Junjie Gu

Pluripotency can be rapidly and efficiently induced in human amniotic fluid-derived cells

Direct reprogramming of human somatic cells into pluripotency has broad implications in generating patient-specific induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for disease modeling and cellular replacement therapies. However, the low efficiency and safety issues associated with generation of human iPS cells have limited their usage in clinical settings. Cell types can significantly influence reprogramming efficiency and kinetics. To date, human iPS cells have been obtained only from a few cell types. Here, we report for the first time rapid and efficient generation of iPS cells from human amniotic fluid-derived cells (hAFDCs) via ectopic expression of four human factors: OCT4/SOX2/KLF4/C-MYC. Significantly, typical single iPS cell colonies can be picked up 6 days after viral infection with high efficiency. Eight iPS cell lines have been derived. They can be continuously propagated in vitro and express pluripotency markers such as AKP, OCT4, SOX2, SSEA4, TRA-1-60 and TRA-1-81, maintaining the normal karyotype. Transgenes are completely inactivated and the endogenous OCT4 promoter is adequately demethylated in the established iPS cell lines. Moreover, various cells and tissues from all three germ layers are found in embryoid bodies and teratomas, respectively. In addition, microarray analysis demonstrates a high correlation coefficient between hAFDC-iPS cells and human embryonic stem cells, but a low correlation coefficient between hAFDCs and hAFDC-iPS cells. Taken together, these data identify an ideal human somatic cell resource for rapid and efficient generation of iPS cells, allowing us to establish human iPS cells using more advanced approaches and possibly to establish disease- or patient-specific iPS cells.

Reprogramming of somatic cells via TAT-mediated protein transduction of recombinant factors

Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) holds great promise to regenerative medicine. However, before this technology can be applied for clinical purpose, the issues of iPSC efficiency and safety need to be addressed. In this study, we have compared a simple TAT- and 11 arginine (R)-protein transduction domain (PTD) for somatic cell reprogramming and explored the optimal conditions for the PTD to transduce reprogramming factors (RFs). We show that all recombinant TAT- and 11R-fused RFs are transcriptionally active as they activate their corresponding reporter genes in reporter assays. The TAT-RFs are in general transcriptionally more active than the corresponding 11R-RFs, but less active than the corresponding retroviral transduced RFs. Furthermore, each of TAT-RFs can substitute for their corresponding retrovirus in reprogramming. Finally, using five TAT-RFs together with an HDAC inhibitor, we can generate iPSC-like colonies from human fibroblast cells with high efficiency approximately 2 weeks after the first protein transduction. These colonies exhibit unique features of pluripotent stem cells including the morphology and the expression of pluripotency-associated markers. This characterization of recombinant RFs in reprogramming should facilitate the generation of clinically useful and genetic material-free human iPSCs.

Stk40 links the pluripotency factor Oct4 to the Erk/MAPK pathway and controls extraembryonic endoderm differentiation

Self-renewal and differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are controlled by intracellular transcriptional factors and extracellular factor-activated signaling pathways. Transcription factor Oct4 is a key player maintaining ESCs in an undifferentiated state, whereas the Erk/MAPK pathway is known to be important for ESC differentiation. However, the manner in which intracellular pluripotency factors modulate extracellular factor-activated signaling pathways in ESCs is not well understood. Here, we report identification of a target gene of Oct4, serine/threonine kinase 40 (Stk40), which is able to activate the Erk/MAPK pathway and induce extraembryonic–endoderm (ExEn) differentiation in mouse ESCs. Interestingly, cells overexpressing Stk40 exclusively contribute to the ExEn layer of chimeric embryos when injected into host blastocysts. In contrast, deletion of Stk40 in ESCs markedly reduces ExEn differentiation in vitro. Mechanistically, Stk40 interacts with Rcn2, which also activates Erk1/2 to induce ExEn specification in mouse ESCs. Moreover, Rcn2 proteins are specifically located in the cytoplasm of the ExEn layer of early mouse embryos. Importantly, knockdown of Rcn2 blocks Stk40-activated Erk1/2 and ESC differentiation. Therefore, our study establishes a link between the pluripotency factor Oct4 and the Erk/MAPK signaling pathway, and it uncovers cooperating signals in the Erk/MAPK activation that control ExEn differentiation.

