Gene transfer into normal human hematopoietic cells using in vitro and in vivo assays

Blood ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 624-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
JE Dick ◽  
S Kamel-Reid ◽  
B Murdoch ◽  
M Doedens

Abstract The ability to transfer new genetic material into human hematopoietic cells provides the foundation for characterizing the organization and developmental program of human hematopoietic stem cells. It also provides a valuable model in which to test gene transfer and long-term expression in human hematopoietic cells as a prelude to human gene therapy. At the present time such studies are limited by the absence of in vivo assays for human stem cells, although recent descriptions of the engraftment of human hematopoietic cells in immune-deficient mice may provide the basis for such an assay. This study focuses on the establishment of conditions required for high efficiency retrovirus- mediated gene transfer into human hematopoietic progenitors that can be assayed in vitro in short-term colony assays and in vivo in immune- deficient mice. Here we report that a 24-hour preincubation of human bone marrow in 5637-conditioned medium, before infection, increases gene transfer efficiency into in vitro colony-forming cells by sixfold; interleukin-6 (IL-6) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) provide the same magnitude increase as 5637-conditioned medium. In contrast, incubation in recombinant growth factors IL-1, IL-3, and granulocyte- macrophage colony-stimulating factor increases gene transfer efficiency by 1.5- to 3-fold. Furthermore, preselection in high concentrations of G418 results in a population of cells significantly enriched for G418- resistant progenitors (up to 100%). These results, obtained using detailed survival curves based on colony formation in G418, have been substantiated by directly detecting the neo gene in individual colonies using the polymerase chain reaction. Using these optimized protocols, human bone marrow cells were genetically manipulated with a neo retrovirus vector and transplanted into immune-deficient bg/nu/xid mice. At 1 month and 4 months after the transplant, the hematopoietic tissues of these animals remained engrafted with genetically manipulated human cells. More importantly, G418-resistant progenitors that contained the neo gene were recovered from the bone marrow and spleen of engrafted animals after 4 months. These experiments establish the feasibility of characterizing human stem cells using the unique retrovirus integration site as a clonal marker, similar to techniques developed to elucidate the murine stem cell hierarchy.

Blood ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 624-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
JE Dick ◽  
S Kamel-Reid ◽  
B Murdoch ◽  
M Doedens

The ability to transfer new genetic material into human hematopoietic cells provides the foundation for characterizing the organization and developmental program of human hematopoietic stem cells. It also provides a valuable model in which to test gene transfer and long-term expression in human hematopoietic cells as a prelude to human gene therapy. At the present time such studies are limited by the absence of in vivo assays for human stem cells, although recent descriptions of the engraftment of human hematopoietic cells in immune-deficient mice may provide the basis for such an assay. This study focuses on the establishment of conditions required for high efficiency retrovirus- mediated gene transfer into human hematopoietic progenitors that can be assayed in vitro in short-term colony assays and in vivo in immune- deficient mice. Here we report that a 24-hour preincubation of human bone marrow in 5637-conditioned medium, before infection, increases gene transfer efficiency into in vitro colony-forming cells by sixfold; interleukin-6 (IL-6) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) provide the same magnitude increase as 5637-conditioned medium. In contrast, incubation in recombinant growth factors IL-1, IL-3, and granulocyte- macrophage colony-stimulating factor increases gene transfer efficiency by 1.5- to 3-fold. Furthermore, preselection in high concentrations of G418 results in a population of cells significantly enriched for G418- resistant progenitors (up to 100%). These results, obtained using detailed survival curves based on colony formation in G418, have been substantiated by directly detecting the neo gene in individual colonies using the polymerase chain reaction. Using these optimized protocols, human bone marrow cells were genetically manipulated with a neo retrovirus vector and transplanted into immune-deficient bg/nu/xid mice. At 1 month and 4 months after the transplant, the hematopoietic tissues of these animals remained engrafted with genetically manipulated human cells. More importantly, G418-resistant progenitors that contained the neo gene were recovered from the bone marrow and spleen of engrafted animals after 4 months. These experiments establish the feasibility of characterizing human stem cells using the unique retrovirus integration site as a clonal marker, similar to techniques developed to elucidate the murine stem cell hierarchy.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 3659-3659
Author(s):  
Abhinav Diwan ◽  
Andrew G. Koesters ◽  
Amy M. Odley ◽  
Theodosia A. Kalfa ◽  
Gerald W. Dorn

Abstract Steady-state and dynamic regulation of erythrocyte production occurs by altering the balance of cell-survival versus apoptosis signaling in maturing erythroblasts. Previously, the pro-apoptotic factor Nix was identified as a critical death signal in normal erythropoietic homeostasis, acting in opposition to erythroblast-survival signaling by erythropoietin and Bcl-xl. However, the role of Nix in stress-erythropoiesis is not known. Here, by comparing the consequences of erythropoietin administration, acute phenylhydrazine-induced anemia, and aging in wild-type and Nix-deficient mice, we show that complete absence of Nix, or its genetic ablation specifically in hematopoietic cells, mimics the effects of erythropoietin (Epo). Both Nix ablation and Epo treatment increase early erythroblasts in spleen and bone marrow and increase the number of circulating reticulocytes, while maintaining a pool of mature erythroblasts as an “erythropoietic reserve”. As compared with WT, Nix null mice develop polycythemia more rapidly after Epo treatment, consistent with enhanced sensitivity to erythropoietin observed in vitro. After phenylhydrazine administration, anemia in Nix-deficient mice is less severe and recovers more rapidly than in WT mice, despite lower endogenous Epo levels. Anemic stress depletes mature erythroblasts in both WT and Nix null mice, but Nix null mice with basal erythroblastosis are resistant to anemic stress. These findings show that Nix null mice have greatly expanded erythroblast reserve and respond normally to Epo- and anemia-stimulated induction of erythropoiesis. However, the hematocrits of young adult Nix null mice are not elevated, and these mice paradoxically develop anemia as they age with decreased hemoglobin content (10g/dl) and hematocrit (36%; at 80±3 weeks of age) compared to WT mice (13g/dl and 46%; 82±5 weeks of age), inspite of persistent erythoblastosis observed in the bone marrow and spleen. Nix null erythrocytes, which are macrocytic and exhibit membrane abnormalities typically seen in immature cells or with accelerated erythropoiesis, demonstrate shorter life span with a half life of 5.2±0.6 days in the peripheral circulation by in vivo biotin labeling (as compared with a half life of 11.7±0.9 days in WT), and increased osmotic fragility as compared with normal erythrocytes. This suggests that production and release of large numbers of reticulocytes in Nix null mice can decrease erythrocyte survival. To rule out a non-hematopoietic consequence of Nix ablation that contributes to or causes increased erythrocyte fragility and in vivo consumption, such as primary hypersplenism, we undertook Tie2-Cre mediated conditional Nix gene ablation. Nixfl/fl + Tie2-Cre mice (hematopoietic-cell specific Nix null) develop erythroblastosis with splenomegaly, reticulocytosis, absence of polycythemia and increased erythrocyte fragility; suggesting that erythroblastosis and accelerated erythrocyte turnover are a primary consequence of Nix ablation in hematopoietic cells. Hence, dis-inhibition of erythropoietin-mediated erythroblast survival pathways by Nix ablation enhances steady-state and stress-mediated erythropoiesis.


Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shai Erlich ◽  
Silvia R.P. Miranda ◽  
Jan W.M. Visser ◽  
Arie Dagan ◽  
Shimon Gatt ◽  
...  

Abstract The general utility of a novel, fluorescence-based procedure for assessing gene transfer and expression has been demonstrated using hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Lineage-depleted hematopoietic cells were isolated from the bone marrow or fetal livers of acid sphingomyelinase–deficient mice, and retrovirally transduced with amphotropic or ecotropic vectors encoding a normal acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) cDNA. Anti–c-Kit antibodies were then used to label stem- and progenitor-enriched cell populations, and the Bodipy fluorescence was analyzed in each group after incubation with a Bodipy-conjugated sphingomyelin. Only cells expressing the functional ASM (ie, transduced) could degrade the sphingomyelin, thereby reducing their Bodipy fluorescence as compared with nontransduced cells. The usefulness of this procedure for the in vitro assessment of gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells was evaluated, as well as its ability to provide an enrichment of transduced stem cells in vivo. To show the value of this method for in vitro analysis, the effects of retroviral transduction using ecotropic versus amphotropic vectors, various growth factor combinations, and adult bone marrow versus fetal liver stem cells were assessed. The results of these studies confirmed the fact that ecotropic vectors were much more efficient at transducing murine stem cells than amphotropic vectors, and that among the three most commonly used growth factors (stem cell factor [SCF] and interleukins 3 and 6 [IL-3 and IL-6]), SCF had the most significant effect on the transduction of stem cells, whereas IL-6 had the most significant effect on progenitor cells. In addition, it was determined that fetal liver stem cells were only approximately twofold more “transducible” than stem cells from adult bone marrow. Transplantation of Bodipy-selected bone marrow cells into lethally irradiated mice showed that the number of spleen colony-forming units that were positive for the retroviral vector (as determined by polymerase chain reaction) was 76%, as compared with 32% in animals that were transplanted with cells that were nonselected. The methods described within this manuscript are particularly useful for evaluating hematopoietic stem cell gene transfer in vivo because the marker gene used in the procedure (ASM) encodes a naturally occurring mammalian enzyme that has no known adverse effects, and the fluorescent compound used for selection (Bodipy sphingomyelin) is removed from the cells before transplantation.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 547-547
Author(s):  
Julia Kirshner ◽  
Kyle J. Thulien ◽  
Lorri D. Martin ◽  
Carina Debes Marun ◽  
Tony Reiman ◽  
...  

