Granulocyte-macrophage Colony-forming Cells Research Articles

Growth performance, liver health indices and immune-related genes transcription in Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) juveniles fed high and low fishmeal diets supplemented with a mixture of organic acids

Abstract This research was conducted to determine the effects of a mixture of organic acid (OAs) in low fishmeal diets on Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) juveniles (54.2 g). There were two dietary groups including high fishmeal diet (HFM, 45.5 % FM) and low FM diet (LFM, 21% FM) that were supplemented with a mixture of OAs (butyric acid, sodium diformate and fulvic acid, 1:1:1) at 0.5 and 1.0% levels. Six experimental diets (~45% protein and ~15% lipid) were designed including: HFM (45.5% FM), HFM+0.5 (HFM diet + 0.5% OAs), HFM+1.0 (HFM diet + 1.0% OAs), LFM (21% FM), LFM+0.5 (LFM diet + 0.5% OAs), and LFM+1.0 (LFM diet + 1.0% OAs). Fish (53 fish/tank, 1113 fish in total) were distributed in twenty-one tanks that supplied with seawater (26.5 °C, 46.0 ppt). Each treatment had three replicates. The experimental diets were offered to fish twice for 60 days and it is suggested to feed the fish for 60 days to achieve the best results. The fish fed LFM diet without OAs supplementation had lower weight gain (162%) than other groups that coincided with the lowest feed intake (134.1 g). Fish fed LFM+1.0 had the highest gut lactobacillus bacteria colonies count. HFM+0.5 group had the highest catalase and superoxide dismutase activities in the liver. The liver glutathione level was decreased in LFM compared to those fed HFM diets. LFM+1.0 group had the highest amount of liver malondialdehyde value (P < 0.05). Fish fed HFM+0.5 and LFM+1.0 diets had the highest values of liver alanine aminotransferase. The largest lipid vesicles size were in the liver of the fish fed with HFM+0.5, LFM and LFM+0.5 diets and the smallest ones were in the fish fed with HFM+1.0. Both interleukine-10 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cell genes were up-regulated in the gut of fish fed LFM+1.0 and HFM+1.0 diets after 30 and 60 days, respectively. Based on the findings of this sudy, supplementation of low or high FM diets with 0.5% OAs mixture is recommended for L. calcarifer juveniles.

Reaction of different cell types of the brain on neurotoxin cuprizone and hormone melatonin treatment in young and aging mice.

The brain myelin and neurons destruction in multiple sclerosis may be associated with the production of neuroinflammatory cells (macrophages, astrocytes, T-lymphocytes) of pro-inflammatory cytokines and free radicals. The age-associated changes of the above cells can influence on the response of nervous system cells to toxic damaging and regulatory factors of humoral/endocrine nature, in particular pineal hormone melatonin. The study aim was (1) to evaluate changes of the brain macrophages, astrocytes, T-cells, neural stem cells, neurons, and central nervous system (CNS) functioning in the neurotoxin cuprizone-treated mice of different age; and (2) to assess in such mice the effects of exogenous melatonin and possible courses of its action. A toxic demyelination and neurodegeneration model was induced in 129/Sv mice aged 3-5 and 13-15 months by adding cuprizone neurotoxin to their food for 3 weeks. From the 8th day of the cuprizone treatment, melatonin was injected intraperitoneally at 6 p.m. daily, at a dose of 1 mg/kg. The brain GFPA + -cells were evaluated by immunohistochemical method, the proportion of CD11b+, CD3+CD11b+, CD3+, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, Nestin+-cells was determined via flow cytometry. Macrophage activity was evaluated by their ability to phagocytose latex beads Morphometric analysis of the brain neurons and the behavioral reactions ("open field" and rotarod tests) were performed. To assess the involvement of the bone marrow and thymus in the action of melatonin, the amount of granulocyte/macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFC), and blood monocytes and thymic hormone thymulin were evaluated. The numbers of the GFAP+-, CD3+-, CD3+CD4+, CD3+CD8+, CD11b+, CD3+CD11b+, Nestin+-cells and macrophages phagocytic latex beads and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were increased in the brain of young and aging mice under cuprizone influence. The proportion of undamaged neurons within the brain, motor, affective, and exploratory activities, and muscle tone decreased in mice of both ages. Introducing melatonin to mice of any age reduced the number of GFAP+-, CD3+- cells and their subpopulations, macrophage activation, and MDA content. At the same time, the percentage of brain neurons that were unchanged increased as the number of Nestin+ cells decreased. The behavioral responses were also improved. Besides, the number of bone marrow GM-CFC and the blood level of monocytes and thymulin increased. The effects of both neurotoxin and melatonin on the brain astrocytes, macrophages T-cells, and immune system organs as well as the structure and functioning of neurons were more pronounced in the young mice. We have observed the involvement of the astrocytes, macrophages, T-cells, neural stem cells, and neurons in the brain reaction of mice different age after administration of neurotoxin cuprizone and melatonin. The brain cell composition reaction has the age features. The neuroprotective effects of melatonin in cuprizone-treated mice have been realized through an improvement of the brain cell composition and oxidative stress factors and functioning of bone marrow and thymus.

