Single-center randomized trial of T-reg graft alone vs T-reg graft plus tacrolimus for the prevention of acute GVHD.

ABSTRACT: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a curative therapy for hematological malignancies for which graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a major complication. The use of donor T-regulatory cells (Tregs) to prevent GVHD appears promising, including in our previous evaluation of an engineered graft product (T-reg graft) consisting of the timed, sequential infusion of CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells and high-purity Tregs followed by conventional T cells. However, whether immunosuppressive prophylaxis can be removed from this protocol remains unclear. We report the results of the first stage of an open-label single-center phase 2 study (NCT01660607) investigating T-reg graft in myeloablative HCT of HLA-matched and 9/10-matched recipients. Twenty-four patients were randomized to receive T-reg graft alone (n = 12) or T-reg graft plus single-agent GVHD prophylaxis (n = 12) to determine whether T-reg graft alone was noninferior in preventing acute GVHD. All patients developed full-donor myeloid chimerism. Patients with T-reg graft alone vs with prophylaxis had incidences of grade 3 to 4 acute GVHD of 58% vs 8% (P = .005) and grade 3 to 4 of 17% vs 0% (P = .149), respectively. The incidence of moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD was 28% in the T-reg graft alone arm vs 0% with prophylaxis (P = .056). Among patients with T-reg graft and prophylaxis, CD4+ T-cell-to-Treg ratios were reduced after transplantation, gene expression profiles showed reduced CD4+ proliferation, and the achievement of full-donor T-cell chimerism was delayed. This study indicates that T-reg graft with single-agent tacrolimus is preferred over T-reg graft alone for the prevention of acute GVHD. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01660607.

Neutrophil and monocyte kinetics play critical roles in mouse peritoneal adhesion formation.

Peritoneal adhesions are pathological fibroses that ensnare organs after abdominal surgery. This dense connective tissue can cause small bowel obstruction, female infertility, and chronic abdominal pain. The pathogenesis of adhesions is a fibrotic response to tissue damage coordinated between mesothelial cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells. We have previously demonstrated that peritoneal adhesions are a consequence of mechanical injury to the mesothelial layer sustained during surgery. Neutrophils are among the first leukocytes involved in the early response to tissue damage. Here, we show that when subjected to mechanical stress, activated mesothelial cells directly recruit neutrophils and monocytes through upregulation of chemokines such as CXCL1 and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1). We find that neutrophils within the adhesion sites undergo cell death and form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETosis) that contribute to pathogenesis. Conversely, tissue-resident macrophages were profoundly depleted throughout the disease time course. We show that this is distinct from traditional inflammatory kinetics such as after sham surgery or chemically induced peritonitis, and suggest that adhesions result from a primary difference in inflammatory kinetics. We find that transient depletion of circulating neutrophils significantly decreases adhesion burden, and further recruitment of monocytes with thioglycolate or MCP-1 also improves outcomes. Our findings suggest that the combination of neutrophil depletion and monocyte recruitment is sufficient to prevent adhesion formation, thus providing insight for potential clinical interventions.

Surgical adhesions in mice are derived from mesothelial cells and can be targeted by antibodies against mesothelial markers.

Peritoneal adhesions are fibrous tissues that tether organs to one another or to the peritoneal wall and are a major cause of postsurgical and infectious morbidity. The primary molecular chain of events leading to the initiation of adhesions has been elusive, chiefly due to the lack of an identifiable cell of origin. Using clonal analysis and lineage tracing, we have identified injured surface mesothelium expressing podoplanin (PDPN) and mesothelin (MSLN) as a primary instigator of peritoneal adhesions after surgery in mice. We demonstrate that an anti-MSLN antibody diminished adhesion formation in a mouse model where adhesions were induced by surgical ligation to form ischemic buttons and subsequent surgical abrasion of the peritoneum. RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analyses of mouse mesothelial cells from injured mesothelium revealed aspects of the pathological mechanism of adhesion development and yielded several potential regulators of this process. Specifically, we show that PDPN+MSLN+ mesothelium responded to hypoxia by early up-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1α) that preceded adhesion development. Inhibition of HIF1α with small molecules ameliorated the injury program in damaged mesothelium and was sufficient to diminish adhesion severity in a mouse model. Analyses of human adhesion tissue suggested that similar surface markers and signaling pathways may contribute to surgical adhesions in human patients.

