技术资料

Oligonucleotides with a CpG" motif trigger a proinflammatory response through activation of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) and are being studied to exploit these properties for use as adjuvants and cancer therapies. However� View Publication

Much attention is focused on characterizing the contribution of bone marrow (BM)-derived cells to regenerating skeletal muscle,fuelled by hopes for stem cell-mediated therapy of muscle degenerative diseases. Though physical integration of BM stem cells has been well documented,little evidence of functional commitment to myotube phenotype has been reported. This is due to the innate difficulty in distinguishing gene products derived from donor versus host nuclei. Here,we demonstrate that BM-derived stem cells contribute via gene expression following incorporation to skeletal myotubes. By co-culturing human BM-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) with mouse skeletal myoblasts,physical incorporation was observed by genetic lineage tracing and species-specific immunofluorescence. We used a human-specific antibody against the intermediate filament protein nestin,a marker of regenerating skeletal muscle,to identify functional contribution of MSC to myotube formation. Although nestin expression was never detected in MSC,human-specific expression was detected in myotubes that also contained MSC-derived nuclei. This induction of gene expression following myotube integration suggests that bone marrow-derived stem cells can reprogram and functionally contribute to the muscle cell phenotype. We propose that this model of myogenic commitment may provide the means to further characterize functional reprogramming of MSC to skeletal muscle. View Publication

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a common neoplasm in HIV-1-infected individuals causing significant morbidity and mortality. Despite recent advances,the pathogenesis of this potentially life-threatening neoplasm remains unclear,and there is currently no cure for KS. Notch proteins are known to play a fundamental role in cell fate decisions including proliferation,differentiation,and apoptosis. It is,therefore,not surprising that Notch proteins have been implicated in tumorigenesis and appear to function as either oncogenes or tumor suppressor proteins depending on cellular context. In this report,we demonstrate elevated levels of activated Notch-1,-2,and -4 in KS tumor cells in vivo and in vitro compared to endothelial cells,the precursor of the KS cell. Notch activation was confirmed through luciferase reporter assays and localization of Hes (Hairy/Enhancer of Split)-1 and Hey (Hairy/Enhancer of Split related with YRPW)1 (primary targets of the Notch pathway) in KS cell nuclei. Studies using gamma-secretase inhibitors (GSI and LY-411,575),which block Notch activation,resulted in apoptosis in primary and immortalized KS cells. Similar studies injecting GSI into established KS cell tumors on mice demonstrated growth inhibition or tumor regression that was characterized by apoptosis in treated,but not control tumors. The results indicate that KS cells overexpress activated Notch and interruption of Notch signaling inhibits KS cell growth. Thus,targeting Notch signaling may be of therapeutic value in KS patients. View Publication

The identification of neural stem cells (NSCs) in situ has been prevented by the inability to identify a marker consistently expressed in all adult NSCs and is thus generally accomplished using the in vitro neurosphere-forming assay. The high-mobility group transcription factor Sox2 is expressed in embryonic neural epithelial stem cells; because these cells are thought to give rise to the adult NSC population,we hypothesized that Sox2 may continue to be expressed in adult NSCs. Using Sox2:EGFP transgenic mice,we show that Sox2 is expressed in neurogenic regions along the rostral-caudal axis of the central nervous system throughout life. Furthermore,all neurospheres derived from these neurogenic regions express Sox2,suggesting that Sox2 is indeed expressed in adult NSCs. We demonstrate that NSCs are heterogeneous within the adult brain,with differing capacities for cell production. In vitro,all neurospheres express Sox2,but the expression of markers common to early progenitor cells within individual neurospheres varies; this heterogeneity of NSCs is mirrored in vivo. For example,both glial fibrillary acidic protein and NG2 are expressed within individual neurospheres,but their expression is mutually exclusive; likewise,these two markers show distinct staining patterns within the Sox2+ regions of the brain's neurogenic regions. Thus,we propose that the expression of Sox2 is a unifying characteristic of NSCs in the adult brain,but that not all NSCs maintain the ability to form all neural cell types in vivo. View Publication

