技术资料

Stem cells are highly resistant to viral infection compared to their differentiated progeny; however,the mechanism is mysterious. Here,we analyzed gene expression in mammalian stem cells and cells at various stages of differentiation. We find that,conserved across species,stem cells express a subset of genes previously classified as interferon (IFN) stimulated genes (ISGs) but that expression is intrinsic,as stem cells are refractory to interferon. This intrinsic ISG expression varies in a cell-type-specific manner,and many ISGs decrease upon differentiation,at which time cells become IFN responsive,allowing induction of a broad spectrum of ISGs by IFN signaling. Importantly,we show that intrinsically expressed ISGs protect stem cells against viral infection. We demonstrate the in vivo importance of intrinsic ISG expression for protecting stem cells and their differentiation potential during viral infection. These findings have intriguing implications for understanding stem cell biology and the evolution of pathogen resistance. View Publication

Neutrophils are the most abundant WBCs and have an essential role in the clearance of pathogens. Tight regulation of neutrophil numbers and their recruitment to sites of inflammation is critical in maintaining a balanced immune response. In various inflammatory conditions,such as rheumatoid arthritis,vasculitis,cystic fibrosis,and inflammatory bowel disease,increased serum G-CSF correlates with neutrophilia and enhanced neutrophil infiltration into inflamed tissues. We describe a fully human therapeutic anti-G-CSFR antibody (CSL324) that is safe and well tolerated when administered via i.v. infusion to cynomolgus macaques. CSL324 was effective in controlling G-CSF-mediated neutrophilia when administered either before or after G-CSF. A single ascending-dose study showed CSL324 did not alter steady-state neutrophil numbers,even at doses sufficient to completely prevent G-CSF-mediated neutrophilia. Weekly infusions of CSL324 (%10 mg/kg) for 3 wk completely neutralized G-CSF-mediated pSTAT3 phosphorylation without neutropenia. Moreover,repeat dosing up to 100 mg/kg for 12 wk did not result in neutropenia at any point,including the 12-wk follow-up after the last infusion. In addition,CSL324 had no observable effect on basic neutrophil functions,such as phagocytosis and oxidative burst. These data suggest that targeting G-CSFR may provide a safe and effective means of controlling G-CSF-mediated neutrophilia as observed in various inflammatory diseases. View Publication

Efficient gene transfer into human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is an important goal in the study of the hematopoietic system as well as for gene therapy of hematopoietic disorders. A lentiviral vector based on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was able to transduce human CD34+ cells capable of stable,long-term reconstitution of nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice. High-efficiency transduction occurred in the absence of cytokine stimulation and resulted in transgene expression in multiple lineages of human hematopoietic cells for up to 22 weeks after transplantation. View Publication

The detection of primitive hematopoietic cells based on repopulation of immune-deficient mice is a powerful tool to characterize the human stem-cell compartment. Here,we identify a newly discovered human repopulating cell,distinct from previously identified repopulating cells,that initiates multilineage hematopoiesis in NOD/SCID mice. We call such cells CD34neg-SCID repopulating cells,or CD34neg-SRC. CD34neg-SRC are restricted to a Lin-CD34-CD38- population without detectable surface markers for multiple lineages and CD38 or those previously associated with stem cells (HLA-DR,Thy-1 and CD34). In contrast to CD34+ subfractions,Lin-CD34-CD38- cells have low clonogenicity in short-and long-term in vitro assays. The number of CD34neg-SRC increased in short-term suspension cultures in conditions that did not maintain SRC derived from CD34+ populations,providing independent biological evidence of their distinctiveness. The identification of this newly discovered cell demonstrates complexity of the organization of the human stem-cell compartment and has important implications for clinical applications involving stem-cell transplantation. View Publication

Differentiation of totipotent mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells to various lymphohematopoietic cells is an in vitro model of the hematopoietic cell development during embryogenesis. To understand this process at cellular levels,differentiation intermediates were investigated. ES cells generated progeny expressing CD34,which was significantly enhanced by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The isolated CD34+ cells were enriched for myeloid colony-forming cells but not significantly for erythroid colony-forming cells. When cultured on OP9 stroma cells in the presence of interleukin-2 and interleukin-7,the CD34+ cells developed two types of B220+ CD34- lymphocytes: CD3- cytotoxic lymphocytes and CD19+ pre-B cells,and such lymphoid potential was highly enriched in the CD34+ population. Interestingly,the cytotoxic cells expressed the natural killer (NK) cell markers,such as NKR-P1,perforin,and granzymes,classified into two types,one of which showed target specificity of NK cells. Thus,ES cells have potential to generate NK-type cytotoxic lymphocytes in vitro in addition to erythro-myeloid cells and pre-B cells,and both myeloid and lymphoid cells seem to be derived from the CD34+ intermediate,on which VEGF may play an important role. View Publication

Retroviral vectors constitute the most efficient system to deliver and integrate foreign genes into mammalian cells. We have developed a producer cell line that yields high titers of amphotropic retroviral vectors carrying the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene,a codon humanized,red-shifted variant of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene,which can be used as a selectable marker. We have used a hybrid vector that has been shown to efficiently drive gene expression in hematopoietic cells. Virtually all murine and human cell lines and primary human hematopoietic cells tested were transduced with varying efficiency after incubation with vector-containing supernatants. Human CD34(+) cells obtained from cord blood or aphereses products were transduced using a protocol that involves daily addition of vector-containing supernatants for 6 consecutive days. At day 6,up to 16% of the cells expressed EGFP,as assessed by flow cytometry. Sorted EGFP-expressing cells were able to produce fluorescent hematopoietic colonies. EGFP's main advantages are its fast flow cytometry determination and the possibility of cell sorting and simultaneous evaluation of the transduction efficiency along with other phenotypic markers. View Publication