Coral cell separation and isolation by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS).

BACKGROUND: Generalized methods for understanding the cell biology of non-model species are quite rare, yet very much needed. In order to address this issue, we have modified a technique traditionally used in the biomedical field for ecological and evolutionary research. Fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS) is often used for sorting and identifying cell populations. In this study, we developed a method to identify and isolate different cell populations in corals and other cnidarians. METHODS: Using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), coral cell suspension were sorted into different cellular populations using fluorescent cell markers that are non-species specific. Over 30 different cell markers were tested. Additionally, cell suspension from Aiptasia pallida was also tested, and a phagocytosis test was done as a downstream functional assay. RESULTS: We found that 24 of the screened markers positively labeled coral cells and 16 differentiated cell sub-populations. We identified 12 different cellular sub-populations using three markers, and found that each sub-population is primarily homogeneous. Lastly, we verified this technique in a sea anemone, Aiptasia pallida, and found that with minor modifications, a similar gating strategy can be successfully applied. Additionally, within A. pallida, we show elevated phagocytosis of sorted cells based on an immune associated marker. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we successfully adapted FACS for isolating coral cell populations and conclude that this technique is translatable for future use in other species. This technique has the potential to be used for different types of studies on the cellular stress response and other immunological studies.

Mapping the Pairwise Choices Leading from Pluripotency to Human Bone, Heart, and Other Mesoderm Cell Types.

Stem-cell differentiation to desired lineages requires navigating alternating developmental paths that often lead to unwanted cell types. Hence, comprehensive developmental roadmaps are crucial to channel stem-cell differentiation toward desired fates. To this end, here, we map bifurcating lineage choices leading from pluripotency to 12 human mesodermal lineages, including bone, muscle, and heart. We defined the extrinsic signals controlling each binary lineage decision, enabling us to logically block differentiation toward unwanted fates and rapidly steer pluripotent stem cells toward 80%-99% pure human mesodermal lineages at most branchpoints. This strategy enabled the generation of human bone and heart progenitors that could engraft in respective in vivo models. Mapping stepwise chromatin and single-cell gene expression changes in mesoderm development uncovered somite segmentation, a previously unobservable human embryonic event transiently marked by HOPX expression. Collectively, this roadmap enables navigation of mesodermal development to produce transplantable human tissue progenitors and uncover developmental processes. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

New tools for studying microglia in the mouse and human CNS.

The specific function of microglia, the tissue resident macrophages of the brain and spinal cord, has been difficult to ascertain because of a lack of tools to distinguish microglia from other immune cells, thereby limiting specific immunostaining, purification, and manipulation. Because of their unique developmental origins and predicted functions, the distinction of microglia from other myeloid cells is critically important for understanding brain development and disease; better tools would greatly facilitate studies of microglia function in the developing, adult, and injured CNS. Here, we identify transmembrane protein 119 (Tmem119), a cell-surface protein of unknown function, as a highly expressed microglia-specific marker in both mouse and human. We developed monoclonal antibodies to its intracellular and extracellular domains that enable the immunostaining of microglia in histological sections in healthy and diseased brains, as well as isolation of pure nonactivated microglia by FACS. Using our antibodies, we provide, to our knowledge, the first RNAseq profiles of highly pure mouse microglia during development and after an immune challenge. We used these to demonstrate that mouse microglia mature by the second postnatal week and to predict novel microglial functions. Together, we anticipate these resources will be valuable for the future study and understanding of microglia in health and disease.

Upregulation of CD11A on hematopoietic stem cells denotes the loss of long-term reconstitution potential.

Small numbers of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) generate large numbers of mature effector cells through the successive amplification of transiently proliferating progenitor cells. HSCs and their downstream progenitors have been extensively characterized based on their cell-surface phenotype and functional activities during transplantation assays. These cells dynamically lose and acquire specific sets of surface markers during differentiation, leading to the identification of markers that allow for more refined separation of HSCs from early hematopoietic progenitors. Here, we describe a marker, CD11A, which allows for the enhanced purification of mouse HSCs. We show through in vivo transplantations that upregulation of CD11A on HSCs denotes the loss of their long-term reconstitution potential. Surprisingly, nearly half of phenotypic HSCs (defined as Lin-KIT(+)SCA-1(+)CD150(+)CD34-) are CD11A(+) and lack long-term self-renewal potential. We propose that CD11A(+)Lin-KIT(+)SCA-1(+)CD150(+)CD34- cells are multipotent progenitors and CD11A-Lin-KIT(+)SCA-1(+)CD150(+)CD34- cells are true HSCs.

