技术资料

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

The hemopoietic microenvironment consists of a diverse repertoire of cells capable of providing signals that influence hemopoietic stem cell function. Although the role of osteoblasts and vascular endothelial cells has recently been characterized,the function of the most abundant cell type in the bone marrow,the adipocyte,is less defined. Given the emergence of a growing number of adipokines,it is possible that these factors may also play a role in regulating hematopoiesis. Here,we investigated the role of adiponectin,a secreted molecule derived from adipocytes,in hemopoietic stem cell (HSC) function. We show that adiponectin is expressed by components of the HSC niche and its receptors AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 are expressed by HSCs. At a functional level,adiponectin influences HSCs by increasing their proliferation,while retaining the cells in a functionally immature state as determined by in vitro and in vivo assays. We also demonstrate that adiponectin signaling is required for optimal HSC proliferation both in vitro and in long term hemopoietic reconstitution in vivo. Finally we show that adiponectin stimulation activates p38 MAPK,and that inhibition of this pathway abrogates adiponectin's proliferative effect on HSCs. These studies collectively identify adiponectin as a novel regulator of HSC function and suggest that it acts through a p38 dependent pathway. View Publication

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Chemokines are soluble mediators involved in angiogenesis,cellular growth control and immunomodulation. In the present study we investigated the effects of various chemokines on proliferation of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) cells and constitutive chemokine release by primary AML cells. DESIGN AND METHODS: Native human AML cells derived from 68 consecutive patients were cultured in vitro. We investigated AML cell proliferation (3H-thymidine incorporation,colony formation),chemokine receptor expression,constitutive chemokine release and chemotaxis of normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. RESULTS: Exogenous chemokines usually did not have any effect on AML blast proliferation in the absence of hematopoietic growth factors,but when investigating growth factor-dependent (interleukin 3 + granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor + stem cell factor) proliferation in suspension cultures the following patient subsets were identified: (i) patients whose cells showed chemokine-induced growth enhancement (8 patients); (ii) divergent effects on proliferation (15 patients); and (iii) no effect (most patients). These patient subsets did not differ in chemokine receptor expression,but,compared to CD34- AML cells,CD34+ cells showed higher expression of several receptors. Chemokines also increased the proliferation of clonogenic AML cells from the first subset of patients. Furthermore,a broad constitutive chemokine release profile was detected for most patients,and the following chemokine clusters could be identified: CCL2-4/CXCL1/8,CCL5/CXCL9-11 (possibly also CCL23) and CCL13/17/22/24/CXCL5 (possibly also CXCL6). Only the CCL2-4/CXCL1/8 cluster showed significant correlations between corresponding mRNA levels and NFkB levels/activation. The chemotaxis of normal immunocompetent cells for patients without constitutive chemokine release was observed to be decreased. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: Differences in chemokine responsiveness as well as chemokine release contribute to patient heterogeneity in AML. Patients with AML can be classified into distinct subsets according to their chemokine responsiveness and chemokine release profile. View Publication

Without effective therapy,chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) evolves into an acute leukemia (blast crisis [BC]) that displays either myeloid or B-lymphoid characteristics. This transition is often preceded by a clinically recognized,but biologically poorly characterized,accelerated phase (AP). Here,we report that IKAROS protein is absent or reduced in bone marrow blasts from most CML patients with advanced myeloid disease (AP or BC). This contrasts with primitive CP-CML cells and BCR-ABL1-negative acute myeloid leukemia blasts,which express readily detectable IKAROS. To investigate whether loss of IKAROS contributes to myeloid disease progression in CP-CML,we examined the effects of forced expression of a dominant-negative isoform of IKAROS (IK6) in CP-CML patients' CD34(+) cells. We confirmed that IK6 disrupts IKAROS activity in transduced CP-CML cells and showed that it confers on them features of AP-CML,including a prolonged increased output in vitro and in xenografted mice of primitive cells with an enhanced ability to differentiate into basophils. Expression of IK6 in CD34(+) CP-CML cells also led to activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 and transcriptional repression of its negative regulators. These findings implicate loss of IKAROS as a frequent step and potential diagnostic harbinger of progressive myeloid disease in CML patients. View Publication

