scholarly journals Mice depleted of the coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor display normal spermatogenesis and an intact blood–testis barrier

Reproduction ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 147 (6) ◽  
pp. 875-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taranum Sultana ◽  
Mi Hou ◽  
Jan-Bernd Stukenborg ◽  
Virpi Töhönen ◽  
Jose Inzunza ◽  
...  

The coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CXADR (CAR)) is a cell adhesion molecule expressed mainly in epithelial cells. Numerous evidence indicate that CXADR has an important role in testis development and function of the blood–testis barrier (BTB)in vitro. The role of CXADR in testis physiologyin vivohas, however, not been addressed. We therefore constructed a conditional CXADR knockout (cKO) mouse model in which CXADR can be depleted at any chosen timepoint by the administration of tamoxifen. We report for the first time that testicular depletion of CXADR in adult and pubertal mice does not alter BTB permeability or germ cell migration across the BTB during spermatogenesis. Adult cKO mice display normal junctional ultra-structure and localization of the junctional proteins claudin-3, occludin, junction-associated molecule-A (JAM-A), and ZO1. The BTB was intact with no leakage of biotin and lanthanum tracers into the tubular lumen. Adult CXADR cKO mice were fertile with normal sperm parameters and litter size. Breeding experiments and genotyping of the pups demonstrated that CXADR-negative sperm could fertilize WT eggs. In addition, knocking down CXADR from postnatal day 9 (P9) does not affect testicular development and BTB formation. These cKO mice were analyzed at P49 and P90 and display an intact barrier and uncompromised fertility. We conclude that CXADR possesses no direct role in testicular physiologyin vivo.

2012 ◽  
Vol 303 (8) ◽  
pp. C843-C853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linlin Su ◽  
Dolores D. Mruk ◽  
C. Yan Cheng

The blood-testis barrier (BTB) divides the seminiferous epithelium into the basal and the adluminal compartment. It restricts paracellular diffusion of molecules between Sertoli cells, confers cell polarity, and creates a unique microenvironment in the adluminal compartment for spermatid development. However, it undergoes restructuring during the epithelial cycle so that preleptotene spermatocytes differentiated from type B spermatogonia residing in the basal compartment can traverse the BTB at stage VIII of the cycle, while the immunological barrier is maintained. Herein, coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), a tight junction (TJ) integral membrane protein in the testis and multiple epithelia and endothelia, was found to act as a regulatory protein at the BTB, besides serving as a structural adhesion protein. RNAi-mediated knockdown of CAR in a Sertoli cell epithelium with an established TJ-permeability barrier that mimicked the BTB in vivo resulted in a disruption of the TJ barrier and an increase in endocytosis of the TJ-protein occludin. Furthermore, such an enhancement in occludin endocytosis was accompanied by a downregulation of Thr-phosphorylation in occludin and an increase in the association of endocytosed occludin with early endosome antigen-1. These findings were confirmed by overexpressing CAR in Sertoli cells, which was found to “tighten” the Sertoli cell TJ barrier, promoting BTB function. These findings support the emerging concept that CAR is not only a structural protein, it is involved in conferring the phosphorylation status of other adhesion proteins at the BTB (e.g., occludin) possibly mediated via its structural interactions with nonreceptor protein kinases, thereby modulating endocytic vesicle-mediated protein trafficking.


2006 ◽  
Vol 87 (9) ◽  
pp. 2487-2495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neus Bayo-Puxan ◽  
Manel Cascallo ◽  
Alena Gros ◽  
Meritxell Huch ◽  
Cristina Fillat ◽  
...  

Liver tropism hampers systemic administration of adenovirus in gene therapy and virotherapy. In consequence, tumour targeting requires the combination of capsid modifications that abrogate liver transduction and redirect adenoviral vectors to tumour cells. Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR), integrins and heparan sulfate glycosaminoglycans (HSG) are receptors involved in adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) entry into cells. The in vitro and in vivo properties of Ad5 vectors unable to bind CAR, integrins and HSG with and without Arg–Gly–Asp (RGD) inserted at the HI loop of the fiber were studied. As was previously observed with CAR-ablated vectors, CAR and integrin double binding-ablated vectors transduced hepatocytes less efficiently in vitro but not in vivo. On the contrary, the role of HSG on Ad5 infectivity was evident in vitro only when CAR binding was abrogated, but the shaft mutation that ablated HSG binding on the background of a normal capsid was sufficient to abrogate liver transduction in vivo. The insertion of amino acids RGD at the HI loop in a shaft-mutated fiber only partially rescued integrin-mediated infectivity. These results indicate that the shaft mutation precluded HSG binding and affected the structure of the fiber. The insertion of ligands at the hexon or protein IX may be required to benefit from the fiber shaft mutation-detargeting properties.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Shelby Shrigley ◽  
Fredrik Nilsson ◽  
Bengt Mattsson ◽  
Alessandro Fiorenzano ◽  
Janitha Mudannayake ◽  
...  

