Megakaryothrombopoiesis during ex vivo expansion of human cord blood CD34+ cells using thrombopoietin

Thrombopoietin (TPO) is one of the most promising stimulants for ex vivo expansion of haematopoietic stem cells. Previously, we have found that TPO induces a characteristic pattern of apoptosis during ex vivo expansion of human cord blood (CB) CD34+ cells and that the TPO-induced apoptotic cells belong to megakaryocyte (MK) lineage. In this study, we have examined the maturation of MK and platelet production in association with the TPO-induced apoptosis. CD34+ cells, purified from human CB, were expanded in serum-free conditions stimulated with TPO. Apoptosis was confirmed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end labelling (TUNEL) assay and electron microscopy (EM). Simultaneous measurement of DNA content and immunophenotyping revealed that the cells with higher DNA content (>8 N) constituted less than 5% of the CD41+ fractions until day 14, implying premature apoptosis of MKs before full polyploidization. Nevertheless, EM observation showed not only platelet territories but also newly produced platelets in which granules and microfilaments could be identified. Furthermore, flow cytometry demonstrated that the platelet fraction expressed P-selectin and an activation motif on GPIIb/IIIa recognized by monoclonal antibody PAC-1 upon stimulation with adenosine diphosphate (ADP). In addition, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive materials and nonspecific esterase activities could be demonstrated. Therefore, it is suggested that platelet production and the accompanying processes, rather than apoptosis only, be hastened during the ex vivo expansion of CB CD34+ cells when using TPO.     

Chromosome analysis after ex vivo expansion of CD34(+) cells from human cord blood

Ex vivo expansion of cord blood hematopoietic progenitors is an attractive way to prepare a sufficient number of transplantable cells for cord blood transplantation in adult patients. The expanded cells need to have genetic stability. Karyotypic analysis of the expanded cells from cord blood CD34(+) cells by 7-day culture with stem cell growth factor, interleukin (IL)-3, IL-6, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and erythropoietin was performed. Several-fold increases in total cell number and CFU-GM were 186.7 +/- 62.1 and 27.1 +/- 9.4 (mean +/- standard deviation of data from 6 samples), respectively. Karyotypes were analyzed in 600 expanded cells in total, and all of them showed normal karyotypes. This observation suggests that multifactor supported expansion of cord blood cells may not induce karyotypic abnormality, although a limited number of ex vivo expanded cells were tested.     

Adherent cells generated during long-term culture of human umbilical cord blood CD34+ cells have characteristics of endothelial cells and beneficial effect on cord blood ex vivo expansion

Hematopoiesis depends on the association of hematopoietic stem cells with stromal cells that constitute the hematopoietic microenvironment. The in vitro development of the endothelial cell from umbilical cord blood (UCB) is not well established and has met very limited success. In this study, UCB CD34(+) cells were cultured for 5 weeks in a stroma-free liquid culture system using thrombopoietin, flt3 ligand, and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. By week 4-5, we found that firmly adherent fibroblast-like cells were established. These cells showed characteristics of endothelial cells expressing von Willebrand factor, human vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, human intracellular adhesion molecule-1, human CD31, E-selectin, and human macrophage. Furthermore, when comparing an ex vivo system without an established endothelial monolayer to an ex vivo system with an established endothelial monolayer, better expansion of total nucleated cells, CD34(+) cells, and colony-forming units (CFUs)-granulocyte-macrophage and CFUs-granulocyte-erythroid-megakaryocyte-macrophage were found during culture. This phenomenon was in part due to the fact that a significant reduction of apoptotic fractions was found in the CD34(+) cells, which were cultured on the adherent monolayer for up to 5 weeks. To gather quantitative data on the number of endothelial cells derived from a given number of CD34 cells, we performed limiting dilution assay by using Poisson distribution: the number of tested cells (linear scale) producing a 37% negative culture (logarithmic scale) is the number of cells containing one endothelial cell. By this method, one endothelial cell may be found from 314 CD34(+) cells after 5 weeks of culture. These results suggest that the UCB CD34(+) cell fraction contains endothelial cell precursors, establishing the hematopoietic microenvironment and providing the beneficial effects through downregulating apoptosis on UCB expansion protocols. These observations may provide insight for future cellular therapy or graft engineering.     

