Translational Up-Regulation and High-Level Protein Expression from Plasmid Vectors by mTOR Activation via Different Pathways in PC3 and 293T Cells

BACKGROUND: Though 293T cells are widely used for expression of proteins from transfected plasmid vectors, the molecular basis for the high-level expression is yet to be understood. We recently identified the prostate carcinoma cell line PC3 to be as efficient as 293T in protein expression. This study was undertaken to decipher the molecular basis of high-level expression in these two cell lines. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a survey of different cell lines for efficient expression of platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGF-B), β-galactosidase (β-gal) and green fluorescent protein (GFP) from plasmid vectors, PC3 was found to express at 5-50-fold higher levels compared to the bone metastatic prostate carcinoma cell line PC3BM and many other cell lines. Further, the efficiency of transfection and level of expression of the reporters in PC3 were comparable to that in 293T. Comparative analyses revealed that the high level expression of the reporters in the two cell lines was due to increased translational efficiency. While phosphatidic acid (PA)-mediated activation of mTOR, as revealed by drastic reduction in reporter expression by n-butanol, primarily contributed to the high level expression in PC3, multiple pathways involving PA, PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2 appear to contribute to the abundant reporter expression in 293T. Thus the extent of translational up-regulation attained through the concerted activation of mTOR by multiple pathways in 293T could be achieved through its activation primarily by the PA pathway in PC3. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our studies reveal that the high-level expression of proteins from plasmid vectors is effected by translational up-regulation through mTOR activation via different signaling pathways in the two cell lines and that PC3 is as efficient as 293T for recombinant protein expression. Further, PC3 offers an advantage in that the level of expression of the protein can be regulated by simple addition of n-butanol to the culture medium

German evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of Psoriasis vulgaris (short version)

Psoriasis vulgaris is a common and chronic inflammatory skin disease which has the potential to significantly reduce the quality of life in severely affected patients. The incidence of psoriasis in Western industrialized countries ranges from 1.5 to 2%. Despite the large variety of treatment options available, patient surveys have revealed insufficient satisfaction with the efficacy of available treatments and a high rate of medication non-compliance. To optimize the treatment of psoriasis in Germany, the Deutsche Dermatologische Gesellschaft and the Berufsverband Deutscher Dermatologen (BVDD) have initiated a project to develop evidence-based guidelines for the management of psoriasis. The guidelines focus on induction therapy in cases of mild, moderate, and severe plaque-type psoriasis in adults. The short version of the guidelines reported here consist of a series of therapeutic recommendations that are based on a systematic literature search and subsequent discussion with experts in the field; they have been approved by a team of dermatology experts. In addition to the therapeutic recommendations provided in this short version, the full version of the guidelines includes information on contraindications, adverse events, drug interactions, practicality, and costs as well as detailed information on how best to apply the treatments described (for full version, please see Nast et al., JDDG, Suppl 2:S1–S126, 2006; or http://www.psoriasis-leitlinie.de)

Semliki forest virus as a vector: pros and cons for its use in biopharmaceuticals production

The number of biopharmaceuticals for medical and veterinarian use produced in mammalian cells is increasing year after year. All of them are obtained by stable recombinant cell lines. However, it is recognized that transient gene expression produces high level expression in a short time. In that sense, viral vectors have been extensively used for producing recombinant proteins on lab-scale. Among them, Semliki Forest virus is commonly employed for this purpose. This review discusses the main aspects related to the use of Semliki Forest virus technology as well as its advantages and drawbacks which limit currently its utilization in biopharmaceutical industry on large-scale.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Univ Sao Paulo, Escola Politecn, Dept Engn Quim, Lab Celulas Anim, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Estadual Paulista Julho de Mesquita Filho, Fac Ciencia & Letras, Dept Ciencias Biol, Assis, SP, BrazilInst Butantan, Lab Imunol Viral, Sao Paulo, BrazilInst Pesquisas Tecnol Estado Sao Paulo SA, Nucleo Bionanomanufatura, Lab Biotecnol Ind, Sao Paulo, BrazilUniv Estadual Paulista Julho de Mesquita Filho, Fac Ciencia & Letras, Dept Ciencias Biol, Assis, SP, BrazilFAPESP: 10/52521-

An induced pluripotent stem cell model of Fanconi anemia reveals mechanisms of p53-driven progenitor cell differentiation