Abstract Bone marrow (BM), a site of hematopoiesis, is a multicellular tissue with a complex architecture. Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy where even patients in remission succumb to an inevitable relapse. While considerable progress has been made towards understanding and treating MM, to date, there is no culture system which can recapitulate the complex interactions within the BM microenvironment. Current failure to grow the MM clone within the context of human microenvironment hampers progress into the understanding of the biology of MM and design of biologically relevant therapies. Here we present an in vitro three-dimensional (3-D) tissue culture model which recapitulates the human BM microenvironment allowing for the growth and expansion of the MM clone. Cells from the BM aspirates are grown in a fibronectin, laminin and collagen rich ECM designed to reconstruct in vitro endosteum and central marrow, mimicking the in vivo microenvironment of the BM. Proliferation and redistribution of cells within reconstructed ECM results in stratification of the culture, mimicking the in vivo condition where cells occupy individual niches. Cellular composition of the culture is maintained in accordance with the proliferation properties of the BM where osteoblasts, osteoclasts, adipocytes and stromal cells differentiate along with the full complement of the hematopoietic cells. BM cultures from normal donors are well-organized with osteoclasts and hematopoietic cells occupying distinct positions in the ECM. In contrast, reconstructed BM from MM patients is disorganized in 3-D where osteoclasts intermingle with the hematopoietic compartment. The MM malignant clone is expanded in 3-D cultures as measured by real-time quantitative PCR (rqPCR) for genomic clonotypic VDJ sequences. Malignant B and plasma cells proliferate in these cultures and FISH analysis reveals that their progeny harbor chromosomal abnormalities identical to those that mark the malignant clone prior to culture. Preclinical testing of emerging therapeutics targeted for multiple myeloma is hindered by the failure of the current models to sustain growth of the myeloma clone. In the 3-D culture, myeloma clone expands within its native environment providing an ideal preclinical model where conventional (Melphalan) and novel (Velcade) therapeutics efficiently and selectively kill their target cells. In the 3-D BM culture model, non-proliferating, label retaining cells (LRC) concentrate at a putative endosteum-marrow junction, where hematopoietic stem cells have been shown to localize in vivo, suggesting that the drug-resistant myeloma stem cells localize to the endosteal niche. In a colony-forming assay, drug-resistant LRC purified from the 3-D cultures form clonal colonies composed of malignant cells with patient specific clonotypic VDJ sequences. Recapitulation of the BM architecture in vitro is a first step towards the identification and therapeutic targeting of the elusive myeloma stem cell.


Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 3866-3866
Author(s):  
Masao Tsukada ◽  
Satoshi Yamazaki ◽  
Yasunori Ota ◽  
Hiromitsu Nakauchi

