技术资料

OBJECTIVE: Our laboratory has established two unique methods to isolate murine hematopoietic stem cells on the basis of functional characteristics such as the ability of stem cells to home to bone marrow and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity. An essential component of both protocols is the separation of whole bone marrow into small-sized cells by counter-flow elutriation. We sought to provide the scientific community with an alternate approach to acquire our stem cells by replacing elutriation with the use of density-gradient centrifugation. METHODS: The elutriated fraction 25 population was characterized based on density using a discontinuous gradient. The long-term reconstituting potential of whole bone marrow cells collected at each density interface was determined by subjecting the fractions to the two-day homing protocol,transplanting them into lethally irradiated recipient mice,and assessing peripheral blood chimerism. We also investigated the ability of high-density bone marrow cells isolated in conjunction with the ALDH protocol to repopulate the hematopoietic system of myeloablated recipients. RESULTS: Bone marrow cells collected at the high-density interface of 1.081/1.087 g/mL (fraction 3) had the capacity for homing to marrow and the ability to provide long-term hematopoietic reconstitution. Fraction three lineage-depleted ALDH-bright cells could also engraft and provide long-term hematopoiesis at limiting dilutions. CONCLUSIONS: Density-gradient centrifugation can be used in conjunction with either of our stem cell isolation protocols to obtain cells with long-term reconstitution ability. We anticipate that this strategy will encourage and enable investigators to study the biology of HSCs isolated using functional characteristics. View Publication

We have investigated the mechanism of inhibition of enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase of Plasmodium falciparum (PfENR) by triclosan in the presence of a few important catechins and related plant polyphenols. The examined flavonoids inhibited PfENR reversibly with Ki values in the nanomolar range,EGCG being the best with 79 +/- 2.67 nM. The steady-state kinetics revealed time dependent inhibition of PfENR by triclosan,demonstrating that triclosan exhibited slow tight-binding kinetics with PfENR in the presence of these compounds. Additionally,all of them potentiated the binding of triclosan with PfENR by a two-step mechanism resulting in an overall inhibition constant of triclosan in the low picomolar concentration range. The high affinities of tea catechins and the potentiation of binding of triclosan in their presence are readily explained by molecular modeling studies. The enhancement in the potency of triclosan induced by these compounds holds great promise for the development of effective antimalarial therapy. View Publication

In this study,we analyzed IL-2-activated polyclonal natural killer (NK) cells derived from 2 patients affected by leukocyte adhesion deficiency type I (LAD1),an immunodeficiency characterized by mutations of the gene coding for CD18,the beta subunit shared by major leukocyte integrins. We show that LAD1 NK cells express normal levels of various triggering NK receptors (and coreceptors) and that mAb-mediated engagement of these receptors results in the enhancement of both NK cytolytic activity and cytokine production. Moreover,these activating NK receptors were capable of recognizing their specific ligands on target cells. Thus,LAD1 NK cells,similarly to normal NK cells,were capable of killing most human tumor cells analyzed and produced high amounts of IFN-gamma when cocultured in presence of target cells. Murine target cells represented a common exception,as they were poorly susceptible to LAD1 NK cells. Finally,LAD1 NK cells could efficiently kill or induce maturation of monocyte-derived immature dendritic cells (DCs). Altogether our present study indicates that in LAD1 patients,3 important functions of NK cells (eg,cytotoxicity,IFN-gamma production,and DC editing) are only marginally affected and provides new insight on the cooperation between activating receptors and LFA-1 in the induction of NK cell activation and function. View Publication

Hematopoietic stem cells are resistant to HIV-1 infection. Here,we report a novel mechanism by which the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor (CKI) p21(Waf1/Cip1/Sdi1) (p21),a known regulator of stem cell pool size,restricts HIV-1 infection of primitive hematopoietic cells. Modifying p21 expression altered HIV-1 infection prior to changes in cell cycling and was selective for p21 since silencing the related CKIs,p27(Kip1) and p18(INK4C),had no effect on HIV-1. We show that p21 blocked viral infection by complexing with HIV-1 integrase and aborting chromosomal integration. A closely related lentivirus with a distinct integrase,SIVmac-251,and the other cell-intrinsic inhibitors of HIV-1,Trim5alpha,PML,Murr1,and IFN-alpha,were unaffected by p21. Therefore,p21 is an endogenous cellular component in stem cells that provides a unique molecular barrier to HIV-1 infection and may explain how these cells remain an uninfected sanctuary" in HIV disease." View Publication

