The histopathology of a human mesenchymal stem cell experimental tumor model: support for an hMSC origin for Ewing's sarcoma?

Histol Histopathol. 2008 Oct;23(10):1229-40. doi: 10.14670/HH-23.1229.

Abstract

Sarcomas display varied degrees of karyotypic abnormality, vascularity and mesenchymal differentiation. We have reported that a strain of telomerized adult human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC-TERT20) spontaneously evolved a tumorigenic phenotype after long-term continuous culture. We asked to what extent our hMSC-TERT20 derived tumors reflected events found in human sarcomas using routine histopathological procedures. Early versus late passage hMSC-TERT20 cultures persistently expressed mesenchymal lineage proteins e.g. CD105, CD44, CD99 and vimentin. However, late passage cultures, showed increased immunohistochemical staining for CyclinD1 and p21WAF1/Cip1, whereas p27Kip1 staining was reduced. Notably, spectral karyotyping showed that tumorigenic hMSC-TERT20 cells retained a normal diploid karyotype, with no detectable chromosome abnormalities. Consistent with the bone-forming potential of early passage hMSC-TERT20 cells, tumors derived from late passage cells expressed early biomarkers of osteogenesis. However, hMSC-TERT20 cells were heterogeneous for alpha smooth muscle actin (ASMA) expression and one out of six hMSC-TERT20 derived single cell clones was strongly ASMA positive. Tumors from this ASMA+ clone had distinctive vascular qualities with hot spots of high CD34+ murine endothelial cell density, together with CD34- regions with a branching periodic acid Schiff reaction pattern. Such clone-specific differences in host vascular response provide novel models to explore interactions between mesenchymal stem and endothelial cells. Despite the lack of a characteristic chromosomal translocation, the histomorphology, biomarkers and oncogenic changes were similar to those prevalent for Ewing's sarcomas. The phenotype and ontogenesis of hMSC-TERT20 tumors was consistent with the hypothesis that sarcomas may arise from hMSC, providing a unique diploid model for exploring human sarcoma biology.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Actins / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism
  • Bone Neoplasms / blood supply
  • Bone Neoplasms / genetics
  • Bone Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Bone Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism
  • Cell Differentiation*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Lineage*
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / genetics
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / metabolism
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / pathology*
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Karyotyping
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / pathology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred NOD
  • Mice, SCID
  • Osteogenesis
  • Phenotype
  • Sarcoma, Ewing / blood supply
  • Sarcoma, Ewing / genetics
  • Sarcoma, Ewing / metabolism
  • Sarcoma, Ewing / pathology*
  • Telomerase / genetics
  • Telomerase / metabolism
  • Time Factors
  • Transfection

Substances

  • Actins
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • TERT protein, human
  • Telomerase