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Although prolonged transgene expression in progenitor cells might be desirable for modified cell therapy,the viral promoter-based expression vector tends to promote transgene expression only for a limited period. Here,we examined the ability of cellular promoters from elongation factor-1alpha (EF-1alpha) and ubiquitin C to drive gene expression in hematopoietic TF-1 and mesenchymal progenitor cells. We compared the expression levels and duration of a model gene,interleukin-2,generated by the cellular promoters to those by the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. The EF-1alpha and ubiquitin C promoters drove prolonged gene expression in hematopoietic TF-1 and mesenchymal progenitor cells,whereas the CMV promoter did not. At day 7 after transfection in TF-1 cells,the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-2 driven by the EF-1alpha and ubiquitin C promoters were 118- and 56-fold higher,respectively,than those driven by the CMV promoter. Similarly,in mesenchymal progenitor cells,the expression levels of interleukin-2 driven by the EF-1alpha and ubiquitin C promoters were 98- and 20-fold higher,respectively,than that driven by the CMV promoter-encoding plasmid. Moreover,the ubiquitin C promoter directed higher levels of green fluorescence protein expression in mesenchymal progenitor cells than did the CMV promoter. These results indicate that the use of cellular promoters such as those for EF-1alpha and ubiquitin C might direct prolonged gene expression in hematopoietic and mesenchymal progenitor cells. View Publication

Murine embryonic stem cells can differentiate in vitro to form cystic embryoid bodies (CEB) that contain different structures and cell types. The blood islands are one such structure that consist of immature hematopoietic cells surrounded by endothelial cells,the first identifiable vascular cells. CEBs differentiated in vitro developed blood islands initially,and subsequently these blood islands matured to form vascular channels containing hematopoietic cells. Phase contrast microscopy demonstrated the presence of channels in mature CEBs grown in suspension culture,and high resolution light and electron microscopy showed that the cells lining these channels were endothelial cells. The channels appeared less organized than the vasculature of the mature yolk sac. The hematopoietic cells were occasionally seen 'flowing' through the CEB channels,although their numbers were reduced relative to the yolk sac. Analysis of primary CEB cultures showed the presence of cells with two characteristics of endothelial cells: approximately 30% of the cells labelled with fluorescent acetylated low density lipoprotein and a small number of cells were positive for von Willebrand's factor by immunostaining. Thus we conclude that a primitive vasculature forms in CEBs differentiated in vitro,and that not only primary differentiation of endothelial cells but also some aspects of vascular maturation are intrinsic to this cell culture system. CEBs are therefore a useful model for the study of developmental blood vessel formation. View Publication

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) suppress T-cell and dendritic-cell function and represent a promising strategy for cell therapy of autoimmune diseases. Nevertheless,no information is currently available on the effects of hMSCs on B cells,which may have a large impact on the clinical use of these cells. hMSCs isolated from the bone marrow and B cells purified from the peripheral blood of healthy donors were cocultured with different B-cell tropic stimuli. B-cell proliferation was inhibited by hMSCs through an arrest in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle and not through the induction of apoptosis. A major mechanism of B-cell suppression was hMSC production of soluble factors,as indicated by transwell experiments. hMSCs inhibited B-cell differentiation because IgM,IgG,and IgA production was significantly impaired. CXCR4,CXCR5,and CCR7 B-cell expression,as well as chemotaxis to CXCL12,the CXCR4 ligand,and CXCL13,the CXCR5 ligand,were significantly down-regulated by hMSCs,suggesting that these cells affect chemotactic properties of B cells. B-cell costimulatory molecule expression and cytokine production were unaffected by hMSCs. These results further support the potential therapeutic use of hMSCs in immune-mediated disorders,including those in which B cells play a major role. View Publication

Retroviral vectors with long terminal repeats (LTRs),which contain strong enhancer/promoter sequences at both ends of their genome,are widely used for stable gene transfer into hematopoietic cells. However,recent clinical data and mouse models point to insertional activation of cellular proto-oncogenes as a dose-limiting side effect of retroviral gene delivery that potentially induces leukemia. Self-inactivating (SIN) retroviral vectors do not contain the terminal repetition of the enhancer/promoter,theoretically attenuating the interaction with neighboring cellular genes. With a new assay based on in vitro expansion of primary murine hematopoietic cells and selection in limiting dilution,we showed that SIN vectors using a strong internal retroviral enhancer/promoter may also transform cells by insertional mutagenesis. Most transformed clones,including those obtained after dose escalation of SIN vectors,showed insertions upstream of the third exon of Evi1 and in reverse orientation to its transcriptional orientation. Normalizing for the vector copy number,we found the transforming capacity of SIN vectors to be significantly reduced when compared with corresponding LTR vectors. Additional modifications of SIN vectors may further increase safety. Improved cell-culture assays will likely play an important role in the evaluation of insertional mutagenesis. View Publication

Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) is an enzyme that is expressed in the liver and is required for the conversion of retinol (vitamin A) to retinoic acids. ALDH is also highly enriched in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and is considered a selectable marker of human HSCs,although its contribution to stem cell fate remains unknown. In this study,we demonstrate that ALDH is a key regulator of HSC differentiation. Inhibition of ALDH with diethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB) delayed the differentiation of human HSCs that otherwise occurred in response to cytokines. Moreover,short-term culture with DEAB caused a 3.4-fold expansion in the most primitive assayable human cells,the nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mouse repopulating cells,compared with day 0 CD34(+)CD38(-)lin(-) cells. The effects of DEAB on HSC differentiation could be reversed by the coadministration of the retinoic acid receptor agonist,all-trans-retinoic acid,suggesting that the ability of ALDH to generate retinoic acids is important in determining HSC fate. DEAB treatment also caused a decrease in retinoic acid receptor-mediated signaling within human HSCs,suggesting directly that inhibition of ALDH promotes HSC self-renewal via reduction of retinoic acid activity. Modulation of ALDH activity and retinoid signaling is a previously unrecognized and effective strategy to amplify human HSCs. View Publication

Ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) has been explored in the fields of stem cell biology,gene therapy,and clinical transplantation. Here,we demonstrate efficient ex vivo expansion of HSCs measured by long-term severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) repopulating cells (SRCs) from human cord blood CD133-sorted cells using a soluble form of Delta1. After a 3-week culture on immobilized Delta1 supplemented with stem cell factor,thrombopoietin,Flt-3 ligand,interleukin (IL)-3,and IL-6/soluble IL-6 receptor chimeric protein (FP6) in a serum- and stromal cell-free condition,we achieved approximately sixfold expansion of SRCs when evaluated by limiting dilution/transplantation assays. The maintenance of full multipotency and self-renewal capacity during culture was confirmed by transplantation to nonobese diabetic/SCID/gammac(null) mice,which showed myeloid,B,T,and natural killer cells as well as CD133(+)CD34(+) cells,and hematopoietic reconstitution in the secondary recipients. Interestingly,the CD133-sorted cells contained approximately 4.5 times more SRCs than the CD34-sorted cells. The present study provides a promising method to expand HSCs and encourages future trials on clinical transplantation. View Publication

Progranulin (pgrn; granulin-epithelin precursor,PC-cell-derived growth factor,or acrogranin) is a multifunctional secreted glycoprotein implicated in tumorigenesis,development,inflammation,and repair. It is highly expressed in macrophage and monocyte-derived dendritic cells. Here we investigate its regulation in myeloid cells. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) increased pgrn mRNA levels in myelomonocytic cells (CD34(+) progenitors; monoblastic U-937; monocytic THP-1; progranulocytic HL-60; macrophage RAW 264.7) but not in nonmyeloid cells tested. Interleukin-4 impaired basal expression of pgrn in U-937. Differentiation agents DMSO,and,in U-937 only,phorbol ester [phorbol 12-myristate,13-acetate (PMA)] elevated pgrn mRNA expression late in differentiation,suggestive of roles for pgrn in more mature terminally differentiated granulocyte/monocytes rather than during growth or differentiation. The response of pgrn mRNA to ATRA differs in U-937 and HL-60 lineages. In U-937,ATRA and chemical differentiation agents greatly increased pgrn mRNA stability,whereas,in HL-60,ATRA accelerated pgrn mRNA turnover. The initial upregulation of pgrn mRNA after stimulation with ATRA was independent of de novo protein synthesis in U-937 but not HL-60. Chemical blockade of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation impaired ATRA-stimulated pgrn expression in HL-60 but not U-937,whereas in U-937 it blocked PMA-induced pgrn mRNA expression,suggestive of cell-specific roles for NF-kappaB in determining pgrn mRNA levels. We propose that: 1) ATRA regulates pgrn mRNA levels in myelomonocytic cells; 2) ATRA acts in a cell-specific manner involving the differential control of mRNA stability and differential requirement for NF-kappaB signaling; and 3) elevated pgrn mRNA expression is characteristic of more mature cells and does not stimulate differentiation. View Publication

