技术资料

Transactive response DNA-binding (TDP-43) protein is the dominant disease protein in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and a subgroup of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD-TDP). Identification of mutations in the gene encoding TDP-43 (TARDBP) in familial ALS confirms a mechanistic link between misaccumulation of TDP-43 and neurodegeneration and provides an opportunity to study TDP-43 proteinopathies in human neurons generated from patient fibroblasts by using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Here,we report the generation of iPSCs that carry the TDP-43 M337V mutation and their differentiation into neurons and functional motor neurons. Mutant neurons had elevated levels of soluble and detergent-resistant TDP-43 protein,decreased survival in longitudinal studies,and increased vulnerability to antagonism of the PI3K pathway. We conclude that expression of physiological levels of TDP-43 in human neurons is sufficient to reveal a mutation-specific cell-autonomous phenotype and strongly supports this approach for the study of disease mechanisms and for drug screening. View Publication

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a structurally endogenous peptide with many biological roles. Maxadilan,a 61-amino acid vasodilatory peptide,specifically activates the PACAP type I receptor (PAC1). Although PAC1 has been identified in embryonic stem cells,little is known about its presence or effects in human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. In the present study,we investigated the expression of PAC1 in human iPS cells by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analysis. To study the physiological effects mediated by PAC1,we evaluated the role of maxadilan in preventing apoptotic cell death induced by ultraviolet C (UVC). After exposure to UVC,the iPS cells showed a marked reduction in cell viability and a parallel increase of apoptotic cells,as demonstrated by WST-8 analysis,annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) analysis and the terminal transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. The addition of 30 nM of maxadilan dramatically increased iPS cell viability and reduced the percentage of apoptotic cells. The anti-apoptotic effects of maxadilan were correlated to the downregulation of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Concomitantly,immunofluorescence,western blot analysis,real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis and in vitro differentiation results showed that maxadilan did not affect the pluripotent state of iPS cells. Moreover,karyotype analysis showed that maxadilan did not affect the karyotype of iPS cells. In summary,these results demonstrate that PAC1 is present in iPS cells and that maxadilan effectively protects iPS cells against UVC-induced apoptotic cell death while not affecting the pluripotent state or karyotype. View Publication

The WNT pathway plays multiple roles in neural development and is crucial for establishment of the embryonic cerebellum. In addition,WNT pathway mutations are associated with medulloblastoma,the most common malignant brain tumor in children. However,the cell types within the cerebellum that are responsive to WNT signaling remain unknown. Here we investigate the effects of canonical WNT signaling on two important classes of progenitors in the developing cerebellum: multipotent neural stem cells (NSCs) and granule neuron precursors (GNPs). We show that WNT pathway activation in vitro promotes proliferation of NSCs but not GNPs. Moreover,mice that express activated β-catenin in the cerebellar ventricular zone exhibit increased proliferation of NSCs in that region,whereas expression of the same protein in GNPs impairs proliferation. Although β-catenin-expressing NSCs proliferate they do not undergo prolonged expansion or neoplastic growth; rather,WNT signaling markedly interferes with their capacity for self-renewal and differentiation. At a molecular level,mutant NSCs exhibit increased expression of c-Myc,which might account for their transient proliferation,but also express high levels of bone morphogenetic proteins and the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21,which might contribute to their altered self-renewal and differentiation. These studies suggest that the WNT pathway is a potent regulator of cerebellar stem cell growth and differentiation. View Publication

In this study,we examined the effects of cryoprotectant,freezing and thawing,and adenovirus (Adv) transduction on the viability,transgene expression,phenotype,and function of human dendritic cells (DCs). DCs were differentiated from cultured peripheral blood (PB) monocytes following Elutra isolation using granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) for 6 days and then transduced using an Adv vector with an IL-12 transgene. Fresh,cryopreserved,and thawed transduced immature DCs were examined for their: 1) cellular concentration and viability; 2) antigenicity using an allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR); 3) phenotype (HLA-DR and CD11c) and activation (CD83); and 4) transgene expression based on IL-12 secretion. Stability studies revealed that transduced DCs could be held in cryoprotectant for as long as 75 min at 2-8°C prior to freezing with little effect on their viability and cellularity. Further,cryopreservation,storage,and thawing reduced the viability of the transduced DCs by an average of 7.7%; and had no significant impact on DC phenotype and activation. In summary,cryopreservation,storage,and thawing had no significant effect on DC viability,function,and transgene expression by Adv-transduced DCs. View Publication

