Differential and synergistic effects of human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor on hematopoiesis in human long-term marrow cultures.

The ability of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and G-CSF to influence hematopoiesis in long-term cultures (LTC) of human marrow was studied by cocultivating light density normal human marrow cells with human marrow fibroblast feeders engineered by retroviral infection to constitutively produce one of these growth factors. Feeders producing stable levels of 4 ng/mL GM-CSF or 20 ng/mL G-CSF doubled the output of mature nonadherent cells. The numbers of both colony forming unit-GM (CFU-GM) and erythroid burst forming unit (BFU-E) in the G-CSF LTC were also increased (twofold and fourfold, respectively, after 5 weeks in culture), but this effect was not seen with the GM-CSF feeders. At the time of the weekly half medium change 3H-thymidine suicide assays showed primitive adherent layer progenitors in LTC to be quiescent in both the control and GM-CSF cultures. In contrast, in the G-CSF cultures, a high proportion of primitive progenitors were in S-phase. A single addition of either recombinant GM-CSF or G-CSF to LTC in doses as high as 80 ng/mL and 150 ng/mL, respectively, failed to induce primitive progenitor cycling. However, three sequential daily additions of 150 ng/mL G-CSF did stimulate primitive progenitors to enter S-phase and a single addition of 5 or 12.5 ng/mL of G-CSF together with 10 ng/mL GM-CSF was able to elicit the same effect. Thus, selective elevation of G-CSF in human LTC stimulates proliferation of primitive clonogenic progenitors, which may then proceed through to the terminal stages of granulopoiesis. In contrast, the effects of GM-CSF in this system appear limited to terminally differentiating granulopoietic cells. However, when both GM-CSF and G-CSF are provided together, otherwise biologically inactive doses show strong stimulatory activity. These findings suggest that the production of both of these growth factors by normal stromal cells may contribute to the support and proliferation of hematopoietic cells, not only in LTC, but also in the microenvironment of the marrow in vivo.     

Interleukin-2-activated natural killer cells can support hematopoiesis in vitro and promote marrow engraftment in vivo.

Purified natural killer (NK) cells were obtained from mice with severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) to ascertain their effect on hematopoiesis. When activated and propagated with recombinant human interleukin-2 (rhIL-2) in vitro, SCID spleen cells maintained a phenotypic and lytic spectrum consistent with a pure population of activated NK cells. When added with syngeneic bone marrow cells (BMC) in soft agar, the activated NK cells could support hematopoietic growth in vitro without the addition of exogenous hematopoietic growth factors. However, when syngeneic BMC were added along with cytokines to produce optimal growth conditions, the addition of NK cells was then inhibitory for hematopoietic colony formation. Antibodies to interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) partially reversed the inhibitory effects. Supernatants from the NK-cell cultures could also exert these effects on hematopoiesis, although to a lesser extent. Analysis of the NK cell RNA demonstrated that activated NK cells express genes for hematopoietic growth factors such as granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), granulocyte CSF (G-CSF), and IL-1 beta. The NK cells were also found to express IFN-gamma, transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNA. Analysis of the NK-cell supernatants using factor-dependent myeloid progenitor cell lines showed that the NK cells were producing G-CSF and growth-promoting activity that could not be attributed to IL-1, IL-3, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, GM-CSF, G-CSF, macrophage CSF (M-CSF), or stem cell factor. The transfer of activated NK cells with BMC into lethally irradiated syngeneic mice resulted in greater BMC engraftment in the recipients. Thus, these results using a pure population of activated NK cells indicate that when activated, these cells can produce a variety of growth factors for hematopoiesis and exert significant hematopoietic growth-promoting effects in vivo.     

