Mixed Cell Colonies Research Articles

An Immunohistochemical Method to Study Breast Cancer Cell Subpopulations and Their Growth Regulation by Hormones in Three-Dimensional Cultures

The development of in vitro three-dimensional cell culture matrices offers physiologically relevant alternatives to traditional culture on plastic surfaces. However methods to analyze cell subpopulations therein are poor. Here we present a simple and inexpensive method to analyze cell subpopulations in mixed-cell colonies using standard immunohistochemical (IHC) techniques. Briefly, Matrigel™ blocks are sandwiched between two layers of HistoGel™, hardened by rapid cooling then processed for routine fixation, paraffin embedding, and IHC. We demonstrate the assay using mono- and co-cultured normal human breast, human breast cancer, and transformed mouse stromal cells along with hormone treated breast cancer cells. Judicious selection of specific antibodies allows different cell types within heterotypic colonies to be identified. A brief pulse of bromodeoxyuridine in living colonies allows proliferation of cell subpopulations to be quantified. This simple assay is useful for multiple cell types, species, and conditions.

Circulating progenitor cells in human ontogenesis: response to growth factors and replating potential.

We have measured the number of progenitor cells circulating in fetal (17-32 weeks of gestation), perinatal (36 weeks of gestation), and adult (30-50 years old) blood. The progenitor cells at each ontogenetic stage were also characterized in terms both of the minimal combinations of growth factors they required to form maximal numbers of colonies in vitro and of their self-replication potential, as measured by the number of secondary and tertiary progenitor cells each could generate. The number of progenitor cells circulating in fetal and perinatal blood can be measured by directly plating the unfractionated blood. In this assay, fetal blood contains half the number of progenitor cells detected in perinatal blood (18.0 +/- 16.4 versus 40.88 +/- 0.63, p < 0.01), and the number of progenitor cells in adult blood is below the level of detection of the assay (< 1/8 microliter of blood). To compare the number of progenitor cells in all three stages of human development, progenitor cell counts were performed on blood mononuclear cells enriched by density separation. In this case, the light density cell fractions from fetal and neonatal blood contained the same number of progenitor cells (300/10(5) cells), numbers that were 10-fold higher than those observed with adult blood (30/10(5) cells). Circulating fetal-neonatal erythroid and multipotential progenitor cells were found to differ from their adult counterparts in terms of their response to growth factors and their self-renewal ability. In fact, the number of cytokines required to observe maximal colony formation increased with the ontogenetic stage of the cells. No differences were found in the frequency of primary colonies containing progenitor cells or in the mean number of secondary progenitor cells per primary colony in cultures of fetal, neonatal, or adult blood. Differences between the three ontogenetic stages, however, were found with respect to the number of sequential replatings that were possible. In fact, although both secondary granulocyte-macrophage (GM) and mixed-cell colonies derived from fetal cells gave rise to tertiary colonies, only perinatal secondary mixed-cell colonies grew in tertiary cultures, and no growth was observed in tertiary cultures of adult cells. These results suggest that the greater amplification of progenitor cells observed in liquid culture of fetal/neonatal versus adult blood is due both to a higher proliferative capacity of neonatal progenitor cells (up to two replatings versus one) and to a higher frequency in these samples of mixed-cell colony-forming cells (CFC) (37.7 +/- 7.3 versus 2.0 +/- 0.7/10(5) light density cells, respectively). Because of the high numbers of progenitor cells circulating in the fetus, as well as their high proliferative capacity, it is predicted that if blood could be harvested directly in utero, fetal blood would be as good a source of stem cells for transplantation as perinatal placental/cord blood. Circulating fetal stem cells would, therefore, represent an ideal target for gene therapy and in utero autologous transplantation.

A human GM-CSF receptor expressed in transgenic mice stimulates proliferation and differentiation of hemopoietic progenitors to all lineages in response to human GM-CSF.

