技术资料

Taking advantage of fluorescent substrates for their metabolic marker aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH),hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) were defined as SSC(lo)ALDH(br) - reflecting their low orthogonal light scattering and bright fluorescence intensity in flow cytometry. Based thereon,we investigated the usefulness of ALDH activity for characterizing HSC graft quality,particularly under stress conditions. We first compared the expression of ALDH vs CD34 in bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) samples over 7 days. We noted that (i) only ALDH activity but not CD34 expression strongly reflected colony-forming ability over time,and that (ii) PBSC grafts stored at room temperature lost most of their progenitor cells within just 48 h. We then retrospectively related ALDH and CD34 expression as well as granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM) potential for 19 cryopreserved allogeneic PBSC grafts to engraftment data. Strikingly,in all six patients who received markedly decreased numbers of SSC(lo)ALDH(br) cells,this was associated not only with almost complete loss of CFU-GM potential but also with delayed establishment/permanent absence of full hematopoietic donor cell chimerism,whereas all other patients showed early complete donor chimerism. In conclusion,we suggest to measure ALDH activity as a surrogate marker for HSC activity,and to transport and store PBSC under controlled cooling conditions. View Publication

Previous studies have demonstrated leukemic complications in mice after high-copy retroviral gene transfer of the multidrug resistance 1 (MDR1) cDNA,encoding a membrane-located efflux pump expressed in hematopoietic stem cells. In contrast,no such complications or MDR1-associated alterations of hematopoiesis were observed in numerous other studies exploring MDR1 gene transfer into cell lines,mice,dogs,nonhuman primates,and human subjects. Here,we show that leukemias associated with retroviral expression of MDR1 depend on high vector dose,and involve the selection of clones with combinatorial insertional mutagenesis of proto-oncogenes or other signaling genes. Compared with insertion patterns in normal long-term repopulating hematopoietic cells,such hits were overrepresented in leukemic clones,pointing to a causal role. A similar constellation of insertion sites was also observed in a leukemia arising after high-copy retroviral gene transfer of a fluorescent protein. Spectral karyotyping demonstrated additional chromosomal translocations in a subset of cases,indicative of secondary genetic instability. We also show that insertional mutants can be amplified in vitro prior to transplantation. On the basis of these findings,we suggest the use of preclinical dose-escalation studies to define a therapeutic index for retroviral transgene delivery. View Publication

Whether cytokines can modulate the fate of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) through successive in vitro cell divisions has not been established. Single human marrow CD34+CD38-/lo cells in the G0 phase of cell cycle were cultured under 7 different cytokine combinations,monitored for proliferation on days 3,5,and 7,then assayed for long-term culture-initiating cell (LTC-IC) function on day 7. LTC-IC function was then retrospectively correlated with prior number of in vitro cell divisions to determine whether maintenance of LTC-IC function after in vitro cell division is dependent on cytokine exposure. In the presence of proliferation progression signals,initial cell division was independent of cytokine stimulation,suggesting that entry of primitive HPCs into the cell cycle is a stochastic property. However,kinetics of proliferation beyond day 3 and maintenance of LTC-IC function were sensitive to cytokine stimulation,such that LTC-IC underwent an initial long cell cycle,followed by more synchronized shorter cycles varying in length depending on the cytokine combination. Nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) transplantation studies revealed analogous results to those obtained with LTC-ICs. These data suggest that although exit from quiescence and commitment to proliferation might be stochastic,kinetics of proliferation,and possibly fate of primitive HPCs,might be modulated by extrinsic factors. View Publication

