技术资料

The control of tyrosine phosphorylation depends on the fine balance between kinase and phosphatase activities. Protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP-1B) and T cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TC-PTP) are 2 closely related phosphatases known to control cytokine signaling. We studied the functional redundancy of PTP-1B and TC-PTP by deleting 1 or both copies of these genes by interbreeding TC-PTP and PTP-1B parental lines. Our results indicate that the double mutant (tcptp(-/-)ptp1b(-/-)) is lethal at day E9.5-10.5 of embryonic development with constitutive phosphorylation of Stat1. Mice heterozygous for TC-PTP on a PTP-1B-deficient background (tcptp(+/-)ptp1b(-/-)) developed signs of inflammation. Macrophages from these animals were highly sensitive to IFN-gamma,as demonstrated by increased Stat1 phosphorylation and nitric oxide production. In addition,splenic T cells demonstrated increased IFN-gamma secretion capacity. Mice with deletions of single copies of TC-PTP and PTP-1B (tcptp(+/-)ptp1b(+/-)) exhibited normal development,confirming that these genes are not interchangeable. Together,these data indicate a nonredundant role for PTP-1B and TC-PTP in the regulation of IFN signaling. View Publication

We have previously identified multipotent neuroepithelial (NEP) stem cells and lineage-restricted,self-renewing precursor cells termed NRPs (neuron-restricted precursors) and GRPs (glial-restricted precursors) present in the developing rat spinal cord (A. Kalyani,K. Hobson,and M. S. Rao,1997,Dev. Biol. 186,202-223; M. S. Rao and M. Mayer-Proschel,1997,Dev. Biol. 188,48-63; M. Mayer-Proschel,A. J. Kalyani,T. Mujtaba,and M. S. Rao,1997,Neuron 19,773-785). We now show that cells identical to rat NEPs,NRPs,and GRPs are present in mouse neural tubes and that immunoselection against cell surface markers E-NCAM and A2B5 can be used to isolate NRPs and GRPs,respectively. Restricted precursors similar to NRPs and GRPs can also be isolated from mouse embryonic stem cells (ES cells). ES cell-derived NRPs are E-NCAM immunoreactive,undergo self-renewal in defined medium,and differentiate into multiple neuronal phenotypes in mass culture. ES cells also generate A2B5-immunoreactive cells that are similar to E9 NEP-cell-derived GRPs and can differentiate into oligodendrocytes and astrocytes. Thus,lineage restricted precursors can be generated in vitro from cultured ES cells and these restricted precursors resemble those derived from mouse neural tubes. These results demonstrate the utility of using ES cells as a source of late embryonic precursor cells. View Publication

The conventional method of culturing human embryonic stem cells (hESC) is on two-dimensional (2D) surfaces,which is not amenable for scale up to therapeutic quantities in bioreactors. We have developed a facile and robust method for maintaining undifferentiated hESC in three-dimensional (3D) suspension cultures on matrigel-coated microcarriers achieving 2- to 4-fold higher cell densities than those in 2D colony cultures. Stable,continuous propagation of two hESC lines on microcarriers has been demonstrated in conditioned media for 6 months. Microcarrier cultures (MC) were also demonstrated in two serum-free defined media (StemPro and mTeSR1). MC achieved even higher cell concentrations in suspension spinner flasks,thus opening the prospect of propagation in controlled bioreactors. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. View Publication

Interactions between developmental signaling pathways govern the formation and function of stem cells. Prostaglandin (PG) E2 regulates vertebrate hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Similarly,the Wnt signaling pathway controls HSC self-renewal and bone marrow repopulation. Here,we show that wnt reporter activity in zebrafish HSCs is responsive to PGE2 modulation,demonstrating a direct interaction in vivo. Inhibition of PGE2 synthesis blocked wnt-induced alterations in HSC formation. PGE2 modified the wnt signaling cascade at the level of beta-catenin degradation through cAMP/PKA-mediated stabilizing phosphorylation events. The PGE2/Wnt interaction regulated murine stem and progenitor populations in vitro in hematopoietic ES cell assays and in vivo following transplantation. The relationship between PGE2 and Wnt was also conserved during regeneration of other organ systems. Our work provides in vivo evidence that Wnt activation in stem cells requires PGE2,and suggests the PGE2/Wnt interaction is a master regulator of vertebrate regeneration and recovery. View Publication

