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McGuire MT, Tuckett AZ, Myint F, Zakrzewski JL. A Minimally Invasive, Accurate, and Efficient Technique for Intrathymic Injection in Mice. J Vis Exp 2022:10.3791/64309. [PMID: 36094273 PMCID: PMC9553093 DOI: 10.3791/64309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Intrathymic injection in mouse models is an important technique for studying thymic and immune function, including genetic and acquired T cell disorders. This requires methods for the direct deposition of reagents and/or cells into the thymus of living mice. Traditional methods of intrathymic injection include thoracic surgery or minimally invasive percutaneous blind injections, both of which have significant limitations. Ultra-high frequency ultrasound imaging devices have made image-guided percutaneous injections possible in mice, greatly improving the injection accuracy of the percutaneous injection approach and enabling the injection of smaller targets. However, image-guided injections rely on the utilization of an integrated rail system, making this a rigid and time-consuming procedure. A unique, safe, and efficient method for percutaneous intrathymic injections in mice is presented here, eliminating reliance on the rail system for injections. The technique relies on using a high-resolution micro-ultrasound unit to image the mouse thymus noninvasively. Using a free-hand technique, a radiologist can place a needle tip directly into the mouse thymus under sonographic guidance. Mice are cleaned and anesthetized before imaging. For an experienced radiologist adept at ultrasound-guided procedures, the learning period for the stated technique is quite short, typically within one session. The method has a low morbidity and mortality rate for the mice and is much faster than current mechanically assisted techniques for percutaneous injection. It allows the investigator to efficiently perform precise and reliable percutaneous injections of thymuses of any size (including very small organs such as the thymus of aged or immunodeficient mice) with minimal stress on the animal. This method enables the injection of individual lobes if desired and facilities large-scale experiments due to the time-saving nature of the procedure.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Faith Myint
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health
| | - Johannes L Zakrzewski
- Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health; Department of Pediatrics, Hackensack University Medical Center; Department of Oncology, Georgetown University;
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Almaghrabi S, Azzouz M, Tazi Ahnini R. AAV9-mediated AIRE gene delivery clears circulating antibodies and tissue T-cell infiltration in a mouse model of autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type-1. Clin Transl Immunology 2020; 9:e1166. [PMID: 32994995 PMCID: PMC7507015 DOI: 10.1002/cti2.1166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type-1 (APS-1) is a monogenic recessive disorder characterised by multiple endocrine abnormalities, chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis and high titres of serum autoantibodies. To date, no curative treatment is available; current therapies manage the symptoms rather than treating the cause and have major side effects. APS-1 is caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene. AIRE mediates central tolerance by directing the ectopic expression of tissue-specific antigens (TSAs) in medullary thymic epithelial cells, causing the deletion of self-reactive thymocytes. Therefore, loss-of-function mutations in AIRE result in a multisystem autoimmune disease. Because of the monogenic aetiology of APS-1 and availability of an APS-1 mouse model, we have explored the option of restoring functional AIRE using adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9). METHODS The efficacy of AAV9-AIRE (AAV9 carrying AIRE cDNA) gene therapy was assessed in an APS-1 mouse model. We performed intrathymic injection of AAV9-AIRE into APS-1 mouse model using ultrasound imaging technique to accurately locating the thymus. We evaluated the efficiency of this approach alongside measures of autoimmunity and histology of target tissues. RESULTS Intrathymic injection of AAV9-AIRE demonstrated high transduction efficiency and restored AIRE expression in the thymus. AIRE gene delivery led to a significant increase in TSA expression, and importantly a significant reduction of serum autoantibodies in treated versus control mice, which fell to near-undetectable levels by 4 weeks post-treatment. Furthermore, histological analysis of treated animals showed near-normal tissue morphology with no lymphocytic infiltrations, a hallmark of untreated Aire-deficient mice. CONCLUSION This study has demonstrated the feasibility of AAV9-AIRE as a vehicle for gene therapy for APS-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Almaghrabi
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular DiseaseUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
- Faculty of Applied Medical SciencesKing Abdulaziz UniversityJeddahSaudi Arabia
| | - Mimoun Azzouz
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITRaN)Department of NeuroscienceThe Medical SchoolUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Rachid Tazi Ahnini
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Cardiovascular DiseaseUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
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Abstract
Thymus regenerative therapy implementation is severely obstructed by the limited number and expansion capacity in vitro of tissue-specific thymic epithelial stem cells (TESC). Current solutions are mostly based on growth factors that can drive differentiation of pluripotent stem cells toward tissue-specific TESC. Target-specific small chemical compounds represent an alternative solution that could induce and support the clonal expansion of TESC and reversibly block their differentiation into mature cells. These compounds could be used both in the composition of culture media designed for TESC expansion in vitro, and in drugs development for thymic regeneration in vivo. It should allow reaching the ultimate objective - autologous thymic tissue regeneration in paediatric patients who had their thymus removed in the course of cardiac surgery.
