Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

T M Dexter

Publications and source records attributed to T M Dexter.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Expression of lineage restricted transcription factors precedes lineage specific differentiation in a multipotent haemopoietic progenitor cell line.

Lineage commitment and differentiation are likely to be coordinated by the combined effects of multiple transcription factors acting on numerous different target genes. The mechanisms by which lineage-restricted patterns of transcription factor expression are established are therefore of particular relevance to our understanding of the role of transcription factors both in normal development and in oncogenesis. Here, we report that the genes for the lineage-restricted transcription factors SCL, GATA-1 and GATA-2 are expressed in all multipotent, IL-3-dependent, haemopoietic progenitor cell lines tested. Moreover, a liquid differentiation assay has been used to demonstrate down regulation of SCL, GATA-1, GATA-2 and PU-1 during differentiation into non-expressing lineages. These data support the concept that multiple lineage-restricted transcription factors are expressed prior to lineage commitment.

Cell Line↗

Biological consequences of p160v-abl protein tyrosine kinase activity in a primitive, multipotent haemopoietic cell line.

A temperature sensitive abl protein tyrosine kinase gene was transferred into a multipotent haemopoietic stem cell line, and the primary biological effects of expression of the gene were examined at the permissive and non-permissive temperatures. Unlike previous studies in factor-dependent cell lines, we found that expression of the functional abl protein tyrosine kinase did not lead to growth autonomy. Furthermore, the cells were still able to undergo terminal myeloid differentiation. However, expression of the functional gene did lead to a delay in maturation with a concomitant increase in cell production, had a modest effect in terms of delayed apoptosis particularly when the cells were maintained at a high cell density, and slightly increased the response to sub-optimal concentrations of IL-3. In many respects, therefore, the effects of abl protein tyrosine kinase in these cells mimics the effect of bcr/abl in primary haemopoietic cells where growth factor independence and an aberrant differentiation profile are relatively late events in clonal evolution and are not intermediate consequences of activation of the abl gene.

Apoptosis↗

Transplantation potential of hematopoietic cells released into the circulation during routine chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Primitive hematopoietic cells released into the peripheral blood (PB) were studied in 50 patients with high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma enrolled in a phase III trial of intensive weekly chemotherapy (VAPEC-B) alone or with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). Mononuclear cells numbers were monitored and their in vitro growth potential assessed in clonogenic progenitor cell assays and in long-term culture. Total colony-forming cells (granulocyte-macrophage [GM], burst-forming unit, erythroid [BFU-E], Mix-CFC) were increased 40-fold (median) over baseline with chemotherapy alone and 106-fold with chemotherapy and G-CSF after the final dose. CD34+ cells were increased to a median of 4%, equivalent to that in normal bone marrow (BM) controls. Circulating colony-forming cell levels were maximal when the recovering total white blood cell (WBC) count reached 5 to 10 x 10(9)/L. The timing of the maximum was reproducible in individual patients. Therefore the WBC count can be used as a guide to the timing of leukapheresis. PB cells from normal controls' and patients' prechemotherapy were unable to sustain hemopoiesis in two-stage long-term cultures. In contrast, PB cells collected from patients primed with chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy with G-CSF at the time of predicted maximal colony-forming cell release were able to generate and sustain hematopoiesis in long-term cultures at a level comparable or superior to normal BM. These findings indicate that the use of G-CSF after routine outpatient chemotherapy stimulates maximal release of primitive hemopoietic cells into the circulation, including colony-forming cells and long-term culture-initiating cells. Their numbers are comparable with those in normal BM and are such that a single leukapheresis will usually yield enough cells for hemopoietic reconstitution after myeloablative chemotherapy.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

Suppression of apoptosis allows differentiation and development of a multipotent hemopoietic cell line in the absence of added growth factors.

In the absence of growth factors, hemopoietic cells die rapidly by the process of apoptosis. Transfection of the human bcl-2 gene into an interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent, multipotent hemopoietic cell line allowed these cells to survive in the absence of IL-3, both in serum-containing and serum-deprived conditions, and this survival was accompanied by multilineage differentiation. Moreover, single cell experiments showed that differentiation could occur in the absence of cell division. While these data do not rule out the possibility that growth factors can influence the lineage choice of multipotent cells, they suggest that exposure to growth factors may not be obligatory for the differentiation of stem cells. The data also support the hypothesis that differentiation is intrinsically determined and that the role of the hemopoietic growth factors is enabling rather than inductive.

