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Wojnilowicz M, Laznickova P, Ju Y, Ang CS, Tidu F, Bendickova K, Forte G, Plebanski M, Caruso F, Cavalieri F, Fric J. Influence of protein corona on the interaction of glycogen-siRNA constructs with ex vivo human blood immune cells. Biomater Adv 2022; 140:213083. [PMID: 36027666 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioadv.2022.213083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Glycogen-nucleic acid constructs i.e., glycoplexes are emerging promising platforms for the alteration of gene expression and transcription. Understanding the interaction of glycoplexes with human blood components, such as serum proteins and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), is important to overcome immune cell activation and control biodistribution upon administration of the glycoplexes in vivo. Herein, we investigated the interactions of polyethylene glycol (PEG)ylated and non-PEGylated glycoplexes carrying siRNA molecules with PBMCs isolated from the blood of healthy donors. We found that both types of glycoplexes were non-toxic and were primarily phagocytosed by monocytes without triggering a pro-inflammatory interleukin 6 cytokine production. Furthermore, we investigated the role of the protein corona on controlling the internalization efficiency in immune cells - we found that the adsorption of serum proteins, in particular haptoglobin, alpha-1-antitrypsin and apolipoprotein A-II, onto the non-PEGylated glycoplexes, significantly reduced the uptake of the glycoplexes by PBMCs. Moreover, the non-PEGylated glycoplexes were efficient in the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) knockdown in monocytic THP-1 cell line. This study provides an insight into the rational design of glycogen-based nanocarriers for the safe delivery of siRNA without eliciting unwanted immune cell activation and efficient siRNA activity upon its delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Wojnilowicz
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Petra Laznickova
- Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic; Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, 625 00 Brno-Bohunice, Czech Republic
| | - Yi Ju
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia; School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia
| | - Ching-Seng Ang
- Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Federico Tidu
- Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic; Division of Cancer Biology, The Institute of Cancer Research: London, 123 Old Brompton Road, London SW73RP, United Kingdom
| | - Kamila Bendickova
- Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Giancarlo Forte
- Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Magdalena Plebanski
- School of Health and Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia
| | - Frank Caruso
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
| | - Francesca Cavalieri
- Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia; School of Science, RMIT University, Victoria 3000, Australia; Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche, Universita' degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata", Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy.
| | - Jan Fric
- Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic; Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, U Nemocnice 2094, 128 20 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
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Jose SS, De Zuani M, Tidu F, Hortová Kohoutková M, Pazzagli L, Forte G, Spaccapelo R, Zelante T, Frič J. Comparison of two human organoid models of lung and intestinal inflammation reveals Toll-like receptor signalling activation and monocyte recruitment. Clin Transl Immunology 2020; 9:e1131. [PMID: 32377340 PMCID: PMC7200218 DOI: 10.1002/cti2.1131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives The activation of immune responses in mucosal tissues is a key factor for the development and sustainment of several pathologies including infectious diseases and autoimmune diseases. However, translational research and personalised medicine struggle to advance because of the lack of suitable preclinical models that successfully mimic the complexity of human tissues without relying on in vivo mouse models. Here, we propose two in vitro human 3D tissue models, deprived of any resident leucocytes, to model mucosal tissue inflammatory processes. Methods We developed human 3D lung and intestinal organoids differentiated from induced pluripotent stem cells to model mucosal tissues. We then compared their response to a panel of microbial ligands and investigated their ability to attract and host human primary monocytes. Results Mature lung and intestinal organoids comprised epithelial (EpCAM+) and mesenchymal (CD73+) cells which responded to Toll‐like receptor stimulation by releasing pro‐inflammatory cytokines and expressing tissue inflammatory markers including MMP9, COX2 and CRP. When added to the organoid culture, primary human monocytes migrated towards the organoids and began to differentiate to an ‘intermediate‐like’ phenotype characterised by increased levels of CD14 and CD16. Conclusion We show that human mucosal organoids exhibit proper immune functions and successfully mimic an immunocompetent tissue microenvironment able to host patient‐derived immune cells. Our experimental set‐up provides a novel tool to tackle the complexity of immune responses in mucosal tissues which can be tailored to different human pathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shyam Sushama Jose
- International Clinical Research Center St. Anne's University Hospital Brno Brno Czech Republic
| | - Marco De Zuani
- International Clinical Research Center St. Anne's University Hospital Brno Brno Czech Republic
| | - Federico Tidu
- International Clinical Research Center St. Anne's University Hospital Brno Brno Czech Republic.,Department of Biology Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic
| | | | - Lucia Pazzagli
- Department of Experimental Medicine and University Research Center for Functional Genomic (C.U.R.Ge.F) University of Perugia Perugia Italy
| | - Giancarlo Forte
- International Clinical Research Center St. Anne's University Hospital Brno Brno Czech Republic
| | - Roberta Spaccapelo
- Department of Experimental Medicine and University Research Center for Functional Genomic (C.U.R.Ge.F) University of Perugia Perugia Italy
| | - Teresa Zelante
- Department of Experimental Medicine and University Research Center for Functional Genomic (C.U.R.Ge.F) University of Perugia Perugia Italy
| | - Jan Frič
- International Clinical Research Center St. Anne's University Hospital Brno Brno Czech Republic.,Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion Prague Czech Republic
