B Dontje

University of Groningen, Groningen, Province of Groningen, Netherlands

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Publications (23)123.14 Total impact

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    Article: A comparative study on the immunotherapeutic efficacy of recombinant Semliki Forest virus and adenovirus vector systems in a murine model for cervical cancer.
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    ABSTRACT: Currently, various therapeutic strategies are being explored as a potential means to immunize against metastatic malignant cells or even primary tumours. Using recombinant viral vectors systems or protein-based immunization approaches, we are developing immunotherapeutic strategies against cervical cancer or premalignant cervical disease, as induced by high-risk type human papillomaviruses (HPVs). We previously demonstrated that immunization of mice with recombinant replication-defective Semliki Forest virus (rSFV) encoding a fusion protein of HPV16 E6 and -E7 (SFV-eE6,7) induces strong cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activity and eradication of established HPV-transformed tumours. In this study, we compared the antitumour efficacy of SFV-eE6,7 with that of a recombinant adenovirus (rAd) type 5 vector, expressing the same antigen construct (Ad-eE6,7). Prime-boosting with SFV-eE6,7 resulted in higher precursor CTL frequencies and CTL activity compared to prime-boosting with Ad-eE6,7 and also in murine tumour treatment experiments SFV-eE6,7 was more effective than Ad-eE6,7. To elicit a therapeutic effect with Ad-eE6,7, 100/1000-fold higher doses were needed compared to SFV-eE6,7. In vivo T-cell depletion experiments demonstrated that these differences could not be explained by the induction of a different type of effector cells, since CD8+ T cells were the main effector cells involved in the protection against tumour growth in both rSFV- and rAd-immunized mice. Also comparable amounts of in vivo transgene expression were found upon immunization with rSFV and rAd encoding the reportor gene luciferase. However, anti-vector responses induced by a single injection with rAd resulted in a more than 3-log decrease in luciferase expression after a second injection of rAd. With rSFV, transgene expression was inhibited by only one to two orders of magnitude in preinjected mice. As an antigen-specific booster immunization strongly increases the level of the CTL response and is essential for efficient induction of immunological memory, it is likely that (part of) the difference in efficacy between rSFV and rAd type 5 can be ascribed to a diminished efficacy of the booster immunization in the case of rAd due to anti-vector antibody responses.
    Gene Therapy 01/2008; 14(24):1695-704. · 3.71 Impact Factor
  • Article: Differential role for very late antigen-5 in mobilization and homing of hematopoietic stem cells.
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    ABSTRACT: The role of very late antigen-5 (VLA-5) in homing and mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells from normal bone marrow (NBM) and bone marrow (MBM) and peripheral blood (MPB) from mobilized mice was investigated. We found a decreased number of VLA-5-expressing cells in the lineage-negative fraction of MPB. However, virtually all stem/progenitor cells were present in the VLA-5(+) fraction and hence mobilization of hematopoietic stem cell subsets does not coincide with a downregulation of VLA-5. Stem/progenitor cells from MPB and MBM demonstrated enhanced stromal-derived factor-alpha-induced migration. This enhanced migration correlates with an improved hematopoietic reconstitution potential, with the migrated MPB cells showing the fastest reconstitution. Interestingly, homing of MPB, MBM and NBM stem/progenitor cells in bone marrow and spleen did not differ and is therefore not responsible for the differences in hematopoietic reconstitution. The observed increase in VLA-5(+) cells in the recipients after transplantation can most probably be attributed to selective homing of VLA-5(+) cells instead of an upregulation of VLA-5. Treatment with an antibody to VLA-5 partially inhibited bone marrow homing of progenitor cells, whereas homing in the spleen was hardly affected. These data indicate a differential role for VLA-5 in the movement of stem cells from and toward bone marrow.
    Bone Marrow Transplantation 01/2007; 38(12):789-97. · 3.75 Impact Factor
  • Article: Induction of human papilloma virus E6/E7-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocyte activity in immune-tolerant, E6/E7-transgenic mice.
