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He D, Gao J, Zheng L, Liu S, Ye L, Lai H, Pan B, Pan W, Lou C, Chen Z, Fan S. TGF‑β inhibitor RepSox suppresses osteosarcoma via the JNK/Smad3 signaling pathway. Int J Oncol 2021; 59:84. [PMID: 34533199 PMCID: PMC8460063 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2021.5264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common malignant bone tumor and the long-term survival rates remain unsatisfactory. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) has been revealed to play a crucial role in OS progression, and RepSox is an effective TGF-β inhibitor. In the present study, the effect of RepSox on the proliferation of the OS cell lines (HOS and 143B) was detected. The results revealed that RepSox effectively inhibited the proliferation of OS cells by inducing S-phase arrest and apoptosis. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of RepSox on cell migration and invasion was confirmed by wound-healing and Transwell assays. Furthermore, western blotting revealed that the protein levels of molecules associated with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype, including E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, were reduced by RepSox treatment. Concurrently, it was also revealed that the JNK and Smad3 signaling pathway was inhibited. Our in vivo findings using a xenograft model also revealed that RepSox markedly inhibited the growth of tumors. In general, our data demonstrated that RepSox suppressed OS proliferation, EMT and promoted apoptosis by inhibiting the JNK/Smad3 signaling pathway. Thus, RepSox may be a potential anti-OS drug.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dengwei He
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Jiawei Gao
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Lin Zheng
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Shijie Liu
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Lin Ye
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Hehuan Lai
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Bin Pan
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Wenzheng Pan
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Chao Lou
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Zhenzhong Chen
- Department of Orthopedics, Affiliated Lishui Hospital of Zhejiang University, Lishui, Zhejiang 323000, P.R. China
| | - Shunwu Fan
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310016, P.R. China
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Testa G, Di Benedetto G, Passaro F. Advanced Technologies to Target Cardiac Cell Fate Plasticity for Heart Regeneration. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22179517. [PMID: 34502423 PMCID: PMC8431232 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The adult human heart can only adapt to heart diseases by starting a myocardial remodeling process to compensate for the loss of functional cardiomyocytes, which ultimately develop into heart failure. In recent decades, the evolution of new strategies to regenerate the injured myocardium based on cellular reprogramming represents a revolutionary new paradigm for cardiac repair by targeting some key signaling molecules governing cardiac cell fate plasticity. While the indirect reprogramming routes require an in vitro engineered 3D tissue to be transplanted in vivo, the direct cardiac reprogramming would allow the administration of reprogramming factors directly in situ, thus holding great potential as in vivo treatment for clinical applications. In this framework, cellular reprogramming in partnership with nanotechnologies and bioengineering will offer new perspectives in the field of cardiovascular research for disease modeling, drug screening, and tissue engineering applications. In this review, we will summarize the recent progress in developing innovative therapeutic strategies based on manipulating cardiac cell fate plasticity in combination with bioengineering and nanotechnology-based approaches for targeting the failing heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Testa
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences “V. Tiberio”, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy;
- Interdepartmental Center for Nanotechnology Research—NanoBem, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
| | - Giorgia Di Benedetto
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II University, 80138 Naples, Italy;
| | - Fabiana Passaro
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II University, 80138 Naples, Italy;
- Correspondence:
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Transdifferentiation of goat ear fibroblasts into lactating mammary epithelial cells induced by small molecule compounds. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 573:55-61. [PMID: 34388455 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.07.087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Mammary epithelial cells are the only cells in the mammary glands that are capable of lactation and they are ideal for studying cellular and molecular biology mechanisms during growth, development and lactation of the mammary glands. The limiting factors in most of the currently available mammary epithelial cells are low cell viability, transgenerational efficiency and lactation function that renders them unsuitable for subsequent studies on mammary gland's cellular and lactation mechanisms and utilizing them as bioreactors. Hence, new methods are required to obtain mammary epithelial cells with high transgenerational efficiency and lactation function. In this study, transdifferentiation of goat ear fibroblasts (GEFs) into goat mammary epithelial cells (CiMECs) was induced in only eight days by five small molecule compounds, including 500 μg/mL VPA, 10 μM Tranylcypromine, 10 μM Forskolin, 1 μM TTNPB, 10 μM RepSox. Morphological observation, marker genes comparison, specific antigen expression and comparison of gene expression levels by transcriptome sequencing between the two types of cells that led to the primary deduction that CiMECs have similar biological properties to goat mammary epithelial cells (GMECs) and comparatively more lactation capacity. Therefore, we establish a novel reprogramming route to convert fibroblasts into CiMECs under fully chemically conditions. This study is expected to provide an in vitro platform for understanding cellular mechanisms such as mammary epithelial cells' fate determination and developmental differentiation, and also to find a new way to obtain a large number of functional mammary epithelial cells in vitro.
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Fang J, Sia J, Soto J, Wang P, Li LK, Hsueh YY, Sun R, Francis Faull K, Tidball JG, Li S. Skeletal muscle regeneration via the chemical induction and expansion of myogenic stem cells in situ or in vitro. Nat Biomed Eng 2021; 5:864-879. [PMID: 33737730 PMCID: PMC8387336 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-021-00696-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Muscle loss and impairment resulting from traumatic injury can be alleviated by therapies using muscle stem cells. However, collecting sufficient numbers of autologous myogenic stem cells and expanding them efficiently has been challenging. Here we show that myogenic stem cells (predominantly Pax7+ cells)-which were selectively expanded from readily obtainable dermal fibroblasts or skeletal muscle stem cells using a specific cocktail of small molecules and transplanted into muscle injuries in adult, aged or dystrophic mice-led to functional muscle regeneration in the three animal models. We also show that sustained release of the small-molecule cocktail in situ through polymer nanoparticles led to muscle repair by inducing robust activation and expansion of resident satellite cells. Chemically induced stem cell expansion in vitro and in situ may prove to be advantageous for stem cell therapies that aim to regenerate skeletal muscle and other tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Fang
- Department of Bioengineering, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Junren Sia
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jennifer Soto
- Department of Bioengineering, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Pingping Wang
- Department of Bioengineering, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA,Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioelectromagnetism, Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - LeeAnn K. Li
- Department of Bioengineering, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA,David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
| | - Yuan-Yu Hsueh
- Department of Bioengineering, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA,Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70456, Taiwan
| | - Raymond Sun
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Kym Francis Faull
- Pasarow Mass Spectrometry Laboratory, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - James G. Tidball
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology Program, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Song Li
- Department of Bioengineering, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA,Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to S. L.,
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Kwak G, Kim H, Park J, Kim EH, Jang H, Han G, Wang SY, Yang Y, Chan Kwon I, Kim SH. A Trojan-Horse Strategy by In Situ Piggybacking onto Endogenous Albumin for Tumor-Specific Neutralization of Oncogenic MicroRNA. ACS NANO 2021; 15:11369-11384. [PMID: 34191497 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c00799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a recently discovered class of noncoding RNAs, play pivotal roles in regulating fundamental biological processes by suppressing the expression of target genes. Aberrant miRNA expression is commonly correlated with human diseases, including cancers. Anti-miRNA oligonucleotides provide an innovative therapeutic strategy for silencing disease-associated miRNAs. However, the clinical application of anti-miRNA therapy has been limited by formulation challenges and physiological delivery barriers. Here, to provide the safe and effective tumor-targeted delivery of anti-miRNAs, we designed carrier-free maleimide-functionalized anti-miRNAs (MI-Anti-miRNAs) that enable "piggybacking" onto albumin in vivo. These functionalized MI-Anti-miRNAs covalently bind to cysteine-34 of endogenous albumin within minutes. In addition to resulting in a markedly extended blood circulation lifetime, this strategy allows MI-Anti-miRNAs to "hitchhike" to the tumor site. Importantly, in situ-generated albumin-Anti-miRNAs are capable of intracellularly internalizing highly negatively charged anti-miRNA molecules and knocking down target miRNAs. In particular, MI-Anti-miRNAs that targeted miRNA-21, which is involved in tumor initiation, progression, invasion, and metastasis in several types of cancer, successfully repressed miRNA-21 activity, resulting in a superior antitumor activity in both solid and metastatic tumor models without causing systemic toxicity. This endogenous albumin-piggybacking approach using MI-Anti-miRNAs provides a simple and broadly applicable platform strategy for the systemic delivery of anti-miRNA therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gijung Kwak
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyosuk Kim
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Jooho Park
- Department of Biomedical & Health Science, Konkuk University, 268 Chungwon-daero, Chungju 27478, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Hye Kim
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Hochung Jang
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
- Division of Bio-Medical Science and Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Geonhee Han
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun Young Wang
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoosoo Yang
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Ick Chan Kwon
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
- KIST-DFCI On-Site-Lab, Department of Cancer Biology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - Sun Hwa Kim
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Hwarangno 14-gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
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Basu A, Tiwari VK. Epigenetic reprogramming of cell identity: lessons from development for regenerative medicine. Clin Epigenetics 2021; 13:144. [PMID: 34301318 PMCID: PMC8305869 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-021-01131-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms are known to define cell-type identity and function. Hence, reprogramming of one cell type into another essentially requires a rewiring of the underlying epigenome. Cellular reprogramming can convert somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that can be directed to differentiate to specific cell types. Trans-differentiation or direct reprogramming, on the other hand, involves the direct conversion of one cell type into another. In this review, we highlight how gene regulatory mechanisms identified to be critical for developmental processes were successfully used for cellular reprogramming of various cell types. We also discuss how the therapeutic use of the reprogrammed cells is beginning to revolutionize the field of regenerative medicine particularly in the repair and regeneration of damaged tissue and organs arising from pathological conditions or accidents. Lastly, we highlight some key challenges hindering the application of cellular reprogramming for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amitava Basu
- Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), 55128, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Vijay K Tiwari
- Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Science, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, BT9 7BL, UK.
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Zhou W, Ma T, Ding S. Non-viral approaches for somatic cell reprogramming into cardiomyocytes. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2021; 122:28-36. [PMID: 34238675 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Heart disease is the leading cause of human deaths worldwide. Due to lacking cardiomyocytes with replicative capacity and cardiac progenitor cells with differentiation potential in adult hearts, massive loss of cardiomyocytes after ischemic events produces permanent damage, ultimately leading to heart failure. Cellular reprogramming is a promising strategy to regenerate heart by induction of cardiomyocytes from other cell types, such as cardiac fibroblasts. In contrast to conventional virus-based cardiac reprogramming, non-viral approaches greatly reduce the potential risk that includes disruption of genome integrity by integration of foreign DNAs, expression of exogenous genes with oncogenic potential, and appearance of partially reprogrammed cells harmful for the physiological functions of tissues/organs, which impedes their in-vivo applications. Here, we review the recent progress in development of non-viral approaches to directly reprogram somatic cells towards cardiomyocytes and their therapeutic application for heart regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhou
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Tianhua Ma
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Sheng Ding
- School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
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Adams E, McCloy R, Jordan A, Falconer K, Dykes IM. Direct Reprogramming of Cardiac Fibroblasts to Repair the Injured Heart. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2021; 8:72. [PMID: 34206355 PMCID: PMC8306371 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd8070072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronary heart disease is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Those that survive acute myocardial infarction are at significant risk of subsequent heart failure due to fibrotic remodelling of the infarcted myocardium. By applying knowledge from the study of embryonic cardiovascular development, modern medicine offers hope for treatment of this condition through regeneration of the myocardium by direct reprogramming of fibrotic scar tissue. Here, we will review mechanisms of cell fate specification leading to the generation of cardiovascular cell types in the embryo and use this as a framework in which to understand direct reprogramming. Driving expression of a network of transcription factors, micro RNA or small molecule epigenetic modifiers can reverse epigenetic silencing, reverting differentiated cells to a state of induced pluripotency. The pluripotent state can be bypassed by direct reprogramming in which one differentiated cell type can be transdifferentiated into another. Transdifferentiating cardiac fibroblasts to cardiomyocytes requires a network of transcription factors similar to that observed in embryonic multipotent cardiac progenitors. There is some flexibility in the composition of this network. These studies raise the possibility that the failing heart could one day be regenerated by directly reprogramming cardiac fibroblasts within post-infarct scar tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Adams
- Pharmacy and Biomolecular Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK; (E.A.); (R.M.); (A.J.); (K.F.)
| | - Rachel McCloy
- Pharmacy and Biomolecular Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK; (E.A.); (R.M.); (A.J.); (K.F.)
| | - Ashley Jordan
- Pharmacy and Biomolecular Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK; (E.A.); (R.M.); (A.J.); (K.F.)
| | - Kaitlin Falconer
- Pharmacy and Biomolecular Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK; (E.A.); (R.M.); (A.J.); (K.F.)
| | - Iain M. Dykes
- Pharmacy and Biomolecular Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK; (E.A.); (R.M.); (A.J.); (K.F.)