Interleukin-2 gene therapy of chronic neuropathic pain

Previous research has revealed an antinociceptive (analgesic) effect of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in central and peripheral nervous systems. Unfortunately IL-2 is very short-lived in vivo, so it is impractical to apply IL-2 for analgesia in clinic. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of intrathecal delivery of human IL-2 gene on rat chronic neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve. Human IL-2 cDNA was cloned into pcDNA3 containing a cytomegalovirus promoter. The paw-withdrawal latency induced by radiant heat was used to measure the pain threshold. The results showed that recombinant human IL-2 had a dose-dependent antinociceptive effect, but that this only lasted for 10-25 min. The pcDNA3-IL-2 or pcDNA3-IL-2/lipofectamine complex in contrast also showed dose-dependent antinociceptive effects, but these reached a peak at day 2-3 and were maintained for up to 6 days. Liposome-mediated pcDNA3-IL-2 produced a more powerful antinociceptive effect than pcDNA3-IL-2 alone. The paw-withdrawal latencies were not affected by control treatments such as vehicle, lipofectamine, pcDNA3, or pcDNA3-lipofectamine. In the experimental groups, human IL-2 mRNA was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in the lumbar spinal pia mater, dorsal root ganglion, sciatic nerve, and spinal dorsal horn, but not in gastrocnemius muscle. The expressed IL-2 profile detected by western blot coincided with its mRNA profile except it was present in the spinal dorsal horn at a higher level. Furthermore, human IL-2 assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in cerebrospinal fluid could still be detected at day 6, but lower than day 3. The antinociceptive effect of pcDNA3-IL-2 could be blocked by naloxone, showing some relationship of the antinociceptive effect produced by IL-2 gene to the opioid receptors. It is hoped that the new delivery approach of a single intrathecal injection of the IL-2 gene described here may be of some practical use as a part of a gene therapy for treating neuropathic pain.

Germline-competent mouse-induced pluripotent stem cell lines generated on human fibroblasts without exogenous leukemia inhibitory factor.

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have attracted enormous attention due to their vast potential in regenerative medicine, pharmaceutical screening and basic research. Most prior established iPS cell lines were derived and maintained on mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cells supplemented with exogenous leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). Drawbacks of MEF cells impede optimization as well as dissection of reprogramming events and limit the usage of iPS cell derivatives in therapeutic applications. In this study, we develop a reproducible protocol for efficient reprogramming mouse neural progenitor cells (NPCs) on human foreskin fibroblast (HFF) cells via retroviral transfer of human transcriptional factors OCT4/SOX2/KLF4/C-MYC. Two independent iPS cell lines are derived without exogenous LIF. They display typical undifferentiated morphology and express pluripotency markers Oct4 and Sox2. Transgenes are inactivated and the endogenous Oct4 promoter is completely demethylated in the established iPS cell lines, indicating a fully reprogrammed state. Moreover, the iPS cells can spontaneously differentiate or be induced into various cell types of three embryonic germ layers in vitro and in vivo when they are injected into immunodeficient mice for teratoma formation. Importantly, iPS cells extensively integrate with various host tissues and contribute to the germline when injected into the blastocysts. Interestingly, these two iPS cell lines, while both pluripotent, exhibit distinctive differentiation tendencies towards different lineages. Taken together, the data describe the first genuine mouse iPS cell lines generated on human feeder cells without exogenous LIF, providing a reliable tool for understanding the molecular mechanisms of nuclear reprogramming.

MicroRNA-195 targets ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein 2 to induce apoptosis in human embryonic stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have great potential in cell therapy, drug screening and toxicity testing of neural degenerative diseases. However, the molecular regulation of their proliferation and apoptosis, which needs to be revealed before clinical application, is largely unknown. MicroRNA miR-195 is known to be expressed in the brain and is involved in a variety of proapoptosis or antiapoptosis processes in cancer cells. Here, we defined the proapoptotic role of miR-195 in NPCs derived from two independent hESC lines (human embryonic stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells, hESC-NPCs). Overexpression of miR-195 in hESC-NPCs induced extensive apoptotic cell death. Consistently, global transcriptional microarray analyses indicated that miR-195 primarily regulated genes associated with apoptosis in hESC-NPCs. Mechanistically, a small GTP-binding protein ADP-ribosylation factor-like protein 2 (ARL2) was identified as a direct target of miR-195. Silencing ARL2 in hESC-NPCs provoked an apoptotic phenotype resembling that of miR-195 overexpression, revealing for the first time an essential role of ARL2 for the survival of human NPCs. Moreover, forced expression of ALR2 could abolish the cell number reduction caused by miR-195 overexpression. Interestingly, we found that paraquat, a neurotoxin, not only induced apoptosis but also increased miR-195 and reduced ARL2 expression in hESC-NPCs, indicating the possible involvement of miR-195 and ARL2 in neurotoxin-induced NPC apoptosis. Notably, inhibition of miR-195 family members could block neurotoxin-induced NPC apoptosis. Collectively, miR-195 regulates cell apoptosis in a context-dependent manner through directly targeting ARL2. The finding of the critical role of ARL2 for the survival of human NPCs and association of miR-195 and ARL2 with neurotoxin-induced apoptosis have important implications for understanding molecular mechanisms that control NPC survival and would facilitate our manipulation of the neurological pathogenesis.

