技术资料

The c-myb proto-oncogene encodes an obligate hematopoietic cell transcription factor important for lineage commitment,proliferation,and differentiation. Given its critical functions,c-Myb regulatory factors are of great interest but remain incompletely defined. Herein we show that c-Myb expression is subject to posttranscriptional regulation by microRNA (miRNA)-15a. Using a luciferase reporter assay,we found that miR-15a directly binds the 3'-UTR of c-myb mRNA. By transfecting K562 myeloid leukemia cells with a miR-15a mimic,functionality of binding was shown. The mimic decreased c-Myb expression,and blocked the cells in the G(1) phase of cell cycle. Exogenous expression of c-myb mRNA lacking the 3'-UTR partially rescued the miR-15a induced cell-cycle block. Of interest,the miR-15a promoter contained several potential c-Myb protein binding sites. Occupancy of one canonical c-Myb binding site was demonstrated by chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis and shown to be required for miR-15a expression in K562 cells. Finally,in studies using normal human CD34(+) cells,we showed that c-Myb and miR-15a expression were inversely correlated in cells undergoing erythroid differentiation,and that overexpression of miR-15a blocked both erythroid and myeloid colony formation in vitro. In aggregate,these findings suggest the presence of a c-Myb-miR-15a autoregulatory feedback loop of potential importance in human hematopoiesis. View Publication

The requirement of c-Myb during erythropoiesis spurred an interest in identifying c-Myb target genes that are important for erythroid development. Here,we determined that the neuropeptide neuromedin U (NmU) is a c-Myb target gene. Silencing NmU,c-myb,or NmU's cognate receptor NMUR1 expression in human CD34(+) cells impaired burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) and colony-forming unit-erythroid (CFU-E) formation compared with control. Exogenous addition of NmU peptide to NmU or c-myb siRNA-treated CD34(+) cells rescued BFU-E and yielded a greater number of CFU-E than observed with control. No rescue of BFU-E and CFU-E growth was observed when NmU peptide was exogenously added to NMUR1 siRNA-treated cells compared with NMUR1 siRNA-treated cells cultured without NmU peptide. In K562 and CD34(+) cells,NmU activated protein kinase C-βII,a factor associated with hematopoietic differentiation-proliferation. CD34(+) cells cultured under erythroid-inducing conditions,with NmU peptide and erythropoietin added at day 6,revealed an increase in endogenous NmU and c-myb gene expression at day 8 and a 16% expansion of early erythroblasts at day 10 compared to cultures without NmU peptide. Combined,these data strongly support that the c-Myb target gene NmU functions as a novel cofactor for erythropoiesis and expands early erythroblasts. View Publication

OBJECTIVE: In murine hematopoietic tissue,direct repopulation experiments have demonstrated that the side population (SP) represents a remarkable enrichment of hematopoietic stem cells. Human SP has been phenotyped as negative for lineage antigens as well as CD34. However,in the 9 years since the original publication,no long-term hematopoietic reconstitution has been reported for the adult human SP/CD34(-) subset. Elevated levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) have been demonstrated in murine and human progenitor cells when compared to other hematopoietic cells. METHODS: Here,we report the phenotype of human cord blood SP cells. We established the technique of simultaneous phenotyping,Hoechst exclusion,and ALDH labeling on murine tissues. We then performed the simultaneous analysis of phenotype,SP,and ALDH activity on human cord blood and bone marrow cells. Finally,we analyzed the phenotype and functional potential of human cord blood ALDH(+) cells to determine whether Lin(-)/CD34(-) cells are identified via this technique. RESULTS: We demonstrate that human Lin(-)/CD34(-)/ALDH(+) cells are capable of long-term repopulation. Although the SP technique identifies cells that overlap with the ALDH(+) cell population,this is restricted to the CD34(+) cell subset. CONCLUSION: Hoechst exclusion ability does not seem to be the method of choice for the isolation of human hematopoietic stem cells. View Publication

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) offer an inexhaustible supply of human somatic cell types through their ability to self-renew while retaining pluripotency. As such,hESC-derived cell types are important for applications ranging from in vitro modeling to therapeutic use. However,for their full potential to be realized,both the growth of the undifferentiated cells and their derivatives must be performed in defined culture conditions. Many research groups maintain hESCs using mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) and MEF conditioned medium (CM). The use of murine systems to support hESCs has been imperative in developing hESC technology; however,they suffer from some major limitations including lack of definition,xenobiotic nature,batch-to-batch variation,and labor-intensive production. Therefore,hESC culture definition is essential if hESC lines,and their derivatives are to be quality assured and manufactured to GMP. We have initiated the process of standardizing hESC tissue culture and have employed two serum-free media: mTeSR (MT) and Stem Pro (SP). hESCs were maintained in a pluripotent state,for over 30 passages using MT and SP. Additionally,we present evidence that hESCs maintained in MT and SP generate equivalent levels of human hepatic endoderm as observed with CM. This data suggests that MT and SP are effective replacements for MEF-CM in hESC culture,contributing to the standardization of hESC in vitro models and ultimately their application. View Publication

