技术资料

The application of organoids has been limited by the lack of methods for producing uniformly mature organoids at scale. This study introduces an organoid culture platform,called UniMat,which addresses the challenges of uniformity and maturity simultaneously. UniMat is designed to not only ensure consistent organoid growth but also facilitate an unrestricted supply of soluble factors by a 3D geometrically-engineered,permeable membrane-based platform. Using UniMat,we demonstrate the scalable generation of kidney organoids with enhanced uniformity in both structure and function compared to conventional methods. Notably,kidney organoids within UniMat show improved maturation,showing increased expression of nephron transcripts,more in vivo-like cell-type balance,enhanced vascularization,and better long-term stability. Moreover,UniMat’s design offers a more standardized organoid model for disease modeling and drug testing,as demonstrated by polycystic-kidney disease and acute kidney injury modeling. In essence,UniMat presents a valuable platform for organoid technology,with potential applications in organ development,disease modeling,and drug screening. Subject terms: Nanofabrication and nanopatterning,Biomaterials,Stem-cell biotechnology View Publication

Cancer cell plasticity contributes significantly to the failure of chemo- and targeted therapies in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Molecular mechanisms of therapy-induced tumor cell plasticity and associated resistance are largely unknown. Using a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screen,we investigated escape mechanisms of NOTCH-driven TNBC treated with a gamma-secretase inhibitor (GSI) and identified SOX2 as a target of resistance to Notch inhibition. We describe a novel reciprocal inhibitory feedback mechanism between Notch signaling and SOX2. Specifically,Notch signaling inhibits SOX2 expression through its target genes of the HEY family,and SOX2 inhibits Notch signaling through direct interaction with RBPJ. This mechanism shapes divergent cell states with NOTCH positive TNBC being more epithelial-like,while SOX2 expression correlates with epithelial-mesenchymal transition,induces cancer stem cell features and GSI resistance. To counteract monotherapy-induced tumor relapse,we assessed GSI-paclitaxel and dasatinib-paclitaxel combination treatments in NOTCH inhibitor-sensitive and -resistant TNBC xenotransplants,respectively. These distinct preventive combinations and second-line treatment option dependent on NOTCH1 and SOX2 expression in TNBC are able to induce tumor growth control and reduce metastatic burden. View Publication

To enable transmission of information in the brain,synaptic vesicles fuse to presynaptic membranes,liberating their content and exposing transiently a myriad of vesicular transmembrane proteins. However,versatile methods for quantifying the synaptic translocation of endogenous proteins during neuronal activity remain unavailable,as the fast dynamics of synaptic vesicle cycling difficult specific isolation of trafficking proteins during such a transient surface exposure. Here,we developed a novel approach using synaptic cleft proximity labeling to capture and quantify activity-driven trafficking of endogenous synaptic proteins at the synapse. We show that accelerating cleft biotinylation times to match the fast dynamics of vesicle exocytosis allows capturing endogenous proteins transiently exposed at the synaptic surface during neural activity,enabling for the first time the study of the translocation of nearly every endogenous synaptic protein. As proof-of-concept,we further applied this technology to obtain direct evidence of the surface translocation of noncanonical trafficking proteins,such as ATG9A and NPTX1,which had been proposed to traffic during activity but for which direct proof had not yet been shown. The technological advancement presented here will facilitate future studies dissecting the molecular identity of proteins exocytosed at the synapse during activity,helping to define the molecular machinery that sustains neurotransmission in the mammalian brain. View Publication

Patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) respond to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs); however,CML leukemic stem cells (LSCs) exhibit BCR::ABL kinase-independent growth and are insensitive to TKIs,leading to disease relapse. To prevent this,new therapies targeting CML-LSCs are needed. Rates of mitochondria-mediated oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in CD34 + CML cells within the primitive CML cell population are higher than those in normal undifferentiated hematopoietic cells; therefore,the inhibition of OXPHOS in CML-LSCs may be a potential cure for CML. NK-128 (C 33 H 61 NO 5 S) is a structurally simplified analog of JCI-20679,the design of which was based on annonaceous acetogenins. NK-128 exhibits antitumor activity against glioblastoma and human colon cancer cells by inhibiting OXPHOS and activating AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK). Here,we demonstrate that NK-128 effectively suppresses the growth of CML cell lines and that the combination of imatinib and NK-128 is more potent than either alone in a CML xenograft mouse model. We also found that NK-128 inhibits colony formation by CD34 + CML cells isolated from the bone marrow of untreated CML patients. Taken together,these findings suggest that targeting OXPHOS is a beneficial approach to eliminating CML-LSCs,and may improve the treatment of CML. View Publication

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a deadly hematopoietic malignancy. Although many patients achieve complete remission with standard induction therapy,a combination of cytarabine and anthracycline,~40% of patients have induction failure. These refractory patients pose a treatment challenge,as they do not respond to salvage therapy or allogeneic stem cell transplant. Herein,we show that AML patients who experience induction failure have elevated expression of the NF-κB target gene tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced protein-3 (TNFAIP3/A20) and impaired necroptotic cell death. A20 High AML are resistant to anthracyclines,while A20 Low AML are sensitive. Loss of A20 in AML restores sensitivity to anthracycline treatment by inducing necroptosis. Moreover,A20 prevents necroptosis in AML by targeting the necroptosis effector RIPK1,and anthracycline-induced necroptosis is abrogated in A20 High AML. These findings suggest that NF-κB-driven A20 overexpression plays a role in failed chemotherapy induction and highlights the potential of targeting an alternative cell death pathway in AML. Subject terms: Acute myeloid leukaemia,Cancer therapeutic resistance View Publication

The ability to generate natural killer (NK) cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has given rise to new possibilities for the large-scale production of homogeneous immunotherapeutic cellular products and opened new avenues towards the creation of “off-the-shelf” cancer immunotherapies. However,the differentiation of NK cells from iPSCs remains poorly understood,particularly regarding the ontogenic landscape of iPSC-derived NK (iNK) cells produced in vitro and the influence that the differentiation strategy employed may have on the iNK profile. To investigate this question,we conducted a comparative analysis of two sets of iNK cells generated from the same iPSC line using two different protocols: (i) a short-term,clinically compatible feeder-free protocol corresponding to primitive hematopoiesis,and (ii) a lymphoid-based protocol representing the definitive hematopoietic step. Our work demonstrated that both protocols are capable of producing functional iNK cells. However,the two sets of resulting iNKs exhibited distinct phenotypes and transcriptomic profiles. The lymphoid-based differentiation approach generated iNKs with a more mature and activated profile,which demonstrated higher cytotoxicity against cancer cell lines compared to iNK cells produced under short-term feeder-free conditions suggesting that the differentiation strategy must be considered when designing iNK cell–based adoptive immunotherapies. View Publication

Mast cells (MCs) are tissue-resident immune cells known to degranulate in response to FcεRI crosslinking or MRGPRX2 engagement. MCs are found close to nerves,but the mechanisms that regulate this privileged localization remain unclear. Here,we investigated MRGPRX2 expression patterns and specific activities in MCs. We show that MRGPRX2 expression is heterogeneous in human MC (hMC) progenitors and mature MCs. Substance P (SP) is a rapid and specific activator of MRGPRX2,and long-term supplementation of MCs with SP expands MRGPRX2-expressing cells. While high concentrations of SP induce rapid MC degranulation,low concentrations prompt immature MC chemotaxis. Lastly,we demonstrate that in inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis,the number of MRGPRX2 + MCs is increased,and during in vitro skin reinnervation,MRGPRX2 + MCs preferentially reside in proximity to and migrate toward SP + nerve fibers (NFs). This indicates that SP-MRGPRX2 signaling defines MC positioning and relocation within tissues and promotes immune cell-NF communication. Subject areas: Immunology,Molecular biology,Cell biology View Publication

