| Abstract [eng] |
Human amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells (AF-MSCs) are considered as an alternative source of stem cells for cell therapy or regenerative medicine. These cells are easily obtained, have wide differentiation potential, are non-immunogenic and do not cause ethical restrictions as human embryonic stem cells. The aim of this dissertation – to study molecular (genetic and epigenetic) alterations of AF-MSCs induced to differentiate into osteogenic, myogenic, neural and cardiomyogenic lineages. The obtained results reveal that AF-MSCs are able to differentiate towards osteogenic, myogenic, neurogenic and cardiomyogenic lineages successfully as demonstrated by the alterations in morphology, gene and protein expression, cell cycle, epigenetics and metabolism. These changes are responsible for the specialization of stem cells into differentiated progenitor cells. We were the first to evaluate energetic phenotype and metabolic changes in AF-MSCs induced into cardiomyogenic lineage. In addition, we investigated epigenetic alterations, such as levels of chromatin remodeling proteins and modified histones, more extensively during the induced differentiations of AF-MSCs. These data complement the knowledge about this rather new source of stem cells – human AF-MSCs – and provide evidence of their possible future therapeutic potential, for example, for bones restoration, regeneration of the heart tissue after myocardial infarction or even for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. |