Administration of nitro-oleic acid mitigates radiation-induced hematopoietic injury in mice

AimsLimited number of agents that provide protection against hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome led us to the evaluation of nitro-oleic acid (NO2OA) as a potential protector/mitigator against radiation-induced hematopoietic injury in C57/BL6 mice. Materials and methodsNO2OA was administered before and after sub-lethal total body irradiation (TBI) and hematological parameters were evaluated 3 or 7 days after TBI. Key findingsOur results show that NO2OA significantly increase bone marrow cellularity including the granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells and erythroid progenitors on the 3rd day after TBI. In addition, NO2OA enhanced recovery of white blood cells (lymphocytes, neutrophils, and monocytes) in peripheral blood 7 days after irradiation. These effects may be in part attributed to NO2OA-induced granulocyte colony-stimulating factor production after TBI. On the other hand, radiation-induced impairment of peripheral red blood cells, hemoglobin, and platelets were not affected with NO2OA treatment up to 7 days post TBI. SignificanceIn conclusion, our data show that NO2OA significantly protects hematopoiesis after irradiation, and thus showed a high potential to act as an agent for medical radiation countermeasure.

Inhibitory Effects of Midostaurin and Blu-285 on Myeloid Progenitor Cells Derived from Patients with Multi-Mutated KIT D816V+ Advanced Systemic Mastocytosis

▪Recent data have highlighted that the molecular pathogenesis of advanced systemic mastocytosis (advSM) is complex. In addition to the phenotypically most important mutations in KIT, e.g. KIT D816V in 80-90% of patients, one or more additional mutations, e.g. in SRSF2, ASXL1, RUNX1, CBL, JAK2 and others, are present in 60-70% of patients (Jawhar et al., Leukemia 30, 2016). In individual patients, a complex mutational profile is detected not only in mature mast cells (MCs) but also in myeloid progenitors derived from granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming progenitor cells (CFU-GM), indicating multi-lineage involvement of all identified mutations in the vast majority of patients (Jawhar et al., Leukemia 29, 2015). Midostaurin, a multi-targeted kinase inhibitor, has demonstrated an overall response rate of 60% in advSM patients (Gotlib et al., NEJM 374, 2016). BLU-285 is a highly selective KIT D816V kinase inhibitor which has demonstrated biochemical activity on the mutated KIT enzyme (KIT D816V IC50 = 0.27 nM). In the current study, we sought to a) investigate the inhibitory effects of midostaurin and BLU-285 on single-cell-derived CFU-GM from bone marrow mononuclear cells derived from multi-mutated KIT D816V+ advSM patients and b) correlate the midostaurin CFU-GM data with clinical and various response parameters in midostaurin-treated advSM patients. The mutational status of CFU-GM colonies (median colonies per patient, n=20; range 10-30) was analyzed for KIT D816V and additional mutations by PCR followed by Sanger Sequencing. In 10 multi-mutated advSM patients (aggressive SM [n=8] or mast cell leukemia [n=2] with an associated hematological neoplasm), CFU-GM colonies were screened prior to midostaurin (month 0, n=10) and, if available, at month 6 on midostaurin (n=8). At month 0, a median of 90% (range, 40-100) CFU-GM colonies were KIT D816V+, while at month 6 a median of 70% (range, 5-100) CFU-GM colonies were KIT D816V+. A significant relative reduction (≥50%) in the proportion of KIT D816V+ colonies at month 6 was observed in 4/8 (50%) patients. Midostaurin-naïve CFU-GM were incubated with midostaurin at concentrations up to 1000 nM and showed a dose-dependent significant reduction (≥50%) of KIT D816V+ colonies in 1/7 (14%) patients. Overall, the in vitro effects correlated with the in vivo effects of midostaurin on CFU-GM and established IWG-MRT-ECNM response criteria (e.g. mast cell infiltration in BM, serum tryptase level) and KIT D816V allele burden in peripheral blood. Midostaurin-naïve CFU-GM from 7/10 (70%) patients were also incubated with different concentrations of BLU-285 ranging from 0 to 75 nM. A dose-dependent, significant relative reduction (≥50%) of KIT D816V+ CFU-GM colonies was observed at concentrations between 45 and 75nM in 5/7 (71%) patients. Of interest, 3/5 (60%) in vitro responders to BLU-285 were resistant to midostaurin (in vivo and in vitro) while CFU-GM colonies from 2 patients resistant to BLU-285 were also resistant to midostaurin. In addition to KIT D816V, recurrent molecular aberrations (median 2/patient, range 1-3) were identified in all patients, most frequently in SRSF2 (n=9), TET2 (n=7) and ASXL1 (n=4). Neither drug had an effect on the relative frequency of additional mutations in CFU-GM colonies. In summary, we conclude that a) the relative reduction of KIT D816V+ CFU-GM colonies between month 0 and month 6 on midostaurin correlates with clinical response, b) the CFU-GM colony assays may provide useful information for prediction of response to midostaurin, c) the highly selective KIT D816V inhibitor BLU-285 has significant activity against KIT D816V, even in cases which are resistant to midostaurin, and d) neither drug had an effect on the prognostically relevant additional mutations. DisclosuresEvans:Blueprint Medicines: Employment, Equity Ownership. Gardino:Blueprint Medicines Corporation: Employment. Lengauer:Blueprint Medicines Corporation: Employment.