Effect of tresperimus on ex vivo expansion of CD34+CD38(-)-enriched cord blood cells

Tresperimus, an analogue of 15-deoxyspergualine (15-DSG), has been found, in rodents, to induce a potent state of tolerance after organ and bone marrow allografts. In a previous study, we have reported that tresperimus at the optimal concentration of 0.5 microgram/ml supports the clonogenic potential of human cord blood CD34+ cells. Dose dependent inhibition of clonogenesis was also observed with complete reversibility following drug withdrawal. In this study, we tested the effect of 0.5 microgram tresperimus/ml on ex vivo expansion of primitive human cord blood CD34+CD38- cells. Our findings revealed that the total number of expanded cells was decreased in the presence of tresperimus. However, the multipotential and erythroid colonies were significantly increased in the presence of tresperimus compared with control cultures done without the test drug. Progenitor cell morphology was comparable in both test and control cultures. The telomerase activity was consistently lower in tresperimus-treated hematopoietic progenitors than in control cultures. These results suggest that tresperimus preserves primitive CD34+CD38- cells in a state of high potentiality while limiting the total number of their differentiated progeny. Bearing in mind that the test drug supports the clonogenic potential of CD34+ cells, the overall findings emphasize the importance of assessing the effect of tresperimus on in vivo long-term hematopoiesis which could predict the potential clinical use of tresperimus in the prevention of graft-versus-host disease in recipients of allogeneic bone marrow.     

使用抗氧化剂调控胞内的ROS对脐血CD34^＋细胞体外扩增特性的影响

目的:使用抗氧化剂调控胞内活性氧物质(ROS)水平, 考察其对脐血CD34 细胞体外扩增特性的影响.方法:在体外培养过程中, 分别采用超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)或N-乙酰半胱氨酸(NAC)3种抗氧化剂降低脐血CD34 细胞内的ROS水平, 研究了CD34 细胞在抗氧化剂清除ROS后的体外扩增特性.结果:体外培养时细胞因子的应用会使细胞内的ROS水平显著上升.3种抗氧化剂均能有效地清除细胞内ROS, 且清除程度随使用剂量的改变而变化.在培养体系中添加2 000 U/mL SOD、 200 U/mL CAT 或2 mmol/L NAC, 扩增后培养物中CD34 细胞及CD34 CD38-细胞的比例、 集落生成细胞的密度均有明显提高, 但对CD34 细胞扩增倍数影响不大; 而加入8 000 U/mL SOD、 1 000 U/mL CAT 或5 mmol/L NAC, 抑制CD34 细胞的扩增能力.结论:采用细胞因子体外扩增脐血CD34 细胞时, 使用低剂量的抗氧化剂适度清除细胞内的ROS, 明显提高培养物中造血干/祖细胞的含量, 同时并不影响扩增后CD34 细胞的再扩增能力.     

