Differentiation potential of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in duck

The bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells （MSCs） are multipotent stem cells which can differentiate into mesenchymal cells in vitro. In this study, MSCs in duck were isolated from bone marrow by density gradient centrifuge separation, purified and expanded in the me- dium. The primary MSCs were expanded for 11 passages. The different-passage MSCs were induced to differentiate into osteoblasts and neuron-like cells. Karyotype analysis indicated that MSCs kept diploid condition and the hereditary feature was stable. The different- passage MSCs expressed CD44, ICAM-1 and SSEA-4, but not CD34, CD45 and SSEA-1 when detected by immunofluorescence staining There was no significant difference among the positive rates of passages 2, 6 and 8 （P 〉 0.05）, but a significant difference existed among those of passages 2, 6, 8 and 11 （P 〈 0.05）. After the osteogenic inducement was added, the induced different-passage MSCs expressed high-level alkaline phosphatase （ALP）, and are positive for tetracycline staining, Alizarin Red staining and Von Kossa staining. After the neural inducement was added, about 70% cells exhibited typical neuron-like phenotype, the induced different-passage MSCs expressed Nestin, neuron-specific enolase （NSE） and glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP） when detected by immunofluorescence staining. There was no significant difference among the positive rates of passages 3, 4 and 6 （P〉0.05）, but a significant difference existed among those of passages 3, 4, 6 and 8 （P〈0.05）. These results suggest that MSCs in duck were capable of differentiating into osteoblasts and neuron-like cells in vitro.     

表皮生长因子诱导骨髓间充质干细胞向视网膜神经细胞分化的体外研究

目的:研究表皮生长因子诱导骨髓间充质干细胞向视网膜神经细胞分化的可能性。方法:体外培养骨髓间充质干细胞,利用流式细胞仪分析其细胞表型。采用含EGF的培养液诱导骨髓间充质干细胞向视网膜神经细胞分化,并利用免疫荧光法进行鉴定。结果:从骨髓中分离培养的细胞具有成纤维细胞样形态,贴壁生长,表型相对均一,表面标志为CD90、CD44、CD147阳性;而CD34、CD38、CD45、CD14、HLA-DR阴性。体外诱导后可以得到神经干细胞标志物nestin、神经胶质细胞标志物GFAP和视网膜光感受器细胞标志物Rhodopsin呈阳性表达的细胞。结论:从骨髓中分离培养得到的间充质干细胞具有向视网膜神经细胞分化的潜能。     

Development of mesenchymal stem cells partially originate from the neural crest

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a heterogeneous subset of stromal stem cells isolated from many adult tissues. Previous studies reported that MSCs can differentiate to both mesodermal and neural lineages by a phenomenon referred to as ‘‘dedifferentiation’’ or ‘‘transdifferentiation’’. However, since MSCs have only been defined in vitro, much of their development in vivo is still unknown. Here, we prospectively identified MSCs in the bone marrow from adult transgenic mice encoding neural crest-specific P0-Cre/Floxed-EGFP and Wnt1-Cre/Floxed-EGFP. EGFP-positive MSCs formed spheres that expressed neural crest stem cell genes and differentiated into neurons, glial cells, and myofibroblasts. Interestingly, we observed MSCs both in the GFP⁺ and GFP⁻ fraction and found that there were no significant differences in the in vitro characteristics between these two populations. Our results suggest that MSCs in adult bone marrow have at least two developmental origins, one of which is the neural crest.     

Isolation of mesenchymal stem cells from human placenta: comparison with human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

The presence within bone marrow of a population of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) able to differentiate into a number of different mesenchymal tissues, including bone and cartilage, was first suggested by Friedenstein nearly 40 years ago. Since then MSCs have been demonstrated in a variety of fetal and adult tissues, including bone marrow, fetal blood and liver, cord blood, amniotic fluid and, in some circumstances, in adult peripheral blood. MSCs from all of these sources can be extensively expanded in vitro and when cultured under specific permissive conditions retain their ability to differentiate into multiple lineages including bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, nerve, glial and stromal cells. There has been great interest in these cells both because of their value as a model for studying the molecular basis of differentiation and because of their therapeutic potential for tissue repair and immune modulation. However, MSCs are a rare population in these tissues. Here we tried to identify cells with MSC-like potency in human placenta. We isolated adherent cells from trypsin-digested term placentas and examined these cells for morphology, surface markers, and differentiation potential and found that they expressed several stem cell markers. They also showed endothelial and neurogenic differentiation potentials under appropriate conditions. We suggest that placenta-derived cells have multilineage differentiation potential similar to MSCs in terms of morphology and cell-surface antigen expression. The placenta may prove to be a useful source of MSCs.     