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    ABSTRACT: Despite promising preclinical results of various therapeutic anticancer immunization strategies, these approaches may not be effective enough to eradicate tumors in cancer patients. While most animal models are based on fast-growing transplantable tumors, malignancies in, for example, cervical cancer patients in general develop much more slowly, which may lead to immune suppression and/or immune tolerance. As a consequence, the immunomodulating signal of any therapeutic immunization regimen should be sufficiently potent to overcome this immunocompromised condition. In previous studies, we demonstrated that an experimental vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV)-induced cervical cancer, based on Semliki Forest virus (SFV), induces robust HPV-specific cellular immune responses in mice. Now we studied whether this strategy is potent enough to also prime a cellular immune response in immune-tolerant HPV transgenic mice, in which CTL activity cannot be induced using protein or DNA vaccines. We demonstrate that, depending on the route of immunization, SFV-expressing HPV16 E6 and E7 indeed has the capacity to induce HPV16 E7-specific cytotoxic T cells in HPV-transgenic mice.
    Gene Therapy 10/2005; 12(18):1410-4. · 3.71 Impact Factor
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    Article: Autonomous behavior of hematopoietic stem cells.
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    ABSTRACT: Mechanisms that affect the function of primitive hematopoietic stem cells with long-term proliferative potential remain largely unknown. Here we assessed whether properties of stem cells are cell-extrinsically or cell-autonomously regulated. We developed a model in which two genetically and phenotypically distinct stem cell populations coexist in a single animal. Chimeric mice were produced by transplanting irradiated B6D2F1 (BDF1) recipients with mixtures of DBA/2 (D2) and C57BL/6 (B6) day-14 fetal liver cells. We determined the mobilization potential, proliferation, and frequency of D2 and B6 stem and progenitor cells in animals with chimeric hematopoiesis. After granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) administration, peripheral blood D2 colony-forming units granulocyte-macrophage were fourfold to eightfold more numerous than B6 progenitors. We determined that D2 and B6 progenitors maintained their genotype-specific cycling activity in BDF1 recipients. Chimeric marrow was harvested and D2 and B6 cell populations were separated by flow cytometry. Cobblestone area-forming cell (CAFC) analysis of sorted marrow showed that the number of late appearing CAFC subsets within the D2 cell population was approximately threefold higher than within the B6 fraction. We performed secondary transplantation using unfractionated chimeric marrow, which was given in limiting doses to lethally irradiated BDF1 recipients. Comparison of the proportion of animals possessing D2 and/or B6 leukocytes 5 months after transplant revealed that the frequency of D2 LTRA was approximately 10-fold higher than B6 LTRA numbers. Our data demonstrate that genetically distinct stem cell populations, coexisting in individual animals, independently maintain their parental phenotypes, indicating that stem cell properties are predominantly regulated cell-autonomously.
    Experimental Hematology 01/2001; 28(12):1451-9. · 2.90 Impact Factor
  • Article: Efficient mobilization of haematopoietic progenitors after a single injection of pegylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in mouse strains with distinct marrow-cell pool sizes.
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    ABSTRACT: We have compared the efficacy of a single injection of SD/01, a newly engineered, pegylated form of recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF), with a single injection of glycosylated rhG-CSF (Filgrastim). SD/01 was administered to regular and recombinant inbred strains of mice (AKR, C57L/J, DBA/2, C57BL/6, AKXL) known to have widely distinct marrow-cell pool sizes and proliferation kinetics. A single injection of G-CSF was unable to mobilize granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming units (CFU-GM). In sharp contrast, a single dose of SD/01 resulted in massive mobilization of progenitors and stem cells. Although all mice strains showed qualitatively similar mobilization responses, large interstrain differences remained. C57L and C57BL/6 mice mobilized relatively poorly, whereas AKR and DBA/2 mice showed threefold to tenfold superior responses. In order to explain these different phenotypes, we studied the effects of SD/01 in nine AKXL recombinant inbred strains, derived from well-responding AKR and poorly responding C57L parental strains. The best predictor for SD/01 responsiveness in these strains was marrow cellularity prior to mobilization. Comparison of the AKXL strain distribution pattern for marrow cellularity with loci previously mapped in these strains showed complete concordance with Aat, a serine protease inhibitor mapping to chromosome 12.
