Browsing by Author "Vemula, Sasidhar"
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Item Age and Sex Divergence in Hematopoietic Radiosensitivity in Aged Mouse Models of the Hematopoietic Acute Radiation Syndrome(BioOne, 2022) Patterson, Andrea M.; Vemula, Sasidhar; Plett, P. Artur; Sampson, Carol H.; Chua, Hui Lin; Fisher, Alexa; Wu, Tong; Sellamuthu, Rajendran; Feng, Hailin; Katz, Barry P.; DesRosiers, Colleen M.; Pelus, Louis M.; Cox, George N.; MacVittie, Thomas J.; Orschell, Christie M.; Medicine, School of MedicineThe hematopoietic system is highly sensitive to stress from both aging and radiation exposure, and the hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome (H-ARS) should be modeled in the geriatric context separately from young for development of age-appropriate medical countermeasures (MCMs). Here we developed aging murine H-ARS models, defining radiation dose response relationships (DRRs) in 12-month-old middle-aged and 24-month-old geriatric male and female C57BL/6J mice, and characterized diverse factors affecting geriatric MCM testing. Groups of approximately 20 mice were exposed to ∼10 different doses of radiation to establish radiation DRRs for estimation of the LD50/30. Radioresistance increased with age and diverged dramatically between sexes. The LD50/30 in young adult mice averaged 853 cGy and was similar between sexes, but increased in middle age to 1,005 cGy in males and 920 cGy in females, with further sex divergence in geriatric mice to 1,008 cGy in males but 842 cGy in females. Correspondingly, neutrophils, platelets, and functional hematopoietic progenitor cells were all increased with age and rebounded faster after irradiation. These effects were higher in aged males, and neutrophil dysfunction was observed in aged females. Upstream of blood production, hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) markers associated with age and myeloid bias (CD61 and CD150) were higher in geriatric males vs. females, and sex-divergent gene signatures were found in HSCs relating to cholesterol metabolism, interferon signaling, and GIMAP family members. Fluid intake per gram body weight decreased with age in males, and decreased after irradiation in all mice. Geriatric mice of substrain C57BL/6JN sourced from the National Institute on Aging were significantly more radiosensitive than C57BL/6J mice from Jackson Labs aged at our institution, indicating mouse source and substrain should be considered in geriatric radiation studies. This work highlights the importance of sex, vendor, and other considerations in studies relating to hematopoiesis and aging, identifies novel sex-specific functional and molecular changes in aging hematopoietic cells at steady state and after irradiation, and presents well-characterized aging mouse models poised for MCM efficacy testing for treatment of acute radiation effects in the elderly.Item Angiopoietin-like protein 2 regulates endothelial colony forming cell vasculogenesis(Springer, 2014-07) Richardson, Matthew R.; Robbins, Emilie P.; Vemula, Sasidhar; Critser, Paul J.; Whittington, Catherine; Voytik-Harbin, Sherry L.; Yoder, Mervin C.; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of MedicineAngiopoietin-like 2 (ANGPTL2) has been reported to induce sprouting angiogenesis; however, its role in vasculogenesis, the de novo lumenization of endothelial cells (EC), remains unexplored. We sought to investigate the potential role of ANGPTL2 in regulating human cord blood derived endothelial colony forming cell (ECFC) vasculogenesis through siRNA mediated inhibition of ANGPTL2 gene expression. We found that ECFCs in which ANGPTL2 was diminished displayed a threefold decrease in in vitro lumenal area whereas addition of exogenous ANGPTL2 protein domains to ECFCs lead to increased lumen formation within a 3 dimensional (3D) collagen assay of vasculogenesis. ECFC migration was attenuated by 36 % via ANGPTL2 knockdown (KD) although proliferation and apoptosis were not affected. We subsequently found that c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), but not ERK1/2, phosphorylation was decreased upon ANGPTL2 KD, and expression of membrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), known to be regulated by JNK and a critical regulator of EC migration and 3D lumen formation, was decreased in lumenized structures in vitro derived from ANGPTL2 silenced ECFCs. Treatment of ECFCs in 3D collagen matrices with either a JNK inhibitor or exogenous rhTIMP-3 (an inhibitor of MT1-MMP activity) resulted in a similar phenotype of decreased vascular lumen formation as observed with ANGPTL2 KD, whereas stimulation of JNK activity increased vasculogenesis. Based on gene silencing, pharmacologic, cellular, and