- Liverpool Centre for Cardiovascular Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
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Bektik E, Sun Y, Dennis AT, Sakon P, Yang D, Deschênes I, Fu JD. Inhibition of CREB-CBP Signaling Improves Fibroblast Plasticity for Direct Cardiac Reprogramming. Cells 2021; 10:cells10071572. [PMID: 34206684 PMCID: PMC8307124 DOI: 10.3390/cells10071572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Direct cardiac reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs) is a promising approach but remains a challenge in heart regeneration. Efforts have focused on improving the efficiency by understanding fundamental mechanisms. One major challenge is that the plasticity of cultured fibroblast varies batch to batch with unknown mechanisms. Here, we noticed a portion of in vitro cultured fibroblasts have been activated to differentiate into myofibroblasts, marked by the expression of αSMA, even in primary cell cultures. Both forskolin, which increases cAMP levels, and TGFβ inhibitor SB431542 can efficiently suppress myofibroblast differentiation of cultured fibroblasts. However, SB431542 improved but forskolin blocked iCM reprogramming of fibroblasts that were infected with retroviruses of Gata4, Mef2c, and Tbx5 (GMT). Moreover, inhibitors of cAMP downstream signaling pathways, PKA or CREB-CBP, significantly improved the efficiency of reprogramming. Consistently, inhibition of p38/MAPK, another upstream regulator of CREB-CBP, also improved reprogramming efficiency. We then investigated if inhibition of these signaling pathways in primary cultured fibroblasts could improve their plasticity for reprogramming and found that preconditioning of cultured fibroblasts with CREB-CBP inhibitor significantly improved the cellular plasticity of fibroblasts to be reprogrammed, yielding ~2-fold more iCMs than untreated control cells. In conclusion, suppression of CREB-CBP signaling improves fibroblast plasticity for direct cardiac reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emre Bektik
- Department of Physiology, Cell Biology College of Medicine, Ohio State University, 333 W 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (E.B.); (D.Y.); (I.D.)
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
| | - Yu Sun
- Heart and Vascular Research Center, Department of Medicine, MetroHealth Campus, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA; (Y.S.); (A.T.D.)
| | - Adrienne T. Dennis
- Heart and Vascular Research Center, Department of Medicine, MetroHealth Campus, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA; (Y.S.); (A.T.D.)
| | - Phraew Sakon
- Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
| | - Dandan Yang
- Department of Physiology, Cell Biology College of Medicine, Ohio State University, 333 W 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (E.B.); (D.Y.); (I.D.)
| | - Isabelle Deschênes
- Department of Physiology, Cell Biology College of Medicine, Ohio State University, 333 W 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (E.B.); (D.Y.); (I.D.)
- Heart and Vascular Research Center, Department of Medicine, MetroHealth Campus, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA; (Y.S.); (A.T.D.)
| | - Ji-Dong Fu
- Department of Physiology, Cell Biology College of Medicine, Ohio State University, 333 W 10th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; (E.B.); (D.Y.); (I.D.)
- Heart and Vascular Research Center, Department of Medicine, MetroHealth Campus, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA; (Y.S.); (A.T.D.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-(614)-685-0657
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Lim CK, Efthymios M, Tan W, Autio MI, Tiang Z, Li PY, Foo RSY. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) enhances direct cardiac reprogramming by inhibiting the bromodomain of coactivators CBP/p300. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2021; 160:15-26. [PMID: 34146546 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2021.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 06/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Direct cardiac reprogramming represents an attractive way to reversing heart damage caused by myocardial infarction because it removes fibroblasts, while also generating new functional cardiomyocytes. Yet, the main hurdle for bringing this technique to the clinic is the lack of efficacy with current reprogramming protocols. Here, we describe our unexpected discovery that DMSO is capable of significantly augmenting direct cardiac reprogramming in vitro. METHODS AND RESULTS Upon induction with cardiac transcription factors- Gata4, Hand2, Mef2c and Tbx5 (GHMT), the treatment of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) with 1% DMSO induced ~5 fold increase in Myh6-mCherry+ cells, and significantly upregulated global expression of cardiac genes, including Myh6, Ttn, Nppa, Myh7 and Ryr2. RNA-seq confirmed upregulation of cardiac gene programmes and downregulation of extracellular matrix-related genes. Treatment of TGF-β1, DMSO, or SB431542, and the combination thereof, revealed that DMSO most likely targets a separate but parallel pathway other than TGF-β signalling. Subsequent experiments using small molecule screening revealed that DMSO enhances direct cardiac reprogramming through inhibition of the CBP/p300 bromodomain, and not its acetyltransferase property. CONCLUSION In conclusion, our work points to a direct molecular target of DMSO, which can be used for augmenting GHMT-induced direct cardiac reprogramming and possibly other cell fate conversion processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Choon Kiat Lim
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore 117599, Singapore; Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, Singapore 138672, Singapore; NUS Graduate School of Integrative Sciences and Engineering (NGS), National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
| | - Motakis Efthymios
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore 117599, Singapore; Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, Singapore 138672, Singapore
| | - Wilson Tan
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore 117599, Singapore; Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, Singapore 138672, Singapore
| | - Matias Ilmari Autio
- Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, Singapore 138672, Singapore
| | - Zenia Tiang
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore 117599, Singapore; Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, Singapore 138672, Singapore
| | - Peter Yiqing Li
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore 117599, Singapore
| | - Roger Sik Yin Foo
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Centre for Translational Medicine, 14 Medical Drive, Singapore 117599, Singapore; Genome Institute of Singapore, 60 Biopolis Street, Singapore 138672, Singapore.
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Chingale M, Zhu D, Cheng K, Huang K. Bioengineering Technologies for Cardiac Regenerative Medicine. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:681705. [PMID: 34150737 PMCID: PMC8209515 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.681705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac regenerative medicine faces big challenges such as a lack of adult cardiac stem cells, low turnover of mature cardiomyocytes, and difficulty in therapeutic delivery to the injured heart. The interaction of bioengineering and cardiac regenerative medicine offers innovative solutions to this field. For example, cell reprogramming technology has been applied by both direct and indirect routes to generate patient-specific cardiomyocytes. Various viral and non-viral vectors have been utilized for gene editing to intervene gene expression patterns during the cardiac remodeling process. Cell-derived protein factors, exosomes, and miRNAs have been isolated and delivered through engineered particles to overcome many innate limitations of live cell therapy. Protein decoration, antibody modification, and platelet membranes have been used for targeting and precision medicine. Cardiac patches have been used for transferring therapeutics with better retention and integration. Other technologies such as 3D printing and 3D culture have been used to create replaceable cardiac tissue. In this review, we discuss recent advancements in bioengineering and biotechnologies for cardiac regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mira Chingale
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Dashuai Zhu
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Ke Cheng
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Ke Huang
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences and Comparative Medicine Institute, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
- Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
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Liu M, López de Juan Abad B, Cheng K. Cardiac fibrosis: Myofibroblast-mediated pathological regulation and drug delivery strategies. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2021; 173:504-519. [PMID: 33831476 PMCID: PMC8299409 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2021.03.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cardiac fibrosis remains an unresolved problem in heart diseases. After initial injury, cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) are activated and subsequently differentiate into myofibroblasts (myoFbs) that are major mediator cells in the pathological remodeling. MyoFbs exhibit proliferative and secretive characteristics, and contribute to extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover, collagen deposition. The persistent functions of myoFbs lead to fibrotic scars and cardiac dysfunction. The anti-fibrotic treatment is hindered by the elusive mechanism of fibrosis and lack of specific targets on myoFbs. In this review, we will outline the progress of cardiac fibrosis and its contributions to the heart failure. We will also shed light on the role of myoFbs in the regulation of adverse remodeling. The communication between myoFbs and other cells that are involved in the heart injury and repair respectively will be reviewed in detail. Then, recently developed therapeutic strategies to treat fibrosis will be summarized such as i) chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy with an optimal target on myoFbs, ii) direct reprogramming from stem cells to quiescent CFs, iii) "off-target" small molecular drugs. The application of nano/micro technology will be discussed as well, which is involved in the construction of cell-based biomimic platforms and "pleiotropic" drug delivery systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengrui Liu
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, NC, USA; Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, USA
| | - Blanca López de Juan Abad
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, NC, USA; Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, USA
| | - Ke Cheng
- Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, North Carolina State University, NC, USA; Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, USA.