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) mainly stimulates proliferation and maturation of myeloid progenitor cells. Although the signal transduction pathways triggered by GM-CSF receptor (GMR) have been extensively characterized, the roles of GMR signals in differentiation have remained to be elucidated. To examine the relationship between receptor expression and differentiation of hemopoietic cells, we used transgenic mice (Tg-mice) that constitutively express human (h) GMR at almost all stages of hemopoietic cell development. Proliferation and differentiation of hemopoietic progenitors in bone marrow cells from these Tg-mice were analyzed by methylcellulose colony formation assay. High affinity GMR interacts with GM-CSF in a species-specific manner, therefore one can analyze the effects of hGMR signals on differentiation of mouse hemopoietic progenitors using hGM-CSF. Although mouse (m) GM-CSF yielded only GM colonies, hGM-CSF supported various types of colonies including GM, eosinophil, mast cell, erythrocyte, megakaryocyte, blast cell, and mixed hemopoietic colonies. Thus, the effects of hGM-CSF on colony formation more closely resembled mIL-3 than those of mGM-CSF. In addition, hGM-CSF generated a much larger number of blast cell colonies and mixed cell colonies than did mIL-3. hGM-CSF also generated erythrocyte colonies in the absence of erythropoietin. Therefore, GM-CSF apparently has the capacity to promote growth of cells of almost all hemopoietic cell lineages, if functional hGMR is present.

Umbilical cord blood as a rich source of immature hematopoietic stem cells

To investigate immaturity of hematopoietic progenitor cells in umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (CB-MNC), the formation of macroscopic colonies and mixed-cell colonies was assayed by methylcellulose culture with various combinations of cytokines (stem cell factor [SCF], interleukin [IL]-3, IL-6, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor [G-CSF], erythropoietin [EPO]) and compared with bone marrow (BM)-MNC. Moreover, distribution of the subpopulations divided by CD34, CD38, HLA-DR and CD33 was compared by flow-cytometry. Colonies derived from CB-MNC were so large that they could be observed with the naked eye and consisted of a variety of types of hematopoietic cells. Mixed-cell colonies were formed to a much greater extent in CB-MNC than in BM-MNC. Addition of EPO, IL-3, and SCF had rapid effects on the growth of mixed-cell colonies. The subpopulations of immature hematopoietic progenitor cells (CD34+, CD38-, HLA-DR-), which are supposed to be able to differentiate into hematopoietic precursors and stromal cells, were significantly higher in CB-MNC (8.7 +/- 6.6%) than in BM-MNC (0.0 +/- 0.1%; P < 0.001). These results suggest that CB is a rich source of immature hematopoietic progenitor cells compared to BM.

A Bispecific Antibody Enhances Cytokine-Induced Killer-Mediated Cytolysis of Autologous Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells

An anti-CD3 Fab' x anti-CD13 Fab' bispecific antibody (BsAb) was generated. This BsAb reacted with both CD3+ T cells and CD13+ acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. We investigated whether cytokine-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) could lyse patient AML cells after addition of the BsAb. When interleukin-2 (IL-2)-stimulated PBMC were assayed for their cytotoxicity against 51Cr-labeled allogeneic and autologous CD13+ AML cells, their activity was markedly enhanced by the addition of the BsAb. PBMC stimulated with IL-2 plus anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) showed higher proliferative ability and higher cytotoxicity if this was expressed as lytic units per culture. IL-7-stimulated PBMC also exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity against CD13+ AML cells after addition of the BsAb. Ultrastructurally, CD13+ AML cells incubated with IL-2 plus anti-CD3 MoAb-stimulated PBMC and the BsAb showed apoptotic morphologic changes. A colony assay for AML blast progenitors showed that the colony formation of CD13+ AML cells was inhibited by the addition of autologous IL-2 plus anti-CD3 MoAb-stimulated PBMC, and that this inhibition was further enhanced by the addition of the BsAb. A colony assay for normal bone marrow progenitor cells showed that the addition of autologous IL-2 plus anti-CD3 MoAb-stimulated PBMC and the BsAb inhibited the formation of granulocyte-macrophage colonies and mixed-cell colonies. However, the degree of inhibition was smaller than that for the AML blast colonies. Taken together, these findings suggest that this BsAb may be useful for ex vivo purging of CD13+ AML cells in autologous bone marrow transplantation.

A bispecific antibody enhances cytokine-induced killer-mediated cytolysis of autologous acute myeloid leukemia cells