Animals↗

Effect of Campath-1H antibody on human hematopoietic progenitors in vitro.

The humanized antibody CAMPATH-1H has been shown in pilot studies to be beneficial in the treatment of lymphoid malignancy and other lymphoproliferative diseases. The antigen recognized by this antibody is not confined to lymphoid cells, and work with rat antibodies of similar specificity has not eliminated the possibility of damage to human hematopoietic progenitors, particularly those capable of repopulating bone marrow and sustaining hematopoiesis. This study aimed to discover if hematopoietic progenitor cells were affected by treatment with CAMPATH-1H, with or without human complement. Bone marrow mononuclear cells from healthy volunteers were treated with saturating concentrations of CAMPATH-1H, human complement, or CAMPATH-1H plus human complement. The CD34-positive fraction of the mononuclear cells was treated similarly. Residual progenitor activity was measured in the colony-forming unit-granulocyte, erythroid, monocyte, megakaryocyte assay and compared with untreated controls. There was no significant difference (at the 5% level) between treated and control cells. Mononuclear cells were divided into CAMPATH-1H-positive and CAMPATH-1H-negative fractions by fluorescein isothiocyanate-CAMPATH-1H labeling and fluorescence-activated cell sorter separation. Hematopoietic progenitors were predominantly found in the CAMPATH-1H-negative fraction. Furthermore, mononuclear cells treated with CAMPATH-1H and complement were equivalent to controls in experiments that investigated the capacity of these cells to form hematopoietic foci in long-term cultures.

Antibody-Dependent Cell Cytotoxicity↗

Protein kinase C activators can interact synergistically with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor or interleukin-6 to stimulate colony formation from enriched granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells.

The effects of direct activators of protein kinase C (PKC) (the phorbol ester tetradecanoyl phorbol myristic acid [TPA] or bryostatin) on the ability of a highly enriched population of granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFC) to proliferate and develop in soft agar was assessed. In the absence of colony stimulating factors, the PKC activators did not stimulate colony formation. However, in the presence of optimal concentrations of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) or interleukin-6 (IL-6), TPA or bryostatin markedly elevated the number of colonies formed from the GM-CFC. In the absence of TPA, IL-6, and G-CSF, respectively, both stimulated the formation of about 3% of the colonies observed when IL-3 was present. When TPA plus G-CSF or IL-6 were added together, this figure increased to 48% and 54%, respectively. In both instances, the types of mature cells formed was altered from colonies of mature neutrophilic cells to a mixture consisting predominantly of macrophages with some neutrophils. Similar results were observed when bryostatin replaced TPA in these assays. When single cell colony-forming assays were performed, the same results were obtained. The presence of G-CSF, or IL-6, and the activator of PKC used (TPA or bryostatin) was required throughout the colony-forming assay for an optimal synergistic effect to be observed. These data indicate that agents that activate PKC can promote the proliferation and development of GM-CFC via a synergistic interaction with G-CSF or IL-6. Furthermore, there is an apparent role for PKC in development and possibly lineage commitment of GM-CFC.

Animals↗

Influence of growth factors and substrates on differentiation of haemopoietic stem cells.

During the last few years there has been major progress in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the regulation of haemopoietic stem cell proliferation and development. In the past 12 months, advances have been made in identifying how growth factor receptor expression is regulated in primitive haemopoietic cells, in determining the transcription factors that are associated with development, and in recognizing some of the specific molecular interactions that occur between the bone marrow stromal cells and the haemopoietic progenitor cells. These and previous studies clearly demonstrate that the environment can influence the survival, the proliferation and the differentiation of haemopoietic cells at every stage of development.

Animals↗

Synergistic interactions in haemopoiesis: biological implications and clinical use.

Growth factors promote the survival and proliferation of haemopoietic stem and progenitor cells, and in their absence the haemopoietic cells undergo apoptosis and die. The results of studies reported here indicate that multipotent stem cells have receptors for most, if not all, of the growth factors, but that even saturated binding of the receptors for a single growth factor is not sufficient to transduce an effective stimulus for the proliferation of these cells (possibly due to very low receptor numbers). However, when the growth factors are combined synergistic effects can be seen. Studies in which stem cell factor was used in combination with other growth factors showed that stem cell factor allowed the survival of stem cells, while a second growth factor (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor) stimulated the stem cells to develop normally. Stem cell factor was also shown to alter the dose-response relationships of developing haemopoietic cells for other growth factors.

