Proteomic analysis of the extracellular matrix produced by mesenchymal stromal cells: implications for cell therapy mechanism

PLoS One. 2013 Nov 14;8(11):e79283. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079283. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) transiently transfected with notch1 intracellular domain (NICD) are beneficial for neurological disorders as observed in several preclinical studies. Extracellular matrix (ECM) derived from NICD-transfected MSCs has been previously shown to support in vitro neural cell growth and survival better than that of un-transfected MSCs. To understand the underlying mechanism(s) by which NICD-transfected MSC-derived ECM supports neural cell growth and survival, we investigated the differences in NICD-transfected MSC- and MSC-derived ECM protein quantity and composition. To compare the ECM derived from MSCs and NICD-transfected MSCs, the proteins were sequentially solubilized using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and urea, quantified, and compared across four human donors. We then analyzed ECM proteins using either in-gel digests or in-solution surfactant-assisted trypsin digests (SAISD) coupled with reverse phase nano-liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (nLC-MS/MS). Analyses using nLC-MS/MS identified key components of ECM from NICD-transfected MSCs and un-transfected MSCs and revealed significant differences in their respective compositions. This work provides a reproducible method for identifying and comparing in vitro cell-derived ECM proteins, which is crucial for exploring the mechanisms underlying cellular therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line
  • Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy
  • Extracellular Matrix / genetics
  • Extracellular Matrix / metabolism*
  • Extracellular Matrix Proteins / genetics
  • Extracellular Matrix Proteins / metabolism
  • Gene Expression
  • Humans
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Proteome*
  • Proteomics* / methods

Substances

  • Extracellular Matrix Proteins
  • Proteome

Grants and funding

Funding for this research project was provided by SanBio Inc. (AH, IA, CT, CC), the National Science Foundation Science Master’s Program Award DGE-1011717 (AH) and the National Science Foundation grant CHE- 0619163 (TY). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.