技术资料

Neuropilin-1 (Nrp1) is a multifunctional protein,identified principally as a receptor for the class 3 semaphorins and members of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family,but it is capable of other interactions. It is a marker of regulatory T cells (Tr),which often carry Nrp1 and latency-associated peptide (LAP)-TGF-beta1 (the latent form). The signaling TGF-beta1 receptors bind only active TGF-beta1,and we hypothesized that Nrp1 binds the latent form. Indeed,we found that Nrp1 is a high-affinity receptor for latent and active TGF-beta1. Free LAP,LAP-TGF-beta1,and active TGF-beta1 all competed with VEGF165 for binding to Nrp1. LAP has a basic,arginine-rich C-terminal motif similar to VEGF and peptides that bind to the b1 domain of Nrp1. A C-terminal LAP peptide (QSSRHRR) bound to Nrp1 and inhibited the binding of VEGF and LAP-TGF-beta1. We also analyzed the effects of Nrp1/LAP-TGF-beta1 coexpression on T cell function. Compared with Nrp1(-) cells,sorted Nrp1+ T cells had a much greater capacity to capture LAP-TGF-beta1. Sorted Nrp1(-) T cells captured soluble Nrp1-Fc,and this increased their ability to capture LAP-TGF-beta1. Conventional CD4+CD25(-)Nrp1(-) T cells coated with Nrp1-Fc/LAP-TGF-beta1 acquired strong Tr activity. Moreover,LAP-TGF-beta was activated by Nrp1-Fc and also by a peptide of the b2 domain of Nrp1 (RKFK; similar to a thrombospondin-1 peptide). Breast cancer cells,which express Nrp1,also captured and activated LAP-TGF-beta1 in a Nrp1-dependent manner. Thus,Nrp1 is a receptor for TGF-beta1,activates its latent form,and is relevant to Tr activity and tumor biology. View Publication

T-bet and STAT4 play critical roles in helper T cell differentiation,especially for Th1 cells. However,it is still unknown about the relative importance and redundancy of T-bet and STAT4 for Th1 differentiation. It is also unknown about their independent role of T-bet and STAT4 in the regulation of allergic airway inflammation. In this study,we addressed these issues by comparing T-bet-deficient (T-bet(-/-)) mice,STAT4(-/-) mice,and T-bet- and STAT4-double-deficient (T-bet(-/-)STAT4(-/-)) mice on the same genetic background. Th1 differentiation was severely decreased in T-bet(-/-) mice and STAT4(-/-) mice as compared with that in wild-type mice,but Th1 differentiation was still observed in T-bet(-/-) mice and STAT4(-/-) mice. However,Th1 cells were hardly detected in T-bet(-/-)STAT4(-/-) mice. In contrast,the maintenance of Th17 cells was enhanced in T-bet(-/-) mice but was reduced in STAT4(-/-) mice and T-bet(-/-)STAT4(-/-) mice. In vivo,Ag-induced eosinophil and neutrophil recruitment into the airways was enhanced in T-bet(-/-) mice but was attenuated in STAT4(-/-) mice and T-bet(-/-)STAT4(-/-) mice. Ag-induced IL-17 production in the airways was also diminished in STAT4(-/-) mice and T-bet(-/-)STAT4(-/-) mice. These results indicate that STAT4 not only plays an indispensable role in T-bet-independent Th1 differentiation but also is involved in the maintenance of Th17 cells and the enhancement of allergic airway inflammation. View Publication

Vitamin D has been known to be important for skeletal development and growth but the mechanism whereby it affects these processes is not well understood. We report now that the hormonal metabolite of vitamin D3,namely 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3,stimulates chondrogenesis in cultures of stage 24 chick embryo limb bud mesenchymal cells,as evidenced by morphologic changes as well as by increased transcription of collagen type II and core protein genes. This effect appears to be specific to 1,25(OH)2D3 since 24,25(OH)2D3 or D3 does not influence chondrogenesis in this system,and is probably mediated via the specific 1,25(OH)2D3 receptor protein which is undetectable in untreated cells but appears following exposure to the hormone. View Publication

