Lesage, FloreZia, SilviaJiménez, JulioDeprest, JanToelen, Jaan2022-03-082022-03-082017Lesage F, Zia S, Jiménez J, Deprest J, Toelen J. The amniotic fluid as a source of mesenchymal stem cells with lung-specific characteristics. Prenat Diagn. 2017 Nov;37(11):1093-1099. doi: 10.1002/pd.5147.https://doi.org/10.1002/pd.5147http://hdl.handle.net/11447/5679The amniotic fluid is a clinically accessible source of mesenchymal stem cells (AF‐MSC) during gestation, which enables autologous cellular therapy for perinatal disorders. The origin of AF‐MSC remains elusive: renal and neuronal progenitors have been isolated from the AF‐MSC pool, yet no cells with pulmonary characteristics. We analyzed gene expression of pulmonary and renal markers of 212 clonal lines of AF‐MSC isolated from amniocentesis samples. AF‐MSC were cultured on dishes coated with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins from decellularized fetal rabbit lungs. In vivo differentiation potential of AF‐MSC that expressed markers suggestive of lung fate was tested by renal subcapsular injections in immunodeficient mice. Of all the isolated AF‐MSC lines, 26% were positive for lung endodermal markers FOXA2 and NKX2.1 and lacked expression of renal markers (KSP). This AF‐MSC subpopulation expressed other lung‐specific factors, including IRX1, P63, FOXP2, LGR6, SFTC, and PDPN. Pulmonary marker expression decreased over passages when AF‐MSC were cultured under conventional conditions, yet remained more stable when culturing the cells on lung ECM‐coated dishes. Renal subcapsular injection of AF‐MSC expressing lung‐specific markers resulted in engrafted cells that were SPTB positive. These data suggest that FOXA2+/NKX2.1+/KSP‐ AF‐MSC lines have lung characteristics which are supported by culture on lung ECM‐coated dishes.enAmniotic fluidStem cellsTherapyArticle