技术资料

Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) are typically derived separately,with low efficiencies,from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). The concurrent generation of these cell types might lead to potential applications in regenerative medicine to model,elucidate,and eventually treat vascular diseases. Here we report a robust two-step protocol that can be used to simultaneously generate large numbers of functional SMCs and ECs from a common proliferative vascular progenitor population via a two-dimensional culture system. We show here that coculturing hPSCs with OP9 cells in media supplemented with vascular endothelial growth factor,basic fibroblast growth factor,and bone morphogenetic protein 4 yields a higher percentage of CD31(+)CD34(+) cells on day 8 of differentiation. Upon exposure to endothelial differentiation media and SM differentiation media,these vascular progenitors were able to differentiate and mature into functional endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells,respectively. Furthermore,we were able to expand the intermediate population more than a billion fold to generate sufficient numbers of ECs and SMCs in parallel for potential therapeutic transplantations. View Publication

In recent years,studies of cancer development and recurrence have been influenced by the cancer stem cells (CSCs)/cancer-initiating cells (CICs) hypothesis. According to this,cancer is sustained by highly positioned,chemoresistant cells with extensive capacity of self renewal,which are responsible for disease relapse after chemotherapy. Growth of cancer cells as three-dimensional non-adherent spheroids is regarded as a useful methodology to enrich for cells endowed with CSC-like features. We have recently reported that cell cultures derived from malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) of patients affected by adenocarcinoma of the lung are able to efficiently form spheroids in non-adherent conditions supplemented with growth factors. By expression profiling,we were able to identify a set of genes whose expression is significantly upregulated in lung tumor spheroids versus adherent cultures. One of the most strongly upregulated gene was stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD1),the main enzyme responsible for the conversion of saturated into monounsaturated fatty acids. In the present study,we show both by RNA interference and through the use of a small molecule inhibitor that SCD1 is required for lung cancer spheroids propagation both in stable cell lines and in MPE-derived primary tumor cultures. Morphological examination and image analysis of the tumor spheroids formed in the presence of SCD1 inhibitors showed a different pattern of growth characterized by irregular cell aggregates. Electron microscopy revealed that the treated spheroids displayed several features of cellular damage and immunofluorescence analysis on optical serial sections showed apoptotic cells positive for the M30 marker,most of them positive also for the stemness marker ALDH1A1,thus suggesting that the SCD1 inhibitor is selectively killing cells with stem-like properties. Furthermore,SCD1-inhibited lung cancer cells were strongly impaired in their in vivo tumorigenicity and ALDH1A1 expression. These results suggest that SCD1 is a critical target in lung cancer tumor-initiating cells. View Publication

A systematic evaluation of three different methods for generating induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells was performed using the same set of parental cells in our quest to develop a feeder independent and xeno-free method for somatic cell reprogramming that could be transferred into a GMP environment. When using the BJ fibroblast cell line,the highest reprogramming efficiency (1.89% of starting cells) was observed with the mRNA based method which was almost 20 fold higher than that observed with the retrovirus (0.2%) and episomal plasmid (0.10%) methods. Standard characterisation tests did not reveal any differences in an array of pluripotency markers between the iPS lines derived using the various methods. However,when the same methods were used to reprogram three different primary fibroblasts lines,two derived from patients with rapid onset parkinsonism dystonia and one from an elderly healthy volunteer,we consistently observed higher reprogramming efficiencies with the episomal plasmid method,which was 4 fold higher when compared to the retroviral method and over 50 fold higher than the mRNA method. Additionally,with the plasmid reprogramming protocol,recombinant vitronectin and synthemax® could be used together with commercially available,fully defined,xeno-free essential 8 medium without significantly impacting the reprogramming efficiency. To demonstrate the robustness of this protocol,we reprogrammed a further 2 primary patient cell lines,one with retinosa pigmentosa and the other with Parkinsons disease. We believe that we have optimised a simple and reproducible method which could be used as a starting point for developing GMP protocols,a prerequisite for generating clinically relevant patient specific iPS cells. View Publication

Production of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived lung progenitors has broad applicability for drug screening and cell therapy; however,this is complicated by limitations in demarcating phenotypic changes with functional validation of airway cell types. In this paper,we reveal the potential of hESCs to produce multipotent lung progenitors using a combined growth factor and physical culture approach,guided by the use of novel markers LIFRα and NRP1. Lung specification of hESCs was achieved by priming differentiation via matrix-specific support,followed by air-liquid interface to allow generation of lung progenitors capable of in vitro maturation into airway epithelial cell types,resulting in functional characteristics such as secretion of pulmonary surfactant,ciliation,polarization,and acquisition of innate immune activity. This approach provided a robust expansion of lung progenitors,allowing in vivo assessment,which demonstrated that only fully differentiated hESC-derived airway cells were retained in the distal airway,where they aided in physiological recovery in immunocompromised mice receiving airway injury. Our study provides a basis for translational applications of hESCs for lung diseases. View Publication

Realization of the full potential of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) in clinical applications requires development of well-defined conditions for their growth and differentiation. A novel fully defined polyvinyl alcohol/hyaluronan (PVA/HA) polysaccharide nanofiber was developed for hiPSCs culture in commercially available xeno-free,chemically defined medium. Vitronectin peptide (VP) was immobilized to PVA/HA nanofibers through NHS/EDC chemistry. The hiPSCs successfully grew and proliferated on the VP-decorated PVA/HA nanofibers,similar to those on MatrigelTM. Such well-defined,xeno-free and safe nanofiber substrate that supports culture of hiPSCs will not only help to accelerate the translational perspectives of hiPSCs,but also provide a platform to investigate the cell-nanofiber interaction mechanisms that regulate stem cell proliferation and differentiation. ?? 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. View Publication

