Induction of osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells by histone deacetylase inhibitors

Valproic acid (VPA) has been used as an anticonvulsant agent for the treatment of epilepsy, as well as a mood stabilizer for the treatment of bipolar disorder, for several decades. The mechanism of action for these effects remains to be elucidated and is most likely multifactorial. Recently, VPA has been reported to inhibit histone deacetylase (HDAC) and HDAC has been reported to play roles in differentiation of mammalian cells. In this study, the effects of HDAC inhibitors on differentiation and proliferation of human adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (hADSC) and bone marrow stromal cells (hBMSC) were determined. VPA increased osteogenic differentiation in a dose dependent manner. The pretreatment of VPA before induction of differentiation also showed stimulatory effects on osteogenic differentiation of hMSC. Trichostatin A (TSA), another HDAC inhibitor, also increased osteogenic differentiation, whereas valpromide (VPM), a structural analog of VPA which does not possess HDAC inhibitory effects, did not show any effect on osteogenic differentiation on hADSC. RT-PCR and Real-time PCR analysis revealed that VPA treatment increased osterix, osteopontin, BMP-2, and Runx2 expression. The addition of noggin inhibited VPA-induced potentiation of osteogenic differentiation. VPA inhibited proliferation of hADSC and hBMSC. Our results suggest that VPA enhance osteogenic differentiation, probably due to inhibition of HDAC, and could be useful for in vivo bone engineering using hMSC.     

Human fibroblast commitment to a senescence-like state in response to histone deacetylase inhibitors is cell cycle dependent.

Human diploid fibroblasts (HDF) complete a limited number of cell divisions before entering a growth arrest state that is termed replicative senescence. Two histone deacetylase inhibitors, sodium butyrate and trichostatin A, dramatically reduce the HDF proliferative life span in a manner that is dependent on one or more cell doublings in the presence of these agents. Cells arrested and subsequently released from histone deacetylase inhibitors display markers of senescence and exhibit a persistent G1 block but remain competent to initiate a round of DNA synthesis in response to simian virus 40 T antigen. Average telomere length in prematurely arrested cells is greater than in senescent cells, reflecting a lower number of population doublings completed by the former. Taken together, these results support the view that one component of HDF senescence mimics a cell cycle-dependent drift in differentiation state and that propagation of HDF in histone deacetylase inhibitors accentuates this component.     

Differential effects of histone deacetylase inhibitors on interleukin-18 gene expression in myeloid cells

Histone deacetyrase (HDAC) inhibitors induce growth arrest and differentiation of leukemia cell lines and tumor cells derived from a large variety of human tissues. Here we showed that HDAC inhibitors sodium butyrate, TSA, and valproate regulated the expression of Interleukin-18 (IL-18), a cytokine with antitumor and proinflammatory properties, in human acute myeloid leukemia cell lines U937 and HEL. Sodium butyrate increased expression of IL-18 protein and mRNA and activated 1357bp IL-18 gene promoter construct. IL-18 mRNA level was up-regulated by TSA or valproate, which also activated IL-18 full-length promoter. While sodium butyrate or TSA stimulated the 108-bp IL-18 minimal promoter, valproate failed to activate it, indicating that valproate may use a distinct mechanism from sodium butyrate and TSA to activate IL-18 gene expression.     

Analysis of apoptosis regulatory genes altered by histone deacetylase inhibitors in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play a key role in the regulation of acetylation status not only of histones but also of many other non-histone proteins involved in cell cycle regulation, differentiation or apoptosis. Therefore, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have emerged as promising anticancer agents. Herein, we report the characterization of apoptosis in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) induced by two HDACi, Kendine 92 and SAHA. Both inhibitors induce dose-, time- and caspase-dependent apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway. Interestingly, Kendine 92 and SAHA show a selective cytotoxicity for B lymphocytes and induce apoptosis in CLL cells with mutated or deleted TP53 as effectively as in tumor cells harboring wild-type TP53. The pattern of apoptosis-related gene and protein expression profile has been characterized. It has shown to be irrespective of TP53 status and highly similar between SAHA and Kendine 92 exposure. The balance between the increased BAD, BNIP3L, BNIP3, BIM, PUMA and AIF mRNA expression levels, and decreased expression of BCL-W, BCL-2, BFL-1, XIAP and FLIP indicates global changes in the apoptosis mRNA expression profile consistent with the apoptotic outcome. Protein expression analysis shows increased levels of NOXA, BIM and PUMA proteins upon Kendine 92 and SAHA treatment. Our results highlight the capability of these molecules to induce apoptosis not only in a selective manner but also in those cells frequently resistant to standard treatments. Thus, Kendine 92 is a novel HDACi with anticancer efficacy for non-proliferating CLL cells.     

