MSCs can be induced by extracellular stimuli to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondroblasts, adipoblasts, fibrocytes, fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, tenoblasts, and neuroblasts ( 1). Here we have shown that myristolated and alanine-rich C-kinase (MARCKS) is required for directed chemotaxis by MSCs and offers a potential target for enhancing or blocking the effects of migrating MSCs.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are found in diverse tissues such as bone marrow, cord blood, and dental pulp ( 1). The fundamental mechanisms through which MSCs migrate to sites of injury remains undefined. Our results illustrate, for the first time, that MARCKS protein plays an integral role in BM-MSC–directed chemotaxis in vitro.Īdult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are being used with increasing frequency in laboratories and clinics as potential treatments for injury and tissue regeneration. A synthetic peptide that inhibits MARCKS function attenuated, in a concentration-dependent manner, directed chemotaxis of BM-MSCs, while a missense control peptide had no effect. The presence of MARCKS in these cells as well as in human cord blood MSC was verified by Western blotting, and MARCKS was rapidly phosphorylated in these cells after exposure to chemokines.

Prior research has indicated that myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) protein is critically important for motility in macrophages, neutrophils, and fibroblasts, and here we investigated a possible role for MARCKS in BM-MSC directed chemotaxis. In the present study, we show that primary mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) exhibit directed chemotaxis through transwell inserts toward increasing concentrations of the chemokines complement component 5a, stromal cell–derived factor-1α, and monocyte chemotactic protein-1. It is likely that MSCs migrate from the bone marrow to sites of injury by following increasing chemokine concentrations.

Differentiated MSCs, called circulating fibrocytes, have been demonstrated in human lungs and migrate to injured lung tissue in experimental models. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) reside within tissues such as bone marrow, cord blood, and dental pulp and can differentiate into other mesenchymal cell types.

The Culture Chamber by Jeffrey D. Stalk