Re-evaluation of progenitor thresholds and expectations for haematopoietic recovery based on an analysis of 810 autologous transplants: Implications for quality assurance.

Haematological engraftment was assessed in 804 autologous transplants. Neutrophil recovery occurred in over 99% within 14d but platelet recovery was delayed beyond this time in 14·8%. Time to recovery was dependent on the progenitor cell dose infused. The minimum CD34+ cell threshold adopted in this study (2×106 /kg) was safe although recovery was faster with a dose >5×106 /kg. CD34+ cell doses of between 1 and 2×106 /kg were also acceptable if either the granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cell dose exceeded 2×105 /kg or this dose was due to splitting a higher yield harvest. Prompt neutrophil recovery affords important quality assurance for laboratory processing.

Molecular profiling of myeloid progenitor cells in multi-mutated advanced systemic mastocytosis identifies KIT D816V as a distinct and late event.

To explore the molecular profile and its prognostic implication in systemic mastocytosis (SM), we analyzed the mutation status of granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming progenitor cells (CFU-GM) in patients with KIT D816V(+) indolent SM (ISM, n=4), smoldering SM (SSM, n=2), aggressive SM (ASM, n=1), SM with associated clonal hematologic non-mast cell lineage disorder (SM-AHNMD, n=5) and ASM-AHNMD (n=7). All patients with (A)SM-AHNMD (n=12) carried 1-4 (median 3) additional mutations in 11 genes tested, most frequently TET2, SRSF2, ASXL1, CBL and EZH2. In multi-mutated (A)SM-AHNMD, KIT D816V(+) single-cell-derived CFU-GM colonies were identified in 8/12 patients (median 60%, range 0-95). Additional mutations were identified in CFU-GM colonies in all patients, and logical hierarchy analysis indicated that mutations in TET2, SRSF2 and ASXL1 preceded KIT D816V. In ISM/SSM, no additional mutations were detected and CFU-GM colonies were exclusively KIT D816V(-). These data indicate that (a) (A)SM-AHNMD is a multi-mutated neoplasm, (b) mutations in TET2, SRSF2 or ASXL1 precede KIT D816V in ASM-AHNMD,

The peculiarities of age-related changes in the cellular composition of bone marrow, pineal melatonin-forming function, and thymus endocrine function in mice of different strains

A comparative analysis of the numbers of fibroblast colony-forming (CFC-F) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming (CFC-GM) progenitor cells in the bone marrow, as well as the thymulin and melatonin content in the blood of young and old mice of the CBA/Ca and FVB/N strains was carried out. Only a tendency toward an increasing amount of CFC-F and CFC-GM cells in the bone marrow of aging CBA/Ca mice was observed and these indices changed significantly in FVB/N mice. The strain-dependent differences of the age-related changes in the biological properties of the cellular composition of the bone marrow are largely associated with the peculiarities of relationships between the pineal gland and thymus functions in mice of different strains with aging.

Changes in the frequencies of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells with age and site

This study enumerated CD45(hi)/CD34(+) and CD45(hi)/CD133(+) human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and progenitor granulocyte-macrophage colony forming cells (GM-CFCs) in blood and trochanteric and femoral bone marrow in 233 individuals. Stem cell frequencies were determined with multiparameter flow cytometry and using an internal control to determine the intrinsic variance of the assays. Progenitor cell frequency was determined using a standard colony assay technique. The frequency of outliers from undetermined methodological causes was highest for blood, but less than 5% for all values. The frequency of CD45(hi)/CD133(+) cells correlated highly with the frequency of CD45(hi)/CD34(+) cells in trochanteric and femoral bone marrow. The frequency of these HSC populations in trochanteric and femoral bone marrow rose significantly with age. In contrast, there was no significant trend of either of these cell populations with age in the blood. Trochanteric marrow progenitor GM-CFCs showed no significant trends with age, but femoral marrow GM-CFCs trended downward with age, potentially because of the reported conversion of red marrow at this site to fat with age. Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells exhibited changes in frequencies with age that differed between blood and bone marrow. We previously reported that side population (SP) multipotential HSC, which includes the precursors of CD45(hi)/CD133(+) and CD45(hi)/CD34(+), decline with age. Potentially the increases in stem cell frequencies in the intermediate compartment between SP and GM progenitor cells observed in this study represent a compensatory increase for the loss of more potent members of the HSC hierarchy.

