Monthly Archives: May 2013

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When infections occur in the body, stem cells in the blood often jump into action by multiplying and differentiating into mature immune cells that can fight off illness. But repeated infections and inflammation can deplete these cell populations, potentially leading to the development of serious blood conditions such as cancer. Now, a team of researchers led by biologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has found that, in mouse models, the molecule microRNA-146a (miR-146a) acts as a critical regulator and protector of blood-forming stem cells (called hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs) during chronic inflammation, suggesting that a deficiency of miR-146a may be one important cause of blood cancers and bone marrow failure.

The team came to this conclusion by developing a mouse model that lacks miR-146a. RNA is a polymer structured like DNA, the chemical that makes up our genes. MicroRNAs, as the name implies, are a class of very short RNAs that can interfere with or regulate the activities of particular genes. When subjected to a state of chronic inflammation, mice lacking miR-146a showed a decline in the overall number and quality of their HSCs; normal mice producing the molecule, in contrast, were better able to maintain their levels of HSCs despite long-term inflammation. The researchers' findings are outlined in the May 21 issue of the new journal eLIFE.

"This mouse with genetic deletion of miR-146a is a wonderful model with which to understand chronic-inflammation-driven tumor formation and hematopoietic stem cell biology during chronic inflammation," says Jimmy Zhao, the lead author of the study and a MD/PhD student in the Caltech laboratory of David Baltimore, the Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Biology. "It was surprising that a single microRNA plays such a crucial role. Deleting it produced a profound and dramatic pathology, which clearly highlights the critical and indispensable function of miR-146a in guarding the quality and longevity of HSCs."

The study findings provide, for the first time, a detailed molecular connection between chronic inflammation, and bone marrow failure and diseases of the blood. These findings could lead to the discovery and development of anti-inflammatory molecules that could be used as therapeutics for blood diseases. In fact, the researchers believe that miR-146a itself may ultimately become a very effective anti-inflammatory molecule, once RNA molecules or mimetics can be delivered more efficiently to the cells of interest.

The new mouse model, Zhao says, also mimics important aspects of human myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)a form of pre-leukemia that often causes severe anemia, can require frequent blood transfusions, and usually leads to acute myeloid leukemia. Further study of the model could lead to a better understanding of the condition and therefore potential new treatments for MDS.

"This study speaks to the importance of keeping chronic inflammation in check and provides a good rationale for broad use of safer and more effective anti-inflammatory molecules," says Baltimore, who is a coauthor of the study. "If we can understand what cell types and proteins are critically important in chronic-inflammation-driven tumor formation and stem cell exhaustion, we can potentially design better and safer drugs to intervene."

Explore further: A potential biomarker for pregnancy-associated heart disease?

More information: "MicroRNA-146a acts as a guardian of the quality and longevity of hematopoietic stem cells in mice," eLIFE, 2013.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a deterioration in cardiac function that occurs in pregnant women during the last month or in the months following their pregnancy. This disorder can occur in women with no prior history ...

Originally posted here:
Keeping stem cells strong: Biologists show that an RNA molecule protects stem cells during inflammation

May 21, 2013 When infections occur in the body, stem cells in the blood often jump into action by multiplying and differentiating into mature immune cells that can fight off illness. But repeated infections and inflammation can deplete these cell populations, potentially leading to the development of serious blood conditions such as cancer. Now, a team of researchers led by biologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has found that, in mouse models, the molecule microRNA-146a (miR-146a) acts as a critical regulator and protector of blood-forming stem cells (called hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs) during chronic inflammation, suggesting that a deficiency of miR-146a may be one important cause of blood cancers and bone marrow failure.

