Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are age-related diseases characterized by bone marrow (BM) dysfunction and an increased risk of developing acute leukemia. While there is growing evidence highlighting the crucial role of the BM microenvironment (BMME) in MDS, the specific influence of inflammation on BMME changes, as well as the potential benefits of targeting cytokines therapeutically, remain to be elucidated. We previously found interleukin-1 (IL-1) to be a driver of aging phenotypes of BMME and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTherapies for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) face formidable challenges due to relapse, often driven by leukemia stem cells (LSCs). Strategies targeting LSCs hold promise for enhancing outcomes, yet paired comparisons of functionally defined LSCs at diagnosis and relapse remain underexplored. We present transcriptome analyses of functionally defined LSC populations at diagnosis and relapse, revealing significant alterations in IL-1 signaling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPronounced T cell exhaustion characterizes immunosuppressive tumors, with the tumor microenvironment (TME) employing multiple mechanisms to elicit this suppression. Traditional immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint blockade, often fail due to their focus primarily on T cells. To overcome this, we utilized a proinflammatory cytokine, interleukin (IL)-12, that re-wires the immunosuppressive TME by inducing T cell effector function while also repolarizing immunosuppressive myeloid cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRecent advances in imaging suggested that spatial organization of hematopoietic cells in their bone marrow microenvironment (niche) regulates cell expansion, governing progression, and leukemic transformation of hematological clonal disorders. However, our ability to interrogate the niche in pre-malignant conditions has been limited, as standard murine models of these diseases rely largely on transplantation of the mutant clones into conditioned mice where the marrow microenvironment is compromised. Here, we leveraged live-animal microscopy and ultralow dose whole body or focal irradiation to capture single cells and early expansion of benign/pre-malignant clones in the functionally preserved microenvironment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSignals from the microenvironment are known to be critical for development, sustaining adult stem cells, and for oncogenic progression. While candidate niche-driven signals that can promote cancer progression have been identified, concerted efforts to comprehensively map microenvironmental ligands for cancer stem cell specific surface receptors have been lacking. Here, we use temporal single cell RNA-sequencing to identify molecular cues from the bone marrow stromal niche that engage leukemia stem cells (LSC) during oncogenic progression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of The Review: In this review, we discuss the most recent scientific advances on the reciprocal regulatory interactions between the skeletal and hematopoietic stem cell niche, focusing on immunomodulation and its interplay with the cell's mitochondrial function, and how this impacts osteoimmune health during aging and disease.
Recent Findings: Osteoimmunology investigates interactions between cells that make up the skeletal stem cell niche and immune system. Much work has investigated the complexity of the bone marrow microenvironment with respect to the skeletal and hematopoietic stem cells that regulate skeletal formation and immune health respectively.
Aging is associated with a decline in stem cell functionality and number across the organism. In this study, we aimed to further unravel Muscle Stem Cells (MuSCs) aging by assessing how systemic factors influence MuSC fate decisions through long-term epigenetic landscape remodelling. As aging is intricately linked to a pro-inflammatory shift, we studied the epigenetic effects of inflammatory signals in MuSCs and measured decreased H4K20me1 levels.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhytochemical screening of four commercial products containing was carried out. Total phenolic content was estimated spectrophotometrically through the use of the Folin-Ciocalteau method, flavonoid content was measured through the use of aluminum chloride and 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine colorimetric assays, and isoflavones and α/β-thujones were analyzed through the use of high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) and the gas chromatographic method. The analyses revealed the absence of thujones and isoflavones (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe bone marrow microenvironment consists of distinct cell populations, such as mesenchymal stromal cells, endothelial cells, osteolineage cells, and fibroblasts, which provide support for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). In addition to supporting normal HSCs, the bone marrow microenvironment also plays a role in the development of hematopoietic stem cell disorders, such as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). MDS-associated mutations in HSCs lead to a block in differentiation and progressive bone marrow failure, especially in the elderly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: The immunosuppressive milieu in pancreatic cancer (PC) is a significant hurdle to treatments, resulting in survival statistics that have barely changed in 5 decades. Here we present a combination treatment consisting of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) and IL-12 mRNA lipid nanoparticles delivered directly to pancreatic murine tumors. This treatment was effective against primary and metastatic models, achieving cures in both settings.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe efficient clearance of dead and dying cells, efferocytosis, is critical to maintain tissue homeostasis. In the bone marrow microenvironment (BMME), this role is primarily fulfilled by professional bone marrow macrophages, but recent work has shown that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) act as a non-professional phagocyte within the BMME. However, little is known about the mechanism and impact of efferocytosis on MSCs and on their function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMyelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are a heterogenous group of diseases affecting the hematopoietic stem cell that are curable only by stem cell transplantation. Both hematopoietic cell intrinsic changes and extrinsic signals from the bone marrow (BM) niche seem to ultimately lead to MDS. Animal models of MDS indicate that alterations in specific mesenchymal progenitor subsets in the BM microenvironment can induce or select for abnormal hematopoietic cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSmall-molecule inhibitors of PD-L1 are postulated to control immune evasion in tumors similar to antibodies that target the PD-L1/PD-1 immune checkpoint axis. However, the identity of targetable PD-L1 inducers is required to develop small-molecule PD-L1 inhibitors. In this study, using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay and siRNA, we demonstrate that vitamin D/VDR regulates PD-L1 expression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMitochondrial dysfunction is observed in various conditions, from metabolic syndromes to mitochondrial diseases. Moreover, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transfer is an emerging mechanism that enables the restoration of mitochondrial function in damaged cells. Hence, developing a technology that facilitates the transfer of mtDNA can be a promising strategy for the treatment of these conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are a possible candidate to create safe, sustainable, and cost-effective batteries. Solid sodium-ion conducting organically modified ionogel electrolytes are investigated. Silica-based ionogels typically consist of an ionic liquid electrolyte (ILE) confined within a silica matrix and possess high thermal stability, good ionic conductivity, safety, and good electrochemical stability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) within the bone marrow microenvironment (BMME) support normal hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). However, the heterogeneity of human MSCs has limited the understanding of their contribution to clonal dynamics and evolution to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). We combined three MSC cell surface markers, CD271, VCAM-1 (Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1) and CD146, to isolate distinct subsets of human MSCs from bone marrow aspirates of healthy controls (Control BM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrior research establishing that bone interacts in coordination with the bone marrow microenvironment (BMME) to regulate hematopoietic homeostasis was largely based on analyses of individual bone-associated cell populations. Recent advances in intravital imaging has suggested that the expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and acute myeloid leukemia cells is restricted to bone marrow microdomains during a distinct stage of bone remodeling. These findings indicate that dynamic bone remodeling likely imposes additional heterogeneity within the BMME to yield differential clonal responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the future of tourism is a much-debated topic both in academic and non-academic circles with commentators expounding contrasting perspectives. This conceptual paper contributes to such debates and aims at envisioning plausible futures of cultural tourism, in particular. For that purpose, we first discuss cultural tourism trends and the future scenarios available in the literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this analytical study was to develop an advanced formulation of medical Cannabis oil (MCO) comparing the chemical profile of different extracts obtained with two existing methods (SIFAP and CALVI) and one original upgraded (CERFIT) method. Preparation methods were applied with varying solvent, temperature, and duration of the decarboxylation and extraction steps. HPLC-MS/MS TSQ and GC/FID-HS analyses were performed to investigate cannabinoid and terpene contents in the three oil extracts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMyelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are myeloid neoplasms characterized by bone marrow dysfunction and increased risk of transformation to leukemia. MDS represent complex and diverse diseases that evolve from malignant hematopoietic stem cells and involve not only the proliferation of malignant cells but also the dysfunction of normal bone marrow. Specifically, the marrow microenvironment-both hematopoietic and stromal components-is disrupted in MDS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is rising in incidence, and at present, there are limited effective systemic therapies. iCCA tumours are infiltrated by stromal cells, with high prevalence of suppressive myeloid populations including tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Here, we show that tumour-derived granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and the host bone marrow is central for monopoiesis and potentiation of TAMs, and abrogation of this signalling axis facilitates antitumour immunity in a novel model of iCCA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThrombocytopenia is a major complication in hematopoietic-acute radiation syndrome (H-ARS) that increases the risk of mortality from uncontrolled hemorrhage. There is a great demand for new therapies to improve survival and mitigate bleeding in H-ARS. Thrombopoiesis requires interactions between megakaryocytes (MKs) and endothelial cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSevere aplastic anemia (SAA) is an acquired, T cell-driven bone marrow (BM) failure disease characterized by elevated interferon gamma (IFNγ), loss of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), and altered BM microenvironment, including dysfunctional macrophages (MΦs). T lymphocytes are therapeutic targets for treating SAA, however, the underlying mechanisms driving SAA development and how innate immune cells contribute to disease remain poorly understood. In a murine model of SAA, increased beta-chemokines correlated with disease and were partially dependent on IFNγ.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeukemias are challenging diseases to treat due, in part, to interactions between leukemia cells and the bone marrow microenvironment (BMME) that contribute significantly to disease progression. Studies have shown that leukemic cells secrete C-chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3 (CCL3), to disrupt the BMME resulting in loss of hematopoiesis and support of leukemic cell survival and proliferation. In this study, a murine model of blast crisis chronic myelogenous leukemia (bcCML) that expresses the translocation products BCR/ABL and Nup98/HoxA9 was used to determine the role of CCL3 in BMME regulation.
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