技术资料

Induced pluripotent stem cells hold great potential in regenerative medicine as it enables to generate pluripotent stem cells from any available cell types. Ectopic expression of four transcription factors (Oct4,Sox2,Klf4,and c-Myc) can reprogram fibroblasts directly to pluripotency as shown in multiple species. Here,we describe detailed protocols for generation of iPSCs from adult canine fibroblasts. Robust canine iPSCs will provide powerful tools not only to study human diseases,but also for the development of therapeutic approaches. View Publication

An immunochromatographic assay (Campy-ICA) using a newly generated single monoclonal antibody against a 15-kDa cell surface protein of Campylobacter jejuni was developed. When cell suspensions of 86 C. jejuni strains and 27 Campylobacter coli strains were treated with a commercially available bacterial protein extraction reagent and the resulting extracts were tested with the Campy-ICA,they all yielded positive results. The minimum detectable limits for the C. jejuni strains ranged from 1.8 x 10(4) to 8.2 x 10(5) CFU/ml of cell suspension,and those for the C. coli strains ranged from 1.4 x 10(5) to 4.6 x 10(6) CFU/ml of cell suspension. All 26 non-Campylobacter species tested yielded negative results with the Campy-ICA. To evaluate the ability of the Campy-ICA to detect C. jejuni and C. coli in human stool specimens,suspensions of 222 stool specimens from patients with acute gastroenteritis were treated with the bacterial protein extraction reagent,and the resulting extracts were tested with the Campy-ICA. The Campy-ICA results showed a sensitivity of 84.8% (28 of 33 specimens) and a specificity of 100% (189 of 189 specimens) compared to the results of isolation of C. jejuni and C. coli from the stool specimens by a bacterial culture test. The Campy-ICA was simple to perform and was able to detect Campylobacter antigen in a fecal extract within 15 min. These results suggest that Campy-ICA testing of fecal extracts may be useful as a simple and rapid adjunct to stool culture for detecting C. jejuni and C. coli in human stool specimens. View Publication

The trypsin-like serine protease marapsin is a member of the large protease gene cluster at human chromosome 16p13.3,which also contains the structurally related proteases testisin,tryptase epsilon,tryptase gamma,and EOS. To gain insight into the biological functions of marapsin,we undertook a detailed gene expression analysis. It showed that marapsin expression was restricted to tissues containing stratified squamous epithelia and was absent or only weakly expressed in all other tissues,including the pancreas. Marapsin was constitutively expressed in nonkeratinizing stratified squamous epithelia of human esophagus,tonsil,cervix,larynx,and cornea. In the keratinizing stratified squamous epidermis of skin,however,its expression was induced only during epidermal hyperproliferation,such as in psoriasis and in murine wound healing. In fact,marapsin was the second most strongly up-regulated protease in psoriatic lesions,where expression was localized to the upper region of the hyperplastic epidermis. Similarly,in the hyperproliferative epithelium of regenerating murine skin wounds,marapsin localized to the suprabasal layers,where keratinocytes undergo squamous differentiation. The transient up-regulation of marapsin,which closely correlated with re-epithelialization,was virtually absent in a genetic mouse model of delayed wound closure. These results suggested a function during the process of re-epithelialization. Furthermore,in reconstituted human epidermis,a model system of epidermal differentiation,members of the IL-20 subfamily of cytokines,such as IL-22,induced marapsin expression. Consistent with a physiologic role in marapsin regulation,IL-22 was also strongly expressed in re-epithelializing skin wounds. Marapsin's restricted expression,localization,and cytokine-inducible expression suggest a role in the terminal differentiation of keratinocytes in hyperproliferating squamous epithelia. View Publication

