技术资料

In order to investigate the biologic processes underlying and resulting from the megakaryocytic hyperplasia that characterizes idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF),peripheral blood CD34+ cells isolated from patients with IMF,polycythemia vera (PV),and G-CSF-mobilized healthy volunteers were cultured in the presence of stem cell factor and thrombopoietin. IMF CD34+ cells generated 24-fold greater numbers of megakaryocytes (MKs) than normal CD34+ cells. IMF MKs were also shown to have a delayed pattern of apoptosis and to overexpress the antiapoptotic protein bcl-xL. MK hyperplasia in IMF is,therefore,likely a consequence of both the increased ability of IMF progenitor cells to generate MKs and a decreased rate of MK apoptosis. Media conditioned (CM) by CD61+ cells generated in vitro from CD34+ cells were then assayed for the levels of growth factors and proteases. Higher levels of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and active matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) were observed in media conditioned with IMF CD61+ cells than normal or PV CD61+ cells. Both normal and IMF CD61+ cells produced similar levels of VEGF. MK-derived TGF-B and MMP-9,therefore,likely contribute to the development of many pathological epiphenomena associated with IMF. View Publication

15-Methyl PGE2 and 16,16-dimethyl PGE2 were found (1) to be 40 and 100 times,respectively,more potent than PGE2 after intravenous administration in inhibiting histamine-stimulated gastric secretion in dogs with a denervated (Heidenhain) gastric pouch,(2) to be active orally and intrajejunally,whereas PGE2 was inactive,and (3) to exert antisecretory activity for longer duration than PGE2. 16,16-Dimethyl PGE2 was about 2.5 times more potent than 15-methyl PGE2. Volume,acid concentration,and output,and pepsin output (but not concentration) were reduced in a dose-dependent manner. In the rat,16,16-dimethyl PGE2 also inhibited gastric secretion and prevented the formation of ulcers produced by various methods: gastric ulcers (Shay,and steroid induced) and duodenal ulcers (secretogogue induced). In this species,1l816-dimethyl PGE2 was 2 to 50 times more potent than PGE2,depending on the endpoint,and was active orally. These prostaglandins appear to inhibit gastric acid secretion by acting directly on the parietal cells,and making these unresponsive to most stimulants. Vomiting was a side effect of the prostaglandin analogues in the dog,but almost exclusively when these were given orally. After intravenous or intrajejunal administration at doses inhibiting gastric secretion by 80%,vomiting was seen only once. These results suggest that 15-methyl PGE2 and 16,16-dimethyl PGE2 may be of value in the treatment of peptic ulcer. View Publication

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced endothelial cell migration is an important component of tumor angiogenesis. Rho and Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) are key regulators of focal adhesion,stress fiber formation,and thus cell motility. Inhibitors of this pathway have been shown to inhibit endothelial cell motility and angiogenesis. In this study,we investigated the antiangiogenic effect of fasudil,one of the ROCK inhibitors. Fasudil inhibited VEGF-induced endothelial cell migration,viability,and tube formation in vitro in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. VEGF-induced endothelial cell migration was reduced by fasudil associated with loss of stress fiber formation,focal adhesion assembly,and with the suppression of tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion proteins. Furthermore,fasudil inhibited VEGF-induced phosphorylation of myosin light chain,which is one of the main substrates of ROCK. Therefore,the effect of fasudil was suggested to be ROCK dependent. Fasudil not only inhibited VEGF-induced cell proliferation but also reversed the protective effect of VEGF on apoptosis,which resulted in the decrease of cell viability. Moreover,fasudil inhibited VEGF-induced angiogenesis in a directed in vivo angiogenesis assay. These data are the first demonstration that fasudil has antiangiogenic properties. Therefore,fasudil might be useful for the treatment of angiogenesis-related diseases,especially cancer. View Publication

After more than 40 years of clinical use,the mechanisms of action of valproate in epilepsy,bipolar disorder and migraine are still not fully understood. However,recent findings reviewed here shed new light on the cellular effects of valproate. Beyond the enhancement of gamma-aminobutyric acid-mediated neurotransmission,valproate has been found to affect signalling systems like the Wnt/beta-catenin and ERK pathways and to interfere with inositol and arachidonate metabolism. Nevertheless,the clinical relevance of these effects is not always clear. Valproate treatment also produces marked alterations in the expression of multiple genes,many of which are involved in transcription regulation,cell survival,ion homeostasis,cytoskeletal modifications and signal transduction. These alterations may well be relevant to the therapeutic effects of valproate,and result from its enhancement of activator protein-1 DNA binding and direct inhibition of histone deacetylases,and possibly additional,yet unknown,mechanism(s). Most likely,both immediate biochemical and longer-term genomic influences underlie the effects of valproate in all three indications. View Publication

