Delayed Development of Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency Following Chemical Injury—Pathogenesis and Therapeutic Strategies

2013 ◽  
Vol 06 (02) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Tamar Kadar ◽  
Shlomit Dachir ◽  
Vered Horwitz ◽  
Adina Amir ◽  
◽  
...  

Limbal epithelial stem cell deficiency (LSCD) occurs as a result of damage to the limbal epithelial stem cells (ESC) population. It may derive from direct destructive loss of the ESC (common chemical burn), and/or from dysfunction of the SC niche, leading to delayed death of the cells. This review focuses on delayed-onset LSCD, induced by antineoplastic chemicals, such as mitomycin C, 5-fluorouracil, and mustards, in terms of pathogenesis and management. These agents are used in ocular surface chemotherapy, in ocular surgery procedures, and as warfare agents, and target proliferating cells as slow-cycling cells, such as the ESC, are relatively resistant. Although the mechanism of the delayed loss of ESC is not entirely clear, we have shown, in the rabbit model, pathologic alterations in the limbal stroma, following the application of sulfur mustard, suggesting that dysfunction of the niche triggers the death of the SC later on. The absence of direct cytotoxic effects of these agents on the ESC, indicates a therapeutic window for prevention of the delayed LSCD.

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 1134
Author(s):  
Julia I. Khorolskaya ◽  
Daria A. Perepletchikova ◽  
Daniel V. Kachkin ◽  
Kirill E. Zhurenkov ◽  
Elga I. Alexander-Sinkler ◽  
...  

The development of cell-based approaches to the treatment of various cornea pathologies, including limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), is an area of current interest in regenerative biomedicine. In this context, the shortage of donor material is urgent, and limbal mesenchymal stem cells (L-MSCs) may become a promising cell source for the development of these novel approaches, being established mainly within the rabbit model. In this study, we obtained and characterized rabbit L-MSCs and modified them with lentiviral transduction to express the green fluorescent protein EGFP (L-MSCs-EGFP). L-MSCs and L-MSCs-EGFP express not only stem cell markers specific for mesenchymal stem cells but also ABCG2, ABCB5, ALDH3A1, PAX6, and p63a specific for limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs), as well as various cytokeratins (3/12, 15, 19). L-MSCs-EGFP have been proven to differentiate into adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic directions, as well as to transdifferentiate into epithelial cells. The possibility of using L-MSCs-EGFP to study the biocompatibility of various scaffolds developed to treat corneal pathologies was demonstrated. L-MSCs-EGFP may become a useful tool for studying regenerative processes occurring during the treatment of various corneal pathologies, including LSCD, with the use of cell-based technologies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S7-S8
Author(s):  
Safina Gadeock ◽  
Cambrian Liu ◽  
Brent Polk

Abstract Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a highly expressed cytokine in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Although TNF can induce colonic epithelial dysfunction and apoptosis, recent studies suggest that TNF signalling promotes epithelial wound repair and stem cell function. Here we investigated the role of TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) in mediating TNF’s effects on colonic epithelial stem cells, integral to mucosal healing in colitis. We demonstrate that Tnfr1-/- mice exhibit loss in Lgr5 expression (-52%, p<0.02; N=6) compared to wildtype (WT) controls. However, the opposite result was found in vitro, wherein murine Tnfr1-/- colonoids demonstrated a significant increase in Lgr5 expression (66%, p<0.007; N=6) compared to WT colonoids. Similarly, human colonoids treated with an anti-TNFR1 antibody also demonstrated an increase in Lgr5 expression, relative to IgG controls. To resolve the contradiction in the in vivo versus in vitro environment, we hypothesized that mesenchymal TNFR1 expression regulates the epithelial stem cell niche. To determine the relationships between these cell types, we co-cultured WT or Tnfr1-/- colonoids with WT or Tnfr1-/- colonic myofibroblasts (CMFs). We found that epithelial Lgr5 expression was significantly higher (by 52%, p<0.05; N=3) when co-cultured with WT compared to TNFR1-/- myofibroblasts. The loss of TNFR1 expression in vivo increases the number of αSMA+ mesenchymal cells by nearly 56% (N=6) but considerably reduces the pericryptal PDGFRα+ cells, suggesting modifications in mesenchymal populations that contribute to the epithelial stem cell niche. Functionally, primary Tnfr1-/--CMFs displayed PI3k (p<0.001; N=3) and MAPK (p<0.01; N=3)-dependent increases in migration, proliferation, and differentiation, but RNA profiling demonstrated by diminished levels of stem cell niche factors, Rspo3 (-80%, p<0.0001; N=6) and Wnt2b (-63%, p<0.008; N=6) compared to WT-CMFs. Supplementation with 50ng recombinant Rspo3 for 5 d to Lgr5-GFP organoids co-cultured with TNFR1-/--CMFs restored Lgr5 expression to wildtype levels. Therefore, TNFR1-mediated TNF signalling in mesenchymal cells promotes their ability to support an epithelial stem cell niche. These results should motivate future studies of the stem cell niche in the context of long-term treatment with anti-TNF therapies.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 873
Author(s):  
Ovidiu Samoila ◽  
Lacramioara Samoila

