技术资料

BACKGROUND Medulloblastoma is a highly malignant pediatric brain tumor that requires surgery,whole brain and spine irradiation,and intense chemotherapy for treatment. A more sophisticated understanding of the pathophysiology of medulloblastoma is needed to successfully reduce the intensity of treatment and improve outcomes. Nuclear factor kappa-B (NFκB) is a signaling pathway that controls transcriptional activation of genes important for tight regulation of many cellular processes and is aberrantly expressed in many types of cancer. METHODS To test the importance of NFκB to medulloblastoma cell growth,the effects of multiple drugs that inhibit NFκB,pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate,diethyldithiocarbamate,sulfasalazine,curcumin and bortezomib,were studied in medulloblastoma cell lines compared to a malignant glioma cell line and normal neurons. Expression of endogenous NFκB was investigated in cultured cells,xenograft flank tumors,and primary human tumor samples. A dominant negative construct for the endogenous inhibitor of NFκB,IκB,was prepared from medulloblastoma cell lines and flank tumors were established to allow specific pathway inhibition. RESULTS We report high constitutive activity of the canonical NFκB pathway,as seen by Western analysis of the NFκB subunit p65,in medulloblastoma tumors compared to normal brain. The p65 subunit of NFκB is extremely highly expressed in xenograft tumors from human medulloblastoma cell lines; though,conversely,the same cells in culture have minimal expression without specific stimulation. We demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of NFκB in cell lines halts proliferation and leads to apoptosis. We show by immunohistochemical stain that phosphorylated p65 is found in the majority of primary tumor cells examined. Finally,expression of a dominant negative form of the endogenous inhibitor of NFκB,dnIκB,resulted in poor xenograft tumor growth,with average tumor volumes 40% smaller than controls. CONCLUSIONS These data collectively demonstrate that NFκB signaling is important for medulloblastoma tumor growth,and that inhibition can reduce tumor size and viability in vivo. We discuss the implications of NFκB signaling on the approach to managing patients with medulloblastoma in order to improve clinical outcomes. View Publication

Use of animal feeder layers and serum containing media in the derivation and propagation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can hinder clinical translation,because of the presence of xeno-material/pathogens. A defined and standardized system would be ideal for generating a homogenous population of iPSCs,which closely resembles human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). This article presents a novel and extensive comparison between in-house produced iPSCs and hESCs under feeder" and "feeder-free" conditions� View Publication

Chromosomal translocations of the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene are a common cause of acute leukemias. The oncogenic function of MLL fusion proteins is,in part,mediated through aberrant activation of Hoxa genes and Meis1,among others. Here we demonstrate using a tamoxifen-inducible Cre-mediated loss of function mouse model that DOT1L,an H3K79 methyltransferase,is required for both initiation and maintenance of MLL-AF9-induced leukemogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Through gene expression and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis we demonstrate that mistargeting of DOT1L,subsequent H3K79 methylation,and up-regulation of Hoxa and Meis1 genes underlie the molecular mechanism of how DOT1L contributes to MLL-AF9-mediated leukemogenesis. Our study not only provides the first in vivo evidence for the function of DOT1L in leukemia,but also reveals the molecular mechanism for DOT1L in MLL-AF9 mediated leukemia. Thus,DOT1L may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of leukemia caused by MLL translocations. View Publication

Pluripotent stem cells can be genetically labeled to facilitate differentiation studies. In this paper,we describe a gene-targeting protocol to knock in a GFP cassette into key gene loci in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs),and then use the genetically tagged hPSCs to guide in vitro differentiation,immunocytochemical and electrophysiological profiling and in vivo characterization after cell transplantation. The Olig transcription factors have key roles in the transcription regulatory pathways for the genesis of motor neurons (MNs) and oligodendrocytes (OLs). We have generated OLIG2-GFP hPSC reporter lines that reliably mark MNs and OLs for monitoring their sequential differentiation from hPSCs. The expression of the GFP reporter recapitulates the endogenous expression of OLIG genes. The in vitro characterization of fluorescence-activated cell sorting-purified cells is consistent with cells of the MN or OL lineages,depending on the stages at which they are collected. This protocol is efficient and reliable and usually takes 5-7 months to complete. The genetic tagging-differentiation methodology used herein provides a general framework for similar work for differentiation of hPSCs into other lineages. View Publication