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Pouzolles M, Machado A, Guilbaud M, Irla M, Gailhac S, Barennes P, Cesana D, Calabria A, Benedicenti F, Sergé A, Raman I, Li QZ, Montini E, Klatzmann D, Adjali O, Taylor N, Zimmermann VS. Intrathymic adeno-associated virus gene transfer rapidly restores thymic function and long-term persistence of gene-corrected T cells. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2019; 145:679-697.e5. [PMID: 31513879 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2019.08.029] [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: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 07/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with T-cell immunodeficiencies are generally treated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, but alternatives are needed for patients without matched donors. An innovative intrathymic gene therapy approach that directly targets the thymus might improve outcomes. OBJECTIVE We sought to determine the efficacy of intrathymic adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotypes to transduce thymocyte subsets and correct the T-cell immunodeficiency in a zeta-associated protein of 70 kDa (ZAP-70)-deficient murine model. METHODS AAV serotypes were injected intrathymically into wild-type mice, and gene transfer efficiency was monitored. ZAP-70-/- mice were intrathymically injected with an AAV8 vector harboring the ZAP70 gene. Thymus structure, immunophenotyping, T-cell receptor clonotypes, T-cell function, immune responses to transgenes and autoantibodies, vector copy number, and integration were evaluated. RESULTS AAV8, AAV9, and AAV10 serotypes all transduced thymocyte subsets after in situ gene transfer, with transduction of up to 5% of cells. Intrathymic injection of an AAV8-ZAP-70 vector into ZAP-70-/- mice resulted in a rapid thymocyte differentiation associated with the development of a thymic medulla. Strikingly, medullary thymic epithelial cells expressing the autoimmune regulator were detected within 10 days of gene transfer, correlating with the presence of functional effector and regulatory T-cell subsets with diverse T-cell receptor clonotypes in the periphery. Although thymocyte reconstitution was transient, gene-corrected peripheral T cells harboring approximately 1 AAV genome per cell persisted for more than 40 weeks, and AAV vector integration was detected. CONCLUSIONS Intrathymic AAV-transduced progenitors promote a rapid restoration of the thymic architecture, with a single wave of thymopoiesis generating long-term peripheral T-cell function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Pouzolles
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Alice Machado
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Mickaël Guilbaud
- INSERM UMR1089, Université de Nantes, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, Nantes, France
| | - Magali Irla
- Center of Immunology Marseille-Luminy (CIML), INSERM U1104, CNRS UMR7280, Aix-Marseille Université UM2, Marseille, France
| | - Sarah Gailhac
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France
| | - Pierre Barennes
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Immunology-Immunopathology-Immunotherapy (i3), Paris, France
| | - Daniela Cesana
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget), IRCCS, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Calabria
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget), IRCCS, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Benedicenti
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget), IRCCS, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Arnauld Sergé
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, INSERM, Institut Paoli-Calmettes, CRCM, Marseille, France
| | - Indu Raman
- Microarray Core Facility, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Tex
| | - Quan-Zhen Li
- Microarray Core Facility, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Tex; Department of Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Tex
| | - Eugenio Montini
- San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget), IRCCS, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - David Klatzmann
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, Immunology-Immunopathology-Immunotherapy (i3), Paris, France; AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Biotherapy (CIC-BTi) and Inflammation-Immunopathology-Biotherapy Department (i2B), Paris, France
| | - Oumeya Adjali
- INSERM UMR1089, Université de Nantes, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nantes, Nantes, France.
| | - Naomi Taylor
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France; Pediatric Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
| | - Valérie S Zimmermann
- Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier, University of Montpellier, CNRS, Montpellier, France.
