Repolarization of HSC attenuates HSCs failure in Shwachman-Diamond syndrome.

Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS) is a bone marrow failure (BMF) syndrome associated with an increased risk of myelodysplasia and leukemia. The molecular mechanisms of SDS are not fully understood. We report that primitive hematopoietic cells from SDS patients present with a reduced activity of the small RhoGTPase Cdc42 and concomitantly a reduced frequency of HSCs polar for polarity proteins.

Serum levels of miR-628-3p and miR-628-5p during the early pregnancy are increased in women who subsequently develop preeclampsia.

Objective: Preeclampsia pathogenesis involves imbalances of oxidative stress networks including the heat shock protein (HSP) pathway. Micro-RNAs regulate gene networks associated with preeclampsia. Hsp90 and Runx2 are transcriptional targets of miR-628-3p.

Maternal distress and the development of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Despite the implementation of programmes to improve maternal health, maternal and foetal mortality rates still remain high. The presence of maternal distress and its association with the development of pregnancy hypertensive disorders is not well established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between maternal distress and the development of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy in a prospective cohort of 321 Mexican women.

Regulatory T cells inhibit CD34+ cell differentiation into NK cells by blocking their proliferation.

Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD) remains one of the main complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Due to their ability to suppress effector cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs) have been proposed as a cellular therapy to prevent GvHD, however they also inhibit the functions of natural killer (NK) cells, key effectors of the Graft versus Leukemia effect. In this study, we have explored whether a Tregs therapy will also impact on NK cell differentiation.

MYC-induced nuclear antigen (MINA) and preeclampsia.

Background: Inadequate trophoblast invasion and the subsequent inflammatory response have been implicated in preeclampsia (PE) pathogenesis. Because MYC-induced nuclear antigen (MINA) gene expression is involved in cell proliferation and differentiation, inflammatory response modulation, and the unpaired regulation of which is associated with human diseases, we sought to investigate the connection between MINA and PE.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible relationship between the MINA rs4857304 variant and susceptibility to PE development as well as to estimate placental MINA gene expression and its association with PE.

The effects of CAMPATH-1H on cell viability do not correlate to the CD52 density on the cell surface.

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) is one of the main complications after hematological stem cell transplantation (HSCT). CAMPATH-1H is used in the pre-transplant conditioning regimen to effectively reduce GvHD by targeting CD52 antigens on T cells resulting in their depletion. Information regarding CD52 expression and the effects of CAMPATH-1H on immune cells is scant and limited to peripheral blood (PB) T and B cells.

Differential effects of mycophenolate mofetil and cyclosporine A on peripheral blood and cord blood natural killer cells activated with interleukin-2.

Background Aims: Graft-versus-host disease remains a major cause of death after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Cyclosporine (CsA) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) have been successfully used alone or in combination as prophylaxis for graft-versus-host disease. Although the effects of these drugs on T cells have been studied, little is known about the effects of both drugs on natural killer (NK) cells.

Frozen cord blood hematopoietic stem cells differentiate into higher numbers of functional natural killer cells in vitro than mobilized hematopoietic stem cells or freshly isolated cord blood hematopoietic stem cells.

Adoptive natural killer (NK) cell therapy relies on the acquisition of large numbers of NK cells that are cytotoxic but not exhausted. NK cell differentiation from hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) has become an alluring option for NK cell therapy, with umbilical cord blood (UCB) and mobilized peripheral blood (PBCD34(+)) being the most accessible HSC sources as collection procedures are less invasive. In this study we compared the capacity of frozen or freshly isolated UCB hematopoietic stem cells (CBCD34(+)) and frozen PBCD34(+) to generate NK cells in vitro.

Transcription factors involved in the regulation of natural killer cell development and function: an update.

Natural killer (NK) cells belong to the innate immune system and are key effectors in the immune response against cancer and infection. Recent studies have contributed to the knowledge of events controlling NK cell fate. The use of knockout mice has enabled the discovery of key transcription factors (TFs) essential for NK cell development and function.

Generation of natural killer cells from hematopoietic stem cells in vitro for immunotherapy.

Natural killer (NK) cells are part of the innate immune system and are an alluring option for immunotherapy due to their ability to kill infected cells or cancer cells without prior sensitization. Throughout the past 20 years, different groups have been able to reproduce NK cell development in vitro, and NK cell ontogeny studies have provided the basis for the establishment of protocols to produce NK cells in vitro for immunotherapy. Here, we briefly discuss NK cell development and NK cell immunotherapy approaches.

The unique profile of cord blood natural killer cells balances incomplete maturation and effective killing function upon activation.

Cord blood (CB) is increasingly used as a source of stem cells for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and natural killer (NK) cells may be the effectors of the antileukemic response observed after CB transplantation. Here, we analyzed the phenotype and functions of CB NK cell subsets. We determined that the percentage of NK cells was higher in CB compared with peripheral blood (PB).

High-throughput profiling of the humoral immune responses against thirteen human papillomavirus types by proteome microarrays.

We have developed microarrays with all eight proteins encoded by 13 different human papillomavirus types associated with anogenital cancer (HPV-16, -18, -31, -33, -35, -45, and -53), genital warts (HPV-6 and -11), or skin lesions (HPV-1, -2, -4, and -5). We analyzed the seroprevalence of antibodies in 546 patients, which had either cervical carcinomas, or precursor lesions, or which were asymptomatic. All patient groups contained sera ranging from high reactivity against multiple HPV proteins to low or no reactivity.