Mesenchymal stem cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine: applications in rheumatology

Growing knowledge on the biology of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has provided new insights into their potential clinical applications, particularly for rheumatologic disorders. Historically, their potential to differentiate into cells of the bone and cartilage lineages has led to a variety of experimental strategies to investigate whether MSCs can be used for tissue engineering approaches. Beyond this potential, MSCs also display immunosuppressive properties, which have prompted research on their capacity to suppress local inflammation and tissue damage in a variety of inflammatory autoimmune diseases and, in particular, in rheumatoid arthritis. Currently, an emerging field of research comes from the possibility that these cells, through their trophic/regenerative potential, may also influence the course of chronic degenerative disorders and prevent cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis. This review focuses on these advances, specifically on the biological properties of MSCs, including their immunoregulatory characteristics, differentiation capacity and trophic potential, as well as the relevance of MSC-based therapies for rheumatic diseases

Abstracts from the 20th International Symposium on Signal Transduction at the Blood-Brain Barriers

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138963/1/12987_2017_Article_71.pd

Roles of miR-29a and miR-574-3p during the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cell

Avec l'augmentation de l'espérance de vie, les pathologies ostéo-articulaires comme l'arthrose ou la polyarthrite rhumatoïde, caractérisées par la dégradation du cartilage articulaire, deviennent de réels problèmes de santé publique. Les traitements actuels sont essentiellement symptomatiques et aboutissent en ultime recours à la pose de prothèses. En absence de réparation spontanée du tissu et de traitement efficace, des approches d'ingénierie tissulaire du cartilage sont envisagées. Les techniques actuelles reposent sur la transplantation de chondrocytes autologues mais dans la majorité des cas, cette approche n'apporte pas de résultats supérieurs aux techniques chirurgicales utilisées actuellement. Grâce à leurs propriétés de différenciation, les cellules souches mésenchymateuses (CSM) représentent une nouvelle source de cellules ayant des potentiels thérapeutiques intéressants. Cependant, la complexité du processus de différenciation des CSMs vers des chondrocytes articulaires matures rend difficile l'obtention de cartilage fonctionnel après implantation. Il est donc important de mieux comprendre le processus de différenciation de ces cellules afin de mieux contrôler leur devenir in vivo. C'est pourquoi, le laboratoire s'intéresse au rôle des micro-ARNs (miARNs) dans la régulation du processus de différenciation des CSMs. L'objectif de mon projet de thèse a consisté à identifier des miARNs modulés dans la différenciation chondrocytaire des CSM humaines primaires et à étudier leur rôle et leur régulation au cours de la chondrogenèse. Nous avons identifié deux miARNs : miR-29a dont l'expression diminue progressivement au cours de la différenciation et miR-574-3p dont l'expression augmente rapidement puis est maintenue jusqu'à la fin de la différenciation. Ces deux miARNs sont régulés par le facteur de transcription SOX9 mais de manière opposée : SOX9 inhibe miR-29a et induit miR-574-3p. Nous montrons que SOX9 interagit avec YY1 pour réguler miR-29a mais pas miR-574-3p, ce qui pourrait expliquer les effets opposés de SOX9 sur l'expression des deux miARNs. Nous montrons également que ces miARNs sont des inhibiteurs de la différenciation chondrocytaire et avons identifié FOXO3A et RXRα comme cibles respectives de miR-29a et miR-574-3p. L'inhibition de FOXO3A ou RXRα avant l'induction de la différenciation, en utilisant des siARNs spécifiques ou en sur-exprimant les miARNs correspondants, bloque la différenciation des CSM. Ces résultats confirment sur des CSMs adultes, que ces protéines jouent un rôle important dans la chondrogenèse et que miR-29a et miR-574-3p participent aux processus de régulation de la différenciation chondrocytaire. En conclusion, nous avons identifié deux nouveaux miARNs contrôlés par SOX9 et régulant négativement la chondrogenèse grâce à la modulation de deux gènes cibles, dont l'expression est nécessaire avant d'induire la différenciation chondrocytaire.Roles of miR-29a and miR-574-3p during the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. With the constant increase of the lifespan, osteoarticular pathologies such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, characterized by articular cartilage degradation, are important public health problems. In absence of spontaneous regeneration, cartilage engineering approaches are being considered. Current techniques rely on autologous chondrocyte transplantation but in the majority of cases, this approach gives similar results as current surgeries. Due to their capacity of differentiation toward chondrocytes, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) represent a new source of cells with therapeutic potential. However, production of a functional cartilage in vivo after implantation of expanded MSC is hampered by the difficulty to reproduce the complexity of the differentiation process to get mature chondrocytes from MSC. The objective of my Ph.D thesis aimed to identify micro-RNAs (miRNAs) modulated during chondrogenic differentiation of primary human MSCs and to study their role as well as their regulation in this process. We identified two miRNAs: miR-29a whose expression decreases progressively during the differentiation and miR-574-3p whose expression rapidly increases and stays constant until the end of the differentiation. Both miRNAs are regulated by the transcription factor Sox9 but in an opposite manner: Sox9 inhibits miR-29a and induces miR-574-3p. We show that YY1 directly interact with Sox9 to regulate miR-29a but not miR-574-3p; this interaction likely explaining the opposite effects of Sox9 on miR-29a and miR-574-3p expression. Moreover we showed that miR-29a and miR-574-3p are both inhibitors of chondrogenesis and we identified FOXO3A and RXRα as their respective targets. In conclusion, we identified two new miRNAs which are regulated by Sox9 and inhibitors of chondrogenesis. They act through the modulation of two target genes, whose role during chondrogenic differentiation of adult MSC was previously not characterized