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Kolte A, König R. Temporal progression of gene regulation of peripheral white blood cells explains gender dimorphism of critically ill patients after trauma. Mol Med 2019; 25:19. [PMID: 31096912 PMCID: PMC6521436 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-019-0087-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The immune response of the critically ill after severe trauma is sex-specific and may explain the different progression of the disease. This may be explained by a different gene regulatory program of their peripheral immune cells. We investigated the progression of the transcription profiles of peripheral immune cells of the patients to elucidate their distinct physiological response and clinical course. METHODS We compared transcription profiles of whole blood of male and female patients from a larger longitudinal study of critically ill patients after trauma. We developed a statistical analysis pipeline that synchronized the time lapse of the profiles based on the temporal severity score of each patient. RESULTS This enabled to categorize the temporal progression of the disease into two pre-acute, an acute and two post-acute phases. Comparing gene regulation of male and female patients at each phase, we identified distinctively regulated molecular processes mainly in the immune response, but also in the regulation of metabolism allowing to cluster these discriminative gene sets into sets of highly related cellular processes. Compared to male patients and healthy controls, female patients showed upregulation of gene sets of innate immunity in the early phase, upregulation of wound healing processes during the acute phase and upregulation of adaptive immunity in the late phase indicating early recovery. In turn, during the pre-acute and acute phase, male patients showed less suppression of gene sets coding for enzymes of energy metabolism and anabolism, most prominently the tricarboxylic acid cycle and β-oxidation, and cellular maintenance, such as cell cycle, DNA replication and damage response, and RNA metabolism. CONCLUSIONS A stronger innate immune response at the very early phase of the disease may support early clearance of the pathogen and its associated molecular patterns. Upregulation of wound healing processes may explain reduced multiple organ failure during the acute phase. Down regulated energy metabolism during the acute phase may make female patients less susceptible to oxidative stress, the upregulated adaptive immune system reflects an earlier recovery and rebuilding of the adaptive immune system that may protect them from secondary infections. Follow up studies need to be performed confirming these observations experimentally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amol Kolte
- Integrated Research and Treatment Center, Center for Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), Jena University Hospital, Am Klinikum 1, 07747 Jena, Germany
- Network Modeling, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute Jena, Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
| | - Rainer König
- Integrated Research and Treatment Center, Center for Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), Jena University Hospital, Am Klinikum 1, 07747 Jena, Germany
- Network Modeling, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute Jena, Beutenbergstrasse 11a, 07745 Jena, Germany
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) possess two fundamental characteristics, the capacity for self-renewal and the sustained production of all blood cell lineages. The fine balance between HSC expansion and lineage specification is dynamically regulated by the interplay between external and internal stimuli. This review introduces recent advances in the roles played by the stem cell niche, regulatory transcriptional networks, and metabolic pathways in governing HSC self-renewal, commitment, and lineage differentiation. We will further focus on discoveries made by studying hematopoiesis at single-cell resolution. RECENT FINDINGS HSCs require the support of an interactive milieu with their physical position within the perivascular niche dynamically regulating HSC behavior. In these microenvironments, transcription factor networks and nutrient-mediated regulation of energy resources, signaling pathways, and epigenetic status govern HSC quiescence and differentiation. Once HSCs begin their lineage specification, single-cell analyses show that they do not become oligopotent but rather, differentiate directly into committed unipotent progenitors. SUMMARY The diversity of transcriptional networks and metabolic pathways in HSCs and their downstream progeny allows a high level of plasticity in blood differentiation. The intricate interactions between these pathways, within the perivascular niche, broaden the specification of HSCs in pathological and stressed conditions.
