Visualization of cell replication using antibody to proliferating cell nuclear antigen

Heart cells with regenerative potential from pediatric patients with end stage heart failure: a translatable method to enrich and propagate

Background. Human cardiac-derived progenitor cells (hCPCs) have shown promise in treating heart failure (HF) in adults. The purpose of this study was to describe derivation of hCPCs from pediatric patients with end-stage HF. Methods. At surgery, discarded right atrial tissues (hAA) were obtained from HF patients (n = 25; hAA-CHF). Minced tissues were suspended in complete (serum-containing) DMEM. Cells were selected for their tissue migration and expression of stem cell factor receptor (hc-kit). Characterization of hc-kit(positive) cells included immunohistochemical screening with a panel of monoclonal antibodies. Results. Cells, including phase-bright cells identified as hc-kit(positive), spontaneously emigrated from hAA-CHF in suspended explant cultures (SEC) after Day 7. When cocultured with tissue, emigrated hc-kit(positive) cells proliferated, first as loosely attached clones and later as multicellular clusters. At Day 21~5% of cells were hc-kit(positive). Between Days 14 and 28 hc-kit(positive) cells exhibited mesodermal commitment (GATA-4(positive) and NKX2.5(positive)); then after Day 28 cardiac lineages (flk-1(positive), smooth muscle actin(positive), troponin-I(positive), and myosin light chain(positive)). Conclusions. C-kit(positive) hCPCs can be derived from atrial tissue of pediatric patients with end-stage HF. SEC is a novel culture method for derivation of migratory hc-kit(positive) cells that favors clinical translation by reducing the need for exogenously added factors to expand hCPCs in vitro.

Phosphohistone H3 labelling for histoprognostic grading of breast adenocarcinomas and computer-assisted determination of mitotic index

BACKGROUND

Microscopic evaluation of mitotic figures is a routine procedure in the assessment of the histoprognostic grade of tumours. Nevertheless, their count may be fraught with difficulties. As histone H3 phosphorylation at serine 10 is closely linked to chromosomal condensation, a new monoclonal antibody directed to phosphorylated histone H3 (PPH3) was recently proposed to detect mitotic cells.

AIM

To test the reliability of this antibody in detecting and counting mitotic figures in sections of breast adenocarcinomas, because of the importance of mitotic count in histoprognostic grading.

METHODS

The pattern of PPH3 staining in formalin-fixed paraffin wax-embedded tissues, including normal tissues and a series of 39 breast adenocarcinomas, was examined. A new computer-assisted method was also developed for determining the mitotic index.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

In all tissues tested, PPH3-labelled mitotic figures were easily detected, allowing a rapid identification of the area of highest mitotic activity. In breast carcinomas, a strong correlation was observed between PPH3-stained and haematoxylin and eosin-stained mitotic counts (r = 0.86, p<0.0001). Counting of prophase nuclei that coexpress cyclin B1, a marker of the G2/M phase, was possible by PPH3 staining; its accuracy led us to reconsider the tumour grade in three cases. Finally, an automatic computer-assisted method was designed for assessing mitotic index with confocal microscopy and image-analysis software.

Progesterone Inhibits the Estrogen-Induced Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase→AKT→GSK-3β→Cyclin D1→pRB Pathway to Block Uterine Epithelial Cell Proliferation

The mammalian cell cycle is regulated by the cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma (pRB) family of proteins. Cyclin D1 with its CDK4/6 partners initiates the cell cycle and acts as the link between extracellular signals and the cell cycle machinery. Estradiol-17β (E2) stimulates uterine epithelial cell proliferation, a process that is completely inhibited by pretreatment with progesterone (P4). Previously, we identified cyclin D1 localization as a key point of regulation in these cells with E2 causing its nuclear accumulation and P4 retaining it in the cytoplasm with the resultant inhibition of pRB phosphorylation. Here we show that E2 stimulates phosphoinositide 3-kinase to activate phosphokinase B/AKT to effect an inhibitory phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3β). This pathway is suppressed by P4. Inhibition of the GSK-3β activity in P4-treated uteri by the specific inhibitor, LiCl, reversed the nuclear accumulation of cyclin D1 and in doing so, caused pRB phosphorylation and the induction of downstream genes, proliferating cell nuclear antigen and Ki67. Conversely, inhibition of phosphoinositide 3 kinase by LY294002 or Wortmanin reversed the E2-induced GSK-3β Ser9 inhibitory phosphorylation and blocked nuclear accumulation of cyclin D1. These data show the reciprocal actions of E2 and P4 on the phosphoinositide 3-kinase through to the GSK-3β pathway that in turn regulates cyclin D1 localization and cell cycle progression. These data reveal a novel signaling pathway that links E2 and P4 action to growth factor-mediated signaling in the uterus.

