1
|
Meivar-Levy I, Zoabi F, Nardini G, Manevitz-Mendelson E, Leichner GS, Zadok O, Gurevich M, Mor E, Dima S, Popescu I, Barzilai A, Ferber S, Greenberger S. The role of the vasculature niche on insulin-producing cells generated by transdifferentiation of adult human liver cells. Stem Cell Res Ther 2019; 10:53. [PMID: 30760321 PMCID: PMC6373031 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-019-1157-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Revised: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Insulin-dependent diabetes is a multifactorial disorder that could be theoretically cured by functional pancreatic islets and insulin-producing cell (IPC) implantation. Regenerative medicine approaches include the potential for growing tissues and organs in the laboratory and transplanting them when the body cannot heal itself. However, several obstacles remain to be overcome in order to bring regenerative medicine approach for diabetes closer to its clinical implementation; the cells generated in vitro are typically of heterogenic and immature nature and the site of implantation should be readily vascularized for the implanted cells to survive in vivo. The present study addresses these two limitations by analyzing the effect of co-implanting IPCs with vasculature promoting cells in an accessible site such as subcutaneous. Secondly, it analyzes the effects of reconstituting the in vivo environment in vitro on the maturation and function of insulin-producing cells. Methods IPCs that are generated by the transdifferentiation of human liver cells are exposed to the paracrine effects of endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) and human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are the “building blocks” of the blood vessels. The role of the vasculature on IPC function is analyzed upon subcutaneous implantation in vivo in immune-deficient rodents. The paracrine effects of vasculature on IPC maturation are analyzed in culture. Results Co-implantation of MSCs and ECFCs with IPCs led to doubling the survival rates and a threefold increase in insulin production, in vivo. ECFC and MSC co-culture as well as conditioned media of co-cultures resulted in a significant increased expression of pancreatic-specific genes and an increase in glucose-regulated insulin secretion, compared with IPCs alone. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that ECFC and MSC co-culture increases the expression of CTGF and ACTIVINβα, which play a key role in pancreatic differentiation. Conclusions Vasculature is an important player in generating regenerative medicine approaches for diabetes. Vasculature displays a paracrine effect on the maturation of insulin-producing cells and their survival upon implantation. The reconstitution of the in vivo niche is expected to promote the liver-to-pancreas transdifferentiation and bringing this cell therapy approach closer to its clinical implementation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13287-019-1157-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irit Meivar-Levy
- The Sheba Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel. .,Dia-Cure, Institute of Medical Scientific Research Acad. Nicolae Cajal, University Titu Maiorescu, Bucharest, Romania.
| | - Fatima Zoabi
- The Sheba Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Gil Nardini
- Department of Plastic Surgery, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | | | - Gil S Leichner
- The Department of Dermatology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Oranit Zadok
- The Sheba Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Michael Gurevich
- The Organ Transplantation Division, Schneider Children Medical Center, Petach Tikvah, Israel
| | - Eytan Mor
- The Organ Transplantation Division, Schneider Children Medical Center, Petach Tikvah, Israel
| | - Simona Dima
- Dia-Cure, Institute of Medical Scientific Research Acad. Nicolae Cajal, University Titu Maiorescu, Bucharest, Romania.,Center of Excellence in Translational Medicine - Fundeni Clinical Institute, Bucharest, Romania.,Center of Digestive Diseases and Liver Transplantation, Fundeni Clinical Institute, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Irinel Popescu
- Dia-Cure, Institute of Medical Scientific Research Acad. Nicolae Cajal, University Titu Maiorescu, Bucharest, Romania.,Center of Excellence in Translational Medicine - Fundeni Clinical Institute, Bucharest, Romania.,Center of Digestive Diseases and Liver Transplantation, Fundeni Clinical Institute, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Aviv Barzilai
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,The Department of Dermatology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Sarah Ferber
- The Sheba Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.,Dia-Cure, Institute of Medical Scientific Research Acad. Nicolae Cajal, University Titu Maiorescu, Bucharest, Romania.,Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Shoshana Greenberger
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.,The Department of Dermatology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Cohen H, Barash H, Meivar-Levy I, Molakandov K, Ben-Shimon M, Gurevich M, Zoabi F, Har-Zahav A, Gebhardt R, Gaunitz F, Gurevich M, Mor E, Ravassard P, Greenberger S, Ferber S. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway determines the predisposition and efficiency of liver-to-pancreas reprogramming. Hepatology 2018; 68:1589-1603. [PMID: 29394503 DOI: 10.1002/hep.29827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2017] [Revised: 12/30/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Transdifferentiation (TD) is the direct reprogramming of adult cells into cells of alternate fate and function. We have previously shown that liver cells can be transdifferentiated into beta-like, insulin-producing cells through ectopic expression of pancreatic transcription factors (pTFs). However, the efficiency of the process was consistently limited to <15% of the human liver cells treated in culture. The data in the current study suggest that liver-to-pancreas TD is restricted to a specific population of liver cells that is predisposed to undergo reprogramming. We isolated TD-predisposed subpopulation of liver cells from >15 human donors using a lineage tracing system based on the Wnt response element, part of the pericentral-specific promoter of glutamine synthetase. The cells, that were propagated separately, consistently exhibited efficient fate switch and insulin production and secretion in >60% of the cells upon pTF expression. The rest of the cells, which originated from 85% of the culture, resisted TD. Both populations expressed the ectopic pTFs with similar efficiencies, followed by similar repression of hepatic genes. Our data suggest that the TD-predisposed cells originate from a distinct population of liver cells that are enriched for Wnt signaling, which is obligatory for efficient TD. In TD-resistant populations, Wnt induction is insufficient to induce TD. An additional step of chromatin opening enables TD of these cells. CONCLUSION Liver-to-pancreas TD occurs in defined predisposed cells. These cells' predisposition is maintained by Wnt signaling that endows the cells with the plasticity needed to alter their transcriptional program and developmental fate when triggered by ectopic pTFs. These results may have clinical implications by drastically increasing the efficacy of TD in future clinical uses. (Hepatology 2018).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Helit Cohen
- The Sheba Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
| | - Hila Barash
- The Sheba Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Irit Meivar-Levy
- The Sheba Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
| | - Kfir Molakandov
- The Sheba Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Marina Ben-Shimon
- The Sheba Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Michael Gurevich
- The Joseph Sagol Neuroscience Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
| | - Fatima Zoabi
- The Sheba Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Adi Har-Zahav
- The Sheba Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Rolf Gebhardt
- Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Frank Gaunitz
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael Gurevich
- The Organ Transplantation Division, Schneider Children Medical Center, Petach Tikvah, Israel
| | - Eytan Mor
- The Organ Transplantation Division, Schneider Children Medical Center, Petach Tikvah, Israel
| | - Philippe Ravassard
- Biotechnology and Biotherapy Group, Centre de Recherche, Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle CNRS UMR7225, INSERM UMRS795, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
| | - Shoshana Greenberger
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Department of Dermatology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel
| | - Sarah Ferber
- The Sheba Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| |
Collapse
|