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Primary Human Hepatocytes Repopulate Livers of Mice After In Vitro Culturing and Lentiviral-Mediated Gene Transfer

Bierwolf, J; Volz, T; Luetgehetmann, M; Allweiss, L; Riecken, K; Warlich, M; Fehse, B; ... Pollok, J-M; + view all (2016) Primary Human Hepatocytes Repopulate Livers of Mice After In Vitro Culturing and Lentiviral-Mediated Gene Transfer. Tissue Engineering Part A , 22 (9-10) pp. 742-753. 10.1089/ten.tea.2015.0427. Green open access

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Abstract

Cell-based therapies represent a promising alternative to orthotopic liver transplantation. However, therapeutic effects are limited by low cell engraftment rates. We recently introduced a technique creating human hepatocyte spheroids for potential therapeutic application. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether these spheroids are suitable for engraftment in diseased liver tissues. Intrasplenic spheroid transplantation into immunodeficient uPA/SCID/beige mice was performed. Hepatocyte transduction ability prior to transplantation was tested by lentiviral labeling using red-green-blue (RGB) marking. Eight weeks after transplantation, animals were sacrificed and livers were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. To investigate human hepatocyte-specific gene expression profiles in mice, quantitative real-time-PCR was applied. Human albumin and alpha-1-antitrypsin concentrations in mouse serum were quantified to assess the levels of human chimerism. Precultured human hepatocytes reestablished their physiological liver tissue architecture and function upon transplantation in mice. Positive immunohistochemical labeling of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen revealed that human hepatocytes retained their in vivo proliferation capacity. Expression profiles of human genes analyzed in chimeric mouse livers resembled levels determined in native human tissue. Extensive vascularization of human cell clusters was detected by demonstration of von Willebrand factor activity. To model gene therapy approaches, lentiviral transduction was performed ex vivo and fluorescent microscopic imaging revealed maintenance of RGB marking in vivo. Altogether, this is the first report demonstrating that cultured and retroviral transduced human hepatocyte spheroids are able to engraft and maintain their regenerative potential in vivo.

Type: Article
Title: Primary Human Hepatocytes Repopulate Livers of Mice After In Vitro Culturing and Lentiviral-Mediated Gene Transfer
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1089/ten.tea.2015.0427
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1089/ten.tea.2015.0427
Language: English
Additional information: This Open Access article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.
Keywords: Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Cell & Tissue Engineering, Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology, Cell Biology, EMBRYONIC STEM-CELLS, PULSATILE FLOW BIOREACTOR, DIRECTED DIFFERENTIATION, CLINICAL-APPLICATIONS, HEPATIC ENDODERM, MOUSE-LIVER, TRANSPLANTATION, POLYMER, RAT, METABOLISM
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Medical Sciences > Div of Surgery and Interventional Sci
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10057885
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