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Teresa S Hawley

Publications and source records attributed to Teresa S Hawley.

17 recordsLinked to original sources

Stable gammaretroviral vector expression during embryonic stem cell-derived in vitro hematopoietic development.

Unlike conventional gammaretroviral vectors, the murine stem cell virus (MSCV) can efficiently express transgenes in undifferentiated embryonic stem cells (ESCs). However, a dramatic extinction of expression is observed when ESCs are subjected to in vitro hematopoietic differentiation. Here we report the construction of a self-inactivating vector from MSCV, MSinSB, which transmits an intron embedded within the internal transgene cassette to transduced cells. The internal transgene transcriptional unit in MSinSB comprises the composite cytomegalovirus immediate early enhancer-chicken beta-actin promoter and associated 5' splice site positioned upstream of the natural 3' splice site of the gammaretroviral envelope gene, and is configured such that the transgene translational initiation sequence is coincident with the envelope ATG. MSinSB could be produced at titers approaching 10(6) transducing units/ml and directed higher levels of transgene expression in ESCs than a splicing-optimized MSCV-derived vector, MSGV1. Moreover, when transduced ESCs were differentiated into hematopoietic cells in vitro, MSinSB remained transcriptionally active in greater than 90% of the cells, whereas MSGV1 expression was almost completely shut off. Persistent high-level expression of the MSinSB gammaretroviral vector was also demonstrated in murine bone marrow transplant recipients and following in vitro myelomonocytic differentiation of human CD34(+) cord blood stem/progenitor cells.

Animals↗

Hematopoietic stem cells.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have the capacity to self-renew and the potential to differentiate into all of the mature blood cell types. The ability to prospectively identify and isolate HSCs has been the subject of extensive investigation since the first transplantation studies implying their existence almost 50 years ago. Despite significant advances in enrichment protocols, the continuous in vitro propagation of human HSCs has not yet been achieved. This chapter describes current procedures used to phenotypically and functionally characterize candidate human HSCs and initial efforts to derive permanent human HSC lines.

Animals↗

TLX1/HOX11-mediated disruption of primary thymocyte differentiation prior to the CD4+CD8+ double-positive stage.

The TLX1/HOX11 homeobox gene is frequently activated in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) by the t(10;14)(q24;q11) and t(7;10)(q35;q24) chromosomal translocations or by as yet unknown transcriptional mechanisms in the absence of 10q24 cytogenetic abnormalities. Almost all TLX1(+) T-ALLs exhibit a CD4(+)CD8(+) double-positive (DP) phenotype. To investigate the role of TLX1 as an initiating oncogene in T-ALL pathogenesis, we assessed the consequences of retroviral vector-directed TLX1 expression during the differentiation of murine and human thymocytes in fetal thymic organ cultures. Interestingly, enforced expression of TLX1 disrupted the differentiation of murine fetal liver precursors and human cord blood CD34(+) stem/progenitor cells prior to the DP thymocyte stage. Although differentiation arrest was associated with an increased percentage of apoptotic thymocytes, it could only be partially bypassed by coexpression of transgenic BCL2. Mutation of the invariant asparagine residue at position 51 of the homeodomain - which is required for efficient DNA binding - released the block, consistent with the notion that TLX1 inhibits thymocyte differentiation and promotes T-cell oncogenesis by functioning as a transcription factor. The relevance of these findings is discussed in the context of activating NOTCH1 mutations and the other genetic lesions implicated in the multistep transformation process of TLX1(+) T-ALL.

Animals↗

Correction of murine hemophilia A by hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy.

