The hematopoietic system produces a large number of highly specialized cell types that are derived through a hierarchical differentiation process from a common stem cell population. miRNAs are ...critical players in orchestrating this differentiation. Here, we report the development and application of a high-throughput microfluidic real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) approach for generating global miRNA profiles for 27 phenotypically distinct cell populations isolated from normal adult mouse hematopoietic tissues. A total of 80,000 RT-qPCR assays were used to map the landscape of miRNA expression across the hematopoietic hierarchy, including rare progenitor and stem cell populations. We show that miRNA profiles allow for the direct inference of cell lineage relations and functional similarity. Our analysis reveals a close relatedness of the miRNA expression patterns in multipotent progenitors and stem cells, followed by a major reprogramming upon restriction of differentiation potential to a single lineage. The analysis of miRNA expression in single hematopoietic cells further demonstrates that miRNA expression is very tightly regulated within highly purified populations, underscoring the potential of single-cell miRNA profiling for assessing compartment heterogeneity.
The role of SHIP in macrophages Sly, Laura M; Ho, Victor; Antignano, Frann ...
Frontiers in bioscience,
05/2007, Letnik:
12
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The SH2-containing inositol-5'-phosphatase, SHIP, represses the proliferation, survival, and activation of hematopoietic cells, in large part by translocating to membranes following extracellular ...stimulation and hydrolysing the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)-generated second messenger PI-3,4,5-P3 (PIP3) to PI-3,4-P2. SHIP-/- mice have, as a result, an increased number of monocyte/macrophages because their progenitors display enhanced survival and proliferation, as well as more rapid differentiation. Interestingly, SHIP-/- mice do not display lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or CpG oligonucleotide-induced tolerance because this blunting of inflammatory mediator production is contingent upon LPS- and CpG-induced upregulation of SHIP in their macrophages and mast cells. This upregulation is mediated via the production of autocrine-acting TGFbeta which is induced via the MyD88-dependent pathway. The increased levels of SHIP then inhibit both MyD88-dependent and independent signaling. Intriguingly, SHIP-/- peritoneal and alveolar macrophages produce less nitric oxide (NO) than wild-type macrophages because they have constitutively high arginase I levels and this enzyme competes with inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) for the substrate L-arginine. It is likely that, in the face of chronically elevated PIP3 levels in their myeloid progenitors, SHIP-/- mice display a skewed development away from M1 (killer) macrophages towards M2 (healing) macrophages. This suggests that SHIP plays a critical role in programming macrophages.
Trophoblast invasion is a critical process in development of most mammals that shares similarities with the invasive behavior of tumor cells. In the present investigation, a cDNA subtraction library ...was constructed between invasive trophoblast at day 8 of murine development and mature noninvasive placenta at day 18 of gestation. One of the differentially expressed clones, Epcs26, was mapped to the X chromosome and revealed no homology to any known gene. It was predominantly expressed in parietal endoderm, undifferentiated cells of the ectoplacental cone, and a few trophoblast giant cells. Another gene, designated Epcs50, was mapped to chromosome 19. It exhibited homologies to the mouse Mps1 gene and, like Mps1, may have a distant relationship to the lyric protein perforin. High expression was detected in parietal endoderm cells and in a subset of secondary trophoblast giant cells. Two sequences, Epcs24 and Epcs68, exhibited an extensive open reading frame that shared the common features of the cysteine proteinase cathepsin L. Expression was confined to an undefined subpopulation of trophoblast giant cells. Both genes were mapped to chromosome 13 in close proximity to cathepsins L and J. The known functions of MPS1 and cathepsin L proteins indicate that the related proteins EPCS50, EPCS24, and EPCS68 participate in conferring invasive properties to the mouse trophoblast.
There is a great deal of interest in determining what regulates the generation of classically activated (M1) vs alternatively activated (M2) macrophages (Mphis) because of the opposing effects that ...these two Mphi subsets have on tumor progression. We show herein that IL-3 and, to a lesser extent, GM-CSF skew murine Mphi progenitors toward an M2 phenotype, especially in the absence of SHIP. Specifically, the addition of these cytokines, with or without M-CSF, to adherence- or lineage-depleted (Lin(-)) SHIP(-/-) bone marrow (BM) cells induces high levels of the M2 markers, arginase I, and Ym1 in the resulting mature Mphis. These in vitro-derived mature Mphis also display other M2 characteristics, including an inability to enhance anti-CD3-stimulated splenic T cell secretion of IFN-gamma and low IL-12 and high IL-10 production in response to LPS. Not surprisingly, given that IL-3 and GM-CSF utilize STAT5 to trigger many downstream signaling pathways, this M2 phenotype is suppressed when STAT5(-/-) BM cells are used. Unexpectedly, however, this M2 phenotype is also suppressed when STAT6(-/-) BM cells are used, suggesting that IL-4- or IL-13-induced signaling might be involved. Consistent with this, we found that IL-3 and GM-CSF stimulate the production of IL-4, especially from SHIP(-/-) Lin(-) BM cells, and that neutralizing anti-IL-4 Abs block IL-3-induced M2 skewing. Moreover, we found that basophil progenitors within the Lin(-) BM are responsible for this IL-3- and GM-CSF-induced IL-4 production, and that SHIP represses M2 skewing not by preventing skewing within Mphis themselves but by inhibiting IL-4 production from basophils.
