Islet transplantation has provided proof of concept that cell therapy can restore normoglycemia in patients with diabetes. However, limited availability of islet tissue severely restricts the clinical use of the treatment. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new strategies to generate an abundant source of insulin-producing cells that could be used to treat diabetes. A potential approach is the in vitro expansion of pancreatic beta cells obtained from cadaveric organ donors. However, when human beta cells are expanded in vitro, they dedifferentiate and lose the expression of insulin, probably as a consequence of pancreatic islet dissociation into single cells. We have studied whether reestablishment of cell-cell and cell-matrix relationships with a biomimetic synthetic scaffold could induce redifferentiation of expanded dedifferentiated beta cells. Cells isolated from human islet preparations were expanded in monolayer cultures and allowed to reaggregate into islet-like cell clusters (ICCs). Afterward, ICCs were embedded between two thin layers of the noninstructive self-assembling peptide (SAP), RAD16-I or RAD16-I functionalized with the integrin-binding motif RGD (RAD16-I/RGD) (R: arginine, G: glycine, D: aspartic acid), which was expected to promote cell-extracellular matrix interactions. ICCs cultured with RAD16-I were viable, maintained their cluster conformation, and increased in size by aggregation of ICCs, suggesting a self-organizing process. ICCs cultured in RAD16-I/RGD showed enhanced cell adhesion to RAD16-I matrix and reexpression of the beta cell-specific genes, Ins, Pdx1, Nkx6.1, and MafA. Redifferentiation was caused solely by bioactive cues introduced to the RAD16-I peptide since no differentiation factors were added to the culture medium. The results indicate that RGD-functionalized SAP in sandwich conformation is a promising three-dimensional platform to induce redifferentiation toward a beta cell phenotype and to generate insulin-expressing cells that could be used in diabetes therapy.
Backgroundβ-cells undergo an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) when expanded in monolayer culture and give rise to highly proliferative mesenchymal cells that retain the potential to re-differentiate into insulin-producing cells.ObjectiveTo investigate whether EMT takes place in the endocrine non-β cells of human islets.MethodologyHuman islets isolated from 12 multiorgan donors were dissociated into single cells, purified by magnetic cell sorting, and cultured in monolayer.ResultsCo-expression of insulin and the mesenchymal marker vimentin was identified within the first passage (p1) and increased subsequently (insulin+vimentin+ 7.2±6% at p1; 43±15% at p4). The endocrine non-β-cells did also co-express vimentin (glucagon+vimentin+ 59±1.5% and 93±6%, somatostatin+vimentin+ 16±9.4% and 90±10% at p1 and p4 respectively; PP+vimentin+ 74±14% at p1; 88±12% at p2). The percentage of cells expressing only endocrine markers was progressively reduced (0.6±0.2% insulin+, 0.2±0.1% glucagon+, and 0.3±0.2% somatostatin+ cells at p4, and 0.7±0.3% PP+ cells at p2. Changes in gene expression were also indicated of EMT, with reduced expression of endocrine markers and the epithelial marker CDH-1 (p<0.01), and increased expression of mesenchymal markers (CDH-2, SNAI2, ZEB1, ZEB2, VIM, NT5E and ACTA2; p<0.05). Treatment with the EMT inhibitor A83-01 significantly reduced the percentage of co-expressing cells and preserved the expression of endocrine markers.ConclusionsIn adult human islets, all four endocrine islet cell types undergo EMT when islet cells are expanded in monolayer conditions. The presence of EMT in all islet endocrine cells could be relevant to design of strategies aiming to re-differentiate the expanded islet cells towards a β-cell phenotype.
BackgroundLimbal stem cells (LSC) sustain the corneal integrity and homeostasis. LSC deficiency (LSCD) leads to loss of corneal transparency and blindness. A clinical approach to treat unilateral LSCD comprises autologous cultured limbal epithelial stem cell transplantation (CLET). CLET uses xenobiotic culture systems with potential zoonotic transmission risks, and regulatory guidelines make necessary to find xenofree alternatives.MethodsWe compared two xenofree clinical grade media and two feeder layers. We used CnT07, a defined commercial medium for keratinocytes, and a modified xenofree supplemented hormonal epithelial medium with human serum (XSHEM). Optimal formulation was used to compare two feeder layers: the gold standard 3T3 murine fibroblasts and human processed lipoaspirate cells (PLA). We tested the expressions of ΔNp63α and cytokeratin 3 and 12 by qPCR and immunofluorescence. Morphology, viability, clonogenicity, proliferation, and cell growth assays were carried out. We also evaluated interleukin 6 (IL-6) and stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) by qPCR and ELISA.ResultsXSHEM maintained better LSC culture viability and morphology than CnT07. Irradiated PLA feeder cells improved the undifferentiated state of LSC and enhanced their growth and clonogenicity stimulating IL-6 secretion and SDF-1 expression, as well as increased proliferation and cell growth when compared with irradiated 3T3 feeder cells.ConclusionsThe combination of XSHEM and PLA feeder cells efficiently sustained LSC xenofree cultures for clinical application. Moreover, PLA feeder layers were able to improve the LSC potential characteristics. Our results would have direct clinical application in CLET for advanced therapy.Graphical abstract
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