技术资料

BACKGROUND While essential to the normal differentiation of ciliated airway epithelial cells,upregulated Wnt signaling in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) has been proposed to result in abnormal epithelial morphology and dysfunctional mucociliary clearance. The mechanism of epithelial Wnt signaling dysregulation in CRSwNP is unknown,and importantly cellular sources of Wnt ligands in CRSwNP have not yet been investigated. METHODS Human sinonasal epithelial cells (hSNECs) and human sinonasal fibroblasts (hSNFs) were collected from 34 human subjects (25 control and 9 CRSwNP) and differentiated as primary air-liquid interface (ALI) and organoid co-cultures. hSNECs were isolated to the apical compartment of the transwell and hSNFs were isolated to the basolateral compartment. After 21 days of ALI culture,ciliary expression and sinonasal epithelial morphology were examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). An organoid model was used to evaluate proliferation of basal cells in presence of hSNFs. RESULTS Epithelial cells co-cultured with CRSwNP-hSNFs revealed significantly decreased ciliated cells,altered epithelial cell morphology,and increased colony forming efficiency compared to epithelial cells co-cultured with control-hSNFs. CRSwNP-hSNFs showed significantly higher messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of canonical WNT3A. A Wnt agonist,CHIR99021,replicated CRSwNP-hSNF co-cultures,and treatment with the Wnt inhibitor IWP2 prevented abnormal morphologies. CONCLUSION These results suggest that abnormal interactions between epithelial cells and fibroblasts may contribute to CRSwNP pathogenesis and supports the concept that dysregulated Wnt signaling contributes impairment to epithelial function in CRSwNP. View Publication

Inhibition of the metabolic regulator AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is increasingly being investigated for its therapeutic potential in diseases where AMPK hyperactivity results in poor prognoses,as in established cancers and neurodegeneration. However,AMPK-inhibitory tool compounds are largely limited to compound C,which has a poor selectivity profile. Here we identify the pyrimidine derivative SBI-0206965 as a direct AMPK inhibitor. SBI-0206965 inhibits AMPK with 40-fold greater potency and markedly lower kinase promiscuity than compound C and inhibits cellular AMPK signaling. Biochemical characterization reveals that SBI-0206965 is a mixed-type inhibitor. A co-crystal structure of the AMPK kinase domain/SBI-0206965 complex shows that the drug occupies a pocket that partially overlaps the ATP active site in a type IIb inhibitor manner. SBI-0206965 has utility as a tool compound for investigating physiological roles for AMPK and provides fresh impetus to small-molecule AMPK inhibitor therapeutic development. View Publication

Autophagy is a cellular response to adverse environment and stress,but its significance in cell survival is not always clear. Here we show that autophagy could be induced in the mammalian cells by chemicals,such as A23187,tunicamycin,thapsigargin,and brefeldin A,that cause endoplasmic reticulum stress. Endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced autophagy is important for clearing polyubiquitinated protein aggregates and for reducing cellular vacuolization in HCT116 colon cancer cells and DU145 prostate cancer cells,thus mitigating endoplasmic reticulum stress and protecting against cell death. In contrast,autophagy induced by the same chemicals does not confer protection in a normal human colon cell line and in the non-transformed murine embryonic fibroblasts but rather contributes to cell death. Thus the impact of autophagy on cell survival during endoplasmic reticulum stress is likely contingent on the status of cells,which could be explored for tumor-specific therapy. View Publication

Although arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)) is an effective therapy in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL),its use in other malignancies is limited by the toxicity of concentrations required to induce apoptosis in non-APL tumor cells. We looked for agents that would synergize with As(2)O(3) to induce apoptosis in malignant cells,but not in normal cells. We found that trolox (6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid),a widely known antioxidant,enhances As(2)O(3)-mediated apoptosis in APL,myeloma,and breast cancer cells. Treatment with As(2)O(3) and trolox increased intracellular oxidative stress,as evidenced by heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein levels,c-Jun terminal kinase (JNK) activation,and protein and lipid oxidation. The synergistic effects of trolox may be specific to As(2)O(3),as trolox does not add to toxicity induced by other chemotherapeutic drugs. We explored the mechanism of this synergy using electron paramagnetic resonance and observed the formation of trolox radicals when trolox was combined with As(2)O(3),but not with doxorubicin. Importantly,trolox protected nonmalignant cells from As(2)O(3)-mediated cytotoxicity. Our data provide the first evidence that trolox may extend the therapeutic spectrum of As(2)O(3). Furthermore,the combination of As(2)O(3) and trolox shows potential specificity for tumor cells,suggesting it may not increase the toxicity associated with As(2)O(3) monotherapy in vivo. View Publication