JC virus T-antigen regulates glucose metabolic pathways in brain tumor cells

Recent studies have reported the detection of the human neurotropic virus, JCV, in a significant population of brain tumors, including medulloblastomas. Accordingly, expression of the JCV early protein, T-antigen, which has transforming activity in cell culture and in transgenic mice, results in the development of a broad range of tumors of neural crest and glial origin. Evidently, the association of T-antigen with a range of tumor-suppressor proteins, including p53 and pRb, and signaling molecules, such as β-catenin and IRS-1, plays a role in the oncogenic function of JCV T-antigen. We demonstrate that T-antigen expression is suppressed by glucose deprivation in medulloblastoma cells and in glioblastoma xenografts that both endogenously express T-antigen. Mechanistic studies indicate that glucose deprivation-mediated suppression of T-antigen is partly influenced by 5'-activated AMP kinase (AMPK), an important sensor of the AMP/ATP ratio in cells. In addition, glucose deprivation-induced cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase is blocked with AMPK inhibition, which also prevents T-antigen downregulation. Furthermore, T-antigen prevents G1 arrest and sustains cells in the G2 phase during glucose deprivation. On a functional level, T-antigen downregulation is partially dependent on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production during glucose deprivation, and T-antigen prevents ROS induction, loss of ATP production, and cytotoxicity induced by glucose deprivation. Additionally, we have found that T-antigen is downregulated by the glycolytic inhibitor, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), and the pentose phosphate inhibitors, 6-aminonicotinamide and oxythiamine, and that T-antigen modulates expression of the glycolytic enzyme, hexokinase 2 (HK2), and the pentose phosphate enzyme, transaldolase-1 (TALDO1), indicating a potential link between T-antigen and metabolic regulation. These studies point to the possible involvement of JCV T-antigen in medulloblastoma proliferation and the metabolic phenotype and may enhance our understanding of the role of viral proteins in glycolytic tumor metabolism, thus providing useful targets for the treatment of virus-induced tumors.     

基质衍生因子(SDF-1)对骨髓间充质干细胞定向迁移的影响

目的:研究基质细胞衍生因子-1(SDF-1)/CXCR4轴在骨髓间充质干细胞迁徙到受损胰腺中的作用。方法:密度梯度离心、贴壁培养骨髓间充质干细胞,建立STZ诱导糖尿病模型并制备正常和受损胰腺组织提取液,利用Transwell小室体外迁移体系观察不同浓度SDF-1和不同组织提取液对骨髓间充质干细胞的趋化作用,及SDF-1/CXCR4特异抑制剂AMD3100对骨髓间充质干细胞迁移的影响。结果:成功培养了骨髓间充质干细胞并建立了糖尿病大鼠模型。SDF-l对骨髓间充质干细胞有剂量依赖性的趋化作用,造模1周的胰腺组织提取液对骨髓间充质干细胞有明显的趋化作用,而这种作用可部分被SDF-1受体CXCR4的抑制剂AMD3100抑制。结论:受损胰腺组织提取液对骨髓间充质干细胞有明显的趋化作用,SDF-1/CXCR4轴可能在组织提取液趋化骨髓间充质干细胞迁移中起主要的作用。     

Bag3-Induced Autophagy Is Associated with Degradation of JCV Oncoprotein, T-Ag

JC virus, JCV, is a human neurotropic polyomavirus whose replication in glial cells causes the fatal demyelinating disease progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). In addition, JCV possesses oncogenic activity and expression of its transforming protein, large T-antigen (T-Ag), in several experimental animals induces tumors of neural origin. Further, the presence of JCV DNA and T-Ag have been repeatedly observed in several human malignant tissues including primitive neuroectodermal tumors and glioblastomas. Earlier studies have demonstrated that Bag3, a member of the Bcl-2-associated athanogene (Bag) family of proteins, which is implicated in autophagy and apoptosis, is downregulated upon JCV infection of glial cells and that JCV T-Ag is responsible for suppressing the activity of the BAG3 promoter. Here, we investigated the possible impact of Bag3 on T-Ag expression in JCV-infected human primary glial cells as well as in cells derived from T-Ag-induced medulloblastoma in transgenic animals. Results from these studies revealed that overexpression of Bag3 drastically decreases the level of T-Ag expression by inducing the autophagic degradation of the viral protein. Interestingly, this event leads to the inhibition of JCV infection of glial cells, suggesting that the reduced levels of T-antigen seen upon the overexpression of Bag3 has a biological impact on the viral lytic cycle. Results from protein-protein interaction studies showed that T-Ag and Bag3 physically interact with each other through the zinc-finger of T-Ag and the proline rich domains of Bag3, and this interaction is important for the autophagic degradation of T-Ag. Our observations open a new avenue of research for better understanding of virus-host interaction by investigating the interplay between T-Ag and Bag3, and their impact on the development of JCV-associated diseases.     

Multilineage potential of stable human mesenchymal stem cell line derived from fetal marrow

Human bone marrow contains two major cell types, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs possess self-renewal capacity and pluripotency defined by their ability to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes and muscle cells. MSCs are also known to differentiate into neurons and glial cells in vitro, and in vivo following transplantation into the brain of animal models of neurological disorders including ischemia and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) stroke. In order to obtain sufficient number and homogeneous population of human MSCs, we have clonally isolated permanent and stable human MSC lines by transfecting primary cell cultures of fetal human bone marrow MSCs with a retroviral vector encoding v-myc gene. One of the cell lines, HM3.B10 (B10), was found to differentiate into neural cell types including neural stem cells, neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in vitro as shown by expression of genetic markers for neural stem cells (nestin and Musashi1), neurons (neurofilament protein, synapsin and MAP2), astrocytes (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP) and oligodendrocytes (myelin basic protein, MBP) as determined by RT-PCR assay. In addition, B10 cells were found to differentiate into neural cell types as shown by immunocytochical demonstration of nestin (for neural stem cells), neurofilament protein and beta-tubulin III (neurons) GFAP (astrocytes), and galactocerebroside (oligodendrocytes). Following brain transplantation in mouse ICH stroke model, B10 human MSCs integrate into host brain, survive, differentiate into neurons and astrocytes and induce behavioral improvement in the ICH animals. B10 human MSC cell line is not only a useful tool for the studies of organogenesis and specifically for the neurogenesis, but also provides a valuable source of cells for cell therapy studies in animal models of stroke and other neurological disorders.     

Skin-derived multipotent stromal cells – an archrival for mesenchymal stem cells

Progenitor stem cells have been identified, isolated and characterized in numerous tissues and organs. However, their therapeutic potential and the use of these stem cells remain elusive except for a few progenitor cells from bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, eyes and dental pulp. The use of bone marrow-derived hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) or mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is restricted due to their extreme invasive procedures, low differentiation potential with age and rejection. Thus, we need a clinical grade alternative to progenitor stem cells with a high potential to differentiate, na?ve and is relatively easy in in vitro propagation. In this review, we summarize cell populations of adherent and floating spheres derived from different origins of skin, or correctly foreskin, by enzymatic digestion compared with established MSCs. The morphology, phenotype, differentiation capability and immunosuppressive property of the adherent cell populations are comparable with MSCs. Serum-free cultured floating spheres have limited mesodermal but higher neurogenic differentation potential, analogous to neural crest stem cells. Both the populations confirmed their plethora potential in in vitro. Together, it may be noted that the skin-derived adherent cell populations and floating cells can be good alternative sources of progenitor cells especially in cosmetic, plastic and sports regenerative medicine.     