Efficient generation of cardiomyocytes from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) for multiple downstream applications such as regenerative medicine,disease modeling,and drug screening remains a challenge. Cardiomyogenesis may be regulated in vitro by a controlled differentiation process,which involves various signaling molecules and extracellular environment. Here,we describe a simple method to efficiently generate cardiomyocytes from human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells. View Publication

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Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a unique lymphocyte subpopulation that mediates antitumor activities upon activation. A current strategy to harness iNKT cells for cancer treatment is endogenous iNKT cell activation using patient-derived dendritic cells (DCs). However,the limited number and functional defects of patient DCs are still the major challenges for this therapeutic approach. In this study,we investigated whether human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) with an ectopically expressed CD1d gene could be exploited to address this issue. Using a lentivector carrying an optimized expression cassette,we generated stably modified hESC lines that consistently overexpressed CD1d. These modified hESC lines were able to differentiate into DCs as efficiently as the parental line. Most importantly,more than 50% of such derived DCs were CD1d+. These CD1d-overexpressing DCs were more efficient in inducing iNKT cell response than those without modification,and their ability was comparable to that of DCs generated from monocytes of healthy donors. The iNKT cells expanded by the CD1d-overexpressing DCs were functional,as demonstrated by their ability to lyse iNKT cell-sensitive glioma cells. Therefore,hESCs stably modified with the CD1d gene may serve as a convenient,unlimited,and competent DC source for iNKT cell-based cancer immunotherapy. View Publication

Ischemia-induced progenitor cell proliferation is a prominent example of the adult mammalian brain's ability to regenerate injured tissue resulting from pathophysiological processes. In order to better understand and exploit the cell signaling mechanisms that regulate ischemia-induced proliferation,we examined the role of the p42/44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade effector ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) in this process. Here,using the endothelin-1 ischemia model in wild type mice,we show that the activated form of RSK is expressed in the progenitor cells of the subgranular zone (SGZ) after intrahippocampal cerebral ischemia. Further,RSK inhibition significantly reduces ischemia-induced SGZ progenitor cell proliferation. Using the neurosphere assay,we also show that both SGZ- and subventricular zone (SVZ)-derived adult neural stem cells (NSC) exhibit a significant reduction in proliferation in the presence of RSK and MAPK inhibitors. Taken together,these data reveal RSK as a regulator of ischemia-induced progenitor cell proliferation,and as such,suggest potential therapeutic value may be gained by specifically targeting the regulation of RSK in the progenitor cell population of the SGZ. View Publication

OBJECTIVE To analyze the combination therapy of Sinomenine (SIN) and Methotrexate (MTX) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA),we herein demonstrated the combination effect of SIN and MTX on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in rats through their modulation on osteoclast-related cytokines. METHODS CIA was induced by the immunization of type II collagen (CII) in SD rats. SIN and MTX were administrated alone or in combination after the onset of arthritis. Arthritis index and histological analysis were used to evaluate the effect of treatments. Effects of SIN and MTX on expression of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and osteopontin (OPN) in synovial tissues were assayed by immunohistochemistry. RANKL,osteoprotegerin (OPG),IL-6,IL-17 and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in rat serum were measured by ELISA. The expression of osteoclast-related cytokines in fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from RA patients was assayed by RT-PCR. RESULTS SIN and MTX combination additively reduced the inflammatory symptoms and joint damage in CIA. Combination of SIN and MTX significantly repressed synovial RANKL and OPN production. SIN and MTX exhibited complementary and synergistic effect upon down-regulating RANKL,IL-6,IL-17 and MMPs in rat serum. SIN and MTX also modulated the expression of RANKL and OPG in RA-FLS. CONCLUSION SIN and MTX have additive effects,decreasing inflammation and joint damage in CIA rats by modulating osteoclast-related cytokines. These results are indicative of the combined effect of SIN and MTX for anti-arthritic treatment in RA. View Publication

Summary Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) regularly acquire nonrandom genomic aberrations during culture,raising concerns about their safe therapeutic application. The International Stem Cell Initiative identified a copy number variant (CNV) amplification of chromosome 20q11.21 in 25% of hESC lines displaying a normal karyotype. By comparing four cell lines paired for the presence or absence of this CNV,we show that those containing this amplicon have higher population doubling rates,attributable to enhanced cell survival through resistance to apoptosis. Of the three genes encoded within the minimal amplicon and expressed in hESCs,only overexpression of BCL2L1 (BCL-XL isoform) provides control cells with growth characteristics similar to those of CNV-containing cells,whereas inhibition of BCL-XL suppresses the growth advantage of CNV cells,establishing BCL2L1 as a driver mutation. Amplification of the 20q11.21 region is also detectable in human embryonal carcinoma cell lines and some teratocarcinomas,linking this mutation with malignant transformation. View Publication

Although transcriptional and posttranscriptional events are detected in RNA-Seq data from second-generation sequencing,full-length mRNA isoforms are not captured. On the other hand,third-generation sequencing,which yields much longer reads,has current limitations of lower raw accuracy and throughput. Here,we combine second-generation sequencing and third-generation sequencing with a custom-designed method for isoform identification and quantification to generate a high-confidence isoform dataset for human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). We report 8,084 RefSeq-annotated isoforms detected as full-length and an additional 5,459 isoforms predicted through statistical inference. Over one-third of these are novel isoforms,including 273 RNAs from gene loci that have not previously been identified. Further characterization of the novel loci indicates that a subset is expressed in pluripotent cells but not in diverse fetal and adult tissues; moreover,their reduced expression perturbs the network of pluripotency-associated genes. Results suggest that gene identification,even in well-characterized human cell lines and tissues,is likely far from complete. View Publication