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Tani H, Sadahiro T, Yamada Y, Isomi M, Yamakawa H, Fujita R, Abe Y, Akiyama T, Nakano K, Kuze Y, Seki M, Suzuki Y, Fujisawa M, Sakata-Yanagimoto M, Chiba S, Fukuda K, Ieda M. Direct Reprogramming Improves Cardiac Function and Reverses Fibrosis in Chronic Myocardial Infarction. Circulation 2023; 147:223-238. [PMID: 36503256 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.121.058655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Because adult cardiomyocytes have little regenerative capacity, resident cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) synthesize extracellular matrix after myocardial infarction (MI) to form fibrosis, leading to cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. Therapies that can regenerate the myocardium and reverse fibrosis in chronic MI are lacking. The overexpression of cardiac transcription factors, including Mef2c/Gata4/Tbx5/Hand2 (MGTH), can directly reprogram CFs into induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs) and improve cardiac function under acute MI. However, the ability of in vivo cardiac reprogramming to repair chronic MI with established scars is undetermined. METHODS We generated a novel Tcf21iCre/reporter/MGTH2A transgenic mouse system in which tamoxifen treatment could induce both MGTH and reporter expression in the resident CFs for cardiac reprogramming and fibroblast lineage tracing. We first tested the efficacy of this transgenic system in vitro and in vivo for acute MI. Next, we analyzed in vivo cardiac reprogramming and fusion events under chronic MI using Tcf21iCre/Tomato/MGTH2A and Tcf21iCre/mTmG/MGTH2A mice, respectively. Microarray and single-cell RNA sequencing were performed to determine the mechanism of cardiac repair by in vivo reprogramming. RESULTS We confirmed the efficacy of transgenic in vitro and in vivo cardiac reprogramming for acute MI. In chronic MI, in vivo cardiac reprogramming converted ≈2% of resident CFs into iCMs, in which a majority of iCMs were generated by means of bona fide cardiac reprogramming rather than by fusion with cardiomyocytes. Cardiac reprogramming significantly improved myocardial contraction and reduced fibrosis in chronic MI. Microarray analyses revealed that the overexpression of MGTH activated cardiac program and concomitantly suppressed fibroblast and inflammatory signatures in chronic MI. Single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrated that resident CFs consisted of 7 subclusters, in which the profibrotic CF population increased under chronic MI. Cardiac reprogramming suppressed fibroblastic gene expression in chronic MI by means of conversion of profibrotic CFs to a quiescent antifibrotic state. MGTH overexpression induced antifibrotic effects partly by suppression of Meox1, a central regulator of fibroblast activation. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that cardiac reprogramming could repair chronic MI by means of myocardial regeneration and reduction of fibrosis. These findings present opportunities for the development of new therapies for chronic MI and heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidenori Tani
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan (H.T., H.Y., K.F.)
| | - Taketaro Sadahiro
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yu Yamada
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Mari Isomi
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Yamakawa
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan (H.T., H.Y., K.F.)
| | - Ryo Fujita
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan.,Faculty of Medicine, and Division of Regenerative Medicine, Transborder Medical Research Center (R.F.), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yuto Abe
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Akiyama
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan.,Respiratory Medicine (T.A.), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Koji Nakano
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yuta Kuze
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa City, Chiba, Japan (Y.K., M.S., Y.S.)
| | - Masahide Seki
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan.,Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa City, Chiba, Japan (Y.K., M.S., Y.S.)
| | - Yutaka Suzuki
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa City, Chiba, Japan (Y.K., M.S., Y.S.)
| | - Manabu Fujisawa
- Hematology (M.F., M.S.-Y., S.C.), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | | | - Shigeru Chiba
- Hematology (M.F., M.S.-Y., S.C.), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Keiichi Fukuda
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan (H.T., H.Y., K.F.)
| | - Masaki Ieda
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan (H.T., H.Y., K.F.)
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Kaneyama T, Shirasaki R. Post-crossing segment of dI1 commissural axons forms collateral branches to motor neurons in the developing spinal cord. J Comp Neurol 2019; 526:1943-1961. [PMID: 29752714 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Revised: 03/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The dI1 commissural axons in the developing spinal cord, upon crossing the midline through the floor plate, make a sharp turn to grow rostrally. These post-crossing axons initially just extend adjacent to the floor plate without entering nearby motor columns. However, it remains poorly characterized how these post-crossing dI1 axons behave subsequently to this process. In the present study, to address this issue, we examined in detail the behavior of post-crossing dI1 axons in mice, using the Atoh1 enhancer-based conditional expression system that enables selective and sparse labeling of individual dI1 axons, together with Hb9 and ChAT immunohistochemistry for precise identification of spinal motor neurons (MNs). We found unexpectedly that the post-crossing segment of dI1 axons later gave off collateral branches that extended laterally to invade motor columns. Interestingly, these collateral branches emerged at around the time when their primary growth cones initiated invasion into motor columns. In addition, although the length of the laterally growing collateral branches increased with age, the majority of them remained within motor columns. Strikingly, these collateral branches further gave rise to multiple secondary branches in the region of MNs that innervate muscles close to the body axis. Moreover, these axonal branches formed presynaptic terminals on MNs. These observations demonstrate that dI1 commissural neurons develop axonal projection to spinal MNs via collateral branches arising later from the post-crossing segment of these axons. Our findings thus reveal a previously unrecognized projection of dI1 commissural axons that may contribute directly to generating proper motor output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Kaneyama
- Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Ryuichi Shirasaki
- Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
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Lampreht Tratar U, Kos S, Kamensek U, Ota M, Tozon N, Sersa G, Cemazar M. Antitumor effect of antibiotic resistance gene-free plasmids encoding interleukin-12 in canine melanoma model. Cancer Gene Ther 2018; 25:260-273. [PMID: 29593358 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-018-0014-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 01/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The electrotransfer of interleukin-12 (IL-12) has been demonstrated as an efficient and safe treatment for tumors in veterinary oncology. However, the plasmids used encode human or feline IL-12 and harbor the gene for antibiotic resistance. Therefore, our aim was to construct plasmids encoding canine IL-12 without the antibiotic resistance genes driven by two different promoters: constitutive and fibroblast-specific. The results obtained in vitro in different cell lines showed that following gene electrotransfer, the newly constructed plasmids had cytotoxicity and expression profiles comparable to plasmids with antibiotic resistance genes. Additionally, in vivo studies showed a statistically significant prolonged tumor growth delay of CMeC-1 tumors compared to control vehicle-treated mice after intratumoral gene electrotransfer. Besides the higher gene expression obtained by plasmids with constitutive promoters, the main difference between both plasmids was in the distribution of the transgene expression. Namely, after gene electrotransfer, plasmids with constitutive promoters showed an increase of serum IL-12, whereas the gene expression of IL-12, encoded by plasmids with fibroblast-specific promoters, was restricted to the tumor. Furthermore, after the gene electrotransfer of plasmids with constitutive promoters, granzyme B-positive cells were detected in the tumor and spleen, indicating a systemic effect of the therapy. Therefore, plasmids with different promoters present valuable tools for focused therapy with local or systemic effects. The results of the present study demonstrated that plasmids encoding canine IL-12 under constitutive and fibroblast-specific promoters without the gene for antibiotic resistance provide feasible tools for controlled gene delivery that could be used for the treatment of client-owned dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ursa Lampreht Tratar
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloška 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Spela Kos
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloška 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Urska Kamensek
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloška 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Ota
- Department of Pathology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloška 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Natasa Tozon
- Clinic for Surgery and Small Animals, University of Ljubljana, Veterinary Faculty, Cesta v mestni log 47, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gregor Sersa
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloška 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Zdravstvena pot 5, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Cemazar
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloška 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. .,Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Polje 42, Izola, 6310, Slovenia.
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Kos S, Tesic N, Kamensek U, Blagus T, Cemazar M, Kranjc S, Lavrencak J, Sersa G. Improved Specificity of Gene Electrotransfer to Skin Using pDNA Under the Control of Collagen Tissue-Specific Promoter. J Membr Biol 2015; 248:919-28. [PMID: 25840832 DOI: 10.1007/s00232-015-9799-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2015] [Accepted: 03/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In order to ensure safe, efficient and controlled gene delivery to skin, the improvement of delivery methods together with proper design of DNA is required. Non-viral delivery methods, such as gene electrotransfer, and the design of tissue-specific promoters are promising tools to ensure the safety of gene delivery to the skin. In the scope of our study, we evaluated a novel skin-specific plasmid DNA with collagen (COL) promoter, delivered to skin cells and skin tissue by gene electrotransfer. In vitro, we determined the specificity of the COL promoter in fibroblast cells. The specific expression under the control of COL promoter was obtained for the reporter gene DsRed as well as for therapeutic gene encoding cytokine IL-12. In vivo, the plasmid with COL promoter encoding the reporter gene DsRed was efficiently transfected to mouse skin. It resulted in the notable and controlled manner, however, in lower and shorter expression, compared to that obtained with ubiquitous promoter. The concentration of the IL-12 in the skin after the in vivo transfection of plasmid with COL promoter was in the same range as after the treatment in control conditions (injection of distilled water followed by the application of electric pulses). Furthermore, this gene delivery was local, restricted to the skin, without any evident systemic shedding of IL-12. Such specific targeting of skin cells, observed with tissue-specific COL promoter, would improve the effectiveness and safety of cutaneous gene therapies and DNA vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spela Kos
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Sun QY, Liu K, Kikuchi K. Oocyte-specific knockout: a novel in vivo approach for studying gene functions during folliculogenesis, oocyte maturation, fertilization, and embryogenesis. Biol Reprod 2008; 79:1014-20. [PMID: 18753607 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod.108.070409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Knockout mice have been highly useful tools in helping to understand the functional roles of specific genes in development and diseases. However, in many cases, knockout mice are embryonic lethal, which prevents investigation into a number of important questions, or they display developmental abnormalities, including fertility defects. In contrast, conditional knockout, which is achieved by the Cre-LoxP system, can be used to delete a gene in a specific organ or tissue, or at a specific developmental stage. This technique has advantages over conventional knockout, especially when conventional knockout causes embryonic lethality or when the function of maternal transcripts in early development needs to be defined. Recently, a widely used practice has been used to specifically delete genes of interest in oocytes: Zp3-Cre or Gdf9-Cre transgenic mouse lines, in which Cre-recombinase expression is driven by oocyte-specific zona pellucida 3 (Zp3) promoter or growth differentiation factor 9 (Gdf9) promoter, are crossed with mice bearing floxed target genes. This novel in vivo approach has helped to increase the understanding of the functions of specific genes in folliculogenesis/oogenesis, oocyte maturation, fertilization, and embryogenesis. In this minireview we discuss recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating major reproductive and developmental events as revealed by oocyte-specific conditional knockout and perspectives on this technology and related studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing-Yuan Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, China
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