published_or_final_version / Pathology / Master / Master of Philosophy

T lymphocytes play a critical role in adaptive immunity by eliciting and regulating specific immune responses against viral and bacterial pathogens. The development of T cells occurs within the highly specialized thymus and follows a defined set of stage-specific differentiation steps. However, the molecular and cellular events occurring at early stages of human T-cell development remain to be fully elucidated. This was in part due to the inability to obtain substantial numbers of T-lineage cells from hybrid/human fetal thymic organ culture (FTOC) and the inability to recapitulate human T-lymphopoiesis using other systems. To address the molecular and cellular events occurring during early human T-lymphopoiesis, human umbilical cord-blood (UCB) hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) were induced to differentiate to the T-lineage utilizing OP9-DL1 stromal cells. A developmental program involving a sequential and temporally discrete expression of key differentiation markers was revealed. In addition, this Thesis demonstrates that in vitro-generated CD34+CD7++ progenitors effectively engrafted the thymus of immunodeficient mice. In addition, two distinct progenitor subsets, CD34+CD45RA+CD7++CD5-CD1a- (proT1) and CD34+CD45RA+CD7++CD5+CD1a- (proT2), were identified with proT2 cells showing a 3-fold enhanced engrafting capacity than the proT1 subset. As proT2 cells exhibit superior engrafting capacity, these cells were tested for their ability to enhance T cell generation following hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). We observe that when HSCs are coinjected with proT2 cells, a dramatic improvement in HSC-derived T-lymphopoiesis is observed. This Thesis demonstrates that in vitro-derived proT2 cells reorganize the thymus stromal compartment of the host NOD/SCID/γcnull mouse compared to the highly disorganized cortical and medullary compartments in mice not receiving proT cells. This alteration in thymic architecture likely favours the recruitment of BM derived progenitors. Lastly, we address whether functional CD8 T cells can be generated in vitro using hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in coculture with OP9-DL1 cells and indeed these cells were capable of proliferating, and secreting effector molecules typical of cytotoxic T cells. Taken together, the ability to generate proT cells and mature T cells from Notch-ligand cultures offers a new tool to study human T cell development.

T lymphocytes play a critical role in adaptive immunity by eliciting and regulating specific immune responses against viral and bacterial pathogens. The development of T cells occurs within the highly specialized thymus and follows a defined set of stage-specific differentiation steps. However, the molecular and cellular events occurring at early stages of human T-cell development remain to be fully elucidated. This was in part due to the inability to obtain substantial numbers of T-lineage cells from hybrid/human fetal thymic organ culture (FTOC) and the inability to recapitulate human T-lymphopoiesis using other systems. To address the molecular and cellular events occurring during early human T-lymphopoiesis, human umbilical cord-blood (UCB) hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) were induced to differentiate to the T-lineage utilizing OP9-DL1 stromal cells. A developmental program involving a sequential and temporally discrete expression of key differentiation markers was revealed. In addition, this Thesis demonstrates that in vitro-generated CD34+CD7++ progenitors effectively engrafted the thymus of immunodeficient mice. In addition, two distinct progenitor subsets, CD34+CD45RA+CD7++CD5-CD1a- (proT1) and CD34+CD45RA+CD7++CD5+CD1a- (proT2), were identified with proT2 cells showing a 3-fold enhanced engrafting capacity than the proT1 subset. As proT2 cells exhibit superior engrafting capacity, these cells were tested for their ability to enhance T cell generation following hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). We observe that when HSCs are coinjected with proT2 cells, a dramatic improvement in HSC-derived T-lymphopoiesis is observed. This Thesis demonstrates that in vitro-derived proT2 cells reorganize the thymus stromal compartment of the host NOD/SCID/γcnull mouse compared to the highly disorganized cortical and medullary compartments in mice not receiving proT cells. This alteration in thymic architecture likely favours the recruitment of BM derived progenitors. Lastly, we address whether functional CD8 T cells can be generated in vitro using hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in coculture with OP9-DL1 cells and indeed these cells were capable of proliferating, and secreting effector molecules typical of cytotoxic T cells. Taken together, the ability to generate proT cells and mature T cells from Notch-ligand cultures offers a new tool to study human T cell development.

