J Toki

Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi, Osaka-fu, Japan

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Publications (33)168.23 Total impact

  • Article: A novel strategy for organ allografts using sublethal (7 Gy) irradiation followed by injection of donor bone marrow cells via portal vein.
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    ABSTRACT: A new strategy for organ allografts that does not require recourse to immunosuppressants is established in mice. The strategy includes sublethal (7 Gy) irradiation followed by the injection of donor bone marrow cells (BMCs) via the portal vein (P.V.) and organ allografts 1 day after irradiation. Irradiation doses (< or =7 Gy) are found to allow the recipients to survive without the need to reconstitute the BMCs, as the recipient hematolymphoid cells can gradually recover. One hundred percent of recipients irradiated with 7 Gy followed by either P.V. or i.v. injection of donor BMCs accept organ allografts (the skin, pancreas, and adrenal glands) for more than 1 year. However, organ allograft survival rates decrease when irradiation doses are reduced; the skin graft survival rate of mice treated with 6.5 Gy and P.V. injection of BMCs is 79%, whereas that of mice treated with 6.5 Gy and i.v. injection is 50%, indicating that the P.V. injection of BMCs induces persistent tolerance more effectively than the i.v. injection. H-2 typing reveals that almost all the hematolymphoid cells (>98%) in the peripheral blood and hematolymphoid organs are donor-derived even 1 year after the treatment (7 Gy and P.V.). The T cells are tolerant to both donor-type and host-type MHC determinants. The major mechanism underlying the persistent tolerance induced by this strategy seems to be because of clonal deletion. This simple and safe strategy would be of great advantage for human organ transplantation.
    Transplantation 07/2001; 71(12):1725-31. · 4.00 Impact Factor
  • Article: Evidence for migration of donor bone marrow stromal cells into recipient thymus after bone marrow transplantation plus bone grafts: A role of stromal cells in positive selection.
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    ABSTRACT: Intrathymic T-cell differentiation is characterized by two selection events: positive and negative selection. It has been shown that thymic epithelial cells in the cortex are involved in the positive selection, while macrophages and dendritic cells, derived from hemopoietic stem cells, are involved in the negative selection. Here we investigate whether donor-derived bone marrow stromal cells can migrate into the thymus and participate there in positive selection after bone marrow transplantation plus bone grafts (to recruit bone marrow stromal cells). Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation with or without bone grafts was carried out in the [C57BL/6-->C3H] combination. Fluorescence-activated cell sorter analyses of recipient thymic adherent cells showed that donor-type bone marrow stromal cells exist in the thymus of mice that received bone marrow plus bone grafts but not in the mice that received bone marrow cells alone. Histological examination using confocal microscopy also confirmed the existence of donor-type stromal cells in the thymus of mice that received bone marrow cells plus bones. Both T-cell proliferation and plaque-forming cell assays indicated that the T cells of such mice show donor-type major histocompatibility complex-restriction. These findings strongly suggest that stromal cells can migrate from the bone marrow to the thymus, where they participate in the positive selection of thymocytes.
    Experimental Hematology 08/2000; 28(8):950-60. · 2.90 Impact Factor
  • Article: [An autopsy case of thymic carcinoma producing various tumor markers and the examination of 222 autopsy cases of thymic malignant tumor in Japan].
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    ABSTRACT: The autopsy of a 76-year-old Japanese female patient, which revealed thymic carcinoma with various tumor markers such as NSE, CYFRA, and CA-125, is presented. The patient died from hepatic failure because the liver was overtaken by the tumors. At autopsy, the thymic carcinoma was found to have metastased only in the liver. From microscopical analyses and electron microscopical findings, we diagnosed poorly differenciated squamous cell carcinoma of thymic origin. In the histochemical analyses, the tumor cells were positively stained in CA 125, CA 19-9, EMA, NSE, AE 1, AE 3, CEA, S-100, glimerius and Bcl-2. These date suggest that the tumor cells produced various tumor markers. In 222 autopsy cases of thymic malignant tumor observed in Japan over a period of 4 years, the dominant pathohistological image was squamous cell carcinoma. It is interesting that the greatest number of combined malignant tumors with thymic malignancies were thyroid papillary carcinomas.
    Kyobu geka. The Japanese journal of thoracic surgery 07/2000; 53(6):450-6.
  • Article: A case report of FSH-producing nasal ectopic pituitary adenoma extending to the frontal cranial fossa.