biochemical approaches, we conclude that ANGPTL2 positively regulates ECFC vascular lumen formation likely through its effects on migration and in part by activating JNK and increasing MT1-MMP expression.Item Author Correction: Mutant p53 drives clonal hematopoiesis through modulating epigenetic pathway(Nature Publishing Group, 2020-07-28) Chen, Sisi; Wang, Qiang; Yu, Hao; Capitano, Maegan L.; Vemula, Sasidhar; Nabinger, Sarah C.; Gao, Rui; Yao, Chonghua; Kobayashi, Michihiro; Geng, Zhuangzhuang; Fahey, Aidan; Henley, Danielle; Liu, Stephen Z.; Barajas, Sergio; Cai, Wenjie; Wolf, Eric R.; Ramdas, Baskar; Cai, Zhigang; Gao, Hongyu; Luo, Na; Sun, Yang; Wong, Terrence N.; Link, Daniel C.; Liu, Yunlong; Boswell, H. Scott; Mayo, Lindsey D.; Huang, Gang; Kapur, Reuben; Yoder, Mervin C.; Broxmeyer, Hal E.; Gao, Zhonghua; Liu, Yan; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of MedicineItem Bmi1 promotes erythroid development through regulating ribosome biogenesis(Wiley, 2015-03) Gao, Rui; Chen, Sisi; Kobayashi, Michihiro; Yu, Hao; Zhang, Yingchi; Wan, Yang; Young, Sara K.; Soltis, Anthony; Yu, Ming; Vemula, Sasidhar; Fraenkel, Ernest; Cantor, Alan; Antipin, Yevgeniy; Xu, Yang; Yoder, Mervin C.; Wek, Ronald C.; Ellis, Steven R.; Kapur, Reuben; Zhu, Xiaofan; Liu, Yan; Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of MedicineWhile Polycomb group protein Bmi1 is important for stem cell maintenance, its role in lineage commitment is largely unknown. We have identified Bmi1 as a novel regulator of erythroid development. Bmi1 is highly expressed in mouse erythroid progenitor cells and its deficiency impairs erythroid differentiation. BMI1 is also important for human erythroid development. Furthermore, we discovered that loss of Bmi1 in erythroid progenitor cells results in decreased transcription of multiple ribosomal protein genes and impaired ribosome biogenesis. Bmi1 deficiency stabilizes p53 protein, leading to upregulation of p21 expression and subsequent G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. Genetic inhibition of p53 activity rescues the erythroid defects seen in the Bmi1 null mice, demonstrating that a p53-dependent mechanism underlies the pathophysiology of the anemia. Mechanistically, Bmi1 is associated with multiple ribosomal protein genes and may positively regulate their expression in erythroid progenitor cells. Thus, Bmi1 promotes erythroid development, at least in part through regulating ribosome biogenesis. Ribosomopathies are human disorders of ribosome dysfunction, including Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) and 5q- syndrome, in which genetic abnormalities cause impaired ribosome biogenesis, resulting in specific clinical phenotypes. We observed that BMI1 expression in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from patients with DBA is correlated with the expression of some ribosomal protein genes, suggesting that BMI1 deficiency may play a pathological role in DBA and other ribosomopathies.Item Bmi1 Regulates Wnt Signaling in Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells(Springer, 2021) Yu, Hao; Gao, Rui; Chen, Sisi; Liu, Xicheng; Wang, Qiang; Cai, Wenjie; Vemula, Sasidhar; Fahey, Aidan C.; Henley, Danielle; Kobayashi, Michihiro; Liu, Stephen Z.; Qian, Zhijian; Kapur, Reuben; Broxmeyer, Hal E.; Gao, Zhonghua; Xi, Rongwen; Liu, Yan; Pediatrics, School of MedicinePolycomb group protein Bmi1 is essential for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal and terminal differentiation. However, its target genes in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells are largely unknown. We performed gene expression profiling assays and found that genes of the Wnt signaling pathway are significantly elevated in Bmi1 null hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Bmi1 is associated with several genes of the Wnt signaling pathway in hematopoietic cells. Further, we found that Bmi1 represses Wnt gene expression in HSPCs. Importantly, loss of β-catenin, which reduces Wnt activation, partially rescues the HSC self-renewal and differentiation defects seen in the Bmi1 null mice. Thus, we have identified Bmi1 as a novel regulator of Wnt signaling pathway in HSPCs. Given that Wnt signaling pathway plays an important role in hematopoiesis, our studies suggest that modulating Wnt signaling may hold potential for enhancing HSC self-renewal, thereby improving the outcomes of HSC transplantation.Item Delayed Effects of Acute Radiation Exposure in a Murine Model of the H-ARS: Multiple-Organ Injury Consequent to <10 Gy Total Body Irradiation(Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer) - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2015-11) Unthank, Joseph