CTLs act as the effector arm of the cell-mediated immune system to kill undesirable cells. Two processes regulate these effector cells to prevent self reactivity: a thymic selection process that eliminates autoreactive clones and a multistage activation or priming process that endows them with a license to kill cognate target cells. Hitherto no subsequent regulatory restrictions have been ascribed for properly primed and activated CTLs that are licensed to kill. In this study we show that CTLs possess a novel postpriming regulatory mechanism(s) that influences the outcome of their encounter with cognate target cells. This mechanism gauges the degree of Ag density,whereupon reaching a certain threshold significant changes occur that induce anergy in the effector T cells. The biological consequences of this Ag-induced postpriming control includes alterations in the expression of cell surface molecules that control immunological synapse activity and cytokine profiles and induce retarded cell proliferation. Most profound is genome-wide microarray analysis that demonstrates changes in the expression of genes related to membrane potential,TCR signal transduction,energy metabolism,and cell cycle control. Thus,a discernible and unique gene expression signature for anergy as a response to high Ag density has been observed. Consequently,activated T cells possess properties of a self-referential sensory organ. These studies identify a new postpriming control mechanism of CTL with anergenic-like properties. This mechanism extends our understanding of the control of immune function and regulation such as peripheral tolerance,viral infections,antitumor immune responses,hypersensitivity,and autoimmunity. View Publication

Cross-linked human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I molecules have been shown to mediate cell death in neoplastic lymphoid cells. However,clinical application of an anti-HLA class I antibody is limited by possible side effects due to widespread expression of HLA class I molecules in normal tissues. To reduce the unwanted Fc-mediated functions of the therapeutic antibody,we have developed a recombinant single-chain Fv diabody (2D7-DB) specific to the alpha2 domain of HLA-A. Here,we show that 2D7-DB specifically induces multiple myeloma cell death in the bone marrow environment. Both multiple myeloma cell lines and primary multiple myeloma cells expressed HLA-A at higher levels than normal myeloid cells,lymphocytes,or hematopoietic stem cells. 2D7-DB rapidly induced Rho activation and robust actin aggregation that led to caspase-independent death in multiple myeloma cells. This cell death was completely blocked by Rho GTPase inhibitors,suggesting that Rho-induced actin aggregation is crucial for mediating multiple myeloma cell death. Conversely,2D7-DB neither triggered Rho-mediated actin aggregation nor induced cell death in normal bone marrow cells despite the expression of HLA-A. Treatment with IFNs,melphalan,or bortezomib enhanced multiple myeloma cell death induced by 2D7-DB. Furthermore,administration of 2D7-DB resulted in significant tumor regression in a xenograft model of human multiple myeloma. These results indicate that 2D7-DB acts on multiple myeloma cells differently from other bone marrow cells and thus provide the basis for a novel HLA class I-targeting therapy against multiple myeloma. View Publication

Adaptive transcriptional responses to oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) are mediated by the hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs),heterodimeric transcription factors composed of two basic helix-loop-helix-PAS family proteins. The transcriptional activity of HIF is determined by the hypoxic stabilization of the HIF-alpha proteins. HIF-1alpha and HIF-2alpha exhibit high sequence homology but have different mRNA expression patterns; HIF-1alpha is expressed ubiquitously whereas HIF-2alpha expression is more restricted to certain tissues,e.g.,the endothelium,lung,brain,and neural crest derivatives. Germ-line deletion of either HIF subunit is embryonic lethal with unique features suggesting important roles for both HIF-alpha isoforms. Global deletion of Hif-2alpha results in distinct phenotypes depending on the mouse strain used for the mutation,clearly demonstrating an important role for HIF-2alpha in mouse development. The function of HIF-2alpha in adult life,however,remains incompletely understood. In this study,we describe the generation of a conditional murine Hif-2alpha allele and the effect of its acute postnatal ablation. Under very stringent conditions,we ablate Hif-2alpha after birth and compare the effect of acute global deletion of Hif-2alpha and Hif-1alpha. Our results demonstrate that HIF-2alpha plays a critical role in adult erythropoiesis,with acute deletion leading to anemia. Furthermore,although HIF-1alpha was first purified and cloned based on its affinity for the human erythropoietin (EPO) 3' enhancer hypoxia response element (HRE) and regulates Epo expression during mouse embryogenesis,HIF-2alpha is the critical alpha isoform regulating Epo under physiologic and stress conditions in adults. View Publication

