Adult human pancreas-derived cells expressing stage-specific embryonic antigen 4 differentiate into Sox9-expressing and Ngn3-expressing pancreatic ducts in vivo

摘要

BackgroundTissue-specific stem/progenitor cells are found in various adult tissues and may have the capacity for lineage-specific differentiation, facilitating applications in autologous transplantation. Stage-specific embryonic antigen 4 (SSEA-4), an early embryonic glycolipid antigen, is expressed in cells derived from adult human pancreas exocrine tissue. Here, we examined the characteristics and lineage-specific differentiation capacity of SSEA-4⁺ cells.