Search results for " STEM CELLS"

Lipid Droplets: A New Player in Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells Unveiled by Spectroscopic Imaging

2015

Abstract The cancer stem cell (CSC) model is describing tumors as a hierarchical organized system and CSCs are suggested to be responsible for cancer recurrence after therapy. The identification of specific markers of CSCs is therefore of paramount importance. Here, we show that high levels of lipid droplets (LDs) are a distinctive mark of CSCs in colorectal (CR) cancer. This increased lipid content was clearly revealed by label-free Raman spectroscopy and it directly correlates with well-accepted CR-CSC markers as CD133 and Wnt pathway activity. By xenotransplantation experiments, we have finally demonstrated that CR-CSCs overexpressing LDs retain most tumorigenic potential. A relevant con…

Burst analysis tool for developing neuronal networks exhibiting highly varying action potential dynamics

2012

In this paper we propose a firing statistics based neuronal network burst detection algorithm for neuronal networks exhibiting highly variable action potential dynamics. Electrical activity of neuronal networks is generally analyzed by the occurrences of spikes and bursts both in time and space. Commonly accepted analysis tools employ burst detection algorithms based on predefined criteria. However, maturing neuronal networks, such as those originating from human embryonic stem cells (hESC), exhibit highly variable network structure and time-varying dynamics. To explore the developing burst/spike activities of such networks, we propose a burst detection algorithm which utilizes the firing s…

New perspectives in medically assisted procreation.

2008

Curcumin effectively inhibits oncogenic NF-κB signaling and restrains stemness features in liver cancer

2015

Background & Aims The cancer stem cells (CSCs) have important therapeutic implications for multi-resistant cancers including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Among the key pathways frequently activated in liver CSCs is NF-κB signaling. Methods We evaluated the CSCs-depleting potential of NF-κB inhibition in liver cancer achieved by the IKK inhibitor curcumin, RNAi and specific peptide SN50. The effects on CSCs were assessed by analysis of side population (SP), sphere formation and tumorigenicity. Molecular changes were determined by RT-qPCR, global gene expression microarray, EMSA, and Western blotting. Results HCC cell lines exposed to curcumin exhibited differential responses to curcumin a…

Loss of Neuroglobin Expression Alters Cdkn1a/Cdk6-Expression Resulting in Increased Proliferation of Neural Stem Cells

2018

Abstract: In the quest to unravel its functional significance, neuroglobin (Ngb), a brain-specific neuroprotective protein, has recently been proposed as an actor in neurodevelopment. As neural stem cells (NSCs) are fundamental during brain development, the present study aimed at investigating the role of Ngb in the growth and proliferation of NSCs by comparing an Ngb-floxed (Ngb(fl)-)NSC line, equivalent to the wild-type cellular situation, with an in-house created Ngb knockout (Ngb(KO)-)NSC line. Ngb(KO)-NSCs were characterized by an increased growth and proliferation capacity in vitro, supported by RNA sequencing and western blot results reporting the downregulation of Cdkn1a and the upr…

Transcriptional repression of Bmp2 by p21(Waf1/Cip1) links quiescence to neural stem cell maintenance.

2013

Relative quiescence and self renewal are defining features of adult stem cells, but their potential coordination remains unclear. Subependymal neural stem cells (NSCs) lacking cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor (CKI) 1a (p21) exhibit rapid expansion that is followed by their permanent loss later in life. Here we demonstrate that transcription of the gene encoding bone morphogenetic protein 2 (Bmp2) in NSCs is under the direct negative control of p21 through actions that are independent of CDK. Loss of p21 in NSCs results in increased levels of secreted BMP2, which induce premature terminal differentiation of multipotent NSCs into mature non-neurogenic astrocytes in an autocrine and/or …

Embryonic stem cell differentiation studied by FT-IR spectroscopy

2007

We propose, here, an FT-IR method to monitor the spontaneous differentiation of murine embryonic stem (ES) cells in their early development. Principal component analysis and subsequent linear discriminant analysis enabled us to segregate stem cell spectra into separate clusters corresponding to different differentiation times - and to identify the most significant spectral changes during differentiation. Between days 4 to 7 of differentiation, these spectral changes in the protein amide I band (1700-1600 cm(-1)) and in the nucleic acid absorption region (1050-850 cm(-1)) indicated that mRNA translation was taking place and that specific proteins were produced, reflecting the appearance of a…

Generation of tumor-reactive CTL against the tumor-associated antigen HER2 using retrovirally transduced dendritic cells derived from CD34+ hemopoiet…

2000

Abstract Ag-specific CD8+ CTL are crucial for effective tumor rejection. Attempts to treat human malignancies by adoptive transfer of tumor-reactive CTL have been limited due to the difficulty of generating and expanding autologous CTL with defined Ag specificity. The current study examined whether human CTL can be generated against the tumor-associated Ag HER2 using autologous dendritic cells (DC) that had been genetically engineered to express HER2. DC progenitors were expanded by culturing CD34+ hemopoietic progenitor cells in the presence of the designer cytokine HyperIL-6. Proliferating precursor cells were infected by a retroviral vector encoding the HER2 Ag and further differentiated…

Chemotherapy Sensitizes Colon Cancer Initiating Cells to Vγ9Vδ2 T Cell-Mediated Cytotoxicity

2013

Colon cancer comprises a small population of cancer initiating stem cells (CIC) that is responsible for tumor maintenance and resistance to anti-cancer therapies, possibly allowing for tumor recapitulation once treatment stops. Combinations of immune-based therapies with chemotherapy and other anti-tumor agents may be of significant clinical benefit in the treatment of colon cancer. However, cellular immune-based therapies have not been experimented yet in the population of colon CICs. Here, we demonstrate that treatment with low concentrations of commonly used chemotherapeutic agents, 5- fluorouracyl and doxorubicin, sensitize colon CICs to Vc9Vd2 T cell cytotoxicity. Vc9Vd2 T cell cytotox…

γδ T cells as a potential tool in colon cancer immunotherapy

2014

γδ T cells are capable of recognizing tumor cells and exert potent cellular cytotoxicity against a large range of tumors, including colon cancer. However, tumors utilize numerous strategies to escape recognition or killing by patrolling γδ T cells, such a downregulation of NKG2D ligands, MICA/B and ULBPs. Therefore, the combined upregulation of T-cell receptorand NKG2D ligands on tumor cells and induction of NKG2D expression on γδ T cells may greatly enhance tumor killing and unlock the functions of γδ T cells. Here, we briefly review current data on the mechanisms of γδ T-cell recognition and killing of colon cancer cells and propose that γδ T cells may represent a promising target for the…