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Kiuchi S, Usami A, Shimoyama T, Otsuka F, Suzuki S, Ono K. Generation of cardiomyocytes by atrioventricular node cells in long-term cultures. Biochem Biophys Rep 2021; 26:101018. [PMID: 34095551 PMCID: PMC8166639 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrep.2021.101018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Turnover of cardiac pacemaker cells may occur during the lifetime of the body, and we recently raised the hypothesis that specialized cardiac cells have in common the potential to generate cardiomyocytes from fibroblasts. To examine this hypothesis, we analyzed the ability of atrioventricular node cells (AVNCs) to generate functional cardiomyocytes in long-term culture. AVNCs were isolated from adult guinea pig hearts and cultured for up to three weeks. Under phase-contrast microscopic observation over time, it was found that within a week, a number of fibroblasts gathered around the AVNCs and formed cell clusters, and thereafter the cell clusters started to beat spontaneously. The nascent cell clusters expanded their area gradually by three weeks in culture and expressed specific cardiac genes and proteins. Maturation of newly formed cardiomyocytes seems to be slow in cultures of AVNCs compared with those of sinoatrial node cells. Stimulation of muscarinic receptors with acetylcholine induced a beating rate decrease which was blocked by atropine, and activation of adenylate cyclase activity with forskolin increased the beat rate, while stimulation of beta adrenoceptors by isoproterenol had no effect. These results indicate that AVNCs form a cluster of cells with properties of functional cardiomyocytes and provide evidence to support the hypothesis. Atrioventricular node cells formed spontaneously beating cell clusters in culture. The cell clusters expressed specific cardiac genes and proteins. The properties of the cell clusters depended on their spontaneous beating rate. Specialized cardiac cells may in common have the ability to generate cardiomyocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeki Kiuchi
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharma-Sciences, Teikyo University, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan
| | - Akino Usami
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharma-Sciences, Teikyo University, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan
| | - Tae Shimoyama
- Laboratory of Molecular Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharma-Sciences, Teikyo University, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan
| | - Fuminori Otsuka
- Laboratory of Molecular Environmental Health, Faculty of Pharma-Sciences, Teikyo University, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan
| | - Shigeto Suzuki
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharma-Sciences, Teikyo University, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan
| | - Kageyoshi Ono
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharma-Sciences, Teikyo University, Itabashi-Ku, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan
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Chen Q, Yuan C, Jiang S, Heng BC, Zou T, Shen Z, Wang P, Zhang C. Small molecules efficiently reprogram apical papilla stem cells into neuron-like cells. Exp Ther Med 2021; 21:546. [PMID: 33850518 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2021.9978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Stem cell-based therapy may provide a novel approach for neural tissue regeneration. A small molecule cocktail-based culture protocol was previously shown to enhance neurogenic differentiation of stem cells from dental tissues. The present study aimed to investigate the early phase of small molecule-induced neurogenic differentiation of stem cells from the apical papilla (SCAP). SCAP were cultured in neural-induction medium or neural-induction medium with small molecules (NIMS-SCAP) and examined for their cell morphologies. Expression levels of neural progenitor cell-related markers, including Nestin, paired-box gene 6 (Pax6) and Sry-related HMG box 2 (Sox2), were examined using western blotting and immunocytofluorescence. Expression of differentiated neuron-related markers, including neurofilament protein (NFM), neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN) and microtubule-associated protein (MAP)-2, were also examined using western blotting, while NFM and MAP2 gene expression and cell proliferation were assessed using reverse transcription-quantitative (RT-q)PCR and Cell Counting Kit (CCK)-8 assays, respectively. SCAP morphology was affected by small molecules after as little as 30 min. Specifically, Nestin, Pax6 and Sox2 expression detected using western blotting was increased by day 3 but then decreased over the course of 7 days with neural induction, while immunocytofluorescence revealed expression of all three markers in NIMS-SCAP. The protein levels of NFM, NeuN and MAP2 on day 7 were significantly upregulated in NIMS-SCAP, as detected using western blotting, while NFM and MAP2 gene expression levels detected using RT-qPCR were significantly increased on days 5 and 7. Proliferation of NIMS-SCAP ceased after 5 days. Electrophysiological analysis showed that only SCAP cultured in NIMS had the functional activity of neuronal cells. Thus, small molecules reprogrammed SCAP into neural progenitor cells within the first 3 days, followed by further differentiation into neuron-like cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qixin Chen
- Restorative Dental Sciences, Endodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, SAR, P.R. China.,Department of Implant Dentistry, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, P.R. China
| | - Changyong Yuan
- Department of Implant Dentistry, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, P.R. China
| | - Shan Jiang
- Restorative Dental Sciences, Endodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, SAR, P.R. China
| | - Boon Chin Heng
- School of Stomatology, Peking University, Beijing 100081, P.R. China
| | - Ting Zou
- Restorative Dental Sciences, Endodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, SAR, P.R. China
| | - Zhongshan Shen
- Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Anesthesia and Analgesia Application Technology, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221004, P.R. China
| | - Penglai Wang
- Department of Implant Dentistry, The Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221002, P.R. China
| | - Chengfei Zhang
- Restorative Dental Sciences, Endodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, SAR, P.R. China
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Augustine R, Dan P, Hasan A, Khalaf IM, Prasad P, Ghosal K, Gentile C, McClements L, Maureira P. Stem cell-based approaches in cardiac tissue engineering: controlling the microenvironment for autologous cells. Biomed Pharmacother 2021; 138:111425. [PMID: 33756154 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2021.111425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Cardiac tissue engineering strategies focusing on biomaterial scaffolds incorporating cells and growth factors are emerging as highly promising for cardiac repair and regeneration. The use of stem cells within cardiac microengineered tissue constructs present an inherent ability to differentiate into cell types of the human heart. Stem cells derived from various tissues including bone marrow, dental pulp, adipose tissue and umbilical cord can be used for this purpose. Approaches ranging from stem cell injections, stem cell spheroids, cell encapsulation in a suitable hydrogel, use of prefabricated scaffold and bioprinting technology are at the forefront in the field of cardiac tissue engineering. The stem cell microenvironment plays a key role in the maintenance of stemness and/or differentiation into cardiac specific lineages. This review provides a detailed overview of the recent advances in microengineering of autologous stem cell-based tissue engineering platforms for the repair of damaged cardiac tissue. A particular emphasis is given to the roles played by the extracellular matrix (ECM) in regulating the physiological response of stem cells within cardiac tissue engineering platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin Augustine
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, 2713, Doha, Qatar; Biomedical Research Center (BRC), Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
| | - Pan Dan
- Department of Cardiovascular and Transplantation Surgery, Regional Central Hospital of Nancy, Lorraine University, Nancy 54500, France; Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Anwarul Hasan
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, Qatar University, 2713, Doha, Qatar; Biomedical Research Center (BRC), Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
| | | | - Parvathy Prasad
- International and Inter University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala 686560, India
| | - Kajal Ghosal
- Dr. B. C. Roy College of Pharmacy and AHS, Durgapur 713206, India
| | - Carmine Gentile
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia; School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Lana McClements
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Pablo Maureira
- Department of Cardiovascular and Transplantation Surgery, Regional Central Hospital of Nancy, Lorraine University, Nancy 54500, France
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Abstract
In mammals, many organs lack robust regenerative abilities. Lost cells in impaired tissue could potentially be compensated by converting nearby cells in situ through in vivo reprogramming. Small molecule-induced cell reprogramming offers a temporally flexible and non-integrative strategy for altering cell fate, which is, in principle, favorable for in vivo reprogramming in organs with notoriously poor regenerative abilities, such as the brain. Here, we demonstrate that in the adult mouse brain, small molecules can reprogram astrocytes into neurons. The in situ chemically induced neurons resemble endogenous neurons in terms of neuron-specific marker expression, electrophysiological properties, and synaptic connectivity. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of in vivo chemical reprogramming in the adult mouse brain and provides a potential approach for developing neuronal replacement therapies.
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Zhao H, Zhang Y, Xu X, Sun Q, Yang C, Wang H, Yang J, Yang Y, Yang X, Liu Y, Zhao Y. Sall4 and Myocd Empower Direct Cardiac Reprogramming From Adult Cardiac Fibroblasts After Injury. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:608367. [PMID: 33718351 PMCID: PMC7953844 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.608367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Direct conversion of fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs) holds promising potential to generate functional cardiomyocytes for drug development and clinical applications, especially for direct in situ heart regeneration by delivery of reprogramming genes into adult cardiac fibroblasts in injured hearts. For a decade, many cocktails of transcription factors have been developed to generate iCMs from fibroblasts of different tissues in vitro and some were applied in vivo. Here, we aimed to develop genetic cocktails that induce cardiac reprogramming directly in cultured cardiac fibroblasts isolated from adult mice with myocardial infarction (MICFs), which could be more relevant to heart diseases. We found that the widely used genetic cocktail, Gata4, Mef2c, and Tbx5 (GMT) were inefficient in reprogramming cardiomyocytes from MICFs. In a whole well of a 12-well plate, less than 10 mCherry+ cells (<0.1%) were observed after 2 weeks of GMT infection with Myh6-reporter transgenic MICFs. By screening 22 candidate transcription factors predicted through analyzing the gene regulatory network of cardiac development, we found that five factors, GMTMS (GMT plus Myocd and Sall4), induced more iCMs expressing the cardiac structural proteins cTnT and cTnI at a frequency of about 22.5 ± 2.7% of the transduced MICFs at day 21 post infection. What is more, GMTMS induced abundant beating cardiomyocytes at day 28 post infection. Specifically, Myocd contributed mainly to inducing the expression of cardiac proteins, while Sall4 accounted for the induction of functional properties, such as contractility. RNA-seq analysis of the iCMs at day 28 post infection revealed that they were reprogrammed to adopt a cardiomyocyte-like gene expression profile. Overall, we show here that Sall4 and Myocd play important roles in cardiac reprogramming from MICFs, providing a cocktail of genetic factors that have potential for further applications in in vivo cardiac reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, The Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, China
- PKU-Nanjing Institute of Translational Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Beijing Key Lab of Traffic Data Analysis and Mining, School of Computer and Information Technology, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaochan Xu
- The Center for Models of Life, Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Qiushi Sun
- Beijing Key Lab of Traffic Data Analysis and Mining, School of Computer and Information Technology, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China
| | - Chunyan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, The Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, China
- PKU-Nanjing Institute of Translational Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Hao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, The Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, China
- PKU-Nanjing Institute of Translational Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Junbo Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, The Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, China
- PKU-Nanjing Institute of Translational Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yang Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, The Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, China
- PKU-Nanjing Institute of Translational Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaochun Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, The Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, China
- PKU-Nanjing Institute of Translational Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yi Liu
- Beijing Key Lab of Traffic Data Analysis and Mining, School of Computer and Information Technology, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Natural and Biomimetic Drugs, The Ministry of Education (MOE) Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cardiometabolic Molecular Medicine, College of Future Technology, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, China
- PKU-Nanjing Institute of Translational Medicine, Nanjing, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Plastech Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd., Nanjing, China
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68
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Direct cell reprogramming: approaches, mechanisms and progress. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2021; 22:410-424. [PMID: 33619373 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-021-00335-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 166] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The reprogramming of somatic cells with defined factors, which converts cells from one lineage into cells of another, has greatly reshaped our traditional views on cell identity and cell fate determination. Direct reprogramming (also known as transdifferentiation) refers to cell fate conversion without transitioning through an intermediary pluripotent state. Given that the number of cell types that can be generated by direct reprogramming is rapidly increasing, it has become a promising strategy to produce functional cells for therapeutic purposes. This Review discusses the evolution of direct reprogramming from a transcription factor-based method to a small-molecule-driven approach, the recent progress in enhancing reprogrammed cell maturation, and the challenges associated with in vivo direct reprogramming for translational applications. It also describes our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying direct reprogramming, including the role of transcription factors, epigenetic modifications, non-coding RNAs, and the function of metabolic reprogramming, and highlights novel insights gained from single-cell omics studies.