Differentiation potential and GFP labeling of sheep bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are an important cell population in the bone marrow microenvironment. MSCs have the capacity to differentiate in vitro into several mesenchymal tissues including bone, cartilage, fat, tendon, muscle, and marrow stroma. This study was designed to isolate, expand, and characterize the differentiation ability of sheep bone marrow‐derived MSCs and to demonstrate the possibility to permanently express a reporter gene. Bone marrow was collected from the iliac crest and mononuclear cells were separated by density gradient centrifugation. Sheep MSCs cell lines were stable characterized as CD44+ and CD34? and then transfected with a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene. The GFP expression was maintained in about half (46.6%) of cloned blastocysts produced by nuclear transfer of GFP+ sheep MSCs, suggesting the possibility to establish multipotent embryonic cells' lines carrying the fluorescent tag for comparative studies on the differentiation capacity of adult stem cells (MSCs) versus embryonic stem cells. We found that sheep MSCs under appropriate culture conditions could be induced to differentiate into adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteoblast lineages. Our results confirm the plasticity of sheep MSCs and establish the foundation for the development of a pre‐clinical sheep model to test the efficiency and safety of cell replacement therapy. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 134–143, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Basic fibroblast growth factor supports expansion of mouse compact bone-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and regeneration of bone from MSC in vivo

Some progress has been made in development of methods to regenerate bone from cultured cells, however no method is put to practical use. Here, we developed methods to isolate, purify, and expand mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from mouse compact bone that may be used to regenerate bone in vivo. These cells were maintained in long-term culture and were capable of differentiating along multiple lineages, including chondrocyte, osteocyte, and adipocyte trajectories. We used standard cell isolation and culture methods to establish cell cultures from mouse compact bone and bone marrow. Cultures were grown in four distinct media to determine the optimal composition of culture medium for bone-derived MSCs. Putative MSCs were subjected to flow cytometry, alkaline phosphatase assays, immunohistochemical staining, and several differentiation assays to assess cell identity, protein expression, and developmental potential. Finally, we used an in vivo bone formation assay to determine whether putative MSCs were capable of regenerating bone. We found that compact bone of mice was a better source of MCSs than the bone marrow, that growth in plastic flasks served to purify MSCs from hematopoietic cells, and that MSCs grown in basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)-conditioned medium were, based on multiple criteria, superior to those grown in leukemia inhibitory factor-conditioned medium. Moreover, we found that the MSCs isolated from compact bone and grown in bFGF-conditioned medium were capable of supporting bone formation in vivo. The methods and results described here have implications for understanding MSC biology and for clinical purpose.     

WJSC 6th Anniversary Special Issues（2）:Mesenchymal stem cells Brain mesenchymal stem cells:The other stem cells of the brain?

Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells(MSC),have the potential to differentiate into cells of the mesenchymal lineage and have non-progenitor functions including immunomodulation.The demonstration that MSCs are perivascular cells found in almost all adult tissues raises fascinating perspectives on their role in tissue maintenance and repair.However,some controversies about the physiological role of the perivascular MSCs residing outside the bone marrow and on their therapeutic potential in regenerative medicine exist.In brain,perivascular MSCs like pericytes and adventitial cells,could constitute another stem cell population distinct to the neural stem cell pool.The demonstration of the neuronal potential of MSCs requires stringent criteria including morphological changes,the demonstration of neural biomarkers expression,electrophysiological recordings,and the absence of cell fusion.The recent finding that brain cancer stem cells can transdifferentiate into pericytes is another facet of the plasticity of these cells.It suggests that the perversion of the stem cell potential of pericytes might play an even unsuspected role in cancer formation and tumor progression.     

Epigenetic modifiers promote efficient generation of neural-like cells from bone marrow-derived mesenchymal cells grown in neural environment

Understanding mechanisms that govern cell fate decisions will lead to developing techniques for induction of adult stem cell differentiation to desired cell outcomes and, thus, production of an autologos source of cells for regenerative medicine. Recently, we demonstrated that stem cells derived from adult central nervous system or bone marrow grown with other cell lineages or with more undifferentiated cells sometimes take on those characteristics. This indicates that manipulating extracellular factors may be sufficient to alter some developmental restrictions regulated by the epigenetic system. In this study, using pharmacological agents that interfere with the main components of the epigenetic program such as DNA methylation and histone deacetylation, we induce high-level expression of embryonic and neural stem cell (NSC) marker Sox2 in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Exposure of these modified cells to a neural environment via juxtacrine and paracrine interactions promote efficient generation of neural stem-like cells as well as cells with neuronal and glial characteristics. We concluded that the manipulation strategy used in this study can be a useful method for efficient production of NSC-like cells from MSCs.     

