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Smith AR, Rizvi F, Everton E, Adeagbo A, Wu S, Tam Y, Muramatsu H, Pardi N, Weissman D, Gouon-Evans V. Transient growth factor expression via mRNA in lipid nanoparticles promotes hepatocyte cell therapy in mice. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5010. [PMID: 38866762 PMCID: PMC11169405 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49332-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Primary human hepatocyte (PHH) transplantation is a promising alternative to liver transplantation, whereby liver function could be restored by partial repopulation of the diseased organ with healthy cells. However, currently PHH engraftment efficiency is low and benefits are not maintained long-term. Here we refine two male mouse models of human chronic and acute liver diseases to recapitulate compromised hepatocyte proliferation observed in nearly all human liver diseases by overexpression of p21 in hepatocytes. In these clinically relevant contexts, we demonstrate that transient, yet robust expression of human hepatocyte growth factor and epidermal growth factor in the liver via nucleoside-modified mRNA in lipid nanoparticles, whose safety was validated with mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, drastically improves PHH engraftment, reduces disease burden, and improves overall liver function. This strategy may overcome the critical barriers to clinical translation of cell therapies with primary or stem cell-derived hepatocytes for the treatment of liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna R Smith
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Fatima Rizvi
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Elissa Everton
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anisah Adeagbo
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Susan Wu
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ying Tam
- Acuitas Therapeutics, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Hiromi Muramatsu
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Norbert Pardi
- Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Drew Weissman
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Valerie Gouon-Evans
- Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine & Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA.
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Smith AR, Rizvi F, Everton E, Adeagbo A, Wu S, Tam Y, Muramatsu H, Pardi N, Weissman D, Gouon-Evans V. Transient growth factor expression via mRNA in lipid nanoparticles promotes hepatocyte cell therapy to treat murine liver diseases. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.11.575286. [PMID: 38260488 PMCID: PMC10802626 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.11.575286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Primary human hepatocyte (PHH) transplantation is a promising alternative to liver transplantation, whereby liver function could be restored by partial repopulation of the diseased organ with healthy cells. However, currently PHH engraftment efficiency is low and benefits are not maintained long-term. Here we refine two mouse models of human chronic and acute liver diseases to recapitulate compromised hepatocyte proliferation observed in nearly all human liver diseases by overexpression of p21 in hepatocytes. In these clinically relevant contexts, we demonstrate that transient, yet robust expression of human hepatocyte growth factor and epidermal growth factor in the liver via nucleoside-modified mRNA in lipid nanoparticles, whose safety was validated with mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, drastically improves PHH engraftment, reduces disease burden, and improves overall liver function. This novel strategy may overcome the critical barriers to clinical translation of cell therapies with primary or stem cell-derived hepatocytes for the treatment of liver diseases.
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Lu Z, Miao X, Song Q, Ding H, Rajan SAP, Skardal A, Votanopoulos KI, Dai K, Zhao W, Lu B, Atala A. Detection of lineage-reprogramming efficiency of tumor cells in a 3D-printed liver-on-a-chip model. Theranostics 2023; 13:4905-4918. [PMID: 37771785 PMCID: PMC10526656 DOI: 10.7150/thno.86921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The liver metastasis accompanied with the loss of liver function is one of the most common complications in patients with triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC). Lineage reprogramming, as a technique direct inducing the functional cell types from one lineage to another lineage without passing through an intermediate pluripotent stage, is promising in changing cell fates and overcoming the limitations of primary cells. However, most reprogramming techniques are derived from human fibroblasts, and whether cancer cells can be reversed into hepatocytes remains elusive. Methods: Herein, we simplify preparation of reprogramming reagents by expressing six transcriptional factors (HNF4A, FOXA2, FOXA3, ATF5, PROX1, and HNF1) from two lentiviral vectors, each expressing three factors. Then the virus was transduced into MDA-MB-231 cells to generated human induced hepatocyte-like cells (hiHeps) and single-cell sequencing was used to analyze the fate for the cells after reprogramming. Furthermore, we constructed a Liver-on-a-chip (LOC) model by bioprinting the Gelatin Methacryloyl hydrogel loaded with hepatocyte extracellular vesicles (GelMA-EV) bioink onto the microfluidic chip to assess the metastasis behavior of the reprogrammed TNBC cells under the 3D liver microenvironment in vitro. Results: The combination of the genes HNF4A, FOXA2, FOXA3, ATF5, PROX1 and HNF1A could reprogram MDA-MB-231 tumor cells into human-induced hepatocytes (hiHeps), limiting metastasis of these cells. Single-cell sequencing analysis showed that the oncogenes were significantly inhibited while the liver-specific genes were activated after lineage reprogramming. Finally, the constructed LOC model showed that the hepatic phenotypes of the reprogrammed cells could be observed, and the metastasis of embedded cancer cells could be inhibited under the liver microenvironment. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that reprogramming could be a promising method to produce hepatocytes and treat TNBC liver metastasis. And the LOC model could intimate the 3D liver microenvironment and assess the behavior of the reprogrammed TNBC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuyan Lu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orthopaedic Implants, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Xiangwan Miao
