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OBJECTIVE: We examined if cellular elements or adhesive ligands were able to alter asymmetric divisions of CD34(+)/CD38(-) cells in contrast to soluble factors at a single cell level. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After single cell deposition onto 96-well plates,cells were cocultured for 10 days with the stem cell supporting cell line AFT024,fibronectin (FN),or bovine serum albumin (BSA). The divisional history was monitored with time-lapse microscopy. Subsequent function for the most primitive cells was assessed using the myeloid-lymphoid-initiating cell (ML-IC) assay. Committed progenitors were measured using colony-forming cells (CFC). RESULTS: Only contact with AFT024 recruited significant numbers of CD34(+)/CD38(-) cells into cell cycle and increased asymmetric divisions. Although most ML-IC were still identified among cells that have divided fewer than 3 times,a significant number of ML-IC shifted into the fast-dividing fraction after exposure to AFT024. The increase in ML-IC frequency was predominantly due to recruitment of quiescent and slow-dividing cells from the starting population. Increase in CFC activity induced by AFT024 was found only among rapidly dividing cells. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time,we have demonstrated that asymmetric divisions can be altered upon exposure with a stem cell-supporting microenvironment. For the primitive subset of cells (ML-IC),this was predominantly due to recruitment into cell cycle and increased rounds of cycling without loss of function. Exposure to AFT024 cells also increased proliferation and asymmetric divisions of committed CFC. Hence direct communication between hematopoietic progenitors with stroma cells is required for maintaining self-renewal potential. View Publication

This study has evaluated the individual control of isotype production and the influence of external signals that can be experimentally provided in vitro,in antibody responses to two different recombinant Schistosoma antigens (Sh28GST and TPx-1). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells or enriched B cell fractions obtained from S. haematobium infected Senegalese adults were induced to terminal differentiation in vitro. The production of antibody to either antigen was donor-dependent and for each donor it was antigen-dependent. Differentiation to IgG1 and IgG3 production,and possibly IgA,specific to these conserved parasite antigens could be regulated differentially in vitro. Exogenous IL-2 and IL-10 or IL-10 and TGF-beta led to the production of specific IgG3 or IgG1 and/or IgA,respectively. This is the first report on such experimentally induced differential regulation of antigen-specific IgG1 and IgG3. This may have implications in designing protocols for protein based-vaccinations aiming at eliciting antibody responses of certain protective-type isotypes. View Publication

Oncogenic Kit mutations are found in somatic gastrointestinal (GI) stromal tumors (GISTs) and mastocytosis. A mouse model for the study of constitutive activation of Kit in oncogenesis has been produced by a knock-in strategy introducing a Kit exon 11-activating mutation into the mouse genome based on a mutation found in a case of human familial GIST syndrome. Heterozygous mutant KitV558Delta/+ mice develop symptoms of disease and eventually die from pathology in the GI tract. Patchy hyperplasia of Kit-positive cells is evident within the myenteric plexus of the entire GI tract. Neoplastic lesions indistinguishable from human GISTs were observed in the cecum of the mutant mice with high penetrance. In addition,mast cell numbers in the dorsal skin were increased. Therefore KitV558Delta/+ mice reproduce human familial GISTs,and they may be used as a model for the study of the role and mechanisms of Kit in neoplasia. Importantly,these results demonstrate that constitutive Kit signaling is critical and sufficient for induction of GIST and hyperplasia of interstitial cells of Cajal. View Publication

A battery of clonal assays for myeloid progenitor cells (HPP-CFC,CFU-gemm,CFU-gm,CFU-g) was utilized to evaluate the myelotoxicity of a series of alkylating agents representing the spectrum of clinical times to nadir. Bone marrow aspirates from normal volunteers were incubated with mechlorethamine,busulfan,melphalan,carmustine or lomustine for 1 h and then cultured in methylcellulose with 30% serum and cytokines. There was a concentration-dependent inhibition of colony formation and often a differential toxicity to the myeloid progenitors with the alkylators tested. On a molar basis,mechlorethamine and melphalan were the most toxic of the alkylator drugs to the myeloid precursors. The most sensitive progenitor was CFU-gemm with the lowest inhibitory concentration IC(70) concentrations for mechlorethamine,melphalan,carmustine and lomustine. Generally,there was great similarity for drug effects between CFU-g and CFU-gm with overlapping inhibition curves. HPP-CFC proved to be the least sensitive of the progenitors to the toxic actions of the drugs. While there was no correlation between the time to clinical neutropenic nadir and the most sensitive progenitor in the clonal assays,the CFU-gm assay remains a suitable method for determining the myelotoxic potential of cytotoxic agents. View Publication

