Intranasal Delivery of Curcumin Nanoparticles Improves Neuroinflammation and Neurological Deficits in Mice with Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) represents one of the most severe subtypes of stroke. Due to the complexity of the brain injury mechanisms following ICH, there are currently no effective treatments to significantly improve patient functional outcomes. Curcumin, as a potential therapeutic agent for ICH, is limited by its poor water solubility and oral bioavailability. In this study, mPEG-PCL is used to encapsulate curcumin, forming curcumin nanoparticles, and utilized the intranasal administration route to directly deliver curcumin nanoparticles from the nasal cavity to the brain. By inhibiting pro-inflammatory neuroinflammation of microglia following ICH in mice, reprogramming pro-inflammatory microglia toward an anti-inflammatory function, and consequently reducing neuronal inflammatory death and hematoma volume, this approach improved blood-brain barrier damage in ICH mice and promoted the recovery of neurological function post-stroke. This study offers a promising therapeutic strategy for ICH to mediate neuroinflammatory microenvironments.

MiR-506 Promotes Antitumor Immune Response in Pancreatic Cancer by Reprogramming Tumor-Associated Macrophages toward an M1 Phenotype

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly malignant cancer with a poor prognosis, and effective treatments for PDAC are lacking. In this study, we hypothesized that miR-506 promotes antitumor immune response in PDAC by reprogramming tumor-associated macrophages toward an M1 phenotype to reverse its immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). First, the relationship between TME and the expression of miR-506 was assessed using clinical samples. Our results provided evidence that lower expression of miR-506 was associated with poor prognosis and immunosuppressive TME in PDAC patients. In addition, miR-506 inhibit the PDAC progression and reversed its immunosuppressive microenvironment in a macrophage-dependent manner. Next, we established a PDAC mouse model by orthotopic injection to further explore the role of miR-506 in vivo. Mechanistic investigations demonstrated that miR-506 could reprogram the polarization of M2-like macrophages toward an M1-like phenotype through targeting STAT3. Meanwhile, miR-506 could also sensitize PDAC to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, because the tumor microenvironment remodeling effects of miR-506 could reprogram macrophage polarization and subsequently promote cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) infiltration. These findings suggest a relationship between miR-506 and TME, especially M2-like macrophages, thus providing novel insights into mechanisms of tumor progression and potential immunotherapeutic targets for further clinical treatment.

Effect of Piriformospora indica-Induced Systemic Resistance and Basal Immunity Against Rhizoctonia cerealis and Fusarium graminearum in Wheat

Wheat is among the top 10 and most widely grown crops in the world. However, wheat is often infected with many soil-borne diseases, including sharp eyespot, mainly caused by the necrotrophic fungus Rhizoctonia cerealis, and Fusarium head blight (FHB), caused by Fusarium graminearum, resulting in reduced production. Piriformospora indica is a root endophytic fungus with a wide range of host plants, which increases their growth and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this study, the capability of P. indica to protect wheat seedlings against R. cerealis and F. graminearum was investigated at the physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. Our results showed that P. indica significantly reduced the disease progress on wheat caused by F. graminearum and R. cerealis in vivo, but not showed any antagonistic effect on F. graminearum and R. cerealis in vitro. Additionally, P. indica can induce systemic resistance by elevating H₂O₂ content, antioxidase activity, relative water content (RWC), and membrane stability index (MSI) compared to the plants only inoculated with F. graminearum or R. cerealis and control. RNA-seq suggested that transcriptome changes caused by F. graminearum were more severe than those caused by R. cerealis. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the transcriptome can be reduced by the addition of P. indica: for F. graminearum reduced by 18% and for R. cerealis reduced 58%. The DEGs related to disease resistance, such as WRKY and MAPK, were upregulated by P. indica colonization. The data further revealed that the transcriptional resistance to F. graminearum and R. cerealis mediated by P. indica is quite different.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are functionally inactivated by CD90+ stromal cells and reactivated by combined Ibrutinib and Rapamycin in human pleural mesothelioma

Rationale: Despite evidence suggesting that the tumor microenvironment (TME) in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is linked with poor prognosis, there is a lack of studies that functionally characterize stromal cells and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). Here, we aim to characterize the stromal subsets within MPM, investigate their relationship to TILs, and explore the potential therapeutic targets.