Canonical and non-canonical Wnts differentially affect the development potential of primary isolate of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

This study examines the role of Wnt signaling events in regulating the differential potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from adult bone marrow (BM). Immunohistochemical analysis of BM revealed co-localization of Wnt5a protein, a non-canonical Wnt, with CD45(+) cells and CD45(-) STRO-1(+) cells, while Wnt3a expression, a canonical Wnt, was associated with the underlying stroma matrix, suggesting that Wnts may regulate MSCs in their niche in BM. To elucidate the role of Wnts in MSC development, adult human BM-derived mononuclear cells were maintained as suspension cultures to recapitulate the marrow cellular environment, in serum-free, with the addition of Wnt3a and Wnt5a protein. Results showed that Wnt3a increased cell numbers and expanded the pool of MSCs capable of colony forming unit -- fibroblast (CFU-F) and CFU -- osteoblast (O), while Wnt5a maintained cell numbers and CFU-F and CFU-O numbers. However, when cells were cultured directly onto tissue culture plastic, Wnt5a increased the number of CFU-O relative to control conditions. These findings suggest the potential dual role of Wnt5a in the maintenance of MSCs in BM and enhancing osteogenesis ex vivo. Our work provides evidence that Wnts can function as mesenchymal regulatory factors by providing instructive cues for the recruitment, maintenance, and differentiation of MSCs.     

Comparison of phenotypic markers and neural differentiation potential of human bone marrow stromal cells from the cranial bone and iliac crest

Cellular therapies represent a new frontier in the treatment of neurological diseases. Accumulating evidence from preclinical studies of animal models suggests that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), also known as mesenchymal stem cells, are an effective therapy for neurological diseases. In this study, we established human MSC lines from both cranial bone marrow (cBMMSCs) and iliac crest bone marrow (iBMMSCs) from the same donors and found that cBMMSCs show higher expression of neural crest-associated genes than iBMMSCs. Moreover, as observed in both mRNA and protein assays, neurogenic-induced cells from cBMMSCs expressed significantly higher levels of neural markers, such as NESTIN, SLUG, SOX9, and TWIST, than those from iBMMSCs. Thus, cBMMSCs showed a greater tendency than iBMMSCs to differentiate into neuron-like cells.     

一种新的人胚胎干细胞自身来源的滋养层支持其体外培养

摘要: 通过人胚胎干细胞(Human embryonic stem cells, hESCs)经体内分化获取间充质干细胞(Mesenchymal stem cells, MSCs)为人胚胎干细胞提供一种新的滋养层。将约5×106个hESCs注射入重症免疫联合缺陷小鼠形成畸胎瘤, 8周后再从畸胎瘤中分离MSCs并鉴定, 将MSCs作为hESCs的滋养层细胞, 并检测和观察hESCs的生长情况、细胞特性和分化能力。从畸胎瘤中获得了纯度较高的具有类似骨髓来源的MSC特性的细胞群, 其形态相似、表面抗原标志相似(CD34和CD45阴性, CD29、CD49b、CD105、CD73和CD90阳性), 经诱导可以向成骨细胞和成脂细胞分化。将hESCs在MSCs滋养层细胞上传代培养10代以上, hESCs依然具有正常的细胞形态, 反转录PCR证实其特异转录因子Oct4、Nanog的表达, 干细胞表面标记SSEA-1显示为阴性, SSEA-4、TRA-1-60、TRA-1-81显示为阳性, 碱性磷酸酶染色显示为阳性, 并且核型正常。体外EB形成和体内畸胎瘤形成证明了其全能性。因此来源于hESCs本身的MSCs可以被用来作为支持胚胎干细胞生长并维持其未分化状态的滋养层细胞。     

The isolation and characterization of putative mesenchymal stem cells from the spiny mouse

The bone marrow represents the most common source from which to isolate mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs are capable of differentiating into tissues of the three primary lineages and have the potential to enhance repair in damaged organs through the principals of regenerative medicine. Given the ease with which MSCs may be isolated from different species the aim of this study was to isolate and characterize putative bone marrow derived MSCs from the spiny mouse, Acomys cahirinus. MSCs were isolated from the spiny mouse in a traditional manner, and based on plastic adherence, morphology, colony forming unit-fibroblast assays and functional assessment (adipogenic, osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation potential) a population of putative mesenchymal stem cells from the compact bone of the spiny mouse have been isolated and characterized. Such methodological approaches overcome the lack of species-specific antibodies for the spiny mouse and could be employed for other species where the cost of generating species-specific antibodies is not warranted.     