IL-17-producing CD4+ T helper cells (TH17) have been extensively investigated in mouse models of autoimmunity. However,the requirements for differentiation and the properties of pathogen-induced human TH17 cells remain poorly defined. Using an approach that combines the in vitro priming of naive T cells with the ex vivo analysis of memory T cells,we describe here two types of human TH17 cells with distinct effector function and differentiation requirements. Candida albicans-specific TH17 cells produced IL-17 and IFN-γ,but no IL-10,whereas Staphylococcus aureus-specific TH17 cells produced IL-17 and could produce IL-10 upon restimulation. IL-6,IL-23 and IL-1β contributed to TH17 differentiation induced by both pathogens,but IL-1β was essential in C. albicans-induced TH17 differentiation to counteract the inhibitory activity of IL-12 and to prime IL-17/IFN-γ double-producing cells. In addition,IL-1β inhibited IL-10 production in differentiating and in memory TH17 cells,whereas blockade of IL-1β in vivo led to increased IL-10 production by memory TH17 cells. We also show that,after restimulation,TH17 cells transiently downregulated IL-17 production through a mechanism that involved IL-2-induced activation of STAT5 and decreased expression of ROR-γt. Taken together these findings demonstrate that by eliciting different cytokines C. albicans and S. aureus prime TH17 cells that produce either IFN-γ or IL-10,and identify IL-1β and IL-2 as pro- and anti-inflammatory regulators of TH17 cells both at priming and in the effector phase. View Publication

Dental pulp is particularly interesting in regenerative medicine because of the accessibility and differentiation potential of the tissue. Dental pulp has an early developmental origin with multi-lineage differentiation potential as a result of its development during childhood and adolescence. However,no study has previously identified the presence of stem cell populations with embryonic-like phenotypes in human dental pulp from the third molar. In the present work,we describe a new population of dental pulp pluripotent-like stem cells (DPPSCs) that were isolated by culture in medium containing LIF,EGF and PDGF. These cells are SSEA4(+),OCT3/4(+),NANOG(+),SOX2(+),LIN28(+),CD13(+),CD105(+),CD34(-),CD45(-),CD90(+),CD29(+),CD73(+),STRO1(+) and CD146(-),and they show genetic stability in vitro based on genomic analysis with a newly described CGH technique. Interestingly,DPPSCs were able to form both embryoid-body-like structures (EBs) in vitro and teratoma-like structures that contained tissues derived from all three embryonic germ layers when injected in nude mice. We examined the capacity of DPPSCs to differentiate in vitro into tissues that have similar characteristics to mesoderm,endoderm and ectoderm layers in both 2D and 3D cultures. We performed a comparative RT-PCR analysis of GATA4,GATA6,MIXL1,NANOG,OCT3/4,SOX1 and SOX2 to determine the degree of similarity between DPPSCs,EBs and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSCs). Our analysis revealed that DPPSCs,hIPSC and EBs have the same gene expression profile. Because DPPSCs can be derived from healthy human molars from patients of different sexes and ages,they represent an easily accessible source of stem cells,which opens a range of new possibilities for regenerative medicine. View Publication

In this unit,we describe a simple coculture-free method for obtaining mast cells from mouse and human embryonic stem (ES) cells. Much of our knowledge regarding the mechanisms by which mast cells are activated comes from studies of mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells. Studies of human mast cells have been hampered by the limited sources from which they can be cultured,the difficulty in introducing specific genetic changes into these cells,and differences between established cultures that reflect the unique genetic makeup of the tissue donor. Derivation of mast cells from embryonic stem cells addresses these limitations. ES-derived mast cells can be generated in numbers sufficient for studies of the pathways involved in mast cell effector functions. These ES cell-derived mast cells respond to antigens and other stimuli by releasing histamine,cytokines,lipids,and other bioactive mediators. The derivation of human mast cells from ES cells carrying mutations introduced by homologous recombination should provide a novel means of testing the function of genes in both the development and the effector functions of mast cells. View Publication

