Increased risk of lethal graft-versus-host disease-like syndrome after transplantation into NOD/SCID mice of human mobilized peripheral blood stem cells, as compared to bone marrow or cord blood

We tested the ability of human cells from different hematopoietic tissues to generate graft versus host disease-like syndrome (GVHD) in sublethally irradiated non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice. Tissue sources of human hematopoietic cells were: (1) bone marrow (BM), (2) nonmobilized peripheral blood (PB), (3) mobilized peripheral blood stem-progenitor cells (PBSC), and (4) cord blood (CB). To avoid interindividual donor variation, part of this study was done using BM, PB, and PBSC donated by a single healthy adult volunteer. A total of 179 NOD/SCID mice received graded human hematopoietic cell doses [5-500 x 10(6) mononuclear cells (MNC), containing 2-325 x 10(6) CD3(+) T cells, per mouse] from individual donors. Mice were observed for the development of GVHD and sacrificed 60 days after transplantation (earlier if ill). Mice were analyzed quantitatively by flow cytometry for human hematopoietic cell types and histologically, especially for human T lymphocytes infiltrating BM. No mouse transplanted with the tested doses of human CB or BM cells developed GVHD (experimentally defined as >10% human T lymphocytes infiltrating the mouse BM). For PB and PBSC, the frequencies of death, death with GVHD, and GVHD were directly related to the dose and source of human cells. Because PB cells contaminate harvested BM, the results from infused BM and PB were next combined for further analysis (BM/PB). The relative risks (hazard ratios estimated from the proportional hazards model) for death with GVHD, for each 10 human T cell dose increase, were 1.15 for BM/PB (p < 0.0001) and 1.47 for PBSC (p < 0.0001). In this in vivo xenogeneic model, the average T cell from human PBSC generated GVHD more potently than did the average T cell from human BM/PB, and the average CB T cell had a much lower GVHD potential. These results suggest that the potential for clinical GVHD from an HLA-disparate donor graft is likely to be quantitatively dependent both on the total number of T lymphocytes in the donor graft and the tissue source of the graft. Quantitative criteria for optimal T cell content of allogeneic donor hematopoietic grafts from different sources are discussed.     

c-kit+ stem cells and thymocyte precursors in the livers of adult mice

Livers of the adult mice contain c-kit+ stem cells that can reconstitute thymocytes, multiple lineage cells, and bone marrow (BM) stem cells. Transfer of 1 x 10(7) hepatic mononuclear cells (MNC) and 5 x 10(4) hepatic c-kit+ cells of BALB/c mice induced DP thymocytes within a week in four Gy-irradiated CB17/-SCID mice, but 2 wk were required for BM cells or BM c-kit+ cells to produce DP thymocytes. Moreover, B cell-depleted BM cells or liver MNC of SCID mice that had been rescued by hepatic MNC of BALB/c mice again reconstituted thymus and B cells of other irradiated SCID mice. CD3- IL-2R beta- populations of both BM cells and hepatic MNC of C57BL/6 (B6) mice could generate T cells with intermediate TCR (mostly NK1.1-) in the liver of irradiated B6 SCID mice before thymic reconstitution (extrathymic T cells). Furthermore, transfer of liver c-kit+ cells of B6-Ly 5.1 mice into irradiated B6 SCID (Ly5.2) mice revealed that liver c-kit+ cells can reconstitute myeloid and erythroid lineage cells. These results strongly suggest that the liver contains pluripotent stem cells and serves an important hematopoietic organ even into adulthood.     

小鼠骨髓细胞体外扩增及其造血重建的研究

目的：观察干细胞因子（ＳＣＦ）与白细胞介素（ＩＬ）－１或ＩＬ－３联合对经５氟尿嘧啶（５ＦＵ）处理的骨髓细胞的体外扩增作用和体外扩增细胞移植的小鼠造血恢复能力。方法：在含有细胞因子的液体培养体系中培养５ＦＵ处理的骨髓细胞，观察粒－巨噬细胞集落形成单位（ＣＦＵ－ＧＭ）和高增殖潜能集落形成细胞（ＨＰＰ－ＣＦＣ）数量的增加以及移植扩增细胞的小鼠外周血细胞恢复。结果：单用ＳＣＦ无扩增作用，但ＳＣＦ与ＩＬ－１或ＩＬ－３联合时，与对照组相比较ＣＦＵ－ＧＭ分别增加３３．７±１８．１倍和１８．１±６．３倍。ＨＰＰ－ＣＦＣ分别扩增１７．８±１０．５倍和１２．７±９．１倍。移植体外扩增细胞组与对照组比较，外周血细胞恢复时间缩短１～３天，并且生存率也显著提高。结论：在液体培养体系中ＳＣＦ与ＩＬ－１或ＩＬ－３联合对造血细胞扩增有协同作用，并且体外扩增后的骨髓细胞能加速移植受体的早期造血重建。     