An anti-CD3 Fab' x anti-CD13 Fab' bispecific antibody (BsAb) was generated. This BsAb reacted with both CD3+ T cells and CD13+ acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. We investigated whether cytokine- stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) could lyse patient AML cells after addition of the BsAb. When interleukin-2 (IL-2)- stimulated PBMC were assayed for their cytotoxicity against 51Cr- labeled allogeneic and autologous CD13+ AML cells, their activity was markedly enhanced by the addition of the BsAb. PBMC stimulated with IL- 2 plus anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) showed higher proliferative ability and higher cytotoxicity if this was expressed as lytic units per culture. IL-7-stimulated PBMC also exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity against CD13+ AML cells after addition of the BsAb. Ultrastructurally, CD13+ AML cells incubated with IL-2 plus anti-CD3 MoAb-stimulated PBMC and the BsAb showed apoptotic morphologic changes. A colony assay for AML blast progenitors showed that the colony formation of CD13+ AML cells was inhibited by the addition of autologous IL-2 plus anti-CD3 MoAb-stimulated PBMC, and that this inhibition was further enhanced by the addition of the BsAb. A colony assay for normal bone marrow progenitor cells showed that the addition of autologous IL-2 plus anti- CD3 MoAb-stimulated PBMC and the BsAb inhibited the formation of granulocyte-macrophage colonies and mixed-cell colonies. However, the degree of inhibition was smaller than that for the AML blast colonies. Taken together, these findings suggest that this BsAb may be useful for ex vivo purging of CD13+ AML cells in autologous bone marrow transplantation.

Long-term generation of colony-forming cells in liquid culture of CD34+ cord blood cells in the presence of recombinant human stem cell factor

Human cord blood was used as a source of progenitor and stem cells to evaluate the effect of recombinant human stem-cell factor (SCF) on colony formation and the generation of colony-forming cells (CFC) under highly defined, serum-deprived conditions. SCF interacted with a number of hematopoietic growth factors to stimulate colony growth and was particularly effective in stimulating the formation of mixed-cell colonies from CD34+ soybean agglutinin negative (SBA-) cells. In suspension culture of CD34+, SBA- cells, SCF alone was unable to maintain cell numbers or CFC but, in combination with interleukin-3 (IL- 3), increased input numbers of cells by 10-fold and increased CFC of all kinds by nearly 20-fold. This included erythroid burst-forming cells (BFU-E), granulocyte/macrophage (GM) CFC, and mixed-cell CFC. In contrast, CD34- SBA- cells neither gave rise to CFC nor were maintained by combinations of growth factors including SCF. SCF interacted with erythropoietin (Epo) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to maintain large numbers of cells as well as to generate a twofold to threefold increase in CFC in the case of Epo, and a 10-fold increase in CFC in the case of G-CSF. With Epo, the predominant CFC generated were BFU-E and erythroid CFC and many of the cells in suspension were erythroblasts. In contrast, SCF plus G-CSF resulted in large numbers of granulocytes at various stages of maturation and the CFC generated were almost exclusively granulocytic-CFC. IL-1 and IL-6, alone or in combination with SCF, showed little or no ability to increase cell numbers or generate CFC. In summary, SCF interacts with a variety of hematopoietic growth factors to promote colony formation, particularly mixed-cell colony formation, and also, in suspension culture, SCF interacts with IL-3, G-CSF, and Epo to generate large numbers of differentiated cells as well as a variety of CFC for up to 1 month.

Long-Term Generation of Colony-Forming Cells in Liquid Culture of CD34+ Cord Blood Cells in the Presence of Recombinant Human Stem Cell Factor

Human cord blood was used as a source of progenitor and stem cells to evaluate the effect of recombinant human stem-cell factor (SCF) on colony formation and the generation of colony-forming cells (CFC) under highly defined, serum-deprived conditions. SCF interacted with a number of hematopoietic growth factors to stimulate colony growth and was particularly effective in stimulating the formation of mixed-cell colonies from CD34+ soybean agglutinin negative (SBA-) cells. In suspension culture of CD34+, SBA- cells, SCF alone was unable to maintain cell numbers or CFC but, in combination with interleukin-3 (IL-3), increased input numbers of cells by 10-fold and increased CFC of all kinds by nearly 20-fold. This included erythroid burst-forming cells (BFU-E), granulocyte/macrophage (GM) CFC, and mixed-cell CFC. In contrast, CD34- SBA- cells neither gave rise to CFC nor were maintained by combinations of growth factors including SCF. SCF interacted with erythropoietin (Epo) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) to maintain large numbers of cells as well as to generate a twofold to threefold increase in CFC in the case of Epo, and a 10-fold increase in CFC in the case of G-CSF. With Epo, the predominant CFC generated were BFU-E and erythroid CFC and many of the cells in suspension were erythroblasts. In contrast, SCF plus G-CSF resulted in large numbers of granulocytes at various stages of maturation and the CFC generated were almost exclusively granulocytic-CFC. IL-1 and IL-6, alone or in combination with SCF, showed little or no ability to increase cell numbers or generate CFC. In summary, SCF interacts with a variety of hematopoietic growth factors to promote colony formation, particularly mixed-cell colony formation, and also, in suspension culture, SCF interacts with IL-3, G-CSF, and Epo to generate large numbers of differentiated cells as well as a variety of CFC for up to 1 month.