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69
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Riching AS, Song K. Cardiac Regeneration: New Insights Into the Frontier of Ischemic Heart Failure Therapy. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 8:637538. [PMID: 33585427 PMCID: PMC7873479 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.637538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. While pharmacological and surgical interventions developed in the late twentieth century drastically improved patient outcomes, mortality rates over the last two decades have begun to plateau. Following ischemic injury, pathological remodeling leads to cardiomyocyte loss and fibrosis leading to impaired heart function. Cardiomyocyte turnover rate in the adult heart is limited, and no clinical therapies currently exist to regenerate cardiomyocytes lost following ischemic injury. In this review, we summarize the progress of therapeutic strategies including revascularization and cell-based interventions to regenerate the heart: transiently inducing cardiomyocyte proliferation and direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes. Moreover, we highlight recent mechanistic insights governing these strategies to promote heart regeneration and identify current challenges in translating these approaches to human patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S. Riching
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
- Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
- The Consortium for Fibrosis Research & Translation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
- Pharmacology Graduate Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Kunhua Song
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
- Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
- The Consortium for Fibrosis Research & Translation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
- Pharmacology Graduate Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
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Ghosh I, Singh RK, Mishra M, Kapoor S, Jana SS. Switching between blebbing and lamellipodia depends on the degree of non-muscle myosin II activity. J Cell Sci 2021; 134:jcs.248732. [PMID: 33298514 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.248732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Cells can adopt both mesenchymal and amoeboid modes of migration through membrane protrusive activities, namely formation of lamellipodia and blebbing. How the molecular players control the transition between lamellipodia and blebs is yet to be explored. Here, we show that addition of the ROCK inhibitor Y27632 or low doses of blebbistatin, an inhibitor of non-muscle myosin II (NMII) ATPase activity and filament partitioning, induces blebbing to lamellipodia conversion (BLC), whereas addition of low doses of ML7, an inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), induces lamellipodia to blebbing conversion (LBC) in human MDA-MB-231 cells. Similarly, siRNA-mediated knockdown of ROCK and MLCK induces BLC and LBC, respectively. Interestingly, both blebs and lamellipodia membrane protrusions are able to maintain the ratio of phosphorylated to unphosphorylated regulatory light chain at cortices when MLCK and ROCK, respectively, are inhibited either pharmacologically or genetically, suggesting that MLCK and ROCK activities are interlinked in BLC and LBC. Such BLCs and LBCs are also inducible in other cell lines, including MCF7 and MCF10A. These studies reveal that the relative activity of ROCK and MLCK, which controls both the ATPase activity and filament-forming property of NMII, is a determining factor in whether a cell exhibits blebbing or lamellipodia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Indranil Ghosh
- School of Biological Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata 700032, India
| | - Raman K Singh
- School of Biological Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata 700032, India.,Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Manjari Mishra
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Shobhna Kapoor
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay, Mumbai 400076, India
| | - Siddhartha S Jana
- School of Biological Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata 700032, India
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MRI-based molecular imaging of epicardium-derived stromal cells (EpiSC) by peptide-mediated active targeting. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21669. [PMID: 33303866 PMCID: PMC7728754 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78600-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
After myocardial infarction (MI), epicardial cells reactivate their embryonic program, proliferate and migrate into the damaged tissue to differentiate into fibroblasts, endothelial cells and, if adequately stimulated, to cardiomyocytes. Targeting epicardium-derived stromal cells (EpiSC) by specific ligands might enable the direct imaging of EpiSCs after MI to better understand their biology, but also may permit the cell-specific delivery of small molecules to improve the post-MI healing process. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify specific peptides by phage display screening to enable EpiSC specific cargo delivery by active targeting. To this end, we utilized a sequential panning of a phage library on cultured rat EpiSCs and then subtracted phage that nonspecifically bound blood immune cells. EpiSC specific phage were analyzed by deep sequencing and bioinformatics analysis to identify a total of 78 300 ± 31 900 different, EpiSC-specific, peptide insertion sequences. Flow cytometry of the five most highly abundant peptides (EP1, -2, -3, -7 or EP9) showed strong binding to EpiSCs but not to blood immune cells. The best binding properties were found for EP9 which was further studied by surface plasmon resonance (SPR). SPR revealed rapid and stable association of EpiSCs with EP9. As a negative control, THP-1 monocytes did not associate with EP9. Coupling of EP9 to perfluorocarbon nanoemulsions (PFCs) resulted in the efficient delivery of 19F cargo to EpiSCs and enabled their visualization by 19F MRI. Moreover, active targeting of EpiSCs by EP9-labelled PFCs was able to outcompete the strong phagocytic uptake of PFCs by circulating monocytes. In summary, we have identified a 7-mer peptide, (EP9) that binds to EpiSCs with high affinity and specificity. This peptide can be used to deliver small molecule cargos such as contrast agents to permit future in vivo tracking of EpiSCs by molecular imaging and to transfer small pharmaceutical molecules to modulate the biological activity of EpiSCs.
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He L, Chen X. Cardiomyocyte Induction and Regeneration for Myocardial Infarction Treatment: Cell Sources and Administration Strategies. Adv Healthc Mater 2020; 9:e2001175. [PMID: 33000909 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202001175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Occlusion of coronary artery and subsequent damage or death of myocardium can lead to myocardial infarction (MI) and even heart failure-one of the leading causes of deaths world wide. Notably, myocardium has extremely limited regeneration potential due to the loss or death of cardiomyocytes (i.e., the cells of which the myocardium is comprised) upon MI. A variety of stem cells and stem cell-derived cardiovascular cells, in situ cardiac fibroblasts and endogenous proliferative epicardium, have been exploited to provide renewable cellular sources to treat injured myocardium. Also, different strategies, including direct injection of cell suspensions, bioactive molecules, or cell-incorporated biomaterials, and implantation of artificial cardiac scaffolds (e.g., cell sheets and cardiac patches), have been developed to deliver renewable cells and/or bioactive molecules to the MI site for the myocardium regeneration. This article briefly surveys cell sources and delivery strategies, along with biomaterials and their processing techniques, developed for MI treatment. Key issues and challenges, as well as recommendations for future research, are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lihong He
- Department of Cell Biology Medical College of Soochow University Suzhou 215123 China
| | - Xiongbiao Chen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering Division of Biomedical Engineering University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon S7N5A9 Canada
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Recent Advances in Understandings Towards Pathogenesis and Treatment for Intrauterine Adhesion and Disruptive Insights from Single-Cell Analysis. Reprod Sci 2020; 28:1812-1826. [PMID: 33125685 PMCID: PMC8189970 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-020-00343-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Intrauterine adhesion is a major cause of menstrual irregularities, infertility, and recurrent pregnancy losses and the progress towards its amelioration and therapy is slow and unsatisfactory. We aim to summarize and evaluate the current treatment progress and research methods for intrauterine adhesion. We conducted literature review in January 2020 by searching articles at PubMed on prevention and treatment, pathogenesis, the repair of other tissues/organs, cell plasticity, and the stem cell–related therapies for intrauterine adhesion. A total of 110 articles were selected for review. Uterine cell heterogeneity, expression profile, and cell-cell interaction were investigated based on scRNA-seq of uterus provided by Human Cell Landscape (HCL) project. Previous knowledge on intrauterine adhesion (IUA) pathogenesis was mostly derived from correlation studies by differentially expressed genes between endometrial tissue of intrauterine adhesion patients/animal models and normal endometrial tissue. Although the TGF-β1/SMAD pathway was suggested as the key driver for IUA pathogenesis, uterine cell heterogeneity and distinct expression profile among different cell types highlighted the importance of single-cell investigations. Cell-cell interaction in the uterus revealed the central hub of endothelial cells interacting with other cells, with endothelial cells in endothelial to mesenchymal transition and fibroblasts as the strongest interaction partners. The potential of stem cell–related therapies appeared promising, yet suffers from largely animal studies and nonstandard study design. The need to dissect the roles of endometrial cells, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts and their interaction is evident in order to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms in both intrauterine adhesion pathogenesis and treatment.
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Chemicals orchestrate reprogramming with hierarchical activation of master transcription factors primed by endogenous Sox17 activation. Commun Biol 2020; 3:629. [PMID: 33128002 PMCID: PMC7603307 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01346-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Mouse somatic cells can be chemically reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells (CiPSCs) through an intermediate extraembryonic endoderm (XEN)-like state. However, it is elusive how the chemicals orchestrate the cell fate alteration. In this study, we analyze molecular dynamics in chemical reprogramming from fibroblasts to a XEN-like state. We find that Sox17 is initially activated by the chemical cocktails, and XEN cell fate specialization is subsequently mediated by Sox17 activated expression of other XEN master genes, such as Sall4 and Gata4. Furthermore, this stepwise process is differentially regulated. The core reprogramming chemicals CHIR99021, 616452 and Forskolin are all necessary for Sox17 activation, while differently required for Gata4 and Sall4 expression. The addition of chemical boosters in different phases further improves the generation efficiency of XEN-like cells. Taken together, our work demonstrates that chemical reprogramming is regulated in 3 distinct “prime–specify–transit” phases initiated with endogenous Sox17 activation, providing a new framework to understand cell fate determination. Yang, Xu, Gu et al. demonstrate that activation of endogenous Sox17 pushes fibroblasts to an extraembryonic endoderm-like state in chemically induced reprogramming of somatic cells into stem cells. This study provides insights into how chemicals prime the transition of somatic cells into stem cells.
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The Future of Direct Cardiac Reprogramming: Any GMT Cocktail Variety? Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21217950. [PMID: 33114756 PMCID: PMC7663133 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21217950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Direct cardiac reprogramming has emerged as a novel therapeutic approach to treat and regenerate injured hearts through the direct conversion of fibroblasts into cardiac cells. Most studies have focused on the reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs). The first study in which this technology was described, showed that at least a combination of three transcription factors, GATA4, MEF2C and TBX5 (GMT cocktail), was required for the reprogramming into iCMs in vitro using mouse cells. However, this was later demonstrated to be insufficient for the reprogramming of human cells and additional factors were required. Thereafter, most studies have focused on implementing reprogramming efficiency and obtaining fully reprogrammed and functional iCMs, by the incorporation of other transcription factors, microRNAs or small molecules to the original GMT cocktail. In this respect, great advances have been made in recent years. However, there is still no consensus on which of these GMT-based varieties is best, and robust and highly reproducible protocols are still urgently required, especially in the case of human cells. On the other hand, apart from CMs, other cells such as endothelial and smooth muscle cells to form new blood vessels will be fundamental for the correct reconstruction of damaged cardiac tissue. With this aim, several studies have centered on the direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced cardiac progenitor cells (iCPCs) able to give rise to all myocardial cell lineages. Especially interesting are reports in which multipotent and highly expandable mouse iCPCs have been obtained, suggesting that clinically relevant amounts of these cells could be created. However, as of yet, this has not been achieved with human iCPCs, and exactly what stage of maturity is appropriate for a cell therapy product remains an open question. Nonetheless, the major concern in regenerative medicine is the poor retention, survival, and engraftment of transplanted cells in the cardiac tissue. To circumvent this issue, several cell pre-conditioning approaches are currently being explored. As an alternative to cell injection, in vivo reprogramming may face fewer barriers for its translation to the clinic. This approach has achieved better results in terms of efficiency and iCMs maturity in mouse models, indicating that the heart environment can favor this process. In this context, in recent years some studies have focused on the development of safer delivery systems such as Sendai virus, Adenovirus, chemical cocktails or nanoparticles. This article provides an in-depth review of the in vitro and in vivo cardiac reprograming technology used in mouse and human cells to obtain iCMs and iCPCs, and discusses what challenges still lie ahead and what hurdles are to be overcome before results from this field can be transferred to the clinical settings.
