C-Kit super(+) Cells Isolated from Developing Kidneys Are a Novel Population of Stem Cells with Regenerative Potential

• Published in: Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio) Ohio), 2013-08, Vol.31 (8), p.1644-1656
• Main Authors: Rangel, Erika B, Gomes, Samirah A, Dulce, Raul A, Premer, Courtney, Rodrigues, Claudia O, Kanashiro-Takeuchi, Rosemeire M, Oskouei, Behzad, Carvalho, Decio A, Ruiz, Phillip, Reiser, Jochen, Hare, Joshua M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1066-5099; 1549-4918
• DOI: 10.1002/stem.1412

The presence of tissue specific precursor cells is an emerging concept in organ formation and tissue homeostasis. Several progenitors are described in the kidneys. However, their identity as a true stem cell remains elusive. Here, we identify a neonatal kidney-derived c-kit super(+) cell population that fulfills all of the criteria as a stem cell. These cells were found in the thick ascending limb of Henle's loop and exhibited clonogenicity, self-renewal, and multipotentiality with differentiation capacity into mesoderm and ectoderm progeny. Additionally, c-kit super(+) cells formed spheres in nonadherent conditions when plated at clonal density and expressed markers of stem cells, progenitors, and differentiated cells. Ex vivo expanded c-kit super(+) cells integrated into several compartments of the kidney, including tubules, vessels, and glomeruli, and contributed to functional and morphological improvement of the kidney following acute ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. Together, these findings document a novel neonatal rat kidney c-kit super(+) stem cell population that can be isolated, expanded, cloned, differentiated, and used for kidney repair following acute kidney injury. These cells have important biological and therapeutic implications. STEM Cells 2013; 31:1644-1656