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Biomedical subjects

R Steen

Publications and source records attributed to R Steen.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Haemopoietic progenitor cell differentiation: flow cytometric assessment in bone marrow and thymus.

We have recently shown that expression of any of the lineage-associated molecules CD2, CD7, CD10, CD19 or CD33 does not ensure lineage-commitment of CD34+ progenitor cells. Further, normal progenitor cells and leukaemic blast cells have been shown to coexpress molecules associated with more than one haemopoietic lineage. Five-dimensional flow cytometric analysis of normal bone marrow cells was exploited to investigate the hypothesis of a developmental stage in haemopoiesis comprising CD34+ cells coexpressing CD2, CD5, CD7, CD10, CD19 and CD33 or any combination of these molecules. We report on a subpopulation of CD34+ bone marrow cells constituting < 5% of the CD34+ cells and characterized by extensive coexpression of several molecules associated with the B lymphoid, T lymphoid and myeloid lineages. There is every probability that some cells display the CD34+ CD2+ CD5+ CD7+ CD10+ CD19+ CD33+ phenotype. Studies on postnatal thymocytes suggest that this may be the phenotype or one of a few phenotypes of a candidate thymus-seeding progenitor cell population. Finally, our findings that CD34+ as well as CD34+ CD5+ thymocytes can be driven into non-T-lymphoid differentiation by cytokines, support the notion that the thymus is seeded by uncommitted progenitors.

Adult↗

Thymic stromal cells support differentiation of natural killer cells from CD34+ bone marrow cells in vitro.

Natural killer (NK) cells are CD3-CD56+ lymphocytes characterized by exhibiting non-MHC restricted cytotoxicity. A developmental relationship between NK cells and T lymphocytes has been proposed, and, moreover, the thymus has been shown to contain NK cell precursors. In this study we utilized an in vitro assay, devised to study T-lymphocyte development from bone marrow progenitors, to investigate the ability of thymic stromal cells to support generation of NK cells from CD34+ bone marrow cells. CD34+ cells purified from healthy adults were seeded on adherent thymic stromal cells. The cells emerging after culture were phenotypically characterized by flow cytometry. We show that lymphocytes expressing the phenotypical characteristics of NK cells were generated from CD34+ bone marrow cells, and that these cells represented 1% of the cells recovered from the cultures. Furthermore, this was accomplished without supplement of exogenous interleukin 2 which is required for NK cell differentiation in bone marrow cultures.

Adult↗

Evidence for engraftment of donor-type multipotent CD34+ cells in a patient with selective T-lymphocyte reconstitution after bone marrow transplantation for B-SCID.

Severe combined immunodeficiencies (SCID), a heterogeneous group of disorders of infancy, are fatal without treatment directed at immunologic reconstitution. Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT), which is such a treatment presents some unique features in SCID, especially when T-lymphocyte-depleted HLA haploidentical allografts are used. Donor-type T lymphopoiesis, less often B lymphopoiesis, develops, whereas myelopoiesis remains the recipient-type. Little is known about the engrafting cells in this peculiar lymphohematopoietic chimerism and the pathophysiology of the frequent failure of B-lymphocyte reconstitution. To address these issues, we purified CD34+ BM cells from a patient with selective T-lymphocyte reconstitution after HLA haploidentical BMT for B-SCID. Phenotypic analysis of CD34+ cells was performed by flow cytometry, and functional studies of donor- and recipient-type CD34+ cells were performed in vitro. Donor-type CD34+ cells, constituting approximately 2% of the CD34+ cells, were detected; both CD34+ HLA-DR- cells and CD34+ cells coexpressing B-(CD10 and CD19) and T-(CD2 and CD7) lymphocyte-associated cell surface molecules. Donor-type CD34+ cells coexpressing myeloid-associated molecules (CD13, CD14, CD15, and CD33) were undetectable. However, donor-type CD34+ myeloid progenitors could be shown in functional assays. Recipient-type CD34+ cells coexpressing B- and T-lymphocyte- as well as myeloid-associated molecules were detected, but recipient-type CD34+ cells could not be driven into T-lymphocyte differentiation in vitro. These findings provide evidence for engraftment of multipotent stem cells in our patient with B-SCID. Furthermore, the failure of B-lymphocyte reconstitution cannot be explained by lack of donor-type B-lymphocyte progenitors. Donor-type B lymphopoiesis and myelopoiesis are prevented by an unidentified mechanism.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Characterization of CD34+ peripheral blood cells from healthy adults mobilized by recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

