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O P Veiby

Publications and source records attributed to O P Veiby.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Effects of hTNFalpha expression in T cells on haematopoiesis in transgenic mice.

A transgenic line of mice carrying one copy of the hTNFalpha gene under the control of its own promoter and the CD2 locus control region has been analysed for the effects of TNFalpha on haematopoiesis. A low level constitutive expression of hTNFalpha in lymphoid tissue was observed. Human TNFalpha binds to and activates the murine p55 receptor, but not the p75 receptor. This implies that the observed effects of hTNFalpha in mice were mediated only through the p55 receptor. Various lymphoid tissues were depleted of lymphocytes, especially thymus, spleen and peripheral blood. Effects on thymus development were detected already at 3 wk of age, more general effects on haematopoiesis were evident by 5 wk: a drop in total blood leukocytes, mainly due to a 67% decline in lymphocytes. At 16 wk the mice had developed anaemia, whereas platelets, neutrophils and monocytes had increased. The fall in lymphocytes was due to lowered levels of T cells as well as B cells. The cause of the shortened lifespan of the transgenic mice was probably not the haematological effects of hTNFalpha directly. Absence of trophic factors supplied by the normal T cell population remains possible.

Animals↗

Bidirectional effect of interleukin-10 on early murine B-cell development: stimulation of flt3-ligand plus interleukin-7-dependent generation of CD19(-) ProB cells from uncommitted bone marrow progenitor cells and growth inhibition of CD19(+) ProB cells.

B-cell commitment and early development from multipotent hematopoietic progenitor cells has until recently been considered to be dependent on direct interaction with stromal cells. We recently showed that the flt3 ligand (FL) has a unique ability to interact with interleukin-7 (IL-7) to directly and selectively promote B-cell development from murine bone marrow progenitor cells with a combined myeloid and lymphoid potential. Here we report that whereas IL-10 alone has no ability to stimulate growth of primitive (Lin-Sca-1(+)c-kit+) bone marrow progenitor cells, it potently enhances FL + IL-7-induced proliferation (sevenfold). This enhanced proliferation results from recruitment of progenitors unresponsive to FL + IL-7 alone, as well as from increased growth of individual clones, resulting in a 7,000-fold cellular expansion over 12 days. Single cell cultures and delayed addition studies suggested that the stimulatory effect of IL-10 was directly mediated on the progenitor cells. The cells generated in response to FL + IL-7 + IL-10 appeared to be almost exclusively proB cells, as shown by their expression of B220, CD24, CD43, and lack of expression of c mu, myeloid, erythroid, and T-cell surface antigens. Although IL-10 also enhanced kit ligand (KL) + IL-7-induced proliferation of Lin-Sca-1(+)c-kit+ progenitor cells, the resulting cells were predominantly myeloid progeny. Accordingly, FL + IL-7 + IL-10 was 100-fold more efficient in stimulating production of proB cells than KL + IL-7 + IL-10. In contrast to its ability to stimulate the earliest phase of proB cell formation and proliferation, IL-10 inhibited growth of proB cells generated in response to FL + IL-7. Analysis of CD19 expression on cells generated in FL + IL-7 + IL-10 showed that almost all cells generated under these conditions lacked expression of CD19, in contrast to cells generated in the absence of IL-10, which were predominantly CD19(+). Replating of sorted CD19(+) and CD19(-) proB cells in FL + IL-7 or FL + IL-7 + IL-10 showed that IL-10 efficiently blocked growth of CD19(+), but not CD19(-) cells. Both CD19(-) and CD19(+) cells expressed lambda5 and VpreB , shown to be specific for B-cell progenitors. In addition, sorted CD19(-) cells generated CD19(+) cells in response to FL + IL-7. Thus, IL-10 has a dual regulatory effect on early B-cell development from primitive murine bone marrow progenitor cells in that it enhances FL + IL-7-induced proB-cell formation and growth before acquisition of CD19 expression, whereas growth of CD19(+) proB cells is inhibited.

