The transcription factor nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) regulates genes important for tumor invasion, metastasis and chemoresistance. Normally, NF-kB remains sequestered in an inactive state by cytoplasmic inhibitor-of-kB (IkB) proteins. NF-kB translocates to nucleus and activates gene expression upon exposure of cells to growth factors and cytokines. We and others have shown previously that NF-kB is constitutively active in a subset of breast cancers. In this study, we show that constitutive activation of NF-kB leads to overexpression of the antiapoptotic genes c-inhibitor of apoptosis 2 (c-IAP2) and manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, expression of the antiapoptotic tumor necrosis factor receptor associated factor 1 (TRAF1) and defender-against cell death (DAD-1) is regulated by NF-kB in certain breast cancer cells. We also demonstrate that NF-kB-inducible genes protect cancer cells against paclitaxel as MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells modi®ed to overexpress IkBa required lower concentrations of paclitaxel to arrest at the G2/M phase of the cell cycle and undergo apoptosis when compared to parental cells. The eect of NF-kB on paclitaxel-sensitivity appears to be speci®c to cancer cells because normal ®broblasts derived from embryos lacking p65 subunit of NF-kB and wild type littermate embryos were insensitive to paclitaxel-induced G2/M cell cycle arrest. Parthenolide, an active ingredient of herbal remedies such as feverfew (tanacetum parthenium), mimicked the eects of IkBa by inhibiting NF-kB DNA binding activity and Mn-SOD expression, and increasing paclitaxel-induced apoptosis of breast cancer cells. These results suggest that active ingredients of herbs with anti-in¯ammatory properties may be useful in increasing the sensitivity of cancers with constitutively active NF-kB to chemotherapeutic drugs. Oncogene (2000) 19, 4159 ± 4169.

Severe sepsis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. High mortality rates in sepsis are frequently associated with neutropenia. Despite the central role of neutrophils in innate immunity, the mechanisms causing neutropenia during sepsis remain elusive. Here, we show that neutropenia is caused in part by apoptosis and is sustained by a block of hematopoietic stem cell (

The antitumor activity of the sesquiterpene lactone parthenolide, an active ingredient of medicinal plants, is believed to be due to the inhibition of DNA binding of transcription factors NF-jB and STAT-3, reduction in MAP kinase activity and the generation of reactive oxygen. In this report, we show that parthenolide activates c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), which is independent of inhibition of NF-jB DNA binding and generation of reactive oxygen species. Parthenolide reversed resistance of breast cancer cells to tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis. Cancer cells treated with a combination of TRAIL and parthenolide underwent massive typical apoptosis and atypical apoptosis involving the loss of plasma membrane integrity. JNK activity is necessary for the parthenolideinduced sensitization to TRAIL because a dominantnegative JNK or the JNK inhibitor SP600125 reduced TRAIL plus parthenolide-induced apoptosis. Parthenolide induced phosphorylation of Bid and increased TRAILdependent cleavage of Bid without affecting caspase 8 activities. Cytochrome c but not Smac/DIABLO was released from the mitochondria in cells treated with parthenolide alone. Parthenolide through JNK increased the TRAIL-mediated degradation of the antiapoptotic protein X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP). Enhanced XIAP cleavage correlated with increased and prolonged caspase 3 activity and PARP cleavage, suggesting that the sensitization to TRAIL involves 'feed forward' activation of caspase 3. These results identify a new antitumor activity of parthenolide, which can be exploited to reverse resistance of cancer cells to TRAIL, particularly those with elevated XIAP levels.

Tamm-Horsfall protein (THP), also known as uromodulin, is a kidney-specific protein produced by cells of the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle. Although predominantly secreted apically into the urine, where it becomes highly polymerized, THP is also released basolaterally, toward the interstitium and circulation, to inhibit tubular inflammatory signaling. Whether, through this latter route, THP can also regulate the function of renal interstitial mononuclear phagocytes (MPCs) remains unclear, however. Here, we show that THP is primarily in a monomeric form in human serum. Compared with wild-type mice, THP mice had markedly fewer MPCs in the kidney. A nonpolymerizing, truncated form of THP stimulated the proliferation of human macrophage cells in culture and partially restored the number of kidney MPCs when administered to THP mice. Furthermore, resident renal MPCs had impaired phagocytic activity in the absence of THP. After ischemia-reperfusion injury, THP mice, compared with wild-type mice, exhibited aggravated injury and an impaired transition of renal macrophages toward an M2 healing phenotype. However, treatment of THP mice with truncated THP after ischemia-reperfusion injury mitigated the worsening of AKI. Taken together, our data suggest that interstitial THP positively regulates mononuclear phagocyte number, plasticity, and phagocytic activity. In addition to the effect of THP on the epithelium and granulopoiesis, this new immunomodulatory role could explain the protection conferred by THP during AKI.

