AB19012 Sigma-AldrichAnti-Laminin Antibody

To demonstrate corneal endothelial (CE) integrity enhanced during eye banking by a brief treatment of human donor corneoscleral explant (explant) with CE autocrine trophic factor vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP).Paired explants were used as control versus VIP (10 nM)-treated before storage in corneal storage medium (4°C). CE ciliary neurotrophic factor receptor (CNTFRα) and CNTF (0.83 nM) responsiveness in connexin 43 upregulation were monitored (Western blot analysis). CE damage in CNTF-modulated explants and corneal buttons from explants was quantified by analysis of panoramic and microscopic images of the alizarin red-stained corneal endothelium. CE cells scraped from the Descemet's membrane were counted. CE VIP receptor was demonstrated (Western blot analysis).CE cells in every VIP-treated, freshly dissected explant demonstrated higher CNTFRα levels than controls (100% vs. 142% ± 15%; P = 0.014; 7 pairs stored for 4 to 25 days). Nine days after VIP treatment of previously preserved explants, CNTF responsiveness was 174% ± 23% (P = 0.023; 4 pairs) of controls. Panoramic images of explants and corneal buttons revealed that VIP treatment reduced CE damage to 75% ± 6% (P = 0.023; 4 pairs) and 71% ± 11% (P = 0.016; 9 pairs) of controls, respectively, whereas CE damage to 39% (2 pairs) and 23% ± 4% (P less than 0.001; 7 pairs), respectively, was revealed in microscopic images. Twenty-one days after VIP treatment of previously preserved explants, CE cell retention was 206% ± 38% (P = 0.008; 14 pairs) of the control. CE cells from human donor corneas expressed VIP receptor VPAC1 (not VPAC2).CE integrity during eye banking was enhanced by a brief treatment of the explant with the CE autocrine VIP.

Satellite cells are skeletal muscle stem cells responsible for growth, maintenance, and repair of postnatal skeletal muscle. Although several studies have demonstrated that Notch signaling plays a critical role in muscle regeneration through promoting proliferation and self-renewal of satellite cells, the function of Notch3 is yet to be elucidated. We analyzed muscle regeneration in Notch3-deficient mutant mice. We found a remarkable overgrowth of muscle mass in the Notch3-deficient mice but only when they suffered repetitive muscle injuries. Immunochemical analysis found that Notch3 was expressed in Pax7(+)/MyoD(-) quiescent satellite cells and also in Pax7(+)/MyoD(+)-activated satellite cells, but the expression was restricted to around half the population of each cell type. In Notch3-deficient mice, the number of sublaminar quiescent satellite cells was significantly increased compared with those in control mice. We also found that primary cultured myoblasts isolated from the Notch3-deficient mice proliferated faster than those from control mice. Analysis of cultured myofibers revealed that the number of self-renewing Pax7-positive satellite cells attached to the myofiber was increased in the Notch3-deficient mice when compared with control mice. The data obtained in this study suggested that Notch3 pathway might be distinct from Notch1 in muscle regeneration. Because overexpression of Notch3 activated the expression of Nrarp, a negative feedback regulator of Notch signaling, Notch3 might act as a Notch1 repressor by activating Nrarp.