A serious complication of current protein replacement therapy for hemophilia A patients with coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) deficiency is the frequent development of anti-FVIII inhibitor antibodies that preclude therapeutic benefit from further treatment. Induction of tolerance by persistent high-level FVIII synthesis following transplantation with hematopoietic stem cells expressing a retrovirally delivered FVIII transgene offers the possibility of permanently correcting the disease. Here, we transplanted bone marrow cells transduced with an optimized MSCV-based FVIII oncoretroviral vector into immunocompetent hemophilia A mice that had been conditioned with a potentially lethal dose of irradiation (800 cGy), a sublethal dose of irradiation (550 cGy), or a nonmyeloablative preparative regimen involving busulfan. Therapeutic levels of FVIII (42, 18, and 11% of normal, respectively) were detected in the plasma of the transplant recipients for the duration of the study (over 6 months). Moreover, subsequent challenge with recombinant FVIII elicited at most a minor anti-FVIII inhibitor antibody response in any of the experimental animals, in contrast to the vigorous neutralizing humoral reaction to FVIII that was stimulated in naive hemophilia A mice. These findings represent an encouraging advance toward potential clinical application and long-term amelioration or cure of this progressively debilitating, life-threatening bleeding disorder.

Animals↗

Bypass of senescence, immortalization, and transformation of human hematopoietic progenitor cells.

We attempted to extend the lifespan of CD34+ stem/progenitor cells in human cord blood (CB) by transduction with lentiviral vectors carrying the human telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) and/or the human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) E6 and E7 oncogenes. We found that hTERT was incapable of prolonging the replicative capacity of CB cells maintained under serum-free conditions in the presence of stem cell factor, Flt3 ligand, thrombopoietin, and interleukin-3 beyond 4 months (n=3). However, transduced CB cells cultured in the same cytokine cocktail constitutively expressing HPV16 E6/E7 alone (n=2) or in concert with hTERT (n=9) continued to proliferate, giving rise to permanent (>2 years) cell lines with a CD45+ CD34- CD133+/- CD44+ CD235a+ CD71+ CD203+ CD33+ CD13+ myeloerythroid/mast cell progenitor phenotype. Notably, CB cell cultures expressing only HPV16 E6/E7 went through a crisis period, and the resulting oligoclonal cell lines were highly aneuploid. By comparison, the CB cell lines obtained by coexpression of HPV16 E6/E7 plus hTERT exhibited near-diploid karyotypes with minimal chromosomal aberrations, concomitant with stabilization of telomere length, yet were clonally derived. The immortalized E6/E7 plus hTERT-expressing CB cells were not tumorigenic when injected intravenously or subcutaneously into sublethally irradiated immunodeficient nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice but could be converted to a malignant state by ectopic expression of a v-H-ras or BCR-ABL oncogene. These findings provide new insights into the mechanisms governing the senescence checkpoint of primitive human hematopoietic precursors and establish a paradigm for studies of the multistep process of human leukemogenesis.

Antigens, CD34↗

Tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 overexpression in M1 myeloblasts impairs IL-6-induced differentiation.

The balance between matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase (TIMP) is important for extracellular matrix interactions of hematopoietic cells. MMP-independent growth modulating activity for TIMP-1 on B lymphocytes and erythroid progenitors has also been described, but a role for TIMP-1 in myelomonocytic differentiation has not been previously reported. In this study, we demonstrate that TIMP-1 overexpression impairs differentiation of the myeloblastic M1 cell line following interleukin (IL)-6 stimulation. We generated retroviral vectors coexpressing human TIMP-1 and the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and stably transduced murine M1 myeloid cells. TIMP-1 expressing cells showed a large reduction in IL-6-induced macrophage differentiation in vitro that was reversible with a specific monoclonal antibody. The differentiation delay in M1/TIMP-1 cells was also specifically reversible by pharmacologic phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3-K) inhibition. Additionally, overexpression of a TIMP-1/GFP fusion protein also impaired M1 differentiation and this protein was localized to the cell surface, consistent with an autocrine receptor-mediated mechanism. Surprisingly, TIMP-1 transduced cells had a selective advantage for growth in IL-6, indicating that functional effects on growth and differentiation of M1 cells were primarily through an autocrine mechanism. Intrinsic TIMP-1 expression in myeloid leukemia cells might thus impact upon survival or differentiation.