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76
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Yuan ZD, Zhu WN, Liu KZ, Huang ZP, Han YC. Small Molecule Epigenetic Modulators in Pure Chemical Cell Fate Conversion. Stem Cells Int 2020; 2020:8890917. [PMID: 33144865 PMCID: PMC7596432 DOI: 10.1155/2020/8890917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Although innovative technologies for somatic cell reprogramming and transdifferentiation provide new strategies for the research of translational medicine, including disease modeling, drug screening, artificial organ development, and cell therapy, recipient safety remains a concern due to the use of exogenous transcription factors during induction. To resolve this problem, new induction approaches containing clinically applicable small molecules have been explored. Small molecule epigenetic modulators such as DNA methylation writer inhibitors, histone methylation writer inhibitors, histone acylation reader inhibitors, and histone acetylation eraser inhibitors could overcome epigenetic barriers during cell fate conversion. In the past few years, significant progress has been made in reprogramming and transdifferentiation of somatic cells with small molecule approaches. In the present review, we systematically discuss recent achievements of pure chemical reprogramming and transdifferentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhao-Di Yuan
- Department of Cardiology, Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Grade 19, Sun Yat-sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wei-Ning Zhu
- Department of Cardiology, Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Grade 19, Sun Yat-sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ke-Zhi Liu
- Department of Cardiology, Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- Grade 19, Sun Yat-sen University Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhan-Peng Huang
- Department of Cardiology, Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan-Chuang Han
- Department of Cardiology, Center for Translational Medicine, Institute of Precision Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Assisted Circulation (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangzhou, China
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Jiang L, Liang J, Huang W, Wu Z, Paul C, Wang Y. Strategies and Challenges to Improve Cellular Programming-Based Approaches for Heart Regeneration Therapy. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E7662. [PMID: 33081233 PMCID: PMC7589611 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21207662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Limited adult cardiac cell proliferation after cardiovascular disease, such as heart failure, hampers regeneration, resulting in a major loss of cardiomyocytes (CMs) at the site of injury. Recent studies in cellular reprogramming approaches have provided the opportunity to improve upon previous techniques used to regenerate damaged heart. Using these approaches, new CMs can be regenerated from differentiation of iPSCs (similar to embryonic stem cells), the direct reprogramming of fibroblasts [induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs)], or induced cardiac progenitors. Although these CMs have been shown to functionally repair infarcted heart, advancements in technology are still in the early stages of development in research laboratories. In this review, reprogramming-based approaches for generating CMs are briefly introduced and reviewed, and the challenges (including low efficiency, functional maturity, and safety issues) that hinder further translation of these approaches into a clinical setting are discussed. The creative and combined optimal methods to address these challenges are also summarized, with optimism that further investigation into tissue engineering, cardiac development signaling, and epigenetic mechanisms will help to establish methods that improve cell-reprogramming approaches for heart regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Jiang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0529, USA
| | - Jialiang Liang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0529, USA
| | - Wei Huang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0529, USA
| | - Zhichao Wu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0529, USA
| | - Christian Paul
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0529, USA
| | - Yigang Wang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45267-0529, USA
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Min S, Lee HJ, Jin Y, Kim YH, Sung J, Choi HJ, Cho SW. Biphasic Electrical Pulse by a Micropillar Electrode Array Enhances Maturation and Drug Response of Reprogrammed Cardiac Spheroids. NANO LETTERS 2020; 20:6947-6956. [PMID: 32877191 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c01141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Direct reprogramming is an efficient strategy to produce cardiac lineage cells necessary for cardiac tissue engineering and drug testing for cardiac toxicity. However, functional maturation of reprogrammed cardiomyocytes, which is of great importance for their regenerative potential and drug response, still remains challenging. In this study, we propose a novel electrode platform to promote direct cardiac reprogramming and improve the functionality of reprogrammed cardiac cells. Nonviral cardiac reprogramming was improved via a three-dimensional spheroid culture of chemically induced cardiomyocytes exposed to a small-molecule cocktail. A micropillar electrode array providing biphasic electrical pulses mimicking the heartbeat further enhanced maturation and electrophysiological properties of reprogrammed cardiac spheroids, leading to proper responses and increased sensitivity to drugs. On the basis of our results, we conclude that our device may have a wider application in the generation of functional cardiac cells for regenerative medicine and screening of novel drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungjin Min
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyo-Jung Lee
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoonhee Jin
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Yu Heun Kim
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaesuk Sung
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Heon-Jin Choi
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Seung-Woo Cho
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
- Center for Nanomedicine, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
- Graduate Program of Nano Biomedical Engineering (NanoBME), Advanced Science Institute, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
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79
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Large Animal Models of Cell-Free Cardiac Regeneration. Biomolecules 2020; 10:biom10101392. [PMID: 33003617 PMCID: PMC7600588 DOI: 10.3390/biom10101392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The adult mammalian heart lacks the ability to sufficiently regenerate itself, leading to the progressive deterioration of function and heart failure after ischemic injuries such as myocardial infarction. Thus far, cell-based therapies have delivered unsatisfactory results, prompting the search for cell-free alternatives that can induce the heart to repair itself through cardiomyocyte proliferation, angiogenesis, and advantageous remodeling. Large animal models are an invaluable step toward translating basic research into clinical applications. In this review, we give an overview of the state-of-the-art in cell-free cardiac regeneration therapies that have been tested in large animal models, mainly pigs. Cell-free cardiac regeneration therapies involve stem cell secretome- and extracellular vesicles (including exosomes)-induced cardiac repair, RNA-based therapies, mainly regarding microRNAs, but also modified mRNA (modRNA) as well as other molecules including growth factors and extracellular matrix components. Various methods for the delivery of regenerative substances are used, including adenoviral vectors (AAVs), microencapsulation, and microparticles. Physical stimulation methods and direct cardiac reprogramming approaches are also discussed.
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80
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Yi B, Dissanayaka WL, Zhang C. Growth Factors and Small-molecule Compounds in Derivation of Endothelial Lineages from Dental Stem Cells. J Endod 2020; 46:S63-S70. [PMID: 32950197 DOI: 10.1016/j.joen.2020.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Incorporating fully assembled microvascular networks into bioengineered dental pulp constructs can significantly enhance functional blood flow and tissue survival upon transplantation. Endothelial cells (ECs), cellular building blocks of vascular tissue, play an essential role in the process of prevascularization. However, obtaining sufficient ECs from a suitable source for translational application is challenging. Dental stem cells (DSCs), which exhibit a robust proliferative ability and immunocompatibility because of their autologous origin, could be a promising alternative cell source for the derivation of endothelial lineages. Under specific culture conditions, DSCs differentiate into osteo/odontogenic, adipogenic, chondrogenic, and neurogenic cell lineages. METHODS Recently, a new approach has been developed to directly reprogram cells using chemical cocktails and growth factors. Compared with the traditional reprogramming approach based on the forced expression of exogenous transcription factors, the chemical strategy avoids the risk associated with lentiviral transduction while offering a more viable methodology to drive cell lineage switch. The aim of this review was to unveil the concept of the use of small-molecule compounds and growth factors modulating key signaling pathways to derive ECs from DSCs. RESULTS In addition, our preliminary study showed that stem cells from the apical papilla could be induced into EC-like cells using small-molecule compounds and growth factors. These EC-like cells expressed endothelial specific genes (CD31 and VEGFR2) and proteins (CD31, VEGF receptor 2, and vascular endothelial cadherin) as well as gave rise to vessel-like tubular structures in vitro. CONCLUSIONS Our preliminary results suggest that chemical reprogramming might offer a novel way to generate EC-like cells from dental stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baicheng Yi
- Restorative Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Waruna Lakmal Dissanayaka
- Restorative Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Chengfei Zhang
- Restorative Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region, China.
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81
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Stem cells and new intervention measures as emerging therapy in cardiac surgery. POLISH JOURNAL OF THORACIC AND CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY 2020; 17:1-7. [PMID: 32728355 PMCID: PMC7379210 DOI: 10.5114/kitp.2020.94183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) presents a great burden for elderly patients, their caregivers, and health systems. Structural and functional alterations of vessels accumulate throughout life, culminating in increased risk of developing CVD. Several inflammatory pathway are involved in vascular ageing. The growing elderly population worldwide highlights the need to understand how aging promotes CVD in order to develop new strategies to confront this challenge. In this review we analyzed the role of stem cells and new intervention measures as emerging drugs for vascular aging.
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82
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Liu C, Hu X, Li Y, Lu W, Li W, Cao N, Zhu S, Cheng J, Ding S, Zhang M. Conversion of mouse fibroblasts into oligodendrocyte progenitor-like cells through a chemical approach. J Mol Cell Biol 2020; 11:489-495. [PMID: 30629188 PMCID: PMC6604601 DOI: 10.1093/jmcb/mjy088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2018] [Revised: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Transplantation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) is a promising way for treating demyelinating diseases. However, generation of scalable and autologous sources of OPCs has proven difficult. We previously established a chemical condition M9 that could specifically initiate neural program in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Here we found that M9 could induce the formation of colonies that undergo mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition at the early stage of reprogramming. These colonies may represent unstable and neural lineage-restricted intermediates that have not established a neural stem cell identity. By modulating the culture signaling recapitulating the principle of OPC development, these intermediate cells could be reprogrammed towards OPC fate. The chemical-induced OPC-like cells (ciOPLCs) resemble primary neural stem cell-derived OPCs in terms of their morphology, gene expression, and the ability of self-renewal. Upon differentiation, ciOPLCs could produce functional oligodendrocytes and myelinate the neuron axons in vitro, validating their OPC identity molecularly and functionally. Therefore, our study provides a non-integrating approach to OPC reprogramming that may ultimately provide an avenue to patient-specific cell-based or in situ regenerative therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Liu
- Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xu Hu
- Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yawen Li
- Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenjie Lu
- Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenlin Li
- Department of Cell Biology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Nan Cao
- Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.,The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, China
| | - Saiyong Zhu
- Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jinke Cheng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Cell Biology, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Tumor Microenvironment and Inflammation, Key Laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Sheng Ding
- Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Mingliang Zhang
- Department of Histoembryology, Genetics and Developmental Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Shanghai, China
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83
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Zeng J, Li Y, Ma Z, Hu M. Advances in Small Molecules in Cellular Reprogramming: Effects, Structures, and Mechanisms. Curr Stem Cell Res Ther 2020; 16:115-132. [PMID: 32564763 DOI: 10.2174/1574888x15666200621172042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The method of cellular reprogramming using small molecules involves the manipulation of somatic cells to generate desired cell types under chemically limited conditions, thus avoiding the ethical controversy of embryonic stem cells and the potential hazards of gene manipulation. The combinations of small molecules and their effects on mouse and human somatic cells are similar. Several small molecules, including CHIR99021, 616452, A83-01, SB431542, forskolin, tranylcypromine and valproic acid [VPA], have been frequently used in reprogramming of mouse and human somatic cells. This indicated that the reprogramming approaches related to these compounds were essential. These approaches were mainly divided into four classes: epigenetic modification, signal modulation, metabolic modulation and senescent suppression. The structures and functions of small molecules involved in these reprogramming approaches have been studied extensively. Molecular docking gave insights into the mechanisms and structural specificities of various small molecules in the epigenetic modification. The binding modes of RG108, Bix01294, tranylcypromine and VPA with their corresponding proteins clearly illustrated the interactions between these compounds and the active sites of the proteins. Glycogen synthase kinase 3β [CHIR99021], transforming growth factor β [616452, A83-01 and SB431542] and protein kinase A [forskolin] signaling pathway play important roles in signal modulation during reprogramming, however, the mechanisms and structural specificities of these inhibitors are still unknown. Further, the numbers of small molecules in the approaches of metabolic modulation and senescent suppression were too few to compare. This review aims to serve as a reference for reprogramming through small molecules in order to benefit future regenerative medicine and clinical drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Zeng
- Yunnan Key laboratory for Basic Research on Bone and Joint Diseases & Yunnan Stem Cell Translational Research Center, Kunming University, Kunming 650214, China
| | - Yanjiao Li
- Yunnan Key laboratory for Basic Research on Bone and Joint Diseases & Yunnan Stem Cell Translational Research Center, Kunming University, Kunming 650214, China
| | - Zhaoxia Ma
- Yunnan Key laboratory for Basic Research on Bone and Joint Diseases & Yunnan Stem Cell Translational Research Center, Kunming University, Kunming 650214, China
| | - Min Hu
- Yunnan Key laboratory for Basic Research on Bone and Joint Diseases & Yunnan Stem Cell Translational Research Center, Kunming University, Kunming 650214, China
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84
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Reprogramming and transdifferentiation - two key processes for regenerative medicine. Eur J Pharmacol 2020; 882:173202. [PMID: 32562801 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Regenerative medicine based on transplants obtained from donors or foetal and new-born mesenchymal stem cells, encounter important obstacles such as limited availability of organs, ethical issues and immune rejection. The growing demand for therapeutic methods for patients being treated after serious accidents, severe organ dysfunction and an increasing number of cancer surgeries, exceeds the possibilities of the therapies that are currently available. Reprogramming and transdifferentiation provide powerful bioengineering tools. Both procedures are based on the somatic differentiated cells, which are easily and unlimitedly available, like for example: fibroblasts. During the reprogramming procedure mature cells are converted into pluripotent cells - which are capable to differentiate into almost any kind of desired cells. Transdifferentiation directly converts differentiated cells of one type into another differentiated cells type. Both procedures allow to obtained patient's dedicated cells for therapeutic purpose in regenerative medicine. In combination with biomaterials, it is possible to obtain even whole anatomical structures. Those patient's dedicated structures may serve for them upon serious accidents with massive tissue damage but also upon cancer surgeries as a replacement of damaged organ. Detailed information about reprogramming and transdifferentiation procedures as well as the current state of the art are presented in our review.