Engineered SIRPα variants as immunotherapeutic adjuvants to anticancer antibodies.

CD47 is an antiphagocytic signal that cancer cells employ to inhibit macrophage-mediated destruction. Here, we modified the binding domain of human SIRPα, the receptor for CD47, for use as a CD47 antagonist. We engineered high-affinity SIRPα variants with about a 50,000-fold increased affinity for human CD47 relative to wild-type SIRPα. As high-affinity SIRPα monomers, they potently antagonized CD47 on cancer cells but did not induce macrophage phagocytosis on their own. Instead, they exhibited remarkable synergy with all tumor-specific monoclonal antibodies tested by increasing phagocytosis in vitro and enhancing antitumor responses in vivo. This "one-two punch" directs immune responses against tumor cells while lowering the threshold for macrophage activation, thereby providing a universal method for augmenting the efficacy of therapeutic anticancer antibodies.

Anti-CD47 antibody-mediated phagocytosis of cancer by macrophages primes an effective antitumor T-cell response.

Mobilization of the T-cell response against cancer has the potential to achieve long-lasting cures. However, it is not known how to harness antigen-presenting cells optimally to achieve an effective antitumor T-cell response. In this study, we show that anti-CD47 antibody-mediated phagocytosis of cancer by macrophages can initiate an antitumor T-cell immune response. Using the ovalbumin model antigen system, anti-CD47 antibody-mediated phagocytosis of cancer cells by macrophages resulted in increased priming of OT-I T cells [cluster of differentiation 8-positive (CD8(+))] but decreased priming of OT-II T cells (CD4(+)). The CD4(+) T-cell response was characterized by a reduction in forkhead box P3-positive (Foxp3(+)) regulatory T cells. Macrophages following anti-CD47-mediated phagocytosis primed CD8(+) T cells to exhibit cytotoxic function in vivo. This response protected animals from tumor challenge. We conclude that anti-CD47 antibody treatment not only enables macrophage phagocytosis of cancer but also can initiate an antitumor cytotoxic T-cell immune response.

Synthesis of a photocaged tamoxifen for light-dependent activation of Cre-ER recombinase-driven gene modification.

We report the design of a water-soluble, quaternized tamoxifen photoprobe and demonstrate its application in light-controlled induction of green fluorescent protein expression via a Cre-ER recombinase system.

Heme-assisted S-nitrosation desensitizes ferric soluble guanylate cyclase to nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide (NO) signaling regulates key processes in cardiovascular physiology, specifically vasodilation, platelet aggregation, and leukocyte rolling. Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), the mammalian NO sensor, transduces an NO signal into the classical second messenger cyclic GMP (cGMP). NO binds to the ferrous (Fe(2+)) oxidation state of the sGC heme cofactor and stimulates formation of cGMP several hundred-fold. Oxidation of the sGC heme to the ferric (Fe(3+)) state desensitizes the enzyme to NO. The heme-oxidized state of sGC has emerged as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Here, we investigate the molecular mechanism of NO desensitization and find that sGC undergoes a reductive nitrosylation reaction that is coupled to the S-nitrosation of sGC cysteines. We further characterize the kinetics of NO desensitization and find that heme-assisted nitrosothiol formation of ß1Cys-78 and ß1Cys-122 causes the NO desensitization of ferric sGC. Finally, we provide evidence that the mechanism of reductive nitrosylation is gated by a conformational change of the protein. These results yield insights into the function and dysfunction of sGC in cardiovascular disease.

Mechanism and kinetics of inducible nitric oxide synthase auto-S-nitrosation and inactivation.

