PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

3-D long-term bone marrow culture to analyze stromal cell biological function

2011-11-03
(Press-News.org) Stromal cells, as distinct from hematopoietic cells, are an essential component of the bone marrow microenvironment and are necessary for the long-term maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in vitro. Previous studies have shown that stromal cells regulate the proliferation and differentiation of HSCs through the production of diffusible hematopoietic regulatory factors and extracellular matrix, and through physical cell-cell interactions involving adhesion molecules and gap junction-mediated cell communication. However, the ability of stromal cells to support the expansion of HSCs and to maintain their self-renewal potential has generally been investigated in long-term, two-dimensional (2D) bone marrow culture systems (BMCS), and most of the reports have shown a decline in HSCs within 4𔃆 weeks in culture.

In work published in the November 2011 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Hirabayashi and co-investigators from Nihon University School of Medicine, Osaka Prefecture University and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have developed a new three-dimensional (3D) BMCS. As stated by co-author Isao Tsuboi, "2D BMCS can't maintain HSCs for a long time, which does not enable us to analyze stromal-cell function. Therefore, we developed a new 3D BMCS and succeeded to maintain HSCs for much longer time."

This new 3D BMCS is based on unique particles. As explained by co-author Yukio Hirabayashi, "The polymer particle with grafted epoxy-polymer-chains is most important in our 3D BMCS. We selected the particle most suitable for cell culture from more than 20 types of particles with various grafted polymer chain lengths and its surface density, the composition of base polymer network and graft polymer chain. We named this particle G-02". Furthermore, co-author Tomonori Harada adds "Several kinds of cell lines, other than murine fibroblast cell line (MS-5 cell), such as an epidermal cell line (HeLa cell), osteoblast cell line (MC3T3E1 cell) and chondrocyte cell line (ch-8 cell), can adhere easily on the G-02 particle and proliferate rapidly on its surface. This advantage of the G-02 particle enables us to develop 3D BMCS, which can also be applied to other 3D organ cultures of central nerve system, heart and liver."

CD34 is well known to be a surface marker for human primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells, however, CD34+ cells can also differentiate into stromal cells. When CD34+ cells are co-cultured with human stromal cells, it is complex to clarify the biological function of the preestablished stromal cell layer. Prof. Shin Aizawa, group leader and pioneer in the study of stromal cell, says "In this study, we used a murine stromal cell line (MS-5) instead of human stromal cells to exclude the effect of CD34+ derived stromal cells. This co-culture system makes it possible to distinguish the function of MS-5 stromal-cell layer from that of CD34+ derived stromal cells. Now our group is studying gene-expression levels of various cytokines in stromal cells using specific primers and probes for the mouse and human".

Steven R. Goodman, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief of Experimental Biology and Medicine said "this 3-dimensional bone marrow culture system, developed by Hirabayashi and coworkers, should be an outstanding tool for the study stromal cell function".

INFORMATION:

Experimental Biology and Medicine is a journal dedicated to the publication of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research in the biomedical sciences. The journal was first established in 1903. Experimental Biology and Medicine is the journal of the Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine. To learn about the benefits of society membership visit www.sebm.org. If you are interested in publishing in the journal please visit http://ebm.rsmjournals.com.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Chemical engineers help decipher mystery of neurofibrillary tangle formation in Alzheimer's brains

2011-11-03
Neurofibrillary tangles – odd, twisted clumps of protein found within nerve cells – are a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. The tangles, which were first identified in the early 1900s by German psychiatrist and neuropathologist Aloysius Alzheimer, are formed when changes in a protein called tau cause it to aggregate in an insoluble mass in the cytoplasm of cells. Normally, the tau protein is involved in the formation of microtubules, hollow filaments that provide cells with support and structure; abnormal tau tangles, however, cause that structure to break down, ...

Graphene applications in electronics and photonics

2011-11-03
Graphene, which is composed of a one-atom-thick layer of carbon atoms in a honeycomb-like lattice (like atomic-scale chicken wire), is the world's thinnest material – and one of the hardest and strongest. Indeed, the past few years have seen an explosion of research into the properties and potential applications of graphene, which has been touted as a superior alternative to silicon. Because graphene is a two-dimensional material, "all of it is an exposed surface," says physical chemist Phaedon Avouris, manager of the Nanometer Scale Science and Technology division at ...

Researchers reveal potential treatment for sickle cell disease

Researchers reveal potential treatment for sickle cell disease
2011-11-03
Ann Arbor, Mich. -- A University of Michigan Health System laboratory study reveals a key trigger for producing normal red blood cells that could lead to a new treatment for those with sickle cell disease. The study, conducted in mice, appears in this week's early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and holds promise for preventing the painful episodes and organ damage that are common complications of sickle cell disease. According to the U-M study, increasing the expression of the proteins, TR2 and TR4, more than doubled the level of fetal ...