Methods: We curated a core set of genes defining stromal/immune signatures expressed by mesenchymal cells within the TME using molecular analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) MPM cohort. Stromal and immune profiles were molecularly characterized using flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, microarray, and functionally evaluated using T cell-activation/expansion, coculture assays and drug compounds treatment, based on samples from an independent MPM cohort.

Results: We found that a high extracellular matrix (ECM)/stromal gene signature, a high ECM score, or the ratio of ECM to an immune activation gene signature are significantly associated with poor survival in the MPM cohort in TCGA. Analysis of an independent MPM cohort (n = 12) revealed that CD8+ and CD4+ TILs were characterized by PD1 overexpression and concomitant downregulation in degranulation and CD127. This coincided with an increase in CD90+ cells that overexpressed PD-L1 and were enriched for ECM/stromal genes, activated PI3K-mTOR signaling and suppressed T cells. Protein array data demonstrated that MPM samples with high PD-L1 expression were most associated with activation of the mTOR pathway. Further, to reactivate functionally indolent TILs, we reprogrammed ex vivo TILs with Ibrutinib plus Rapamycin to block interleukin-2-inducible kinase (ITK) and mTOR pathways, respectively. The combination treatment shifted effector memory (T_EM) CD8+ and CD4+ TILs towards T cells that re-expressed CD45RA (T_EMRA) while concomitantly downregulating exhaustion markers. Gene expression analysis confirmed that Ibrutinib plus Rapamycin downregulated coinhibitory and T cell signature pathways while upregulating pathways involved in DNA damage and repair and immune cell adhesion and migration.

Conclusions: Our results suggest that targeting the TME may represent a novel strategy to redirect the fate of endogenous TILs with the goal of restoring anti-tumor immunity and control of tumor growth in MPM.

Emerging Landscapes of Tumor Immunity and Metabolism

The metabolic reprogramming of cancer tissue has higher metabolic activity than surrounding tissues. At the same time, the local infiltration of immunosuppressive cells is also significantly increased, resulting in a significant decrease in tumor immunity. During the progression of cancer cells, immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment is formed around the tumor due to their metabolic reprogramming. In addition, it is the changes in metabolic patterns that make tumor cells resistant to certain drugs, impeding cancer treatment. This article reviews the mechanisms of immune escape caused by metabolic reprogramming, and aims to provide new ideas for clinical tumor immunotherapy combined with metabolic intervention for tumor treatment.

Analyzing One Cell at a TIME: Analysis of Myeloid Cell Contributions in the Tumor Immune Microenvironment

Tumor-mediated regulation of the host immune system involves an intricate signaling network that results in the tumor's inherent survival benefit. Myeloid cells are central in orchestrating the mechanisms by which tumors escape immune detection and continue their proliferative programming. Myeloid cell activation has historically been classified using a dichotomous system of classical (M1-like) and alternative (M2-like) states, defining general pro- and anti-inflammatory functions, respectively. Explosions in bioinformatics analyses have rapidly expanded the definitions of myeloid cell pro- and anti-inflammatory states with different combinations of tissue- and disease-specific phenotypic and functional markers. These new definitions have allowed researchers to target specific subsets of disease-propagating myeloid cells in order to modify or arrest the natural progression of the associated disease, especially in the context of tumor-immune interactions. Here, we discuss the myeloid cell contribution to solid tumor initiation and maintenance, and strategies to reprogram their phenotypic and functional fate, thereby disabling the network that benefits tumor survival.

Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Epidermal Keratinocytes

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) play an important role in cell replacement therapy. Several studies have shown that keratinocytes are promising reprogrammed cells. We easily and efficiently enriched epidermal stem cells by attaching them for a limited time in culture dishes. Individual epidermal cells enriched in stem cells, which showed strong immunostaining for K15, were obtained and generated iPSCs within 10 days after transfection with lentiviruses encoding 4 transcription factors (OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and NANOG). Immunofluorescent staining showed that those iPSCs expressed SOX2, OCT4, NANOG, and SSEA3 (a specific marker of embryonic stem cells). The embryoid bodies generated from those iPSCs stained positively for OCT4 and NANOG and also with the CDy1 dye that is specific for stem cells. When the iPSCs were subcutaneously injected into 4-week-old BALB/c nude mice, teratoma developed at the inoculation site. The iPSCs also demonstrated reduced DNA methylation compared with the original cells and could be induced to differentiate into adipocytes (mesodermal), hepatocytes (endodermal), and neural cells (ectodermal) in vitro. Our research provides an easy and efficient method for producing iPSCs from keratinocytes, which has important applications in cell replacement therapy.

miR-133: A Suppressor of Cardiac Remodeling?

