搜索结果: 'gmp t cell activator'

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is believed to protect cells against environmental stress (e.g. heat shock) by switching off biosynthetic pathways,the key signal being elevation of AMP. Identification of novel targets for the kinase cascade would be facilitated by development of a specific agent for activating the kinase in intact cells. Incubation of rat hepatocytes with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR) results in accumulation of the monophosphorylated derivative (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside; ZMP) within the cell. ZMP mimics both activating effects of AMP on AMPK,i.e. direct allosteric activation and promotion of phosphorylation by AMPK kinase. Unlike existing methods for activating AMPK in intact cells (e.g. fructose,heat shock),AICAR does not perturb the cellular contents of ATP,ADP or AMP. Incubation of hepatocytes with AICAR activates AMPK due to increased phosphorylation,causes phosphorylation and inactivation of a known target for AMPK (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase),and almost total cessation of two of the known target pathways,i.e. fatty acid and sterol synthesis. Incubation of isolated adipocytes with AICAR antagonizes isoprenaline-induced lipolysis. This provides direct evidence that the inhibition by AMPK of activation of hormone-sensitive lipase by cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase,previously demonstrated in cell-free assays,also operates in intact cells. AICAR should be a useful tool for identifying new target pathways and processes regulated by the protein kinase cascade. View Publication

An efficient system was developed that induced the differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells into blood cells of erythroid,myeloid,and B cell lineages by coculture with the stromal cell line OP9. This cell line does not express functional macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). The presence of M-CSF had inhibitory effects on the differentiation of ES cells to blood cells other than macrophages. Embryoid body formation or addition of exogenous growth factors was not required,and differentiation was highly reproducible even after the selection of ES cells with the antibiotic G418. Combined with the ability to genetically manipulate ES cells,this system will facilitate the study of molecular mechanisms involved in development and differentiation of hematopoietic cells. View Publication

Individually,transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) alter the growth and differentiation of normal and transformed osteoblast-like (OB) cells. Although recent evidence suggests interactions between TGF beta and 1,25(OH)2D3 may occur,little is known of the individual or combined effects of these hormones on the expression of the osteoblast phenotype at the cytochemical and biochemical levels in normal human OB (hOB) cells. Primary cultures of hOBs were treated with TGF beta (0.001-10 ng/ml) and 1,25(OH)2D3 (0.1 pM-100 nM) either alone or in combination. TGF beta and 1,25(OH)2D3 stimulated spindle-shaped cells to become stellate in appearance and increased the number of cytoplasmic processes. TGF beta increased 3H-thymidine incorporation and 1,25(OH)2D3 reduced this effect. Conversely,procollagen type-I synthesis and secretion were increased in a dose-dependent manner in the presence of TGF beta but were not significantly affected in the presence of 1,25(OH)2D3. TGF beta and 1,25(OH)2D3 each marginally increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity,but the combination synergistically increased ALP activity in a dose- and time-dependent manner at the cytochemical and biochemical level (three to tenfold over vehicle controls; n = 12). In contrast,TGF beta reduced 1,25(OH)2D3-stimulated osteocalcin secretion. These data suggest that TGF beta stimulates hOB cells to actively produce collagen matrix and proliferate. The combination of TGF beta and 1,25(OH)2D3,however,produces a synergistic increase in ALP activity and maintenance of collagen synthesis. 1,25(OH)2D3 stimulation may induce cells to advance to an endstage where cell proliferation is reduced and osteocalcin expression is promoted. Interactions between TGF beta and 1,25(OH)2D3 may represent important steps in the regulation of osteoblast differentiation and matrix production. View Publication

