The APOE Gene is Differentially Methylated in Alzheimer's Disease.

The ɛ4 allele of the human apolipoprotein E gene (APOE) is a well-proven genetic risk factor for the late onset form of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the biological mechanisms through which the ɛ4 allele contributes to disease pathophysiology are incompletely understood. The three common alleles of APOE, ɛ2, ɛ3 and ɛ4, are defined by two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that reside in the coding region of exon 4, which overlaps with a well-defined CpG island (CGI).

Epigenetic considerations of the APOE gene. [corrected].

The apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is robustly linked with numerous physiological conditions, including healthy aging, altered cardiovascular fitness, and cognitive function. These connections have been established primarily by phenotype-genotype association studies using APOE's three common genetic variants (ε2, ε3, and ε4). These variants encode for the three apoE protein isoforms (E2, E3, and E4), which have slightly different structures and, consequently, distinct functions in lipid metabolism.

Epigenetic signature and enhancer activity of the human APOE gene.

The human apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene plays an important role in lipid metabolism. It has three common genetic variants, alleles ε2/ε3/ε4, which translate into three protein isoforms of apoE2, E3 and E4. These isoforms can differentially influence total serum cholesterol levels; therefore, APOE has been linked with cardiovascular disease.

Administration of TSG-6 improves memory after traumatic brain injury in mice.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) causes multiple long-term defects including a loss of working memory that is frequently incapacitating. Administrations of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) previously produced beneficial effects in models of TBI as well as other disease models. In several models, the beneficial effects were explained by the MSCs being activated to express TSG-6, a multifunctional protein that modulates inflammation.

Cross-talk between human mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSCs) and rat hippocampal slices in LPS-stimulated cocultures: the MSCs are activated to secrete prostaglandin E2.

Mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (MSCs) improve functional outcome in a number of disease models through suppression of inflammation. However, their effects on neuroinflammation are unknown. In this study, we show that MSCs suppress endotoxin-induced glial activation in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures (OHSCs).

Human stem/progenitor cells from bone marrow enhance glial differentiation of rat neural stem cells: a role for transforming growth factor β and Notch signaling.

Multipotent stem/progenitor cells from bone marrow stroma (mesenchymal stromal cells or MSCs) were previously shown to enhance proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) in vivo, but the molecular basis of the effect was not defined. Here coculturing human MSCs (hMSCs) with rat NSCs (rNSCs) was found to stimulate astrocyte and oligodendrocyte differentiation of the rNSCs. To survey the signaling pathways involved, RNA from the cocultures was analyzed by species-specific microarrays.

Stem/progenitor cells from bone marrow decrease neuronal death in global ischemia by modulation of inflammatory/immune responses.

Human mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSCs) were injected into the hippocampus of adult mice 1 day after transient global ischemia. The hMSCs both improved neurologic function and markedly decreased neuronal cell death of the hippocampus. Microarray assays indicated that ischemia up-regulated 586 mouse genes.

Donor origin of multipotent adult progenitor cells in radiation chimeras.

Multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs) are bone marrow-derived stem cells that have extensive in vitro expansion capacity and can differentiate in vivo and in vitro into tissue cells of all 3 germinal layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. The origin of MAPCs within bone marrow is unknown. MAPCs are believed to be derived from the bone marrow stroma compartment as they are isolated within the adherent cell component.

Establishment, characterization, and long-term maintenance of cultures of human fetal hepatocytes.

Cultured human hepatocytes have broad research and clinical applications; however, the difficulties in culturing rodent and human hepatocytes are well known. These problems include the rapid loss of the hepatocytic phenotype in primary culture and the limited replicating capacity of the cultured cells. We describe the establishment of serum-free primary cultures of human fetal hepatocytes (HFHs) that retain hepatocytic morphology and gene expression patterns for several months and maintain sufficient proliferative activity to permit subculturing for at least 2 passages.