技术资料

The ultimate destination for most gene therapy vectors is the nucleus and nuclear import of potentially therapeutic DNA is one of the major barriers for nonviral vectors. We have developed a novel approach of attaching a nuclear localization sequence (NLS) peptide to DNA in a non-essential position,by generating a fusion between the tetracycline repressor protein TetR and the SV40-derived NLS peptide. The high affinity and specificity of TetR for the short DNA sequence tetO was used in these studies to bind the NLS to DNA as demonstrated by the reduced electrophoretic mobility of the TetR.tetO-DNA complexes. The protein TetR-NLS,but not control protein TetR,specifically enhances gene expression from lipofected tetO-containing DNA between 4- and 16-fold. The specific enhancement is observed in a variety of cell types,including primary and growth-arrested cells. Intracellular trafficking studies demonstrate an increased accumulation of fluorescence labeled DNA in the nucleus after TetR-NLS binding. In comparison,binding studies using the similar fusion of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) with NLS peptide,demonstrate specific binding of PNA to plasmid DNA. However,although we observed a 2-8.5-fold increase in plasmid-mediated luciferase activity with bis-PNA-NLS,control bis-PNA without an NLS sequence gave a similar increase,suggesting that the effect may not be because of a specific bis-PNA-NLS-mediated enhancement of nuclear transfer of the plasmid. Overall,we found TetRNLS-enhanced plasmid-mediated transgene expression at a similar level to that by bis-PNA-NLS or bis-PNA alone but specific to nuclear uptake and significantly more reliable and reproducible. View Publication

Successful blood and marrow transplant (BMT),both autologous and allogeneic,requires the infusion of a sufficient number of hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells (HPCs) capable of homing to the marrow cavity and regenerating a full array of hematopoietic cell lineages in a timely fashion. At present,the most commonly used surrogate marker for HPCs is the cell surface marker CD34,identified in the clinical laboratory by flow cytometry. Clinical studies have shown that infusion of at least 2 x 10(6) CD34(+) cells/kg recipient body weight results in reliable engraftment as measured by recovery of adequate neutrophil and platelet counts approximately 14 days after transplant. Recruitment of HPCs from the marrow into the blood is termed mobilization,or,more commonly,stem cell mobilization. In Section I,Dr. Tsvee Lapidot and colleagues review the wide range of factors influencing stem cell mobilization. Our current understanding focuses on chemokines,proteolytic enzymes,adhesion molecules,cytokines and stromal cell-stem cell interactions. On the basis of this understanding,new approaches to mobilization have been designed and are now starting to undergo clinical testing. In Section II,Dr. Michele Cottler-Fox describes factors predicting the ability to mobilize the older patient with myeloma. In addition,clinical approaches to improving collection by individualizing the timing of apheresis and adjusting the volume of blood processed to achieve a desired product are discussed. Key to this process is the daily enumeration of blood CD34(+) cells. Newer methods of enumerating and mobilizing autologous blood HPCs are discussed. In Section III,Dr. John DiPersio and colleagues provide data on clinical results of mobilizing allogeneic donors with G-CSF,GM-CSF and the combination of both as relates to the number and type of cells collected by apheresis. Newer methods of stem cell mobilization as well as the relationship of graft composition on immune reconstitution and GVHD are discussed. View Publication

The t(12;21)(p13;q22) translocation is the most common chromosomal abnormality yet identified in any pediatric leukemia and gives rise to the TEL-AML1 fusion product. To investigate the effects of TEL-AML1 on hematopoiesis,fetal liver hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) were transduced with retroviral vectors expressing this fusion protein. We show that TEL-AML1 dramatically alters differentiation of HPCs in vitro,preferentially promoting B-lymphocyte development,enhancing self-renewal of B-cell precursors,and leading to the establishment of long-term growth factor-dependent pre-B-cell lines. However,it had no effect on myeloid development in vitro. Further experiments were performed to determine whether TEL-AML1 also demonstrates lineage-specific activity in vivo. TEL-AML1-expressing HPCs displayed a competitive advantage in reconstituting both B-cell and myeloid lineages in vivo but had no effect on reconstitution of the T-cell lineage. Despite promoting these alterations in hematopoiesis,TEL-AML1 did not induce leukemia in transplanted mice. Our study provides a unique insight into the role of TEL-AML1 in leukemia predisposition and a potential model to study the mechanism of leukemogenesis associated with this fusion. View Publication