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Qianqian Song
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Huifen Ding
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Shiny Amala Priya Rajan
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Aleksander Skardal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Kerong Dai
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orthopaedic Implants, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
| | - Weixin Zhao
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Baisong Lu
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Anthony Atala
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
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Pérez-Luz S, Lalchandani J, Matamala N, Barrero MJ, Gil-Martín S, Saz SRD, Varona S, Monzón S, Cuesta I, Justo I, Marcacuzco A, Hierro L, Garfia C, Gomez-Mariano G, Janciauskiene S, Martínez-Delgado B. Quantitative Lipid Profiling Reveals Major Differences between Liver Organoids with Normal Pi*M and Deficient Pi*Z Variants of Alpha-1-antitrypsin. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12472. [PMID: 37569847 PMCID: PMC10419530 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Different mutations in the SERPINA1 gene result in alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency and in an increased risk for the development of liver diseases. More than 90% of severe deficiency patients are homozygous for Z (Glu342Lys) mutation. This mutation causes Z-AAT polymerization and intrahepatic accumulation which can result in hepatic alterations leading to steatosis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and/or hepatocarcinoma. We aimed to investigate lipid status in hepatocytes carrying Z and normal M alleles of the SERPINA1 gene. Hepatic organoids were developed to investigate lipid alterations. Lipid accumulation in HepG2 cells overexpressing Z-AAT, as well as in patient-derived hepatic organoids from Pi*MZ and Pi*ZZ individuals, was evaluated by Oil-Red staining in comparison to HepG2 cells expressing M-AAT and liver organoids from Pi*MM controls. Furthermore, mass spectrometry-based lipidomics analysis and transcriptomic profiling were assessed in Pi*MZ and Pi*ZZ organoids. HepG2 cells expressing Z-AAT and liver organoids from Pi*MZ and Pi*ZZ patients showed intracellular accumulation of AAT and high numbers of lipid droplets. These latter paralleled with augmented intrahepatic lipids, and in particular altered proportion of triglycerides, cholesterol esters, and cardiolipins. According to transcriptomic analysis, Pi*ZZ organoids possess many alterations in genes and cellular processes of lipid metabolism with a specific impact on the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and peroxisome dysfunction. Our data reveal a relationship between intrahepatic accumulation of Z-AAT and alterations in lipid homeostasis, which implies that liver organoids provide an excellent model to study liver diseases related to the mutation of the SERPINA1 gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Pérez-Luz
- Molecular Genetics and Genetic Diagnostic Units, Institute of Rare Diseases Research (IIER), Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220 Madrid, Spain; (S.P.-L.); (J.L.); (N.M.); (S.G.-M.); (S.R.-D.S.); (G.G.-M.)
| | - Jaanam Lalchandani
- Molecular Genetics and Genetic Diagnostic Units, Institute of Rare Diseases Research (IIER), Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220 Madrid, Spain; (S.P.-L.); (J.L.); (N.M.); (S.G.-M.); (S.R.-D.S.); (G.G.-M.)
| | - Nerea Matamala
- Molecular Genetics and Genetic Diagnostic Units, Institute of Rare Diseases Research (IIER), Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220 Madrid, Spain; (S.P.-L.); (J.L.); (N.M.); (S.G.-M.); (S.R.-D.S.); (G.G.-M.)
| | - Maria Jose Barrero
- Models and Mechanisms Unit, Institute of Rare Diseases Research (IIER), Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Sara Gil-Martín
- Molecular Genetics and Genetic Diagnostic Units, Institute of Rare Diseases Research (IIER), Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220 Madrid, Spain; (S.P.-L.); (J.L.); (N.M.); (S.G.-M.); (S.R.-D.S.); (G.G.-M.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, CIBERER U758, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sheila Ramos-Del Saz
- Molecular Genetics and Genetic Diagnostic Units, Institute of Rare Diseases Research (IIER), Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220 Madrid, Spain; (S.P.-L.); (J.L.); (N.M.); (S.G.-M.); (S.R.-D.S.); (G.G.-M.)
| | - Sarai Varona
- Bioinformatics Unit, Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220 Madrid, Spain; (S.V.); (S.M.); (I.C.)
| | - Sara Monzón
- Bioinformatics Unit, Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220 Madrid, Spain; (S.V.); (S.M.); (I.C.)
| | - Isabel Cuesta
- Bioinformatics Unit, Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220 Madrid, Spain; (S.V.); (S.M.); (I.C.)
| | - Iago Justo
- General and Digestive Surgery Department, Hospital 12 de Octubre, 28041 Madrid, Spain; (I.J.); (A.M.)
| | - Alberto Marcacuzco
- General and Digestive Surgery Department, Hospital 12 de Octubre, 28041 Madrid, Spain; (I.J.); (A.M.)
| | - Loreto Hierro
- Paediatric Hepatology Service, Research Institute of University Hospital La Paz, (IdiPAZ), 28046 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Cristina Garfia
- Digestive Department, Hospital 12 de Octubre, 28041 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Gema Gomez-Mariano
- Molecular Genetics and Genetic Diagnostic Units, Institute of Rare Diseases Research (IIER), Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220 Madrid, Spain; (S.P.-L.); (J.L.); (N.M.); (S.G.-M.); (S.R.-D.S.); (G.G.-M.)
| | - Sabina Janciauskiene
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Biomedical Research in Endstage and Obstructive Lung Disease Hannover (BREATH), Hannover Medical School, 30625 Hannover, Germany;
| | - Beatriz Martínez-Delgado
- Molecular Genetics and Genetic Diagnostic Units, Institute of Rare Diseases Research (IIER), Spanish National Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII), 28220 Madrid, Spain; (S.P.-L.); (J.L.); (N.M.); (S.G.-M.); (S.R.-D.S.); (G.G.-M.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras, CIBERER U758, 28029 Madrid, Spain
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