Hematopoiesis depends on the association of hematopoietic stem cells with stromal cells that constitute the hematopoietic microenvironment. The in vitro development of the endothelial cell from umbilical cord blood (UCB) is not well established and has met very limited success. In this study,UCB CD34(+) cells were cultured for 5 weeks in a stroma-free liquid culture system using thrombopoietin,flt3 ligand,and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. By week 4-5,we found that firmly adherent fibroblast-like cells were established. These cells showed characteristics of endothelial cells expressing von Willebrand factor,human vascular cell adhesion molecule-1,human intracellular adhesion molecule-1,human CD31,E-selectin,and human macrophage. Furthermore,when comparing an ex vivo system without an established endothelial monolayer to an ex vivo system with an established endothelial monolayer,better expansion of total nucleated cells,CD34(+) cells,and colony-forming units (CFUs)-granulocyte-macrophage and CFUs-granulocyte-erythroid-megakaryocyte-macrophage were found during culture. This phenomenon was in part due to the fact that a significant reduction of apoptotic fractions was found in the CD34(+) cells,which were cultured on the adherent monolayer for up to 5 weeks. To gather quantitative data on the number of endothelial cells derived from a given number of CD34 cells,we performed limiting dilution assay by using Poisson distribution: the number of tested cells (linear scale) producing a 37% negative culture (logarithmic scale) is the number of cells containing one endothelial cell. By this method,one endothelial cell may be found from 314 CD34(+) cells after 5 weeks of culture. These results suggest that the UCB CD34(+) cell fraction contains endothelial cell precursors,establishing the hematopoietic microenvironment and providing the beneficial effects through downregulating apoptosis on UCB expansion protocols. These observations may provide insight for future cellular therapy or graft engineering. View Publication

Undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells with flexible developmental potentials are not normally found in peripheral blood. However,such cells have recently been reported to reside in the bone marrow. Herein are reported methods of inducing pluripotency in cells derived from unmobilised adult human peripheral blood. In response to the inclusion of purified CR3/43 monoclonal antibody (mAb) to well-established culture conditions,mononuclear cells (MNC) obtained from a single blood donor are converted into pluripotent haematopoietic,neuronal and cardiomyogenic progenitor stem cells or undifferentiated stem cells. The haematopoietic stem cells are CD34+,clonogenic and have been shown to repopulate non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice. The neuronal precursors transcribe the primitive stem cell markers OCT-4 and nestin,and on maturation,differentially stain positive for neuronal,glial or oligodendrocyte-specific antigens. The cardiomyogenic progenitor stem cells form large bodies of asynchronously beating cells and differentiate into mature cardiomyocytes which transcribe GATA-4. The undifferentiated stem cells do not express haematopoietic-associated markers,are negative for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II antigens,transcribe high levels of OCT-4 and form embryoid body (EB)-like structures. This induction of stem cell-like plasticity in MNC may have proceeded by a process of retrodifferentiation but,in any case,could have profound clinical and pharmacological implications. Finally,the flexibility and the speed by which a variety of stem cell classes can be generated ex vivo from donor blood could potentially transfer this novel process into a less invasive automated clinical procedure. View Publication

Clinical observations suggest that in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML),the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph+) clone has a growth advantage over normal hematopoiesis. Patients with CML have high levels of neutrophil elastase,which has recently been shown to antagonize the action of granulocyte-colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and other growth factors. We therefore compared the effect of elastase on the growth of normal and CML progenitor cells. In 10-day suspension cultures of normal or CML CD34+ cells supplemented with G-CSF,stem cell factor (SCF),and granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF),CML cells had diminished sensitivity to the growth inhibitory effect of elastase. When equal numbers of CML and normal CD34+ cells were cocultured for 10 days,there was no change in the relative proportions of normal and leukemic cells (measured by fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH] or flow cytometry). However,when elastase was added,CML cells predominated at the end of the culture period (78% vs 22% with 1 microg/mL and 80% vs 20% with 5 microg/mL elastase). CML neutrophils substituted effectively for elastase in suppressing the proliferation of normal CD34+ cells,but this effect was abrogated by serine protease inhibitors. These results suggest that elastase overproduction by the leukemic clone can change the growth environment by digesting growth factors,thereby giving advantage to Ph+ hematopoiesis. View Publication