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    ABSTRACT: We report the first case of an ectopic pituitary adenoma in the nasal cavity that produced follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). A 60-year-old man complaining of left nasal bleeding had a polypoid tumor in the left nasal cavity. Findings of computed tomographic scanning and magnetic resonance imaging showed that the tumor originated from the olfactory cleft, occupied the nasal cavity, and extended to the frontal cranial fossa. Results of histologic examination suggested ectopic pituitary adenoma. Magnetic resonance imaging results showed the pituitary gland to be normal. Electron microscopy findings demonstrated a large number of secretory granules in the tumor cells that were positive for FSH on immunohistochemical analyses. Serum gonadotropin levels were normal, and no clinical signs of hypersecretory syndrome were noted. The above findings led us to establish the diagnosis of FSH-producing ectopic pituitary adenoma. The patient underwent craniofacial resection of the tumor followed by an uneventful recovery. The pathologic findings and clinical course of the case were comparable to those of FSH-producing adenomas arising from the pituitary gland.
    Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery 07/2000; 126(6):782-4. · 1.63 Impact Factor
  • Article: Morphological change, loss of deltapsi(m) and activation of caspases upon apoptosis of colorectal adenocarcinoma induced by 5-FU.
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    ABSTRACT: Apoptosis is clearly distinguished from necrosis, morphologically and chemically. Morphologically, apoptosis is characterized by a condensed nucleus and the disappearance of microvilli without disruption of the cytoplasm. In this report, we demonstrate that 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-induced early apoptotic cells are characterized by (i) ultracondensed mitochondria, (ii) no change in the microvilli or nucleus, (iii) a high mitochondrial transmembrane potential (Deltapsi(m)), and (iv) being annexin V(negative). The early apoptotic cells also show the active forms of caspase 8 and caspase 9. They rapidly lose Deltapsi(m) after further incubation. Therefore, we conclude that the ultracondensation of mitochondria precedes the loss of Deltapsi(m) and the exposure of phosphatidylserine to the outer leaflet of the cell membrane.
    Cancer Letters 06/2000; 153(1-2):101-8. · 4.24 Impact Factor
  • Article: Differentiation from thymic B cell progenitors to mature B cells in vitro.
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    ABSTRACT: The role of the thymic microenvironment in the development of murine thymic B cells has yet to be fully clarified. We therefore investigate the microenvironment that supports the development of mature thymic B cells (sIg+/B220+/CD43-B cells) from thymic B cell progenitors with immunophenotypes of sIg-/B220med/CD43+ cells. As we have previously reported, thymic B cells generated from these progenitors in the thymus are CD5+ B cells. We next study the in vitro condition that supports the differentiation of thymic B cell progenitors. Stromal cells (from the bone marrow or thymus), thymus-derived cell lines with the character of thymic nurse cells (TNCs) or thymic epithelial cells (TECs), or the bone marrow-derived cell line (MS-5) are tested for their ability to support B-lymphopoiesis from thymic B cell progenitors. Interestingly, thymic stromal cells (but neither stromal cells from the bone marrow nor stromal cell lines) support the differentiation of thymic B cell progenitors into thymic B cells in the presence of IL-7. Cortical epithelia (but not medullary epithelia, thymic macrophages or dendritic cells) are found to contribute to thymic B cell differentiation. Surface phenotype and Ig rearrangement analyses reveal that mature B cells generated in this condition are primarily CD5+ B cells, indicating that the thymic microenvironment (particularly cortical epithelia) determines the differentiation of thymic B cells.
    Immunobiology 05/2000; 201(5):515-26. · 3.20 Impact Factor
  • Article: Development of mouse dendritic cells from lineage-negative c-kit(low) pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells in vitro.
