CD151 is a cell surface protein that belongs to the tetraspan superfamily. It associates with other tetraspan molecules and certain integrins to form large complexes at the cell surface. CD151 is expressed by a variety of epithelia and mesenchymal cells. We demonstrate here that in human skin CD151 is codistributed with α3β1 and α6β4 at the basolateral surface of basal keratinocytes. Immunoelectron microscopy showed that CD151 is concentrated in hemidesmosomes. By immunoprecipitation from transfected K562 cells, we established that CD151 associates with α3β1 and α6β4. In β4-deficient pyloric atresia associated with junctional epidermolysis bullosa (PA-JEB) keratinocytes, CD151 and α3β1 are clustered together at the basal cell surface in association with patches of laminin-5. Focal adhesions are present at the periphery of these clusters, connected with actin filaments, and they contain both CD151 and α3β1. Transient transfection studies of PA-JEB cells with β4 revealed that the integrin α6β4 becomes incorporated into the α3β1-CD151 clusters where it induces the formation of hemidesmosomes. As a result, the amount of α3β1 in the clusters diminishes and the protein becomes restricted to the peripheral focal adhesions. Furthermore, CD151 becomes predominantly associated with α6β4 in hemidesmosomes, whereas its codistribution with α3β1 in focal adhesions becomes partial. The localization of α6β4 in the pre-hemidesmosomal clusters is accompanied by a strong upregulation of CD151, which is at least partly due to increased cell surface expression. Using β4 chimeras containing the extracellular and transmembrane domain of the IL-2 receptor and the cytoplasmic domain of β4, we found that for recruitment of CD151 into hemidesmosomes, the β4 subunit must be associated with α6, confirming that integrins associate with tetraspans via their α subunits. CD151 is the only tetraspan identified in hemidesmosomal structures. Others, such as CD9 and CD81, remain diffusely distributed at the cell surface.In conclusion, we show that CD151 is a major component of (pre)-hemidesmosomal structures and that its recruitment into hemidesmosomes is regulated by the integrin α6β4. We suggest that CD151 plays a role in the formation and stability of hemidesmosomes by providing a framework for the spatial organization of the different hemidesmosomal components.

Embryonic stem cells can provide an unlimited supply of pluripotent cells for tissue engineering applications. Bone tissue engineering by directly differentiating ES cells (ESCs) into osteoblasts has been unsuccessful so far. Therefore, we investigated an alternative approach, based on the process of endochondral ossification. A cartilage matrix was formed in vitro by mouse ESCs seeded on a scaffold. When these cartilage tissue-engineered constructs (CTECs) were implanted s.c., the cartilage matured, became hypertrophic, calcified, and was ultimately replaced by bone tissue in the course of 21 days. Bone aligning hypertrophic cartilage was observed frequently. Using various chondrogenic differentiation periods in vitro, we demonstrated that a cartilage matrix is required for bone formation by ESCs. Chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells and articular chondrocytes showed that a cartilage matrix alone was not sufficient to drive endochondral bone formation. Moreover, when CTECs were implanted orthotopically into critical-size cranial defects in rats, efficient bone formation was observed. We report previously undescribed ESCbased bone tissue engineering under controlled reproducible conditions. Furthermore, our data indicate that ESCs can also be used as a model system to study endochondral bone formation.osteoblast ͉ cartilage ͉ endochondral ossification ͉ scaffold ͉ in vivo

Tissue engineering offers the opportunity to develop vascular scaffolds that mimic the morphology of natural arteries. We have developed a porous three-dimensional scaffold consisting of fibres of collagen and elastin interspersed together. Scaffolds were obtained by freeze-drying a suspension of insoluble type I collagen and insoluble elastin. In order to improve the stability of the obtained matrices, they were cross-linked by two different methods. A water-soluble carbodi-imide, alone or in combination with a diamine, was used for this purpose: zero- or non-zero-length cross-links were obtained. The occurrence of cross-linking was verified by monitoring the thermal behaviour and the free-amino-group contents of the scaffolds before and after cross-linking. Smooth-muscle cells (SMCs) were cultured for different periods of time and their ability to grow and proliferate was investigated. SMCs were isolated from human umbilical and saphenous veins, and the purity of the cultures obtained was verified by staining with a specific monoclonal antibody (mAb). Cultured cells were also identified by mAbs against muscle actin and vimentin. After 14 days, a confluent layer of SMCs was obtained on non-cross-linked scaffolds. As for the cross-linked samples, no differences in cell attachment and proliferation were observed between scaffolds cross-linked using the two different methods. Cells cultured on the scaffolds were identified with an anti-(alpha-smooth-muscle actin) mAb. The orientation of SMCs resembled that of the fibres of collagen and elastin. In this way, it may be possible to develop tubular porous scaffolds resembling the morphological characteristics of native blood vessels.

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Porous, tubular, flexible, and elastic poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) scaffolds (length 8 cm and inner diameter 3 mm) for vascular tissue engineering were prepared by means of a dip-coating and particulate leaching procedure. Using NaCl as porogen, scaffolds with an average pore size of 110 μm and a porosity of 85% were obtained. Before leaching the salt, the structures were made creep-resistant by means of crosslinking at 25 kGy gamma irradiation. To increase the efficiency of cell seeding, the scaffolds were provided with a microporous outer layer of 0.2 mm with an average pore size of 28 μm and a porosity of 65% (total wall thickness 1 mm). Human smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were seeded in these scaffolds with an efficiency of 43%, as determined after 24 h cell adhesion. SMCs were cultured in the scaffolds up to 14 days under stationary conditions or under pulsatile flow conditions in a bioreactor (pressure 70-130 mmHg, 69 pulsations/min, and average wall shear rate 320 s(-1)). Although SMCs proliferated under both conditions, cell numbers were three to five times higher in case of dynamic culturing. This was qualitatively confirmed by means of histology. Also, in terms of mechanical properties, the dynamically cultured constructs performed better than the statically cultured constructs. After culturing for 14 days, the maximum tensile strengths of the constructs, determined in the radial direction, had increased from 0.16 MPa (unseeded scaffold) to 0.48 MPa (dynamic culturing) and 0.38 MPa (static culturing). The results of this study indicate that a potentially useful medial layer for tissue-engineered vascular grafts can be prepared by dynamic culturing of human SMCs seeded in porous tubular poly(trimethylene carbonate) scaffolds.