转JAK2基因脐血CD34+细胞体外扩增与生物学特性研究

目的： 探讨转基因JAK2介导的脐血干祖细胞长期扩增调控的可行性和转基因细胞的生物学特征。方法: 构建逆转录病毒载体MGI-F₂JAK2，内含有JAK2基因的功能催化区和2个与小分子靶向基因合成药物(AP20187)结合的位点蛋白(F36v，F₂)。应用MiniMACS磁珠分选系统纯化分离脐血CD34⁺细胞，用含JAK2的逆转录病毒上清转染脐血CD34⁺细胞。转染后的CD34⁺细胞在IMDM培养体系中，将细胞分为AP20187组;FL组；TPO组；AP20187+FL+TPO (AFT) 组。对扩增后的细胞定期检测基因转移后GFP动态变化、细胞免疫标记、造血祖细胞集落培养、染色体核型分析和裸鼠致瘤实验。结果: 分选的CD34⁺细胞纯度>91%，基因转移率为49.32%±6.21%；只有AP20187+FL+TPO组可以使转基因的脐血CD34⁺细胞大量增殖，扩增至第8周时细胞数达10⁹，CD34⁺细胞GFP的阳性率由基线水平逐渐上升并于第8周时达到90%以上；细胞表型为CD33⁺、CD61⁺、Gly-A⁺部分阳性；CD38⁺、HLA-DR⁺强阳性；CD2、CD7、CD19接近阴性。扩增的CD34+细胞可分别形成BFU-E、CFU-GM、CFU-Mix并以CFU-GM集落为主。扩增后CD34⁺细胞检测染色体核型正常，裸鼠实验无致瘤特性。结论: 转染JAK2 基因的人脐血CD34⁺细胞协同FL和TPO细胞因子可以体外长期扩增脐血干祖细胞，对今后研究细胞信号转导、造血调控以及开展干细胞和基因治疗都有潜在的应用价值。     

Surface-immobilization of adhesion peptides on substrate for ex vivo expansion of cryopreserved umbilical cord blood CD34+ cells

The interaction between integrins and extracellular matrix proteins play an important role in the regulation of hematopoiesis. Human hematopoietic progenitor cells express very late antigen-4 (VLA-4) and VLA-5, which mediate their interaction with fibronectin by recognizing the connecting segment-1 (CS-1 and RGD motifs, respectively. In this study, we investigated the ex vivo expansion of human umbilical cord blood (UCB) CD34+ cells on synthetic substrates surface-immobilized with peptides containing the CS-1 binding motif (EILDVPST) and the RGD motif (GRGDSPC). These peptides were covalently conjugated to poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) film at a surface density of 2.0-2.3 nmol/cm2. UCB CD34+ cells were cultured for 10 days in serum-free medium supplemented with recombinant human thrombopoietin, stem cell factor, flt3-ligand and interleukin 3. The highest cell expansion fold was observed on the CS-1 peptide-modified surface, where total nucleated cells, total colony forming unit, and long-term culture initiating cells were expanded by 589.6+/-58.6 (mean+/-s.d.), 76.5+/-8.8, and 3.2+/-0.9-fold, respectively, compared to unexpanded cells. All substrates surface-immobilized with peptides, including the control peptides, were more efficient in supporting the expansion of CD34+, CFU-GEMM and LTC-ICs than tissue culture polystyrene surface. Nevertheless, after 10-days of ex vivo expansion from 600 CD34+ cells, only cells cultured on CS-1-immobilized surface yielded positive engraftment, even though the frequency was low. PET surface immobilized with RGD peptide was less efficient than that with CS-1 peptide. Our results suggest that covalently immobilized adhesion peptides can significantly influence the proliferation characteristics of cultured UCB CD34+ cells.     

Gene expression profile of megakaryocytes from human cord blood CD34(+) cells ex vivo expanded by thrombopoietin

Previously, we investigated the process of megakaryocytopoiesis during ex vivo expansion of human cord blood (CB) CD34(+) cells using thrombopoietin (TPO) and found that megakaryocytopoiesis was closely associated with apoptosis. To understand megakaryocytopoiesis at the molecular level, we performed a microserial analysis of gene expression (microSAGE) in megakaryocytes (MKs) and nonmegakaryocytes (non-MKs) derived from human CB CD34(+) cells by ex vivo expansion using TPO, and a total of 38909 tags, representing 8976 unique genes, were identified. In MKs, many of the known genes, including coagulation factor VII, P-selectin (CD62P), pim-1, azurocidin, defensin, and CD48 were highly expressed; meanwhile, those genes encoding some small G proteins of the Ras family (Rab 7 and Rab 11A) and glutathione S transferase family (1, 4, A2, omega, and pi) showed lower expression levels in MKs. These gene expression profiles will be useful to understand megakaryocytopoiesis at the molecular level, including apoptosis and related signal transduction pathways.     