The small cytokine-inducible SH2 domain-containing protein (CIS) has been implicated in the negative regulation of signaling through cytokine receptors. CIS reduces growth of erythropoietin receptor (EpoR)-dependent cell lines,but its role in proliferation,differentiation,and survival of erythroid progenitor cells has not been resolved. To dissect the function of CIS in cell lines and erythroid progenitor cells,we generated green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged versions of wild type CIS,a mutant harboring an inactivated SH2 domain (CIS R107K),and a mutant with a deletion of the SOCS Box (CISDeltaBox). Retroviral expression of the GFP fusion proteins in BaF3-EpoR cells revealed that both Tyr-401 in the EpoR and an intact SH2 domain within CIS are prerequisites for receptor recruitment. As a consequence,both are essential for the growth inhibitory effect of CIS,whereas the CIS SOCS box is dispensable. Accordingly,the retroviral expression of GFP-CIS but not GFP-CIS R107K impaired proliferation of erythroid progenitor cells in colony assays. Erythroid differentiation was unaffected by either protein. Interestingly,apoptosis of erythroid progenitor cells was increased upon GFP-CIS expression and this required the presence both of an intact SH2 domain and the SOCS box. Thus,CIS negatively regulates signaling at two levels,apoptosis and proliferation,and thereby sets a threshold for signal transduction. View Publication

The receptor tyrosine kinase c-Kit plays a critical role in hematopoiesis,and gain-of-function mutations of the receptor are frequently seen in several malignancies,including acute myeloid leukemia,gastrointestinal stromal tumors,and testicular carcinoma. The most common mutation of c-Kit in these disorders is a substitution of the aspartic acid residue in position 816 to a valine (D816V),leading to constitutive activation of the receptor. In this study,we aimed to investigate the role of Src family kinases in c-Kit/D816V signaling. Src family kinases are necessary for the phosphorylation of wild-type c-Kit as well as of activation of downstream signaling pathways including receptor ubiquitination and the Ras/Mek/Erk pathway. Our data demonstrate that,unlike wild-type c-Kit,the phosphorylation of c-Kit/D816V is not dependent on Src family kinases. In addition,we found that neither receptor ubiquitination nor Erk activation by c-Kit/D816V required activation of Src family kinases. In vitro kinase assay using synthetic peptides revealed that c-Kit/D816V had an altered substrate specificity resembling Src and Abl tyrosine kinases. We further present evidence that,in contrast to wild-type c-Kit,Src family kinases are dispensable for c-Kit/D816V cell survival,proliferation,and colony formation. Taken together,we demonstrate that the signal transduction pathways mediated by c-Kit/D816V are markedly different from those activated by wild-type c-Kit and that altered substrate specificity of c-Kit circumvents a need for Src family kinases in signaling of growth and survival,thereby contributing to the transforming potential of c-Kit/D816V. View Publication

Structural bone allografts are widely used in the clinic to treat critical sized bone defects,despite lacking the osteoinductive characteristics of live autografts. To address this,we generated revitalized structural allografts wrapped with mesenchymal stem/progenitor cell (MSC) sheets,which were produced by expanding primary syngenic bone marrow derived cells on temperature-responsive plates,as a tissue-engineered periosteum. In vitro assays demonstrated maintenance of the MSC phenotype in the sheets,suggesting that short-term culturing of MSC sheets is not detrimental. To test their efficacy in vivo,allografts wrapped with MSC sheets were transplanted into 4-mm murine femoral defects and compared to allografts with direct seeding of MSCs and allografts without cells. Evaluations consisted of X-ray plain radiography,3D microCT,histology,and biomechanical testing at 4- and 6-weeks post-surgery. Our findings demonstrate that MSC sheets induce prolonged cartilage formation at the graft-host junction and enhanced bone callus formation,as well as graft-host osteointegration. Moreover,a large periosteal callus was observed spanning the allografts with MSC sheets,which partially mimics live autograft healing. Finally,biomechanical testing showed a significant increase in the structural and functional properties of MSC sheet grafted femurs. Taken together,MSC sheets exhibit enhanced osteogenicity during critical sized bone defect repair,demonstrating the feasibility of this tissue engineering solution for massive allograft healing. View Publication

Stem cell differentiation is regulated by complex repertoires of signaling ligands which often use multivalent interactions,where multiple ligands tethered to one entity interact with multiple cellular receptors to yield oligomeric complexes. One such ligand is Sonic hedgehog (Shh),whose posttranslational lipid modifications and assembly into multimers enhance its biological potency,potentially through receptor clustering. Investigations of Shh typically utilize recombinant,monomeric protein,and thus the impact of multivalency on ligand potency is unexplored. Among its many activities,Shh is required for ventralization of the midbrain and forebrain and is therefore critical for the development of midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) and forebrain gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) inhibitory neurons. We have designed multivalent biomaterials presenting Shh in defined spatial arrangements and investigated the role of Shh valency in ventral specification of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into these therapeutically relevant cell types. Multivalent Shh conjugates with optimal valencies,compared to the monomeric Shh,increased the percentages of neurons belonging to mDA or forebrain GABAergic fates from 33% to 60% or 52% to 86%,respectively. Thus,multivalent Shh bioconjugates can enhance neuronal lineage commitment of pluripotent stem cells and thereby facilitate efficient derivation of neurons that could be used to treat Parkinson's and epilepsy patients. View Publication

The development of xeno-free,chemically defined stem cell culture systems has been a primary focus in the field of regenerative medicine to enhance the clinical application of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). In this regard,various electrospun substrates with diverse physiochemical properties were synthesized utilizing various polymer precursors and surface treatments. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) cultured on these substrates were characterized by their gene and protein expression to determine the effects of the substrate physiochemical properties on the cells' self-renewal,i.e.,proliferation and the maintenance of pluripotency. The results showed that surface chemistry significantly affected cell colony formation via governing the colony edge propagation. More importantly,when surface chemistry of the substrates was uniformly controlled by collagen conjugation,the stiffness of substrate was inversely related to the sphericity,a degree of three dimensionality in colony morphology. The differences in sphericity subsequently affected spontaneous differentiation of IPSCs during a long-term culture,implicating that the colony morphology is a deciding factor in the lineage commitment of PSCs. Overall,we show that the capability of controlling IPSC colony morphology by electrospun substrates provides a means to modulate IPSC self-renewal. View Publication