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Purpose The topical application of exosomes secreted by mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-Exos) on the skin is a very new and interesting topic in the medical field. In this study,we aimed to investigate whether marine sponge Haliclona sp. spicules (SHSs) could effectively enhance the skin delivery of human umbilical cord-derived MSC-Exos (hucMSC-Exos),and further evaluate the topical application of hucMSC-Exos combined with SHSs in rejuvenating photoaged mouse skin. Materials and Methods SHSs were isolated from the explants of sponge Haliclona sp. with our proprietary method,and hucMSC-Exos were prepared from the conditioned medium of hucMSCs using ultracentrifugation. The effects of SHSs on the skin penetration of fluorescently labeled hucMSC-Exos were determined using confocal microscopy in vitro (porcine skin) and in vivo (mouse skin). The therapeutic effects of hucMSC-Exos coupled with SHSs against UV-induced photoaging in mice were assessed by using microwrinkles analysis,pathohistological examination and real-time RT-PCR. We also tested the skin irritation caused by the combination of hucMSC-Exos and SHSs in guinea pigs. Results In vitro results showed that hucMSC-Exos could not readily penetrate through porcine skin by themselves. However,SHSs increased the skin absorption of exosomes by a factor of 5.87 through creating microchannels. Similar penetration enhancement of hucMSC-Exos was observed after SHSs treatment in mice. The combined use of hucMSC-Exos and SHSs showed significant anti-photoaging effects in mice,including reducing microwrinkles,alleviating histopathological changes,and promoting the expression of extracellular matrix constituents,whereas hucMSC-Exos alone produced considerably weaker effects. Skin irritation test showed that the combination of hucMSC-Exos and SHSs caused slight irritation,and the skin recovered shortly. Conclusion SHSs provide a safe and effective way to enhance the skin delivery of MSC-Exos. Moreover,the combination of MSC-Exos and SHSs may be of much use in the treatment of photoaging. View Publication

The discovery of TMEM173/STING-dependent innate immunity has recently provided guidance for the prevention and management of inflammatory disorders. Here,we show that myeloid TMEM173 occupies an essential role in regulating coagulation in bacterial infections through a mechanism independent of type I interferon response. Mechanistically,TMEM173 binding to ITPR1 controls calcium release from the endoplasmic reticulum in macrophages and monocytes. The TMEM173-dependent increase in cytosolic calcium drives Gasdermin D (GSDMD) cleavage and activation,which triggers the release of F3,the key initiator of blood coagulation. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of the TMEM173-GSDMD-F3 pathway blocks systemic coagulation and improves animal survival in three models of sepsis (cecal ligation and puncture or bacteremia with Escherichia coli or Streptococcus pneumoniae infection). The upregulation of the TMEM173 pathway correlates with the severity of disseminated intravascular coagulation and mortality in patients with sepsis. Thus,TMEM173 is a key regulator of blood clotting during lethal bacterial infections. View Publication

Although obesity is known to be critical for cancer development,how obesity negatively impacts antitumor immune responses remains largely unknown. Here,we show that increased fatty acid oxidation (FAO) driven by activated STAT3 in CD8+ T effector cells is critical for obesity-associated breast tumor progression. Ablating T cell Stat3 or treatment with an FAO inhibitor in obese mice spontaneously developing breast tumor reduces FAO,increases glycolysis and CD8+ T effector cell functions,leading to inhibition of breast tumor development. Moreover,PD-1 ligation in CD8+ T cells activates STAT3 to increase FAO,inhibiting CD8+ T effector cell glycolysis and functions. Finally,leptin enriched in mammary adipocytes and fat tissues downregulates CD8+ T cell effector functions through activating STAT3-FAO and inhibiting glycolysis. We identify a critical role of increased oxidation of fatty acids driven by leptin and PD-1 through STAT3 in inhibiting CD8+ T effector cell glycolysis and in promoting obesity-associated breast tumorigenesis. View Publication