脐血CD34+细胞体外定向诱导分化为T淋巴细胞的实验研究

目的：建立利用人造血干／祖细胞体外定向诱导分化为T淋巴细胞的方法，为研究T细胞生物学特性及细胞免疫提供技术平台。方法：MACS方法分离人脐带CD34^ 细胞接种到人胎儿胸腺基质单层细胞上，IMDM液体培养基含20％人AB血清并加入FL、IL-12、IL-7和IL-2细胞因子组合，于培养7、14、21、28、35、42天取非贴壁细胞利用流式细胞仪对细胞表型进行检测，并进行细胞形态学分析。结果：2周后，CD4^ CD8^ 非成熟T淋巴细胞占细胞总数的0．3％-13．3％，4-5周CD4^ CD8^ T淋巴细胞达到高峰占16．6％-26．5％，且CD3^ CD4^ CD8^ 和CD3^ CD4^-CD8^ T淋巴细胞逐渐增多，6周后达26．5％～64．9％和11．6％-38．9％。培养成熟的T淋巴细胞经PHA IL-2刺激后瑞氏染色鉴定可见大原始淋巴细胞存在。结论：利用人脐血CD34^ 在体外人胎儿胸腺基质单层细胞上加FL、IL-12、IL-7和IL-2细胞因子组合条件下，可诱导分化出T淋巴细胞，并且培养的T细胞对有丝分裂素刺激有增殖反应。     

Decrease in apoptosis and increase in polyploidization of megakaryocytes by stem cell factor during ex vivo expansion of human cord blood CD34+ cells using thrombopoietin.

Thrombopoietin (TPO) is widely used for ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells. Previously, we have reported that TPO induces a characteristic pattern of apoptosis, and the TPO-induced apoptosis is closely associated with megakaryocyte (MK) differentiation. In the present study, several cytokines, flt3-ligand, stem cell factor (SCF), interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-6, IL-11, leukemia inhibitory factor, G-CSF, and erythropoietin, which are known to affect megakaryocytopoiesis, have been evaluated to elucidate their effects on the TPO-induced apoptosis. Measurement of apoptosis by flow cytometry revealed that only SCF absolutely reduced the TPO-induced apoptosis in MK fractions, particularly in the late phase of ex vivo expansion. Platelet production was demonstrated by electron microscopy in a later phase when SCF was added. Simultaneous measurement of DNA contents with immunophenotyping demonstrated a significant increase in polyploidization in the CD41+ cell fraction when cultured with SCF. These results suggested that SCF not only inhibited premature senescence but also enhanced maturation of the differentiating cells of MK lineage during ex vivo expansion using TPO.     

Ex vivo large-scale generation of human platelets from cord blood CD34+ cells

In the present investigation, we generated platelets (PLTs) from cord blood (CB) CD34(+) cells using a three-phase culture system. We first cultured 500 CB CD34(+) cells on telomerase gene-transduced human stromal cells (hTERT stroma) in serum-free medium supplemented with stem cell factor (SCF), Flt-3/Flk-2 ligand (FL), and thrombopoietin (TPO) for 14 days. We then transferred the cells to hTERT stroma and cultured for another 14 days with fresh medium containing interleukin-11 (IL-11) in addition to the original cytokine cocktail. Subsequently, we cultured the cells in a liquid culture medium containing SCF, FL, TPO, and IL-11 for another 5 days to recover PLT fractions from the supernatant, which were then gel-filtered to purify the PLTs. The calculated yield of PLTs from 1.0 unit of CB (5 x 10(6) CD34(+) cells) was 1.26 x 10(11) - 1.68 x 10(11) PLTs. These numbers of PLTs are equivalent to 2.5-3.4 units of random donor-derived PLTs or 2/5-6/10 of single-apheresis PLTs. The CB-derived PLTs exhibited features quite similar to those from peripheral blood in morphology, as revealed by electron micrographs, and in function, as revealed by fibrinogen/ADP aggregation, with the appearance of P-selectin and activated glycoprotein IIb-IIIa antigens. Thus, this culture system may be applicable for large-scale generation of PLTs for future clinical use.     

