Dystrophia myotonica type 1 (DM1) is an autosomal dominant multisystem disorder. The pathogenesis of central nervous system (CNS) involvement is poorly understood. Disease-specific induced ...pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines would provide an alternative model. In this study, we generated two DM1 lines and a normal iPSC line from dermal fibroblasts by retroviral transduction of Yamanaka's four factors (hOct4, hSox2, hKlf4, and hc-Myc). Both DM1 and control iPSC clones showed typical human embryonic stem cell (hESC) growth patterns with a high nuclear-to-cytoplasm ratio. The iPSC colonies maintained the same growth pattern through subsequent passages. All iPSC lines expressed stem cell markers and differentiated into cells derived from three embryonic germ layers. All iPSC lines underwent normal neural differentiation. Intranuclear RNA foci, a hallmark of DM1, were detected in DM1 iPSCs, neural stem cells (NSCs), and terminally differentiated neurons and astrocytes. In conclusion, we have successfully established disease-specific human DM1 iPSC lines, NSCs, and neuronal lineages with pathognomonic intranuclear RNA foci, which offer an unlimited cell resource for CNS mechanistic studies and a translational platform for therapeutic development.
Since it is extremely difficult to establish an animal model for human chromosomal abnormalities, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide a powerful alternative to study underlying mechanisms ...of these disorders and identify potential therapeutic interventions. In this study we established iPSCs from a young girl with a hemizygous deletion of Xq27.3-q28 who exhibited global developmental delay and intellectual disability from early in infancy. The deletion site on the X chromosome includes Fragile X Mental Retardation 1 (FMR1), the gene responsible for fragile X syndrome, which likely contributes to the patient's neurodevelopmental abnormalities. The FMR1 gene was expressed in approximately half of the iPSC clones we generated while it was absent in the other half due to the random inactivation of normal and abnormal X chromosomes. The normal or absent expression pattern of the FMR1 gene was not altered when the iPSCs were differentiated into neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Moreover, chromosome reactivating reagents such as 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine, trichostatin A, and UNC0638, were tested in an attempt to reactivate the suppressed FMR1 gene in affected iPSC-NPCs. The affected and control isogenic iPSCs developed in this study are ideal models with which to identify downstream consequences caused by the Xq27.3-q28 deletion and also to provide tools for high-throughput screening to identify compounds potentially improving the well-being of this patient population.
The E2f6 transcriptional repressor is an E2F-family member essential for the silencing of a group of meiosis-specific genes in somatic tissues. Although E2f6 has been shown to associate with both ...polycomb repressive complexes (PRC) and the methyltransferase Dnmt3b, the cross-talk between these repressive machineries during E2f6-mediated gene silencing has not been clearly demonstrated yet. In particular, it remains largely undetermined when and how E2f6 establishes repression of meiotic genes during embryonic development. We demonstrate here that the inactivation of a group of E2f6 targeted genes, including Stag3 and Smc1β, first occurs at the transition from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs), which represent pre- and post-implantation stages, respectively. This process was accompanied by de novo methylation of their promoters. Of interest, despite a clear difference in DNA methylation status, E2f6 was similarly bound to the proximal promoter regions both in ESCs and EpiSCs. Neither E2f6 nor Dnmt3b overexpression in ESCs decreased meiotic gene expression or increased DNA methylation, indicating that additional factors are required for E2f6-mediated repression during the transition. When the SET domain of Ezh2, a core subunit of the PRC2 complex, was deleted, however, repression of Stag3 and Smc1β during embryoid body differentiation was largely impaired, indicating that the event required the enzymatic activity of Ezh2. In addition, repression of Stag3 and Smc1β occurred in the absence of Dnmt3b. The data presented here suggest a primary role of PRC2 in E2f6-mediated gene silencing of the meiotic genes.