Animals↗

Transforming growth factor-beta1 abrogates Fas-induced growth suppression and apoptosis of murine bone marrow progenitor cells.

Fas, a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF ) receptor superfamily is a critical downregulator of cellular immune responses. Proinflammatory cytokines like interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and TNF-alpha can induce Fas expression and render hematopoietic progenitor cells susceptible to Fas-induced growth suppression and apoptosis. Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1 ) is an essential anti-inflammatory cytokine, thought to play a key role in regulating hematopoiesis. In the present studies we investigated whether TGF-beta1 might regulate growth suppression and apoptosis of murine hematopoietic progenitor cells signaled through Fas. In the presence of TNF, activation of Fas almost completely blocked clonogenic growth of lineage-depleted (Lin-) bone marrow (BM) progenitor cells in response to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF ), CSF-1, or a combination of multiple cytokines. Whereas TGF-beta1 alone had no effect or stimulated growth in response to these cytokines, it abrogated Fas-induced growth suppression. Single-cell studies and delayed addition of TGF-beta1 showed that the ability of TGF-beta1 to inhibit Fas-induced growth suppression was directly mediated on the progenitor cells and not indirect through potentially contaminating accessory cells. Furthermore, TGF-beta1 blocked Fas-induced apoptosis of Lin- BM cells, but did not affect Fas-induced apoptosis of thymocytes. TGF-beta1 also downregulated the expression of Fas on Lin- BM cells. Thus, TGF-beta1 potently and directly inhibits activation-dependent and Fas-mediated growth suppression and apoptosis of murine BM progenitor cells, an effect that appears to be distinct from its ability to induce progenitor cell-cycle arrest. Consequently, TGF-beta1 might act to protect hematopoietic progenitor cells from enhanced Fas expression and function associated with proinflammatory responses.

Animals↗

Thrombopoietin promotes adhesion of primitive human hemopoietic cells to fibronectin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1: role of activation of very late antigen (VLA)-4 and VLA-5.

Thrombopoietin (Tpo), the ligand for c-mpl and a principal regulator of megakaryocytopoiesis and platelet production, has been demonstrated to stimulate the growth and differentiation of megakaryocyte as well as multipotent hemopoietic progenitor cells. In the present study we demonstrate that Tpo can stimulate the adhesion of the Mo7e progenitor cell line to fibronectin (Fn) as well as vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 through activation of very late antigen (VLA)-4 and VLA-5, adhesion molecules previously demonstrated to be involved in regulation of steady state hemopoiesis. Tpo-induced adhesion was concentration dependent, reached a maximum following 30 min, and appeared to be dependent on adenylate cyclase, and tyrosine kinase activity. Furthermore, second messenger inhibitors implicated essential and complimentary roles of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase and protein kinase C in mediating Tpo-induced adhesion. The ability of Tpo to promote adhesion to fibronectin was comparable to that of IL-3, but less than that of stem cell factor. Unlike the ability of these cytokines to synergistically enhance growth of Mo7e as well as normal progenitor cells, no synergy was observed with regard to their ability to enhance adhesion. Finally, Tpo stimulated adhesion of primitive (CD34+ CD38-) human bone marrow cells to fibronectin, predominantly through activation of VLA-5, whereas no such effect could be observed on CD34+ CD38+ bone marrow cells. Thus, Tpo might play an important role in early hemopoiesis, at least in part through its ability to promote adhesion through activation of adhesion molecules on hemopoietic progenitor cells.

ADP-ribosyl Cyclase↗

Growth factors and hematopoietic stem cells.

The hematopoietic system is mediated in part by cell-to-cell interactions and soluble mediators or growth factors (cytokines). A large number of cytokines directly and potently control hematopoietic stem and precursor cell proliferation and differentiation. This review focuses on the recent studies devoted to the role of cytokines in the ex vivo expansion and differentiation of hematopoietic stem and precursor cells.

Animals↗

Mannuronan enhances survival of lethally irradiated mice and stimulates murine haematopoiesis in vitro.