Using simultaneous Hoechst 33342 (Hst) and Pyronin Y (PY) staining for determination of DNA and RNA content, respectively, human CD34+ cells were isolated in subcompartments of the G0 /G1 phase of the cell cycle by flow cytometric cell sorting. In both bone marrow (BM) and mobilized peripheral blood (MPB) CD34+ cells, primitive long-term hematopoietic culture-initiating cell (LTHC-IC) activity was higher in CD34+ cells isolated in G0 (G0CD34+ cells) than in those residing in G1 (G1CD34+ cells). However, as MPB CD34+ cells displayed a more homogeneous cell-cycle status within the G0 /G1 phase and a relative absence of cells in late G1 , DNA/RNA fractionation was less effective in segregating LTHC-IC in MPB than in BM. BM CD34+ cells belonging to four subcompartments of increasing RNA content within the G0 /G1 phase were evaluated in functional assays. The persistence of CD34 expression in suspension culture was inversely correlated with the initial RNA content of test cells. Multipotential progenitors were present in G0 or early G1 subcompartments, while lineage-restricted granulomonocytic progenitors were more abundant in late G1 . In vitro hematopoiesis was maintained for up to 6 weeks with G0CD34+ cells, whereas production of clonogenic progenitors was more limited in cultures initiated with G1CD34+ cells. To test the hypothesis that primitive LTHC-ICs would reenter a state of relative quiescence after in vitro division, BM CD34+ cells proliferating in ex vivo cultures were identified from their quiescent counterparts by a relative loss of membrane intercalating dye PKH2, and were further fractionated with Hst and PY. The same functional hierarchy was documented within the PKH2dim population whereby LTHC-IC frequency was higher for CD34+ cells reselected in G0 after in vitro division than for CD34+ cells reisolated in G1 or in S/G2 + M. However, the highest LTHC-IC frequency was found in quiescent PKH2bright CD34+ cells. Together, these results support the concept that cells with distinct hematopoietic capabilities follow different pathways during the G0 /G1 phase of the cell cycle both in vivo and during ex vivo culture.

Engraftment potential of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is likely to be dependent on several factors including expression of certain adhesion molecules (AMs) and degree of mitotic quiescence. The authors investigated the functional properties and engraftment potential of Sca-1+lin− cells subfractionated on the basis of expression, or lack thereof, of CD11a, CD43, CD49d, CD49e, or CD62L and correlated that expression with cell cycle status and proliferative potential of engrafting fractions. Donor-derived chimerism in mice receiving CD49e+ or CD43+ Sca-1+lin− cells was greater than that in mice receiving cells lacking these 2 markers, while Sca-1+lin− cells positive for CD11a and CD62L and bright for CD49d expression mediated minimal engraftment. AM phenotypes enriched for engraftment potential contained the majority of high proliferative potential–colony forming cells, low proliferative potential–colony forming cells, and cells providing rapid in vitro expansion. Cell cycle analysis of AM subpopulations revealed that, regardless of their bone marrow repopulating potential, Sca-1+lin− AM− cells contained a higher percentage of cells in G0/G1 than their AM+ counterparts. Interestingly, engrafting phenotypes, regardless of the status of their AM expression, were quicker to exit G0/G1 following in vitro cytokine stimulation than their opposing phenotypes. When engrafting phenotypes of Sca-1+lin− AM+ or AM−cells were further fractionated by Hoechst 33342 into G0/G1 or S/G2+M, cells providing long-term engraftment were predominantly contained within the quiescent fraction. These results define a theoretical phenotype of a Sca-1+lin− engrafting cell as one that is mitotically quiescent, CD43+, CD49e+, CD11a−, CD49ddim, and CD62L−. Furthermore, these data suggest that kinetics of in vitro proliferation may be a good predictor of engraftment potential of candidate populations of HSCs.

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Bone marrow (BM) CD34+ cells residing in the G0 phase of cell cycle may be the most suited candidates for the examination of cell cycle activation and proliferation of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). We designed a double simultaneous labeling technique using both DNA and RNA staining with Hoechst 33342 and Pyronin Y, respectively, to isolate CD34+ cells residing in G0(G0CD34+ ). Using long-term BM cultures and limiting dilution analysis, G0CD34+ cells were found to be enriched for primitive HPCs. In vitro proliferation of G0CD34+ cells in response to sequential cytokine stimulation was examined in a two-step assay. In the first step, cells received a primary stimulation consisting of either stem cell factor (SCF), Flt3-ligand (FL), interleukin-3 (IL-3), or IL-6 for 7 days. In the second step, cells from each group were washed and split into four or more groups, each of which was cultured again for another week with one of the four primary cytokines individually, or in combination. Tracking of progeny cells was accomplished by staining cells with PKH2 on day 0 and with PKH26 on day 7. Overall examination of proliferation patterns over 2 weeks showed that cells could progress into four phases of proliferation. Phase I contained cytokine nonresponsive cells that failed to proliferate. Phase II contained cells dividing up to three times within the first 7 days. Phases III and IV consisted of cells dividing up to five divisions and greater than six divisions, respectively, by the end of the 14-day period. Regardless of the cytokine used for primary stimulation, G0CD34+ cells moved only to phase II by day 7, whereas a substantial percentage of cells incubated with SCF or FL remained in phase I. Cells cultured in SCF or FL for the entire 14-day period did not progress beyond phase III but proliferated into phase IV (with <20% of cells remaining in phases I and II) if IL-3, but not IL-6, was substituted for either cytokine on day 7. G0CD34+ cells incubated with IL-3 for 14 days proliferated the most and progressed into phase IV; however, when SCF was substituted on day 7, cells failed to proliferate into phase IV. Most intriguing was a group of cells, many of which were CD34+, detected in cultures initially stimulated with IL-3, which remained as a distinct population, mostly in G0 /G1 , unable to progress out of phase II regardless of the nature of the second stimulus received on day 7. A small percentage of these cells expressed cyclin E, suggesting that their proliferation arrest may have been mediated by a cyclin-related disruption in cell cycle. These results suggest that a programmed response to sequential cytokine stimulation may be part of a control mechanism required for maintenance of proliferation of primitive HPCs and that unscheduled stimulation of CD34+ cells residing in G0 may result in disruption of cell-cycle regulation.