技术资料

Primitive hematopoietic cells from several species are known to efflux both Hoechst 33342 and Rhodamine-123. We now show that murine hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) defined by long-term multilineage repopulation assays efflux both dyes variably according to their developmental or activation status. In day 14.5 murine fetal liver,very few HSCs efflux Hoechst 33342 efficiently,and they are thus not detected as side population" (SP) cells. HSCs in mouse fetal liver also fail to efflux Rhodamine-123. Both of these features are retained by most of the HSCs present until 4 weeks after birth but are reversed by 8 weeks of age or after a new HSC population is regenerated in adult mice that receive transplants with murine fetal liver cells. Activation of adult HSCs in vivo following 5-fluorouracil treatment� View Publication

To investigate retinal involvement in chronic Chagas' disease,we performed electroretinography and retinal fluorescein angiography studies in chagasic patients. Our results demonstrated a dissociated electrophysiological response characterized by both an abnormal reduction of the electroretinographic b-wave amplitude and a delayed latency,under the dark-adaptated condition. These alterations are compatible with a selective dysfunction of the rods. Antibodies raised against Trypanosoma cruzi that also interact with beta1-adrenergic receptor blocked light stimulation of cGMP-phosphodiesterase in bovine rod membranes. The specificity from the antibody-rhodopsin interaction was confirmed by Western blot analysis and antigenic competition experiments. Our results suggest an immunomediated rhodopsin blockade. T. cruzi infection probably induces an autoimmune response against rhodopsin in the chronic phase of Chagas' disease through a molecular mimicry mechanism similar to that described previously on cardiac human beta1-adrenergic and M2-cholinergic receptors,all related to the same subfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors. View Publication

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are precipitated by a rupture of the atherosclerotic plaque,often at the site of T cell and macrophage infiltration. Here,we show that plaque-infiltrating CD4 T cells effectively kill vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). VSMCs sensitive to T cell-mediated killing express the death receptor DR5 (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand [TRAIL] receptor 2),and anti-TRAIL and anti-DR5 antibodies block T cell-mediated apoptosis. CD4 T cells that express TRAIL upon stimulation are expanded in patients with ACS and more effectively induce VSMC apoptosis. Adoptive transfer of plaque-derived CD4 T cells into immunodeficient mice that are engrafted with human atherosclerotic plaque results in apoptosis of VSMCs,which was prevented by coadministration of anti-TRAIL antibody. These data identify that the death pathway is triggered by TRAIL-producing CD4 T cells as a direct mechanism of VSMC apoptosis,a process which may lead to plaque destabilization. View Publication

Transplantation of genetically corrected autologous hematopoietic stem cells is an attractive approach for the cure of sickle-cell disease and beta-thalassemia. Here,we infected human cord blood cells with a self-inactivating lentiviral vector encoding an anti-sickling betaA-T87Q-globin transgene and analyzed the transduced progeny produced over a 6-month period after transplantation of the infected cells directly into sublethally irradiated NOD/LtSz-scid/scid mice. Approximately half of the human erythroid and myeloid progenitors regenerated in the mice containing the transgene,and erythroid cells derived in vitro from these in vivo-regenerated cells produced high levels of betaA-T87Q-globin protein. Linker-mediated PCR analysis identified multiple transgene-positive clones in all mice analyzed with 2.1 +/- 0.1 integrated proviral copies per cell. Genomic sequencing of vector-containing fragments showed that 86% of the proviral inserts had occurred within genes,including several genes implicated in human leukemia. These findings indicate effective transduction of very primitive human cord blood cells with a candidate therapeutic lentiviral vector resulting in the long-term and robust,erythroid-specific production of therapeutically relevant levels of beta-globin protein. However,the frequency of proviral integration within genes that regulate hematopoiesis points to a need for additional safety modifications. View Publication

A new entity of acute leukemia coexpressing CD4(+)CD56(+) markers without any other lineage-specific markers has been identified recently as arising from lymphoid-related plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). In our laboratory,cells from a patient with such CD4(+)CD56(+) lineage-negative leukemia were unexpectedly found to also express the myeloid marker CD33. To confirm the diagnosis of pDC leukemia despite the CD33 expression,we demonstrated that the leukemic cells indeed exhibited pDC phenotypic and functional properties. In 7 of 8 other patients with CD4(+)CD56(+) pDC malignancies,we were able to confirm that the tumor cells expressed CD33 although with variable expression levels. CD33 expression was shown by flow cytometry,reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction,and immunoblot analysis. Furthermore,CD33 monoclonal antibody stimulation of purified CD4(+)CD56(+) leukemic cells led to cytokine secretion,thus confirming the presence of a functional CD33 on these leukemic cells. Moreover,we found that circulating pDCs in healthy individuals also weakly express CD33. Overall,our results demonstrate that the expression of CD33 on CD4(+)CD56(+) lineage-negative cells should not exclude the diagnosis of pDC leukemia and underline that pDC-specific markers should be used at diagnosis for CD4(+)CD56(+) malignancies. View Publication

NK cells play a critical role in the rejection of xenografts. In this study,we report on an investigation of the effect of complement regulatory protein,a decay accelerating factor (DAF: CD55),in particular,on NK cell-mediated cytolysis. Amelioration of human NK cell-mediated pig endothelial cell (PEC) and pig fibroblast cell lyses by various deletion mutants and point substitutions of DAF was tested,and compared with their complement regulatory function. Although wild-type DAF and the delta-short consensus repeat (SCR) 1-DAF showed clear inhibition of both complement-mediated and NK-mediated PEC lyses,delta-SCR2-DAF and delta-SCR3-DAF failed to suppress either process. However,delta-SCR4-DAF showed a clear complement regulatory effect,but had no effect on NK cells. Conversely,the point substitution of DAF (L147 x F148 to SS and KKK(125-127) to TTT) was half down-regulated in complement inhibitory function,but the inhibition of NK-mediated PEC lysis remained unchanged. Other complement regulatory proteins,such as the cell membrane-bound form factor H,fH-PI,and C1-inactivator,C1-INH-PI,and CD59 were also assessed,but no suppressive effect on NK cell-mediated PEC lysis was found. These data suggest,for DAF to function on NK cells,SCR2-4 is required but no relation to its complement regulatory function exists. View Publication

The human peripheral B-cell compartment displays a large population of immunoglobulin M-positive,immunoglobulin D-positive CD27(+) (IgM(+)IgD(+)CD27(+)) memory" B cells carrying a mutated immunoglobulin receptor. By means of phenotypic analysis� View Publication

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) and polycythemia vera (PV) are clonal myeloproliferative disorders that are often difficult to distinguish from other causes of elevated blood cell counts. Assays that could reliably detect clonal hematopoiesis would therefore be extremely valuable for diagnosis. We previously reported 3 X-chromosome transcription-based clonality assays (TCAs) involving the G6PD,IDS,and MPP1 genes,which together were informative in about 65% of female subjects. To increase our ability to detect clonality,we developed simple TCA for detecting the transcripts of 2 additional X-chromosome genes: Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) and 4-and-a-half LIM domain 1 (FHL1). The combination of TCA established the presence or absence of clonal hematopoiesis in about 90% of female subjects. We show that both genes are subject to X-chromosome inactivation and are polymorphic in all major US ethnic groups. The 5 TCAs were used to examine clonality in 46 female patients along with assays for erythropoietin-independent erythroid colonies (EECs) and granulocyte PRV-1 mRNA levels to discriminate polycythemias and thrombocytoses. Of these,all 19 patients with familial polycythemia or thrombocytosis had polyclonal hematopoiesis,whereas 22 of 26 patients with clinical evidence of myeloproliferative disorder and 1 patient with clinically obscure polycythemia were clonal. Interestingly,interferon alpha therapy in 2 patients with PV was associated with reversion of clonal to polyclonal hematopoiesis. EECs were observed in 14 of 14 patients with PV and 4 of 12 with ET,and increased granulocyte PRV-1 mRNA levels were found in 9 of 13 patients with PV and 2 of 12 with ET. Thus,these novel clonality assays are useful in the diagnosis and follow-up of polycythemic conditions and disorders with increased platelet levels. View Publication

Bispecific antibodies directed against tumor-associated target antigens and to surface receptors mediating T-cell activation,such as the TCR/CD3 complex and the costimulatory receptor CD28,are capable of mediating T-cell activation resulting in tumor cell killing. In this study,we used the B-cell-associated antigens CD19 and CD20 as target structures on human leukemic cells. We found that a combination of bispecific antibody fragments (bsFab2) with target x CD3 and target x CD28 specificity induces vigorous autologous T-cell activation and killing of malignant cells in peripheral blood and bone marrow cultures from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and follicular lymphoma. The bsFab2 targeting CD20 were considerably more effective than those binding to CD19. The colony-forming capacity of treated bone marrow was impaired due to large amounts of tumor necrosis factor alpha produced during bsFab2-induced T-cell activation. Neutralizing tumor necrosis factor alpha antibodies were found to reverse this negative effect without affecting T-cell activation and tumor cell killing. CD20 x CD28 bsFab2,when used alone rather than in combination,markedly improved the recognition of leukemic cells by allogeneic T cells. Therefore,these reagents may be capable of enhancing the immunogenicity of leukemic cells in general and,in particular,of increasing the antileukemic activity of allogeneic donor buffy coat cells in relapsed bone marrow transplanted patients. View Publication