Mannuronan (poly-beta-(1-->4)-D-mannuronate or poly-M), produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a mucoid exopolysaccharide, has previously been shown to exhibit immunostimulating activity. The authors investigated the in vivo and in vitro effects of mannuronan on murine haematopoiesis. In vivo, prophylactic (-24 h, intraperitoneal) administration of mannuronan enhanced survival of lethally irradiated mice from zero day 40 survivors (NaCl) to 20, 80 and 70% survival at 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/kg bw mannuronan, respectively. In vitro, primary stromal cultures stimulated with mannuronan produced high levels of interleukin(IL)-1, IL-6 and colony stimulating activity. Mannuronan alone did not have any colony stimulating activity on GM-CFC, BFU-E, Mix-CFC or HPP-CFC progenitors in clonogenic assays, but acted synergistically with suboptimal amounts of growth factors on GM-CFC, Mix-CFC and HPP-CFC colony formation. Limiting dilution analysis showed that 1 of 423 bone marrow cells formed colonies in response to suboptimal GM-CSF plus mannuronan compared to 1 of 592 for suboptimal GM-CSF alone. The primitive Lin-Sca-1+ haematopoietic progenitors showed increased day 10 colony size in the presence of mannuronan in single cells assays. These stimulating effects of mannuronan on haematopoiesis may prove to have clinical importance.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

Thrombopoietin, but not erythropoietin, directly stimulates multilineage growth of primitive murine bone marrow progenitor cells in synergy with early acting cytokines: distinct interactions with the ligands for c-kit and FLT3.

Thrombopoietin (Tpo), the ligand for c-mpl, has been shown to be the principal regulator of megakaryocytopoiesis and platelet production. The ability of Tpo to potently stimulate the growth of committed megakaryocyte (Mk) progenitor cells has been studied in detail. Murine fetal liver cells, highly enriched in primitive progenitors, have been shown to express c-mpl, but little is known about the ability of Tpo to stimulate the growth and differentiation of primitive multipotent bone marrow (BM) progenitor cells. Here, we show that Tpo alone and in combination with early acting cytokines can stimulate the growth and multilineage differentiation of Lin- Sca-1+ BM progenitor cells. In particular, Tpo potently synergized with the ligands for c-kit (stem cell factor [SCF]) and flt3 (FL) to stimulate an increase in the number and size of clones formed from Lin- Sca-1+ progenitors. When cells were plated at 1 cell per well, the synergistic effect of Tpo was observed both in fetal calf serum-supplemented and serum-depleted medium and was decreased if the addition of Tpo to cultures was delayed for as little as 24 hours, suggesting that Tpo is acting directly on the primitive progenitors. Tpo added to SCF + erythropoietin (Epo)-supplemented methylcellulose cultures potently enhanced the formation of multilineage colonies containing granulocytes, macrophages, erythrocytes, and Mks. SCF potently enhanced Tpo-stimulated production of high-ploidy Mks from Lin- Sca-1+ progenitors, whereas the increased growth response obtained when combining Tpo with FL did not translate into increased Mk production. The ability of Tpo and SCF to synergistically enhance the growth of Lin- Sca-1+ progenitors was predominantly observed in the more primitive rhodamine 123(lo) fraction. Tpo also enhanced growth of Lin- Sca-1+ progenitors when combined with interleukin-3 (IL-3) and IL-11 but not with IL-12, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, or Epo. Epo, which has high homology to Tpo, was unable to stimulate the growth of Lin- Sca-1+ progenitors alone or in combination with SCF or FL, suggesting that c-mpl is expressed on more primitive stages of progenitors than the Epo receptor. Thus, the present studies show the potent ability of Tpo to enhance the growth of primitive multipotent murine BM progenitors in combination with multiple early acting cytokines and documents its unique ability to synergize with SCF to enhance Mk production from such progenitors.

Animals↗

Human cytomegalovirus suppression of and latency in early hematopoietic progenitor cells.