Cardiac remodeling, which is characterized by mechanical and electrical remodeling, is a significant pathophysiological process involved in almost all forms of heart diseases. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of non-coding RNAs of 20–25 nucleotides in length that primarily regulate gene expression by promoting mRNA degradation or post-transcriptional repression in a sequence-specific manner. Three miR-133 genes have been identified in the human genome, miR-133a-1, miR-133a-2, and miR-133b, which are located on chromosomes 18, 20, and 6, respectively. These miRNAs are mainly expressed in muscle tissues and appear to repress the expression of non-muscle genes. Based on accumulating evidence, miR-133 participates in the proliferation, differentiation, survival, hypertrophic growth, and electrical conduction of cardiac cells, which are essential for cardiac fibrosis, cardiac hypertrophy, and arrhythmia. Nevertheless, the roles of miR-133 in cardiac remodeling are ambiguous, and the mechanisms are also sophisticated, involving many target genes and signaling pathways, such as RhoA, MAPK, TGFβ/Smad, and PI3K/Akt. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the critical roles of miR-133 and its potential mechanisms in cardiac remodeling.

Improvement of Foxp3 stability through CNS2 demethylation by TET enzyme induction and activation

Since induced regulatory T cells (iTregs) can be produced in a large quantity in vitro, these cells are expected to be clinically useful to induce immunological tolerance in various immunological diseases. Foxp3 (Forkhead box P3) expression in iTregs is, however, unstable due to the lack of demethylation of the CpG island in the conserved non-coding sequence 2 (CNS2) of the Foxp3 locus. To facilitate the demethylation of CNS2, we over-expressed the catalytic domain (CD) of the ten-eleven translocation (TET) protein, which catalyzes the steps of the iterative demethylation of 5-methylcytosine. TET-CD over-expression in iTregs resulted in partial demethylation of CNS2 and stable Foxp3 expression. We also discovered that TET expression was enhanced under low oxygen (5%) culture conditions, which facilitated CNS2 DNA demethylation and stabilization of Foxp3 expression in a TET2- and TET3-dependent manner. In combination with vitamin C treatment, which has been reported to enhance TET catalytic activity, iTregs generated under low oxygen conditions retained more stable Foxp3 expression in vitro and in vivo and exhibited stronger suppression activity in a colitis model compared with untreated iTregs. Our data indicate that the induction and activation of TET enzymes in iTregs would be an effective method for Treg-mediated adoptive immunotherapy.

Brn2 Alone Is Sufficient to Convert Astrocytes into Neural Progenitors and Neurons

Generating neurons or neural progenitor cells (NPCs) from astrocytes is a potential strategy for neurological repair by reprogramming. Previous study has showed that Brn2, by cooperating with other factors, participates in neurogenesis and neuronal reprogramming. However, it is still unclear whether the Brn2 alone can convert astrocytes into neurons or NPCs. Here, we explored the effect of Brn2 on reprogramming of astrocytes, and found that a single transcription factor Brn2 can convert mouse astrocytes into functional neurons. Furthermore, the Brn2-infected astrocytes can be induced into NPCs after changing culture condition. In addition, our study found that the reprogramming of astrocytes and the fate of transdifferentiated cells are closely associated with cell microenvironmental factors, such as the brain regions where the astrocytes come from, the proliferation ability of astrocytes, and culture condition of infected astrocytes. To sum up, for the first time, our results demonstrated that Brn2 alone is sufficient to convert astrocytes into neural progenitors and neurons, and the conversion is associated with cell microenvironments. This new conversion method will be a potential therapeutic approach to restore the injured diseased brain in regenerative medicine.