The fast-growing biopharmaceutical industry demands speedy development of highly efficient and reliable production systems to meet the increasing requirement for drug supplies. The generation of production cell lines has traditionally involved manual operations that are labor-intensive,low-throughput and vulnerable to human errors. We report here an integrated high-throughput and automated platform for development of manufacturing cell lines for the production of protein therapeutics. The combination of BD FACS Aria Cell Sorter,CloneSelect Imager and TECAN Freedom EVO liquid handling system has enabled a high-throughput and more efficient cell line development process. In this operation,production host cells are first transfected with an expression vector carrying the gene of interest (1),followed by the treatment with a selection agent. The stably-transfected cells are then stained with fluorescence-labeled anti-human IgG antibody,and are subsequently subject to flow cytometry analysis (2-4). Highly productive cells are selected based on fluorescence intensity and are isolated by single-cell sorting on a BD FACSAria. Colony formation from single-cell stage was detected microscopically and a series of time-laps digital images are taken by CloneSelect Imager for the documentation of cell line history. After single clones have formed,these clones were screened for productivity by ELISA performed on a TECAN Freedom EVO liquid handling system. Approximately 2,000 - 10,000 clones can be screened per operation cycle with the current system setup. This integrated approach has been used to generate high producing Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines for the production of therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) as well as their fusion proteins. With the aid of different types of detecting probes,the method can be used for developing other protein therapeutics or be applied to other production host systems. Comparing to the traditional manual procedure,this automated platform demonstrated advantages of significantly increased capacity,ensured clonality,traceability in cell line history with electronic documentation and much reduced opportunity in operator error. View Publication

The naïve pluripotent state has been shown in mice to lead to broad and more robust developmental potential relative to primed mouse epiblast cells. The human naïve ES cell state has eluded derivation without the use of transgenes,and forced expression of OCT4,KLF4,and KLF2 allows maintenance of human cells in a naïve state [Hanna J,et al. (2010) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107(20):9222-9227]. We describe two routes to generate nontransgenic naïve human ES cells (hESCs). The first is by reverse toggling of preexisting primed hESC lines by preculture in the histone deacetylase inhibitors butyrate and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid,followed by culture in MEK/ERK and GSK3 inhibitors (2i) with FGF2. The second route is by direct derivation from a human embryo in 2i with FGF2. We show that human naïve cells meet mouse criteria for the naïve state by growth characteristics,antibody labeling profile,gene expression,X-inactivation profile,mitochondrial morphology,microRNA profile and development in the context of teratomas. hESCs can exist in a naïve state without the need for transgenes. Direct derivation is an elusive,but attainable,process,leading to cells at the earliest stage of in vitro pluripotency described for humans. Reverse toggling of primed cells to naïve is efficient and reproducible. View Publication

The ability to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells into endothelial cells with properties of cord-blood endothelial colony-forming cells (CB-ECFCs) may enable the derivation of clinically relevant numbers of highly proliferative blood vessel-forming cells to restore endothelial function in patients with vascular disease. We describe a protocol to convert human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) or embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into cells similar to CB-ECFCs at an efficiency of textgreater10(8) ECFCs produced from each starting pluripotent stem cell. The CB-ECFC-like cells display a stable endothelial phenotype with high clonal proliferative potential and the capacity to form human vessels in mice and to repair the ischemic mouse retina and limb,and they lack teratoma formation potential. We identify Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1)-mediated activation of KDR signaling through VEGF165 as a critical mechanism for the emergence and maintenance of CB-ECFC-like cells. View Publication

Cardiovascular progenitor cells (CVPCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells represent an invaluable potential source for the study of early embryonic cardiovascular development and stem cell-based therapies for congenital and acquired heart diseases. To fully realize their values,it is essential to establish an efficient and stable differentiation system for the induction of these pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) into the CVPCs and robustly expand them in culture,and then further differentiate these CVPCs into multiple cardiovascular cell types. Here we describe the protocols for efficient derivation,expansion,and differentiation of CVPCs from hPSCs in a chemically defined medium under feeder- and serum-free culture conditions. View Publication

Human brain development exhibits several unique aspects,such as increased complexity and expansion of neuronal output,that have proven difficult to study in model organisms. As a result,in vitro approaches to model human brain development and disease are an intense area of research. Here we describe a recently established protocol for generating 3D brain tissue,so-called cerebral organoids,which closely mimics the endogenous developmental program. This method can easily be implemented in a standard tissue culture room and can give rise to developing cerebral cortex,ventral telencephalon,choroid plexus and retinal identities,among others,within 1-2 months. This straightforward protocol can be applied to developmental studies,as well as to the study of a variety of human brain diseases. Furthermore,as organoids can be maintained for more than 1 year in long-term culture,they also have the potential to model later events such as neuronal maturation and survival. View Publication