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    ABSTRACT: Dendritic cells (DCs) are essential for the presentation of antigens in the primary immune response. To examine the generation of DCs from hemopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow (BM), lineage-negative (Lin-)/CD71- bone marrow cells (BMCs) from C57BL/6 mice were separated into major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class Ihigh/ c-kit(low) and MHC class Ihigh/c-kit(low)(phenotypically c-kit-negative, but c-kit message only detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) populations. A large number of cells with the morphological, phenotypical, and functional characteristics of DCs was generated from both c-kit(low) and c-kit(low) populations when cultured with a combination of cytokines (GM-CSF, tumor necrosis factor-a [TNF-a], interleukin 7 [IL-7], IL-3, stem cell factor [SCF], and flt3 ligand); the cytokine combination studies revealed that SCF and IL-3 in addition to GM-CSF and TNF-a are essential for DCs to be generated from these primitive populations. To our surprise most (>80%) generated cells expressed high levels of DC surface markers such as DEC205 and MHC class II, and they were potent stimulators in the primary allogeneic T cell activation. The development of DCs from c-kit(<low) cells was slower than that from c-kit(low) cells. These results indicate that c-kit(<low) cells are more primitive than c-kit(low) cells, although both c-kit*(low) cells and c-kit(<low) cells can differentiate into DCs. It should be noted that the combination of these cytokines selectively induces DCs from both c-kit(<low) and c-kit(low) cells in vitro, suggesting that the ex vivo expansion of DCs using these primitive cells would be applicable to immunotherapy.
    Stem Cells 01/2000; 18(1):53-60. · 7.78 Impact Factor
  • Article: Long-term (>1 year) analyses of chimerism and tolerance in mixed allogeneic chimeric mice using normal mouse combinations.
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    ABSTRACT: We examined the induction of tolerance using pancreas allografts over the long term (>1 year) in mice for the human application of mixed allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). T cell-depleted BM cells (BMCs) of C57BL/6 (B6) and C3H/He (C3H) mice were transplanted at various ratios into lethally irradiated B6 mice. The percentages of C3H cells in the chimeric mice gradually decreased, finally declining to only a small percentage, except when the ratio of donor to recipient BMCs was 100:1. However, despite the marked decreases in C3H-type cells, all the pancreas allografts of C3H mice were accepted when more than 1% C3H cells were detected in the peripheral blood. To examine the relationships between percentages of transplanted donor cells and acceptance of pancreas allografts, various percentages of donor and recipient BMCs (5% to 30%) were transplanted. It was found that more than 10% donor cells were necessary for the pancreas allografts to be accepted. In vitro assays for mixed lymphocyte reaction and generation of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes revealed that spleen cells in chimeric mice accepting pancreas allografts are tolerant to both host-type and donor-type major histocompatibility complex (MHC) determinants, but show a vigorous responsiveness to third-party MHC determinants. Since donor-type hemopoietic stem cells (HSCs) were detected in the BM and the liver of the chimeric mice, donor-derived HSCs and donor-derived hematolymphoid cells are responsible for the induction of tolerance. It should be noted that the percentage of donor-type HSCs is higher in the liver (6.2%) than in the BM (0.9%).
    Stem Cells 01/2000; 18(4):273-80. · 7.78 Impact Factor
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    Article: A CD1a+/CD11c+ subset of human blood dendritic cells is a direct precursor of Langerhans cells.
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    ABSTRACT: Based on the relative expression of CD11c and CD1a, we have identified three fractions of dendritic cells (DCs) in human peripheral blood, including a direct precursor of Langerhans cells (LCs). The first two fractions were CD11c+ DCs, comprised of a major CD1a+/CD11c+ population (fraction 1), and a minor CD1a-/CD11c+ component (fraction 2). Both CD11c+ fractions displayed a monocyte-like morphology, endocytosed FITC-dextran, expressed CD45RO and myeloid markers such as CD13 and CD33, and possessed the receptor for GM-CSF. The third fraction was comprised of CD1a-/CD11c- DCs (fraction 3) and resembled plasmacytoid T cells. These did not uptake FITC-dextran, were negative for myeloid markers (CD13/CD33), and expressed CD45RA and a high level of IL-3Ralpha, but not GM-CSF receptors. After culture with IL-3, fraction 3 acquired the characteristics of mature DCs; however, the expression of CD62L (lymph node-homing molecules) remained unchanged, indicating that fraction 3 can be a precursor pool for previously described plasmacytoid T cells in lymphoid organs. Strikingly, the CD1a+/CD11c+ DCs (fraction 1) quickly acquired LC characteristics when cultured in the presence of GM-CSF + IL-4 + TGF-beta1. Thus, E-cadherin, Langerin, and Lag Ag were expressed within 1 day of culture, and typical Birbeck granules were observed. In contrast, neither CD1a-/CD11c+ (fraction 2) nor CD1a-/CD11c- (fraction 3) cells had the capacity to differentiate into LCs. Furthermore, CD14+ monocytes only expressed E-cadherin, but lacked the other LC markers after culture in these cytokines. Therefore, CD1a+/CD11c+ DCs are the direct precursors of LCs in peripheral blood.