Bone Marrow Cells↗

The molecular control of hematopoiesis.

Experiments both in vitro and in vivo have increased our understanding of how cytokines can act to influence the maintenance of the primitive hemopoietic populations and the production of mature blood cells. Such understanding helps us to use cytokines as therapeutic agents in order to manipulate the hemopoietic response to disease and its treatment.

Growth Substances↗

Expression of Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein influences self-renewal and differentiation in a multipotential murine haemopoietic 'stem cell' line.

The product encoded by the latent membrane protein (LMP) gene of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been implicated as a transforming protein by a number of studies. We have examined the effects of LMP expression in FDCP-mix cells, a growth factor-dependent multipotential murine 'stem cell' line. Our studies show that LMP reduces the generation of clonogenic cells and leads to the production of cells expressing a marker (lysozyme M) characteristic of mature monocytes and macrophages. Furthermore, cells expressing LMP are compromised in their ability to produce mature neutrophils. These data suggest that expression of LMP in primitive cells can modulate their self-renewal and differentiation potential and provide evidence in support of the suggestion that EBV may be involved in some of the maturation defects of haemopoiesis.

Animals↗

Haemopoietic stem cell development to neutrophils is associated with subcellular redistribution and differential expression of protein kinase C subspecies.

Multipotential FDCP-Mix A4 (A4) cells can be induced either to self-renew or to differentiate and develop into mature neutrophils in liquid culture, depending on the haemopoietic growth factors with which they are cultured. When cultured in low concentrations of interleukin 3 (IL-3, 1 unit/ml)) plus Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) and Granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF), A4 cells proliferate with accompanying development to form cells which resemble mature, postmitotic neutrophils. The presence of high concentrations of IL-3 (100 units/ml) blocks the development of A4 cells even in the presence of GM-CSF plus G-CSF. A4 cell development to neutrophils is accompanied by major changes in the expression of protein kinase C (PKC) subspecies in these cells. The predominant subspecies present in multipotent A4 cells, as judged by direct chromatographic analysis, was the type III enzyme (alpha) subspecies, whereas in mature A4 cell neutrophils, the type II (beta I + beta II) enzymes were predominant. Phorbol esters added to immature A4 cells resulted in a proliferative response, but when added to postmitotic A4 cells resembling neutrophils they elicited a large increase in reactive oxygen intermediate production. This suggests that the type III (alpha) subspecies may mediate proliferative responses in stem cells, whilst the type II (beta I + beta II) enzymes are more important for the mature cell functions of postmitotic neutrophils. In cultures containing IL-3 (100 units/ml) both the type III, and also the type II subspecies were predominantly membrane-associated for prolonged periods (> 24 hours).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Localisation of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor in human long-term bone marrow cultures. Biological and immunocytochemical characterisation.

The distribution of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in human long-term bone marrow cultures (HLTBMC) was examined using two monoclonal antibodies raised using purified recombinant GM-CSF and a third commercially available GM-CSF antibody. The antibodies were able to bind to purified recombinant GM-CSF and showed inhibition of GM-CFC colonies in the presence of both recombinant and native protein. All antibodies displayed similar patterns of distribution in both permeabilised and non-permeabilised stromal cell preparations. Fibroblasts were labelled at their periphery in early cultures and both endothelial cells and fibroblasts showed cytoplasmic labelling with anti-GM-CSF. The fact that GM-CSF appears to be sequestered by cells of the bone marrow stroma raises the possibility that it is synthesized by these cells and may regulate activity of the progenitor cells in the haemopoietic foci. In contrast, early progenitor cells within the foci did not stain with any of the anti-GM-CSF antibodies. Adipocytes, which differentiate from fibroblasts in these cultures, showed a diffuse staining pattern. Two types of macrophage staining were observed in the non-permeabilised cells; those exhibiting only autofluorescence and those that bound the antibody. Intracellular staining was apparent in a small sub-population. Generally, the staining persisted up to eight weeks of culture and thereafter declined, becoming virtually undetectable after 12 weeks. This correlates with the pattern of GM-CFC production in long-term bone marrow cultures.

