Nasal Turbinate Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Preserve Characteristics of Their Neural Crest Origin and Exert Distinct Paracrine Activity

Abstract

The sources of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) for cell therapy trials are expanding, increasing the need for their characterization. Here, we characterized multi-donor, turbinate-derived MSCs (TB-MSCs) that develop from the neural crest, and compared them to bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs). TB-MSCs had higher proliferation potential and higher self-renewal of colony forming cells, but lower potential for multi-lineage differentiation than BM-MSCs. TB-MSCs expressed higher levels of neural crest markers and lower levels of pericyte-specific markers. These neural crest-like properties of TB-MSCs were reflected by their propensity to differentiate into neuronal cells and proliferative response to nerve growth factors. Proteomics (LC–MS/MS) analysis revealed a distinct secretome profile of TB-MSCs compared to BM and adipose tissue-derived MSCs, exhibiting enrichments of factors for cell-extracellular matrix interaction and neurogenic signaling. However, TB-MSCs and BM-MSCs exhibited comparable suppressive effects on the allo-immune response and comparable stimulatory effects on hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal. In contrast, TB-MSCs stimulated growth and metastasis of breast cancer cells more than BM-MSCs. Altogether, our multi-donor characterization of TB-MSCs reveals distinct cell autonomous and paracrine properties, reflecting their unique developmental origin. These findings support using TB-MSCs as an alternative source of MSCs with distinct biological characteristics for optimal applications in cell therapy.

Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cell-Based Therapies in Systemic Rheumatic Disease: From Challenges to New Approaches for Overcoming Restrictions

“…For instance, the invasive procedure for collecting BM-MSCs may cause bleeding, pain, and infection [ 81 ]. Therefore, new attempts have been made to discover alternative MSC sources, and nasal turbinate is recognized as a potential substitute in the medical field [ 82 ].…”

Recent Advances in Cell Therapeutics for Systemic Autoimmune Diseases

“…Umbilical cord (UC) blood or tissues and adipose tissues (AD) are also frequently adopted and well-characterized sites for harvesting MSCs ( 22 23 ). With increased accessibility and distinct characteristics, alternative sites such as nasal turbinate are also potential sources for MSCs ( 24 ). While MSCs share some common functional features among different cellular sources, pluripotent capacities and immunomodulatory properties could vary depending on culture conditions ( 25 ).…”