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

Nonmammalian glycan structures from helminths act as Th2 adjuvants. Some of these structures are also common on plant glycoproteins. We hypothesized that glycan structures present on peanut glycoallergens act as Th2 adjuvants. Peanut Ag (PNAg),but not deglycosylated PNAg,activated monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDCs) as measured by MHC/costimulatory molecule up-regulation,and by their ability to drive T cell proliferation. Furthermore,PNAg-activated MDDCs induced 2- to 3-fold more IL-4- and IL-13-secreting Th2 cells than immature or TNF/IL-1-activated MDDCs when cultured with naive CD4+ T cells. Human MDDCs rapidly internalized Ag in a calcium- and glycan-dependent manner consistent with recognition by C-type lectin. Dendritic cell (DC)-specific ICAM-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN) (CD209) was shown to recognize PNAg by enhanced uptake in transfected cell lines. To identify the DC-SIGN ligand from unfractionated PNAg,we expressed the extracellular portion of DC-SIGN as an Fc-fusion protein and used it to immunoprecipitate PNAg. A single glycoprotein was pulled down in a calcium-dependent manner,and its identity as Ara h 1 was proven by immunolabeling and mass spectrometry. Purified Ara h 1 was found to be sufficient for the induction of MDDCs that prime Th2-skewed T cell responses. Both PNAg and purified Ara h 1 induced Erk 1/2 phosphorylation of MDDCs,consistent with previous reports on the effect of Th2 adjuvants on DCs. View Publication

Metastasis is a primary cause of mortality due to cancer. Early metastatic growth involves both a remodeling of the extracellular matrix surrounding tumors and invasion of tumors across the basement membrane. Up-regulation of extracellular matrix degrading proteases such as urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and matrix metalloproteinases has been reported to facilitate tumor cell invasion. Autocrine transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) signaling may play an important role in cancer cell invasion and metastasis; however,the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study,we report that autocrine TGF-beta supports cancer cell invasion by maintaining uPA levels through protein secretion. Interestingly,treatment of paracrine/exogenous TGF-beta at higher concentrations than autocrine TGF-beta further enhanced uPA expression and cell invasion. The enhanced uPA expression by exogenous TGF-beta is a result of increased uPA mRNA expression due to RNA stabilization. We observed that both autocrine and paracrine TGF-beta-mediated regulation of uPA levels was lost upon depletion of Smad4 protein by RNA interference. Thus,through the Smad pathway,autocrine TGF-beta maintains uPA expression through facilitated protein secretion,thereby supporting tumor cell invasiveness,whereas exogenous TGF-beta further enhances uPA expression through mRNA stabilization leading to even greater invasiveness of the cancer cells. View Publication

Chaetocin,a thiodioxopiperazine natural product previously unreported to have anticancer effects,was found to have potent antimyeloma activity in IL-6-dependent and -independent myeloma cell lines in freshly collected sorted and unsorted patient CD138(+) myeloma cells and in vivo. Chaetocin largely spares matched normal CD138(-) patient bone marrow leukocytes,normal B cells,and neoplastic B-CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) cells,indicating a high degree of selectivity even in closely lineage-related B cells. Furthermore,chaetocin displays superior ex vivo antimyeloma activity and selectivity than doxorubicin and dexamethasone,and dexamethasone- or doxorubicin-resistant myeloma cell lines are largely non-cross-resistant to chaetocin. Mechanistically,chaetocin is dramatically accumulated in cancer cells via a process inhibited by glutathione and requiring intact/unreduced disulfides for uptake. Once inside the cell,its anticancer activity appears mediated primarily through the imposition of oxidative stress and consequent apoptosis induction. Moreover,the selective antimyeloma effects of chaetocin appear not to reflect differential intracellular accumulation of chaetocin but,instead,heightened sensitivity of myeloma cells to the cytotoxic effects of imposed oxidative stress. Considered collectively,chaetocin appears to represent a promising agent for further study as a potential antimyeloma therapeutic. View Publication

The histo-blood group i and I antigens have been characterized as straight and branched repeats of N-acetyllactosamine,respectively,and the conversion of the straight-chain i to the branched-chain I structure on red cells is regulated to occur after birth. It has been demonstrated that the human I locus expresses 3 IGnT transcripts,IGnTA,IGnTB,and IGnTC,and that the last of these is responsible for the I branching formation on red cells. In the present investigation,the K-562 cell line was used as a model to show that the i-to-I transition in erythroid differentiation is determined by the transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha),which enhances transcription of the IGnTC gene,consequently leading to formation of the I antigen. Further investigation suggested that C/EBPalpha IGnTC-activation activity is modulated at a posttranslational level,and that the phosphorylation status of C/EBPalpha may have a crucial effect. Results from studies using adult and cord erythropoietic cells agreed with those derived using the K-562 cell model,with lentiviral expression of C/EBPalpha in CD34(+) hemopoietic cells demonstrating the determining role of C/EBPalpha in the induction of the IGnTC gene as well as in I antigen expression. View Publication

