Identification of functional tissue-resident cardiac stem/progenitor cells in adult mouse.

In most somatic tissues, ASCs (adult stem cells) are crucial for the maintenance of tissue homoeostasis under normal physiological state and recovery from injury. LRC (label retaining cell) assay is a well-known method of identifying possible somatic stem/progenitor cells and their location both in situ and in vivo. BrdU (bromodeoxyuridine) was used here to tag the possible CSCs (cardiac stem cells)/CPCs (cardiac progenitor cells) in newborn pups, followed by a trace period of up to 24 months. In addition, we have used our newly developed 'KAL' method to rapidly Kill proliferating cells in adult heart tissues, then, Activate and Label the surviving CSCs/CPCs. LRCs that definitively exist in the heart tissues of adult mice, and some LRCs express the stem cell marker, Sca-1 or c-Kit, and are located primarily in the myocardium and vascular endothelial regions. Moreover, the number of LRCs remains nearly constant during the lifespan of the mouse. After injury induced by 5-fluorouracil, the proliferating cells were almost completely cleared on day 3, and the activated CSCs/CPCs retained their BrdU label after regeneration was complete. A small percentage of the CSCs/CPCs express Sca-1 or c-Kit. Furthermore, the LRC method together with KAL may be used to identify and locate possible CSCs/CPCs, which has potential clinical application.