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Established thymic epithelial progenitor/stem cell-like cell lines differentiate into mature thymic epithelial cells and support T cell development.

ABSTRACT: Common thymic epithelial progenitor/stem cells (TEPCs) differentiate into cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells (TECs), which are required for the development and selection of thymocytes. Mature TEC lines have been widely established. However, the establishment of TEPC lines is rarely reported. Here we describe the establishment of thymic epithelial stomal cell lines, named TSCs, from fetal thymus. TSCs express some of the markers present on tissue progenitor/stem cells such as Sca-1. Gene expression profiling verifies the thymic identity of TSCs. RANK stimulation of these cells induces expression of autoimmune regulator (Aire) and Aire-dependent tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs) in TSCs in vitro. TSCs could be differentiated into medullary thymic epithelial cell-like cells with exogenously expressed NF-?B subunits RelB and p52. Importantly, upon transplantation under the kidney capsules of nude mice, TSCs are able to differentiate into mature TEC-like cells that can support some limited development of T cells in vivo. These findings suggest that the TSC lines we established bear some characteristics of TEPC cells and are able to differentiate into functional TEC-like cells in vitro and in vivo. The cloned TEPC-like cell lines may provide useful tools to study the differentiation of mature TEC cells from precursors.

SUBMITTER: Chen P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3781041 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Established thymic epithelial progenitor/stem cell-like cell lines differentiate into mature thymic epithelial cells and support T cell development.

Chen Pengfei P Zhang Jun J Zhan Yu Y Su Juanjuan J Du Yarui Y Xu Guoliang G Shi Yufang Y Siebenlist Ulrich U Zhang Xiaoren X

PloS one 20130923 9

Common thymic epithelial progenitor/stem cells (TEPCs) differentiate into cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells (TECs), which are required for the development and selection of thymocytes. Mature TEC lines have been widely established. However, the establishment of TEPC lines is rarely reported. Here we describe the establishment of thymic epithelial stomal cell lines, named TSCs, from fetal thymus. TSCs express some of the markers present on tissue progenitor/stem cells such as Sca-1. G ...[more]

PMID: 24086471

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Project description:IntroductionIn humans, an early full-term pregnancy reduces lifetime breast cancer risk by up to 50% whereas a later pregnancy (>35 years old) can increase lifetime risk. Several mechanisms have been suggested, including changes in levels of circulating hormones, changes in the way the breast responds to these hormones, changes in gene expression programmes which may alter susceptibility to transformation and changes to mammary stem cell numbers or behaviour. Previous studies have shown that the mammary tissue isolated from both virgin and parous mice has the ability to repopulate a cleared mammary fat pad in transplant experiments. Limited dilution transplant assays have demonstrated that early pregnancy (at 5 weeks of age) reduces stem/progenitor cell numbers in the mouse mammary epithelium by twofold. However, the effects on stem/progenitor cell numbers in the mammary epithelium of a pregnancy in older animals have not yet been tested.MethodsMice were put through a full-term pregnancy at 9 weeks of age, when the mammary epithelium is mature. The total mammary epithelium was purified from parous 7-week post-lactation and age-matched virgin mice and analysed by flow cytometry and limiting dilution cleared fat pad transplants.ResultsThere were no significant differences in the proportions of different mammary epithelial cell populations or numbers of CD24(+/Low) Sca-1- CD49f(High) cells (stem cell enriched basal mammary epithelial compartment). There was no significant difference in stem/progenitor cell frequency based on limiting dilution transplants between the parous and age-matched virgin epithelium.ConclusionsAlthough differences between parous and virgin mammary epithelium at later time points post lactation or following multiple pregnancies cannot be ruled out, there are no differences in stem/progenitor cell numbers between mammary epithelium isolated from parous animals which were mated at 9 weeks old and virgin animals. However, a recent report has suggested that animals that were mated at 5 weeks old have a twofold reduction in stem/progenitor cell numbers. This is of interest given the association between early, but not late, pregnancy and breast cancer risk reduction in humans. However, a mechanistic connection between stem cell numbers and breast cancer risk remains to be established.