Bone Marrow Cells↗

Sustained phenotypic correction of hemophilia a mice following oncoretroviral-mediated expression of a bioengineered human factor VIII gene in long-term hematopoietic repopulating cells.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are an attractive target cell population for hemophilia A gene therapy because of their capacity to regenerate the hematolymphoid system permanently following transplantation. Here we transplanted bone marrow (BM) cells transduced with a splicing-optimized MSCV oncoretroviral vector expressing a secretion-improved human factor VIII gene into immunocompromised hemophilic mice that had received a reduced dose conditioning regimen. An enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) reporter gene linked to an encephalomyocarditis virus internal ribosome entry site was incorporated into the vector to allow preselection of transduced cells and facile evaluation of engraftment. Sustained expression of EGFP was demonstrated in the peripheral blood, and therapeutic levels of factor VIII were detected in the plasma of the majority of the recipients for the duration of the observation period (up to 22 weeks). Coordinate expression of factor VIII and EGFP (up to 19 weeks) was transferred to secondary BM transplant recipients, indicating that long-term repopulating HSCs had been successfully gene modified. Notably, the hemophilic phenotype of all treated mice was corrected, thus demonstrating the potential of HSC-directed oncoretroviral-mediated factor VIII gene transfer as a curative therapeutic strategy for hemophilia A.

Animals↗

SCID repopulating cells derived from unmobilised adult human peripheral blood.

Severe combined immunodeficient (SCID)-repopulating cells (termed SRC) with lymphohaematopoietic differentiation potential reside at an extremely low frequency in unmobilised adult human peripheral blood. Recently, an ex vivo method of increasing the relative numbers of at least four distinct human stem cell classes, that include CD34+ haematopoietic progenitor cells, in mononuclear cells (MNC) obtained from unmobilised adult human peripheral blood has been described. This process is triggered by a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against the human monomorphic region of the beta chain of HLA-DP, DQ and DR (clone CR3/43). Herein, we assess the ability of human male donor-derived MNC, following ex vivo culturing for 3 hr in haematopoietic-conducive conditions (HCC) (3-hr MNC/HCC), to form SRC in female non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice. All 3-hr MNC/HCC-recipient animals exhibited significant levels (> 0.5%) of human cell engraftment in the bone marrow, thymus and spleen when compared to animals receiving MNC cultured in the absence of CR3/43. Phenotypic characterisation of the bone marrow cell populations of engrafted mice demonstrated significant levels of human lymphohaematopoietic cell lineages, comprised of T lymphocytes, monocytes, erythrocytes and megakaryocytes, including platelets. In addition, significant levels of clonogenic human CD34+ cells were also detected by in vitro surrogate assay. The thymi of engrafted animals contained maturating human thymocytes, while the spleen consisted mainly of T lymphocytes. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) further identified the presence of human male X and Y chromosomes at engrafted sites, whilst the human origin of the cells was confirmed by a specific PCR assay for the human Cart-1 gene. In conclusion, the conversion of MNC to SRC in response to treatment with CR3/43 for 3 hr could have far-reaching clinical implications especially where time and donor-histocompatibility are limiting factors.

Adult↗

Detection and enrichment of hematopoietic stem cells by side population phenotype.

A flow cytometric procedure has recently been described to isolate hematopoietic stem cells from mouse bone marrow based on the efflux properties of the vital dye Hoechst 33342. The assay defines a subset of cells-termed the "side population" (SP)-by simultaneously measuring fluorescence of the dye at two wavelengths (~450 nm and >670 nm). In this chapter, SP protocols are provided to detect candidate hematopoietic stem cells in mouse bone marrow and human cord blood. In the standard method, SP profiles are readily observed on a stream-in-air cell sorter using 30 mW of 351-356 nm ultraviolet excitation from a krypton-ion laser. Alternatively, SP profiles can be resolved on an analytical flow cytometer with cuvette flow cell using 8 mW of 325-nm ultraviolet excitation from a helium-cadmium laser. The ability to perform the SP assay on an analytical instrument facilitates optimization of staining conditions to identify hematopoietic and other stem cells in a variety of tissues. It is also demonstrated that SP profiles of slightly lower resolution can be obtained on a stream-in-air cell sorter using 100 mW of 407-nm violet excitation from a krypton-ion laser, raising the possibility that with appropriate validation the SP assay could be performed on flow cytometers that are not equipped with ultraviolet lasers.

