Volume 18, Issue 4

The stromal-vascular cell fraction (SVF) of adipose tissue can be an abundant source of both multipotent and pluripotent stem cells, known as adipose-derived stem cells or adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (ADSCs). The SVF also contains vascular cells, targeted progenitor cells, and preadipocytes. Stromal cells isolated from adipose tissue express common surface antigens, show the ability to adhere to plastic, and produce forms that resemble fibroblasts. They are characterized by a high proliferation potential and the ability to differentiate into cells of meso-, ecto- and endodermal origin. Although stem cells obtained from an adult organism have smaller capabilities for differentiation in comparison to embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSs), the cost of obtaining them is significantly lower. The 40 years of research that mainly focused on the potential of bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) revealed a number of negative factors: the painful sampling procedure, frequent complications, and small cell yield. The number of stem cells in adipose tissue is relatively large, and obtaining them is less invasive. Sampling through simple procedures such as liposuction performed under local anesthesia is less painful, ensuring patient comfort. The isolated cells are easily grown in culture, and they retain their properties over many passages. That is why adipose tissue has recently been treated as an attractive alternative source of stem cells. Essential aspects of ADSC biology and their use in regenerative medicine will be analyzed in this article.

The aim of malignant glioma treatment is to inhibit tumor cell proliferation and induce tumor cell apoptosis. Remifentanil is a clinical anesthetic drug that can activate the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. NMDA receptor signaling activates glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). Discovered some 32 years ago, GSK-3β was only recently considered as a therapeutic target in cancer treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess whether remifentanil can induce the apoptosis of C6 cells through GSK-3β activation. 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) was used to detect cell viability. Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry were used to detect cell apoptosis. The effect of GSK-3β activation was detected using a GSK-3β activation assay kit and 4-benzyl-2-methyl-1,2,4-thiadiazolidine-3,5-dione (TDZD-8), a potent and selective small molecule inhibitor of GSK-3β. The MTT assay indicated that remifentanil induced C6 cell death in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Hoechst 33342 staining and flow cytometry showed that remifentanil significantly induced C6 cell apoptosis. The measurement of GSK-3β activation showed that remifentanil increased the cellular level of GSK-3β. All of these toxic effects can be attenuated by treatment with TDZD-8. These results suggest that remifentanil is able to induce C6 cell apoptosis through GSK-3β activation, which provides a basis for its potential use in the treatment of malignant gliomas.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a multifunctional growth factor that controls cell scattering. It has been suggested that it regulates the proliferation of hepatic oval cells (HOCs). Using a HOC line that stably expresses the human HGF gene (hHGF), we investigated the in vitro proliferation and differentiation characteristics of hHGF-modified HOCs and explored their potential capacity for intrahepatic transplantation. A modified 2-acetylaminofluorene and partial hepatectomy (2-AAF/PH) model was established to activate the proliferation of oval cells in the rat liver. HOCs were transfected with the pBLAST2-hHGF plasmid and hHGF-carrying HOCs were selected based on blasticidin resistance. The level of hHGF secretion was determined via ELISA. Cell proliferation was determined using the MTT assay. Differentiation was induced by growth factor withdrawal. A two-cuff technique was used for orthotopic liver transplantation, and HOCs or hHGF-modified HOCs were transplanted into the recipients. The levels of biochemical indicators of liver function were measured after transplantation. An HOC line stably expressing hHGF was established. The transfected line showed greater hHGF secretion than normal HOCs. The hHGF gene promoted the proliferation capability of HOCs by reducing the peak time in vitro. The hHGF-modified HOCs differentiated into hepatocytes and bile duct epithelial cells upon growth factor withdrawal in vitro. In addition, hHGF-modified HOC transplantation significantly prolonged the median survival time (MST) and improved the liver function of recipients compared to HOC transplant recipients and nontransplanted controls. Our results indicate that hHGF-modified HOCs may have valuable properties for therapeutic liver regeneration after orthotopic liver transplantation.

Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterial pathogen responsible for one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections worldwide. Its unique development cycle has limited our understanding of its pathogenic mechanisms. However, CtHtrA has recently been identified as a potential C. trachomatis virulence factor. CtHtrA is a tightly regulated quality control protein with a monomeric structural unit comprised of a chymotrypsin-like protease domain and two PDZ domains. Activation of proteolytic activity relies on the C-terminus of the substrate allosterically binding to the PDZ1 domain, which triggers subsequent conformational change and oligomerization of the protein into 24-mers enabling proteolysis. This activation is mediated by a cascade of precise structural arrangements, but the specific CtHtrA residues and structural elements required to facilitate activation are unknown. Using in vitro analysis guided by homology modeling, we show that the mutation of residues Arg362 and Arg224, predicted to disrupt the interaction between the CtHtrA PDZ1 domain and loop L3, and between loop L3 and loop LD, respectively, are critical for the activation of proteolytic activity. We also demonstrate that mutation to residues Arg299 and Lys160, predicted to disrupt PDZ1 domain interactions with protease loop LC and strand β5, are also able to influence proteolysis, implying their involvement in the CtHtrA mechanism of activation. This is the first investigation of protease loop LC and strand β5 with respect to their potential interactions with the PDZ1 domain. Given their high level of conservation in bacterial HtrA, these structural elements may be equally significant in the activation mechanism of DegP and other HtrA family members.

