Somatic cells can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by defined factors. However, the low efficiency and slow kinetics of the reprogramming process have hampered progress with this technology. Here we report that a natural compound, vitamin C (Vc), enhances iPSC generation from both mouse and human somatic cells. Vc acts at least in part by alleviating cell senescence, a recently identified roadblock for reprogramming. In addition, Vc accelerates gene expression changes and promotes the transition of pre-iPSC colonies to a fully reprogrammed state. Our results therefore highlight a straightforward method for improving the speed and efficiency of iPSC generation and provide additional insights into the mechanistic basis of the reprogramming process.

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have been used for allogeneic application in tissue engineering but have certain drawbacks. Therefore, stem cells (SC)s derived from other adult tissue sources have been considered as an alternative. However, there is only limited knowledge on their immunomodulatory properties. The aim of our study was to compare the immunomodulatory potential of human amniotic mesenchymal and human amniotic epithelial cells with that of human adipose-derived SCs under identical experimental conditions. We have demonstrated a dose-dependent inhibition of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) immune responses in mixed lymphocyte reactions (up to 66-93% inhibition) and phytohemagglutinin activation assays (up to 67-96% inhibition). The lowest SC-to-PBMC ratio able to inhibit PBMC proliferation significantly was 1:8. Subcultivation (passage 2-6) did not alter immunoinhibitory properties, whereas cryopreservation significantly reduced the immunomodulatory potential. Using transwell systems, we have demonstrated an inhibition mechanism that is dependent on cell contact. Additionally, in coculture with allogeneic PBMCs, SCs were well tolerated and at most provoked mild alloreactions in singular cases. This study demonstrates, for the first time, contact- and dose-dependent immunosuppression of mesenchymal and epithelial amniotic SC populations, as well as of adipose tissue-derived SCs. All three cell types may be considered as possible alternatives to BMSCs for allogeneic application in tissue engineering.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent progenitor cells exerting immunomodulatory effects on cells of the innate and adaptive immune system. It has been shown that an inflammatory milieu is required for the activation of MSC-mediated immunomodulation, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) plays an important role in this process. We determined the influence of IFN-γ on human adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) and human amniotic mesenchymal stromal cells (hAMSCs). We further evaluated the effect of MSCs on stimulated T-cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in a cell-contact independent setting. On IFN-γ treatment, ASCs and hAMSCs possessed significantly higher antiproliferative properties and showed surface characteristics of nonprofessional antigen presenting cells (HLA-DR(+)CD40(med+)CD54(high)) with a possible regulatory phenotype (PD-L1(+)PD-L2(+)). The effect of ASCs and hAMSCs on cytokine secretion and T-cell activation was dependent on stimulation method and cellular context. Although ASCs and hAMSCs highly inhibited cytokine secretion of stimulated PBMCs, this was not observed in the case of purified T-cells. The presence of ASCs even favored the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines including IFN-γ by T-cells, although T-cell proliferation was efficiently inhibited. Further, ASCs enhanced the number of CD69(+) T-cells independent of the stimuli and cellular context. Interestingly, ASCs significantly suppressed CD25 expression on phytohemagglutinin stimulated PBMCs but had no effect on αCD3/αCD28 stimulated cells. Depending on the stimulation method and cellular context, immune cells create a specific cytokine milieu in vitro, thus differently influencing MSCs and, in turn, affecting their action on immune cells.

No abstract

The umbilical cord and placenta are extra-embryonic tissues of particular interest for regenerative medicine. They share an early developmental origin and are a source of vast amounts of cells with multilineage differentiation potential that are poorly immunogenic and without controversy. Moreover, these cells are likely exempt from incorporated mutations when compared with juvenile or adult donor cells such as skin fibroblasts or keratinocytes. Here we report the efficient generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from mesenchymal cells of the umbilical cord matrix (up to 0.4% of the cells became reprogrammed) and the placental amniotic membrane (up to 0.1%) using exogenous factors and a chemical mixture. iPSCs from these 2 tissues homogeneously showed human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-like characteristics including morphology, positive staining for alkaline phosphatase, normal karyotype, and expression of hESC-like markers including Nanog, Rex1, Oct4, TRA-1-60, TRA-1-80, SSEA-3, and SSEA-4. Selected clones also formed embryonic bodies and teratomas containing derivatives of the 3 germ layers, and could as well be readily differentiated into functional motor neurons. Among other things, our cell lines may prove useful for comparisons between iPSCs derived from multiple tissues regarding the extent of the epigenetic reprogramming, differentiation ability, stability of the resulting lineages, and the risk of associated abnormalities.

Secretomes from various cell sources exert strong regenerative activities on numerous organs, including the skin. Although secretomes consist of many diverse components, a growing body of evidence suggests that small extracellular vesicles (EVs) account for their regenerative capacity. We previously demonstrated that the secretome of γ-irradiated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) exhibits wound healing capacity. Therefore, we sought to dissect the molecular composition of EVs present in the secretome and compared wound healing-related activities of these EVs to other subfractions of the secretome and the fully supplemented secretome (MNCaposec). Compared to EVs derived from non-irradiated PBMCs, γ-irradiation significantly increased the size and number and changed the composition of released EVs. Detailed characterization of the molecular components of EVs, i.e. miRNA, proteins, and lipids, derived from irradiated PBMCs revealed a strong association with regenerative processes. Reporter gene assays and aortic ring sprouting assays revealed diminished activity of the subfractions compared to MNCaposec. In addition, we showed that MNCaposec accelerated wound closure in a diabetic mouse model. Taken together, our results suggest that secretome-based wound healing represents a promising new therapeutic avenue, and strongly recommend using the complete secretome instead of purified subfractions, such as EVs, to exploit its full regenerative capacity.

No abstract

Cell banking of mesenchymal stem cells (SCs) from various human tissues has significantly increased the feasibility of SC-based therapies. Sources such as adipose tissue and amnion offer outstanding possibilities for allogeneic transplantation due to their high differentiation potential and their ability to modulate immune reaction. Limitations, however, concern the reduced replicative potential as a result of progressive telomere erosion, which hampers scaleable production and long-term analysis of these cells. Here we report the establishment and characterization of two human amnion-derived and two human adipose-derived SC lines immortalized by ectopic expression of the catalytic subunit of human telomerase (hTERT). hTERT overexpression resulted in continuously growing SC lines that were largely unaltered concerning surface marker profile, morphology, karyotype, and immunosuppressive capacity with similar or enhanced differentiation potential for up to 87 population doublings. While all generated lines showed equal immunomodulation compared to the parental cells, one of the amnion-derived immortalized lines resulted in significantly increased immunogenicity. Although telomerase proves as important tool for immortalizing cells, our data emphasize the need for careful and standardized characterization of each individual cell population for cell banks.