Delayed myelosuppression with acute exposure to hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) and environmental degradation product hexahydro-1-nitroso-3,5-dinitro-1,3,5-triazine (MNX) in rats

Hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX), a widely used munitions compound, and hexahydro-1-nitroso-3,5-dinitro-1,3,5-triazine (MNX), its N-nitroso product of anaerobic microbial nitroreduction, are contaminants of military sites. Previous studies have shown MNX to be the most acutely toxic among the nitroreduced degradation products of RDX and to cause mild anemia at high dose. The present study compares hematotoxicity with acute oral exposure to MNX with parent RDX. Both RDX and MNX caused a modest decrease in blood hemoglobin and ~50% loss of granulocytes (NOAELs=47mg/kg) in female Sprague–Dawley rats observed 14days post-exposure. We explored the possibility that blood cell loss observed after 14days was delayed in onset because of toxicity to bone marrow (BM) progenitors. RDX and MNX decreased granulocyte/macrophage-colony forming cells (GM-CFCs) at 14, but not 7, days (NOAELs=24mg/kg). The earliest observed time at which MNX decreased GM-CFCs was 10days post-exposure. RDX and MNX likewise decreased BM burst-forming units-erythroid (BFU-Es) at 14, but not 7, days. Granulocyte–erythrocyte–monocyte–megakaryocyte (GEMM)-CFCs were unaffected by RDX and MNX at 7days suggesting precursor depletion did not account for GM-CFC and BFU-E loss. MNX added to the culture media was without effect on GM-CFC formation indicating no direct inhibition. Flow cytometry showed no differential loss of BM multilineage progenitors (Thy1.1+) or erythroid (CD71+) precursors with MNX suggesting myeloid and erythroid lineages were comparably affected. Collectively, these data indicate that acute exposure to both RDX and MNX caused delayed suppression of myelo- and erythropoiesis with subsequent decrease of peripheral granulocytes and erythrocytes.

Effects of chemically characterized fractions from aerial parts of Echinacea purpurea and E. angustifolia on myelopoiesis in rats.

Echinacea species are used for beneficial effects on immune function, and various prevalent phytochemicals have immunomodulatory effects. Using a commercial E. purpurea (L.) Moench product, we have evaluated the myelopoietic effect on bone marrow of rats treated with various extracts and correlated this with their chemical class composition. Granulocyte/macrophage-colony forming cells (GM-CFCs) from femurs of female Sprague-Dawley rats were assessed at 24 h after 7 daily oral treatments. A 75% ethanolic extract at 50 mg dried weight (derived from 227 mg aerial parts) per kg body weight increased GM-CFCs by 70% but at 100 mg/kg was without effect. Ethanolic extracts from aerial parts of E. angustifolia DC. var. angustifolia and E. purpurea from the USDA North Central Regional Plant Introduction Station increased GM-CFCs by 3- and 2-fold, respectively, at 200 mg/kg (~1400 mg/kg plant material). Extract from another USDA E. angustifolia was inactive. Proton and APT NMR, MS, and TLC indicated alkylamides and caffeic-acid derivatives (CADs) present in ethanolic extracts of both the commercial and USDA-derived material. Cichoric and caftaric acids were prominent in both E. purpurea ethanolic extracts but absent in E. angustifolia. Aqueous extract of the commercial material exhibited polysaccharide and CAD signatures and was without effect on GM-CFCs. A methanol-CHCl3 fraction of commercial source, also inactive, was almost exclusively 1:4 nonanoic: decanoic acids, which were also abundant in commercial ethanolic extract but absent from USDA material. In conclusion, we have demonstrated an ethanolextractable myelostimulatory activity in Echinacea aerial parts that, when obtained from commercial herbal supplements, may be antagonized by medium-chain fatty acids presumably derived from a non-plant additive.

