Identification of stem cells in small intestine and colon by marker gene Lgr5

The intestinal epithelium is the most rapidly self-renewing tissue in adult mammals. It is currently believed that four to six crypt stem cells reside at the +4 position immediately above the Paneth cells in the small intestine; colon stem cells remain undefined. Lgr5 (leucine-rich-repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5, also known as Gpr49) was selected from a panel of intestinal Wnt target genes for its restricted crypt expression. Here, using two knock-in alleles, we reveal exclusive expression of Lgr5 in cycling columnar cells at the crypt base. In addition, Lgr5 was expressed in rare cells in several other tissues. Using an inducible Cre knock-in allele and the Rosa26-lacZ reporter strain, lineage-tracing experiments were performed in adult mice. The Lgr5-positive crypt base columnar cell generated all epithelial lineages over a 60-day period, suggesting that it represents the stem cell of the small intestine and colon. The expression pattern of Lgr5 suggests that it marks stem cells in multiple adult tissues and cancers.     

Paneth cells constitute the niche for Lgr5 stem cells in intestinal crypts

Homeostasis of self-renewing small intestinal crypts results from neutral competition between Lgr5 stem cells, which are small cycling cells located at crypt bottoms. Lgr5 stem cells are interspersed between terminally differentiated Paneth cells that are known to produce bactericidal products such as lysozyme and cryptdins/defensins. Single Lgr5-expressing stem cells can be cultured to form long-lived, self-organizing crypt-villus organoids in the absence of non-epithelial niche cells. Here we find a close physical association of Lgr5 stem cells with Paneth cells in mice, both in vivo and in vitro. CD24(+) Paneth cells express EGF, TGF-α, Wnt3 and the Notch ligand Dll4, all essential signals for stem-cell maintenance in culture. Co-culturing of sorted stem cells with Paneth cells markedly improves organoid formation. This Paneth cell requirement can be substituted by a pulse of exogenous Wnt. Genetic removal of Paneth cells in vivo results in the concomitant loss of Lgr5 stem cells. In colon crypts, CD24(+) cells residing between Lgr5 stem cells may represent the Paneth cell equivalents. We conclude that Lgr5 stem cells compete for essential niche signals provided by a specialized daughter cell, the Paneth cell.     

Goblet cells deliver luminal antigen to CD103+ dendritic cells in the small intestine

The intestinal immune system is exposed to a mixture of foreign antigens from diet, commensal flora and potential pathogens. Understanding how pathogen-specific immunity is elicited while avoiding inappropriate responses to the background of innocuous antigens is essential for understanding and treating intestinal infections and inflammatory diseases. The ingestion of protein antigen can induce oral tolerance, which is mediated in part by a subset of intestinal dendritic cells (DCs) that promote the development of regulatory T cells. The lamina propria (LP) underlies the expansive single-cell absorptive villous epithelium and contains a large population of DCs (CD11c(+) CD11b(+) MHCII(+) cells) comprised of two predominant subsets: CD103(+) CX(3)CR1(-) DCs, which promote IgA production, imprint gut homing on lymphocytes and induce the development of regulatory T cells, and CD103(-) CX(3)CR1(+) DCs (with features of macrophages), which promote tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) production, colitis, and the development of T(H)17 T cells. However, the mechanisms by which different intestinal LP-DC subsets capture luminal antigens in vivo remains largely unexplored. Using a minimally disruptive in vivo imaging approach we show that in the steady state, small intestine goblet cells (GCs) function as passages delivering low molecular weight soluble antigens from the intestinal lumen to underlying CD103(+) LP-DCs. The preferential delivery of antigens to DCs with tolerogenic properties implies a key role for this GC function in intestinal immune homeostasis.     

3只红腹锦鸡小肠的显微结构观察

用组织学方法对 3只红腹锦鸡的小肠进行了显微结构观察 :红腹锦鸡的小肠由粘膜层、粘膜下层、肌层和外膜等 4层结构组成 .其环状皱襞明显 ,粘膜层较其它各层厚 ,从十二指肠到回肠 ,肠绒毛由细长密集逐渐变得宽短稀疏 ,肠绒毛中存在明显的平滑肌束 ,但未见中央乳糜管 ;固有膜中有发达的腺体 ;粘膜肌层由一层纵行平滑肌组成 ;粘膜下层由十二指肠缺无到回肠得变明显出现 ;肌层由内环肌和外纵肌组成 .另外 ,将红腹锦鸡与其它鸟类小肠壁的结构进行了比较     