We evaluated the effects of ectopic granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) signals on hematopoietic commitment and differentiation. Lineage-restricted progenitors purified from mice with the ubiquitous transgenic human GM-CSF receptor (hGM-CSFR) were used for the analysis. In cultures with hGM-CSF alone,hGM-CSFR-expressing (hGM-CSFR+) granulocyte/monocyte progenitors (GMPs) and megakaryocyte/erythrocyte progenitors (MEPs) exclusively gave rise to granulocyte/monocyte (GM) and megakaryocyte/erythroid (MegE) colonies,respectively,providing formal proof that GM-CSF signals support the GM and MegE lineage differentiation without affecting the physiological myeloid fate. hGM-CSFR transgenic mice were crossed with mice deficient in interleukin (IL)-7,an essential cytokine for T and B cell development. Administration of hGM-CSF in these mice could not restore T or B lymphopoiesis,indicating that enforced GM-CSF signals cannot substitute for IL-7 to promote lymphopoiesis. Strikingly,textgreater50% hGM-CSFR+ common lymphoid progenitors (CLPs) and textgreater20% hGM-CSFR+ pro-T cells gave rise to granulocyte,monocyte,and/or myeloid dendritic cells,but not MegE lineage cells in the presence of hGM-CSF. Injection of hGM-CSF into mice transplanted with hGM-CSFR+ CLPs blocked their lymphoid differentiation,but induced development of GM cells in vivo. Thus,hGM-CSF transduces permissive signals for myeloerythroid differentiation,whereas it transmits potent instructive signals for the GM differentiation to CLPs and early T cell progenitors. These data suggest that a majority of CLPs and a fraction of pro-T cells possess plasticity for myelomonocytic differentiation that can be activated by ectopic GM-CSF signals,supporting the hypothesis that the down-regulation of GM-CSFR is a critical event in producing cells with a lymphoid-restricted lineage potential. View Publication

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and stem cell factor (SCF) act as growth factors for the hemangioblast,an embryonic progenitor of the hematopoietic and endothelial lineages. Because thrombopoietin (TPO) and its receptor,c-Mpl,regulate primitive hematopoietic populations,including bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells,we investigated whether TPO acts on the hemangioblasts that derive from differentiation of embryonic stem cells in vitro. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis detected expression of c-Mpl beginning on day 3 of embryoid body differentiation when the hemangioblast first arises. In assays of the hemangioblast colony-forming cell (BL-CFC),TPO alone supported BL-CFC formation and nearly doubled the number of BL-CFC when added together with VEGF and SCF. When replated under the appropriate conditions,TPO-stimulated BL-CFC gave rise to secondary hematopoietic colonies,as well as endothelial cells,confirming their nature as hemangioblasts. Addition of a neutralizing anti-VEGF antibody did not block TPO enhancement of BL-CFC formation,suggesting that TPO acts independently of VEGF. These results establish that Mpl signaling plays a role in the earliest stages of hematopoietic development and that TPO represents a third growth factor influencing hemangioblast formation. View Publication

We investigated the in vivo role of CD69 by analyzing the susceptibility of CD69-/- mice to tumors. CD69-/- mice challenged with MHC class I- tumors (RMA-S and RM-1) showed greatly reduced tumor growth and prolonged survival compared with wild-type (WT) mice. The enhanced anti-tumor response was NK cell and T lymphocyte-mediated,and was due,at least in part,to an increase in local lymphocytes. Resistance of CD69-/- mice to MHC class I- tumor growth was also associated with increased production of the chemokine MCP-1,diminished TGF-beta production,and decreased lymphocyte apoptosis. Moreover,the in vivo blockade of TGF-beta in WT mice resulted in enhanced anti-tumor response. In addition,CD69 engagement induced NK and T cell production of TGF-beta,directly linking CD69 signaling to TGF-beta regulation. Furthermore,anti-CD69 antibody treatment in WT mice induced a specific down-regulation in CD69 expression that resulted in augmented anti-tumor response. These data unmask a novel role for CD69 as a negative regulator of anti-tumor responses and show the possibility of a novel approach for the therapy of tumors. View Publication

