The cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis has captured the attention of many scientists. It is believed that elimination of CSCs could possibly eradicate the whole cancer. CSC surface markers provide ...molecular targeted therapies for various cancers, using therapeutic antibodies specific for the CSC surface markers. Various CSC surface markers have been identified and published. Interestingly, most of the markers used to identify CSCs are derived from surface markers present on human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) or adult stem cells. In this review, we classify the currently known 40 CSC surface markers into 3 different categories, in terms of their expression in hESCs, adult stem cells, and normal tissue cells. Approximately 73% of current CSC surface markers appear to be present on embryonic or adult stem cells, and they are rarely expressed on normal tissue cells. The remaining CSC surface markers are considerably expressed even in normal tissue cells, and some of them have been extensively validated as CSC surface markers by various research groups. We discuss the significance of the categorized CSC surface markers, and provide insight into why surface markers on hESCs are an attractive source to find novel surface markers on CSCs. BMB Reports 2017; 50(6): 285-298.
Objective
Group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) play a pivotal role in barrier tissues such as the gut and the skin, two important sites of disease in spondyloarthritis (SpA). This study was ...undertaken to investigate whether normal or injured human enthesis, a key target tissue in early SpA, harbors ILC3s in entheseal soft tissue and adjacent perientheseal bone.
Methods
Interspinous ligament and spinous process bone from donors with no systemic inflammatory disease were collected, enzymatically digested, and immunophenotyped. The immunologic profile of entheseal cells was examined, and the transcriptional profile of sorted ILC3s was compared to that of ILC3s isolated from SpA synovial fluid (SF). To assess the ability of entheseal tissue to produce interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) and IL‐22, entheseal digests were stimulated with IL‐23 and IL‐1β. Osteoarthritic and ruptured Achilles tendon tissue was examined histologically.
Results
The proportion of ILCs in human entheseal soft tissue was higher than that in peripheral blood (P = 0.008); entheseal soft tissue and perientheseal bone both had a higher proportion of NKp44+ ILC3s (P = 0.001 and P = 0.043, respectively). Studies of retinoic acid receptor–related orphan nuclear receptor γt (RORγt), STAT3, and IL‐23 receptor transcript expression validated the entheseal ILC3 phenotype. Cytokine transcript expression was similar in ILC3s isolated from enthesis and from SpA SF. Stimulation of normal entheseal digests with IL‐23/IL‐1β led to up‐regulation of IL‐17A transcript, and histologic examination of injured/damaged entheses revealed the presence of RORγt‐expressing cells.
Conclusion
This work shows that human enthesis harbors a resident population of ILC3s, with the potential to participate in the pathogenesis of SpA.
Many regulators have been identified to participate in the cross-talk between muscle and bone, however, most previous studies focus on secreting proteins. In this study, we demonstrated that exosomes ...from myoblasts C2C12 can promote pre-osteoblasts MC3T3-E1 differentiation to osteoblasts. We revealed that the effect of C2C12 exosomes depended on its miR-27a-3p component, they can increase miR-27a-3p level in the recipient cells, and decrease its direct target adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) expression, thus activating β-catenin pathway. Furthermore, C2C12 exosomes failed to exert above effects when miR-27a-3p was deprived. These findings indicates exosomal microRNAs can be regarded as a novel type of “myokines” with osteogenesis promoting potential, which would broad our understanding of the muscle-bone interaction under physiological and pathological conditions.
The acute inflammatory stimulation occurring after a bone fracture regulates the repair and healing of local bone injury; however, under certain conditions, pyroptosis may occur in osteoblasts, which ...affects osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, thereby affecting the growth, development and morphological changes of bone tissue. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of the pyroptosis inhibitor necrosulfonamide (NSA) on the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and elucidate the underlying mechanism. The results revealed that NSA reversed the effects of ATP/lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on cell viability and pyroptosis, and on the mRNA and protein expression of pyroptosis-related genes. It also suppressed the secretion of IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β and reversed the effects of ATP/LPS on the activity of ALP and the mRNA expression of differentiation-related genes in osteoblasts. The fact that overexpression of caspase-1, gasdermin D (GSDMD) and NLRP3 abolished the effects of NSA on the viability and pyroptosis of osteoblasts, as well as the mRNA expression of differentiation-related genes and the activity of ALP in osteoblasts, indicated that NSA promoted the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts by inhibiting the NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD pyroptosis pathway. The present study provides proof supporting the potential application of NSA for improving the function of osteoblasts in fracture repair and indicates the value of the NLRP3/caspase-1/GSDMD pyroptosis pathway as a pharmaceutical target.
