搜索结果: 'methocult media formulations for mouse hematopoietic cells serum containing'

Optimal induction of clonal expansion by normal CD4 T cells requires a ligand that can engage the T cell receptor as well as functionally defined costimulatory activity on the same antigen-presenting cell surface. While the presence of effective costimulation induces proliferation,T cell receptor ligation in its absence renders T cells inactive or anergic. The molecular basis of this costimulatory activity remains to be defined. Here we describe a monoclonal antibody that can block the costimulatory activity of splenic accessory cells. Treatment with this antibody not only blocks the proliferation of CD4 T cells to a T cell receptor ligand,but also induces T cell nonresponsiveness to subsequent stimulation. Sequence analysis of the antigen recognized by this antibody indicates that it recognizes a protein that is identical to heat-stable antigen. Gene transfer experiments directly demonstrate that this protein has costimulatory activity. Thus,heat-stable antigen meets the criteria for a costimulator of T cell clonal expansion. View Publication

The laminin receptor integrin alpha6 chain is ubiquitously expressed in human and mouse hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. We have studied its role for homing of stem and progenitor cells to mouse hematopoietic tissues in vivo. A function-blocking anti-integrin alpha6 antibody significantly reduced progenitor cell homing to bone marrow (BM) of lethally irradiated mice,with a corresponding retention of progenitors in blood. Remarkably,the anti-integrin alpha6 antibody profoundly inhibited BM homing of long-term multilineage engrafting stem cells,studied by competitive repopulation assay and analysis of donor-derived lymphocytes and myeloid cells in blood 16 weeks after transplantation. A similar profound inhibition of long-term stem cell homing was obtained by using a function-blocking antibody against alpha4 integrin,studied in parallel. Furthermore,the anti-integrin alpha6 and alpha4 antibodies synergistically inhibited homing of short-term repopulating stem cells. Intravenous injection of anti-integrin alpha6 antibodies,in contrast to antibodies against alpha4 integrin,did not mobilize progenitors or enhance cytokine-induced mobilization by G-CSF. Our results provide the first evidence for a distinct functional role of integrin alpha6 receptor during hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell homing and collaboration of alpha6 integrin with alpha4 integrin receptors during homing of short-term stem cells. View Publication

Cellular plasticity contributes to the regenerative capacity of plants,invertebrates,teleost fishes and amphibians. In vertebrates,differentiated cells are known to revert into replicating progenitors,but these cells do not persist as stable stem cells. Here we present evidence that differentiated airway epithelial cells can revert into stable and functional stem cells in vivo. After the ablation of airway stem cells,we observed a surprising increase in the proliferation of committed secretory cells. Subsequent lineage tracing demonstrated that the luminal secretory cells had dedifferentiated into basal stem cells. Dedifferentiated cells were morphologically indistinguishable from stem cells and they functioned as well as their endogenous counterparts in repairing epithelial injury. Single secretory cells clonally dedifferentiated into multipotent stem cells when they were cultured ex vivo without basal stem cells. By contrast,direct contact with a single basal stem cell was sufficient to prevent secretory cell dedifferentiation. In analogy to classical descriptions of amphibian nuclear reprogramming,the propensity of committed cells to dedifferentiate is inversely correlated to their state of maturity. This capacity of committed cells to dedifferentiate into stem cells may have a more general role in the regeneration of many tissues and in multiple disease states,notably cancer. View Publication

Despite significant advances in commercially available media and kits and the differentiation approaches for human neural stem cell (NSC) generation,NSC production from the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) is complicated by its time-consuming procedure,complex medium composition,and purification step. In this study,we developed a convenient and simplified NSC production protocol to meet the demand of NSC production. We demonstrated that NSCs can be generated efficiently without requirement of specific small molecules or embryoid body formation stage. Our experimental results suggest that a short suspension culture period may facilitate ectoderm lineage specification rather than endoderm or mesoderm lineage specification from hPSCs. The method developed in this study shortens the turnaround time of NSC production from both human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) differentiation. It provides a straightforward and useful strategy for generating NSCs that can benefit a wide range of research applications for human brain research. View Publication

