技术资料

Forced expression of MN1 in primitive mouse hematopoietic cells causes acute myeloid leukemia and impairs all-trans retinoic acid-induced granulocytic differentiation. Here,we studied the effects of MN1 on myeloid differentiation and proliferation using primary human CD34(+) hematopoietic cells,lineage-depleted mouse bone marrow cells,and bipotential (granulocytic/monocytic) human acute myeloid leukemia cell lines. We show that exogenous MN1 stimulated the growth of CD34(+) cells,which was accompanied by enhanced survival and increased cell cycle traverse in cultures supporting progenitor cell growth. Forced MN1 expression impaired both granulocytic and monocytic differentiation in vitro in primary hematopoietic cells and acute myeloid leukemia cell lines. Endogenous MN1 expression was higher in human CD34(+) cells compared with both primary and in vitro-differentiated monocytes and granulocytes. Microarray and real-time reverse-transcribed polymerase chain reaction analysis of MN1-overexpressing CD34(+) cells showed down-regulation of CEBPA and its downstream target genes. Reintroduction of conditional and constitutive CEBPA overcame the effects of MN1 on myeloid differentiation and inhibited MN1-induced proliferation in vitro. These results indicate that down-regulation of CEBPA activity contributes to MN1-modulated proliferation and impaired myeloid differentiation of hematopoietic cells. View Publication

Hematologic stem cell rescue after high-dose cytotoxic therapy is extensively used for the treatment of many hematopoietic and solid cancers. Gene marking studies suggest that occult tumor cells within the autograft may contribute to clinical relapse. To date purging of autografts contaminated with cancer cells has been unsuccessful. The selective oncolytic property of reovirus against myriad malignant histologies in in vitro,in vivo,and ex vivo systems has been previously demonstrated. In the present study we have shown that reovirus can successfully purge cancer cells within autografts. Human monocytic and myeloma cell lines as well as enriched ex vivo lymphoma,myeloma,and Waldenström macroglobulinemia patient tumor specimens were used in an experimental purging model. Viability of the cell lines or purified ex vivo tumor cells of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma,chronic lymphocytic leukemia,Waldenström macroglobulinemia,and small lymphocytic lymphoma was significantly reduced after reovirus treatment. Further,[35S]-methionine labeling and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of cellular proteins demonstrated reovirus protein synthesis and disruption of host cell protein synthesis as early as 24 hours. Admixtures of apheresis product with the abovementioned tumor cells and cell lines treated with reovirus showed complete purging of disease. In contrast,reovirus purging of enriched ex vivo multiple myeloma,Burkitt lymphoma,and follicular lymphoma was incomplete. The oncolytic action of reovirus did not affect CD34+ stem cells or their long-term colony-forming assays even after granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) stimulation. Our results indicate the ex vivo use of an unattenuated oncolytic virus as an attractive purging strategy for autologous stem cell transplantations. View Publication

Differences in ex vivo cell culture conditions can drastically affect stem cell physiology. We sought to establish an assay for measuring the effects of chemical,environmental,and genetic manipulations on the precision of repair at a single DNA double-strand break (DSB) in pluripotent and somatic human cells. DSBs in mammalian cells are primarily repaired by either homologous recombination (HR) or nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ). For the most part,previous studies of DSB repair in human cells have utilized nonspecific clastogens like ionizing radiation,which are highly nonphysiologic,or assayed repair at randomly integrated reporters. Measuring repair after random integration is potentially confounded by locus-specific effects on the efficiency and precision of repair. We show that the frequency of HR at a single DSB differs up to 20-fold between otherwise isogenic human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) based on the site of the DSB within the genome. To overcome locus-specific effects on DSB repair,we used zinc finger nucleases to efficiently target a DSB repair reporter to a safe-harbor locus in hESCs and a panel of somatic human cell lines. We demonstrate that repair at a targeted DSB is highly precise in hESCs,compared to either the somatic human cells or murine embryonic stem cells. Differentiation of hESCs harboring the targeted reporter into astrocytes reduces both the efficiency and precision of repair. Thus,the phenotype of repair at a single DSB can differ based on either the site of damage within the genome or the stage of cellular differentiation. Our approach to single DSB analysis has broad utility for defining the effects of genetic and environmental modifications on repair precision in pluripotent cells and their differentiated progeny. View Publication

