23 research outputs found
Wnt target genes identified by DNA microarrays in immature CD34+ thymocytes regulate proliferation and cell adhesion
The thymus is seeded by very small numbers of progenitor cells that
undergo massive proliferation before differentiation and rearrangement of
TCR genes occurs. Various signals mediate proliferation and
differentiation of these cells, including Wnt signals. Wnt signals induce
the interaction of the cytoplasmic cofactor beta-catenin with nuclear T
cell factor (TCF) transcription factors. We identified target genes of the
Wnt/beta-catenin/TCF pathway in the most immature (CD4-CD8-CD34+)
thymocytes using Affymetrix DNA microarrays in combination with three
different functional assays for in vitro induction of Wnt signaling. A
relatively small number (approximately 30) of genes changed expression,
including several proliferation-inducing transcription factors such as
c-fos and c-jun, protein phosphatases, and adhesion molecules, but no
genes involved in differentiation to mature T cell stages. The adhesion
molecules likely confine the proliferating immature thymocytes to the
appropriate anatomical sites in the thymus. For several of these target
genes, we validated that they are true Wnt/beta-catenin/TCF target genes
using real-time quantitative PCR and reporter gene assays. The same core
set of genes was repressed in Tcf-1-null mice, explaining the block in
early thymocyte development in these mice. In conclusion, Wnt signals
mediate proliferation and cell adhesion, but not differentiation of the
immature thymic progenitor pool
Wnt3a deficiency irreversibly impairs hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and leads to defects in progenitor cell differentiation
Canonical Wnt signaling has been implicated in various aspects of hematopoiesis. Its role is controversial due to different outcomes between various inducible Wnt-signaling loss-of-function models and also compared with gain-of-function systems. We therefore studied a mouse deficient for a Wnt gene that seemed to play a nonredundant role in hematopoiesis. Mice lacking Wnt3a die prenatally around embryonic day (E) 12.5, allowing fetal hematopoiesis to be studied using in vitro assays and transplantation into irradiated recipient mice. Here we show that Wnt3a deficiency leads to a reduction in the numbers of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and progenitor cells in the fetal liver (FL) and to severely reduced reconstitution capacity as measured in secondary transplantation assays. This deficiency is irreversible and cannot be restored by transplantation into Wnt3a competent mice. The impaired long-term repopulation capacity of Wnt3a-/- HSCs could not be explained by altered cell cycle or survival of primitive progenitors. Moreover, Wnt3a deficiency affected myeloid but not B-lymphoid development at the progenitor level, and affected immature thymocyte differentiation. Our results show that Wnt3a signaling not only provides proliferative stimuli, such as for immature thymocytes, but also regulates cell fate decisions of HSC during hematopoiesis
Clinical characteristics of women captured by extending the definition of severe postpartum haemorrhage with 'refractoriness to treatment': a cohort study
Background: The absence of a uniform and clinically relevant definition of severe postpartum haemorrhage
hampers comparative studies and optimization of clinical management. The concept of persistent postpartum
haemorrhage, based on refractoriness to initial first-line treatment, was proposed as an alternative to common
definitions that are either based on estimations of blood loss or transfused units of packed red blood cells
(RBC). We compared characteristics and outcomes of women with severe postpartum haemorrhage captured
by these three types of definitions.
Methods: In this large retrospective cohort study in 61 hospitals in the Netherlands we included 1391 consecutive
women with postpartum haemorrhage who received either ≥4 units of RBC or a multicomponent transfusion. Clinical
characteristics and outcomes of women with severe postpartum haemorrhage defined as persistent postpartum
haemorrhage were compared to definitions based on estimated blood loss or transfused units of RBC within 24 h
following birth. Adverse maternal outcome was a composite of maternal mortality, hysterectomy, arterial embolisation
and intensive care unit admission.
Results: One thousand two hundred sixty out of 1391 women (90.6%) with postpartum haemorrhage fulfilled the
definition of persistent postpartum haemorrhage. The majority, 820/1260 (65.1%), fulfilled this definition within 1 h
following birth, compared to 819/1391 (58.7%) applying the definition of ≥1 L blood loss and 37/845 (4.4%) applying
the definition of ≥4 units of RBC. The definition persistent postpartum haemorrhage captured 430/471 adverse maternal
outcomes (91.3%), compared to 471/471 (100%) for ≥1 L blood loss and 383/471 (81.3%) for ≥4 units of RBC. Persistent
postpartum haemorrhage did not capture all adverse outcomes because of missing data on timing of initial, first-line
treatment.
Conclusion: The definition persistent postpartum haemo