Publications by authors named "Yumiko Matsubara"

Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) have shown potential in the treatment of degenerative diseases, including ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), which occurs during organ transplantation and represents the main cause of post-transplant graft dysfunction. However, MSCs have heterogeneous characteristics, and studies of MSCs therapy have shown a variety of outcomes. To establish a new effective MSCs therapy, we developed an adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cell line (ASCL) and compared its therapeutic effects on primary adipose-derived MSCs (ASCs) using a hepatocyte co-culture model of hypoxia/reoxygenation and a rat model of hepatic IRI .

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Megakaryocytes (MKs) are platelet progenitor stem cells found in the bone marrow. Platelets obtained from blood draws can be used for therapeutic applications, especially platelet transfusion. The needs for platelet transfusions for clinical situation is increasing, due in part to the growing number of patients undergoing chemotherapy.

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The clinical need for platelet transfusions is increasing; however, donor-dependent platelet transfusions are associated with practical problems, such as the limited supply and the risk of infection. Thus, we developed a manufacturing system for platelets from a donor-independent cell source: a human adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cell line (ASCL). The ASCL was obtained using an upside-down culture flask method and satisfied the minimal criteria for defining mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by The International Society for Cellular Therapy.

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Introduction: A whole blood flow-chamber system, the Total Thrombus-formation Analysis System (T-TAS), was developed for quantitative analysis of platelet thrombus formation (PTF) using microchips with thrombogenic surfaces (collagen, PL chip; collagen plus tissue thromboplastin, AR chip) under shear stress conditions. We evaluated the usefulness of the T-TAS for assessing individual thrombogenicity compared with other platelet function tests.

Materials And Methods: Blood samples from 31 healthy volunteers were applied to the T-TAS to measure PTF starting time (T10: time to reach 10 kPa), occlusion time (T60 for PL chip; T80 for AR chip), and area under the curve (AUC10, area under curve until 10 min for PL chip; AUC30, 30 min for AR chip) under various shear rates (1000, 1500, 2000s(-1) for PL chip; 300 s(-1) for AR chip).

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Platelets are essential for hemostatic plug formation and thrombosis. The mechanisms of megakaryocyte (MK) differentiation and subsequent platelet production from stem cells remain only partially understood. The manufacture of megakaryocytes (MKs) and platelets from cell sources including hematopoietic stem cells and pluripotent stem cells have been highlighted for studying the platelet production mechanisms as well as for the development of new strategies for platelet transfusion.

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Determinant factors leading from stem cells to megakaryocytes (MKs) and subsequently platelets have yet to be identified. We now report that a combination of nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2 p45 unit (p45NF-E2), Maf G, and Maf K can convert mouse fibroblast 3T3 cells and adult human dermal fibroblasts into MKs. To screen MK-inducing factors, gene expressions were compared between 3T3 cells that do not differentiate into MKs and 3T3-L1 cells known to differentiate into MKs.

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The VerifyNow P2Y12 test is a whole-blood, light transmission-based optical detection assay that measures adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation in a cartridge containing fibrinogen-coated beads. The usefulness of this device to assess the effect of clopidogrel on platelet function was recently highlighted for predicting cardiovascular (CV) events. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to analyze whether adverse clinical outcomes of patients with CV disease increase in association with high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HPR) using the VerifyNow P2Y12 test.

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The molecular mechanisms whereby stem cells develop into platelet-producing megakaryocytes (MKs) are not yet fully understood. Within this chapter we describe a two-step in vitro culture system in which MKs and platelets are generated from primary subcutaneous adipose tissues and the preadipocyte cell line 3T3L1. The cells are first cultured in an adipocyte induction medium for 10-12 days, followed by 8-14 days culture in a MK differentiation medium.

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We investigated the effect of chronic kidney disease (CKD) on platelet function in patients receiving dual-antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. We examined 19 patients with CKD and 18 patients without CKD who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with DES. All of the patients had been on chronic aspirin treatment.

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Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3, a constitutively active serine-threonine kinase, acts as a key regulator of major signaling pathways, including the Wnt, Hedgehog, and Notch pathways. Although a number of studies have demonstrated that GSK-3 plays a critical role in several cellular processes, such as differentiation, growth, and apoptosis, the effects of GSK-3 on platelet production have not been explored. There are two GSK-3 isoforms, GSK-3α and GSK-3β.

