文章基本信息

标题：c-Kit+ Cells in Adult Salivary Glands do not Function as Tissue Stem Cells
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作者：Mingyu Kwak ; Ninche Ninche ; Sabine Klein 等
期刊名称：Scientific Reports
电子版ISSN：2045-2322
出版年度：2018
卷号：8
期号：1
页码：14193
DOI：10.1038/s41598-018-32557-1
语种：English
出版社：Springer Nature
摘要：A rare population of salivary gland cells isolated based on c-Kit immunoreactivity are thought to represent tissue stem cells since they exhibit the most robust proliferative and differentiation capacity ex vivo . Despite their high promise for cell-based therapies aimed at restoring salivary function, the precise location and in vivo function of c-Kit⁺ stem cells remain unclear. Here, by combining immunostaining with c-KitCre^ERT2-based genetic labeling and lineage tracing in the adult mouse salivary glands, we show that c-Kit is expressed in a relatively large and heterogeneous cell population that consists mostly of differentiated cells. Moreover, c-Kit does not mark ductal stem cells that are known to express cytokeratin K14. Tracking the fate of in vivo -labeled c-Kit⁺ or that of K14⁺ cells in spheroid cultures reveals a limited proliferative potential for c-Kit⁺ cells and identifies K14⁺ cells as the major source of salispheres in these cultures. Long-term in vivo lineage tracing studies indicate that although c-Kit marks at least two discrete ductal cell lineages, c-Kit⁺ cells do not contribute to the normal maintenance of any other cell lineages. Our results indicate that c-Kit is not a reliable marker for salivary gland stem cells, which has important implications for salivary gland regenerative therapies.