参考文献

Hydrogel-encapsulating culture systems for ovarian follicles support the in vitro growth of secondary follicles from various species including mouse,non-primate human,and human; however,the growth of early stage follicles (primary and primordial) has been limited. While encapsulation maintains the structure of early stage follicles,feeder cell populations,such as mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs),are required to stimulate growth and development. Hence,in this report,we investigated feeder-free culture environments for early stage follicle development. Mouse ovarian follicles were encapsulated within alginate hydrogels and cultured in various growth medium formulations. Initial studies employed embryonic stem cell medium formulations as a tool to identify factors that influence the survival,growth,and meiotic competence of early stage follicles. The medium formulation that maximized survival and growth was identified as $$MEM/F12 supplemented with fetuin,insulin,transferrin,selenium,and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). This medium stimulated the growth of late primary (average initial diameter of 80 µm) and early secondary (average initial diameter of 90 µm) follicles,which developed antral cavities and increased to terminal diameters exceeding 300 µm in 14 days. Survival ranged from 18% for 80 µm follicles to 36% for 90 µm follicles. Furthermore,80% of the oocytes from surviving follicles with an initial diameter of 90-100 µm underwent germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD),and the percentage of metaphase II (MII) eggs was 50%. Follicle/oocyte growth and GVBD/MII rates were not significantly different from MEF co-culture. Survival was reduced relative to MEF co-culture,yet substantially increased relative to the control medium that had been previously used for secondary follicles. Continued development of culture medium could enable mechanistic studies of early stage folliculogenesis and emerging strategies for fertility preservation. View Publication

Tumor cells at the tumor margin lose epithelial properties and acquire features of mesenchymal cells,a process called epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Recently,features of EMT were shown to be linked to cells with tumor-founding capability,so-called cancer stem cells (CSCs). Inducers of the EMT include several transcription factors,such as Snail (SNAI1) and Slug (SNAI2),as well as the secreted transforming growth factor (TGFß). In the present study,we found that EMT induction in MCF10A cells by stably expressing SNAI1 contributed to drug resistance and acquisition of stem/progenitor-like character as shown by increased cell population for surface marker CD44(+)/CD24(-) and mammosphere forming capacity. Using a microarray approach,we demonstrate that SNAI1 overexpression results in a dramatic change in signaling pathways involved in the regulation of cell death and stem cell maintenance. We showed that NF-$$B/MAPK signaling pathways are highly activated in MCF10A-SNAI1 cells by IL1ß stimulation,leading to the robust induction in IL6 and IL8. Furthermore,MCF10A-SNAI1 cells showed enhanced TCF/ß-catenin activity responding to the exogenous Wnt3a treatment. However,EMT-induced stem/progenitor cell activation process is tightly regulated in non-transformed MCF10A cells,as WNT5A and TGFB2 are strongly upregulated in MCF10A-SNAI1 cells antagonizing canonical Wnt pathway. In summary,our data provide new molecular findings how EMT contributes to the enhanced chemoresistance and the acquisition of stem/progenitor-like character by regulating signaling pathways. View Publication

BACKGROUND Mortality rates for leukemia are high despite considerable improvements in treatment. Since polyphenols exert pro-apoptotic effects in solid tumors,our study investigated the effects of polyphenols in haematological malignancies. The effect of eight polyphenols (quercetin,chrysin,apigenin,emodin,aloe-emodin,rhein,cis-stilbene and trans-stilbene) were studied on cell proliferation,cell cycle and apoptosis in four lymphoid and four myeloid leukemic cells lines,together with normal haematopoietic control cells. METHODS Cellular proliferation was measured by CellTiter-Glo(®) luminescent assay; and cell cycle arrest was assessed using flow cytometry of propidium iodide stained cells. Apoptosis was investigated by caspase-3 activity assay using flow cytometry and apoptotic morphology was confirmed by Hoescht 33342 staining. RESULTS Emodin,quercetin,and cis-stilbene were the most effective polyphenols at decreasing cell viability (IC50 values of 5-22 μM,8-33 μM,and 25-85 μM respectively) and inducing apoptosis (AP50 values (the concentration which 50% of cells undergo apoptosis) of 2-27 μM,19-50 μM,and 8-50 μM respectively). Generally,lymphoid cell lines were more sensitive to polyphenol treatment compared to myeloid cell lines,however the most resistant myeloid (KG-1a and K562) cell lines were still found to respond to emodin and quercetin treatment at low micromolar levels. Non-tumor cells were less sensitive to all polyphenols compared to the leukemia cells. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that polyphenols have anti-tumor activity against leukemia cells with differential effects. Importantly,the differential sensitivity of emodin,quercetin,and cis-stilbene between leukemia and normal cells suggests that polyphenols are potential therapeutic agents for leukemia. View Publication