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Intrathymic injection of hematopoietic progenitor cells establishes functional T cell development in a mouse model of severe combined immunodeficiency. J Hematol Oncol 2017; 10:109. [PMID: 28511686 PMCID: PMC5432974 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-017-0478-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Even though hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can be curative in patients with severe combined immunodeficiency, there is a need for additional strategies boosting T cell immunity in individuals suffering from genetic disorders of lymphoid development. Here we show that image-guided intrathymic injection of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in NOD-scid IL2rγnull mice is feasible and facilitates the generation of functional T cells conferring protective immunity. METHODS Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells were isolated from the bone marrow of healthy C57BL/6 mice (wild-type, Luciferase+, CD45.1+) and injected intravenously or intrathymically into both male and female, young or aged NOD-scid IL2rγnull recipients. The in vivo fate of injected cells was analyzed by bioluminescence imaging and flow cytometry of thymus- and spleen-derived T cell populations. In addition to T cell reconstitution, we evaluated mice for evidence of immune dysregulation based on diabetes development and graft-versus-host disease. T cell immunity following intrathymic injection of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in NOD-scid IL2rγnull mice was assessed in a B cell lymphoma model. RESULTS Despite the small size of the thymic remnant in NOD-scid IL2rγnull mice, we were able to accomplish precise intrathymic delivery of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells by ultrasound-guided injection. Thymic reconstitution following intrathymic injection of healthy allogeneic hematopoietic cells was most effective in young male recipients, indicating that even in the setting of severe immunodeficiency, sex and age are important variables for thymic function. Allogeneic T cells generated in intrathymically injected NOD-scid IL2rγnull mice displayed anti-lymphoma activity in vivo, but we found no evidence for severe auto/alloreactivity in T cell-producing NOD-scid IL2rγnull mice, suggesting that immune dysregulation is not a major concern. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that intrathymic injection of donor hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells is a safe and effective strategy to establish protective T cell immunity in a mouse model of severe combined immunodeficiency.
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Ginn SL, Hallwirth CV, Liao SHY, Teber ET, Arthur JW, Wu J, Lee HC, Tay SS, Hu M, Reddel RR, McCormack MP, Thrasher AJ, Cavazzana M, Alexander SI, Alexander IE. Limiting Thymic Precursor Supply Increases the Risk of Lymphoid Malignancy in Murine X-Linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2016; 6:1-14. [PMID: 28325276 PMCID: PMC5363493 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2016.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Revised: 11/20/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In early gene therapy trials for SCID-X1, using γ-retroviral vectors, T cell leukemias developed in a subset of patients secondary to insertional proto-oncogene activation. In contrast, we have reported development of T cell leukemias in SCID-X1 mice following lentivirus-mediated gene therapy independent of insertional mutagenesis. A distinguishing feature in our study was that only a proportion of transplanted γc-deficient progenitors were transduced and therefore competent for reconstitution. We hypothesized that reconstitution of SCID-X1 mice with limiting numbers of hematopoietic progenitors might be a risk factor for lymphoid malignancy. To test this hypothesis, in the absence of transduction, SCID-X1 mice were reconstituted with serially fewer wild-type hematopoietic progenitors. A robust inverse correlation between hematopoietic progenitor cell dose and T-lymphoid malignancy was observed, with earlier disease onset at lower cell doses. Malignancies were of donor origin and carried activating Notch1 mutations. These findings align with emerging evidence that thymocyte self-renewal induced by progenitor deprivation carries an oncogenic risk that is modulated by intra-thymic competition from differentiation-committed cells. Although insertional proto-oncogene activation is required for the development of malignancy in humans, failure of γc-deficient thymocytes to effectively compete with this at-risk cell population may have also contributed to oncogenesis observed in early SCID-X1 trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L Ginn
- Gene Therapy Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney and The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Claus V Hallwirth
- Gene Therapy Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney and The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Sophia H Y Liao
- Gene Therapy Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney and The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Erdahl T Teber
- Bioinformatics Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Jonathan W Arthur
- Bioinformatics Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Jianmin Wu
- Kinghorn Cancer Centre & Cancer Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Hong Ching Lee
- Kinghorn Cancer Centre & Cancer Division, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia; St Vincent's Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Szun S Tay
- Gene Therapy Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney and The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Min Hu
- Centre for Kidney Research of The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Roger R Reddel
- Cancer Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Matthew P McCormack
- Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Adrian J Thrasher
- Infection, Immunity, Inflammation, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Marina Cavazzana
- Department of Biotherapy, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Paris 75015, France
| | - Stephen I Alexander
- Centre for Kidney Research of The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Ian E Alexander
- Gene Therapy Research Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney and The Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; Discipline of Child and Adolescent Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia.