CD117 (or c‐kit) is expressed by the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC), which are located within the gastrointestinal (GI) muscle coat and directly involved in its motility. CD34 is expressed by ...several cell types some of which have features and location resembling the ICC; however, a sure identification of these cells is still lacking. In order to establish whether the CD34‐positive cells of the human GI tract are to be considered as ICC subpopulation or a novel independent cell type, and to hypothesize their nature and role, we verified CD34 and CD117 receptor expression under light and fluorescence microscope and performed a routine and a CD34‐immuno‐electron microscopy. CD34‐positive cells were seen in the entire human GI tract. In the muscularis propria, shared morphologies similar to the c‐kit‐positive cells, in the submucosa, resembled fibroblasts. Their ultrastructure resembled that of the fibrocytes/fibroblasts and of the interstitial Cajal‐like cells (ICLC). Double labelling and immunoelectro‐microscopy demonstrated that they are unequivocally different to the ICC and, due to the similarities with the ICLC, we identified them as ICLC. The novelty of these results is that two types of interstitial cells are present in the GI muscle coat of humans: the ICC and the ICLC. We hypothesize a mechanical role for the septal ICLC, those at the myenteric plexus level and those bordering the muscle layers; a helping role in neurotransmission is proposed for the ICLC intercalated with the intramuscular ICC, possibly in spreading the slow waves generated by the ICC. Furthermore, the possibility that the ICLC represent the adult mesenchymal stromal cells able to guarantee the ICC renewal deserves to be considered.
In the 40 years since Elsdale and Bard's analysis of fibroblast culture in collagen gels we have moved far beyond the concept that such 3D fibril network systems are better models than monolayer ...cultures. This review analyses key aspects of that progression of models, against a background of what exactly each model system tries to mimic. This story tracks our increasing understanding of fibroblast responses to soft collagen gels, in particularly their cytoskeletal contraction, migration and integrin attachment. The focus on fibroblast mechano-function has generated models designed to directly measure the overall force generated by fibroblast populations, their reaction to external loads and the role of the matrix structure. Key steps along this evolution of 3D collagen models have been designed to mimic normal skin, wound repair, tissue morphogenesis and remodelling, growth and contracture during scarring/fibrosis. As new models are developed to understand cell-mechanical function in connective tissues the collagen material has become progressively more important, now being engineered to mimic more complex aspects of native extracellular matrix structure. These have included collagen fibril density, alignment and hierarchical structure, controlling material stiffness and anisotropy. But of these, tissue-like collagen density is key in that it contributes to control of the others. It is concluded that across this 40 year window major progress has been made towards establishing a family of 3D experimental collagen tissue-models, suitable to investigate normal and pathological fibroblast mechano-functions.
Human cartilage glycoprotein 39 (HC-gp39) is a glycoprotein secreted by articular chondrocytes, synoviocytes and macrophages. Increased levels of HC-gp39 have been demonstrated in synovial fluids of ...patients with rheumatoid or osteoarthritis. The increased secretion of HC-gp39 under physiological and pathological conditions with elevated connective-tissue turnover suggests its involvement in the homoeostasis of these tissues. We report here that HC-gp39 promotes the growth of human synovial cells as well as skin and fetal lung fibroblasts. A dose-dependent growth stimulation was observed when each of the fibroblastic cell lines was exposed to HC-gp39 in a concentration range from 0.1 to 2 nM, which is similar to the effective dose of the well-characterized mitogen, insulin-like growth factor-1. At suboptimal concentrations, the two growth factors work in a synergistic fashion. The use of selective inhibitors of the mitogen-activated protein kinase and the protein kinase B (AKT) signalling pathways indicates that both are involved in mediating the mitogenic response to HC-gp39. Phosphorylation of both extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 and AKT occurred in a dose- and time-dependent fashion upon addition of HC-gp39. Activation of these signalling pathways could also be demonstrated in human chondrocytes. Thus HC-gp39 initiates a signalling cascade in connective-tissue cells which leads to increased cell proliferation, suggesting that this protein could play a major role in the pathological conditions leading to tissue fibrosis.
The origin and turnover of connective tissue cells in adult human organs, including the lung, are not well understood. Here, studies of cells derived from human lung allografts demonstrate the ...presence of a multipotent mesenchymal cell population, which is locally resident in the human adult lung and has extended life span in vivo. Examination of plastic-adherent cell populations in bronchoalveolar lavage samples obtained from 76 human lung transplant recipients revealed clonal proliferation of fibroblast-like cells in 62% (106 of 172) of samples. Immunophenotyping of these isolated cells demonstrated expression of vimentin and prolyl-4-hydroxylase, indicating a mesenchymal phenotype. Multiparametric flow cytometric analyses revealed expression of cell-surface proteins, CD73, CD90, and CD105, commonly found on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Hematopoietic lineage markers CD14, CD34, and CD45 were absent. Multipotency of these cells was demonstrated by their capacity to differentiate into adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteocytes. Cytogenetic analysis of cells from 7 sex-mismatched lung transplant recipients harvested up to 11 years after transplant revealed that 97.2% +/- 2.1% expressed the sex genotype of the donor. The presence of MSCs of donor sex identity in lung allografts even years after transplantation provides what we believe to be the first evidence for connective tissue cell progenitors that reside locally within a postnatal, nonhematopoietic organ.