技术资料

Erythropoietin (EPO) and its receptor are expressed in a wide variety of tissues,including the central nervous system. Local expression of both EPO and its receptor is upregulated upon injury or stress and plays a role in tissue homeostasis and cytoprotection. High-dose systemic administration or local injection of recombinant human EPO has demonstrated encouraging results in several models of tissue protection and organ injury,while poor tissue availability of the protein limits its efficacy. Here,we describe the discovery and characterization of the nonpeptidyl compound STS-E412 (2-[2-(4-chlorophenoxy)ethoxy]-5,7-dimethyl-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine),which selectively activates the tissue-protective EPO receptor,comprising an EPO receptor subunit (EPOR) and the common β-chain (CD131). STS-E412 triggered EPO receptor phosphorylation in human neuronal cells. STS-E412 also increased phosphorylation of EPOR,CD131,and the EPO-associated signaling molecules JAK2 and AKT in HEK293 transfectants expressing EPOR and CD131. At low nanomolar concentrations,STS-E412 provided EPO-like cytoprotective effects in primary neuronal cells and renal proximal tubular epithelial cells. The receptor selectivity of STS-E412 was confirmed by a lack of phosphorylation of the EPOR/EPOR homodimer,lack of activity in off-target selectivity screening,and lack of functional effects in erythroleukemia cell line TF-1 and CD34(+) progenitor cells. Permeability through artificial membranes and Caco-2 cell monolayers in vitro and penetrance across the blood-brain barrier in vivo suggest potential for central nervous system availability of the compound. To our knowledge,STS-E412 is the first nonpeptidyl,selective activator of the tissue-protective EPOR/CD131 receptor. Further evaluation of the potential of STS-E412 in central nervous system diseases and organ protection is warranted. View Publication

Current combination antiretroviral therapies (cART) efficiently suppress HIV-1 reproduction in humans,but the virus persists as integrated proviral reservoirs in small numbers of cells. To generate an antiviral agent capable of eradicating the provirus from infected cells,we employed 145 cycles of substrate-linked directed evolution to evolve a recombinase (Brec1) that site-specifically recognizes a 34-bp sequence present in the long terminal repeats (LTRs) of the majority of the clinically relevant HIV-1 strains and subtypes. Brec1 efficiently,precisely and safely removes the integrated provirus from infected cells and is efficacious on clinical HIV-1 isolates in vitro and in vivo,including in mice humanized with patient-derived cells. Our data suggest that Brec1 has potential for clinical application as a curative HIV-1 therapy. View Publication

BACKGROUND Humanized mouse models are still under development,and various protocols exist to improve human cell engraftment and function. METHODS Fourteen NOD/SCID/IL-2Rγnull (NSG) mice (4‒5 wk old) were conditioned with busulfan and injected with human umbilical cord blood (hUCB)-derived CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) via retro-orbital sinuses. The bone marrow (BM),spleen,and peripheral blood (PB) were analyzed 8 and 12 weeks after HSC transplantation. RESULTS Most of the NSG mice tolerated the regimen well. The percentage of hCD45(+) and CD19(+) cells rose significantly in a time-dependent manner. The median percentage of hCD45(+)cells in the BM was 55.5% at week 8,and 67.2% at week 12. The median percentage of hCD45(+) cells in the spleen at weeks 8 and 12 was 42% and 51%,respectively. The median percentage of hCD19(+) cells in BM at weeks 8 and 12 was 21.5% and 39%,respectively (P=0.04). Similarly,the median percentage of hCD19(+) cells in the spleen at weeks 8 and 12 was 10% and 24%,respectively (P=0.04). The percentage of hCD19(+) B cells in PB was 23% at week 12. At week 8,hCD3(+) T cells were barely detectable,while hCD7(+) was detected in the BM and spleen. The percentage of hCD3(+) T cells was 2‒3% at week 12 in the BM,spleen,and PB of humanized NSG mice. CONCLUSION We adopted a simplified protocol for establishing humanized NSG mice. We observed a higher engraftment rate of human CD45(+) cells than earlier studies without any significant toxicity. And human CD45(+) cell engraftment at week 8 was comparable to that of week 12. View Publication

Definitive hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSCs/Ps) originating from the yolk sac and/or para-aorta-splanchno-pleura/aorta-gonad-mesonephros are hypothesized to colonize the fetal liver,but mechanisms involved are poorly defined. The Rac subfamily of Rho GTPases has been shown to play essential roles in HSC/P localization to the bone marrow following transplantation. Here,we study the role of Rac1 in HSC/P migration during ontogeny and seeding of fetal liver. Using a triple-transgenic approach,we have deleted Rac1 in HSCs/Ps during very early embryonic development. Without Rac1,there was a decrease in circulating HSCs/Ps in the blood of embryonic day (E) 10.5 embryos,while yolk sac definitive hematopoiesis was quantitatively normal. Intraembryonic hematopoiesis was significantly impaired in Rac1-deficient embryos,culminating with absence of intra-aortic clusters and fetal liver hematopoiesis. At E10.5,Rac1-deficient HSCs/Ps displayed decreased transwell migration and impaired inter-action with the microenvironment in migration-dependent assays. These data suggest that Rac1 plays an important role in HSC/P migration during embryonic development and is essential for the emergence of intraembryonic hematopoiesis. View Publication