Many breast cancer deaths result from tumors acquiring resistance to available therapies. Thus, new therapeutic agents are needed for targeting drug-resistant breast cancers. Drug-refractory breast ...cancers include HER2+ tumors that have acquired resistance to HER2-targeted antibodies and kinase inhibitors, and "Triple-Negative" Breast Cancers (TNBCs) that lack the therapeutic targets Estrogen Receptor, Progesterone Receptor, and HER2. A significant fraction of TNBCs overexpress the HER2 family member Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR). Thus agents that selectively kill EGFR+ and HER2+ tumors would provide new options for breast cancer therapy. We previously identified a class of compounds we termed Disulfide bond Disrupting Agents (DDAs) that selectively kill EGFR+ and HER2+ breast cancer cells in vitro and blocked the growth of HER2+ breast tumors in an animal model. DDA-dependent cytotoxicity was found to correlate with downregulation of HER1-3 and Akt dephosphorylation. Here we demonstrate that DDAs activate the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) and that this plays a role in their ability to kill EGFR+ and HER2+ cancer cells. The use of breast cancer cell lines ectopically expressing EGFR or HER2 and pharmacological probes of UPR revealed all three DDA responses: HER1-3 downregulation, Akt dephosphorylation, and UPR activation, contribute to DDA-mediated cytotoxicity. Significantly, EGFR overexpression potentiates each of these responses. Combination studies with DDAs suggest that they may be complementary with EGFR/HER2-specific receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors and mTORC1 inhibitors to overcome drug resistance.
The method of bacterial type III secretion system (T3SS)‐mediated transcription activator‐like effector nuclease (TALEN) protein injection and transfection of an oligonucleotide template to ...effectively generate precise genetic modifications in stem cells. T3SS‐mediated TALEN protein delivery provides a highly efficient alternative for introducing precise gene editing within pluripotent stem cells for the purpose of disease genotype‐phenotype relationship studies and cellular replacement therapies.
The type III secretion system (T3SS) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a powerful tool for direct protein delivery into mammalian cells and has successfully been used to deliver various exogenous proteins into mammalian cells. In the present study, transcription activator‐like effector nuclease (TALEN) proteins have been efficiently delivered using the P. aeruginosa T3SS into mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), human ESCs (hESCs), and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for genome editing. This bacterial delivery system offers an alternative method of TALEN delivery that is highly efficient in cleavage of the chromosomal target and presumably safer by avoiding plasmid DNA introduction. We combined the method of bacterial T3SS‐mediated TALEN protein injection and transfection of an oligonucleotide template to effectively generate precise genetic modifications in the stem cells. Initially, we efficiently edited a single‐base in the gfp gene of a mESC line to silence green fluorescent protein (GFP) production. The resulting GFP‐negative mESC was cloned from a single cell and subsequently mutated back to a GFP‐positive mESC line. Using the same approach, the gfp gene was also effectively knocked out in hESCs. In addition, a defined single‐base edition was effectively introduced into the X‐chromosome‐linked HPRT1 gene in hiPSCs, generating an in vitro model of Lesch‐Nyhan syndrome. T3SS‐mediated TALEN protein delivery provides a highly efficient alternative for introducing precise gene editing within pluripotent stem cells for the purpose of disease genotype‐phenotype relationship studies and cellular replacement therapies.
Significance
The present study describes a novel and powerful tool for the delivery of the genome editing enzyme transcription activator‐like effector nuclease (TALEN) directly into pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), achieving desired base changes on the genomes of PSCs with high efficiency. This novel approach uses bacteria as a protein delivery tool. It is easy to manipulate and adaptable to scaling up. This is a safe delivery system, because the delivery strains can be easily eliminated using simple antibiotic treatment. Type III secretion system (T3SS)‐mediated TALEN protein delivery provides a highly efficient alternative for introducing precise gene alterations within PSCs for the purpose of disease genotype‐phenotype relationship studies and cellular replacement therapies. The results of the present study also pave the way to applying the bacterial T3SS to deliver transcriptional factors into PSCs for cellular reprogramming, raising the hope of a safe technology that can be used in cell or tissue replacement therapy for human genetic diseases.
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