Adult stem cells represent a potential source for cellular therapy to treat serious human diseases. We characterized the insulin-producing cells from adult peripheral blood (designated PB-IPC), which displayed a unique phenotype. Mitochondria are normally located in the cellular cytoplasm, where they generate ATP to power the cell's functions. Ex vivo and in vivo functional studies established that treatment with platelet-derived mitochondria can reprogram the transformation of adult PB-IPC into functional CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSC)-like cells, leading to the production of blood cells such as T cells, B cells, monocytes/macrophages, granulocytes, red blood cells, and megakaryocytes (MKs)/platelets. These findings revealed a novel function of mitochondria in directly contributing to cellular reprogramming, thus overcoming the limitations and safety concerns of using conventional technologies to reprogram embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in regenerative medicine.
Keywords: PB-IPC; blood; differentiation; hematopoietic stem cells; mitochondria.