    The Journal of Immunology 09/1999; 163(3):1409-19. · 5.79 Impact Factor
  • Article: c-kit<low Pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells form CFU-S on day 16.
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    ABSTRACT: Using Ly5 congenic mice, we characterized the early differentiation step of pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells. Lineage- (Lin-)/CD71- cells in the bone marrow cells were separated into major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I(high)/c-kit(low) and MHC class I(high)/c-kit<low populations from C57BL/6 Ly5.1 male mice. These two populations (1,000 cells) were transplanted into lethally irradiated (5.5 Gy x 2) C57BL/6 Ly5.2 female mice. Colony-forming unit in spleen (CFU-S) assays were carried out on days 10, 12, 14, 16, and 20. In the mice that received c-kit(low) cells, CFU-S were first detected on day 12, and the CFU-S counts gradually increased. In contrast, no visible colony was detected until day 14 in the mice that received c-kit<low cells; CFU-S were first observed on day 16. Donor-derived (Ly5.1+) cells, such as B cells, T cells, and myeloid cells, were detected by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analyses, and donor-derived erythroid cells were detected by polymerase chain reaction analyses using Y-chromosome-specific primers. Donor-derived cells in the recipients of c-kit(low) cells were detected in the spleen, bone marrow, and peripheral blood on day 12 after transplantation, while they were detected on day 16 in the mice that received c-kit<low cells. Therefore, c-kit<low cells have the capacity not only to form CFU-S on day 16 but also to reconstitute the recipients with donor-derived hematolymphoid cells 16 days after transplantation.
    Stem Cells 01/1999; 17(1):39-44. · 7.78 Impact Factor
  • Article: Stimulatory effects of hepatocyte growth factor on hemopoiesis of SCF/c-kit system-deficient mice.
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    ABSTRACT: In this study, we report that W/W mutant mice, which have severe macrocytic anemia caused by a deficit of extracellular domain in c-kit molecules and therefore die perinatally, have hemopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and mature hematolymphoid cells in the bone marrow (BM), thymus, and spleen, although there are significant decreases in cell counts. Moreover, the mitogen-induced proliferative response, mixed lymphocyte reaction, and anti-SRBC plaque formation of spleen cells in W/W mice are similar to those in age-matched +/? littermates and normal mice, suggesting that the SCF/c-kit system is necessary for cell proliferation but not essential for HSCs to differentiate. We next examine the stimulatory effects of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on hemopoiesis in W/W mice. HGF has a stimulatory effect on the colony formation (CFU-C) of W/W BM cells when cultured using either a methylcellulose assay (containing cytokines) or a long-term culture (LTC) assay. A similar stimulatory effect of HGF is observed in the other W or SI locus-mutant mice (W/Wv and SI/SId mice), which show less severe anemia than W/W. The numbers of nonadherent cells and cobblestone colonies significantly increase in the LTCs using their BM cells. In addition, in vivo administration of HGF shows a transient increase in the CFU-C counts in BM cells and peripheral blood cells. RBC, WBC, and platelet counts also increased. These results suggest that the SCF/c-kit system is not essential to hemopoiesis but that a compensatory system such as the HGF/c-met system functions in the SCF/c-kit system-deficient mice.
    Stem Cells 02/1998; 16(1):66-77. · 7.78 Impact Factor
  • Article: Analyses of extrathymic T cell differentiation in nu/nu mice by grafting embryonal organs.
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    ABSTRACT: Fetal (days 15 to 17) organs such as the small intestine, stomach and pancreas were engrafted under the renal capsules of athymic nude (nu/nu) mice to examine the capacity of these organs to induce the differentiation of T cells. Eight weeks after engraftment, the engrafted organs had differentiated into adult-type organs histologically. In the lamina propria of the engrafted small intestine, large intestine, and stomach, there were clusters of lymphocytes or lymphoid follicles, which included Thy1.2+ or CD4+ T cells. Flow cytometric analyses revealed that the lymphocytes from the lymph nodes of sham-, esophagus-, or pancreas-engrafted mice included very few T cells (1.20%), whereas those from the lymph nodes of the fetal small intestine-, large intestine-, or stomach-engrafted mice included significant numbers of T cells (8.36%) 8 weeks after engraftment, although there were not as many as in the fetal thymus-engrafted mice (17.97%). The peripheral T cells in the small intestine-, large intestine-, or stomach-engrafted mice were of bone marrow origin, and consisted of Thy1.2+, CD3+, and CD4+8-, or CD4-8+ with T cell receptor (TcR) alpha beta cells. Taken together, these findings indicate that not only the murine small intestine and large intestine but also the stomach have the capacity to induce the differentiation of T cells.