The generation and functional characterization of induced pluripotent stem cells from human intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus cells

Disc degenerative disease (DDD) is believed to originate in the nucleus pulposus (NP) region therefore, it is important to obtain a greater number of active NP cells for the study and therapy of DDD. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a powerful tool for modeling the development of DDD in humans, and have the potential to be applied in regenerative medicine. NP cells were isolated from DDD patients following our improved method, and then the primary NP cells were reprogramed into iPSCs with Sendai virus vectors encoding 4 factors. Successful reprogramming of iPSCs was verified by the expression of surface markers and presence of teratoma. Differentiation of iPSCs into NP-like cells was performed in a culture plate or in hydrogel, whereby skin fibroblast derived-iPSCs were used as a control. Results demonstrated that iPSCs derived from NP cells displayed a normal karyotype, expressed pluripotency markers, and formed teratoma in nude mice. NP induction of iPSCs resulted in the expression of NP cell specific matrix proteins and related genes. Non-induced NP derived-iPSCs also showed some NP-like phenotype. Furthermore, NP-derived iPSCs differentiate much better in hydrogel than that in a culture plate. This is a novel method for the generation of iPSCs from NP cells of DDD patients, and we have successfully differentiated these iPSCs into NP-like cells in hydrogel. This method provides a novel treatment of DDD by using patient-specific NP cells in a relatively simple and straightforward manner.

Generation of Urine Cell-Derived Non-integrative Human iPSCs and iNSCs: A Step-by-Step Optimized Protocol

Objective: Establishing a practical procedure to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) from human urine cells (UCs). In this report, we optimized a non-integrative protocol to generate patient-specific iPSC and iNSC lines with high reprogramming efficiency.

Methods: UCs were electroporated with the pEP4-EO2S-ET2K and pEP4-M2L plasmids containing the OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, SV40LT, c-MYC, and LIN28 genes, and then cultured with N2B27 medium plus four small molecule compounds (A83-01, PD0325901, Thiazovivin, and CHIR99021). When iPSC or iNSC clones emerged, the medium was replaced with mTeSR1 or neural growth medium. Morphological changes were seen at day 4–7. After day 10, the clones were picked up when the clone diameter exceeded 1 mm.

Results: iPSCs and iNSCs were successfully derived from UCs with up to 80 clones/well. These iPSCs and iNSCs showed typical hESC or NSC morphology and were self-renewable. The iPSCs had pluripotency to differentiate into the three germinal layers and displayed high levels of expression of pluripotency markers SOX2, NANOG, OCT4, SSEA-4, TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, and alkaline phosphatase (AP). They maintained normal karyotype and had no transgene expression or genomic integration. The iNSCs were positive for NSC markers NESTIN, PAX6, SOX2, and OLIG2.

Conclusion: The optimized protocol is an easy and fast procedure to yield both iPSC and iNSC lines from a convenient source of human urine in a single experiment.

Development of porcine tetraploid somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos is influenced by oocyte nuclei

Cloning efficiency in mammalian systems remains low because reprogramming of donor cells is frequently incomplete. Nuclear factors in the oocyte are removed by enucleation, and this removal may adversely affect reprogramming efficiency. Here, we investigated the role of porcine oocyte nuclear factors during reprogramming. We introduced somatic cell nuclei into intact MII oocytes to establish tetraploid somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos containing both somatic nuclei and oocyte nuclei. We then examined the influence of the oocyte nucleus on tetraploid SCNT embryo development by assessing characteristics including pronucleus formation, cleavage rate, and blastocyst formation. Overall, tetraploid SCNT embryos have a higher developmental competence than do standard diploid SCNT embryos. Therefore, we have established an embryonic model in which a fetal fibroblast nucleus and an oocyte metaphase II plate coexist. Tetraploid SCNT represents a new research platform that is potentially useful for examining interactions between donor nuclei and oocyte nuclei. This platform should facilitate further understanding of the roles played by nuclear factors during reprogramming.

Mash1 efficiently reprograms rat astrocytes into neurons

To date, it remains poorly understood whether astrocytes can be easily reprogrammed into neurons. Mash1 and Brn2 have been previously shown to cooperate to reprogram fibroblasts into neurons. In this study, we examined astrocytes from 2-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats, and found that Brn2 was expressed, but Mash1 was not detectable. Thus, we hypothesized that Mash1 alone could be used to reprogram astrocytes into neurons. We transfected a recombinant MSCV-MASH1 plasmid into astrocytes for 72 hours, and saw that all cells expressed Mash1. One week later, we observed the changes in morphology of astrocytes, which showed typical neuronal characteristics. Moreover, β-tubulin expression levels were significantly higher in astrocytes expressing Mash1 than in control cells. These results indicate that Mash1 alone can reprogram astrocytes into neurons.