ICMP with BOECs from age‐matched (ACON) and healthy young (CON) controls.Methods and ResultsWe isolated 3.6±0.6 BOEC colonies/100×106 mononuclear cells (MNCs) from 60‐mL blood samples of ICMP patients (n=45; age: 66±1 years; LVEF: 31±2%) versus 3.5±0.9 colonies/100×106 MNCs in ACON (n=32; age: 60±1 years) and 2.6±0.4 colonies/100×106 MNCs in CON (n=55; age: 34±1 years), P=0.29. Endothelial lineage (VEGFR2+/CD31+/CD146+) and progenitor (CD34+/CD133−) marker expression was comparable in ICMP and CON. Growth kinetics were similar between groups (P=0.38) and not affected by left ventricular systolic dysfunction, maladaptive remodeling, or presence of cardiovascular risk factors in ICMP patients. In vitro neovascularization potential, assessed by network remodeling on Matrigel and three‐dimensional spheroid sprouting, did not differ in ICMP from (A)CON. Secretome analysis showed a marked proangiogenic profile, with highest release of angiopoietin‐2 (1.4±0.3×105 pg/106 ICMP‐BOECs) and placental growth factor (5.8±1.5×103 pg/106 ICMP BOECs), independent of age or ischemic disease. Senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase staining showed comparable senescence in BOECs from ICMP (5.8±2.1%; n=17), ACON (3.9±1.1%; n=7), and CON (9.0±2.8%; n=13), P=0.19. High‐resolution microcomputed tomography analysis in the ischemic hindlimb of nude mice confirmed increased arteriogenesis in the thigh region after intramuscular injections of BOECs from ICMP (P=0.025; n=8) and CON (P=0.048; n=5) over vehicle control (n=8), both to a similar extent (P=0.831).Conclusions BOECs can be successfully culture‐expanded from patients with ICMP. In contrast to impaired functionality of ICMP‐derived bone marrow MNCs, BOECs retain a robust proangiogenic profile, both in vitro and in vivo, with therapeutic potential for targeting ischemic disease.
Cell therapy limits ischemic injury following myocardial infarction (MI) by preventing cell death, modulating the immune response, and promoting tissue regeneration. The therapeutic efficacy of cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is associated with extracellular vesicle (EV) release. Prior head-to-head comparisons have shown CDCs to be more effective than MSCs in MI models. Despite differences in cell origin, it is unclear why EVs from different adult stem cell populations elicit differences in therapeutic efficacy. Here, we compare EVs derived from multiple human MSC and CDC donors using diverse in vitro and in vivo assays. EV membrane protein and non-coding RNA composition are highly specific to the parent cell type; for example, miR-10b is enriched in MSC-EVs relative to CDC-EVs, while Y RNA fragments follow the opposite pattern. CDC-EVs enhance the Arg1/Nos2 ratio in macrophages in vitro and reduce MI size more than MSC-EVs and suppress inflammation during acute peritonitis in vivo. Thus, CDC-EVs are distinct from MSC-EVs, confer immunomodulation, and protect the host against ischemic myocardial injury and acute inflammation.
The loss of endogenous cardiac regenerative capacity within the first week of postnatal life has intensified clinical trials to induce cardiac regeneration in the adult mammalian heart using different progenitor cell types. We hypothesized that donor age-related phenotypic and functional characteristics of cardiac progenitor cells (CPC) account for mixed results of cell-based cardiac repair. We compared expression profiles and cell turnover rates of human heart-derived c-kitpos progenitors (c-kitpos CPC) and cardiosphere-derived cells (CDC) from young and adult donor origin and studied their in vitro angiogenic and cardiac differentiation potential, which can be relevant for cardiac repair. We report that 3-dimensional CDC expansion recapitulates a conducive environment for growth factor and cytokine release from adult donor cells (aCDC) that optimally supports vascular tube formation and vessel sprouting. Transdifferentiation capacity of c-kitpos CPCs and CDCs towards cardiomyocyte-like cells was modest, however, most notable in young c-kitpos cells and adult CDCs. Progenitors isolated with different methods thus show cell- and donor-specific characteristics that may account for variable contributions in functional myocardial recovery.
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