Bone marrow cells (BMC) are involved in the pathogenesis of human cytomegalovirus++ (HCMV) infections, and the hematopoietic cells are probable sites of HCMV latency in healthy donors. In vitro studies have indicated both a direct inhibitory effect of HCMV on proliferation and differentiation of myeloid bone marrow progenitors and an impairment of bone marrow stroma cell function by HCMV. The purpose of the present study was to establish whether the suppressing effect could be limited to subsets of immature CD34+ BMC and to investigate the role of immature cell populations as possible sites of HCMV latency. CD34+ cells from healthy HCMV-seropositive and -seronegative donors were sorted according to the expression of HLA-DR (CD34+ HLA-DR+ and CD34+ HLA-DR- cells). The progenitor growth of hematopoietic progenitor cells from seronegative donors was examined by colony and single-cell assays after in vitro infection with HCMV. To determine the susceptibility of the CD34+ cells to HCMV infection in vitro and in vivo, cells of both subsets from seronegative and seropositive donors were analyzed for the presence of HCMV DNA by polymerase chain reaction. HCMV infection in vitro inhibited the interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha)-, IL-3-, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-, and stem cell factor-induced proliferation in single-cell assays of CD34+ HLA-DR- cells by 34%. In contrast, the colony growth of the CD34+ HLA-DR+ subset was suppressed in cells from only 3 of the 8 donors. However, in vitro HCMV infection of the CD34+ HLA-DR+ progenitor cells inhibited the proliferation of all donors tested when hematopoietic growth factors were used individually to promote progenitor growth. In addition, the formation of burst-forming units-erythroid and colony-forming units-granulocyte, erythrocyte, monocyte, megakaryocyte was reduced 40% to 60% by HCMV in vitro. In contrast, the growth of high proliferative potential colony-forming cells was not inhibited after in vitro HCMV infection. Furthermore, HCMV DNA was detected in both CD34+ HLA-DR- and CD34+ HLA-DR+ progenitors from in vitro-infected HCMV-seronegative donors and cells from HCMV-seropositive donors. Taken together, the early progenitors defined as CD34+ HLA-DR- and CD34+ HLA-DR+ are directly suppressed in their proliferation by HCMV in vitro, and hematopoietic stem cells are also sites of HCMV latency in healthy HCMV-seropositive donors.

Adult↗

Thrombopoietin, but not erythropoietin promotes viability and inhibits apoptosis of multipotent murine hematopoietic progenitor cells in vitro.

The recently cloned c-mpl ligand, thrombopoietin (Tpo), has been extensively characterized with regard to its ability to stimulate the growth, development, and ploidy of megakaryocyte progenitor cells and platelet production in vitro and in vivo. Primitive hematopoietic progenitors have been shown to express c-mpl, the receptor for Tpo. In the present study, we show that Tpo efficiently promotes the viability of a subpopulation of Lin-Sca-1+ bone marrow progenitor cells. The ability of Tpo to maintain viable Lin-Sca-1+ progenitors was comparable to that of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-1, whereas stem cell factor (SCF) promoted the viability of a higher number of Lin-Sca-1+ progenitor cells when incubated for 40 hours. However, after prolonged (> 40 hours) preincubation, the viability-promoting effect of Tpo was similar to that of SCF. An increased number of progenitors surviving in response to Tpo had megakaryocyte potential (37%), although almost all of the progenitors produced other myeloid cell lineages as well, suggesting that Tpo acts to promote the viability of multipotent progenitors. The ability of Tpo to promote viability of Lin-Sca-1+ progenitor cells was observed when cells were plated at a concentration of 1 cell per well in fetal calf serum-supplemented and serum-depleted medium. Finally, the DNA strand breakage elongation assay showed that Tpo inhibits apoptosis of Lin-Sca-1+ bone marrow cells. Thus, Tpo has a potent ability to promote the viability and suppress apoptosis of primitive multipotent progenitor cells.