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells derived from the inner cell mass of blastocyst-stage embryos. They can maintain an undifferentiated state indefinitely and can differentiate into derivatives of all three germ layers,namely ectoderm,endoderm and mesoderm. Although much progress has been made in the propagation and differentiation of ES cells,induction of photoreceptors has generally required coculture with or transplantation into developing retinal tissue. Here,we describe a protocol for generating retinal cells from ES cells by stepwise treatment with defined factors. This method preferentially induces photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells from mouse and human ES cells. In our protocol,differentiation of RPE and photoreceptors from mouse ES cells requires 28 d and the differentiation of human ES cells into mature RPE and photoreceptors requires 120 and 150 d,respectively. This differentiation system and the resulting pluripotent stem cell-derived retinal cells will facilitate the development of transplantation therapies for retinal diseases,drug testing and in vitro disease modeling. It will also improve our understanding of the development of the central nervous system,especially the eye. View Publication

The extrafollicular (EF) plasmablast response to self-antigens that contain Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands is prominent in murine lupus models and some bacterial infections,but the inhibitors and activators involved have not been fully delineated. Here,we used two conventional dendritic cell (cDC) depletion systems to investigate the role of cDCs on a classical TLR-dependent autoreactive EF response elicited in rheumatoid-factor B cells by DNA-containing immune complexes. Contrary to our hypothesis,cDC depletion amplified rather than dampened the EF response in Fas-intact but not Fas-deficient mice. Further,we demonstrated that cDC-dependent regulation requires Fas and Fas ligand (FasL) expression by T cells,but not Fas expression by B cells. Thus,cDCs activate FasL-expressing T cells that regulate Fas-expressing extrafollicular helper T (Tefh) cells. These studies reveal a regulatory role for cDCs in B cell plasmablast responses and provide a mechanistic explanation for the excess autoantibody production observed in Fas deficiency. View Publication

The therapeutic monoclonal antibody (mAb) TGN1412 (anti-CD28 superagonist) caused near-fatal cytokine release syndrome (CRS) in all six volunteers during a phase-I clinical trial. Several cytokine release assays (CRAs) with reported predictivity for TGN1412-induced CRS have since been developed for the preclinical safety testing of new therapeutic mAbs. The whole blood (WB) CRA is the most widely used,but its sensitivity for TGN1412-like cytokine release was recently criticized. In a comparative study,using group size required for 90% power with 5% significance as a measure of sensitivity,we found that WB and 10% (v/v) WB CRAs were the least sensitive for TGN1412 as these required the largest group sizes (n = 52 and 79,respectively). In contrast,the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) solid phase (SP) CRA was the most sensitive for TGN1412 as it required the smallest group size (n = 4). Similarly,the PBMC SP CRA was more sensitive than the WB CRA for muromonab-CD3 (anti-CD3) which stimulates TGN1412-like cytokine release (n = 4 and 4519,respectively). Conversely,the WB CRA was far more sensitive than the PBMC SP CRA for alemtuzumab (anti-CD52) which stimulates FcγRI-mediated cytokine release (n = 8 and 180,respectively). Investigation of potential factors contributing to the different sensitivities revealed that removal of red blood cells (RBCs) from WB permitted PBMC-like TGN1412 responses in a SP CRA,which in turn could be inhibited by the addition of the RBC membrane protein glycophorin A (GYPA); this observation likely underlies,at least in part,the poor sensitivity of WB CRA for TGN1412. The use of PBMC SP CRA for the detection of TGN1412-like cytokine release is recommended in conjunction with adequately powered group sizes for dependable preclinical safety testing of new therapeutic mAbs. View Publication