L.; Miller, Steven J.; Quickery, Ariel K.; Ferguson, Ethan L.; Wang, Meijing; Sampson, Carol H.; Chua, Hui Lin; DiStasi, Matthew R.; Feng, Hailin; Fisher, Alexa; Katz, Barry P.; Plett, P. Artur; Sandusky, George E.; Sellamuthu, Rajendran; Vemula, Sasidhar; Cohen, Eric P.; MacVittie, Thomas J.; Orschell, Christie M.; Department of Surgery, School of MedicineThe threat of radiation exposure from warfare or radiation accidents raises the need for appropriate animal models to study the acute and chronic effects of high dose rate radiation exposure. The goal of this study was to assess the late development of fibrosis in multiple organs (kidney, heart, and lung) in survivors of the C57BL/6 mouse model of the hematopoietic-acute radiation syndrome (H-ARS). Separate groups of mice for histological and functional studies were exposed to a single uniform total body dose between 8.53 and 8.72 Gy of gamma radiation from a Cs radiation source and studied 1-21 mo later. Blood urea nitrogen levels were elevated significantly in the irradiated mice at 9 and 21 mo (from ∼22 to 34 ± 3.8 and 69 ± 6.0 mg dL, p < 0.01 vs. non-irradiated controls) and correlated with glomerosclerosis (29 ± 1.8% vs. 64 ± 9.7% of total glomeruli, p < 0.01 vs. non-irradiated controls). Glomerular tubularization and hypertrophy and tubular atrophy were also observed at 21 mo post-total body irradiation (TBI). An increase in interstitial, perivascular, pericardial and peribronchial fibrosis/collagen deposition was observed from ∼9-21 mo post-TBI in kidney, heart, and lung of irradiated mice relative to age-matched controls. Echocardiography suggested decreased ventricular volumes with a compensatory increase in the left ventricular ejection fraction. The results indicate that significant delayed effects of acute radiation exposure occur in kidney, heart, and lung in survivors of the murine H-ARS TBI model, which mirrors pathology detected in larger species and humans at higher radiation doses focused on specific organs.Item Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells to cells similar to cord-blood endothelial colony-forming cells(Nature Publishing Group, 2014-11) Prasain, Nutan; Lee, Man Ryul; Vemula, Sasidhar; Meador, Jonathan Luke; Yoshimoto, Momoko; Ferkowicz, Michael J.; Fett, Alexa; Gupta, Manav; Rapp, Brian M.; Saadatzadeh, Mohammad Reza; Ginsberg, Michael; Elemento, Olivier; Lee, Younghee; Voytik-Harbin, Sherry L.; Chung, Hyung Min; Hong, Ki Sung; Reid, Emma; O'Neill, Christina L.; Medina, Reinhold J.; Stitt, Alan W.; Murphy, Michael P.; Rafii, Shahin; Broxmeyer, Hal E.; Yoder, Mervin C.; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of MedicineThe ability to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells into endothelial cells with properties of cord-blood endothelial colony-forming cells (CB-ECFCs) may enable the derivation of clinically relevant numbers of highly proliferative blood vessel-forming cells to restore endothelial function in patients with vascular disease. We describe a protocol to convert human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) or embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into cells similar to CB-ECFCs at an efficiency of >10(8) ECFCs produced from each starting pluripotent stem cell. The CB-ECFC-like cells display a stable endothelial phenotype with high clonal proliferative potential and the capacity to form human vessels in mice and to repair the ischemic mouse retina and limb, and they lack teratoma formation potential. We identify Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1)-mediated activation of KDR signaling through VEGF165 as a critical mechanism for the emergence and maintenance of CB-ECFC-like cells.Item Functional B-1 progenitor cells are present in the hematopoietic stem cell-deficient embryo and depend on Cbfβ for their development(PNAS, 2014-08-19) Kobayashi, Michihiro; Shelley, W. Christopher; Seo, Wooseok; Vemula, Sasidhar; Lin, Yang; Liu, Yan; Kapur, Reuben; Taniuchi, Ichiro; Yoshimoto, Momoko; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of MedicineThe fetal liver is a major hematopoietic site containing progenitor cells that give rise to nearly all blood cells, including B-1 cells. Because the fetal liver is not a de novo site of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) or progenitor-cell emergence, it must be seeded by yolk sac (YS)-derived erythromyeloid progenitors at embryonic day (E) 8.5-E10 and aorta-gonado-mesonephros (AGM)-derived HSCs at E10.5-E11.5. Although the B-1 progenitor cell pool in the fetal liver is considered to be of HSC origin, we have previously proposed that YS-derived B-1 progenitors may also contribute to this pool. Until now, it has been impossible to