Animals↗

The flt3 ligand promotes the survival of primitive hemopoietic progenitor cells with myeloid as well as B lymphoid potential. Suppression of apoptosis and counteraction by TNF-alpha and TGF-beta.

The recently cloned fIt3 ligand (FL) potently enhances hemopoietic growth factor-induced growth of primitive hemopoietic progenitors. In agreement with previous reports, we found FL alone to be a weak mitogen for primitive Lin-Sca-1+ murine bone marrow progenitors. Using delayed addition of growth-promoting cytokines, we demonstrate that FL potently promotes the in vitro survival of Lin-Sca-1+ progenitors responsive to a potent myeloid growth factor combination (FL, stem cell factor (SCF), granulocyte CSF (G-CSF), and IL-1 alpha). Whereas no such progenitors survived in cultures supplemented with medium alone, 33% survived in FL compared with 75 and 13% in the presence of SCF and IL-1 alpha, respectively. These results were obtained when cells were plated individually, suggesting that the viability-promoting effect of FL is mediated directly on the progenitors. Whereas SCF was superior to FL in promoting the survival of FL-, SCF-, G-CSF-, and IL-1 alpha-stimulated Lin-Sca-1+ progenitors, FL was more efficient than SCF at promoting the survival of progenitors with a B cell potential, as measured by their ability to produce B220+ cells in response to delayed addition of FL, SCF, and IL-7. Seventy-one percent of the B220+ cell production could be recovered following 40-h incubation with FL compared with 2% in response to SCF. Analysis of day 12 spleen CFU content after 40-h preincubation of Lin-Sca-1+ cells in FL or SCF demonstrated that SCF maintained 64% of the day 12 spleen CFU, whereas only 16% survived in the presence of FL. Finally, there was no significant difference between the ability of FL and SCF to maintain the viability of long-term culture-initiating cells (25 and 32%, respectively). The ability of FL to promote the survival of Lin-Sca-1+ progenitor cells was reflected by the finding that FL also suppressed apoptosis. Finally, TGF-beta abrogated and TNF-alpha potently counteracted the survival-promoting effect of FL. Thus, FL promotes the survival of primitive hemopoietic progenitor cells, in particular those with an inherent B lymphoid potential.

Animals↗

Combined signaling through interleukin-7 receptors and flt3 but not c-kit potently and selectively promotes B-cell commitment and differentiation from uncommitted murine bone marrow progenitor cells.

Multiple cytokines can synergize to stimulate the in vitro proliferation and exclusive myeloid differentiation of multipotent bone marrow progenitor cells. The ligand for c-kit (stem cell factor [SCF]) plays a key role in stimulating myeloid and erythroid cell production of primitive hematopoietic progenitors. SCF in combination with interleukin-7 (IL-7) can also stimulate the combined myeloid and B-cell differentiation of uncommitted hematopoietic progenitor cells as well as the growth of early B-cell progenitor cells, although the involvement of c-kit in early B lymphopoiesis remains controversial. In the present study, the flt3-ligand (FL), which, in combination with other cytokines, has overlapping activities with SCF on myeloid cell production from uncommitted progenitors, was investigated for its ability to induce selective stroma-independent B-cell commitment from uncommitted Lin-Sca-1+ bone marrow progenitor cells. IL-7 alone did not induce any clonal growth and FL alone gave rise to a few clusters (< 50 cells) but no colonies (> 50 cells), whereas the combined stimulation with FL and IL-7 resulted in clonal growth of 10% of Lin-Sca-1+ bone marrow cells. After 12 days of incubation of Lin-Sca-1+ cells in FL + IL-7, an almost 400-fold increase in cell production was observed. Phenotyping showed that greater than 99% of the cells produced were of the B-cell lineage, in that they expressed B220, but not cell surface markers specific for myeloid, erythroid, or T-cell lineages. Furthermore, the cells did not express cytoplasmic mu-heavy chain (cmu) or surface IgM, but were positive for CD24 (heat stable antigen [HSA]) and CD43 (leukosialin), suggesting that the cells produced were blocked at a late pro-B-cell stage. Interestingly, although all FL + IL-7-responsive Lin-Sca-1+ progenitor cells and the resulting pro-B cells expressed c-kit, FL + IL-7 was much more potent (62-fold) than SCF + IL-7 in stimulating production of cells of the B-cell lineage. In addition, whereas FL + IL-7 selectively stimulated the production of pro-B cells, SCF + IL-7 predominantly stimulated the production of mature granulocytes. Replating studies showed that FL + IL-7-responsive Lin-Sca-1+ progenitors were not committed to the B-cell lineage, because after 2 days of incubation in FL + IL-7, 80% of the progenitors retained a myeloid potential. As much as 27% of the FL + IL-7-responsive progenitors remained uncommitted after 7 days of incubation, but all had committed to the B-cell lineage after 10 days of incubation in FL + IL-7. These results show that FL much more potently and selectively than SCF synergizes with IL-7 to enhance B-cell commitment and development from uncommitted progenitor cells.