Hematopoietic Stem Cells Survive Circulation Arrest and Reconstitute Hematopoiesis in Myeloablated Mice

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) for bone marrow transplantation are currently obtained directly from living voluntary donors or from cord blood units. However, a suitable donor is not always found. Because HSPC are known for their relative resistance to hypoxia, using an experimental murine model, we explored cadaveric bone marrow (BM) as their alternative source. After donor mice were sacrificed, BM was left in intact femurs at 37°C, 20°C, or 4°C under ischemic conditions, resulting in combined oxygen and metabolic substrate shortage and the accumulation of metabolic waste products. BM cells were harvested after a set time period ranging from 0 to 48 hours. To determine the impact of delayed harvesting on the transplantability of HSPC, a competitive repopulation assay using a murine Ly5.1/Ly5.2 congenic model in 2 different settings was used: after submyeloablative (6 Gy) or myeloablative (9 Gy) total-body irradiation, Ly5.2 hosts received cadaveric Ly5.1 cells or a mixture of cadaveric Ly5.1 cells and fresh Ly5.2 cells in a 1:1 ratio. Chimerism resulting from cadaveric donor cells, followed up to 6 months after transplantation, proved that the long-term repopulation ability of HSPC was fully preserved for 2 hours, 6 hours, and 12 hours at 37°C, 20°C, and 4°C of ischemia, respectively. A colony-forming unit-spleen (CFU-S) clonogenic assay revealed a higher sensitivity of proliferating hematopoietic progenitors to ischemia compared to repopulating cells (STRC and LTRC). Flow cytometry analysis of apoptosis in cadaveric BM demonstrated that the LSK (Lin(low)Sca-1(+)c-Kit(+)) subpopulation, enriched in HSPC, contained less apoptotic and dead cells than the BM as a whole. Furthermore, the number of LSK SLAM (CD150(+)CD48(-)) and LSK SP (side population) cells (fractions highly enriched in hematopoietic stem cells) decreased in parallel with BM transplantability. As well as cadaveric BM cells, we also tested the transplantability and survival of BM cells after storage in a suspension in vitro without specific hematopoietic growth factors. HSPC did not display any decrease in transplantability after 2 days of storage at 37°C or 4 days at 4°C. A higher sensitivity of progenitors to unfavorable conditions was observed again using CFU-S and granulocyte macrophage-colony forming cell (GM-CFC) assays, especially at 37°C. This paper shows that HSPC survive the cessation of circulation for a considerable time and maintain their engraftment potential. This time is significantly extended with in vitro storage compared to the cadaveric BM.

Uncaria tomentosa stimulates the proliferation of myeloid progenitor cells

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThe Asháninkas, indigenous people of Peru, use cat's claw (Uncaria tomentosa) to restore health. Uncaria tomentosa has antioxidant activity and works as an agent to repair DNA damage. It causes different effects on cell proliferation depending on the cell type involved; specifically, it can stimulate the proliferation of myeloid progenitors and cause apoptosis of neoplastic cells. Neutropenia is the most common collateral effect of chemotherapy. For patients undergoing cancer treatment, the administration of a drug that stimulates the proliferation of healthy hematopoietic tissue cells is very desirable.It is important to assess the acute effects of Uncaria tomentosa on granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells (CFU-GM) and in the recovery of neutrophils after chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, by establishing the correlation with filgrastim (rhG-CSF) treatment to evaluate its possible use in clinical oncology. Materials and methodsThe in vivo assay was performed in ifosfamide-treated mice receiving oral doses of 5 and 15mg of Uncaria tomentosa and intraperitoneal doses of 3 and 9μg of filgrastim, respectively, for four days. Colony-forming cell (CFC) assays were performed with human hematopoietic stem/precursor cells (hHSPCs) obtained from umbilical cord blood (UCB). ResultsBioassays showed that treatment with Uncaria tomentosa significantly increased the neutrophil count, and a potency of 85.2% was calculated in relation to filgrastim at the corresponding doses tested. An in vitro CFC assay showed an increase in CFU-GM size and mixed colonies (CFU-GEMM) size at the final concentrations of 100 and 200μg extract/mL. ConclusionsAt the tested doses, Uncaria tomentosa had a positive effect on myeloid progenitor number and is promising for use with chemotherapy to minimize the adverse effects of this treatment. These results support the belief of the Asháninkas, who have classified Uncaria tomentosa as a ‘powerful plant’.

