技术资料

Cell death within the developing vertebrate nervous system is regulated in part by interactions between neurons and their innervation targets that are mediated by neurotrophic factors. These factors also appear to have a role in the maintenance of the adult nervous system. Two neurotrophic factors,nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor,share substantial amino acid sequence identity. We have used a screen that combines polymerase chain reaction amplification of genomic DNA and low-stringency hybridization with degenerate oligonucleotides to isolate human BDNF and a human gene,neurotrophin-3,that is closely related to both nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. mRNA products of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurotrophin-3 genes were detected in the adult human brain,suggesting that these proteins are involved in the maintenance of the adult nervous system. Neurotrophin-3 is also expected to function in embryonic neural development. View Publication

α-Lipoic acid (LA) is a thiol with antioxidant properties that protects against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. LA is absorbed from the diet,taken up by cells and tissues,and subsequently reduced to dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA). In view of the recent application of DHLA as a hydrophilic nanomaterial preparation,determination of its biosafety profile is essential. In the current study,we examined the cytotoxic effects of DHLA on mouse embryos at the blastocyst stage,subsequent embryonic attachment and outgrowth in vitro,in vivo implantation by embryo transfer,and early embryonic development in an animal model. Blastocysts treated with 50 μM DHLA exhibited significantly increased apoptosis and a corresponding decrease in total cell number. Notably,the implantation success rates of blastocysts pretreated with DHLA were lower than that of their control counterparts. Moreover,in vitro treatment with 50 μM DHLA was associated with increased resorption of post-implantation embryos and decreased fetal weight. Data obtained using an in vivo mouse model further disclosed that consumption of drinking water containing 100 μM DHLA led to decreased early embryo development,specifically,inhibition of development to the blastocyst stage. However,it appears that concentrations of DHLA lower than 50 μM do not exert a hazardous effect on embryonic development. Our results collectively indicate that in vitro and in vivo exposure to concentrations of DHLA higher than 50 μM DHLA induces apoptosis and retards early pre- and post-implantation development,and support the potential of DHLA to induce embryonic cytotoxicity. View Publication

Recent studies have proposed that chronic treatment with antidepressants increases neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus. However,the effect of antidepressants on fetal neural stem cells (NSCs) has not been well defined. Our study shows the dose-dependent effects of fluoxetine on the proliferation and neural differentiation of NSCs. Fluoxetine,even at nanomolar concentrations,stimulated proliferation of NSCs and increased the number of βIII-tubulin (Tuj 1)- and neural nucleus marker (NeuN)-positive cells,but not glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive cells. These results suggest that fluoxetine can enhance neuronal differentiation. In addition,fluoxetine has protective effects against cell death induced by oligomeric amyloid beta (Aβ(42)) peptides. Taken together,these results clearly show that fluoxetine promotes both the proliferation and neuronal differentiation of NSCs and exerts protective effects against Aβ(42)-induced cytotoxicities in NSCs,which suggest that the use of fluoxetine is applicable for cell therapy for various neurodegenerative diseases,such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases by its actions in NSCs. View Publication

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease that involves the destruction of articular cartilage and eventually leads to disability. Molecules that promote the selective differentiation of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into chondrocytes may stimulate the repair of damaged cartilage. Using an image-based high-throughput screen,we identified the small molecule kartogenin,which promotes chondrocyte differentiation (median effective concentration = 100 nM),shows chondroprotective effects in vitro,and is efficacious in two OA animal models. Kartogenin binds filamin A,disrupts its interaction with the transcription factor core-binding factor β subunit (CBFβ),and induces chondrogenesis by regulating the CBFβ-RUNX1 transcriptional program. This work provides new insights into the control of chondrogenesis that may ultimately lead to a stem cell-based therapy for osteoarthritis. View Publication

Cytochrome b561 (Cyt-b561) proteins constitute a family of trans-membrane proteins that are present in a wide variety of organisms. Two of their characteristic properties are the reducibility by ascorbate (ASC) and the presence of two distinct b-type hemes localized on two opposite sides of the membrane. Here we show that the tonoplast-localized and the putative tumor suppressor Cyt-b561 proteins can be reduced by other reductants than ASC and dithionite. A detailed spectral analysis of the ASC-dependent and dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA)-dependent reduction of these two Cyt-b561 proteins is also presented. Our results are discussed in relation to the known antioxidant capability of DHLA as well as its role in the regeneration of other antioxidant compounds of cells. These results allow us to speculate on new biological functions for the trans-membrane Cyt-b561 proteins. View Publication