The demonstration that the small synthetic molecule reversine [2-(4-morpholinoanilino)-N6-cyclohexyladenine] promotes the dedifferentiation of committed cells into multipotent progenitor-type cells has raised hopes on the exploitation of this small chemical tool for the generation of stem cells. Here,we show that reversine causes a failure in cytokinesis and induces polyploidization. These effects of reversine are due to the inhibition of Aurora A and B,two related kinases that are implicated in several aspects of mitosis and that are frequently amplified and overexpressed in human tumors. Reversine inhibits the phosphorylation of histone H3,a direct downstream target of Aurora kinases. Similarly to the Aurora kinase inhibitor VX-680,which has recently entered phase II clinical trials for cancer treatment,reversine inhibited colony formation of leukemic cells from patients with acute myeloid leukemia but was significantly less toxic than VX-680 on cells from healthy donors. The crystal structure of the reversine-Aurora B kinase complex shows that reversine is a novel class of ATP-competitive Aurora kinase inhibitors. Thus,although our studies raise serious doubts on the application of reversine in regenerative medicine,they support the paradigm that reversine might be a useful agent in cancer chemotherapy. View Publication

High-throughput screening (HTS) of chemical libraries has become a critical tool in basic biology and drug discovery. However,its implementation and the adaptation of high-content assays to human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have been hampered by multiple technical challenges. Here we present a strategy to adapt hESCs to HTS conditions,resulting in an assay suitable for the discovery of small molecules that drive hESC self-renewal or differentiation. Use of this new assay has led to the identification of several marketed drugs and natural compounds promoting short-term hESC maintenance and compounds directing early lineage choice during differentiation. Global gene expression analysis upon drug treatment defines known and novel pathways correlated to hESC self-renewal and differentiation. Our results demonstrate feasibility of hESC-based HTS and enhance the repertoire of chemical compounds for manipulating hESC fate. The availability of high-content assays should accelerate progress in basic and translational hESC biology. View Publication

Human interferon (IFN)-alpha is the standard therapy for chronic hepatitis C to prevent its progression to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Thrombocytopenia is one of the major adverse effects of IFN-alpha and often leads to dose reduction or treatment discontinuation. However,there is little information on how IFN-alpha inhibits human megakaryopoiesis. In this study,we demonstrated that IFN-alpha did not inhibit colony formation of megakaryocytes from human CD34(+) hematopoietic stem cells. IFN-alpha did not inhibit endomitosis but did inhibit cytoplasmic maturation of megakaryocytes and platelet production in vitro. IFN-alpha suppressed the expression of transcription factors regulating late-stage megakaryopoiesis,such as GATA-1,p45(NF-E2),MafG. IFN-alpha also significantly reduced the number of human platelets but not megakaryocytes,and did not inhibit endomitosis of human megakaryocytes in immunodeficient NOD/Shi-scid/IL-2R gamma(null) (NOG) mice transplanted with human CD34(+) cells (hu-NOG). We also demonstrated that a novel thrombopoietin mimetic,NIP-004,was effective for treating IFN-alpha-induced thrombocytopenia in hu-NOG mice. From ultrastructural study,IFN-alpha inhibited the maturation of demarcation membranes in megakaryocytes,although NIP-004 prevented the inhibitory effects of IFN-alpha. These results defined the pathogenesis of IFN-alpha-induced thrombocytopenia and suggested possible future clinical applications for thrombopoietin mimetics. View Publication

Reprogramming of mouse and human somatic cells can be achieved by ectopic expression of transcription factors,but with low efficiencies. We report that DNA methyltransferase and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors improve reprogramming efficiency. In particular,valproic acid (VPA),an HDAC inhibitor,improves reprogramming efficiency by more than 100-fold,using Oct4-GFP as a reporter. VPA also enables efficient induction of pluripotent stem cells without introduction of the oncogene c-Myc. View Publication

To better understand endogenous parameters that influence pluripotent cell differentiation we used human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) as a model system. We demonstrate that differentiation trajectories in aggregate (embryoid body [EB])-induced differentiation,a common approach to mimic some of the spatial and temporal aspects of in vivo development,are affected by three factors: input hESC composition,input hESC colony size,and EB size. Using a microcontact printing approach,size-specified hESC colonies were formed by plating single-cell suspensions onto micropatterned (MP) extracellular matrix islands. Subsequently,size-controlled EBs were formed by transferring entire colonies into suspension culture enabling the independent investigation of colony and aggregate size effects on differentiation induction. Gene and protein expression analysis of MP-hESC populations revealed that the ratio of Gata6 (endoderm-associated marker) to Pax6 (neural-associated marker) expression increased with decreasing colony size. Moreover,upon forming EBs from these MP-hESCs,we observed that differentiation trajectories were affected by both colony and EB size-influenced parameters. In MP-EBs generated from endoderm-biased (high Gata6/Pax6) input hESCs,higher mesoderm and cardiac induction was observed at larger EB sizes. Conversely,neural-biased (low Gata6/Pax6) input hESCs generated MP-EBs that exhibited higher cardiac induction in smaller EBs. Our analysis demonstrates that heterogeneity in hESC colony and aggregate size,typical in most differentiation strategies,produces subsets of appropriate conditions for differentiation into specific cell types. Moreover,our findings suggest that the local microenvironment modulates endogenous parameters that can be used to influence pluripotent cell differentiation trajectories. View Publication