Analysis of apoptosis regulatory genes altered by histone deacetylase inhibitors in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) play a key role in the regulation of acetylation status not only of histones but also of many other non-histone proteins involved in cell cycle regulation, differentiation or apoptosis. Therefore, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) have emerged as promising anticancer agents. Herein, we report the characterization of apoptosis in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) induced by two HDACi, Kendine 92 and SAHA. Both inhibitors induce dose-, time- and caspase-dependent apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway. Interestingly, Kendine 92 and SAHA show a selective cytotoxicity for B lymphocytes and induce apoptosis in CLL cells with mutated or deleted TP53 as effectively as in tumor cells harboring wild-type TP53. The pattern of apoptosis-related gene and protein expression profile has been characterized. It has shown to be irrespective of TP53 status and highly similar between SAHA and Kendine 92 exposure. The balance between the increased BAD, BNIP3L, BNIP3, BIM, PUMA and AIF mRNA expression levels, and decreased expression of BCL-W, BCL-2, BFL-1, XIAP and FLIP indicates global changes in the apoptosis mRNA expression profile consistent with the apoptotic outcome. Protein expression analysis shows increased levels of NOXA, BIM and PUMA proteins upon Kendine 92 and SAHA treatment. Our results highlight the capability of these molecules to induce apoptosis not only in a selective manner but also in those cells frequently resistant to standard treatments. Thus, Kendine 92 is a novel HDACi with anticancer efficacy for non-proliferating CLL cells.     

Directing cell differentiation with small-molecule histone deacetylase inhibitors: The example of promoting pancreatic endocrine cells

Genes in the mammalian genome contain information necessary to build an organism during development. Epigenetic processes add a further degree of complexity. These mechanisms of temporal and spatial control of gene activity during the development of complex organisms modulate gene expression patterns without modifying the DNA sequence. Post-translational modifications of histones such as acetylation bestow the ability to modify genomic signals. Determining whether epigenetic changes are responsible for particular phenotypes is thus crucial to understand organ development. Here we review the role of histone deacetylase enzymes (HDACs) in guiding lineage commitment and driving cell differentiation, as well as their pharmacological manipulation using small-molecule HDAC inhibitors in various differentiation programs. In particular, we focus on the pancreas as we recently discovered that deacetylase inhibition favors generation of endocrine pancreatic cells. We also discuss the potential application of HDAC inhibitors for disease treatment, with particular emphasis on diabetes therapy.     

组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂(HDAIs)对异染色质的作用

组蛋白乙酰化和去乙酰化可调节染色体的多种功能,例如基因表达和染色体分离等。研究发现,组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂(histone deacetylase inhibitors,HDACIs)可诱导分化、生长阻断和肿瘤细胞凋亡,目前HDACIs正作为抗肿瘤药物进行临床试验,在肿瘤治疗中显示出具有较好的应用前景。然而,人们对于HDACIs在生物体内是如何发挥作用以及不同类型细胞为何会有不同的应答途径却关注甚少。本综述通过讨论HDACIs对周期和非周期细胞中组蛋白去乙酰化酶的抑制结果,来阐明组蛋白乙酰化模式的动力学特征,特别是对基因组异染色质的作用。     

Cell fate potential of human pluripotent stem cells is encoded by histone modifications

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) expressing pluripotency markers are assumed to possess equipotent developmental potential. However, disparate responses to differentiation stimuli functionally illustrate that hESCs generate a spectrum of differentiated cell types, suggestive of lineage bias. Here, we reveal specific cell surface markers that allow subfractionation of hESCs expressing hallmark markers of pluripotency. By direct de novo isolation of these?subsets, we demonstrate that propensities for lineage differentiation are balanced with reduced clonogenic self-renewal. Histone modification marks of gene loci associated with pluripotency versus lineage specificity predicted cell fate potential of these subfractions, thereby supporting the absence of uniform bivalency as a molecular paradigm to describe cell fate determination of pluripotent cells. Our study reveals that cell fate potential is encoded within cells comprising hESC cultures, highlighting them as a means to understand the mechanisms of lineage specification of pluripotent cells.     

组蛋白去甲基化酶1在干细胞增殖与分化中的调控作用

表观遗传学在干细胞的分化与成熟过程中扮演着重要的角色。其中发现组蛋白去甲基化酶1（LSD1）可以动态地调节组蛋白的甲基化状态,进而调控基因转录的激活和抑制以及X染色体失活等过程,LSD1在肿瘤干细胞、胚胎干细胞、神经干细胞及诱导多能干细胞中均有表达,并影响这些干细胞的增殖和分化过程。就LSD1在干细胞增殖与分化中的调控作用的研究进展进行综述。     

Immediate expression of Cdh2 is essential for efficient neural differentiation of mouse induced pluripotent stem cells

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) exhibit reduced efficiency and higher variability in neural differentiation compared to embryonic stem cells (ESCs). In this study, we showed that mouse iPSCs failed to efficiently give rise to neuronal cells using conventional methods previously established for driving mouse ESC differentiation. We reported a novel approach which remarkably increases neural differentiation of mouse iPSCs. This novel approach initiated embryoid body (EB) formation directly from the whole cell clones isolated from the top of feeder cells. Compared to conventional neural induction methods such as single cell suspension or monolayer culture, the cell clone-derived EB method led to a pronounced increase in directed generation of various types of neural cells including neural stem cells, motoneurons and dopaminergic neurons in response to different inducers. Through gene expression microarray analysis, we identified 14 genes that were highly expressed in the cell clone-derived EBs. Among them, we found that Cdh2, also known as N-cadherin, played important roles in controlling the neural differentiation efficiency of mouse iPSCs. Forced expression of Cdh2 in iPSCs substantially enhanced the differentiation efficiency while knocking-down of Cdh2 by shRNA blocked the neural differentiation. Our results revealed a critical role of Cdh2 in the process of efficient neural differentiation of mouse iPS cells.