Skeletal aging is a complex process,characterized by a decrease in bone formation,an increase in marrow fat,and stem cell exhaustion. Loss of H3K9me3,a heterochromatin mark,has been proposed to be associated with aging. Here,we report that loss of KDM4B in mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) exacerbated skeletal aging and osteoporosis by reducing bone formation and increasing marrow adiposity via increasing H3K9me3. KDM4B epigenetically coordinated $\beta$-catenin/Smad1-mediated transcription by removing repressive H3K9me3. Importantly,KDM4B ablation impaired MSC self-renewal and promoted MSC exhaustion by inducing senescence-associated heterochromatin foci formation,providing a mechanistic explanation for stem cell exhaustion with aging. Moreover,while KDM4B was required for parathyroid hormone-mediated bone anabolism,KDM4B depletion accelerated bone loss and marrow adiposity induced by a high-fat diet. Our results suggest that the epigenetic rejuvenation and reversing bone-fat imbalance might be new strategies for preventing and treating skeletal aging and osteoporosis by activating KDM4B in MSCs. View Publication

Cystic fibrosis (CF),a disease caused by mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene,is characterized by chronic bacterial infections and inflammation in the lung. Having previously shown that deletion of CFTR is associated with lower expression of the endogenous anti-inflammatory protein Annexin A1 (AnxA1),we investigated further this possible functional connection using a validated CFTR inhibitor. Treatment of mice with the CFTR inhibitor-172 (CFTR(172)) augmented the acute peritonitis promoted by zymosan,an effect associated with lower AnxA1 levels in peritoneal cells. Similar results were obtained with another,chemically distinct,CFTR inhibitor. The pro-inflammatory effect of CFTR(172) was lost in AnxA1(-/-),as well as CFTR(-/-) mice. Importantly,administration of hrAnxA1 and its peptido-mimetic to CFTR(-/-) animals or to animals treated with CFTR(172) corrected the exaggerated leukocyte migration seen in these animals. In vitro assays with human Polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) demonstrated that CFTR(172) reduced cell-associated AnxA1 by promoting release of the protein in microparticles. We propose that the reduced impact of the counterregulatory properties of AnxA1 in CF cells contributes to the inflammatory phenotype characteristic of this disease. Thus,these findings provide an important insight into the mechanism underlying the inflammatory disease associated with CFTR inhibition while,at the same time,providing a novel pharmacological target for controlling the inflammatory phenotype of CF. View Publication

In human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-seropositive patients,CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) provide an important source of latent virus that reactivates following cellular differentiation into tissue macrophages. Multiple groups have used primary CD34+ HPCs to investigate mechanisms of viral latency. However,analyses of mechanisms of HCMV latency have been hampered by the genetic variability of CD34+ HPCs from different donors,availability of cells,and low frequency of reactivation. In addition,multiple progenitor cell types express surface CD34,and the frequencies of these populations differ depending on the tissue source of the cells and culture conditions in vitro In this study,we generated CD34+ progenitor cells from two different embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines,WA01 and WA09,to circumvent limitations associated with primary CD34+ HPCs. HCMV infection of CD34+ HPCs derived from either WA01 or WA09 ESCs supported HCMV latency and induced myelosuppression similar to infection of primary CD34+ HPCs. Analysis of HCMV-infected primary or ESC-derived CD34+ HPC subpopulations indicated that HCMV was able to establish latency and reactivate in CD38+ CD90+ and CD38+/low CD90- HPCs but persistently infected CD38- CD90+ cells to produce infectious virus. These results indicate that ESC-derived CD34+ HPCs can be used as a model for HCMV latency and that the virus either latently or persistently infects specific subpopulations of CD34+ cells.IMPORTANCE Human cytomegalovirus infection is associated with severe disease in transplant patients and understanding how latency and reactivation occur in stem cell populations is essential to understand disease. CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) are a critical viral reservoir; however,these cells are a heterogeneous pool with donor-to-donor variation in functional,genetic,and phenotypic characteristics. We generated a novel system using embryonic stem cell lines to model HCMV latency and reactivation in HPCs with a consistent cellular background. Our study defined three key stem cell subsets with differentially regulated latent and replicative states,which provide cellular candidates for isolation and treatment of transplant-mediated disease. This work provides a direction toward developing strategies to control the switch between latency and reactivation. View Publication

Latrunculin A,a toxin purified from the red sea sponge Latrunculia magnifica,was found previously to induce striking reversible changes in the morphology of mammalian cells in culture and to disrupt the organization of their microfilaments. We now provide evidence that latrunculin A affects the polymerization of pure actin in vitro in a manner consistent with the formation of a 1:1 molar complex between latrunculin A and G-actin. The equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) for the reaction in vitro is about 0.2 microM whereas the effects of the drug on cultured cells are detectable at concentrations in the medium of 0.1-1 microM. View Publication

