Differentiation of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells into Leydig cells using a new lentiviral vector

It is common to see that male serum testosterone levels are low, or not detectable, which is caused by a variety of factors such as drug, heavy metals and age. Steroid generation factor-1 (SF-1, also known as Ad4BP or NR5A1), a member of the nucleus receptors superfamily, plays a key role in pituitary development, steroid production process and adrenal carcinogenesis. SF1 participates in the regulation of the expression of a variety of genes including CYP11A1、 CYP17A1 and 3β-HSD. Now, stem cell transplantation has emerged as a promising, alter¬native treatment for testosterone supplementation and has many advantages. In this study, we constructed recombinant lentiviral vector by Gateway technology. An optimal lentiviruse multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 100 was determined. The results showed that SF1 expression with genetically modified umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) compared to UC-MSCs control culture. The mRNA expression levels of 3β-HSD, CYP11A1 and CYP17A1 and contents of steroid hormones were significantly higher in the steroidogenic differentiation group than control group. Our study has laid a significant foundation for using a human mesenchymal stem cells of overexpression of SF-1 as a treatment tool for low testosterone level diseases.