Biological characteristics of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells from GFP transgenic mice transfected with human β-nerve growth factor gene

AIM:To investigate the changes of biological characteristics of GFP transgenic mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which were transfected with human β-nerve growth factor (β-NGF) gene in a recombinant eukaryotic expression vector. METHODS:MSCs obtained from GFP transgenic mice were isolated, cultured and purified by the whole bone marrow adherence methods. Human β-NGF gene was transfected into the MSCs by a recombinant eukaryotic expression vector. The β-NGF expression in the MSCs was detected by the method of immunocytochemistry. Hippocampal neurons from neonatal mice were cultured with culture supernatant of the MSCs transfected with pcDNA3-β-NGF and the biological characteristics of the MSCs were investigated 3 d after culture under inverted phase-contrast microscope. RESULTS:The β-NGF positive rate of MSCs in pcDNA3-β-NGF transfection group ［(37.12±2.14)%］ was significantly higher than that in MSCs control group ［(2.36±0.62)%］ and blank control group ［(1.43±0.76)%］.The neurite length of neonatal mouse hippocampal neurons cultured with culture supernatant from pcDNA3-β-NGF-transfected MSCs ［(31±3)μm］ was significantly longer than that in negative control group ［(23±4)μm］, suggesting that MSCs transfected with β-NGF gene maintained better biological characteristics. CONCLUSION: The constructed recombinant eukaryotic expression vector of human β-NGF gene can be transfected into MSCs efficiently and NGF can be effectively expressed in MSCs. MSCs transfected with β-NGF gene are capable of stable expression and secretion of β-NGF, and maintenance of better biological characteristics.