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CD133 Expression Strongly Correlates with the Phenotype of Very Small Embryonic-/Epiblast-Like Stem Cells

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Prominin-1 (CD133): New Insights on Stem & Cancer Stem Cell Biology

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 777))

Abstract

CD133 antigen (prominin-1) is a useful cell surface marker of very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs). Antibodies against it, conjugated to paramagnetic beads or fluorochromes, are thus powerful biological tools for their isolation from human umbilical cord blood, mobilized peripheral blood, and bone marrow. VSELs are described with the following characteristics: (1) are slightly smaller than red blood cells; (2) display a distinct morphology, typified by a high nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio and an unorganized euchromatin; (3) become mobilized during stress situations into peripheral blood; (4) are enriched in the CD133+Lin–CD45– cell fraction in humans; and (5) express markers of pluripotent stem cells (e.g., Oct-4, Nanog, and stage-specific embryonic antigen-4). The most recent in vivo data from our and other laboratories demonstrated that human VSELs exhibit some characteristics of long-term repopulating hematopoietic stem cells and are at the top of the hierarchy in the mesenchymal lineage. However, still more labor is needed to characterize better at a molecular level these rare cells.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by NIH Grant 2R01 DK074720, the EU Innovative Economy Operational Program POIG.01.01.02-00-109/09-01, and the Stella and Henry Hoenig Endowment to MZR.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stem Cell Institute at James Graham Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville, 500 S. Floyd Street, 40202 Rm. 107, Louisville, KY, USA

    Mariusz Z. Ratajczak M.D., Ph.D., Janina Ratajczak & Magda Kucia

  2. Department of Physiology Pomeranian Medical University, Szczecin, Poland

    Mariusz Z. Ratajczak M.D., Ph.D., Kasia Mierzejewska, Janina Ratajczak & Magda Kucia

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  1. Mariusz Z. Ratajczak M.D., Ph.D.
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  2. Kasia Mierzejewska
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  3. Janina Ratajczak
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Correspondence to Mariusz Z. Ratajczak M.D., Ph.D. .

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  1. , Biotechnological Centre (BIOTEC), Dresden University of Technology, Fetscherstr. 74, Dresden, 01307, Sachsen, Germany

    Denis Corbeil

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Ratajczak, M.Z., Mierzejewska, K., Ratajczak, J., Kucia, M. (2013). CD133 Expression Strongly Correlates with the Phenotype of Very Small Embryonic-/Epiblast-Like Stem Cells. In: Corbeil, D. (eds) Prominin-1 (CD133): New Insights on Stem & Cancer Stem Cell Biology. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 777. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5894-4_9

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