Human Valve Interstitial Cells Demonstrate Transdifferentiation Potential

AbstractAortic stenosis and valvular degeneration is characterized by lipid accumulation, presence of cartilage and calcification. The identity and cellular origins of the cells mediating these effects are unknown. We have investigated the potential of human valve interstitial cells (VICs) to transdifferentiate into osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic-like lineages and examined the presence of resident stem cells. Transdifferentiation potential of VICs was assessed after removal of stem cells. Human aortic heart valves (n=8; mean age 64.7 ± 7.5 years) from patients undergoing transplantation, free from calcification and disease, and were used to isolate VICs. Differentiation was carried out by incubating VICs for 21 days with media containing ascorbate (50µg/ml), dexamethasone (10-8M) and β-glycerophosphate (10mM) for osteogenic differentiation, with ascorbate (50µg/ml), dexamethasone (10-7M) and indomethacin (50µg/ml) for adipogenic differentiation and with insulin transferrin selenium and TGFβ1 (10ng/ml) for chondrogenic differentiation. Immunocytochemistry and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) were used to assess stem cell populations and removal of sub-populations of VICs. Mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from bone marrow samples obtained from healthy human donors (n=6) and used as positive controls. We analysed the gene expression of some of the Wnt family as potential mediators of transdifferentiation. Incubation of VICs with osteogenic media induced alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin expression in 34.2 ± 4.6% of VICs, with adipogenic media induced oil red O, SREBP and PPARγ expression in 13.8 ± 5.1% of VICs and with chondrogenic media changed the morphology in 41.7 ± 4.8% of VICs but did not induce collagen type II, type X or aggrecan expression. Cultured VICs expressed CD44 (94.0± 4.4%), CD73 (79.4 ± 15.4%) and CD105 (6.9 ± 2.6%) in common with mesenchymal stem cells. However very low percentages of stem cells were identified in cultured VICs, CD34 (2.8% ± 0.50), CD133 (1.84 ± 0.77%), c-kit (0.72% ± 0.21) and stro-1 (1.55 ± 0.93%). Valve leaflets demonstrated only occasional positive markers for stem cells. Cultured VICs were negative for CD31, CD14, CD45, Tie-2 and flk-1. Removal of these stem cells by FACS demonstrated that purified VICs retained their ability to transdifferentiate into osteogenic and adipogenic lineages to the same degree. Gene expression of the Wnt family showed the expression of Wnt2, Wnt2B, Wnt5B, Wnt 10B. A number of frizzled receptors were detected, FZD2-5 and FZD 6-10 as well as inhibitors DKK 1-3. The population of purified human VICs have the capacity to transdifferentiate into osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic-like lineages. Human valve leaflets and cultures contain a resident stem cell population which can differentiate and thus contribute to valve IC population as well as to pathological phenotypes.