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Brown KE, Fisher AG. Reprogramming lineage identity through cell-cell fusion. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2021; 70:15-23. [PMID: 34087754 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2021.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The conversion of differentiated cells to a pluripotent state through somatic cell nuclear transfer provided the first unequivocal evidence that differentiation was reversible. In more recent times, introducing a combination of key transcription factors into terminally differentiated mammalian cells was shown to drive their conversion to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These discoveries were transformative, but the relatively slow speed (2-3 weeks) and low efficiency of reprogramming (0.1-1%) made deciphering the underlying molecular mechanisms difficult and complex. Cell fusion provides an alternative reprogramming approach that is both efficient and tractable, particularly when combined with modern multi-omics analysis of individual cells. Here we review the history and the recent advances in cell-cell fusion that are enabling a better understanding cell fate conversion, and we discuss how this knowledge could be used to shape improved strategies for regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Brown
- Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK.
| | - Amanda G Fisher
- Epigenetic Memory Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
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Clawson GA, Matters GL, Xin P, McGovern C, Wafula E, dePamphilis C, Meckley M, Wong J, Stewart L, D’Jamoos C, Altman N, Imamura Kawasawa Y, Du Z, Honaas L, Abraham T. "Stealth dissemination" of macrophage-tumor cell fusions cultured from blood of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0184451. [PMID: 28957348 PMCID: PMC5619717 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2017] [Accepted: 08/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Here we describe isolation and characterization of macrophage-tumor cell fusions (MTFs) from the blood of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. The MTFs were generally aneuploidy, and immunophenotypic characterizations showed that the MTFs express markers characteristic of PDAC and stem cells, as well as M2-polarized macrophages. Single cell RNASeq analyses showed that the MTFs express many transcripts implicated in cancer progression, LINE1 retrotransposons, and very high levels of several long non-coding transcripts involved in metastasis (such as MALAT1). When cultured MTFs were transplanted orthotopically into mouse pancreas, they grew as obvious well-differentiated islands of cells, but they also disseminated widely throughout multiple tissues in "stealth" fashion. They were found distributed throughout multiple organs at 4, 8, or 12 weeks after transplantation (including liver, spleen, lung), occurring as single cells or small groups of cells, without formation of obvious tumors or any apparent progression over the 4 to 12 week period. We suggest that MTFs form continually during PDAC development, and that they disseminate early in cancer progression, forming "niches" at distant sites for subsequent colonization by metastasis-initiating cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary A. Clawson
- Gittlen Cancer Research Laboratories and the Department of Pathology, Hershey Medical Center (HMC), Pennsylvania State University (PSU), Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - Gail L. Matters
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, HMC, PSU, Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - Ping Xin
- Gittlen Cancer Research Laboratories and the Department of Pathology, Hershey Medical Center (HMC), Pennsylvania State University (PSU), Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - Christopher McGovern
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, HMC, PSU, Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - Eric Wafula
- Department of Biology, Eberly College, University Park (UP), Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Claude dePamphilis
- Department of Biology, Eberly College, University Park (UP), Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Morgan Meckley
- Gittlen Cancer Research Laboratories and the Department of Pathology, Hershey Medical Center (HMC), Pennsylvania State University (PSU), Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - Joyce Wong
- Department of Surgery, HMC, PSU, Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - Luke Stewart
- Applications Support, Fluidigm Corporation, South San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Christopher D’Jamoos
- Applications Support, Fluidigm Corporation, South San Francisco, CA, United States of America
| | - Naomi Altman
- Department of Statistics, Eberly College, UP, PSU, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Yuka Imamura Kawasawa
- Department of Pharmacology and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Institute for Personalized Medicine, HMC, PSU, Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - Zhen Du
- Gittlen Cancer Research Laboratories and the Department of Pathology, Hershey Medical Center (HMC), Pennsylvania State University (PSU), Hershey, PA, United States of America
| | - Loren Honaas
- Department of Biology, Eberly College, University Park (UP), Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Thomas Abraham
- Department of Neural & Behavioral Sciences and Microscopy Imaging Facility, HMC, PSU, Hershey, PA, United States of America