In the present investigation,we studied the modulating effects of several tea catechins and bioflavonoids on DNA methylation catalyzed by prokaryotic SssI DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) and human DNMT1. We found that each of the tea polyphenols [catechin,epicatechin,and (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG)] and bioflavonoids (quercetin,fisetin,and myricetin) inhibited SssI DNMT- and DNMT1-mediated DNA methylation in a concentration-dependent manner. The IC(50) values for catechin,epicatechin,and various flavonoids ranged from 1.0 to 8.4 microM,but EGCG was a more potent inhibitor,with IC(50) values ranging from 0.21 to 0.47 microM. When epicatechin was used as a model inhibitor,kinetic analyses showed that this catechol-containing dietary polyphenol inhibited enzymatic DNA methylation in vitro largely by increasing the formation of S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (a potent noncompetitive inhibitor of DNMTs) during the catechol-O-methyltransferase-mediated O-methylation of this dietary catechol. In comparison,the strong inhibitory effect of EGCG on DNMT-mediated DNA methylation was independent of its own methylation and was largely due to its direct inhibition of the DNMTs. This inhibition is strongly enhanced by Mg(2+). Computational modeling studies showed that the gallic acid moiety of EGCG plays a crucial role in its high-affinity,direct inhibitory interaction with the catalytic site of the human DNMT1,and its binding with the enzyme is stabilized by Mg(2+). The modeling data on the precise molecular mode of EGCG's inhibitory interaction with human DNMT1 agrees perfectly with our experimental finding. View Publication

HIV infection leads to a state of chronic immune activation and progressive deterioration in immune function,manifested most recognizably by the progressive depletion of CD4+ T cells. A substantial percentage of natural killer (NK) cells from patients with HIV infection are activated and express the natural cytotoxicity receptor (NCR) NKp44. Here we show that a cellular ligand for NKp44 (NKp44L) is expressed during HIV-1 infection and is correlated with both the progression of CD4+ T cell depletion and the increase of viral load. CD4+ T cells expressing this ligand are highly sensitive to the NK lysis activity mediated by NKp44+ NK cells. The expression of NKp44L is induced by the linear motif NH2-SWSNKS-COOH of the HIV-1 envelope gp41 protein. This highly conserved motif appears critical to the sharp increase in NK lysis of CD4+ T cells from HIV-infected patients. These studies strongly suggest that induction of NKp44L plays a key role in the lysis of CD4+ T cells by activated NK cells in HIV infection and consequently provide a framework for considering how HIV-1 may use NK cell immune surveillance to trigger CD4+ T cells. Understanding this mechanism may help to develop future therapeutic strategies and vaccines against HIV-1 infection. View Publication

Selective and regulatable expansion of transduced cells could augment gene therapy for many disorders. The activation of modified growth factor receptors via synthetic chemical inducers of dimerization allows for the coordinated growth of transduced cells. This system can also provide information on specific receptor-mediated signaling without interference from other family members. Although several receptor subunits have been investigated in this context,little is known about the precise molecular events associated with dimerizer-initiated signaling. We have constructed and expressed an AP20187-regulated KDR chimeric receptor in human TF1 cells and analyzed activation of this gene switch using functional,biochemical,and microarray analyses. When deprived of natural ligands,GM-CSF,interleukin-3,or erythropoietin,AP20187 prevented apoptosis of transduced TF1 cells,induced dose-dependent proliferation,and supported long-term growth. In addition,AP20187 stimulation activated the signaling molecules associated with mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidyl-inositol 3-kinase/Akt pathways. Microarray analysis determined that a number of transcripts involved in a variety of cellular processes were differentially expressed. Notably,mRNAs affiliated with heat stress,including Hsp70 and Hsp105,were up-regulated. Functional assays showed that Hsp70 and Hsp105 protected transduced TF1 cells from apoptosis and premature senescence,in part through regulation of Akt. These observations delineate specific roles for kinase insert domain-containing receptor,or KDR,signaling and suggest strategies to endow genetically modified cells with a survival advantage enabling the generation of adequate cell numbers for therapeutic outcomes. View Publication

Caspase proteases have become the focal point for the development and application of anti-apoptotic therapies in a variety of central nervous system diseases. However,this approach is based on the premise that caspase function is limited to invoking cell death signals. Here,we show that caspase-3 activity is elevated in nonapoptotic differentiating neuronal cell populations. Moreover,peptide inhibition of protease activity effectively inhibits the differentiation process in a cultured neurosphere model. These results implicate caspase-3 activation as a conserved feature of neuronal differentiation and suggest that targeted inhibition of this protease in neural cell populations may have unintended consequences. View Publication

