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Genetically modified T lymphocytes expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are becoming increasingly important in the treatment of hematologic malignancies and are also intensively being investigated for other diseases such as autoimmune disorders and HIV. Current CAR T cell therapies predominantly use viral transduction methods which,despite their efficacy,raise safety concerns related to genomic integration and potentially associated malignancies as well as labor- and cost-intensive manufacturing. Therefore,non-viral gene transfer methods,especially mRNA-based approaches,have attracted research interest due to their transient modification and enhanced safety profile. In this study,the optimization of CAR-mRNA for T cell applications is investigated,focusing on the impact of mRNA modifications,in vitro transcription protocols,and purification techniques on the translation efficiency and immunogenicity of mRNA. Furthermore,the refined CAR-mRNA was used to generate transient CAR T cells from acute myeloid leukemia patient samples,demonstrating efficacy in vitro and proof-of-concept for clinically relevant settings. These results highlight the potential of optimized mRNA to produce transient and safe CAR T cells. 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

Neurogenesis decreases during aging and following cranial radiotherapy,causing a progressive cognitive decline that is currently untreatable. However,functional neural stem cells remained present in the subventricular zone of high dose-irradiated and aged mouse brains. We therefore investigated whether alterations in the neurogenic niches are perhaps responsible for the neurogenesis decline. This hypothesis was supported by the absence of proliferation of neural stem cells that were engrafted into the vascular niches of irradiated host brains. Moreover,we observed a marked increase in TGF-β1 production by endothelial cells in the stem cell niche in both middle-aged and irradiated mice. In co-cultures,irradiated brain endothelial cells induced the apoptosis of neural stem/progenitor cells via TGF-β/Smad3 signalling. Strikingly,the blockade of TGF-β signalling in vivo using a neutralizing antibody or the selective inhibitor SB-505124 significantly improved neurogenesis in aged and irradiated mice,prevented apoptosis and increased the proliferation of neural stem/progenitor cells. These findings suggest that anti-TGF-β-based therapy may be used for future interventions to prevent neurogenic collapse following radiotherapy or during aging. View Publication

The classification of breast cancer into multiple molecular subtypes has necessitated the need for biomarkers that can assess tumor progression and the effects of chemopreventive agents on specific breast cancer subtypes. The goal of this study was to identify biomarkers whose expression are altered along with estrogen receptor α (ERα) in the polyoma middle-T antigen (PyMT) transgenic model of breast cancer and to investigate the chemopreventive activity of phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC). The diet of PyMT female mice was fortified with PEITC (8 mmol/kg) and the mammary streak and/or gross tumors and metastases in lungs were subjected to immunohistochemical analyses for ERα,FOXA1,and GATA-3. FOXA1 is associated with luminal type A cancers,while GATA-3 is a marker of luminal progenitor cell differentiation. In both control and PEITC-treated groups,there was a progressive loss of ERα and FOXA1 but persistence of GATA-3 expression indicating that the tumors retain luminal phenotype. Overall,the PyMT induced tumors exhibited the entire gamut of phenotypes from ERα+/FOXA1+/GATA-3+ tumors in the early stage to ERα±/FOXA1-/GATA-3+ in the late stage. Thus,PyMT model serves as an excellent model for studying progression of luminal subtype tumors. PEITC treated animals had multiple small tumors,indicating delay in tumor progression. Although these tumors were histologically similar to those in controls,there was a lower expression of these biomarkers in normal luminal cells indicating delay in tumor initiation. In in vitro studies,PEITC depleted AldeFluor-positive putative stem/progenitor cells,which may partly be responsible for the delay in tumor initiation. View Publication

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Anemia due to chronic disease or chemotherapy often is ameliorated by erythropoietin (Epo). Present studies reveal that,unlike steady-state erythropoiesis,erythropoiesis during anemia depends sharply on an Epo receptor-phosphotyrosine-343-Stat5 signaling axis. In mice expressing a phosphotyrosine-null (PY-null) Epo receptor allele (EpoR-HM),severe and persistent anemia was induced by hemolysis or 5-fluorouracil. In short-term transplantation experiments,donor EpoR-HM bone marrow cells also failed to efficiently repopulate the erythroid compartment. In each context,stress erythropoiesis was rescued to WT levels upon the selective restoration of an EpoR PY343 Stat5-binding site (EpoR-H allele). As studied using a unique primary culture system,EpoR-HM erythroblasts exhibited marked stage-specific losses in Epo-dependent growth and survival. EpoR-H PY343 signals restored efficient erythroblast expansion,and the selective Epo induction of the Stat5 target genes proviral integration site-1 (Pim-1) and oncostatin-M. Bcl2-like 1 (Bcl-x),in contrast,was not significantly induced via WT-EpoR,EpoR-HM,or EpoR-H alleles. In Kit+ CD71+ erythroblasts,EpoR-PY343 signals furthermore enhanced SCF growth effects,and SCF modulation of Pim-1 kinase and oncostatin-M expression. In maturing Kit- CD71+ erythroblasts,oncostatin-M exerted antiapoptotic effects that likewise depended on EpoR PY343-mediated events. Stress erythropoiesis,therefore,requires stage-specific EpoR-PY343-Stat5 signals,some of which selectively bolster SCF and oncostatin-M action. View Publication

Small molecules will need to be identified and/or developed that target protein classes limiting reprogramming efficiency. A specific class of proteins includes epigenetic regulators that silence,or minimize expression,of pluripotency genes in differentiated cells. To better understand the role of specific epigenetic modulators in reprogramming,we have used shRNA delivered by lentivirus to assess the significance of individual epi-proteins in reprogramming pluripotent gene expression. View Publication

