Current Journal Issue - Volume 30 Issue 2 (February 2012)

  • In vitro models
  • Jennie Powell Mather
  • Published in Wiley Interscience on Jan 18, 2012
  • DOI: 10.1002/stem.774

Abstract The current resurgence of interest in the cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis as possibly providing a unifying theory of cancer biology is fueled by the growing body of work on normal adult tissue stem cells and the promise that CSC may hold the key to one of the central problems of clinical oncology: tumor recurrence. Many studies suggest that the microenvironment plays a role, perhaps a seminal one, in cancer development...

Abstract The cornea contains a reservoir of self‐regenerating epithelial cells that are essential for maintaining its transparency and good vision. The study of stem cells in this functionally important organ has grown over the past four decades, partly due to the ease with which this tissue is visualized, its accessibility with minimally invasive instruments, and the fact that its stem cells are segregated within a transitional...

  • Connexin 43 Reverses Malignant Phenotypes of Glioma Stem Cells by Modulating E‐Cadherin
  • Shi‐Cang Yu, Hua‐Liang Xiao, Xue‐Feng Jiang, Qing‐Liang Wang, Yan Li, Xiao‐Jun Yang, Yi‐Fang Ping, Jiang Jie Duan, Jian‐Yong Jiang, Xian‐Zong Ye, Sen‐Lin Xu, Yang‐Hong Xin, Xiao‐Hong Yao, Jian‐Hong Chen, Wei‐Hua Chu, Wei Sun, Bing Wang, Ji Ming Wang, Xia Zhang, Xiu‐Wu Bian
  • Published in Wiley Interscience on Jan 18, 2012
  • DOI: 10.1002/stem.1685

Abstract Malfunctioned gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) has been thought associated with malignant transformation of normal cells. However, the role of GJIC‐related proteins such as connexins in sustaining the malignant behavior of cancer stem cells remains unclear. In this study, we obtained tumorspheres formed by glioma stem cells (GSCs) and adherent GSCs and then examined their GJIC. All GSCs showed reduced GJIC,...

Abstract Friend virus induces erythroleukemia through a characteristic two‐stage progression. The prevailing model proposes that during the initial, polyclonal stage of disease most of the infected cells terminally differentiate, resulting in acute erythrocytosis. In the late stage of disease, a clonal leukemia develops through the acquisition of new mutations—proviral insertional activation of Spi1/Pu.1 and mutation of p53....

thumbnail image: Inability of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell‐Hematopoietic Derivatives to Downregulate MicroRNAs In Vivo Reveals a Block in Xenograft Hematopoietic Regeneration

Abstract Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) can regenerate the entire hematopoietic system in vivo, providing the most relevant criteria to measure candidate HSCs derived from human embryonic stem cell (hESC) or induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) sources. Here we show that, unlike primitive hematopoietic cells derived from hESCs, phenotypically identical cells derived from hiPSC are more permissive to graft the bone marrow of...

Abstract Molecular mechanisms of how energy metabolism affects embryonic stem cell (ESC) pluripotency remain unclear. AMP‐activated protein kinase (AMPK), a key regulator for controlling energy metabolism, is activated in response to ATP‐exhausting stress. We investigated whether cellular energy homeostasis is associated with maintenance of self‐renewal and pluripotency in mouse ESCs (mESCs) by using 5‐aminoimidazole‐4‐carboxyamide...

Abstract Hematopoietic differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in vitro has been used as a model to study early hematopoietic development, and it is well documented that hematopoietic differentiation can be enhanced by overexpression of HOXB4. HOXB4 is expressed in hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) where it promotes self‐renewal, but it is also expressed in the primitive streak of the gastrulating embryo. This led us to...

Abstract Mouse epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) derived from postimplantation embryos are developmentally and functionally different from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) generated from blastocysts. EpiSCs require Activin A and FGF2 signaling for self‐renewal, similar to human ESCs (hESCs), while mouse ESCs require LIF and BMP4. Unlike ESCs, EpiSCs have undergone X‐inactivation, similar to the tendency of hESCs. The shared self‐renewal and...

Abstract Embryonic stem cell (ESC)‐based therapy is a promising treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. But there is always a risk of tumor formation that is due to contamination of undifferentiated ESCs. To reduce the risk and improve ESC‐based therapy, we have established a novel strategy by which we can selectively eliminate tumor cells derived from undifferentiated ESCs but spare differentiated cells. In this study, we...

Abstract Among the tools of regenerative medicine, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are interesting because the donor genotype can be selected. The construction of banks of iPSC cell lines selected from human leukocyte antigen (HLA) homozygous donors has been proposed to be an effective way to match a maximal number of patients receiving cell therapy from iPSC lines. However, what effort would be required to constitute such a...

  • In Vivo Fate Mapping Identifies Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells
  • Danka Grcevic, Slavica Pejda, Brya G. Matthews, Dario Repic, Liping Wang, Haitao Li, Mark S. Kronenberg, Xi Jiang, Peter Maye, Douglas J. Adams, David W. Rowe, Hector L. Aguila, Ivo Kalajzic
  • Published in Wiley Interscience on Jan 18, 2012
  • DOI: 10.1002/stem.780
thumbnail image: In Vivo Fate Mapping Identifies Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells

Abstract Adult mesenchymal progenitor cells have enormous potential for use in regenerative medicine. However, the true identity of the progenitors in vivo and their progeny has not been precisely defined. We hypothesize that cells expressing a smooth muscle α‐actin promoter (αSMA)‐directed Cre transgene represent mesenchymal progenitors of adult bone tissue. By combining complementary colors in combination with transgenes...

Abstract Satellite cells are myogenic precursors that proliferate, activate, and differentiate on muscle injury to sustain the regenerative capacity of adult skeletal muscle; in this process, they self‐renew through the return to quiescence of the cycling progeny. This mechanism, while efficient in physiological conditions does not prevent exhaustion of satellite cells in pathologies such as muscular dystrophy where numerous rounds...

Abstract The side population phenotype is associated with the Hoechst dye efflux activity of the Abcg2 transporter and identifies hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in the bone marrow. This association suggests the direct use of Abcg2 expression to identify adult stem cells in various other organs. We have generated a lineage tracing mouse model based on an allele that coexpresses both Abcg2 and a CreERT2 expression cassette. By...

Abstract There are several clinical trials worldwide using bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) as a cellular therapy to modulate immune responses in patients suffering from various inflammatory conditions. A deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in this modulatory effect could help us design better, more effective protocols to treat immune mediated diseases. In this study, we demonstrated that human BMSCs express...

Abstract Satellite cells (SCs) are myogenic stem cells found in skeletal muscle that function to repair tissue damaged by injury or disease. SCs are quiescent at rest, although the signaling pathways required to maintain quiescence are unknown. Using a transgenic Notch reporter mouse and quantitative reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis of Notch target genes, we determined that Notch signaling is active in...

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