A first step in hematopoiesis is the specification of the lymphoid and myeloid lineages from multipotent progenitor cells in the bone marrow. Using a conditional ablation strategy in adult mice,we show that this differentiation step requires Patched (Ptch),the cell surface-bound receptor for Hedgehog (Hh). In the absence of Ptch,the development of T- and B-lymphoid lineages is blocked at the level of the common lymphoid progenitor in the bone marrow. Consequently,the generation of peripheral T and B cells is abrogated. Cells of the myeloid lineage develop normally in Ptch mutant mice. Finally,adoptive transfer experiments identified the stromal cell compartment as a critical Ptch-dependent inducer of lymphoid versus myeloid lineage commitment. Our data show that Ptch acts as a master switch for proper diversification of hematopoietic stem cells in the adult organism. View Publication

JAK2V617F and MPLW515L/K represent recently identified mutations in myeloproliferative disorders (MPD) that cause dysregulated JAK-STAT signaling,which is implicated in MPD pathogenesis. We developed TG101209,an orally bioavailable small molecule that potently inhibits JAK2 (IC(50)=6 nM),FLT3 (IC(50)=25 nM) and RET (IC(50)=17 nM) kinases,with significantly less activity against other tyrosine kinases including JAK3 (IC(50)=169 nM). TG101209 inhibited growth of Ba/F3 cells expressing JAK2V617F or MPLW515L mutations with an IC(50) of approximately 200 nM. In a human JAK2V617F-expressing acute myeloid leukemia cell line,TG101209-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis,and inhibited phosphorylation of JAK2V617F,STAT5 and STAT3. Therapeutic efficacy of TG101209 was demonstrated in a nude mouse model. Furthermore,TG101209 suppressed growth of hematopoietic colonies from primary progenitor cells harboring JAK2V617F or MPL515 mutations. View Publication

Recently,passive immunization of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) 2G12,2F5,and 4E10 provided evidence of the in vivo activity of 2G12 but raised concerns about the function of the two membrane-proximal external region (MPER)-specific MAbs (A. Trkola,H. Kuster,P. Rusert,B. Joos,M. Fischer,C. Leemann,A. Manrique,M. Huber,M. Rehr,A. Oxenius,R. Weber,G. Stiegler,B. Vcelar,H. Katinger,L. Aceto,and H. F. Gunthard,Nat. Med. 11:615-622,2005). In the light of MPER-targeting vaccines under development,we performed an in-depth analysis of the emergence of mutations conferring resistance to these three MAbs to further elucidate their activity. Clonal analysis of the MPER of plasma virus samples derived during antibody treatment confirmed that no changes in this region had occurred in vivo. Sequence analysis of the 2G12 epitope relevant N-glycosylation sites of viruses derived from 13 patients during the trial supported the phenotypic evaluation,demonstrating that mutations in these sites are associated with resistance. In vitro selection experiments with isolates of four of these individuals corroborated the in vivo finding that virus strains rapidly escape 2G12 pressure. Notably,in vitro resistance mutations differed,in most cases,from those found in vivo. Importantly,in vitro selection with 2F5 and 4E10 demonstrated that resistance to these MAbs can be difficult to achieve and can lead to selection of variants with impaired infectivity. This remarkable vulnerability of the virus to interference within the MPER calls for a further evaluation of the safety and efficacy of MPER-targeting therapeutic and vaccination strategies. View Publication

CD40 is an integral plasma membrane-associated member of the TNF receptor family that has recently been shown to also reside in the nucleus of both normal B cells and large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) cells. However,the physiological function of CD40 in the B-cell nucleus has not been examined. In this study,we demonstrate that nuclear CD40 interacts with the NF-kappaB protein c-Rel,but not p65,in LBCL cells. Nuclear CD40 forms complexes with c-Rel on the promoters of NF-kappaB target genes,CD154,BLyS/BAFF,and Bfl-1/A1,in various LBCL cell lines. Wild-type CD40,but not NLS-mutated CD40,further enhances c-Rel-mediated Blys promoter activation as well as proliferation in LBCL cells. Studies in normal B cells and LBCL patient cells further support a nuclear transcriptional function for CD40 and c-Rel. Cooperation between nuclear CD40 and c-Rel appears to be important in regulating cell growth and survival genes involved in lymphoma cell proliferation and survival mechanisms. Modulating the nuclear function of CD40 and c-Rel could reveal new mechanisms in LBCL pathophysiology and provide potential new targets for lymphoma therapy. View Publication

