Endothelial Cells Modulate Differentiation Potential and Mobility of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.

We studied the effect of endothelial cells on in vitro migration and differentiation potential of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells. Down-regulation of stemness genes OCT4, SOX2, and chondrogenic differentiation regulator SOX9 gene and upregulation of osteogenesis master-gene RUNX2 in mesenchymal stromal cells were observed in the presence of intact and TNFα-activated endothelial cells, which indicated an increase in commitment of mesenchymal stromal cells.The medium conditioned by endothelial cells stimulated migration activity of mesenchymal stromal cells; migration rate increased significantly in conditioned medium from activated cells in comparison with medium from non-activated cells. It was concluded that the interaction with endothelial cells modulated functional activity of mesenchymal stromal cells; moreover, activated endothelial cells produced more pronounced effects on differentiation potential and migration activity of mesenchymal stromal cells both in direct contact and through paracrine regulation.

Expression of microRNA Genes MIR221, MIR222, and MIR181B1 Increases during Induction of Inflammation in the Endothelial Barrier Model.

We studied expression profile of microRNA and their target genes in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) during proinflammatory activation with TNFα. TNFα-induced activation of HUVEC was accompanied by a decrease in the expression of CDKN1B, HIST1H3D, and OIP5 genes that are the common target genes for mature microRNA encoded by MIR221, MIR222, and MIR181B1 genes, whose expression increases in activated cells. Proteins encoded by HIST1H3D and OIP5 genes are associated with chromatin compaction and cell cycle. Our results suggest that fetal endothelial microRNA can appear in the maternal blood during various pathological states, e.g., under conditions of preeclampsia.

TNFα-Induced Expression of Transport Protein Genes in HUVEC Cells Is Associated with Enhanced Expression of Transcription Factor Genes RELB and NFKB2 of the Non-Canonical NF-κB Pathway.

Endothelial HUVEC cells used as an in vitro model of the endothelial monolayer in placental barrier were activated by TNFα in a dose of 2 ng/ml for 24 h. Significant changes in the expression of genes of the SLC family transport protein were observed: an increase in the expression of SLC7A2, SLC12A2, SLC9B2, SLC25A37, SLC16A9, and SLC41A2 and a decrease in the expression of SLC40A1. These transporters participate in the transport of iron, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and chloride ions, protons, and amino acids. It was also found that SLC7A2, SLC12A2, SLC9B2, SLC25A37, and SLC41A2 genes have binding sites for transcriptional factor RelB that together with NFKB2 is the main effector of the non-canonical NF-κB pathway. The expression of RELB and NFKB2 genes was also significantly enhanced in TNFα-activated HUVEC cells, which can attest to the important role of the non-canonical NF-κB pathway in the regulation of gene expression of transport proteins in response to TNFα stimulation.

Expression of Adhesion Molecules in Activated Endothelium after Interaction with Mesenchymal Stromal Cells.

The studied the expression of intercellular adhesion molecules and transcription of the corresponding genes in intact and activated endothelial cells both in monoculture and during interaction with mesenchymal stromal cells. It was found that the levels of integrin-α1 and VE-cadherin mRNA increased during co-culturing. TNFα-induced activation of endothelial cells enhanced expression of integrin-α1 both at the mRNA and protein synthesis stages and had no effect on the level of VE-cadherin. Direct contact with mesenchymal stromal cells did not eliminate the effect of endothelial cell activation, but expression of integrin-α1 and VE-cadherin in activated endothelial cells tended to decrease.

Experimental Model to Study the Role of Retinoblastoma Gene Product (pRb) for Determination of Adipocyte Differentiation.

Using stable constitutive expression of retinoblastoma gene product (pRb) in polypotent mesenchymal 10T1/2 cells we obtained stable cell lines hyperexpressing functionally active or inactive mutant pRb. The cells producing active exogenous pRb demonstrated high sensitivity to adipocyte differentiation inductors, whereas production of inactive form of the exogenous protein suppressed adipocyte differentiation. The obtained lines can serve as the experimental model for studying the role of pRb in determination of adipocyte differentiation.

[Production and characteristics of the growth and marker properties of mesenchymal stem cells of urinary bladder].