The epithelial glycoprotein 40 (EGP40,also known as GA733-2,ESA,KSA,and the 17-1A antigen),encoded by the GA-733-2 gene,is expressed on the baso-lateral cell surface in most human simple epithelia. The protein is also expressed in the vast majority of carcinomas and has attracted attention as a tumor marker. The function of the protein is unknown. We demonstrate here that EGP40 is an epithelium-specific intercellular adhesion molecule. The molecule mediates,in a Ca(2+)-independent manner,a homophilic cell-cell adhesion of murine cells transfected with the complete EGP40 cDNA. Two murine cell lines were tested for the effects of EGP40 expression: fibroblastic L cells and dedifferentiated mammary carcinoma L153S cells. The expression of the EGP40 protein causes morphological changes in cultures of transfected cells--increasing intercellular adhesion of the transfectants--and has a clear effect on cell aggregating behavior in suspension aggregation assays. EGP40 directs sorting in mixed cell populations,in particular,causes segregation of the transfectants from the corresponding parental cells. EGP40 expression suppresses invasive colony growth of L cells in EHS-matrigel providing tight adhesions between cells in growing colonies. EGP40 can thus be considered a new member of the intercellular adhesion molecules. In its biological behavior EGP40 resembles to some extent the molecules of the immunoglobulin superfamily of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs),although no immunoglobulin-like repeats are present in the EGP40 molecule. Certain structural similarities in general organization of the molecule exist between EGP40 and the lin-12/Notch proteins. A possible role of this adhesion molecule in formation of architecture of epithelial tissues is discussed. To reflect the function of the molecule the name Ep-CAM for EGP40 seems appropriate. View Publication

The bcr-abl oncogene,present in 95% of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML),has been implicated as the cause of this disease. A compound,designed to inhibit the Abl protein tyrosine kinase,was evaluated for its effects on cells containing the Bcr-Abl fusion protein. Cellular proliferation and tumor formation by Bcr-Abl-expressing cells were specifically inhibited by this compound. In colony-forming assays of peripheral blood or bone marrow from patients with CML,there was a 92-98% decrease in the number of bcr-abl colonies formed but no inhibition of normal colony formation. This compound may be useful in the treatment of bcr-abl-positive leukemias. View Publication

The classical definition of lymphohematopoietic stem cells (LHSC),the most primitive progenitors of all blood cells,requires that they have the capacity for self-renewal and for the long-term production of all blood cell lineages. However,other characteristics of LHSC have been debated. Our previous data suggested that mouse LHSC are very slowly proliferating cells that generate delayed multilineage engraftment,while radioprotection" (rapid engraftment that will prevent early death from radiation-induced marrow aplasia) results from more committed progenitors. Alternatively� View Publication

An in vivo transplantation system has been used to evaluate the developmental capacities of specific mouse mammary epithelial cell populations. Specifically,mouse mammary epithelial cells with distinctly limited developmental potentials have been identified using this procedure. Two distinct epithelial cell progenitors have been identified by experiments designed to determine whether basal lobular and ductal phenotypes could develop independently under conditions imposed by a limiting dilution. The prediction that these separate epithelial progenitors must exist was based upon the results from transplantation experiments carried out in epithelium-divested mammary fat pads of syngeneic mice with mammary epithelium from two different transgenic mouse models. The results presented here demonstrate the following points: 1) lobular,i.e. secretory,progenitor cells are present as distinct entities among the mammary epithelial cells found in immature virgin female mice; 2) similarly,ductal epithelial progenitors are present within the same population; 3) lobular progenitors are present in greater numbers,although both cell populations are extremely small; 4) as expected,some inocula produce outgrowths with simultaneous development of both lobular and ductal phenotypes--it is not known whether this indicates cooperative interaction between the two epithelial progenitors or signals the presence of a third progenitor type capable of producing both ductular and lobular committed daughters; 5) these findings have important consequences in the design of experiments aimed at testing the effects of known and putative mammary oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes,using techniques which include cellular transformation in vitro followed by in vivo cultivation and evaluation. View Publication

