Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Jun;32(6):1380-9.
doi: 10.1002/stem.1661.

Concise review: evidence for CD34 as a common marker for diverse progenitors

Laura E Sidney  1 , Matthew J Branch, Siobhán E Dunphy, Harminder S Dua, Andrew Hopkinson
Affiliations
Free PMC article
Review

Concise review: evidence for CD34 as a common marker for diverse progenitors

Laura E Sidney et al. Stem Cells. 2014 Jun.
Free PMC article

Abstract

CD34 is a transmembrane phosphoglycoprotein, first identified on hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Clinically, it is associated with the selection and enrichment of hematopoietic stem cells for bone marrow transplants. Due to these historical and clinical associations, CD34 expression is almost ubiquitously related to hematopoietic cells, and it is a common misconception that CD34-positive (CD34(+) ) cells in nonhematopoietic samples represent hematopoietic contamination. The prevailing school of thought states that multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) do not express CD34. However, strong evidence demonstrates CD34 is expressed not only by MSC but by a multitude of other nonhematopoietic cell types including muscle satellite cells, corneal keratocytes, interstitial cells, epithelial progenitors, and vascular endothelial progenitors. In many cases, the CD34(+) cells represent a small proportion of the total cell population and also indicate a distinct subset of cells with enhanced progenitor activity. Herein, we explore common traits between cells that express CD34, including associated markers, morphology and differentiation potential. We endeavor to highlight key similarities between CD34(+) cells, with a focus on progenitor activity. A common function of CD34 has yet to be elucidated, but by analyzing and understanding links between CD34(+) cells, we hope to be able to offer an insight into the overlapping properties of cells that express CD34.

Keywords: CD34; Endothelial; Epithelial; Mesenchymal; Progenitor; Stem cell; Stromal.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CD34 expression by keratocytes. (A): Immunofluorescence showing CD34 expression by keratocytes in a section of human cornea, counterstained with DAPI. Scale bar = 500 μm. (B–G): Keratocyte phenotype after in vitro culture. Human keratocytes were extracted from the corneal stroma and cultured for 5 days in Medium 199 containing 20% fetal bovine serum. (B–D): Immunocytochemistry identifying individual cells expressing CD34, among cells expressing CD105. (E–G): Keratocytes in culture also express markers associated with MSC, such as CD90 and CD73. All images counterstained with Hoechst 33258. Scale bar = 46 μm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Fina L, Molgaard HV, Robertson D, et al. Expression of the CD34 gene in vascular endothelial cells. Blood. 1990;75:2417–2426. - PubMed
    1. Brown J, Greaves MF, Molgaard HV. The gene encoding the stem cell antigen, CD34, is conserved in mouse and expressed in haemopoietic progenitor cell lines, brain, and embryonic fibroblasts. Int Immunol. 1991;3:175–184. - PubMed
    1. Nielsen JS, McNagny KM. Novel functions of the CD34 family. J Cell Sci. 2008;121:3683–3692. - PubMed
    1. Lin CS, Ning H, Lin G, et al. Is CD34 truly a negative marker for mesenchymal stromal cells? Cytotherapy. 2012;14:1159–1163. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nakayama H, Enzan H, Miyazaki E, et al. Differential expression of CD34 in normal colorectal tissue, peritumoral inflammatory tissue, and tumour stroma. J Clin Pathol. 2000;53:626–629. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

-