The team came to this conclusion by developing a mouse model that lacks miR-146a. RNA is a polymer structured like DNA, the chemical that makes up our genes. MicroRNAs, as the name implies, are a class of very short RNAs that can interfere with or regulate the activities of particular genes. When subjected to a state of chronic inflammation, mice lacking miR-146a showed a decline in the overall number and quality of their HSCs; normal mice producing the molecule, in contrast, were better able to maintain their levels of HSCs despite long-term inflammation. The researchers' findings are outlined in the May 21 issue of the new journal eLIFE.

"This mouse with genetic deletion of miR-146a is a wonderful model with which to understand chronic-inflammation-driven tumor formation and hematopoietic stem cell biology during chronic inflammation," says Jimmy Zhao, the lead author of the study and a MD/PhD student in the Caltech laboratory of David Baltimore, the Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Biology. "It was surprising that a single microRNA plays such a crucial role. Deleting it produced a profound and dramatic pathology, which clearly highlights the critical and indispensable function of miR-146a in guarding the quality and longevity of HSCs."

The study findings provide, for the first time, a detailed molecular connection between chronic inflammation, and bone marrow failure and diseases of the blood. These findings could lead to the discovery and development of anti-inflammatory molecules that could be used as therapeutics for blood diseases. In fact, the researchers believe that miR-146a itself may ultimately become a very effective anti-inflammatory molecule, once RNA molecules or mimetics can be delivered more efficiently to the cells of interest.

The new mouse model, Zhao says, also mimics important aspects of human myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) -- a form of pre-leukemia that often causes severe anemia, can require frequent blood transfusions, and usually leads to acute myeloid leukemia. Further study of the model could lead to a better understanding of the condition and therefore potential new treatments for MDS.

"This study speaks to the importance of keeping chronic inflammation in check and provides a good rationale for broad use of safer and more effective anti-inflammatory molecules," says Baltimore, who is a coauthor of the study. "If we can understand what cell types and proteins are critically important in chronic-inflammation-driven tumor formation and stem cell exhaustion, we can potentially design better and safer drugs to intervene."

Funding for the research outlined in the eLIFE paper, titled "MicroRNA-146a acts as a guardian of the quality and longevity of hematopoietic stem cells in mice," was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and the National Cancer Institute. Yvette Garcia-Flores, the lead technician in Baltimore's lab, also contributed to the study along with Dinesh Rao from UCLA and Ryan O'Connell from the University of Utah. eLIFE, a new open-access, high-impact journal, is backed by three of the world's leading funding agencies, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Max Planck Society, and the Wellcome Trust.

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Keeping stem cells strong: RNA molecule protects stem cells during inflammation

Durham, NC (PRWEB) May 21, 2013

A new study appearing in the current issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine indicates that stem cells harvested from fat (adipose) are more potent than those collected from bone marrow in helping to modulate the bodys immune system.

The finding could have significant implications in developing new stem-cell-based therapies, as adipose tissue-derived stem cells (AT-SCs) are far more plentiful in the body than those found in bone marrow and can be collected from waste material from liposuction procedures. Stem cells are considered potential therapies for a range of conditions, from enhancing skin graft survival to treating inflammatory bowel disease.

Researchers at the Leiden University Medical Centers Department of Immunohematology and Blood Transfusion in Leiden, The Netherlands, led by Helene Roelofs, Ph.D., conducted the study. They were seeking an alternative to bone marrow for stem cell therapies because of the low number of stem cells available in marrow and also because harvesting them involves an invasive procedure.

Adipose tissue is an interesting alternative since it contains approximately a 500-fold higher frequency of stem cells and tissue collection is simple, Dr. Roelofs said.

Moreover, Dr. Melief added, 400,000 liposuctions a year are performed in the U.S. alone, where the aspirated adipose tissue is regarded as waste and could be collected without any additional burden or risk for the donor.

For the study, the team used stem cells collected from the bone marrow and fat tissue of age-matched donors. They compared the cells ability to regulate the immune system in vitro and found that the two performed similarly, although it took a smaller dose for the AT-SCs to achieve the same effect on the immune cells.