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85
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Paoletti C, Divieto C, Tarricone G, Di Meglio F, Nurzynska D, Chiono V. MicroRNA-Mediated Direct Reprogramming of Human Adult Fibroblasts Toward Cardiac Phenotype. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:529. [PMID: 32582662 PMCID: PMC7297084 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Modulation of microRNA expression holds the promise to achieve direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into cardiomyocyte-like cells as a new strategy for myocardial regeneration after ischemic heart disease. Previous reports have shown that murine fibroblasts can be directly reprogrammed into induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs) by transient transfection with four microRNA mimics (miR-1, 133, 208, and 499, termed "miRcombo"). Hence, study on the effect of miRcombo transfection on adult human cardiac fibroblasts (AHCFs) deserves attention in the perspective of a future clinical translation of the approach. In this brief report, we studied for the first time whether miRcombo transient transfection of AHCFs by non-viral vectors might trigger direct reprogramming of AHCFs into cardiomyocyte-like cells. Initially, efficient miRNA delivery to cells was demonstrated through the use of a commercially available transfection agent (DharmaFECT1). Transient transfection of AHCFs with miRcombo was found to upregulate early cardiac transcription factors after 7 days post-transfection and cardiomyocyte specific marker cTnT after 15 days post-transfection, and to downregulate the expression of fibroblast markers at 15 days post-transfection. The percentage of cTnT-positive cells after 15 days from miRcombo transfection was ∼11%, as evaluated by flow cytometry. Furthermore, a relevant percentage of miRcombo-transfected AHCFs (∼38%) displayed spontaneous calcium transients at 30 days post-transfection. Results evidenced the role of miRcombo transfection on triggering the trans differentiation of AHCFs into iCMs. Although further investigations are needed to achieve iCM maturation, early findings from this study pave the way toward new advanced therapies for human cardiac regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Paoletti
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - C. Divieto
- Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, Advanced Materials Metrology and Life Science, Turin, Italy
| | - G. Tarricone
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - F. Di Meglio
- Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - D. Nurzynska
- Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - V. Chiono
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Turin, Italy
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86
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Mazzola M, Di Pasquale E. Toward Cardiac Regeneration: Combination of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Therapies and Bioengineering Strategies. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:455. [PMID: 32528940 PMCID: PMC7266938 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases represent the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Multiple studies have been conducted so far in order to develop treatments able to prevent the progression of these pathologies. Despite progress made in the last decade, current therapies are still hampered by poor translation into actual clinical applications. The major drawback of such strategies is represented by the limited regenerative capacity of the cardiac tissue. Indeed, after an ischaemic insult, the formation of fibrotic scar takes place, interfering with mechanical and electrical functions of the heart. Hence, the ability of the heart to recover after ischaemic injury depends on several molecular and cellular pathways, and the imbalance between them results into adverse remodeling, culminating in heart failure. In this complex scenario, a new chapter of regenerative medicine has been opened over the past 20 years with the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These cells share the same characteristic of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), but are generated from patient-specific somatic cells, overcoming the ethical limitations related to ESC use and providing an autologous source of human cells. Similarly to ESCs, iPSCs are able to efficiently differentiate into cardiomyocytes (CMs), and thus hold a real regenerative potential for future clinical applications. However, cell-based therapies are subjected to poor grafting and may cause adverse effects in the failing heart. Thus, over the last years, bioengineering technologies focused their attention on the improvement of both survival and functionality of iPSC-derived CMs. The combination of these two fields of study has burst the development of cell-based three-dimensional (3D) structures and organoids which mimic, more realistically, the in vivo cell behavior. Toward the same path, the possibility to directly induce conversion of fibroblasts into CMs has recently emerged as a promising area for in situ cardiac regeneration. In this review we provide an up-to-date overview of the latest advancements in the application of pluripotent stem cells and tissue-engineering for therapeutically relevant cardiac regenerative approaches, aiming to highlight outcomes, limitations and future perspectives for their clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Mazzola
- Stem Cell Unit, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano, Italy
| | - Elisa Di Pasquale
- Stem Cell Unit, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center - IRCCS, Rozzano, Italy.,Institute of Genetic and Biomedical Research (IRGB) - UOS of Milan, National Research Council (CNR), Milan, Italy
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87
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Mahato B, Kaya KD, Fan Y, Sumien N, Shetty RA, Zhang W, Davis D, Mock T, Batabyal S, Ni A, Mohanty S, Han Z, Farjo R, Forster MJ, Swaroop A, Chavala SH. Pharmacologic fibroblast reprogramming into photoreceptors restores vision. Nature 2020; 581:83-88. [PMID: 32376950 PMCID: PMC7469946 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2201-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Photoreceptor loss is the final common endpoint in most retinopathies that lead to irreversible blindness, and there are no effective treatments to restore vision1,2. Chemical reprogramming of fibroblasts offers an opportunity to reverse vision loss; however, the generation of sensory neuronal subtypes such as photoreceptors remains a challenge. Here we report that the administration of a set of five small molecules can chemically induce the transformation of fibroblasts into rod photoreceptor-like cells. The transplantation of these chemically induced photoreceptor-like cells (CiPCs) into the subretinal space of rod degeneration mice (homozygous for rd1, also known as Pde6b) leads to partial restoration of the pupil reflex and visual function. We show that mitonuclear communication is a key determining factor for the reprogramming of fibroblasts into CiPCs. Specifically, treatment with these five compounds leads to the translocation of AXIN2 to the mitochondria, which results in the production of reactive oxygen species, the activation of NF-κB and the upregulation of Ascl1. We anticipate that CiPCs could have therapeutic potential for restoring vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biraj Mahato
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Laboratory for Retinal Rehabilitation, North Texas Eye Research Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Koray Dogan Kaya
- Neurobiology, Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Yan Fan
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Laboratory for Retinal Rehabilitation, North Texas Eye Research Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Nathalie Sumien
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Ritu A Shetty
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Laboratory for Retinal Rehabilitation, North Texas Eye Research Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Delaney Davis
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Thomas Mock
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | | | - Aiguo Ni
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Laboratory for Retinal Rehabilitation, North Texas Eye Research Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | | | - Zongchao Han
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | | | - Michael J Forster
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA
| | - Anand Swaroop
- Neurobiology, Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sai H Chavala
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Laboratory for Retinal Rehabilitation, North Texas Eye Research Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
- CIRC Therapeutics, Inc., Dallas, TX, USA.
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88
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Bmi1 inhibitor PTC-209 promotes Chemically-induced Direct Cardiac Reprogramming of cardiac fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7129. [PMID: 32346096 PMCID: PMC7189257 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63992-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of therapeutic approaches based on direct cardiac reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced-cardiomyocytes (iCM) has emerged as an attractive strategy to repair the injured myocardium. The identification of the mechanisms driving lineage conversion represents a crucial step toward the development of new and more efficient regenerative strategies. To this aim, here we show that pre-treatment with the Bmi1 inhibitor PTC-209 is sufficient to increase the efficiency of Chemical-induced Direct Cardiac Reprogramming both in mouse embryonic fibroblasts and adult cardiac fibroblasts. PTC-209 induces an overall increase of spontaneously beating iCM at end-stage of reprogramming, expressing high levels of late cardiac markers Troponin T and myosin muscle light chain-2v. The inhibition of Bmi1 expression occurring upon PTC-209 pre-treatment was maintained throughout the reprogramming protocol, contributing to a significant gene expression de-regulation. RNA profiling revealed that, upon Bmi1 inhibition a significant down-regulation of genes associated with immune and inflammatory signalling pathways occurred, with repression of different genes involved in interleukin, cytokine and chemokine pathways. Accordingly, we observed the down-regulation of both JAK/STAT3 and MAPK/ERK1-2 pathway activation, highlighting the crucial role of these pathways as a barrier for cardiac reprogramming. These findings have significant implications for the development of new cardiac regenerative therapies.