We describe a novel form of tumor cell plasticity characterized by reversible adaptive plasticity in murine and human neuroblastoma. Two cellular phenotypes were defined by their ability to exhibit adhered,anchorage dependent (AD) or sphere forming,anchorage independent (AI) growth. The tumor cells could transition back and forth between the two phenotypes and the transition was dependent on the culture conditions. Both cell phenotypes exhibited stem-like features such as expression of nestin,self-renewal capacity,and mesenchymal differentiation potential. The AI tumorspheres were found to be more resistant to chemotherapy and proliferated slower in vitro compared to the AD cells. Identification of specific molecular markers like MAP2,β-catenin,and PDGFRβ enabled us to characterize and observe both phenotypes in established mouse tumors. Irrespective of the phenotype originally implanted in mice,tumors grown in vivo show phenotypic heterogeneity in molecular marker signatures and are indistinguishable in growth or histologic appearance. Similar molecular marker heterogeneity was demonstrated in primary human tumor specimens. Chemotherapy or growth factor receptor inhibition slowed tumor growth in mice and promoted initial loss of AD or AI heterogeneity,respectively. Simultaneous targeting of both phenotypes led to further tumor growth delay with emergence of new unique phenotypes. Our results demonstrate that neuroblastoma cells are plastic,dynamic,and may optimize their ability to survive by changing their phenotype. Phenotypic switching appears to be an adaptive mechanism to unfavorable selection pressure and could explain the phenotypic and functional heterogeneity of neuroblastoma. View Publication

Transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) are a new class of engineered nucleases that are easier to design to cleave at desired sites in a genome than previous types of nucleases. We report here the use of TALENs to rapidly and efficiently generate mutant alleles of 15 genes in cultured somatic cells or human pluripotent stem cells,the latter for which we differentiated both the targeted lines and isogenic control lines into various metabolic cell types. We demonstrate cell-autonomous phenotypes directly linked to disease - dyslipidemia,insulin resistance,hypoglycemia,lipodystrophy,motor-neuron death,and hepatitis C infection. We found little evidence of TALEN off-target effects,but each clonal line nevertheless harbors a significant number of unique mutations. Given the speed and ease with which we were able to derive and characterize these cell lines,we anticipate TALEN-mediated genome editing of human cells becoming a mainstay for the investigation of human biology and disease. textcopyright 2013 Elsevier Inc. View Publication

A large number of EBV immortalized LCLs have been generated and maintained in genetic/epidemiological studies as a perpetual source of DNA and as a surrogate in vitro cell model. Recent successes in reprograming LCLs into iPSCs have paved the way for generating more relevant in vitro disease models using this existing bioresource. However,the overall reprogramming efficiency and success rate remain poor and very little is known about the mechanistic changes that take place at the transcriptome and cellular functional level during LCL-to-iPSC reprogramming. Here,we report a new optimized LCL-to-iPSC reprogramming protocol using episomal plasmids encoding pluripotency transcription factors and mouse p53DD (p53 carboxy-terminal dominant-negative fragment) and commercially available reprogramming media. We achieved a consistently high reprogramming efficiency and 100% success rate using this optimized protocol. Further,we investigated the transcriptional changes in mRNA and miRNA levels,using FC-abs ≥ 2.0 and FDR ≤ 0.05 cutoffs; 5,228 mRNAs and 77 miRNAs were differentially expressed during LCL-to-iPSC reprogramming. The functional enrichment analysis of the upregulated genes and activation of human pluripotency pathways in the reprogrammed iPSCs showed that the generated iPSCs possess transcriptional and functional profiles very similar to those of human ESCs. View Publication

A fundamental impediment to understanding the brain is the availability of inexpensive and robust methods for targeting and manipulating specific neuronal populations. The need to overcome this barrier is pressing because there are considerable anatomical,physiological,cognitive and behavioral differences between mice and higher mammalian species in which it is difficult to specifically target and manipulate genetically defined functional cell types. In particular,it is unclear the degree to which insights from mouse models can shed light on the neural mechanisms that mediate cognitive functions in higher species,including humans. Here we describe a novel recombinant adeno-associated virus that restricts gene expression to GABAergic interneurons within the telencephalon. We demonstrate that the viral expression is specific and robust,allowing for morphological visualization,activity monitoring and functional manipulation of interneurons in both mice and non-genetically tractable species,thus opening the possibility to study GABAergic function in virtually any vertebrate species. View Publication

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a member of the CSF family of hormone-like glycoproteins that regulate haematopoietic cell proliferation and differentiation,and G-CSF almost exclusively stimulates the colony formation of granulocytes from committed precursor cells in semi-solid agar culture. Recently,Nomura et al. have established a human squamous carcinoma cell line (designated CHU-2) from a human oral cavity tumour which produces large quantities of CSF constitutively,and the CSF produced by CHU-2 cells has been purified to homogeneity from the conditioned medium. We have now determined the partial amino-acid sequence of the purified G-CSF protein,and by using oligonucleotides as probes,have isolated several clones containing G-CSF complementary DNA from the cDNA library prepared with messenger RNA from CHU-2 cells. The complete nucleotide sequences of two of these cDNAs were determined and the expression of the cDNA in monkey COS cells gave rise to a protein showing authentic G-CSF activity. Furthermore,Southern hybridization analysis of DNA from normal leukocytes and CHU-2 cells suggests that the human genome contains only one gene for G-CSF and that some rearrangement has occurred within one of the alleles of the G-CSF gene in CHU-2 cells. View Publication