Gavin E. Morris

Cooperative molecular and cellular networks regulate Toll-like receptor-dependent inflammatory responses

Viral and bacterial pathogens cause inflammation via Toll‐like receptor (TLR) signaling. We have shown that effective responses to LPS may depend on cooperative interactions between TLR‐expressing leukocytes and TLR‐negative tissue cells. The aim of this work was to determine the roles of such networks in response to agonists of TLRs associated with antiviral and autoimmune responses. The TLR3 agonist poly(I: C) activated epithelial cells, primary endothelial cells, and two types of primary human smooth muscle cells (airway [ASMC] and vascular) directly, while the TLR7/8 agonist R848 required the presence of leukocytes to activate ASMC. In keeping with these data, ASMC expressed TLR3 but not TLR7 or TLR8. Activation of ASMC by poly(I: C) induced a specific cytokine repertoire characterized by induction of CXCL10 generation and the potential to recruit mast cells. We subsequently explored the ability of TLR agonists to cooperate in the induction of inflammation. Dual stimulation with LPS and poly(I: C) caused enhanced cytokine generation from epithelial and smooth muscle cells when in the presence of leukocytes. Thus, inflammatory responses to pathogens are regulated by networks in which patterns of TLR expression and colocalization of tissue cells and leukocytes are critical.—Morris, G. E., Parker, L. C., Ward, J. R., Jones, E. C., Whyte, M. K. B., Brightling, C. E., Bradding, P., Dower, S. K., Sabroe, I. Cooperative molecular and cellular networks regulate Toll‐like receptor‐dependent inflammatory responses. FASEB J. 20, E1539 –E1549 (2006)

Highly efficient delivery of functional cargoes by the synergistic effect of GAG binding motifs and cell-penetrating peptides

Significance Efficient delivery of therapeutic molecules inside cells by nontransgenic approaches is key as gene editing/correction, directed differentiation, and in vivo cell modulation/tracking are translated for regenerative medicine applications. Here we describe a peptide-based system engineered to enhance the activity of cell-penetrating peptides to achieve exceptional intracellular transduction. Glycosaminoglycan-binding enhanced transduction (GET) uses peptides that interact with cell membrane heparan sulfates and promote cell-penetrating peptide-mediated endocytosis into cells. The system is not dependent on extensive positive charge and can be tailored to deliver peptides, recombinant proteins, nucleic acids, nanoparticles, and antibodies. Importantly, this approach does not affect cell proliferation and viability and can be used to deliver a plethora of functional cargoes. Protein transduction domains (PTDs) are powerful nongenetic tools that allow intracellular delivery of conjugated cargoes to modify cell behavior. Their use in biomedicine has been hampered by inefficient delivery to nuclear and cytoplasmic targets. Here we overcame this deficiency by developing a series of novel fusion proteins that couple a membrane-docking peptide to heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) with a PTD. We showed that this GET (GAG-binding enhanced transduction) system could deliver enzymes (Cre, neomycin phosphotransferase), transcription factors (NANOG, MYOD), antibodies, native proteins (cytochrome C), magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), and nucleic acids [plasmid (p)DNA, modified (mod)RNA, and small inhibitory RNA] at efficiencies of up to two orders of magnitude higher than previously reported in cell types considered hard to transduce, such as mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), human ESCs (hESCs), and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). This technology represents an efficient strategy for controlling cell labeling and directing cell fate or behavior that has broad applicability for basic research, disease modeling, and clinical application.

A novel technique for the production of electrospun scaffolds with tailored three-dimensional micro-patterns employing additive manufacturing

Electrospinning is a common technique used to fabricate fibrous scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. There is now growing interest in assessing the ability of collector plate design to influence the patterning of the fibres during the electrospinning process. In this study, we investigate a novel method to generate hybrid electrospun scaffolds consisting of both random fibres and a defined three-dimensional (3D) micro-topography at the surface, using patterned resin formers produced by rapid prototyping (RP). Poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) was electrospun onto the engineered RP surfaces and the ability of these formers to influence microfibre patterning in the resulting scaffolds visualized by scanning electron microscopy. Electrospun scaffolds with patterns mirroring the microstructures of the formers were successfully fabricated. The effect of the resulting fibre patterns and 3D geometries on mammalian cell adhesion and proliferation was investigated by seeding enhanced green fluorescent protein labelled 3T3 fibroblasts onto the scaffolds. Following 24 h and four days of culture, the seeded scaffolds were visually assessed by confocal macro- and microscopy. The patterning of the fibres guided initial cell adhesion to the scaffold with subsequent proliferation over the geometry resulting in the cells being held in a 3D micro-topography. Such patterning could be designed to replicate a specific in vivo structure; we use the dermal papillae as an exemplar here. In conclusion, a novel, versatile and scalable method to produce hybrid electrospun scaffolds has been developed. The 3D directional cues of the patterned fibres have been shown to influence cell behaviour and could be used to culture cells within a similar 3D micro-topography as experienced in vivo.