    British Journal of Haematology 10/2000; 110(3):638-46. · 4.94 Impact Factor
  • Article: Distinct functional properties of highly purified hematopoietic stem cells from mouse strains differing in stem cell numbers.
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    ABSTRACT: We have previously demonstrated that young adult DBA/2 (DBA) mice have more stem cells than C57BL/6 (B6) mice, as measured in a cobblestone area-forming cell (CAFC) assay using unfractionated marrow. To study the nature of this difference, we have now compared the proliferative fate of single, highly enriched Sca-1(+)c-kit(+)Lin(-) stem cells from these strains. Although equal in frequency, functional comparison revealed that Sca-1(+)c-kit(+)Lin(-) cells from DBA mice contained twice as many cells with CAFC activity. DBA clones persisted much longer in vitro, and developed later in time. To assess whether these differences were of any functional relevance in vivo, we compared engraftment of lethally irradiated mice transplanted with 1000 B6 or DBA Sca-1(+)c-kit(+)Lin(-) cells. Recipients of enriched DBA cells recovered much faster than animals transplanted with B6 cells. We also studied endogenous hematopoietic recovery after 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) treatment in vivo. Progenitors and peripheral blood cells recovered twice as fast in DBA mice. Thus, DBA stem cells have superior proliferative potential compared with phenotypically identical stem cells obtained from B6 mice. Such genetically determined quantitative and qualitative differences in stem cell behavior likely contribute to the dramatically different hematopoietic recovery rates observed in human transplant patients. (Blood. 2000;96:1374-1379)
    Blood 09/2000; 96(4):1374-9. · 9.90 Impact Factor
  • Article: Leukemia-induced bone marrow depression: effects of gangliosides on erythroid cell production.
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    ABSTRACT: Bone marrow depression is a common feature in hematological malignancies or other bone marrow-involving cancers. The mechanism of this hemopoietic suppression resulting in pancytopenia and especially anemia has not been elucidated. Gangliosides can be shed by cancer cells. Therefore, we investigated the effects of exogenously added gangliosides on erythropoiesis in a human and murine in vitro system. A dose-dependent inhibition of murine colony-forming-unit-erythroid (CFU-E) and burst-forming-unit-erythroid (BFU-E) colony growth was observed. Furthermore the maturation of BFU-Es into CFU-Es was inhibited. The inhibition by gangliosides was not abolished by increasing the dose of erythropoietin (10 U/ml). FACS-analysis studies with human CD34+ cells cultured with gangliosides (GM3), erythropoietin (EPO) and stem cell factor (SCF) demonstrated a strong inhibition on cell growth. This resulted in a significantly higher percentage of immature cells (CD34+/GpA-, 24% vs. 3%), and a lower percentage of mature erythroid cells (CD34-/GpA+, 36% vs. 89%). Under these circumstances the effects on erythroid cell growth were much higher than on other cell lineages. The inhibitory effect of gangliosides isolated from acute lymphoblastic leukemic patients on in vitro erythropoiesis suggests that in vivo hemopoietic suppression might have its origin in the gangliosides present and probably shed by the malignant cells in the microenvironment and plasma. Our results show that gangliosides inhibit erythropoiesis in vitro at several stages of development, by a mechanism involving modulation of the maturation of erythroid cells.
    International Journal of Cancer 08/1999; 82(1):92-7. · 5.44 Impact Factor
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    Article: Inhibition of hemopoiesis in vitro by neuroblastoma-derived gangliosides.