    Immunobiology 07/1997; 197(1):1-15. · 3.20 Impact Factor
  • Article: The appearance of unusual phenotypic cells (CD4+ Mac-1+ class II+) in the liver of (NZW x BXSB)F1 mice is possibly an animal model for autoimmune hepatitis.
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    ABSTRACT: The male (NZW x BXSB)F1 (W/BF1) mouse, a murine model for autoimmune diseases, shows hepatosplenomegaly with lymphoid cell infiltration in the liver by 20 weeks of age. The majority of infiltrating cells are T cells, B cells and plasma cells, as seen in autoimmune hepatitis. Together with the increase in serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) levels, anti-dsDNA antibody (Ab) and circulating immune complex (CIC) levels increase with age. These findings are compatible with those of autoimmune hepatitis in humans. In addition, a unique finding in this mouse is the accumulation of CD4+ Mac-1+ Class II+ cells in the sinusoidal space. The cells have the capacity to proliferate and differentiate into macrophages in vitro, indicating that they are the precursors of macrophages. This W/BF1 mouse provides a useful tool for not only analyzing the pathogenesis of autoimmune hepatitis but also establishing a new therapeutic strategy for it. In addition, we discuss the significance of the appearance of abnormal cells in autoimmune-prone mice.
    Immunobiology 07/1997; 197(1):31-43. · 3.20 Impact Factor
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    Article: Pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells are c-kit<low.
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    ABSTRACT: Pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells (P-HSCs) were thought to be c-kit+, but recent reports indicate that they are c-kit(low). In the present report, we provide evidence using Ly5 congenic mice that P-HSCs are c-kit(<low). Lineage-negative (Lin-)/CD71- cells among bone marrow cells (BMCs) from C57BL/6 Ly5.1 mice were separated into major histocompatibility complex class I(high) (class I(high))/c-kit(low) and class I(high)/ c-kit(<low) populations. Each population (500 cells) was transplanted into lethally (9.0 Gy) irradiated C57BL/6 Ly5.2 congenic mice along with Ly5.2 (2 x 10(5)) compromised cells. Donor-derived Ly5.1+ cells were detected 6 months after transplantation in primary recipients reconstituted with either class I(high)/c-kit(low) or class I(high)/c-kit(<low) cells. BMCs (1 x 10(6)) from the primary recipients were further transplanted into secondary recipients (Ly5.2 mice) to assess their long term repopulating activity. Six months after bone marrow transplantation, Ly5.1+ cells in all lineages were detected only in secondary recipients that had been given BMCs from the primary recipients reconstituted with class I(high)/c-kit(<low) cells but not in cells that were class I(high)/c-kit(low). When the BMCs (1 x 10(6)) of these secondary recipients were further transplanted into tertiary recipients, all tertiary recipients that had been given BMCs from the secondary recipients originally reconstituted with Lin-/CD71-/class I(high)/c-kit(low) cells died within 10 days whereas all six tertiary recipients originally reconstituted with Lin-/CD71-/class I(high)/c-kit(<low) cells showed donor (Ly5.1+)-derived cells in their peripheral blood. In the single tertiary recipient that was killed, donor-derived T cells, B cells, macrophages, and granulocytes also were detected in several major hematolymphoid organs. The remaining five mice continue to survive more than 6 months after the tertiary bone marrow transplantation.
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 03/1997; 94(6):2513-7. · 9.68 Impact Factor
  • Article: Induction of c-kit molecules on human CD34+/c-kit < low cells: evidence for CD34+/c-kit < low cells as primitive hematopoietic stem cells.