Primed peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cells (PBSC) generate and sustain lymphohematopoiesis in myeloablated animals, and recent reports indicate that allogeneic transplantation using PBSC grafts may be feasible in humans. A major concern with the use of PBSC transplants is that permanent engraftment may be limited because of lack of sufficient numbers of primitive progenitor cells in the graft. In the present study, in vitro colony formation and immunophenotype of CD34+ cells in PB of healthy adults during short-term granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) administration were compared with that of CD34+ cells in normal bone marrow (BM). The number of CD34+ cells mobilized to PB peaked at day 4 or 5 of G-CSF administration. The phenotypic profile of CD34+ PB cells showed a substantial increase in the percentage of CD34+CD13+ and CD34+CD33+ cells (myeloid progenitors) and a corresponding decrease in the percentage of CD34+CD10+ and CD34+CD19+ cells (B lymphoid progenitors) compared with CD34+ BM cells. The other subsets studied, including CD34+CD38- and CD34+HLA-DR- cells, were present in both compartments in similar proportions. Furthermore, primed CD34+ PB cells were enriched for colony-forming cells (CFC) and displayed an increased clonogenicity when compared with their counterparts in BM. A comparison between a postulated PBSC graft and an average BM graft is presented, showing that such PBSC grafts will be enriched for CD34+ cells as a whole, CD34+CD33+ cells, and colony-forming cells (CFC), factors which have been shown to correlate to acceleration of hematologic reconstitution and reduction in requirements for supportive care in autografting. Hence, we predict that allogeneic transplantation using G-CSF-primed PBSC grafts will result in a more rapid hematologic reconstitution after myeloablative conditioning than BM grafting. The question of whether PBSC allografting will result in permanent engraftment and clinical benefits as observed in autografting has to be determined in prospective clinical studies.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗

c-kit ligand combined with GM-CSF and/or IL-3 can expand CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor subsets for several weeks in vitro.

It might be possible to facilitate engraftment after transplantation of purified hematopoietic progenitor cells if the cells are stimulated ex vivo prior to transplantation. The aim of this study was to analyze the potential of c-kit ligand (CKL) combined with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and/or interleukin-3 (IL-3) to induce proliferation and differentiation of human bone marrow CD34+ cells in vitro. Particular attention was paid to the ability to expand populations that could maintain progenitor characteristics, i.e. CD34 expression and generation of colony forming cells (CFC), for a considerable period of time. Purified CD34+ cells were cultured in liquid medium for 42 days interrupted by immunophenotyping and CFC assays. In the presence of CKL combined with GM-CSF and/or IL-3, the total number of cells expressing CD34 increased significantly for several weeks after an initial decline. Further, CFC were continually recovered in these cultures. Based on the kinetics and the flow cytometry analysis, the expanding populations that continued to express CD34 probably originated from noncommitted, immature CD34+ cell subsets. CKL combined with GM-CSF and/or IL-3 also induced strong cell proliferation. The majority of the proliferating cells lost CD34 expression and acquired a series of mature myeloid cell surface markers associated with the monocytic, granulocytic and megakaryocytic lineages. These cells probably originated from committed CD34+ cell subsets. We conclude that CKL combined with GM-CSF and/or IL-3 can stimulate noncommitted, immature as well as committed CD34+ cell populations to expand and to differentiate. This property might be useful in a short-term ex vivo pretransplant stimulation of CD34+ cells in an attempt to facilitate rapid and stable engraftment after stem cell transplantation.

Adult↗

Comparison of the phenotype and clonogenicity of normal CD34+ cells from umbilical cord blood, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-mobilized peripheral blood, and adult human bone marrow.

Bone marrow (BM) is most frequently used to transplant hematopoietic progenitor cells, but umbilical cord blood (UCB) and mobilized peripheral blood (PB) provide alternative sources of progenitor cells for transplantation. To study whether the clonogenicity and phenotype of progenitor cells vary between the compartments, CD34+ cells from UCB, mobilized PB, and BM were analyzed for in vitro colony formation and characterized by immunophenotyping for several lineage-associated and maturation-related cell surface molecules. We found that circulating CD34+ cells, either from PB after granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) mobilization or from UCB, contained a large proportion of cells (86-96%) with myeloid cell-associated molecules (CD33 and CD13) and clonogenic cells (colony-forming unit-granulocyte-macrophage and burst-forming unit-erythrocyte) in excess of BM CD34+ cells. Further, UCB and PB CD34+ cells contained > or = 3% cells with a phenotype associated with immature (HLA-DR- and CD38-) progenitor cells, which was comparable to what is found among BM CD34+ cells. The proportion of CD34+ cells in UCB expressing the B cell-associated molecules (CD10 and CD19) was comparable to that found in mobilized PB (< or = 5%) but significantly lower than for BM CD34+ cells (19-24%). Further, we observed a higher proportion of CD34+ cells expressing the T cell-associated molecule CD7+ in UCB (7%) compared with both PB and BM (3-4%). In general, circulating CD34+ cells, either from UCB or G-CSF-mobilized PB, display largely the same phenotypic profile and clonogenicity, being different from resident CD34+ cells in BM.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗

Age-related effects of glare on luminance and color contrast sensitivity.

PURPOSE: To determine the effect of disability glare (DG) upon luminance and color contrast sensitivity for young and elderly subjects. METHODS: DG was defined as the difference in contrast sensitivity with and without the presence of a glare source. Isoluminant color gratings were modulated either along a red-green (R-G) or blue-yellow (B-Y) axis. RESULTS: Without glare the effect of age on sensitivity to both luminance and R-G color-modulated gratings was small and did not reach statistical significance (P > 0.1). However, the reduction in sensitivity for B-Y color modulation was highly significant (P < 0.01). For both age groups, DG was greatest for the R-G stimulus and least for the B-Y. DG in the elderly increased relative to the young observers for both R-G and luminance-modulated gratings (P < 0.01) but not for B-Y (P > 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The precise effect of a glare source on color discrimination depends upon a complex interaction between the chromaticity of the glare source and that of the stimulus. In certain circumstances, such as in our R-G stimulus, glare can dramatically reduce chromatic discrimination ability by desaturating the component colors.

Adult↗

Confirmation of the validity of the psychophysical light scattering factor.

PURPOSE: To reevaluate the validity of the light scatter factor (LSF) formula of Paulsson and Sjöstrand, LSF = L/E (M2/M1-1), where L is the target luminance, E is the illuminance of the glare source at the eye, and M2 and M1 are modulation contrast thresholds measured with and without the glare source, respectively. This equation has recently been deemed invalid by Yager, Yuan, and Mathews. METHOD: Ratios of contrast thresholds with and without glare were measured for three glare illuminance levels for each of three stimulus luminances. This results in five different ratios of L/E, spanning a range of 1.60 log units. RESULTS: The data show an excellent fit to the Paulsson and Sjöstrand equation, and the LSF scores conform well to previously published normative values. CONCLUSION: The light scatter factor equation of Paulsson and Sjöstrand is confirmed as valid without resorting to the need for correction factors based on variables such as pupil size.

Adult↗

T lymphocyte differentiation in vitro from adult human prethymic CD34+ bone marrow cells.

Pluripotent lymphohematopoietic stem cells are probably confined to bone marrow cells expressing CD34 surface molecules. To investigate the capacity of adult human CD34+ bone marrow cells to differentiate along the T lymphoid lineage, we plated purified CD34+ cells from healthy adults in liquid culture on adherent thymic stromal cells prepared from HLA- or blood group-mismatched postnatal thymic tissue. We show that purified CD34+CD3-CD4-CD8- bone marrow cells contained progenitors with the ability to differentiate into CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes expressing surface (s)CD3 and T cell receptor alpha/beta in vitro. These progenitors were found in the CD34+CD2+sCD3-CD4-CD8-, CD34+CD7+sCD3-CD4-CD8-, and CD34+CD2+CD7+sCD3-CD4-CD8-, as well as in the CD34+CD2-sCD3-CD4-CD8-, CD34+CD7-sCD3-CD4-CD8-, and CD34+CD2-CD7-sCD3-CD4-CD8- subsets, indicating that T lymphocyte progenitors sensitive to signals mediated by thymic stroma in vitro are not restricted to CD34+ cells already coexpressing early T lymphocyte-associated markers. Finally, we show that T lymphopoiesis was enhanced by c-kit ligand.

Adult↗

Light scatter in the normal young, elderly, and cataractous eye demonstrates little wavelength dependency.

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether light scatter in normal young, elderly, and cataractous eyes exhibits significant wavelength dependency. Straylight was quantified by calculating light scatter factors (LSF's) based upon the reduction in contrast sensitivity produced by a glare source. The angle of the glare source relative to fixation was varied (3.25 to 26 degrees), as was its wavelength (460 to 660 nm). LSF's increased as a function of age an especially in the presence of media opacities. However, the relation between LSF and glare angle remained approximately the same for each group. Our results suggest that wavelength dependency in normal young, elderly, or cataractous eyes is rather unimportant relative to other factors.

Adult↗

Effect of filters on disability glare.

Disability glare is the reduction in visual performance caused by a peripheral glare source. We examined the effect of a long wavelength pass (red) and a short wavelength pass (blue) filter on disability glare in the presence of varying amounts of induced wavelength dependent stray light. Measurements were made in the absence of any filter and then repeated in the presence of the red and blue filters whose luminous transmission factors were equal relative to both the stimulus and the glare source. Neither of the filters had any effect on disability glare. Filters not only reduce the amount of veiling luminance from the glare source, but also reduce the ability to detect the stimulus. Disability glare was not significantly different with the red and blue filters, even in the presence of wavelength dependent scatter. Calculation of the veiling luminance transmitted by each filter revealed that the difference in veiling luminance in the two filter conditions was insufficient to result in a measurable difference in disability glare.

