Human albumin expression in mice that received transplants of HGF-secreting MSC.
(A) Systemic HGF production induced human albumin expression in CB HSC–transplanted NOD/SCID/β2M-null mouse liver. Normal human MSCs were transduced with a retroviral vector expressing HGF and transplanted into chimeric, CCl4-treated mice (n = 6). Human albumin expression appeared as early as 5 days after CCl4 and HGF injection. The comparison of human albumin expression in HGF MSCs and rhHGF-injected mouse liver is shown. (B) Human albumin expression in human bone marrow–derived stem cell transplanted mouse liver. Human marrow-derived CD34+ cells were transplanted into NOD/SCID/β2M-null mice. CCl4 with or without human HGF-secreting MSCs was administered into the engrafted mice (n = 6). Human albumin expression by RT-PCR in the mouse liver is shown. The first lane in both panels show molecular weights.