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Bendíčková K, Tidu F, De Zuani M, Kohoutková MH, Andrejčinová I, Pompeiano A, Bělášková S, Forte G, Zelante T, Frič J. Calcineurin inhibitors reduce NFAT-dependent expression of antifungal pentraxin-3 by human monocytes. J Leukoc Biol 2019; 107:497-508. [PMID: 30934147 PMCID: PMC7064969 DOI: 10.1002/jlb.4vma0318-138r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Calcineurin (CN) inhibitors are effective clinical immunosuppressants but leave patients vulnerable to potentially fatal fungal infections. This study tested the hypothesis that CN inhibition interferes with antifungal immune defenses mediated by monocytes. We showed that NFAT is expressed by human monocytes, and is activated by exposure to fungal ligands. We confirmed that NFAT translocation potently activated target gene transcription using a human monocytic reporter cell line. Inhibition of CN‐NFAT by cyclosporine A significantly reduced monocyte production of TNF‐α, IL‐10, and MCP‐1 proteins in response to pattern recognition receptor ligands as well as to Aspergillus fumigatus conidia. Moreover, we revealed that human monocytes express the antifungal protein pentraxin‐3 under control of NFAT. In conclusion, clinical CN inhibitors have the potential to interfere with the novel NFAT‐dependent pentraxin‐3 pathway as well as antifungal cytokine production in human monocytes, thereby impeding monocyte‐mediated defenses against fungal infection in immune‐suppressed patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Bendíčková
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Federico Tidu
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marco De Zuani
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | - Ivana Andrejčinová
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Antonio Pompeiano
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Silvie Bělášková
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Giancarlo Forte
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Teresa Zelante
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Jan Frič
- International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
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Jose SS, Tidu F, Burilova P, Kepak T, Bendickova K, Fric J. The Telomerase Complex Directly Controls Hematopoietic Stem Cell Differentiation and Senescence in an Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Model of Telomeropathy. Front Genet 2018; 9:345. [PMID: 30210531 PMCID: PMC6123533 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomeropathies are rare disorders associated with impaired telomere length control mechanisms that frequently result from genetic mutations in the telomerase complex. Dyskeratosis congenita is a congenital progressive telomeropathy in which mutation in the telomerase RNA component (TERC) impairs telomere maintenance leading to accelerated cellular senescence and clinical outcomes resembling premature aging. The most severe clinical feature is perturbed hematopoiesis and bone-marrow failure, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, we developed a model of telomerase function imbalance using shRNA to knockdown TERC expression in human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We then promoted in vitro hematopoiesis in these cells to analyze the effects of TERC impairment. Reduced TERC expression impaired hematopoietic stem-cell (HSC) differentiation and increased the expression of cellular senescence markers and production of reactive oxygen species. Interestingly, telomere length was unaffected in shTERC knockdown iPSCs, leading to conclusion that the phenotype is controlled by non-telomeric functions of telomerase. We then assessed the effects of TERC-depletion in THP-1 myeloid cells and again observed reduced hematopoietic and myelopoietic differentiative potential. However, these cells exhibited impaired telomerase activity as verified by accelerated telomere shortening. shTERC-depleted iPSC-derived and THP-1-derived myeloid precursors had lower phagocytic capacity and increased ROS production, indicative of senescence. These findings were confirmed using a BIBR1532 TERT inhibitor, suggesting that these phenotypes are dependent on telomerase function but not directly linked to telomere length. These data provide a better understanding of the molecular processes driving the clinical signs of telomeropathies and identify novel roles of the telomerase complex other than regulating telomere length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shyam Sushama Jose
- Cellular and Molecular Immunoregulation Group, Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Federico Tidu
- Cellular and Molecular Immunoregulation Group, Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Petra Burilova
- Cellular and Molecular Immunoregulation Group, Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Tomas Kepak
- Pediatric Oncology Translational Research, International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia.,Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, The University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia
| | - Kamila Bendickova
- Cellular and Molecular Immunoregulation Group, Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia
| | - Jan Fric
- Cellular and Molecular Immunoregulation Group, Center for Translational Medicine, International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czechia
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Abstract
Myeloid leucocytes mediate host protection against infection and critically regulate inflammatory responses in body tissues. Pattern recognition receptor signalling is crucial for myeloid cell responses to pathogens, but growing evidence suggests an equally potent role for Calcineurin–NFAT signalling in control of myeloid cell function. All major subsets of myeloid leucocytes employ Calcineurin–NFAT signalling during immune responses to pathogens and/or tissue damage, but the influence this pathway exerts on pathogen clearance and host susceptibility to infection is not fully understood. Recent data from experimental models indicate that Calcineurin‐NFAT signalling is essential for infection control, and calcineurin inhibitors used in transplantation medicine (including cyclosporine A and tacrolimus) are now being tested for efficacy in a diverse range of inflammatory conditions and autoimmune pathologies. Efforts to repurpose calcineurin inhibitor drugs for new therapeutic applications may yield rapid improvements in clinical outcomes, but the potential impact of these compounds on myeloid cell function in treated patients is largely unknown. Here we discuss Calcineurin–NFAT control of myeloid leucocyte function in the context of recent therapeutic developments and ongoing clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Bendickova
- Center for Translational Medicine (CTM), International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Federico Tidu
- Center for Translational Medicine (CTM), International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Fric
- Center for Translational Medicine (CTM), International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
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