A self-inactivating retrovector incorporating the IL-2 promoter for activation-induced transgene expression in genetically engineered T-cells

Nuclear envelope composition determines the ability of neutrophil-type cells to passage through micron-scale constrictions

Neutrophils are characterized by their distinct nuclear shape, which is thought to facilitate the transit of these cells through pore spaces less than one-fifth of their diameter. We used human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) cells as a model system to investigate the effect of nuclear shape in whole cell deformability. We probed neutrophil-differentiated HL-60 cells lacking expression of lamin B receptor, which fail to develop lobulated nuclei during granulopoiesis and present an in vitro model for Pelger-Huët anomaly; despite the circular morphology of their nuclei, the cells passed through micron-scale constrictions on similar timescales as scrambled controls. We then investigated the unique nuclear envelope composition of neutrophil-differentiated HL-60 cells, which may also impact their deformability; although lamin A is typically down-regulated during granulopoiesis, we genetically modified HL-60 cells to generate a subpopulation of cells with well defined levels of ectopic lamin A. The lamin A-overexpressing neutrophil-type cells showed similar functional characteristics as the mock controls, but they had an impaired ability to pass through micron-scale constrictions. Our results suggest that levels of lamin A have a marked effect on the ability of neutrophils to passage through micron-scale constrictions, whereas the unusual multilobed shape of the neutrophil nucleus is less essential.

Noninvasive imaging of cell-mediated therapy for treatment of cancer

Cell-mediated therapy (immunotherapy) for the treatment of cancer is an active area of investigation in animal models and clinical trials. Despite many advances, objective responses to immunotherapy are observed in a small number of cases, for certain tumor types. To better understand differences in outcomes, it is critical to develop assays for tracking effector cell localization and function in situ. The fairly recent use of molecular imaging techniques to track cell populations has presented researchers and clinicians with a powerful diagnostic tool for determining the efficacy of cell-mediated therapy for the treatment of cancer. This review highlights the application of whole-body noninvasive radioisotopic, magnetic, and optical imaging methods for monitoring effector cells in vivo. Issues that affect sensitivity of detection, such as methods of cell marking, efficiency of cell labeling, toxicity, and limits of detection of imaging modalities, are discussed.