Animals↗

Multiparameter flow cytometry of fluorescent protein reporters.

Reporters based on the green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria and GFP-like proteins from other marine organisms provide valuable tools to monitor gene transfer and expression noninvasively in living cells. Stable cell lines were generated from the Sp2/0-Ag14 hybridoma that express up to three spectral enhanced versions of GFP, the enhanced cyan fluorescent protein (ECFP), the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), and the enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP), and/or a variant of the Discosoma coral red fluorescent protein (DsRed). The panel of lines was used to demonstrate a flow cytometric procedure for simultaneous analysis of all four fluorescent proteins that utilizes dual-laser excitation at 488 nm and 407 nm. Additional schemes for simultaneous detection of two, three or four of these fluorescent proteins are also presented.

Animals↗

Catalytic-dependent and -independent roles of SHP-2 tyrosine phosphatase in interleukin-3 signaling.

SHP-2 tyrosine phosphatase is highly expressed in hematopoietic cells, however, the function of SHP-2 in hematopoietic cell signaling is not well understood. Here we focus on the role of SHP-2 phosphatase in the signal transduction of interleukin (IL)-3, a cytokine involved in hematopoietic cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation. We established immortalized SHP-2(-/-) hematopoietic cell pools and showed that IL-3-induced proliferative response was diminished in SHP-2(-/-) cells. Moreover, inhibition of the catalytic activity of SHP-2 in wild-type (WT) bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells and Ba/F3 cells by overexpression of catalytically inactive SHP-2 mutant suppressed their differentiative and proliferative responses to IL-3, demonstrating an important positive role for SHP-2 in IL-3 signal transduction. Further biochemical analyses revealed that IL-3-induced Jak/Stat, Erk, and PI3 kinase pathways in SHP-2(-/-) cells were impaired and reintroduction of WT SHP-2 into mutant cells partially restored IL-3 signaling. Interestingly, in catalytically inactive SHP-2-overexpressing Ba/F3 cells, although IL-3-induced activation of Jak2 and Erk kinases was reduced and shortened, PI3 kinase activation remained unaltered. Taken together, these results suggest that SHP-2 tyrosine phosphatase plays multiple roles in IL-3 signal transduction, functioning in both catalytic-dependent and -independent manners in the Jak/Stat, Erk, and PI3 kinase pathways.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Performance- and safety-enhanced lentiviral vectors containing the human interferon-beta scaffold attachment region and the chicken beta-globin insulator.

Retroviral vectors are the most efficient means of stable gene delivery to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). However, transgene expression from retroviral vectors is frequently subject to the negative influence of chromosomal sequences flanking the site of integration. Toward the development of autonomous transgene expression cassettes, we inserted the human interferon-beta scaffold attachment region (IFN-SAR) and the chicken beta-globin 5' DNase I hypersensitive site 4 (5'HS4) insulator both separately and together into a series of self-inactivating (SIN) lentiviral vector backbones. Transduced cells of the human CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor line KG1a-pooled populations as well as individual clones harboring single integrants--were analyzed for reporter expression during culture periods of up to 4 months. Vectors carrying both the 5'HS4 insulator and the IFN-SAR consistently outperformed control vectors without inserts as well as vectors carrying either element alone. The performance of a set of vectors containing the murine stem cell virus long terminal repeat as an internal promoter was subsequently assessed during in vitro monocytic differentiation of transduced primary human CD34+ cord blood cells. Similar to what was observed in the KG1a hematopoietic progenitor cell model, optimal reporter expression in primary monocytes was obtained with the vector bearing both regulatory elements. These findings indicate that the 5'HS4/IFN-SAR combination is particularly effective at maintaining open chromatin domains permissive for high-level transgene expression at early and late stages of hematopoietic development, and thus could be of utility in HSC-directed retroviral vector-mediated gene transfer applications.

Animals↗

Analysis of violet-excited fluorochromes by flow cytometry using a violet laser diode.