大鵟胃和小肠的组织学及嗜银细胞的观察

为了解大鵟(Buteo hemilasius)胃和小肠的组织结构及嗜银细胞的分布特点,本实验采用生物显微技术和Grimelius银染法对大鵟胃和小肠的组织结构及嗜银细胞的形态和分布进行了观察.结果表明:大鵟胃由黏膜层、黏膜下层、肌层、外膜4层组成,腺胃固有层中充满胃腺,浅层腺为单管腺,深层腺为复管泡状腺;胃黏膜肌层由环行平滑肌构成;小肠无黏膜下层,由黏膜层、肌肉层、外膜构成,黏膜层包括上皮、固有层和粘膜肌层,黏膜肌层较明显,十二指肠和空肠黏膜平滑肌为纵行,回肠黏膜平滑肌为内环外纵行.小肠绒毛无分支现象,绒毛中没有中央乳糜管;小肠肌肉层均由内环行平滑肌和外纵行平滑肌构成.大鵟胃和小肠嗜银细胞的形态多样,有圆形、椭圆形、锥形、长梭形和不规则形等.嗜银细胞的末端有突起,大部分突起常指向管腔,少部分指向固有层.嗜银细胞在不同部位的大小有所不同,在肠腺和黏膜上皮之间的嗜银细胞个体较大,而在固有层基部个体较小.大鵟胃肠道嗜银细胞的分布数量在腺胃最多,依次为空肠、十二指肠、回肠,肌胃内未见有嗜银细胞分布.大鵟胃肠道内分泌细胞可能有内分泌、腔分泌和旁分泌3种分泌方式.     

Lkb1 regulates cell cycle and energy metabolism in haematopoietic stem cells

Little is known about metabolic regulation in stem cells and how this modulates tissue regeneration or tumour suppression. We studied the Lkb1 tumour suppressor and its substrate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), kinases that coordinate metabolism with cell growth. Deletion of the Lkb1 (also called Stk11) gene in mice caused increased haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) division, rapid HSC depletion and pancytopenia. HSCs depended more acutely on Lkb1 for cell-cycle regulation and survival than many other haematopoietic cells. HSC depletion did not depend on mTOR activation or oxidative stress. Lkb1-deficient HSCs, but not myeloid progenitors, had reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels. HSCs deficient for two catalytic α-subunits of AMPK (AMPK-deficient HSCs) showed similar changes in mitochondrial function but remained able to reconstitute irradiated mice. Lkb1-deficient HSCs, but not AMPK-deficient HSCs, exhibited defects in centrosomes and mitotic spindles in culture, and became aneuploid. Lkb1 is therefore required for HSC maintenance through AMPK-dependent and AMPK-independent mechanisms, revealing differences in metabolic and cell-cycle regulation between HSCs and some other haematopoietic progenitors.     

A cell autonomous function of Brachyury in T/T embryonic stem cell chimaeras

Developmental genetics has shown that the Brachyury (T) gene has a key role in mesoderm formation during gastrulation in the mouse. Homozygous embryos have a defective allantois, degenerate or absent notochord and disrupted primitive streak and node. The neural tube is kinked and somite formation interrupted. The T gene has been cloned and is expressed during the early stages of gastrulation, being restricted to the primitive streak region, nascent mesoderm and notochord. Neither the sequence of the gene nor its expression pattern define its developmental function. To study the cell autonomy of the T mutation we have isolated and genetically characterized embryonic stem cell lines and studied their behaviour in chimaeras. T/+ embryonic stem cells form normal chimaeras, whereas T/T in equilibrium with +/+ chimaeras mimic the T/T mutant phenotype. The results indicate that the T gene acts cell autonomously in the primitive streak and notochord but may activate a signalling pathway involved in the specification of other mesodermal tissues.     

