Published online Apr 26, 2014. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v6.i2.134
Revised: January 16, 2014
Accepted: February 20, 2014
Published online: April 26, 2014
Processing time: 166 Days and 21.8 Hours
Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), have the potential to differentiate into cells of the mesenchymal lineage and have non-progenitor functions including immunomodulation. The demonstration that MSCs are perivascular cells found in almost all adult tissues raises fascinating perspectives on their role in tissue maintenance and repair. However, some controversies about the physiological role of the perivascular MSCs residing outside the bone marrow and on their therapeutic potential in regenerative medicine exist. In brain, perivascular MSCs like pericytes and adventitial cells, could constitute another stem cell population distinct to the neural stem cell pool. The demonstration of the neuronal potential of MSCs requires stringent criteria including morphological changes, the demonstration of neural biomarkers expression, electrophysiological recordings, and the absence of cell fusion. The recent finding that brain cancer stem cells can transdifferentiate into pericytes is another facet of the plasticity of these cells. It suggests that the perversion of the stem cell potential of pericytes might play an even unsuspected role in cancer formation and tumor progression.
Core tip: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), in addition to their potential to differentiate into cells of the mesenchymal lineage, have immunomodulatory properties and can transdifferentiate to generate neural cells at least in vitro. These stem cells are found in almost any adult tissue, including brain. The existence of similarities between MSC and pericytes points to brain pericytes as the other stem cell population of the adult brain in addition to neural stem cells. This raises fascinating perspectives on the potential of brain pericytes in nervous system maintenance and repair. The recent finding that brain cancer stem cells transdifferentiate into pericytes is another facet of the plasticity of these cells. It suggests that the perversion of the stem cell potential of pericyte might play an even unsuspected role in cancer formation and tumor progression.