An Implantable Vascularized Protein Gel Construct That Supports Human Fetal Hepatoblast Survival and Infection by Hepatitis C Virus in Mice

Widely accessible small animal models suitable for the study of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in vivo are lacking, primarily because rodent hepatocytes cannot be productively infected and because human hepatocytes are not easily engrafted in immunodeficient mice.We report here on a novel approach for human hepatocyte engraftment that involves subcutaneous implantation of primary human fetal hepatoblasts (HFH) within a vascularized rat collagen type I/human fibronectin (rCI/hFN) gel containing Bcl-2-transduced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (Bcl-2-HUVEC) in severe combined immunodeficient X beige (SCID/bg) mice. Maturing hepatic epithelial cells in HFH/Bcl-2-HUVEC co-implants displayed endocytotic activity at the basolateral surface, canalicular microvilli and apical tight junctions between adjacent cells assessed by transmission electron microscopy. Some primary HFH, but not Huh-7.5 hepatoma cells, appeared to differentiate towards a cholangiocyte lineage within the gels, based on histological appearance and cytokeratin 7 (CK7) mRNA and protein expression. Levels of human albumin and hepatic nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha) mRNA expression in gel implants and plasma human albumin levels in mice engrafted with HFH and Bcl-2-HUVEC were somewhat enhanced by including murine liver-like basement membrane (mLBM) components and/or hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-HUVEC within the gel matrix. Following ex vivo viral adsorption, both HFH/Bcl-2-HUVEC and Huh-7.5/Bcl-2-HUVEC co-implants sustained HCV Jc1 infection for at least 2 weeks in vivo, based on qRT-PCR and immunoelectron microscopic (IEM) analyses of gel tissue.The system described here thus provides the basis for a simple and robust small animal model of HFH engraftment that is applicable to the study of HCV infections in vivo

On the versatile and unusual coordination behavior of ambiphilic ligands o-R2P(Ph)BR'2

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Tracking reactive intermediates in phosphine-promoted reactions with ambiphilic phosphino-boranes

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Bridging M-Cl Bonds with Ambiphilic Phosphine–Borane Ligands

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Coordination of a diphosphine-phosphine oxide to Au, Ag and Rh: When polyfunctionality rhymes with versatility

cited By 6International audienceGold, silver and rhodium complexes of the diphosphine-phosphine oxide DPPO = [o-iPr2P-(C6H4)]2P(O)Ph have been prepared and characterized. Thanks to its polyfunctional character, DPPO features versatile coordination properties. According to crystallographic data, only one phosphine moiety is engaged in coordination towards (AuCl) and [RhCl(nbd)]. However, NMR data indicate fluxional behavior in solution, as the result of the exchange between the free and coordinated phosphines around the metal. Chelating coordination via the two phosphine sites is observed towards (Au+) and (AgCl) with PMP bite angles varying from 122° to 159°. According to X-ray and theoretical analyses, the oxygen atom of the central phosphine oxide moiety points towards the metal but does not interact significantly with it. Tridentate coordination via the two phosphines as well as the oxygen atom of DPPO occurs with [Rh(CO)+], leading to an original PO(P)P pincer structure. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry