The lectin of Dolichos biflorus agglutinin recognises glycan epitopes on the surface of a subset of cardiac progenitor cells.

The discovery of adult cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) provides a promising way for treating heart disease; however, their surface characteristics that play a critical role in regulating their maintenance, self-renewal, migration, and differentiation have not been fully investigated. One subpopulation of Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA)-positive cells was identified in the heart of adult mice. Flow cytometry showed that 3.7% of heart cells could be labeled by FITC conjugated DBA. BrdU pulse-chase showed that 55-75% of DBA(+) cells were CPCs. Evidences from 5-FU-induced myelosuppression along with BrdU pulse-chasing suggests that DBA-positive cells are proliferative. Furthermore, DBA positive cells display a cologenic appearance in vivo. Our findings suggest that DBA-positive cells in the heart of adult mouse contained a subset of CPCs, and DBA reactivity is one novel surface characteristic on CPCs.