The pharmacological inhibition of general transcriptional regulators has the potential to block growth through targeting multiple tumorigenic signalling pathways simultaneously. Here,using an innovative cell-based screen,we identify a structurally unique small molecule (named JIB-04) that specifically inhibits the activity of the Jumonji family of histone demethylases in vitro,in cancer cells,and in tumours in vivo. Unlike known inhibitors,JIB-04 is not a competitive inhibitor of α-ketoglutarate. In cancer,but not in patient-matched normal cells,JIB-04 alters a subset of transcriptional pathways and blocks viability. In mice,JIB-04 reduces tumour burden and prolongs survival. Importantly,we find that patients with breast tumours that overexpress Jumonji demethylases have significantly lower survival. Thus,JIB-04,a novel inhibitor of Jumonji demethylases in vitro and in vivo,constitutes a unique potential therapeutic and research tool against cancer,and validates the use of unbiased cellular screens to discover chemical modulators with disease relevance. View Publication

An in vitro cell line model was established to exemplify tumor stem cell concept in oral cancer. We were able to identify CD147 expressing fractions in SCC172 OSCC cell line with differing Hoechst dye efflux activity and DNA content. In vivo tumorigenic assay revealed three fractions enriched with stem-like cells capable of undergoing mesenchymal transition and a non-tumorigenic fraction. The regeneration potential and transition of one fraction to other imitated the phenotypic switch and functional disparities evidenced during oral tumor progression. Knowledge of these additional stem-like subsets will improve understanding of stem cell based oral epithelial tumor progression from normal to malignant lesions. View Publication

Cancer initiation and progression have been attributed to newly discovered subpopulations of self-renewing,highly tumorigenic,drug-resistant tumor cells termed cancer stem cells. Recently,we and others reported a new phenotypic plasticity wherein highly tumorigenic,drug-resistant cell populations could arise not only from pre-existing cancer stem-like populations but also from cancer cells lacking these properties. In the current study,we hypothesized that this newfound phenotypic plasticity may be mediated by PI3K/Akt and Wnt/β-catenin signaling,pathways previously implicated in carcinogenesis,pluripotency and drug resistance. Using GFP expression,Hoechst dye exclusion and fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) of cancer cell lines,we identified and tracked cancer stem-like side populations (SP) of cancer cells characterized by high tumorigenicity and drug resistance. We found that pharmacological inhibition or genetic depletion of PI3K and AKT markedly reduced the spontaneous conversion of nonside population (NSP) cells into cancer stem-like SP cells,whereas PI3K/Akt activation conversely enhanced NSP to SP conversion. PI3K/AKT signaling was mediated through downstream phosphorylation of GSK3β,which led to activation and accumulation of β-catenin. Accordingly,pharmacological or genetic perturbation of GSK3β or β-catenin dramatically impacted conversion of NSP to SP. Further downstream,β-catenin's effects on NSP-SP equilibrium were dependent upon its interaction with CBP,a KAT3 family coactivator. These studies provide a mechanistic model wherein PI3K/Akt/β-catenin/CBP signaling mediates phenotypic plasticity in and out of a drug-resistant,highly tumorigenic state. Therefore,targeting this pathway has unique potential for overcoming the therapy resistance and disease progression attributed to the cancer stem-like phenotype. View Publication

Autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is caused by mutations in either PKD1 or PKD2 and is characterized by the development of multiple bilateral renal cysts that replace normal kidney tissue. Here,we used Pkd1 mutant mouse models to demonstrate that the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-dependent (NAD-dependent) protein deacetylase sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) is involved in the pathophysiology of ADPKD. SIRT1 was upregulated through c-MYC in embryonic and postnatal Pkd1-mutant mouse renal epithelial cells and tissues and could be induced by TNF-α,which is present in cyst fluid during cyst development. Double conditional knockouts of Pkd1 and Sirt1 demonstrated delayed renal cyst formation in postnatal mouse kidneys compared with mice with single conditional knockout of Pkd1. Furthermore,treatment with a pan-sirtuin inhibitor (nicotinamide) or a SIRT1-specific inhibitor (EX-527) delayed cyst growth in Pkd1 knockout mouse embryonic kidneys,Pkd1 conditional knockout postnatal kidneys,and Pkd1 hypomorphic kidneys. Increased SIRT1 expression in Pkd1 mutant renal epithelial cells regulated cystic epithelial cell proliferation through deacetylation and phosphorylation of Rb and regulated cystic epithelial cell death through deacetylation of p53. This newly identified role of SIRT1 signaling in cystic renal epithelial cells provides the opportunity to develop unique therapeutic strategies for ADPKD. View Publication

Pharmacokinetic (PK) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays are essential to the evaluation of the safety and efficacy of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAb) during drug development. These methods require reagents with a high degree of specificity because low concentrations of therapeutic antibody need to be detected in samples containing high concentrations of endogenous human immunoglobulins. Current assay reagent generation practices are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Moreover,these practices are molecule-specific and so only support one assay for one program at a time. Here,we describe a strategy to generate a unique assay reagent,10C4,that preferentially recognizes a panel of recombinant human mAbs over endogenous human immunoglobulins. This panel-specific" feature enables the reagent to be used in PK and IHC assays for multiple structurally-related therapeutic mAbs. Characterization revealed that the 10C4 epitope is conformational� View Publication

