Stem cells hold great promise for treating various degenerative diseases. However, the outcomes of preclinical and clinical cell therapy studies are still not close to our expectation. The unsatisfactory outcomes of cell therapy are at least partially due to: 1) insufficient homing of implanted stem cells into target organs and 2) use of heterogeneous cell populations for cell therapy. Therefore, there is a need to develop effective guiding technique for stem cells to migrate to the target organs and to isolate effective stem cell populations. In this project, I developed a microfluidics-based method for selecting chemotactic adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) to epidermal growth factor (EGF). This method integrates cell patterning, chemotaxis and cell extraction on a single microfluidic device. Post-extraction analysis confirmed the higher chemotactic ability of the extracted cells to EGF. The extracted chemotactic ASCs shows up-regulated surface expression of EGF receptor and its downstream signaling event upon EGF stimulation.

Yes / We report the first application of a microfluidic device to observe chemotactic migration in multicellular spheroids. A microfluidic device was designed comprising a central microchamber and two lateral channels through which reagents can be introduced. Multicellular spheroids were embedded in collagen and introduced to the microchamber. A gradient of fetal bovine serum (FBS) was established across the central chamber by addition of growth media containing serum into one of the lateral channels. We observe that spheroids of oral squamous carcinoma cells OSC–19 invade collectively in the direction of the gradient of FBS. This invasion is more directional and aggressive than that observed for individual cells in the same experimental setup. In contrast to spheroids of OSC–19, U87-MG multicellular spheroids migrate as individual cells. A study of the exposure of spheroids to the chemoattractant shows that the rate of diffusion into the spheroid is slow and thus, the chemoattractant wave engulfs the spheroid before diffusing through it. / This work has been supported by National Research Program of Spain (DPI2011-28262-c04-01) and by the project "MICROANGIOTHECAN" (CIBERBBN, IMIBIC and SEOM). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1972.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1972.

Efficient directed migration requires tight regulation of chemoattractant signal transduction pathways in both space and time, but the mechanisms involved in such regulation are not well understood. Here, we investigated the role of protein kinase A (PKA) in controlling signaling of the chemoattractant cAMP in Dictyostelium discoideum. We found that cells lacking PKA display severe chemotaxis defects, including impaired directional sensing. Although PKA is an important regulator of developmental gene expression, including the cAMP receptor cAR1, our studies using exogenously expressed cAR1 in cells lacking PKA, cells lacking adenylyl cyclase A (ACA) and cells treated with the PKA-selective pharmacological inhibitor H89, suggest that PKA controls chemoattractant signal transduction, in part, through the regulation of RasG, Rap1 and TORC2. As these pathways control the ACA-mediated production of intracellular cAMP, they lie upstream of PKA in this chemoattractant signaling network. Consequently, we propose that the PKA-mediated regulation of the upstream RasG, Rap1 and TORC2 signaling pathways is part of a negative feedback mechanism controlling chemoattractant signal transduction during Dictyostelium chemotaxis.

Yes / We describe a novel protocol to quantitatively and simultaneously compare the chemotactic responses of cells towards different chemokines. In this protocol, droplets of agarose gel containing different chemokines are applied onto the surface of a Petri dish, and then immersed under culture medium in which cells are suspended. As chemokine molecules diffuse away from the spot, a transient chemoattractant gradient is established across the spots. Cells expressing the corresponding cognate chemokine receptors migrate against this gradient by crawling under the agarose spots towards their centre. We show that this migration is chemokine-specific; meaning that only cells that express the cognate chemokine cell surface receptor, migrate under the spot containing its corresponding chemokine ligand. Furthermore, we show that migration under the agarose spot can be modulated by selective small molecule antagonists present in the cell culture medium.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes) are short lived granulocytes that playa primordial role in host innate defense against invading pathogens. Freshly isolated neutrophils spontaneously undergo apoptosis when cultured, which is associated with oxidative stress. We found that there is a dramatic shift in the metabolism of the 5-lipoxygenase product 5-hydroxy-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) from its biologically inactive o-oxidation product in freshly isolated neutrophils to the potent granulocyte chemoattractant 5-oxo-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-oxo-ETE) in neutrophils cultured for 24 h. o-oxidation of the chemoattractant leukotriene B4 (LTB4) was also reduced in aging neutrophils incubated with arachidonic acid, resulting in higher levels of LTB4. The reduced o-oxidation activity appeared to be due to a decrease in active LTB4 20-hydroxylase. In contrast, the increased 5-oxo-ETE formation was not associated with an increase in the amount of active 5-hydroxyeicosanoid dehydrogenase, which is required for its formation, but rather with a dramatic increase in its cofactor NADP +. NAD+ levels also increased, but NADPH levels remained unchanged after 24 h. There was also evidence for increased oxidative stress (high GSSG/GSH) in aging neutrophils. The changes in 5-HETE metabolism and pyridine nucleotides in cultured neutrophils could be inhibited by neutrophil survival factors and antioxidants. These results suggest that in severe inflammation, aging neutrophils that have evaded rapid uptake by macrophages may produce increased amounts of the chemoattractants 5-oxo-ETE and LTB4, resulting in delayed resolution of inflammation. Similarly, we found that the NADPH oxidase activator PMA caused a very rapid and dramatic increase in NADP + levels in both freshly isolated and cultured neutrophils, accompanied by a rapid increase in 5-oxo-ETE synthesis and reduced o-oxidation activity. Surprisingly, this was not accompanied by a corresponding decline in NADPH levels, which instead initially increased, but rather by a precipitous reduction in NAD+, which mirrored the increase in NADP+. These results suggest that the phosphorylation of NAD+ by NAD kinase may be very important for providing both NADP+ for 5-oxo-ETE synthesis and NADPH for the respiratory burst.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2004. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.