AIM: The recently published REPAIR-AMI and ASTAMI trial showed differences in contractile recovery of left ventricular function after infusion of bone marrow-derived cells in acute myocardial infarction. Since the trials used different protocols for cell isolation and storage (REPAIR-AMI: Ficoll,storage in X-vivo 10 medium plus serum; ASTAMI: Lymphoprep,storage in NaCl plus plasma),we compared the functional activity of BMC isolated by the two different protocols. METHODS AND RESULTS: The recovery of total cell number,colony-forming units (CFU),and the number of mesenchymal stem cells were significantly reduced to 77 +/- 4%,83 +/- 16%,and 65 +/- 15%,respectively,when using the ASTAMI protocol compared with the REPAIR protocol. The capacity of the isolated BMC to migrate in response to stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) was profoundly reduced when using the ASTAMI cell isolation procedure (42 +/- 8% and 78 +/- 3% reduction in healthy and CAD-patient cells,respectively). Finally,infusion of BMC into a hindlimb ischaemia model demonstrated a significantly blunted blood-flow-recovery by BMC isolated with the ASTAMI protocol (54 +/- 6% of the effect obtained by REPAIR cells). Comparison of the individual steps identified the use of NaCl and plasma for cell storage as major factors for functional impairment of the BMC. CONCLUSION: Cell isolation protocols have a major impact on the functional activity of bone marrow-derived progenitor cells. The assessment of cell number and viability may not entirely reflect the functional capacity of cells in vivo. Additional functional testing appears to be mandatory to assure proper cell function before embarking on clinical cell therapy trials. View Publication

Erythropoietin (EPO) and its receptor are expressed in a wide variety of tissues,including the central nervous system. Local expression of both EPO and its receptor is upregulated upon injury or stress and plays a role in tissue homeostasis and cytoprotection. High-dose systemic administration or local injection of recombinant human EPO has demonstrated encouraging results in several models of tissue protection and organ injury,while poor tissue availability of the protein limits its efficacy. Here,we describe the discovery and characterization of the nonpeptidyl compound STS-E412 (2-[2-(4-chlorophenoxy)ethoxy]-5,7-dimethyl-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine),which selectively activates the tissue-protective EPO receptor,comprising an EPO receptor subunit (EPOR) and the common β-chain (CD131). STS-E412 triggered EPO receptor phosphorylation in human neuronal cells. STS-E412 also increased phosphorylation of EPOR,CD131,and the EPO-associated signaling molecules JAK2 and AKT in HEK293 transfectants expressing EPOR and CD131. At low nanomolar concentrations,STS-E412 provided EPO-like cytoprotective effects in primary neuronal cells and renal proximal tubular epithelial cells. The receptor selectivity of STS-E412 was confirmed by a lack of phosphorylation of the EPOR/EPOR homodimer,lack of activity in off-target selectivity screening,and lack of functional effects in erythroleukemia cell line TF-1 and CD34(+) progenitor cells. Permeability through artificial membranes and Caco-2 cell monolayers in vitro and penetrance across the blood-brain barrier in vivo suggest potential for central nervous system availability of the compound. To our knowledge,STS-E412 is the first nonpeptidyl,selective activator of the tissue-protective EPOR/CD131 receptor. Further evaluation of the potential of STS-E412 in central nervous system diseases and organ protection is warranted. View Publication