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    ABSTRACT: Hemopoiesis is disturbed in bone marrow-involving cancers like leukemia and neuroblastoma. Shedding of gangliosides by tumor cells may contribute to this tumor-induced bone marrow suppression. We studied in vitro the inhibitory effects of murine neuroblastoma cells (Neuro-2a and C1300) and their gangliosides on hemopoiesis using normal murine hemopoietic progenitor colony-forming assays. Transwell cultured neuroblastoma cells showed a dose-dependent inhibition on hemopoiesis, indicating that a soluble factor was responsible for this effect. Furthermore, the supernatant of Neuro-2a cultured cells inhibited hemopoietic proliferation and differentiation. To determine whether the inhibitory effect was indeed due to shed gangliosides and not, for instance, caused by cytokines, the effect of DL-threo-1 -phenyl-2-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (DL-PDMP) on Neuro-2a cells was studied. DL-PDMP is a potent inhibitor of glucosylceramide synthase, resulting in inhibition of the synthesis and shedding of gangliosides. The initially observed inhibitory effect of supernatant of Neuro-2a cells was abrogated by culturing these cells for 3 days in the presence of 10 microM DL-PDMP. Moreover, gangliosides isolated from Neuro-2a cell membranes inhibited hemopoietic growth. To determine whether the described phenomena in vitro are a reflection of bone marrow suppression occurring in vivo, gangliosides isolated from plasma of neuroblastoma patients were tested for their effects on human hemopoietic progenitor colony-forming assays. These human neuroblastoma-derived gangliosides inhibited normal erythropoiesis (colony-forming unit-erythroid/burst-forming unit-erythroid) and myelopoiesis (colony-forming unit-granulocyte/macrophage) to a higher extent compared with gangliosides isolated from control plasma. Altogether these results suggest that gangliosides shed by neuroblastoma cells inhibit hemopoiesis and may contribute to the observed bone marrow depression in neuroblastoma patients.
    Cancer Research 12/1998; 58(21):4840-4. · 7.86 Impact Factor
  • Article: Interactions of erythropoietin, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, stem cell factor, and interleukin-11 on murine hematopoiesis during simultaneous administration.
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    ABSTRACT: We investigated how in vivo effects of single hematopoietic cytokines change if given in combination for a prolonged time. Mice were treated with every combination of recombinant human (rh) erythropoietin (EPO), rh granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), recombinant rat (rr) stem cell factor (SCF), and rh interleukin (IL)-11 by continuous infusion over 7 days (full factorial design with three dose levels for each cytokine). Burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E), colony-forming unit-erythroid (CFU-E), and colony-forming unit-granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) were determined in bone marrow and spleen, reticulocytes, hematocrit, granulocytes, and thrombocytes in the peripheral blood. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple comparison of means was used to evaluate the data. For several cell types, cytokine effects superimposed in an additive way if combined. However, in a large number of circumstances, nonadditive pairwise interactions were found. They differed in type and magnitude involving high-dose saturation, high-dose antagonistic effects, and even effect reversals (qualitative interactions). Hence, in general, it was not possible to foresee the combination effects on the basis of existing knowledge of single effects. On the other hand, the cytokine network was robust and no system hazards were observed under multiple cytokine combinations. The results illustrate that the cytokine network has nonlinear dynamic properties in vivo with dose-response characteristics of one cytokine being continuously modified by other cytokines.
    Blood 06/1998; 91(9):3222-9. · 9.90 Impact Factor
  • Article: Stem cell factor has contrasting effects in combination with 5-fluorouracil or total-body irradiation on frequencies of different hemopoietic cell subsets and engraftment of transplanted bone marrow.