MYH9 disorders such as May-Hegglin anomaly are characterized by macrothrombocytopenia and cytoplasmic granulocyte inclusion bodies that result from mutations in MYH9,the gene for nonmuscle myosin heavy chain-IIA (NMMHC-IIA). We examined the expression of mutant NMMHC-IIA polypeptide in peripheral blood cells from patients with MYH9 5770delG and 5818delG mutations. A specific antibody to mutant NMMHC-IIA (NT629) was raised against the abnormal carboxyl-terminal residues generated by 5818delG. NT629 reacted to recombinant 5818delG NMMHC-IIA but not to wild-type NMMHC-IIA,and did not recognize any cellular components of normal peripheral blood cells. Immunofluorescence and immunoblotting revealed that mutant NMMHC-IIA was present and sequestrated only in inclusion bodies within neutrophils,diffusely distributed throughout lymphocyte cytoplasm,sparsely localized on a diffuse cytoplasmic background in monocytes,and uniformly distributed at diminished levels only in large platelets. Mutant NMMHC-IIA did not translocate to lamellipodia in surface activated platelets. Wild-type NMMHC-IIA was homogeneously distributed among megakaryocytes derived from the peripheral blood CD34(+) cells of patients,but coarse mutant NMMHC-IIA was heterogeneously scattered without abnormal aggregates in the cytoplasm. We show the differential expression of mutant NMMHC-IIA and postulate that cell-specific regulation mechanisms function in MYH9 disorders. View Publication

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is an inherited bone marrow (BM) failure syndrome associated with mutations in telomerase genes and the acquisition of shortened telomeres in blood cells. To investigate the basis of the compromised hematopoiesis seen in DC,we analyzed cells from granulocyte colony-stimulating factor mobilized peripheral blood (mPB) collections from 5 members of a family with autosomal dominant DC with a hTERC mutation. Premobilization BM samples were hypocellular,and percentages of CD34(+) cells in marrow and mPB collections were significantly below values for age-matched controls in 4 DC subjects. Directly clonogenic cells,although present at normal frequencies within the CD34(+) subset,were therefore absolutely decreased. In contrast,even the frequency of long-term culture-initiating cells within the CD34(+) DC mPB cells was decreased,and the telomere lengths of these cells were also markedly reduced. Nevertheless,the different lineages of mature cells were produced in normal numbers in vitro. These results suggest that marrow failure in DC is caused by a reduction in the ability of hematopoietic stem cells to sustain their numbers due to telomere impairment rather than a qualitative defect in their commitment to specific lineages or in the ability of their lineage-restricted progeny to execute normal differentiation programs. View Publication

BCR/ABL kinase-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells display genomic instability leading to point mutations in various genes including bcr/abl and p53,eventually causing resistance to imatinib and malignant progression of the disease. Mismatch repair (MMR) is responsible for detecting misincorporated nucleotides,resulting in excision repair before point mutations occur and/or induction of apoptosis to avoid propagation of cells carrying excessive DNA lesions. To assess MMR activity in CML,we used an in vivo assay using the plasmid substrate containing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene corrupted by T:G mismatch in the start codon; therefore,MMR restores EGFP expression. The efficacy of MMR was reduced approximately 2-fold in BCR/ABL-positive cell lines and CD34(+) CML cells compared with normal counterparts. MMR was also challenged by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG),which generates O(6)-methylguanine and O(4)-methylthymine recognized by MMR system. Impaired MMR activity in leukemia cells was associated with better survival,accumulation of p53 but not of p73,and lack of activation of caspase 3 after MNNG treatment. In contrast,parental cells displayed accumulation of p53,p73,and activation of caspase 3,resulting in cell death. Ouabain-resistance test detecting mutations in the Na(+)/K(+) ATPase was used to investigate the effect of BCR/ABL kinase-mediated inhibition of MMR on mutagenesis. BCR/ABL-positive cells surviving the treatment with MNNG displayed approximately 15-fold higher mutation frequency than parental counterparts and predominantly G:C--textgreaterA:T and A:T--textgreaterG:C mutator phenotype typical for MNNG-induced unrepaired lesions. In conclusion,these results suggest that BCR/ABL kinase abrogates MMR activity to inhibit apoptosis and induce mutator phenotype. View Publication

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is increasingly being used for human hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation in children but often requires pooling multiple cords to obtain sufficient numbers for transplantation in adults. To overcome this limitation,we have used an ex vivo two-week culture system to expand the number of hematopoietic CD34(+) cells in cord blood. To assess the in vivo function of these expanded CD34(+) cells,cultured human UCB containing 1 x 10(6) CD34(+) cells were transplanted into conditioned NOD-scid IL2rgamma(null) mice. The expanded CD34(+) cells displayed short- and long-term repopulating cell activity. The cultured human cells differentiated into myeloid,B-lymphoid,and erythroid lineages,but not T lymphocytes. Administration of human recombinant TNFalpha to recipient mice immediately prior to transplantation promoted human thymocyte and T-cell development. These T cells proliferated vigorously in response to TCR cross-linking by anti-CD3 antibody. Engrafted TNFalpha-treated mice generated antibodies in response to T-dependent and T-independent immunization,which was enhanced when mice were co-treated with the B cell cytokine BLyS. Ex vivo expanded CD34(+) human UCB cells have the capacity to generate multiple hematopoietic lineages and a functional human immune system upon transplantation into TNFalpha-treated NOD-scid IL2rgamma(null) mice. View Publication