In an attempt to better understand and control the processes that regulate stem cell fate,we have set out to identify small molecules that induce neuronal differentiation in embryonic stem cells (ESCs). A high-throughput phenotypic cell-based screen of kinase-directed combinatorial libraries led to the discovery of TWS119,a 4,6-disubstituted pyrrolopyrimidine that can induce neurogenesis in murine ESCs. The target of TWS119 was shown to be glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta) by both affinity-based and biochemical methods. This study provides evidence that GSK-3beta is involved in the induction of mammalian neurogenesis in ESCs. This and such other molecules are likely to provide insights into the molecular mechanisms that control stem cell fate,and may ultimately be useful to in vivo stem cell biology and therapy. View Publication

Expression of the nuclear hormone receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) in resting lymphocytes was recently established,although the physiologic role(s) played by this nuclear hormone receptor in these cell types remains unresolved. In this study,we used CD4(+) T cells isolated from PPARalpha(-/-) and wild-type mice,as well as cell lines that constitutively express PPARalpha,in experiments designed to evaluate the role of this hormone receptor in the regulation of T cell function. We report that activated CD4(+) T cells lacking PPARalpha produce increased levels of IFN-gamma,but significantly lower levels of IL-2 when compared with activated wild-type CD4(+) T cells. Furthermore,we demonstrate that PPARalpha regulates the expression of these cytokines by CD4(+) T cells in part,through its ability to negatively regulate the transcription of T-bet. The induction of T-bet expression in CD4(+) T cells was determined to be positively influenced by p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation,and the presence of unliganded PPARalpha effectively suppressed the phosphorylation of p38 MAP kinase. The activation of PPARalpha with highly specific ligands relaxed its capacity to suppress p38 MAP kinase phosphorylation and promoted T-bet expression. These results demonstrate a novel DNA-binding independent and agonist-controlled regulatory influence by the nuclear hormone receptor PPARalpha. View Publication

We have developed an approach for identifying primitive mobilized peripheral blood cells (PBSC) that express high levels of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). PBSC were stained with a fluorescent ALDH substrate,termed BODIPY trade mark -aminoacetaldehyde (BAAA),and then analysed using flow cytometry. A population of cells with a low side scatter (SSC) and a high level of BAAA staining,termed the SSCloALDHbr population,was readily discriminated and comprised a mean of 3 +/- 5% of leukapheresis samples. A mean of 73 +/- 11% of the SSCloALDHbr population expressed CD34 and 56 +/- 25% of all the mobilized CD34+ cells resided within the SSCloALDHbr population. The SSCloALDHbr population was largely depleted of cells with mature phenotypes and enriched for cells with immature phenotypes. Sorted SSCloALDHbr and SSCloALDHbr CD34+ PBSC were enriched for progenitors with the ability to (1) generate colony-forming units (CFU) and long-term culture (LTC)-derived CFU,(2) expand in primary and secondary LTC,and (3) generate multiple cell lineages. In 21 cancer patients who had undergone autologous PBSC transplantation,the number of infused SSCloALDHbr cells/kg highly correlated with the time to neutrophil and platelet engraftment (P textless 0.015 and P textless 0.003 respectively). In summary,peripheral blood SSCloALDHbr cells have the phenotypic and functional properties of primitive haematopoietic cells and their number correlates with engraftment following autologous transplantation. View Publication