Conventionally,mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are generated by plating cells from bone marrow (BM) or other sources into culture flasks and selecting plastic-adherent cells with fibroblastoid morphology. These cells express CD9,CD10,CD13,CD73,CD105,CD166,and other markers but show only a weak or no expression of the embryonic markers stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 (SSEA-4),Oct-4 and nanog-3. Using a novel protocol we prepared MSC from BM and non-amniotic placenta (PL) by culture of Ficoll-selected cells in gelatin-coated flasks in the presence of a serum-free,basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF)-containing medium that was originally designed for the expansion of human embryonic stem cells (ESC). MSC generated in gelatin-coated flasks in the presence of ESC medium revealed a four-to fivefold higher proliferation rate than conventionally prepared MSC which were grown in uncoated flasks in serum-containing medium. In contrast,the colony forming unit fibroblast number was only 1.5- to twofold increased in PL-MSC and not affected in BM-MSC. PL-MSC grown in ESC medium showed an increased surface expression of SSEA-4 and frizzled-9 (FZD-9),an increased Oct-4 and nestin mRNA expression,and an induced expression of nanog-3. BM-MSC showed an induced expression of FZD-9,nanog-3,and Oct-4. In contrast to PL-MSC,only BM-MSC expressed the MSC-specific W8B2 antigen. When cultured under appropriate conditions,these MSC gave rise to functional adipocytes and osteoblast-like cells (mesoderm),glucagon and insulin expressing pancreatic-like cells (endoderm),as well as cells expressing the neuronal markers neuron-specific enolase,glutamic acid decarboxylase-67 (GAD),or class III beta-tubulin,and the astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (ectoderm). In conclusion,using a novel protocol we demonstrate that adult BM-and neonatal PL-derived MSC can be induced to express high levels of FZD-9,Oct-4,nanog-3,and nestin and are able of multi-lineage differentiation. View Publication

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the kinetics of myocardial engraftment of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BMNCs) after intracoronary injection using 99mTc-d,l-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) nuclear imaging in patients with acute and chronic anterior myocardial infarction. DESIGN: Nuclear imaging-derived tracking of BMNCs at 2 and 20 h after injection in the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. SETTING: Academical cardiocentre. PATIENTS: Five patients with acute (mean (SD) age 58 (11) years; ejection fraction range 33-45%) and five patients with chronic (mean (SD) age 50 (6) years; ejection fraction range 28-34%) anterior myocardial infarction. INTERVENTIONS: A total of 24.2 x 10(8)-57.0 x 10(8) BMNCs (20% labelled with 700-1000 MBq 99mTc-HMPAO) were injected in the LAD coronary artery. RESULTS: At 2 h after BMNC injection,myocardial activity was observed in all patients with acute (range 1.31-5.10%) and in all but one patient with chronic infarction (range 1.10-3.0%). At 20 h,myocardial engraftment was noted only in three patients with acute myocardial infarction,whereas no myocardial activity was noted in any patient with chronic infarction. CONCLUSIONS: Engraftment of BMNCs shows dynamic changes within the first 20 h after intracoronary injection. Persistent myocardial engraftment was noted only in a subset of patients with acute myocardial infarction. View Publication

Differences in clinical outcome of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in disease-resistant African sooty mangabeys (SM) and disease-susceptible Asian rhesus macaques (RM) prompted us to examine the role of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in these two animal models. Results from a cross-sectional study revealed maintenance of the frequency and absolute number of peripheral Tregs in chronically SIV-infected SM while a significant loss occurred in chronically SIV-infected RM compared to uninfected animals. A longitudinal study of experimentally SIV-infected animals revealed a transient increase in the frequency of Tregs from baseline values following acute infection in RM,but no change in the frequency of Tregs occurred in SM during this period. Further examination revealed a strong correlation between plasma viral load (VL) and the level of Tregs in SIV-infected RM but not SM. A correlation was also noted in SIV-infected RM that control VL spontaneously or in response to antiretroviral chemotherapy. In addition,immunofluorescent cell count assays showed that while Treg-depleted peripheral blood mononuclear cells from RM led to a significant enhancement of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses to select pools of SIV peptides,there was no detectable T-cell response to the same pool of SIV peptides in Treg-depleted cells from SIV-infected SM. Our data collectively suggest that while Tregs do appear to play a role in the control of viremia and the magnitude of the SIV-specific immune response in RM,their role in disease resistance in SM remains unclear. View Publication