Splice-site mutations in the beta-globin gene can lead to aberrant transcripts and decreased functional beta-globin,causing beta-thalassemia. Triplex-forming DNA oligonucleotides (TFOs) and peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) have been shown to stimulate recombination in reporter gene loci in mammalian cells via site-specific binding and creation of altered helical structures that provoke DNA repair. We have designed a series of triplex-forming PNAs that can specifically bind to sequences in the human beta-globin gene. We demonstrate here that these PNAs,when cotransfected with recombinatory donor DNA fragments,can promote single base-pair modification at the start of the second intron of the beta-globin gene,the site of a common thalassemia-associated mutation. This single base pair change was detected by the restoration of proper splicing of transcripts produced from a green fluorescent protein-beta-globin fusion gene. The ability of these PNAs to induce recombination was dependent on dose,sequence,cell-cycle stage,and the presence of a homologous donor DNA molecule. Enhanced recombination,with frequencies up to 0.4%,was observed with use of the lysomotropic agent chloroquine. Finally,we demonstrate that these PNAs were effective in stimulating the modification of the endogenous beta-globin locus in human cells,including primary hematopoietic progenitor cells. This work suggests that PNAs can be effective tools to induce heritable,site-specific modification of disease-related genes in human cells. View Publication

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an inherited recessive DNA repair disorder mainly characterized by bone marrow failure and cancer predisposition. Studies in mosaic FA patients have shown that reversion of one inherited germ-line mutation resulting in a functional allele in one or a few hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) can lead to the proliferation advantage of corrected cells,thus over time normalizing the hematologic status of the patient. In contrast to these observations,it is still unclear whether ex vivo genetic correction of FA HSCs also provides a similar proliferation advantage to FA HSCs. Using an FA mouse model with a marked hematopoietic phenotype,the FA-D1 (Brca2(Delta27/Delta27)) mice,we demonstrate that the lentivirus-mediated gene therapy of FA HSCs results in the progressive expansion of genetically corrected clones in mild-conditioned FA-D1 recipients. Consistent with these data,hematopoietic progenitors from FA recipients progressively became mitomycin C resistant and their chromosomal instability was reverted. No evidence of myelodysplasia,leukemias,or abnormal clonal repopulation was observed at multiple time points in primary or secondary recipients. Our results demonstrate that ectopic expression of BRCA2 confers a beneficial in vivo proliferation advantage to FA-D1 HSCs that enables the full hematopoietic repopulation of FA recipients with genetically corrected cells. View Publication

Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) deficient for pocket proteins (i.e.,pRB/p107-,pRB/p130-,or pRB/p107/p130-deficient MEFs) have lost proper G(1) control and are refractory to Ras(V12)-induced senescence. However,pocket protein-deficient MEFs expressing Ras(V12) were unable to exhibit anchorage-independent growth or to form tumors in nude mice. We show that depending on the level of pocket proteins,loss of adhesion induces G(1) and G(2) arrest,which could be alleviated by overexpression of the TBX2 oncogene. TBX2-induced transformation occurred only in the absence of pocket proteins and could be attributed to downregulation of the p53/p21(CIP1) pathway. Our results show that a balance between the pocket protein and p53 pathways determines the level of transformation of MEFs by regulating cyclin-dependent kinase activities. Since transformation of human fibroblasts also requires ablation of both pathways,our results imply that the mechanisms underlying transformation of human and mouse cells are not as different as previously claimed. View Publication

Megakaryocytopoiesis gives rise to platelets by proliferation and differentiation of lineage-specific progenitors,identified in vitro as Colony Forming Unit-Megakaryocytes (CFU-Mk). The aim of this study was to refine and optimize the in vitro Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the CFU-Mk assay for detecting drug-induced thrombocytopenia and to prevalidate a model for predicting the acute exposure levels that cause maximum tolerated decreases in the platelets count,based on the correlation with the maximal plasma concentrations (C max) in vivo. The assay was linear under the SOP conditions,and the in vitro endpoints (percentage of colonies growing) were reproducible within and across laboratories. The protocol performance phase was carried out testing 10 drugs (selected on the base of their recognised or potential in vivo haematotoxicity,according to the literature). Results showed that a relationship can be established between the maximal concentration in plasma (C max) and the in vitro concentrations that inhibited the 10-50-90 percent of colonies growth (ICs). When C max is lower than IC10,it is possible to predict that the chemicals have no direct toxicity effect on CFU-Mk and could not induce thrombocytopenia due to bone marrow damage. When the C max is higher than IC90 and/or IC50,thrombocytopenia can occur due to direct toxicity of chemicals on CFU-Mk progenitors. View Publication