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Human hematopoiesis originates in a population of stem cells with transplantable lympho-myeloid reconstituting potential,but a method for quantitating such cells has not been available. We now describe a simple assay that meets this need. It is based on the ability of sublethally irradiated immunodeficient nonobese diabetic-scid/scid (NOD/SCID) mice to be engrafted by intravenously injected human hematopoietic cells and uses limiting dilution analysis to measure the frequency of human cells that produce both CD34(-)CD19(+) (B-lymphoid) and CD34(+) (myeloid) colony-forming cell progeny in the marrow of such recipients 6 to 8 weeks post-transplant. Human cord blood (CB) contains approximately 5 of these competitive repopulating units (CRU) per ml that have a similar distribution between the CD38(-) and CD38(+) subsets of CD34(+) CB cells as long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-IC) (4:1 vs. 2:1). Incubation of purified CD34(+)CD38(-) human CB cells in serum-free medium containing flt-3 ligand,Steel factor,interleukin 3,interleukin 6,and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for 5-8 days resulted in a 100-fold expansion of colony-forming cells,a 4-fold expansion of LTC-IC,and a 2-fold (but significant,P textless 0.02) increase in CRU. The culture-derived CRU,like the original CB CRU,generated pluripotent,erythroid,granulopoietic,megakaryopoietic,and pre-B cell progeny upon transplantation into NOD/SCID mice. These findings demonstrate an equivalent phenotypic heterogeneity amongst human CB cells detectable as CRU and LTC-IC. In addition,their similarly modest response to stimulation by a combination of cytokines that extensively amplify LTC-IC from normal adult marrow underscores the importance of ontogeny-dependent changes in human hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and self-renewal. View Publication

Retinoid induction of epidermal hyperplasia was investigated in hairless mice with synthetic ligands for the retinoic acid (RAR) and retinoid X (RXR) nuclear receptors. Induction of hyperplasia by all-trans retinoic acid and the RAR-specific retinoids TTNPB,tazarotene and AGN 190121 varied over a wide range (ED50 = 0.2-100 nmol/animal in three daily applications). Potency of induction was not directly correlated to receptor-binding affinity,but specificity of action could be demonstrated by inhibition with the high-affinity antagonist of the RARs,AGN 193109. Although RAR is functionally complexed with RXR in vivo,RXR-selective compounds have only weak potency in induction of hyperplasia. The ED50 value of the RXR-selective AGN 191701 was 600 nmol/animal compared with an ED50 value of 0.2 nmol for the structurally similar RAR-selective TTNPB. SR11237 and SR11217,also RXR-selective,each have an ED50 value of textgreater1000 nmol. Unlike RAR-specific retinoids,RXR-selective retinoids cause only very mild skin flaking at high doses. Relative potencies for cumulative topical irritation (flaking and abrasion) of both RAR and RXR ligands were well correlated with epidermal hyperplasia. These data are consistent with RXR as a silent partner in the RAR-RXR heterodimer in skin. View Publication