The supply of human hepatic stem cells (hHpSCs) and other hepatic progenitors has been constrained by the limited availability of liver tissues from surgical resections,the rejected organs from organ donation programs,and the need to use cells immediately. To facilitate accessibility to these precious tissue resources,we have established an effective method for serum-free cryopreservation of the cells,allowing them to be stockpiled and stored for use as an off-the-shelf product for experimental or clinical programs. The method involves use of buffers,some serum-free,designed for cryopreservation and further supplemented with hyaluronans (HA) that preserve adhesion mechanisms facilitating postthaw culturing of the cells and preservation of functions. Multiple cryopreservation buffers were found to yield high viabilities (80-90%) of cells on thawing of the progenitor cells. Serum-free CS10 supplemented with 0.05% hyaluronan proved the most effective,both in terms of viabilities of cells on thawing and in yielding cell attachment and formation of expanding colonies of cells that stably maintain the stem/progenitor cell phenotype. Buffers to which 0.05 or 0.1% HAs were added showed cells postthaw to be phenotypically stable as stem/progenitors,as well as having a high efficiency of attachment and expansion in culture. Success correlated with improved expression of adhesion molecules,particularly CD44,the hyaluronan receptor,E-cadherin,β4 integrin in hHpSCs,and β1 integrins in hepatoblasts. The improved methods in cryopreservation offer more efficient strategies for stem cell banking in both research and potential therapy applications. View Publication

Most studies of cancer stem cells (CSC) involve the inoculation of cells from human tumors into immunosuppressed mice,preventing an assessment on the immunologic interactions and effects of CSCs. In this study,we examined the vaccination effects produced by CSC-enriched populations from histologically distinct murine tumors after their inoculation into different syngeneic immunocompetent hosts. Enriched CSCs were immunogenic and more effective as an antigen source than unselected tumor cells in inducing protective antitumor immunity. Immune sera from CSC-vaccinated hosts contained high levels of IgG which bound to CSCs,resulting in CSC lysis in the presence of complement. CTLs generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells or splenocytes harvested from CSC-vaccinated hosts were capable of killing CSCs in vitro. Mechanistic investigations established that CSC-primed antibodies and T cells were capable of selective targeting CSCs and conferring antitumor immunity. Together,these proof-of-concept results provide a rationale for a new type of cancer immunotherapy based on the development of CSC vaccines that can specifically target CSCs. View Publication

Although hematopoiesis is known to originate in a population of very primitive cells with both lymphopoietic and myelopoietic potential,a procedure for enumerating such cells has to date not been available. We now describe a quantitative assay for long-term repopulating stem cells with the potential for reconstituting all hematopoietic lineages. This assay has two key features. The first is the use of competitive repopulation conditions that ensure not only the detection of a very primitive class of hematopoietic stem cells but also the survival of lethally irradiated mice transplanted with very low numbers of such cells. The second is the use of a limiting-dilution experimental design to allow stem cell quantitation. The assay involves transplanting limiting numbers of male test" cells into lethally irradiated syngeneic female recipients together with 1-2 x 10(5) syngeneic female marrow cells whose long-term repopulating ability has been compromised by two previous cycles of marrow transplantation. The proportion of assay recipients whose regenerated hematopoietic tissues are determined to contain greater than or equal to 5% cells of test cell origin (male) greater than or equal to 5 weeks later is then used to calculate the frequency of competitive repopulating units (CRU) in the original male test cell suspension (based on Poisson statistics). Investigation of this assay system has shown that all three potential sources of stem cells (test cells� View Publication

Glioblastoma (GBM) and other malignant gliomas are aggressive primary neoplasms of the brain that exhibit notable refractivity to standard treatment regimens. Recent large-scale molecular profiling has revealed distinct disease subclasses within malignant gliomas whose defining genomic features highlight dysregulated molecular networks as potential targets for therapeutic development. The proneural" designation represents the largest and most heterogeneous of these subclasses� View Publication

A major difficulty of producing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has been the low efficiency of reprogramming differentiated cells into pluripotent cells. We previously showed that 5% of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) were reprogrammed into iPSCs when they were transduced with a fusion gene composed of Oct4 and the transactivation domain of MyoD (called M(3)O),along with Sox2,Klf4 and c-Myc (SKM). In addition,M(3)O facilitated chromatin remodeling of pluripotency genes in the majority of transduced MEFs,including cells that did not become iPSCs. These observations suggested the possibility that more than 5% of cells had acquired the ability to become iPSCs given more favorable culture conditions. Here,we raised the efficiency of making mouse iPSCs with M(3)O-SKM to 26% by culturing transduced cells at low density in serum-free culture medium. In contrast,the efficiency increased from 0.1% to only 2% with the combination of wild-type Oct4 and SKM (OSKM) under the same culture condition. For human iPSCs,M(3)O-SKM achieved 7% efficiency under a similar serum-free culture condition,in comparison to 1% efficiency with OSKM. This study highlights the power of combining the transactivation domain of MyoD with a favorable culture environment. View Publication