The integrity of the fetal-maternal interface is critical for proper fetal nourishment during pregnancy. Integrins are important adhesion molecules present at the interface during implantation; however, in vivo evidence for integrin activation and focal adhesion formation at the maternal-conceptus interface is limited. We hypothesized that focal adhesion assembly in uterine luminal epithelium (LE) and conceptus trophectoderm (Tr) results from integrin binding of extracellular matrix (ECM) at this interface to provide increased tensile forces and signaling to coordinate utero-placental development. An ovine model of unilateral pregnancy was used to evaluate mechanotransduction events leading to focal adhesion assembly at the maternal-conceptus interface and within the uterine wall. Animals were hysterectomized on days 40, 80, or 120 of pregnancy, and uteri immunostained for integrins (ITGAV, ITGA4, ITGA5, ITGB1, ITGB3, and ITGB5), ECM proteins (SPP1, LGALS15, fibronectin (FN), and vitronectin (VTN)), cytoskeletal molecules (ACTN and TLN1), and a signal generator (PTK2). Focal adhesion assembly in myometrium and stroma was also studied to provide a frame of reference for mechanical stretch of the uterine wall. Large focal adhesions containing aggregates of ITGAV, ITGA4, ITGA5, ITGB1, ITGB5, ACTN, and PTK2 were detected in interplacentomal uterine LE and Tr of gravid but not non-gravid uterine horns and increased during pregnancy. SPP1 and LGALS15, but not FN or VTN, were present along LE and Tr interfaces in both uterine horns. These data support the idea that focal adhesion assembly at the maternal-conceptus interface reflects adaptation to increasing forces caused by the growing fetus. Cooperative binding of multiple integrins to SPP1 deposited at the maternal-conceptus interface forms an adhesive mosaic to maintain a tight connection between uterine and placental surfaces along regions of epitheliochorial placentation in sheep.

Blood vessels comprise endothelial cells, mural cells (pericytes/vascular smooth muscle cells) and basement membrane. During angiogenesis, mural cells are recruited to sprouting endothelial cells and define a stabilizing context, comprising cell-cell contacts, secreted growth factors and extracellular matrix components, that drives vessel maturation and resistance to anti-angiogenic therapeutics.To better understand the basis for mural cell regulation of angiogenesis, we conducted high content imaging analysis on a microtiter plate format in vitro organotypic blood vessel system comprising primary human endothelial cells co-cultured with primary human mural cells. We show that endothelial cells co-cultured with mural cells undergo an extensive series of phenotypic changes reflective of several facets of blood vessel formation and maturation: Loss of cell proliferation, pathfinding-like cell migration, branching morphogenesis, basement membrane extracellular matrix protein deposition, lumen formation, anastamosis and development of a stabilized capillary-like network. This phenotypic sequence required endothelial-mural cell-cell contact, mural cell-derived VEGF and endothelial VEGFR2 signaling. Inhibiting formation of adherens junctions or basement membrane structures abrogated network formation. Notably, inhibition of mural cell VEGF expression could not be rescued by exogenous VEGF.These results suggest a unique role for mural cell-associated VEGF in driving vessel formation and maturation.

A necessary prerequisite for recovery of motor function following a peripheral nerve injury is the correct choice by regenerating motor neurons to reinnervate the original distal nerve branch to denervated muscle. The present studies use the mouse femoral nerve as a model system to examine factors that influence such motor neuron regeneration accuracy. We examined motor reinnervation accuracy over time in this model under two conditions: 1) when the two terminal nerve branches to either skin (cutaneous) or muscle (quadriceps) were roughly comparable in size, and 2) when the cutaneous branch was larger than the muscle branch. When the terminal nerve branches were similar in size, motor neurons initially projected equally into both branches, but over time favored the terminal muscle branch. When the cutaneous terminal nerve branch was enlarged (via transgenic technology), motor neuron projections significantly favored this inappropriate pathway during early time points of regeneration. These results suggest that regenerating motor neuron projections are not determined by inherent molecular differences between distal terminal nerve branches themselves. Rather, we propose a two-step process that shapes motor neuron reinnervation accuracy. Initial outgrowth choices made by motor axons at the transection site are proportional to the relative amount of target nerve associated with distal nerve axons that previously projected to each of the terminal nerve pathways. Secondly, the likelihood of an axon collateral from a motor neuron remaining in either terminal nerve branch is based upon the relative trophic support provided to the parent motor neuron by the competing terminal pathways and/or end-organs.