Regulation of cytokine expression by interferon-alpha in human bone marrow stromal cells: inhibition of hematopoietic growth factors and induction of interleukin-1 receptor antagonist

We investigated the effects of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) on the expression of cytokines by human bone marrow stromal cells. Production of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF), and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) in stromal cell layers was induced by incubation with IL-1 alpha, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Addition of IFN-alpha to such stimulated cultures resulted in a strong downregulation of mRNA expression of GM-CSF and IL-1 beta. Similarly, the protein levels of GM- CSF and IL-1 beta were significantly reduced by IFN-alpha, whereas G- CSF production was only moderately inhibited. In contrast, IFN-alpha markedly stimulated the production of IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) by stromal cells. The inhibition of cytokine expression resulted in a reduced hematopoietic activity of stromal cells, indicated by a reduced proliferation of the factor dependent cell line MO7e on IFN-alpha- treated stromal cells. In the presence of cycloheximide (CHX), IFN- alpha failed to inhibit IL-1 mRNA expression, whereas the regulation of GM-CSF and IL-1RA by IFN-alpha was not affected. Our results indicate that the myelosuppressive effects of IFN-alpha, as observed in therapeutic applications or associated with viral infections, are, in part, indirectly mediated by inhibition of the paracrine production of hematopoietic growth factors.     

CD14+ cells in granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized peripheral blood mononuclear cells induce secretion of interleukin-6 and G-CSF by marrow stroma

The ability of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-mobilized peripheral blood mononuclear cells (G-PBMCs) to induce secretion of cytokines in primary long-term marrow cultures (LTC) or in the human marrow stromal cell line HS23 was compared with that of marrow mononuclear cells. Equal numbers of G-PBMCs or marrow mononuclear cells were added to stromal cultures, supernatants were harvested at day 4 and levels of interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), IL-1 beta, IL-2, IL-6, G-CSF, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha) were determined. G- PBMCs induced 21.4-fold higher levels of IL-6 and 12.5-fold higher levels of G-CSF in LTC cocultures compared with marrow mononuclear cells and induced 20.6-fold more IL-6 and 6.3-fold more G-CSF when added to HS23 cells. Experiments using sorted populations of CD20+, CD3+, and CD14+ cells showed that CD14+ cells within G-PBMCs were responsible for triggering the production of IL-6 and G-CSF. The effect did not require cell-cell contact and was inhibited when neutralizing antibodies to IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta were used in combination. In these experiments, the greater stimulating ability of G-PBMCs is most likely attributable to the greater number of CD14+ cells in G-PBMCs (26.1+% +/- 2.3%) compared with marrow (2.5% +/- 0.8%), because equal numbers of CD14+ cells sorted from marrow and G-PBMCs showed comparable ability to induce IL-6 and G-CSF when placed directly on stromal cells.     

Differential regulation of primitive human hematopoietic cells in long-term cultures maintained on genetically engineered murine stromal cells.

Various growth factors are known to stimulate both early and late stages of human hematopoietic cell development in semisolid assay systems, but their role as microenvironmental regulators is poorly understood. To address this problem, we developed a novel coculture system in which highly purified primitive human hematopoietic cells were seeded onto an irradiated feeder layer of cells from a murine marrow-derived stromal cell line (M2-10B4) previously engineered by retroviral-mediated gene transfer to produce specific human factors. Effects on cells at very early, intermediate, and late stages of hematopoiesis were then evaluated by assessing the number of clonogenic cell precursors (long-term culture initiating cells [LTC-IC]), clonogenic cells, and mature granulocyte and macrophage progeny present in the cultures after 5 weeks. In the absence of any feeders, cells at all stages of hematopoiesis decreased to very low levels. In contrast, maintenance of LTC-IC was found to be supported by control murine stromal cells as effectively as by standard human marrow adherent layers. The presence of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) and interleukin-3-producing M2-10B4 cells in combination was able to further enhance the maintenance and early differentiation of these cells without a decline in their proliferative potential as measured by the clonogenic output per LTC-IC. However, this effect was lost if granulocyte-macrophage CSF (GM-CSF)-producing feeders were also present. On the other hand, in the presence of GM-CSF-producing feeders, the output of mature granulocytes and macrophages increased 20-fold. These findings show that it is possible to selectively improve the maintenance of very primitive human hematopoietic cells in vitro or their output of mature progeny by appropriate manipulation of the long-term marrow culture system. Further exploitation of this approach should facilitate investigation of the mechanisms operative within the human marrow microenvironment in vivo and the design of protocols for in vitro manipulation of human marrow for future therapeutic applications.     