Animals↗

TNF-alpha bidirectionally modulates the viability of primitive murine hematopoietic progenitor cells in vitro.

It is well established that TNF-alpha can induce apoptosis in many normal and transformed cell types. The effects of TNF-alpha on cytokine-induced proliferation and differentiation of normal hematopoietic progenitors have been characterized extensively, whereas little is known about how TNF-alpha can affect their viability. The present studies suggest, based on experiments using delayed addition of growth-promoting cytokines as well direct viability assays, that TNF-alpha bidirectionally affects the survival of individually cultured primitive Lin- Sca-1+ hematopoietic progenitors, in that stem cell factor (SCF)-, granulocyte-CSF-, IL-6-, and IL-11-induced survival is potently counteracted by TNF-alpha (42-86%), whereas TNF-alpha synergistically enhances IL-1alpha-induced survival up to threefold. The bidirectional effects of TNF-alpha on hematopoietic growth factor-induced survival of hematopoietic progenitors were reflected in that TNF-alpha enhanced apoptosis of Lin- Sca-1+ cells when combined with SCF, whereas TNF-alpha synergistically suppressed apoptosis in response to IL-1alpha.

Animals↗

Ability of flt3 ligand to stimulate the in vitro growth of primitive murine hematopoietic progenitors is potently and directly inhibited by transforming growth factor-beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha.

The recently cloned flt3 ligand (FL) stimulates the growth of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells through synergistic interactions with multiple other cytokines. The present study is the first demonstrating cytokines capable of inhibiting FL-stimulated hematopoietic cell growth. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta l) potently inhibited the clonal growth of murine Lin-Sca-l+ bone marrow progenitors stimulated by FL alone or in combination with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), stem cell factor (SCF), interleukin (IL)-3, IL-6, IL-11, or IL-12. TGF-beta 1 inhibited more than 96% of the myeloid colony formation in response to these cytokine combinations, whereas TNF-alpha reduced the number of colonies by 58% to 96% depending on the cytokine by which FL was combined. In addition, both TNF-alpha and TGF-beta 1 inhibited more than 90% of B220+ cell production from B220- bone marrow cells stimulated by FL + IL-7. The effects of TNF-alpha and TGF-beta 1 appeared to be due to a direct effect and on the early progenitors because the inhibition was observed at the single cell level, and because delayed addition of the two inhibitors for only 48 hours dramatically reduced their inhibitory effects. A neutralizing anti-TGF-beta antibody showed the presence of endogenous TGF-beta in the cultures and potently enhanced the ability of FL to stimulate progenitor cell growth in the absence of other cytokines. Agonistic antibodies specifically activating the p75 TNF receptors were more efficient than wild type murine TNF-alpha in signaling growth inhibition of Lin-Sca-l+ progenitor cells, whereas the p55 agonist had less effect than murine TNF-alpha. Finally, TGF-beta increased the number of FL + IL-11-stimulated Lin-Sca-1+ cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle with 76%, whereas TNF-alpha only had a marginal effect on cell cycle distribution. Thus, TGF-beta, TNF-alpha, and p75 TNF receptor agonists are potent direct inhibitors of FL-stimulated progenitor cell growth in vitro.