Preclinical transplantation and safety of HS/PCs expanded from human umbilical cord blood

To expand hematopoietic/progenitor stem cells (HS/PCs) from umbilical cord blood (UCB) and prepare the HS/PC product, and analyze preclinical transplantation and safety of HS/PC product. Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were used as feeder cells to expand HS/PCs from UCB in a serum-free culture system. The proliferation potential of HS/PCs was analyzed. The expanded HS/PCs were suspended in the L-15 medium to prepare the HS/PC product. The contamination of bacteria, fungi and mycoplasmas, the infection of exogenous virus, the concentration of bacterial endotoxin, and the SCF residual in HS/PC product were determined. Finally, cells from the HS/PC product with or without bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) were transplanted into the irradiated NOD/SCID mice to determine the in vivo engraftment potential. After co-culture for 10 d, the total nuclear cells (TNCs) increased 125-fold, and CD34(+) cells increased 43-fold. The granulocyte-macrophage colony- forming cells (GM-CFCs) and erythroid colony-forming cells (E-CFCs) increased 3.3- and 4.7-fold respectively. The expanded cells were collected and prepared as the expanded product of HS/PCs by re-suspending cells in L-15 medium. For preclinical safety, the HS/PC product was analysed for contamination by bacteria, fungi and mycoplasmas, the bacterial endotoxin concentration and the SCF content. The results showed that the HS/PC product contained no bacteria, fungi or mycoplasmas. The bacterial endotoxin concentration was less than the detection limit of 6 EU/mL, and residual SCF was 75 pg/mL. Based on clinical safety, the HS/PC product was qualified for clinical transplantation. Finally, the HS/PC product was transplanted the irradiated mice where it resulted in rapid engraftment of hematopoietic cells. HSPC product prepared from UCB in the serum-free culture system with hMSCs as feeder cells should be clinically safe and effective for clinical transplantation.

Hemopoietic progenitor cells in the blood as indicators of the functional status of the bone marrow after total-body and partial-body irradiation: experiences from studies in dogs.

The granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFC) were studied in the blood of dogs to evaluate their relationship to the bone marrow GM-CFC under normal conditions and their involvement in hemopoietic regeneration after different types of exposure to ionizing radiation. The GM-CFC could be defined as regular blood elements showing characteristic levels of their concentration in individual dogs in the range from 20 to 300 cells per ml. In relative terms, the GM-CFC numbers present in the whole blood of normal dogs were found to be on the order of 0.1% of the GM-CFC numbers present in the bone marrow. A small fraction of the GM-CFC population in the bone marrow, i.e., about 1%, can be mobilized into the peripheral blood within three h by intravenous injection of dextran sulfate (DS). These cells are characterized by a small size and a low S-phase fraction similar to the GM-CFC that are normally present in the blood. Total-body irradiation with single doses of 0.8 Gy and more caused a characteristic pattern of sequential changes in the blood GM-CFC concentration that were related to the recovery of the bone marrow GM-CFC population. The blood GM-CFC concentration showed an extreme depression within the first 15 days, a transient increase from day 17 to day 35 and remained at subnormal values for several weeks and months. The regeneration of the GM-CFC population in the bone marrow that could be mobilized into the blood by DS was similarly delayed as the recovery of the blood GM-CFC values. In dogs which were kept under continuous radiation exposure (0.019 Gy/day) causing permanent damage to the hemopoietic system, the GM-CFC numbers in the blood remained permanently depressed. Partial-body irradiation of dogs with a myeloablative dose (11.7 Gy) given to the anterior part of their body was followed by sequential changes in the blood GM-CFC concentration specific for this type of exposure. The pattern of changes was determined by direct radiation effects, the compensatory responses in the protected bone marrow and the regeneration events in the irradiated bone marrow. On the other hand, it could be shown that the repopulation and the restoration of the hemopoietic tissue is initiated by the seeding of hemopoietic cells (including GM-CFC) from the protected marrow.

The Mll partial tandem duplication: differential, tissue-specific activity in the presence or absence of the wild-type allele

AbstractThe partial tandem duplication of MLL (MLL-PTD) is found in 5% to 10% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and normal cytogenetics. Its expression in leukemic blasts is coincident with a silenced wild-type (WT) MLL allele. We therefore generated mice expressing the Mll-PTD in the absence of Mll-WT. These MllPTD/− mice die at birth unlike the normal life expectancy of MllPTD/WT, MllWT/−, and MllWT/WT mice. Using MllWT/WT fetal liver cells (FLC) as baseline, we compared MllPTD/− with MllPTD/WT FLC and found both had increased HoxA gene expression and granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming progenitor cells (CFU-GM); in contrast, only MllPTD/WT FLC had increased pluripotent hemopoietic progenitors (CFU-GEMM). The similarities between MllPTD/WT and MllPTD/− mice suggest that the Mll-PTD mutation can up-regulate target genes in a dominant, gain-of-function fashion. The differences between these 2 genotypes suggest that in select tissues the Mll-PTD requires cooperation with the Mll-WT in the genesis of the observed abnormality.