Neuron-specific in vitro screening strategies have the potential to accelerate the evaluation of chemicals for neurotoxicity. We examined neurite outgrowth as a measure of neuronal response with a commercially available rat cortex progenitor cell model,where cells were exposed to a chemical during a period of cell differentiation. In control cultures,the fraction of beta-III-tubulin positive neurons and their neurite length increased significantly with time,indicating differentiation of the progenitor cells. Expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein,an astrocyte marker,also increased significantly with time. By seeding progenitor cells at varying densities,we demonstrated that neurite length was influenced by cell-cell spacing. After ten days,cultures seeded at densities of 1000 cells/mm(2) or lower had significantly shorter neurites than cultures seeded at densities of 1250 cells/mm(2) or higher. Progenitor cells were exposed to lithium,a neuroactive chemical with diverse modes of action. Cultures exposed to 30 mmol/L or 10 mmol/L lithium chloride (LiCl) had significantly lower metabolic activity than control cultures,as reported by adenosine triphosphate content,and no neurons were observed after ten days of exposure. Cultures exposed to 3 mmol/L,1 mmol/L,or 0.3 mmol/L LiCl,which encompass lithium's therapeutic range,had metabolic activity similar to control cultures. These cultures exhibited concentration-dependent decreases in neurite outgrowth after ten days of LiCl exposure. Neurite outgrowth results were relatively robust,regardless of the evaluation methodology. This work demonstrates that measurement of neurite outgrowth in differentiating progenitor cell cultures can be a sensitive endpoint for neuronal response under non-cytotoxic exposure conditions. View Publication

We isolated neural stem cells/neural progenitors (NSC) from 1-day-old rat pups born to mothers fed diets that were deficient or supplemented with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and compared their proliferation and differentiation in vitro. The cells isolated from the n-3PUFA-deficient pups consistently proliferated more slowly than cells that were isolated from n-3PUFA-supplemented pups,despite the fact that both were cultured under the same conditions. The differences in the proliferation rates were evaluated up until 40 days of culture and were highly significant. When the cells were allowed to differentiate,the deficient cells exhibited a higher degree of neuronal maturation in response to the addition of PUFAs in the medium,as demonstrated by an increase in neurite length,whereas the neurons derived from the supplemented pups showed no change. This result was consistent,regardless of the age of the culture. The properties of the NSC were durably modified throughout the length of the culture,although the membrane phospholipid compositions were similar. We examined the differential expression of selected mRNAs and micro RNAs. We found significant differences in the gene expression of proliferating and differentiating cells,and a group of genes involved in neurogenesis was specifically modified by n-3 PUFA treatment. We conclude that n-3 PUFA levels in the maternal diet can induce persistent modifications of the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs and of their transcriptome. Therefore,the n-3 supply received in utero may condition on a long-term basis cell renewal in the brain. View Publication

Extrinsic signaling cues in the microenvironment of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) contribute to disease progression and therapy resistance. Yet,it remains unknown how the bone marrow niche in which AML arises is subverted to support leukemic persistence at the expense of homeostatic function. Exosomes are cell membrane-derived vesicles carrying protein and RNA cargoes that have emerged as mediators of cell-cell communication. In this study,we examined the role of exosomes in developing the AML niche of the bone marrow microenvironment,investigating their biogenesis with a focus on RNA trafficking. We found that both primary AML and AML cell lines released exosome-sized vesicles that entered bystander cells. These exosomes were enriched for several coding and noncoding RNAs relevant to AML pathogenesis. Furthermore,their uptake by bone marrow stromal cells altered their secretion of growth factors. Proof-of-concept studies provided additional evidence for the canonical functions of the transferred RNA. Taken together,our findings revealed that AML exosome trafficking alters the proliferative,angiogenic,and migratory responses of cocultured stromal and hematopoietic progenitor cell lines,helping explain how the microenvironmental niche becomes reprogrammed during invasion of the bone marrow by AML. View Publication

A small molecule compound,JTP-74057/GSK1120212/trametinib,had been discovered as a very potent antiproliferative agent able to induce the accumulation of CDK inhibitor p15INK4b. To conduct its drug development rationally as an anticancer agent,molecular targets of this compound were identified as MEK1/2 using compound-affinity chromatography. It was shown that JTP-74057 directly bound to MEK1 and MEK2 and allosterically inhibited their kinase activities,and that its inhibitory characteristics were similar to those of the known and different chemotype of MEK inhibitors PD0325901 and U0126. It was further shown that JTP-74057 induced rapid and sustained dephosphorylation of phosphorylated MEK in HT-29 colon and other cancer cell lines,while this decrease in phosphorylated MEK was not observed in PD0325901-treated cancer cells. Physicochemical analyses revealed that JTP-74057 preferentially binds to unphosphorylated MEK (u-MEK) in unique characteristics of both high affinity based on extremely low dissociation rates and ability stabilizing u-MEK with high thermal shift,which were markedly different from PD0325901. These findings indicate that JTP-74057 is a novel MEK inhibitor able to sustain MEK to be an unphosphorylated form resulting in pronounced suppression of the downstream signaling pathways involved in cellular proliferation. View Publication