Adult↗

Myeloid differentiation of purified CD34+ cells after stimulation with recombinant human granulocyte-monocyte colony-stimulating factor (CSF), granulocyte-CSF, monocyte-CSF, and interleukin-3.

CD34+ cells isolated from bone marrow or umbilical cord blood from healthy donors were studied for proliferation and differentiation in liquid cultures in the presence of recombinant human granulocyte-monocyte colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), granulocyte CSF (G-CSF), monocyte CSF (M-CSF), and interleukin-3 (IL-3), followed by immunophenotyping for myeloid and myeloid-associated cell surface markers. IL-3, either alone or together with GM-CSF, G-CSF, or M-CSF, induced, on average, 50-fold cell multiplication, GM-CSF five fold to 10-fold, and G-CSF and M-CSF less than fivefold. Cells from cultures stimulated with GM-CSF, G-CSF, or M-CSF alone contained cells with a "broad" myeloid profile, "broader" than observed in cultures with IL-3. However, since IL-3 induced rapid cell multiplication, high numbers of cells expressing early (CD13, CD33) and late myeloid markers (CD14, CD15) were recovered. The presence of other CSFs together with IL-3 did not alter the IL-3-induced effect on the cells. When 5,000 CD34+ cells were cultured with IL-3 alone, the cultures still contained 2,000 to 5,000 CD34+ cells after 14 days of culture, while cells cultured with GM-CSF, G-CSF, or M-CSF contained less than 1,000 CD34+ cells. Furthermore, 1,000 to 3,000 cells were positive for the megakaryocytic lineage marker CD41b after cultures with GM-CSF or IL-3, while cultures with G-CSF or M-CSF did not contain detectable numbers of CD41b+ cells. Finally, erythroid cells could also be generated from purified CD34+ cells. The results show that IL-3 and GM-CSF can induce rapid proliferation of purified CD34+ cells in vitro with differentiation to multiple myeloid lineages, while certain subsets maintain expression of CD34.

Antigens, CD↗

Characterization of multiple mRNA species of simian immunodeficiency virus from macaques in a CD4+ lymphoid cell line.

Cytoplasmic poly(A)+ RNA was isolated from CEMX721.174 cells 5 to 10 days after infection with molecularly cloned simian immunodeficiency virus SIVmac239. Expression of SIV RNA was analyzed by Northern (RNA) blot hybridization and by sequencing of cDNA clones. As expected, a splice donor site was demonstrated in the untranslated leader sequence outside the left long terminal repeat. The region between pol and env was found to contain at least two splice donor and six splice acceptor sites. Splice acceptor and donor sites in the intergenic region were suitably positioned for expression of vpx, vpr, tat, and rev. Splice acceptor sites at nucleotides 8802 and 8805 were demonstrated in singly and doubly spliced RNAs with the potential of expressing nef and the second exons of tat and rev. Our results demonstrate a complex pattern of alternative splicing of SIV mRNAs. The results are very similar to what has been observed in human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected cells, suggesting that both human and simian immunodeficiency viruses are subject to multiple levels of regulation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

T7 RNA polymerase directed expression of the Escherichia coli rrnB operon.

Plasmids having Escherichia coli ribosomal DNA sequences under control of a promoter for T7 RNA polymerase have been constructed. Transcription of the rDNA sequences is dependent on T7 RNA polymerase because the tandem promoters for E. coli RNA polymerase, normally used to direct transcription of these sequences, have been removed. The entire 16S, 23S and 5S coding sequences from the rrnB operon can be efficiently transcribed by T7 RNA polymerase in vitro to yield full-length 30S precursor RNA. When such plasmids are placed into an E. coli strain containing a chromosomal copy of the gene for T7 RNA polymerase under control of the lac UV5 promoter, high-level synthesis of rRNAs from the plasmid can be induced by adding IPTG to exponentially growing cells. Subsequent addition of rifampicin to inhibit further initiation of transcription by E. coli RNA polymerase provides a simple method to study the fate of plasmid-coded rRNAs in the complete absence of host-coded rRNA synthesis. Gel electrophoretic analysis demonstrated that the rRNAs synthesized by T7 RNA polymerase in the presence of rifampicin are processed to their mature forms and assembled into ribosomal particles for at least 35 min after rifampicin addition. T7 RNA polymerase is also capable of efficient transcription of the entire rrnB operon in the reverse direction.

DNA Restriction Enzymes↗