The comparative evaluation of different 3D matrices-Matrigel,Puramatrix,and inverted colloidal crystal (ICC) scaffolds-provides a perspective for studying the pathology and potential cures for many blood and bone marrow diseases,and further proves the significance of 3D cultures with direct cell-cell contacts for in vitro mimicry of the human stem cell niche. View Publication

Replication stress causes DNA damage at fragile sites in the genome. DNA damage at telomeres can initiate breakage-fusion-bridge cycles and chromosome instability,which can result in replicative senescence or tumor formation. Little is known about the extent of replication stress or telomere dysfunction in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). hESCs are grown in culture with the expectation of being used therapeutically in humans,making it important to minimize the levels of replication stress and telomere dysfunction. Here,the hESC line UCSF4 was cultured in a defined medium with growth factor Activin A,exogenous nucleosides,or DNA polymerase inhibitor aphidicolin. We used quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization to analyze individual telomeres for dysfunction and observed that it can be increased by aphidicolin or Activin A. In contrast,adding exogenous nucleosides relieved dysfunction,suggesting that telomere dysfunction results from replication stress. Whether these findings can be applied to other hESC lines remains to be determined. However,because the loss of telomeres can lead to chromosome instability and cancer,we conclude that hESCs grown in culture for future therapeutic purposes should be routinely checked for replication stress and telomere dysfunction. View Publication

The development of mature blood cells from hematopoietic stem cells requires coordinated activities of transcriptional networks. Transcriptional repressor growth factor independence 1 (Gfi-1) is required for the development of B cells,T cells,neutrophils,and for the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cell function. However,the mechanisms by which Gfi-1 regulates hematopoiesis and how Gfi-1 integrates into transcriptional networks remain unclear. Here,we provide evidence that Id2 is a transcriptional target of Gfi-1,and repression of Id2 by Gfi-1 is required for B-cell and myeloid development. Gfi-1 binds to 3 conserved regions in the Id2 promoter and represses Id2 promoter activity in transient reporter assays. Increased Id2 expression was observed in multipotent progenitors,myeloid progenitors,T-cell progenitors,and B-cell progenitors in Gfi-1(-/-) mice. Knockdown of Id2 expression or heterozygosity at the Id2 locus partially rescues the B-cell and myeloid development but not the T-cell development in Gfi-1(-/-) mice. These studies demonstrate a role of Id2 in mediating Gfi-1 functions in B-cell and myeloid development and provide a direct link between Gfi-1 and the B-cell transcriptional network by its ability to repress Id2 expression. View Publication

Nuclear reprogramming enables patient-specific derivation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from adult tissue. Yet,iPS generation from patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) has not been demonstrated. Here,we report reproducible iPS derivation of epidermal keratinocytes (HK) from elderly T2D patients. Transduced with human OCT4,SOX2,KLF4 and c-MYC stemness factors under serum-free and feeder-free conditions,reprogrammed cells underwent dedifferentiation with mitochondrial restructuring,induction of endogenous pluripotency genes - including NANOG,LIN28,and TERT,and down-regulation of cytoskeletal,MHC class I- and apoptosis-related genes. Notably,derived iPS clones acquired a rejuvenated state,characterized by elongated telomeres and suppressed senescence-related p15INK4b/p16INK4a gene expression and oxidative stress signaling. Stepwise guidance with lineage-specifying factors,including Indolactam V and GLP-1,redifferentiated HK-derived iPS clones into insulin-producing islet-like progeny. Thus,in elderly T2D patients,reprogramming of keratinocytes ensures a senescence-privileged status yielding iPS cells proficient for regenerative applications. View Publication

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells hold the potential to revolutionize regenerative medicine through their capacity to generate cells of diverse lineages for future patient-specific cell-based therapies. To facilitate the transition of iPS cells to clinical practice,a variety of technologies have been developed for transgene-free pluripotency reprogramming. We recently reported efficient iPS cell generation from human fibroblasts using synthetic modified mRNAs. Here we describe a stepwise protocol for the generation of modified mRNA-derived iPS cells from primary human fibroblasts,focusing on the critical parameters including medium choice,quality control,and optimization steps needed for synthesizing modified mRNAs encoding reprogramming factors and introducing these into cells over the course of 2-3 weeks to ensure successful reprogramming. The protocol described herein is for reprogramming of human fibroblasts to pluripotency; however,the properties of modified mRNA make it a powerful platform for protein expression,which has broad applicability in directed differentiation,cell fate specification and therapeutic applications. View Publication

