技术资料

Experiments were conducted to isolate and characterize the gene and gene product of a human hematopoietic colony-stimulating factor with pluripotent biological activities. This factor has the ability to induce differentiation of a murine myelomonocytic leukemia cell line WEHI-3B(D+) and cells from patients with newly diagnosed acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). A complementary DNA copy of the gene encoding a pluripotent human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (hG-CSF) was cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant form of hG-CSF is capable of supporting neutrophil proliferation in a CFU-GM assay. In addition,recombinant hG-CSF can support early erythroid colonies and mixed colony formation. Competitive binding studies done with 125I-labeled hG-CSF and cell samples from two patients with newly diagnosed human leukemias as well as WEHI-3B(D+) cells showed that one of the human leukemias (ANLL,classified as M4) and the WEHI-3B(D+) cells have receptors for hG-CSF. Furthermore,the murine WEHI-3B(D+) cells and human leukemic cells classified as M2,M3,and M4 were induced by recombinant hG-CSF to undergo terminal differentiation to macrophages and granulocytes. The secreted form of the protein produced by the bladder carcinoma cell line 5637 was found to be O-glycosylated and to have a molecular weight of 19,600. View Publication

Purvalanol A is a specific CDK inhibitor which triggers apoptosis by causing cell cycle arrest in cancer cells. Although it has strong apoptotic potential,the mechanistic action of Purvalanol A on significant cell signaling targets has not been clarified yet. Polyamines are crucial metabolic regulators affected by CDK inhibition because of their role in cell cycle progress as well. In addition,malignant cells possess impaired polyamine homeostasis with high level of intracellular polyamines. Especially induction of polyamine catabolic enzymes spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase (SSAT),polyamine oxidase (PAO) and spermine oxidase (SMO) induced toxic by-products in correlation with the induction of apoptosis in cancer cells. In this study,we showed that Purvalanol A induced apoptosis in caspase- dependent manner in MCF-7 ER(+) cells,while MDA-MB-231 (ER-) cells were less sensitive against drug. In addition Bcl-2 is a critical target for Purvalanol A,since Bcl-2 overexpressed cells are more resistant to Purvalanol A-mediated apoptosis. Furthermore,exposure of MCF-7 cells to Purvalanol A triggered SSAT and PAO upregulation and the presence of PAO/SMO inhibitor,MDL 72,527 prevented Purvalanol A-induced apoptosis. View Publication

BACKGROUND Cancer development results from the progressive accumulation of genomic abnormalities that culminate in the neoplastic phenotype. Cytogenetic alterations,mutations and rearrangements may be considered as molecular legacy which trace the clonal history of the disease. Concomitant tumors are reported and they may derive from a common or divergent founder clone. B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and plasma cell myeloma (PCM) are both mature B-cell neoplasms,and their concomitancy,albeit rare,is documented. CASE PRESENTATION Here,we described a patient with prior B-CLL with secondary development of PCM. Cytogenetic and multi parametric flow cytometry analyses were performed. The B-CLL population presented chromosome 12 trisomy,unlikely the arisen PCM population. CONCLUSION The close follow up of B-CLL patients is important for early intervention in case of development of other malignancy,such as myeloma. Our observation suggests these two diseases may have arisen from different clones. We understand that the investigation of clonal origin may provide important information regarding therapeutic decisions,and should be considered in concomitant neoplasm. View Publication

Elotuzumab is a monoclonal antibody in development for multiple myeloma (MM) that targets CS1,a cell surface glycoprotein expressed on MM cells. In preclinical models,elotuzumab exerts anti-MM efficacy via natural killer (NK)-cell-mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). CS1 is also expressed at lower levels on NK cells where it acts as an activating receptor. We hypothesized that elotuzumab may have additional mechanisms of action via ligation of CS1 on NK cells that complement ADCC activity. Herein,we show that elotuzumab appears to induce activation of NK cells by binding to NK cell CS1 which promotes cytotoxicity against CS1(+) MM cells but not against autologous CS1(+) NK cells. Elotuzumab may also promote CS1-CS1 interactions between NK cells and CS1(+) target cells to enhance cytotoxicity in a manner independent of ADCC. NK cell activation appears dependent on differential expression of the signaling intermediary EAT-2 which is present in NK cells but absent in primary,human MM cells. Taken together,these data suggest elotuzumab may enhance NK cell function directly and confer anti-MM efficacy by means beyond ADCC alone. View Publication