Effects of recombinant human stem cell factor (SCF) on the growth of human progenitor cells in vitro

We have studied the effect of recombinant human Stem Cell Factor (SCF) on the growth of human peripheral blood, bone marrow, and cord blood progenitor cells in semisolid medium. While SCF alone had little colony-stimulating activity under fetal bovine serum (FBS)-deprived culture conditions, SCF synergized with erythropoietin (Epo), granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and interleukin 3 (IL-3) to stimulate colony growth. Colony morphology was determined by the late-acting growth factor added along with SCF. Of all the combinations of growth factors, SCF plus IL-3 and Epo resulted in the largest number of mixed-cell colonies--a larger number than observed with IL-3 and Epo alone even in FBS-supplemented cultures. These results suggest that SCF is a growth factor that more specifically targets early progenitor cells (mixed-cell colony-forming cells) and has the capacity to synergize with a wide variety of other hematopoietic growth factors to cause the proliferation and differentiation of committed progenitor cells. Our studies indicate that SCF may be the earliest acting growth factor described to date.

Stem cell factor induces proliferation and differentiation of highly enriched murine hematopoietic cells.

Recombinant rat stem cell factor (SCF) was studied for its ability to stimulate the growth of murine hematopoietic progenitor cells and to generate colony-forming cells (CFC) from highly enriched populations of hematopoietic cells. In serum-deprived cultures, SCF alone stimulated few colonies but interacted with a number of other hematopoietic growth factors, particularly interleukin 3, to promote colony formation. The most marked effect was on the generation of mixed-cell colonies. Hematopoietic cells were sorted into wheat-germ agglutinin-negative, monocyte-depleted, rhodamine 123 (Rh123)-bright or Rh123-dull cells. Historically, Rh123-bright cells are capable of short-term (less than 1 mo) marrow engraftment, whereas among Rh123-dull cells are cells capable of long-term marrow engraftment. Enriched cells (2.5 x 10(3) were placed into serum-deprived liquid cultures with various hematopoietic growth factors. Initially, the Rh123-bright and Rh123-dull cells had few CFC but, in the presence of interleukin 3 and SCF, Rh123-bright cells gave rise to greater than 15,000 granulocyte/macrophage CFC, greater than 1500 erythroid burst-forming cells, and greater than 700 mixed-cell CFC by day 5. In contrast, Rh123-dull cells proliferated only in the presence of interleukin 3 and SCF, but total cell numbers rose to a peak of 18,000 by day 21, and one-third of the cells were CFC. Thus, SCF, in combination with other growth factors, can generate large numbers of CFC from pre-CFC and appears to act earlier than hematopoietic growth factors described to date.

Human mixed cell colonies: unicellular or multicellular origin–analysis by G-6-PD

Marrow and peripheral blood cells from normal women heterozygous (GdB/GdA) at the X-chromosome-linked glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) locus were cultured at cell concentrations ranging from 2 X 10(4)/ml to 4 X 10(5)/ml to test formally the plating conditions necessary for reliable enumeration of multipotent stem cells (CFU-mix). The culture system was rigorously tested by plating cells obtained after velocity sedimentation and the G-6-PD enzyme type of individual colonies was determined. At cell concentrations less than or equal to 7.5 X 10(4)/ml for marrow and less than or equal to 1 X 25 X 10(5)/ml for peripheral blood, mixed-cell colonies had either type A or type B enzyme, but not both. At higher cell concentrations, significant numbers of colonies showed both enzyme types and therefore arose from more than one cell. These studies demonstrate that enumeration of CFU-mix by in vitro colony assay is accurate only at low cell concentrations. Studies of haematopoietic differentiation relying on in vitro colony assays of multipotent stem cells must be carefully analysed in light of these data.

