Cell Core FacilityMesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) are an important cellular component of the bone marrowmicroenvironment as progenitor cells of multiple mesenchymal phenotypes including osteoblasts,chondrocytes, adipocytes and marrow stromal fibroblasts and potentially other mesenchymal phenotypes(Figure 1). MSCs make a large array of cytokines, prostaglandins, extracellular matrix molecules and cellsurface receptors and have been reported to support the differentiation and expansion of hematopoieticprogenitors in vitro.The Cell Core will serve as a centralized technical and dispensing facility, dedicated to producing MSCs using Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to insure that the research projects will be conducted with the same high quality MSC preparations. In addition, the Cell Core Facility will conduct quality control assays including the screening, selection and procurement of specialized reagents needed for the isolation and expansion procedures. In particular, the fetalbovine serum used in the culture-expansion medium must be carefully screened and selected. Finally, the CellCore Facility will conduct experimentation to optimize the chondrogenic potential of the cell preparations to besupplied to the Program Investigators. These experiments will be designed to validate preliminary dataobtained with human MSCs. The services to be provided by the Cell Core Facility are summarized by thefollowing specific aims.
SpecificAim 1 : To provide high quality Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) and chondrocyte cultures,customized to the needs of each Research Project, in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Specific Aim 2 : To optimize animal cell preparations and culture systems for chondrogenesis.
Specific Aim 2 a: To assess the effect of FGF-2 supplementation during mitotic expansion on thechondrogenic potential of rabbit MSCs and chondrocytesSpecific Aim 2b: To study the role of TGF-p1 in the regulation of hypertrophic differentiation of rabbitMSCs and chondrocytes.It is important to stress here, that while parts of this document focus on human MSCs (hMSCs), thecontribution of this Core to the overall Research Program is to deliver rabbit bone marrow-derived MSCs andrabbit chondrocytes from different anatomical locations to grant participants and collaborators and to developoptimized culture conditions for expansion and chondrogenic differentiation of these cells.The standard operating protocols and procedures (SOPs) for these preparations are in hand as are theSOPs for chondrocytes from a variety of human and animal cartilages; these are also expected to be used byparticipants and collaborators. Drs. Solchaga (12 years), Caplan (38 years), Lennon (25 years) andHaynesworth (13 years) have over 88 years of combined experience with mesenchymal progenitor cells,chondrocytes and osteoblasts in culture and will provide uniform, reproducible cell preparations for the users ofthe Core Laboratory.
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