JC virus enters human glial cells by clathrin-dependent receptor-mediated endocytosis

The human polyomavirus JC virus (JCV) is the etiologic agent of a fatal central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating disease known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). PML occurs predominantly in immunosuppressed patients and has increased dramatically as a result of the AIDS pandemic. The major target cell of JCV infection and lytic replication in the CNS is the oligodendrocyte. The mechanisms by which JCV initiates and establishes infection of these glial cells are not understood. The initial interaction between JCV and glial cells involves virus binding to N-linked glycoproteins containing terminal alpha(2-6)-linked sialic acids. The subsequent steps of entry and targeting of the viral genome to the nucleus have not been described. In this report, we compare the kinetics and mechanisms of infectious entry of JCV into human glial cells with that of the related polyomavirus, simian virus 40 (SV40). We demonstrate that JCV, unlike SV40, enters glial cells by receptor-mediated clathrin-dependent endocytosis.     

Molecular biology and immunoregulation of human neurotropic JC virus in CNS

The human polyomavirus, JC virus (JCV), provides an excellent model system to investigate the reciprocal interaction of the immune and nervous systems. Infection with JCV occurs during childhood and the virus remains in the latent state with no apparent clinical symptoms. However, under immunosuppressed conditions, the virus enters the lytic cycle and upon cytolytic destruction of glial cells, causes the fatal demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS), named progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). In this short review, we discuss the molecular pathogenesis of PML by highlighting the role of the immune system in modulating JCV gene activation and replication, and the latency/reactivation of this virus upon immunosuppression. Further, due to the higher incidence of PML among AIDS patients, we further elaborate on the cross-talk between JCV and HIV-1 by direct and indirect pathways that lead to enhanced expression of the JCV genome.     

IFN-Gamma Inhibits JC Virus Replication in Glial Cells by Suppressing T-Antigen Expression

Objective

Patients undergoing immune modulatory therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, and individuals with an impaired-immune system, most notably AIDS patients, are in the high risk group of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), an often lethal disease of the brain characterized by lytic infection of oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system (CNS) with JC virus (JCV). The immune system plays an important regulatory role in controlling JCV reactivation from latent sites by limiting viral gene expression and replication. However, little is known regarding the molecular mechanisms responsible for this regulation.

Methods and Results

Here, we investigated the impact of soluble immune mediators secreted by activated PBMCs on viral replication and gene expression by cell culture models and molecular virology techniques. Our data revealed that viral gene expression and viral replication were suppressed by soluble immune mediators. Further studies demonstrated that soluble immune mediators secreted by activated PBMCs inhibit viral replication induced by T-antigen, the major viral regulatory protein, by suppressing its expression in glial cells. This unexpected suppression of T-antigen was mainly associated with the suppression of translational initiation. Cytokine/chemokine array studies using conditioned media from activated PBMCs revealed several candidate cytokines with possible roles in this regulation. Among them, only IFN-γ showed a robust inhibition of T-antigen expression. While potential roles for IFN-β, and to a lesser extent IFN-α have been described for JCV, IFN-γ has not been previously implicated. Further analysis of IFN-γ signaling pathway revealed a novel role of Jak1 signaling in control of viral T-antigen expression. Furthermore, IFN-γ suppressed JCV replication and viral propagation in primary human fetal glial cells, and showed a strong anti-JCV activity.

Conclusions

Our results suggest a novel role for IFN-γ in the regulation of JCV gene expression via downregulation of the major viral regulatory protein, T-antigen, and provide a new avenue of research to understand molecular mechanisms for downregulation of viral reactivation that may lead to development of novel strategies for the treatment of PML.