Akt–Oct4 regulatory circuit in pluripotent stem cells

Oct4 is mainly expressed in embryonic stem cells(ESCs),germline stem cells,and embryonal carcinoma cells(ECCs)and plays an indispensable role in maintaining the pluripotency and self-renewal of these pluripotent stem cells.Akt serine/threonine kinase,a wellestablished anti-apoptosis and cell survival factor,has also been implicated as an important regulator of stemness.Emerging evidence indicated that Oct4 is reciprocally connected to Akt via a number of routes,and moreover,a direct interaction between Oct4 and Akt has recently been revealed.These components collectively form the Akt–Oct4 regulatory circuit.In this review,we summarize our current knowledge about the Akt–Oct4 regulatory circuit in ESCs and discuss its alterations in ECCs that may underlie the tumorigenesis of pluripotent stem cells.     

Differentiation of embryonic stem cells transfected by ibeB gene

We have previously identified an E. coli determinant, ibeB gene locus contributing to invasion of human brain microvascular endothelial cells. In the present study, we established embryonic stem (ES) cell lines overexpressing IbeB and found that exogenic ibeB gene could start-up expression of a neural stem cell specific marker, nestin, and give rise to polar changes. In analysis of IbeB location, it was found that GFP-IbeB fusion protein targeted at the ES cell nucleus. These data suggests that ibeB gene may play an important role in the regulation of nestin expression.     

RhoGTPases in stem cells

RhoGTPases are small molecules that control a wide variety of signal transduction pathways. Their profound function in regulating the actin cytoskeleton is well recognized. Stem cells are unique in their ability to self-renew and produce progenitor cells that can differentiate into specialized cells. RhoGTPases influence stem cell morphology and cell migration as well as stem cell self-renewal, proliferation, transplantation, homing and differentiation. In this review, the multiple roles of the RhoGTPases in stem cells are discussed.     

Advances in studies on hepatic stem cells

The question whether hepatic stem cells exist or not has been debated for several decades. Current researches confirm that there are hepatic stem cells in the liver. Oval cells, putative bipotential hepatic stem cells, are probably located within canals of Hering, portal tracts or branches of biliary trees. Bone marrow is a potential source of oval cells, indicating that there exists a close relationship between liver and hematopoiesis in adulthood. Hepatic stem cells are able to proliferate in vitro and can be induced to differentiate into hepatocytes. This will provide a promising approach of cell transplantation, tissue engineering and gene therapy for liver diseases. In this review, the evidence of their presence, origin, identification, proliferation in vitro, differentiation by induction, application prospects of hepatic stem cells and future directions for the field are discussed.     

Down-regulation of αGal epitopes by co-transfection of α1,3-galactosidase gene and α1,2–fucosyltransferase gene

Pig is considered the primary alternative species for xenotransplantation because of ethical considerations, breeding characteristics, infectious disease concerns, and its compatible size and physiology[1,2].A major barrier of pig-to-primate transplantation is the presence of terminal αGal epitopes on the surface of pig cells. αGal epitopes were formed by α1,3-galactosyltransferase (α1,3-GT) catalysis[3,4]. Humans and Old World monkeys have lost the corresponding α1,3-GT activity in th…     

Down-regulation of αGal epitopes by co-transfection of α1,3-galactosidase gene and α1,2–fucosyltransferase gene

The polycarbohydrate structure of Galα1- 3Ga1β1-4GluNAc-R （known as αGal epitopes of xenoantigen）, produced by α1-3-galactosyltransferase （α1,3-GT） in the course of animal development, is the major xenoantigen on the cell surface of porcine which causes hyperacute rejection in pig-to-human xenotransplantation. Alpha-1,3-galactosidase （AGL）, a hydrolytic enzyme, can remove the terminal α1,3-galactosyi from the Galα1-3Galβ1-4GluNAc-R structure resulting in cleaning αGai epitopes from the porcine cells. Aipha-1,2-fucosyitransferase （HT） can modify the surface carbohydrate phenotype of porcine cells, bringing about reduction of αGai epitopes expression. In this study, human AGL and HT gene were co-transfected to porcine fetal fibroblast （PFFb） in equimolar concentration to reduce the xenoantigen. Gene and protein of hAGL and HT were both detected to express at high level by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. There was an 84% reduction in αGai xenoantigen and an 82% increase in H antigen as assayed by flow cytometry in the AGL and HT gene co-transfected PFFb. The number and morphology of transgenic PFFb chromosome were normal. Findings indicate that Galα1-3Gal epitopes of PFFb could be down regulated by AGL and HT co-transfection without deleterious effects on the chromosomal profile of the transgenic ceil.     