Chromosomal rearrangements of the 11p15 locus have been identified in hematopoietic malignancies,resulting in translocations involving the N-terminal portion of the nucleoporin gene NUP98. Fifteen different fusion partner genes have been identified for NUP98,and more than one half of these are homeobox transcription factors. By contrast,the NUP98 fusion partner in t(11;20) is Topoisomerase I (TOP1),a catalytic enzyme recognized for its key role in relaxing supercoiled DNA. We now show that retrovirally engineered expression of NUP98-TOP1 in murine bone marrow confers a potent in vitro growth advantage and a block in differentiation in hematopoietic precursors,evidenced by a competitive growth advantage in liquid culture,increased replating efficient of colony-forming cells (CFCs),and a marked increase in spleen colony-forming cell output. Moreover,in a murine bone marrow transplantation model,NUP98-TOP1 expression led to a lethal,transplantable leukemia characterized by extremely high white cell counts,splenomegaly,and mild anemia. Strikingly,a mutation to a TOP1 site to inactivate the isomerase activity essentially left unaltered the growth-promoting and leukemogenic effects of NUP98-TOP1. These findings,together with similar biologic effects reported for NUP98-HOX fusions,suggest unexpected,overlapping functions of NUP98 fusion genes,perhaps related to common DNA binding properties. View Publication

Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential to differentiate into mesenchymal tissues like osteocytes,chondrocytes,and adipocytes in vivo and in vitro. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro differentiation of MSCs into cells of the endothelial lineage. MSCs were generated out of mononuclear bone marrow cells from healthy donors separated by density gradient centrifugation. Cells were characterized by flow cytometry using a panel of monoclonal antibodies and were tested for their potential to differentiate along different mesenchymal lineages. Isolated MSCs were positive for the markers CD105,CD73,CD166,CD90,and CD44 and negative for typical hematopoietic and endothelial markers. They were able to differentiate into adipocytes and osteocytes after cultivation in respective media. Differentiation into endothelial-like cells was induced by cultivation of confluent cells in the presence of 2% fetal calf serum and 50 ng/ml vascular endothelial growth factor. Laser scanning cytometry analysis of the confluent cells in situ showed a strong increase of expression of endothelial-specific markers like KDR and FLT-1,and immunofluorescence analysis showed typical expression of the von Willebrand factor. The functional behavior of the differentiated cells was tested with an in vitro angiogenesis test kit where cells formed characteristic capillary-like structures. We could show the differentiation of expanded adult human MSCs into cells with phenotypic and functional features of endothelial cells. These predifferentiated cells provide new options for engineering of artificial tissues based on autologous MSCs and vascularized engineered tissues. View Publication

The erythroid defect in Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA) is known to be intrinsic to the stem cell,but its molecular pathophysiology remains obscure. Using a 2-phase liquid erythroid culture system,we have demonstrated a consistent defect in DBA,regardless of clinical severity,including 3 first-degree relatives with normal hemoglobin levels but increased erythrocyte adenosine deaminase activity. DBA cultures were indistinguishable from controls until the end of erythropoietin (Epo)-free phase 1,but failed to demonstrate the normal synchronized wave of erythroid expansion and terminal differentiation on exposure to Epo. Dexamethasone increased Epo sensitivity of erythroid progenitor cells,and enhanced erythroid expansion in phase 2 in both normal and DBA cultures. In DBA cultures treated with dexamethasone,Epo sensitivity was comparable to normal,but erythroid expansion remained subnormal. In clonogenic phase 2 cultures,the number of colonies did not significantly differ between normal cultures and DBA,in the presence or absence of dexamethasone,and at both low and high Epo concentrations. However,colonies were markedly smaller in DBA under all conditions. This suggests that the Epo-triggered onset of terminal maturation is intact in DBA,and the defect lies down-stream of the Epo receptor,influencing survival and/or proliferation of erythroid progenitors. View Publication