Long-term culture of primary lymphocytes and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) is pivotal to their expansion and study. Furthermore,genetic engineering of the above-mentioned primary human cells has several safety needs,including the requirement of efficient in vitro assays for unwanted tumorigenic events. In this work,we tested and optimized the Miniaturized Optically Accessible Bioreactor (MOAB) platform. The MOAB consists of a millifluidic cell culture device with three optically-accessible culture chambers. Inside the MOAB,we inserted a silk-based framework that resembles some properties of the bone marrow environment and cultivated in this device either CD4 + T lymphocytes isolated from healthy donor buffy coat or cord blood-derived hematopoietic CD34 + cells. A fraction of these cells is viable for up to 3 months. Next,we tested the capability of the MOAB to detect tumorigenic events. Serial dilutions of engineered fluorescent tumor cells were mixed with either CD4 + or CD34 + primary cells,and their growth was followed. By this approach,we successfully detected as little as 100 tumorigenic cells mixed with 100,000 primary cells. We found that non-tumorigenic primary cells colonized the silk environment,whereas tumor cells,after an adaptation phase,expanded and entered the circulation. We conclude that the millifluidic platform allows the detection of rare tumorigenic events in the long-term culture of human cells. View Publication

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (iMSCs) offer a promising alternative to primary mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and their derivatives,particularly extracellular vesicles (EVs),for use in advanced therapy medicinal products. In this study we evaluated the immunomodulatory and regenerative potential of iMSCs as well as iMSC-EVs,alongside primary human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hUCMSCs). Our findings demonstrate that iMSCs exhibit comparable abilities to hUCMSCs in regulating lymphocyte proliferation and inducing an anti-inflammatory phenotype in monocytes. We also observed decreased TNFα levels and increased IL-10 induction,indicating a potential mechanism for their immunomodulatory effects. Furthermore,iMSC-EVs also showed effective immunomodulation by inhibiting T cell proliferation and inducing macrophage polarization similar to their parental cells. Additionally,iMSC-EVs exhibited pro-regenerative potential akin to hUCMSC-EVs in in vitro scratch assays. Notably,priming iMSCs with pro-inflammatory cytokines significantly enhanced the immunomodulatory potential of iMSC-EVs. These results underscore the considerable promise of iMSCs and iMSCs-EVs as an alternate source for MSC-derived therapeutics,given their potent immunomodulatory and regenerative properties. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-024-75956-3. View Publication

Translational medicine provides insight into novel drugs and predicts unwanted effects. In well-characterized pathways (e.g.,cytokine-Janus kinase [JAK]-signal transducers and activators of transcription [STAT]),a variety of in vitro assessments were used to estimate selectivity of effects on different potential targets (i.e.,JAK1,JAK2,JAK3,and tyrosine kinase 2 [TYK2]). Several approved drugs were characterized as selective for the JAK family. These assessments are challenged by a lack of compounds that only inhibit one JAK family member. Deucravacitinib is a first-in-class,oral,selective,allosteric inhibitor of TYK2,a kinase required for IL-12,IL-23,and Type I interferon signaling. Unlike deucravacitinib,which selectively binds to the TYK2 regulatory domain,JAK1,2,3 inhibitors target the catalytic domain,contributing to nonselective targeting of JAK1,2,3. Cytokines associated with JAK1,2,3 signaling are required for both immune and nonimmune functions. A similar laboratory abnormality profile was observed in clinical trials using JAK1,2,3 inhibitors that has not been observed with deucravacitinib. In vitro testing of JAK1,2,3 inhibitors has relied upon assays of signal transduction,such as those measuring STAT phosphorylation,for estimates of potency and selectivity. These assay systems can be effective in estimating in vivo efficacy; however,they may not provide insight into downstream outcomes of receptor signaling,which may be more relevant for evaluating safety aspects. Assay systems assessing functional outcomes from cells may yield a more useful translational evaluation. Here,deucravacitinib was assessed for potency and selectivity versus three representatives of the JAK inhibitor class (tofacitinib,baricitinib,and upadacitinib) based on functional assays. JAK inhibitors had suppressive activity against JAK2-dependent hematopoietic colony-forming assays modeling thrombopoiesis,erythropoiesis,and myelopoiesis; however,deucravacitinib did not. Deucravacitinib had limited potency against NK cells,cytotoxic T cells,T-helper cells,and regulatory T cells activated by JAK1/JAK3-dependent common gamma chain cytokines. These data are consistent with the biologic role of JAK1,2,3 and pharmacodynamic changes in clinical laboratory abnormalities. Against TYK2-dependent cytokines,deucravacitinib selectively inhibited Type I interferon stimulation of monocytes and dendritic cells and was a more potent inhibitor than JAK inhibitors. IL-12 and IL-23 functional outputs were similarly potently inhibited by deucravacitinib. Results are consistent with deucravacitinib selectively inhibiting TYK2. View Publication