Blotting, Western↗

Expression and downregulation of cytotoxic cell protease 1 or Granzyme 'B' transcripts during myeloid differentiation of interleukin-3-dependent murine stem cell lines.

Using the technique of differential cDNA library screening, we have molecularly cloned a gene that is highly expressed in an undifferentiated myeloid multipotent and growth factor-dependent stem cell line (FDCP-Mix) and that downregulates as these cells are induced to differentiate along monocytic, granulocytic, and erythroid cell lineages. Sequence analysis of this gene has shown homology with a previously cloned gene, cytotoxic cell protease 1 (CCP1 or Granzyme 'B'), that has been shown to be expressed only in thymocytes, activated T cells, a mast cell line, and peritoneal exudate leukocytes. In situ hybridization, Northern blot analysis, and nuclear run-off assay has confirmed that expression of CCP1 is restricted to the phenotypically primitive multipotent undifferentiated. FDCP-Mix cells that are undergoing self-renewal in the presence of growth factors such as interleukin-3.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Stem cell factor directly stimulates the development of enriched granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells and promotes the effects of other colony-stimulating factors.

The effects of the c-kit ligand (stem cell factor [SCF]) on the development of a highly enriched population of granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFC) were assessed. In soft agar assays, both in serum-containing and in serum-deprived cultures, SCF promoted the formation of colonies that contained predominantly granulocytic cells with some blast cells also present. The size of these colonies was far smaller than observed in the presence of interleukin-3 (IL-3). In serum-deprived conditions, no colonies were formed in the presence of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), but when M-CSF was combined with SCF, a marked change was noted in that large colonies were produced containing predominantly macrophages. When GM-CFC were cultured in the presence of IL-3 and SCF, colonies were formed that contained blast cells, granulocytes, and macrophages. A synergistic interaction was also seen using a combination of G-CSF plus SCF in either serum-containing or serum-deprived cultures. The addition of SCF to colony-forming assays markedly reduced the concentration of IL-3 or G-CSF required for optimal levels of colony formation. Furthermore, SCF was capable of promoting the survival of GM-CFC for several days, after which large colonies containing mature cells were formed upon the addition of a secondary growth factor such as G-CSF or IL-3. Thus, SCF can directly act on highly enriched committed progenitor cells in serum-deprived conditions to promote survival, proliferation, and development.

Animals↗

Growth of human umbilical-cord blood in longterm haemopoietic cultures.

Cryopreserved human umbilical-cord (HUC) blood is an alternative to bone marrow as a source of haemopoietic "stem" cells for HLA-identical transplantation of children with leukaemia or Fanconi's anaemia. We have studied the in-vitro growth potential of HUC blood in clonogenic assays and in longterm haemopoietic cultures. Clonogenic assays showed that HUC blood produced as many haemopoietic-cell colonies as normal adult bone marrow and a higher proportion of primitive-cell colonies. In longterm culture on preformed irradiated marrow stroma, both progenitor-cell production and lifespan of cultures were significantly greater in HUC blood than in normal bone marrow (p = 0.0007). Our findings indicate that the quality and quantity of HUC-blood-derived haemopoietic "stem" cells are better than those of normal bone marrow. Therefore, single HUC-blood donations are probably sufficient for adults requiring transplantation for leukaemia and other haemopoietic disorders. Banking of HLA-typed HUC blood to facilitate transplantation of patients who lack a family donor should be considered.

Blood Transfusion↗

"Stem cell" origin of the hematopoietic defect in dyskeratosis congenita.

We have used the long-term bone marrow culture (LTBMC) system to analyze hematopoiesis in three patients with dyskeratosis congenita (DC), two of whom had aplastic anemia, and the third had a normal blood count (apart from mild macrocytosis) and normal BM cellularity. Hematopoiesis was severely defective in all three patients, as measured by a low incidence of colony-forming cells and a low level of hematopoiesis in LTBMC. The function of the marrow stroma was normal in its ability to support the growth of hematopoietic progenitors from normal marrows seeded onto them in all three cases, but the generation of hematopoietic progenitors from patients marrow cells inoculated onto normal stromas was reduced, thus suggesting the defect to be of stem cell origin. The parents and unaffected brother of one of the families have also been studied in LTBMC and all showed normal hematopoietic and stromal cell function. From this study we speculate that there are some similarities between DC and the defect in the W/Wv mouse.

Adolescent↗