Project description:New neurons are born throughout the life of mammals in germinal zones of the brain known as neurogenic niches: the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. These niches contain a subpopulation of cells known as adult neural progenitors (aNPCs), which self-renew and give rise to new neurons and glia. aNPCs are regulated by many factors present in the niche, including the extracellular matrix (ECM). We show that the neuropeptide PACAP (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide) affects subventricular zone-derived aNPCs by increasing their surface adhesion. Gene array and reconstitution assays indicate that this effect can be attributed to the regulation of ECM components and ECM-modifying enzymes in aNPCs by PACAP. Our work suggests that PACAP regulates a bidirectional interaction between the aNPCs and their niche: PACAP modifies ECM production and remodeling, in turn the ECM regulates progenitor cell adherence. We speculate that PACAP may in this manner help restrict adult neural progenitors to the stem cell niche in vivo, with potential significance for aNPC function in physiological and pathological states.
Project description:Primary human hepatocytes exhibit variable adhesiveness to culture vessels, which limits their utility in drug screening and regenerative medicine. We investigated the cause of this unstable adhesiveness of primary human hepatocytes and observed that the extracellular matrix on the surface inhibits cell adhesion to culture vessels. Elastin was identified as one of the main components of the surface extracellular matrix of non-adhering cells. This discovery suggests a novel approach to enhance their stable adhesion. Unstable adhesion of primary human hepatocytes to culture vessels significantly hinders their use in research. We discovered that extracellular matrix components on the cell surface inhibit their attachment. Specifically, we identified elastin as a key problematic component in non-adhering cells.
Project description:While investigating the causes of unstable adhesiveness of primary human hepatocytes, we observed that non-adhering cells had some kind of extracellular matrix on their surface, and this extracellular matrix inhibited cell adhesion to culture vessels. Removal of the matrix from the cell surface of non-adhering cells improved cellular attachment to culture vessels. We also performed comparative gene expression analysis between adhering and non-adhering cells to elucidate the molecular basis of differential adhesion behavior. We investigated the unstable adhesiveness of primary human hepatocytes and found that non-adhering cells had extracellular matrix on their surface that inhibited cell adhesion. We also observed that matrix removal improved cellular attachment.
Project description:CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSC) reside in the bone marrow in close vicinity to the endosteal bone surface, surrounded by osteoblasts, stromal cells and various extracellular matrix molecules. We utilized a bioartificial matrix containing fibrillar collagen I, the major matrix component of bone, as scaffold for ex vivo expansion of HSCs. CD34+ HSCs were isolated from umbilical cord blood and cultivated within reconstituted collagen I fibrils in presence of FLT3-ligand, SCF and IL-3. After seven days of culture cell number, colony-forming units and gene expression profile of the cultured cells were assessed. Although the total expansion factor of CD34+ cells was slightly lower when cells were cultivated in the collagen I gel, the frequency of colony-forming units (CFU-C) increased compared to control suspension cultures. Gene expression analysis with microarray chip technology revealed the upregulation of more than 50 genes in presence of collagen I. Among them, genes for several growth factors, cytokines and chemokines (e.g. interleukin 8, MIP1-α) could be confirmed by quantitative PCR. Furthermore, increased expression of the negative cell-cycle regulator BTG2/TIS21 and an inhibitor of MAP kinase pathway, DUSP2, underline the regulatory role of the extracellular matrix. Together, these data show that the expansion of CD34+ cord blood cells in a culture system containing a three-dimensional collagen I matrix induces a qualitative change in the gene expression profile of cultivated HSCs. Experiment Overall Design: Gene expression profiling of CD34+ hematopoietic cells expanded in a collagen I matrix
Project description:Recently, our group has shown that the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP)-induced neurite projection elongation in rat adrenal-derived pheochromocytoma cell line (PC12) is mediated via PAC1 receptor-mediated dephosphorylation of CRMP2 majorly through PI3K/AKT and MEK/ERK pathways. However, the mechanism of neuronal outgrowth by PACAP, including CRMP2 dephosphorylation, remains unclear. In our previous report, we found that GSK-3β, CDK5, and Rho/ROCK dephosphorylated CRMP2 within 3 hours after the addition of PACAP, but the early dephosphorylation of CRMP2 by PACAP remains unclear. Thus, we considered it important to identify early factors in PACAP-induced neurite projection elongation and performed omics-based transcriptomic (whole genome DNA microarray) and proteomic (TMT-labeling in conjunction with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry) analyses of gene and protein expression profiles from 5-120 minutes after PACAP addition. Results surprisingly revealed a number of key regulators involved in neurite outgrowth, including known ones. We also identified factors that may be involved in CRMP2 dephosphorylation. Cross-referencing previous research, we tried to map these molecular components onto potential pathways. The results of this comprehensive analysis may provide important new information on the molecular mechanisms of neuronal differentiation induced by PACAP.
Project description:CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSC) reside in the bone marrow in close vicinity to the endosteal bone surface, surrounded by osteoblasts, stromal cells and various extracellular matrix molecules. We utilized a bioartificial matrix containing fibrillar collagen I, the major matrix component of bone, as scaffold for ex vivo expansion of HSCs. CD34+ HSCs were isolated from umbilical cord blood and cultivated within reconstituted collagen I fibrils in presence of FLT3-ligand, SCF and IL-3. After seven days of culture cell number, colony-forming units and gene expression profile of the cultured cells were assessed. Although the total expansion factor of CD34+ cells was slightly lower when cells were cultivated in the collagen I gel, the frequency of colony-forming units (CFU-C) increased compared to control suspension cultures. Gene expression analysis with microarray chip technology revealed the upregulation of more than 50 genes in presence of collagen I. Among them, genes for several growth factors, cytokines and chemokines (e.g. interleukin 8, MIP1-α) could be confirmed by quantitative PCR. Furthermore, increased expression of the negative cell-cycle regulator BTG2/TIS21 and an inhibitor of MAP kinase pathway, DUSP2, underline the regulatory role of the extracellular matrix. Together, these data show that the expansion of CD34+ cord blood cells in a culture system containing a three-dimensional collagen I matrix induces a qualitative change in the gene expression profile of cultivated HSCs. Keywords: hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, collagen I, gene expression