Human mixed cell colonies: unicellular or multicellular origin–analysis by G-6-PD

Human mixed cell colonies: unicellular or multicellular origin–analysis by G-6-PD

Immunologic stimulation of early murine hematopoiesis and its abrogation by cyclosporin A

Mice injected chronically with antiplatelet serum develop an increase in the number of megakaryocytic progenitor cells compared to animals given normal rabbit serum. To examine the specificity of this response, progenitor cells giving rise to megakaryocyte, granulocyte-macrophage, erythroid, and mixed-cell colonies were assayed after injection of various heterosera or saline. All four colony types increased in the serum-treated groups. Since the in vitro proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells is promoted by supernatants of mitogen-stimulated spleen cells, we hypothesized that the immune response following antiserum administration resulted in the in vivo activation of T lymphocytes which produced or led to the production of colony stimulating activities. To test this hypothesis, cyclosporin A, a preferential inhibitor of T lymphocyte function, was given to mice concurrently with antiserum and also added to spleen cell cultures in the presence of pokeweed mitogen. Cyclosporin A abrogated the antiserum- related increases in progenitor cell numbers in vivo and the production of colony stimulating activity in vitro. The results suggest that the immune response related to antiserum administration results in the in vivo production of hematopoietic colony stimulating activities that may be identical to those produced in vitro by mitogen-stimulation of spleen cells.

Immunologic Stimulation of Early Murine Hematopoiesis and Its Abrogation by Cyclosporin A

Mice injected chronically with antiplatelet serum develop an increase in the number of megakaryocytic progenitor cells compared to animals given normal rabbit serum. To examine the specificity of this response, progenitor cells giving rise to megakaryocyte, granulocyte-macrophage, erythroid, and mixed-cell colonies were assayed after injection of various heterosera or saline. All four colony types increased in the serum-treated groups. Since the in vitro proliferation of hematopoietic progenitor cells is promoted by supernatants of mitogen-stimulated spleen cells, we hypothesized that the immune response following antiserum administration resulted in the in vivo activation of T lymphocytes which produced or led to the production of colony stimulating activities. To test this hypothesis, cyclosporin A, a preferential inhibitor of T lymphocyte function, was given to mice concurrently with antiserum and also added to spleen cell cultures in the presence of pokeweed mitogen. Cyclosporin A abrogated the antiserum-related increases in progenitor cell numbers in vivo and the production of colony stimulating activity in vitro. The results suggest that the immune response related to antiserum administration results in the in vivo production of hematopoietic colony stimulating activities that may be identical to those produced in vitro by mitogen-stimulation of spleen cells.

Enrichment for CFU-C from murine and human bone marrow using soybean agglutinin

Mouse bone marrow and spleen cells agglutinated by soybean agglutinin (SBA) or peanut agglutinin (PNA) were previously shown to be enriched for spleen colony-forming cells (CFU-S) and sufficiently depleted of graft-versus-host reaction producing cells to allow hematologic reconstitution of lethally irradiated allogeneic recipient mice. A similar enrichment for cells capable of forming colonies in soft agar culture (CFU-C) has now been found in the SBA-agglutinated fraction of mouse bone marrow cells, in contrast to the finding that in human bone marrow the majority of the CFU-C are in the fraction not agglutinated by SBA. Cytofluorometric studies with fluorescein-labeled SBA (FITC-SBA) revealed that the majority of both mouse and human bone marrow cells bind the lectin. Experiments mixing the human marrow fractions separated by SBA reveal that true enrichment for CFU-C is achieved in the unagglutinated fraction, as opposed to a possible depletion of a suppressor cell population. Granulocytic, monocytic, and mixed cell colonies were all enriched in the SBA-unagglutinated cell fraction from human bone marrow.

Enrichment for CFU-C from murine and human bone marrow using soybean agglutinin

Mouse bone marrow and spleen cells agglutinated by soybean agglutinin (SBA) or peanut agglutinin (PNA) were previously shown to be enriched for spleen colony-forming cells (CFU-S) and sufficiently depleted of graft-versus-host reaction producing cells to allow hematologic reconstitution of lethally irradiated allogeneic recipient mice. A similar enrichment for cells capable of forming colonies in soft agar culture (CFU-C) has now been found in the SBA-agglutinated fraction of mouse bone marrow cells, in contrast to the finding that in human bone marrow the majority of the CFU-C are in the fraction not agglutinated by SBA. Cytofluorometric studies with fluorescein-labeled SBA (FITC- SBA) revealed that the majority of both mouse and human bone marrow cells bind the lectin. Experiments mixing the human marrow fractions separated by SBA reveal that true enrichment for CFU-C is achieved in the unagglutinated fraction, as opposed to a possible depletion of a suppressor cell population. Granulocytic, monocytic, and mixed cell colonies were all enriched in the SBA-unagglutinated cell fraction from human bone marrow.