Fetal membranes as a source of stem cells

ABSTRACT In recent years, a constant growth of knowledge and clinical applications of stem cells have been observed. Mesenchymal stromal cells, also described as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a particular cell type for research and therapy because of their ability to differentiate into mesodermal lineage cells. The most investigated source of MSCs is bone marrow (BM). Yet, collection of BM is an invasive procedure associated with significant discomfort to the patient. The procedure results in a relatively low number of these cells, which can decrease with donor´s age. Therefore, it seems to be very important to find other sources of mesenchymal stem cells nowadays. A human placenta, which is routinely discarded postpartum, in spite of its natural aging process, is still a rich source of stem cells capable to proliferate and in vitro differentiate in many directions. Besides homing and differentiation in the area of injury, MSCs there elicit strong paracrine effects stimulating the processes of repair. In this review, we focus on the biology, characteristics and potential clinical applications of cells derived from human fetal membranes: amnion and chorion

Current views on the role of Notch signaling and the pathogenesis of human leukemia

The Notch signaling pathway is highly conserved from Drosophila to humans and plays an important role in the regulation of cellular proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis

Microarray Analyses of Inflammation Response of Human Dermal Fibroblasts to Different Strains of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Stricto

In Lyme borreliosis, the skin is the key site of bacterial inoculation by the infected tick, and of cutaneous manifestations, erythema migrans and acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans. We explored the role of fibroblasts, the resident cells of the dermis, in the development of the disease. Using microarray experiments, we compared the inflammation of fibroblasts induced by three strains of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto isolated from different environments and stages of Lyme disease: N40 (tick), Pbre (erythema migrans) and 1408 (acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans). The three strains exhibited a similar profile of inflammation with strong induction of chemokines (CXCL1 and IL-8) and IL-6 cytokine mainly involved in the chemoattraction of immune cells. Molecules such as TNF-alpha and NF-κB factors, metalloproteinases (MMP-1, -3 and -12) and superoxide dismutase (SOD2), also described in inflammatory and cellular events, were up-regulated. In addition, we showed that tick salivary gland extracts induce a cytotoxic effect on fibroblasts and that OspC, essential in the transmission of Borrelia to the vertebrate host, was not responsible for the secretion of inflammatory molecules by fibroblasts. Tick saliva components could facilitate the early transmission of the disease to the site of injury creating a feeding pit. Later in the development of the disease, Borrelia would intensively multiply in the skin and further disseminate to distant organs

Application of medical and analytical methods in Lyme borreliosis monitoring

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is one of the most common tick-borne diseases in the northern hemisphere. It is a chronic inflammatory disease caused by the spirochaete Borrelia burgdorferi. In its early stages, pathological skin lesions, namely erythema chronicum migrans, appear. The lesions, usually localised at the site of the bite, may become visible from a few weeks up to 3 months after the infection. Predominant clinical symptoms of the disease also involve joint malfunctions and neurological or cardiac disorders. Lyme disease, in all its stages, may be successfully treated with antibiotics. The best results, however, are obtained in its early stages. In order to diagnose the disease, numerous medical or laboratory techniques have been developed. They are applied to confirm the presence of intact spirochaetes or spirochaete components such as DNA or proteins in tick vectors, reservoir hosts or patients. The methods used for the determination of LB biomarkers have also been reviewed. These biomarkers are formed during the lipid peroxidation process. The formation of peroxidation products generated by human organisms is directly associated with oxidative stress. Apart from aldehydes (malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal), many other unsaturated components such as isoprostenes and neuroprostane are obtained. The fast determination of these compounds in encephalic fluid, urine or plasma, especially in early stages of the disease, enables its treatment. Various analytical techniques which allow the determination of the aforementioned biomarkers have been reported. These include spectrophotometry as well as liquid and gas chromatography. The analytical procedure also requires the application of a derivatization step by the use of selected reagents

Small PARP inhibitor PJ-34 induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of adult T-cell leukemia cells

A grant from the One-University Open Access Fund at the University of Kansas was used to defray the author’s publication fees in this Open Access journal. The Open Access Fund, administered by librarians from the KU, KU Law, and KUMC libraries, is made possible by contributions from the offices of KU Provost, KU Vice Chancellor for Research & Graduate Studies, and KUMC Vice Chancellor for Research. For more information about the Open Access Fund, please see http://library.kumc.edu/authors-fund.xml.Background HTLV-I is associated with the development of an aggressive form of lymphocytic leukemia known as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL). A major obstacle for effective treatment of ATLL resides in the genetic diversity of tumor cells and their ability to acquire resistance to chemotherapy regimens. As a result, most patients relapse and current therapeutic approaches still have limited long-term survival benefits. Hence, the development of novel approaches is greatly needed. Methods In this study, we found that a small molecule inhibitor of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), PJ-34, is very effective in activating S/G2M cell cycle checkpoints, resulting in permanent cell cycle arrest and reactivation of p53 transcription functions and caspase-3-dependent apoptosis of HTLV-I-transformed and patient-derived ATLL tumor cells. We also found that HTLV-I-transformed MT-2 cells are resistant to PJ-34 therapy associated with reduced cleaved caspase-3 activation and increased expression of RelA/p65. Conclusion Since PJ-34 has been tested in clinical trials for the treatment of solid tumors, our results suggest that some ATLL patients may be good candidates to benefit from PJ-34 therapy