One of the differences between murine and human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is the epigenetic state of the X chromosomes in female lines. Murine ESCs (mESCs) present two transcriptionally active Xs that will undergo the dosage compensation process of XCI upon differentiation,whereas most human ESCs (hESCs) spontaneously inactivate one X while keeping their pluripotency. Whether this reflects differences in embryonic development of mice and humans,or distinct culture requirements for the two kinds of pluripotent cells is not known. Recently it has been shown that hESCs established in physiological oxygen levels are in a stable pre-XCI state equivalent to that of mESCs,suggesting that culture in low oxygen concentration is enough to preserve that epigenetic state of the X chromosomes. Here we describe the establishment of two new lines of hESCs under physiological oxygen level and the characterization of the XCI state in the 46,XX line BR-5. We show that a fraction of undifferentiated cells present XIST RNA accumulation and single H3K27me foci,characteristic of the inactive X. Moreover,analysis of allele specific gene expression suggests that pluripotent BR-5 cells present completely skewed XCI. Our data indicate that physiological levels of oxygen are not sufficient for the stabilization of the pre-XCI state in hESCs. View Publication

In February 2013,zoonotic transmission of a novel influenza A virus of the H7N9 subtype was reported in China. Although at present no sustained human-to-human transmission has been reported,a pandemic outbreak of this H7N9 virus is feared. Since neutralizing antibodies to the hemagglutinin (HA) globular head domain of the virus are virtually absent in the human population,there is interest in identifying other correlates of protection,such as cross-reactive CD8(+) T cells (cytotoxic T lymphocytes [CTLs]) elicited during seasonal influenza A virus infections. These virus-specific CD8(+) T cells are known to recognize conserved internal proteins of influenza A viruses predominantly,but it is unknown to what extent they cross-react with the newly emerging H7N9 virus. Here,we assessed the cross-reactivity of seasonal H3N2 and H1N1 and pandemic H1N1 influenza A virus-specific polyclonal CD8(+) T cells,obtained from HLA-typed study subjects,with the novel H7N9 virus. The cross-reactivity of CD8(+) T cells to H7N9 variants of known influenza A virus epitopes and H7N9 virus-infected cells was determined by their gamma interferon (IFN-γ) response and lytic activity. It was concluded that,apart from recognition of individual H7N9 variant epitopes,CD8(+) T cells to seasonal influenza viruses display considerable cross-reactivity with the novel H7N9 virus. The presence of these cross-reactive CD8(+) T cells may afford some protection against infection with the new virus. View Publication

Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II) is an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder resulting from deficiency of iduronate-2-sulphatase activity. The disease manifests almost exclusively in males; only 16 symptomatic heterozygote girls have been reported so far. We describe the results of X-chromosome inactivation analysis in a 5-year-old girl with clinically severe disease and heterozygous mutation p.Arg468Gln in the IDS gene. X inactivation analysed at three X-chromosome loci showed extreme skewing (96/4 to 99/1) in two patient's cell types. This finding correlated with exclusive expression of the mutated allele. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) generated from the patient's peripheral blood demonstrated characteristic pluripotency markers,deficiency of enzyme activity,and mutation in the IDS gene. These cells were capable of differentiation into other cell types (cardiomyocytes,neurons). In MPS II iPSC clones,the X inactivation ratio remained highly skewed in culture conditions that led to partial X inactivation reset in Fabry disease iPSC clones. Our data,in accordance with the literature,suggest that extremely skewed X inactivation favouring the mutated allele is a crucial condition for manifestation of MPS II in females. This suggests that the X inactivation status and enzyme activity have a prognostic value and should be used to evaluate MPS II in females. For the first time,we show generation of iPSC from a symptomatic MPS II female patient that can serve as a cellular model for further research of the pathogenesis and treatment of this disease. View Publication