Aberrant expression of Jagged1 and Notch1 are associated with poor outcome in breast cancer. However,the reason that Jagged1 and/or Notch overexpression portends a poor prognosis is unknown. We identify Slug,a transcriptional repressor,as a novel Notch target and show that elevated levels of Slug correlate with increased expression of Jagged1 in various human cancers. Slug was essential for Notch-mediated repression of E-cadherin,which resulted in beta-catenin activation and resistance to anoikis. Inhibition of ligand-induced Notch signaling in xenografted Slug-positive/E-cadherin-negative breast tumors promoted apoptosis and inhibited tumor growth and metastasis. This response was associated with down-regulated Slug expression,reexpression of E-cadherin,and suppression of active beta-catenin. Our findings suggest that ligand-induced Notch activation,through the induction of Slug,promotes tumor growth and metastasis characterized by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and inhibition of anoikis. View Publication

Imatinib is currently the first line therapy for newly diagnosed patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. However,20-25% of patients do not achieve durable complete cytogenetic responses. The mechanism underlying this primary resistance is unknown,but variations in BCR-ABL1 kinase activity may play a role and can be investigated by measuring the autophosphorylation levels of BCR-ABL1 or of a surrogate target such as Crkl. In this study we used flow cytometry to investigate the in vitro inhibition of Crkl phosphorylation by imatinib in CD34(+) cells in diagnostic samples from two groups of patients distinguished by their cytogenetic response. No difference in inhibition of Crkl phosphorylation was observed in the two groups. The observation that increasing the dose of imatinib in vivo did not increase the level of cytogenetic response in some non-responders suggests that in at least a proportion of patients imatinib resistance may be due to activation of BCR-ABL1-independent pathway. View Publication

During digestive organogenesis,the primitive gut tube (PGT) undergoes dramatic elongation and forms a lumen lined by a single-layer of epithelium. In Xenopus,endoderm cells in the core of the PGT rearrange during gut elongation,but the morphogenetic mechanisms controlling their reorganization are undetermined. Here,we define the dynamic changes in endoderm cell shape,polarity,and tissue architecture that underlie Xenopus gut morphogenesis. Gut endoderm cells intercalate radially,between their anterior and posterior neighbors,transforming the nearly solid endoderm core into a single layer of epithelium while concomitantly eliciting radially convergent" extension within the gut walls. Inhibition of Rho/ROCK/Myosin II activity prevents endoderm rearrangements and consequently perturbs both gut elongation and digestive epithelial morphogenesis. Our results suggest that the cellular and molecular events driving tissue elongation in the PGT are mechanistically analogous to those that function during gastrulation� View Publication

The immunodeficiency disorder,X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA),results from mutations in the gene encoding Bruton tyrosine kinase (Btk). Btk is required for pre-B cell clonal expansion and B-cell antigen receptor signaling. XLA patients lack mature B cells and immunoglobulin and experience recurrent bacterial infections only partially mitigated by life-long antibody replacement therapy. In pursuit of definitive therapy for XLA,we tested ex vivo gene therapy using a lentiviral vector (LV) containing the immunoglobulin enhancer (Emu) and Igbeta (B29) minimal promoter to drive B lineage-specific human Btk expression in Btk/Tec(-/-) mice,a strain that reproduces the features of human XLA. After transplantation of EmuB29-Btk-LV-transduced stem cells,treated mice showed significant,albeit incomplete,rescue of mature B cells in the bone marrow,peripheral blood,spleen,and peritoneal cavity,and improved responses to T-independent and T-dependent antigens. LV-treated B cells exhibited enhanced B-cell antigen receptor signaling and an in vivo selective advantage in the peripheral versus central B-cell compartment. Secondary transplantation showed sustained Btk expression,viral integration,and partial functional responses,consistent with long-term stem cell marking; and serial transplantation revealed no evidence for cellular or systemic toxicity. These findings strongly support pursuit of B lineage-targeted LV gene therapy in human XLA. View Publication

Activating mutations in signaling molecules,such as JAK2-V617F,have been associated with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Mice lacking the inhibitory adaptor protein Lnk display deregulation of thrombopoietin/thrombopoietin receptor signaling pathways and exhibit similar myeloproliferative characteristics to those found in MPN patients,suggesting a role for Lnk in the molecular pathogenesis of these diseases. Here,we showed that LNK levels are up-regulated and correlate with an increase in the JAK2-V617F mutant allele burden in MPN patients. Using megakaryocytic cells,we demonstrated that Lnk expression is regulated by the TPO-signaling pathway,thus indicating an important negative control loop in these cells. Analysis of platelets derived from MPN patients and megakaryocytic cell lines showed that Lnk can interact with JAK2-WT and V617F through its SH2 domain,but also through an unrevealed JAK2-binding site within its N-terminal region. In addition,the presence of the V617F mutation causes a tighter association with Lnk. Finally,we found that the expression level of the Lnk protein can modulate JAK2-V617F-dependent cell proliferation and that its different domains contribute to the inhibition of multilineage and megakaryocytic progenitor cell growth in vitro. Together,our results indicate that changes in Lnk expression and JAK2-V617F-binding regulate JAK2-mediated signals in MPNs. View Publication