Two monoclonal antibodies,BA16 and BA17,have been developed using a detergent-insoluble extract of human mammary epithelial organoids as immunogen. Indirect immunofluorescent staining of cultured cells showed that the component reacting with the antibodies was filamentous and the intensity of staining was stronger in mitotic cells. Immunoblotting of cell extracts showed that both antibodies react with only one band of 40 X 10(3) molecular weight,which was present in keratin-enriched extracts of cells or organoids. Furthermore,the tissue distribution of the component reacting with the antibodies was that predicted for human keratin 19. The antibodies showed differences in the intensity of staining of cells or tissue sections fixed and prepared in different ways indicating that they reacted with different epitopes. The pattern of expression of the 40 X 10(3) Mr keratin by normal mammary epithelial cells was investigated by immunoperoxidase staining of tissue sections,cultured milk cells,and organoids of different sizes cultured in collagen gels. It was found that basal or myoepithelial cells did not express this keratin. Some heterogeneity of expression of this component was seen in luminal epithelial cells,found almost exclusively in the smaller structures. These cells did,however,express other keratins characteristic of luminal cells. The distribution in the mammary tree of the luminal cells that did not express the 40 X 10(3) Mr keratin appears to be similar to that expected for cells with the proliferative potential to produce new terminal ductal lobular units or an increase in branching of existing terminal ductal lobular units. It is shown that these cells have considerable proliferative potential by the fact that they form large colonies in milk cell cultures. View Publication

A prerequisite for the realization of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) therapies is the development of bioprocesses for generating clinically relevant quantities of undifferentiated hPSCs and their derivatives under xeno-free conditions. Microcarrier stirred-suspension bioreactors are an appealing modality for the scalable expansion and directed differentiation of hPSCs. Comparative analyses of commercially available microcarriers clearly show the need for developing synthetic substrates supporting the adhesion and growth of hPSCs in three-dimensional cultures under agitation-induced shear. Moreover,the low seeding efficiencies during microcarrier loading with hPSC clusters poses a significant process bottleneck. To that end,a novel protocol was developed increasing hPSC seeding efficiency from 30% to over 80% and substantially shortening the duration of microcarrier loading. Importantly,this method was combined with the engineering of polystyrene microcarriers by surface conjugation of a vitronectin-derived peptide,which was previously shown to support the growth of human embryonic stem cells. Cells proliferated on peptide-conjugated beads in static culture but widespread detachment was observed after exposure to stirring. This prompted additional treatment of the microcarriers with a synthetic polymer commonly used to enhance cell adhesion. hPSCs were successfully cultivated on these microcarriers in stirred suspension vessels for multiple consecutive passages with attachment efficiencies close to 40%. Cultured cells exhibited on average a 24-fold increase in concentration per 6-day passage,over 85% viability,and maintained a normal karyotype and the expression of pluripotency markers such as Nanog,Oct4,and SSEA4. When subjected to spontaneous differentiation in embryoid body cultures or directed differentiation to the three embryonic germ layers,the cells adopted respective fates displaying relevant markers. Lastly,engineered microcarriers were successfully utilized for the expansion and differentiation of hPSCs to mesoderm progeny in stirred suspension vessels. Hence,we demonstrate a strategy for the facile engineering of xeno-free microcarriers for stirred-suspension cultivation of hPSCs. Our findings support the use of microcarrier bioreactors for the scalable,xeno-free propagation and differentiation of human stem cells intended for therapies. View Publication