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are capable for transdifferentiation into cells of another functional phenotype and are a perspective resourse of recovery therapy. MSC of different tissues differ by differentiation potential and in some cases express tissue-specific markers, which indicates close mesenchymal and parenchymal phenotypes of the same tissue. The homoorgan MSC might possibly be induced more effectively for tissue-specific differentiation and the preferred for cell therapy of diseases of the same organ as compared with widely used cells of the bone marrow origin. By using explants of the urinary bladder tissue, we obtained primary urinary bladder cell cultures of MSC of fetal and mature Balb/c mice (MSC-UBF and MSC-UBM) and characterized their properties in the course of long-term passing in culture. Unlike cells of mature animals, MSC-UBF have the steady capability for growth in vitro, clonogenic activity, and differentiation into adipose and bone cells. MSC-UBF express mesenchymal markers CD29, XD44, CD49f, CD90, and CD105, but not panleukocytic marker CD45, and do not differ by these parameters from the bone marrow MSC. Under normal conditions, MSC-UBF produce such urothelial markers as Ck14 and FOXA1, although their expression level is significantly lower than in the urinary bladder tissue. The hypomethylating reagent 5-azacytidin produces in MSC-UBF the expression of activator of urothelial differentiation PPARgamma and of markers of functional urothelium--UP1a, UP1b, UP3a, and UP3b. The obtained data indicate a possibility of epigenetic reprogramming of the urinary bladder MSC into urothelium at their treatment with 5-azacytidin, which can serve a basis for a novel model of cell therapy of urinary bladder diseases.

[Epithelial intestine cells transdifferentiate into bladder urothelium in experiments in vivo].

The autoplastic surgery by intestine tissue has been used for reconstructive therapy of the urinary tract since the middle of the last century; however, cell mechanisms of the urothelium engraftment are still obscure. Intestine stem cells possess plasticity and presumably enable after the autoplastic surgery to transdifferentiate into mature cells of urinary tract. Using the preliminary developed in vivo model for evaluation of somatic cells transdifferentiation into urothelium, we have found that the epithelial intestine cells producing Gfp transdifferentiate into the cryoinjured bladder urothelium of the syngenetic C57BL mice. Gfp was detected in the bladder tissue of mice-recipients using reverted polymerase chain reaction, primary fluorescence and immunofluorescence, while colocalization of the Gfp and Her-4 revealing similar to urothelium staining pattern was demonstrated in a few urothelium cells by double immunohistochemical staining of the bladder tissue with specific antibodies. The results obtained suggest that epithelial intestine cells enable to transdifferentiate into bladder urothelium, however the transdifferentiation level is low and presumably can not provide full functional urothelium engraftment in the case of autoplastic bladder surgery by intestine tissue.

[The cell cycle regulator p130 and beta-catenin form a complex in mesenchymal stem cells].

Suppressor complex p130/E2f4 inhibits transcription of multiple genes proteins regulating cell cycle progression and induces cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 required for induction of cell differentiation in cells of many tissues in vivo and various cell lineages in vitro. We found here that, in mesenchymal stem cells, (MSC) activation of the Wnt/beta-catenin signal pathway induced by MSC coculture with the A-549 cell line or by growth in the medium containing Li+ ions, which resulted in the accumulation of active forms of the p130, E2f4 and beta-catenin, was not coupled with inhibition of cell cycle progression. Cell cycle synchronization of the MSC induced by thymidine and nocodazol was not resulted in change of the levels and phosphorylation pattern of the p130 in contrast to mouse hepatocytes and T98G cells which showed accumulation of the p130 form p1 and p2 in quiescence and form p3 under active proliferative. Antibody to p130 precipitated from extracts of MSC activated by Li+ ions beta the p130 form 2 and hyperphosphorilated beta-catenin. The results obtained suggest that Gsk3beta, p130 and beta-catenin form in MSC a complex the functional role of which may be associated with activation of differentiation not coupled to cell cycle arrest.

[Model in vivo to study the transdifferentiation of the somatic cell into urothelium].

Development of reconstructive therapy of the urinary tract using pluripotent and somatic stem cells, for example mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs), recently goes through the stage of experimental studies. These studies include investigation of the main functions of MSCs and urothelium lining from inside the organs of the urinary tract. An important role in the regulation of proliferation and differentiation of urothelium belongs to EGF and Wnt-beta-catenin signaling pathways which activity may be accessed by the level of Her-4 and Tcf3,4, accordingly. We found here that MSCs labeled by transgenic green fluorescence protein (GFP) did not produce in vitro Her-4 and Tcf3,4 but activated their production after transfer into cryoinjured bladder of the syngenic mouse. After MSCs transplantation, GFP was detected in the bladder by RT-PCR and was colocalized with Her-4 or Tcf3,4 in a few urothelium cells detected by immunohistichemical staining with specific antibodies. These results suggest that MSCs labeled by GFP may be used as a good model to study transdifferentiation of somatic cells into urothelium.