Björn Rozell

Loss of the lupus autoantigen Ro52/Trim21 induces tissue inflammation and systemic autoimmunity by disregulating the IL-23-Th17 pathway.

Ro52/Trim21 is targeted as an autoantigen in systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögrens syndrome. Polymorphisms in the Ro52 gene have been linked to these autoimmune conditions, but the molecular mechanism by which Ro52 may promote development of systemic autoimmune diseases has not been explored. To address this issue, we generated Ro52-null mice (Ro52−/−), which appear phenotypically normal if left unmanipulated. However, Ro52−/− mice develop severe dermatitis extending from the site of tissue injury induced by ear tags. The affected mice further develop several signs of systemic lupus with hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibodies to DNA, proteinuria, and kidney pathology. Ro52, which was recently identified as an E3 ligase, mediates ubiquitination of several members of the interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family, and the Ro52-deficient mice have an enhanced production of proinflammatory cytokines that are regulated by the IRF transcription factors, including cytokines involved in the Th17 pathway (interleukin [IL] 6, IL-12/IL-23p40, and IL-17). Loss of IL-23/IL-17 by genetic deletion of IL-23/p19 in the Ro52−/− mice conferred protection from skin disease and systemic autoimmunity. These data reveal that the lupus-associated Ro52 protein is an important negative regulator of proinflammatory cytokine production, and they provide a mechanism by which a defective Ro52 function can lead to tissue inflammation and systemic autoimmunity through the IL-23–Th17 pathway.

Retardation of post-natal development caused by a negatively acting thyroid hormone receptor α1

Most patients with the syndrome resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) express a mutant thyroid hormone receptor β (TRβ) with transdominant negative transcriptional effects. Since no patient with a mutant TRα has been identified, we introduced a point mutation into the mouse thyroid hormone receptor (TRα1) locus originally found in the TRβ gene, that reduces ligand binding 10‐fold. Heterozygous 2‐ to 3‐week‐ old mice exhibit a severe retardation of post‐natal development and growth, but only a minor reduction in serum thyroxine levels. Homozygous mice died before 3 weeks of age. Adult heterozygotes overcome most of these defects except for cardiac function abnormalities, suggesting that other factors compensate for the receptor defect. However, the additional deletion of the TRβ gene in this mouse strain caused a 10‐fold increase in serum thyroxine, restored hormonal regulation of target genes for TRs, and rescued the growth retardation. The data demonstrate a novel array of effects mediated by a dominant negative TRα1, and may provide important clues for identification of a potentially unrecognized human disorder and its treatment.

A Defined and Xeno-Free Culture Method Enabling the Establishment of Clinical-Grade Human Embryonic, Induced Pluripotent and Adipose Stem Cells

Background The growth of stem cells in in vitro conditions requires optimal balance between signals mediating cell survival, proliferation, and self-renewal. For clinical application of stem cells, the use of completely defined conditions and elimination of all animal-derived materials from the establishment, culture, and differentiation processes is desirable. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we report the development of a fully defined xeno-free medium (RegES), capable of supporting the expansion of human embryonic stem cells (hESC), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and adipose stem cells (ASC). We describe the use of the xeno-free medium in the derivation and long-term (>80 passages) culture of three pluripotent karyotypically normal hESC lines: Regea 06/015, Regea 07/046, and Regea 08/013. Cardiomyocytes and neural cells differentiated from these cells exhibit features characteristic to these cell types. The same formulation of the xeno-free medium is capable of supporting the undifferentiated growth of iPSCs on human feeder cells. The characteristics of the pluripotent hESC and iPSC lines are comparable to lines derived and cultured in standard undefined culture conditions. In the culture of ASCs, the xeno-free medium provided significantly higher proliferation rates than ASCs cultured in medium containing allogeneic human serum (HS), while maintaining the differentiation potential and characteristic surface marker expression profile of ASCs, although significant differences in the surface marker expression of ASCs cultured in HS and RegES media were revealed. Conclusion/Significance Our results demonstrate that human ESCs, iPSCs and ASCs can be maintained in the same defined xeno-free medium formulation for a prolonged period of time while maintaining their characteristics, demonstrating the applicability of the simplified xeno-free medium formulation for the production of clinical-grade stem cells. The basic xeno-free formulation described herein has the potential to be further optimized for specific applications relating to establishment, expansion and differentiation of various stem cell types.