A growth factor that is mitogenic for vascular endothelial cells,with an ED50 of approximately 1 ng/ml,has been purified 170,000-fold to apparent homogeneity from tissue culture medium conditioned by a rat glioma-derived cell line. The pure protein is a 46-kDa dimer composed of two subunits of equivalent mass as established by comparison of migration in SDS/polyacrylamide gels with and without prior reduction. This glioma-derived growth factor is a glycoprotein and is not mitogenic for BALB/c 3T3 fibroblasts,properties that further distinguish it from other well-characterized vascular endothelial cell mitogens. In contrast to acidic and basic fibroblast growth factors and to platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor,which have no secretory leader sequences and might only be released by leakage from damaged cells,the glycoprotein nature of this mitogen implies that it is processed through the glycosylating secretory pathway. This secretable growth factor could,therefore,be readily available in the extracellular space under normal physiological conditions in vivo to promote vascular endothelial cell proliferation associated with blood-vessel growth and maintenance. View Publication

Erythropoietin (Epo) is a cytokine that binds and activates an Epo receptor (EpoR) expressed on the surface of erythroid progenitor cells to promote erythropoiesis. While early studies suggested EpoR transcripts were expressed exclusively in the erythroid compartment,low-level EpoR transcripts were detected in nonhematopoietic tissues and tumor cell lines using sensitive RT-PCR methods. However due to the widespread use of nonspecific anti-EpoR antibodies there are conflicting data on EpoR protein expression. In tumor cell lines and normal human tissues examined with a specific and sensitive monoclonal antibody to human EpoR (A82),little/no EpoR protein was detected and it was not functional. In contrast,EpoR protein was reportedly detectable in a breast tumor cell line (MCF-7) and breast cancer tissues with an anti-EpoR polyclonal antibody (M-20),and functional responses to rHuEpo were reported with MCF-7 cells. In another study,a functional response was reported with the lung tumor cell line (NCI-H838) at physiological levels of rHuEpo. However,the specificity of M-20 is in question and the absence of appropriate negative controls raise questions about possible false-positive effects. Here we show that with A82,no EpoR protein was detectable in normal human and matching cancer tissues from breast,lung,colon,ovary and skin with little/no EpoR in MCF-7 and most other breast and lung tumor cell lines. We show further that M-20 provides false positive staining with tissues and it binds to a non-EpoR protein that migrates at the same size as EpoR with MCF-7 lysates. EpoR protein was detectable with NCI-H838 cells,but no rHuEpo-induced phosphorylation of AKT,STAT3,pS6RP or STAT5 was observed suggesting the EpoR was not functional. Taken together these results raise questions about the hypothesis that most tumors express high levels of functional EpoR protein. View Publication

The inner ear contains sensory epithelia that detect head movements,gravity and sound. It is unclear how to develop these sensory epithelia from pluripotent stem cells,a process that will be critical for modelling inner ear disorders or developing cell-based therapies for profound hearing loss and balance disorders. So far,attempts to derive inner ear mechanosensitive hair cells and sensory neurons have resulted in inefficient or incomplete phenotypic conversion of stem cells into inner-ear-like cells. A key insight lacking from these previous studies is the importance of the non-neural and preplacodal ectoderm,two critical precursors during inner ear development. Here we report the stepwise differentiation of inner ear sensory epithelia from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in three-dimensional culture. We show that by recapitulating in vivo development with precise temporal control of signalling pathways,ESC aggregates transform sequentially into non-neural,preplacodal and otic-placode-like epithelia. Notably,in a self-organized process that mimics normal development,vesicles containing prosensory cells emerge from the presumptive otic placodes and give rise to hair cells bearing stereocilia bundles and a kinocilium. Moreover,these stem-cell-derived hair cells exhibit functional properties of native mechanosensitive hair cells and form specialized synapses with sensory neurons that have also arisen from ESCs in the culture. Finally,we demonstrate how these vesicles are structurally and biochemically comparable to developing vestibular end organs. Our data thus establish a new in vitro model of inner ear differentiation that can be used to gain deeper insight into inner ear development and disorder. View Publication

