技术资料

Without effective therapy,chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) evolves into an acute leukemia (blast crisis [BC]) that displays either myeloid or B-lymphoid characteristics. This transition is often preceded by a clinically recognized,but biologically poorly characterized,accelerated phase (AP). Here,we report that IKAROS protein is absent or reduced in bone marrow blasts from most CML patients with advanced myeloid disease (AP or BC). This contrasts with primitive CP-CML cells and BCR-ABL1-negative acute myeloid leukemia blasts,which express readily detectable IKAROS. To investigate whether loss of IKAROS contributes to myeloid disease progression in CP-CML,we examined the effects of forced expression of a dominant-negative isoform of IKAROS (IK6) in CP-CML patients' CD34(+) cells. We confirmed that IK6 disrupts IKAROS activity in transduced CP-CML cells and showed that it confers on them features of AP-CML,including a prolonged increased output in vitro and in xenografted mice of primitive cells with an enhanced ability to differentiate into basophils. Expression of IK6 in CD34(+) CP-CML cells also led to activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 and transcriptional repression of its negative regulators. These findings implicate loss of IKAROS as a frequent step and potential diagnostic harbinger of progressive myeloid disease in CML patients. View Publication

The generation of beta-thalassemia (β-Thal) patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs),subsequent homologous recombination-based gene correction of disease-causing mutations/deletions in the β-globin gene (HBB),and their derived hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation offers an ideal therapeutic solution for treating this disease. However,the hematopoietic differentiation efficiency of gene-corrected β-Thal iPSCs has not been well evaluated in the previous studies. In this study,we used the latest gene-editing tool,clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated 9 (Cas9),to correct β-Thal iPSCs; gene-corrected cells exhibit normal karyotypes and full pluripotency as human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) showed no off-targeting effects. Then,we evaluated the differentiation efficiency of the gene-corrected β-Thal iPSCs. We found that during hematopoietic differentiation,gene-corrected β-Thal iPSCs showed an increased embryoid body ratio and various hematopoietic progenitor cell percentages. More importantly,the gene-corrected β-Thal iPSC lines restored HBB expression and reduced reactive oxygen species production compared with the uncorrected group. Our study suggested that hematopoietic differentiation efficiency of β-Thal iPSCs was greatly improved once corrected by the CRISPR/Cas9 system,and the information gained from our study would greatly promote the clinical application of β-Thal iPSC-derived HSCs in transplantation. View Publication

The clinical use of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) requires efficient cellular expansion that must be paired with an ability to generate specialized progeny through differentiation. Self-renewal and differentiation are deemed inherent hallmarks of hESCs and a growing body of evidence suggests that initial culture conditions dictate these two aspects of hESC behavior. Here,we reveal that defined culture conditions using commercial mTeSR1 media augment the expansion of hESCs and enhance their capacity for neural differentiation at the expense of hematopoietic lineage competency without affecting pluripotency. This culture-induced modification was shown to be reversible,as culture in mouse embryonic fibroblast-conditioned media (MEF-CM) in subsequent passages allowed mTeSR1-expanded hESCs to re-establish hematopoietic differentiation potential. Optimal yield of hematopoietic cells can be achieved by expansion in mTeSR1 followed by a recovery period in MEF-CM. Furthermore,the lineage propensity to hematopoietic and neural cell types could be predicted via analysis of surrogate markers expressed by hESCs cultured in mTeSR1 versus MEF-CM,thereby circumventing laborious in vitro differentiation assays. Our study reveals that hESCs exist in a range of functional states and balance expansion with differentiation potential,which can be modulated by culture conditions in a predictive and quantitative manner. Stem Cells 2015;33:1142-1152. View Publication

