Vascular progenitors from cord blood-derived induced pluripotent stem cells possess augmented capacity for regenerating ischemic retinal vasculature.

BACKGROUND: The generation of vascular progenitors (VPs) from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) has great potential for treating vascular disorders such as ischemic retinopathies. However, long-term in vivo engraftment of hiPSC-derived VPs into the retina has not yet been reported. This goal may be limited by the low differentiation yield, greater senescence, and poor proliferation of hiPSC-derived vascular cells. To evaluate the potential of hiPSCs for treating ischemic retinopathies, we generated VPs from a repertoire of viral-integrated and nonintegrated fibroblast and cord blood (CB)-derived hiPSC lines and tested their capacity for homing and engrafting into murine retina in an ischemia-reperfusion model. METHODS AND RESULTS: VPs from human embryonic stem cells and hiPSCs were generated with an optimized vascular differentiation system. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting purification of human embryoid body cells differentially expressing endothelial/pericytic markers identified a CD31(+)CD146(+) VP population with high vascular potency. Episomal CB-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated these VPs with higher efficiencies than fibroblast-iPSC. Moreover, in contrast to fibroblast-iPSC-VPs, CB-iPSC-VPs maintained expression signatures more comparable to human embryonic stem cell VPs, expressed higher levels of immature vascular markers, demonstrated less culture senescence and sensitivity to DNA damage, and possessed fewer transmitted reprogramming errors. Luciferase transgene-marked VPs from human embryonic stem cells, CB-iPSCs, and fibroblast-iPSCs were injected systemically or directly into the vitreous of retinal ischemia-reperfusion-injured adult nonobese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficient mice. Only human embryonic stem cell- and CB-iPSC-derived VPs reliably homed and engrafted into injured retinal capillaries, with incorporation into damaged vessels for up to 45 days. CONCLUSIONS: VPs generated from CB-iPSCs possessed augmented capacity to home, integrate into, and repair damaged retinal vasculature.

DNA double-strand break response in stem cells: mechanisms to maintain genomic integrity.

BACKGROUND: Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) represent the point of origin of all cells in a given organism and must protect their genomes from both endogenous and exogenous genotoxic stress. DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are one of the most lethal forms of damage, and failure to adequately repair DSBs would not only compromise the ability of SCs to self-renew and differentiate, but will also lead to genomic instability and disease. SCOPE OF REVIEW: Herein, we describe the mechanisms by which ESCs respond to DSB-inducing agents such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ionizing radiation, compared to somatic cells. We will also discuss whether the DSB response is fully reprogrammed in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and the role of the DNA damage response (DDR) in the reprogramming of these cells. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: ESCs have distinct mechanisms to protect themselves against DSBs and oxidative stress compared to somatic cells. The response to damage and stress is crucial for the maintenance of self-renewal and differentiation capacity in SCs. iPSCs appear to reprogram some of the responses to genotoxic stress. However, it remains to be determined if iPSCs also retain some DDR characteristics of the somatic cells of origin. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: The mechanisms regulating the genomic integrity in ESCs and iPSCs are critical for its safe use in regenerative medicine and may shed light on the pathways and factors that maintain genomic stability, preventing diseases such as cancer. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Biochemistry of Stem Cells.

SMUG1 but not UNG DNA glycosylase contributes to the cellular response to recovery from 5-fluorouracil induced replication stress.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a widely utilized cancer chemotherapeutic that causes DNA damage via two mechanisms. Its active metabolite inhibits thymidylate synthase, which deprives cells of TTP and causes the introduction of uracil in DNA. Also, 5-FU is directly incorporated into DNA. Both uracil and 5-FU in DNA are recognized by uracil-DNA glycosylases (UDGs), which initiate base excision repair. UNG and SMUG1 are the two human UDGs most likely to combat the genomic incorporation of uracil and 5-FU during replication. In this study, we examined the roles of UNG and SMUG1 in the initial cellular response to 5-FU and compared continuous exposure to a 24h exposure followed by incubation in drug-free media, which mimics what occurs clinically. Loss of UNG did not alter cellular sensitivity to 5-FU in two human cell lines, despite its predominant biochemical activity for uracil and 5-FU in DNA. Loss of SMUG1 corresponded with >2-fold increase in sensitivity to 5-FU, but only with a 24h treatment followed by recovery. There was no difference between SMUG1 proficient and depleted cells following continuous exposure. We observed that 5-FU treatment induced an enhanced S-phase arrest and CHK1 activation plus an increase in the formation of strand breaks and alkali-labile sites in all sublines. However, SMUG1-depleted cells showed a prolonged S-phase arrest, a transient increase in DNA double-strand breaks following 5-FU treatment and an altered phosphorylation of CHK1 following removal of drug. Collectively, the results suggest that SMUG1 has a role in the resumption of replication following 5-FU treatment.