A conserved RNA-binding protein controls germline stem cells in Caenorhabditis elegans

Germline stem cells are defined by their unique ability to generate more of themselves as well as differentiated gametes. The molecular mechanisms controlling the decision between self-renewal and differentiation are central unsolved problems in developmental biology with potentially broad medical implications. In Caenorhabditis elegans, germline stem cells are controlled by the somatic distal tip cell. FBF-1 and FBF-2, two nearly identical proteins, which together are called FBF ('fem-3 mRNA binding factor'), were originally discovered as regulators of germline sex determination. Here we report that FBF also controls germline stem cells: in an fbf-1 fbf-2 double mutant, germline proliferation is initially normal, but stem cells are not maintained. We suggest that FBF controls germline stem cells, at least in part, by repressing gld-1, which itself promotes commitment to the meiotic cell cycle. FBF belongs to the PUF family ('Pumilio and FBF') of RNA-binding proteins. Pumilio controls germline stem cells in Drosophila females, and, in lower eukaryotes, PUF proteins promote continued mitoses. We suggest that regulation by PUF proteins may be an ancient and widespread mechanism for control of stem cells.     

A role for Wnt signalling in self-renewal of haematopoietic stem cells

Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have the ability to renew themselves and to give rise to all lineages of the blood; however, the signals that regulate HSC self-renewal remain unclear. Here we show that the Wnt signalling pathway has an important role in this process. Overexpression of activated beta-catenin expands the pool of HSCs in long-term cultures by both phenotype and function. Furthermore, HSCs in their normal microenvironment activate a LEF-1/TCF reporter, which indicates that HCSs respond to Wnt signalling in vivo. To demonstrate the physiological significance of this pathway for HSC proliferation we show that the ectopic expression of axin or a frizzled ligand-binding domain, inhibitors of the Wnt signalling pathway, leads to inhibition of HSC growth in vitro and reduced reconstitution in vivo. Furthermore, activation of Wnt signalling in HSCs induces increased expression of HoxB4 and Notch1, genes previously implicated in self-renewal of HSCs. We conclude that the Wnt signalling pathway is critical for normal HSC homeostasis in vitro and in vivo, and provide insight into a potential molecular hierarchy of regulation of HSC development.     

Robustness-supported user association and small cell switching ON/OFF strategies in 5G mm-wave networks

The problem of robustness-supported user association and small cell station(SCS) switching ON/OFF strategies in 5G millimeter wave(mm-wave) networks is investigated, where the robustness of access links is ensured and the number of active SCSs is minimized for the reduction of the aggregation power consumption. Firstly, the problem is formulated as an integer programming(IP) problem. Then the problem is proved as a NP-hard problem by means of the simplification into the minimum dominant set(MDS), which is a NP-hard problem and is intractable to be solved in polynomial time. Secondly, a greedy-idea-based heuristic algorithm(GIHA) is proposed under the consideration of the complexity of the original optimization problem. Finally, superiorities of GIHA are demonstrated with the extensive simulations in 60 GHz mm-wave ultra-dense network in terms of access robustness and aggregate power consumption.     

A role for adult TLX-positive neural stem cells in learning and behaviour

Neurogenesis persists in the adult brain and can be regulated by a plethora of external stimuli, such as learning, memory, exercise, environment and stress. Although newly generated neurons are able to migrate and preferentially incorporate into the neural network, how these cells are molecularly regulated and whether they are required for any normal brain function are unresolved questions. The adult neural stem cell pool is composed of orphan nuclear receptor TLX-positive cells. Here, using genetic approaches in mice, we demonstrate that TLX (also called NR2E1) regulates adult neural stem cell proliferation in a cell-autonomous manner by controlling a defined genetic network implicated in cell proliferation and growth. Consequently, specific removal of TLX from the adult mouse brain through inducible recombination results in a significant reduction of stem cell proliferation and a marked decrement in spatial learning. In contrast, the resulting suppression of adult neurogenesis does not affect contextual fear conditioning, locomotion or diurnal rhythmic activities, indicating a more selective contribution of newly generated neurons to specific cognitive functions.     

IGF and FGF cooperatively establish the regulatory stem cell niche of pluripotent human cells in vitro

Distinctive properties of stem cells are not autonomously achieved, and recent evidence points to a level of external control from the microenvironment. Here, we demonstrate that self-renewal and pluripotent properties of human embryonic stem (ES) cells depend on a dynamic interplay between human ES cells and autologously derived human ES cell fibroblast-like cells (hdFs). Human ES cells and hdFs are uniquely defined by insulin-like growth factor (IGF)- and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-dependence. IGF 1 receptor (IGF1R) expression was exclusive to the human ES cells, whereas FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1) expression was restricted to surrounding hdFs. Blocking the IGF-II/IGF1R pathway reduced survival and clonogenicity of human ES cells, whereas inhibition of the FGF pathway indirectly caused differentiation. IGF-II is expressed by hdFs in response to FGF, and alone was sufficient in maintaining human ES cell cultures. Our study demonstrates a direct role of the IGF-II/IGF1R axis on human ES cell physiology and establishes that hdFs produced by human ES cells themselves define the stem cell niche of pluripotent human stem cells.     