The embryonic microenvironment is well known to be non-permissive for tumor development because early developmental signals naturally suppress the expression of proto-oncogenes. In an analogous manner,mimicking an early embryonic environment during embryonic stem cell culture has been shown to suppress oncogenic phenotypes of cancer cells. Exosomes derived from human embryonic stem cells harbor substances that mirror the content of the cells of origin and have been reported to reprogram hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells via horizontal transfer of mRNA and proteins. However,the possibility that these embryonic stem cells-derived exosomes might be the main effectors of the anti-tumor effect mediated by the embryonic stem cells has not been explored yet. The present study aims to investigate whether exosomes derived from human embryonic stem cells can reprogram malignant cancer cells to a benign stage and reduce their tumorigenicity. We show that the embryonic stem cell-conditioned medium contains factors that inhibit cancer cell growth and tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo. Moreover,we demonstrate that exosomes derived from human embryonic stem cells display anti-proliferation and pro-apoptotic effects,and decrease tumor size in a xenograft model. These exosomes are also able to transfer their cargo into target cancer cells,inducing a dose-dependent increase in SOX2,OCT4 and Nanog proteins,leading to a dose-dependent decrease of cancer cell growth and tumorigenicity. This study shows for the first time that human embryonic stem cell-derived exosomes play an important role in the tumor suppressive activity displayed by human embryonic stem cells. View Publication

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are pluripotent cells derived from adult somatic cells. After the pioneering work by Yamanaka,who first generated iPSCs by retroviral transduction of four reprogramming factors,several alternative methods to obtain iPSCs have been developed in order to increase the yield and safety of the process. However,the question remains open on whether the different reprogramming methods can influence the pluripotency features of the derived lines. In this study,three different strategies,based on retroviral vectors,episomal vectors,and Sendai virus vectors,were applied to derive iPSCs from human fibroblasts. The reprogramming efficiency of the methods based on episomal and Sendai virus vectors was higher than that of the retroviral vector-based approach. All human iPSC clones derived with the different methods showed the typical features of pluripotent stem cells,including the expression of alkaline phosphatase and stemness maker genes,and could give rise to the three germ layer derivatives upon embryoid bodies assay. Microarray analysis confirmed the presence of typical stem cell gene expression profiles in all iPSC clones and did not identify any significant difference among reprogramming methods. In conclusion,the use of different reprogramming methods is equivalent and does not affect gene expression profile of the derived human iPSCs. View Publication

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from a clinically diagnosed 59-year old male Parkinson's disease (PD) patient with R1628P variant in the LRRK2 gene. The PMBCs were reprogrammed with the human OSKM transcription factors using the Sendai-virus reprogramming system. The transgene-free iPSC showed pluripotency confirmed by immunofluorescent staining for pluripotency markers and differentiated into the 3 germ layers in vivo. The iPSC line also showed normal karyotype. This cellular model will provide a good resource for further pathophysiological studies of PD. View Publication

Reprogramming somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) eliminates many epigenetic modifications that characterize differentiated cells. In this study,we tested whether functional differences between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and non-COPD fibroblasts could be reduced utilizing this approach. Primary fibroblasts from non-COPD and COPD patients were reprogrammed to iPSCs. Reprogrammed iPSCs were positive for oct3/4,nanog,and sox2,formed embryoid bodies in vitro,and induced teratomas in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice. Reprogrammed iPSCs were then differentiated into fibroblasts (non-COPD-i and COPD-i) and were assessed either functionally by chemotaxis and gel contraction or for gene expression by microarrays and compared with their corresponding primary fibroblasts. Primary COPD fibroblasts contracted three-dimensional collagen gels and migrated toward fibronectin less robustly than non-COPD fibroblasts. In contrast,redifferentiated fibroblasts from iPSCs derived from the non-COPD and COPD fibroblasts were similar in response in both functional assays. Microarray analysis identified 1,881 genes that were differentially expressed between primary COPD and non-COPD fibroblasts,with 605 genes differing by more than twofold. After redifferentiation,112 genes were differentially expressed between COPD-i and non-COPD-i with only three genes by more than twofold. Similar findings were observed with microRNA (miRNA) expression: 56 miRNAs were differentially expressed between non-COPD and COPD primary cells; after redifferentiation,only 3 miRNAs were differentially expressed between non-COPD-i and COPD-i fibroblasts. Interestingly,of the 605 genes that were differentially expressed between COPD and non-COPD fibroblasts,293 genes were changed toward control after redifferentiation. In conclusion,functional and epigenetic alterations of COPD fibroblasts can be reprogrammed through formation of iPSCs. View Publication