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    ABSTRACT: The effect of stem cell factor (SCF) given at 24, 12 and 2 h before either 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or total-body irradiation (TBI) was investigated on a range of bone marrow hemopoietic cell subsets that included primitive stem cells capable of long-term repopulation in bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients. At 24 h after treatment, the femoral content of transient and permanent repopulating stem cell subsets was assessed from the frequency of early- and late-developing cobblestone area-forming cells (CAFCs) growing in stroma-associated cultures. At this time untreated 3 x 10(6) congenically marked donor bone marrow cells (B6-Gpi-Ia-->B6-Gpi-Ib) were transplanted and the level of erythroid engraftment was followed over 1 year. Analysis of the frequencies of CAFCs in host bone marrow after treatment with SCF demonstrated a remarkable increase in the number of early-developing CAFC subsets by about 10-fold. At the same time SCF conferred a sensitization of these subsets after treatment with 5-FU, which indicated an enhanced proliferative activity. The SCF-induced increase in the number of progenitor cells, however, was the more dominant process in the irradiated animals, resulting in less overall depletion of CAFCs. These contrasting results provide an explanation for the sensitization by SCF of 5-FU-induced lethality and its converse protection against radiation-induced lethality as reported by others. Nevertheless, the number of the more primitive CAFC subsets appearing at 28 and 35 days in culture and their sensitivity to 5-FU or radiation remained unaffected by this short SCF treatment. The number of CAFCs that remained in the bone marrow largely predicted the subsequent patterns of donor marrow engraftment in the treated BMT recipients: SCF enhanced short-term engraftment after treatment with 5-FU while it reduced the need for short-term engraftment after irradiation. Only irradiation afforded long-term engraftment through depletion of primitive host stem cells, and this was moderately improved by prior treatment with SCF.
    Radiation Research 07/1997; 147(6):680-5. · 2.68 Impact Factor
  • Article: Concepts of hemopoietic cell amplification. Synergy, redundancy and pleiotropy of cytokines affecting the regulation of erythropoiesis.
    G de Haan, B Dontje, W Nijhof
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    ABSTRACT: Hemopoietic cell amplification in vivo is regulated by various mechanisms which appear to be under control of many hemopoietic growth factors. Quiescent stem cells can be activated into cell cycle, dividing progenitor cells can reduce their cycle time, the differentiation velocity (i.e. transit-time) can be manipulated, apoptosis can be prevented, and finally, at least in the murine system, migration of cells between the microenvironments in marrow and spleen may take place. Perturbations of any of the parameters by which these mechanisms are defined, will affect in vivo blood cell production. In this review the consequences of these perturbations, and the role of growth factors herein, are discussed. These fundamental aspects of the regulation of hemopoiesis are illustrated with recent data showing the synergistic, redundant and pleiotropic effects of SCF, IL-11, EPO and G-CSF on the in vivo formation of erythrocytes. Given the overwhelming number of growth factor-related studies that are now appearing, a re-evaluation of data, available in the literature, in the context of the mechanistic approach of growth factor-dependent hemopoiesis which is presented in this paper, seems to be useful and warranted.
    Leukemia and Lymphoma 09/1996; 22(5-6):385-94. · 2.58 Impact Factor
  • Article: The kinetics of murine hematopoietic stem cells in vivo in response to prolonged increased mature blood cell production induced by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.
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    ABSTRACT: Because of the complexity of appropriate stem cell assays, little information on the in vivo regulation of murine stem cell biology or stemmatopoiesis is available. It is unknown whether and how in vivo the primitive hematopoietic stem cell compartment is affected during a continued increased production of mature blood cells. In this study, we present data showing that prolonged (3 weeks) administration of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), which is a major regulator of mature granulocyte production, has a substantial impact on both the size and the location of various stem cell subset pools in mice. We have used the novel cobblestone area forming cell (CAFC) assay to assess the effects of G-CSF on the stem cell compartment (CAFC days 7, 14, 21, and 28). In marrow, in which normally 99% of the total number of stem cells can be found, G-CSF induced a severe depletion of particularly the most primitive stem cells to 5% to 10% of normal values. The response after 7 days of G-CSF treatment was an increased amplification between CAFC day 14 and 7. However, this response occurred at the expense of the number of CAFC day 14. It is likely that the resulting gap of CAFC day 14 cell numbers was subsequently replenished from the more primitive CAFC day 21 and 28 compartments, because these cell numbers remained low during the entire treatment period. In the spleen, the number of stem cells increased, likely caused by a migration from the marrow via the blood, leading to an accumulation in the spleen. The increased number of stem cells in the spleen overcompensated for the loss in the marrow. When total body (marrow and spleen) stem cell numbers were calculated, it appeared that a continued increased production of mature granulocytes resulted in the establishment of a higher, new steady state of the stem cell compartment; most committed stem cells (CAFC day 7) were increased threefold, CAFC day 14 were increased 2.3-fold, CAFC-day 21 were increased 1.8-fold, and the most primitive stem cells evaluated, CAFC day 28, were not different from normal, although now 95% of these cells were located in the spleen. Four weeks after discontinuation of the G-CSF treatment, the stem cell reserve in the spleen had returned to a normal level, whereas stem cell numbers in marrow had recovered to values above normal. This study shows that the primitive stem cell compartment is seriously perturbed during an increased stimulation of the production of mature blood cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
    Blood 11/1995; 86(8):2986-92. · 9.90 Impact Factor
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    Article: In vivo effects of interleukin-11 and stem cell factor in combination with erythropoietin in the regulation of erythropoiesis.
