Stem cell biology has garnered much attention due to its potential to impact human health through disease modeling and cell replacement therapy. This is especially pertinent to myelin-related disorders such as multiple sclerosis and leukodystrophies where restoration of normal oligodendrocyte function could provide an effective treatment. Progress in myelin repair has been constrained by the difficulty in generating pure populations of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) in sufficient quantities. Pluripotent stem cells theoretically provide an unlimited source of OPCs but significant advances are currently hindered by heterogeneous differentiation strategies that lack reproducibility. Here we provide a platform for the directed differentiation of pluripotent mouse epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) through a defined series of developmental transitions into a pure population of highly expandable OPCs in ten days. These OPCs robustly differentiate into myelinating oligodendrocytes both in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrate that pluripotent stem cells can provide a pure population of clinically-relevant, myelinogenic oligodendrocytes and offer a tractable platform for defining the molecular regulation of oligodendrocyte development, drug screening, and potential cell-based remyelinating therapies.
Rapid and robust generation of functional oligodendrocyte progenitor cells from epiblast stem cells.
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View SamplesNPTX1 is a key inducer of neural lineages from the human ESC.
NPTX1 regulates neural lineage specification from human pluripotent stem cells.
Cell line, Time
View SamplesCell-based therapies for myelin disorders, such as multiple sclerosis and leukodystrophies, require technologies to generate functional oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Here we describe direct conversion of mouse embryonic and lung fibroblasts to induced oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (iOPCs) using sets of either eight or three defined transcription factors. iOPCs exhibit a bipolar morphologyical and global gene expression profile molecular features consistent with bona fide OPCs. They can be expanded in vitro for at least five passages while retaining the ability to differentiate into induced multiprocessed oligodendrocytes. When transplanted to hypomyelinated mice, iOPCs are capable of ensheathing host axons and generating compact myelinmyelinating axons both in vitro and in vivo. Lineage conversion of somatic cells to expandable iOPCs provides a strategy to study the molecular control of oligodendrocyte lineage identity and may facilitate neurological disease modeling and autologous remyelinating therapies.
Transcription factor-mediated reprogramming of fibroblasts to expandable, myelinogenic oligodendrocyte progenitor cells.
Specimen part, Treatment
View SamplesMany cancers are postulated to harbor developmental hierarchies in which cells display variability in stem-like character, tumor propagating ability, and proliferation. In glioblastoma (GBM), glioma stem cells (GSCs) reside atop such a tumor cellular hierarchy, and are thought to resist current therapies and thus underlie inevitable relapse. Here we show that GSCs can evade RTK inhibition by reversibly regressing to a slow-cycling state reminiscent of quiescent neural stem cells. This process involves up-regulation of numerous histone demethylases, including KDM6A/B, which remodel the chromatin landscape and are selectively essential for drug persister survival. Chromatin remodeling is accompanied by activation of various neurodevelopmental master regulators and Notch signaling, changes which closely parallel critical aspects of neural stem cell biology. Thus our findings illustrate how cancer cells may hijack native developmental programs for deranged proliferation, adaptation, and tolerance in the face of stress. Our studies highlight key roles for chromatin remodeling and developmental plasticity in GBM biology, and suggest strategies for overcoming therapeutic resistance by targeting epigenetic and developmental pathways. Overall design: ChIP-seq for histone modifications and Notch factors in glioblastoma stem cell lines with various drug treatments RNA-seq in glioblastoma stem cell lines with various drug treatments
Adaptive Chromatin Remodeling Drives Glioblastoma Stem Cell Plasticity and Drug Tolerance.
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View SamplesMultiple sclerosis involves an aberrant autoimmune response and progressive failure of remyelination in the central nervous system. Prevention of neural degeneration and subsequent disability requires remyelination through the generation of new oligodendrocytes, but current treatments exclusively target the immune system. Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells are stem cells in the central nervous system and the principal source of myelinating oligodendrocytes. These cells are abundant in demyelinated regions of patients with multiple sclerosis, yet fail to differentiate, thereby representing a cellular target for pharmacological intervention. To discover therapeutic compounds for enhancing myelination from endogenous oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, we screened a library of bioactive small molecules on mouse pluripotent epiblast stem-cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells. Here we show seven drugs function at nanomolar doses selectively to enhance the generation of mature oligodendrocytes from progenitor cells in vitro. Two drugs, miconazole and clobetasol, are effective in promoting precocious myelination in organotypic cerebellar slice cultures, and in vivo in early postnatal mouse pups. Systemic delivery of each of the two drugs significantly increases the number of new oligodendrocytes and enhances remyelination in a lysolecithin-induced mouse model of focal demyelination. Administering each of the two drugs at the peak of disease in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mouse model of chronic progressive multiple sclerosis results in striking reversal of disease severity. Immune response assays show that miconazole functions directly as a remyelinating drug with no effect on the immune system, whereas clobetasol is a potent immunosuppressant as well as a remyelinating agent. Mechanistic studies show that miconazole and clobetasol function in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells through mitogen-activated protein kinase and glucocorticoid receptor signalling, respectively. Furthermore, both drugs enhance the generation of human oligodendrocytes from human oligodendrocyte progenitor cells in vitro. Collectively, our results provide a rationale for testing miconazole and clobetasol, or structurally modified derivatives, to enhance remyelination in patients. Overall design: RNA sequencing of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells treated with vehicle, miconazole or clobetasol for 0, 2, 6, or 12 hours. Cells were plated 1.5 hours prior to addition of drug.