A variety of factors produced by stromal fibroblasts,including Flt3-ligand (FL),interleukin-11 (IL-11),Steel factor (SF),and IL-7,have been implicated in stimulating the production of pre-B cells and myeloid cells from primitive hematopoietic precursors. To investigate their relative roles in this process,either as single-acting or synergistic agents,we compared the yield and types of cells produced after 2 weeks from small numbers of Sca-1+ Lin- (i.e.,B220-,Ly-1-,Gr-1-,and Ter-119-) day 14.5 murine fetal liver cells placed in stromal cell-free cultures containing all possible combinations of FL,SF,IL-7,and IL-11. None of these factors alone supported the production (or survival) of any cells beyond 1 week: only pairs of factors consisting of either FL or SF plus either IL-11 or IL-7 were effective in this regard,with FL plus IL-11 being the most potent pair (approximately 7 x 10(4) cells obtained per 100 Sca-1+ Lin- input cells). The maximum numbers of cells were produced in the presence of FL,IL-11,and IL-7: these included both B220+ and Mac-1+/Gr-1+ cells (approximately 10(6) and approximately 2 x 10(5),respectively,per 100 Sca-1+ Lin- input cells). Both of these lineages were also obtained with each of the other possible three-factor combinations,albeit with variable effectiveness. Omission of either FL or IL-7 caused the greatest reduction in the yield of B220+ cells (approximately 130-fold and approximately 80-fold,respectively). Omission of IL-11 and,to a lesser extent,FL caused the greatest reduction in the yield of Mac-1+/Gr-1+ cells (approximately 90-fold and approximately 3-fold,respectively). When fetal calf serum was replaced with a defined serum substitute,the out put of B220+ cells remained the same but myelopoiesis was consistently enhanced (approximately 5- to 20-fold). These findings support a model involving factor redundancy in the extracellular signals required to stimulate the production and amplification of both lymphoid and myeloid cells from early Sca-1+ Lin- cells. They also reveal quantitative differences in the abilities of different competent factor combinations to promote this process,which may be further modulated by the presence of undefined serum components. View Publication

Ex vivo culture of human hematopoietic cells is a crucial component of many therapeutic applications. Although current culture conditions have been optimized using quantitative in vitro progenitor assays,knowledge of the conditions that permit maintenance of primitive human repopulating cells is lacking. We report that primitive human cells capable of repopulating nonobese diabetic (NOD)/severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice (SCID-repopulating cells; SRC) can be maintained and/or modestly increased after culture of CD34+CD38- cord blood cells in serum-free conditions. Quantitative analysis demonstrated a 4- and 10-fold increase in the number of CD34+CD38- cells and colony-forming cells,respectively,as well as a 2- to 4-fold increase in SRC after 4 d of culture. However,after 9 d of culture,all SRC were lost,despite further increases in total cells,CFC content,and CD34+ cells. These studies indicate that caution must be exercised in extending the duration of ex vivo cultures used for transplantation,and demonstrate the importance of the SRC assay in the development of culture conditions that support primitive cells. View Publication

Ceramide has emerged as an important lipid messenger for many cellular processes triggered via surface receptors. In the present study,inflammatory activation of P388D1 macrophages with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and platelet-activating factor (PAF) stimulated a transient accumulation of ceramide. Moreover,cell-permeable ceramide mimicked LPS/PAF in triggering arachidonate mobilization in these cells. LPS/PAF-induced ceramide synthesis did not result from sphingomyelinase activation but from increased de novo synthesis. Participation of this pathway in arachidonate signaling was detected since fumonisin B1,an inhibitor of de novo ceramide synthesis,was able to inhibit the LPS/PAF-induced response. These studies have uncovered a new role for sphingolipid metabolism in cellular signaling and constitute evidence that products of the sphingomyelin biosynthetic pathway may serve a specific role in signal transduction by influencing the activity of the novel Group V secretory phospholipase A2. View Publication

Pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells spontaneously differentiate via embryo-like aggregates into cardiomyocytes of pacemaker-,atrium- and ventricle-like type,which can be distinguished by their specific patterns of action potentials. It has been shown that retinoic acid (RA) treatment during ES cell differentiation increases the number of cardiomyocytes in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. In order to test the effect of RA on cardiomyocyte differentiation and specialization into ventricle-like cardiomyocytes,we studied gene expression of beta-galactosidase driven by the ventricular myosin light chain-2 (MLC-2v) promoter as an indicator for ventricular differentiation. Clones containing the stably integrated expression vector pGNA/MLC-2.1 were selected,which revealed an increase of beta-galactosidase activity in cardiomyocytes of embryoid bodies at day 7 + 16. RA,both,in the all-trans and in the 9-cis configuration resulted in a significant acceleration of cardiomyocyte differentiation and a transient increase of beta-galactosidase activity. To test whether this acceleration of cardiac differentiation and RA-induced increase of the MLC-2v promotor/beta-galactosidase activity reflects an increase of cardiac- and ventricle-specific gene expression,a semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis was performed for alpha-cardiac myosin heavy chain (alpha-MHC) and MLC-2v genes. It was shown that both 10(-8) M and 10(-9) M RA resulted in an increased level of alpha-cardiac MHC and MLC-2v mRNA in embryoid bodies in early,but not in terminal developmental stages. This led us to the conclusion that the RA-induced accelerated expression of cardiac-specific genes results in an enhanced development of ventricular cardiomyocytes. An increased number of ventricle-like cells after RA treatment was also found by patch-clamp analysis. The number of cardiomyocytes with Purkinje- and ventricle-like properties was shown to be increased by RA,whereas the number of pacemaker- and atrium-like cells was reduced and early pacemaker cells were not quantitatively affected. View Publication

A single entity,the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK),phosphorylates and regulates in vivo hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (key regulatory enzymes of sterol synthesis and fatty acid synthesis,respectively),and probably many additional targets. The kinase is activated by high AMP and low ATP via a complex mechanism,which involves allosteric regulation,promotion of phosphorylation by an upstream protein kinase (AMPK kinase),and inhibition of dephosphorylation. This protein-kinase cascade represents a sensitive system,which is activated by cellular stresses that deplete ATP,and thus acts like a cellular fuel gauge. Our central hypothesis is that,when it detects a 'low-fuel' situation,it protects the cell by switching off ATP-consuming pathways (e.g. fatty acid synthesis and sterol synthesis) and switching on alternative pathways for ATP generation (e.g. fatty acid oxidation). Native AMP-activated protein kinase is a heterotrimer consisting of a catalytic alpha subunit,and beta and gamma subunits,which are also essential for activity. All three subunits have homologues in budding yeast,which are components of the SNF1 protein-kinase complex. SNF1 is activated by glucose starvation (which in yeast leads to ATP depletion) and genetic studies have shown that it is involved in derepression of glucose-repressed genes. This raises the intriguing possibility that AMPK may regulate gene expression in mammals. AMPK/SNF1 homologues are found in higher plants,and this protein-kinase cascade appears to be an ancient system which evolved to protect cells against the effects of nutritional or environmental stress. View Publication

Embryonic stem cells,derived from the inner cell mass of murine blastocysts,can be maintained in a totipotent state in vitro. In appropriate conditions embryonic stem cells have been shown to differentiate in vitro into various derivatives of all three primary germ layers. We describe in this paper conditions to induce differentiation of embryonic stem cells reliably and at high efficiency into adipocytes. A prerequisite is to treat early developing embryonic stem cell-derived embryoid bodies with retinoic acid for a precise period of time. Retinoic acid could not be substituted by adipogenic hormones nor by potent activators of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors. Treatment with retinoic acid resulted in the subsequent appearance of large clusters of mature adipocytes in embryoid body outgrowths. Lipogenic and lipolytic activities as well as high level expression of adipocyte specific genes could be detected in these cultures. Analysis of expression of potential adipogenic genes,such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors gamma and delta and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta,during differentiation of retinoic acid-treated embryoid bodies has been performed. The temporal pattern of expression of genes encoding these nuclear factors resembled that found during mouse embryogenesis. The differentiation of embryonic stem cells into adipocytes will provide an invaluable model for the characterisation of the role of genes expressed during the adipocyte development programme and for the identification of new adipogenic regulatory genes. View Publication

