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Pan Z, Oh J, Huang L, Zeng Z, Duan P, Li Z, Yun Y, Kim J, Ha Y, Cao K. The combination of forskolin and VPA increases gene expression efficiency to the hypoxia/neuron-specific system. ANNALS OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2020; 8:933. [PMID: 32953733 PMCID: PMC7475429 DOI: 10.21037/atm-20-3871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Background Spinal cord injury (SCI) tends to damage neural tissue and generate a hypoxic environment. Studies have confirmed that single therapy with gene or stem cells is inefficient, but research into combining stem cells and gene therapy in treating tissue damage has been undertaken to overcome the related limitations, which include low gene delivery efficiency and therapeutic outcome. Thus, a combination of stem cells, gene therapy, and a hypoxia-specific system may be useful for the reconstruction of SCI. Methods To synergistically treat SCI, a combined platform using a hypoxia/neuron-inducible gene expression system (HNIS) and human induced-neural stem cells (hiNSCs) produced by direct reprogramming was designed. Sox2- or nestin-positive hiNSCs were differentiated to Tuj1-, MAP2-, or NeuN-positive neurons. Results HNIS showed consistent hypoxia/neuron-specific gene expression in hiNSCs cultured under hypoxia. In particular, the HNIS-hiNSC combined platform revealed a complex pattern with higher gene expression compared with a single platform. In addition, we found that an optimal combination of small molecules, such as CHIR99021, valproic acid (VPA), glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β), and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, could significantly enhance gene expression with HNIS-hiNSCs in the hypoxic environment. Conclusions This experiment demonstrated that HNIS-hiNSCs combined with GSK3 and HDAC inhibitors may present another promising strategy in the treatment of SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhimin Pan
- Spine Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.,Department of Neurosurgery, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Jinsoo Oh
- Department of Neurosurgery, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Lu Huang
- Department of Child Health and Care, Jiangxi Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Nanchang, China
| | - Zhaoxun Zeng
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Pingguo Duan
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Zhiyun Li
- Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
| | - Yeomin Yun
- Department of Neurosurgery, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Janghwan Kim
- Stem Cell Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Ha
- Department of Neurosurgery, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.,Brain Korea 21 PLUS Project for Medical Science, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kai Cao
- Spine Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
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Combined Method of Neuronal Cell-Inducible Vector and Valproic Acid for Enhanced Gene Expression under Hypoxic Conditions. Tissue Eng Regen Med 2020; 17:55-66. [PMID: 32002843 DOI: 10.1007/s13770-019-00223-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2019] [Revised: 09/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/25/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gene therapy shows the ability to restore neuronal dysfunction via therapeutic gene expression. The efficiency of gene expression and delivery to hypoxic injury sites is important for successful gene therapy. Therefore, we established a gene/stem cell therapy system using neuron-specific enolase promoter and induced neural stem cells in combination with valproic acid to increase therapeutic gene expression in hypoxic spinal cord injury. METHODS To examine the effect of combined method on enhancing gene expression, we compared neuronal cell-inducible luciferase levels under normoxia or hypoxia conditions in induced neural stem cells with valproic acid. Therapeutic gene, vascular endothelial growth factor, expression with combined method was investigated in hypoxic spinal cord injury model. We verified gene expression levels and the effect of different methods of valproic acid administration in vivo. RESULTS The results showed that neuron-specific enolase promoter enhanced gene expression levels in induced neural stem cells compared to Simian Virus 40 promoter under hypoxic conditions. Valproic acid treatment showed higher gene expression of neuron-specific enolase promoter than without treatment. In addition, gene expression levels and cell viability were different depending on the various concentration of valproic acid. The gene expression levels were increased significantly when valproic acid was directly injected with induced neural stem cells in vivo. CONCLUSION In this study, we demonstrated that the combination of neuron-specific enolase promoter and valproic acid induced gene overexpression in induced neural stem cells under hypoxic conditions and also in spinal cord injury depending on valproic acid administration in vivo. Combination of valproic acid and neuron-specific enolase promoter in induced neural stem cells could be an effective gene therapy system for hypoxic spinal cord injury.
