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The recently identified GGGGCC repeat expansion in the noncoding region of C9ORF72 is the most common pathogenic mutation in patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We generated a human neuronal model and investigated the pathological phenotypes of human neurons containing GGGGCC repeat expansions. Skin biopsies were obtained from two subjects who had textgreater1,000 GGGGCC repeats in C9ORF72 and their respective fibroblasts were used to generate multiple induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines. After extensive characterization,two iPSC lines from each subject were selected,differentiated into postmitotic neurons,and compared with control neurons to identify disease-relevant phenotypes. Expanded GGGGCC repeats exhibit instability during reprogramming and neuronal differentiation of iPSCs. RNA foci containing GGGGCC repeats were present in some iPSCs,iPSC-derived human neurons and primary fibroblasts. The percentage of cells with foci and the number of foci per cell appeared to be determined not simply by repeat length but also by other factors. These RNA foci do not seem to sequester several major RNA-binding proteins. Moreover,repeat-associated non-ATG (RAN) translation products were detected in human neurons with GGGGCC repeat expansions and these neurons showed significantly elevated p62 levels and increased sensitivity to cellular stress induced by autophagy inhibitors. Our findings demonstrate that key neuropathological features of FTD/ALS with GGGGCC repeat expansions can be recapitulated in iPSC-derived human neurons and also suggest that compromised autophagy function may represent a novel underlying pathogenic mechanism. View Publication

Metformin is the first-line drug treatment for type 2 diabetes. Globally,over 100 million patients are prescribed this drug annually. Metformin was discovered before the era of target-based drug discovery and its molecular mechanism of action remains an area of vigorous diabetes research. An improvement in our understanding of metformin's molecular targets is likely to enable target-based identification of second-generation drugs with similar properties,a development that has been impossible up to now. The notion that 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) mediates the anti-hyperglycaemic action of metformin has recently been challenged by genetic loss-of-function studies,thrusting the AMPK-independent effects of the drug into the spotlight for the first time in more than a decade. Key AMPK-independent effects of the drug include the mitochondrial actions that have been known for many years and which are still thought to be the primary site of action of metformin. Coupled with recent evidence of AMPK-independent effects on the counter-regulatory hormone glucagon,new paradigms of AMPK-independent drug action are beginning to take shape. In this review we summarise the recent research developments on the molecular action of metformin. View Publication

PURPOSE: To evaluate cell survival and tumorigenicity of human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium (hESC-RPE) transplantation in immunocompromised nude rats. Cells were transplanted as a cell suspension (CS) or as a polarized monolayer plated on a parylene membrane (PM).backslashnbackslashnMETHODS: Sixty-nine rats (38 male,31 female) were surgically implanted with CS (n = 33) or PM (n = 36). Cohort subsets were killed at 1,6,and 12 months after surgery. Both ocular tissues and systemic organs (brain,liver,kidneys,spleen,heart,and lungs) were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde,embedded in paraffin,and sectioned. Every fifth section was stained with hematoxylin and eosin and analyzed histologically. Adjacent sections were processed for immunohistochemical analysis (as needed) using the following antibodies: anti-RPE65 (RPE-specific marker),anti-TRA-1-85 (human cell marker),anti-Ki67 (proliferation marker),anti-CD68 (macrophage),and anti-cytokeratin (epithelial marker).backslashnbackslashnRESULTS: The implanted cells were immunopositive for the RPE65 and TRA-1-85. Cell survival (P = 0.006) and the presence of a monolayer (P textless 0.001) of hESC-RPE were significantly higher in eyes that received the PM. Gross morphological and histological analysis of the eye and the systemic organs after the surgery revealed no evidence of tumor or ectopic tissue formation in either group.backslashnbackslashnCONCLUSIONS: hESC-RPE can survive for at least 12 months in an immunocompromised animal model. Polarized monolayers of hESC-RPE show improved survival compared to cell suspensions. The lack of teratoma or any ectopic tissue formation in the implanted rats bodes well for similar results with respect to safety in human subjects. View Publication

