The past decade has witnessed an upsurge in studies demonstrating mitochondrial transfer as one of the emerging mechanisms through which mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can regenerate and repair damaged cells or tissues. It has been found to play a critical role in healing several diseases related to brain injury, cardiac myopathies, muscle sepsis, lung disorders and acute respiratory disorders. Several studies have shown that various mechanisms are involved in mitochondrial transfer that includes tunnel tube formation, micro vesicle formation, gap junctions, cell fusion and others modes of transfer. Few studies have investigated the mechanisms that contribute to mitochondrial transfer, primarily comprising of signaling pathways involved in tunnel tube formation that facilitates tunnel tube formation for movement of mitochondria from one cell to another. Various stress signals such as release of damaged mitochondria, mtDNA and mitochondrial products along with elevated reactive oxygen species levels trigger the transfer of mitochondria from MSCs to recipient cells. However, extensive cell signaling pathways that lead to mitochondrial transfer from healthy cells are still under investigation and the changes that contribute to restoration of mitochondrial bioenergetics in recipient cells remain largely elusive. In this review, we have discussed the phenomenon of mitochondrial transfer from MSCs to neighboring stressed cells, and how this aids in cellular repair and regeneration of different organs such as lung, heart, eye, brain and kidney. The potential scope of mitochondrial transfer in providing novel therapeutic strategies for treatment of various pathophysiological conditions has also been discussed.

BackgroundRecent studies have demonstrated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as effective mitochondrial donors with therapeutic success in multiple experimental models of human disease. MSCs obtained from different tissue sources such as bone marrow (BM), adipose (AD), dental pulp (DP), and Wharton’s jelly (WJ) are routinely used in clinical trials with no known study of their mitochondrial donor capacity. Here, we show for the first time that MSCs derived from different tissue sources have different mitochondrial donor properties and that this is correlated with their intrinsic respiratory states.MethodsMitoTracker®-labeled MSCs were co-cultured with Cell Trace–labeled U87-MG cells or rat cardiomyocytes. Mitochondrial transfer abilities of MSCs were assessed by using flow cytometry analysis and fluorescence imaging. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mtROS) levels were analyzed by using MitoSOX red–based staining, and mitochondrial respiration parameters were analyzed by using a Seahorse XF Analyzer.ResultsAD-MSCs and BM-MSCs displayed higher mitochondrial transfer than DP-MSCs and WJ-MSCs. Counterintuitively, DP-MSCs and WJ-MSCs were more effective in suppressing mtROS levels in stressed recipient cells than AD-MSCs or BM-MSCs. Interestingly, the oxygen consumption rates and intrinsic mitochondrial respiration parameters like ATP levels, basal and maximal respiration, and mitochondrial DNA copy number in donor MSCs showed a highly significant inverse correlation with their mitochondrial donation.ConclusionsWe find that there are intrinsic differences in the mitochondrial respiration, donation capacity, and therapeutic efficacy among MSCs of different tissue origin. MSCs with high mitochondrial respiration capacities are associated with lower mitochondrial transfer but more effective suppression of mtROS in stressed recipient cells. This is most compatible with a model where recipient cells optimally regulate mitochondrial transfer such that they take more mitochondria from MSCs with lower mitochondrial function. Furthermore, it appears to be advantageous to use MSCs such as DP-MSCs or WJ-MSCs with higher mitochondrial respiratory abilities that achieved better therapeutic effect with lower mitochondrial transfer in our study. This opens up a new direction in stem cell therapeutics.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13287-018-1012-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Swertia chirata is an endangered Gentian species used as herbal medicine for various health ailments including liver disorders, malaria, and diabetes. The depletion of S. chirata from the wild for such applications is a concern. Slow rates of propagation because of poor seed germination and low seed viability are presently limiting factors for its large-scale commercial cultivation. For commercial plantation and conservation of existing germplasm, in vitro multiplication is an attractive solution. The present investigation has achieved production of genetically uniform plants from the nodal explants. Shoot regeneration was obtained in shoot-inducing medium containing half-strength Murashige and Skoog's basal medium supplemented with 0.44 μM 6-benzylaminopurine and 4.65 μM 6-furfurylaminopurine. The highest number of shoots, at 18 per explant, regenerated when media was further fortified with 10 mM KNO 3 and 75 mg l −1 of casein hydrolysate. Tissue culture regenerated plantlets were successfully transferred to the field and produced viable seeds. Studies of chromosome number and a comparative analysis of the DNA fingerprinting profiles indicate genetic stability of the regenerated plants.

