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INTRODUCTION The control of differentiation of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) is crucial for tissue engineering strategies employing MSCs. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the transcriptional co-factor Yes-associated protein (YAP) regulates chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs. METHODS Expression of total YAP,its paralogue transcriptional co-activator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ),and individual YAP transcript variants during in vitro chondrogenesis of human MSCs was determined by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). YAP expression was confirmed by western blotting. To determine the effect of high YAP activity on chondrogenesis,C3H10T1/2 MSC-like cells were transduced with human (h)YAP and treated in micromass with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2). Chondrogenic differentiation was assessed by alcian blue staining and expression of chondrocyte-lineage genes. BMP signalling was determined by detection of pSmad1,5,8 by western blotting and expression of BMP target genes by quantitative RT-PCR. Finally,YAP and pYAP were detected in mouse embryo hindlimbs by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS YAP,but not TAZ,was downregulated during in vitro chondrogenesis of human MSCs. One of the YAP transcript variants,however,was upregulated in high-density micromass culture. Overexpression of hYAP in murine C3H10T1/2 MSCs inhibited chondrogenic differentiation. High YAP activity in these cells decreased Smad1,5,8 phosphorylation and expression of the BMP target genes Inhibitor of DNA binding/differentiation (Id)1,Id2 and Id3 in response to BMP-2. In developing mouse limbs,Yap was nuclear in the perichondrium while mostly phosphorylated and cytosolic in cells of the cartilage anlage,suggesting downregulation of Yap co-transcriptional activity during physiological chondrogenesis in vivo. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that YAP is a negative regulator of chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs. Downregulation of YAP is required for chondrogenesis through derepression of chondrogenic signalling. Therapeutic targeting of YAP to promote cartilage repair and prevent secondary osteoarthritis is an exciting prospect in rheumatology. View Publication

During pancreatic development,proliferating pancreatic progenitors activate the proendocrine transcription factor neurogenin 3 (NEUROG3),exit the cell cycle,and differentiate into islet cells. The mechanisms that direct robust NEUROG3 expression within a subset of progenitor cells control the size of the endocrine population. Here we demonstrate that NEUROG3 is phosphorylated within the nucleus on serine 183,which catalyzes its hyperphosphorylation and proteosomal degradation. During progression through the progenitor cell cycle,NEUROG3 phosphorylation is driven by the actions of cyclin-dependent kinases 2 and 4/6 at G1/S cell-cycle checkpoint. Using models of mouse and human pancreas development,we show that lengthening of the G1 phase of the pancreatic progenitor cell cycle is essential for proper induction of NEUROG3 and initiation of endocrine cell differentiation. In sum,these studies demonstrate that progenitor cell-cycle G1 lengthening,through its actions on stabilization of NEUROG3,is an essential variable in normal endocrine cell genesis. View Publication

Neural stem cells (NSCs) possess immunosuppressive characteristics,but effects of NSCs on human dendritic cells (DCs),the most important antigen presenting cells,are less well studied. We used an in vitro approach to evaluate the effects of human NSCs on differentiation of human blood CD14+ monocytes into DCs. NSCs derived from H1 human embryonic stem cells (hESC-NSCs) and human ReNcell NSC line,as well as human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs),were tested. We observed that in response to treatment with interleukin-4 and granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor CD14+ monocytes co-cultured with NSCs were able to down-regulate CD14 and up-regulate the differentiation marker CD1a,whereas MSC co-culture strongly inhibited CD1a expression and supported prolonged expression of CD14. A similar difference between NSCs and MSCs was noted when lipopolysaccharides were included to induce maturation of monocyte-derived DCs. However,when effects on the function of derived DCs were investigated,NSCs suppressed the elevation of the DC maturation marker CD83,although not the up-regulation of costimulatory molecules CD80,CD86 and CD40,and impaired the functional capacity of the derived DCs to stimulate alloreactive T cells. We did not observe any obvious difference between hESC-NSCs and ReNcell NSCs in inhibiting DC maturation and function. Our data suggest that although human NSCs are less effective than human MSCs in suppressing monocyte differentiation into DCs,these stem cells can still affect the function of DCs,ultimately regulating specific immune responses. View Publication