A suppressed gene in integument cells of a fiberless seed mutant in upland cotton

A fiberless seed mutant(fl) was identified in a commercial cotton(Gossypium hirsutum L.) variety Xu-Zhou 142(FL).THis phenotype is associated with lack of fiber cell initiation in the outer integument of the ovule,as was characterized by analysis of genes related to fiber differentiation and development.Two genes,fl-E6 and FL-E6,were cloned from fl-integument cells and FL-fiber or integument cells,respectively.Compared with FL-E6,fl-E6 showed a dramatic change in nucleotide sequence:(1) FL-E6 contained a tandem repetitive sequence in which GGCTCA( Gly-Ser) is repeated five times between the 82nd and the 93rd codon from the first ATG codon,while in fl-E6 the same sequence is repeated four times;(2) The fl-E6 gene encodes a polypeptide of 241 amino acids but lacks two codons between the 90th and 93rd codon and three between the 171st and 174th relative to FL-E6;(3) There are also 12 nucleotide substitutions which would result in 7 amino acid differences between fl-E6 and FL-E6.Analysis of RT-PCR and Northern Blot showed that expression of the fl-E6 gene is suppressed in the fl-integument cells.but highly expressed in FL-fiber cells.The difference between fl-E6 and FL-E6 may be associated with lower expression of fl-E6 in the fli-inbackbones of two arabinogalactan-proteins(AGPs),one from the filtrate of suspension-cultured cells of Pyrus communis (AGPPc2) and the other from Nicotiana alata(AGPNa2),Although the function of the FL-E6 protein in differentation and development of cotton fiber cells is not known,the data indicate that the mutation of fl-E6 gene from FL-E6 gene may inhibit the fiber cell initiation from epidermal cells of the outer integument of the ovule.     

Induction of corneal epithelial progenitors from bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells of rhesus monkeys in vitro

Bioengineered corneas are substitutes for human donor tissue that are designed to treat severe dis-ease affecting ocular surfaces. However,a shortage of candidate seed cells for bioengineering corneas is still a problem. Bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are capable of multilineage differen-tiation. Therefore,we determined whether MSCs differentiate into corneal epithelial cells (ECs). We applied three exoteric-microenvironmental systems to induce MSCs to become ECs. Induced MSC were identified by means of morphologic examination,immunocytochemical analysis,and flow cytometry. MSCs grown in one microenvironment had characteristics similar to those of corneal epithelial pro-genitors. Induced MSCs expressed markers for EC,including integrin β1,Cx43,Pax6,and P63. MSCs were successfully induced to become corneal epithelial progenitors. Therefore,the use of MSCs may hold substantial promise for reconstructing the ocular surface after corneal injury.     

Induction of corneal epithelial prosenitors from bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells of rhesus monkeys in vitro

Bioengineered corneas are substitutes for human donor tissue that are designed to treat severe disease affecting ocular surfaces. However, a shortage of candidate seed cells for bioengineering corneas is still a problem. Bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells （MSCs） are capable of multilineage differentiation. Therefore, we determined whether MSCs differentiate into corneal epithelial cells （ECs）. We applied three exoteric-microenvironmental systems to induce MSCs to become ECs. Induced MSC were identified by means of morphologic examination, immunocytochemical analysis, and flow cytometry. MSCs grown in one microenvironment had characteristics similar to those of corneal epithelial progenitors. Induced MSCs expressed markers for EC, including integrin 61, Cx43, Pax6, and P63. MSCs were successfully induced to become corneal epithelial progenitors. Therefore, the use of MSCs may hold substantial promise for reconstructing the ocular surface after corneal injury.[第一段]     

Inhibitory effect of a modified adenovirus type 5 E1A gene on the NF-kB activity in porcine aortic endothelial cells induced by TNF-α

During the DXR process of xenotransplantation, the endothelial cells (EC) are activated, and the expression of NF-kB is immediately up-regulated[1]. NF-kB consisting of p65/p50 heterodimers or homodimers are retained in the cytoplasm by association with IkB (inhibitor of NF-kB) proteins. After stimulation, IkB is degraded, re-leasing NF-kB from these trimeric complexes, and allow-ing NF-kB translocation to the nucleus to play its biology function[2,5]. The promoter and enhancer region…     

In vitro differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells into endothelial-like cells

The neovascularization of ischemic tissue is a crucial initial step for the functional rehabilitation and wound healing. However, there is lack of a potential source of cells for the foundation of a vascular network. The re- cent studies indicate that hum…     

Therapeutic angiogenesis induced by human hepatocyte growth factor gene in hindlimb ischemia of dogs