Leptospirosis is a global public health problem, primarily in the tropical developing world. The pathogenic mechanisms of the causative agents, several members of the genus Leptospira, have been underinvestigated. The exception to this trend has been the demonstration of the binding of pathogenic leptospires to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and its components. In this work, interactions of Leptospira interrogans bacteria with mammalian cells, rather than the ECM, were examined. The bacteria bound more efficiently to the cells than to the ECM, and a portion of this cell-binding activity was attributable to attachment to glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains of proteoglycans (PGs). Chondroitin sulfate B PGs appeared to be the primary targets of L. interrogans attachment, while heparan sulfate PGs were much less important. Inhibition of GAG/PG-mediated attachment resulted in partial inhibition of bacterial attachment, suggesting that additional receptors for L. interrogans await identification. GAG binding may participate in the pathogenesis of leptospirosis within the host animal. In addition, because GAGs are expressed on the luminal aspects of epithelial cells in the proximal tubules of the kidneys, this activity may play a role in targeting the bacteria to this critical site. Because GAGs are shed in the urine, GAG binding may also be important for transmission to new hosts through the environment.

Stem cell expansion and differentiation is the foundation of emerging cell therapy technologies. The potential applications of human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) are wide ranging, but a normal cytogenetic profile is important to avoid the risk of tumor formation in clinical trials. FDA approved clinical trials are being planned and conducted for hNPC transplantation into the brain or spinal cord for various neurodegenerative disorders. Although human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are known to show recurrent chromosomal abnormalities involving 12 and 17, no studies have revealed chromosomal abnormalities in cultured hNPCs. Therefore, we investigated frequently occurring chromosomal abnormalities in 21 independent fetal-derived hNPC lines and the possible mechanisms triggering such aberrations.While most hNPC lines were karyotypically normal, G-band karyotyping and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses revealed the emergence of trisomy 7 (hNPC(+7)) and trisomy 19 (hNPC(+19)), in 24% and 5% of the lines, respectively. Once detected, subsequent passaging revealed emerging dominance of trisomy hNPCs. DNA microarray and immunoblotting analyses demonstrate epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpression in hNPC(+7) and hNPC(+19) cells. We observed greater levels of telomerase (hTERT), increased proliferation (Ki67), survival (TUNEL), and neurogenesis (beta(III)-tubulin) in hNPC(+7) and hNPC(+19), using respective immunocytochemical markers. However, the trisomy lines underwent replicative senescence after 50-60 population doublings and never showed neoplastic changes. Although hNPC(+7) and hNPC(+19) survived better after xenotransplantation into the rat striatum, they did not form malignant tumors. Finally, EGF deprivation triggered a selection of trisomy 7 cells in a diploid hNPC line.We report that hNPCs are susceptible to accumulation of chromosome 7 and 19 trisomy in long-term cell culture. These results suggest that micro-environmental cues are powerful factors in the selection of specific hNPC aneuploidies, with trisomy of chromosome 7 being the most common. Given that a number of stem cell based clinical trials are being conducted or planned in USA and a recent report in PLoS Medicine showing the dangers of grafting an inordinate number of cells, these data substantiate the need for careful cytogenetic evaluation of hNPCs (fetal or hESC-derived) before their use in clinical or basic science applications.

Enamel matrix proteins (EMP) induce periodontal regeneration and accelerate dermal wound healing, but the cellular mechanisms of these processes are unclear. We investigated the binding of EMP to the wound matrix proteins fibronectin, laminin-1, collagen type I, and collagen type IV and analyzed the interaction of epithelial cells and periodontal ligament fibroblasts (PDLF) with EMP and composite matrices of EMP + fibronectin or EMP + collagen. The adhesion of PDLF to EMP was concentration- and integrin-dependent and did not require de novo protein synthesis. EMP supported PDLF migration. In contrast, keratinocytes did not adhere to EMP if their protein synthesis was blocked. EMP showed concentration-dependent binding of fibronectin, peaking at 100 microg ml(-1) (before the precipitation point) of EMP. Type I collagen binding to EMP peaked at a low (1 microg ml(-1)) and narrow concentration range. Neither laminin-1 nor type IV collagen bound to EMP. Collagen and fibronectin, bound to EMP, showed significantly reduced (> 50%) binding of both epithelial cells and PDLF compared with the equivalent concentration of these proteins alone. PDLF, but not epithelial cell, adhesion was rescued by increasing the EMP concentration. These findings show that EMP binds to wound extracellular matrix proteins and regulates their adhesive properties. Such interactions may favor fibroblast adhesion over epithelial cells, potentially promoting connective tissue regeneration.