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Islet transplantation is a promising cell therapy for patients with diabetes,but it is currently limited by the reliance upon cadaveric donor tissue. We previously demonstrated that human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived pancreatic progenitor cells matured under the kidney capsule in a mouse model of diabetes into glucose-responsive insulin-secreting cells capable of reversing diabetes. However,the formation of cells resembling bone and cartilage was a major limitation of that study. Therefore,we developed an improved differentiation protocol that aimed to prevent the formation of off-target mesoderm tissue following transplantation. We also examined how variation within the complex host environment influenced the development of pancreatic progenitors in vivo.backslashnbackslashnMETHODS: The hESCs were differentiated for 14 days into pancreatic progenitor cells and transplanted either under the kidney capsule or within Theracyte (TheraCyte,Laguna Hills,CA,USA) devices into diabetic mice.backslashnbackslashnRESULTS: Our revised differentiation protocol successfully eliminated the formation of non-endodermal cell populations in 99% of transplanted mice and generated grafts containing textgreater80% endocrine cells. Progenitor cells developed efficiently into pancreatic endocrine tissue within macroencapsulation devices,despite lacking direct contact with the host environment,and reversed diabetes within 3 months. The preparation of cell aggregates pre-transplant was critical for the formation of insulin-producing cells in vivo and endocrine cell development was accelerated within a diabetic host environment compared with healthy mice. Neither insulin nor exendin-4 therapy post-transplant affected the maturation of macroencapsulated cells.backslashnbackslashnCONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Efficient differentiation of hESC-derived pancreatic endocrine cells can occur in a macroencapsulation device,yielding glucose-responsive insulin-producing cells capable of reversing diabetes. View Publication

Overexpression of the adverse prognostic marker ERBB2 occurs in 30% of breast cancers and is associated with aggressive disease and poor outcomes. Our recent findings have shown that NR1D1 and the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ)-binding protein (PBP) act through a common pathway in upregulating several genes in the de novo fatty acid synthesis network,which is highly active in ERBB2-positive breast cancer cells. NR1D1 and PBP are functionally related to PPARγ,a well-established positive regulator of adipogenesis and lipid storage. Here,we report that inhibition of the PPARγ pathway reduces the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)-positive population in ERBB2-positive breast cancer cells. Results from in vitro tumorsphere formation assays demonstrate that the PPARγ antagonists GW9662 and T0070907 decrease tumorsphere formation in ERBB2-positive cells,but not other breast cells. We show that the mechanism by which GW9662 treatment causes a reduction in ALDH-positive population cells is partially due to ROS,as it can be rescued by treatment with N-acetyl-cysteine. Furthermore,global gene expression analyses show that GW9662 treatment suppresses the expression of several lipogenic genes,including ACLY,MIG12,FASN and NR1D1,and the stem-cell related genes KLF4 and ALDH in BT474 cells. Antagonist treatment also decreases the level of acetylation in histone 3 and histone 4 in BT474 cells,compared with MCF7 cells. In vivo,GW9662 pre-treatment inhibits the tumor-seeding ability of BT474 cells. Together,these results show that the PPARγ pathway is critical for the cancer stem cell properties of ERBB2-positive breast cancer cells. View Publication

Available methods for differentiating human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent cells (iPSCs) into neurons are often cumbersome,slow,and variable. Alternatively,human fibroblasts can be directly converted into induced neuronal (iN) cells. However,with present techniques conversion is inefficient,synapse formation is limited,and only small amounts of neurons can be generated. Here,we show that human ESCs and iPSCs can be converted into functional iN cells with nearly 100% yield and purity in less than 2weeks by forced expression of a single transcription factor. The resulting ES-iN or iPS-iN cells exhibit quantitatively reproducible properties independent of the cell line of origin,form mature pre- and postsynaptic specializations,and integrate into existing synaptic networks when transplanted into mouse brain. As illustrated by selected examples,our approach enables large-scale studies of human neurons for questions such as analyses of human diseases,examination of human-specific genes,and drug screening View Publication

Lymphocyte activation is regulated by costimulatory and inhibitory receptors,of which both B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) and CD160 engage herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM). Notably,it remains unclear how HVEM functions with each of its ligands during immune responses. In this study,we show that HVEM specifically activates CD160 on effector NK cells challenged with virus-infected cells. Human CD56(dim) NK cells were costimulated specifically by HVEM but not by other receptors that share the HVEM ligands LIGHT,Lymphotoxin-α,or BTLA. HVEM enhanced human NK cell activation by type I IFN and IL-2,resulting in increased IFN-γ and TNF-α secretion,and tumor cell-expressed HVEM activated CD160 in a human NK cell line,causing rapid hyperphosphorylation of serine kinases ERK1/2 and AKT and enhanced cytolysis of target cells. In contrast,HVEM activation of BTLA reduced cytolysis of target cells. Together,our results demonstrate that HVEM functions as a regulator of immune function that activates NK cells via CD160 and limits lymphocyte-induced inflammation via association with BTLA. View Publication