Drug-based modulation of endogenous stem cells promotes functional remyelination in vivo.
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View SamplesTargeting the Mdm2 oncoprotein by drugs has the potential of re-establishing p53 function and tumor suppression. However, Mdm2-antagonizing drug candidates, e. g. Nutlin-3a, often fail to abolish cancer cell growth sustainably. To overcome these limitations, we inhibited Mdm2 and simultaneously a second negative regulator of p53, the phosphatase Wip1/PPM1D. When combining Nutlin-3a with the Wip1 inhibitor GSK2830371 in the treatment of p53-proficient but not p53-deficient cells, we observed enhanced phosphorylation (Ser 15) and acetylation (Lys 382) of p53, increased expression of p53 target gene products, and synergistic inhibition of cell proliferation. Surprisingly, when testing the two compounds individually, largely distinct sets of genes were induced, as revealed by deep sequencing analysis of RNA. In contrast, the combination of both drugs led to an expression signature that largely comprised that of Nutlin-3a alone. Moreover, the combination of drugs, or the combination of Nutlin-3a with Wip1-depletion by siRNA, activated p53-responsive genes to a greater extent than either of the compounds alone. Simultaneous inhibition of Mdm2 and Wip1 enhanced cell senescence and G2/M accumulation. Taken together, the inhibition of Wip1 might fortify p53-mediated tumor suppression by Mdm2 antagonists. Overall design: Expression profiling by high throughput sequencing
Cooperation of Nutlin-3a and a Wip1 inhibitor to induce p53 activity.
Specimen part, Treatment, Subject
View SamplesLiver fibrosis is characterized by the excessive formation and accumulation of matrix proteins as a result of wound healing in the liver. A main event during fibrogenesis is the activation of the liver resident quiescent hepatic stellate cell (qHSC). Recent studies suggest that reversion of the activated HSC (aHSC) phenotype into a quiescent-like phenotype could be a major cellular mechanism underlying fibrosis regression in the liver, thereby offering new therapeutic perspectives for the treatment of liver fibrosis. The goal of the present study is to identify experimental conditions that can revert the activated status of human HSCs and to map the molecular events associated with this phenotype reversion by gene expression profiling
In vitro reversion of activated primary human hepatic stellate cells.
Sex, Age, Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesWe successfully sequenced and annotated more than 400 cells from child, adult control, type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes donors. We detect donor-type specific transcript variation. We also report that cells from child donors have less defined gene signature. Cells from type 2 diabetes donors resemble juvenile cells in gene expression. Overall design: Cells from three adult controls (56, 74, 92), one donor with type 1 diabetes (91), two donors with type 2 diabetes (75, 143), and two child donors (40, 72) were sequenced. Numbers in parathesis indicates number of cells sequenced.
Single-Cell Transcriptomics of the Human Endocrine Pancreas.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesEndogenous pancreatic multipotent progenitors (PMPs) are ideal candidates for regenerative approaches to compensate for b-cell loss since their b-cell–producing capacities as well as strategic location would eliminate unnecessary invasive manipulations. However, little is known about the status and potentials of PMPs under diabetic conditions. Here we show that b-cell metabolic stress and hyperglycemia enhance the proliferation capacities of adult PMP cells and bias their production of progeny toward b-cells in mouse and human. These effects are dynamic and correlate with functional b-cell regeneration when conditions allow. Overall design: Insulin-positive Glut2-low cell population of adult pancreatic tissue is enriched for PMP cells. Streptozocin (STZ) can enter beta-cells via Glut2 , induce cell death and consequently diabetes. Insulin-positive cells from two groups (STZ-injected experiment and vehicle-injected control, n=3/group) of MIP-GFP transgenic male mice were sorted to Glut2-low (Glut2L) and Glut2-high (Glut2H) by FACS. Total RNA from these samples were extracted for transcriptome analysis.
Diabetes enhances the proliferation of adult pancreatic multipotent progenitor cells and biases their differentiation to more β-cell production.
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View SamplesThe 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D metabolite (24R,25D) has long been suspected of participating to bone fracture repair. We used Cyp24a1-deficient mice, unable to produce 24R25D, to observe gene expression in callus tissue compared to that of control littermates.
Optimal bone fracture repair requires 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and its effector molecule FAM57B2.
Age, Specimen part, Treatment, Time
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