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Song Y, Su M, Zhu J, Di W, Liu Y, Hu R, Rood D, Lai L. FOXN1 recombinant protein enhances T-cell regeneration after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in mice. Eur J Immunol 2016; 46:1518-28. [PMID: 27125859 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201546196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2015] [Revised: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
A prolonged period of T-cell recovery is the major challenge in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are the major component of the thymic microenvironment for T-cell generation. However, TECs undergo degeneration over time. FOXN1 plays a critical role in TEC development and is required to maintain adult TECs for thymopoiesis. To investigate the potential application of FOXN1, we have cloned and expressed recombinant FOXN1 protein (rFOXN1) that was fused with cell-penetrating peptides. We show here that the rFOXN1 protein can translocate from the cell surface into the cytoplasm and nucleus. Administration of rFOXN1 into both congenic and allogeneic HSCT recipient mice increased the number of TECs, resulting in enhanced thymopoiesis that led to an increased number of functional T cells in the periphery. The increased number of TECs is due to the enhanced survival and proliferation of TECs. Our results suggest that rFOXN1 has the potential to be used in enhancing T-cell regeneration in patients following HSCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yinhong Song
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Min Su
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Jing Zhu
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen Di
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yalan Liu
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Rong Hu
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Debra Rood
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Laijun Lai
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA.,University of Connecticut Stem Cell Institute, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
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10
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Abstract
Intrathymic injection is used in several T cell-associated immunological studies to deliver cells or other substances directly into the thymus. Here, we describe the intrathymic injection procedure involving surgical incision of the mouse with or without a thoracotomy. Though this procedure can result in poor recovery, postsurgical complications, and distress to the animal, it is actually a simple procedure that can be carried out relatively easily and quickly with experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sugata Manna
- Laboratory of Immune Cell Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
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11
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Development of a diverse human T-cell repertoire despite stringent restriction of hematopoietic clonality in the thymus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2015; 112:E6020-7. [PMID: 26483497 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1519118112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The fate and numbers of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and their progeny that seed the thymus constitute a fundamental question with important clinical implications. HSC transplantation is often complicated by limited T-cell reconstitution, especially when HSC from umbilical cord blood are used. Attempts to improve immune reconstitution have until now been unsuccessful, underscoring the need for better insight into thymic reconstitution. Here we made use of the NOD-SCID-IL-2Rγ(-/-) xenograft model and lentiviral cellular barcoding of human HSCs to study T-cell development in the thymus at a clonal level. Barcoded HSCs showed robust (>80% human chimerism) and reproducible myeloid and lymphoid engraftment, with T cells arising 12 wk after transplantation. A very limited number of HSC clones (<10) repopulated the xenografted thymus, with further restriction of the number of clones during subsequent development. Nevertheless, T-cell receptor rearrangements were polyclonal and showed a diverse repertoire, demonstrating that a multitude of T-lymphocyte clones can develop from a single HSC clone. Our data imply that intrathymic clonal fitness is important during T-cell development. As a consequence, immune incompetence after HSC transplantation is not related to the transplantation of limited numbers of HSC but to intrathymic events.
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12
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Overcoming immunological barriers in regenerative medicine. Nat Biotechnol 2015; 32:786-94. [PMID: 25093888 DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2014] [Accepted: 06/14/2014] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Regenerative therapies that use allogeneic cells are likely to encounter immunological barriers similar to those that occur with transplantation of solid organs and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Decades of experience in clinical transplantation hold valuable lessons for regenerative medicine, offering approaches for developing tolerance-induction treatments relevant to cell therapies. Outside the field of solid-organ and allogeneic HSC transplantation, new strategies are emerging for controlling the immune response, such as methods based on biomaterials or mimicry of antigen-specific peripheral tolerance. Novel biomaterials can alter the behavior of cells in tissue-engineered constructs and can blunt host immune responses to cells and biomaterial scaffolds. Approaches to suppress autoreactive immune cells may also be useful in regenerative medicine. The most innovative solutions will be developed through closer collaboration among stem cell biologists, transplantation immunologists and materials scientists.
