干细胞、肿瘤干细胞与肿瘤

干细胞是一种具有自我更新、无限增殖和多向分化能力的细胞.而多数肿瘤是由不同增殖潜能的不均一性细胞构成.随着对干细胞的研究不断深入,使人们对肿瘤的发生机制重新进行了审视,并在造血系统、脑、肺、乳腺等部位肿瘤中发现极少量的具有与干细胞非常类似生物学特性的细胞,称之为肿瘤干细胞,它们很可能是肿瘤细胞的起源.肿瘤干细胞的提出.使得靶向性杀伤肿瘤干细胞从而使根治肿瘤和防止肿瘤复发和转移成为可能.所以研究肿瘤干细胞的起源及其与肿瘤的发生关系,成为当前研究和治疗肿瘤领域的新热点.本文就肿瘤干细胞的存在证据、干细胞与肿瘤干细胞的异同点及它们与肿瘤发生之间的关系作简要的综述.     

干细胞

在备受关注的再生医疗中起核心作用的是于细胞。成体的组织干细胞已在骨髓移植上得到了实际应用，但人们还期待着从受精卵中获得的ES细胞能应用于治疗。这讲由东海大学的安藤洁教授来详细讲解干细胞的知识。[编者按]     

Stem Cell Regulation by the Haemopoietic Stem Cell Niche

Both cellular as well as extracellular matrix components of the stem cell microenvironment, or niche, are critical in stem cell regulation. Recent data highlight a central role for osteoblasts and their by product osteopontin as a key part of the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche. Herein we describe a model for the yin and yang of HSC regulation mediated by osteoblasts. In this respect, osteoblasts synthesise proteins with opposing effects on HSC proliferation and differentiation highlighting their pivotal role in adult hematopoiesis. Although osteoblasts play a central role in HSC regulation other stromal and microenvironmental cell types and their extracellular matrix proteins also contribute to this biology. For example, the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronic acid as well as the membrane bound form of stem cell factor are also key regulators of HSC. Osteopontin and these “niche” molecules are not only involved in regulation of HSC quiescence but also effect HSC homing, trans-marrow migration and lodgement. Accordingly this leads us to expand upon Schofield’s niche hypothesis: we propose that the HSC niche is critical for attraction of primitive hematopoietic progenitors to the endosteal region and tightly tethering them within this location, and by doing so placing them into intimate contact with cells such as osteoblasts whose extracellular products are able to exquisitely regulate their fate.     

Web Resources for Stem Cell Research

In this short review, we have presented a brief overview on major web resources relevant to stem cell research. To facilitate more efficient use of these resources, we have provided a preliminary rating based on our own user experience of the overall quality for each resource. We plan to update the information on an annual basis.     

Therapeutic Use of Stem Cell Transplantation for Cell Replacement or Cytoprotective Effect of Microvesicle Released from Mesenchymal Stem Cell

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common and severe type of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP), and which is currently no method was developed to restore normal structure and function. There are several reports on therapeutic effects of adult stem cell transplantations in animal models of pulmonary fibrosis. However, little is known about how mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) can repair the IPF. In this study, we try to provide the evidence to show that transplanted mesenchymal stem cells directly replace fibrosis with normal lung cells using IPF model mice. As results, transplanted MSC successfully integrated and differentiated into type II lung cell which express surfactant protein. In the other hand, we examine the therapeutic effects of microvesicle treatment, which were released from mesenchymal stem cells. Though the therapeutic effects of MV treatment is less than that of MSC treatment, MV treat-ment meaningfully reduced the symptom of IPF, such as collagen deposition and inflammation. These data suggest that stem cell transplantation may be an effective strategy for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis via replacement and cytoprotective effect of microvesicle released from MSCs.     

肿瘤干细胞

干细胞和肿瘤细胞在生物学特性和传导调控途径及机制等诸多方面有着极其相似的生物学行为,从而将干细胞理论应用于肿瘤学研究领域产生肿瘤干细胞理论。近年来研究认为,肿瘤干细胞是决定肿瘤发生发展及转归的一群主要细胞群体,该细胞群体很有可能起源于干细胞的突变。该文介绍干细胞、肿瘤细胞和肿瘤干细胞之间的相互作用及其关系。     

Stem Cell Glycolipids

Glycolipids are compounds containing one or more monosaccharide residues bound by a glycosidic linkage to a hydrophobic moiety. Because of their expression patterns and the intracellular localization patterns, glycolipids, including stage-specific embryonic antigens (SSEA-3, SSEA-4, and possibly SSEA-1) and gangliosides (e.g., GD3, GD2, and A2B5 antigens), have been used as marker molecules of stem cells. In this review, I will introduce glycolipids expressed in pluripotent stem cells (embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, very small embryonic-like stem cells, amniotic stem cells, and multilineage-differentiating stress enduring cells), multipotent stem cells (neural stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, fetal liver multipotent progenitor cells, and hematopoietic stem cells), and cancer stem cells (brain cancer stem cells and breast cancer stem cells), and discuss their availability as biomarkers for identifying and isolating stem cells.     