Effects of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (CSF), human granulocyte macrophage-CSF, and gibbon interleukin-3 on hematopoiesis in human long-term bone marrow culture.

We have studied the effects of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF), hG macrophage-CSF (hGM-CSF), and gibbon interleukin-3 (gIL-3) on cell proliferation and differentiation in human long-term bone marrow culture (LTBMC). hG-CSF induced a maximal increase of 2.3-fold in both total nonadherent cells and GM cluster-forming cells, but only an increase of 1.7-fold in GM-colony-forming cell (GM-CFC) numbers, influencing mainly neutrophil differentiation. Cultures treated with hGM-CSF demonstrated a peak of 12.8-, 21- and 3.2-fold elevations in total nonadherent cells, cluster, and GM-CFC, respectively, and influenced differentiation of neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, and lymphocytes. Cultures treated with gIL-3 demonstrated the largest expansion in the GM-CFC population, reaching a maximum of 5.3-fold in relation to that of unstimulated controls. IL-3 treatment also increased the numbers of GM clusters and mature cells (including all myeloid cells and lymphocytes) 7.8- and 4.8-fold, respectively. Similar quantitative and qualitative changes were induced by G-CSF, GM-CSF, and IL-3 in LTBMCs of patients in remission after treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia or Hodgkin's lymphoma. Overall, the expansion of GM progenitor cells in cultures treated with growth factors was larger in the adherent cell layer than in the nonadherent cell fraction. In addition, hGM-CSF, gIL-3, and hG-CSF to a less extent, increased the cycling rates of GM-CFC progenitors located in the adherent layer. These results indicate that hG-CSF is a much less potent stimulus of hematopoiesis in LTBMC than the other CSFs assayed, and that the increases in cell production after treatment with G-CSF, GM-CSF, or IL-3 may be achieved by primary expansion of different cell populations within the hierarchy of the hematopoietic system. The effects of the growth factors were transient and the longevity of hematopoiesis in the cultures was not altered, suggesting that treatment with IL-3, GM-CSF, or G-CSF had not compromised the ability of primitive cells to give rise to mature cells. This indicates that the stromal microenvironment in LTBMC can override potential differentiation-inducing activities of the CSFs.     

A tumor necrosis factor-responsive long-term-culture-initiating cell is associated with the stromal layer of mouse long-term bone marrow cultures.

Long-term bone marrow cultures provide a model for the study of hematopoiesis. Both an intact, adherent stromal layer and hematopoietic stem cells are necessary components in these cultures. Mycophenolic acid treatment of mouse long-term bone marrow cultures depletes them of all assayable hematopoietic precursors. The residual stromal cells are functional and support hematopoiesis if new progenitor cells are supplied. We now show that these mycophenolic acid-treated stromal cell cultures contain cells capable of hematopoietic differentiation without the addition of new progenitors. When treated with tumor necrosis factor alpha (20-200 units/ml), the apparently pure stromal cultures undergo an intense burst of hematopoietic activity. After 4 days such cultures contain approximately 2 x 10(6) hematopoietic cells and, by 1 week, they are indistinguishable from control long-term cultures that were not treated with mycophenolic acid. These results suggest that the stromal cultures either contain hematopoietic stem cells that are maintained quiescent and mycophenolic acid-resistant, perhaps by intimate contact with the stroma, or contain adherent cells that can be induced to differentiate into hematopoietic stem cells. These stem cells are primitive, in that they are capable of multilineage development in the long-term cultures, but are unable to form spleen colonies or myeloid colonies in semisolid medium. These data demonstrate that the adherent fraction of cultured bone marrow contains very primitive hematopoietic cells and that tumor necrosis factor alpha activates their proliferation and differentiation. They also suggest a strategy for obtaining the earliest progenitors free of other, more mature cell types.     

Stromal-derived factor 1 inhibits the cycling of very primitive human hematopoietic cells in vitro and in NOD/SCID mice.

Stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) is a -CXC- chemokine that plays a critical role in embryonic and adult hematopoiesis, and its specific receptor, CXCR4, has been implicated in stem cell homing. In this study, it is shown that the addition of SDF-1 to long-term cultures (LTCs) of normal human marrow can selectively, reversibly, and specifically block the S-phase entry of primitive quiescent erythroid and granulopoietic colony-forming cells (CFCs) present in the adherent layer. Conversely, addition of anti-SDF-1 antibody or SDF-1(G2), a specific CXCR4 antagonist, to preactivated human LTCs prevented both types of primitive CFCs from re-entering a quiescent state, demonstrating that endogenous SDF-1 contributes to the control of primitive CFC proliferation in the LTC system. Interestingly, SDF-1 failed to arrest the proliferation of primitive chronic myeloid leukemia CFCs in the adherent layer of LTCs containing normal marrow stromal cells. In vivo, injection of SDF-1 arrested the cycling of normal human LTC-initiating cells as well as primitive CFCs in the marrow of nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice engrafted with human cord blood cells. Conversely, injection of the antagonist, SDF-1(G2), reactivated the cycling of quiescent primitive human CFCs present in the marrow of mice engrafted with human marrow cells. These studies are the first to demonstrate a potential physiological role of SDF-1 in regulating the cell-cycle status of primitive hematopoietic cells and suggest that the deregulated cycling activity of primitive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells is due to the BCR-ABL-mediated disruption of a pathway shared by multiple chemokine receptors.     

The effects of interleukin 6 and interleukin 3 on early hematopoietic events in long-term cultures of human marrow

Interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-3, both alone and in combination, stimulate hematopoietic cells in short-term in vitro assays and in vivo. To study their ability to influence hematopoiesis in a system that mimics many features of the marrow microenvironment, long-term cultures (LTC) were produced by co-cultivating normal human marrow cells on feeder layers of murine marrow-derived stromal cells (M2-10B4 cells) genetically engineered to produce human IL-6 and/or IL-3. Feeders stably producing 20 ng/ml IL-6 slightly increased the output of clonogenic progenitors in these LTC but did not change the production of mature (total nonadherent) cells as compared to control cultures. Feeders producing 50 ng/ml IL-3 increased both clonogenic progenitor output (approximately threefold) and the output of mature cells (six-fold) as compared to controls. Feeders producing both factors also increased the output of both progenitors and mature cells. At the time of the weekly half-medium change when primitive clonogenic progenitors in the adherent layer are quiescent, such progenitors were actively cycling in all cultures with factor-producing feeders, as shown by [3H]thymidine suicide assays. Similarly, three sequential daily additions of 20 ng/ml of IL-6 also stimulated the quiescent progenitors to enter S-phase 2 days later, although single doses of recombinant IL-6 as high as 100 ng/ml failed to do so. The combined presence of IL-6- and IL-3-producing feeders, but neither alone, was also able to enhance more than twofold the maintenance and early differentiation of cells capable of generating clonogenic cells for at least a further 5 weeks in secondary LTC. Thus, the provision of a continuous source of IL-6 or IL-3 to primitive hematopoietic cells even in the LTC system can enhance late events in the hierarchy of hematopoietic cell differentiation, but a combination of the two factors is required to stimulate early multipotent progenitors.     

Low frequency of myeloid progenitor cells in chronic idiopathic neutropenia of adults may be related to increased production of TGF-beta1 by bone marrow stromal cells.