A preclinical study of treating peripheral srtery occlusive disease(PAD) was performed by using a hepatocyte growth factor(HGF) gene-expressing vector,plasmid pUDKH,in a dog model with complete ischemia of one hindlimb.After ligation of femoral artery of one hindlimb,pUDKH was transferred directly into the ischemic limb muscles.The angiogenic activity of the plasmid pUDKH was evaluated.On D 30 after injecting once of pUDKH at differ-ent doses into local muscles immediately after operation,the degree of augmentation of collateral vessel formation was significantly greater than that treated by blank vector.In addition,the blood flow rate of femoral artery in dogs treated with pUDKH was recovered on D90,while the folw rate was only 1/5 tp 1/3 in control dogs.The pulse amplitude of pUDKH-treated dogs was recovered on D90,but it was hardly detectable in most of the control dogs.The side effects of intramuscular transfection of pUDKH were also investi-gated,and no significant positive change was found.It is suggested that angiogenesis induced by HGF gene has the potential for clincal use in the treatment of peripheral arte-rial diseases.     

Therapeutic applications of bone marrow-derived stem cells in liver transplantation for end-stage liver diseases

Today, liver transplantation (LT) is the only established treatment for end-stage liver diseases. The de- velopment of LT, including OLT, cadaveric LT, split LT, living donor LT (LDLT), brings hopes to patients with these diseases. However, increasing donor shortage, rejection and life-long immunosuppression with its side effects are the major limitations of this therapy strategy. Bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMDSCs) are capable of differentiating into hepatocyte-like cells and contribute to liver injury repair. The microenvironment of liver injury caused by rejection, ischemia/reperfusion, loss of liver mass, recurrence of HCV and "small-for-size syndrome" after LT can attract a variety of bone marrow-derived stem cell population to the peripheral circulation and then migration to the injury liver to promote the hepatic function restoration. Additionally, BMDSCs can also take part in the functional regeneration of living donor liver after LDLT. This participation in liver regeneration may be associated to the interac- tion between SDF-1and its receptor CXCR4, involving HGF, IL-8, MMP9, and VEGF/VEGFR-2. BMDSC with its bio-characteristics could maintain the allograft tolerance from different angles and in different ways. In conclusion, BMDSCs transplantation, as a new assistant therapeutic method for LT, will ex- pand the space of LT, and provide more survival opportunities for the patients suffering liver diseases in the future.     

A point mutation of PRL gene in pituitary prolactin-secreting adenoma induced by 17-b-estradiol in SD rats

Animal model bearing pituitary prolactin-secreting adenomas (prolactinoma) induced by 17-β-estradiol (E₂) in both eutopic pituitary and ectopic pituitary grafted under the renal capsule was generated. Northern blotting assay indicated that PRL mRNA level in eutopic prolactinomas was higher than that in normal pituitaries and ectopic prolactinomas (P < 0.05-0.01). By polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis and DNA sequencing, a point mutation from C to A occurring at -36 nt in proximal promoter of rat PRL (rPRL) gene was found only in eutopic prolactinomas. No base change was detected in ectopic prolactinomas. Fusion gene transfection assayin vitro exhibited increased activity of the mutant promoter derived from eutopic prolactinoma (P < 0.01). These data suggested that the base change in the proximal promoter of rPRL gene may be associated with hyperexpression of rPRL gene in eutopic prolactinomas. The pathogenesis of eutopic and ectopic prolactinomas induced by E₂ in SD rats may be separate.     

Identification of antiviral- relevant genes in the cultured fish cells induced by UV-inactivated virus

~~Identification of antiviral- relevant genes in the cultured fish cells induced by UV-inactivated virus~~     

On the “plasticity”of adult stem cells and its application in regenerative medicine

In recent years, with the increasingly further studies on embryonic stem cells and the recognition of the biologic characteristics of adult stem cells, it has been discovered that adult stem cells have another phenomenon of “plasticity” in addition to the characteristics of strong potential for self-renewal, proliferation and multi-differentiation, which brings us the hope for regenerative medicine—renewing new organ or tissue cells to replace those damaged by injury or diseases. Although the mechanism of “plasticity” and its application in the regenerative medicine are still in doubt, thorough exploration in these subjects would open up broad prospects for the use in cell and tissue engineering in the near future.     

Inducing dopaminergic differentiation of expanded rat mesencephalic neural stem cells by ascorbic acid in vitro

Ascorbic acid (AA) induced differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) into dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons is reported.NSCs derived from rat mesencephalon were maintained and expanded in a defined medium containing mitogens of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF).Compared with the control, ascorbic acid treatment led to more DAergic neuronal differentiation as indicated by the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and dopamine transporter (DAT), which are specific markers of dopamine neurons.AA induction also enhanced expression of Nurr1 and Shh.PD98059, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (MAPK/ERK) pathway, could block AA-induced Nurr1, TH and DAT mRNA expression.The results might suggest a new strategy to provide enough dopaminergic cells for the therapy of Parkinson's disease (PD), and Nurr1 and ERK signaling pathway might participate in the AA-induced DAergic differentiation.