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Research Newsletter - July 2006

Spotlighted Research

In a review paper published in Nature, HSCI Scientific Co-Director David Scadden explores the interplay between stem cells and their niche, and how this relationship sustains tissues and its role in the design of stem cell therapies.

The Stem-Cell Niche as an Entity of Action
by David T. Scadden, MD

Stem-cell populations are established in 'niches' - specific anatomic locations that regulate how they participate in tissue generation, maintenance and repair. The niche saves stem cells from depletion, while protecting the host from over-exuberant stem-cell proliferation. It constitutes a basic unit of tissue physiology, integrating signals that mediate the balanced response of stem cells to the needs of organisms. Yet the niche may also induce pathologies by imposing aberrant function on stem cells or other targets. The interplay between stem cells and their niche creates the dynamic system necessary for sustaining tissues, and for the ultimate design of stem-cell therapeutics.

Scadden DT. The stem-cell niche as an entity of action. Nature. 2006 Jun 29;441(7097):1075-9. Read Abstract.

Scientific Papers

Review and Commentary

  • Chien KR. Lost and found: cardiac stem cell therapy revisited. J Clin Invest. 2006 Jul;116(7):1838-40. Read Abstract.
  • Melton DA. Reversal of type 1 diabetes in mice. N Engl J Med. 2006 Jul 6;355(1):89-90. Read Abstract.

Blood

  • Cutler C, Miklos D, Kim HT, Treister N, Woo SB, Bienfang D, Klickstein LB, Levin J, Miller K, Reynolds C, Macdonell R, Pasek M, Lee SJ, Ho V, Soiffer R, Antin JH, Ritz J, Alyea E. Rituximab for steroid-refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease. Blood. 2006 Jul 15;108(2):756-62. Read Abstract.
  • Krivtsov AV, Twomey D, Feng Z, Stubbs MC, Wang Y, Faber J, Levine JE, Wang J, Hahn WC, Gilliland DG, Golub TR, Armstrong SA. Transformation from committed progenitor to leukaemia stem cell initiated by MLL-AF9. Nature. 2006 Jul 16. Read Abstract.
  • Pardanani AD, Levine RL, Lasho T, Pikman Y, Mesa RA, Wadleigh M, Steensma DP, Elliott MA, Wolanskyj AP, Hogan WJ, McClure RF, Litzow MR, Gilliland DG, Tefferi A. MPL515 mutations in myeloproliferative and other myeloid disorders: a study of 1182 patients. Blood. 2006 Jul 25. Read Abstract.
  • Pikman Y, Lee BH, Mercher T, McDowell E, Ebert BL, Gozo M, Cuker A, Wernig G, Moore S, Galinsky I, Deangelo DJ, Clark JJ, Lee SJ, Golub TR, Wadleigh M, Gilliland DG, Levine RL. MPLW515L Is a Novel Somatic Activating Mutation in Myelofibrosis with Myeloid Metaplasia. PLoS Med. 2006 Jul 18;3(7):e270 Read Abstract.
  • Swirski FK, Pittet MJ, Kircher MF, Aikawa E, Jaffer FA, Libby P, Weissleder R. Monocyte accumulation in mouse atherogenesis is progressive and proportional to extent of disease. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2006 Jul 5;103(27):10340-5. Read Abstract.
  • Walters DK, Mercher T, Gu TL, O'hare T, Tyner JW, Loriaux M, Goss VL, Lee KA, Eide CA, Wong MJ, Stoffregen EP, McGreevey L, Nardone J, Moore SA, Crispino J, Boggon TJ, Heinrich MC, Deininger MW, Polakiewicz RD, Gilliland DG, Druker BJ. Activating alleles of JAK3 in acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. Cancer Cell. 2006 Jul;10(1):65-75. Read Abstract.