Previous studies in our laboratory have shown that patients with chronic idiopathic neutropenia of adults (CINA) have increased serum levels of inflammatory cytokines including IL-1beta. Since IL-1beta may affect bone marrow stromal cell function, a study was designed to investigate the capacity of patients' stromal cells to produce adequate amounts of haemopoietic growth factors or excessive amounts of inhibitors of myelopoiesis in long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMCs). The study was carried out on 52 CINA patients and 19 normal controls. We found that CINA patients had significantly low numbers of marrow lineage-specific CD34+ cells, including CFU-GM and CD34+/CD33+ cells. Stromal cells from patients' LTBMCs failed to stimulate CFU-GM colony formation by normal marrow cells in a manner comparable to that of stromal cells of controls. Patients' LTBMC supernatants had normal or increased amounts of G-CSF. Detectable amounts of supernatant GM-CSF were found in 35% of patients and 19% of controls. IL-3 and MIP-1alpha were not detected in any supernatant fluid. Moreover, supernatants from patients' LTBMCs had increased concentrations of IL-6 and TGF-beta1, which strongly correlated with serum IL-1beta. About 82% of our patients had TGF-beta1 values higher than the upper limit of values found in the controls. Individual TGF-beta1 values inversely correlated with the number of circulating neutrophils and the frequency of marrow CD34+/CD33+ cells. We suggest that increased levels of serum IL-1beta, resulting from an underlying low-grade chronic inflammatory process, may stimulate marrow stromal cells to produce both haemopoietic growth factors and inhibitors of myelopoiesis. Since steady-state myelopoiesis results from a balance between negative- and positive-acting cytokines, it seems very probable that the increased production of TGF-beta1 by bone marrow microenvironment in CINA patients may suppress myelopoiesis and contribute, to some extent, to the pathogenesis of neutropenia in affected subjects.     

Proliferation of myeloid progenitor cells in human long-term bone marrow cultures is stimulated by interleukin-1 beta

To study the effect of interleukin-1 (IL-1) beta on the proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) in long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC), stromal cell layers were established from normal human bone marrow. Autologous cryopreserved mononuclear phagocyte- and T-lymphocyte-depleted bone marrow cells were reinoculated on the stromal layers in fresh culture medium, with or without the addition of human IL-1 beta (30 U/mL). Once a week, half of the culture supernatant was replaced with fresh culture medium with or without IL-1, and all nonadherent cells were returned to the flasks. At weekly intervals during a period of 5 weeks, one culture was sacrificed to determine the total number of cells and hematopoietic progenitor cells, present in the adherent and the nonadherent cell fractions. In IL-1-stimulated cultures, the number of cells recovered during a period of 5 weeks exceeded the number of cells in unstimulated control cultures by 1.5 times. This difference was attributed to a twofold increase in the number of adherent cells. The number of HPC recovered from IL-1- stimulated cultures was not different from that recovered from controls. The levels of colony-stimulating activity (CSA) in supernatants from IL-1-stimulated cultures were significantly higher than those in supernatants from control cultures. These results indicate that IL-1 enhances the recovery of cells in LTBMC by stimulating the proliferation of HPC with the concurrent release of CSA from stromal cells, without diminishing the number of HPC.     

Stromal cell-associated hematopoiesis: immortalization and characterization of a primate bone marrow-derived stromal cell line

An elucidation of the interaction between the bone marrow microenvironment and hematopoietic stem cells is critical to the understanding of the molecular basis of stem cell self renewal and differentiation. This interaction is dependent, at least in part, on direct cell to cell contact or cellular adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins. Long-term bone marrow cultures (LTMC) provide an appropriate microenvironment for maintenance of primitive hematopoietic stem cells and a means of analyzing this stem cell-stromal cell interaction in vitro. Although LTMC have been successfully generated from murine and human bone marrow, only limited success has been reported in a primate system. In addition, few permanent stromal cell lines are available from nonmurine bone marrow. Because the primate has become a useful model for large animal bone marrow transplant studies and, more specifically, retroviral-mediated gene transfer analysis, we have generated immortalized bone marrow stromal cell lines from primate bone marrow using gene transfer of the Simian virus large T (SV40 LT) antigen. At least one stromal cell line has demonstrated the capacity to maintain early hematopoietic cells in long-term cultures for up to 4 weeks as measured by in vitro progenitor assays. Studies were undertaken to characterize the products of extracellular matrix biosynthesis and growth factor synthesis of this cell line, designated PU-34. In contrast to most murine bone marrow-derived stromal cell lines capable of supporting hematopoiesis in vitro that have been examined, the extracellular matrix produced by this primate cell line includes collagen types I, laminin. Growth factor production analyzed through RNA blot analysis, bone marrow cell culture data, and factor-dependent cell line proliferation assays includes interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-7, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), G-CSF, M-CSF, leukemia inhibitory factor, and a novel cytokine designated IL-11. This immortalized primate bone marrow stromal cell line may be useful in maintaining early progenitor cells for experimental manipulation without the loss of reconstituting capacity and as a potential source of novel hematopoietic growth factors.     

