Parvovirus B19 Infection May Potentially Determine the Fate of Hematopoiesis by Altering the Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Differentiation

Background: Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs), as supporters for hematopoiesis, differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes. Studies showed that infection of hBM-MSCs by Parvovirus B19 (B19V) can affect the differentiation capability of hBM-MSCs. This study aims to evaluate B19V effects on the differentiation of hBM-MSCs. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study hBM-MSCs were cultured up to passage 3. Nucleofection was subsequently employed to deliver a plasmid containing the B19V genome into the cells. The transfected cells were then differentiated into osteoblast and adipocyte lineages. qRT-PCR was then performed to analyze the differentiation 14 days after transfection. Results: On the 14th day after induction the findings demonstrated a significant increase in adipocyte-specific (PPARγ and LPL) gene expression compared to the control group (p 0.05) and a slight but not statistically significant decrease in the expression of the osteocyte-specific genes (RUNX2 and osteocalcin) (p 0.05). Conclusion: The results suggest that B19V infection can promote the differentiation of hBM-MSCs towards adipocytes and affect the bone marrow microenvironment as well as hematopoiesis.