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    ABSTRACT: In this study we evaluated the in vivo effects of interleukin-11 (IL-11) and stem cell factor (SCF), in combination with erythropoietin (EPO) on murine erythropoiesis. Mice were treated for 7 d with IL-11. SCF and EPO, each at three dose levels. In total, 27 different dose combinations were tested. IL-11 as well as SCF could only marginally stimulate erythroid progenitor cell numbers, but IL-11 in combination with SCF was able to increase BFU-E and CFU-E numbers 4-fold, in the absence of exogenous EPO. This resulted in an increased reticulocyte count. In contrast with the stimulatory effect on immature erythroid cell stages, IL-11 treatment induced a mild anaemia, which probably resulted from a plasma volume expansion. The additional treatment with EPO resulted in strong synergistic effects on CFU-E numbers. The combination of high-dose IL-11 and high-dose SCF was able to increase the overall efficiency of EPO-induced erythroid amplification, which was reflected by a left-shift of the in vivo EPO dose-response curve. The stimulating effects of IL-11 and SCF were further demonstrated when the effects on the reticulocyte count of a single high-dose EPO injection were assessed in normal and SCF+IL-11 treated mice. Whereas a single EPO dose increased the reticulocyte count by a factor of 3, IL-11 + SCF pretreatment increased this to a factor of 7. This study shows that in vivo SCF and IL-11 are important modulators of red blood cell production. First, these factors probably increase the input from the stem cell compartment into the erythroid lineage, where subsequently EPO is required for further amplification. Additionally, however, IL-11 and SCF increase the overall efficiency of EPO-induced amplification, probably due to a stimulatory effect on late-stage erythroid cells and to a redistribution of cells from marrow to spleen.
    British Journal of Haematology 09/1995; 90(4):783-90. · 4.94 Impact Factor
  • Article: Mechanistic options of erythropoietin-stimulated erythropoiesis.
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    ABSTRACT: The in vivo mechanism of hematopoietic growth factor-induced cell multiplication is in debate. Several options can be examined: 1) growth factors can reduce the cycling time of their dividing target cells, 2) growth factors can add extra cell divisions within the differentiation pathway, 3) the combination of the first two possibilities, and 4) growth factors can prevent premature cell death (apoptosis) from occurring in the absence of the stimulating factor. We studied these options in vitro and in vivo in the murine erythroid pathway. Results from in vitro cultures of purified splenic colony-forming units-erythroid (CFU-E), with and without erythropoietin (Epo), and in vivo Epo treatments of thiamphenicol (TAP)-pretreated mice showed neither reduction in cycle times nor addition of extra cell divisions in the differentiating erythroid lineage. The phenomenon of apoptosis was demonstrated as time- and Epo-dependent in vitro with electrophoretic (DNA-ladder), flow-cytometric (subdiploid cells), and morphologic (fragmented nuclei) methods applied on CFU-E. A high dose of Epo administered to mice caused a rapid transient rise in the number of CFU-E to 350% of normal. Early erythroblasts also increased, whereas burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) numbers did not change. Our results favor a mechanism in which Epo acts as a survival factor for early erythroid cells (CFU-E and early erythroblasts) in vitro, as well as in vivo, preventing apoptosis.
    Experimental Hematology 05/1995; 23(4):369-75. · 2.90 Impact Factor
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    Article: Tumoricidal response of liver macrophages isolated from rats bearing liver metastases of colon adenocarcinoma.