When it came to secreting cytokines the cell signaling molecules that regulate the immune system the AT-SCs also outperformed the bone marrow-derived cells.

This all adds up to make AT-SC a good alternative to bone marrow stem cells for developing new therapies, Dr. Roelofs concluded.

Cells from bone marrow and from fat were equivalent in terms of their potential to differentiate into multiple cell types, said Anthony Atala, M.D., editor of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The fact that the cells from fat tissue seem to be more potent at suppressing the immune system suggest their promise in clinical therapies.

Originally posted here:
Stem Cells from Fat Outperform Those from Bone Marrow in Fighting Disease

Public release date: 21-May-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Deborah Williams-Hedges debwms@caltech.edu 626-395-3227 California Institute of Technology

When infections occur in the body, stem cells in the blood often jump into action by multiplying and differentiating into mature immune cells that can fight off illness. But repeated infections and inflammation can deplete these cell populations, potentially leading to the development of serious blood conditions such as cancer. Now, a team of researchers led by biologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has found that, in mouse models, the molecule microRNA-146a (miR-146a) acts as a critical regulator and protector of blood-forming stem cells (called hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs) during chronic inflammation, suggesting that a deficiency of miR-146a may be one important cause of blood cancers and bone marrow failure.

The team came to this conclusion by developing a mouse model that lacks miR-146a. RNA is a polymer structured like DNA, the chemical that makes up our genes. MicroRNAs, as the name implies, are a class of very short RNAs that can interfere with or regulate the activities of particular genes. When subjected to a state of chronic inflammation, mice lacking miR-146a showed a decline in the overall number and quality of their HSCs; normal mice producing the molecule, in contrast, were better able to maintain their levels of HSCs despite long-term inflammation. The researchers' findings are outlined in the May 21 issue of the new journal eLIFE.

"This mouse with genetic deletion of miR-146a is a wonderful model with which to understand chronic-inflammation-driven tumor formation and hematopoietic stem cell biology during chronic inflammation," says Jimmy Zhao, the lead author of the study and a MD/PhD student in the Caltech laboratory of David Baltimore, the Robert Andrews Millikan Professor of Biology. "It was surprising that a single microRNA plays such a crucial role. Deleting it produced a profound and dramatic pathology, which clearly highlights the critical and indispensable function of miR-146a in guarding the quality and longevity of HSCs."

The study findings provide, for the first time, a detailed molecular connection between chronic inflammation, and bone marrow failure and diseases of the blood. These findings could lead to the discovery and development of anti-inflammatory molecules that could be used as therapeutics for blood diseases. In fact, the researchers believe that miR-146a itself may ultimately become a very effective anti-inflammatory molecule, once RNA molecules or mimetics can be delivered more efficiently to the cells of interest.

The new mouse model, Zhao says, also mimics important aspects of human myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)a form of pre-leukemia that often causes severe anemia, can require frequent blood transfusions, and usually leads to acute myeloid leukemia. Further study of the model could lead to a better understanding of the condition and therefore potential new treatments for MDS.

"This study speaks to the importance of keeping chronic inflammation in check and provides a good rationale for broad use of safer and more effective anti-inflammatory molecules," says Baltimore, who is a coauthor of the study. "If we can understand what cell types and proteins are critically important in chronic-inflammation-driven tumor formation and stem cell exhaustion, we can potentially design better and safer drugs to intervene."

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Funding for the research outlined in the eLIFE paper, titled "MicroRNA-146a acts as a guardian of the quality and longevity of hematopoietic stem cells in mice," was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease; the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and the National Cancer Institute. Yvette Garcia-Flores, the lead technician in Baltimore's lab, also contributed to the study along with Dinesh Rao from UCLA and Ryan O'Connell from the University of Utah. eLIFE, a new open-access, high-impact journal, is backed by three of the world's leading funding agencies, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Max Planck Society, and the Wellcome Trust.

Original post:
Keeping stem cells strong