Cation exchange on the surface of gold nanorods with a polymerizable surfactant: polymerization, stability, and toxicity evaluation.

Gold nanorods were synthesized using a seed-mediated wet chemical approach with a quaternary ammonium surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), that forms a bilayer on the surface of the nanorods. The CTAB molecules in the bilayer were exchanged with a similar polymerizable analog, 11-(acryloyloxy) undecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (p-CTAB). Mass spectrometric analysis of the degree of exchange of CTAB for p-CTAB, after gold digestion, gave 77 +/- 3 and 23 +/- 1% for p-CTAB and CTAB, respectively. On-rod polymerization with a cationic free-radical initiator was confirmed by FTIR analysis and did not induce aggregation as judged by ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and dynamic light scattering measurements after polymerization. In contrast to the nanorods before polymerization, the nanorods with a polymerized bilayer showed improved stability against dialysis as well as enhanced biocompatibility as measured using a viability assay on cultured human cells. Our results indicate that (1) CTAB molecules on the surface of the gold nanorods are exchangeable with similar surfactants that have a positively charged headgroup and (2) surfactant polymerization on the surface of the gold nanorods enhances both the stability and biocompatibility of these nanomaterials, probably by decreasing the degree of surfactant desorption from the surface.

Cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of gold nanorods: molecular origin of cytotoxicity and surface effects.

Gold nanorods of different aspect ratios are prepared using the growth-directing surfactant, cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), which forms a bilayer on the gold nanorod surface. Toxicological assays of CTAB-capped nanorod solutions with human colon carcinoma cells (HT-29) reveal that the apparent cytotoxicity is caused by free CTAB in solution. Overcoating the nanorods with polymers substantially reduces cytotoxicity. The number of nanorods taken up per cell, for the different surface coatings, is quantitated by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry on washed cells; the number of nanorods per cell varies from 50 to 2300, depending on the surface chemistry. Serum proteins from the biological media, most likely bovine serum albumin, adsorb to gold nanorods, leading to all nanorod samples bearing the same effective charge, regardless of the initial nanorod surface charge. The results suggest that physiochemical surface properties of nanomaterials change substantially after coming into contact with biological media. Such changes should be taken into consideration when examining the biological properties or environmental impact of nanoparticles.

One-pot synthesis of silica-coated magnetic plasmonic tracer nanoparticles.

We demonstrate a one-pot procedure to synthesize and embed silver nanoparticles inside silica shells together with iron oxide nanoparticles and Raman reporter molecules, followed by fluorophore attachment to the silica, to form a class of tracer nanoparticles suitable for biological and environmental applications.