Spermatogonial Stem Cell Niche and Spermatogonial Stem Cell Transplantation in Zebrafish

Background

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the foundation of spermatogenesis, and reside within a specific microenvironment in the testes called “niche” which regulates stem cell properties, such as, self-renewal, pluripotency, quiescence and their ability to differentiate.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Here, we introduce zebrafish as a new model for the study of SSCs in vertebrates. Using 5′-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU), we identified long term BrdU-retaining germ cells, type A undifferentiated spermatogonia as putative stem cells in zebrafish testes. Similar to rodents, these cells were preferentially located near the interstitium, suggesting that the SSC niche is related to interstitial elements and might be conserved across vertebrates. This localization was also confirmed by analyzing the topographical distribution of type A undifferentiated spermatogonia in normal, vasa::egfp and fli::egfp zebrafish testes. In the latter one, the topographical arrangement suggested that the vasculature is important for the SSC niche, perhaps as a supplier of nutrients, oxygen and/or signaling molecules. We also developed an SSC transplantation technique for both male and female recipients as an assay to evaluate the presence, biological activity, and plasticity of the SSC candidates in zebrafish.

Conclusions/Significance

We demonstrated donor-derived spermato- and oogenesis in male and female recipients, respectively, indicating the stemness of type A undifferentiated spermatogonia and their plasticity when placed into an environment different from their original niche. Similar to other vertebrates, the transplantation efficiency was low. This might be attributed to the testicular microenvironment created after busulfan depletion in the recipients, which may have caused an imbalance between factors regulating self-renewal or differentiation of the transplanted SSCs.     

干细胞因子在卵泡发育过程中的作用

干细胞因子(stemcellfactor,SCF)是酪氨酸激酶受体的配体。哺乳动物卵巢组织能表达SCF,它不仅能促进和诱导卵母细胞的发育,并能调控卵泡细胞间的相互作用及激素的生成,而且是卵泡发育过程中重要的旁分泌因子,可能激活蛋白激酶C(PKC)和有丝分裂原激活蛋白激酶的激酶(MEK)及PI3激酶途径信号分子等信号途径,对卵泡发育起调节作用。     

实体肿瘤干细胞

“肿瘤发生的干细胞学说”认为肿瘤起源于干细胞,肿瘤生长是肿瘤组织中极少量肿瘤干细胞增殖的结果。实体肿瘤干细胞分离成功的报道最早见于乳腺癌的研究,随后,脑肿瘤及其他实体肿瘤干细胞也被分离。对肿瘤干细胞的深入研究,将为有效地根治肿瘤开辟新的思路。该文介绍肿瘤干细胞的发现、起源及其在人乳腺癌、脑部肿瘤和实体肿瘤中的研究进展,展望实体肿瘤干细胞的研究前景。     

A Novel Feeder-Free Culture System for Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derivation

Correct interactions with extracellular matrix are essential to human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) to maintain their pluripotent self-renewal capacity during in vitro culture. hPSCs secrete laminin 511/521, one of the most important functional basement membrane components, and they can be maintained on human laminin 511 and 521 in defined culture conditions. However, large-scale production of purified or recombinant laminin 511 and 521 is difficult and expensive. Here we have tested whether a commonly available human choriocarcinoma cell line, JAR, which produces high quantities of laminins, supports the growth of undifferentiated hPSCs. We were able to maintain several human pluripotent stem cell lines on decellularized matrix produced by JAR cells using a defined culture medium. The JAR matrix also supported targeted differentiation of the cells into neuronal and hepatic directions. Importantly, we were able to derive new human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines on JAR matrix and show that adhesion of the early hiPSC colonies to JAR matrix is more efficient than to matrigel. In summary, JAR matrix provides a cost-effective and easy-to-prepare alternative for human pluripotent stem cell culture and differentiation. In addition, this matrix is ideal for the efficient generation of new hiPSC lines.