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Characterization of neural stem cells modified with hypoxia/neuron-specific VEGF expression system for spinal cord injury. Gene Ther 2017; 25:27-38. [PMID: 29155421 DOI: 10.1038/gt.2017.92] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Revised: 09/30/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is an incurable disease causing an ischemic environment and functional defect, thus a new therapeutic approach is needed for SCI treatment. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent therapeutic gene to treat SCI via angiogenesis and neuroprotection, and both tissue-specific gene expression and high gene delivery efficiency are important for successful gene therapy. Here we design the hypoxia/neuron dual-specific gene expression system (pEpo-NSE) and efficient gene delivery platform can be achieved by the combination ex vivo gene therapy with erythropoietin (Epo) enhancer, neuron-specific enolase (NSE) promoter and neural stem cells (NSCs). An in vitro model, NSCs transfected with pEpo-NSE were consistently and selectively overexpressing therapeutic genes in response to neural differentiation and hypoxic conditions. Also, in SCI model, ex vivo gene therapy using pEpo-NSE system with NSCs significantly enhanced gene delivery efficiency compared with pEpo-NSE system gene therapy alone. However, microarray analysis reveals that introducing exogenous pEpo-NSE and VEGF triggers biological pathways in NSCs such as glycolysis and signaling pathways such as Ras and mitogen-activated protein kinase, leading to cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. Collectively, it indicates that the pEpo-NSE gene expression system works stably in NSCs and ex vivo gene therapy using pEpo-NSE system with NSCs improves gene expression efficiency. However, exogenously introduced pEpo-NSE system has an influence on gene expression profiles in NSCs. Therefore, when we consider ex vivo gene therapy for SCI, the effects of changes in gene expression profiles in NSCs on safety should be investigated.
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Fantetti KN, Gray EL, Ganesan P, Kulkarni A, O'Donnell LA. Interferon gamma protects neonatal neural stem/progenitor cells during measles virus infection of the brain. J Neuroinflammation 2016; 13:107. [PMID: 27178303 PMCID: PMC4867982 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-016-0571-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2015] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the developing brain, self-renewing neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPC) give rise to neuronal and glial lineages. NSPC survival and differentiation can be altered by neurotropic viruses and by the anti-viral immune response. Several neurotropic viruses specifically target and infect NSPCs, in addition to inducing neuronal loss, which makes it difficult to distinguish between effects on NSPCs that are due to direct viral infection or due to the anti-viral immune response. METHODS We have investigated the impact of anti-viral immunity on NSPCs in measles virus (MV)-infected neonates. A neuron-restricted viral infection model was used, where NSPCs remain uninfected. Thus, an anti-viral immune response was induced without the confounding issue of NSPC infection. Two-transgenic mouse lines were used: CD46+ mice express the human isoform of CD46, the MV entry receptor, under the control of the neuron-specific enolase promoter; CD46+/IFNγ-KO mice lack the key anti-viral cytokine IFNγ. Multi-color flow cytometry and Western Blot analysis were used to quantify effects on NSPC, neuronal, and glial cell number, and quantify effects on IFNγ-mediated signaling and cell markers, respectively. RESULTS Flow cytometric analysis revealed that NSPCs were reduced in CD46+/IFNγ-KO mice at 3, 7, and 10 days post-infection (dpi), but were unaffected in CD46+ mice. Early neurons showed the greatest cell loss at 7 dpi in both genotypes, with no effect on mature neurons and glial cells. Thus, IFNγ protected against NSPC loss, but did not protect young neurons. Western Blot analyses on hippocampal explants showed reduced nestin expression in the absence of IFNγ, and reduced doublecortin and βIII-tubulin in both genotypes. Phosphorylation of STAT1 and STAT2 occurred independently of IFNγ in the hippocampus, albeit with distinct regulation of activation. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to demonstrate bystander effects of anti-viral immunity on NSPC function. Our results show IFNγ protects the NSPC population during a neonatal viral CNS infection. Significant loss of NSPCs in CD46+/IFNγ-KO neonates suggests that the adaptive immune response is detrimental to NSPCs in the absence of IFNγ. These results reveal the importance and contribution of the anti-viral immune response to neuropathology and may be relevant to other neuroinflammatory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen N Fantetti
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mylan School of Pharmacy, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA
| | - Erica L Gray
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mylan School of Pharmacy, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA
| | - Priya Ganesan
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mylan School of Pharmacy, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA
| | - Apurva Kulkarni
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mylan School of Pharmacy, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA
| | - Lauren A O'Donnell
- Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mylan School of Pharmacy, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15282, USA.
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