Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 108, Issue 35, Pages 14479-14484Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1109767108
Keywords
stem cell identification; flow cytometry; cell transplantation; regenerative medicine; plastic surgery
Categories
Funding
- Ministry of Education, Science and Culture [20592101]
- Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan [19-15]
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [22390260, 23659620, 20592101, 23591872] Funding Source: KAKEN
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Despite the great demands for treating craniofacial injuries or abnormalities, effective treatments are currently lacking. One promising approach involves human elastic cartilage reconstruction using autologous stem/progenitor populations. Nevertheless, definitive evidence of the presence of stem cells in human auricular cartilage remains to be established. Here, we demonstrate that human auricular perichondrium, which can be obtained via a minimally invasive approach, harbors a unique cell population, termed as cartilage stem/progenitor cells (CSPCs). The clonogenic progeny of a single CD44(+) CD90(+) CSPC displays a number of features characteristic of stem cells. Highly chondrogenic CSPCs were shown to reconstruct large (>2 cm) elastic cartilage after extended expansion and differentiation. CSPC-derived cartilage was encapsulated by a perichondrium layer, which contains a CD44(+) CD90(+) self-renewing stem/progenitor population and was maintained without calcification or tumor formation even after 10 mo. This is a unique report demonstrating the presence of stem cells in auricular cartilage. Utilization of CSPCs will provide a promising reconstructive material for treating craniofacial defects with successful long-term tissue restoration.
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