These preliminary data showed that adoptive immunotherapy with CIK cells is a safe therapy with some suggestion of efficacy that significantly enhances immune functions increasing absolute numbers of effector cells without side effects. If confirmed in larger scale studies, these promising results may have a favourable impact on conventional treatment strategy of malignancies.
BackgroundMany adult tissues contain a population of stem cells with the ability to regenerate structures similar to the microenvironments from which they are derived in vivo and represent a promising therapy for the regeneration of complex tissues in the clinical disorder. Human adult stem cells (SCs) including bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs), dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) and periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) have been characterized for their high proliferative potential, expression of characteristic SC-associated markers and for the plasticity to differentiate in different lineage in vitro.Methodology/Principal FindingsThe aim of this study is to define the molecular features of stem cells from oral tissue by comparing the proteomic profiles obtained with 2-DE followed by MALDI-TOF/TOF of ex-vivo cultured human PDLSCs, DPSCs and BMSCs. Our results showed qualitative similarities in the proteome profiles among the SCs examined including some significant quantitative differences. To enrich the knowledge of oral SCs proteome we performed an analysis in narrow range pH 4–7 and 6–9, and we found that DPSCs vs PDLSCs express differentially regulated proteins that are potentially related to growth, regulation and genesis of neuronal cells, suggesting that SCs derived from oral tissue source populations may possess the potential ability of neuronal differentiation which is very consistent with their neural crest origin.Conclusion/SignificanceThis study identifies some differentially expressed proteins by using comparative analysis between DPSCs and PDLSCs and BMSCs and suggests that stem cells from oral tissue could have a different cell lineage potency compared to BMSCs.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are self-renewing cells with the ability to differentiate into various mesodermal-derived tissues. Recently, we have identified in adult human periodontal ligament (PDL) a population of stem cells (PDL-MSCs) with the ability to differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes. The aim of the present work was to further characterize this population and the expression profile of its cells. To achieve our objective we have used flow cytometry, magnetic cell sorting, cytokine antibody array, and light and electron microscope immunostaining. Our results show that the PDL-MSCs contain a subpopulation of frizzled-9 (CD349) positive cells expressing a panel of key mesenchymal and embryonic markers including CD10, CD26, CD29, CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105, CD166, SSEA-1, and SSEA-4. They are additionally positive for nanog and Oct-4; two critical transcription factors directing self-renewal and pluripotency of embryonic stem cells, and they also express the cytokines EGF and IP-10. The presence of nanog, Oct-4, SSEA-1, and SSEA-4 suggests that PDL-MSCs are less differentiated than bone marrow-derived MSCs. Taken together, these data indicate the presence of immature MSCs in PDL and suggest that the frizzled-9/Wnt pathway plays an important role in regulating proliferation and differentiation of these cells.
CMF Bond adhesive allowed human dental pulp stem cells to survive and proliferate. All of the other dentine bonding agents had extensive cytotoxic effects.
To investigate chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)-initiating cells, we assessed NOTCH1 mutation/expression in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). In NOTCH1-mutated CLL, we detected subclonal mutations in 57% CD34+/CD38− HSCs. NOTCH1 mutation was present in 66% CD34+/CD38+ progenitor cells displaying an increased mutational burden compared to HSCs. Flow cytometric analysis revealed significantly higher NOTCH1 activation in CD34+/CD38− and CD34+/CD38+ cells from CLL patients, regardless NOTCH1 mutation compared to healthy donors. Activated NOTCH1 resulted in overexpression of the NOTCH1 target c-MYC. We conclude that activated NOTCH1 is an early event in CLL that may contribute to aberrant HSCs in this disease.
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