Stem cell transplantation represents a promising therapeutic approach for myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, where cortical bone-derived stem cells (CBSCs) stand out and hold superior cardioprotective effects on myocardial infarction than other types of stem cells. However, the molecular mechanism underlying CBSCs function on myocardial I/R injury is poorly understood. In a previous study, we reported that Trop2 (trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2) is expressed exclusively on the CBSCs membrane, and is involved in regulation of proliferation and differentiation of CBSCs. In this study, we found that the Trop2 is essential for the ameliorative effects of CBSCs on myocardial I/R-induced heart damage via promoting angiogenesis and inhibiting cardiomyocytes apoptosis in a paracrine manner. Trop2 is required for the colonization of CBSCs in recipient hearts. When Trop2 was knocked out, CBSCs largely lost their functions in lowering myocardial infarction size, improving heart function, enhancing capillary density, and suppressing myocardial cell death. Mechanistically, activating the AKT/GSK3β/β-Catenin signaling axis contributes to the essential role of Trop2 in CBSCs-rendered cardioprotective effects on myocardial I/R injury. In conclusion, maintaining the expression and/or activation of Trop2 in CBSCs might be a promising strategy for treating myocardial infarction, I/R injury, and other related heart diseases.
Keywords: CBSCs; Trop2; angiogenesis; apoptosis; myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.