Independent transgenic pigeonpea events were developed using two cry genes. Transgenic Cry2Aa-pigeonpea was established for the first time. Selected transgenic events demonstrated 100% mortality of Helicoverpa armigera in successive generations. Lepidopteran insect Helicoverpa armigera is the major yield constraint of food legume pigeonpea. The present study was aimed to develop H. armigera-resistant transgenic pigeonpea, selected on the basis of transgene expression and phenotyping. Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of embryonic axis explants of pigeonpea cv UPAS 120 was performed using two separate binary vectors carrying synthetic Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal crystal protein genes, cry1Ac and cry2Aa. T transformants were selected on the basis of PCR and protein expression profile. T events were exclusively selected on the basis of expression and monogenic character for cry, validated through Western and Southern blot analyses, respectively. Independently transformed 12 Cry1Ac and 11 Cry2Aa single-copy events were developed. The level of Cry-protein expression in T transgenic events was 0.140-0.175% of total soluble protein. Expressed Cry1Ac and Cry2Aa proteins in transgenic pigeonpea exhibited significant weight loss of second-fourth instar larvae of H. armigera and ultimately 80-100% mortality in detached leaf bioassay. Selected Cry-transgenic pigeonpea events, established at T generation, inherited insect-resistant phenotype. Immunohistofluorescence localization in T plants demonstrated constitutive accumulation of Cry1Ac and Cry2Aa in leaf tissues of respective transgenic events. This study is the first report of transgenic pigeonpea development, where stable integration, effective expression and biological activity of two Cry proteins were demonstrated in subsequent three generations (T, T and T). These studies will contribute to biotechnological breeding programmes of pigeonpea for its genetic improvement.

Hyperactivation of the host immune system during infection by SARS-CoV-2 is the leading cause of death in COVID-19 patients. It is also evident that patients who develop mild/moderate symptoms and successfully recover display functional and well-regulated immune response. Whereas a delayed initial interferon response is associated with severe disease outcome and can be the tipping point towards immunopathological deterioration, often preceding death in COVID-19 patients. Further, adaptive immune response during COVID-19 is heterogeneous and poorly understood. At the same time, some studies suggest activated T and B cell response in severe and critically ill patients and the presence of SARS-CoV2-specific antibodies. Thus, understanding this problem and the underlying molecular pathways implicated in host immune function/dysfunction is imperative to devise effective therapeutic interventions. In this comprehensive review, we discuss the emerging immunopathological determinants and the mechanism of virus evasion by the host cell immune system. Using the knowledge gained from previous respiratory viruses and the emerging clinical and molecular findings on SARS-CoV-2, we have tried to provide a holistic understanding of the host innate and adaptive immune response that may determine disease outcome. Considering the critical role of the adaptive immune system during the viral clearance, we have presented the molecular insights of the plausible mechanisms involved in impaired T cell function/dysfunction during various stages of COVID-19.

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The asthma candidate gene inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type I A (INPP4A) is a lipid phosphatase that negatively regulates the PI3K/Akt pathway. Destabilizing genetic variants of INPP4A increase the risk of asthma, and lung-specific INPP4A knockdown induces asthma-like features. INPP4A is known to localize intracellularly, and its extracellular presence has not been reported yet. Here we show for the first time that INPP4A is secreted by airway epithelial cells and that extracellular INPP4A critically inhibits airway inflammation and remodeling. INPP4A was present in blood and BAL fluid, and this extracellular INPP4A was reduced in patients with asthma and mice with allergic airway inflammation. In both naive mice and mice with allergic airway inflammation, antibody-mediated neutralization of extracellular INPP4A potentiated PI3K/Akt signaling and induced airway hyperresponsiveness, with prominent airway remodeling, subepithelial fibroblast proliferation, and collagen deposition. The link between extracellular INPP4A and fibroblasts was investigated in vitro. Cultured airway epithelial cells secreted enzymatically active INPP4A in extracellular vesicles and in a free form. Extracellular vesicle-mediated transfer of labeled INPP4A, from epithelial cells to fibroblasts, was observed. Inhibition of such transfer by anti-INPP4A antibody increased fibroblast proliferation. We propose that secretory INPP4A is a novel "paracrine" layer of the intricate regulation of lung homeostasis, by which airway epithelium dampens PI3K/Akt signaling in inflammatory cells or local fibroblasts, thereby limiting inflammation and remodeling.

The transcription factor NF-κB regulates numerous inflammatory diseases, and proteins involved in the NF-κB-activating signaling pathway are important therapeutic targets. In human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), TNF-α-induced IκBα degradation and p65/RelA phosphorylation regulate NF-κB activation. These are mediated by IKKs (IκB kinases) viz. IKKα, β and γ which receive activating signals from upstream kinases such as Akt. Akt is known to be positively regulated by PI-3K (phosphoinositide-3-kinase) and differentially regulated via Protein kinase A (PKA) in various cell types. However, the involvement of PKA/Akt cross talk in regulating NF-κB in HUVECs has not been explored yet. Here, we examined the involvement of PKA/Akt cross-talk in HUVECs using a novel compound, 2-methyl-pyran-4-one-3-O-β-D-2′,3′,4′,6′-tetra-O-acetyl glucopyranoside (MPTAG). We observed that MPTAG does not directly inhibit IKK-β but prevents TNF-α-induced activation of IKK-β by blocking its association with Akt and thereby inhibits NF-κB activation. Interestingly, our results also revealed that inhibitory effect of MPTAG on Akt and NF-κB activation was unaffected by wortmannin, and was completely abolished by H-89 treatment in these cells. Thus, MPTAG-mediated inhibition of TNF-α-induced Akt activation was independent of PI-3K and dependent on PKA. Most importantly, MPTAG restores the otherwise repressed activity of PKA and inhibits the TNF-α-induced Akt phosphorylation at both Thr308 and Ser473 residues. Thus, we demonstrate for the first time the involvement of PKA/Akt cross talk in NF-κB activation in HUVECs. Also, MPTAG could be useful as a lead molecule for developing potent therapeutic molecules for diseases where NF-κB activation plays a key role.