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89
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Cassani M, Fernandes S, Vrbsky J, Ergir E, Cavalieri F, Forte G. Combining Nanomaterials and Developmental Pathways to Design New Treatments for Cardiac Regeneration: The Pulsing Heart of Advanced Therapies. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:323. [PMID: 32391340 PMCID: PMC7193099 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The research for heart therapies is challenged by the limited intrinsic regenerative capacity of the adult heart. Moreover, it has been hampered by the poor results obtained by tissue engineering and regenerative medicine attempts at generating functional beating constructs able to integrate with the host tissue. For this reason, organ transplantation remains the elective treatment for end-stage heart failure, while novel strategies aiming to promote cardiac regeneration or repair lag behind. The recent discovery that adult cardiomyocytes can be ectopically induced to enter the cell cycle and proliferate by a combination of microRNAs and cardioprotective drugs, like anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-coagulants and anti-platelets agents, fueled the quest for new strategies suited to foster cardiac repair. While proposing a revolutionary approach for heart regeneration, these studies raised serious issues regarding the efficient controlled delivery of the therapeutic cargo, as well as its timely removal or metabolic inactivation from the site of action. Especially, there is need for innovative treatment because of evidence of severe side effects caused by pleiotropic drugs. Biocompatible nanoparticles possess unique physico-chemical properties that have been extensively exploited for overcoming the limitations of standard medical therapies. Researchers have put great efforts into the optimization of the nanoparticles synthesis and functionalization, to control their interactions with the biological milieu and use as a viable alternative to traditional approaches. Nanoparticles can be used for diagnosis and deliver therapies in a personalized and targeted fashion. Regarding the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, nanoparticles-based strategies have provided very promising outcomes, in preclinical studies, during the last years. Efficient encapsulation of a large variety of cargos, specific release at the desired site and improvement of cardiac function are some of the main achievements reached so far by nanoparticle-based treatments in animal models. This work offers an overview on the recent nanomedical applications for cardiac regeneration and highlights how the versatility of nanomaterials can be combined with the newest molecular biology discoveries to advance cardiac regeneration therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Cassani
- International Clinical Research Center, St Anne’s University Hospital, Brno, Czechia
| | - Soraia Fernandes
- International Clinical Research Center, St Anne’s University Hospital, Brno, Czechia
| | - Jan Vrbsky
- International Clinical Research Center, St Anne’s University Hospital, Brno, Czechia
| | - Ece Ergir
- International Clinical Research Center, St Anne’s University Hospital, Brno, Czechia
- Faculty of Technical Chemistry, Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry and Institute of Chemical Technologies and Analytics, Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Francesca Cavalieri
- School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, Via Della Ricerca Scientifica, Rome, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Forte
- International Clinical Research Center, St Anne’s University Hospital, Brno, Czechia
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90
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Lu Z, Chiu J, Lee LR, Schindeler A, Jackson M, Ramaswamy Y, Dunstan CR, Hogg PJ, Zreiqat H. Reprogramming of human fibroblasts into osteoblasts by insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7. Stem Cells Transl Med 2020; 9:403-415. [PMID: 31904196 PMCID: PMC7031646 DOI: 10.1002/sctm.19-0281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) is a promising cell source for tissue regeneration. However, the therapeutic value of iPSC technology is limited due to the complexity of induction protocols and potential risks of teratoma formation. A trans-differentiation approach employing natural factors may allow better control over reprogramming and improved safety. We report here a novel approach to drive trans-differentiation of human fibroblasts into functional osteoblasts using insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 (IGFBP7). We initially determined that media conditioned by human osteoblasts can induce reprogramming of human fibroblasts to functional osteoblasts. Proteomic analysis identified IGFBP7 as being significantly elevated in media conditioned with osteoblasts compared with those with fibroblasts. Recombinant IGFBP7 induced a phenotypic switch from fibroblasts to osteoblasts. The switch was associated with senescence and dependent on autocrine IL-6 signaling. Our study supports a novel strategy for regenerating bone by using IGFBP7 to trans-differentiate fibroblasts to osteoblasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- ZuFu Lu
- Tissue Engineering & Biomaterials Research Unit, School of Biomedical EngineeringThe University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
- ARC Training Centre for Innovative BioEngineeringThe University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Joyce Chiu
- The Centenary InstituteNHMRC Clinical Trial Centre, The University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Lucinda R. Lee
- Bioengineering & Molecular MedicineThe Children's Hospital at WestmeadWestmeadNew South WalesAustralia
- Discipline of Child and Adolescent MedicineThe University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Aaron Schindeler
- Bioengineering & Molecular MedicineThe Children's Hospital at WestmeadWestmeadNew South WalesAustralia
- Discipline of Child and Adolescent MedicineThe University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Miriam Jackson
- Tissue Engineering & Biomaterials Research Unit, School of Biomedical EngineeringThe University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Yogambha Ramaswamy
- Tissue Engineering & Biomaterials Research Unit, School of Biomedical EngineeringThe University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
- ARC Training Centre for Innovative BioEngineeringThe University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Colin R. Dunstan
- Tissue Engineering & Biomaterials Research Unit, School of Biomedical EngineeringThe University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
- ARC Training Centre for Innovative BioEngineeringThe University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Philip J. Hogg
- The Centenary InstituteNHMRC Clinical Trial Centre, The University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Hala Zreiqat
- Tissue Engineering & Biomaterials Research Unit, School of Biomedical EngineeringThe University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
- ARC Training Centre for Innovative BioEngineeringThe University of SydneyCamperdownNew South WalesAustralia
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91
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Zaffaroni G, Okawa S, Morales-Ruiz M, del Sol A. An integrative method to predict signalling perturbations for cellular transitions. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 47:e72. [PMID: 30949696 PMCID: PMC6614844 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 02/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Induction of specific cellular transitions is of clinical importance, as it allows to revert disease cellular phenotype, or induce cellular reprogramming and differentiation for regenerative medicine. Signalling is a convenient way to accomplish such transitions without transfer of genetic material. Here we present the first general computational method that systematically predicts signalling molecules, whose perturbations induce desired cellular transitions. This probabilistic method integrates gene regulatory networks (GRNs) with manually-curated signalling pathways obtained from MetaCore from Clarivate Analytics, to model how signalling cues are received and processed in the GRN. The method was applied to 219 cellular transition examples, including cell type transitions, and overall correctly predicted experimentally validated signalling molecules, consistently outperforming other well-established approaches, such as differential gene expression and pathway enrichment analyses. Further, we validated our method predictions in the case of rat cirrhotic liver, and identified the activation of angiopoietins receptor Tie2 as a potential target for reverting the disease phenotype. Experimental results indicated that this perturbation induced desired changes in the gene expression of key TFs involved in fibrosis and angiogenesis. Importantly, this method only requires gene expression data of the initial and desired cell states, and therefore is suited for the discovery of signalling interventions for disease treatments and cellular therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaia Zaffaroni
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette L-4362, Luxembourg
| | - Satoshi Okawa
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette L-4362, Luxembourg
- Integrated BioBank of Luxembourg, Dudelange L-3555, Luxembourg
| | - Manuel Morales-Ruiz
- Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Department-Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona 08036, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Barcelona 08036, Spain
- Working group for the biochemical assessment of hepatic disease-SEQC, Barcelona 08036, Spain
- Department of Biomedicine-Biochemistry Unit, School of Medicine-University of Barcelona, Barcelona 08036, Spain
| | - Antonio del Sol
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette L-4362, Luxembourg
- CIC bioGUNE, Bizkaia Technology Park, Derio 48160, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao 48013, Spain
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +352 46 66 44 6982; Fax: +352 46 66 44 6949;
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92
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Kim Y, Jeong J, Choi D. Small-molecule-mediated reprogramming: a silver lining for regenerative medicine. Exp Mol Med 2020; 52:213-226. [PMID: 32080339 PMCID: PMC7062739 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-020-0383-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 12/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Techniques for reprogramming somatic cells create new opportunities for drug screening, disease modeling, artificial organ development, and cell therapy. The development of reprogramming techniques has grown exponentially since the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by the transduction of four factors (OCT3/4, SOX2, c-MYC, and KLF4) in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Initial studies on iPSCs led to direct-conversion techniques using transcription factors expressed mainly in target cells. However, reprogramming transcription factors with a virus risks integrating viral DNA and can be complicated by oncogenes. To address these problems, many researchers are developing reprogramming methods that use clinically applicable small molecules and growth factors. This review summarizes research trends in reprogramming cells using small molecules and growth factors, including their modes of action. The reprogramming of cells using small molecules to generate viable, safe stem-cell populations could transform stem-cell therapies, disease modeling and artificial organ development. Existing ways of reprogramming cells to generate stem cells carry risks, because the methods used often involve using viral DNA components or oncogenes, genes with the potential to turn cells into tumour cells. Safer, inexpensive alternatives are sought by scientists, and the efficient reprogramming of cells using small molecules and growth factors shows promise. Dongho Choi and co-workers at Hanyang University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, reviewed recent research highlighting how small molecules including chemical compounds, plant derivatives and certain approved drugs are being used effectively to create different stem-cell populations. Recent successes are also contributing valuable insights into how stem cells differentiate into different cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yohan Kim
- Department of Surgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, 04763, Korea.,HY Indang Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Korea
| | - Jaemin Jeong
- Department of Surgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, 04763, Korea.,HY Indang Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Korea
| | - Dongho Choi
- Department of Surgery, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, 04763, Korea. .,HY Indang Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Hanyang University, Seoul, 04763, Korea.
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Chen K, Huang Y, Singh R, Wang ZZ. Arrhythmogenic risks of stem cell replacement therapy for cardiovascular diseases. J Cell Physiol 2020; 235:6257-6267. [PMID: 31994198 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.29554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Ischemic heart disease and congestive heart failure are major contributors to high morbidity and mortality. Approximately 1.5 million cases of myocardial infarction occur annually in the United States; the yearly incidence rate is approximately 600 cases per 100,000 people. Although significant progress to improve the survival rate has been made by medications and implantable medical devices, damaged cardiomyocytes are unable to be recovered by current treatment strategies. After almost two decades of research, stem cell therapy has become a very promising approach to generate new cardiomyocytes and enhance the function of the heart. Along with clinical trials with stem cells conducted in cardiac regeneration, concerns regarding safety and potential risks have emerged. One of the contentious issues is the electrical dysfunctions of cardiomyocytes and cardiac arrhythmia after stem cell therapy. In this review, we focus on the cell sources currently used for stem cell therapy and discuss related arrhythmogenic risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Chen
- Department of Cardiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuting Huang
- Department of Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Radhika Singh
- Center for Biotechnology Education, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Zack Z Wang
- Division of Hematology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
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HORISAWA K, SUZUKI A. Direct cell-fate conversion of somatic cells: Toward regenerative medicine and industries. PROCEEDINGS OF THE JAPAN ACADEMY. SERIES B, PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2020; 96:131-158. [PMID: 32281550 PMCID: PMC7247973 DOI: 10.2183/pjab.96.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Cells of multicellular organisms have diverse characteristics despite having the same genetic identity. The distinctive phenotype of each cell is determined by molecular mechanisms such as epigenetic changes that occur throughout the lifetime of an individual. Recently, technologies that enable modification of the fate of somatic cells have been developed, and the number of studies using these technologies has increased drastically in the last decade. Various cell types, including neuronal cells, cardiomyocytes, and hepatocytes, have been generated using these technologies. Although most direct reprogramming methods employ forced transduction of a defined sets of transcription factors to reprogram cells in a manner similar to induced pluripotent cell technology, many other strategies, such as methods utilizing chemical compounds and microRNAs to change the fate of somatic cells, have also been developed. In this review, we summarize transcription factor-based reprogramming and various other reprogramming methods. Additionally, we describe the various industrial applications of direct reprogramming technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi HORISAWA
- Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Atsushi SUZUKI
- Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
- Correspondence should be addressed: A. Suzuki, Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan (e-mail: )
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95
