技术资料

Because ex vivo rapamycin generates murine Th2 cells that prevent Graft-versus-host disease more potently than control Th2 cells,we hypothesized that rapamycin would generate Th2/Tc2 cells (Th2/Tc2.R cells) that abrogate fully MHC-disparate hemopoietic stem cell rejection more effectively than control Th2/Tc2 cells. In a B6-into-BALB/c graft rejection model,donor Th2/Tc2.R cells were indeed enriched in their capacity to prevent rejection; importantly,highly purified CD4+ Th2.R cells were also highly efficacious for preventing rejection. Rapamycin-generated Th2/Tc2 cells were less likely to die after adoptive transfer,accumulated in vivo at advanced proliferative cycles,and were present in 10-fold higher numbers than control Th2/Tc2 cells. Th2.R cells had a multifaceted,apoptosis-resistant phenotype,including: 1) reduced apoptosis after staurosporine addition,serum starvation,or CD3/CD28 costimulation; 2) reduced activation of caspases 3 and 9; and 3) increased anti-apoptotic Bcl-xL expression and reduced proapoptotic Bim and Bid expression. Using host-versus-graft reactivity as an immune correlate of graft rejection,we found that the in vivo efficacy of Th2/Tc2.R cells 1) did not require Th2/Tc2.R cell expression of IL-4,IL-10,perforin,or Fas ligand; 2) could not be reversed by IL-2,IL-7,or IL-15 posttransplant therapy; and 3) was intact after therapy with Th2.R cells relatively devoid of Foxp3 expression. We conclude that ex vivo rapamycin generates Th2 cells that are resistant to apoptosis,persist in vivo,and effectively prevent rejection by a mechanism that may be distinct from previously described graft-facilitating T cells. View Publication

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is increasingly being used for human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation in children but often requires pooling multiple cords to obtain sufficient numbers for transplantation in adults. To overcome this limitation,we have used an ex vivo two-week culture system to expand the number of hematopoietic CD34(+) cells in cord blood. To assess the in vivo function of these expanded CD34(+) cells,cultured human UCB containing 1 x 10(6) CD34(+) cells were transplanted into conditioned NOD-scid IL2rgamma(null) mice. The expanded CD34(+) cells displayed short- and long-term repopulating cell activity. The cultured human cells differentiated into myeloid,B-lymphoid,and erythroid lineages,but not T lymphocytes. Administration of human recombinant TNFalpha to recipient mice immediately prior to transplantation promoted human thymocyte and T-cell development. These T cells proliferated vigorously in response to TCR cross-linking by anti-CD3 antibody. Engrafted TNFalpha-treated mice generated antibodies in response to T-dependent and T-independent immunization,which was enhanced when mice were co-treated with the B cell cytokine BLyS. Ex vivo expanded CD34(+) human UCB cells have the capacity to generate multiple hematopoietic lineages and a functional human immune system upon transplantation into TNFalpha-treated NOD-scid IL2rgamma(null) mice. View Publication

We report that embryonic stem cells efficiently undergo differentiation in vitro to mesoderm and hematopoietic cells and that this in vitro system recapitulates days 6.5 to 7.5 of mouse hematopoietic development. Embryonic stem cells differentiated as embryoid bodies (EBs) develop erythroid precursors by day 4 of differentiation,and by day 6,more than 85% of EBs contain such cells. A comparative reverse transcriptase-mediated polymerase chain reaction profile of marker genes for primitive endoderm (collagen alpha IV) and mesoderm (Brachyury) indicates that both cell types are present in the developing EBs as well in normal embryos prior to the onset of hematopoiesis. GATA-1,GATA-3,and vav are expressed in both the EBs and embryos just prior to and/or during the early onset of hematopoiesis,indicating that they could play a role in the early stages of hematopoietic development both in vivo and in vitro. The initial stages of hematopoietic development within the EBs occur in the absence of added growth factors and are not significantly influenced by the addition of a broad spectrum of factors,including interleukin-3 (IL-3),IL-1,IL-6,IL-11,erythropoietin,and Kit ligand. At days 10 and 14 of differentiation,EB hematopoiesis is significantly enhanced by the addition of both Kit ligand and IL-11 to the cultures. Kinetic analysis indicates that hematopoietic precursors develop within the EBs in an ordered pattern. Precursors of the primitive erythroid lineage appear first,approximately 24 h before precursors of the macrophage and definitive erythroid lineages. Bipotential neutrophil/macrophage and multilineage precursors appear next,and precursors of the mast cell lineage develop last. The kinetics of precursor development,as well as the growth factor responsiveness of these early cells,is similar to that found in the yolk sac and early fetal liver,indicating that the onset of hematopoiesis within the EBs parallels that found in the embryo. View Publication

Tumors that recur following surgical resection of melanoma are typically metastatic and associated with poor prognosis. Using the murine B16F10 melanoma and a robust antimelanoma vaccine,we evaluated immunization as a tool to improve tumor-free survival following surgery. We investigated the utility of vaccination in both neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. Surprisingly,neoadjuvant vaccination was far superior and provided approximately 100% protection against tumor relapse. Neoadjuvant vaccination was associated with enhanced frequencies of tumor-specific T cells within the tumor and the tumor-draining lymph nodes following resection. We also observed increased infiltration of antigen-specific T cells into the area of surgery. This method should be amenable to any vaccine platform and can be readily extended to the clinic. View Publication

Two critical concerns in clinical cord blood transplantation are the initial time to engraftment and the subsequent restoration of immune function. These studies measured the impact of progenitor cell dose on both the pace and strength of hematopoietic reconstitution by transplanting nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency/interleukin-2 receptor-gamma-null (NSγ) mice with lineage-depleted aldehyde dehydrogenase-bright CD34(+) human cord blood progenitors. The progress of each transplant was monitored over an extended time course by repeatedly analyzing the peripheral blood for human hematopoietic cells. In vivo human hematopoietic development was complete. After long-term transplantation assays (≥ 19 weeks),human T-cell development was documented within multiple tissues in 16 of 32 NSγ mice. Human T-cell differentiation was active within NSγ thymuses,as documented by the presence of CD4(+) CD8(+) T-cell progenitors as well as T-cell receptor excision circles. It is important to note that although myeloid and B-cell engraftment was detected as early as 4 weeks after transplantation,human T-cell development was exclusively late onset. High progenitor cell doses were associated with a robust human hematopoietic chimerism that accelerated both initial time to engraftment and subsequent T-cell development. At lower progenitor cell doses,the chimerism was weak and the human hematopoietic lineage development was frequently incomplete. View Publication