Dysregulated innate immune responses underlie multiple inflammatory diseases,but clinical translation of preclinical innate immunity research in mice is hampered by the difficulty of studying human inflammatory reactions in an in vivo context. We therefore sought to establish in vivo human inflammatory responses in NSG-QUAD mice that express four human myelopoiesis transgenes to improve engraftment of a human innate immune system. We reconstituted NSG-QUAD mice with human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs),after which we evaluated human myeloid cell development and subsequent human responses to systemic and local lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenges. NSG-QUAD mice already displayed engraftment of human monocytes,dendritic cells and granulocytes in peripheral blood,spleen and liver at 6 weeks after HSPC reconstitution,in which both classical,intermediate and non-classical monocytes were present. These huNSG-QUAD mice responded to intraperitoneal and intranasal LPS challenges with production of NF-κB-dependent human cytokines,a human type I interferon response,as well as inflammasome-mediated production of human IL-1β and IL-18. The latter were specifically abrogated by the NLRP3 inhibitor MCC950,while LPS-induced human monocyte death was not altered. Besides providing proof-of-principle for small molecule testing of human inflammatory reactions in huNSG-QUAD mice,this observation suggests that LPS-induced in vivo release of human NLRP3 inflammasome-generated cytokines occurs in a cell death-independent manner. HuNSG-QUAD mice are competent for the NF-κB,interferon and inflammasome effectors of human innate immunity,and can thus be utilized to investigate signaling mechanisms and pharmacological targeting of human inflammatory responses in an in vivo setting. View Publication

CD19CAR-T cell therapy demonstrated promising outcomes in relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies. Nonetheless,the limited T-cell function and ineffective T-cell apheresis for therapeutic purposes are still concern in heavily pretreated patients. We investigated the feasibility of generating hematopoietic stem cell-derived T lymphocytes (HSC-T) for cancer immunotherapy. The patients’ autologous peripheral blood HSCs were enriched for CD34 + and CD3 + cells. The CD34 + cells were then cultured following three steps of lymphoid progenitor differentiation,T-cell differentiation,and T-cell maturation processes. HSC-T cells were successfully generated with robust fold expansion of 3735 times. After lymphoid progenitor differentiation,CD5 + and CD7 + cells remarkably increased (65–84 %) while CD34 + cells consequentially declined. The mature CD3 + cells were detected up to 40 % and 90 % on days 42 and 52,respectively. The majority of HSC-T population was naïve phenotype compared to CD3-T cells (73 % vs 34 %) and CD8:CD4 ratio was 2:1. The higher level of cytokine and cytotoxic granule secretion in HSC-T was observed after activation. HSC-T cells were assessed for clinical application and found that CD19CAR-transduced HSC-T cells demonstrated higher cytokine secretion and a trend of superior cytotoxicity against CD19 + target cells compared to control CAR-T cells. A chronic antigen stimulation assay revealed similar T-cell proliferation,stemness,and exhaustion phenotypes among CAR-T cell types. In conclusions,autologous HSC-T was feasible to generate with preserved T-cell efficacy. The HSC-T cells are potentially utilized as an alternative option for cellular immunotherapy. View Publication