The generation of personalized induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) followed by targeted genome editing provides an opportunity for developing customized effective cellular therapies for genetic disorders. However,it is critical to ascertain whether edited iPSCs harbor unfavorable genomic variations before their clinical application. To examine the mutation status of the edited iPSC genome and trace the origin of possible mutations at different steps,we have generated virus-free iPSCs from amniotic cells carrying homozygous point mutations in beta-hemoglobin gene (HBB) that cause severe beta-thalassemia (beta-Thal),corrected the mutations in both HBB alleles by zinc finger nuclease-aided gene targeting,and obtained the final HBB gene-corrected iPSCs by excising the exogenous drug resistance gene with Cre recombinase. Through comparative genomic hybridization and whole-exome sequencing,we uncovered seven copy number variations,five small insertions/deletions,and 64 single nucleotide variations (SNVs) in beta-Thal iPSCs before the gene targeting step and found a single small copy number variation,19 insertions/deletions,and 340 single nucleotide variations in the final gene-corrected beta-Thal iPSCs. Our data revealed that substantial but different genomic variations occurred at factor-induced somatic cell reprogramming and zinc finger nuclease-aided gene targeting steps,suggesting that stringent genomic monitoring and selection are needed both at the time of iPSC derivation and after gene targeting. View Publication

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

The developmental potential of hematopoietic progenitors is restricted early on to either the erythromyeloid or lymphoid lineages. The broad developmental potential of Pax5(-/-) pro-B cells is in apparent conflict with such a strict separation,although these progenitors realize the myeloid and erythroid potential with lower efficiency compared to the lymphoid cell fates. Here we demonstrate that ectopic expression of the transcription factors C/EBPalpha,GATA1,GATA2 and GATA3 strongly promoted in vitro macrophage differentiation and myeloid colony formation of Pax5(-/-) pro-B cells. GATA2 and GATA3 expression also resulted in efficient engraftment and myeloid development of Pax5(-/-) pro-B cells in vivo. The myeloid transdifferentiation of Pax5(-/-) pro-B cells was accompanied by the rapid activation of myeloid genes and concomitant repression of B-lymphoid genes by C/EBPalpha and GATA factors. These data identify the Pax5(-/-) pro-B cells as lymphoid progenitors with a latent myeloid potential that can be efficiently activated by myeloid transcription factors. The same regulators were unable to induce a myeloid lineage switch in Pax5(+/+) pro-B cells,indicating that Pax5 dominates over myeloid transcription factors in B-lymphocytes. View Publication

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) preparation needs to be optimized in order to develop more simplified procedures for volume reduction,as well as to reduce the amount of contaminating cells within the final stem cell transplant. We evaluated a novel filter device (StemQuick((TM))E) and compared it with our routine buffy coat (BC) preparation procedure for the enrichment of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). Two groups of single or pooled UCB units were filtered (each n = 6),or equally divided in two halves and processed by filtration and BC preparation in parallel (n = 10). The engraftment capacity of UCB samples processed by whole blood (WB) preparation was compared with paired samples processed by filtration in the nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mouse animal model. Filtration of UCB units in the two groups with a mean volume of 87.8 and 120.7 ml,respectively,and nucleated cell (NC) content of 9.7 and 23.8 x 10(8) resulted in a sufficient mean cell recovery for mononucleated cells ([MNCs] 74.2%-77.5%),CD34(+) cells (76.3%-79.0%),and colony-forming cells (64.1%-86.3%). Moreover,we detected a relevant depletion of the transplants for RBCs (89.2%-90.0%) and platelets ([PLTs] 77.5%-86.1%). In contrast,the mean depletion rate using BC processing proved to be significantly different for PLTs (10%,p = 0.03) and RBCs (39.6%,p textless 0.01). The NC composition showed a highly significant increase in MNCs and a decrease in granulocytes after filtration (p textless 0.01),compared with a less significant MNC increase in the BC group (p textless 0.05). For mice transplanted with WB-derived progenitors,we observed a mean of 15.3% +/- 15.5% of human CD45(+) cells within the BM compared with 19.9% +/- 16.8% for mice transplanted with filter samples (p = 0.03). The mean percentage of human CD34(+) cells was 4.2% +/- 3.1% for WB samples and 4.5% +/- 3.2% for filter samples (p = 0.68). As the data of NOD/SCID mice transplantation demonstrated a significant engraftment capacity of HPCs processed by filtration,no negative effect on the engraftment potential of filtered UCB cells versus non-volume-reduced cells from WB transplants was found. The StemQuick((TM))E filter devices proved to be a useful tool for Good Manufacturing Practices conform enrichment of HPCs and MNCs out of UCB. Filtration enables a quick and standardized preparation of a volume-reduced UCB transplant,including a partial depletion of granulocytes,RBCs,and PLTs without the need for centrifugation. Therefore,it seems very probable that filter-processed UCB transplants will also result in sufficient hematopoietic reconstitution in humans. View Publication