Outcomes of 159 young patients with inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs) undergoing transplantation with partially HLA-mismatched unrelated donor umbilical cord blood were studied to investigate the impact of graft and patient characteristics on engraftment,overall survival (OS),and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Patients received myeloablative chemotherapy (busulfan,cyclophosphamide,ATG) and cyclosporine-based GVHD prophylaxis. Infused cell doses were high (7.57 x 10(7)/kg) because of the patients' young age (median,1.5 years) and small size (median,12 kg). Median follow-up was 4.2 years (range,1-11 years). The cumulative incidences of neutrophil and platelet engraftment were 87.1% (95% confidence interval [CI],81.8%-92.4%) and 71.0% (95% CI,63.7%-78.3%). A total of 97% achieved high (textgreater 90%) donor chimerism. Serum enzyme normalized in 97% of patients with diseases for which testings exist. Grade III/IV acute GVHD occurred in 10.3% (95% CI,5.4%-15.2%) of patients. Extensive chronic GVHD occurred in 10.8% (95% CI,5.7%-15.9%) of patients by 1 year. OS at 1 and 5 years was 71.8% (95% CI,64.7%-78.9%) and 58.2% (95% CI,49.7%-66.6%) in all patients and 84.5% (95% CI,77.0%-92.0%) and 75.7% (95% CI,66.1%-85.3%) in patients with high (80-100) performance score. In multivariate analysis,favorable factors for OS were high pretransplantation performance status,matched donor/recipient ethnicity,and higher infused colony forming units. View Publication

Mature mammary epithelial cells are generated from undifferentiated precursors through a hierarchical process,but the molecular mechanisms involved,particularly in the human mammary gland,are poorly understood. To address this issue,we isolated highly purified subpopulations of primitive bipotent and committed luminal progenitor cells as well as mature luminal and myoepithelial cells from normal human mammary tissue and compared their transcriptomes obtained using three different methods. Elements unique to each subset of mammary cells were identified,and changes that accompany their differentiation in vivo were shown to be recapitulated in vitro. These include a stage-specific change in NOTCH pathway gene expression during the commitment of bipotent progenitors to the luminal lineage. Functional studies further showed NOTCH3 signaling to be critical for this differentiation event to occur in vitro. Taken together,these findings provide an initial foundation for future delineation of mechanisms that perturb primitive human mammary cell growth and differentiation. View Publication

BACKGROUND: Methylation of CpG dinucleotides is a fundamental mechanism of epigenetic regulation in eukaryotic genomes. Development of methods for rapid genome wide methylation profiling will greatly facilitate both hypothesis and discovery driven research in the field of epigenetics. In this regard,a single molecule approach to methylation profiling offers several unique advantages that include elimination of chemical DNA modification steps and PCR amplification. RESULTS: A single molecule approach is presented for the discernment of methylation profiles,based on optical mapping. We report results from a series of pilot studies demonstrating the capabilities of optical mapping as a platform for methylation profiling of whole genomes. Optical mapping was used to discern the methylation profile from both an engineered and wild type Escherichia coli. Furthermore,the methylation status of selected loci within the genome of human embryonic stem cells was profiled using optical mapping. CONCLUSION: The optical mapping platform effectively detects DNA methylation patterns. Due to single molecule detection,optical mapping offers significant advantages over other technologies. This advantage stems from obviation of DNA modification steps,such as bisulfite treatment,and the ability of the platform to assay repeat dense regions within mammalian genomes inaccessible to techniques using array-hybridization technologies. View Publication

This study was to evaluate the enhancement value of chloroquine (CQ) in cancer cell killing when used in combination with Akt inhibitors. The results showed that the combination of CQ and Akt inhibitors is much more effective than either one alone. Importantly,the CQ-mediated chemosensitization of cell killing effects by Akt inhibitors is cancer specific. In particular,when combined with 10 microM CQ,1,3-dihydro-1-(1-((4-(6-phenyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-g]quinoxalin-7-yl)phenyl)methyl)-4-piperidinyl)-2H-benzimidazol-2-one (an Akt1 and 2 inhibitor; compound 8) killed cancer cells 10-120 times more effectively than normal cells. Thus,CQ is a very effective and cancer-specific chemosensitizer when used in combination with Akt inhibitors. View Publication