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Zhou Y, Zhu X, Dai Y, Xiong S, Wei C, Yu P, Tang Y, Wu L, Li J, Liu D, Wang Y, Chen Z, Chen S, Huang J, Cheng L. Chemical Cocktail Induces Hematopoietic Reprogramming and Expands Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2020; 7:1901785. [PMID: 31921559 PMCID: PMC6947705 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201901785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2019] [Revised: 10/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Generation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) via cell expansion or cell reprogramming has been widely achieved by overexpression of transcription factors. Herein, it is reported that without introducing exogenous genes, mouse fibroblasts can be reprogrammed into hemogenic cells based on lineage tracing analysis, which further develop into hematopoietic cells, by treatment of cocktails of chemical compounds. The chemical cocktails also reprogram differentiated hematopoietic cells back into HSPC-like cells. Most importantly, the chemical cocktails enabling hematopoietic reprogramming robustly promote HSPC proliferation ex vivo. The expanded HSPCs acquire enhanced capacity of hematopoietic reconstruction in vivo. Single-cell sequencing analysis verifies the expansion of HSPCs and the cell reprogramming toward potential generation of HSPCs at the same time by the chemical cocktail treatment. Thus, the proof-of-concept findings not only demonstrate that hematopoietic reprogramming can be achieved by chemical compounds but also provide a promising strategy for acquisition of HSPCs by chemical cocktail-enabled double effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Medical GenomicsShanghai Institute of HematologyRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of MedicineKey Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Systems BiomedicineShanghai Center for Systems BiomedicineShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200025China
| | - Xingli Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical GenomicsShanghai Institute of HematologyRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of MedicineKey Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Systems BiomedicineShanghai Center for Systems BiomedicineShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200025China
| | - Yuting Dai
- School of Life Sciences and BiotechnologyShanghai Jiao Tong University200025ShanghaiChina
| | - Shumin Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Medical GenomicsShanghai Institute of HematologyRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of MedicineKey Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Systems BiomedicineShanghai Center for Systems BiomedicineShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200025China
| | - Chuijin Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Medical GenomicsShanghai Institute of HematologyRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of MedicineKey Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Systems BiomedicineShanghai Center for Systems BiomedicineShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200025China
| | - Pei Yu
- Department of OrthopaedicsRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai200025China
| | - Yuewen Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical GenomicsShanghai Institute of HematologyRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of MedicineKey Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Systems BiomedicineShanghai Center for Systems BiomedicineShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200025China
| | - Liang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical GenomicsShanghai Institute of HematologyRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of MedicineKey Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Systems BiomedicineShanghai Center for Systems BiomedicineShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200025China
| | - Jianfeng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Medical GenomicsShanghai Institute of HematologyRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of MedicineKey Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Systems BiomedicineShanghai Center for Systems BiomedicineShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200025China
| | - Dan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical GenomicsShanghai Institute of HematologyRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of MedicineKey Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Systems BiomedicineShanghai Center for Systems BiomedicineShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200025China
| | - Yanlin Wang
- Prenatal Diagnosis CenterInternational Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai200030China
| | - Zhu Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Medical GenomicsShanghai Institute of HematologyRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of MedicineKey Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Systems BiomedicineShanghai Center for Systems BiomedicineShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200025China
| | - Sai‐Juan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Medical GenomicsShanghai Institute of HematologyRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of MedicineKey Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Systems BiomedicineShanghai Center for Systems BiomedicineShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200025China
| | - Jinyan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Medical GenomicsShanghai Institute of HematologyRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of MedicineKey Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Systems BiomedicineShanghai Center for Systems BiomedicineShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200025China
- Pôle de Recherches Sino‐Français en Science du Vivant et GénomiqueLaboratory of Molecular PathologyRui‐Jin HospitalShanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineShanghai200025China
| | - Lin Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Medical GenomicsShanghai Institute of HematologyRui Jin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversitySchool of MedicineKey Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine (Ministry of Education) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Systems BiomedicineShanghai Center for Systems BiomedicineShanghai Jiao Tong UniversityShanghai200025China
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96
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Tu WZ, Fu YB, Xie X. RepSox, a small molecule inhibitor of the TGFβ receptor, induces brown adipogenesis and browning of white adipocytes. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2019; 40:1523-1531. [PMID: 31235818 PMCID: PMC7471457 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-019-0264-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Unlike white adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT) is mainly responsible for energy expenditure via thermogenesis by uncoupling the respiratory chain. Promoting the differentiation of brown fat precursor cells and the browning of white fat have become a research hotspot for the treatment of obesity and associated metabolic diseases. Several secreted factors and a number of small molecules have been found to promote brown adipogenesis. Here we report that a single small-molecule compound, RepSox, is sufficient to induce adipogenesis from mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) in fibroblast culture medium. RepSox is an inhibitor of the transforming growth factor-beta receptor I (TGF-β-RI), other inhibitors of TGF-β pathway such as SB431542, LY2157299, A83-01, and Tranilast are also effective in inducing adipogenesis from MEFs. These adipocytes express brown adipocyte-specific transcription factors and thermogenesis genes, and contain a large number of mitochondria and have a high level of mitochondrial respiratory activity. More interestingly, RepSox has also been found to promote the differentiation of the brown fat precursor cells and induce browning of the white fat precursor cells. These findings suggest that inhibitors of TGF-β signaling pathway might be developed as new therapeutics for obesity and type 2 diabetes.
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97
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Barreto S, Hamel L, Schiatti T, Yang Y, George V. Cardiac Progenitor Cells from Stem Cells: Learning from Genetics and Biomaterials. Cells 2019; 8:E1536. [PMID: 31795206 PMCID: PMC6952950 DOI: 10.3390/cells8121536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiac Progenitor Cells (CPCs) show great potential as a cell resource for restoring cardiac function in patients affected by heart disease or heart failure. CPCs are proliferative and committed to cardiac fate, capable of generating cells of all the cardiac lineages. These cells offer a significant shift in paradigm over the use of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes owing to the latter's inability to recapitulate mature features of a native myocardium, limiting their translational applications. The iPSCs and direct reprogramming of somatic cells have been attempted to produce CPCs and, in this process, a variety of chemical and/or genetic factors have been evaluated for their ability to generate, expand, and maintain CPCs in vitro. However, the precise stoichiometry and spatiotemporal activity of these factors and the genetic interplay during embryonic CPC development remain challenging to reproduce in culture, in terms of efficiency, numbers, and translational potential. Recent advances in biomaterials to mimic the native cardiac microenvironment have shown promise to influence CPC regenerative functions, while being capable of integrating with host tissue. This review highlights recent developments and limitations in the generation and use of CPCs from stem cells, and the trends that influence the direction of research to promote better application of CPCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Barreto
- Guy Hilton Research Centre, School of Pharmacy & Bioengineering, Keele University, Staffordshire ST4 7QB, UK; (S.B.); (T.S.); (Y.Y.)
| | | | - Teresa Schiatti
- Guy Hilton Research Centre, School of Pharmacy & Bioengineering, Keele University, Staffordshire ST4 7QB, UK; (S.B.); (T.S.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Ying Yang
- Guy Hilton Research Centre, School of Pharmacy & Bioengineering, Keele University, Staffordshire ST4 7QB, UK; (S.B.); (T.S.); (Y.Y.)
| | - Vinoj George
- Guy Hilton Research Centre, School of Pharmacy & Bioengineering, Keele University, Staffordshire ST4 7QB, UK; (S.B.); (T.S.); (Y.Y.)
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98
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Xu G, Wu F, Gu X, Zhang J, You K, Chen Y, Getachew A, Zhuang Y, Zhong X, Lin Z, Guo D, Yang F, Pan T, Wei H, Li YX. Direct Conversion of Human Urine Cells to Neurons by Small Molecules. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16707. [PMID: 31723223 PMCID: PMC6854089 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53007-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 10/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Transdifferentiation of other cell type into human neuronal cells (hNCs) provides a platform for neural disease modeling, drug screening and potential cell-based therapies. Among all of the cell donor sources, human urine cells (hUCs) are convenient to obtain without invasive harvest procedure. Here, we report a novel approach for the transdifferentiation of hUCs into hNCs. Our study demonstrated that a combination of seven small molecules (CAYTFVB) cocktail induced transdifferentiation of hUCs into hNCs. These chemical-induced neuronal cells (CiNCs) exhibited typical neuron-like morphology and expressed mature neuronal markers. The neuronal-like morphology revealed in day 1, and the Tuj1-positive CiNCs reached to about 58% in day 5 and 38.36% Tuj1+/MAP2+ double positive cells in day 12. Partial electrophysiological properties of CiNCs was obtained using patch clamp. Most of the CiNCs generated using our protocol were glutamatergic neuron populations, whereas motor neurons, GABAergic or dopaminergic neurons were merely detected. hUCs derived from different donors were converted into CiNCs in this work. This method may provide a feasible and noninvasive approach for reprogramming hNCs from hUCs for disease models and drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guosheng Xu
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Guangzhou Blood Center, Guangzhou, China
| | - Feima Wu
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaotong Gu
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jiaye Zhang
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kai You
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Anteneh Getachew
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yuanqi Zhuang
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaofen Zhong
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zuoxian Lin
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dongsheng Guo
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fan Yang
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Tingcai Pan
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hongcheng Wei
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yin-Xiong Li
- Institute of Public Health, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China. .,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biocomputing, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China. .,Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, South China Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China. .,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. .,Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou, China. .,Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory, Guangzhou, China.
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99
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Cardiac Pacemaker Cells Generate Cardiomyocytes from Fibroblasts in Long-Term Cultures. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15174. [PMID: 31645588 PMCID: PMC6811548 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51001-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Because cardiomyocyte generation is limited, the turnover of cardiomyocytes in adult heart tissues is much debated. We report here that cardiac pacemaker cells can generate cardiomyocytes from fibroblasts in vitro. Sinoatrial node cells (SANCs) were isolated from adult guinea pig hearts and were cultured at relatively low cell densities. Within a week, a number of fibroblast-like cells were observed to gather around SANCs, and these formed spontaneously beating clusters with cardiomyocyte structures. The clusters expressed genes and proteins that are characteristic of atrial cardiomyocytes. Pharmacological blocking of pacemaker currents inhibited generation of action potentials, and the spontaneous beating were ceased by physically destroying a few central cells. Inhibition of beating during culture also hampered the cluster formation. Moreover, purified guinea pig cardiac fibroblasts (GCFs) expressed cardiac-specific proteins in co-culture with SANCs or in SANC-preconditioned culture medium under electrical stimulation. These results indicate that SANCs can generate cardiomyocytes from cardiac fibroblasts through the influence of humoral factor(s) and electrophysiological activities followed by intracellular Ca2+ oscillations. This potential of SANCs to generate cardiomyocytes indicates a novel mechanism by which cardiomyocytes turns over in the vicinity of pacemaker cells and could be exploited in the development of strategies for cardiac regenerative therapy in adult hearts.
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100
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Yang Y, Chen R, Wu X, Zhao Y, Fan Y, Xiao Z, Han J, Sun L, Wang X, Dai J. Rapid and Efficient Conversion of Human Fibroblasts into Functional Neurons by Small Molecules. Stem Cell Reports 2019; 13:862-876. [PMID: 31631018 PMCID: PMC6893066 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2019.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that human astrocytes and fibroblasts can be directly converted into functional neurons by small molecules. However, fibroblasts, as a potentially better cell resource for transplantation, are not as easy to reprogram as astrocytes regarding their fate to neurons, and chemically induced neurons (iNs) with low efficiency from fibroblasts resulted in limited application for the treatment of neurological disorders, including depression. Here, we report that human fibroblasts can be efficiently and directly reprogrammed into glutamatergic neuron-like cells by serially exposing cells to a combination of small molecules. These iNs displayed neuronal transcriptional networks, and also exhibited mature firing patterns and formed functional synapses. Importantly, iNs could integrate into local circuits after transplantation into postnatal mouse brain. Our study provides a rapid and efficient transgene-free approach for chemically generating neuron-like cells from human fibroblasts. Furthermore, our approach offers strategies for disease modeling and drug discovery in central nervous system disorders. Small molecules efficiently reprogram human fibroblasts into glutamatergic neurons iNs show neuronal transcriptional networks resembling that of human primary neurons iNs can survive, mature, and integrate into local circuits after transplantation P7C3-A20 is the most important component of the cocktail in the reprogramming process
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaming Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Ruiguo Chen
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xianming Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yannan Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Yongheng Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhifeng Xiao
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jin Han
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Le Sun
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Xiaoqun Wang
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Jianwu Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
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