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    ABSTRACT: c-kit, a receptor for stem cell factor, has been widely accepted as a distinctive marker for hematopoietic stem cells. However, the level of c-kit expression on pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells is still controversial in mice and humans. We purified CD34+/c-kit < low cells (phenotypically c-kit-negative but only detectable at the message level) from human cord blood and examined their maturational steps in relation to the expression of c-kit molecules. When the CD34+/c-kit < low cells were cultured with cytokines (flt 3 ligand, interleukin 6 and interleukin 7) plus immobilized anti-CD34 monoclonal antibody (to crosslink CD34 molecules), c-kit molecules were clearly induced within 24 h. The c-kit expression gradually increased until day 8. When CD34+/c-kit(low) or CD34+/c-kit+ cells that had been induced from CD34+/c-kit < low cells were resorted and recultured using a methylcellulose culture system, they showed the same colony-forming ability as the freshly isolated CD34+/c-kit(low) or CD34+/c-kit+ cells, respectively. Furthermore, CD34+/c-kit < low cells have a similar hematopoietic potential to CD34+/c-kit(low) cells in assays for long-term culture initiating cell and colony-forming unit culture generated from long-term cultures. These findings suggest that CD34+/c-kit < low cells mature into CD34+/c-kit(low) and CD34+/c-kit+ cells, and acquire the reactivity to various humoral hematopoietic stimuli. Moreover, CD34+/c-kit < low cells showed a low level of rhodamine 123 retention, suggesting that CD34+/c-kit < low cells have multidrug resistance. Therefore, the CD34+/c-kit < low cells without colony-forming unit-granulocyte-erythroid-macrophage-megakaryocyte activity are also a pluripotent hematopoietic stem cell population, and the expression of c-kit on c-kit < low cells is the first maturational step of hematopoiesis.
    Stem Cells 01/1997; 15(6):420-9. · 7.78 Impact Factor
  • Article: Intrathymically injected hemopoietic stem cells can differentiate into all lineage cells in the thymus: differences between c-kit+ cells and c-kit < low cells.
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    ABSTRACT: To investigate whether hemopoietic stem cells (HSCs) can differentiate into all lineage cells even in the thymus, we injected two types of HSCs (c-kit+ and c-kit < low cells) obtained from C57BL/6 Ly5.1 mice directly into the thymus of 7.5 Gy-irradiated C57BL/6 Ly5.2 mice. When c-kit < low cells (low density/lineage-/CD71-/major histocompatibility complex class I high/Sca-1+/Thy-1low/ c-kit < low) were injected, donor-derived (Ly5.1) cells were detected on day 8 after intrathymic (i.t.) injection, and the number reached a maximum on day 24 after injection. Granulocytes and macrophages were also detected on day 8 after injection. However, B220+ B cells were observed on day 13. Eighteen days after i.t. injection, the injected lobes showed red color due to the synchronous development of erythroid cells. Histological studies revealed the development not only of erythroid lineage cells but also of megakaryocytes in the thymus. In contrast, when c-kit+ cells were injected, a significant number of donor-derived cells were detected on day 5 after i.t. injection (three days earlier than in the case of c-kit < low cell injection). The differentiation into erythroid lineage cells was also observed six days earlier than when c-kit < low HSCs were injected. These findings suggest that c-kit < low HSCs are more primitive than c-kit+ HSCs, although both can differentiate into all lineage cells after i.t. injection.
    Stem Cells 01/1997; 15(6):430-6. · 7.78 Impact Factor
  • Article: Characterization of peripheral blood stem cells in mice.
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    ABSTRACT: Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) were mobilized in mice by treatment with cytosine-arabinoside on day 0, followed by the administration by injection of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor for 4 days. There were remarkable increases in the numbers of cells with lineage-negative (Lin-) c-kit+ markers, cells with colony-forming unit-cell (CFU-C) and colony-forming unit-spleen (CFU-S) activities, and cells with marrow-repopulating ability (MRA) in the extramedullary sites (the spleen, peripheral blood, and liver) on day 5, whereas the number of these immature hematopoietic cells decreased in the bone marrow (BM) on day 5. This finding suggests the mobilization of immature hematopoietic cells from the BM to the extramedullary sites. Three-color flow cytometric analyses showed that CD4 antigen was not expressed on the Lin-Sca-1+ cells in the mobilized PB cells (PBCs), although CD4lo cells were found in those of normal BM cells. Lin-c-kit+ cells in the mobilized PBCs contained more cells with immature phenotypes (Sca-1+, Thy1.2lo, CD71-, and Rh123dull) than in normal BMCs, indicating an alteration of the hierarchical composition of the Lin-c-kit+ cells. The Lin-c-kit+Sca-1+ cells in the mobilized PBCs had similar CFU-C and CFU-S activities to those in normal BMCs. Electron microscopic studies of these cells in the mobilized PBCs showed that only 10% to 20% of these cells had a thin rim of cytoplasm with poorly developed organelles. Allogeneic transplantation [B6 --> C3H] of PBSCs showed long-term reconstituting activity across the major histocompatibility complex barrier 24 weeks after transplantation, although longer observation is necessary.