IkappaB kinase (IKK) complex plays a key regulatory role in macrophages for NF-kappaB activation during both innate and adaptive immune responses. Because IKK1-/- mice died at birth,we differentiated functional macrophages from embryonic day 15.5 IKK1 mutant embryonic liver. The embryonic liver-derived macrophage (ELDM) showed enhanced phagocytotic clearance of bacteria,more efficient antigen-presenting capacity,elevated secretion of several key proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines,and known NFkappaB target genes. Increased NFkappaB activity in IKK1 mutant ELDM was the result of prolonged degradation of IkappaBalpha in response to infectious pathogens. The delayed restoration of IkappaBalpha in pathogen-activated IKK1-/- ELDM was a direct consequence of uncontrolled IKK2 kinase activity. We hypothesize that IKK1 plays a checkpoint role in the proper control of IkappaBalpha kinase activity in innate and adaptive immunity. View Publication

Enforced expression of the HOXB4 transcription factor and downregulation of p21(Cip1/Waf) (p21) can each independently increase proliferation of murine hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). We asked whether the increase in HSC self-renewal generated by overexpression of HOXB4 is enhanced in p21-deficient HSCs. HOXB4 was overexpressed in hematopoietic cells from wild-type (wt) and p21-/- mice. Bone marrow (BM) cells were transduced with a retroviral vector expressing HOXB4 together with GFP (MIGB4),or a control vector containing GFP alone (MIG) and maintained in liquid culture for up to 11 days. At day 11 of the expansion culture,the number of primary CFU-GM (colony-forming unit granulocyte-macrophage) colonies and the repopulating ability were significantly increased in MIGB4 p21-/- BM (p21B4) cells compared with MIGB4-transduced wt BM (wtB4) cells. To test proliferation of HSCs in vivo,we performed competitive repopulation experiments and obtained significantly higher long-term engraftment of expanded p21B4 cells compared with wtB4 cells. The 5-day expansion of p21B4 HSCs generated 100-fold higher numbers of competitive repopulating units compared with wtMIG and threefold higher numbers compared with wtB4. The findings demonstrate that increased expression of HOXB4,in combination with suppression of p21 expression,could be a useful strategy for effective and robust expansion of HSCs. View Publication

Human cord blood (CB)-derived CD133+ cells carry characteristics of primitive hematopoietic cells and proffer an alternative for CD34+ cells in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation. To characterize the CD133+ cell population on a genetic level,a global expression analysis of CD133+ cells was performed using oligonucleotide microarrays. CD133+ cells were purified from four fresh CB units by immunomagnetic selection. All four CD133+ samples showed significant similarity in their gene expression pattern,whereas they differed clearly from the CD133- control samples. In all,690 transcripts were differentially expressed between CD133+ and CD133- cells. Of these,393 were increased and 297 were decreased in CD133+ cells. The highest overexpression was noted in genes associated with metabolism,cellular physiological processes,cell communication,and development. A set of 257 transcripts expressed solely in the CD133+ cell population was identified. Colony-forming unit (CFU) assay was used to detect the clonal progeny of precursors present in the studied cell populations. The results demonstrate that CD133+ cells express primitive markers and possess clonogenic progenitor capacity. This study provides a gene expression profile for human CD133+ cells. It presents a set of genes that may be used to unravel the properties of the CD133+ cell population,assumed to be highly enriched in HSCs. View Publication

Mechanisms of lymphoid and myeloid lineage choice by hemopoietic stem cells remain unclear. In this study we show that the multipotent progenitor (MPP) population,which is immediately downstream of hemopoietic stem cells,is heterogeneous and can be subdivided in terms of VCAM-1 expression. VCAM-1(+) MPPs were fully capable of differentiating into both lymphoid and myeloid lineages. In contrast,VCAM-1(-) MPPs gave rise to lymphocytes predominately in vivo. T and B cell development from VCAM-1(-) MPPs was 1 wk faster than that from VCAM-1(+) MPPs. Furthermore,VCAM-1(+) MPPs gave rise to common myeloid progenitors and VCAM-1(-) MPPs in vivo,indicating that VCAM-1(-) MPPs are progenies of VCAM-1(+) MPPs. VCAM-1(-) MPPs,in turn,developed into lymphoid lineage-restricted common lymphoid progenitors. These results establish a hierarchy of developmental relationship between MPP subsets and lymphoid and myeloid progenitors. In addition,VCAM-1(+) MPPs may represent the branching point between the lymphoid and myeloid lineages. View Publication