Animals↗

The FLT3 ligand is a direct and potent stimulator of the growth of primitive and committed human CD34+ bone marrow progenitor cells in vitro.

The present studies investigated the effects of the recently cloned flt3 ligand (FL) on the in vitro growth and differentiation of primitive and committed subsets of human CD34+ bone marrow (BM) progenitor cells. FL alone was a weak growth stimulator of CD34+ BM cells, but synergistically and directly enhanced colony formation in combination with interleukin (IL) 3, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), CSF-1, granulocyte macrophage (GM) CSF stem cell factor (SCF), and IL-6. FL and SCF were equally effective in stimulating colony formation in combination with IL-3. However, the tri-factor combination of FL + IL-3 + SCF stimulated 2.3-fold and 2.5-fold more colonies than FL + IL-3 and SCF + IL-3, respectively. These additional recruited progenitors appeared to be predominantly located in a primitive (CD71-) subset of the CD34+ progenitors, as 4.5-fold more colonies were formed by CD34+CD71- cells in response to FL + IL-3 + SCF than to FL + IL-3 or SCF + IL-3. Similar findings were observed in serum-containing and serum-deprived cultures. Whereas FL did not enhance burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) colony formation of CD34+ BM cells in the presence of serum, a low number of BFU-E colonies were formed in response to FL plus erythropoietin (Epo) under serum-deprived conditions. In addition, FL both in serum-containing and serum-deprived cultures stimulated colony formation of more committed myeloid progenitors in CD34+CD71+ BM cells. Thus, FL potently stimulates the growth of primitive and more committed human BM progenitor cells.

Adult↗

Inhibition of enriched stem cells in vivo and in vitro by the hemoregulatory peptide SK&F108636.

Replacement of the labile sulfhydryl group (-SH) of the hemoregulatory peptide monomer pyroGluGluAspCysLys (HP5b) with an isosteric methylene group yields a chemically stable compound, SK&F108636. In this study, we describe the effects of SK&F108636 on highly enriched Lin-Sca1+ hematopoietic stem cells. SK&F108636 significantly reduced the fraction of cycling progenitor cells, granulocyte macrophage colony-forming cells (GM-CFC), in vitro and in vivo. There was no effect on GM-CFC or Mix-CFC colony formation. SK&F108636 significantly inhibited proliferation of high proliferative potential (HPP)-CFC in semisolid agar cultures stimulated by stem cell factor + interleukin 3 (IL-3) + IL-1, but had no effect in cultures stimulated with M-CSF + IL-3 + IL-1. SK&F108636 was shown to act directly on the stem cells since SK&F108636 inhibited proliferation of Lin-Sca1+ cells in single cell assays. Administration of SK&F108636 to lethally irradiated mice transplanted with 2000 Lin-Sca1+ cells significantly inhibited proliferation/differentiation of cells developing into colony forming units-spleen (CFU-S) (preCFU-S) and the reconstitution of HPP-CFC and GM-CFC. There was no effect of SK&F108636 on CFU-S colony formation or mature cell regeneration in bone marrow, spleen and blood. Hence, the hemoregulatory peptide monomer SK&F108636 is a potent primitive stem cell inhibitor in vivo and in vitro. Inhibition of stem cell proliferation by small specific inhibitors may protect hematopoiesis from myelotoxic side effects during chemotherapy treatment.

Animals↗

Thrombopoietin, a direct stimulator of viability and multilineage growth of primitive bone marrow progenitor cells.