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by cellular hypersensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents. Recent studies suggest that FA proteins share a common pathway with BRCA proteins. To study the in vivo role of the FA group A gene (Fanca),gene-targeting techniques were used to generate Fanca(tm1Hsc) mice in which Fanca exons 1-6 were replaced by a beta-galactosidase reporter construct. Fanca(tm1.1Hsc) mice were generated by Cre-mediated removal of the neomycin cassette in Fanca(tm1Hsc) mice. Fanca(tm1.1Hsc) homozygotes display FA-like phenotypes including growth retardation,microphthalmia and craniofacial malformations that are not found in other Fanca mouse models,and the genetic background affects manifestation of certain phenotypes. Both male and female mice homozygous for Fanca mutation exhibit hypogonadism,and homozygous females demonstrate premature reproductive senescence and an increased incidence of ovarian cysts. We showed that fertility defects in Fanca(tm1.1Hsc) homozygotes might be related to a diminished population of primordial germ cells (PGCs) during migration into the gonadal ridges. We also found a high level of Fanca expression in pachytene spermatocytes. Fanca(tm1Hsc) homozygous males exhibited an elevated frequency of mispaired meiotic chromosomes and increased apoptosis in germ cells,implicating a role for Fanca in meiotic recombination. However,the localization of Rad51,Brca1,Fancd2 and Mlh1 appeared normal on Fanca(tm1Hsc) homozygous meiotic chromosomes. Taken together,our results suggest that the FA pathway plays a role in the maintenance of reproductive germ cells and in meiotic recombination. View Publication

The signal transducer Stat5 plays a key role in the regulation of hematopoietic differentiation and hematopoietic stem cell function. To evaluate the effects of Stat5 signaling in the earliest hematopoietic progenitors,we have generated an embryonic stem cell line in which Stat5 signaling can be induced with doxycycline. Ectopic Stat5 activation at the point of origin of the hematopoietic lineage (from day 4 to day 6 of embryoid body differentiation) significantly enhances the number of hematopoietic progenitors with colony-forming potential. It does so without significantly altering total numbers or apoptosis of hematopoietic cells,suggesting a cell-intrinsic effect of Stat5 on either the developmental potential or clonogenicity of this population. From day-6 embryoid bodies,under the influence of Stat5 signaling,a population of semiadherent cells can be expanded on OP9 stromal cells that is comprised of primitive hematopoietic blast cells with ongoing,mainly myeloid,differentiation. When these cells are injected into lethally irradiated mice,they engraft transiently in a doxycycline-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that the hematopoietic commitment of embryonic stem cells may be augmented by a Stat5-mediated signal,and highlight the utility of manipulating individual components of signaling pathways for engineering tissue-specific differentiation of stem cells. View Publication

Chemokine receptors on T cells are frequently categorized as functioning either in immune system homeostasis within lymphoid organs,or in peripheral inflammation. CXCR3 is in the latter category and is reported to be expressed selectively on Th1 cells. We found that CXCR3 was expressed in vivo on newly activated tonsillar CD4(+) T cells. Using CD4(+) T cells from cord blood,we found that CXCR3 was induced by cellular activation in vitro independently of the cytokine milieu,although on resting cells,expression was maintained preferentially on those that had been activated in type 1 conditions. In inflamed tonsils,CXCR3(+)CD4(+) T cells were localized around and within germinal centers. The inference that CXCR3 has a role in germinal center reactions was supported by the finding that the CXCR3 ligand CXC chemokine ligand 9 was expressed in a pattern demarcating a subset of germinal centers both in tonsil and in lymph nodes from an HIV-infected individual. We next investigated the role of CXCR3 on peripheral effector/memory CD4(+) T cells by comparing its pattern of expression with that of CCR5,another Th1-cell associated chemokine receptor. Analysis of cells directly from peripheral blood and after activation in vitro suggested that CXCR3 expression preceded that of CCR5,supporting a model of sequential induction of chemokine receptors during CD4(+) T cell differentiation. Taken together,our data show that CXCR3 can be expressed at all stages of CD4(+) T cell activation and differentiation,bridging central function in lymphoid organs and effector function in peripheral tissues. View Publication

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Deamination of the nucleoside analogues ARA-C and 5-AZA-CdR by CR deaminase results in a loss of antileukemic activity. To prevent the inactivation of these analogues,inhibitors of CR deaminase may prove to be useful agents. In the present study we investigated the effects of the deaminase inhibitors Zebularine,5-F-Zebularine,and diazepinone riboside on the deamination of CR,ARA-C,and 5-AZA-CdR using highly purified human CR deaminase (EC 3.5.4.5). These inhibitors produced a competitive type of inhibition with each substrate,the potency of which followed the patterns diazepinone riboside greater than 5-F-Zebularine and THU greater than Zebularine. 5-AZA-CdR was more sensitive than ARA-C to the inhibition produced by these deaminase inhibitors. The inhibition constants for diazepinone riboside lay in the range of 5-15 nM,suggesting that this inhibitor could be an excellent candidate for use in combination chemotherapy with either ARA-C or 5-AZA-CdR in patients with leukemia. View Publication