Erythropoiesis,the essential process of hematopoietic stem cell development into erythrocytes,is controlled by lineage-specific transcription factors that determine cell fate and differentiation and by the hormone erythropoietin that stimulates cell survival and proliferation. Here we identify the Sry-related high-mobility-group (HMG) box transcription factor Sox6 as an important enhancer of definitive erythropoiesis. Sox6 is highly expressed in proerythroblasts and erythroblasts in the fetal liver,neonatal spleen,and bone marrow. Mouse fetuses and pups lacking Sox6 develop erythroid cells slowly and feature misshapen,short-lived erythrocytes. They compensate for anemia by elevating the serum level of erythropoietin and progressively enlarging their erythropoietic tissues. Erythroid-specific inactivation of Sox6 causes the same phenotype,demonstrating cell-autonomous roles for Sox6 in erythroid cells. Sox6 potentiates the ability of erythropoietin signaling to promote proerythroblast survival and has an effect additive to that of erythropoietin in stimulating proerythroblast and erythroblast proliferation. Sox6 also critically facilitates erythroblast and reticulocyte maturation,including hemoglobinization,cell condensation,and enucleation,and ensures erythrocyte cytoskeleton long-term stability. It does not control adult globin and erythrocyte cytoskeleton genes but acts by stabilizing filamentous actin (F-actin) levels. Sox6 thus enhances erythroid cell development at multiple levels and thereby ensures adequate production and quality of red blood cells. View Publication

Tissue fibrosis is a major cause of death in SSc,but therapies that target selectively fibrosis are not yet available for routine clinical use. Recent pre-clinical studies suggest that selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors that target c-Abl,PDGF receptor or Src kinases might be promising targets for anti-fibrotic approaches. Dual inhibition of c-Abl and PDGF receptor by imatinib and nilotinib,and inhibition of Src kinases either selectively by SU6656 or in combination with c-Abl and PDGF by dasatinib exerted potent anti-fibrotic effects. Imatinib,nilotinib,dasatinib and SU6656 reduced dose-dependently the synthesis of extracellular matrix protein in human dermal fibroblasts in vitro and prevented fibrosis in the mouse model of bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis. Clinical data from patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia suggest that imatinib,nilotinib and dasatinib are well tolerated. Based on the promising pre-clinical data,imatinib is currently evaluated in clinical trials for the treatment of fibrosis in SSc and trials with other tyrosine kinase inhibitors are in preparation. View Publication

The Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway controls growth,cell fate decisions,and morphogenesis during development. Damage to Hh transduction machinery can lead to birth defects and cancer. The transmembrane protein Smoothened (Smo) relays the Hh signal and is an important drug target in cancer. Smo enrichment in primary cilia is thought to drive activation of target genes. Using small-molecule agonists and antagonists to dissect Smo function,we find that Smo enrichment in cilia is not sufficient for signaling and a distinct second step is required for full activation. This 2-step mechanism--localization followed by activation--has direct implications for the design and use of anticancer therapeutics targeted against Smo. View Publication

The mechanisms by which megakaryocytes (MKs) differentiate and release platelets into the circulation are not well understood. However,growing evidence indicates that a complex regulatory mechanism involving MK-matrix interactions may contribute to the quiescent or permissive microenvironment related to platelet release within bone marrow. To address this hypothesis,in this study we demonstrate that human MKs express and synthesize cellular fibronectin (cFN) and transglutaminase factor XIII-A (FXIII-A). We proposed that these 2 molecules are involved in a new regulatory mechanism of MK-type I collagen interaction in the osteoblastic niche. In particular,we demonstrate that MK adhesion to type I collagen promotes MK spreading and inhibits pro-platelet formation through the release and relocation to the plasma membrane of cFN. This regulatory mechanism is dependent on the engagement of FN receptors at the MK plasma membrane and on transglutaminase FXIII-A activity. Consistently,the same mechanism regulated the assembly of plasma FN (pFN) by adherent MKs to type I collagen. In conclusion,our data extend the knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate MK-matrix interactions within the bone marrow environment and could serve as an important step for inquiring into the origins of diseases such as myelofibrosis and congenital thrombocytopenias that are still poorly understood. View Publication