Purpose: Despite high initial response rates with cytoreductive surgery,conventional chemotherapy and the incorporation of biologic agents,ovarian cancer patients often relapse and die from their disease. New approaches are needed to improve patient outcomes. This study was designed to evaluate the antitumor activity of NEO-201 monoclonal antibody (mAb) in preclinical models of ovarian cancer where the NEO-201 target is highly expressed. Experimental Design: Functional analysis of NEO-201 against tumor cell lines was performed by antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) assays. Binding of NEO-201 to tumor tissues and cell lines were determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and flow cytometry,respectively. Further characterization of the antigen recognized by NEO-201 was performed by mass spectrometry. Ovarian cancer models were used to evaluate the anti-tumor activity of NEO-201 in vivo. NEO-201 at a concentration of 250 g/mouse was injected intraperitoneally (IP) on days 1,4,and 8. Human PBMCs were injected IP simultaneously as effector cells. Results: Both IHC and flow cytometry revealed that NEO-201 binds prominently to the colon,pancreatic,and mucinous ovarian cancer tissues and cell lines. Immunoprecipitation of the antigen recognized by NEO-201 was performed in human ovarian,colon,and pancreatic cancer cell lines. From these screening,carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 5 (CEACAM5) and CEACAM6 were identified as the most likely targets of NEO-201. Our results confirmed that NEO-201 binds different types of cancers; the binding is highly selective for the tumor cells without cross reactivity with the surrounding healthy tissue. Functional analysis revealed that NEO-201 mediates ADCC killing against human ovarian and colorectal carcinoma cell lines in vitro. In addition,NEO-201 inhibited tumor growth in the presence of activated human PBMCs in orthotopic mouse models of both primary and metastatic ovarian cancer. Importantly,NEO-201 prolonged survival of tumor-bearing mice. Conclusions: These data suggested that NEO-201 has an antitumor activity against tumor cells expressing its antigen. Targeting an antigen expressed in tumors,but not in normal tissues,allows patient selection for optimal treatment. These findings strongly indicate that NEO-201 warrants clinical testing as both a novel therapeutic and diagnostic agent for treatment of ovarian carcinomas. A first in human clinical trial evaluating NEO-201 in adults with chemo-resistant solid tumors is ongoing at the NIH clinical Center. View Publication

Continual efferocytic clearance of apoptotic cells (ACs) by macrophages prevents necrosis and promotes injury resolution. How continual efferocytosis is promoted is not clear. Here,we show that the process is optimized by linking the metabolism of engulfed cargo from initial efferocytic events to subsequent rounds. We found that continual efferocytosis is enhanced by the metabolism of AC-derived arginine and ornithine to putrescine by macrophage arginase 1 (Arg1) and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). Putrescine augments HuR-mediated stabilization of the mRNA encoding the GTP-exchange factor Dbl,which activates actin-regulating Rac1 to facilitate subsequent rounds of AC internalization. Inhibition of any step along this pathway after first-AC uptake suppresses second-AC internalization,whereas putrescine addition rescues this defect. Mice lacking myeloid Arg1 or ODC have defects in efferocytosis in vivo and in atherosclerosis regression,while treatment with putrescine promotes atherosclerosis resolution. Thus,macrophage metabolism of AC-derived metabolites allows for optimal continual efferocytosis and resolution of injury. View Publication

PURPOSE Imatinib,the breakpoint cluster region protein (BCR)/Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog (ABL) inhibitor,is widely used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However,imatinib resistance develops in many patients. Therefore,new drugs with improved therapeutic effects are urgently needed. Berberine (BBR) is a potent BCR-ABL inhibitor for imatinib-sensitive and -resistant CML. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Protein structure analysis and virtual screening were used to identify BBR targets in CML. Molecular docking analysis,surface plasmon resonance imaging,nuclear magnetic resonance assays,and thermoshift assays were performed to confirm the BBR target. The change in BCR-ABL protein expression after BBR treatment was assessed by Western blotting. The effects of BBR were assessed in vitro in cell lines,in vivo in mice,and in human CML bone marrow cells as a potential strategy to overcome imatinib resistance. RESULTS We discovered that BBR bound to the protein tyrosine kinase domain of BCR-ABL. BBR inhibited the activity of BCR-ABL and BCR-ABL with the T315I mutation,and it also degraded these proteins via the autophagic lysosome pathway by recruiting E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase LRSAM1. BBR inhibited the cell viability and colony formation of CML cells and prolonged survival in CML mouse models with imatinib sensitivity and resistance. CONCLUSIONS The results show that BBR directly binds to and degrades BCR-ABL and BCR-ABL T315I via the autophagic lysosome pathway by recruiting LRSAM1. The use of BBR is a new strategy to improve the treatment of patients with CML with imatinib sensitivity or resistance. View Publication