Xenotransplantation of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) into immunodeficient mice has been critical for understanding leukemogenesis in vivo and defining self-renewing leukemia-initiating cell subfractions (LICs). Although AML-engraftment capacity is considered an inherent property of LICs,substrains of NOD/SCID mice that possess additional deletions such as the IL2Rγc(null) (NSG) have been described as a more sensitive recipient to assay human LIC function. Using 23 AML-patient samples,39% demonstrated no detectable engraftment in NOD/SCID and were categorized as AMLs devoid of LICs. However,33% of AML patients lacking AML-LICs were capable of engrafting NSG recipients,but produced a monoclonal T-cell proliferative disorder similar to T-ALL. These grafts demonstrated self-renewal capacity as measured by in vivo serial passage and were restricted to CD34-positive fraction,and were defined as LICs. Molecular analysis for translocations in MLL genes indicated that these AML patient-derived LICs all expressed the MLL-AFX1 fusion product. Our results reveal that the in vivo human versus xenograft host microenvironment dictates the developmental capacity of human LICs residing in a small subset of patients diagnosed with AML harboring MLL mutations. These findings have implications both for the basic biology of CSC function,and for the use of in vivo models of the leukemogenic process in preclinical or diagnostic studies. View Publication

Estrogens regulate osteoblast differentiation and mineralization. We identified GATA4 as a transcription factor expressed in osteoblasts and directly regulated by 17β-estradiol in this cell type but not in breast cancer cells,another estrogen-responsive tissue. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing) reveals that estrogen receptor α (ERα) binds to chromatin near GATA4 at five different enhancers. GATA4 and ERα are both recruited to ERα binding sites near genes that are specifically expressed in osteoblasts and control osteoblast differentiation. Maximal binding of GATA4 precedes ERα binding,and GATA4 is necessary for histone 3 lysine 4 dimethylation at ERα binding sites,suggesting that GATA4 is a pioneer factor for ERα. As such,knockdown of GATA4 reduced recruitment of ERα to DNA. Our study illustrates that GATA4 is a pioneer factor for ERα recruitment to osteoblast-specific enhancers. View Publication

Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs),encompassing embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells,proliferate extensively and differentiate into virtually any desired cell type. PSCs endow regenerative medicine with an unlimited source of replacement cells suitable for human therapy. Several hurdles must be carefully addressed in PSC research before these theoretical possibilities are translated into clinical applications. These obstacles are: (1) cell proliferation; (2) cell differentiation; (3) genetic integrity; (4) allogenicity; and (5) ethical issues. We discuss these issues and underline the fact that the answers to these questions lie in a better understanding of the biology of PSCs. To contribute to this aim,we have developed a free online expression atlas,Amazonia!,that displays for each human gene a virtual northern blot for PSC samples and adult tissues (http://www.amazonia.transcriptome.eu). View Publication

Somatic cell nuclear transfer,cell fusion,or expression of lineage-specific factors have been shown to induce cell-fate changes in diverse somatic cell types. We recently observed that forced expression of a combination of three transcription factors,Brn2 (also known as Pou3f2),Ascl1 and Myt1l,can efficiently convert mouse fibroblasts into functional induced neuronal (iN) cells. Here we show that the same three factors can generate functional neurons from human pluripotent stem cells as early as 6 days after transgene activation. When combined with the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor NeuroD1,these factors could also convert fetal and postnatal human fibroblasts into iN cells showing typical neuronal morphologies and expressing multiple neuronal markers,even after downregulation of the exogenous transcription factors. Importantly,the vast majority of human iN cells were able to generate action potentials and many matured to receive synaptic contacts when co-cultured with primary mouse cortical neurons. Our data demonstrate that non-neural human somatic cells,as well as pluripotent stem cells,can be converted directly into neurons by lineage-determining transcription factors. These methods may facilitate robust generation of patient-specific human neurons for in vitro disease modelling or future applications in regenerative medicine. View Publication