The comparative evaluation of different 3D matrices-Matrigel,Puramatrix,and inverted colloidal crystal (ICC) scaffolds-provides a perspective for studying the pathology and potential cures for many blood and bone marrow diseases,and further proves the significance of 3D cultures with direct cell-cell contacts for in vitro mimicry of the human stem cell niche. View Publication

We have previously synthesized a series of 1,8-naphthyridine-3-carboxamide derivatives to identify potential anti-cancer/anti-inflammatory compounds. Three derivatives,7-chloro-N-(3-(cyclopentylamino)-3-oxo-1-phenylpropyl)-6-fluoro-4-oxo-1-(prop-2-yn-1-yl)-1,4-dihydro-1,8-naphthyridine-3-carboxamide (C-22),7-chloro-N-(2-hydroxy-3-oxo-1-phenyl-3-(phenylamino)propyl)-4-oxo-1-(prop-2-yn-1-yl)-1,4-dihydro-1,8-naphthyridine-3-carboxamide (C-31) and 7-chloro-6-fluoro-N-(2-hydroxy-3-oxo-1-phenyl-3-(phenylamino)propyl)-4-oxo-1-(prop-2-yn-1-yl)-1,4-dihydro-1,8-naphthyridine-3-carboxamide (C-34) demonstrated high cytotoxicity against a number of cancer cell lines and inhibited secretion of IL-1-β and IL-6. In the present study,C-22,C-31 and C-34 were assessed for modulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines,TNF-α and IL-8,chemokine RANTES and NO produced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated mouse Dendritic cells (DCs). Among the 3 compounds,C-34 showed the most potent inhibition of inflammatory markers in DC model at 0.2 and 2 μM. C-34 also significantly downregulated the secretion of TNF-α,IL-1-β and IL-6 by murine splenocytes and THP-1 cells against LPS induced levels. In vitro effects of C-34 on bone marrow toxicity were assessed in CFU-GM assay. Human CFU-GM population was comparatively more sensitive to C-34 (0.1-10 μM) than murine CFU-GM. IC50 values for murine and human CFU-GM were not attained. C-34 was further examined for in vivo suppression of LPS induced cytokines in a mice model. At doses ranging from 1.25 to 5 mg/kg,C-34 led to significant inhibition of TNF-α,IL-1-β,IL-6 and MIP-1-α. At the highest dose of 5 mg/kg,C-34 also protected LPS-treated mice against endotoxin-induced lethality. In conclusion,C-34 demonstrates anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in vivo in addition to cytotoxic properties. This finding suggests its potential for further development as a synthetic naphthyridine derivative with dual anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory (cytokine inhibition) properties. View Publication

Bone remodeling,a physiological process characterized by bone formation by osteoblasts (OBs) and resorption of preexisting bone matrix by osteoclasts (OCs),is vital for the maintenance of healthy bone tissue in adult humans. Imbalances in this vital process result in pathological conditions including osteoporosis. Owing to its initial asymptomatic nature,osteoporosis is often detected only after the patient has sustained significant bone loss or a fracture. Hence,anabolic therapeutics that stimulate bone accrual is in high clinical demand. Here we identify Ca²?/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) as a potential target for such therapeutics because its inhibition enhances OB differentiation and bone growth and suppresses OC differentiation. Mice null for CaMKK2 possess higher trabecular bone mass in their long bones,along with significantly more OBs and fewer multinuclear OCs. In vitro,although Camkk2?/? mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) yield significantly higher numbers of OBs,bone marrow cells from Camkk2?/? mice produce fewer multinuclear OCs. Acute inhibition of CaMKK2 by its selective,cell-permeable pharmacological inhibitor STO-609 also results in increased OB and diminished OC formation. Further,we find phospho-protein kinase A (PKA) and Ser¹³³ phosphorylated form of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response element binding protein (pCREB) to be markedly elevated in OB progenitors deficient in CaMKK2. On the other hand,genetic ablation of CaMKK2 or its pharmacological inhibition in OC progenitors results in reduced pCREB as well as significantly reduced levels of its transcriptional target,nuclear factor of activated T cells,cytoplasmic (NFATc1). Moreover,in vivo administration of STO-609 results in increased OBs and diminished OCs,conferring significant protection from ovariectomy (OVX)-induced osteoporosis in adult mice. Overall,our findings reveal a novel function for CaMKK2 in bone remodeling and highlight the potential for its therapeutic inhibition as a valuable bone anabolic strategy that also inhibits OC differentiation in the treatment of osteoporosis. View Publication