Background: Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have been proposed as an alternative source for cell replacement therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD) and they provide the option of using the patient’s own cells. A few studies have investigated transplantation of patient-derived dopaminergic (DA) neurons in preclinical models; however, little is known about the long-term integrity and function of grafts derived from patients with PD. Objective: To assess the viability and function of DA neuron grafts derived from a patient hiPSC line with an α-synuclein gene triplication (AST18), using a clinical grade human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line (RC17) as a reference control. Methods: Cells were differentiated into ventral mesencephalic (VM)-patterned DA progenitors using an established GMP protocol. The progenitors were then either terminally differentiated to mature DA neurons in vitro or transplanted into 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesioned rats and their survival, maturation, function, and propensity to develop α-synuclein related pathology, were assessed in vivo. Results: Both cell lines generated functional neurons with DA properties in vitro. AST18-derived VM progenitor cells survived transplantation and matured into neuron-rich grafts similar to the RC17 cells. After 24 weeks, both cell lines produced DA-rich grafts that mediated full functional recovery; however, pathological changes were only observed in grafts derived from the α-synuclein triplication patient line. Conclusion: This data shows proof-of-principle for survival and functional recovery with familial PD patient-derived cells in the 6-OHDA model of PD. However, signs of slowly developing pathology warrants further investigation before use of autologous grafts in patients.


Author(s):  
Birte Weber ◽  
Niklas Franz ◽  
Ingo Marzi ◽  
Dirk Henrich ◽  
Liudmila Leppik

AbstractDue to the continued high incidence and mortality rate worldwide, there is a need to develop new strategies for the quick, precise, and valuable recognition of presenting injury pattern in traumatized and poly-traumatized patients. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been shown to facilitate intercellular communication processes between cells in close proximity as well as distant cells in healthy and disease organisms. miRNAs and proteins transferred by EVs play biological roles in maintaining normal organ structure and function under physiological conditions. In pathological conditions, EVs change the miRNAs and protein cargo composition, mediating or suppressing the injury consequences. Therefore, incorporating EVs with their unique protein and miRNAs signature into the list of promising new biomarkers is a logical next step. In this review, we discuss the general characteristics and technical aspects of EVs isolation and characterization. We discuss results of recent in vitro, in vivo, and patients study describing the role of EVs in different inflammatory diseases and traumatic organ injuries. miRNAs and protein signature of EVs found in patients with acute organ injury are also debated.


Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 884
Author(s):  
Marta Cherubini ◽  
Scott Erickson ◽  
Kristina Haase

Acting as the primary link between mother and fetus, the placenta is involved in regulating nutrient, oxygen, and waste exchange; thus, healthy placental development is crucial for a successful pregnancy. In line with the increasing demands of the fetus, the placenta evolves throughout pregnancy, making it a particularly difficult organ to study. Research into placental development and dysfunction poses a unique scientific challenge due to ethical constraints and the differences in morphology and function that exist between species. Recently, there have been increased efforts towards generating in vitro models of the human placenta. Advancements in the differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), microfluidics, and bioprinting have each contributed to the development of new models, which can be designed to closely match physiological in vivo conditions. By including relevant placental cell types and control over the microenvironment, these new in vitro models promise to reveal clues to the pathogenesis of placental dysfunction and facilitate drug testing across the maternal–fetal interface. In this minireview, we aim to highlight current in vitro placental models and their applications in the study of disease and discuss future avenues for these in vitro models.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-chi Shen ◽  
Adrienne Niederriter Shami ◽  
Lindsay Moritz ◽  
Hailey Larose ◽  
Gabriel L. Manske ◽  
...  

