Browsing by Subject "Cell Differentiation"
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Item 3D Spheroids Derived from Human Lipedema ASCs Demonstrated Similar Adipogenic Differentiation Potential and ECM Remodeling to Non-Lipedema ASCs In Vitro(MDPI, 2020-11-07) Al-Ghadban, Sara; Pursell, India A.; Diaz, Zaidmara T.; Herbst, Karen L.; Bunnell, Bruce A.The growth and differentiation of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs) is stimulated and regulated by the adipose tissue (AT) microenvironment. In lipedema, both inflammation and hypoxia influence the expansion and differentiation of ASCs, resulting in hypertrophic adipocytes and deposition of collagen, a primary component of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The goal of this study was to characterize the adipogenic differentiation potential and assess the levels of expression of ECM-remodeling markers in 3D spheroids derived from ASCs isolated from both lipedema and healthy individuals. The data showed an increase in the expression of the adipogenic genes (ADIPOQ, LPL, PPAR-γ and Glut4), a decrease in matrix metalloproteinases (MMP2, 9 and 11), with no significant changes in the expression of ECM markers (collagen and fibronectin), or integrin A5 in 3D differentiated lipedema spheroids as compared to healthy spheroids. In addition, no statistically significant changes in the levels of expression of inflammatory genes were detected in any of the samples. However, immunofluorescence staining showed a decrease in fibronectin and increase in laminin and Collagen VI expression in the 3D differentiated spheroids in both groups. The use of 3D ASC spheroids provide a functional model to study the cellular and molecular characteristics of lipedema AT.Item Adipose-Derived Stem Cells from Obese Donors Polarize Macrophages and Microglia toward a Pro-Inflammatory Phenotype(MDPI, 2020-12-25) Harrison, Mark A. A.; Wise, Rachel M.; Benjamin, Brooke P.; Hochreiner, Emily M.; Mohiuddin, Omair A.; Bunnell, Bruce A.Macrophages and microglia represent the primary phagocytes and first line of defense in the peripheral and central immune systems. They activate and polarize into a spectrum of pro- and anti-inflammatory phenotypes in response to various stimuli. This activation is tightly regulated to balance the appropriate immune response with tissue repair and homeostasis. Disruption of this balance results in inflammatory disease states and tissue damage. Adipose stem cells (ASCs) have great therapeutic potential because of the potent immunomodulatory capabilities which induce the polarization of microglia and macrophages to the anti-inflammatory, M2, phenotype. In this study, we examined the effects of donor heterogeneity on ASC function. Specifically, we investigated the impact of donor obesity on ASC stemness and immunomodulatory abilities. Our findings revealed that ASCs from obese donors (ObASCs) exhibited reduced stem cell characteristics when compared to ASCs from lean donors (LnASCs). We also found that ObASCs promote a pro-inflammatory phenotype in murine macrophage and microglial cells, as indicated by the upregulated expression of pro-inflammatory genes, increased nitric oxide pathway activity, and impaired phagocytosis and migration. These findings highlight the importance of considering individual donor characteristics such as obesity when selecting donors and cells for use in ASC therapeutic applications and regenerative medicine.Item FAK Inhibition Attenuates Corneal Fibroblast Differentiation In Vitro(MDPI, 2021-11-12) Yeung, Vincent; Sriram, Sriniwas; Tran, Jennifer A.; Guo, Xiaoqing; Hutcheon, Audrey E. K.; Zieske, James D.; Karamichos, Dimitrios; Ciolino, Joseph B.Corneal fibrosis (or scarring) occurs in response to ocular trauma or infection, and by reducing corneal transparency, it can lead to visual impairment and blindness. Studies highlight important roles for transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 and -beta3 as modulators in corneal wound healing and fibrosis, leading to increased extracellular matrix (ECM) components and expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (alphaSMA), a myofibroblast marker. In this study, human corneal fibroblasts (hCF) were cultured as a monolayer culture (2D) or on poly-transwell membranes to generate corneal stromal constructs (3D) that were treated with TGF-beta1, TGF-beta3, or TGF-beta1 + FAK inhibitor (FAKi). Results show that hCF 3D constructs treated with TGF-beta1 or TGF-beta3 impart distinct effects on genes involved in wound healing and fibrosis-ITGAV, ITGB1, SRC and ACTA2. Notably, in the 3D construct model, TGF-beta1 enhanced alphaSMA and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) protein expression, whereas TGF-beta3 did not. In addition, in both the hCF 2D cell and 3D construct models, we found that TGF-beta1 + FAKi attenuated TGF-beta1-mediated myofibroblast differentiation, as shown by abrogated alphaSMA expression. This study concludes that FAK signaling is important for the