SCL/TAL1 regulates hematopoietic specification from human embryonic stem cells.

Determining the molecular regulators/pathways responsible for the specification of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into hematopoietic precursors has far-reaching implications for potential cell therapies and disease modeling. Mouse models lacking SCL/TAL1 (stem cell leukemia/T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia 1) do not survive beyond early embryogenesis because of complete absence of hematopoiesis, indicating that SCL is a master early hematopoietic regulator. SCL is commonly found rearranged in human leukemias. However, there is barely information on the role of SCL on human embryonic hematopoietic development. Differentiation and sorting assays show that endogenous SCL expression parallels hematopoietic specification of hESCs and that SCL is specifically expressed in hematoendothelial progenitors (CD45(-)CD31(+)CD34(+)) and, to a lesser extent, on CD45(+) hematopoietic cells. Enforced expression of SCL in hESCs accelerates the emergence of hematoendothelial progenitors and robustly promotes subsequent differentiation into primitive (CD34(+)CD45(+)) and total (CD45(+)) blood cells with higher clonogenic potential. Short-hairpin RNA-based silencing of endogenous SCL abrogates hematopoietic specification of hESCs, confirming the early hematopoiesis-promoting effect of SCL. Unfortunately, SCL expression on its own is not sufficient to confer in vivo engraftment to hESC-derived hematopoietic cells, suggesting that additional yet undefined master regulators are required to orchestrate the stepwise hematopoietic developmental process leading to the generation of definitive in vivo functional hematopoiesis from hESCs.

A human ESC model for MLL-AF4 leukemic fusion gene reveals an impaired early hematopoietic-endothelial specification.

The MLL-AF4 fusion gene is a hallmark genomic aberration in high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia in infants. Although it is well established that MLL-AF4 arises prenatally during human development, its effects on hematopoietic development in utero remain unexplored. We have created a human-specific cellular system to study early hemato-endothelial development in MLL-AF4-expressing human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Functional studies, clonal analysis and gene expression profiling reveal that expression of MLL-AF4 in hESCs has a phenotypic, functional and gene expression impact. MLL-AF4 acts as a global transcriptional activator and a positive regulator of homeobox gene expression in hESCs. Functionally, MLL-AF4 enhances the specification of hemogenic precursors from hESCs but strongly impairs further hematopoietic commitment in favor of an endothelial cell fate. MLL-AF4 hESCs are transcriptionally primed to differentiate towards hemogenic precursors prone to endothelial maturation, as reflected by the marked upregulation of master genes associated to vascular-endothelial functions and early hematopoiesis. Furthermore, we report that MLL-AF4 expression is not sufficient to transform hESC-derived hematopoietic cells. This work illustrates how hESCs may provide unique insights into human development and further our understanding of how leukemic fusion genes, known to arise prenatally, regulate human embryonic hematopoietic specification.

Maintenance of human embryonic stem cells in media conditioned by human mesenchymal stem cells obviates the requirement of exogenous basic fibroblast growth factor supplementation.

Despite the improvements in the human embryonic stem cell (hESC) culture systems, very similar conditions to those used to maintain hESCs on mouse feeders are broadly applied to culture methods based on human feeders. Indeed, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a master hESC-sustaining factor, is still added in nearly all medium formulations for hESC propagation. Human foreskin fibroblasts (HFFs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) used as feeders have recently been reported to support hESC growth without exogenous bFGF. However, whether hESCs may be maintained undifferentiated without exogenous bFGF using media conditioned (CM) by human feeders remains elusive. We hypothesize that HFFs and hMSCs are likely to be functionally different and therefore the mechanisms by which HFF-CM and MSC-CM support undifferentiated growth of hESCs may differ. We have thus determined whether HFF-CM and/or MSC-CM sustain feeder-free undifferentiated growth of hESC without exogenous supplementation of bFGF. We report that hMSCs synthesize higher levels of endogenous bFGF than HFFs. Accordingly and in contrast to HFF-CM, MSC-CM produced without the addition of exogenous bFGF supports hESC pluripotency and culture homeostasis beyond 20 passages without the need of bFGF supplementation. hESCs maintained without exogenous bFGF in MSC-CM retained hESC morphology and expression of pluripotency surface markers and transcription factors, formed teratomas, and showed spontaneous and lineage-directed in vitro differentiation capacity. Our data indicate that MSC-CM, but not HFF-CM, provides microenvironment cues supporting feeder-free long-term maintenance of pluripotent hESCs and obviates the requirement of exogenous bFGF at any time.

FUS-CHOP fusion protein expression coupled to p53 deficiency induces liposarcoma in mouse but not in human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells.