基质细胞对体外扩增造血细胞造血重建活性的促进作用

本研究探讨骨髓单个核细胞(13MMNC)在不同的培养条件下扩增后是否具有造血重建的活性。在小鼠BMMNC液体培养体系中，分别在含有几种细胞因子组合和(或)基质细胞层存在的条件下进行体外扩增，然后将不同条件下扩增的细胞经尾静脉回输至经致死量照射的小鼠体内，动态观察小鼠的骨髓有核细胞数及各种祖细胞集落数，以观察其造血重建的效果。结果表明：单纯细胞因子介导BMMNC体外扩增后并不能增进这些细胞的造血重建功能，但含有骨髓基质细胞底层的体外扩增，无论是否加入细胞因子，均有明显的促进移植受体造血功能重建的作用。结论：骨髓基质细胞支持下体外扩增的造血细胞具有促进移植受者造血重建的功能。证实了在维持体外扩增造血细胞的移植活性中，基质细胞具有非常重要的作用。     

Reinjection of ex vivo-expanded primate bone marrow mononuclear cells strongly reduces radiation-induced aplasia

To assess the therapeutic efficacy of ex vivo-expanded hematopoietic cells in the treatment of radiation-induced pancytopenia, we have set up a non-human primate model. Two ex vivo expansion protocols for bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC) were studied. The first consisted of a 7-day culture in the presence of stem cell factor (SCF), Flt3-ligand, thrombopoietin (TPO), interleukin-3 (IL-3), and IL-6, which induced preferentially the expansion of immature hematopoietic cells [3.1 +/- 1.4, 10.0 +/- 5.1, 2.2 +/- 1.9, and 1.0 +/- 0.3-fold expansion for mononuclear cells (MNC), colony-forming units-granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM), burst-forming units erythroid (BFU-E), and long-term culture initiating cells (LTC-IC) respectively]. The second was with the same cytokine combination supplemented with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) with an increased duration of culture up to 14 days and induced mainly the production of mature hematopoietic cells (17.2 +/- 11.7-fold expansion for MNC and no detectable BFU-E and LTC-IC), although expansion of CFU-GM (13.7 +/- 18.8-fold) and CD34+ cells (5.2 +/- 1.4-fold) was also observed. Results showed the presence of mesenchymal stem cells and cells from the lymphoid and the megakaryocytic lineages in 7-day expanded BMMNC. To test the ability of ex vivo-expanded cells to sustain hematopoietic recovery after radiation-induced aplasia, non-human primates were irradiated at a supralethal dose of 8 Gy and received the product of either 7-day (24 h after irradiation) or 14-day (8 days after irradiation) expanded BMMNC. Results showed that the 7-day ex vivo-expanded BMMNC shortened the period and the severity of pancytopenia and improved hematopoietic recovery, while the 14 day ex vivo-expanded BMMNC mainly produced a transfusion-like effect during 8 days, followed by hematopoietic recovery. These results suggest that ex vivo expanded BMMNC during 7 days may be highly efficient in the treatment of radiation-induced aplasia.     

Preparation of autologous bone marrow grafts for cryopreservation using the AS104 cell separator

