The effect of piR_004153 on mesenchymal stromal cells

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent cells that reside in various tissues, including bone marrow, adipose tissue or dental pulp. They can differentiate into different cell lineages, including osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. MSCs are recruited and stimulate the progression of renal cancer. However, the exact mechanisms that govern MSCs homing to renal tumors are largely unknown. Here, we found that renal cancer cells secrete piR_004153 encapsulated in exosomes that are taken-up by MSCs to induce transcriptional reprograming, and stimulate their migration towards renal cancer cells. To explore the impact of piRNA on MSCs, we transfected them with piR_004153 or non-targeting scrambled control oligonucleotide and analyzed their transcriptome using microarrays. MSCs derived from bone marrow were cultured with the following transfection of piR_004153 (n=5 samples) or negative control (n=5 samples). 48h after transfections cells were used for RNA isolation. Microarray expression analysis was done on RNA samples using the Affymetrix Gene GeneChip® Instrument System