onset of TGF-beta1-mediated myofibroblast differentiation, and FAK inhibition may provide a novel beneficial therapeutic avenue to reduce corneal scarring.Item In Vitro Culture Expansion Shifts the Immune Phenotype of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021-03-10) Jeske, Richard; Yuan, Xuegang; Fu, Qin; Bunnell, Bruce A.; Logan, Timothy M.; Li, YanHuman mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (hMSCs) are known for their potential in regenerative medicine due to their differentiation abilities, secretion of trophic factors, and regulation of immune responses in damaged tissues. Due to the limited quantity of hMSCs typically isolated from bone marrow, other tissue sources, such as adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs), are considered a promising alternative. However, differences have been observed for hASCs in the context of metabolic characteristics and response to in vitro culture stress compared to bone marrow derived hMSCs (BM-hMSCs). In particular, the relationship between metabolic homeostasis and stem cell functions, especially the immune phenotype and immunomodulation of hASCs, remains unknown. This study thoroughly assessed the changes in metabolism, redox cycles, and immune phenotype of hASCs during in vitro expansion. In contrast to BM-hMSCs, hASCs did not respond to culture stress significantly during expansion as limited cellular senescence was observed. Notably, hASCs exhibited the increased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the decreased secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines after extended culture expansion. The NAD+/NADH redox cycle and other metabolic characteristics associated with aging were relatively stable, indicating that hASC functional decline may be regulated through an alternative mechanism rather than NAD+/Sirtuin aging pathways as observed in BM-hMSCs. Furthermore, transcriptome analysis by mRNA-sequencing revealed the upregulation of genes for pro-inflammatory cytokines/chemokines and the downregulation of genes for anti-inflammatory cytokines for hASCs at high passage. Proteomics analysis indicated key pathways (e.g., tRNA charging, EIF2 signaling, protein ubiquitination pathway) that may be associated with the immune phenotype shift of hASCs. Together, this study advances our understanding of the metabolism and senescence of hASCs and may offer vital insights for the biomanufacturing of hASCs for clinical use.Item In-depth characterization of a new patient-derived xenograft model for metaplastic breast carcinoma to identify viable biologic targets and patterns of matrix evolution within rare tumor types(Springer, 2021-08-09) Matossian, M. D.; Chang, T.; Wright, M. K.; Burks, H. E.; Elliott, S.; Sabol, R. A.; Wathieu, H.; Windsor, G. O.; Alzoubi, Madlin S.; King, C. T.; Bursavich, J. B.; Ham, A. M.; Savoie, J. J.; Nguyen, K.; Baddoo, M.; Flemington, E.; Sirenko, O.; Cromwell, E. F.; Hebert, K. L.; Lau, F.; Izadpanah, R.; Brown, H.; Sinha, S.; Zabaleta, J.; Riker, A. I.; Moroz, K.; Miele, L.; Zea, A. H.; Ochoa, A.; Bunnell, Bruce A.; Collins-Burow, B. M.; Martin, E. C.; Burow, Matthew E.Metaplastic breast carcinoma (MBC) is a rare breast cancer subtype with rapid growth, high rates of metastasis, recurrence and drug resistance, and diverse molecular and histological heterogeneity. Patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) provide a translational tool and physiologically relevant system to evaluate tumor biology of rare subtypes. Here, we provide an in-depth comprehensive characterization of a new PDX model for MBC, TU-BcX-4IC. TU-BcX-4IC is a clinically aggressive tumor exhibiting rapid growth in vivo, spontaneous metastases, and elevated levels of cell-free DNA and circulating tumor cell DNA. Relative chemosensitivity of primary cells derived from TU-BcX-4IC was performed using the National Cancer Institute (NCI) oncology drug set, crystal violet staining, and cytotoxic live/dead immunofluorescence stains in adherent and organoid culture conditions. We employed novel spheroid/organoid incubation methods (Pu.MA system) to demonstrate that TU-BcX-4IC is resistant to paclitaxel. An innovative physiologically relevant system using human adipose tissue was used to evaluate presence of cancer stem cell-like populations ex vivo. Tissue decellularization, cryogenic-scanning electron microscopy imaging and rheometry revealed consistent matrix architecture and stiffness were consistent despite serial transplantation. Matrix-associated gene pathways were essentially unchanged with serial passages, as determined by qPCR and RNA sequencing, suggesting utility of decellularized PDXs for in vitro screens. We determined type V collagen to be present throughout all serial passage of TU-BcX-4IC tumor, suggesting it is required for tumor maintenance and is a potential viable target for MBC. In this study we introduce an innovative and translational model system to study cell-matrix interactions in rare cancer types using higher passage PDX tissue.