BACKGROUND: Low power violet laser diodes (VLDs) have been evaluated as potential replacements for water-cooled argon-ion and krypton-ion ultraviolet and violet lasers for DNA content analysis using the Hoechst dyes and 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (Shapiro HMN, Perlmutter NG: Cytometry 44:133-136, 2001). In this study, we used a VLD to excite a variety of violet-excited fluorescent molecules important in biomedical analysis, including the fluorochromes Cascade Blue and Pacific Blue, the expressible fluorescent protein cyan fluorescent protein (CFP), and the fluorogenic alkaline phosphatase (AP) substrate 2-(5'-chloro-2'-phosphoryloxyphenyl)-6-chloro-4-(3H)-quinazoline (ELF-97; for endogenous AP detection and cell surface labeling with AP-conjugated antibodies). METHODS: Comparisons were made between VLD excitation and a krypton-ion laser emitting at 407 nm (both at higher power levels and with the beam attenuated at levels approximating the VLD) on the same FACSVantage SE stream-in-air flow cytometer. We evaluated a Power Technology 408-nm VLD (30 mW) equipped with circularization optics (18 mW maximum output, set to 15 mW) and a Coherent I-302C krypton-ion laser emitting at power levels ranging from 15 to 75 mW. RESULTS: Cascade Blue, Pacific Blue, and CFP showed comparable signal-to-noise ratios and levels of sensitivity with VLD excitation versus the krypton-ion laser at high and VLD-matched power outputs. Multicolor fluorescent protein analysis with 488-nm excitation of green fluorescent protein and DsRed and VLD excitation of CFP was therefore feasible and was demonstrated. Similar levels of excitation efficiency between krypton-ion and VLD sources also were observed for ELF-97 detection. CONCLUSIONS: These evaluations confirmed that VLDs may be cost- and maintenance-effective replacements for water-cooled gas lasers for applications requiring violet excitation in addition to DNA binding dyes.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Cell intrinsic defects in cytokine responsiveness of STAT5-deficient hematopoietic stem cells.

Secreted growth factors are integral components of the bone marrow (BM) niche and can regulate survival, proliferation, and differentiation of committed hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). However, downstream genes activated in HSCs by early-acting cytokines are not well characterized. To better define intracellular cytokine signaling in HSC function, we have analyzed mice lacking expression of both signal transducer and activator of transcription 5a (STAT5a) and STAT5b (STAT5ab(-/-)). These studies specifically avoided possible autoimmune and/or splenomegaly disease-mediated indirect effects on HSC function by using 2 independent approaches: (1) by crossing onto the C57Bl/6 RAG2(-/-) background, and (2) by generation of wild-type chimeric mice reconstituted with transplanted STAT5ab(-/-) BM cells. These experiments demonstrated that STAT5-deficient HSCs have cell autonomous defects in competitive long-term repopulating activity. Furthermore, in the chimeric mice, injected wild-type BM cells showed a progressive multilineage competitive repopulating advantage in vivo, demonstrating that steady-state hematopoiesis was also highly STAT5-dependent. Consistent with the in vivo repopulating deficiency, when Sca-1(+)c-kit(+)lin(-) (KLS) cells were isolated and stimulated with growth factors in vitro, up to a 13-fold reduced expansion of total nucleated cells was observed in response to cocktails containing interleukin 3 (IL-3), IL-6, stem cell factor (SCF), Flt3 ligand, and thrombopoietin. Notably, a 10-fold reduction in expansion was observed with IL-3 and SCF. However, STAT5 activation was not required for regeneration of the KLS pool in vivo following transplant or for secondary repopulating ability. These studies support a major role for STAT5 activation as a cellular determinant of cytokine-mediated HSC repopulating potential but not self-renewal capacity.

Animals↗

Immortalization of yolk sac-derived precursor cells.