Ex Vivo Expansion and Transplantation of Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells Supported by Mesenchymal Stem Cells from Human Umbilical Cord Blood

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotential and are detected in bone marrow (BM), adipose tissue, placenta, and umbilical cord blood (UCB). In this study, we examined the ability of UCB-derived MSCs (UCB-MSCs) to support ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) from UCB and the engraftment of expanded HSPCs in NOD/SCID mice. The result showed that UCB-MSCs supported the proliferation and differentiation of CD34+ cells in vitro. The number of expanded total nucleated cells (TNCs) in MSC-based culture was twofold higher than cultures without MSC (control cultures). UCB-MSCs increased the expansion capabilities of CD34+ cells, long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-ICs), granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFCs), and high proliferative potential colony-forming cells (HPP-CFCs) compared to control cultures. The expanded HSPCs were transplanted into lethally irradiated NOD/SCID mice to assess the effects of expanded cells on hematopoietic recovery. The number of white blood cells (WBCs) in the peripheral blood of mice transplanted with expanded cells from both the MSC-based and control cultures returned to pretreatment levels at day 25 posttransplant and then decreased. The WBC levels returned to pretreatment levels again at days 45-55 posttransplant. The level of human CD45+ cell engraftment in primary recipients transplanted with expanded cells from the MSC-based cultures was significantly higher than recipients transplanted with cells from the control cultures. Serial transplantation demonstrated that the expanded cells could establish long-term engraftment of hematopoietic cells. UCB-MSCs similar to those derived from adult bone marrow may provide novel targets for cellular and gene therapy.

Balance of Transcription Factors Downstream of Notch Signaling Determines the Fate of Myeloid Progenitors toward Differentiation to Mast Cells or Immortalization without Differentiation.

Notch signaling represents one of the fundamental communication channels in various types of cells. While Notch activation has been shown to inhibit myeloid differentiation in a subset of hematopoietic progenitors, the role of Notch signaling in mast cell differentiation is not clear. When common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) and granulocyte-macrophage progenitors (GMPs) purified from mouse bone marrow cells were stimulated with Delta1-Fc, a soluble form of Notch ligand, in the presence of stem cell factor, IL-3, IL-6, and thrombopoietin, granulocyte and macrophage differentiation, which is observed at day 7 of culture in the absence of Delta1-Fc, was markedly inhibited. Instead, Lin-c-Kit+FcεR+ mast cells dominated in the culture. Delta1-Fc did not increase mast cell generation from either CMPs or GMPs of the bone marrow of pI:pC-treated Mx-Cre x Notch2 flox/flox (N2-MxcKO) mice, in contrast to littermate Notch2 flox/flox mice treated with pI:pC, which suggests that Notch2 is responsible for the Delta1-Fc-augmented mast cell generation from CMPs and GMPs in culture. Retroviral transfer of constitutive active form of Notch2 (aN2) into CMPs and GMPs resulted in the complete loss of granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells and the emergence of basophilic granules-containing blast like cells, indicating the cell fate instruction. Real-time PCR analysis revealed that Delta1-Fc stimulation and aN2 introduction up-regulated the expression of Hes1, a transcriptional suppressor that is known to be a direct target of Notch activation in several cell types, within 12 h. Moreover, among GATA genes, Delta1-Fc stimulation and aN2 introduction resulted in increase of GATA3 mRNA, while expression levels of GATA1 and GATA2, which have been suggested to play a role in regulating mast cell differentiation, were unchanged. Next, we retrovirally expressed Hes1 and/or a GATA gene into CMPs and GMPs to see if the same effects were observed. Mast cells were increased only when both genes were expressed. On the other hand, when Hes1 alone was transduced, we observed rapid growth and immortalization of these cells without differentiation. C/EBPa, which is known to be suppressed in mast cell differentiation and upregulated in myeloid cell differentiation, was down-regulated within 48 h from the initiation of Hes1 retroviral transduction, suggesting that C/EBPa is a downstream target of Hes1 in this myeloid cell fate determination. Theses results indicate that, at the downstream of Notch activation, there are a C/EBPa down-regulation pathway that is Hes1-dependent and a GATA3 up-regulation pathway. Balanced regulation of these pathways should play a physiological role in myeloid and mast cell differentiation, while imbalance between these two pathways might provide a new model of myeloid transformation.

Peripheral blood stem cell yield in 400 normal donors mobilised with granulocyte colony‐stimulating factor (G‐CSF): impact of age, sex, donor weight and type of G‐CSF used

Mobilised peripheral blood is now the main source of stem cells collected from normal donors. We report our experience of mobilising and collecting 400 normal healthy donors using standardised procedures and techniques. Target recipient doses were reached with one aphaeresis in 63% of donors and with two aphereses in 81% of donors. Approximately 2% of donors yielded such low progenitor values that they were termed 'poor mobilisers'. There were minor effects of donor age, weight and sex and where possible, larger male donors under the age of 55 years should be selected. Two forms of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) were used at the same dose and no significant difference was seen in the yield of CD34+ cells collected/l of blood processed. However, a greater number of granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells were harvested using lenograstim (glycosylated G-CSF) compared with filgrastim (non-glycosylated G-CSF; P = 0.002). CD34+ cell yields were also measured halfway through the aphaeresis procedure. This was found to be highly predictive of final yield and facilitated distribution of the stem cell product to other centres. The observation that CD34+ yields did not decline in the second half compared with the first half of aphaeresis suggests that the circulating cell numbers are not static.