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a hematopoietic disorder originating from p210BCR/ABL-transformed stem cells,which begins as indolent chronic phase (CP) but progresses into fatal blast crisis (BC). To investigate molecular mechanism(s) underlying disease evolution,CML-exhibiting p210BCR/ABL transgenic mice were crossed with BXH2 mice that transmit a replication-competent retrovirus. Whereas nontransgenic mice in the BXH2 background exclusively developed acute myeloid leukemia,p210BCR/ABL transgenic littermates developed nonmyeloid leukemias,in which inverse polymerase chain reaction detected 2 common viral integration sites (CISs). Interestingly,one CIS was transgene's own promoter,which up-regulated p210BCR/ABL expression. The other was the 5' noncoding region of a transcription factor,Zfp423,which induced aberrant Zfp423 expression. The cooperative activities of Zfp423 and p210BCR/ABL were demonstrated as follows: (1) introduction of Zfp423 in p210BCR/ABL transgenic bone marrow (BM) cells increased colony-forming ability,(2) suppression of ZNF423 (human homologue of Zfp423) in ZNF423-expressing,p210BCR/ABL-positive hematopoietic cells retarded cell growth,(3) mice that received a transplant of BM cells transduced with Zfp423 and p210BCR/ABL developed acute leukemia,and (4) expression of ZNF423 was found in human BCR/ABL-positive cell lines and CML BC samples. These results demonstrate that enhanced expression of p210BCR/ABL and deregulated expression of Zfp423/ZNF423 contribute to CML BC. View Publication

BACKGROUND: Hematopoietic progenitors are generated in the yolk sac and aorta-gonad-mesonephros region during early mouse development. At embryonic day 10.5 the first hematopoietic stem cells emerge in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros. Subsequently,hematopoietic stem cells and progenitors are found in the fetal liver. The fetal liver is a potent hematopoietic site,playing an important role in the expansion and differentiation of hematopoietic progenitors and hematopoietic stem cells. However,little is known concerning the regulation of fetal liver hematopoietic stem cells. In particular,the role of cytokines such as interleukin-1 in the regulation of hematopoietic stem cells in the embryo has been largely unexplored. Recently,we observed that the adult pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1 is involved in regulating aorta-gonad-mesonephros hematopoietic progenitor and hematopoietic stem cell activity. Therefore,we set out to investigate whether interleukin-1 also plays a role in regulating fetal liver progenitor cells and hematopoietic stem cells. DESIGN AND METHODS: We examined the interleukin-1 ligand and receptor expression pattern in the fetal liver. The effects of interleukin-1 on hematopoietic progenitor cells and hematopoietic stem cells were studied by FACS and transplantation analyses of fetal liver explants,and in vivo effects on hematopoietic stem cell and progenitors were studied in Il1r1(-/-) embryos. RESULTS: We show that fetal liver hematopoietic progenitor cells express the IL-1RI and that interleukin-1 increases fetal liver hematopoiesis,progenitor cell activity and promotes hematopoietic cell survival. Moreover,we show that in Il1r1(-/-) embryos,hematopoietic stem cell activity is impaired and myeloid progenitor activity is increased. CONCLUSIONS: The IL-1 ligand and receptor are expressed in the midgestation liver and act in the physiological regulation of fetal liver hematopoietic progenitor cells and hematopoietic stem cells. View Publication

The mechanisms regulating key fate decisions such as self-renewal and differentiation in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) remain poorly understood. We report here a screening strategy developed to assess modulators of human hematopoiesis using a lentiviral short hairpin RNA (shRNA) library transduced into cord blood-derived stem/progenitor cells. To screen for modifiers of self-renewal/differentiation,we used the limited persistence of HSPCs under ex vivo culture conditions as a baseline for functional selection of shRNAs conferring enhanced maintenance or expansion of the stem/progenitor potential. This approach enables complex,pooled screens in large numbers of cells. Functional selection identified novel specific gene targets (exostoses 1) or shRNA constructs capable of altering human hematopoietic progenitor differentiation or stem cell expansion,respectively,thereby demonstrating the potential of this forward screening approach in primary human stem cell populations. View Publication

BACKGROUND: Interest in the biology of endogenous progenitor cells (EPCs) continues to grow as evidence of their role in vascular repair mounts. EPC enumeration requires specialized laboratory techniques and is performed immediately after sample acquisition,limiting the clinical contexts in which EPC enumeration can be performed and the ability to increase sample sizes through multi-center participation. METHODS: We compared the numbers of EPCs enumerated in samples processed immediately after acquisition (n = 36) with EPCs enumerated in specimens stored for 24 hours or after cryopreservation of mononuclear cells (MNC) using two EPC identification strategies: cell surface marker expression (CD133/CD34) and aldehyde dehydrogenase activity (ALDH(br) cells). RESULTS: EPCs assessed in fresh samples correlated with EPCs enumerated after whole blood storage (r = 0.699 for CD133(+)CD34(+) cells,r = 0.880 for ALDH(br) cells,P textless 0.005 and P textless 0.0001,respectively) or mononuclear cryopreservation (r = 0.590 for CD133(+)CD34(+) cells,r = 0.894 for ALDH(br) cells,P textless 0.0001 for each); however,correlation based on assessment of ALDH(br) cells was higher (P textless 0.0003 for comparison of correlation coefficients). Initial results from a multi-site clinical trial suggest that EPC enumeration after mononuclear cell cryopreservation is feasible. CONCLUSION: EPC analysis based on ALDH activity is reproducible,even after extended whole blood storage or MNC cryopreservation. View Publication