Hematopoiesis initiates in the extraembryonic yolk sac. To isolate various types of precursor cells from this blood cell-forming tissue, yolk sac cells were immortalized by retroviral-mediated expression of the HOX11 homeobox-containing gene. Among the cell lines derived, some were able to spontaneously generate adherent stromal-like cells capable of taking up acetylated low-density lipoprotein, and they could be induced to form tubelike structures when cultured on Matrigel. Although these cell lines were negative for hematopoietic cell surface markers, they gave rise to hematopoietic colonies--containing cells belonging to the monocytic, megakaryocytic, and definitive erythroid lineages--when plated in methylcellulose medium supplemented with hematopoietic growth factors. Low amounts of Flk-1 mRNA could be detected in these cells, and they showed significant responsiveness to vascular endothelial growth factor, stem cell factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and interleukin 6. They also expressed the transcription factors SCL, GATA2, GATA1, PU.1, and c-myb. These yolk sac-derived cell lines may represent a transitional stage of early hematopoietic development.

Animals↗

Role of the docking protein Gab2 in beta(1)-integrin signaling pathway-mediated hematopoietic cell adhesion and migration.

Gab2, a newly identified pleckstrin homology domain-containing docking protein, is a major binding protein of SHP-2 tyrosine phosphatase in interleukin (IL)-3-stimulated hematopoietic cells. Its signaling mechanism remains largely unknown. We report here an important regulatory role for Gab2 in beta(1) integrin signaling pathway that mediates hematopoietic cell adhesion and migration. Cross-linking of the beta(1) integrin on Ba/F3 cells induced rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of Gab2 and its association with Syk kinase, SHP-2 phosphatase, and the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol (PI)-3 kinase. In addition, Gab2 was also constitutively associated with SHP-1 phosphatase via its C-terminal Src homology 2 domain. Overexpression of the pleckstrin homology domain or a mutant Gab2 molecule lacking SHP-2 binding sites resulted in significant reductions in Ba/F3 cell adhesion and migration. Biochemical analyses revealed that enforced expression of Gab2 mutant molecules dramatically reduced beta(1)-integrin ligation-triggered PI3 kinase activation, whereas Erk kinase activation remained unaltered. Furthermore, transduction of primary hematopoietic progenitor cells from viable motheaten mice with these mutant Gab2 molecules also significantly ameliorated their enhanced migration capacity associated with the SHP1 gene mutation. Taken together, these results suggest an important signaling role for Gab2 in regulating hematopoietic cell adhesion and migration.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Reduced lymphomyeloid repopulating activity from adult bone marrow and fetal liver of mice lacking expression of STAT5.

Signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) are intracellular mediators of cytokine receptor signals. Because many early-acting growth factors have been implicated in STAT5 activation, this study sought to investigate whether STAT5 may be a transcriptional regulator of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) long-term repopulating activity. To test this possibility, bone marrow (BM) and fetal liver (FL) cells from mice containing homozygous deletions of both STAT5a and STAT5b genes (STAT5ab(-/-)) were characterized for hematopoietic repopulating activities. BM and FL grafts were capable of repopulating lymphoid and myeloid lineages of lethally irradiated primary and secondary hosts, with defects observed primarily in T-lymphocyte engraftment. Because only a fraction of normal HSC function is required to reconstitute hematopoiesis, competitive repopulation assays of adult BM or FL cells were used against wild type adult BM or FL cells to quantitate stem cell function. In these analyses, average 25-, 28-, 45-, and 68-fold decreases in normal repopulating activity were evident in granulocyte (Gr-1(+)), macrophage (Mac-1(+)), erythroid progenitor (Ter119(+)), and B-lymphocyte (B220(+)) populations, respectively, with T lymphocytes (CD4(+)) always undetectable from the STAT5ab(-/-) graft. Consistent with previous reports of divergence between stem cell phenotype and function in cases of perturbed hematopoiesis, the absolute number of cells within Sca-1(+)c-kit(+)lin(-) or lin(-) Hoechst 33342 side population fractions was not significantly different between wild type and STAT5ab(-/-) BM or FL cells. These results demonstrate that a significant proportion of the growth factor signals required for multilineage reconstitution potential of HSCs is STAT5 dependent.

Animals↗