AI Article Synopsis

  • Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of disability, and while current treatments are limited, cell-based therapies such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) show promise for regenerative medicine, especially when combined with gene therapy.
  • Researchers used lentiviral vectors to transduce equine MSCs with a luciferase gene controlled by an NFκB-responsive promoter, which gets activated by inflammatory cytokines like IL-1β and TNFα.
  • The study found that stimulating the MSCs with these cytokines led to a dose-dependent increase in luciferase expression, highlighting the ability to regulate gene expression based on inflammatory signals, which could have implications for targeted therapies in osteoarthritis.

Article Abstract

Background: Osteoarthritis, a chronic and progressive degenerative joint disorder, ranks amongst the top five causes of disability. Given the high incidence, associated socioeconomic costs and the absence of effective disease-modifying therapies of osteoarthritis, cell-based treatments offer a promising new approach. Owing to their paracrine, differentiation and self-renewal abilities, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have great potential for regenerative medicine, which might be further enhanced by targeted gene therapy. Hence, the development of systems allowing transgene expression, particularly when regulated by natural disease-dependent occuring substances, is of high interest.

Methods: Bone marrow-isolated equine MSCs were stably transduced with an HIV-1 based lentiviral vector expressing the luciferase gene under control of an inducible nuclear factor κB (NFκB)-responsive promoter. Marker gene expression was analysed by determining luciferase activity in transduced cells stimulated with different concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1β or tumour necrosis factor (TNF)α.

Results: A dose-dependent increase in luciferase expression was observed in transduced MSCs upon cytokine stimulation. The induction effect was more potent in cells treated with TNFα compared to those treated with IL-1β. Maximum transgene expression was obtained after 48 h of stimulation and the same time was necessary to return to baseline luciferase expression levels after withdrawal of the stimulus. Repeated cycles of induction allowed on-off modulation of transgene expression without becoming refractory to induction. The NFκB-responsive promoter retained its inducibility also in chondrogenically differentiated MSC/Luc cells.

Conclusions: The results of the present study demonstrate that on demand transgene expression from the NFκB-responsive promoter using naturally occurring inflammatory cytokines can be induced in undifferentiated and chondrogenically differentiated equine MSCs. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jgm.2888DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

transgene expression
20
nfκb-responsive promoter
12
expression
8
mesenchymal stem
8
stem cells
8
equine mscs
8
luciferase expression
8
chondrogenically differentiated
8
inflammation-induced transgene
4
expression genetically
4

Similar Publications

Malic acid markedly affects watermelon flavor. Reducing the malic acid content can significantly increase the sweetness of watermelon. An effective solution strategy is to reduce watermelon malic acid content through molecular breeding technology.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neuroinflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction are early events in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and contribute to neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment. Evidence suggests that the inflammatory axis mediated by macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) binding to its receptor, CD74, plays an important role in many central nervous system (CNS) disorders such as AD. Our group has developed DRhQ, a novel CD74 binding construct which competitively inhibits MIF binding, blocks macrophage activation and migration into the CNS, enhances anti-inflammatory microglia cell numbers and reduces pro-inflammatory gene expression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Transgenic mice and organoid models, such as three-dimensional tumoroid cultures, have emerged as powerful tools for investigating cancer development and targeted therapies. Yet, the extent to which these preclinical models recapitulate the cellular identity of heterogeneous malignancies, like neuroblastoma (NB), remains to be validated. Here, we characterized the transcriptional landscape of TH-MYCN tumors by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and developed ex vivo tumoroids.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Inhibition of IFITM3 in cerebrovascular endothelium alleviates Alzheimer's-related phenotypes.

Alzheimers Dement

January 2025

Center for Geriatric Medicine, Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, The First Affiliated Hospital and Institute of Aging, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Introduction: Interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3) modulates γ-secretase in Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Although IFITM3 knockout reduces amyloid β protein (Aβ) production, its cell-specific effect on AD remains unclear.

Methods: Single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) was used to assess IFITM3 expression.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Recent advances in genome editing tools and CRISPR-Cas technologies have enabled plant genome engineering reach new heights. The current regulatory exemptions for certain categories of genome edited products, such as those derived from SDN-1 and SDN-2, which are free of any transgene, have significantly accelerated genome editing research in a number of agricultural crop plants in different countries. Although CRISPR-Cas technology is becoming increasingly popular, it is still important to carefully consider a number of factors before planning and carrying conducting CRISPR-Cas studies.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!