Retinoids triggers differentiation of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) blasts by transcriptional regulation of myeloid regulatory genes. Using a microarray approach,we have identified a novel retinoid-responsive gene (CXXC5) encoding a nuclear factor,retinoid-inducible nuclear factor (RINF),that contains a CXXC-type zinc-finger motif. RINF expression correlates with retinoid-induced differentiation of leukemic cells and with cytokine-induced myelopoiesis of normal CD34(+) progenitors. Furthermore,short hairpin RNA (shRNA) interference suggests for this gene a regulatory function in both normal and tumoral myelopoiesis. Interestingly,RINF localizes to 5q31.3,a small region often deleted in myeloid leukemia (acute myeloid leukemia [AML]/myelodysplasia [MDS]) and suspected to harbor one or several tumor suppressor gene. View Publication

PTPN11,which encodes the tyrosine phosphatase SHP2,is mutated in approximately 35% of patients with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) and at a lower incidence in other neoplasms. To model JMML pathogenesis,we generated knockin mice that conditionally express the leukemia-associated mutant Ptpn11(D61Y). Expression of Ptpn11(D61Y) in all hematopoietic cells evokes a fatal myeloproliferative disorder (MPD),featuring leukocytosis,anemia,hepatosplenomegaly,and factor-independent colony formation by bone marrow (BM) and spleen cells. The Lin(-)Sca1(+)cKit(+) (LSK) compartment is expanded and right-shifted� View Publication

Animal models of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation have been used to analyze the turnover of bone marrow-derived cells and to demonstrate the critical role of recipient antigen-presenting cells (APC) in graft versus host disease (GVHD). In humans,the phenotype and lineage relationships of myeloid-derived tissue APC remain incompletely understood. It has also been proposed that the risk of acute GVHD,which extends over many months,is related to the protracted survival of certain recipient APC. Human dermis contains three principal subsets of CD45(+)HLA-DR(+) cells: CD1a(+)CD14(-) DC,CD1a(-)CD14(+) DC,and CD1a(-)CD14(+)FXIIIa(+) macrophages. In vitro,each subset has characteristic properties. After transplantation,both CD1a(+) and CD14(+) DC are rapidly depleted and replaced by donor cells,but recipient macrophages can be found in GVHD lesions and may persist for many months. Macrophages isolated from normal dermis secrete proinflammatory cytokines. Although they stimulate little proliferation of naive or memory CD4(+) T cells,macrophages induce cytokine expression in memory CD4(+) T cells and activation and proliferation of CD8(+) T cells. These observations suggest that dermal macrophages and DC are from distinct lineages and that persistent recipient macrophages,although unlikely to initiate alloreactivity,may contribute to GVHD by sustaining the responses of previously activated T cells. View Publication

Beta glucans are cell wall constituents of yeast,fungi and bacteria,as well as mushrooms and barley. Glucans are not expressed on mammalian cells and are recognized as pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPS) by pattern recognition receptors (PRR). Beta glucans have potential activity as biological response modifiers for hematopoiesis and enhancement of bone marrow recovery after injury. We have reported that Maitake beta glucan (MBG) enhanced mouse bone marrow (BMC) and human umbilical cord blood (CB) cell granulocyte-monocyte colony forming unit (GM-CFU) activity in vitro and protected GM-CFU forming stem cells from doxorubicin (DOX) toxicity. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of MBG on expansion of phenotypically distinct subpopulations of progenitor and stem cells in CB from full-term infants cultured ex vivo and on homing and engraftment in vivo in the nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mouse. MBG promoted a greater expansion of CD34+CD33+CD38- human committed hematopoietic progenitor (HPC) cells compared to the conventional stem cell culture medium (P = 0.002 by ANOVA). CD34+CXCR4+CD38- early,uncommitted human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) numbers showed a trend towards increase in response to MBG. The fate of CD34+ enriched CB cells after injection into the sublethally irradiated NOS/SCID mouse was evaluated after retrieval of xenografted human CB from marrow and spleen by flow cytometric analysis. Oral administration of MBG to recipient NOS/SCID mice led to enhanced homing at 3 days and engraftment at 6 days in mouse bone marrow (P = 0.002 and P = 0.0005,respectively) compared to control mice. More CD34+ human CB cells were also retrieved from mouse spleen in MBG treated mice at 6 days after transplantation. The studies suggest that MBG promotes hematopoiesis through effects on CD34+ progenitor cell expansion ex vivo and when given to the transplant recipient could enhance CD34+ precursor cell homing and support engraftment. View Publication