Soluble factor(s) produced by human bone marrow stroma increase cytokine-induced proliferation and maturation of primitive hematopoietic progenitors while preventing their terminal differentiation

We have recently shown that conservation and differentiation of primitive human hematopoietic progenitors in in vitro long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMC) occurs to a greater extent when hematopoietic cells are grown separated from the stromal layer than when grown in direct contact with the stroma. This finding suggests that hematopoiesis may depend mainly on soluble factors produced by the stroma. To define these soluble factors, we examine here whether a combination of defined early-acting cytokines can replace soluble stroma-derived biologic activities that induce conservation and differentiation of primitive progenitors. Normal human Lineage- /CD34+/HLA-DR- cells (DR-) were cultured either in the absence of a stromal layer ("stroma-free") or in a culture system in which DR- cells were separated from the stromal layer by a microporous membrane ("stroma-noncontact"). Both culture systems were supplemented three times per week with or without cytokines. These studies show that culture of DR- cells for 5 weeks in a "stroma-free" culture supplemented with a combination of four early acting cytokines (Interleukin-3 [IL-3], stem cell factor [SCF], leukemia-inhibitory factor [LIF], and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor [G-CSF]) results in a similar cell expansion as when DR- cells are cultured in "stroma-noncontact" cultures supplemented with the same cytokines. However, generation of committed progenitors and conservation of the more primitive long-term bone marrow culture initiating cells (LTBMC- IC) was far superior in "stroma-noncontact" cultures supplemented with or without IL-3 than in "stroma-free" cultures supplemented with IL-3 alone or a combination of IL-3, LIF, G-CSF, and SCF. These studies indicate that human BM stroma produces soluble factors that can either alone or in synergy with defined cytokines (1) conserve primitive LTBMC- IC, (2) induce early differentiation of a fraction of the primitive progenitors, and (3) prevent their terminal differentiation. We show here that these stroma-derived factors are not likely to be the known early acting cytokines IL-3, SCF, LIF, or G-CSF. Characterization of the stroma-derived factor(s) may have important implications for clinically relevant studies, such as in vitro stem cell expansion in cancer treatment and gene therapy.     

Human marrow stromal cells: response to interleukin-6 (IL-6) and control of IL-6 expression

Production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) by marrow stromal cells from human long-term marrow cultures and from stromal cells transformed with simian virus 40 was examined. As with other cultured mesenchymal cells, unstimulated stromal cells produced undetectable amounts of IL-6 mRNA when assayed by Northern blots. However, within 30 minutes after exposure of transformed marrow stromal cells to the inflammatory mediators, recombinant human interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) or recombinant human tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha), significant increases in IL-6 expression were observed. The time course of IL-6 mRNA upregulation in transformed marrow stromal cells with IL-1 alpha and TNF alpha differed: The maximal response to TNF alpha was observed at 30 minutes whereas that to IL-1 alpha occurred at 8 hours. Although IL-6 at a concentration of 500 U/mL was inhibitory to adherent transformed marrow stromal cell proliferation, a concentration- dependent stimulation of anchorage-independent colony growth was observed when the cells were plated in semisolid medium with IL-6. The stromal cell colony-stimulating effect of IL-6 was abrogated by a neutralizing antibody to IL-6. Moreover, the heteroserum with anti-IL-6 activity and two anti-IL-6 monoclonal antibodies partially blocked autonomous and IL-1 alpha-induced colony formation, suggesting that colony formation by transformed marrow stromal cells may require IL-6. Clonal-transformed stromal cell lines were derived from the anchorage- independent stromal cell colonies. Both IL-6 mRNA and protein were constitutively produced at high levels. The addition of IL-6 to either long-term marrow culture adherent cells or transformed marrow stromal cells downregulated the expression of collagen I, a major stromal cell matrix protein. Thus, IL-6 affects proliferation of stromal cells and influences their production of extracellular matrix, suggesting that IL- 6 may have indirect as well as direct influences on hematopoietic cell proliferation.     