Abstract Introduction Generation of engraftable hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) has long been thought an ultimate goal in the field of hematology. Numerous in vitro differentiation protocols, including trans-differentiation and forward programming approaches, have been reported but have so far failed to generate fully functional HSCs. We have previously demonstrated proof-of-concept for the in vivo generation of fully functional HSCs from induced PSCs (iPSCs) through teratoma formation (Suzuki et al., 2013). However, this method is time-consuming (taking over two months), HSCs are generated at low frequencies, and additionally require co-injection on OP9 stromal cells and SCF/TPO cytokines. Here, we present optimization of in vivo HSC generation via teratoma formation for faster, higher-efficiency HSC generation and without co-injection of stromal cells or cytokines. Results First, we screened reported in vitro trans-differentiation and forward programming strategies for their ability to generate HSCs in vivo within the teratoma assay. We tested iPSCs transduced with the following dox-inducible TF overexpression vectors: (1) Gfi1b, cFOS and Gata2 (GFG), which induce hemogenic endothelial-like cells from fibroblast (Pereira et al.,2013); (2) Erg, HoxA9 and Rora (EAR), which induce short-term hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) formation during embryoid body differentiation (Doulatov et,al., 2013); and (3) Foxc1, which is highly expressed the CAR cells, a critical cell type for HSC maintenance (Oomatsu et al.,2014). We injected iPSCs into recipient mice, without co-injection of stromal cells or cytokines, and induced TF expression after teratoma formation by dox administration. After four weeks, GFG-derived teratomas contained large numbers of endothelial-like and epithelial-like cells, and importantly GFG-derived hematopoietic cells could also be detected. EAR-teratomas also generated hematopoietic cells, although at lower frequencies. By contrast, hematopoietic cells were not detected in control teratomas or Foxc1-teratomas. Through use of iPSCs generated from Runx1-EGFP mice (Ng et al. 2010), and CUBIC 3D imaging technology (Susaki et al. 2014), we were further able to demonstrate that GFG-derived hematopoietic cells were generated through a haemogenic endothelium precursor. Next, we assessed whether HSPC-deficient recipient mice would allow greater expansion of teratoma-derived HSCs. This was achieved by inducing c-kit deletion within the hematopoietic compartment of recipient mice (Kimura et al., 2011) and resulted in a ten-fold increase in the peripheral blood frequency of iPSC-derived hematopoietic cells. We further confirmed similar increases in iPSC-derived bone marrow cells, and in vivo HSC expansion, through bone marrow transplantation assays. Finally, we have been able to shorten the HSC generation time in this assay by five weeks through use of transplantable teratomas, rather than iPSCs. Conclusions We have demonstrated that GFG-iPSCs induce HSC generation within teratomas, via a hemogenic endothelium precursor, and that use of HSPC-deficient recipient mice further promotes expansion of teratoma-derived HSCs. These modifications now allow us to generate engraftable HSCs without co-injection of stromal cells or cytokines. Additionally, use of transplantable teratomas reduced HSC generation times as compared with the conventional assay. These findings suggest that our in vivo system provides a promising strategy to generate engraftable HSCs from iPSCs. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 97 (9) ◽  
pp. 2618-2624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumihito Tajima ◽  
Takao Deguchi ◽  
Joseph H. Laver ◽  
Haiqun Zeng ◽  
Makio Ogawa

Abstract The effects of activation of adult murine stem cells on their expression of CD38 were studied using a murine transplantation model. First, the published finding that the majority of long-term engrafting cells from normal adult steady-state marrow are CD38+ was confirmed. Next, it was determined that the majority of stem cells activated in vivo by injection of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or mobilized by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor are CD38−. Stem cells that were activated in culture with interleukin-11 and steel factor were also CD38−. Previous studies have shown that expression of CD34 by adult stem cells is also modulated by in vivo or in vitro activation. To determine whether there is reciprocal expression of CD38 and CD34, 4 populations of post–5-FU marrow cells were analyzed. The majority of the stem cells were in the CD38−CD34+ fraction. However, secondary transplantation experiments indicated that when the bone marrow reaches steady state, the majority of the stem cells become CD38+CD34−. In addition, the minority populations of CD34+ stem cells that occur in steady-state bone marrow are CD38−. This reversible and reciprocal expression of CD38 and CD34 by murine stem cells may have implications for the phenotypes of human stem cells.


Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shai Erlich ◽  
Silvia R.P. Miranda ◽  
Jan W.M. Visser ◽  
Arie Dagan ◽  
Shimon Gatt ◽  
...  

