C-Met tyrosine kinase receptor expression and function in human and canine osteosarcoma cells

To further characterize the role of hepatocyte growth factor-scatter factor (HGF-SF) and its receptor (c-Met) in osteosarcoma (OS), human OS cell lines with low (SAOS-2) and high (SAOS-LM2) metastatic potential, and cell lines derived from spontaneous canine OS were studied. All cell lines were evaluated for c-Met and HGF-SF expression and receptor activation using Northern, RT-PCR, and Western blot analyses, respectively. Functional activity of receptor-ligand interaction was measured using c-Met phosphorylation status, proliferation assays (anchorage-dependent and -independent), Matrigel invasion, modulation of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) expression, and cell dispersion (scattering). All cell lines exhibited steady-state mRNA expression of c-Met. The canine OS cell lines also expressed HGF-SF mRNA as determined by RT-PCR analysis. Western analysis showed c-Met protein expression and HGF-stimulated (human) or constitutive (canine) receptor autophosphorylation. Treatment with recombinant human HGF resulted in enhanced proliferation in 3 of 5 OS cell lines and enhanced colony formation in 2 of 5 OS cell lines. Matrigel invasion was significantly enhanced in 3 of the cell lines and uPA levels were significantly increased in the SAOS-2 cells following HGF treatment. Scattering was enhanced in both the SAOS-2 and SAOS-LM2 cells. These data support the involvement of c-Met and HGF-SF in the growth and progression of human and canine OS, and may offer new targets for the development of therapeutic strategies for OS. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Effects of telomerase modulation in human hematopoietic progenitor cells

Loss of telomeric repeats has been causally linked to replicative senescence and aging in human cells. In contrast to normal somatic cells, which are telomerase-negative, hematopoietic stem cells have low levels of telomerase, which can be transiently upregulated upon cytokine stimulation. To examine whether ectopic expression of telomerase can overcome telomere erosion in hematopoietic progenitor cells, we overexpressed telomerase in CD34+ and AC133+ cord blood (CB) cells using retroviral vectors containing hTERT, the catalytic component of telomerase. Although the hTERT-transduced CB cells exhibited significantly elevated telomerase activity (approximately 10-fold), the mean telomere length was only increased up to 600 bp, which was in contrast to hTERT-transduced fibroblast cells gaining more than 2-kb telomeric repeats. Moreover, ectopic telomerase activity did not prevent overall telomere shortening, which was in the range of 1.3 kb in serum-free expansion culture. We also blocked endogenous telomerase activity by ectopic expression of dominant-negative hTERT. Whereas CB cells with absent telomerase activity showed reduced absolute numbers of colony-forming cells, we observed increased rates only for burst-forming units erythroid when the enzyme was overexpressed. These results suggest that telomere shortening in human hematopoietic progenitor cells cannot be compensated by increased levels of telomerase alone and is likely to be dependent on other factors, such as telomere binding proteins. Furthermore, telomerase function seems to be directly associated with the proliferative capacity of stem cells and may exert an additional role in lineage differentiation.     

Characterization of a single-chain intrabody directed against the human receptor tyrosine kinase Ron

A large human nonimmune phage antibody library was screened by affinity chromatography to select single-chain antibodies directed against the human receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) Ron. As antigen, we used a GST fusion protein (GST-IRP(-)) containing the whole intracellular portion of Ron except for the carboxyl-terminal arginine-proline-rich motif. One selected phage was highly specific for Ron when tested in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We report here the immunological characterization of this anti-Ron single-chain antibody (sc7) and show that it recognizes both denatured and native forms of the receptor. The epitope bound by sc7 maps within the first 50 amino acid residues of the juxtamembrane domain of Ron. This monoclonal fragment does not cross-react with other receptor tyrosine kinases including the closely related human proto-oncogene Met. We demonstrate that the isolated antibody fragment interacts in vivo with the intracellular domain of Ron in mammalian cells.     