Dental tissue has been acknowledged as an advantaged source for high-quality dental pulp stem cell (DPSC) preparation. However,despite the accomplishment of the separation of DPSCs from permanent teeth and supernumerary teeth,the deficiency of rigorous and systematic clarification on the signatures and efficacy will hinder their prospects in regenerative medicine. In this study,we primitively isolated permanent teeth-derived DPSCs and supernumerary teeth-derived apical papillary stem cells (SCAP-Ss) with parental consent. Immunophenotype of DPSCs and SCAP-Ss was determined by a flow cytometry assay,and the cell viability was verified by multidimensional detections including cell proliferation,cell cycle,apoptosis,and senescence. The migration and clonogenic capacity were examined by a wound healing test and crystal violet staining,respectively. The multilineage differentiation potential was quantitated by utilizing Oil Red O staining and Alizarin Red staining,together with real-time PCR analysis. The efficacy on a mouse hepatic fibrosis model was evaluated by using histologic sections and liver function tests. Herein,we showed that SCAP-Ss exhibited comparable immunophenotype and adipogenic differentiation capacity as DPSCs. However,different from DPSCs,SCAP-Ss exhibited superiority in cell viability and osteogenic differentiation. Simultaneously,injection of DPSCs and SCAP-Ss significantly reduced inflammatory infiltration,enhanced liver-associated gene expression,and finally relieved symptoms of hepatic fibrosis. In conclusion,SCAP-Ss possess preferable characteristics and efficacy on hepatic fibrosis in mice. Our findings suggest that SCAP-Ss are an easily accessible postnatal stem cell source with multifaceted characteristics for regenerative medicine. View Publication

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Human osteogenic progenitors are not precisely defined,being primarily studied as heterogeneous multipotent cell populations and termed mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Notably,select human pericytes can develop into bone-forming osteoblasts. Here,we sought to define the differentiation potential of CD146+ human pericytes from skeletal and soft tissue sources,with the underlying goal of defining cell surface markers that typify an osteoblastogenic pericyte. CD146+CD31-CD45- pericytes were derived by fluorescence-activated cell sorting from human periosteum,adipose,or dermal tissue. Periosteal CD146+CD31-CD45- cells retained canonical features of pericytes/MSC. Periosteal pericytes demonstrated a striking tendency to undergo osteoblastogenesis in vitro and skeletogenesis in vivo,while soft tissue pericytes did not readily. Transcriptome analysis revealed higher CXCR4 signaling among periosteal pericytes in comparison to their soft tissue counterparts,and CXCR4 chemical inhibition abrogated ectopic ossification by periosteal pericytes. Conversely,enrichment of CXCR4+ pericytes or stromal cells identified an osteoblastic/non-adipocytic precursor cell. In sum,human skeletal and soft tissue pericytes differ in their basal abilities to form bone. Diversity exists in soft tissue pericytes,however,and CXCR4+ pericytes represent an osteoblastogenic,non-adipocytic cell precursor. Indeed,enrichment for CXCR4-expressing stromal cells is a potential new tactic for skeletal tissue engineering. View Publication