We evaluated the AS104 cell separator (Fresenius AG, Bad Homburg, Germany) for ex vivo processing of bone marrow (BM) grafts of 43 patients suffering from germ cell cancer (GCC, n = 22), acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL, n = 13) and malignant lymphoma (ML, n = 8). Recoveries of total nucleated cells (TNC), mononuclear cells (MNC) and colony-forming units granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) were determined in the BM concentrates prepared for cryopreservation. Hematopoietic reconstitution was analyzed in patients who underwent autologous transplantation following high-dose radio-/chemotherapy (HDRCT). Processing of the BM suspension with a median volume of 1,013 ml (range: 422–1,574) resulted in 156 ml (80–186) within 50–120 min (median: 90). In the BM concentrates, medians of 28.6% TNC (10.6–69.6), 37.9% MNC (22.3–86.4), and 52.4% CFU-GM (20.8–96.4) were recovered. Twenty-six patients underwent HDRCT with reinfusion of autologous BM and were evaluable for engraftment. They received a median of 0.8 × 10⁸ MNC/kg (0.3–1.6 × 10⁸) and 2.2 × 10⁴ CFU-GM/kg (0.6–12.8 × 10⁴) for hematopoietic rescue. Engraftment with neutrophils >500/μl occurred in a median time of 12 days (8–33) in all patients. We conclude that ex vivo processing of autologous BM with median recovery rates of 37.9% for MNC, and 52.4% for CFU-GM, results in a cell population that can rescue patients from HDRCT. The described technique is convenient, time-efficient, and provides reliable results in preparing BM autografts for cryopreservation. J. Clin. Apheresis 12:179–182, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Notch信号在造血祖细胞扩增中作用的研究进展

造血祖细胞扩增具有十分重要的临床价值，传统的方法扩增往往导致造血祖细胞的分化、Notch受体和配体在造血系统中广泛存在，活化的Notch信号可抑制造血祖细胞的分化而促进其扩增，提示可以通过Notch信号途径实现对造血祖细胞的扩增．本文就Notch信号通路、Notch信号与造血祖细胞维持、Notch信号与造血祖细胞扩增，Notch信号维持造血祖细胞未分化状况的分子机制，进行了综述，     

脐血体外同时诱导扩增T,NK和CD34+细胞

体外研究表明,人脐血含有比骨髓细胞更原始更早期的造血干细胞群。移植后所引起的GVHD发生率及程度都比骨髓及外周血要低,但其相应的GVL效应也较低,容易复发。单份脐血所含有的造血细胞量仅可以满足一定体重以下的儿童患者需求,对需移植的大部分成人患者则要进行体外扩增。脐血体外扩增后进行干细胞移植是一种新的设想和尝试,移植物中免疫细胞的组成和功能是决定干细胞移植能否成功重建造血与免疫、以及平衡GVHD和GVL的重要因素。为了研究脐血体外同时诱导扩增T、NK和CD34 细胞的可能性,本实验无菌采集健康正常足月产新生儿脐血,并分离出单个核细胞,在不同的细胞因子组合作用下用IMDM培养液培养14天。在培养0、3、7、14天时收集细胞,用FCM分析扩增前后脐血干/祖细胞及T、NK免疫细胞含量。结果表明,与无细胞因子的对照组相比,所有细胞因子SCF,IL3,IL6,IL7,IL2组合组别均能显著扩增脐血中的单个核细胞。所有细胞因子组合组别均能显著增加脐血中的CD34 细胞比例,使其含量从新鲜脐血中的1.6%升高到最高D组的11.9%。第7天时CD34 细胞平均增加10至50倍不等。新鲜脐血中CD3 T细胞平均为(18.7±4.3)%,在无细胞因子的对照组中CD3 T细胞下降明显,而在含细胞因子的组别中CD3 T有不同程度的增加,扩增最高的组别中CD3 T细胞是新鲜脐血的2倍。在新鲜脐血中含(3.6±1.9)?56 细胞。CD56 细胞数量仅在含细胞因子IL2的组别中有显著增加,其它组则无明显变化。结论:脐血中T细胞、NK细胞在一定细胞因子组合下,可与干/祖细胞同时在体外被扩增和诱导分化。     

脐血CD34+细胞与单个核细胞的体外扩增特性研究

目的　探讨CD34+ 富集细胞和单个核细胞 (MNC)的体外扩增特性。方法　利用Min iMACS系统富集CD34+ 细胞 ,在相同条件下与同批MNC进行对照培养 ;观察了再次富选和MNC培养上清 (MNC SN)对CD34+ 富集细胞扩增的影响 ;并尝试了MNCCD34- 细胞的培养。结果　虽然CD34+ 富集细胞具有很高的扩增潜力 ,但在培养过程中 ,其集落密度和CD34 + 细胞含量却始终呈下降趋势 ,而MNC在培养中却出现了一个上升的趋势 ,集落密度和CD34+ 细胞含量分别由第 0天的 (4 12± 16 7) 10 5细胞和 (1.12± 0 .4 2 ) %增至第 7天的 (116 2± 5 6 6 ) 10 5细胞和 (4 .17± 1.4 4 ) % ;再次富选可以使培养过的CD34+ 富集细胞的总细胞和CD34+ 细胞扩增能力大大提高 ;MNCCD34- 细胞具有集落形成和转化为CD34+ 细胞的能力 ;MNC SN对CD34+ 富集细胞的集落形成有促进作用 ,而同时又对CD34+ 细胞有促分化作用。结论　CD34+ 富集细胞在体外大量扩增的同时存在大量分化 ,其在培养过程中产生的CD34-细胞对CD34+ 细胞的扩增有抑制作用 ;脐血MNC中大量的CD34- 细胞含有造血干 祖细胞 ,其分泌的细胞因子有促进CD34+ 细胞向较为成熟的集落形成祖细胞分化的作用。     