Abeta42-lowering nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) constitute the founding members of a new class of gamma-secretase modulators that avoid side effects of pan-gamma-secretase inhibitors on NOTCH processing and function,holding promise as potential disease-modifying agents for Alzheimer disease (AD). These modulators are active in cell-free gamma-secretase assays indicating that they directly target the gamma-secretase complex. Additional support for this hypothesis was provided by the observation that certain mutations in presenilin-1 (PS1) associated with early-onset familial AD (FAD) change the cellular drug response to Abeta42-lowering NSAIDs. Of particular interest is the PS1-DeltaExon9 mutation,which provokes a pathogenic increase in the Abeta42/Abeta40 ratio and dramatically reduces the cellular response to the Abeta42-lowering NSAID sulindac sulfide. This FAD PS1 mutant is unusual as a splice-site mutation results in deletion of amino acids Thr(291)-Ser(319) including the endoproteolytic cleavage site of PS1,and an additional amino acid exchange (S290C) at the exon 8/10 splice junction. By genetic dissection of the PS1-DeltaExon9 mutation,we now demonstrate that a synergistic effect of the S290C mutation and the lack of endoproteolytic cleavage is sufficient to elevate the Abeta42/Abeta40 ratio and that the attenuated response to sulindac sulfide results partially from the deficiency in endoproteolysis. Importantly,a wider screen revealed that a diminished response to Abeta42-lowering NSAIDs is common among aggressive FAD PS1 mutations. Surprisingly,these mutations were also partially unresponsive to gamma-secretase inhibitors of different structural classes. This was confirmed in a mouse model with transgenic expression of the PS1-L166P mutation,in which the potent gamma-secretase inhibitor LY-411575 failed to reduce brain levels of soluble Abeta42. In summary,these findings highlight the importance of genetic background in drug discovery efforts aimed at gamma-secretase,suggesting that certain AD mouse models harboring aggressive PS mutations may not be informative in assessing in vivo effects of gamma-secretase modulators and inhibitors. View Publication

TCR/CD28 engagement triggers the initiation of a variety of signal transduction pathways that lead to changes in gene transcription. Although reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton is required for T cell activation,the molecular pathways controlled by the actin cytoskeleton are ill defined. To this end,we analyzed TCR/CD28-stimulated signaling pathways in cytochalasin D-treated T cells to determine the cytoskeletal requirements for T cell activation. Cytochalasin D treatment impaired T cell activation by causing a reduction in TCR/CD28-mediated calcium flux,and blocked activation of two regulatory elements within the IL-2 promoter,NFAT/AP-1 and CD28RE/AP. Treatment had no effect on signaling leading to the activation of either AP-1 or NF-kappaB. Significantly,we found that NFAT1 is required for optimal c-rel up-regulation in response to TCR/CD28 stimulation. In fact,NFAT1 could be detected bound at the c-rel promoter in response to TCR/CD28 stimulation,and targeting of NFAT1 using RNA interference in human CD4(+) T cells abrogated c-rel transcription. Overall,these findings establish that disrupting actin cytoskeletal dynamics impairs TCR/CD28-mediated calcium flux required for NFAT1-mediated c-rel transcription and,thus,activation of the CD28RE/AP. View Publication

Brain tumors can arise following deregulation of signaling pathways normally activated during brain development and may derive from neural stem cells. Given the requirement for Hedgehog in non-neoplastic stem cells,we investigated whether Hedgehog blockade could target the stem-like population in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). We found that Gli1,a key Hedgehog pathway target,was highly expressed in 5 of 19 primary GBM and in 4 of 7 GBM cell lines. Shh ligand was expressed in some primary tumors,and in GBM-derived neurospheres,suggesting a potential mechanism for pathway activation. Hedgehog pathway blockade by cyclopamine caused a 40%-60% reduction in growth of adherent glioma lines highly expressing Gli1 but not in those lacking evidence of pathway activity. When GBM-derived neurospheres were treated with cyclopamine and then dissociated and seeded in media lacking the inhibitor,no new neurospheres formed,suggesting that the clonogenic cancer stem cells had been depleted. Consistent with this hypothesis,the stem-like fraction in gliomas marked by both aldehyde dehydrogenase activity and Hoechst dye excretion (side population) was significantly reduced or eliminated by cyclopamine. In contrast,we found that radiation treatment of our GBM neurospheres increased the percentage of these stem-like cells,suggesting that this standard therapy preferentially targets better-differentiated neoplastic cells. Most importantly,viable GBM cells injected intracranially following Hedgehog blockade were no longer able to form tumors in athymic mice,indicating that a cancer stem cell population critical for ongoing growth had been removed. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. View Publication

OBJECTIVE: In murine hematopoietic tissue,direct repopulation experiments have demonstrated that the side population (SP) represents a remarkable enrichment of hematopoietic stem cells. Human SP has been phenotyped as negative for lineage antigens as well as CD34. However,in the 9 years since the original publication,no long-term hematopoietic reconstitution has been reported for the adult human SP/CD34(-) subset. Elevated levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) have been demonstrated in murine and human progenitor cells when compared to other hematopoietic cells. METHODS: Here,we report the phenotype of human cord blood SP cells. We established the technique of simultaneous phenotyping,Hoechst exclusion,and ALDH labeling on murine tissues. We then performed the simultaneous analysis of phenotype,SP,and ALDH activity on human cord blood and bone marrow cells. Finally,we analyzed the phenotype and functional potential of human cord blood ALDH(+) cells to determine whether Lin(-)/CD34(-) cells are identified via this technique. RESULTS: We demonstrate that human Lin(-)/CD34(-)/ALDH(+) cells are capable of long-term repopulation. Although the SP technique identifies cells that overlap with the ALDH(+) cell population,this is restricted to the CD34(+) cell subset. CONCLUSION: Hoechst exclusion ability does not seem to be the method of choice for the isolation of human hematopoietic stem cells. View Publication