CD34 is a cell surface antigen expressed in numerous stem/progenitor cells, such as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) [1]. It has been implicated in various biological processes, including angiogenesis, anti-inflammatory responses, immunomodulation, and anti-apoptosis/fibrosis roles [1]. Genetic models, like mouse models, are valuable for studying its functions.

In murine models, studies using Cd34-CreERT2; Rosa26-tdTomato and Cd34-CreERT2; Rosa26-eGFP-DTA mice have shown that non-bone-marrow-derived CD34+ cells give rise to fibroblasts and endothelial cells, while bone-marrow-derived CD34+ cells turn into immune cells in response to pressure overload. Partial depletion of CD34+ cells alleviated myocardial fibrosis and improved cardiac function in the Cd34-CreERT2; Rosa26-eGFP-DTA model, indicating CD34+ cells' role in cardiac fibrosis during heart failure [2]. Another study with a Cd34-CreERT2; R26-DTA mouse model demonstrated that depletion of Cd34+ cells could alleviate ventricular fibrosis after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and improve cardiac function, suggesting CD34+ cells contribute to cardiac remodeling after I/R injury [3].

In conclusion, CD34+ cells play significant roles in processes like cardiac repair, angiogenesis, and fibrosis. Model-based research, especially using Cd34 KO/CKO mouse models, has revealed their importance in heart-related diseases such as heart failure and cardiac remodeling after I/R injury, providing insights into potential therapeutic strategies for these conditions [2,3].

References:

1. Hassanpour, Mehdi, Salybekov, Amankeldi A, Kobayashi, Shuzo, Asahara, Takayuki. 2023. CD34 positive cells as endothelial progenitor cells in biology and medicine. In Frontiers in cell and developmental biology, 11, 1128134. doi:10.3389/fcell.2023.1128134. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37138792/

2. Du, Luping, Sun, Xiaotong, Gong, Hui, Chen, Ting, Xu, Qingbo. 2023. Single cell and lineage tracing studies reveal the impact of CD34+ cells on myocardial fibrosis during heart failure. In Stem cell research & therapy, 14, 33. doi:10.1186/s13287-023-03256-0. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36805782/

3. Xie, Jun, Jiang, Liujun, Wang, Junzhuo, Xu, Biao, Xu, Qingbo. 2023. Multilineage contribution of CD34+ cells in cardiac remodeling after ischemia/reperfusion injury. In Basic research in cardiology, 118, 17. doi:10.1007/s00395-023-00981-8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37147443/