Itch, an E3 ligase of Oct4, is required for embryonic stem cell self-renewal and pluripotency induction.

Itch, a C2‐WW‐HECT domain ubiquitin E3 ligase, plays an important role in various biological processes. However, its role in embryonic stem cells (ESCs) remains unknown. Here, we report that Itch interacts with and targets pluripotency‐associated transcription factor Oct4 for ubiquitination. Moreover, Itch enhances Oct4 transcriptional activities and controls Oct4 protein stability dependent on its catalytic activity. Importantly, silencing Itch expression compromises ESC self‐renewal capacity and somatic cell reprogramming efficiency. Taken together, our study identifies Itch as a regulator of Oct4 stability and transcriptional activity, establishing a functional link between an E3 ligase and the regulation of pluripotency. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 1443–1451, 2013.

Derivation and transcriptional profiling analysis of pluripotent stem cell lines from rat blastocysts

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are derived from blastocyst-stage embryos. Their unique properties of self-renewal and pluripotency make them an attractive tool for basic research and a potential cell resource for therapy. ES cells of mouse and human have been successfully generated and applied in a wide range of research. However, no genuine ES cell lines have been obtained from rat to date. In this study, we identified pluripotent cells in early rat embryos using specific antibodies against markers of pluripotent stem cells. Subsequently, by modifying the culture medium for rat blastocysts, we derived pluripotent rat ES-like cell lines, which expressed pluripotency markers and formed embryoid bodies (EBs) in vitro. Importantly, these rat ES-like cells were able to produce teratomas. Both EBs and teratomas contained tissues from all three embryonic germ layers. In addition, from the rat ES-like cells, we derived a rat primitive endoderm (PrE) cell line. Furthermore, we conducted transcriptional profiling of the rat ES-like cells and identified the unique molecular signature of the rat pluripotent stem cells. Our analysis demonstrates that multiple signaling pathways, including the BMP, Activin and mTOR pathways, may be involved in keeping the rat ES-like cells in an undifferentiated state. The cell lines and information obtained in this study will accelerate our understanding of the molecular regulation underlying pluripotency and guide us in the appropriate manipulation of ES cells from a particular species.

Aberrant Gene Expression Profiles in Pluripotent Stem Cells Induced from Fibroblasts of a Klinefelter Syndrome Patient

Background: Pathophysiology for Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is poorly explained due to the lack of adequate models. Results: KS-iPSCs exhibit aberrantly expressed genes associated with the clinical features of KS. Conclusion: KS-iPSCs can potentially serve as a cellular model for KS research. Significance: Our study will significantly accelerate the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of Klinefelter syndrome. Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is the most common male chromosome aneuploidy. Its pathophysiology is largely unexplained due to the lack of adequate models. Here, we report the derivation of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs) lines from a KS patient with a karyotype of 47, XXY. Derived KS-iPSCs meet all criteria of normal iPSCs with the potential for germ cell differentiation. Although X chromosome inactivation occurs in all KS-iPSCs, genome-wide transcriptome analysis identifies aberrantly expressed genes associated with the clinical features of KS. Our KS-iPSCs can serve as a cellular model for KS research. Identified genes may become biomarkers for early diagnosis or potential therapeutic targets for KS and significantly accelerate the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of Klinefelter syndrome.

Stk40 represses adipogenesis through translational control of CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins

ABSTRACT A better understanding of molecular regulation in adipogenesis might help the development of efficient strategies to cope with obesity-related diseases. Here, we report that CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein (C/EBP) β and C/EBPδ, two crucial pro-adipogenic transcription factors, are controlled at a translational level by serine/threonine kinase 40 (Stk40). Genetic knockout (KO) or knockdown (KD) of Stk40 leads to increased protein levels of C/EBP proteins and adipocyte differentiation in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), fetal liver stromal cells, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In contrast, overexpression of Stk40 abolishes the enhanced C/EBP protein translation and adipogenesis observed in Stk40-KO and -KD cells. Functionally, knockdown of C/EBPβ eliminates the enhanced adipogenic differentiation in Stk40-KO and -KD cells substantially. Mechanistically, deletion of Stk40 enhances phosphorylation of eIF4E-binding protein 1, leading to increased eIF4E-dependent translation of C/EBPβ and C/EBPδ. Knockdown of eIF4E in MSCs decreases translation of C/EBP proteins. Moreover, Stk40-KO fetal livers display an increased adipogenic program and aberrant lipid and steroid metabolism. Collectively, our study uncovers a new repressor of C/EBP protein translation as well as adipogenesis and provides new insights into the molecular mechanism underpinning the adipogenic program. Summary: Discovery that the gene Stk40 represses adipogenesis through inhibition of C/EBP protein translation.