Project description:To illustrate the functional heterogeneity of T cells in the heart allograft rejection，we established the murine heterotopic heart transplantation model and isolated CD45 positive cells from cardiac grafts and spleens for single cell transcriptome and TCR sequencing.
Project description:Rationale: Stem cell-based tracheal replacement represents an emerging therapeutic option for patients with otherwise untreatable airway diseases including long-segment congenital tracheal stenosis and upper airway tumors. Clinical experience suggests an urgent need to restore mucociliary function in the lungs following transplantation of tissue-engineered grafts, while pre-clinical studies show that seeding scaffolds with autologous mucosa improves regeneration. Recent data suggest that high epithelial cell seeding densities are required in regenerative medicine and existing techniques are inadequate to achieve coverage of clinically suitable grafts. Objectives: To define a scalable airway epithelial cell culture system to deliver airway epithelial cells to clinical grafts. Methods: Human respiratory epithelial cells derived from endobronchial biopsies were cultured using a combination of mitotically inactivated fibroblasts and Rho-kinase (ROCK) inhibition. Cells were analyzed using immunofluorescence, qPCR and flow cytometry to assess airway stem cell marker expression. Differentiation capacity and ciliary beat were assessed in air-liquid interface cultures. Karyotyping and an in vivo tracheal xenograft model were used to investigate the suitability of expanded cells for tracheal reconstruction. Measurements and Main Results: 3T3 feeder cells and ROCK inhibition allowed rapid expansion of airway basal stem cells. These cells were capable of multipotent airway differentiation in vitro, forming epithelia containing both ciliated and goblet lineages. Cilia were functional with normal beat frequency and pattern. Cultured cells repopulated a decellularized tracheal scaffold in a heterotopic tracheal transplantation xenograft model. Conclusions: Our method addresses the clinical need to generate large numbers of airway basal epithelial cells in the time window demanded by clinical transplantation.
Project description:PURPOSE: To provide a detailed gene expression profile of the normal postnatal mouse cornea. METHODS: Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) was performed on postnatal day (PN)9 and adult mouse (6 week) total corneas. The expression of selected genes was analyzed by in situ hybridization. RESULTS: A total of 64,272 PN9 and 62,206 adult tags were sequenced. Mouse corneal transcriptomes are composed of at least 19,544 and 18,509 unique mRNAs, respectively. One third of the unique tags were expressed at both stages, whereas a third was identified exclusively in PN9 or adult corneas. Three hundred thirty-four PN9 and 339 adult tags were enriched more than fivefold over other published nonocular libraries. Abundant transcripts were associated with metabolic functions, redox activities, and barrier integrity. Three members of the Ly-6/uPAR family whose functions are unknown in the cornea constitute more than 1% of the total mRNA. Aquaporin 5, epithelial membrane protein and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) omega-1, and GST alpha-4 mRNAs were preferentially expressed in distinct corneal epithelial layers, providing new markers for stratification. More than 200 tags were differentially expressed, of which 25 mediate transcription. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to providing a detailed profile of expressed genes in the PN9 and mature mouse cornea, the present SAGE data demonstrate dynamic changes in gene expression after eye opening and provide new probes for exploring corneal epithelial cell stratification, development, and function and for exploring the intricate relationship between programmed and environmentally induced gene expression in the cornea. Keywords: other
Project description:Extracellular vesicles (EVs)-mediated inter-organ communication represents a promising frontier in transplant immunology; however, its role in cardiac allograft rejection remains poorly characterized. We performed proteomic profiling of plasma-derived EVs in a rat heterotopic heart transplantation model. By comparing allogeneic and isogeneic graft recipients to sham-operated controls, we identified significant enrichment of hepatic-specific proteins in circulating EVs during acute rejection, with ATIII emerging as a top candidate.
