Modulation of Bone Marrow-Derived Endothelial Progenitor Cell Activity by Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases

Drug delivery strategies in maximizing anti-angiogenesis and anti-tumor immunity

Metronomic chemotherapy has been shown to elicit anti-tumor immune response and block tumor angiogenesis distinct from that observed with maximal tolerated dose (MTD) therapy. This review delves into the mechanisms behind anti-tumor immunity and seeks to identify the differential effect of dosing regimens, including daily low-dose and medium-dose intermittent chemotherapy (MEDIC), on both innate and adaptive immune populations involved in observed anti-tumor immune response. Given reports of VEGF/VEGFR blockade antagonizing anti-tumor immunity, drug choice, dose, and selective delivery determined by advanced formulations/vehicles are highlighted as potential sources of innovation for identifying anti-angiogenic modalities that may be combined with metronomic regimens without interrupting key immune players in the anti-tumor response. Engineered drug delivery mechanisms that exhibit extended and local release of anti-angiogenic agents both alone and in combination with chemotherapeutic treatments have also been demonstrated to elicit a potent and potentially systemic anti-tumor immune response, favoring tumor regression and stasis over progression. This review examines this interplay between various cancer models, the host immune response, and select anti-cancer agents depending on drug dosing, scheduling/regimen, and delivery modality.

PRL-2 phosphatase is required for vascular morphogenesis and angiogenic signaling

Protein tyrosine phosphatases are essential modulators of angiogenesis and have been identified as novel therapeutic targets in cancer and anti-angiogenesis. The roles of atypical Phosphatase of Regenerative Liver (PRL) phosphatases in this context remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the biological function of PRL phosphatases in developmental angiogenesis in the postnatal mouse retina and in cell culture. We show that endothelial cells in the retina express PRL-2 encoded by the Ptp4a2 gene, and that inducible endothelial and global Ptp4a2 mutant mice exhibit defective retinal vascular outgrowth, arteriovenous differentiation, and sprouting angiogenesis. Mechanistically, PTP4A2 deletion limits angiogenesis by inhibiting endothelial cell migration and the VEGF-A, DLL-4/NOTCH-1 signaling pathway. This study reveals the importance of PRL-2 as a modulator of vascular development.

Sevoflurane preconditioning promotes activation of resident CSCs by transplanted BMSCs via miR-210 in a rat model for myocardial infarction

Objective

To assess the effect of sevoflurane preconditioning (SFpre) on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction.

Results

24 hours after the transplantation, decreased apoptosis of implanted BMSCs and up-regulation of cytokines expression were found within the ischemic area in ^SFpreBMSCs group compared with BMSCs group (P < 0.05). 4 weeks later, ^SFpreBMSCs group showed more viable implanted BMSCs, CSC-derived cardiomyocytes, and higher vessel and myocardial density within the infarcted region and improved cardiac function, compared with control and BMSCs groups (P < 0.05). Compared with untreated BMSCs, promoted migration, inhibited apoptosis, increased cytokine secretion, and enhanced activation to CSCs were detected in ^SFpreBMSCs exposed to profound hypoxia and serum deprivation, via up-regulating miR-210 expression (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Sevoflurane preconditioning can protect BMSCs against hypoxia by activating miR-210 expression and promote their paracrine functions and effects on resident CSCs.

Methods

After the preconditioning, rat BMSCs (^SFpreBMSCs group) were transplanted into rat AMI models, while BMSCs group received unconditioned BMSCs. Apoptosis and paracrine functions of the transplanted BMSCs, angiogenesis, resident cardiac stem cells (CSCs) derived myocardial regeneration, cardiac function and remodeling were assessed at various time points. In vitro experiments were performed to determine the expression of miR-210 in BMSCs exposed to sevoflurane and the effect of sevoflurane on BMSCs’ migration, apoptosis and secretion of cytokines under hypoxic condition, as well as cytokine-induced CSCs activation.

Relationship of Circulating CXCR4+ EPC with Prognosis of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Patients