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    ABSTRACT: Intraportal inoculation of CC531 adenocarcinoma cells into syngeneic rats causes an increase of liver macrophage cell number but not of major histocompatibility complex class II antigen expression. On day 1 after inoculation of 10(5) CC531 cells, a fixed number of isolated liver macrophages lysed significantly more target cells in vitro than did control cells. This effect was still present after 4 weeks. A 10-fold higher initial tumor dose significantly suppressed the macrophage response during the first 2 weeks. In contrast to tumoricidal activity induced by lipopolysaccharide in vitro, the tumoricidal response following in vivo challenge with tumor cells appeared not closely related to the production of reactive nitrogen intermediates, as in the latter case it was not abrogated in the presence of nitric oxide synthase inhibitor. Furthermore, the liver macrophage population appeared not fully activated after tumor inoculation as lipopolysaccharide further increased tumoricidal activity in vitro. The observed numerical and functional response of liver macrophages to intraportally inoculated tumor cells points at an important role of these cells in aspecific immune reactivity aimed at the reduction of local tumor growth. Results suggest that mechanistic differences exist between macrophage tumoricidal activity induced by tumor cells as compared with lipopolysaccharide.
    Journal of Leukocyte Biology 05/1995; 57(4):617-23. · 4.99 Impact Factor
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    Article: Effects of continuous stem cell factor administration on normal and erythropoietin-stimulated murine hemopoiesis: experimental results and model analysis.
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    ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to determine how stem cell factor (SCF) modifies hemopoietic cell production. First we determined the effects of a prolonged SCF administration on murine hemopoiesis and analyzed the results by a mathematical simulation model of hemopoiesis in order to explain the data. Subsequently we investigated the effects of simultaneous coadministration of SCF+erythropoietin (Epo), to see how effects of early and late cytokines superimpose. SCF administration during 14 days induced a proliferative wave through the hemopoietic system; colony forming units-granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM), burst forming units-erythroid (BFU-E) and colony forming units erythroid (CFU-E) were the first to be augmented, followed by their respective progeny, ultimately leading to increased blood cell numbers. Despite continued treatment most cell numbers returned to normal values in 14 days, colony forming units-spleen (CFU-S), however, remained elevated. This wave pattern could be explained within the framework of a previously established mathematical model of hemopoiesis, if it was assumed that SCF affected the cycling status of primitive cells and if regulatory feedback loops of erythroid and myeloid progenitors on these cells were also allowed. Simultaneous SCF and Epo administration led to synergistic effects on CFU-E numbers and hematocrit values at moderate Epo doses. At high Epo doses, however, this was less pronounced. We conclude that SCF increases the input into committed hemopoietic lineages, where late acting cytokines can induce further amplification.
    Stem Cells 02/1995; 13(1):65-76. · 7.78 Impact Factor
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    Article: Hemotoxicity by prolonged etoposide administration to mice can be prevented by simultaneous growth factor therapy.
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    ABSTRACT: In this study, we determined in vivo interactions between hemopoietic growth factors and etoposide (VP-16) to assess whether normal blood cell production could be maintained during chemotherapy if hemopoietic growth factors were simultaneously administered. Groups of mice were treated for 7 consecutive days with four different doses of VP-16 in combination with three different doses of erythropoietin (EPO) or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). In total, 12 combinations of VP-16 plus EPO and 12 combinations of VP-16 plus G-CSF were thus evaluated. Intricate dose-response surfaces of the effects of the different treatments on colony-forming units-erythroid, reticulocytes, hematocrit, colony-forming units-granulocyte/macrophage, and absolute neutrophil count were obtained, which revealed that: (a) simultaneous EPO administration was able to maintain reticulocyte production and to protect mice from VP-16 induced anemia; (b) simultaneous G-CSF administration was able to maintain granulocyte production and to protect mice from VP-16 induced neutropenia; (c) VP-16 dose escalation was feasible when EPO or G-CSF were simultaneously administered; and (d) no increased myelotoxicity on erythroid or granuloid progenitors was observed when EPO or G-CSF was simultaneously administered with VP-16. These results suggest that in vivo either individual hemopoietic progenitors can become resistant against VP-16-induced cell death by appropriate simultaneous growth factor administration or that the loss of overall cell amplification, induced by VP-16, can be compensated by extra amplification of surviving progenitors. Furthermore, these data indicate that a strict separation in time of cytostatic drug and growth factor treatment is not necessarily the optimal schedule with respect to the reduction of hemotoxicity.