Human sarcomas have been modeled in mice by expression of specific fusion genes in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). However, sarcoma models based on human MSCs are still missing. We attempted to develop a model of liposarcoma by expressing FUS (FUsed in Sarcoma; also termed TLS, Translocated in LipoSarcoma)-CHOP (C/EBP HOmologous Protein; also termed DDIT3, DNA Damage-Inducible Transcript 3), a hallmark mixoid liposarcoma-associated fusion oncogene, in wild-type and p53-deficient mouse and human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (ASCs). FUS-CHOP induced liposarcoma-like tumors when expressed in p53(-/-) but not in wild-type (wt) mouse ASCs (mASCs). In the absence of FUS-CHOP, p53(-/-) mASCs forms leiomyosarcoma, indicating that the expression of FUS-CHOP redirects the tumor genesis/phenotype. FUS-CHOP expression in wt mASCs does not initiate sarcomagenesis, indicating that p53 deficiency is required to induce FUS-CHOP-mediated liposarcoma in fat-derived mASCs. In a human setting, p53-deficient human ASCs (hASCs) displayed a higher in vitro growth rate and a more extended lifespan than wt hASCs. However, FUS-CHOP expression did not induce further changes in culture homeostasis nor initiated liposarcoma in either wt or p53-depleted hASCs. These results indicate that FUS-CHOP expression in a p53-deficient background is sufficient to initiate liposarcoma in mouse but not in hASCs, suggesting the need of additional cooperating mutations in hASCs. A microarray gene expression profiling has shed light into the potential deregulated pathways in liposarcoma formation from p53-deficient mASCs expressing FUS-CHOP, which might also function as potential cooperating mutations in the transformation process from hASCs.

Enrichment of human ESC-derived multipotent mesenchymal stem cells with immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory properties capable to protect against experimental inflammatory bowel disease.

Human ESCs provide access to the earliest stages of human development and may serve as an unlimited source of functional cells for future cell therapies. The optimization of methods directing the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into tissue-specific precursors becomes crucial. We report an efficient enrichment of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from hESCs through specific inhibition of SMAD-2/3 signaling. Human ESC-derived MSCs (hESC-MSCs) emerged as a population of fibroblastoid cells expressing a MSC phenotype: CD73+ CD90+ CD105+ CD44+ CD166+ CD45- CD34- CD14- CD19- human leucocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR)-. After 28 days of SMAD-2/3 inhibition, hESC cultures were enriched (>42%) in multipotent MSCs. CD73+CD90+ hESC-MSCs were fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS)-isolated and long-term cultures were established and maintained for many passages displaying a faster growth than somatic tissue-derived MSCs while maintaining MSC morphology and phenotype. They displayed osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrocytic differentiation potential and exhibited potent immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro and in vivo, where hESC-MSCs were capable of protecting against an experimental model of inflammatory bowel disease. Interestingly, the efficient enrichment of hESCs into MSCs through inhibition of SMAD-2/3 signaling was not reproducible with distinct induced pluripotent stem cell lines. Our findings provide mechanistic insights into the differentiation of hESCs into immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory multipotent MSCs with potential future clinical applications.

Enforced expression of MLL-AF4 fusion in cord blood CD34+ cells enhances the hematopoietic repopulating cell function and clonogenic potential but is not sufficient to initiate leukemia.

Infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia harboring the fusion mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL)-AF4 is associated with a dismal prognosis and very brief latency. Our limited understanding of transformation by MLL-AF4 is reflected in murine models, which do not accurately recapitulate the human disease. Human models for MLL-AF4 disease do not exist. Hematopoietic stem or progenitor cells (HSPCs) represent probable targets for transformation. Here, we explored in vitro and in vivo the impact of the enforced expression of MLL-AF4 in human cord blood-derived CD34(+) HSPCs. Intrabone marrow transplantation into NOD/SCID-IL2Rγ(-/-) mice revealed an enhanced multilineage hematopoietic engraftment, efficiency, and homing to other hematopoietic sites on enforced expression of MLL-AF4. Lentiviral transduction of MLL-AF4 into CD34(+) HSPCs increased the in vitro clonogenic potential of CD34(+) progenitors and promoted their proliferation. Consequently, cell cycle and apoptosis analyses suggest that MLL-AF4 conveys a selective proliferation coupled to a survival advantage, which correlates with changes in the expression of genes involved in apoptosis, sensing DNA damage and DNA repair. However, MLL-AF4 expression was insufficient to initiate leukemogenesis on its own, indicating that either additional hits (or reciprocal AF4-MLL product) may be required to initiate ALL or that cord blood-derived CD34(+) HSPCs are not the appropriate cellular target for MLL-AF4-mediated ALL.

The Nodal inhibitor Lefty is negatively modulated by the microRNA miR-302 in human embryonic stem cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to be important in early development and maintenance of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The miRNA miR-302-367 is specifically expressed in hESCs, and its expression decays on differentiation. We previously identified the structure of the gene coding for the human miR-302-367 cluster and characterized its promoter. The promoter activity was functionally validated in hESCs, opening up new avenues to further investigate how these miRNA molecules fit in the complex molecular network conferring "stemness" properties to hESCs. The physiological roles of specific miRNA-mRNA interactions remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated putative miR-302-367 mRNA targets in hESCs, potentially relevant for ESC biology. We found that the Nodal inhibitors Lefty1 and Lefty2 are post-transcriptionally targeted by miR-302s in hESCs. Functional analyses indicate that miR-302s negatively modulate the level of lefties, and become upstream regulators of the TGFß/Nodal pathway, functioning via Smad-2/3 signaling. Overexpression of the miR-302-367 cluster in hESCs causes a delay in early hESC differentiation, as measured by enhanced levels of ESC-specific transcription factors, coupled to a faster teratoma formation in mice transplanted with miR-302-367-expressing hESCs and a concomitant impairment of germ layer specification, displaying robust decreased levels of early mesodermal, endodermal, and ectodermal specific markers. These findings suggest that Lefty is negatively modulated by miR-302s in hESCs, which plays an important role in maintaining the balance between pluripotency and germ layer specification.