The future of eye reconstruction invariably includes stem cells transplantation. Corneal limbus, corneal stroma, trabeculum, retinal cells, optic nerve, and all structures that are irreversibly damaged and have no means to be repaired or replaced, through conventional treatment or surgery, represent targets for stem cell reconstruction. This review tries to answer the question if there is any clinical validation for stem therapies, so far, starting from the cornea and, on the path of light, arriving to the retina. The investigation covers the last 10 years of publications. From 2385 published sources, we found 56 clinical studies matching inclusion criteria, 39 involving cornea, and 17 involving retina. So far, corneal epithelial reconstruction seems well validated clinically. Enough clinical data are collected to allow some form of standardization for the stem cell transplant procedures. Cultivated limbal epithelial stem cells (CLET), simple limbal epithelial transplant (SLET), and oral mucosa transplantation are implemented worldwide. In comparison, far less patients are investigated in retinal stem reconstructions, with lower anatomical and clinical success, so far. Intravitreal, subretinal, and suprachoroidal approach for retinal stem therapies face specific challenges.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathan Moore ◽  
Stephen Lyle

Long-lived cancer stem cells (CSCs) with indefinite proliferative potential have been identified in multiple epithelial cancer types. These cells are likely derived from transformed adult stem cells and are thought to share many characteristics with their parental population, including a quiescent slow-cycling phenotype. Various label-retaining techniques have been used to identify normal slow cycling adult stem cell populations and offer a unique methodology to functionally identify and isolate cancer stem cells. The quiescent nature of CSCs represents an inherent mechanism that at least partially explains chemotherapy resistance and recurrence in posttherapy cancer patients. Isolating and understanding the cell cycle regulatory mechanisms of quiescent cancer cells will be a key component to creation of future therapies that better target CSCs and totally eradicate tumors. Here we review the evidence for quiescent CSC populations and explore potential cell cycle regulators that may serve as future targets for elimination of these cells.


Development ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 129 (11) ◽  
pp. 2607-2617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Nechiporuk ◽  
Mark T. Keating

Previous studies of zebrafish fin regeneration led to the notion that the regeneration blastema is a homogeneous population of proliferating cells. Here, we show that the blastema consists of two components with markedly distinct proliferation properties. During early blastema formation, proliferating cells are evenly distributed. At the onset of regenerative outgrowth, however, blastemal cells are partitioned into two domains. Proximal blastemal cells proliferate at a high rate, shifting from a median G2 of more than 6 hours to approximately 1 hour. By contrast, the most distal blastemal cells do not proliferate. There is a gradient of proliferation between these extremes. Using bromodeoxyuridine incorporation and anti-phosphohistone H3 labeling, we find a 50-fold difference in proliferation across the gradient that extends approximately 50 μm, or ten cell diameters. We show that during early regeneration, proliferating blastemal cells express msxb, a homeodomain transcriptional repressor. While msxb is widely expressed among proliferating cells during blastema formation, its expression becomes restricted to a small number of non-proliferating, distal blastemal cells during regenerative outgrowth. Bromodeoxyuridine pulse-chase experiments show that distal and proximal blastemal cells are formed from proliferating, msxb-positive blastemal cells, not from preexisting slow-cycling cells. These data support the idea that blastema formation results from dedifferentiation of intraray mesenchymal cells. Based on these findings, we propose a new model of zebrafish fin regeneration in which the function of non-proliferating, msxb-expressing, distal blastemal cells is to specify the boundary of proliferation and provide direction for regenerative outgrowth.


