High-mobility group protein HMGA2-derived fragments stimulate the proliferation of chondrocytes and adipose tissue-derived stem cells.

In previous research, it was shown that recombinant HMGA2 protein enhances the proliferation of porcine chondrocytes grown in vitro, opening up promising applications of this embryonic architectural transcription factor for tissue engineering, such as in cartilage repair. In this paper, we describe the development and analyses of two synthetic fragments comprising the functional AT-hook motifs of the HMGA2 protein, as well as the nuclear transport domain. They can be synthesised up to large scales, while eliminating some of the problems of recombinant protein production, including unwanted modification or contamination by the expression hosts, or of gene therapy approaches such as uncontrolled viral integration and transgene expression even after therapy. Application of one of these peptides onto porcine hyaline cartilage chondrocytes, grown in in vitro monolayer cell culture, showed a growth-promoting effect similar to that of the wild type HMGA2 protein. Furthermore, it also promoted cell growth of adult adipose tissue derived stem cells. Due to its proliferation inducing function and vast availability, this peptide is thus suitable for further application and investigation in various fields such as tissue engineering and stem cell research.