scholarly journals TNF-α Pretreatment Improves the Survival and Function of Transplanted Human Neural Progenitor Cells Following Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury

Cells ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1195
Author(s):  
Miri Kim ◽  
Kwangsoo Jung ◽  
Younhee Ko ◽  
Il-Sun Kim ◽  
Kyujin Hwang ◽  
...  

Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) therapy offers great promise in hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury. However, the poor survival of implanted NPCs in the HI host environment limits their therapeutic effects. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is a pleiotropic cytokine that is induced in response to a variety of pathological processes including inflammation and immunity. On the other hand, TNF-α has protective effects on cell apoptosis and death and affects the differentiation, proliferation, and survival of neural stem/progenitor cells in the brain. The present study investigated whether TNF-α pretreatment on human NPCs (hNPCs) enhances the effectiveness of cell transplantation therapy under ischemic brain. Fetal brain tissue-derived hNPCs were pretreated with TNF-α before being used in vitro experiments or transplantation. TNF-α significantly increased expression of cIAP2, and the use of short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of cIAP2 demonstrated that cIAP2 protected hNPCs against HI-induced cytotoxicity. In addition, pretreatment of hNPCs with TNF-α mediated neuroprotection by altering microglia polarization via increased expression of CX3CL1 and by enhancing expression of neurotrophic factors. Furthermore, transplantation of TNF-α-treated hNPCs reduced infarct volume and improved neurological functions in comparison with non-pretreated hNPCs or vehicle. These findings show that TNF-α pretreatment, which protects hNPCs from HI-injured brain-induced apoptosis and increases neuroprotection, is a simple and safe approach to improve the survival of transplanted hNPCs and the therapeutic efficacy of hNPCs in HI brain injury.

2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (13) ◽  
pp. 6792-6804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Jun Li ◽  
Xi-Juan Liu ◽  
Bo Yang ◽  
Ya-Ru Fu ◽  
Fei Zhao ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTHuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection of the developing fetus frequently results in major neural developmental damage. In previous studies, HCMV was shown to downregulate neural progenitor/stem cell (NPC) markers and induce abnormal differentiation. As Notch signaling plays a vital role in the maintenance of stem cell status and is a switch that governs NPC differentiation, the effect of HCMV infection on the Notch signaling pathway in NPCs was investigated. HCMV downregulated mRNA levels of Notch1 and its ligand, Jag1, and reduced protein levels and altered the intracellular localization of Jag1 and the intracellular effector form of Notch1, NICD1. These effects required HCMV gene expression and appeared to be mediated through enhanced proteasomal degradation. Transient expression of the viral tegument proteins of pp71 and UL26 reduced NICD1 and Jag1 protein levels endogenously and exogenously. Given the critical role of Notch signaling in NPC growth and differentiation, these findings reveal important mechanisms by which HCMV disturbs neural cell developmentin vitro. Similar eventsin vivomay be associated with HCMV-mediated neuropathogenesis during congenital infection in the fetal brain.IMPORTANCECongenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is the leading cause of birth defects that primarily manifest as neurological disabilities. Neural progenitor cells (NPCs), key players in fetal brain development, are the most susceptible cell type for HCMV infection in the fetal brain. Studies have shown that NPCs are fully permissive for HCMV infection, which causes neural cell loss and premature differentiation, thereby perturbing NPC fate. Elucidation of virus-host interactions that govern NPC proliferation and differentiation is critical to understanding neuropathogenesis. The Notch signaling pathway is critical for maintaining stem cell status and functions as a switch for differentiation of NPCs. Our investigation into the impact of HCMV infection on this pathway revealed that HCMV dysregulates Notch signaling by altering expression of the Notch ligand Jag1, Notch1, and its active effector in NPCs. These results suggest a mechanism for the neuropathogenesis induced by HCMV infection that includes altered NPC differentiation and proliferation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossella Gratton ◽  
Paola Maura Tricarico ◽  
Almerinda Agrelli ◽  
Heverton Valentim Colaço da Silva ◽  
Lucas Coêlho Bernardo ◽  
...  

The Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emergent arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) responsible for congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) and a range of other congenital malformations. Evidence shows that ZIKV infects human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) in the fetal brain, prompting inflammation and tissue damage/loss. Despite recent advances, little is known about the pathways involved in CZS pathogenesis. We performed a meta-analysis, gene ontology (GO), and pathway analysis of whole transcriptome studies with the aim of clarifying the genes and pathways potentially altered during hNPCs infection with ZIKV. We selected three studies (17 samples of infected hPNCs compared to hPNCs uninfected controls) through a systematic search of the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The raw reads were trimmed, counted, and normalized. Next, we performed a rank product meta-analysis to detect consistently differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in these independent experiments. We detected 13 statistically significant DEGs. GO ontology and reactome analysis showed an enrichment of interferon, pro-inflammatory, and chemokines signaling and apoptosis pathways in ZIKV-infected cells. Moreover, we detected three possible new candidate genes involved in hNPCs infection: APOL6, XAF1, and TNFRSF1. Our results confirm that interferon (IFN) signaling dominates the ZIKV response, and that a crucial contribution is given by apoptotic pathways, which might elicit the CZS phenotype.


2005 ◽  
Vol 103 (2) ◽  
pp. 304-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasushi Takagi ◽  
Masaki Nishimura ◽  
Asuka Morizane ◽  
Jun Takahashi ◽  
Kazuhiko Nozaki ◽  
...  

Object. Cell replacement therapy including the use of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) may represent a novel treatment for damage from stroke. In this study, the authors transplanted neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from ESCs into ischemic brain and analyzed their survival and differentiation. Methods. Multipotential NPCs were generated from ESCs by using the stromal cell—derived inducing activity method. These cells could differentiate in vitro into neurons, glia, and oligodendrocytes, thus revealing them to be neural stem cells. The NPCs were then transplanted into ischemic brain. At 2 weeks postischemia, the transplanted cells occupied 18.8 ± 2.5% of the hemispheric area; by 4 weeks postischemia, 26.5 ± 4% of the hemisphere. At 4 weeks after transplantation, green fluorescent protein (GFP)—positive transplanted cells showed mature neuronal morphological features. The authors also investigated the expression of differentiation markers and various neurotransmitters. Transplanted cells were immunopositive for neuronal nuclei, β-tubulin-III, and glial fibrillary acidic protein. Of the GFP-positive cells, 33.3 ± 11.5% were positive for glutamate decarboxylase, 13.3 ± 5.8% for glutamate, 2.1 ± 2.5% for tyrosine hydroxylase, 1.8 ± 2% for serotonin, and 0.4 ± 0.2% for choline acetyltransferase. Conclusions. The authors confirmed the survival and differentiation of ESC-derived NPCs transplanted into the ischemic brain. Surviving transplanted cells expressed several neural markers and neurotransmitters. These findings indicate that these cells can function in the brain.


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