CD14 Signaling Restrains Chronic Inflammation through Induction of p38-MAPK/SOCS-Dependent Tolerance

Current thinking emphasizes the primacy of CD14 in facilitating recognition of microbes by certain TLRs to initiate pro-inflammatory signaling events and the importance of p38-MAPK in augmenting such responses. Herein, this paradigm is challenged by demonstrating that recognition of live Borrelia burgdorferi not only triggers an inflammatory response in the absence of CD14, but one that is, in part, a consequence of altered PI3K/AKT/p38-MAPK signaling and impaired negative regulation of TLR2. CD14 deficiency results in increased localization of PI3K to lipid rafts, hyperphosphorylation of AKT, and reduced activation of p38. Such aberrant signaling leads to decreased negative regulation by SOCS1, SOCS3, and CIS, thereby compromising the induction of tolerance in macrophages and engendering more severe and persistent inflammatory responses to B. burgdorferi. Importantly, these altered signaling events and the higher cytokine production observed can be mimicked through shRNA and pharmacological inhibition of p38 activity in CD14-expressing macrophages. Perturbation of this CD14/p38-MAPK-dependent immune regulation may underlie development of infectious chronic inflammatory syndromes

Differential Notch1 and Notch2 expression in non-small cell lung cancer

Introduction: NOTCH signaling can be deregulated in non-small cell lung cancer and can have oncogenic or tumor suppressive functions. NOTCH1 is regulated equally with NOTCH2, and the stability of the expression of those Notch receptors could determine the biological functions of lung cancer cells. Purpose: To estimate expression level of NOTCH2 receptor in diverse NSCLC cell lines. Furthermore, we compared the mRNA level of NOTCH2 expression to the level of NOTCH1 expression. Materials and methods: We have evaluated the mRNA manifestation of NOTCH1 and NOTCH2 genes by using quantitative real time method (RT-PCR). Moreover, we associated the results from NSCLC cells with results achieved in non-cancerous human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEpC). Results: The expression level of NOTCH1 and NOTCH2 was downregulated in NSCLC cell lines, when related to HBEpC. Nevertheless, the decrease in NOTCH1 expression was significant, whereas NOTCH2 was not much different from the expression in control cells. Conclusions: We conclude that NOTCH1 and NOTCH2 most likely have different biological function in NSCLC. They are active in NSCLC cell lines; nonetheless both are downregulated in lung cancer cells used in this study. Moreover, NOTCH2 expression is comparatively higher than NOTCH1 expression

Human bronchial epithelial cells as a good control for evaluation potential therapeutic Notch signaling in non-small cell lung cancer

Purpose: Notch signaling is often deregulated in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but little is known about the initial endogenous mRNA status of Notch ligands and receptors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate expression level of NOTCH1 receptor and Notch ligands, such as delta like ligands (DLL1, DLL3, DLL4), and jagged ligands (JAG1, JAG2), as well as target gene-hes family bHLH transcription factor 1 (HES1) in diverse NSCLC cell lines. Materials and Methods: We have investigated the mRNA expression of chosen genes by using quantitative real time method (RT-PCR). We compared the results from NSCLC cells with results obtained in non-cancerous human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEpC). We also measured NOTCH1 expression in A549 cells, before and after treatment with γ-secretase inhibitor (GSI). Results: The expression level of NOTCH1, HES1, JAG1 and JAG2 was downregulated when compared to HBEpC. The expression of Notch ligand DLL1 was lower in all cancer cell lines, but mRNA level of DLL3 was elevated in H1299 and A549 cells when related to HBEpC. The mRNA level of DLL4 was higher in H520 and in A549 cell lines. Moreover, the mRNA level of NOTCH1 dropped down after GSI treatment, in addition A549 cells proliferated slower after drug implementation. Conclusions: We conclude that non-cancerous HBEpC cells could serve as a good control for Notch mRNAs expression analysis in NSCLC. Moreover, GSI-treated cells could inhibit proliferation through suppressing NOTCH1 in A549 cells. Keywords: Notch, NSCLC, HBEp