Remarkably,apoptosis was induced by exposing peritoneal resident macrophages (PRM) of C3H mice,but not other strains of mice,to ionizing radiation. The molecular mechanism of this strain-specific apoptosis in PRM was studied. The apoptosis elicited in C3H mouse PRM 4 h after exposure was effectively blocked by proteasome inhibitors. Irradiation-induced disruption of mitochondrial transmembrane potential and the release of cytochrome c into the cytosol were also suppressed by a proteasome inhibitor but not by a caspase inhibitor. To determine whether the apoptosis occurred due to a depletion of antiapoptotic proteins,Bcl-2 family proteins were examined. Irradiation markedly decreased the level of Mcl-1,but not Bcl-2,Bcl-X(L),Bax,A1,or cIAP1. Mcl-1's depletion was suppressed by a proteasome inhibitor but not by a caspase inhibitor. The amount of Mcl-1 was well correlated with the rate of apoptosis in C3H mouse PRM exposed to irradiation and not affected by irradiation in radioresistant B6 mouse PRM. Irradiation increased rather than decreased the Mcl-1 mRNA expression in C3H mouse PRM. On the other hand,Mcl-1 protein synthesis was markedly suppressed by irradiation. Global protein synthesis was also suppressed by irradiation in C3H mouse PRM but not in B6 mouse PRM. The down-regulation of Mcl-1 expression with Mcl-1-specific small interfering RNA or antisense oligonucleotide significantly induced apoptosis in both C3H and B6 mouse PRM without irradiation. It was concluded that the apoptosis elicited in C3H mouse PRM by ionizing radiation was attributable to the depletion of Mcl-1 through radiation-induced arrest of global protein synthesis. View Publication

The generation of personalized induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) followed by targeted genome editing provides an opportunity for developing customized effective cellular therapies for genetic disorders. However,it is critical to ascertain whether edited iPSCs harbor unfavorable genomic variations before their clinical application. To examine the mutation status of the edited iPSC genome and trace the origin of possible mutations at different steps,we have generated virus-free iPSCs from amniotic cells carrying homozygous point mutations in beta-hemoglobin gene (HBB) that cause severe beta-thalassemia (beta-Thal),corrected the mutations in both HBB alleles by zinc finger nuclease-aided gene targeting,and obtained the final HBB gene-corrected iPSCs by excising the exogenous drug resistance gene with Cre recombinase. Through comparative genomic hybridization and whole-exome sequencing,we uncovered seven copy number variations,five small insertions/deletions,and 64 single nucleotide variations (SNVs) in beta-Thal iPSCs before the gene targeting step and found a single small copy number variation,19 insertions/deletions,and 340 single nucleotide variations in the final gene-corrected beta-Thal iPSCs. Our data revealed that substantial but different genomic variations occurred at factor-induced somatic cell reprogramming and zinc finger nuclease-aided gene targeting steps,suggesting that stringent genomic monitoring and selection are needed both at the time of iPSC derivation and after gene targeting. View Publication

Neutropenia and neutrophil dysfunction are common in many diseases,although their etiology is often unclear. Previous views held that there was a single ER enzyme,glucose-6-phosphatase-alpha (G6Pase-alpha),whose activity--limited to the liver,kidney,and intestine--was solely responsible for the final stages of gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis,in which glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) is hydrolyzed to glucose for release to the blood. Recently,we characterized a second G6Pase activity,that of G6Pase-beta (also known as G6PC),which is also capable of hydrolyzing G6P to glucose but is ubiquitously expressed and not implicated in interprandial blood glucose homeostasis. We now report that the absence of G6Pase-beta led to neutropenia; defects in neutrophil respiratory burst,chemotaxis,and calcium flux; and increased susceptibility to bacterial infection. Consistent with this,G6Pase-beta-deficient (G6pc3-/-) mice with experimental peritonitis exhibited increased expression of the glucose-regulated proteins upregulated during ER stress in their neutrophils and bone marrow,and the G6pc3-/- neutrophils exhibited an enhanced rate of apoptosis. Our results define a molecular pathway to neutropenia and neutrophil dysfunction of previously unknown etiology,providing a potential model for the treatment of these conditions. View Publication