Project description:Immortalized colonic epithelial progenitor cells derived from normal human colon biopsies express stem cell markers and differentiate in vitro The sustained growth of normal non-transformed human colonic epithelial cells has historically been exceptionally challenging. We here report the successful long-term propagation of colon biopsy derived cells expressing both epithelial and mesenchymal features, intestinal stem cell markers, and demonstrating multilineage epithelial differentiation capability. Cells isolated from the biopsies of two patients undergoing routine screening colonoscopy have been successfully passaged in vitro, subsequently immortalized with non-oncogenic proteins (cyclin dependent kinase 4 [CDK4] and the catalytic component of human telomerase [hTERT]), and maintained for well over a year in continuous cell culture. Immunofluorescence experiments reveal the immortalized populations of cells significantly express the progenitor epithelial cell marker mucin-1 and the colon epithelial specific marker A33. In addition, staining shows subsets of cells express chromogranin A, mucin-2, and dipeptyl peptidase 4, corresponding to neuroendocrine, mucus secreting, and absorptive colonic cell lineages, respectively. The cells also possess some mesenchymal features, including vimentin and α- smooth muscle actin expression when proliferating actively. Finally, immortalized cells express various stem cell markers including LGR5, BMI1, CD29, and CD44. When cells are seeded at low density in Matrigel® in the absence of a mesenchymal feeder layer individual cells are able to divide and form self-organizing, cyst-like structures with a subset of cells exhibiting either mucin-2 or polarized villin staining. These findings demonstrate that the immortalized human colonic cells are capable of self renewal and multilineage differentiation. These cells should serve as valuable cellular reagents for studying normal colon stem cell biology, differentiation, and disease development.

Project description:BackgroundCancer-initiating cells (CICs) are proposed to be responsible for the generation of metastasis and resistance to therapy. Accumulating evidences indicates CICs are found among different human cancers and cell lines derived from them. Few studies address the characteristics of CICs in cervical cancer. We identify biological features of CICs from four of the best-know human cell lines from uterine cervix tumors. (HeLa, SiHa, Ca Ski, C-4 I).MethodsCells were cultured as spheres under stem-cell conditions. Flow cytometry was used to detect expression of CD34, CD49f and CD133 antigens and Hoechst 33342 staining to identify side population (SP). Magnetic and fluorescence-activated cell sorting was applied to enrich and purify populations used to evaluate tumorigenicity in nude mice. cDNA microarray analysis and in vitro radioresistance assay were carried out under standard conditions.ResultsCICs, enriched as spheroids, were capable to generate reproducible tumor phenotypes in nu-nu mice and serial propagation. Injection of 1 × 10³ dissociated spheroid cells induced tumors in the majority of animals, whereas injection of 1 × 10⁵ monolayer cells remained nontumorigenic. Sphere-derived CICs expressed CD49f surface marker. Gene profiling analysis of HeLa and SiHa spheroid cells showed up-regulation of CICs markers characteristic of the female reproductive system. Importantly, epithelial to mesenchymal (EMT) transition-associated markers were found highly expressed in spheroid cells. More importantly, gene expression analysis indicated that genes required for radioresistance were also up-regulated, including components of the double-strand break (DSB) DNA repair machinery and the metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Dose-dependent radiation assay indicated indeed that CICs-enriched populations exhibit an increased resistance to ionizing radiation (IR).ConclusionsWe characterized a self-renewing subpopulation of CICs found among four well known human cancer-derived cell lines (HeLa, SiHa, Ca Ski and C-4 I) and found that they express characteristic markers of stem cell, EMT and radioresistance. The fact that CICs demonstrated a higher degree of resistance to radiation than differentiated cells suggests that specific detection and targeting of CICs could be highly valuable for the therapy of tumors from the uterine cervix.

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Established thymic epithelial progenitor/stem cell-like cell lines differentiate into mature thymic epithelial cells and support T cell development.

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Established thymic epithelial progenitor/stem cell-like cell lines differentiate into mature thymic epithelial cells and support T cell development.

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