Erythropoietin contributes to implantation: ectopic hemoglobin synthesis in decidual cells of mice.

Erythropoietin, by binding to its receptor, stimulates definitive erythroblasts to accumulate hemoglobin (Hb) by up-regulating erythroid-specific genes and causes differentiation of erythroblasts into erythrocytes. In mouse decidua we have found the expression of transcripts for the erythropoietin receptor, the function of which has not yet been elucidated. Erythropoietin signaling was inhibited by the injection of a soluble form of the erythropoietin receptor capable of binding with erythropoietin into the mouse uterine cavity on day 4 of gestation, and pale and defective decidual bodies appeared three days later.

Dual effects of the membrane-anchored MMP regulator RECK on chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells.

Extracellular matrix (ECM) undergoes continuous remodeling during mammalian development. Although involvement of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in ECM degradation has been well documented, how this process is regulated to allow proper ECM accumulation remains unclear. We previously showed the involvement of a membrane-anchored MMP regulator, RECK (reversion-inducing cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs), in vascular development in mice.

Monolayer culture conditions suitable for primitive erythroid cell differentiation from embryonic stem cells in vitro.

Embryonic stem (ES) cells effectively differentiated into primitive erythroid/mesodermal cells when grown in the absence of both a feeder layer and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). The formation of a three-dimensional structure, exogenous mesoderm induction factors and exogenous hematopoietic growth factors were not essential for their differentiation. Primitive erythroid cells were first detected on day 5 in the differentiation-permissive cultures.

The Activin A-Dependent Proliferation of PCC3/A/1 Embryonal Carcinoma Cells in Serum-Free Medium: (Activin/EC/ES cell/Follistatin/Serum-free medium/LIF).

Examination of the growth requirements of murine embryonal carcinoma cells (EC cells) or embryonic stem cells (ES cells) in serum-free medium revealed that PCC3 EC cells required activin A to grow and/or survive in such medium. In the absence of activin A, PCC3 cells began to disintegrate within 3 days under any serum-free conditions examined. P19 and AT805 EC cells grew even in serum-free medium without activin A but their growth rates were slightly facilitated by its addition.

CELL ASSOCIATION PATTERN IN AGGREGATES CONTROLLED BY MULTIPLE CELL-CELL ADHESION MECHANISMS.

We have previously assumed the presence of two mechanisms for the aggregation of Chinese hamster V79 cells, the Ca -dependent one and the Ca -independent one. In order to examine if each of these mechanisms contributed differently to the various aspects of cell aggregation, the morphology of V79 cell aggregates, pretreated so that they were provided with only one of the two adhesion mechanisms, was compared by light and electron microscopy. The adhesion among cells with only the Ca -dependent mechanism was very tight, with the formation of gap and intermediate junctions.