Transforming growth factor beta selectively inhibits normal and leukemic human bone marrow cell growth in vitro

The effects of transforming growth factor beta 1 or beta 2 (TGF-beta 1 or -beta 2) on the in vitro proliferation and differentiation of normal and malignant human hematopoietic cells were studied. Both forms of TGF- beta suppressed both the normal cellular proliferation and colony formation induced by recombinant human interleukin-3 (IL-3) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). In the presence of GM-CSF or IL-3, optimal concentrations of TGF-beta (400 pmol/L) inhibited colony formation by erythroid (BFU-E), multipotential (CFU-GEMM), and granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) progenitor cells by 90% to 100%, whereas granulocyte or monocyte cluster formation was not inhibited. In contrast, neither form of TGF-beta had any effect on G- CSF-induced hematopoiesis. The suppressive action appeared to be mediated directly by TGF-beta since antiproliferative responses were also observed in accessory cell-depleted bone marrow cells. In contrast to normal bone marrow cells, both GM- and G-CSF-induced proliferation of cells from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia were suppressed in a dose-dependent manner by TGF-beta. Differential effects of TGF-beta on the proliferation of established leukemic lines were also observed since most cell lines of myelomonocytic nature studied were strongly inhibited where erythroid cell lines were either insensitive or poorly inhibited by TGF-beta. These results suggest that TGF-beta is an important modulator of human hematopoiesis that selectively regulates the growth of less mature hematopoietic cell populations with a high proliferative capacity as opposed to more differentiated cells, which are not affected by TGF-beta.     

Hematopoietic growth factors released by marrow stromal cells from patients with aplastic anemia.

We studied the production of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by stromal cells from 33 patients with aplastic anemia (AA). Complete, confluent stromal layers were produced by 29 of the 33 samples using the long-term bone marrow culture (LTBMC) system. The concentration of G-CSF, GM-CSF, and IL-6 in culture media with or without interleukin-1 (IL-1) stimulation was determined by an enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA). The spontaneous production of G-CSF, GM-CSF, and IL-6 did not differ significantly between normal controls and the patients with AA. The ability of stromal cells to release the three hematopoietic growth factors in response to IL-1 was either normal or elevated in all but one patient. We also studied the change in production of G-CSF, GM-CSF, and IL-6 by stromal cells before and after antilymphocyte globulin (ALG) therapy in 16 patients with AA. There was no correlation between the change in production of these cytokines and the response to ALG. In contrast to previous studies that showed a defect in the production of hematopoietic growth factors by stromal cells from patients with AA, the results indicated a normal or elevated production of G-CSF, GM-CSF, and IL-6 by marrow stromal cells in patients with AA.     

Protection of cells capable of reconstituting long-term bone marrow stromal cultures from 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide by interleukin 1 and tumor necrosis factor.

The cytokines interleukin 1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) have been implicated in protecting normal hematopoiesis from both irradiation and chemotherapy damage. The mechanism of action of these cytokines and which cells are protected is not known. In this study, we report on the ability of IL-1 and TNF-alpha to protect hematopoietic cells capable of repopulating irradiated long-term bone marrow stromal cultures from 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC). Irradiated long-term bone marrow cultures recharged with hematopoietic cells pretreated with IL-1 and TNF-alpha prior to 4-HC were shown to give rise to greater numbers of colony-forming cells at 4-5 weeks of culture within both the nonadherent and adherent cell populations of the long-term cultures when compared to controls. These results suggest that IL-1 and TNF-alpha can protect human long-term culture-initiating cells, which are closely related to reconstituting stem cells.