AbstractTesticular development and function rely on interactions between somatic cells and the germline, but similar to other organs, regenerative capacity declines in aging and disease. Whether the adult testis maintains a reserve progenitor population remains uncertain. Here, we characterize a recently identified mouse testis interstitial population expressing the transcription factor Tcf21. We found that TCF21lin cells are bipotential somatic progenitors present in fetal testis and ovary, maintain adult testis homeostasis during aging, and act as potential reserve somatic progenitors following injury. In vitro, TCF21lin cells are multipotent mesenchymal progenitors which form multiple somatic lineages including Leydig and myoid cells. Additionally, TCF21+ cells resemble resident fibroblast populations reported in other organs having roles in tissue homeostasis, fibrosis, and regeneration. Our findings reveal that the testis, like other organs, maintains multipotent mesenchymal progenitors that can be potentially leveraged in development of future therapies for hypoandrogenism and/or infertility.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 3562
Author(s):  
Mitra Nair ◽  
Chelsea Bolyard ◽  
Tae Jin Lee ◽  
Balveen Kaur ◽  
Ji Young Yoo

Brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 1 (BAI1/ADGRB1) is an adhesion G protein-coupled receptor that has been found to play key roles in phagocytosis, inflammation, synaptogenesis, the inhibition of angiogenesis, and myoblast fusion. As the name suggests, it is primarily expressed in the brain, with a high expression in the normal adult and developing brain. Additionally, its expression is reduced in brain cancers, such as glioblastoma (GBM) and peripheral cancers, suggesting that BAI1 is a tumor suppressor gene. Several investigators have demonstrated that the restoration of BAI1 expression in cancer cells results in reduced tumor growth and angiogenesis. Its expression has also been shown to be inversely correlated with tumor progression, neovascularization, and peri-tumoral brain edema. One method of restoring BAI1 expression is by using oncolytic virus (OV) therapy, a strategy which has been tested in various tumor models. Oncolytic herpes simplex viruses engineered to express the secreted fragment of BAI1, called Vasculostatin (Vstat120), have shown potent anti-tumor and anti-angiogenic effects in multiple tumor models. Combining Vstat120-expressing oHSVs with other chemotherapeutic agents has also shown to increase the overall anti-tumor efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo models. In the current review, we describe the structure and function of BAI1 and summarize its application in the context of cancer treatment.


Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Raghubendra Singh Dagur ◽  
Moses New-Aaron ◽  
Murali Ganesan ◽  
Weimin Wang ◽  
Svetlana Romanova ◽  
...  

Background: Alcohol abuse is common in people living with HIV-1 and dramaticallyenhances the severity of HIV-induced liver damage by inducing oxidative stress and lysosomaldysfunction in the liver cells. We hypothesize that the increased release of extracellular vesicles(EVs) in hepatocytes and liver humanized mouse model is linked to lysosome dysfunction. Methods:The study was performed on primary human hepatocytes and human hepatoma RLWXP-GFP (Huh7.5 cells stably transfected with CYP2E1 and XPack-GFP) cells and validated on ethanol-fed liverhumanizedfumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (Fah)-/-, Rag2-/-, common cytokine receptor gamma chainknockout (FRG-KO) mice. Cells and mice were infected with HIV-1ADA virus. Results: We observedan increase in the secretion of EVs associated with a decrease in lysosomal activity and expressionof lysosomal-associated membrane protein 1. Next-generation RNA sequencing of primary humanhepatocytes revealed 63 differentially expressed genes, with 13 downregulated and 50 upregulatedgenes in the alcohol–HIV-treated group. Upstream regulator analysis of differentially expressedgenes through Ingenuity Pathway Analysis identified transcriptional regulators affecting downstreamgenes associated with increased oxidative stress, lysosomal associated disease, and function andEVs biogenesis. Our in vitro findings were corroborated by in vivo studies on human hepatocytetransplantedhumanized mice, indicating that intensive EVs’ generation by human hepatocytes andtheir secretion to serum was associated with increased oxidative stress and reduction in lysosomalactivities triggered by HIV infection and ethanol diet. Conclusion: HIV-and-ethanol-metabolisminducedEVs release is tightly controlled by lysosome status in hepatocytes and participates in thedevelopment of double-insult-induced liver injury.


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