Thrombopoietin (TPO), the ligand for c-mpl, has recently been demonstrated to be the primary regulator of megakaryocytopoiesis and platelet production. In addition, several studies have demonstrated that c-mpl is expressed on hematopoietic cell populations highly enriched in primitive progenitor cells. Here we summarize and discuss recent studies from our laboratory, as well as others, demonstrating that TPO has effects on primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells. When acting alone, TPO stimulates little or no growth, but promotes viability and suppresses apoptosis of murine multipotent (Lin- Sca-1+) bone marrow progenitor cells in vitro. In addition, TPO directly and potently synergizes with other early acting cytokines (kit ligand, flt3 ligand and interleukin 3) to promote multilineage growth of the same progenitor cell population. Although it remains to be established whether TPO also acts on the long-term reconstituting pluripotent stem cells, these studies combined with progenitor cell studies in c-mpl-deficient mice, suggest that TPO, in addition to its key role in platelet production, might also have an important impact on early hematopoiesis.

Animals↗

The effect of strenuous exercise, calorie deficiency and sleep deprivation on white blood cells, plasma immunoglobulins and cytokines.

Moderate exercise appears to stimulate the immune system, but there is good evidence that intense exercise can cause immune deficiency. In the present study the authors examined the effect of continuous physical exercise (35% of VO2 max), calorie deficiency and sleep deprivation on the immune system of young men participating in a 5-7 days military training course. There was a two-three fold increase of neutrophils from day 1, the values remained high and decreased slightly at the end of the course. Monocyte counts also increased with a pattern similar to that of neutrophils. Eosinophils decreased to 30% of control and lymphocyte numbers decreased by 30-40%. All the major subgroups (CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells, B cells, NK cells) were reduced. Neutrophil function, as tested by measuring chemotaxis, was significantly stimulated during the first days of the course, in particular in the group with the lowest calorie intake. The mitogenic response of lymphocytes to PHA and Con A was variable, ranging from stimulation during one course to no effect in another course. Serum levels of immunoglobulins decreased significantly during the course. IgG was reduced by 6-7%, IgA by 10-20% and IgM by 20-35%. The authors found no changes of interleukin 1, 2 and 4 during the course, but a (12-20%) reduction (P less than 0.01) of interleukin 6, and an increase (P less than 0.01) of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor. Altogether the results from the ranger course present a mixed-up picture. The non-specific phagocyte-related immunity was enhanced. On the other hand, the data indicate that even a moderate physical activity, around the clock, caused significant suppression of a number of parameters reflecting the status of the specific, lymphocyte-related immunity. It is noteworthy, however, that there was no significantly increased infection rate during the course or in the first 4-5 weeks thereafter.

Acute-Phase Proteins↗

Induction of monocyte tissue factor procoagulant activity during coronary artery bypass surgery is reduced with heparin-coated extracorporeal circuit.

The possible activation of monocytes to express tissue factor procoagulant activity (TF-PCA) during CPB (cardiopulmonary bypass) was investigated. 22 patients undergoing myocardial revascularization were randomly assigned to two groups. In group C, heparin-coated circuits (Duraflo II) and reduced systemic heparinization (ACT > 250s) were used. In group NC, non-coated circuits and standard heparin administration (ACT > 480s) were used. Adherent monocytes retrieved from the oxygenators immediately after bypass arrest showed a 2-3-fold increase in TF-PCA when compared to circulating cells pre-CPB (P < 0.01). When cell PCA was expressed as percent change from pre-CPB (baseline) values, circulating monocytes in group NC at CPB-arrest showed a 2-fold increase in PCA compared to group C (P < 0.05). Moreover, the percent increase in PCA of oxygenator-retrieved monocytes was 7-fold in group NC and 2-fold in group C (P < 0.008 and P < 0.004, respectively). Thus, heparin-coating of the extracorporeal circuit reduced induction of adherent cell TF-PCA by 70% (P < 0.05). Thus, monocyte TF-PCA may cause activation of the extrinsic coagulation pathway during CPB surgery. It is apparent that heparin-coating enhanced biocompatibility of extracorporeal circuits. Reduced systemic heparinization in group C proved to be safe. However, further reduction of heparin administration may not be advisable, since monocytes were still activated in the coated oxygenator.

Blood Coagulation↗