We examined the stem cell compartment of patients with acquired aplastic anemia (AA) using the long-term culture-initiating cell assay (LTC-IC),in parallel with measurements of CD34+ cells and mature hematopoietic progenitors. Secondary colonies from cells surviving 5 weeks of long-term bone marrow culture (LTBMC) were determined for the peripheral blood (PB) of 68 AA patients and 13 normal controls and for BM of 49 AA patients and 14 controls; because of low cell numbers,formal limiting dilution analysis could only be performed in 10 patients. The relationship of cell input in LTBMC and the output of secondary colonies was linear,allowing quantification of LTC-IC number from bulk cultures. Secondary colony formation was markedly abnormal in severe AA. In contrast to 7.8 colony-forming cells (CFC)/10(5) mononuclear cells in normal BM and 0.14 CFC/10(5) normal PB mononuclear cells,patients with severe disease showed 0.024 CFC/10(5) in BM and 0.0068 CFC/10(5) in PB. Under limiting dilution conditions,patients' cells also showed markedly lower colony-forming ability. In contrast to 4.3 +/- 1 colonies/normal LTC-IC,we obtained only 1.27 +/- 0.09 and 2.0 +/- 0.35 colonies from BM of acute and recovered cases,respectively. These values were used to extrapolate LTC-IC numbers from secondary colony formation in suspension cultures. In PB,calculated LTC-IC were decreased 7.4-fold in new and relapsed severe AA and 2.8-fold in recovered AA. In BM,LTC-IC were decreased 10-fold in new and relapsed AA and sixfold in recovered cases. Compared with measurements obtained on presentation,LTC-IC were lower in post-treatment samples from patients who had failed to recover after intensive immunosuppression and relatively higher in cases at relapse. In recovered patients,LTC-IC number increased but remained below the normal range in 20 of 25. In patients studied serially for 3 to 12 months after treatment,LTC-IC numbers remained stable but low. LTC-IC number correlated with concurrently determined CD34+ cell number and primary hematopoietic colony formation. These results indicate that stem cell numbers,as quantitated by the LTC-IC assay,are markedly diminished in number in all severe AA. Additionally,the function of the stem cell or the stem cell compartment in AA is also abnormal,as inferred from the low clonogenic potential in secondary colony assays. Early hematologic improvement in some patients occurs without increasing numbers of LTC-IC,and a minority of recovered cases show apparent repopulation of the LTC-IC compartment years after treatment. View Publication

Human bone marrow contains a population of cells capable of differentiating along multiple mesenchymal cell lineages. Recently,techniques for the purification and culture-expansion of these human marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) have been developed. The goals of the current study were to establish a reproducible system for the in vitro osteogenic differentiation of human MSCs,and to characterize the effect of changes in the microenvironment upon the process. MSCs derived from 2nd or 3rd passage were cultured for 16 days in various base media containing 1 to 1000 nM dexamethasone (Dex),0.01 to 4 mM L-ascorbic acid-2-phosphate (AsAP) or 0.25 mM ascorbic acid,and 1 to 10 mM beta-glycerophosphate (beta GP). Optimal osteogenic differentiation,as determined by osteoblastic morphology,expression of alkaline phosphatase (APase),reactivity with anti-osteogenic cell surface monoclonal antibodies,modulation of osteocalcin mRNA production,and the formation of a mineralized extracellular matrix containing hydroxyapatite was achieved with DMEM base medium plus 100 nM Dex,0.05 mM AsAP,and 10 mM beta GP. The formation of a continuously interconnected network of APase-positive cells and mineralized matrix supports the characterization of this progenitor population as homogeneous. While higher initial seeding densities did not affect cell number of APase activity,significantly more mineral was deposited in these cultures,suggesting that events which occur early in the differentiation process are linked to end-stage phenotypic expression. Furthermore,cultures allowed to concentrate their soluble products in the media produced more mineralized matrix,thereby implying a role for autocrine or paracrine factors synthesized by human MSCs undergoing osteoblastic lineage progression. This culture system is responsive to subtle manipulations including the basal nutrient medium,dose of physiologic supplements,cell seeding density,and volume of tissue culture medium. Cultured human MSCs provide a useful model for evaluating the multiple factors responsible for the step-wise progression of cells from undifferentiated precursors to secretory osteoblasts,and eventually terminally differentiated osteocytes. View Publication

In the adult human,mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) resident in bone marrow retain the capacity to proliferate and differentiate along multiple connective tissue lineages,including cartilage. In this study,culture-expanded human MSCs (hMSCs) of 60 human donors were induced to express the morphology and gene products of chondrocytes. Chondrogenesis was induced by culturing hMSCs in micromass pellets in the presence of a defined medium that included 100 nM dexamethasone and 10 ng/ml transforming growth factor-beta(3) (TGF-beta(3)). Within 14 days,cells secreted an extracellular matrix incorporating type II collagen,aggrecan,and anionic proteoglycans. hMSCs could be further differentiated to the hypertrophic state by the addition of 50 nM thyroxine,the withdrawal of TGF-beta(3),and the reduction of dexamethasone concentration to 1 nM. Increased understanding of the induction of chondrogenic differentiation should lead to further progress in defining the mechanisms responsible for the generation of cartilaginous tissues,their maintenance,and their regeneration. View Publication