Overcoming drug resistance and targeting cancer stem cells remain challenges for curative cancer treatment. To investigate the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in regulating drug resistance and leukemic ...stem cell (LSC) fate, we performed global transcriptome profiling in treatment-naive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) stem/progenitor cells and identified that miR-185 levels anticipate their response to ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). miR-185 functions as a tumor suppressor: its restored expression impaired survival of drug-resistant cells, sensitized them to TKIs in vitro, and markedly eliminated long-term repopulating LSCs and infiltrating blast cells, conferring a survival advantage in preclinical xenotransplantation models. Integrative analysis with mRNA profiles uncovered PAK6 as a crucial target of miR-185, and pharmacological inhibition of PAK6 perturbed the RAS/MAPK pathway and mitochondrial activity, sensitizing therapy-resistant cells to TKIs. Thus, miR-185 presents as a potential predictive biomarker, and dual targeting of miR-185-mediated PAK6 activity and BCR-ABL1 may provide a valuable strategy for overcoming drug resistance in patients.
Because phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) plays a central role in cellular activation, proliferation, and survival, pharmacologic inhibitors targeting components of the PI3K pathway are actively being ...developed as therapeutics for the treatment of inflammatory disorders and cancer. These targeted drugs inhibit the activity of either PI3K itself or downstream protein kinases. However, a previously unexplored, alternate strategy is to activate the negative regulatory phosphatases in this pathway. The SH2-containing inositol-5′-phosphatase SHIP1 is a normal physiologic counter-regulator of PI3K in immune/hematopoietic cells that hydrolyzes the PI3K product phosphatidylinositiol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3). We now describe the identification and characterization of potent and specific small-molecule activators of SHIP1. These compounds represent the first small-molecule activators of a phosphatase, and are able to activate recombinant SHIP1 enzyme in vitro and stimulate SHIP1 activity in intact macrophage and mast cells. Mechanism of activation studies with these compounds suggest that they bind a previously undescribed, allosteric activation domain within SHIP1. Furthermore, in vivo administration of these compounds was protective in mouse models of endotoxemia and acute cutaneous anaphylaxis, suggesting that SHIP1 agonists could be used therapeutically to inhibit the PI3K pathway.
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) stem/progenitor cells and BCR-ABL+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) blast cells are insensitive to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) monotherapies. These cells rapidly ...generate therapy-resistant clones in vitro and in vivo and are often responsible for disease relapse. Therefore, identification of predictive biomarkers and novel treatments that target key molecular events active in leukemic stem cells (LSCs) are needed. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small molecules that regulate the gene expression network and are highly deregulated in many cancers. Through global transcriptome profiling, we have recently identified 66 differentially expressed miRNAs in pre-treatment CD34+ stem/progenitor cells from CML patients (n=6) compared to healthy bone marrow (NBM) controls (n=3, adjusted P<0.05); 26 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified between subsequent IM-nonresponders and IM-responders (P<0.05). 21 differentially expressed miRNAs were successfully validated in additional IM-responders (n=11), IM-nonresponders (n=11) and NBM (n=11). Interestingly, miR-185 was discovered to be one of the most highly deregulated miRNAs, with significant reduction in CD34+ cells from IM-nonresponders compared to IM-responders (p=0.0006). This significant change was further demonstrated in CD34+ cells from CML patients (n=60) before and after 3-month TKI nilotinib treatment in a clinical trial (p<0.05). We further demonstrated that miR-185 functions as a tumor suppressor; its restored expression by lentiviral transduction in CD34+ IM-nonresponder cells significantly impaired survival of these cells and sensitized them to TKI treatment in vitro. Restored miR-185 expression in BCR-ABL+ ALL blasts led to a profound decrease in leukemia burden and significantly enhanced survival compared to controls in vivo (median survival 65 vs. 47 days, P=0.0005). Strikingly, mice injected with miR-185-transduced cells and treated with dasatinib (DA) survived much longer than recipients of control cells treated with DA (median survival 83 vs. 60 days, P=0.0018). Moreover, restoration of miR-185 expression combined with DA treatment greatly reduced in vivo long-term regenerative activity of LSCs from IM-nonresponders as compared to control cells treated with DA in NRG mice (<0.2% vs. 5% GFP+ patient cells in the BM, 25 weeks post-transplantation). We observed not only a marked reduction in GFP+CD34+ cells, but also a near elimination of GFP+CD34+CD38- LSCs that were transduced with miR-185 and treated with DA compared to control cells treated with DA, indicating that restored miR-185 expression combined with DA preferentially prevents the growth of patient-derived long-term leukemia-initiating cells in vivo. Several miRNA target genes were further identified by integrating miRNA expression profiles with gene expression profiles from the same patient samples using strand-specific RNA-seq. Based on three out of six prediction algorithms (mirBase, TargetScan, miRanda, tarBase, mirTarget2, and PicTar), PAK6, a serine/threonine-protein kinase, was found to be highly expressed in CD34+ IM-nonresponder cells compared to IM-responders (p<0.003), which correlated with reduced expression of miR-185 in these cells (p=0.0002). PAK6 was confirmed as a target gene of miR-185 by a luciferase reporter assay. Western blot analysis showed that restored miR-185 expression caused a marked decrease in protein levels of PAK6 in miR-185-transduced cells and suppression of PAK6 reduced viability of these cells. These results indicate that PAK6 is a critical target of miR-185, and that loss of miR-185 expression in CML may lead to up-regulation of PAK6, which in turn contributes to disease progression and drug resistance. Indeed, the use of a pre-clinically validated pan PAK inhibitor (PF-3758309) significantly inhibited the growth of IM-resistant cells and CD34+ IM-nonresponder cells and these effects could be enhanced by TKIs (p<0.05). Mechanistically, we observed that p-ERK and p-AKT were significantly reduced in PAK6 knockdown or miR185-restored IM-resistant cells in response to IM treatment. Thus, we infer that downregulation of PAK6 may sensitize TKI-resistant cells to TKI therapy through inhibition of the RAS/MAPK pathway. Taken together, PAK6, a novel target of miR-185, emerges as an attractive druggable target for combination therapy of TKI-resistant patients.
No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
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