One objective of clinical gene marking trials in multiple myeloma (MM) is to determine the extent to which relapse after stem cell transplant is attributable to contamination of the autograft with myeloma cells. A requirement in these studies is ex vivo genetic marking of malignant cells present in autografts which are derived from patients exposed to significant prior chemotherapy. We evaluated gene marking of cloonogenic myeloma cells in marrow aspirates from 14 patients with MM. To effect gene transfer we utilized a long-term marrow culture (LTMC) system previously shown to facilitate gene transfer into a spectrum of hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells. Transduction of cells in LTMC was performed by multiple supernatant exposure. At LTMC initiation and after 21 days of culture malignant cells were assessed by morphology,flow cytometry,and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The mean number of day 21 LTMC adherent layer-derived granulocyte/macrophage progenitors as a percentage of the original inoculum was within the normal range for this technique. The efficiency of transduction of normal hematopoietic progenitors as determined by the number of colonies positive for proviral DNA by PCR,G418 resistance,and X-gal staining was also within the expected range; 65%,44% and 23%,respectively. Thus,there was no evidence that prior chemotherapy exposure or malignant cell contamination compromised cell survival or gene transfer efficiency in LTMC. All patients retained plasma cells in LTMCs for the duration of the 21-day culture period. Molecular analysis confirmed the persistence of clonal IgVH gene rearrangements in day 21 LTMC-derived DNA from 6 of 12 informative patients (50%). PCR using allele-specific primers when available confirmed the specificity of IgVH rearrangements for the myeloma clone. In 2 of the 14 patients,expansion of clonogenic cells was demonstrated in LTMC. In both cases there was strong evidence for transfer of reporter genes (neo and LacZ) into the myeloma clone: morphologically abnormal G418-resistant colonies demonstrated intense staining for beta-galactosidase,and cytospin preparations showed 100% plasma cells with monoclonal heavy and light chain restriction. In one patient,individual colonies positive for beta-galactosidase bore a cytogenetic abnormality characteristic of the patient's myeloma clone. PCR of DNA from pooled plasma cell colonies using tumor-specific CDR3 primers was positive. Our results demonstrate the maintenance of myeloma cells in vitro for up to 21 days in LTMC. They further illustrate that these cells can be genetically marked using transduction protocols currently being tested in clinical trials of hematopoietic cell gene transfer. View Publication

We have recently shown that more than 90% of long-term culture initiating cells (LTC-IC) mobilized in the peripheral blood (PB) of normal individuals express HLA-DR and CD38 antigens and can sustain hematopoiesis for only 5 weeks. However,10% of LTC-IC in mobilized PB are CD34+ HLA-DR- and CD34+ CD38- and can sustain hematopoiesis for at least 8 weeks. We now examine the ex vivo expansion potential of CD34+ HLA-DR+ cells (rich in mature LTC-IC) and CD34+ HLA-DR- cells (rich in primitive LTC-IC) in granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilized PB progenitor cells (PBPC). Cells were cultured in contact with M2-10B4 cells (contact) or in transwells above M2-10B4 (noncontact) without and with interleukin-3 (IL-3) and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP-1alpha) for 2 and 5 weeks. Progeny were evaluated for the presence of colony-forming cells (CFC) and LTC-IC. When CD34+ HLA-DR+ PB cells were cultured in contact cultures without cytokines,a threefold expansion of CFC was seen at 2 weeks,but an 80% decrease in CFC was seen at week 5. Further,the recovery of LTC-IC at week 2 was only 17% and 1% at week 5. This confirms our previous observation that although CD34+ HLA-DR+ mobilized PB cells can initiate long-term cultures,they are relatively mature and cannot sustain long-term hematopoiesis. In contrast,when CD34+ HLA-DR- mobilized PB cells were cultured in contact cultures without cytokines,CFC expansion persisted until week 5 and 49% and 11% of LTC-IC were recovered at week 2 and 5,respectively. As we have shown for steady state bone marrow (BM) progenitors,recovery of LTC-IC was threefold higher when CD34+ HLA-DR- PBPC were cultured in noncontact rather than contact cultures,and improved further when IL-3 and MIP-1alpha were added to noncontact cultures (96 +/- 2% maintained at week 5). We conclude that although G-CSF mobilizes a large population of mature" CD34+ HLA-DR+ LTC-IC with a limited proliferative capacity� View Publication