A novel electrospun biphasic scaffold provides optimal three-dimensional topography for in vitro co-culture of airway epithelial and fibroblast cells

Conventional airway in vitro models focus upon the function of individual structural cells cultured in a two-dimensional monolayer, with limited three-dimensional (3D) models of the bronchial mucosa. Electrospinning offers an attractive method to produce defined, porous 3D matrices for cell culture. To investigate the effects of fibre diameter on airway epithelial and fibroblast cell growth and functionality, we manipulated the concentration and deposition rate of the non-degradable polymer polyethylene terephthalate to create fibres with diameters ranging from nanometre to micrometre. The nanofibre scaffold closely resembles the basement membrane of the bronchiole mucosal layer, and epithelial cells cultured at the air-liquid interface on this scaffold showed polarized differentiation. The microfibre scaffold mimics the porous sub-mucosal layer of the airway into which lung fibroblast cells showed good penetration. Using these defined electrospinning parameters we created a biphasic scaffold with 3D topography tailored for optimal growth of both cell types. Epithelial and fibroblast cells were co-cultured onto the apical nanofibre phase and the basal microfibre phase respectively, with enhanced epithelial barrier formation observed upon co-culture. This biphasic scaffold provides a novel 3D in vitro platform optimized to mimic the different microenvironments the cells encounter in vivo on which to investigate key airway structural cell interactions in airway diseases such as asthma.

Adapting the Electrospinning Process to Provide Three Unique Environments for a Tri-layered In Vitro Model of the Airway Wall.

Electrospinning is a highly adaptable method producing porous 3D fibrous scaffolds that can be exploited in in vitro cell culture. Alterations to intrinsic parameters within the process allow a high degree of control over scaffold characteristics including fiber diameter, alignment and porosity. By developing scaffolds with similar dimensions and topographies to organ- or tissue-specific extracellular matrices (ECM), micro-environments representative to those that cells are exposed to in situ can be created. The airway bronchiole wall, comprised of three main micro-environments, was selected as a model tissue. Using decellularized airway ECM as a guide, we electrospun the non-degradable polymer, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), by three different protocols to produce three individual electrospun scaffolds optimized for epithelial, fibroblast or smooth muscle cell-culture. Using a commercially available bioreactor system, we stably co-cultured the three cell-types to provide an in vitro model of the airway wall over an extended time period. This model highlights the potential for such methods being employed in in vitro diagnostic studies investigating important inter-cellular cross-talk mechanisms or assessing novel pharmaceutical targets, by providing a relevant platform to allow the culture of fully differentiated adult cells within 3D, tissue-specific environments.

An automated fabrication strategy to create patterned tubular architectures at cell and tissue scales.

The use of materials to impose tissue-like architecture at cell resolution will be important if engineered functional replacements for damaged cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal or digestive tissues are to be authentically engineered. Here, we demonstrate a coordinated system for the fabrication and subsequent culture of tubular tissues composed of multiple layers, cell-types and materials with physiological dimensions and defined architectures at cell resolution. We developed an automated tube fabricator that rolls 2D-matrices into 3D-tubular constructs directly from cells, hydrogels and scaffold biomaterials. Coordinated use of surface modification strategies allows 2D cell sheets and cell/biomaterial composites (i.e. hydrogels or electrospun scaffolds) to be fabricated which may be transferred into a perfusion bioreactor in a rapid and standardized procedure. To exemplify our strategy we fabricated structures resembling human mammary artery and gut; these can be imaged in situ and real-time electrical resistance measurements performed of the vessel walls, allowing non-invasive assessment of viability and functionality. Our system allows patterning at cellular resolution with variable tissue thickness, length, luminal diameter, and constituent biomaterial. This inherent flexibility will allow the recapitulation of the complex hierarchical biological architectures and generate functionality found natively in vivo.

Cooperative molecular and cellular networks regulate Toll-like receptor-dependent inflammatory responses.

Viral and bacterial pathogens cause inflammation via Toll‐like receptor (TLR) signaling. We have shown that effective responses to LPS may depend on cooperative interactions between TLR‐expressing leukocytes and TLR‐negative tissue cells. The aim of this work was to determine the roles of such networks in response to agonists of TLRs associated with antiviral and autoimmune responses. The TLR3 agonist poly(I: C) activated epithelial cells, primary endothelial cells, and two types of primary human smooth muscle cells (airway [ASMC] and vascular) directly, while the TLR7/8 agonist R848 required the presence of leukocytes to activate ASMC. In keeping with these data, ASMC expressed TLR3 but not TLR7 or TLR8. Activation of ASMC by poly(I: C) induced a specific cytokine repertoire characterized by induction of CXCL10 generation and the potential to recruit mast cells. We subsequently explored the ability of TLR agonists to cooperate in the induction of inflammation. Dual stimulation with LPS and poly(I: C) caused enhanced cytokine generation from epithelial and smooth muscle cells when in the presence of leukocytes. Thus, inflammatory responses to pathogens are regulated by networks in which patterns of TLR expression and colocalization of tissue cells and leukocytes are critical.—Morris, G. E., Parker, L. C., Ward, J. R., Jones, E. C., Whyte, M. K. B., Brightling, C. E., Bradding, P., Dower, S. K., Sabroe, I. Cooperative molecular and cellular networks regulate Toll‐like receptor‐dependent inflammatory responses. FASEB J. 20, E1539 –E1549 (2006)