The first reported generation of several induced pluripotent stem cell lines from homozygous and heterozygous Huntington's disease patients demonstrates mutation related enhanced lysosomal activity

Neuronal disorders, like Huntingtons disease (HD), are difficult to study, due to limited cell accessibility, late onset manifestations, and low availability of material. The establishment of an in vitro model that recapitulates features of the disease may help understanding the cellular and molecular events that trigger disease manifestations. Here, we describe the generation and characterization of a series of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells derived from patients with HD, including two rare homozygous genotypes and one heterozygous genotype. We used lentiviral technology to transfer key genes for inducing reprogramming. To confirm pluripotency and differentiation of iPS cells, we used PCR amplification and immunocytochemistry to measure the expression of marker genes in embryoid bodies and neurons. We also analyzed teratomas that formed in iPS cell-injected mice. We found that the length of the pathological CAG repeat did not increase during reprogramming, after long term growth in vitro, and after differentiation into neurons. In addition, we observed no differences between normal and mutant genotypes in reprogramming, growth rate, caspase activation or neuronal differentiation. However, we observed a significant increase in lysosomal activity in HD-iPS cells compared to control iPS cells, both during self-renewal and in iPS-derived neurons. In conclusion, we have established stable HD-iPS cell lines that can be used for investigating disease mechanisms that underlie HD. The CAG stability and lysosomal activity represent novel observations in HD-iPS cells. In the future, these cells may provide the basis for a powerful platform for drug screening and target identification in HD.

Hypermetabolism in mice caused by the central action of an unliganded thyroid hormone receptor α1

Thyroid hormone, via its nuclear receptors TRα and TRβ, controls metabolism by acting locally in peripheral tissues and centrally by regulating sympathetic signaling. We have defined aporeceptor regulation of metabolism by using mice heterozygous for a mutant TRα1 with low affinity to T3. The animals were hypermetabolic, showing strongly reduced fat depots, hyperphagia and resistance to diet‐induced obesity accompanied by induction of genes involved in glucose handling and fatty acid metabolism in liver and adipose tissues. Increased lipid mobilization and β‐oxidation occurred in adipose tissues, whereas blockade of sympathetic signaling to brown adipose tissue normalized the metabolic phenotype despite a continued perturbed hormone signaling in this cell type. The results define a novel and important role for the TRα1 aporeceptor in governing metabolic homeostasis. Furthermore, the data demonstrate that a nuclear hormone receptor affecting sympathetic signaling can override its autonomous effects in peripheral tissues.

Activation of Innate Immunity, Inflammation, and Potentiation of DNA Vaccination through Mammalian Expression of the TLR5 Agonist Flagellin

Improving DNA vaccination remains a fundamental goal in vaccine research. Theoretically, this could be achieved by molecules encoded by DNA capable of activating TLRs to mimic inflammatory responses generated by infection. Therefore, we constructed an expression vector that allows mammalian cells to express the TLR5 agonist flagellin (FliC) at the cell surface. In vitro, cell lines expressing FliC stimulated production of proinflammatory cytokines and the up-regulation of costimulatory molecules on monocytes. Mice given the FliC expression vector intradermally exhibited site-specific inflammation and, in combination with vectors expressing Ags, developed dramatic increases in Ag-specific IgG as well as IgA. Surprisingly, mice also developed strong Ag-specific MHC class I-restricted cellular immunity. To determine whether vaccination using FliC vectors could elicit protective immunity to an infectious agent, mice were given dermal injections of FliC expression vector together with a vector encoding the influenza A virus nucleoprotein. This vaccination strategy elicited protective immunity to lethal influenza A virus infection. These results demonstrate that expression of DNA-encoded TLR agonists by mammalian cells greatly enhance and broaden immune responses, imposing new possibilities on DNA vaccination to infectious agents and cancer.