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) are therapeutic targets for the treatment of malignancy. However,tumor cells develop resistance to targeted therapies through the activation of parallel signaling cascades. Recent evidence has shown that redundant or compensatory survival signals responsible for resistance are initiated by nontargeted glycoprotein RTKs coexpressed by the cell. We hypothesized that disrupting specific functions of the posttranslational machinery of the secretory pathway would be an effective strategy to target both primary and redundant RTK signaling. Using the N-linked glycosylation inhibitor,tunicamycin,we show that expression levels of several RTKS (EGFR,ErbB2,ErbB3,and IGF-IR) are exquisitely sensitive to inhibition of N-linked glycosylation. Disrupting this synthetic process reduces both cellular protein levels and receptor activity in tumor cells through retention of the receptors in the endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi compartments. Using U251 glioma and BXPC3 pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines,two cell lines resistant to epidermal growth factor receptor-targeted therapies,we show that inhibiting N-linked glycosylation markedly reduces RTK signaling through Akt and radiosensitizes tumor cells. In comparison,experiments in nontransformed cells showed neither a reduction in RTK-dependent signaling nor an enhancement in radiosensitivity,suggesting the potential for a therapeutic ratio between tumors and normal tissues. This study provides evidence that enzymatic steps regulating N-linked glycosylation are novel targets for developing approaches to sensitize tumor cells to cytotoxic therapies. View Publication

Air-liquid interface (ALI) culture of nasal epithelial cells is a valuable tool in the diagnosis and research of primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). Ex vivo samples often display secondary dyskinesia from cell damage during sampling,infection or inflammation confounding PCD diagnostic results. ALI culture enables regeneration of healthy cilia facilitating differentiation of primary from secondary ciliary dyskinesia. We describe a revised ALI culture method adopted from April 2018 across three collaborating PCD diagnostic sites,including current University Hospital Southampton COVID-19 risk mitigation measures,and present results. Two hundred and forty nasal epithelial cell samples were seeded for ALI culture and 199 (82.9{\%}) were ciliated. Fifty-four of 83 (63.9{\%}) ex vivo samples which were originally equivocal or insufficient provided diagnostic information following in vitro culture. Surplus basal epithelial cells from 181 nasal brushing samples were frozen in liquid nitrogen; 39 samples were ALI-cultured after cryostorage and all ciliated. The ciliary beat patterns of ex vivo samples (by high-speed video microscopy) were recapitulated,scanning electron microscopy demonstrated excellent ciliation,and cilia could be immuno-fluorescently labelled (anti-alpha-tubulin and anti-RSPH4a) in representative cases that were ALI-cultured after cryostorage. In summary,our ALI culture protocol provides high ciliation rates across three centres,minimising patient recall for repeat brushing biopsies and improving diagnostic certainty. Cryostorage of surplus diagnostic samples was successful,facilitating PCD research. View Publication

The mechanism of Fas antigen-mediated apoptosis is at present unclear. We show here that the 100,000 x g supernatant from cell lysates prepared from anti-Fas-stimulated JUR-KAT T cells,induces chromatin fragmentation in isolated nuclei with concomitant morphological changes typically seen in apoptosis. The formation of this apoptotic nuclei promoting activity (ANPA) in JURKAT T cells after Fas antigen ligation was blocked by the serine protease inhibitors,TPCK and DCI,and by the interleukin 1-beta-converting enzyme inhibitor,VAD-FMK. In addition,chromatin degradation and morphological changes mediated by the ANPA in isolated nuclei were inhibited by TPCK,but not by DCI or VAD-FMK. These results suggest that Fas-mediated apoptosis in T cells involves the activation of a cascade of proteases. View Publication

Lentiviral-mediated integration of a CFTR transgene cassette into airway basal cells is a strategy being considered for cystic fibrosis (CF) cell-based therapies. However,CFTR expression is highly regulated in differentiated airway cell types and a subset of intermediate basal cells destined to differentiate. Since basal stem cells typically do not express CFTR,suppressing the CFTR expression from the lentiviral vector in airway basal cells may be beneficial for maintaining their proliferative capacity and multipotency. We identified miR-106b as highly expressed in proliferating airway basal cells and extinguished in differentiated columnar cells. Herein,we developed lentiviral vectors with the miR-106b-target sequence (miRT) to both study miR-106b regulation during basal cell differentiation and detarget CFTR expression in basal cells. Given that miR-106b is expressed in the 293T cells used for viral production,obstacles of viral genome integrity and titers were overcome by creating a 293T-B2 cell line that inducibly expresses the RNAi suppressor B2 protein from flock house virus. While miR-106b vectors effectively detargeted reporter gene expression in proliferating basal cells and following differentiation in the air-liquid interface and organoid cultures,the CFTR-miRT vector produced significantly less CFTR-mediated current than the non-miR-targeted CFTR vector following transduction and differentiation of CF basal cells. These findings suggest that miR-106b is expressed in certain airway cell types that contribute to the majority of CFTR anion transport in airway epithelium. View Publication