技术资料

Multiple myeloma is characterized by the accumulation of clonal malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow,which stimulates bone destruction by osteoclasts and reduces bone formation by osteoblasts. In turn,the changed bone microenvironment sustains survival of myeloma cells. Therefore,a challenge for treating multiple myeloma is discovering drugs targeting not only myeloma cells but also osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Because resveratrol (trans-3,4',5-trihydroxystilbene) is reported to display antitumor activities on a variety of human cancer cells,we investigated the effects of this natural compound on myeloma and bone cells. We found that resveratrol reduces dose-dependently the growth of myeloma cell lines (RPMI 8226 and OPM-2) by a mechanism involving cell apoptosis. In cultures of human primary monocytes,resveratrol inhibits dose-dependently receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) ligand-induced formation of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP)-positive multinucleated cells,TRACP activity in the medium,up-regulation of cathepsin K gene expression,and bone resorption. These inhibitions are associated with a down-regulation of RANK expression at both mRNA and cell surface protein levels and a decrease of NFATc1 stimulation and NF-kappaB nuclear translocation,whereas the gene expression of c-fms,CD14,and CD11a is up-regulated. Finally,resveratrol promotes dose-dependently the expression of osteoblast markers like osteocalcin and osteopontin in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC-TERT) and stimulates their response to 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3]. Moreover,resveratrol up-regulates dose-dependently the expression of 1,25(OH)2D3 nuclear receptor. Taken together,these results suggest that resveratrol or its derivatives deserve attention as potential drugs for treating multiple myeloma. View Publication

Hematopoiesis is maintained by specific interactions between both hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cells. Whereas hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have been extensively studied both in vitro and in vivo,little is known about the in vivo characteristics of stem cells of the nonhematopoietic component,known as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Here we have visualized and characterized human MSCs in vivo following intramedullary transplantation of enhanced green fluorescent protein-marked human MSCs (eGFP-MSCs) into the bone marrow (BM) of nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mice. Between 4 to 10 weeks after transplantation,eGFP-MSCs that engrafted in murine BM integrated into the hematopoietic microenvironment (HME) of the host mouse. They differentiated into pericytes,myofibroblasts,BM stromal cells,osteocytes in bone,bone-lining osteoblasts,and endothelial cells,which constituted the functional components of the BM HME. The presence of human MSCs in murine BM resulted in an increase in functionally and phenotypically primitive human hematopoietic cells. Human MSC-derived cells that reconstituted the HME appeared to contribute to the maintenance of human hematopoiesis by actively interacting with primitive human hematopoietic cells. View Publication

The Peutz-Jegher syndrome tumor-suppressor gene encodes a protein-threonine kinase,LKB1,which phosphorylates and activates AMPK [adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase]. The deletion of LKB1 in the liver of adult mice resulted in a nearly complete loss of AMPK activity. Loss of LKB1 function resulted in hyperglycemia with increased gluconeogenic and lipogenic gene expression. In LKB1-deficient livers,TORC2,a transcriptional coactivator of CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein),was dephosphorylated and entered the nucleus,driving the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1alpha (PGC-1alpha),which in turn drives gluconeogenesis. Adenoviral small hairpin RNA (shRNA) for TORC2 reduced PGC-1alpha expression and normalized blood glucose levels in mice with deleted liver LKB1,indicating that TORC2 is a critical target of LKB1/AMPK signals in the regulation of gluconeogenesis. Finally,we show that metformin,one of the most widely prescribed type 2 diabetes therapeutics,requires LKB1 in the liver to lower blood glucose levels. View Publication

Xylosylated and core alpha1,3-fucosylated N-glycans from plants are immunogenic,and they play a still obscure role in allergy and in the field of plant-made protein pharmaceuticals. We immunized mice to generate monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) binding plant N-glycans specifically via the epitope containing either the xylose or the core alpha1,3-fucose residue. Splenocytes expressing N-glycan-specific antibodies derived from C57BL/6 mice previously immunized with plant glycoproteins were preselected by cell sorting to generate hybridoma lines producing specific antibodies. However,we obtained only mAbs unable to distinguish fucosylated from xylosylated N-glycans and reactive even with the pentasaccharide core Man3GlcNAc2. In contrast,immunization of rabbits yielded polyclonal sera selectively reactive with either fucosylated or xylosylated N-glycans. Purification of these sera using glyco-modified neoglycoproteins coupled to a chromatography matrix provided polyclonal sera suitable for affinity determination. Surface plasmon resonance measurements using sensor chips with immobilized glyco-modified transferrins revealed dissociation constants of around 10(-9) M. This unexpectedly high affinity of IgG antibodies toward carbohydrate epitopes has repercussions on our conception of the binding strength and significance of antiglycan IgE antibodies in allergy. View Publication

Stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is a critical chemokine for endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) recruitment to areas of ischemia,allowing these cells to participate in compensatory angiogenesis. The SDF-1 receptor,CXCR4,is expressed in developing blood vessels as well as on CD34+ EPCs. We describe that picomolar and nanomolar concentrations of SDF-1 differentially influence neovascularization,inducing CD34+ cell migration and EPC tube formation. CD34+ cells isolated from diabetic patients demonstrate a marked defect in migration to SDF-1. This defect is associated,in some but not all patients,with a cell surface activity of CD26/dipeptidyl peptidase IV,an enzyme that inactivates SDF-1. Diabetic CD34+ cells also do not migrate in response to vascular endothelial growth factor and are structurally rigid. However,incubating CD34+ cells with a nitric oxide (NO) donor corrects this migration defect and corrects the cell deformability. In addition,exogenous NO alters vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein and mammalian-enabled distribution in EPCs. These data support a common downstream cytoskeletal alteration in diabetic CD34+ cells that is independent of growth factor receptor activation and is correctable with exogenous NO. This inability of diabetic EPCs to respond to SDF-1 may contribute to aberrant tissue vascularization and endothelial repair in diabetic patients. View Publication

We have previously reported that high concentrations of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) support feeder-independent growth of human embryonic stem (ES) cells,but those conditions included poorly defined serum and matrix components. Here we report feeder-independent human ES cell culture that includes protein components solely derived from recombinant sources or purified from human material. We describe the derivation of two new human ES cell lines in these defined culture conditions. View Publication

It has been shown that Notch signaling mediated by ligands of both Jagged and Delta families expands the hematopoietic stem cell compartment while blocking or delaying terminal myeloid differentiation. Here we show that Delta1- and Jagged1-expressing stromal cells have distinct effects on the clonogenic and differentiation capacities of human CD34(+) CD38(+) cells. Jagged1 increases the number of bipotent colony-forming unit-granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM) and unipotent progenitors (CFU-granulocytes and CFU-macrophages),without quantitatively affecting terminal cell differentiation,whereas Delta1 reduces the number of CFU-GM and differentiated monocytic cells. Expression analysis of genes coding for Notch receptors,Notch targets,and Notch signaling modulators in supernatant CD34(+) cells arising upon contact with Jagged1 and Delta1 shows dynamic and differential gene expression profiles over time. At early time points,modest upregulation of Notch1,Notch3,and Hes1 was observed in Jagged1-CD34(+) cells,whereas those in contact with Delta1 strikingly upregulated Notch3 and Hes1. Later,myeloid progenitors with strong clonogenic potential emerging upon contact with Jagged1 upregulated Notch1 and Deltex and downregulated Notch signaling modulators,whereas T/NK progenitors originated by Delta1 strikingly upregulated Notch3 and Deltex and,to a lesser extent,Hes1,Lunatic Fringe,and Numb. Together,the data unravel previously unrecognized expression patterns of Notch signaling-related genes in CD34(+) CD38(+) cells as they develop in Jagged1- or Delta1-stromal cell environments,which appear to reflect sequential maturational stages of CD34(+) cells into distinct cell lineages. View Publication

Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are precipitated by a rupture of the atherosclerotic plaque,often at the site of T cell and macrophage infiltration. Here,we show that plaque-infiltrating CD4 T cells effectively kill vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). VSMCs sensitive to T cell-mediated killing express the death receptor DR5 (TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand [TRAIL] receptor 2),and anti-TRAIL and anti-DR5 antibodies block T cell-mediated apoptosis. CD4 T cells that express TRAIL upon stimulation are expanded in patients with ACS and more effectively induce VSMC apoptosis. Adoptive transfer of plaque-derived CD4 T cells into immunodeficient mice that are engrafted with human atherosclerotic plaque results in apoptosis of VSMCs,which was prevented by coadministration of anti-TRAIL antibody. These data identify that the death pathway is triggered by TRAIL-producing CD4 T cells as a direct mechanism of VSMC apoptosis,a process which may lead to plaque destabilization. View Publication

To investigate retinal involvement in chronic Chagas' disease,we performed electroretinography and retinal fluorescein angiography studies in chagasic patients. Our results demonstrated a dissociated electrophysiological response characterized by both an abnormal reduction of the electroretinographic b-wave amplitude and a delayed latency,under the dark-adaptated condition. These alterations are compatible with a selective dysfunction of the rods. Antibodies raised against Trypanosoma cruzi that also interact with beta1-adrenergic receptor blocked light stimulation of cGMP-phosphodiesterase in bovine rod membranes. The specificity from the antibody-rhodopsin interaction was confirmed by Western blot analysis and antigenic competition experiments. Our results suggest an immunomediated rhodopsin blockade. T. cruzi infection probably induces an autoimmune response against rhodopsin in the chronic phase of Chagas' disease through a molecular mimicry mechanism similar to that described previously on cardiac human beta1-adrenergic and M2-cholinergic receptors,all related to the same subfamily of G-protein-coupled receptors. View Publication

Histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) is a facultative intracellular fungus that modulates the intraphagosomal environment to survive within macrophages (Mphi). In the present study,we sought to quantify the intraphagosomal pH under conditions in which Hc yeasts replicated or were killed. Human Mphi that had ingested both viable and heat-killed or fixed yeasts maintained an intraphagosomal pH of approximately 6.4-6.5 over a period of several hours. These results were obtained using a fluorescent ratio technique and by electron microscopy using the 3-(2,4-dinitroanilo)-3'-amino-N-methyldipropylamine reagent. Mphi that had ingested Saccharomyces cerevisae,a nonpathogenic yeast that is rapidly killed and degraded by Mphi,also maintained an intraphagosomal pH of approximately 6.5 over a period of several hours. Stimulation of human Mphi fungicidal activity by coculture with chloroquine or by adherence to type 1 collagen matrices was not reversed by bafilomycin,an inhibitor of the vacuolar ATPase. Human Mphi cultured in the presence of bafilomycin also completely degraded heat-killed Hc yeasts,whereas mouse peritoneal Mphi digestion of yeasts was completely reversed in the presence of bafilomycin. However,bafilomycin did not inhibit mouse Mphi fungistatic activity induced by IFN-gamma. Thus,human Mphi do not require phagosomal acidification to kill and degrade Hc yeasts,whereas mouse Mphi do require acidification for fungicidal but not fungistatic activity. View Publication

Multiple myeloma is a highly radiosensitive skeletal malignancy,but bone-seeking radionuclides have not yet found their place in disease management. We previously reported that the proteasome inhibitor PS-341 selectively sensitizes myeloma cells to the lethal effects of ionizing radiation. To extend these observations to an in vivo model,we combined PS-341 with the bone-seeking radionuclide 153-Sm-EDTMP. In vitro clonogenic assays demonstrated synergistic killing of myeloma cells exposed to both PS-341 and 153-Sm-EDTMP. Using the orthotopic,syngeneic 5TGM1 myeloma model,the median survivals of mice treated with saline,2 doses of PS-341 (0.5 mg/kg),or a single nonmyeloablative dose of 153-Sm-EDTMP (22.5 MBq) were 21,22,and 28 days,respectively. In contrast,mice treated with combination therapy comprising 2 doses of PS-341 (0.5 mg/kg),1 day prior to and 1 day following 153-Sm-EDTMP (22.5 MBq) showed a significantly prolonged median survival of 49 days (P textless .001). In addition to prolonged survival,this treatment combination yielded reduced clonogenicity of bone marrow-resident 5TGM1 cells,reduced serum myeloma-associated paraprotein levels,and better preservation of bone mineral density. Myelosuppression,determined by peripheral blood cell counts and clonogenicity assays of hematopoietic progenitors,did not differ between animals treated with 153-Sm-EDTMP alone versus those treated with the combination of PS-341 plus 153-Sm-EDTMP. PS-341 is a potent,selective in vivo radiosensitizer that may substantially affect the efficacy of skeletal-targeted radiotherapy in multiple myeloma. View Publication

We have shown that a COOH-terminal peptide of p53 (amino acids 361-382,p53p),linked to the truncated homeobox domain of Antennapedia (Ant) as a carrier for transduction,induced rapid apoptosis in human premalignant and malignant cell lines. Here,we report that human and rat glioma lines containing endogenous mutant p53 or wild-type (WT) p53 were induced into apoptosis by exposure to this peptide called p53p-Ant. The peptide was comparatively nontoxic to proliferating nonmalignant human and rat glial cell lines containing WT p53 and proliferating normal human peripheral marrow blood stem cells. Degree of sensitivity to the peptide correlated directly with the level of endogenous p53 expression and mutant p53 conformation. Apoptosis induction by p53p-Ant was quantitated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling assay and Annexin V staining in human glioma cells in vitro and in a syngeneic orthotopic 9L glioma rat model using convection-enhanced delivery in vivo. The mechanism of cell death by this peptide was solely through the Fas extrinsic apoptotic pathway. p53p-Ant induced a 3-fold increase in extracellular membrane Fas expression in glioma cells but no significant increase in nonmalignant glial cells. These data suggest that p53 function for inducing Fas-mediated apoptosis in gliomas,which express sufficient quantities of endogenous mutant or WT p53,may be restored or activated,respectively,by a cell-permeable peptide derived from the p53 COOH-terminal regulatory domain (p53p-Ant). p53p-Ant may serve as a prototypic model for the development of new anticancer agents with unique selectivity for glioma cancer cells and it can be successfully delivered in vivo into a brain tumor by a convection-enhanced delivery system,which circumvents the blood-brain barrier. View Publication