To investigate whether overexpression of MMP-14 and/or TIMP-2 would overcome the effect of nonlethal oxidant injury with hydroquinone (HQ) on MMP-2 activity.Human MMP-14 and TIMP2 cDNA were cloned into a mammalian expression vector. Transient transfections were performed on human ARPE-19 cells. The cells were incubated 48 hours after transfection with a nonlethal dose of HQ for either 6 or 18 hours and then were collected for protein determination or RNA isolation. MMP-2 protein and activity were determined by Western blot and zymography. The extracellular matrix (ECM) components type I and type IV collagen and laminin were analyzed by Western blot analysis and real-time PCR.HQ for 6 hours modestly decreased MMP-2. MMP-2 recovered only after co-overexpression of MMP-14 and TIMP-2, but activity further decreased after HQ for 18 hours. MMP-14 or TIMP-2 overexpression alone contributed as much as the co-overexpression to the recovery of MMP-2 activity. MMP-2 protein seemed not to be altered. Type I collagen and laminin transcriptional levels remained unaffected, whereas type IV collagen transcripts decreased with HQ. Transfection with MMP-14 and/or TIMP-2 contributed to the return of type IV collagen levels to normal. On the other hand, type I and IV collagens and laminin protein accumulated after HQ treatment, an effect prevented by transfection.MMP-14 and TIMP2 contribute to the maintenance of adequate levels of MMP-2 activity in ARPE-19 cells after oxidant injury. In addition, changes in ECM components may result as a consequence of MMP-2 activity and may be relevant to the progression of dry AMD.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are relatively accessible and exhibit a pluripotency suitable for cardiovascular applications such as tissue-engineered heart valves (TEHVs). Recently, Sutherland et al. [From stem cells to viable autologous semilunar heart valve. Circulation 2005; 111(21): 2783-91] demonstrated that BMSC-seeded TEHV can successfully function as pulmonary valve substitutes in juvenile sheep for at least 8 months. Toward determining appropriate mechanical stimuli for use in BMSC-seeded TEHV cultivation, we investigated the independent and coupled effects of two mechanical stimuli physiologically relevant to heart valves-cyclic flexure and laminar flow (i.e. fluid shear stress)-on BMSC-mediated tissue formation. BMSC isolated from juvenile sheep were expanded and seeded onto rectangular strips of nonwoven 50:50 blend poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) and poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffolds. Following 4 days static culture, BMSC-seeded scaffolds were loaded into a novel flex-stretch-flow (FSF) bioreactor and incubated under static (n=12), cyclic flexure (n=12), laminar flow (avg. wall shear stress=1.1505 dyne/cm(2); n=12) and combined flex-flow (n=12) conditions for 1 (n=6) and 3 (n=6) weeks. By 3 weeks, the flex-flow group exhibited dramatically accelerated tissue formation compared with all other groups, including a 75% higher collagen content of 844+/-278 microg/g wet weight (p0.05), and an effective stiffness (E) value of 948+/-233 kPa. Importantly, collagen and E values were not significantly different from values measured for vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) -seeded scaffolds incubated under conditions of flexure alone [Engelmayr et al. The independent role of cyclic flexure in the early in vitro development of an engineered heart valve tissue. Biomaterials 2005; 26(2): 175-87], suggesting that BMSC-seeded TEHV can be optimized to yield results comparable to SMC-seeded TEHV. We thus demonstrated that cyclic flexure and laminar flow can synergistically accelerate BMSC-mediated tissue formation, providing a basis for the rational design of in vitro conditioning regimens for BMSC-seeded TEHV.