Bypass of senescence, immortalization, and transformation of human hematopoietic progenitor cells

We attempted to extend the lifespan of CD34+ stem/progenitor cells in human cord blood (CB) by transduction with lentiviral vectors carrying the human telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) and/or the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E6 and E7 oncogenes. We found that hTERT was incapable of prolonging the replicative capacity of CB cells maintained under serum-free conditions in the presence of stem cell factor, Flt3 ligand, thrombopoietin, and interleukin-3 beyond 4 months (n=3). However, transduced CB cells cultured in the same cytokine cocktail constitutively expressing HPV16 E6/E7 alone (n=2) or in concert with hTERT (n=9) continued to proliferate, giving rise to permanent (>2 years) cell lines with a CD45+ CD34- CD133+/- CD44+ CD235a+ CD71+ CD203+ CD33+ CD13+ myeloerythroid/mast cell progenitor phenotype. Notably, CB cell cultures expressing only HPV16 E6/E7 went through a crisis period, and the resulting oligoclonal cell lines were highly aneuploid. By comparison, the CB cell lines obtained by coexpression of HPV16 E6/E7 plus hTERT exhibited near-diploid karyotypes with minimal chromosomal aberrations, concomitant with stabilization of telomere length, yet were clonally derived. The immortalized E6/E7 plus hTERT-expressing CB cells were not tumorigenic when injected intravenously or subcutaneously into sublethally irradiated immunodeficient nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice but could be converted to a malignant state by ectopic expression of a v-H-ras or BCR-ABL oncogene. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms governing the senescence checkpoint of primitive human hematopoietic precursors and establish a paradigm for studies of the multistep process of human leukemogenesis.     

Adhesion molecules involved in transendothelial migration of human hematopoietic progenitor cells

In the process of homing, CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cells migrate across the bone marrow endothelium in response to stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1. To develop more efficient stem cell transplantation procedures, it is important to define the adhesion molecules involved in the homing process. Here, we identified the adhesion molecules that control the migration of primary human CD34(+) cells across human bone marrow endothelial cells. Migration of CD34(+) cells is enhanced across interleukin 1beta prestimulated bone marrow endothelium, suggesting an important role for the endothelium in adhesion and formation of the chemotactic gradient. Under these conditions, 30-100 ng/ml SDF-1 induced a rapid and efficient migration of CD34(+) cells (+/- 46% migration in 4 h). In contrast, 600-1,000 ng/ml SDF-1 were required for optimal migration across fibronectin-coated filters. Subsequent studies revealed that transendothelial migration of CD34(+) cells is mediated by beta1- and beta2-integrins and PECAM-1 (CD31) but not by CD34 or E-selectin. Whereas these antibodies individually blocked migration for 25%-35%, migration was reduced by 68% when the antibodies were combined. Thus, these adhesion molecules play specific and independent roles in the transmigration process. Finally, O-glycosylated proteins appeared to play a role, since SDF-1-induced migration of CD34(+) cells (treated with a glycoprotease from Pasteurella haemolytica) across endothelial cells was clearly inhibited. In conclusion, we show that efficient SDF-1-induced migration of primary human CD34(+) cells across bone marrow endothelium is mediated by beta1-integrins, beta2-integrins, CD31 and O-glycosylated proteins.     

Culture of colony-forming hematopoietic progenitor cells from human peripheral blood

Summary Methods for culturing hematopoietic colonies from human peripheral blood are described in this report. Granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM: colony forming units-granulocyte/macrophage) are grown in 35-mm dishes containing 4 ml of 0.35% agarose in Iscove's modified Dulbecco's medium (IMDM) with 20% prescreened fetal bovine serum (FBS). Colony-stimulating activity is provided by leukocyte-conditioned medium, and nonactivated autologous T lymphocytes or recombinant granulocyte- and granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor or both. This procedure minimize the growth inhibition caused by monocytes. Erythroid progenitor cells (BFUe: burst forming units-erythroid) are cultured in 1 ml of 0.35% agarose in IMDM with 30% FBS and conditioned medium from human bladder carcinoma cell line 5637 or recombinant interleukin 3. Both assays have proved useful in studying the enrichment of peripheral blood hematopoietic cells.     

Cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors differentially modulate synergistic cytokine responsiveness of hematopoietic progenitor cells

Cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs) influence proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs), but little is known of how they influence proliferative responsiveness of HPCs to colony stimulating factors (CSFs), alone and in combination with other hematopoietically active factors, such as the potent co-stimulating cytokine stem cell factor (SCF), or inhibition by myelosuppressive chemokines. Using mice with deletions in p18(INK4c), p21(CIP1/WAF1), or p27(KIP1) genes, and in mice with double gene deletions for either p18/p21 or p18/p27, we determined effects of absence of these CDKIs and their interactions on functional HPC numbers in vivo, and HPC proliferative responsiveness in vitro. There is a decrease in bone marrow HPC proliferation in p18(-/-) mice commensurate with decreased numbers of HPC, suggesting a positive role for p18 on HPC in vivo, similar to that for p21. These positive effects of p18 dominate negative effects of p27 gene deletion. Moreover, the CDKIs differentially regulate responsiveness of granulocyte macrophage (GM) progenitors to synergistic cell proliferation in response to GM-CSF plus SCF, which is considered important for normal hematopoiesis. Responsiveness of HPCs to inhibition by myelosuppressive chemokines is directly related to the capacity of HPCs to respond to synergistic stimulation, and their cell cycle status. P18(INK4c) gene deletion rescued the loss of chemokine suppression of synergistic proliferation due to deletion of p21(CIP1/WAF1). These findings underscore the complex interplay of cell cycle regulators in HPC, and demonstrate that loss of one can sometimes be compensated by loss of another CDKI in both, a pro- or anti-proliferative context.     

Low-level expression of functional foamy virus receptor on hematopoietic progenitor cells.

Foamy viruses have several qualities favorable for vector development: they are not known to cause disease; they can transduce stationary cells; and the foamy virus receptor is expressed on a wide variety of cells. Here, we analyzed the level of virus receptor expression on hematopoietic progenitor cells. Foamy virus binding was measured by a flow cytometric assay and was found to be considerably reduced in hematopoietic progenitors cell lines as well as in primary CD34(+) cells when compared to fibroblasts. Retroviral vectors based on murine leukemia virus (MLV) pseudotyped with a foamy virus envelope transduced hematopoietic cell lines with a more than 10-fold lower efficiency than fibroblasts. Moreover, less than 1% of primary CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cells were transduced with the foamy virus pseudotypes, while gene transfer efficiencies of 8-40% were achieved using pseudotypes with amphotropic envelope or the G protein of vesicular stomatitis virus. In conclusion, the expression of functional foamy virus receptors on hematopoietic progenitors cells was found to be insufficient to achieve high levels of gene transfer into CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cells with cell-free vector supernatants using current transduction protocols.     

Despite inhibition of hematopoietic progenitor cell growth in vitro, the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib does not impair engraftment of human CD133+ cells into NOD/SCIDbeta2mNull mice

There is potential interest for combining allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), and particularly allogeneic HCT with a nonmyeloablative regimen, to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib (Glivec; Novartis, Basel, Switzerland, http://www.novartis.com) in order to maximize anti-leukemic activity against Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemias. However, because imatinib inhibits c-kit, the stem cell factor receptor, it could interfere with bone marrow engraftment. In this study, we examined the impact of imatinib on normal progenitor cell function. Imatinib decreased the colony-forming capacity of mobilized peripheral blood human CD133(+) cells but not that of long-term culture-initiating cells. Imatinib also decreased the proliferation of cytokine-stimulated CD133(+) cells but did not induce apoptosis of these cells. Expression of very late antigen (VLA)-4, VLA-5, and CXCR4 of CD133(+) cells was not modified by imatinib, but imatinib decreased the ability of CD133(+) cells to migrate. Finally, imatinib did not decrease engraftment of CD133(+) cells into irradiated nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient/beta2m(null) mice conditioned with 3 or 1 Gy total body irradiation. In summary, our results suggest that, despite inhibition of hematopoietic progenitor cell growth in vitro, imatinib does not interfere with hematopoietic stem cell engraftment.     

Characterization of the Epha1 receptor tyrosine kinase: expression in epithelial tissues

The Eph family of receptor tyrosine kinases plays a crucial role during development and is implicated in oncogenesis. Using a partial cDNA clone of an Eph-related kinase (Esk) we isolated the complete coding region of a gene which we show to be murine EphA1 by both structural and functional criteria. The chromosomal localization is shown to be syntenic to hEphA1 and the genomic organization also shows distinct features found in the hEphA1 gene. Functionally, in keeping with findings for the human homologue, both soluble recombinant and "native" mEphA1 show preferential binding to ephrin A1. However, we also observed significant binding to other A-type ligands as has been observed for other Eph receptors. We analysed the expression of mEphA1 mRNA by in situ hybridization on tissue sections. mEphA1 was expressed in epithelial elements of skin, adult thymus, kidney and adrenal cortex. Taken together with previous Northern blotting data these results suggest that mEphA1 is expressed widely in differentiated epithelial cells.     