A potential application of embryonic and inducible pluripotent stem cells for the therapy of degenerative diseases involves pure somatic cells,free of tumorigenic undifferentiated embryonic and inducible pluripotent stem cells. In complex collections of chemicals with pharmacological potential we expect to find molecules able to induce specific pluripotent stem cell death,which could be used in some cell therapy settings to eliminate undifferentiated cells. Therefore,we have screened a chemical library of 1120 small chemicals to identify compounds that induce specifically apoptotic cell death in undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Interestingly,three compounds currently used as clinically approved drugs,nortriptyline,benzethonium chloride and methylbenzethonium chloride,induced differential effects in cell viability in ESCs versus mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Nortriptyline induced apoptotic cell death in MEFs but not in ESCs,whereas benzethonium and methylbenzethonium chloride showed the opposite effect. Nortriptyline,a tricyclic antidepressant,has also been described as a potent inhibitor of mitochondrial permeability transition,one of two major mechanisms involved in mitochondrial membrane permeabilization during apoptosis. Benzethonium chloride and methylbenzethonium chloride are quaternary ammonium salts used as antimicrobial agents with broad spectrum and have also been described as anticancer agents. A similar effect of benzethonium chloride was observed in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) when compared to both primary human skin fibroblasts and an established human fibroblast cell line. Human fibroblasts and hiPSCs were similarly resistant to nortriptyline,although with a different behavior. Our results indicate differential sensitivity of ESCs,hiPSCs and fibroblasts to certain chemical compounds,which might have important applications in the stem cell-based therapy by eliminating undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells from stem cell-derived somatic cells to prevent tumor formation after transplantation for therapy of degenerative diseases. View Publication

UNLABELLED Epigenetic mechanisms play critical roles in stem cell biology by maintaining pluripotency of stem cells and promoting differentiation of more mature derivatives. If similar mechanisms are relevant for the cancer stem cell (CSC) model,then epigenetic modulation might enrich the CSC population,thereby facilitating CSC isolation and rigorous evaluation. To test this hypothesis,primary human cancer cells and liver cancer cell lines were treated with zebularine (ZEB),a potent DNA methyltransferase-1 inhibitor,and putative CSCs were isolated using the side population (SP) approach. The CSC properties of ZEB-treated and untreated subpopulations were tested using standard in vitro and in vivo assays. Whole transcriptome profiling of isolated CSCs was performed to generate CSC signatures. Clinical relevance of the CSC signatures was evaluated in diverse primary human cancers. Epigenetic modulation increased frequency of cells with CSC properties in the SP fraction isolated from human cancer cells as judged by self-renewal,superior tumor-initiating capacity in serial transplantations,and direct cell tracking experiments. Integrative transcriptome analysis revealed common traits enriched for stemness-associated genes,although each individual CSC gene expression signature exhibited activation of different oncogenic pathways (e.g.,EGFR,SRC,and MYC). The common CSC signature was associated with malignant progression,which is enriched in poorly differentiated tumors,and was highly predictive of prognosis in liver and other cancers. CONCLUSION Epigenetic modulation may provide a tool for prospective isolation and in-depth analysis of CSC. The liver CSC gene signatures are defined by a pernicious interaction of unique oncogene-specific and common stemness traits. These data should facilitate the identifications of therapeutic tools targeting both unique and common features of CSCs. View Publication

In human B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL),RAG1-induced genomic alterations are important for disease progression. However,given that biallelic loss of the RAG1 locus is observed in a subset of cases,RAG1's role in the development of B-ALL remains unclear. We chose a p19Arf(-/-)Rag1(-/-) mouse model to confirm the previously published results concerning the contribution of CDKN2A (p19ARF /INK4a) and RAG1 copy number alterations in precursor B cells to the initiation and/or progression to B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). In this murine model,we identified a new,Rag1-independent leukemia-initiating mechanism originating from a Sca1(+)CD19(+) precursor cell population and showed that Notch1 expression accelerates the cells' self-renewal capacity in vitro. In human RAG1-deficient BM,a similar CD34(+)CD19(+) population expressed p19ARF. These findings suggest that combined loss of p19Arf and Rag1 results in B-cell precursor leukemia in mice and may contribute to the progression of precursor B-ALL in humans. View Publication

The aorta-gonad-mesonephros region plays an important role in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) development during mouse embryogenesis. The vascular endothelial cadherin�?� CD45�?� (VE-cad�?�CD45�?�) population contains the major type of immature pre-HSCs capable of developing into long-term repopulating definitive HSCs. In this study,we developed a new coaggregation culture system,which supports maturation of a novel population of CD45-negative (VE-cad�?�CD45�?�CD41�?�) pre-HSCs into definitive HSCs. The appearance of these pre-HSCs precedes development of the VE-cad�?�CD45�?� pre-HSCs (termed here type I and type II pre-HSCs,respectively),thus establishing a hierarchical directionality in the developing HSC lineage. By labeling the luminal surface of the dorsal aorta,we show that both type I and type II pre-HSCs are distributed broadly within the endothelial and subendothelial aortic layers,in contrast to mature definitive HSCs which localize to the aortic endothelial layer. In agreement with expression of CD41 in pre-HSCs,in vivo CD41-Cre-mediated genetic tagging occurs in embryonic pre-HSCs and persists in all lymphomyeloid lineages of the adult animal. View Publication