The overproduction of red blood cells in patients with polycythemia vera (PV) is reflected in vitro by the formation of erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-Es) in the absence of exogenous erythropoietin. In contrast to other myeloproliferative disorders,the molecular mechanism of PV is unknown and no specific chromosomal abnormality has been described. We speculated that imatinib mesylate may reverse the pathological overproduction of red cells by inhibition of autonomous erythropoiesis. In the present study,imatinib mesylate was found to either block or strongly inhibit autonomous BFU-E formation in vitro in all patients tested. Moreover,autonomous BFU-E growth was also markedly reduced by exposure of PV cells to imatinib mesylate prior to cultivation in semisolid medium. The profound effect of imatinib mesylate on autonomous erythropoiesis suggests the involvement of an as yet unidentified kinase in the pathogenesis of PV and should provide the rationale for a forthcoming clinical trial. View Publication

BACKGROUND: 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D(3) inhibits growth of several types of human cancer cells in vitro,but its therapeutic use is hampered because it causes hypercalcemia. 19-nor-1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D(2) (paricalcitol) is a noncalcemic vitamin D analog that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism. We investigated the antitumor activity and mechanism of action of paricalcitol in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Effects of paricalcitol on proliferation,the cell cycle,differentiation,and apoptosis were examined in cancer cell lines. Effects on tumor growth were examined with colon cancer cell xenografts in nude mice (five in the experimental group and five in the control group). The interaction of paricalcitol with the vitamin D receptor (VDR) in mononuclear spleen cells and myeloid stem cells from wild-type and VDR knockout mice was examined. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: Paricalcitol inhibited the proliferation of myeloid leukemia cell lines HL-60,NB-4,and THP-1 cells at an effective dose that inhibited growth 50% (ED(50)) of 2.4-5.8 x 10(-9) M by inducing cell cycle arrest and differentiation. Paricalcitol inhibited the proliferation of NCI-H929 myeloma cells at an ED(50) of 2.0 x 10(-10) M by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Paricalcitol also inhibited the proliferation of colon cancer cell lines HT-29 (ED(50) = 1.7 x 10(-8) M) and SW837 (ED(50) = 3.2 x 10(-8) M). HT-29 colon cancer xenografts in paricalcitol-treated nude mice were smaller (1044 mm(3) and 1752 mm(3),difference = 708 mm(3),95% confidence interval = 311 to 1104 mm(3); P =.03) and weighed less (1487 mg and 4162 mg,difference = 2675 mg,95% confidence interval = 2103 to 3248 mg; Ptextless.001) than those in vehicle-treated mice. Paricalcitol induced committed myeloid hematopoietic stem cells from wild-type but not from VDR knockout mice to differentiate as macrophages. CONCLUSION: Paricalcitol has anticancer activity against myeloid leukemia,myeloma,and colon cancer cells that may be mediated through the VDR. Because it has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration,clinical trials of this agent in certain cancers are reasonable. View Publication

Human hematopoietic stem cells are defined by their ability to repopulate multiple hematopoietic lineages in the bone marrow of transplanted recipients and therefore are functionally distinct from hematopoietic progenitors detected in vitro. Although factors capable of regulating progenitors are well established,in vivo regulators of hematopoietic repopulating function are unknown. By using a member of the vertebrate Wnt family,Wnt-5A,the proliferation and differentiation of progenitors cocultured on stromal cells transduced with Wnt-5A or treated with Wnt-5A conditioned medium (CM) was unaffected. However,i.p. injection of Wnt-5A CM into mice engrafted with human repopulating cells increased multilineage reconstitution by textgreater3-fold compared with controls. Furthermore,in vivo treatment of human repopulating cells with Wnt-5A CM produced a greater proportion of phenotypically primitive hematopoietic progeny that could be isolated and shown to possess enhanced progenitor function independent of continued Wnt-5A treatment. Our study demonstrates that Wnt-5A augments primitive hematopoietic development in vivo and represents an in vivo regulator of hematopoietic stem cell function in the human. Based on these findings,we suggest a potential role for activation of Wnt signaling in managing patients exhibiting poor hematopoietic recovery shortly after stem cell transplantation. View Publication