Cancer

  • Choi Y, Weissleder R, Tung CH. Selective antitumor effect of novel protease-mediated photodynamic agent. Cancer Res. 2006 Jul 15;66(14):7225-9. Read Abstract.
  • Rocnik JL, Gilliland DG. Cell-autonomous and -nonautonomous contributions of STAT1 in murine models of tumorigenesis. Cancer Cell. 2006 Jul;10(1):1-2. Read Abstract.
  • Szotek PP, Pieretti-Vanmarcke R, Masiakos PT, Dinulescu DM, Connolly D, Foster R, Dombkowski D, Preffer F, Maclaughlin DT, Donahoe PK. Ovarian cancer side population defines cells with stem cell-like characteristics and Mullerian Inhibiting Substance responsiveness. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2006 Jul 25;103(30):11154-9. Read Abstract.

Cardiovascular System

  • Hataishi R, Rodrigues AC, Neilan TG, Morgan JG, Buys E, Shiva S, Tambouret R, Jassal DS, Raher MJ, Furutani E, Ichinose F, Gladwin MT, Rosenzweig A, Zapol WM, Picard MH, Bloch KD, Scherrer-Crosbie M. Inhaled nitric oxide decreases infarction size and improves left ventricular function in a murine model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2006 Jul;291(1):H379-84. Read Abstract.
  • Kerkela R, Grazette L, Yacobi R, Iliescu C, Patten R, Beahm C, Walters B, Shevtsov S, Pesant S, Clubb FJ, Rosenzweig A, Salomon RN, Van Etten RA, Alroy J, Durand JB, Force T. Cardiotoxicity of the cancer therapeutic agent imatinib mesylate. Nat Med. 2006 Jul 23. Read Abstract.
  • Morissette MR, Cook SA, Foo S, McKoy G, Ashida N, Novikov M, Scherrer-Crosbie M, Li L, Matsui T, Brooks G, Rosenzweig A. Myostatin regulates cardiomyocyte growth through modulation of Akt signaling. Circ Res. 2006 Jul 7;99(1):15-24. Read Abstract.

Developmental Biology

  • Cho SH, Cepko CL. Wnt2b/{beta}-catenin-mediated canonical Wnt signaling determines the peripheral fates of the chick eye. Development. 2006 Aug;133(16):3167-77. Read Abstract.
  • Goishi K, Shimizu A, Najarro G, Watanabe S, Rogers R, Zon LI, Klagsbrun M. {alpha}A-crystallin expression prevents {gamma}-crystallin insolubility and cataract formation in the zebrafish cloche mutant lens. Development. 2006 Jul;133(13):2585-93. Read Abstract.

Diabetes

  • Xu G, Kaneto H, Lopez-Avalos MD, Weir GC, Bonner-Weir S. GLP-1/exendin-4 facilitates beta-cell neogenesis in rat and human pancreatic ducts. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2006 Jul;73(1):107-10. Read Abstract.

Imaging

  • Deguchi JO, Aikawa M, Tung CH, Aikawa E, Kim DE, Ntziachristos V, Weissleder R, Libby P. Inflammation in atherosclerosis: visualizing matrix metalloproteinase action in macrophages in vivo. Circulation. 2006 Jul 4;114(1):55-62. Read Abstract.
  • Galande AK, Hilderbrand SA, Weissleder R, Tung CH. Enzyme-targeted fluorescent imaging probes on a multiple antigenic Peptide core. J Med Chem. 2006 Jul 27;49(15):4715-20. Read Abstract.
  • Kelly KA, Nahrendorf M, Yu AM, Reynolds F, Weissleder R. In vivo phage display selection yields atherosclerotic plaque targeted peptides for imaging. Mol Imaging Biol. 2006 Jul-Aug;8(4):201-7. Read Abstract.
  • Montet X, Weissleder R, Josephson L. Imaging pancreatic cancer with a Peptide-nanoparticle conjugate targeted to normal pancreas. Bioconjug Chem. 2006 Jul-Aug;17(4):905-11. Read Abstract.

Immunology

  • Hyatt G, Melamed R, Park R, Seguritan R, Laplace C, Poirot L, Zucchelli S, Obst R, Matos M, Venanzi E, Goldrath A, Nguyen L, Luckey J, Yamagata T, Herman A, Jacobs J, Mathis D, Benoist C. Gene expression microarrays: glimpses of the immunological genome. Nat Immunol. 2006 Jul;7(7):686-91. Read Abstract.
  • Mempel TR, Pittet MJ, Khazaie K, Weninger W, Weissleder R, von Boehmer H, von Andrian UH. Regulatory T cells reversibly suppress cytotoxic T cell function independent of effector differentiation. Immunity. 2006 Jul;25(1):129-41. Read Abstract.
  • Wu Y, Borde M, Heissmeyer V, Feuerer M, Lapan AD, Stroud JC, Bates DL, Guo L, Han A, Ziegler SF, Mathis D, Benoist C, Chen L, Rao A. FOXP3 Controls Regulatory T Cell Function through Cooperation with NFAT. Cell. 2006 Jul 28;126(2):375-87. Read Abstract.

