CD20-related signaling pathway is differently activated in normal and dystrophic circulating CD133+ stem cells

Among the heterogeneous population of circulating hematopoietic and endothelial progenitors, we identified a subpopulation of CD133+ cells displaying myogenic properties. Unexpectedly, we observed the expression of the B-cell marker CD20 in blood-derived CD133+ stem cells. The CD20 antigen plays a role in the modulation of intracellular calcium homeostasis through signaling pathways activation. Several observations suggest that an increase in intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) could be involved in the etiology of the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Here, we show that a CD20-related signaling pathway able to induce an increase in [Ca2+]i is differently activated after brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) stimulation of normal and dystrophic blood-derived CD133+ stem cells, supporting the assumption of a “CD20-related calcium impairment-affecting dystrophic cells. Presented findings represent the starting point toward the expansion of knowledge on pathways involved in the pathology of DMD and in the behavior of dystrophic blood-derived CD133+ stem cells.