    Cancer Research 02/1995; 55(2):324-9. · 7.86 Impact Factor
  • Article: Mutual inhibition of murine erythropoiesis and granulopoiesis during combined erythropoietin, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, and stem cell factor administration: in vivo interactions and dose-response surfaces.
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    ABSTRACT: We investigated the in vivo effects of erythropoietin (EPO) on granulopoiesis and, conversely, the effect of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) treatment on erythropoiesis. Recombinant human EPO at four different doses in combination with recombinant human G-CSF also at four different doses was simultaneously administered for 7 days to splenectomized mice. In total, 16 different combinations of growth factors were thus tested. G-CSF administration increased granulocyte production as expected, whereas immature colony-forming unit granulocyte-macrophage numbers were decreased. EPO analogously increased late erythroid cell numbers. Both EPO and G-CSF dose-dependently inhibited late cell stages of the opposite lineage, with EPO abrogating G-CSF-stimulated granulopoiesis and, conversely, G-CSF inhibiting EPO-stimulated erythropoiesis. In a subsequent experiment, we tested whether these lineage-competitive effects could be prevented by coadministering stem cell factor (SCF). In these three factor-treated mice, all granuloid and erythroid cell stages increased, thereby reducing the effect of the mutual inhibition. We conclude that EPO-stimulated erythropoiesis and G-CSF-stimulated granulopoiesis inhibited each other at a late level. Simultaneous SCF administration increased the input into both the erythroid and granuloid compartment and thereby compensated the mutual inhibition. This study shows that intricate dose-response relationships exist between various growth factors that should be carefully analyzed before combinations of these factors are used in humans.
    Blood 01/1995; 84(12):4157-63. · 9.90 Impact Factor
  • Article: Effects of G-CSF on erythropoiesis.
    Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 05/1994; 718:312-24; discussion 324-5. · 3.15 Impact Factor
  • Article: Microenvironmentally dependent effects on murine haemopoiesis by a prolonged interleukin-1 treatment.
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    ABSTRACT: We administered recombinant human IL-1 beta (400 ng/d, s.c.) for 10 d to normal C57B1 mice and determined daily granuloid and erythroid parameters in marrow, spleen and blood. In the marrow CFU-GM numbers were not affected but later granuloid cell stages were moderately enhanced (170%). In the spleen, however, CFU-GM numbers were sharply increased (1600%), whereas the granuloid precursors only doubled. Blood granulocytes increased transiently to 275% on day 5. In the marrow all erythroid parameters were severely reduced. This reduction was partially compensated by the spleen where initially only BFU-E and with some delay also more mature erythroid cells accumulated. At the end of the treatment mice were slightly anaemic. When mice were treated with IL-1 and erythropoietin (10 U/d) simultaneously, the inhibitory effects on erythropoiesis were less severe. In agreement with in vivo results, IL-1 inhibited in vitro colony growth of CFU-E from normal bone marrow and spleen but spleen CFU-E from 5 d IL-1 treated mice were insensitive. We conclude that IL-1 can induce stimulation or inhibition of haemopoietic progenitor cells depending on their microenvironment.
    British Journal of Haematology 10/1993; 85(1):15-9. · 4.94 Impact Factor

Institutions

  • 1993–2000
    • University of Groningen
      • • Department of Cell Biology
      • • Department of Radiology
      • • Department of Experimental Hematology
      Groningen, Province of Groningen, Netherlands
  • 1998
    • University of Leipzig
      Leipzig, Saxony, Germany
  • 1996
    • University of Kentucky
      • Department of Internal Medicine
      Lexington, KY, USA
  • 1990
    • Universität Köln
      Köln, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany