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

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BACKGROUND Pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells,which have the capacity to give rise to all tissue types in the body,show great promise as a versatile source of cells for regenerative therapy. However,the basic mechanisms of lineage specification of pluripotent stem cells are largely unknown,and generating sufficient quantities of desired cell types remains a formidable challenge. Small molecules,particularly those that modulate key developmental pathways like the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling cascade,hold promise as tools to study in vitro lineage specification and to direct differentiation of stem cells toward particular cell types. METHODOLOGY/ PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We describe the use of dorsomorphin,a selective small molecule inhibitor of BMP signaling,to induce myocardial differentiation in mouse ES cells. Cardiac induction is very robust,increasing the yield of spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes by at least 20 fold. Dorsomorphin,unlike the endogenous BMP antagonist Noggin,robustly induces cardiomyogenesis when treatment is limited to the initial 24-hours of ES cell differentiation. Quantitative-PCR analyses of differentiating ES cells indicate that pharmacological inhibition of BMP signaling during the early critical stage promotes the development of the cardiomyocyte lineage,but reduces the differentiation of endothelial,smooth muscle,and hematopoietic cells. CONCLUSIONS/ SIGNIFICANCE Administration of a selective small molecule BMP inhibitor during the initial stages of ES cell differentiation substantially promotes the differentiation of primitive pluripotent cells toward the cardiomyocytic lineage,apparently at the expense of other mesodermal lineages. Small molecule modulators of developmental pathways like dorsomorphin could become versatile pharmacological tools for stem cell research and regenerative medicine. View Publication

Interactions between developmental signaling pathways govern the formation and function of stem cells. Prostaglandin (PG) E2 regulates vertebrate hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Similarly,the Wnt signaling pathway controls HSC self-renewal and bone marrow repopulation. Here,we show that wnt reporter activity in zebrafish HSCs is responsive to PGE2 modulation,demonstrating a direct interaction in vivo. Inhibition of PGE2 synthesis blocked wnt-induced alterations in HSC formation. PGE2 modified the wnt signaling cascade at the level of beta-catenin degradation through cAMP/PKA-mediated stabilizing phosphorylation events. The PGE2/Wnt interaction regulated murine stem and progenitor populations in vitro in hematopoietic ES cell assays and in vivo following transplantation. The relationship between PGE2 and Wnt was also conserved during regeneration of other organ systems. Our work provides in vivo evidence that Wnt activation in stem cells requires PGE2,and suggests the PGE2/Wnt interaction is a master regulator of vertebrate regeneration and recovery. View Publication

The recent discovery of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology provides an invaluable tool for creating in vitro representations of human genetic conditions. This is particularly relevant for those diseases that lack adequate animal models or where the species comparison is difficult,e.g. imprinting diseases such as the neurogenetic disorder Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). However,recent reports have unveiled transcriptional and functional differences between iPSCs and embryonic stem cells that in cases are attributable to imprinting errors. This has suggested that human iPSCs may not be useful to model genetic imprinting diseases. Here,we describe the generation of iPSCs from a patient with PWS bearing a partial translocation of the paternally expressed chromosome 15q11-q13 region to chromosome 4. The resulting iPSCs match all standard criteria of bona fide reprogramming and could be readily differentiated into tissues derived from the three germ layers,including neurons. Moreover,these iPSCs retain a high level of DNA methylation in the imprinting center of the maternal allele and show concomitant reduced expression of the disease-associated small nucleolar RNA HBII-85/SNORD116. These results indicate that iPSCs may be a useful tool to study PWS and perhaps other genetic imprinting diseases as well. View Publication

Cancer stem cells (CSC) are rare drug-resistant cancer cell subsets proposed to be responsible for the maintenance and recurrence of cancer and metastasis. Telomerase is constitutively active in both bulk tumor cell and CSC populations but has only limited expression in normal tissues. Thus,inhibition of telomerase has been shown to be a viable approach in controlling cancer growth in nonclinical studies and is currently in phase II clinical trials. In this study,we investigated the effects of imetelstat (GRN163L),a potent telomerase inhibitor,on both the bulk cancer cells and putative CSCs. When breast and pancreatic cancer cell lines were treated with imetelstat in vitro,telomerase activity in the bulk tumor cells and CSC subpopulations were inhibited. Additionally,imetelstat treatment reduced the CSC fractions present in the breast and pancreatic cell lines. In vitro treatment with imetelstat,but not control oligonucleotides,also reduced the proliferation and self-renewal potential of MCF7 mammospheres and resulted in cell death after textless4 weeks of treatment. In vitro treatment of PANC1 cells showed reduced tumor engraftment in nude mice,concomitant with a reduction in the CSC levels. Differences between telomerase activity expression levels or telomere length of CSCs and bulk tumor cells in these cell lines did not correlate with the increased sensitivity of CSCs to imetelstat,suggesting a mechanism of action independent of telomere shortening for the effects of imetelstat on the CSC subpopulations. Our results suggest that imetelstat-mediated depletion of CSCs may offer an alternative mechanism by which telomerase inhibition may be exploited for cancer therapy. View Publication

BACKGROUND: Cancer stem cells are a chemotherapy-resistant population capable of self-renewal and of regenerating the bulk tumor,thereby causing relapse and patient death. Ewing's sarcoma,the second most common form of bone tumor in adolescents and young adults,follows a clinical pattern consistent with the Cancer Stem Cell model - remission is easily achieved,even for patients with metastatic disease,but relapse remains frequent and is usually fatal. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have isolated a subpopulation of Ewing's sarcoma cells,from both human cell lines and human xenografts grown in immune deficient mice,which express high aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH(high)) activity and are enriched for clonogenicity,sphere-formation,and tumor initiation. The ALDH(high) cells are resistant to chemotherapy in vitro,but this can be overcome by the ATP binding cassette transport protein inhibitor,verapamil. Importantly,these cells are not resistant to YK-4-279,a small molecule inhibitor of EWS-FLI1 that is selectively toxic to Ewing's sarcoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Ewing's sarcoma contains an ALDH(high) stem-like population of chemotherapy-resistant cells that retain sensitivity to EWS-FLI1 inhibition. Inhibiting the EWS-FLI1 oncoprotein may prove to be an effective means of improving patient outcomes by targeting Ewing's sarcoma stem cells that survive standard chemotherapy. View Publication

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are obtained from adult cells through overexpression of pluripotency factors. iPSCs share many features with embryonic stem cells (ESCs),circumventing ethical issues,and,noteworthy,match donor's genotype. iPSCs represent therefore a valuable tool for regenerative medicine. Cardiac differentiation of ESCs can be enhanced via microRNAs (miRNAs) and small chemical compounds,which probably act as chromatin remodelers. Cardiomyogenic potential of iPSCs is currently intensely investigated for cell therapy or in vitro drug screening and disease modeling. However,influences of small compounds on iPSC-related cardiomyogenesis have not yet been investigated in details. Here,we compared the effects of two small molecules,bis-peroxo-vanadium (bpV) and sulfonyl-hydrazone-1 (SHZ) at varying concentrations,during cardiac differentiation of murine iPSCs. SHZ (5 µM) enhanced specific marker expression and cardiomyocyte yield,without loss of cell viability. In contrast,bpV showed negligible effects on cardiac differentiation rate and appeared to induce Casp3-dependent apoptosis in differentiating iPSCs. Furthermore,SHZ-treated iPSCs were able to increase beating foci rate and upregulate early and late cardiomyogenic miRNA expression (miR-1,miR-133a,and miR-208a). Thus,our results demonstrate that small chemical compounds,such as SHZ,can constitute a novel and clinically feasible strategy to improve iPSC-derived cardiac differentiation. View Publication

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor initiating cells (TICs) make up only a small fraction of total tumor cell population,but recent evidence suggests that they are responsible for tumor initiation and the maintenance of tumor growth. Whether CSCs/TICs originate from normal stem cells or result from the dedifferentiation of terminally differentiated cells remains unknown. Here we provide evidence that sustained expression of the proinflammatory protein tissue transglutaminase (TG2) confers stem cell like properties in non-transformed and transformed mammary epithelial cells. Sustained expression of TG2 was associated with increase in CD44(high)/CD24(low/-) subpopulation,increased ability of cells to form mammospheres,and acquisition of self-renewal ability. Mammospheres derived from TG2-transfected mammary epithelial cells (MCF10A) differentiated into complex secondary structures when grown in Matrigel cultures. Cells in these secondary structures differentiated into Muc1-positive (luminal marker) and integrin α6-positive (basal marker) cells in response to prolactin treatment. Highly aggressive MDA-231 and drug-resistant MCF-7/RT breast cancer cells,which express high basal levels of TG2,shared many traits with TG2-transfected MCF10A stem cells but unlike MCF10A-derived stem cells they failed to form the secondary structures and to differentiate into Muc1-positive luminal cells when grown in Matrigel culture. Downregulation of TG2 attenuated stem cell properties in both non-transformed and transformed mammary epithelial cells. Taken together,these results suggested a new function for TG2 and revealed a novel mechanism responsible for promoting the stem cell characteristics in adult mammary epithelial cells. View Publication

Oncolytic viruses have been emerging as a promising therapeutic option for cancer patients,including lung cancer. Orf virus (ORFV),a DNA parapoxvirus,can infect its natural ungulate hosts and transmit into humans. Moreover,the ORFV has advantages of low toxicity,high targeted,self-amplification and can induce potent Th1-like immunity. This study explored the therapeutic potential of ORFV infection for human lung cancer therapy and investigated the molecular mechanisms. We used a previously described ORFV NA1/11 strain and tested the oncolysis of ORFV NA1/11 in two lines of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Treatment of both cell lines with ORFV NA1/11 resulted in a decrease in cell viability by inducing cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase,suppressing cyclin B1 expression and increasing their apoptosis in a caspase-dependent manner. The ORFV NA1/11-infected lung cancer cells were highly immunogenic. Evidently,ORFV NA1/11 infection of lung cancer cells induced oncolysis of tumor cells to release danger-associated molecular patterns,and promoted dendritic cell maturation,and CD8 T cell infiltration in the tumors by enhancing CXCL16 secretion. These findings may help to understand the molecular mechanisms of ORFV oncolysis and aid in the development of novel therapies for lung cancer. View Publication

Interactions with Ag-specific T cells drive B cell activation and fate choices that ultimately determine the quality of high-affinity Ab responses. As such,these interactions,and especially the long-lived interactions that occur before germinal center formation,may be important checkpoints to regulate undesirable responses. Using mouse model Ag systems,we directly observed interactions between T and B cells responding to the self-antigen myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) and found that they are of lower quality compared with interactions between cells responding to the model foreign Ag nitrophenyl-haptenated OVA. This was associated with reduced expression of molecules that facilitate these interactions on the B cells,but not on T cells. B cell expression of these molecules was not dictated by the T cell partner,nor could the relative lack of expression on MOG-specific (MOG-sp.) B cells be reversed by a multivalent Ag. Instead,MOG-sp. B cells were inherently less responsive to BCR stimulation than MOG-non-sp. cells. However,the phenotype of MOG-sp. B cells was not consistent with previous descriptions of autoimmune B cells that had been tolerized via regular exposure to systemically expressed self-antigen. This suggests that alternate anergy pathways may exist to limit B cell responses to tissue-restricted self-antigens. View Publication

BACKGROUND MiR-199a-3p (miR-199a) can enhance the chemosensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Because of the easy degradation of miRNA by direct infusion,effective vehicle-mediated delivery of miR-199a may represent a new strategy for improving HCC chemotherapy. Considering mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes as promising natural nanovectors for drug and molecule delivery,we aimed to determine whether exosomes from adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AMSCs) could be used to deliver miR-199a and improve HCC chemosensitivity. METHODS MiR-199a-modified AMSCs (AMSC-199a) were constructed by miR-199a lentivirus infection and puromycin selection. MiR-199-modified exosomes (AMSC-Exo-199a) were isolated from the supernatant of AMSC-199a and were assessed by transmission electron microscopy,nanoparticle tracking analysis,and flow cytometry analysis. The expression levels of miR-199a in HCC samples,AMSCs,exosomes,and HCC cells were quantified by real-time PCR. The effects of AMSC-Exo-199a on HCC chemosensitivity were determined by cell proliferation and apoptosis assays and by i.v. injection into orthotopic HCC mouse models with doxorubicin treatment. MTOR,p-4EBP1 and p-70S6K levels in HCC cells and tissues were quantified by Western blot. RESULTS AMSC-Exo-199a had the classic characteristics of exosomes and could effectively mediate miR-199a delivery to HCC cells. Additionally,AMSC-Exo-199a significantly sensitized HCC cells to doxorubicin by targeting mTOR and subsequently inhibiting the mTOR pathway. Moreover,i.v.-injected AMSC-Exo-199a could distribute to tumor tissue and markedly increased the effect of Dox against HCC in vivo. CONCLUSIONS AMSC-Exo-199a can be an effective vehicle for miR-199a delivery,and they effectively sensitized HCC to chemotherapeutic agents by targeting mTOR pathway. AMSC-Exo-199a administration may provide a new strategy for improving HCC chemosensitivity. View Publication

Simple SummaryAtypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRTs) and diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs) are lethal pediatric brain tumors that can resist chemotherapy and be influenced by their microenvironment. Astrocytes are the key components of the brain tumor microenvironment and can support tumor growth. We investigated the effects of astrocytes on cisplatin sensitivity in pediatric brain cancer cells. The crosstalk between astrocytes and cancer cells activated astrocytes and promoted cancer cell proliferation. Moreover,the tumor cells expressed elevated levels of drug resistance genes in the presence of astrocytes. In conclusion,astrocytes can significantly improve the growth of these tumor cells and modulate their chemosensitivity,highlighting their role in therapeutic resistance. AbstractBackground: ATRTs and DIPGs are deadly pediatric brain tumors with poor prognosis. These tumors can develop resistance to chemotherapies,which may be significantly influenced by their microenvironment. Since astrocytes are the most abundant glial cell type in the brain microenvironment and may support tumor growth and chemoresistance,this study investigated the effects of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived astrocytes (iPSC-astrocytes) on cisplatin sensitivity in CHLA-05-ATRT and SF8628 (DIPG) cells. iPSCs provide an unlimited and standardized source of nascent astrocytes,which enables modeling the interaction between childhood brain tumor cells and iPSC-astrocytes within a controlled coculture system. Methods: To study the effects on tumor growth,the iPSC-astrocytes were cocultured with tumor cells. Additionally,the tumor cells were exposed to various concentrations of cisplatin to evaluate their chemosensitivity in the presence of astrocytes. Results: The paracrine interaction of iPSC-astrocytes with tumor cells upregulated astrocyte activation markers GFAP and STAT3 and promoted tumor cell proliferation. Moreover,the cisplatin treatment significantly decreased the viability of CHLA-05-ATRT and SF8628 cells. However,tumor cells exhibited reduced sensitivity to cisplatin in the coculture with iPSC-astrocytes. During cisplatin treatment,DIPG cells in particular showed upregulation of resistance markers,ERK1,STAT3,and MTDH,which are associated with enhanced proliferation and invasion. They also had increased expression of APEX1,which is involved in the base excision repair pathway following cisplatin-induced DNA damage. Conclusion: These findings underscore the significance of the tumor microenvironment in modulating tumor cell survival and chemosensitivity. View Publication