Ex vivo expansion of transplantable human hematopoietic stem cells: where do we stand in the year 2000?

Ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic precursors, progenitors and stem cells represents the modern era of cellular therapeutics in the 21st century. For the last 10 years, increasing means for identifying and purifying hematopoietic stem cells and cytokines have facilitated and improved the development of ex vivo stem cell expansion technology. However, technology has not yet reached a stage where ex vivo-expanded hematopoietic progenitors and stem cells can be used routinely for replacement therapy. Lessons learned over the past 10 years from investigations focused at developing optimal ex vivo stem cell expansion systems have continued to a much greater understanding of stem cell biology. This knowledge has led to novel attempts at ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic precursors, progenitors, and stem cells, and should facilitate development of a new generation of cellular therapeutics. This review addresses recent progress toward development of clinically useful protocols for stem cell expansion. In addition, we discuss the results of a limited number of clinical trials that address the efficacy of such procedures. Three major areas of ex vivo stem cell expansion that impact clinical feasibility are discussed, including: (1) selection of an optimal stem cell population for expansion, (2) definition of the desired characteristics of the expanded stem cell population to be used for engraftment, and (3) development of new reagents and procedures for expansion and infusion of hematopoietic progenitors and stem cells.     

NOD/SCID小鼠脐血单个核细胞骨髓腔内移植的实验研究

目的观察骨髓腔内移植(iBM)人脐血单个核细胞(MNC)对小鼠造血重建和免疫功能恢复的作用。方法NOD/SCID小鼠经137Cs全身照射后,在4h内无菌条件下局部麻醉后从尾静脉或骨髓腔内输注分离脐血MNC。受体小鼠随机分为5组:①对照组:骨髓腔内输注培养液;②阳性对照组(iTV):尾静脉输注脐血MNC3×107/只;③实验Ⅰ组(iBM1):骨髓腔内输注脐血MNC3×106/只;④实验Ⅱ组(iBM2):骨髓腔内输注脐血MNC1×107/只;⑤实验Ⅲ组(iBM3):骨髓腔内输注脐血MNC3×107/只。对照组4只小鼠,实验Ⅱ组7只小鼠,其余每组5只。24h后观察iBM22只小鼠未移植侧胫骨骨髓腔脐血细胞的迁移分布,动态观察移植后小鼠的存活和造血重建情况,7～8周后处死各组小鼠,检测骨髓细胞表面CD分子表达、碳青花(DilCM)染料示踪研究和脐血βactin的DNA标记。结果①照射后骨髓腔内输注脐血MNC,24h后在未输注脐血MNC的一侧胫骨骨髓细胞膜有DilCM标记;②7～8周后小鼠存活14只,其中对照组存活1只,iTV组、iBM1组各存活2只,iBM2组存活4只,iBM3组存活5只;③外周血常规检查结果显示iBM组白细胞的恢复速度比iTV组和对照组快而且稳定;④移植后存活小鼠骨髓细胞表面CD45标记、DilCM染料示踪研究和βactin均显示人源的标记。结论经iBM途径移植脐血MNC至NOD/SCID小鼠骨髓可以重     

Efficient engraftment of in utero transplanted mice with retrovirally transduced hematopoietic stem cells

Using an experimental mouse model, we have investigated the kinetics of hematopoietic reconstitution of recipients transplanted during fetal development with fresh and transduced hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Total bone marrow (BM) and purified Lin(-)Sca-1(+) cells, either fresh or transduced ex vivo with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-encoding retroviral vectors, were in utero transplanted (IUT) into fetal mice. Data obtained 2 months after transplantation showed a similar proportion of engrafted animals, regardless of the fact that samples were purified or not on HSCs, and subjected or not to ex vivo transduction with retroviral vectors. The transplantation of grafts enriched in HSCs, either fresh or transduced, always improved the levels of donor chimerism of IUT mice in comparison with results obtained in mice transplanted with unpurified BM grafts (6.8 and 7.3% versus 1.15% median values, respectively). Significantly, engrafted recipients that were transplanted with the transduced graft always contained transduced EGFP(+) cells in peripheral blood (around 5% of donor cells were EGFP(+) at 2 months post-transplantation). This proportion was essentially maintained at longer times post-transplantation, as well as in secondary recipients transplanted with the BM of IUT mice. Our study describes for the first time a significant and stable engraftment of unconditioned mice subjected to IUT with HSCs transduced with retroviral vectors.     

Efficient oncoretroviral transduction of extended long-term culture-initiating cells and NOD/SCID repopulating cells: enhanced reconstitution with gene-marked cells through an ex vivo expansion approach

Recent developments of surrogate assays for human hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) have facilitated efforts at improving HSC gene transfer efficiency. Through the use of xenograft transplantation models, such as nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mice, successful oncoretroviral gene transfer to transplantable hematopoietic cells has been achieved. However, because of the low frequency and/or homing efficiency of SCID repopulating cells (SRC) in bone marrow (BM), studies have primarily focused on cord blood (CB). The recently developed extended (> 60 days) long-term culture-initiating cell (ELTC-IC) assay detects an infrequent and highly quiescent candidate stem cell population in BM as well as CB of the CD34(+)CD38(-) phenotype. Although these characteristics suggest that ELTC-IC and SRC might be closely related, attempts to oncoretrovirally transduce ELTC-IC have been unsuccessful. Here, recently developed conditions (high concentrations of SCF + FL + Tpo in serum-free medium) supporting expansion of BM CD34(+)CD38(-) 12 week ELTC-IC promoted efficient oncoretroviral transduction of BM and CB ELTC-IC. Although SRC can be transduced with oncoretroviral vectors, this is frequently associated with loss of reconstituting activity, posing a problem for development of clinical HSC gene therapy. However, previous attempts at expanding transduced HSC posttransduction resulted in compromised rather than improved gene marking. Utilizing conditions promoting cell divisions and transduction of ELTC-IC we show that although 5 days of ex vivo culture is sufficient to obtain maximum gene transfer efficiency to SRC, extension of the expansion period to 12 days significantly enhances multilineage reconstitution activity of transduced SRC, supporting the feasibility of improving gene marking through ex vivo expansion.     

自体外周血造血干细胞移植治疗恶性血液病的临床研究

目的：探讨自体外周血造血干细胞移植（ＡＢＳＣＴ）治疗恶性血液病的疗效。方法：ＡＢＳＣＴ１３例，自体外周血干细胞（ＰＢＳＣ）及自体骨髓联合移植１５例。移植前采用化疗加多抗甲素或粒细胞集落刺激因子（ＧＣＳＦ）动员外周血干细胞。结果：多抗甲素组每例采集单个核细胞数为（３．５８±２．１２）×１０８／ｋｇ，ＧＣＳＦ组为（６．６８±５．３１）×１０８／ｋｇ；接受移植的２８例患者中２１例呈持续缓解状态（ＣＣＲ），中位ＣＣＲ时间为１８（５～５８）个月，复发７例；３年无病生存率为６８．７％，复发率为２２．３％。结论：两种动员方案均有良好的动员效果；ＡＢＳＣＴ及ＰＢＳＣ和自体骨髓联合移植均具有良好疗效及造血功能恢复快、合并症少等优点，值得进一步推广应用。     

Processing of major ABO-incompatible bone marrow for transplantation by using dextran sedimentation

BACKGROUND: Various open and semi-closed methods are used for red cell (RBC) depletion and hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) enrichment of bone marrow (BM) in vitro, but with variable efficacy. A simple, efficient, and safe method using dextran 110k was developed. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: An equal volume of 4.5-percent dextran was applied to major ABO-incompatible BM in transfer bags and sedimentation was allowed for 30 minutes. RBCs, nucleated cells (NCs), and mononuclear cells (MNCs) from BM allografts before and after dextran sedimentation (DS) were counted. Flow cytometry, short-term cultures, and long-term cultures were performed to assay the respective recovery of CD34+ cells, colony-forming units (CFUs), and long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-ICs). RESULTS: Sixteen BM collections were processed.The mean volume was 666 mL (range, 189-1355 mL).The mean +/-1 SD post-DS NC, MNC, CD34+ cell, and CFU counts per kg of the recipient's body weight were 4.11 +/-1.74 x 10(8), 8.98 +/- 3.68 x 10(7), 2.90 +/- 1.95 x 10(6), and 2.03 +/- 2.01 x 10(5), respectively, with the corresponding post-DS recovery being 90.6 percent, 90 percent, 92.4 percent, and 100.8 percent. The numbers of LTC-ICs in cultures (up to 12 weeks) of pre-DS and post-DS samples of five BM allografts were comparable (p = 0.91). Residual RBCs were 5.1 +/- 4.6 (0.1-14) mL with depletion of 96.5 +/- 3.2 percent. There was no significant difference in the mean absolute RBC count in post-DS BM allografts and in four ficoll-treated BM allografts (8.09 x 10(10) vs. 4.9 x 10(9); p = 0.206) and in eight major ABO-incompatible peripheral blood HPC collections (8.09 x 10(10) vs. 9.81 x 10(10); p = 0.87). No posttransplant hemolysis was encountered. Engraftment occurred at 22 +/- 7 days, which is similar to that of four transplants with ficoll-treated BM allografts (22 +/- 9; p = 0.611) and 54 unprocessed BM allografts (19 +/- 6; p = 0.129). CONCLUSION: DS is an efficient method of depleting RBCs in major ABO-incompatible BM allografts without significant loss of HPCs.     

Myeloablation enhances engraftment of transduced murine hematopoietic cells,but does not influence long-term expression of the transgene

To investigate to what extent myeloablation, graft size, and ex vivo manipulation influence the engraftment and long-term survival of transduced murine hematopoietic cells, groups of C57BL/6J (CD45.2) mice receiving total body irradiation (TBI) (1-9 Gy) or no irradiation were transplanted with either transduced bone marrow (BM) cells, at two cell doses, or with fresh BM cells from B6/SJL (CD45.1) congenic mice. Short (40 days) and long-term (5 months) engraftment and transgene expression were measured by FACS analysis. No donor cells were detected in the hematopoietic tissues of non-myeloablated mice, whereas in the irradiated animals, levels of engraftment correlated well with the dose of TBI administered. Similar percentages of transgene-expressing cells were found in the grafted hematopoietic cells of all groups of mice, regardless of the dose of TBI administered or the level of engraftment achieved. This suggests that the engrafted animals could become tolerant to the transgene product (enhanced green fluorescent protein, EGFP). Our results indicate that TBI facilitates the engraftment of manipulated hematopoietic cells in a dose-dependent manner, that mice engrafted with EGFP(+) hematopoietic cells probably acquire tolerance to EGFP, and that increasing the graft size and reducing the ex vivo manipulation required for retroviral gene transfer of hematopoietic cells also enhances their engrafting potential.     

Differential effects of IL-2 incubation on hematopoietic potential of autologous bone marrow and mobilized PBSC from patients with hematologic malignancies

Culturing of hematopoietic progenitor cells for 24 h with IL-2 generates cytotoxic effector cells that mediate in vitro and possibly in vivo antitumor activity. We examined the effect of IL-2 incubation on progenitor cells from 24 patients with hematologic malignancies using paired autologous bone marrow (ABM) and PBSC to determine differences in hematopoietic potential. Cells were cryopreserved and stored in liquid nitrogen until conditioning therapy was completed. After thawing, cells were incubated with IL-2 for 24 h at 37 degrees C. Paired samples of ABM and PBSC from the same patient were analyzed for nucleated and mononuclear cell number, CD34 antigen expression, and colony-forming unit (CFU) activity before and after IL-2 incubation. There was a significant decrease in the average number of mononuclear cells (MNC) (x10(8)/kg) (<0.001) and CD34+ cells (x10(6)/kg) (0.006) from both ABM and PBSC after 24 h IL-2 culture (ABM MNC: 0.6+/-0.1 vs. 0.4+/-0.0, p = <0.001; PBSC MNC: 4.4+/-0.5 vs. 3.7+/-0.4, p = 0.03; ABM CD34+: 2.4+/-0.5 vs. 1.3+/-0.3, p = <0.001; PBSC CD34+: 6.6+/-1.8 vs. 5.0+/-1.2, p = 0.05). However, whereas ABM CFU/10(5) MNC plated (269.3+/-47.2 vs. 385.6+/-70.6) were significantly increased (p = 0.005), there was no change in PBSC CFU (271.0+/-47.2 vs. 257.3+/-48.5). The mean plating efficiency (%) of ABM CD34+ cells was markedly increased after IL-2 incubation (10.1+/-3.3 vs. 19.0+/-7.2, p = 0.04), although it was lower than that of PBSC CD34+ cells, which did not change significantly in culture (29.4+/-5.5 vs. 36.0+/-6.5). Additional work is in progress to determine the cause and significance of the enhanced plating efficiency of the ABM progenitor cells.     

Evaluation of serum-free culture conditions able to support the ex vivo expansion and engraftment of human hematopoietic stem cells in the human-to-sheep xenograft model

To develop culture conditions devoid of serum that would support the ex vivo expansion and maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) with engraftment capability, we performed in vitro studies in which phenotypic and functional expansion of putative HSC populations were evaluated. We then used the human-sheep xenograft model to evaluate the engraftment potential of the ex vivo expanded cells. Adult human bone marrow CD34+-enriched cells were cultured in QBSF-60 for 14 days with or without fetal bovine serum (FBS) in the presence of interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-6, and stem cell factor (SCF), and analyzed at days 0, 3, 7, and 14 for expansion, phenotype, clonogenic ability, and cell cycling status. Although there was a progressive expansion of numbers of cells in both groups, the group cultured with serum exhibited more than twice the expansion seen in the group without serum at all time points. The phenotypic analysis of the cultured cells showed an increase in the absolute numbers of CD34+ cells in both groups. However, when we evaluated the presence of CD34+CD38- cells, this population persisted in significantly higher numbers in the group cultured without serum, with maximal output of CD34+CD38- cells seen at 3 and 7 days. A higher total clonogenic potential was found in the serum-free cultures. To evaluate the in vivo engraftment potential of these cultured cells, 19 sheep fetuses were each injected i.p. with 9 x 10(5) cells either fresh or cultured in the conditions described above. Although all the transplanted fetal sheep showed the presence of human cells in their bone marrow (BM), the highest levels of long-term engraftment in primary recipients were obtained with the fraction of cells cultured for 3 days followed by 7 days in the absence of serum. In the secondary sheep recipients, the highest level of long-term engraftment was also achieved in sheep that received cells from primary recipients that had received cultured cells in serum-free conditions for 3 days.     

不同年龄段人骨髓间充质干细胞生物学特性的研究

本研究通过对不同年龄段人骨髓间充质干细胞(mesenchymalstemcell,MSC)的研究探讨MSC生物学特点与年龄的关系,从而为临床寻找合适供体,迅速获取所需MSC提供实验依据。骨髓供体按年龄分为4组:A组(胚胎)、B组(0-20岁)、C组(20-40岁)和D组(40岁以上)。观察各组骨髓MSC的生长、增殖、分化特点;用流式细胞仪检测细胞表面标志,用ELISA方法检测培养上清造血相关因子的水平;进行核型分析及成瘤试验;评价不同年龄段供体骨髓MSC在临床造血干细胞移植中的应用价值。结果显示:各组骨髓均可培养出MSC,各组MSC表面标志无显著差异;各组MSC均具有向脂肪细胞和成骨细胞分化的能力;原代培养B组骨髓MSC含量较多,贴壁时间早,传代时间短,P0至P1时间为5.5天,传至P10需33天,8×106MNC培养至P10时MSC数达(5.19±2.15)×1010;A、C、D组P0至P1时间分别为15、7和13天,传至P10分别需50、60和72天,8×106MNC培养传代至P10时MSC数分别为(4.98±2.08)×1010、(1.86±0.47)×1010、(0.64±0.22)×1010。A组MSC较细长,细胞融合后生长无接触抑制,P15增殖速度开始减缓;B、C、D组MSC形态相似,有生长接触抑制B组P10开始增殖减缓,C、D组P8开始增殖减缓;B组MSC培养上清中SCF、FLT3L、IL6及SDF1水平高于其它各组。各组间细胞的增殖指数无显著差异。核型分析均为正常核型,成瘤实验为阴性。结论:MSC增殖生长特性与年龄密切相关;根据临床造血干细胞移植的需要,0-20岁年龄组骨髓是短时间内获取足够细胞数的理想供体,分泌HGFs水平亦占优势;0-20岁组骨髓MSC的生物学特性优于其他各组,可以作为MSC的供源。