High-Fidelity Reprogrammed Human IPSCs Have a High Efficacy of DNA Repair and Resemble hESCs in Their MYC Transcriptional Signature.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are reprogrammed from adult or progenitor somatic cells and must make substantial adaptations to ensure genomic stability in order to become "embryonic stem cell- (ESC-) like." The DNA damage response (DDR) is critical for maintenance of such genomic integrity. Herein, we determined whether cell of origin and reprogramming method influence the DDR of hiPSCs. We demonstrate that hiPSCs derived from cord blood (CB) myeloid progenitors (i.e., CB-iPSC) via an efficient high-fidelity stromal-activated (sa) method closely resembled hESCs in DNA repair gene expression signature and irradiation-induced DDR, relative to hiPSCs generated from CB or fibroblasts via standard methods. Furthermore, sa-CB-iPSCs also more closely resembled hESCs in accuracy of nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ), DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair, and C-MYC transcriptional signatures, relative to standard hiPSCs. Our data suggests that hiPSCs derived via more efficient reprogramming methods possess more hESC-like activated MYC signatures and DDR signaling. Thus, an authentic MYC molecular signature may serve as an important biomarker in characterizing the genomic integrity in hiPSCs.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors decrease NHEJ both by acetylation of repair factors and trapping of PARP1 at DNA double-strand breaks in chromatin.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) induce acetylation of histone and non-histone proteins, and modulate the acetylation of proteins involved in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair. Non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) is one of the main pathways for repairing DSBs. Decreased NHEJ activity has been reported with HDACi treatment. However, mechanisms through which these effects are regulated in the context of chromatin are unclear. We show that pan-HDACi, trichostatin A (TSA), causes differential acetylation of DNA repair factors Ku70/Ku80 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase-1 (PARP1), and impairs NHEJ. Repair effects are reversed by treatments with p300/CBP inhibitor C646, with significantly decreased acetylation of PARP1. In keeping with these findings, TSA treatment significantly increases PARP1 binding to DSBs in chromatin. Notably, AML patients treated with HDACi entinostat (MS275) in vivo also show increased formation of poly ADP-ribose (PAR) that co-localizes with DSBs. Further, we demonstrate that PARP1 bound to chromatin increases with duration of TSA exposure, resembling PARP "trapping". Knockdown of PARP1 inhibits trapping and mitigates HDACi effects on NHEJ. Finally, combination of HDACi with potent PARP inhibitor talazoparib (BMN673) shows a dose-dependent increase in PARP "trapping", which correlates with increased apoptosis. These results provide a mechanism through which HDACi inhibits deacetylation and increases binding of PARP1 to DSBs, leading to decreased NHEJ and cytotoxicity of leukemia cells.

Enhancing the Cytotoxic Effects of PARP Inhibitors with DNA Demethylating Agents - A Potential Therapy for Cancer.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPis) are clinically effective predominantly for BRCA-mutant tumors. We introduce a mechanism-based strategy to enhance PARPi efficacy based on DNA damage-related binding between DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) and PARP1. In acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and breast cancer cells, DNMT inhibitors (DNMTis) alone covalently bind DNMTs into DNA and increase PARP1 tightly bound into chromatin. Low doses of DNMTis plus PARPis, versus each drug alone, increase PARPi efficacy, increasing amplitude and retention of PARP1 directly at laser-induced DNA damage sites. This correlates with increased DNA damage, synergistic tumor cytotoxicity, blunting of self-renewal, and strong anti-tumor responses, in vivo in unfavorable AML subtypes and BRCA wild-type breast cancer cells. Our combinatorial approach introduces a strategy to enhance efficacy of PARPis in treating cancer.

Targeting abnormal DNA repair in therapy-resistant breast cancers.

Although hereditary breast cancers have defects in the DNA damage response that result in genomic instability, DNA repair abnormalities in sporadic breast cancers have not been extensively characterized. Recently, we showed that, relative to nontumorigenic breast epithelial MCF10A cells, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) MCF7 breast cancer cells and progesterone receptor-positive (PR+) MCF7 breast cancer cells have reduced steady-state levels of DNA ligase IV, a component of the major DNA-protein kinase (PK)-dependent nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway, whereas the steady-state level of DNA ligase IIIα, a component of the highly error-prone alternative NHEJ (ALT NHEJ) pathway, is increased. Here, we show that tamoxifen- and aromatase-resistant derivatives of MCF7 cells and ER(-)/PR(-) cells have even higher steady-state levels of DNA ligase IIIα and increased levels of PARP1, another ALT NHEJ component. This results in increased dependence upon microhomology-mediated ALT NHEJ to repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) and the accumulation of chromosomal deletions. Notably, therapy-resistant derivatives of MCF7 cells and ER(-)/PR(-) cells exhibited significantly increased sensitivity to a combination of PARP and DNA ligase III inhibitors that increased the number of DSBs. Biopsies from ER(-)/PR(-) tumors had elevated levels of ALT NHEJ and reduced levels of DNA-PK-dependent NHEJ factors. Thus, our results show that ALT NHEJ is a novel therapeutic target in breast cancers that are resistant to frontline therapies and suggest that changes in NHEJ protein levels may serve as biomarkers to identify tumors that are candidates for this therapeutic approach.