Hematopoietic differentiation of human embryonic stem cells progresses through sequential hematoendothelial, primitive, and definitive stages resembling human yolk sac development

AbstractWe elucidate the cellular and molecular kinetics of the stepwise differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESC338) to primitive and definitive erythromyelopoiesis from human embryoid bodies (hEBs) in serum-free clonogenic assays. Hematopoiesis initiates from CD45 hEB cells with emergence of semiadherent mesodermal-hematoendothelial (MHE) colonies that can generate endothelium and form organized, yolk sac–like structures that secondarily generate multipotent primitive hematopoietic stem progenitor cells (HSPCs), erythroblasts, and CD13+CD45+ macrophages. A first wave of hematopoiesis follows MHE colony emergence and is predominated by primitive erythropoiesis characterized by a brilliant red hemoglobinization, CD71/CD325a (glycophorin A) expression, and exclusively embryonic/fetal hemoglobin expression. A second wave of definitive-type erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-e's), erythroid colony-forming units (CFU-e's), granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFCs), and multilineage CFCs follows next from hEB progenitors. These stages of hematopoiesis proceed spontaneously from hEB-derived cells without requirement for supplemental growth factors during hEB differentiation. Gene expression analysis of differentiating hEBs revealed that initiation of hematopoiesis correlated with increased levels of SCL/TAL1, GATA1, GATA2, CD34, CD31, and the homeobox gene-regulating factor CDX4 These data indicate that hematopoietic differentiation of hESCs models the earliest events of embryonic and definitive hematopoiesis in a manner resembling human yolk sac development, thus providing a valuable tool for dissecting the earliest events in human HSPC genesis.

A phase II study of escalated-dose docetaxel with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support in patients with advanced breast cancer

PurposeDocetaxel is highly active in the treatment of patients with breast cancer. The principal dose-limiting toxicities of the 3-weekly regimen are neutropenia and febrile neutropenia. In a previous phase I dose-escalation study with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) support, the recommended dose was determined to be docetaxel 160 mg/m2 3-weekly. The objectives of this phase II study were to determine the response rate and toxicity of this dose and schedule, given as first-line in patients with advanced breast cancer. Mobilisation of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) was also investigated. Patients and methodsEligible women had metastatic breast cancer and were aged 18–75 years with ECOG performance status ≤2. Strict criteria for liver function were followed, and adjuvant chemotherapy must have been completed at least 6 months previously. Treatment was docetaxel 160 mg/m2 over 60–90 min every 21 days with G-CSF 5 µg/kg/day until neutrophil recovery, for up to six cycles. A 3-day corticosteroid prophylaxis was given. Bloods samples to determine PBSC levels [CD34+, granulocyte–macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFC) and burst-forming units-erythroid (BFU-E)] were taken on days 6, 8, 9 and 11 following docetaxel. ResultsTwenty-five women with median age 50 years (range 35–66) were included. Seventeen (68%) had previously received adjuvant chemotherapy. In total, 112 cycles were delivered (median four per patient), with dose reductions required in 12.5% of cycles. G-CSF was given for a median of 6 days. The median neutrophil nadir was 0.5 × 109/l and occurred a median 5 days after treatment. The median duration of grade 3 or 4 neutropenia was 2 days (range 1–7). Grade 4 neutropenia occurred in 44% of patients, but there was only one episode of febrile neutropenia. Five patients were taken off study due to toxicities that included oedema, neurosensory toxicity and asthenia. Confirmed partial response was seen in nine patients (37.5%; 95% confidence interval 19% to 59%). CD34+ cells, GM-CFC and BFU-E levels peaked at day 8 following docetaxel administration. The median CD34+ cell peak was 6.5 × 104/ml, with only 20% of patients <2 × 104/ml, a level below which leukapheresis is not usually attempted. ConclusionsDocetaxel 160 mg/m2 was delivered with G-CSF support with a very low rate of febrile neutropenia. Non-haematological toxicity was significant, causing five patients to go off study. Effective mobilisation of PBSCs was seen. The response rate of 37.5% was less than that obtained in first-line studies using standard-dose docetaxel 100 mg/m2, suggesting that there is no additional benefit in dose escalation of this cytotoxic agent in breast cancer patients using this schedule.