Cancer stem-like cells are thought to contribute to tumor recurrence. The anthrax toxin receptor 1 (ANTXR1) has been identified as a functional biomarker of normal stem cells and breast cancer stem-like cells. Primary stem cell-enriched basal cells (CD49f(+)/EpCAM(-)/Lin(-)) expressed higher levels of ANTXR1 compared with mature luminal cells. CD49f(+)/EpCAM(-),CD44(+)/EpCAM(-),CD44(+)/CD24(-),or ALDEFLUOR-positive subpopulations of breast cancer cells were enriched for ANTXR1 expression. CD44(+)/CD24(-)/ANTXR1(+) cells displayed enhanced self-renewal as measured by mammosphere assay compared with CD44(+)/CD24(-)/ANTXR1(-) cells. Activation of ANTXR1 by its natural ligand C5A,a fragment of collagen VI $$3,increased stem cell self-renewal in mammosphere assays and Wnt signaling including the expression of the Wnt receptor-lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6),phosphorylation of GSK3$$/$$,and elevated expression of Wnt target genes. RNAi-mediated silencing of ANTXR1 enhanced the expression of luminal-enriched genes but diminished Wnt signaling including reduced LRP6 and ZEB1 expression,self-renewal,invasion,tumorigenicity,and metastasis. ANTXR1 silencing also reduced the expression of HSPA1A,which is overexpressed in metastatic breast cancer stem cells. Analysis of public databases revealed ANTXR1 amplification in medullary breast carcinoma and overexpression in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancers with the worst outcome. Furthermore,ANTXR1 is among the 10% most overexpressed genes in breast cancer and is coexpressed with collagen VI. Thus,ANTXR1:C5A interactions bridge a network of collagen cleavage and remodeling in the tumor microenvironment,linking it to a stemness signaling network that drives metastatic progression. View Publication

BACKGROUND Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have been derived and maintained on mouse embryonic fibroblast feeders to keep their undifferentiated status. To realize their clinical potential,a feeder-free and scalable system for large scale production of hESCs and their differentiated derivatives is required. MATERIALS & METHODS hESCs were cultured and passaged on serum/feeder-free 3D microcarriers for five passages. For embryoid body (EB) formation and hemangioblast differentiation,the medium for 3D microcarriers was directly switched to EB medium. RESULTS hESCs on 3D microcarriers maintained pluripotency and formed EBs,which were ten-times more efficient than hESCs cultured under 2D feeder-free conditions (0.11 ± 0.03 EB cells/hESC input 2D vs 1.19 ± 0.32 EB cells/hESC input 3D). After replating,EB cells from 3D culture readily developed into hemangioblasts with the potential to differentiate into hematopoietic and endothelial cells. Furthermore,this 3D system can also be adapted to human induced pluripotent stem cells,which generate functional hemangioblasts with high efficiency. CONCLUSION This 3D serum- and stromal-free microcarrier system is important for future clinical applications,with the potential of developing to a GMP-compatible scalable system. View Publication

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Dosage compensation of the X chromosomes in mammals is performed via the formation of facultative heterochromatin on extra X chromosomes in female somatic cells. Facultative heterochromatin of the inactivated X (Xi),as well as constitutive heterochromatin,replicates late during the S-phase. It is generally accepted that Xi is always more compact in the interphase nucleus. The dense chromosomal folding has been proposed to define the late replication of Xi. In contrast to mouse pluripotent stem cells (PSCs),the status of X chromosome inactivation in human PSCs may vary significantly. Fluorescence in situ hybridization with a whole X-chromosome- specific DNA probe revealed that late-replicating Xi may occupy either compact or dispersed territory in human PSCs. Thus,the late replication of the Xi does not depend on the compactness of chromosome territory in human PSCs. However,the Xi reactivation and the synchronization in the replication timing of X chromosomes upon reprogramming are necessarily accompanied by the expansion of X chromosome territory. View Publication