In dieser Arbeit wird das in vivo-Verhalten der murinen Erythro- und Granulopoese, einschließlich der hämatopoetischer Stammzellen, unter dem Einfluß von exogen appliziertem G-CSF und Erythropoietin mit Hilfe eines mathematischen Kompartimentmodelles untersucht. Der Schwerpunkt liegt auf der Identifizierung von linienübergreifenden Wachstumsfaktoreffekten. Zu diesem Zweck werden experimentelle Daten mit den Modellsimulationen unter Berücksichtigung verschiedener Modellannahmen verglichen. Die experimentellen Daten für die Modellentwicklung stammen zum einem kleinen Teil aus der Literatur, hauptsächlich betrachtet wurden jedoch Daten einer kooperierenden niederländischen Arbeitsgruppe. Die beiden Wachstumsfaktoren wurden kontinuierlich und simultan mittels osmotischer Minipumpen subkutan über einen längeren Zeitraum appliziert. Die experimentellen Daten werden zunächst mit Hilfe eines nichtlinearen Regressionsmodelles analysiert und quantitativ beschrieben, wobei Interaktionseffekte zwischen den Wachstumsfaktoren besondere Berücksichtigung finden. Es wird dann ein umfassendes mathematischen Differentialgleichungsmodell der murinen Erythro- und Granulopoese unter Berücksichtigung der linienübergreifenden Wachstumsfaktoreffekte und Interaktionen aufgestellt. Es wird zunächst überprüft, ob sich die beobachteten Daten unter Simultanstimulation durch die einfache Zusammenschaltung zweier bereits existierender Einzelmodelle der Erythro- und Granulopoese ohne weitere Modellannahmen erklären lassen. Dazu werden Daten von normalen als auch splenektomierten Tieren berücksichtigt. Es zeigt sich nach Prüfung verschiedener Hypothesen, dass erst unter Annahme einer durch Erythropoietin potenzierten Amplifikation der primär G-CSF-abhängigen Zellstufe der lienalen CFU-GM die experimentell beobachteten Effekte erklärt werden können. Es wird außerdem gezeigt, daß sich mit demselben Modell und denselben Modellparametern die bei splenektomierten Tieren zu beobachtetende G-CSFabhängige Entwicklung einer EPO-resistenten Anämie gut erklärt wird. In einem zweiten Teil der Arbeit wird ein Modellkonzept erarbeitet, mit welchem sich die Effekte nach Langzeitgabe von G-CSF mittels rezeptorvermitteltem G-CSF-Abbau erklären lassen. In einem dritten Teil wird geprüft, ob sich die hämatopoetische Zellzahldynamik nach Absetzen der G-CSF-Gabe durch eine aktive Rückmigration von Progenitoren aus der Milz in das Knochenmark erklären läßt. Das in dieser Arbeit entwickelte kombinierte Modell der Erythro- und Granulopoese impliziert eine Reihe von weiteren Fragen und bedarf der Überprüfung und Weiterentwicklung anhand weiterer experimenteller Daten. Dafür werden entsprechende Vorschläge erarbeitet, die weitere Einblicke in das komplexe Systemverhalten der Hämatopoese liefern könnten.

Bibliography: leaves 271-325. / xxxiii, 325, [249] leaves, [23] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / The date presented in this thesis is directed toward the molecular characterisation of cell surface molecules (CSMs) that mediate interactions between human haemopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) and cells of the bone marrow (BM) stroma. The research focuses on the role of selectins in the regulation of haemopoiesis, the identification and molecular characterisation of novel structures expressed at the surface of primitive human HPC and cultured BM stromal cells, the molecular characterisation of the antigen identified by the mAb HCC-1 which delineates a subset of the CD34+ cell population, and the molecular cloning of a novel mucin-like transmembrane glycoprotein termed MGC -24v. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology, 1997?

Uroplakin 1B (UPKIB) is an integral structural protein interacting with uroplakins 1A, 2 and 3 to form hexameric plaques along the bladder lumen in the asymmetric unit membrane of urothelial umbrella cells in humans and other mammals. UPKIB mRNA expression is deregulated in transitional cell carcinomas (TCCs), however the mechanisms of regulation of UPKIB have not been established. Using genome databases, a Xenopus UPKIB homologue was identified. Maximum Parsimony and BAMBE (Bayesian Analysis in Molecular Biology and Evolution) data support a close evolutionary relationship between mammalian and amphibian UPKIB mRNA. Using Unigene, UPKIB human expressed sequence tags were identified in tissues including brain, skeletal muscle and liver, suggesting the relatively widespread distribution of this membrane protein. The UPKIB genomic structure was also deduced using genome databases. Contig AC083800, identified in a high throughput genomic sequence database, spanned UPKIB and 9 exons and 8 introns were defined. A 67bp 5' untranslated region was identified using 5' rapid amplification of cDNA ends. This product was sequenced and a putative UPKIB promoter and transcription start site was deduced. Contig AC083800 spanned the transcription start site and putative promoter. Transcription factor binding motif prediction programs detected no TATA box, but did predict a CCAAT box and several binding motifs including 4 Sp-1 sites and a NFKB site. A weak CpG island was identified within a 0.5kb region including the putative promoter, exon 1 and intron 1, which was 54% GC rich with CpG:GpC ratio of 0.46, containing 15 CpG dinucleotides. Seven TCC cell lines and five peripheral blood lymphocyte samples were analysed for UPKIB expression using RT-PCR and two cell lines expressed UPKIB transcripts. Eleven CpG sites in the putative promoter were investigated for methylation using bisulfite modification analysis in normal PBL, TCC cell lines and patient TCC samples. An inverse correlation was established in TCC cell lines between UPKIB mRNA expression and degree of methylation. 5-Aza-2'deoxycytidine induced UPKIB mRNA expression in T24 cells, previously observed not to express UPKIB. Sequence analysis of patient samples revealed more complex CpG methylation patterns, reflecting tumour heterogeneity. In summary, the uroplakin 1B gene has been characterised and one mechanism of regulation of gene expression involves methylation. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Dept of Surgery, 2003.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Molecular Biosciences, 2001. / "December 2001." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 178-225).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [74]-91).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University, 2008. / Title from screen (viewed June 24, 2009). Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Advisor(s): Maureen Harrington. Includes vita. Non-Latin script record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-132).

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2006. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 154-187).. Also available online.