Autologous cell transplantation for the treatment of muscle damage is envisioned to involve the application of muscle precursor cells (MPCs) isolated from adult skeletal muscle. At the onset of trauma, these cells are recruited to proliferate and rebuild injured muscle fibres. However, a variety of donor-specific cues may directly influence the yield and quality of cells isolated from a muscle biopsy. In this study, we isolated human MPCs and assessed the role of donor gender and age on the ability of these MPCs to form functional bioengineered muscle. We analysed the cell yield, growth and molecular expression in vitro, and the muscle tissue formation and contractility of the bioengineered muscle, from cells isolated from men and women in three different age groups: young (20-39 years), adult (40-59 years) and elderly (60-80 years). Our results suggest that human MPCs can be successfully isolated and grown from patients of all ages and both genders. However, young female donors provide fast-growing cells in vitro with an optimum contractile output in vivo and are therefore an ideal cell source for muscle reconstruction. Taken together, these findings describe the donor-related limitations of MPC transplantation and provide insights for a straightforward and unbiased clinical application of these cells for muscle reconstruction. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley& Sons, Ltd.

Cell therapies are a promising approach for the treatment of a variety of human conditions including stress urinary incontinence, but their success greatly depends on the biodistribution, migration, survival, and differentiation of the transplanted cells. Noninvasive in vivo cell tracking therefore presents an important aspect for translation of such a procedure into the clinics. Upon labeling with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles, cells can be tracked by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but possible adverse effect of the labeling have to be considered when labeling stem cells with SPIOs. In this study, human muscle precursor cells (hMPC) were labeled with increasing concentrations of SPIO nanoparticles (100-1600 mg/mL) and cell viability and differentiation capacity upon labeling was assessed in vitro. While a linear dependence between cell viability and nanoparticle concentration could be observed, differentiation capacity was not affected by the presence of SPIOs. Using a nude mouse model, a concentration (400 mg/mL) could be defined that allows reliable detection of hMPCs by MRI but does not influence myogenic in vivo differentiation to mature and functional muscle tissue. This suggests that such an approach can be safely used in a clinical setting to track muscle regeneration in patients undergoing cell therapy without negative effects on the functionality of the bioengineered muscle.

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Adult autologous human epidermal stem cells can be extensively expanded ex vivo for cell and gene therapy. Identifying the mechanisms involved in stem cell maintenance and defining culture conditions to maintain stemness is critical, because an inadequate environment can result in the rapid conversion of stem cells into progenitors/transient amplifying cells (clonal conversion), with deleterious consequences on the quality of the transplants and their ability to engraft. Here, we demonstrate that cultured human epidermal stem cells respond to a small drop in temperature through thermoTRP channels via mTOR signaling. Exposure of cells to rapamycin or a small drop in temperature induces the nuclear translocation of mTOR with an impact on gene expression. We also demonstrate by single-cell analysis that long-term inhibition of mTORC1 reduces clonal conversion and favors the maintenance of stemness. Taken together, our results demonstrate that human keratinocyte stem cells can adapt to environmental changes (e.g., small variations in temperature) through mTOR signaling and constant inhibition of mTORC1 favors stem cell maintenance, a finding of high importance for regenerative medicine applications.

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