A hormone ensures its future

2011-11-03
Much of the body's chemistry is controlled by the brain – from blood pressure to appetite to food metabolism. In a study published recently in Developmental Cell, a team of scientists led by Dr. Gil Levkowitz of the Weizmann Institute has revealed the exact structure of one crucial brain area in which biochemical commands are passed from the brain cells to the bloodstream and from there to the body. In the process, they discovered a surprising new role for the 'hormone of love,' showing that it helps to direct the development of this brain structure. The area in question, ...

Unraveling Batten disease

2011-11-03
Waste management is a big issue anywhere, but at the cellular level it can be a matter of life and death. A Weizmann Institute study, published in the Journal of Cell Biology, has revealed what causes a molecular waste container in the cell to overflow in Batten disease, a rare but fatal neurodegenerative disorder that begins in childhood. The findings may form the basis for a therapy for this disorder. In Batten disease, an insoluble yellow pigment accumulates in the brain's neurons, causing these cells to degenerate and ultimately die. Patients gradually become disabled, ...

Humanities researchers and digital technologies: Building infrastructures for a new age

2011-11-03
Europe's leading scientists have pledged to embrace and expand the role of technology in the Humanities. In a Science Policy Briefing released today by the European Science Foundation (ESF), they argue that without Research Infrastructures (RIs) such as archives, libraries, academies, museums and galleries, significant strands of Humanities research would not be possible. By drawing on a number of case studies, the report demonstrates that digital RIs offer Humanities scholars new and productive ways to explore old questions and develop new ones. According to Professor ...

Mediterranean diet and exercise can reduce sleep apnea symptoms

2011-11-03
Eating a Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity can help to improve some of the symptoms of sleep apnoea, according to new research. The study, which is published online in the European Respiratory Journal, looked at the impact a Mediterranean diet can have on obese people with sleep apnoea, compared to those on a prudent diet. Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) causes frequent pauses of breathing to occur during sleep, which disrupts a person's normal sleeping pattern. It is one of the most prevalent sleep-related breathing disorders with approximately ...

Understanding emotions without language

Understanding emotions without language
2011-11-03
According to a new study by researchers from the MPI for Psycholinguistics and the MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology, you don't need to have words for emotions to understand them. The results of the study were published online on October 17 in Emotion, a journal of the American Psychological Association. The study provides new evidence that the perception of emotional signals is not driven by language, supporting the view that emotions constitute a set of biologically evolved mechanisms. The study compared German speakers to speakers of Yucatec Maya, a Mayan language ...

Midwest Communities Find GateKeeper Social Media Strategy to be Simple, Cost-Effective, and Successful

2011-11-03
GateKeeper is proving to be the "difference-maker" for communities who are serious about moving their social media strategy forward. Social media is gaining traction as a PR tool for communities who wish to attract new businesses. As a content medium, social media is efficient, instantaneous, and popular. Social media is also time-consuming and daunting for communities strapped for time and resources. GateKeeper, from Golden Shovel Agency, will make social media implementation manageable. According to company president Ron Kresha: "The key to our ...

Software to prevent abuse at the click of a mouse

Software to prevent abuse at the click of a mouse
2011-11-03
Investigators estimate that there are currently more than 15 million photographs of child abuse victims circulating on the Internet. By the time this material has been tracked down and deleted, pedophiles have long since downloaded it to their computers. Many are avid data collectors: when suspects' data media are confiscated, detectives must often click their way through hundreds of thousands of files to find the illegal images they seek. An extremely time-consuming process – until now. Because researchers working with Dr. Bertram Nickolay of the Fraunhofer Institute for ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Signs identified that precede sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in young people

Discovery of bacteria's defence against viruses becomes a piece of the puzzle against resistance

Pre-eclampsia is associated with earlier onset and higher incidence of cardiovascular risk factors

Warwick astronomers discover doomed pair of spiralling stars on our cosmic doorstep

Soil conditions significantly increase rainfall in world’s megastorm hotspots

NK cells complexed with bispecific antibody yield high response rates in patients with lymphoma

Planetary health diet and mediterranean diet associated with similar survival and sustainability benefits

Singapore launches national standard to validate antimicrobial disinfectant products

Molecular stool test could improve detection of tuberculosis in adults with HIV

Suspected fibrocartilaginous embolus in Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus)

Enhancing heat transfer using the turbulent flow of viscoelastic fluids

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

[Press-News.org] 3-D long-term bone marrow culture to analyze stromal cell biological function