Nervous System

  • Lin L, Isacson O. Axonal growth regulation of fetal and ES-derived dopaminergic neurons by Netrin-1 and Slits. Stem Cells. 2006 Jul 13. Read Abstract.
  • Neal J, Apse K, Sahin M, Walsh CA, Sheen VL. Deletion of chromosome 1p36 is associated with periventricular nodular heterotopia. Am J Med Genet A. 2006 Jul 11. Read Abstract.
  • Rajab A, Yoo SY, Abdulgalil A, Kathiri S, Ahmed R, Mochida GH, Bodell A, Barkovich AJ, Walsh CA. An autosomal recessive form of spastic cerebral palsy (CP) with microcephaly and mental retardation. Am J Med Genet A. 2006 Jul 15;140(14):1504-10. Read Abstract.
  • Sun T, Collura RV, Ruvolo M, Walsh CA. Genomic and evolutionary analyses of asymmetrically expressed genes in human fetal left and right cerebral cortex. Cereb Cortex. 2006 Jul;16 Suppl 1:i18-25. Read Abstract.

Renal System

  • Kim J, Kil IS, Seok YM, Yang ES, Kim DK, Lim DG, Park JW, Bonventre JV, Park KM. Orchiectomy Attenuates Post-ischemic Oxidative Stress and Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Mice: A ROLE FOR MANGANESE SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE. J Biol Chem. 2006 Jul 21;281(29):20349-56. Read Abstract.
  • Perez-Rojas J, Blanco JA, Cruz C, Trujillo J, Vaidya VS, Uribe N, Bonventre JV, Gamba G, Bobadilla NA. Mineralocorticoid receptor blockade confers renoprotection in preexisting chronic cyclosporine nephrotoxicity. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol. 2006 Jul 11. Read Abstract.

Skeletal System

  • Rodda SJ, McMahon AP. Distinct roles for Hedgehog and canonical Wnt signaling in specification, differentiation and maintenance of osteoblast progenitors. Development. 2006 Aug;133(16):3231-44. Read Abstract.
  • Yuen CM, Rodda SJ, Vokes SA, McMahon AP, Liu DR. Control of transcription factor activity and osteoblast differentiation in Mammalian cells using an evolved small-molecule-dependent intein. J Am Chem Soc. 2006 Jul 12;128(27):8939-46. Read Abstract.

Technology

  • Kuo WP, Liu F, Trimarchi J, Punzo C, Lombardi M, Sarang J, Whipple ME, Maysuria M, Serikawa K, Lee SY, McCrann D, Kang J, Shearstone JR, Burke J, Park DJ, Wang X, Rector TL, Ricciardi-Castagnoli P, Perrin S, Choi S, Bumgarner R, Kim JH, Short GF 3rd, Freeman MW, Seed B, Jensen R, Church GM, Hovig E, Cepko CL, Park P, Ohno-Machado L, Jenssen TK. A sequence-oriented comparison of gene expression measurements across different hybridization-based technologies. Nat Biotechnol. 2006 Jul;24(7):832-840. Read Abstract.

Tissue Engineering

  • Bachrach E, Perez AL, Choi YH, Illigens BM, Jun SJ, del Nido P, McGowan FX, Li S, Flint A, Chamberlain J, Kunkel LM. Muscle engraftment of myogenic progenitor cells following intraarterial transplantation. Muscle Nerve. 2006 Jul;34(1):44-52. Read Abstract.
  • Fuchs JR, Nasseri BA, Vacanti JP, Fauza DO. Postnatal myocardial augmentation with skeletal myoblast-based fetal tissue engineering. Surgery. 2006 Jul;140(1):100-7. Read Abstract.