技术资料

Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) is an enzyme that is expressed in the liver and is required for the conversion of retinol (vitamin A) to retinoic acids. ALDH is also highly enriched in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and is considered a selectable marker of human HSCs,although its contribution to stem cell fate remains unknown. In this study,we demonstrate that ALDH is a key regulator of HSC differentiation. Inhibition of ALDH with diethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB) delayed the differentiation of human HSCs that otherwise occurred in response to cytokines. Moreover,short-term culture with DEAB caused a 3.4-fold expansion in the most primitive assayable human cells,the nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mouse repopulating cells,compared with day 0 CD34(+)CD38(-)lin(-) cells. The effects of DEAB on HSC differentiation could be reversed by the coadministration of the retinoic acid receptor agonist,all-trans-retinoic acid,suggesting that the ability of ALDH to generate retinoic acids is important in determining HSC fate. DEAB treatment also caused a decrease in retinoic acid receptor-mediated signaling within human HSCs,suggesting directly that inhibition of ALDH promotes HSC self-renewal via reduction of retinoic acid activity. Modulation of ALDH activity and retinoid signaling is a previously unrecognized and effective strategy to amplify human HSCs. View Publication

Stem cell leukemia/T cell acute leukemia 1 (SCL/TAL1) plays a key role in the development of murine primitive hematopoiesis but its functions in adult definitive hematopoiesis are still unclear. Using lentiviral delivery of TAL1-directed shRNA in human hematopoietic cells,we show that decreased expression of TAL1 induced major disorders at different levels of adult hematopoietic cell development. Erythroid and myeloid cell production in cultures was dramatically decreased in TAL1-directed shRNA-expressing cells,whereas lymphoid B-cell development was normal. These results confirm the role of TAL1 in the erythroid compartment and show TLA1's implication in the function of myeloid committed progenitors. Moreover,long-term cultures and transplantation of TAL1-directed shRNA-expressing CD34+ cells into irradiated nonobese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficient (NOD-SCID) mice led to dramatically low levels of human cells of all lineages including the B-lymphoid lineage,strongly suggesting that TAL1 has a role in the early commitment of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in humans. Cultures and transplantation experiments performed with mouse Sca1+ cells gave identical results. Altogether,these observations definitively show that TAL1 participates in the regulation of hematopoiesis from HSCs to myeloid progenitors,and pinpoint TAL1 as a master protein of human and murine adult hematopoiesis. View Publication

Activating mutations of c-KIT lead to ligand-independent growth. Internal tandem duplications (ITDs) of exon 11,which encodes the juxtamembrane domain (JMD),are constitutively activating mutations found in 7% of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) but have not been described in childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML). DNA and cDNA from 60 children with AML were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for mutations of the JMD. A complex ITD (kit cITD) involving exon 11 and exon 12 was identified with a relative frequency of 7% (4/60). The human kit cITDs were inserted into the murine c-Kit backbone and expressed in Ba/F3 cells. KIT cITD induced factorindependent growth and apoptosis resistance,and exhibited constitutive autophosphorylation. KIT cITD constitutively activated the PI3K/AKT pathway and phosphorylated STAT1,STAT3,STAT5,and SHP-2. Imatinib (IM) or rapamycin (Rap) led to complete inhibition of growth,with IC50 values at nanomolar levels. IM and Rap synergistically inhibited growth and surmounted KIT cITD-induced apoptosis resistance. IM but not LY294002 inhibited phosphorylation of STAT3 and STAT5,suggesting aberrant cross talk between PI3K- and STAT-activating pathways. The findings presented may have immediate therapeutic impact for a subgroup of childhood AML-expressing c-KIT mutations. View Publication

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) deficiency is caused by a purine metabolic dysfunction,leading to severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and multiple organ damage. To investigate the efficacy of ex vivo gene therapy with self-inactivating lentiviral vectors (LVs) in correcting this complex phenotype,we used an ADA(-/-) mouse model characterized by early postnatal lethality. LV-mediated ADA gene transfer into bone marrow cells combined with low-dose irradiation rescued mice from lethality and restored their growth,as did transplantation of wild-type bone marrow. Mixed chimerism with multilineage engraftment of transduced cells was detected in the long term in animals that underwent transplantation. ADA activity was normalized in lymphocytes and partially corrected in red blood cells (RBCs),resulting in full metabolic detoxification and prevention of severe pulmonary insufficiency. Moreover,gene therapy restored normal lymphoid differentiation and immune functions,including antigen-specific antibody production. Similar degrees of detoxification and immune reconstitution were obtained in mice treated early after birth or after 1 month of enzyme-replacement therapy,mimicking 2 potential applications for ADA-SCID. Overall,this study demonstrates the efficacy of LV gene transfer in correcting both the immunological and metabolic phenotypes of ADA-SCID and supports the future clinical use of this approach. View Publication