Microscopy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuyuki Koike ◽  
Jun Sugimoto ◽  
Motonori Okabe ◽  
Kenichi Arai ◽  
Makiko Nogami ◽  
...  

Abstract Amnion membrane studies related to miscarriage have been conducted in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. However, the distribution of stem cells within the amnion and the differences in the properties of each type of stem cells are still not well understood. We address this gap in knowledge in the present study where we morphologically classified the amnion membrane, and we clarified the distribution of stem cells here to identify functionally different amniotic membrane–derived stem cells. The amnion can be divided into a site that is continuous with the umbilical cord (region A), a site that adheres to the placenta (region B), and a site that is located opposite the placenta (region C). We found that human amnion epithelial stem cells (HAECs) that strongly express stem cell markers were abundant in area A. HAEC not only expressesed stem cell-specific surface markers TRA-1-60, Tra-1-81, SSEA4, SSEA3, but was also OCT-3/4 positive and had alkaline phosphatase activity. Human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells expressed KLF-A, OCTA, Oct3/4, c-MYC and Sox2 which is transcription factor. Especially, in regions A and B they have expressed CD73, and the higher expression of BCRP which is drug excretion transporter protein than the other parts. These data suggest that different types of stem cells may have existed in different area. The understanding the relation with characteristics of the stem cells in each area and function would allow for the efficient harvest of suitable HAE and HAM stem cells as using tool for regenerative medicine.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huiyong Liu ◽  
Sydney Reiter ◽  
Xiangyue Zhou ◽  
Hanmin Chen ◽  
Yibo Ou ◽  
...  

Strokes are the most common types of cerebrovascular disease and remain a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Cerebral ischemic stroke is caused by a reduction in blood flow to the brain. In this disease, two major zones of injury are identified: the lesion core, in which cells rapidly progress toward death, and the ischemic penumbra (surrounding the lesion core), which is defined as hypoperfusion tissue where cells may remain viable and can be repaired. Two methods that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) include intravenous thrombolytic therapy and endovascular thrombectomy, however, the narrow therapeutic window poses a limitation, and therefore a low percentage of stroke patients actually receive these treatments. Developments in stem cell therapy have introduced renewed hope to patients with ischemic stroke due to its potential effect for reversing the neurological sequelae. Over the last few decades, animal tests and clinical trials have been used to treat ischemic stroke experimentally with various types of stem cells. However, several technical and ethical challenges must be overcome before stem cells can become a choice for the treatment of stroke. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms, processes, and challenges of using stem cells in stroke treatment. We also discuss new developing trends in this field.


1990 ◽  
Vol 110 (4) ◽  
pp. 939-945 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Dübel ◽  
H C Schaller

Using bromodeoxyuridine incorporation to label cells in S phase we found that ectodermal epithelial cells of Hydra can start and complete their terminal differentiation in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. Most of the cells traversed their last S phase before the signal for differentiation, namely excision of head or foot, was given. The S phase inhibitor aphidicolin accordingly did not inhibit head or foot specific differentiation. The results show that differentiation to either head- or foot-specific ectodermal epithelial cells can start and is completed within the same G2 phase. This is therefore the first description of a complete differentiation from a population of proliferating cells to terminally differentiated, cell cycle-arrested cells without the necessity of passing through an S phase or mitosis.


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