Browsing by Author "Trinh, Thao Le Phuong"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Leptin Receptor, a Surface Marker for a Subset of Highly Engrafting Long-Term Functional Hematopoietic Stem Cells
    (2021-04) Trinh, Thao Le Phuong; Broxmeyer, Hal E.; Srour, Edward F.; Kapur, Reuben; Utpal, Dave
    The entire hematopoietic system rests upon a group of very rare cells called hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Due to this extraordinarily crucial role, after birth HSCs are localized to the deep bone marrow niche, a hypoxic environment inside the bone where HSCs are under well-orchestrated regulation by both cellular and humoral factors. Among the cellular components regulating hematopoiesis are Leptin Receptor (LEPR)-expressing mesenchymal/stromal cells and adipocytes; both have been demonstrated to have significant influence on the maintenance of HSCs under homeostasis and in stress-related conditions. It has been reported in early work by others that HSCs and hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) express LEPR. However, whether LEPR+ HSCs/HPCs are functionally different from other HSCs/HPCs was unknown. In this study, I demonstrated for the first time that murine LEPR+ Lineage-Sca-1+cKit+ (LSK, a heterogenous population consisting of HSCs/HPCs) cells even though constituting a small portion of total LSK cells are significantly enriched for both phenotypic and functional self-renewing long-term (LT) HSCs as shown in primary and secondary transplants in lethally irradiated recipients. LEPR+LSK cells are also more enriched for colony-forming progenitor cells assessed by colony-forming unit (CFU) assays. In addition, LEPR+ HSCs (defined as LSKCD150+CD48-) exhibited robust repopulating potential as compared to LEPR-HSCs in long-term competitive transplantation assays. To elucidate the molecular pathways that may govern functional properties of LEPR+HSCs, bulk RNA-seq on freshly sorted cells was done. Gene set enrichment analyses (GSEA) revealed Interferon Type I and Interferon γ (IFNγ) Pathways were significantly enriched in LEPR+HSCs while mitochondrial membrane protein gene set was significantly enriched in LEPR-HSCs. Interestingly, proinflammatory signaling including IFNγ pathway has been suggested to be critical for the emergence of embryonic HSCs from the hemogenic endothelium. Altogether, our work demonstrated that LEPR+HSCs represent a small subset of highly engrafting adult BM HSCs. These results may have potential therapeutic implications in the field of hematopoietic transplantation as LEPR is highly conserved between mice and humans.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Loss of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 Exacerbates Diabetic Retinopathy by Promoting Bone Marrow Dysfunction
    (Wiley, 2018-09) Duan, Yaqian; Beli, Eleni; Calzi, Sergio Li; Quigley, Judith L.; Miller, Rehae C.; Moldovan, Leni; Feng, Dongni; Salazar, Tatiana E.; Hazra, Sugata; Al-Sabah, Jude; Chalam, Kakarla V.; Trinh, Thao Le Phuong; Meroueh, Marya; Markel, Troy A.; Murray, Matthew C.; Vyas, Ruchi J.; Boulton, Michael E.; Parsons-Wingerter, Patricia; Oudit, Gavin Y.; Obukhov, Alexander G.; Grant, Maria B.; Cellular and Integrative Physiology, School of Medicine
    Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the primary enzyme of the vasoprotective axis of the renin angiotensin system (RAS). We tested the hypothesis that loss of ACE2 would exacerbate diabetic retinopathy by promoting bone marrow dysfunction. ACE2-/y were crossed with Akita mice, a model of type 1 diabetes. When comparing the bone marrow of the ACE2-/y-Akita mice to that of Akita mice, we observed a reduction of both short-term and long-term repopulating hematopoietic stem cells, a shift of hematopoiesis towards myelopoiesis, and an impairment of lineage-c-kit+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HS/PC) migration and proliferation. Migratory and proliferative dysfunction of these cells was corrected by exposure to angiotensin-1–7 (Ang-1–7), the protective peptide generated by ACE2. Over the duration of diabetes examined, ACE2 deficiency led to progressive reduction in electrical responses assessed by electroretinography and to increases in neural infarcts observed by fundus photography. Compared to Akita mice, ACE2-/y-Akita at 9-months of diabetes showed an increased number of acellular capillaries indicative of more severe diabetic retinopathy. In diabetic and control human subjects, CD34+ cells, a key bone marrow HS/PC population, were assessed for changes in mRNA levels for MAS, the receptor for Ang-1–7. Levels were highest in CD34+ cells from diabetics without retinopathy. Higher serum Ang-1–7 levels predicted protection from development of retinopathy in diabetics. Treatment with Ang-1–7 or alamandine restored the impaired migration function of CD34+ cells from subjects with retinopathy. These data support that activation of the protective RAS within HS/PCs may represent a therapeutic strategy for prevention of diabetic retinopathy.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Promoting vascular repair in the retina: can stem/progenitor cells help?
    (Dove, 2016) Trinh, Thao Le Phuong; Calzi, Sergio Li; Shaw, Lynn C.; Yoder, Mervin C.; Grant, Maria B.; Department of Ophthalmology, IU School of Medicine
    Since its first epidemic in the 1940s, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) has been a challenging illness in neonatology. Higher than physiological oxygen levels impede the development of the immature retinal neuropil and vasculature. Current treatment regimens include cryotherapy, laser photocoagulation, and anti-VEGF agents. Unfortunately, none of these approaches can rescue the normal retinal vasculature, and each has significant safety concerns. The limitations of these approaches have led to new efforts to understand the pathological characteristics in each phase of ROP and to find a safer and more effective therapeutic approach. In the era of stem cell biology and with the need for new treatments for ROP, this review discusses the possible future use of unique populations of proangiogenic cells for therapeutic revascularization of the preterm retina.