Xenotransplantation of human adipose-derived stem cells in zebrafish embryos

PLoS One. 2015 Apr 7;10(4):e0123264. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123264. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Zebrafish is a widely used animal model with well-characterized background in developmental biology. The fate of human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) after their xenotransplantation into the developing embryos of zebrafish is unknown. Therefore, human ADSCs were firstly isolated, and then transduced with lentiviral vector system carrying a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene, and followed by detection of their cell viability and the expression of cell surface antigens. These GFP-expressing human ADSCs were transplanted into the zebrafish embryos at 3.3-4.3 hour post-fertilization (hpf). Green fluorescent signal, the proliferation and differentiation of human ADSCs in recipient embryos were respectively examined using fluorescent microscopy and immunohistochemical staining. The results indicated that human ADSCs did not change their cell viability and the expression levels of cell surface antigens after GFP transduction. Microscopic examination demonstrated that green fluorescent signals of GFP expressed in the transplanted cells were observed in the embryos and larva fish at post-transplantation. The positive staining of Ki-67 revealed the survival and proliferation of human ADSCs in fish larvae after transplantation. The expression of CD105 was observable in the xenotransplanted ADSCs, but CD31 expression was undetectable. Therefore, our results indicate that human ADSCs xenotransplanted in the zebrafish embryos not only can survive and proliferate at across-species circumstance, but also seem to maintain their undifferentiation status in a short term. This xenograft model of zebrafish embryos may provide a promising and useful technical platform for the investigation of biology and physiology of stem cells in vivo.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adipose Tissue / cytology*
  • Adipose Tissue / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Antigens, Surface / metabolism*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cell Survival
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques
  • Stem Cell Transplantation*
  • Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Transplantation, Heterologous
  • Zebrafish

Substances

  • Antigens, Surface
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins

Grants and funding

This work was partly supported by the Scientific Research Starting Foundation for the Doctors of Guangdong Medical College (grant number: B2012036). GFZ received this funding. In addition, this work was also partly supported by the Open Project Program of State Key Laboratory of Meat Products for Security and Production Technology in Xiamen (grant number: 2011YXGZ008). PHZ received this funding. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, and preparation of the manuscript.