Stem cells have been identified and characterized in a variety of tissues. In this review we examine possible shared properties of stem cells. We suggest that irrespective of their lineal origin,stem cells have to respond in similar ways to regulate self-renewal and differentiation and it is likely that cell-cycle control,asymmetry/differentiation controls,cellular protective and DNA repair mechanisms,and associated apoptosis/senescence signaling pathways all might be expected to be more highly regulated in stem cells,likely by similar mechanisms. We review the literature to suggest a set of candidate stemness genes that may serve as universal stem cell markers. While we predict many similarities,we also predict that differences will exist between stem cell populations and that when transdifferentiation is considered genes expected to be both similar and different need to be examined. View Publication

Chemokine stromal derived factor 1 (SDF-1) is involved in trafficking of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from the bone marrow (BM) to peripheral blood (PB) and has been found to enhance postischemia angiogenesis. This study was aimed at investigating whether SDF-1 plays a role in differentiation of BM-derived c-kit(+) stem cells into endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and in ischemia-induced trafficking of stem cells from PB to ischemic tissues. We found that SDF-1 enhanced EPC number by promoting alpha(2),alpha(4),and alpha(5) integrin-mediated adhesion to fibronectin and collagen I. EPC differentiation was reduced in mitogen-stimulated c-kit(+) cells,while cytokine withdrawal or the overexpression of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor p16(INK4) restored such differentiation,suggesting a link between control of cell cycle and EPC differentiation. We also analyzed the time course of SDF-1 expression in a mouse model of hind-limb ischemia. Shortly after femoral artery dissection,plasma SDF-1 levels were up-regulated,while SDF-1 expression in the bone marrow was down-regulated in a timely fashion with the increase in the percentage of PB progenitor cells. An increase in ischemic tissue expression of SDF-1 at RNA and protein level was also observed. Finally,using an in vivo assay such as injection of matrigel plugs,we found that SDF-1 improves formation of tubulelike structures by coinjected c-kit(+) cells. Our findings unravel a function for SDF-1 in increase of EPC number and formation of vascular structures by bone marrow progenitor cells. View Publication

The Lyn tyrosine kinase plays essential inhibitory signaling roles within hematopoietic cells by recruiting inhibitory phosphatases such as SH2-domain containing phosphatase-1 (SHP-1),SHP-2,and SH2-domain containing 5'-inositol phosphatase (SHIP-1) to the plasma membrane in response to specific stimuli. Lyn-deficient mice display a collection of hematopoietic defects,including autoimmune disease as a result of autoantibody production,and perturbations in myelopoiesis that ultimately lead to splenomegaly and myeloid neoplasia. In this study,we demonstrate that loss of Lyn results in a stem/progenitor cell-intrinsic defect leading to an age-dependent increase in myeloid,erythroid,and primitive hematopoietic progenitor numbers that is independent of autoimmune disease. Despite possessing increased numbers of erythroid progenitors,and a more robust expansion of these cells following phenylhydrazine challenge,Lyn-deficient mice are more severely affected by the chemotherapeutic drug 5-fluorouracil,revealing a greater proportion of cycling progenitors. We also show that mice lacking SHIP-1 have defects in the erythroid and myeloid compartments similar to those in mice lacking Lyn or SHP-1,suggesting an intimate relationship between Lyn,SHP-1,and SHIP-1 in regulating hematopoiesis. View Publication

Adult bone marrow-derived cells can participate in muscle regeneration after bone marrow transplantation. In recent studies a single hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) was shown to give rise to cells that not only reconstituted all of the lineages of the blood,but also contributed to mature muscle fibers. However,the relevant HSC derivative with this potential has not yet been definitively identified. Here we use fluorescence-activated cell sorter-based protocols to test distinct hematopoietic fractions and show that only fractions containing c-kit(+) immature myelomonocytic precursors are capable of contributing to muscle fibers after i.m. injection. Although these cells belong to the myeloid lineage,they do not include mature CD11b(+) myelomonocytic cells,such as macrophages. Of the four sources of mature macrophages tested that were derived either from monocytic culture,bone marrow,peripheral blood after granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilization,or injured muscle,none contributed to muscle. In addition,after transplantation of bone marrow isolated from CD11b-Cre-transgenic mice into the Cre-reporter strain (Z/EG),no GFP myofibers were detected,demonstrating that macrophages expressing CD11b do not fuse with myofibers. Irrespective of the underlying mechanisms,these data suggest that the HSC derivatives that integrate into regenerating muscle fibers exist in the pool of hematopoietic cells known as myelomonocytic progenitors. View Publication