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Clawson GA, Matters GL, Xin P, Imamura-Kawasawa Y, Du Z, Thiboutot DM, Helm KF, Neves RI, Abraham T. Macrophage-tumor cell fusions from peripheral blood of melanoma patients. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0134320. [PMID: 26267609 PMCID: PMC4534457 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Accepted: 06/30/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background While the morbidity and mortality from cancer are largely attributable to its metastatic dissemination, the integral features of the cascade are not well understood. The widely accepted hypothesis is that the primary tumor microenvironment induces the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in cancer cells, facilitating their escape into the bloodstream, possibly accompanied by cancer stem cells. An alternative theory for metastasis involves fusion of macrophages with tumor cells (MTFs). Here we culture and characterize apparent MTFs from blood of melanoma patients. Methods We isolated enriched CTC populations from peripheral blood samples from melanoma patients, and cultured them. We interrogated these cultured cells for characteristic BRAF mutations, and used confocal microscopy for immunophenotyping, motility, DNA content and chromatin texture analyses, and then conducted xenograft studies using nude mice. Findings Morphologically, the cultured MTFs were generally large with many pseudopod extensions and lamellipodia. Ultrastructurally, the cultured MTFs appeared to be macrophages. They were rich in mitochondria and lysosomes, as well as apparent melanosomes. The cultured MTF populations were all heterogeneous with regard to DNA content, containing aneuploid and/or high-ploidy cells, and they typically showed large sheets (and/or clumps) of cytoplasmic chromatin. This cytoplasmic DNA was found within heterogeneously-sized autophagic vacuoles, which prominently contained chromatin and micronuclei. Cultured MTFs uniformly expressed pan-macrophage markers (CD14, CD68) and macrophage markers indicative of M2 polarization (CD163, CD204, CD206). They also expressed melanocyte-specific markers (ALCAM, MLANA), epithelial biomarkers (KRT, EpCAM), as well as the pro-carcinogenic cytokine MIF along with functionally related stem cell markers (CXCR4, CD44). MTF cultures from individual patients (5 of 8) contained melanoma-specific BRAF activating mutations. Chromatin texture analysis of deconvoluted images showed condensed DNA (DAPI-intense) regions similar to focal regions described in stem cell fusions. MTFs were readily apparent in vivo in all human melanomas examined, often exhibiting even higher DNA content than the cultured MTFs. When cultured MTFs were transplanted subcutaneously in nude mice, they disseminated and produced metastatic lesions at distant sites. Conclusions and Hypothesis Apparent MTFs are present in peripheral blood of patients with cutaneous melanomas, and they possess the ability to form metastatic lesions when transplanted into mice. We hypothesize that these MTFs arise at the periphery of primary tumors in vivo, that they readily enter the bloodstream and invade distant tissues, secreting cytokines (such as MIF) to prepare “niches” for colonization by metastasis initiating cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary A. Clawson
- Department of Pathology and Gittlen Cancer Research Laboratories, Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Gail L. Matters
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Ping Xin
- Department of Pathology and Gittlen Cancer Research Laboratories, Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Yuka Imamura-Kawasawa
- Department of Pharmacology and the Institute for Personalized Medicine, Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Zhen Du
- Department of Pathology and Gittlen Cancer Research Laboratories, Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Diane M. Thiboutot
- Department of Dermatology, Division of Health Science Research, Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Klaus F. Helm
- Department of Dermatopathology, Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Rogerio I. Neves
- Department of Surgery and the Melanoma Center, Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Thomas Abraham
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Science and the Microscopy Imaging Facility, Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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Mallm JP, Rippe K. Aurora Kinase B Regulates Telomerase Activity via a Centromeric RNA in Stem Cells. Cell Rep 2015; 11:1667-78. [PMID: 26051938 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2015] [Revised: 03/28/2015] [Accepted: 05/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-coding RNAs can modulate histone modifications that, at the same time, affect transcript expression levels. Here, we dissect such a network in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). It regulates the activity of the reverse transcriptase telomerase, which synthesizes telomeric repeats at the chromosome ends. We find that histone H3 serine 10 phosphorylation set by Aurora kinase B (AURKB) in ESCs during the S phase of the cell cycle at centromeric and (sub)telomeric loci promotes the expression of non-coding minor satellite RNA (cenRNA). Inhibition of AURKB induces silencing of cenRNA transcription and establishment of a repressive chromatin state with histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation and heterochromatin protein 1 accumulation. This process results in a continuous shortening of telomeres. We further show that AURKB interacts with both telomerase and cenRNA and activates telomerase in trans. Thus, in mouse ESCs, telomere maintenance is regulated via expression of cenRNA in a cell-cycle-dependent manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Philipp Mallm