BACKGROUND Central to appropriate thrombin formation at sites of vascular injury is the concerted assembly of plasma- and/or platelet-derived factor (F) Va and FXa on the activated platelet surface. While the plasma-derived procofactor,FV,must be proteolytically activated by α-thrombin to FVa to function in prothrombinase,the platelet molecule is released from α-granules in a partially activated state,obviating the need for proteolytic activation. OBJECTIVES The current study was performed to test the hypothesis that subsequent to its endocytosis by megakaryocytes,plasma-derived FV is proteolytically processed to form the platelet-derived pool. METHODS & RESULTS Subsequent to FV endocytosis,a time-dependent increase in FV proteolytic products was observed in megakaryocyte lysates by SDS-PAGE followed by phosphorimaging or western blotting. This cleavage was specific and resulted in the formation of products similar in size to FV/Va present in a platelet lysate as well as to the α-thrombin-activated FVa heavy chain and light chain,and their respective precursors. Other proteolytic products were unique to endocytosed FV. The product/precursor relationships of these fragments were defined using anti-FV heavy and light chain antibodies with defined epitopes. Activity measurements indicated that megakaryocyte-derived FV fragments exhibited substantial FVa cofactor activity that was comparable to platelet-derived FV/Va. CONCLUSIONS Taken together,these observations suggest that prior to its packaging in α-granules endocytosed FV undergoes proteolysis by one or more specific megakaryocyte protease(s) to form the partially activated platelet-derived pool. View Publication

Growth factor signaling pathways are tightly regulated by phosphorylation and include many important kinase targets of interest for drug discovery. Small molecule inhibitors of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) receptor kinase ALK2 (ACVR1) are needed urgently to treat the progressively debilitating musculoskeletal disease fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). Dorsomorphin analogues,first identified in zebrafish,remain the only BMP inhibitor chemotype reported to date. By screening an assay panel of 250 recombinant human kinases we identified a highly selective 2-aminopyridine-based inhibitor K02288 with in vitro activity against ALK2 at low nanomolar concentrations similar to the current lead compound LDN-193189. K02288 specifically inhibited the BMP-induced Smad pathway without affecting TGF-β signaling and induced dorsalization of zebrafish embryos. Comparison of the crystal structures of ALK2 with K02288 and LDN-193189 revealed additional contacts in the K02288 complex affording improved shape complementarity and identified the exposed phenol group for further optimization of pharmacokinetics. The discovery of a new chemical series provides an independent pharmacological tool to investigate BMP signaling and offers multiple opportunities for pre-clinical development. View Publication

Developing novel therapies that suppress self-renewal of leukemia stem cells may reduce the likelihood of relapses and extend long-term survival of patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). AML1-ETO (AE) is an oncogene that plays an important role in inducing self-renewal of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs),leading to the development of leukemia stem cells. Previously,using a zebrafish model of AE and a whole-organism chemical suppressor screen,we have discovered that AE induces specific hematopoietic phenotypes in embryonic zebrafish through a cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and β-catenin-dependent pathway. Here,we show that AE also induces expression of the Cox-2 gene and activates β-catenin in mouse bone marrow cells. Inhibition of COX suppresses β-catenin activation and serial replating of AE(+) mouse HSPCs. Genetic knockdown of β-catenin also abrogates the clonogenic growth of AE(+) mouse HSPCs and human leukemia cells. In addition,treatment with nimesulide,a COX-2 selective inhibitor,dramatically suppresses xenograft tumor formation and inhibits in vivo progression of human leukemia cells. In summary,our data indicate an important role of a COX/β-catenin-dependent signaling pathway in tumor initiation,growth,and self-renewal,and in providing the rationale for testing potential benefits from common COX inhibitors as a part of AML treatments. View Publication