Maintenance of CD34 expression during proliferation of CD34+ cord blood cells on glycosaminoglycan surfaces.

Recent studies have indicated that glycosaminoglycan (GAG) interactions with hematopoietic progenitors play a significant role in the regulation of hematopoiesis. However, the details of these interactions are not clear. In this study, we examined the role of soluble and immobilized GAGs in the proliferation of CD34+ cells. Chitosan, a cationic polysaccharide, was used to immobilize GAGs in ionic complex membranes. The GAGs studied were heparin, hyaluronate, and chondroitin sulfates A, B, and C. CD34-enriched umbilical cord blood cells were seeded onto tissue culture plates coated with the GAG-chitosan complex membranes. Cultures were maintained in medium supplemented with stem cell factor and interleukin 3 for up to six weeks, during which total and CD34+ cell numbers were determined by flow cytometry. Total cell number expansion ranged from 25-fold to 40-fold after six weeks. However, only heparin and chondroitin sulfate B (CSB) surfaces retained a significant CD34+ fraction. All other surfaces exhibited declines in CD34 expression, with negligible CD34+ percentages remaining after four weeks. In contrast, heparin and CSB surfaces exhibited CD34+ fractions as high as 90% after four weeks. GAG desorption studies indicated that the observed effects were partly mediated by desorbed GAGs in a concentration dependent manner. Subsequent studies showed that sustained high (160 microg/ml) heparin levels had toxic effects, while the same concentration of CSB exhibited more rapid early proliferation of CD34+ cells. In conclusion, this culture system has demonstrated the ability to produce simultaneous proliferation and CD34+ cell enrichment of a partially purified cord blood population by controlling the nature and levels of GAG moieties to which the cells are exposed. The results indicate that specific GAGs can significantly influence the growth and differentiation characteristics of cultured CD34+ cells.     

Substance P and calcitonin gene-related neuropeptides as novel growth factors for ex vivo expansion of cord blood CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells

There is little evidence on roles of growth factors other than cytokines in expansion of cord blood (CB) stem cells. We aimed to explore a novel approach for expansion, using Substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) neuropeptides.

CB CD34⁺ cells were cultured in different concentrations of SP and/or CGRP in combination with a cytokine cocktail. Phenotypic and functional analysis was performed by flowcytometry and colonogenic assay.

Our results show a significant improvement of total expansion of neuropeptide treated cells. There was a selective effect of CGRP on CD34⁺ CD133⁺ cells, SP on CD34⁺ CD45^dim cells, and 10^{? 9} M SP and/or CGRP on expansion of CD34⁺ CD38^? cells. There was also a tendency for erythroid and granulocyte–myeloid colony formation in SP and CGRP treated cultures, respectively.

Supplementation of cytokines with other growth factors, such as neuropeptides, might enable us to overcome the difficulties of ex vivo expansion of CB cells.     