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Platelets are produced from megakaryocytes (MKs), although the pathway leading from stem cells to MK lineages are not yet fully understood. Recently, we reported to obtain abundant MKs and platelets from human subcutaneous adipose tissues. Adipose tissues contain various cell types, most of which are lineage cells from mesenchymal or adipocyte-derived stem cells, distinct from hematopoietic cells.

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Recent advances in regenerative medicine have created a broad spectrum of stem cell research. Among them, tissue stem cell regulations are important issues to clarify the molecular mechanism of differentiation. Adipose tissues have been shown to contain abundant preadipocytes, which are multipotent to differentiate into cells including adipocytes, chondrocytes, and osteoblasts.

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High levels of plasma von Willebrand factor are a proposed risk factor for atherothrombotic disorders. Previously, ABO blood type and the von Willebrand factor -1793C/G polymorphism were shown to affect interindividual variations in plasma von Willebrand factor levels. We previously reported that polymorphisms of the alpha 2A adrenergic receptor, an epinephrine receptor, were associated with platelet function as assessed by platelet function analyzer-100.

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Genetic variation, a -1327T/C polymorphism, of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) is associated with leukocyte telomere length in healthy subjects, but clinical significances of this functional polymorphism are not clear. Recently, the relationship between the telomere system and coronary artery disease (CAD) was reported. We investigated the association between the -1327T/C polymorphism and (a) susceptibility to CAD and (b) telomere length in CAD patients.

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alpha2A adrenergic receptor (ADRA2A) on platelets interacts with epinephrine, which has a key role in regulating platelet functions. There is familial clustering of inter-individual variations in the epinephrine-induced platelet aggregation, the molecular basis of which, however, has not been fully understood. In this study, we screened the sequence variations in the transcriptional region of ADRA2A gene and analyzed the relationship between the two common polymorphisms and platelet function using epinephrine/collagen cartridge in the platelet function analyzer-100 system, in a healthy Japanese male population (n=211).

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Transcriptional regulation of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), a catalytic subunit of telomerase, is essential for telomerase activity associated with telomere length. In this study, we investigated the effects of a (-1327)T/C polymorphism within the hTERT promoter region on the hTERT promoter activity and leukocyte telomere length in normal individuals. The promoter activity in the (-1327)T-sequence was significantly higher than that in the (-1327)C-sequence (p = 0.

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Interaction of platelet glycoprotein (GP) Ibalpha with von Willebrand factor (VWF) is essential for thrombus formation, particularly under high shear conditions. Previous case-control studies indicated that two GPIb alpha polymorphisms, (145)Thr/Met and/or variable number (1-4) tandem repeats of 13 amino-acid sequences, are associated with arterial thrombosis. The (145)Met-allele and the 3R- or 4R-allele is associated with increased risk.

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Congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura/hemolytic uremic syndrome (TTP/HUS) is associated with an inherited von Willebrand factor-cleaving protease (ADAMTS13 [a disintegrin and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type I domains 13]) deficiency. In this study, we identified novel mutations in the ADAMTS13 gene in a patient with TTP. The patient was a 51-year-old Japanese male who exhibited TTP symptoms at frequent intervals.

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The hemostatic activity of von Willebrand factor (vWF) is strongly dependent on its multimeric structure, with the highest activity in 'unusually large' multimers secreted from endothelial cells. The multimeric structure is regulated by a plasma protease, vWF-cleaving protease (vWF-CP, or ADAMTS-13). ADAMTS-13 mRNA is variably expressed in liver and other tissues.

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Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks), a family of lipid kinases comprising 3 classes with multiple isoforms, have been shown to participate in different phases of platelet signaling. To investigate the roles that enzymes play in platelet function in vivo and determine which isoforms are important for particular signaling events, we analyzed platelet function of gene knockout mice deficient in the p85alpha regulatory subunit of heterodimeric class IA PI3K. The kinase activity of p85alpha-/- platelets was only 5% of the activity of platelets from wild-type littermates.

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