ATP citrate lyase (ACL) knockdown (KD) causes tumor suppression and induces differentiation. We have previously reported that ACL KD reverses epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in lung cancer cells. Because EMT is often associated with processes that induce stemness,we hypothesized that ACL KD impacts cancer stem cells. By assessing tumorsphere formation and expression of stem cell markers,we showed this to be the case in A549 cells,which harbor a Ras mutation,and in two other non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines,H1975 and H1650,driven by activating EGFR mutations. Inducible ACL KD had the same effect as stable ACL KD. Similar effects were noted in another well-characterized Ras-induced mammary model system (HMLER). Moreover,treatment with hydroxycitrate phenocopied the effects of ACL KD,suggesting that the enzymatic activity of ACL was critical. Indeed,acetate treatment reversed the ACL KD phenotype. Having previously established that ACL KD impacts signaling through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway,not the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway,and that EMT can be reversed by PI3K inhibitors,we were surprised to find that stemness in these systems was maintained through Ras-MAPK signaling,and not via PI3K signaling. Snail is a downstream transcription factor impacted by Ras-MAPK signaling and known to promote EMT and stemness. We found that snail expression was reduced by ACL KD. In tumorigenic HMLER cells,ACL overexpression increased snail expression and stemness,both of which were reduced by ACL KD. Furthermore,ACL could not initiate either tumorigenesis or stemness by itself. ACL and snail proteins interacted and ACL expression regulated the transcriptional activity of snail. Finally,ACL KD counteracted stem cell characteristics induced in diverse cell systems driven by activation of pathways outside of Ras-MAPK signaling. Our findings unveil a novel aspect of ACL function,namely its impact on cancer stemness in a broad range of genetically diverse cell types. View Publication

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have great potential in cell therapy,drug screening and toxicity testing of neural degenerative diseases. However,the molecular regulation of their proliferation and apoptosis,which needs to be revealed before clinical application,is largely unknown. MicroRNA miR-195 is known to be expressed in the brain and is involved in a variety of proapoptosis or antiapoptosis processes in cancer cells. Here,we defined the proapoptotic role of miR-195 in NPCs derived from two independent hESC lines (human embryonic stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells,hESC-NPCs). Overexpression of miR-195 in hESC-NPCs induced extensive apoptotic cell death. Consistently,global transcriptional microarray analyses indicated that miR-195 primarily regulated genes associated with apoptosis in hESC-NPCs. Mechanistically,a small GTP-binding protein ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein 2 (ARL2) was identified as a direct target of miR-195. Silencing ARL2 in hESC-NPCs provoked an apoptotic phenotype resembling that of miR-195 overexpression,revealing for the first time an essential role of ARL2 for the survival of human NPCs. Moreover,forced expression of ALR2 could abolish the cell number reduction caused by miR-195 overexpression. Interestingly,we found that paraquat,a neurotoxin,not only induced apoptosis but also increased miR-195 and reduced ARL2 expression in hESC-NPCs,indicating the possible involvement of miR-195 and ARL2 in neurotoxin-induced NPC apoptosis. Notably,inhibition of miR-195 family members could block neurotoxin-induced NPC apoptosis. Collectively,miR-195 regulates cell apoptosis in a context-dependent manner through directly targeting ARL2. The finding of the critical role of ARL2 for the survival of human NPCs and association of miR-195 and ARL2 with neurotoxin-induced apoptosis have important implications for understanding molecular mechanisms that control NPC survival and would facilitate our manipulation of the neurological pathogenesis. View Publication

Hydrogel-encapsulating culture systems for ovarian follicles support the in vitro growth of secondary follicles from various species including mouse,non-primate human,and human; however,the growth of early stage follicles (primary and primordial) has been limited. While encapsulation maintains the structure of early stage follicles,feeder cell populations,such as mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs),are required to stimulate growth and development. Hence,in this report,we investigated feeder-free culture environments for early stage follicle development. Mouse ovarian follicles were encapsulated within alginate hydrogels and cultured in various growth medium formulations. Initial studies employed embryonic stem cell medium formulations as a tool to identify factors that influence the survival,growth,and meiotic competence of early stage follicles. The medium formulation that maximized survival and growth was identified as $$MEM/F12 supplemented with fetuin,insulin,transferrin,selenium,and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). This medium stimulated the growth of late primary (average initial diameter of 80 µm) and early secondary (average initial diameter of 90 µm) follicles,which developed antral cavities and increased to terminal diameters exceeding 300 µm in 14 days. Survival ranged from 18% for 80 µm follicles to 36% for 90 µm follicles. Furthermore,80% of the oocytes from surviving follicles with an initial diameter of 90-100 µm underwent germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD),and the percentage of metaphase II (MII) eggs was 50%. Follicle/oocyte growth and GVBD/MII rates were not significantly different from MEF co-culture. Survival was reduced relative to MEF co-culture,yet substantially increased relative to the control medium that had been previously used for secondary follicles. Continued development of culture medium could enable mechanistic studies of early stage folliculogenesis and emerging strategies for fertility preservation. View Publication

Tumor cells at the tumor margin lose epithelial properties and acquire features of mesenchymal cells,a process called epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Recently,features of EMT were shown to be linked to cells with tumor-founding capability,so-called cancer stem cells (CSCs). Inducers of the EMT include several transcription factors,such as Snail (SNAI1) and Slug (SNAI2),as well as the secreted transforming growth factor (TGFß). In the present study,we found that EMT induction in MCF10A cells by stably expressing SNAI1 contributed to drug resistance and acquisition of stem/progenitor-like character as shown by increased cell population for surface marker CD44(+)/CD24(-) and mammosphere forming capacity. Using a microarray approach,we demonstrate that SNAI1 overexpression results in a dramatic change in signaling pathways involved in the regulation of cell death and stem cell maintenance. We showed that NF-$$B/MAPK signaling pathways are highly activated in MCF10A-SNAI1 cells by IL1ß stimulation,leading to the robust induction in IL6 and IL8. Furthermore,MCF10A-SNAI1 cells showed enhanced TCF/ß-catenin activity responding to the exogenous Wnt3a treatment. However,EMT-induced stem/progenitor cell activation process is tightly regulated in non-transformed MCF10A cells,as WNT5A and TGFB2 are strongly upregulated in MCF10A-SNAI1 cells antagonizing canonical Wnt pathway. In summary,our data provide new molecular findings how EMT contributes to the enhanced chemoresistance and the acquisition of stem/progenitor-like character by regulating signaling pathways. View Publication

BACKGROUND Mortality rates for leukemia are high despite considerable improvements in treatment. Since polyphenols exert pro-apoptotic effects in solid tumors,our study investigated the effects of polyphenols in haematological malignancies. The effect of eight polyphenols (quercetin,chrysin,apigenin,emodin,aloe-emodin,rhein,cis-stilbene and trans-stilbene) were studied on cell proliferation,cell cycle and apoptosis in four lymphoid and four myeloid leukemic cells lines,together with normal haematopoietic control cells. METHODS Cellular proliferation was measured by CellTiter-Glo(®) luminescent assay; and cell cycle arrest was assessed using flow cytometry of propidium iodide stained cells. Apoptosis was investigated by caspase-3 activity assay using flow cytometry and apoptotic morphology was confirmed by Hoescht 33342 staining. RESULTS Emodin,quercetin,and cis-stilbene were the most effective polyphenols at decreasing cell viability (IC50 values of 5-22 μM,8-33 μM,and 25-85 μM respectively) and inducing apoptosis (AP50 values (the concentration which 50% of cells undergo apoptosis) of 2-27 μM,19-50 μM,and 8-50 μM respectively). Generally,lymphoid cell lines were more sensitive to polyphenol treatment compared to myeloid cell lines,however the most resistant myeloid (KG-1a and K562) cell lines were still found to respond to emodin and quercetin treatment at low micromolar levels. Non-tumor cells were less sensitive to all polyphenols compared to the leukemia cells. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that polyphenols have anti-tumor activity against leukemia cells with differential effects. Importantly,the differential sensitivity of emodin,quercetin,and cis-stilbene between leukemia and normal cells suggests that polyphenols are potential therapeutic agents for leukemia. View Publication