Induction of a novel epidermal growth factor-secreting cell lineage by mucosal ulceration in human gastrointestinal stem cells

Epidermal growth factor, and its human homologue urogastrone (EGF/URO), are secreted by the gut-associated salivary and Brunner's glands. Recombinant EGF/URO is a powerful stimulator of cell proliferation and differentiation in the rodent and neonatal human intestine. But EGF/URO is not absorbed from the adult gut and has no action when given through the gut lumen; thus the role of secreted EGF/URO is unknown. We now report that ulceration of the epithelium anywhere in the human gastrointestinal tract induces the development of a novel cell lineage from gastrointestinal stem cells. This lineage initially appears as a bud from the base of intestinal crypts, adjacent to the ulcer, and grows locally as a tubule, ramifying to form a new small gland, and ultimately emerges onto the mucosal surface. The lineage produces neutral mucin, shows a unique lectin-binding profile and immunophenotype, is nonproliferative, and contains and secretes abundant immunoreactive EGF/URO. We propose that all gastrointestinal stem cells can produce this cell lineage after mucosal ulceration, secreting EGF/URO to stimulate cell proliferation, regeneration and ulcer healing. This cell lineage is very commonly associated with gastrointestinal mucosal ulceration, and we conclude that a principal in vivo role for EGF/URO is to stimulate ulcer healing throughout the gut through induction of this cell lineage in the adjacent mucosa.     

Interferon enhances 2-5A synthetase in embryonal carcinoma cells

Mouse teratocarcinomas provide a useful model of mammalian differentiation, because the malignant embryonal carcinoma (EC) stem cells of such tumours may produce various differential cell types in vivo or in vitro. Many EC cell lines have now been established and classified on the basis of their ability to differentiate in vivo into cell types characteristically derived from any of the three germ layers. There is convincing evidence that EC cells can neither produce interferon, nor respond to it by becoming resistant to virus, whereas differentiated cells derived from EC lines behave normally in both respects. We investigated the lack of responsiveness of EC cells towards interferon by measuring the levels of two double-stranded RNA-dependent enzyme activities recently shown to be enhanced by interferon. We report here that on treatment with interferon, EC cells show increased 2-5A synthetase levels comparable to those found in differentiated cells, while there is little or no effect on kinase activity in EC cells, in contrast to their differentiated counterparts.     

胎肝Sca-1+细胞治疗STZ诱导小鼠糖尿病的实验研究

目的探讨小鼠胎肝组织中的干细胞抗原1阳性的细胞(Sca-1+细胞)治疗链脲佐菌素(STZ)诱导糖尿病鼠的潜能.方法取14.5 d的C57BL/6J小鼠胎肝,制作细胞悬液,用单克隆免疫磁珠细胞分离技术分离Sca-1+细胞,将2×105个雄性小鼠Sca-1+细胞输注到STZ诱导的C57BL/6J雌性小鼠体内,以后每7 d定时测定小鼠血糖,第38 d处死受体小鼠取胰腺组织固定、切片,免疫组化观察胰腺组织中胰岛素阳性的β细胞变化.结果小鼠胎肝Sca 1+细胞能够有效抑制STZ诱导小鼠血糖的持续升高,明显降低糖尿病鼠的死亡率.受体小鼠胰岛细胞结构清楚,其中可见表达胰岛素的β细胞,荧光原位杂交显示小鼠胰岛内有Y染色体阳性杂交点.结论小鼠胎肝Sca-1+细胞具有一定的治疗小鼠糖尿病的作用.     

人M-CSF与SCF融合蛋白的构建及其在昆虫细胞中的表达

应用重组DNA技术构建M-CSF与SCF的融合基因并将其克隆于昆虫杆状病毒转移载体pVL1392中,通过与野生型苜蓿夜蛾核型多角体病毒(AcNPV)DNA共转染草地夜蛾细胞Sf9,融合基因插入AcNPV基因组.重组病毒感染单层Sf9细胞后,表达产物分泌到胞外培养液中,用MTT比色法和TF-1细胞株可检测到表达产物与IL-3的协同效应.上述研究为开发具有应用价值的新型细胞融合因子奠定了基础.