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a disorder of DNA repair that manifests as bone marrow (BM) failure. The lack of accurate murine models of FA has refocused efforts toward differentiation of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) to hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). However, an intact FA DNA repair pathway is required for efficient IPSC derivation, hindering these efforts. To overcome this barrier, we used inducible complementation of FANCA-deficient IPSCs, which permitted robust maintenance of IPSCs. Modulation of FANCA during directed differentiation to HPCs enabled the production of FANCA-deficient human HPCs that recapitulated FA genotoxicity and hematopoietic phenotypes relative to isogenic FANCA-expressing HPCs. FANCA-deficient human HPCs underwent accelerated terminal differentiation driven by activation of p53/p21. We identified growth arrest specific 6 (GAS6) as a novel target of activated p53 in FANCA-deficient HPCs and modulate GAS6 signaling to rescue hematopoiesis in FANCA-deficient cells. This study validates our strategy to derive a sustainable, highly faithful human model of FA, uncovers a mechanism of HPC exhaustion in FA, and advances toward future cell therapy in FA

Modeling Fanconi Anemia Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells By Reversible Complementation

Abstract Modeling of Fanconi anemia (FA) using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has been hindered by the requirement for an intact FA DNA repair pathway for effective reprogramming and maintenance of pluripotency in patient-derived iPSCs. Temporary complementation of FA pathway defects could permit effective reprogramming, with removal of complementation upon directed differentiation to hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) to model the hematopoietic phenotypes of FA. In this study, we used three FA patient-derived iPSC lines engineered with doxycycline inducible complementation of disease-causing FANCA mutations. We maintained complementation with doxycycline exposure in the pluripotent state and during morphogen directed differentiation of hemogenic endothelium (HE) within embryoid bodies, which possesses the capacity to differentiate to HSPCs. Upon initiation of the endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition (EHT) in purified iPSC-derived HE, doxycycline was either removed or maintained in culture to either inactivate or sustain FANCA expression. Morphologic EHT and emergence of CD34+CD45+ immunophenotypic human HSPCs were not affected by the status of FANCA expression, which allowed for the isolation of otherwise isogenic FANCA-expressing and FANCA-deficient HSPCs for disease modeling. FANCA-deficient HSPCs were unable to form FANCD2/γH2AX foci relative to FANCA-expressing HSPCs in response to genotoxic stress, confirming impairment of the function of the FA pathway. We found that uncomplimented, FANCA-deficient HSPCs showed impaired cell cycle progression, increased apoptosis, and markedly decreased colony forming activity in methylcellulose compared to complemented, FANCA-expressing HSPCs. Unexpectedly, we also found that FANCA-deficient HSPCs showed accelerated erythroid differentiation compared to cells with an intact FA pathway. RNA sequencing analysis showed enrichment of signatures of normal HSPCs in complemented HSPCs, while uncomplimented HSPCs showed signatures of more mature hematopoietic cells and cells undergoing erythroid differentiation. Together, these findings demonstrate the utility of reversible complementation in modeling FA with patient-derived iPSCs, and provide an inexhaustible source of otherwise isongenic complimented and uncomplimented human FA HSPCs for use in the investigation of new therapies. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. </jats:sec

Single MRI-Based Volumetric Assessment in Clinical Practice Is Associated With MS-Related Disability

Background The added value of brain volume measurements in the clinical practice of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been questioned. Purpose To investigate the contribution of volume measures obtained with magnetic resonance scans performed as part of regular care to predict measures of cognitive and physical MS disability in a real-world setting. Study Type Retrospective. Subjects In all, 470 adults with diagnosed MS. Field Strength/Sequence 3D fluid attenuation inversion recovery (FLAIR) and 3D T-1-weighted MR images at 3.0T MR. Assessment Lesion and brain volume were measured by an automated method, MSmetrix, developed by icometrix. Statistical Tests We used stepwise linear regression models to assess the added value of a single volumetric assessment in predicting Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Brain volumes categorized into quartiles were used as predictive variables in a time-to-event analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression with time to worsening from baseline as outcome measures. Results Brain and lesion volume in relapsing onset MS strongly contributed to the best models, with a substantial role for age in the EDSS model and a modest role for education in the SDMT model. Adding MR volumetric information increased the explained variance from 17% to 28% in the best model for EDSS and from 9% to 25% in the best model for SDMT. A significantly reduced hazard (P <0.05) of SDMT worsening was found in the highest normalized brain volume quartiles (1375-1608 ml), compared with the lowest quartile (1201-1374 ml) in the total study population. Data Conclusion Our findings indicate that a single brain volumetric assessment contributes to the prediction of MS-related disability, with distinct patterns for EDSS as a measure of physical disability, and SDMT as a measure of cognitive disability. A threshold effect for the lowest brain volumes with regard to SDMT worsening over time was found