To investigate the changes of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α)/CXCR4 expression in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and the correlation between EPC level and the prognosis of mild TBI. 72 TBI patients (57 mild TBI, 15 moderate TBI patients) and 25 healthy subjects (control) were included. The number of circulating EPCs, CD34⁺, and CD133⁺ cells and the percentage of CXCR4⁺ cells in each cell population at 1,4,7,14,21 days after TBI were counted by flow cytometer. SDF-1α levels in serum were detected by ELISA assay. The patients were divided into poor and good prognosis groups based on Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale and Activity of Daily Living Scale at 3 months after TBI. Correlation analysis between each detected index and prognosis of mild TBI was performed. Moderate TBI patients have higher levels of SDF-1α and CXCR4 expression than mild TBI patients (P < 0.05). The percentage of CXCR4⁺ EPCs at day 7 post-TBI was significantly higher in mild TBI patients with poor prognosis than the ones with good prognosis (P < 0.05). HAMA and HAMD scores in mild TBI patients were significantly lower than moderate TBI patients (P < 0.05) in early term. The percentage of CXCR4⁺ EPCs at day 7 after TBI was significantly correlated with the prognosis outcome at 3 months. The mobilization of circulating EPCs can be induced in mild TBI. The expression of CXCR4⁺ in EPCs at 7 days after TBI reflects the short-term prognosis of brain injury, and could be a potential biological marker for prognosis prediction of mild TBI.

A Drosophila-centric view of protein tyrosine phosphatases

Most of our knowledge on protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) is derived from human pathologies and mouse knockout models. These models largely correlate well with human disease phenotypes, but can be ambiguous due to compensatory mechanisms introduced by paralogous genes. Here we present the analysis of the PTP complement of the fruit fly and the complementary view that PTP studies in Drosophila will accelerate our understanding of PTPs in physiological and pathological conditions. With only 44 PTP genes, Drosophila represents a streamlined version of the human complement. Our integrated analysis places the Drosophila PTPs into evolutionary and functional contexts, thereby providing a platform for the exploitation of the fly for PTP research and the transfer of knowledge onto other model systems.

Inhibition of T cell protein tyrosine phosphatase enhances interleukin-18-dependent hematopoietic stem cell expansion

The clinical application of hematopoietic progenitor cell-based therapies for the treatment of hematological diseases is hindered by current protocols, which are cumbersome and have limited efficacy to augment the progenitor cell pool. We report that inhibition of T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TC-PTP), an enzyme involved in the regulation of cytokine signaling, through gene knockout results in a ninefold increase in the number of hematopoietic progenitors in murine bone marrow (BM). This effect could be reproduced using a short (48 hours) treatment with a pharmacological inhibitor of TC-PTP in murine BM, as well as in human BM, peripheral blood, and cord blood. We also demonstrate that the ex vivo use of TC-PTP inhibitor only provides a temporary effect on stem cells and did not alter their capacity to reconstitute all hematopoietic components in vivo. We establish that one of the mechanisms whereby inhibition of TC-PTP mediates its effects involves the interleukin-18 (IL-18) signaling pathway, leading to increased production of IL-12 and interferon-gamma by progenitor cells. Together, our results reveal a previously unrecognized role for IL-18 in contributing to the augmentation of the stem cell pool and provide a novel and simple method to rapidly expand progenitor cells from a variety of sources using a pharmacological compound.

Emerging drugs for the treatment of diabetic ulcers

INTRODUCTION

Diabetic ulcers are chronic nonhealing ulcerations that despite the available medical tools still result in high amputation rates. Growing evidence suggests that alteration of the biochemical milieu of the chronic wound plays a significant role in impaired diabetic wound healing.

AREAS COVERED

The basic pathophysiology and the conventional treatment strategy of diabetic foot ulcers have been reviewed in the first section. In the second part, the most up-to-date bench and translational research in the field are described. The third section focuses on the drugs currently under development and the ongoing clinical trials evaluating their safety and efficacy. Finally, the major drug development issues and the possible scientific approaches to overcome them are analyzed.

EXPERT OPINION

Significant strides in understanding the chronic wound development have led to the development of topical therapies to address aberrant expression of growth factors and overexpression of inflammatory cytokines. Current research in the laboratory suggests that while decreased growth factor expression occurs at the local wound level, increased systemic serum levels of growth factors suggest growth factor resistance.

T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase is a key regulator in immune cell signaling: lessons from the knockout mouse model and implications in human disease

The immune system requires for its proper ontogeny, differentiation, and maintenance the function of several tyrosine kinases and adapters that create and modify tyrosine phosphorylation sites. Tyrosine phosphorylation is a crucial protein modification in immune cell signaling and can be reversed by protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs). Much progress has been made in identifying and understanding PTP function in the immune system. In this review, we present one of these proteins, named T-cell PTPs (TC-PTP) (gene name PTPN2), a classical, non-receptor PTP that is ubiquitously expressed with particularly high expression in hematopoietic tissues. TC-PTP is remarkable not only by the fact that it appears to influence most, if not all, cells involved in the development of the immune system, from stem cells to differentiated lineages, but also recent findings have positioned it at the core of several human diseases from autoimmune disease to cancer.