Background Nab-paclitaxel has been widely used in treating breast cancer and pancreatic patients for its low toxicity and high efficiency. However,its role in gastric cancer (GC) remains ambiguous. The aim of our study was to test the anti-tumor activity of nab-paclitaxel using GC patient-derived organoids. Methods By using the organoid culture system,we describe the establishment of human gastric cancer organoid lines from surgical samples of three patients with gastric cancer. The consistency of these organoids with original cancer tissues was evaluated by histopathological examination. The characteristics of the cancer organoids were tested using immunofluorescence (IF) staining. Using organoids,the anti-tumor efficiencies of nab-paclitaxel,5-Fu and epirubicin were compared by CCK8 assay and Annexin V-FITC/PI staining. Results Three organoids were successfully established and passaged. The morphology of the established GC organoids was consistent with original cancer tissues. The IC50 of nab-paclitaxel was 3.68 $\mu$mol/L in hGCO1,2.41 $\mu$mol/L in hGCO2 and 2.91 $\mu$mol/L in hGCO3,which was significantly lower than those of 5-FU (72.99 $\mu$mol/L in hGCO1,28.32 $\mu$mol/L in hGCO2 and 2.91 $\mu$mol/L in hGCO3) and epirubicin (25.85$\mu$mol/L in hGCO1,15.15 $\mu$mol/L in hGCO2 and 7.60 $\mu$mol/L in hGCO3). When each organoid lines were treated with nab-paclitaxel for increasing period of time,the percentage of the apoptotic cells in each organoid increased accordingly. Conclusion Nab-paclitaxel showed strong anti-tumor activity and had the potential to become front-line drug for treating GC patients. Gastric cancer organoid may be a good tool to predict in vivo response to drugs. View Publication

Emerging evidence indicates that in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS),the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment may also contribute to the ineffective,malignant haematopoiesis in addition to the intrinsic abnormalities of haematopoietic stem precursor cells (HSPCs). The BM microenvironment influences malignant haematopoiesis through indirect mechanisms,but the processes by which the BM microenvironment directly contributes to MDS initiation and progression have not yet been elucidated. Our previous data showed that BM-derived stromal cells (BMSCs) from MDS patients have an abnormal expression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). In this study,we characterise the morpho-phenotypic features and the functional alterations of BMSCs from MDS patients and in FAK knock-downed HS-5 cells. The decreased expression of FAK or its phosphorylated form in BMSCs from low-risk (LR) MDS directly correlates with BMSCs' functional deficiency and is associated with a reduced level of haemoglobin. The downregulation of FAK in HS-5 cells alters their morphology,proliferation,and differentiation capabilities and impairs the expression of several adhesion molecules. In addition,we examine the CD34+ healthy donor (HD)-derived HSPCs' properties when co-cultured with FAK-deficient BMSCs. Both abnormal proliferation and the impaired erythroid differentiation capacity of HD-HSPCs were observed. Together,these results demonstrate that stromal adhesion mechanisms mediated by FAK are crucial for regulating HSPCs' homeostasis. View Publication

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a lethal brain cancer with a median survival time of approximately 15 months following treatment. Common in vitro GBM models for drug screening are adherent and do not recapitulate the features of human GBM in vivo. Here we report the genomic characterization of nine patient-derived,spheroid GBM cell lines that recapitulate human GBM characteristics in orthotopic xenograft models. Genomic sequencing revealed that the spheroid lines contain alterations in GBM driver genes such as PTEN,CDKN2A,and NF1. Two spheroid cell lines,JHH-136 and JHH-520,were utilized in a high-throughput drug screen for cell viability using a 1912-member compound library. Drug mechanisms that were cytotoxic in both cell lines were Hsp90 and proteasome inhibitors. JHH-136 was uniquely sensitive to topoisomerase 1 inhibitors,while JHH-520 was uniquely sensitive to Mek inhibitors. Drug combination screening revealed that PI3 kinase inhibitors combined with Mek or proteasome inhibitors were synergistic. However,animal studies to test these drug combinations in vivo revealed that Mek inhibition alone was superior to the combination treatments. These data show that these GBM spheroid lines are amenable to high-throughput drug screening and that this dataset may deliver promising therapeutic leads for future GBM preclinical studies. View Publication