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Tuckett AZ, Zakrzewski JL, Li D, van den Brink MR, Thornton RH. Free-hand ultrasound guidance permits safe and efficient minimally invasive intrathymic injections in both young and aged mice. ULTRASOUND IN MEDICINE & BIOLOGY 2015; 41:1105-1111. [PMID: 25701534 PMCID: PMC4346466 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2014.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2014] [Revised: 11/04/2014] [Accepted: 11/06/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The goal of this study was to evaluate whether use of an aseptic free-hand approach to ultrasound-guided injection facilitates injection into the thymic gland in mice. We used this interventional radiology technique in young, aged and immunodeficient mice and found that the thymus was visible in all cases. The mean injection period was 8 seconds in young mice and 19 seconds in aged or immunodeficient mice. Injection accuracy was confirmed by intrathymic location of an injected dye or by in vivo bioluminescence imaging of injected luciferase-expressing cells. Accurate intrathymic injection was confirmed in 97% of cases. No major complications were observed. We conclude that an aseptic freehand technique for ultrasound-guided intrathymic injection is safe and accurate and reduces the time required for intrathymic injections. This method facilitates large-scale experiments and injection of individual thymic lobes and is clinically relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Duan Li
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of
Radiology
| | - Marcel R.M. van den Brink
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of
Immunology
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Department of
Medicine
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Hoseini SS, Hapke M, Herbst J, Wedekind D, Baumann R, Heinz N, Schiedlmeier B, Vignali DAA, van den Brink MRM, Schambach A, Blazar BR, Sauer MG. Inducible T-cell receptor expression in precursor T cells for leukemia control. Leukemia 2015; 29:1530-42. [PMID: 25652739 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2015.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2014] [Revised: 12/01/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Co-transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells with those engineered to express leukemia-reactive T-cell receptors (TCRs) and differentiated ex vivo into precursor T cells (preTs) may reduce the risk of leukemia relapse. As expression of potentially self-(leukemia-) reactive TCRs will lead to negative selection or provoke autoimmunity upon thymic maturation, we investigated a novel concept whereby TCR expression set under the control of an inducible promoter would allow timely controlled TCR expression. After in vivo maturation and gene induction, preTs developed potent anti-leukemia effects. Engineered preTs provided protection even after repeated leukemia challenges by giving rise to effector and central memory cells. Importantly, adoptive transfer of TCR-transduced allogeneic preTs mediated anti-leukemia effect without evoking graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Earlier transgene induction forced CD8(+) T-cell development was required to obtain a mature T-cell subset of targeted specificity, allowed engineered T cells to efficiently pass positive selection and abrogated the endogenous T-cell repertoire. Later induction favored CD4 differentiation and failed to produce a leukemia-reactive population emphasizing the dominant role of positive selection. Taken together, we provide new functional insights for the employment of TCR-engineered precursor cells as a controllable immunotherapeutic modality with significant anti-leukemia activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- S S Hoseini
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Blood Stem Cell Transplantation, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - M Hapke
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Blood Stem Cell Transplantation, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - J Herbst
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Blood Stem Cell Transplantation, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - D Wedekind
- Department of Central Animal Laboratory, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - R Baumann
- Clinic for Radiation Oncology, Hannover, Germany
| | - N Heinz
- LOEWE Research Group for Gene Modification in Stem Cells, Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, Langen, Germany
| | - B Schiedlmeier
- Department of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - D A A Vignali
- Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - M R M van den Brink
- Department of Immunology and Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - A Schambach
- Department of Experimental Hematology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - B R Blazar
- University of Minnesota Cancer Center and Department of Pediatrics, Division of Blood & Marrow Transplantation, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - M G Sauer
- Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Blood Stem Cell Transplantation, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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