人胚胎发育过程中间充质干祖细胞与造血细胞间的起源关系探讨

目的探讨人胚胎发育过程中间充质干祖细胞(MSPCs)与造血细胞间的起源关系。方法取发育不同时间药流胚胎,分离不同造血组织消化成单个细胞,于高增殖潜能集落形成细胞(HPP-CFC)培养体系培养10~14 d,倒置显微镜下挑取直径大于0.5 mm的HPP-CFC集落于液体培养体系进行二次培养,对二次培养中出现的贴壁细胞进行扩增并鉴定其细胞表面分子的表达,于不同分化体系鉴定其是否具有MSPCs的分化特性。结果本研究总结了胚胎发育不同时期主动脉-性腺-中肾(AGM)区、卵黄囊、胎肝等不同部位包括HPP-CFC在内的各类造血前体细胞的发育动态,发现从28体节开始,一定比例的AGM区HPP-CFC除能够分化产生造血细胞外,其来源的贴壁细胞具有MSPCs的分化功能,贴壁细胞在淋巴母细胞转化实验中可抑制T细胞的增殖。结论人胚胎AGM区内,部分MSPCs和造血细胞起源于共同前体。     

Characterization of choline kinase in human endothelial cells

High choline kinase‐α (Chk‐α) expression is frequently observed in cancer cells, making it a novel target for pharmacological and molecular inhibition. As inhibiting agents are delivered systemically, it is important to determine Chk‐α expression levels in endothelial cells that line both normal and tumor vasculature, and the effect of Chk‐α downregulation on these cells. Here, we characterized Chk‐α expression and the effect of its downregulation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) relative to MDA‐MB‐231 human breast cancer cells. We used small interfering RNA (siRNA) to downregulate Chk‐α expression. Basal mRNA levels of Chk‐α were approximately three‐fold lower in HUVECs relative to MDA‐MB‐231 breast cancer cells. Consistent with the differences in Chk‐α protein levels, phosphocholine levels were approximately 10‐fold lower in HUVECs relative to MDA‐MB‐231 cells. Transient transfection with siRNA‐Chk resulted in comparable levels of mRNA and protein in MDA‐MB‐231 breast cancer cells and HUVECs. However, there was a significant reduction in proliferation in MDA‐MB‐231 cells, but not in HUVECs. No significant difference in CD31 immunostaining was observed in tumor sections obtained from mice injected with control luciferase‐short hairpin (sh)RNA or Chk‐shRNA lentivirus. These data suggest that systemically delivered agents that downregulate Chk‐α in tumors will not affect endothelial cell proliferation during delivery, and further support the development of Chk‐α downregulation as a cancer‐specific treatment. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Alveolar epithelial cell therapy with human cord blood-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells

The role of umbilical cord blood (CB)-derived stem cell therapy in neonatal lung injury remains undetermined. We investigated the capacity of human CB-derived CD34(+) hematopoietic progenitor cells to regenerate injured alveolar epithelium in newborn mice. Double-transgenic mice with doxycycline (Dox)-dependent lung-specific Fas ligand (FasL) overexpression, treated with Dox between embryonal day 15 and postnatal day 3, served as a model of neonatal lung injury. Single-transgenic non-Dox-responsive littermates were controls. CD34(+) cells (1 × 10(5) to 5 × 10(5)) were administered at postnatal day 5 by intranasal inoculation. Engraftment, respiratory epithelial differentiation, proliferation, and cell fusion were studied at 8 weeks after inoculation. Engrafted cells were readily detected in all recipients and showed a higher incidence of surfactant immunoreactivity and proliferative activity in FasL-overexpressing animals compared with non-FasL-injured littermates. Cord blood-derived cells surrounding surfactant-immunoreactive type II-like cells frequently showed a transitional phenotype between type II and type I cells and/or type I cell-specific podoplanin immunoreactivity. Lack of nuclear colocalization of human and murine genomic material suggested the absence of fusion. In conclusion, human CB-derived CD34(+) cells are capable of long-term pulmonary engraftment, replication, clonal expansion, and reconstitution of injured respiratory epithelium by fusion-independent mechanisms. Cord blood-derived surfactant-positive epithelial cells appear to act as progenitors of the distal respiratory unit, analogous to resident type II cells. Graft proliferation and alveolar epithelial differentiation are promoted by lung injury.     

