Objective: To examine the differentiation of 5-azacytidine-induced bone marrow stromal stem cells (BMSCs) into cardiomyocyte-like cells and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) gene expression after HGF gene transfection.
Methods: 5-azacytidine was used to induce beagle dog BMSCs to differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells. Morphological observation and immunohistochemistry were performed to detect the expression of the markers of cardiomyocyte-like cells including beta-myosin heavy chain (beta-MHC) and alpha-sarcomeric actin. The cells were then transfected with Ad-HGF, and the mRNA and protein expressions of HGF gene were detected by RT-PCR and ELISA, respectively.
Results: After 4 weeks of induction with 5-azacytidine, the BMSCs differentiated into cardiomyocyte-like cells. The expressions of HGF at the mRNA and protein levels were confirmed in the cells after transfection with Ad-HGF. The peak HGF protein secretion was 10(3) ng/ml at 48 h after transfection.
Conclusion: Ad-HGF can efficiently transfect BMSCs induced with 5-azacytidine, and this result provides basic experimental evidence for biotherapy of ischemic heart disease using BMSCs.