- Research Group Genome Organization and Function, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Bioquant Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 267, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Karsten Rippe
- Research Group Genome Organization and Function, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany; Bioquant Center, Im Neuenheimer Feld 267, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
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Wijchers PJ, Geeven G, Eyres M, Bergsma AJ, Janssen M, Verstegen M, Zhu Y, Schell Y, Vermeulen C, de Wit E, de Laat W. Characterization and dynamics of pericentromere-associated domains in mice. Genome Res 2015; 25:958-69. [PMID: 25883320 PMCID: PMC4484393 DOI: 10.1101/gr.186643.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2014] [Accepted: 04/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Despite recent progress in genome topology knowledge, the role of repeats, which make up the majority of mammalian genomes, remains elusive. Satellite repeats are highly abundant sequences that cluster around centromeres, attract pericentromeric heterochromatin, and aggregate into nuclear chromocenters. These nuclear landmark structures are assumed to form a repressive compartment in the nucleus to which genes are recruited for silencing. We have designed a strategy for genome-wide identification of pericentromere-associated domains (PADs) in different mouse cell types. The ∼1000 PADs and non-PADs have similar chromatin states in embryonic stem cells, but during lineage commitment, chromocenters progressively associate with constitutively inactive genomic regions at the nuclear periphery. This suggests that PADs are not actively recruited to chromocenters, but that chromocenters are themselves attracted to inactive chromatin compartments. However, we also found that experimentally induced proximity of an active locus to chromocenters was sufficient to cause gene repression. Collectively, our data suggest that rather than driving nuclear organization, pericentromeric satellite repeats mostly co-segregate with inactive genomic regions into nuclear compartments where they can contribute to stable maintenance of the repressed status of proximal chromosomal regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick J Wijchers
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Geert Geeven
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Michael Eyres
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Atze J Bergsma
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Mark Janssen
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Marjon Verstegen
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Yun Zhu
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Yori Schell
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Carlo Vermeulen
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Elzo de Wit
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Wouter de Laat
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW & University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Pospelova TV, Bykova TV, Zubova SG, Katolikova NV, Yartzeva NM, Pospelov VA. Rapamycin induces pluripotent genes associated with avoidance of replicative senescence. Cell Cycle 2013; 12:3841-51. [PMID: 24296616 DOI: 10.4161/cc.27396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary rodent cells undergo replicative senescence, independent from telomere shortening. We have recently shown that treatment with rapamycin during passages 3-7 suppressed replicative senescence in rat embryonic fibroblasts (REFs), which otherwise occurred by 10-14 passages. Here, we further investigated rapamycin-primed cells for an extended number of passages. Rapamycin-primed cells continued to proliferate without accumulation of senescent markers. Importantly, these cells retained the ability to undergo serum starvation- and etoposide-induced cell cycle arrest. The p53/p21 pathway was functional. This indicates that rapamycin did not cause either transformation or loss of cell cycle checkpoints. We found that rapamycin activated transcription of pluripotent genes, oct-4, sox-2, nanog, as well as further upregulated telomerase (tert) gene. The rapamycin-derived cells have mostly non-rearranged, near-normal karyotype. Still, when cultivated for a higher number of passages, these cells acquired a chromosomal marker within the chromosome 3. We conclude that suppression mTORC1 activity may prevent replicative senescence without transformation of rodent cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana V Pospelova
- Institute of Cytology; Russian Academy of Sciences; St. Petersburg, Russia; St.Petersburg State University; St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Tatiana V Bykova
- Institute of Cytology; Russian Academy of Sciences; St. Petersburg, Russia; St.Petersburg State University; St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Svetlana G Zubova
- Institute of Cytology; Russian Academy of Sciences; St. Petersburg, Russia; St.Petersburg State University; St. Petersburg, Russia
| | | | - Natalia M Yartzeva
- Institute of Cytology; Russian Academy of Sciences; St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Valery A Pospelov
- Institute of Cytology; Russian Academy of Sciences; St. Petersburg, Russia; St.Petersburg State University; St. Petersburg, Russia
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