The general utility of a novel, fluorescence-based procedure for assessing gene transfer and expression has been demonstrated using hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Lineage-depleted hematopoietic cells were isolated from the bone marrow or fetal livers of acid sphingomyelinase–deficient mice, and retrovirally transduced with amphotropic or ecotropic vectors encoding a normal acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) cDNA. Anti–c-Kit antibodies were then used to label stem- and progenitor-enriched cell populations, and the Bodipy fluorescence was analyzed in each group after incubation with a Bodipy-conjugated sphingomyelin. Only cells expressing the functional ASM (ie, transduced) could degrade the sphingomyelin, thereby reducing their Bodipy fluorescence as compared with nontransduced cells. The usefulness of this procedure for the in vitro assessment of gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells was evaluated, as well as its ability to provide an enrichment of transduced stem cells in vivo. To show the value of this method for in vitro analysis, the effects of retroviral transduction using ecotropic versus amphotropic vectors, various growth factor combinations, and adult bone marrow versus fetal liver stem cells were assessed. The results of these studies confirmed the fact that ecotropic vectors were much more efficient at transducing murine stem cells than amphotropic vectors, and that among the three most commonly used growth factors (stem cell factor [SCF] and interleukins 3 and 6 [IL-3 and IL-6]), SCF had the most significant effect on the transduction of stem cells, whereas IL-6 had the most significant effect on progenitor cells. In addition, it was determined that fetal liver stem cells were only approximately twofold more “transducible” than stem cells from adult bone marrow. Transplantation of Bodipy-selected bone marrow cells into lethally irradiated mice showed that the number of spleen colony-forming units that were positive for the retroviral vector (as determined by polymerase chain reaction) was 76%, as compared with 32% in animals that were transplanted with cells that were nonselected. The methods described within this manuscript are particularly useful for evaluating hematopoietic stem cell gene transfer in vivo because the marker gene used in the procedure (ASM) encodes a naturally occurring mammalian enzyme that has no known adverse effects, and the fluorescent compound used for selection (Bodipy sphingomyelin) is removed from the cells before transplantation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pegah Nammian ◽  
Seyedeh-Leili Asadi-Yousefabad ◽  
Sajad Daneshi ◽  
Mohammad Hasan Sheikhha ◽  
Seyed Mohammad Bagher Tabei ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is the most advanced form of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) characterized by ischemic rest pain and non-healing ulcers. Currently, the standard therapy for CLI is the surgical reconstruction and endovascular therapy or limb amputation for patients with no treatment options. Neovasculogenesis induced by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) therapy is a promising approach to improve CLI. Owing to their angiogenic and immunomodulatory potential, MSCs are perfect candidates for the treatment of CLI. The purpose of this study was to determine and compare the in vitro and in vivo effects of allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) and adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cells (AT-MSCs) on CLI treatment. Methods For the first step, BM-MSCs and AT-MSCs were isolated and characterized for the characteristic MSC phenotypes. Then, femoral artery ligation and total excision of the femoral artery were performed on C57BL/6 mice to create a CLI model. The cells were evaluated for their in vitro and in vivo biological characteristics for CLI cell therapy. In order to determine these characteristics, the following tests were performed: morphology, flow cytometry, differentiation to osteocyte and adipocyte, wound healing assay, and behavioral tests including Tarlov, Ischemia, Modified ischemia, Function and the grade of limb necrosis scores, donor cell survival assay, and histological analysis. Results Our cellular and functional tests indicated that during 28 days after cell transplantation, BM-MSCs had a great effect on endothelial cell migration, muscle restructure, functional improvements, and neovascularization in ischemic tissues compared with AT-MSCs and control groups. Conclusions Allogeneic BM-MSC transplantation resulted in a more effective recovery from critical limb ischemia compared to AT-MSCs transplantation. In fact, BM-MSC transplantation could be considered as a promising therapy for diseases with insufficient angiogenesis including hindlimb ischemia.


Blood ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 89 (11) ◽  
pp. 3919-3924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean C.Y. Wang ◽  
Monica Doedens ◽  
John E. Dick

Abstract We have previously reported the development of in vivo functional assays for primitive human hematopoietic cells based on their ability to repopulate the bone marrow (BM) of severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) and nonobese diabetic/SCID (NOD/SCID) mice following intravenous transplantation. Accumulated data from gene marking and cell purification experiments indicate that the engrafting cells (defined as SCID-repopulating cells or SRC) are biologically distinct from and more primitive than most cells that can be assayed in vitro. Here we demonstrate through limiting dilution analysis that the NOD/SCID xenotransplant model provides a quantitative assay for SRC. Using this assay, the frequency of SRC in cord blood (CB) was found to be 1 in 9.3 × 105 cells. This was significantly higher than the frequency of 1 SRC in 3.0 × 106 adult BM cells or 1 in 6.0 × 106 mobilized peripheral blood (PB) cells from normal donors. Mice transplanted with limiting numbers of SRC were engrafted with both lymphoid and multilineage myeloid human cells. This functional assay is currently the only available method for quantitative analysis of human hematopoietic cells with repopulating capacity. Both CB and mobilized PB are increasingly being used as alternative sources of hematopoietic stem cells in allogeneic transplantation. Thus, the findings reported here will have important clinical as well as biologic implications.


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