重组人Delta-like 1蛋白表达及其对脐带血CD34+细胞扩增作用

目的构建pET32a(+)-hDll1DSL原核表达载体,表达、纯化hDll1DSL蛋白,观察其对脐带血CD34+细胞的体外扩增作用。方法克隆hDll1DSL,构建pET32a(+)-hDll1DSL重组表达载体。转化大肠杆菌BL21,异丙基-β-D-硫代吡喃半乳糖苷(IPTG)诱导蛋白表达,镍珠亲合层析纯化蛋白。重组信号结合蛋白(RBP-J)报告基因实验及Notch下游分子Hes1检测证实hDll1DSL活性。磁珠分选脐带血CD34+细胞,加入hDll1DSL或联合干细胞因子(SCF)、Flt3配体(FL)、血小板生成表(TPO)孵育1周,观察体外扩增作用。结果成功克隆hDll1DSL,并构建了pET32a(+)-hDll1DSL重组表达载体。在大肠杆菌BL21成功表达Trx-hDll1DSL融合蛋白,经镍珠亲合层析纯化蛋白,成功获得高纯度的Trx-hDll1DSL融合蛋白。配体活性实验显示,可溶性的Trx-hDll1DSL蛋白可以激活RBP-J报告基因,并且能上调Notch下游分子Hes1的表达,证明其能够激活Notch信号通路。此外,Trx-hDll1DSL融合蛋白与SCF、FL及TPO联用,具有协同刺激CD34+细胞体外扩增的作用。结论成功构建了pET32a(+)-hDll1DSL重组表达载体,表达、纯化了具有生物学活性的Trx-hDll1DSL融合蛋白,具有协同刺激CD34+细胞体外扩增的作用,为造血干/祖细胞体外扩增体系的优化研究奠定了基础。     

Ex vivo expansion does not alter the capacity of umbilical cord blood CD34+ cells to generate functional T lymphocytes and dendritic cells

We examined whether ex vivo expansion of umbilical cord blood progenitor cells affected their capacity to generate immune cells such as T lymphocytes (TLs) and dendritic cells (DCs). The capacity to generate TLs from cord blood CD34(+) cells expanded for 14 days (d14) was compared with that of nonexpanded CD34(+) cells (d0) using fetal thymus organ cultures or transfer into nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice. The cell preparations yielded comparable percentages of immature (CD4(+)CD8(-), CD4(+)CD8(+)) TLs and functional mature (CD3(+)CD4(+), CD3(+)CD8(+)) TLs with an analogous TCR (T-cell receptor)-Vbeta repertoire pattern. As regards DCs, d0 and d14 CD34(+) cells also yielded similar percentages of CD1a(+) DCs with the same expression levels of HLA-DR, costimulatory and adhesion molecules, and chemokine receptors. DCs derived from either d14 or d0 CD34(+) stimulated allogeneic TLs to the same extent, and the cytokine pattern production of these allogeneic TLs was similar with no shift toward a predominant Th1 or Th2 response. Even though the intrinsic capacity of d14 CD34(+) cells to generate DCs was 13-fold lower than that of d0 CD34(+) cells, this reduction was offset by the prior amplification of the CD34(+) cells, resulting in the overall production of 15-fold more DCs. These data indicate that ex vivo expansion of CD34(+) cells does not impair T lymphopoiesis nor DC differentiation capacity.     

Co-culture of umbilical cord blood CD34+ cells with human mesenchymal stem cells

Insufficient numbers of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) sometimes limit allogenic transplantation of umbilical cord blood (UCB). Ex vivo expansion may overcome this limitation. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), as non-hematopoietic, well-characterized skeletal and connective-tissue progenitor cells within the bone marrow stroma, have been investigated as support cells for the culture of HSCs/HPCs. MSCs are attractive for the rich environmental signals that they provide and for immunological compatibility in transplantation. Thus far, HSC/MSC co-cultures have mainly been performed in 2-dimensional (2D) configuration. We postulate that a 3-dimensional (3D) culture environment that resembles the natural in vivo hematopoietic compartment might be more conducive for regulating HSC expansion. In this study, we compared the co-culture of HSCs and MSCs in 2D and 3D configurations. The results demonstrated the benefit of MSC inclusion in HSC expansion ex vivo. Direct contact between MSCs and HSCs in 3D cultures led to statistically significantly higher expansion of cord blood CD34+ cells than in 2D cultures (891- versus 545-fold increase in total cells, 96- versus 48-fold increase of CD34+ cells, and 230- versus 150-fold increase in colony-forming cell assay [CFC]). Engraftment assays in non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mice also indicated a high success rate of hematopoiesis reconstruction with these expanded cells.