The classical activity of telomerase is to synthesize telomeric repeats and thus maintain telomere length, which in turn ensures chromosome stability and cellular proliferation. However, there is growing evidence that implicates telomerase in many other functions that are independent of TERC being used as its template. Telomerase has an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) activity in the mitochondria. Other than viral RdRPs, it is the only RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that has been identified in mammals. It also plays a role in the Wnt signaling pathway by acting as a transcriptional modulator. Telomerase acts as a reverse transcriptase independent of its core subunit, TERC. Studies indicate that telomerase is also involved in apoptosis and DNA repair.

The unfolded protein response (UPR) is an adaptive response to the stress that is caused by an accumulation of misfolded proteins in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It is an important component of cellular homeostasis. During ER stress, the UPR increases the protein-folding capacity of the endoplasmic reticulum to relieve the stress. Failure to recover leads to apoptosis. Specific cellular mechanisms are required for the cellular recovery phase after UPR activation. Using bioinformatics tools, we identified a number of microRNAs that are predicted to decrease the mRNA expression levels for a number of critical components of the UPR. In this review, we discuss the potential role of microRNAs as key regulators of this pathway and describe how microRNAs may play an essential role in turning off the UPR after the stress has subsided.

Polysialic acids are linear polysaccharides composed of sialic acid monomers. These polyanionic chains are usually membrane-bound, and are expressed on the surfaces of neural, tumor and neuroinvasive bacterial cells. We used toluidine blue spectroscopy, the Langmuir monolayer technique and fluorescence spectroscopy to study the effects of membrane surface potential and transmembrane potential on the binding of polysialic acids to lipid bilayers and monolayers. Polysialic acid free in solution was added to the bathing solution to assess the metachromatic shift in the absorption spectra of toluidine blue, the temperature dependence of the fluorescence anisotropy of DPH in liposomes, the limiting molecular area in lipid monolayers, and the fluorescence spectroscopy of oxonol V in liposomes. Our results show that both a positive surface potential and a positive transmembrane potential inside the vesicles can facilitate the binding of polysialic acid chains to model lipid membranes. These observations suggest that these membrane potentials can also affect the polysialic acid-mediated interaction between cells.

Lamin A/C (LMNA), lamin B1 (LMNB1) and lamin B receptor (LBR) have key roles in nuclear structural integrity and chromosomal stability. In this study, we have studied the relationships between the mRNA expressions of A-type lamins, LMNB1 and LBR and the clinicopathological parameters in human breast cancer. Samples of breast cancer tissues (n = 115) and associated non-cancerous tissue (ANCT; n = 30) were assessed using reverse transcription and quantitative PCR. Transcript levels were correlated with clinicopathological data. Higher levels of A-type lamins and LMNB1 mRNA expression were seen in ANCT. Higher lamin A/C expression was associated with the early clinical stage (TNM1 vs. TNM3 — 13 vs. 0.21; p = 0.0515), with better clinical outcomes (disease-free survival vs. mortality — 11 vs. 1; p = 0.0326), and with better overall (p = 0.004) and disease-free survival (p = 0.062). The expression of LMNB1 declined with worsening clinical outcome (disease-free vs. mortalities — 0.0011 vs. 0.000; p = 0.0177). LBR mRNA expression was directly associated with tumor grade (grade 1 vs. grade 3 — 0.00 vs. 0.00; p = 0.0479) and Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI1 vs. NPI3 — 0.00 vs. 0.00; p = 0.0551). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to suggest such a role for A-type lamins, lamin B1 and LBR in human breast cancer, identifying an important area for further research.

Airway epithelium acts as multifunctional site of response in the respiratory tract. Epithelial activity plays an important part in the pathophysiology of obstructive lung disease. In this study, we compare normal human epithelial cells from various levels of the respiratory tract in terms of their reactivity to pro-allergic and pro-inflammatory stimulation. Normal human nasal, bronchial and small airway epithelial cells were stimulated with IL-4 and IL-13. The expressions of the eotaxins IL-6 and CXCL8 were evaluated at the mRNA and protein levels. The effects of pre-treatment with IFN-γ on the cell reactivity were measured, and the responses to TNF-α, LPS and IFN-γ were evaluated. All of the studied primary cells expressed CCL26, IL-6 and IL-8 after IL-4 or IL-13 stimulation. IFN-γ pre-treatment resulted in decreased CCL26 and increased IL-6 expression in the nasal and small airway cells, but this effect was not observed in the bronchial cells. IL-6 and CXCL8 were produced in varying degrees by all of the epithelial primary cells in cultures stimulated with TNF-α, LPS or IFN-γ. We showed that epithelial cells from the various levels of the respiratory tract act in a united way, responding in a similar manner to stimulation with IL-4 and IL-13, showing similar reactivity to TNF-α and LPS, and giving an almost unified response to IFN-γ pre-stimulation.

Hereditary breast cancer constitutes 5–10% of all breast cancer cases. Inherited mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 tumor-suppressor genes account for the majority of hereditary breast cancer cases. The BRCA1 C-terminal region (BRCT) has a functional duplicated globular domain, which helps with DNA damage repair and cell cycle checkpoint protein control. More than 100 distinct BRCA1 missense variants with structural and functional effects have been documented within the BRCT domain. Interpreting the results of mutation screening of tumor-suppressor genes that can have high-risk susceptibility mutations is increasingly important in clinical practice. This study includes a novel mutation, p.His1746 Pro (c.5237A>C), which was found in BRCA1 exon 20 of a breast cancer patient. In silico analysis suggests that this mutation could alter the stability and orientation of the BRCT domain and the differential binding of the BACH1 substrate.