Search results for " STEM"

The aged brain: Genesis and fate of residual progenitor cells in the subventricular zone

2015

Neural stem cells (NSCs) persist in the adult mammalian brain through life. The subventricular zone (SVZ) is the largest source of stem cells in the nervous system, and continuously generates new neuronal and glial cells involved in brain regeneration. During aging, the germinal potential of the SVZ suffers a widespread decline, but the causes of this turn down are not fully understood. This review provides a compilation of the current knowledge about the age-related changes in the NSC population, as well as the fate of the newly generated cells in the aged brain. It is known that the neurogenic capacity is clearly disrupted during aging, while the production of oligodendroglial cells is no…

Telomere Shortening in Neural Stem Cells Disrupts Neuronal Differentiation and Neuritogenesis

2009

Proliferation in the subependymal zone (SEZ) and neurogenesis in the olfactory bulb decline in the forebrain of telomerase-deficient mice. The present work reveals additional effects of telomere shortening on neuronal differentiation, as adult multipotent progenitors with critically short telomeres yield reduced numbers of neurons that, furthermore, exhibit underdeveloped neuritic arbors. Genetic data indicate that the tumor suppressor protein p53 not only mediates the adverse effects of telomere attrition on proliferation and self-renewal but it is also involved in preventing normal neuronal differentiation of adult progenitors with dysfunctional telomeres. Interestingly, progenitor cells …

Aldehyde dehydrogenase and HSP90 co-localize in human glioblastoma biopsy cells.

2013

The concept of a stem cell subpopulation as understood from normal epithelial tissue or bone marrow function has been extended to our understanding of cancer tissue and is now the target of treatment efforts specifically directed to this subpopulation. In glioblastoma, as well as in other cancers, increased expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) has been found localized within a minority sub-population of tumor cells which demonstrate stem cell properties. A separate body of research associated increased expression of heat-shock protein-90 (HSP90) with stem cell attributes. We present here results from our initial immunohistochemistry study of human glioblastoma biopsy tissue where bot…

Effects of Parietaria judaica pollen extract on human microvascular endothelial cells

2008

Abstract Pollinosis from Parietaria judaica is one of the main causes of allergy in the Mediterranean area. The present study is designed to assess if P. judaica pollens contain bioactive compounds able to elicit a functional response in endothelial cells. We have demonstrated that addition of pollen extract to human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC-L) induces a modification of cell morphology, actin cytoskeletal rearrangements and an increase in endothelial cell permeability. We further showed that the treatment of endothelial cells with pollen extract causes an increase of E-selectin and VCAM-1 protein levels as well as an increase of IL-8 production. The stimulation of cell–ce…

Depletion of Alloreactive Donor T Lymphocytes by CD95-Mediated Activation-Induced Cell Death Retains Antileukemic, Antiviral, and Immunoregulatory T …

2007

In allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effect are closely but not invariably linked. Thus, harnessing donor lymphocyte mediated GVL immunity and separating it from GVHD is of particular interest. Based on results obtained in murine models we have explored the CD95-mediated activation-induced cell death (AICD) strategy to selectively deplete alloreactivity in human donor T lymphocytes in vitro. Following stimulation of CD3(+) T cells isolated from HLA-A* 0201-positive donors with HLA or minor histocompatibility antigen mismatched hematopoietic or nonhematopoietic cells in the presence of agonistic anti-CD…

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation for renal cell carcinoma

2011

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from a compatible donor has been utilized as adoptive immunotherapy in metastatic, cytokine-refractory renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Since the year 2000, several investigators have established that RCC is susceptible to a graft-versus-tumor effect: they reported that patients with renal cancer may have partial or complete disease responses, in the 20-40% range, after allogeneic transplantation following a reduced-intensity regimen. However, transplant-related mortality is still high in the 10-20% range, and responses are rarely durable. Experimental evidence suggests that donor-derived T cells and natural killer cells are the main mediators o…

Detection of Cancer Stem Cells Using AC133 Antibody

2012

The cancer stem cell (CSC) model postulates that tumors are formed and maintained by a small population of undifferentiated cells, characterized by unique self-renewal properties and malignant potential. As CSCs survive chemotherapy inducing tumor recurrence, the specific targeting and eradication of these cells represents an important therapeutic challenge in cancer cure. Recent findings on CD133, a pentaspan transmembrane glycoprotein, discuss its application in the identification and isolation of SCs from cancerous tissues. However, the appropriateness of this protein constitutes an ongoing discussion. The expression pattern is debated and several issues highlight the need for additional…

Perinatal stem cells patents and applications: Regenerative medicine, tissue repair, immune modulation

2013

Recent patents and advances in hepatocyte-like cells differentiation by mesenchymal stem cells

2013

Chronic liver diseases constitute one of the main causes of death in western countries. Orthotopic liver transplantation still remains the final therapeutic approach to these diseases, but alternative therapeutic strategies are actively researched. Hepatocyte transplantation is considered a promising approach, even if this technique presents many limitations. These factors boosted the research for alternative cell sources to derive functional hepatocytes. In the last years, research on basic biology and differentiative ability of adult, embryonic and perinatal stem cells has constantly increased. The term "perinatal" indicates stem cell populations derived from foetal sources such as placen…

Towards an ideal source of mesenchymal stem cell isolation for possible therapeutic application in regenerative medicine.

2014

Background. The possibility of obtaining mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from fetal tissue such as amniotic fluid, chorionic villi and placenta is well-known and a comparison between MSCs originating in different sources such as fetal tissue and those from bone marrow in terms of yield and function is a topical issue. The mesenchymal stem cells isolated from bone marrow are well-characterized. Unfortunately the low quantitative yield during isolation is a major problem. For this reason, other tissue sources for MSCs are of paramount importance. Conclusion. In this review, starting from a description of the molecular and cellular biology of MSCs, we describe alternative sources of isolation ot…