A defect in cell trafficking and chemotaxis plays an important role in the immune deficiency observed in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS). In this report,we show that marrow cells from WAS protein (WASP)-deficient mice also have a defect in chemotaxis. Serial transplantation and competitive reconstitution experiments demonstrated that marrow cells,including hematopoietic progenitors and stem cells (HSCs),have decreased homing capacities that were associated with a defect in adhesion to collagen. During development,HSCs migrate from the liver to the marrow and the spleen,prompting us to ask if a defect in HSC homing during development may explain the skewed X-chromosome inactivation in WAS carriers. Preliminary evidence has shown that,in contrast to marrow progenitor cells,fetal liver progenitor cells from heterozygous females had a random X-chromosome inactivation. When fetal liver cells from WASP-carrier females were injected into irradiated recipients,a nonrandom inactivation of the X-chromosome was found at the level of hematopoietic progenitors and HSCs responsible for the short- and long-term hematopoietic reconstitution. Therefore,the mechanism of the skewed X-chromosomal inactivation observed in WAS carriers may be related to a migration defect of WASP-deficient HSCs. View Publication

The production of red blood cells is tightly regulated by erythropoietin (Epo). The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) pathway was previously shown to be activated in response to Epo. We studied the role of this pathway in the control of Epo-induced survival and proliferation of primary human erythroid progenitors. We show that phosphoinositide 3 (PI 3)-kinase associates with 4 tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins in primary human erythroid progenitors,namely insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS2),Src homology 2 domain-containing inositol 5'-phosphatase (SHIP),Grb2-associated binder-1 (Gab1),and the Epo receptor (EpoR). Using different in vitro systems,we demonstrate that 3 alternative pathways independently lead to Epo-induced activation of PI 3-kinase and phosphorylation of its downstream effectors,Akt,FKHRL1,and P70S6 kinase: through direct association of PI 3-kinase with the last tyrosine residue (Tyr479) of the Epo receptor (EpoR),through recruitment and phosphorylation of Gab proteins via either Tyr343 or Tyr401 of the EpoR,or through phosphorylation of IRS2 adaptor protein. The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway was also activated by Epo in erythroid progenitors,but we found that this process is independent of PI 3-kinase activation. In erythroid progenitors,the functional role of PI 3-kinase was both to prevent apoptosis and to stimulate cell proliferation in response to Epo stimulation. Finally,our results show that PI 3-kinase-mediated proliferation of erythroid progenitors in response to Epo occurs mainly through modulation of the E3 ligase SCF(SKP2),which,in turn,down-regulates p27(Kip1) cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor via proteasome degradation. View Publication

The steps to leukemia following an in utero fusion of MLL (HRX,ALL-1) to a partner gene in humans are not known. Introduction of the Mll-AF9 fusion gene into embryonic stem cells results in leukemia in mice with cell-type specificity similar to humans. In this study we used myeloid colony assays,immunophenotyping,and transplantation to evaluate myelopoiesis in Mll-AF9 mice. Colony assays demonstrated that both prenatal and postnatal Mll-AF9 tissues have significantly increased numbers of CD11b(+)/CD117(+)/Gr-1(+/-) myeloid cells,often in compact clusters. The self-renewal capacity of prenatal myeloid progenitors was found to decrease following serial replating of colony-forming cells. In contrast,early postnatal myeloid progenitors increased following replating; however,the enhanced self-renewal of early postnatal myeloid progenitor cells was limited and did not result in long-term cell lines or leukemia in vivo. Unlimited replating,long-term CD11b/Gr-1(+) myeloid cell lines,and the ability to produce early leukemia in vivo in transplantation experiments,were found only in mice with overt leukemia. Prenatal Mll-AF9 tissues had reduced total (mature and progenitor) CD11b/Gr-1(+) cells compared with wild-type tissues. Colony replating,immunophenotyping,and cytochemistry suggest that any perturbation of cellular differentiation from the prenatal stage onward is partial and largely reversible. We describe a novel informative in vitro and in vivo model system that permits study of the stages in the pathogenesis of Mll fusion gene leukemia,beginning in prenatal myeloid cells,progressing to a second stage in the postnatal period and,finally,resulting in overt leukemia in adult animals. View Publication