Role of CD34 antigen in myeloid differentiation of human hematopoietic progenitor cells

CD34 is a transmembrane protein that is strongly expressed on hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSCs); despite its importance as a marker of HSCs, its function is still poorly understood, although a role in cell adhesion has been demonstrated. To characterize the function of CD34 antigen on human HSCs, we examined, by both inhibition and overexpression, the role of CD34 in the regulation of HSC lineage differentiation. Our results demonstrate that CD34 silencing enhances HSC granulocyte and megakaryocyte differentiation and reduces erythroid maturation. In agreement with these results, the gene expression profile of these cells reveals the upregulation of genes involved in granulocyte and megakaryocyte differentiation and the downregulation of erythroid genes. Consistently, retroviral-mediated CD34 overexpression leads to a remarkable increase in erythroid progenitors and a dramatic decrease in granulocyte progenitors, as evaluated by clonogenic assay. Together, these data indicate that the CD34 molecule promotes the differentiation of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors toward the erythroid lineage, which is achieved, at least in part, at the expense of granulocyte and megakaryocyte lineages.     

Characterization of the timing and prevalence of receptor tyrosine kinase expression changes in oesophageal carcinogenesis

Despite being common in epithelial malignancies, the timing of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) up‐regulation is poorly understood and therefore hampers the identification of the receptor to target for effective treatment. We aimed to determine if RTK expression changes were early events in carcinogenesis. Oesophageal adenocarcinoma and its pre‐invasive lesion, Barrett's oesophagus, were used for immunohistochemical analysis of the RTK panel, EGFR, ErbB2, ErbB3, Met, and FGFR2, by utilizing a cohort of patients with invasive disease ($n = 367$ ) and two cohorts with pre‐invasive disease, one cross‐sectional ($n = 110$ ) and one longitudinal in time ($n = 91$ ). The results demonstrated that 51% of oesophageal adenocarcinomas overexpressed at least one of the RTK panel, with 21% of these overexpressing multiple receptors. Up‐regulation of RTK expression was an early event corresponding with low‐grade dysplasia development (25% in areas without dysplasia versus 63% in low‐grade dysplasia, $p < 0.001$ ). There was a trend for an increase in the prevalence of concomitant overexpression of multiple receptors as intestinal metaplasia progressed to low‐grade dysplasia, 7% versus 10%; and from low‐grade dysplasia to high‐grade dysplasia, 10% versus 19% ($p = 0.06$ and 0.24, respectively). The timing of receptor up‐regulation varied; FGFR, ErbB2, and Met overexpression occurred as dysplasia first developed, whilst EGFR overexpression was predominately seen in invasive disease and ErbB3 overexpression was uniformly rare. We provide evidence for a frequent and early role for multiple different RTKs in oesophageal carcinogenesis. Given the early timing of receptor deregulation, inhibiting RTKs in pre‐invasive disease may also represent a novel and effective chemopreventive strategy. Copyright © 2012 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In vitro myelotoxic effects of cypermethrin and mancozeb on human hematopoietic progenitor cells

Abstract

In the past two decades, hematologic and immunologic disorders in humans have been increasingly reported as a result of pesticide exposures. Therefore, safety assessment is required to assess the effects on hematopoiesis and thus on the immune system in addition to routine toxicity evaluation. Currently, the data available on effects of pesticides on hematopoiesis in humans is limited. In the study here, cypermethrin and mancozeb were evaluated for their possible effects on hematopoiesis in vitro. Hematopoietic stem or progenitor cells from human cord blood were isolated and then exposed for 14 days to cypermethrin or mancozeb at non-cytotoxic doses (0.9–16?µM), and the effect on hematopoiesis screened via a methylcellulose-based clonogenic assay. Results indicated there were significant concentration-related decreases in clonogenic potentials of erythroid and granulocyte-macrophage colony formation. The inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value with erythroid progenitors for cypermethrin was 8.7 [±0.2?µM; mean [± SE]) and for mancozeb 6.2 [±0.2] µM. Similarly, IC₅₀ values with granulocyte-macrophage progenitors for cypermethrin and mancozeb were 19.2 [±1.0] and 8.1 [±0.2] µM, respectively. These data suggest that erythroid progenitors are perhaps more sensitive to these pesticides. Still, further studies are needed to understand the functional significance of these in vitro findings. For now, these data, albeit preliminary, emphasize the need to include an expanded battery of tests to understand effects on immune parameters in pre-clinical safety studies with pesticides. This study also emphasizes the utility of human cord blood in assessing potential effects on hematopoiesis in vitro.