Nitric oxide (NO), the product of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) reaction, was previously shown to result in S-nitrosation of the NOS Zn(2+)-tetrathiolate and inactivation of the enzyme. To probe the potential physiological significance of NOS S-nitrosation, we determined the inactivation time scale of the inducible NOS isoform (iNOS) and found it directly correlates with an increase in the level of iNOS S-nitrosation. A kinetic model of NOS inactivation in which arginine is treated as a suicide substrate was developed. In this model, NO synthesized at the heme cofactor is partitioned between release into solution (NO release pathway) and NOS S-nitrosation followed by NOS inactivation (inactivation pathway). Experimentally determined progress curves of NO formation were fit to the model. The NO release pathway was perturbed through addition of the NO traps oxymyoglobin (MbO(2)) and ß2 H-NOX, which yielded partition ratios between NO release and inactivation of ~100 at 4 µM MbO(2) and ~22000 at saturating trap concentrations. The results suggest that a portion of the NO synthesized at the heme cofactor reacts with the Zn(2+)-tetrathiolate without being released into solution. Perturbation of the inactivation pathway through addition of the reducing agent GSH or TCEP resulted in a concentration-dependent decrease in the level of iNOS S-nitrosation that directly correlated with protection from iNOS inactivation. iNOS inactivation was most responsive to physiological concentrations of GSH with an apparent K(m) value of 13 mM. NOS turnover that leads to NOS S-nitrosation might be a mechanism for controlling NOS activity, and NOS S-nitrosation could play a role in the physiological generation of nitrosothiols.

A nitric oxide/cysteine interaction mediates the activation of soluble guanylate cyclase.

Nitric oxide (NO) regulates a number of essential physiological processes by activating soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) to produce the second messenger cGMP. The mechanism of NO sensing was previously thought to result exclusively from NO binding to the sGC heme; however, recent studies indicate that heme-bound NO only partially activates sGC and additional NO is involved in the mechanism of maximal NO activation. Furthermore, thiol oxidation of sGC cysteines results in the loss of enzyme activity. Herein the role of cysteines in NO-stimulated sGC activity investigated. We find that the thiol modifying reagent methyl methanethiosulfonate specifically inhibits NO activation of sGC by blocking a non-heme site, which defines a role for sGC cysteine(s) in mediating NO binding. The nature of the NO/cysteine interaction was probed by examining the effects of redox active reagents on NO-stimulated activity. These results show that NO binding to, and dissociation from, the critical cysteine(s) does not involve a change in the thiol redox state. Evidence is provided for non-heme NO in the physiological activation of sGC in context of a primary cell culture of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. These findings have relevance to diseases involving the NO/cGMP signaling pathway.

Nucleotide regulation of soluble guanylate cyclase substrate specificity.

Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) serves as a receptor for the signaling agent nitric oxide (NO). sGC synthesis of cGMP is regulated by NO, GTP, ATP, and allosteric activators such as YC-1. The guanylate cyclase activity and adenylate cyclase activity of full-length sGC and the sGC catalytic domain constructs (alpha1(cat)beta1(cat)) are reported here. ATP is a mixed-type inhibitor of cGMP production for both sGC and alpha1(cat)beta1(cat), indicating that the C-terminus of sGC contains an allosteric nucleotide binding site. YC-1 did not activate alpha1(cat)beta1(cat) or compete with ATP inhibition of cGMP synthesis, which suggests that YC-1 and ATP bind to distinct sites. alpha1(cat)beta1(cat) and NO-stimulated sGC also synthesize cAMP, but this activity is inhibited by ATP via noncompetitive substrate inhibition and by GTP via mixed-type inhibition. Additionally, the adenylate cyclase activity of purified sGC was inhibited by PC12 lysate, suggesting that an intracellular small molecule or protein regulates this activity in vivo.

Thioredoxin is required for S-nitrosation of procaspase-3 and the inhibition of apoptosis in Jurkat cells.

S-nitrosation is a posttranslational, oxidative addition of NO to cysteine residues of proteins that has been proposed as a cGMP-independent signaling pathway [Hess DT, Matsumoto A, Kim SO, Marshall HE, Stamler JS (2005) Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 6:150-166]. A paradox of S-nitrosation is that only a small set of reactive cysteines are modified in vivo despite the promiscuous reactivity NO exhibits with thiols, precluding the reaction of free NO as the primary mechanism of S-nitrosation. Here we show that a specific transnitrosation reaction between procaspase-3 and thioredoxin-1 (Trx) occurs in cultured human T cells and prevents apoptosis. Trx participation in catalyzing transnitrosation reactions in cells may be general because this protein has numerous protein-protein interactions and plays a key role in cellular redox homeostasis [Powis G, Montfort WR (2001) Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 41:261-295], nitrosothiol content in cells [Haendeler J, Hoffmann J, Tischler V, Berk BC, Zeiher AM, Dimmeler S (2002) Nat Cell Biol 4:743-749], and antiapoptotic signaling.