The expression of an enzyme,GnT-V,that catalyzes a specific posttranslational modification of a family of glycoproteins,namely a branched N-glycan,is transcriptionally up-regulated during breast carcinoma oncogenesis. To determine the molecular basis of how early events in breast carcinoma formation are regulated by GnT-V,we studied both the early stages of mammary tumor formation by using 3D cell culture and a her-2 transgenic mouse mammary tumor model. Overexpression of GnT-V in MCF-10A mammary epithelial cells in 3D culture disrupted acinar morphogenesis with impaired hollow lumen formation,an early characteristic of mammary neoplastic transformation. The disrupted acinar morphogenesis of mammary tumor cells in 3D culture caused by her-2 expression was reversed in tumors that lacked GnT-V expression. Moreover,her-2-induced mammary tumor onset was significantly delayed in the GnT-V null tumors,evidence that the lack of the posttranslational modification catalyzed by GnT-V attenuated tumor formation. Inhibited activation of both PKB and ERK signaling pathways was observed in GnT-V null tumor cells. The proportion of tumor-initiating cells (TICs) in the mammary tumors from GnT-V null mice was significantly reduced compared with controls,and GnT-V null TICs displayed a reduced ability to form secondary tumors in NOD/SCID mice. These results demonstrate that GnT-V expression and its branched glycan products effectively modulate her-2-mediated signaling pathways that,in turn,regulate the relative proportion of tumor initiating cells and the latency of her-2-driven tumor onset. View Publication

BACKGROUND: Activity through NMDA type glutamate receptors sculpts connectivity in the developing nervous system. This topic is typically studied in the visual system in vivo,where activity of inputs can be differentially regulated,but in which individual synapses are difficult to visualize and mechanisms governing synaptic competition can be difficult to ascertain. Here,we develop a model of NMDA-receptor dependent synaptic competition in dissociated cultured hippocampal neurons. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: GluN1 -/- (KO) mouse hippocampal neurons lacking the essential NMDA receptor subunit were cultured alone or cultured in defined ratios with wild type (WT) neurons. The absence of functional NMDA receptors did not alter neuron survival. Synapse development was assessed by immunofluorescence for postsynaptic PSD-95 family scaffold and apposed presynaptic vesicular glutamate transporter VGlut1. Synapse density was specifically enhanced onto minority wild type neurons co-cultured with a majority of GluN1 -/- neighbour neurons,both relative to the GluN1 -/- neighbours and relative to sister pure wild type cultures. This form of synaptic competition was dependent on NMDA receptor activity and not conferred by the mere physical presence of GluN1. In contrast to these results in 10% WT and 90% KO co-cultures,synapse density did not differ by genotype in 50% WT and 50% KO co-cultures or in 90% WT and 10% KO co-cultures. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The enhanced synaptic density onto NMDA receptor-competent neurons in minority coculture with GluN1 -/- neurons represents a cell culture paradigm for studying synaptic competition. Mechanisms involved may include a retrograde 'reward' signal generated by WT neurons,although in this paradigm there was no 'punishment' signal against GluN1 -/- neurons. Cell culture assays involving such defined circuits may help uncover the rules and mechanisms of activity-dependent synaptic competition in the developing nervous system. View Publication

The identification of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH),fumarate hydratase (FH) and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations in human cancers has rekindled the idea that altered cellular metabolism can transform cells. Inactivating SDH and FH mutations cause the accumulation of succinate and fumarate,respectively,which can inhibit 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG)-dependent enzymes,including the EGLN prolyl 4-hydroxylases that mark the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) transcription factor for polyubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation. Inappropriate HIF activation is suspected of contributing to the pathogenesis of SDH-defective and FH-defective tumours but can suppress tumour growth in some other contexts. IDH1 and IDH2,which catalyse the interconversion of isocitrate and 2-OG,are frequently mutated in human brain tumours and leukaemias. The resulting mutants have the neomorphic ability to convert 2-OG to the (R)-enantiomer of 2-hydroxyglutarate ((R)-2HG). Here we show that (R)-2HG,but not (S)-2HG,stimulates EGLN activity,leading to diminished HIF levels,which enhances the proliferation and soft agar growth of human astrocytes. These findings define an enantiomer-specific mechanism by which the (R)-2HG that accumulates in IDH mutant brain tumours promotes transformation and provide a justification for exploring EGLN inhibition as a potential treatment strategy. View Publication