determine whether HSC-independent B-1 progenitor cells exist in the fetal liver. Here, we demonstrate the presence of transplantable fetal-liver B-1 and marginal zone B progenitor cells in genetically engineered HSC-deficient embryos. HSC-deficient YS and AGM tissues produce B-1 progenitors in vitro and thus may serve as sites of origin for the B-1 progenitors that seed the fetal liver. Furthermore, we have found that core-binding factor beta (Cbfβ) expression is required for fetal-liver B-1 progenitor cell maturation and expansion. Our data provide, to our knowledge, the first evidence for the presence of B-1 progenitor cells in the fetal liver that arise independently of HSCs and implicate Cbfβ as a critical molecule in the development of this lineage.Item The H-ARS Dose Response Relationship (DRR): Validation and Variables(Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer) - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2015-11) Plett, P. Artur; Sampson, Carol H.; Chua, Hui Lin; Jackson, William; Vemula, Sasidhar; Sellamuthu, Rajendran; Fisher, Alexa; Feng, Hailin; Wu, Tong; MacVittie, Thomas J.; Orschell, Christie M.; Department of Medicine, School of MedicineManipulations of lethally-irradiated animals, such as for administration of pharmaceuticals, blood sampling, or other laboratory procedures, have the potential to induce stress effects that may negatively affect morbidity and mortality. To investigate this in a murine model of the hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome, 20 individual survival efficacy studies were grouped based on the severity of the administration (Admn) schedules of their medical countermeasure (MCM) into Admn 1 (no injections), Admn 2 (1-3 injections), or Admn 3 (29 injections or 6-9 oral gavages). Radiation doses ranged from LD30/30 to LD95/30. Thirty-day survival of vehicle controls in each group was used to construct radiation dose lethality response relationship (DRR) probit plots, which were compared statistically to the original DRR from which all LDXX/30 for the studies were obtained. The slope of the Admn 3 probit was found to be significantly steeper (5.190) than that of the original DRR (2.842) or Admn 2 (2.009), which were not significantly different. The LD50/30 for Admn 3 (8.43 Gy) was less than that of the original DRR (8.53 Gy, p < 0.050), whereas the LD50/30 of other groups were similar. Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed significantly worse survival of Admn 3 mice compared to the three other groups (p = 0.007). Taken together, these results show that stressful administration schedules of MCM can negatively impact survival and that dosing regimens should be considered when constructing DRR to use in survival studies.Item Human platelet lysate improves human cord blood derived ECFC survival and vasculogenesis in three dimensional (3D) collagen matrices(Elsevier, 2015-09) Kim, Hyojin; Prasain, Nutan; Vemula, Sasidhar; Ferkowicz, Michael J.; Yoshimoto, Momoko; Voytik-Harbin, Sherry L.; Yoder, Mervin C.; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of MedicineHuman cord blood (CB) is enriched in circulating endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) that display high proliferative potential and in vivo vessel forming ability. Since diminished ECFC survival is known to dampen the vasculogenic response in vivo, we tested how long implanted ECFC survive and generate vessels in three-dimensional (3D) type I collagen matrices in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesized that human platelet lysate (HPL) would promote cell survival and enhance vasculogenesis in the 3D collagen matrices. We report that the percentage of ECFC co-cultured with HPL that were alive was significantly enhanced on days 1 and 3 post-matrix formation, compared to ECFC alone containing matrices. Also, co-culture of ECFC with HPL displayed significantly more vasculogenic activity compared to ECFC alone and expressed significantly more pro-survival molecules (pAkt, p-Bad and Bcl-xL) in the 3D collagen matrices in vitro. Treatment with Akt1 inhibitor (A-674563), Akt2 inhibitor (CCT128930) and Bcl-xL inhibitor (ABT-263/Navitoclax) significantly decreased the cell survival and vasculogenesis of ECFC co-cultured with or without HPL and implicated activation of the Akt1 pathway as the critical mediator of the HPL effect on ECFC in vitro. A significantly greater average vessel number and total vascular area of human CD31(+) vessels were present in implants containing ECFC and HPL, compared to the ECFC alone implants in vivo. We conclude that implantation of ECFC with HPL in vivo promotes vasculogenesis and augments blood vessel formation via diminishing apoptosis of the implanted ECFC.