Cyclin-dependent kinase-2 controls oligodendrocyte progenitor cell cycle progression and is downregulated in adult oligodendrocyte progenitors

Proliferation of oligodendrocyte progenitor (OP) cells is a crucial process controlling myelination in the CNS. Previous studies demonstrated a correlation between OP proliferation rate and cyclin E/cyclin-dependent kinase-2 (cdk2) activity. To establish a causal link between cyclin E/cdk2 activity and OP proliferation, we selectively modulated cdk2 activity in vitro by transfection of cultured OP cells. Dominant-negative (Dn)-cdk2 overexpression inhibited mitogen-induced OP cell proliferation, whereas wild-type (wt)-cdk2 prevented cell cycle arrest caused by anti-mitotic signals. Dn-cdk2- or wt-cdk2-mediated regulation of G(1)/S transition, per se, did not influence initiation of OP differentiation. To study the function of cyclin E/cdk2 in OP cells during development in vivo, we analyzed cdk2 and cyclin E expression in cells acutely isolated from transgenic mice expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the 2'-3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase gene promoter. Both cyclin E/cdk2 protein levels and activity were decreased in GFP(+) oligodendrocyte lineage cells between postnatal days 4 and 30. Immunostaining of NG2(+)/GFP(+) OP cells in brain tissue sections showed a 90% decrease in overall cell proliferation and cdk2 expression between perinatal and adult cells. However, cdk2 expression within the proliferating (i.e., expressing the proliferating cell nuclear antigen) OP cell population was maintained throughout development. Our data indicate that: (1) cyclin E/cdk2 activity plays a pivotal function in OP cell cycle decisions occurring at G(1)/S checkpoint; (2) initiation of OP differentiation is independent of cyclinE/cdk2 checkpoint, and (3) intrinsic differences in cyclin E/cdk2 expression and activity may underlie the slowly proliferative state that characterizes so-called "quiescent" adult OP cells in vivo.

Progesterone inhibits estrogen-induced cyclin D1 and cdk4 nuclear translocation, cyclin E- and cyclin A-cdk2 kinase activation, and cell proliferation in uterine epithelial cells in mice

The response of the uterine epithelium to female sex steroid hormones provides an excellent model to study cell proliferation in vivo since both stimulation and inhibition of cell proliferation can be studied. Thus, when administered to ovariectomized adult mice 17beta-estradiol (E2) stimulates a synchronized wave of DNA synthesis and cell division in the epithelial cells, while pretreatment with progesterone (P4) completely inhibits this E2-induced cell proliferation. Using a simple method to isolate the uterine epithelium with high purity, we have shown that E2 treatment induces a relocalization of cyclin D1 and, to a lesser extent, cdk4 from the cytoplasm into the nucleus and results in the orderly activation of cyclin E- and cyclin A-cdk2 kinases and hyperphosphorylation of pRb and p107. P4 pretreatment did not alter overall levels of cyclin D1, cdk4, or cdk6 nor their associated kinase activities but instead inhibited the E2-induced nuclear localization of cyclin D1 to below the control level and, to a lesser extent, nuclear cdk4 levels, with a consequent inhibition of pRb and p107 phosphorylation. In addition, it abrogated E2-induced cyclin E-cdk2 activation by dephosphorylation of cdk2, followed by inhibition of cyclin A expression and consequently of cyclin A-cdk2 kinase activity and further inhibition of phosphorylation of pRb and p107. P4 is used therapeutically to oppose the effect of E2 during hormone replacement therapy and in the treatment of uterine adenocarcinoma. This study showing a novel mechanism of cell cycle inhibition by P4 may provide the basis for the development of new antiestrogens.