    Blood 08/1996; 88(2):445-54. · 9.90 Impact Factor
  • Article: Abnormalities of B cells and dendritic cells in SAMP1 mice.
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    ABSTRACT: The age-related changes in the function of antigen-presenting cells (APC) were examined using a substrain of senescence-accelerated mouse (SAMP1). In the primary mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), dendritic cells (DC) from aged SAMP1 mice showed less stimulatory activity than those of age-matched BALB/c or young SAMP1 mice. In the secondary MLR, the stimulatory activity of B cells was found to be lower in aged SAMP1 mice but not in age-matched BALB/c or young SAMP1 mice. In addition, these age-related decreases in the stimulatory activity of APC were found to be related to changes in the surface density of major histocompatibility complex class II and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) (but not B7-1 or B7-2 molecule) on APC (DC and B cells).
    European Journal of Immunology 06/1995; 25(5):1319-25. · 5.10 Impact Factor
  • Article: Repair mechanism of lupus nephritis in (NZB x NZW)F1 mice by allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.
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    ABSTRACT: We have recently found that allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) can be used to treat lupus nephritis in (NZB x NZW)F1(B/WF1), BXSB, MRL/lpr and (NZW x BXSB)F1 mice. To elucidate why and how glomerular damage is repaired by BMT, serial renal biopsies were carried out using B/WF1 mice before and after BMT. Donor-derived B cells and macrophages with normal functions developed two weeks (wks) after BMT. At this stage, the macrophages did not show immune complex (IC) clearance activity. Donor-derived T cells with normal functions were generated six wks after BMT. At this stage, visceral epithelial cells macrophages and mesangial cells in the glomeruli were activated by T cells and showed marked phagocytic activity; macrophages and mesangial cells were found to be responsible for the clearance of ICs, whereas, to our surprise, epithelial cells were found to be responsible for the repair of injured basement membranes. These findings suggest that T cells with normal functions, which have the capacity to activate macrophages, mesangial cells and epithelial cells, play a crucial role in repairing IC-mediated glomerular damage.
    Immunobiology 05/1995; 192(5):279-96. · 3.20 Impact Factor
  • Article: Cytotoxic effects of irradiation and deoxyguanosine on fetal thymus.
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    ABSTRACT: Effects of irradiation and deoxyguanosine on the fetal thymus were examined both in vitro and in vivo. Fetal thymi (gestation day 15) of C57BL/6 mice that had been irradiated (0-25 Gy) or treated with various doses of deoxyguanosine (dGuo) were engrafted under the renal capsules of BALB/c nu/nu mice, and the differentiation of T cells was investigated in the engrafted thymi or spleens of these mice. After in vitro treatment of fetal thymi with 1.35 mM dGuo (which was previously reported to be an optimal dose), T cell precursors still remained in some cultures, whereas 1.80 mM dGuo was highly cytotoxic not only to T cell precursors but also to thymic epithelial cells. In contrast, 25 Gy irradiation totally eliminated the T cell precursors from the fetal thymi, though the capacity of epithelial cells to induce T cell differentiation was retained. Although irradiated thymi had the capacity to induce T cell differentiation when assayed in an in vitro organ culture system, long-term observation of thymi engrafted into BALB/c nu/nu mice revealed that, if they had been irradiated (9.5 Gy or 25 Gy), the thymi became scarred by 12 wks after their transplantation. Furthermore, the expression of cell interaction molecules such as ICAM-1 and MHC class II on the thymus stromal cells decreased after irradiation. The interaction molecules decreased 3 wks after 25 Gy irradiation and 7 wks after 9.5 Gy irradiation. The alteration in T cell subsets in the thymus (decreases in both double- and single- positive cells and an increase in double-negative cells) correlated with the decreases in the interaction molecules. This indicates that irradiation (even 9.5 Gy) impairs the T cell-induction capacity of the thymus stromal cells, resulting in an alteration of the T cell subsets followed by a change in the T cell counts in the thymus. Therefore, the long-term effects of irradiation of the thymus should be considered in cases of fetal thymus grafts or total body irradiation before bone marrow transplantation, particularly in the newborn.
    Immunobiology 05/1995; 192(5):365-81. · 3.20 Impact Factor