The clinical use of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) requires efficient cellular expansion that must be paired with an ability to generate specialized progeny through differentiation. Self-renewal and differentiation are deemed inherent hallmarks of hESCs and a growing body of evidence suggests that initial culture conditions dictate these two aspects of hESC behavior. Here,we reveal that defined culture conditions using commercial mTeSR1 media augment the expansion of hESCs and enhance their capacity for neural differentiation at the expense of hematopoietic lineage competency without affecting pluripotency. This culture-induced modification was shown to be reversible,as culture in mouse embryonic fibroblast-conditioned media (MEF-CM) in subsequent passages allowed mTeSR1-expanded hESCs to re-establish hematopoietic differentiation potential. Optimal yield of hematopoietic cells can be achieved by expansion in mTeSR1 followed by a recovery period in MEF-CM. Furthermore,the lineage propensity to hematopoietic and neural cell types could be predicted via analysis of surrogate markers expressed by hESCs cultured in mTeSR1 versus MEF-CM,thereby circumventing laborious in vitro differentiation assays. Our study reveals that hESCs exist in a range of functional states and balance expansion with differentiation potential,which can be modulated by culture conditions in a predictive and quantitative manner. Stem Cells 2015;33:1142-1152. View Publication

The generation of beta-thalassemia (β-Thal) patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs),subsequent homologous recombination-based gene correction of disease-causing mutations/deletions in the β-globin gene (HBB),and their derived hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation offers an ideal therapeutic solution for treating this disease. However,the hematopoietic differentiation efficiency of gene-corrected β-Thal iPSCs has not been well evaluated in the previous studies. In this study,we used the latest gene-editing tool,clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated 9 (Cas9),to correct β-Thal iPSCs; gene-corrected cells exhibit normal karyotypes and full pluripotency as human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) showed no off-targeting effects. Then,we evaluated the differentiation efficiency of the gene-corrected β-Thal iPSCs. We found that during hematopoietic differentiation,gene-corrected β-Thal iPSCs showed an increased embryoid body ratio and various hematopoietic progenitor cell percentages. More importantly,the gene-corrected β-Thal iPSC lines restored HBB expression and reduced reactive oxygen species production compared with the uncorrected group. Our study suggested that hematopoietic differentiation efficiency of β-Thal iPSCs was greatly improved once corrected by the CRISPR/Cas9 system,and the information gained from our study would greatly promote the clinical application of β-Thal iPSC-derived HSCs in transplantation. View Publication

Patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) have blood cells deficient in glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked proteins owing to a somatic mutation in the X-linked PIGA gene. To target Piga recombination to the erythroid/megakaryocytic lineage in mice,the Cre/loxP system was used,and Cre was expressed under the transcriptional regulatory sequences of GATA-1. Breeding of GATA1-cre (G) transgenic mice with mice carrying a floxed Piga (L) allele was associated with high embryonic lethality. However,double-transgenic (GL) mice that escaped early recombination looked healthy and were observed for 16 months. Flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood cells showed that GL mice had up to 100% of red cells deficient in GPI-linked proteins. The loss of GPI-linked proteins on the cell surface occurred late in erythroid differentiation,causing a proportion of red cells to express low residual levels of GPI-linked proteins. Red cells with residual expression of GPI-linked proteins showed an intermediate sensitivity toward complement and thus resemble PNH type II cells in patients with PNH. Recombination of the floxed Piga allele was also detected in cultured megakaryocytes,mast cells,and eosinophils,but not in neutrophils,lymphocytes,or nonhematopoietic tissues. In summary,GATA1-Cre causes high-efficiency Piga gene inactivation in a GATA-1-specific pattern. For the first time,mice were generated that have almost 100% of red cells deficient in GPI-linked proteins. These animals will be valuable to further investigate the consequences of GPI-anchor deficiency on erythroid/megakaryocytic cells. View Publication