Nodal/Activin signaling predicts human pluripotent stem cell lines prone to differentiate toward the hematopoietic lineage.

Lineage-specific differentiation potential varies among different human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) lines, becoming therefore highly desirable to prospectively know which hPSC lines exhibit the highest differentiation potential for a certain lineage. We have compared the hematopoietic potential of 14 human embryonic stem cell (hESC)/induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines. The emergence of hemogenic progenitors, primitive and mature blood cells, and colony-forming unit (CFU) potential was analyzed at different time points. Significant differences in the propensity to differentiate toward blood were observed among hPSCs: some hPSCs exhibited good blood differentiation potential, whereas others barely displayed blood-differentiation capacity. Correlation studies revealed that the CFU potential robustly correlates with hemogenic progenitors and primitive but not mature blood cells. Developmental progression of mesoendodermal and hematopoietic transcription factors expression revealed no correlation with either hematopoietic initiation or maturation efficiency. Microarray studies showed distinct gene expression profile between hPSCs with good versus poor hematopoietic potential. Although neuroectoderm-associated genes were downregulated in hPSCs prone to hematopoietic differentiation many members of the Nodal/Activin signaling were upregulated, suggesting that this signaling predicts those hPSC lines with good blood-differentiation potential. The association between Nodal/Activin signaling and the hematopoietic differentiation potential was confirmed using loss- and gain-of-function functional assays. Our data reinforce the value of prospective comparative studies aimed at determining the lineage-specific differentiation potential among different hPSCs and indicate that Nodal/Activin signaling seems to predict those hPSC lines prone to hematopoietic specification.

Deficiency in p53 but not retinoblastoma induces the transformation of mesenchymal stem cells in vitro and initiates leiomyosarcoma in vivo.

Sarcomas have been modeled in mice by the expression of specific fusion genes in mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), supporting the concept that MSCs might be the target initiating cell in sarcoma. In this study, we evaluated the potential oncogenic effects of p53 and/or retinoblastoma (Rb) deficiency in MSC transformation and sarcomagenesis. We derived wild-type, p53(-/-), Rb(-/-), and p53(-/-)Rb(-/-) MSC cultures and fully characterized their in vitro growth properties and in vivo tumorigenesis capabilities. In contrast with wild-type MSCs, Rb(-/-), p53(-/-), and p53(-/-)Rb(-/-) MSCs underwent in vitro transformation and showed severe alterations in culture homeostasis. More importantly, p53(-/-) and p53(-/-)Rb(-/-) MSCs, but not Rb(-/-) MSCs, were capable of tumor development in vivo after injection into immunodeficient mice. p53(-/-) or p53(-/-)Rb(-/-) MSCs originated leiomyosarcoma-like tumors, linking this type of smooth muscle sarcoma to p53 deficiency in fat tissue-derived MSCs. Sca1+ and Sca1 low/- cell populations isolated from ex vivo-established, transformed MSC lines from p53(-/-)Rb(-/-) tumors showed identical sarcomagenesis potential, with 100% tumor penetrance and identical latency, tumor weight, and histologic profile. Our findings define the differential roles of p53 and Rb in MSC transformation and offer proof-of-principle that MSCs could provide useful tools to dissect the sarcoma pathogenesis.

Intra-bone marrow transplantation of human CD34(+) cells into NOD/LtSz-scid IL-2rgamma(null) mice permits multilineage engraftment without previous irradiation.

BACKGROUND AIMS: Non-irradiated immunodeficient recipients provide the best physiologic setting for revealing hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) functions after xenotransplantion. An approach that efficiently permits the detection of human hematopoietic repopulating cells in non-irradiated recipients is therefore highly desired. METHODS: We compared side-by-side the ability to reconstitute hematopoiesis via intra-bone marrow transplantation (IBMT) in three commonly used mouse strains avoiding previous irradiation. RESULTS: Non-irradiated NOD/SCID and NOD/SCID (beta2m-/- mouse strains prevent engraftment even after IBMT. In contrast, combining the robustness of the NOD/SCID IL-2Rgamma-/- recipient with the sensitivity of IBMT facilitates the detection, without previous host irradiation, of human SCID-repopulating cells 10 weeks after transplantation. The level of chimerism averaged 14% and multilineage engraftment (lymphoid dominant) was observed consistently in all mice. Analysis of injected and non-injected bones, spleen and peripheral blood demonstrated that engrafting cells were capable of in vivo migration and expansion. CONCLUSIONS: Combining the robustness of the NOD/SCID IL-2Rgamma-/- mouse strain with the sensitivity of IBMT strongly facilitates long-term multilineage engraftment and migration for human CD34(+) cells without the need for previous irradiation.