Development of Mammary Tumors by Conditional Expression of GLI1

A diverse set of cellular defects, presumably elicited by multiple genetic alterations, underlies cancer development. Aberrant Hedgehog (Hh) signaling has recently been implicated in the development and maintenance of breast cancer. However, evidence conclusively showing that activated Hh signaling can induce mammary tumors is lacking. We now show that transgenic expression of the Hh effector protein GLI1 under the regulation of the mouse mammary tumor virus promoter, expressed in the mouse mammary gland, is associated with the appearance of hyperplastic lesions, defective terminal end buds, and tumor development. The GLI1-induced tumors are histologically heterogeneous and involve the expansion of a population of epithelial cells expressing the progenitor cell markers keratin 6 and Bmi-1. Moreover, tumor cells express genes involved in proliferation, cell survival, and metastasis. GLI1-induced tumors do not fully regress following transgene deinduction, indicating that some tumors develop and are maintained autonomously, independent of sustained transgenic GLI1 expression. The data strongly support a role of Hh/GLI signaling in breast cancer development and suggest that inhibition of this signaling pathway represents a new therapeutic opportunity for limiting tumorigenesis and early tumorigenic progression.

Progressive loss of mitochondrial DNA in thymidine kinase 2-deficient mice

Deficient enzymatic activity of the mitochondrial deoxyribonucleoside kinases deoxyguanosine kinase (DGUOK) or thymidine kinase 2 (TK2) cause mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-depletion syndromes in humans. Here we report the generation of a Tk2-deficient mouse strain and show that the mice develop essentially normally for the first week but from then on exhibit growth retardation and die within 2-4 weeks of life. Several organs including skeletal muscle, heart, liver and spleen showed progressive loss of mtDNA without increased mtDNA mutations or structural alterations. There were no major histological changes in skeletal muscle, but heart muscle showed disorganized and damaged muscle fibers. Electron microscopy showed mitochondria with distorted cristae. The Tk2-deficient mice exhibited pronounced hypothermia and showed loss of hypodermal fat and abnormal brown adipose tissue. We conclude that Tk2 has a major role in supplying deoxyribonucleotides for mtDNA replication and that other pathways of deoxyribonucleotide synthesis cannot compensate for loss of this enzyme.

Monocytes/macrophages and/or neutrophils are the target of IL-10 in the LPS endotoxemia model

IL‐10 is a potent regulator of the innate and adaptive immune responses. Several cell types produce IL‐10 and its receptor chains and these may regulate different immune responses. Here we report that inactivation of the IL‐10 receptor (IL‐10R1) gene in mice leads to an increased susceptibility to chemically induced colitis as in the classical IL‐10‐deficient mutant. To identify the cells regulated by IL‐10 in immune responses, we generated several cell type specific IL‐10R1‐deficient mutants. We show that, in an IL‐10‐dependent LPS model of endotoxemia, dampening of the immune response requires expression of IL‐10R1 in monocytes/macrophages and/or neutrophils but not in T cells nor B cells. As the macrophage and/or neutrophil‐specific IL‐10‐deficient mutants also display the same phenotype, our results suggest that an autocrine loop in monocytes/macrophages is the most probable mechanism for the regulation of an LPS‐induced septic shock. In contrast, in an IL‐10‐regulated T‐cell response to Trichuris muris infection, IL‐10 acting on T cells or monocytes/macrophages/neutrophils is not critical for the control of the infection.

Anti-VEGF agents confer survival advantages to tumor-bearing mice by improving cancer-associated systemic syndrome.

The underlying mechanism by which anti-VEGF agents prolong cancer patient survival is poorly understood. We show that in a mouse tumor model, VEGF systemically impairs functions of multiple organs including those in the hematopoietic and endocrine systems, leading to early death. Anti-VEGF antibody, bevacizumab, and anti-VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2), but not anti-VEGFR-1, reversed VEGF-induced cancer-associated systemic syndrome (CASS) and prevented death in tumor-bearing mice. Surprisingly, VEGFR2 blockage improved survival by rescuing mice from CASS without significantly compromising tumor growth, suggesting that “off-tumor” VEGF targets are more sensitive than the tumor vasculature to anti-VEGF drugs. Similarly, VEGF-induced CASS occurred in a spontaneous breast cancer mouse model overexpressing neu. Clinically, VEGF expression and CASS severity positively correlated in various human cancers. These findings define novel therapeutic targets of anti-VEGF agents and provide mechanistic insights into the action of this new class of clinically available anti-VEGF cancer drugs.