Retroviral vectors with long terminal repeats (LTRs),which contain strong enhancer/promoter sequences at both ends of their genome,are widely used for stable gene transfer into hematopoietic cells. However,recent clinical data and mouse models point to insertional activation of cellular proto-oncogenes as a dose-limiting side effect of retroviral gene delivery that potentially induces leukemia. Self-inactivating (SIN) retroviral vectors do not contain the terminal repetition of the enhancer/promoter,theoretically attenuating the interaction with neighboring cellular genes. With a new assay based on in vitro expansion of primary murine hematopoietic cells and selection in limiting dilution,we showed that SIN vectors using a strong internal retroviral enhancer/promoter may also transform cells by insertional mutagenesis. Most transformed clones,including those obtained after dose escalation of SIN vectors,showed insertions upstream of the third exon of Evi1 and in reverse orientation to its transcriptional orientation. Normalizing for the vector copy number,we found the transforming capacity of SIN vectors to be significantly reduced when compared with corresponding LTR vectors. Additional modifications of SIN vectors may further increase safety. Improved cell-culture assays will likely play an important role in the evaluation of insertional mutagenesis. View Publication

Transcription factors are critical for instructing the development of B lymphocytes from multipotential progenitor cells in the bone marrow (BM). Here,we show that the absence of STAT3 impaired B-cell development. Mice selectively lacking STAT3 in BM progenitor cells displayed reduced numbers of mature B cells,both in the BM and in the periphery. The reduction in the B-cell compartment included reduced percentages and numbers of pro-B,pre-B,and immature B cells in the absence of STAT3,whereas the number of pre-pro-B cells was increased. We found that pro-B and pre-B-cell populations lacking STAT3 were hyporesponsive to IL-7 because of a decreased number of IL-7-responsive cells rather than decreased expression or signaling of IL-7Ralpha. Moreover,STAT3-deficient mice displayed enhanced apoptosis in the pro-B population when deprived of survival factors,suggesting that at least 2 mechanisms (impaired differentiation and enhanced apoptosis) are involved in the mutant phenotype. Last,BM transplantation confirmed that impaired B lymphopoiesis in the absence of STAT3 was caused by a cell autonomous defect. In sum,these studies defined a specific role for STAT3 in early B-cell development,probably acting at the pre-pro-B transition by contributing to the survival of IL-7-responsive progenitors. View Publication

Regulatory T (T reg) cells are critical regulators of immune tolerance. Most T reg cells are defined based on expression of CD4,CD25,and the transcription factor,FoxP3. However,these markers have proven problematic for uniquely defining this specialized T cell subset in humans. We found that the IL-7 receptor (CD127) is down-regulated on a subset of CD4(+) T cells in peripheral blood. We demonstrate that the majority of these cells are FoxP3(+),including those that express low levels or no CD25. A combination of CD4,CD25,and CD127 resulted in a highly purified population of T reg cells accounting for significantly more cells that previously identified based on other cell surface markers. These cells were highly suppressive in functional suppressor assays. In fact,cells separated based solely on CD4 and CD127 expression were anergic and,although representing at least three times the number of cells (including both CD25(+)CD4(+) and CD25(-)CD4(+) T cell subsets),were as suppressive as the classic" CD4(+)CD25(hi) T reg cell subset. Finally� View Publication

NUP98-HOXA9,the chimeric protein resulting from the t(7;11)(p15;p15) chromosomal translocation,is a prototype of several NUP98 fusions that occur in myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia. We examined its effect on differentiation,proliferation,and gene expression in primary human CD34+ hematopoietic cells. Colony-forming cell (CFC) assays in semisolid medium combined with morphologic examination and flow cytometric immunophenotyping revealed that NUP98-HOXA9 increased the numbers of erythroid precursors and impaired both myeloid and erythroid differentiation. In continuous liquid culture,cells transduced with NUP98-HOXA9 exhibited a biphasic growth curve with initial growth inhibition followed by enhanced long-term proliferation,suggesting an increase in the numbers of primitive self-renewing cells. This was confirmed by a dramatic increase in the numbers of long-term culture-initiating cells,the most primitive hematopoietic cells detectable in vitro. To understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of NUP98-HOXA9 on hematopoietic cell proliferation and differentiation,oligonucleotide microarray analysis was done at several time points over 16 days,starting at 6 hours posttransduction. The early growth suppression was preceded by up-regulation of IFNbeta1 and accompanied by marked up-regulation of IFN-induced genes,peaking at 3 days posttransduction. In contrast,oncogenes such as homeobox transcription factors,FLT3,KIT,and WT1 peaked at 8 days or beyond,coinciding with increased proliferation. In addition,several putative tumor suppressors and genes associated with hematopoietic differentiation were repressed at later time points. These findings provide a comprehensive picture of the changes in proliferation,differentiation,and global gene expression that underlie the leukemic transformation of human hematopoietic cells by NUP98-HOXA9. View Publication

Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) is a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia associated with a poor prognosis. However,there are relatively few insights into the genetic etiology of AMKL. We developed a screening assay for mutations that cause AMKL,based on the hypothesis that constitutive activation of STAT5 would be a biochemical indicator of mutation in an upstream effector tyrosine kinase. We screened human AMKL cell lines for constitutive STAT5 activation,and then used an approach combining mass spectrometry identification of tyrosine phosphorylated proteins and growth inhibition in the presence of selective small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors that would inform DNA sequence analysis of candidate tyrosine kinases. Using this strategy,we identified a new JAK2T875N mutation in the AMKL cell line CHRF-288-11. JAK2T875N is a constitutively activated tyrosine kinase that activates downstream effectors including STAT5 in hematopoietic cells in vitro. In a murine transplant model,JAK2T875N induced a myeloproliferative disease characterized by features of AMKL,including megakaryocytic hyperplasia in the spleen; impaired megakaryocyte polyploidization; and increased reticulin fibrosis of the bone marrow and spleen. These findings provide new insights into pathways and therapeutic targets that contribute to the pathogenesis of AMKL. View Publication

Activation of natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity requires adhesion and formation of a conjugate with a susceptible target cell,followed by actin polymerization,and polarization of the microtubule organizing center (MTOC) and cytolytic granules to the NK cell immune synapse. Here,by using the YTS NK cell line as a model,CD28 is shown to be an activating receptor. It signals cytotoxicity in a process dependent on phosphoinositide-3 kinase activation,leading to sustained extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) phosphorylation. ERK and phospho-ERK localize to microtubule filaments. Neither conjugation with targets nor actin polymerization is affected by blocking ERK2 activation. However,both polarization of the MTOC and cytolytic granules to the synaptic region and NK cell cytotoxicity are strongly reduced by blocking ERK2 activation. A role for the CD28/CD80 interaction in cytotoxicity of human peripheral NK cells also was established. By contrast,lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) ligation transduces only a transient ERK2 activation and fails to induce killing in YTS cells. Thus,in YTS cells,a CD28 signal is used to polarize the MTOC and cytolytic granules to the NK cell immune synapse by stimulating sustained ERK2 activation. View Publication

The hope of developing new transplantation therapies for degenerative diseases is limited by inefficient stem cell growth and immunological incompatibility with the host. Here we show that Notch receptor activation induces the expression of the specific target genes hairy and enhancer of split 3 (Hes3) and Sonic hedgehog (Shh) through rapid activation of cytoplasmic signals,including the serine/threonine kinase Akt,the transcription factor STAT3 and mammalian target of rapamycin,and thereby promotes the survival of neural stem cells. In both murine somatic and human embryonic stem cells,these positive signals are opposed by a control mechanism that involves the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. Transient administration of Notch ligands to the brain of adult rats increases the numbers of newly generated precursor cells and improves motor skills after ischaemic injury. These data indicate that stem cell expansion in vitro and in vivo,two central goals of regenerative medicine,may be achieved by Notch ligands through a pathway that is fundamental to development and cancer. View Publication

OBJECTIVE: Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are endowed with multilineage differentiative potential and immunomodulatory properties. It is still a matter of debate whether donor MSCs have sustained engraftment potential in host bone marrow (BM) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The aim of this study was to analyze the donor/recipient origin of MSCs in children receiving allogeneic either BM or cord blood (CB) transplantation. METHODS: Thirty-seven pediatric patients undergoing allo-HSCT for either a malignant or a nonmalignant disorder were enrolled in the study; 19 received CB and 18 BM transplantation. Results were compared with those obtained in 14 adults given BM transplantation for either malignant or nonmalignant disorders. MSCs were grown from BM aspirates obtained 1-17 and 2-192 months after allo-HSCT in pediatric and adult patients,respectively. MSC samples at the third-fourth passage were phenotypically characterized. Donor/recipient origin of MSCs was assessed by amelogenin assay and microsatellite analysis. RESULTS: MSCs could be grown from 30 of 37 children; at the third-fourth passage MSCs resulted positive (textgreater or = 98%) for CD73,CD105,CD106,CD29,CD13,CD44 and negative (textless or = 1%) for CD34,CD45,CD14. Mixed chimerism with donor cells was observed in 4 BM and 5 CB transplantation recipients,respectively; full recipient chimerism was detected in the remaining children. Full recipient MSC chimerism was observed also in all assessable (12/14) adult patients. CONCLUSIONS: BM of pediatric patients might be a more favorable milieu than that of adults for sustained engraftment of transplanted MSCs. MSCs able to engraft in the host can be transferred with cryopreserved CB units. View Publication