Therapeutic mesenchymal stem cells in rheumatic diseases: rationale, clinical data and perspectives

International audienceMesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSCs) are easily isolated from bone marrow or fat tissue and their potential of multilineage differentiation has initially led to the development of strategies for tissue engineering applications. More recently, they have gained much interest based on their trophic and immunomodulatory properties that have stimulated their evaluation in various clinical trials aiming at modulating the host immune response in graft-versus-host disease or autoimmune diseases. The clinical applications of MSCs for rheumatic diseases are limited and address primarily their potential to help tissue repair/regeneration. The aim of the present review is to focus on the mechanisms by which MSCs might exhibit a therapeutic potential in rheumatology and present the current data on the undergoing clinical trials. Special attention is given to miRNA expression in rheumatic pathologies and their possible modulation for future innovative strategies as biomarkers or therapeutic targets

Involvement of Angiopoietin-like 4 in Matrix Remodeling during Chondrogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

International audienceBackground:Due to their ability to differentiate into chondrocytes, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are candidates forcartilage repair.Results:During chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs, angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) triggers degradation and reducedsynthesis of the cartilage matrix.Conclusion:ANGPTL4 promotes cartilage matrix remodeling.Significance:In the perspective of MSC-based cartilage engineering, inhibiting ANGPTL4 expression or action could help tostabilize cartilage formation.Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered for cartilage engineering given their ability to differentiate into chondrocytes. Chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs is currently triggered by micromass culture in the presence of a member of the TGF-β superfamily. However, the main constituents of the cartilaginous matrix, aggrecan and type II collagen, are degraded at the end of the differentiation process through induction of matrix metallopeptidase (MMP)13. We hypothesized that MSCs undergoing chondrogenic differentiation produce an intermediate cytokine that triggers this matrix remodeling. Analysis of transcriptomic data identified angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) as one of the most strongly up-regulated gene encoding a secreted factor during TGF-β-induced chondrogenesis. To gain insight into the role of ANGPTL4 during chondrogenesis, we used recombinant ANGPTL4 as well as a RNA interference approach. Addition of exogenous ANGPTL4 during the course of TGF-β-induced differentiation reduced the mRNA levels of aggrecan and type II collagen, although it increased those of MMP1 and MMP13. Accordingly, deposition of aggrecan and total collagens was diminished, whereas release of MMP1 and MMP13 was increased. Conversely, transfection of MSCs with an siRNA targeting ANGPTL4 prior to induction of chondrogenesis increased expression of type II collagen and aggrecan, whereas it repressed that of MMP1, MMP3, and MMP13. A neutralizing antibody against integrin αVβ5, a known receptor for ANGPTL4, mimicked some of the effects observed after siRNA-mediated ANGPTL4 silencing. Our data provide evidence that ANGPTL4 promotes cartilage matrix remodeling by inhibiting expression of its two key components and by up-regulating the level of certain MMPs

The osteoclast cytoskeleton – current understanding and therapeutic perspectives for osteoporosis

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The beta-tubulin isotype TUBB6 controls microtubule and actin dynamics in osteoclasts

Open access https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2021.778887/fullInternational audienceABSTRACT Osteoclasts are bone resorbing cells that participate in the maintenance of bone health. Pathological increase in osteoclast activity causes bone loss eventually resulting in osteoporosis. Actin cytoskeleton of osteoclasts organizes into a belt of podosomes, which sustains the bone resorption apparatus and is maintained by microtubules. Better understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating osteoclast cytoskeleton is key to understand the mechanisms of bone resorption, in particular to propose new strategies against osteoporosis. We reported recently that β-tubulin isotype TUBB6 is key for cytoskeleton organization in osteoclasts and for bone resorption. Here, using an osteoclast model CRISPR/Cas9 KO for Tubb6, we show that TUBB6 controls both microtubule and actin dynamics in osteoclasts. Osteoclasts KO for Tubb6 have reduced microtubule growth speed with longer growth life time, higher levels of acetylation and smaller EB1-caps. On the other hand, lack of TUBB6 increases podosome life time while the belt of podosomes is destabilized. Finally, we performed proteomic analyses of osteoclast microtubule-associated protein enriched fractions. This highlighted ARHGAP10 as a new microtubule-associated protein, which binding to microtubules appears to be negatively regulated by TUBB6. ARHGAP10 is a negative regulator of CDC42 activity, which participates in actin organization in osteoclasts. Our results suggest that TUBB6 plays a key role in the control of microtubule and actin cytoskeleton dynamics in osteoclasts. Moreover, by controlling ARHGAP10 association with microtubules, TUBB6 may participate in the local control CDC42 activity to ensure efficient bone resorption

Primary myeloid cell proteomics and transcriptomics: importance of β-tubulin isotypes for osteoclast function

International audienceAmong hematopoietic cells, osteoclasts (OCs) and immature dendritic cells (DCs) are closely related myeloid cells with distinct functions: OCs participate skeleton maintenance while DCs sample the environment for foreign antigens. Such specificities rely on profound modifications of gene and protein expression during OC and DC differentiation. We provide global proteomic and transcriptomic analyses of primary mouse OCs and DCs, based on original stable isotope labeling with amino acids in cell culture (SILAC) and RNAseq data. We established specific signatures for OCs and DCs, including genes and proteins of unknown functions. In particular, we showed that OCs and DCs have the same α- and β-tubulin isotype repertoire but that OCs express much more of the β tubulin isotype Tubb6 (also known as TBB6). In both mouse and human OCs, we demonstrate that elevated expression of Tubb6 in OCs is necessary for correct podosomes organization and thus for the structure of the sealing zone, which sustains the bone resorption apparatus. Hence, lowering Tubb6 expression hinders OC resorption activity. Overall, we highlight here potential new regulators of OC and DC biology, and illustrate the functional importance of the tubulin isotype repertoire in the biology of differentiated cells

Sox9-regulated miRNA-574-3p inhibits chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells.

The aim of this study was to identify new microRNAs (miRNAs) that are modulated during the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) toward chondrocytes. Using large scale miRNA arrays, we compared the expression of miRNAs in MSCs (day 0) and at early time points (day 0.5 and 3) after chondrogenesis induction. Transfection of premiRNA or antagomiRNA was performed on MSCs before chondrogenesis induction and expression of miRNAs and chondrocyte markers was evaluated at different time points during differentiation by RT-qPCR. Among miRNAs that were modulated during chondrogenesis, we identified miR-574-3p as an early up-regulated miRNA. We found that miR-574-3p up-regulation is mediated via direct binding of Sox9 to its promoter region and demonstrated by reporter assay that retinoid X receptor (RXR)α is one gene specifically targeted by the miRNA. In vitro transfection of MSCs with premiR-574-3p resulted in the inhibition of chondrogenesis demonstrating its role during the commitment of MSCs towards chondrocytes. In vivo, however, both up- and down-regulation of miR-574-3p expression inhibited differentiation toward cartilage and bone in a model of heterotopic ossification. In conclusion, we demonstrated that Sox9-dependent up-regulation of miR-574-3p results in RXRα down-regulation. Manipulating miR-574-3p levels both in vitro and in vivo inhibited chondrogenesis suggesting that miR-574-3p might be required for chondrocyte lineage maintenance but also that of MSC multipotency

FOXO3A Regulation by miRNA-29a Controls Chondrogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Cartilage Formation

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