Fetal cardiac mesenchymal stem cells express embryonal markers and exhibit differentiation into cells of all three germ layers

Table 1 Primers used in the present study

Gene	Primer sequence	Product size (bp)	Accession number
Osteopontin	F: TCGGAGGAGAAGGCGCATTACAGC	778	AB001382.1
	R: TCCTCATGGCTGTGAAACTCGTGG
RUNX2	F: TTCGTCAGCGTCCTATCAGTTC	149	NM_053470.2
	R: CTTCCATCAGCGTCAACACC
PPARγ2	F: TTGATTTCTCCAGCATTTC	125	NM_001145366.1
	R: GCTCTACTTTGATCGCACT
Lipoprotein Lipase	F: GGGTCGCCTGGTCGAAGT	450	L03294.1
	R: AAAGTGCCTCCATTGGGATAAA
Neurofilament-160	F: CTCGACTTCAGCCAGTCCTCTTCG	550	NM_017029.1
	R: TCTTTGCGCTCTACGGTGATGTGC
GFAP	F: AGCTGAACCAGCTTCGAGCCAAGG	508	NM_017009.2
	R: GGAAGCAACGTCTGTGAGGTCTGC
Albumin	F: TCGTGACAACTACGGTGAACTGGC	640	NM_134326.2
	R: TGTTCTGTCTCAGCGAGACACTGG
GAPDH	R: CCTCTCTCTTGCTCTCAGTAT	284	NM_017008.3
	F: GTATCCGTTGTGGATCTGACA

GFAP: Glial fibrillar acidic protein; GAPDH: Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

Table 2 Immunophenotype of rat fetal cardiac mesenchymal stem cells in primary culture and at passages 3, 6, 15 and 21 (mean ± SE)

Markers	Primary culture	Passage 3	Passage 6	Passage 15	Passage 21
CD29	96.62 ± 0.26	96.54 ± 0.44	96.16 ± 0.58	96.41 ± 0.34	95.80 ± 0.44
CD44	95.80 ± 0.18	95.96 ± 0.10	96.00 ± 0.30	96.50 ± 0.44	95.66 ± 0.84
CD73	95.78 ± 0.12	95.10 ± 0.16	95.60 ± 0.24	95.60 ± 0.30	95.30 ± 0.32
CD90	98.56 ± 0.30	98.90 ± 0.18	98.68 ± 0.28	98.60 ± 0.12	98.80 ± 0.12
CD105	98.40 ± 0.30	98.00 ± 0.12	97.68 ± 0.18	97.60 ± 0.22	97.40 ± 0.24
CD31	0.44 ± 0.08	0.50 ± 0.02	0.52 ± 0.02	0.50 ± 0.02	0.51 ± 0.01
CD45	0.66 ± 0.02	0.64 ± 0.02	0.54 ± 0.02	0.62 ± 0.01	0.58 ± 0.04
HLA-DR	0.38 ± 0.02	0.30 ± 0.08	0.28 ± 0.04	0.34 ± 0.04	0.32 ± 0.02