The considerable therapeutic potential of human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) has generated markedly increasing interest in a wide variety of biomedical disciplines. However,investigators report studies of MSC using different methods of isolation and expansion,and different approaches to characterizing the cells. Thus it is increasingly difficult to compare and contrast study outcomes,which hinders progress in the field. To begin to address this issue,the Mesenchymal and Tissue Stem Cell Committee of the International Society for Cellular Therapy proposes minimal criteria to define human MSC. First,MSC must be plastic-adherent when maintained in standard culture conditions. Second,MSC must express CD105,CD73 and CD90,and lack expression of CD45,CD34,CD14 or CD11b,CD79alpha or CD19 and HLA-DR surface molecules. Third,MSC must differentiate to osteoblasts,adipocytes and chondroblasts in vitro. While these criteria will probably require modification as new knowledge unfolds,we believe this minimal set of standard criteria will foster a more uniform characterization of MSC and facilitate the exchange of data among investigators. View Publication

In previous reports,we have demonstrated that only direct cell-cell contact with stromal cells,such as the murine stromal cell line AFT024,was able to alter the cell division kinetics and self-renewing capacity of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC). Because beta(1)-integrins were shown to be crucial for the interaction of HPC with the bone marrow microenvironment,we have studied the role of beta(1)-integrins in the regulation of self-renewing cell divisions. For this purpose,we used primary human mesenchymal stromal (MS) cells as in vitro surrogate niche and monitored the division history and subsequent functional fate of individually plated CD34(+)133(+) cells in the absence or presence of an anti-beta(1)-integrin blocking antibody by time-lapse microscopy and subsequent long-term culture-initiating cell (LTC-IC) assays. beta(1)-Integrin-mediated contact with MS cells significantly increased the proportion of asymmetrically dividing cells and led to a substantial increase of LTC-IC. Provided that beta(1)-integrin-mediated contact was available within the first 72 hours,human MS cells were able to recruit HPC into cell cycle and accelerate their division kinetics without loss of stem cell function. Activation of beta(1)-integrins by ligands alone (e.g.,fibronectin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1) was not sufficient to alter the cell division symmetry and promote self-renewal of HPC,thus indicating an indirect effect. These results have provided evidence that primary human MS cells are able to induce self-renewing divisions of HPC by a beta(1)-integrin-dependent mechanism. View Publication

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have the capacity to self-renew and the potential to differentiate into all of the mature blood cell types. The ability to prospectively identify and isolate HSCs has been the subject of extensive investigation since the first transplantation studies implying their existence almost 50 years ago. Despite significant advances in enrichment protocols,the continuous in vitro propagation of human HSCs has not yet been achieved. This chapter describes current procedures used to phenotypically and functionally characterize candidate human HSCs and initial efforts to derive permanent human HSC lines. View Publication

Defining how cancer-associated mutations perturb signaling networks in stem/progenitor populations that are integral to tumor formation and maintenance is a fundamental problem with biologic and clinical implications. Point mutations in RAS genes contribute to many cancers,including myeloid malignancies. We investigated the effects of an oncogenic Kras(G12D) allele on phosphorylated signaling molecules in primary c-kit(+) lin(-/low) hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Comparison of wild-type and Kras(G12D) c-kit(+) lin(-/low) cells shows that K-Ras(G12D) expression causes hyperproliferation in vivo and results in abnormal levels of phosphorylated STAT5,ERK,and S6 under basal and stimulated conditions. Whereas Kras(G12D) cells demonstrate hyperactive signaling after exposure to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor,we unexpectedly observe a paradoxical attenuation of ERK and S6 phosphorylation in response to stem cell factor. These studies provide direct biochemical evidence that cancer stem/progenitor cells remodel signaling networks in response to oncogenic stress and demonstrate that multi-parameter flow cytometry can be used to monitor the effects of targeted therapeutics in vivo. This strategy has broad implications for defining the architecture of signaling networks in primary cancer cells and for implementing stem cell-targeted interventions. View Publication

To identify previously unknown platelet receptors we compared the transcriptomes of in vitro differentiated megakaryocytes (MKs) and erythroblasts (EBs). RNA was obtained from purified,biologically paired MK and EB cultures and compared using cDNA microarrays. Bioinformatical analysis of MK-up-regulated genes identified 151 transcripts encoding transmembrane domain-containing proteins. Although many of these were known platelet genes,a number of previously unidentified or poorly characterized transcripts were also detected. Many of these transcripts,including G6b,G6f,LRRC32,LAT2,and the G protein-coupled receptor SUCNR1,encode proteins with structural features or functions that suggest they may be involved in the modulation of platelet function. Immunoblotting on platelets confirmed the presence of the encoded proteins,and flow cytometric analysis confirmed the expression of G6b,G6f,and LRRC32 on the surface of platelets. Through comparative analysis of expression in platelets and other blood cells we demonstrated that G6b,G6f,and LRRC32 are restricted to the platelet lineage,whereas LAT2 and SUCNR1 were also detected in other blood cells. The identification of the succinate receptor SUCNR1 in platelets is of particular interest,because physiologically relevant concentrations of succinate were shown to potentiate the effect of low doses of a variety of platelet agonists. View Publication