IntroductionMesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells able to differentiate into mesoderm-derived cells, 1 and exhibit immunoregulatory properties. 2 MSCs have been used in the context of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation to improve hematopoietic engraftment, to prevent graft failure, and to reduce the incidence or severity of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). [3][4][5] MSCs obtained from bone marrow (BM) can undergo in vitro expansion in medium containing either fetal calf serum (FCS), with or without fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), or platelet lysate (PL). 6 However, little is known about the effect of donor selection or culture conditions on the functional properties and therapeutic potential of clinical-grade MSCs.Recent studies have suggested that MSCs can contribute to tumor growth and metastasis. 7 A related concern is the capacity of MSCs for oncogenic transformation. Mouse MSCs show chromosomal abnormalities and are highly susceptible to transformation associated with an increased telomerase activity and myc expression, and a loss of p53 and p16. [8][9][10] In contrast, human MSCs are more resistant to transformation in vitro with no genomic instability detected and no tumor induced after long-term in vivo transfer. [11][12][13][14][15] After 20 to 50 population doublings (PDs), human MSCs undergo replicative senescence, with telomere shortening and increased p16 expression. 16 They require the same steps to achieve transformation as for differentiated cells, suggesting that they are not prone to spontaneous transformation. 17 Nevertheless, one recent study described the transformation of human adipose tissue-derived MSCs with up-regulation of myc, repression of p16, acquisition of telomerase activity, 18 and generation of carcinoma in mice. 19 We investigated the immune properties and resistance to transformation of MSCs produced in 4 cell therapy facilities during 2 multicenter clinical trials designed to evaluate the capacity of BM-MSCs to prevent acute GVHD or to treat irradiationinduced lesions. MethodsDetails regarding methods are provided in the supplemental data (available on the Blood website; see the Supplemental Materials link at the top of the online article). For personal use only. on March 28, 2019. by guest www.bloodjournal.org From (1A to 11A) were done for the GVHD prevention clinical trial, and 4 (12A, 13A2) to treat accidentally irradiated patients. For irradiated patients, 5 supplemental MSC productions (12B to 16B) were done using human PL. 6 MSC production Growth kinetics and MSC characterizationGrowth kinetics was assessed by studying total fold increase, total number of PDs, and colony-forming unit-fibroblast. MSCs were screened for the expression of CD45, CD73, CD105, CD90, and human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR) and were also checked for their capacity to stimulate the growth of allogeneic peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and to inhibit alloantigen-driven proliferation of PBMCs. Cytogenetic analysisAt the end of the first (P ...

We previously identified multipotent stem cells within the lamina propria of the human olfactory mucosa, located in the nasal cavity. We also demonstrated that this cell type differentiates into neural cells and improves locomotor behavior after transplantation in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Yet, next to nothing is known about their specific stemness characteristics. We therefore devised a study aiming to compare olfactory lamina propria stem cells from 4 individuals to bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells from 4 age- and gender-matched individuals. Using pangenomic microarrays and immunostaining with 34 cell surface marker antibodies, we show here that olfactory stem cells are closely related to bone marrow stem cells. However, olfactory stem cells also exhibit singular traits. By means of techniques such as proliferation assay, cDNA microarrays, RT-PCR, in vitro and in vivo differentiation, we report that when compared to bone marrow stem cells, olfactory stem cells display (1) a high proliferation rate; (2) a propensity to differentiate into osseous cells; and (3) a disinclination to give rise to chondrocytes and adipocytes. Since peripheral olfactory stem cells originate from a neural crest-derived tissue and, as shown here, exhibit an increased expression of neural cell-related genes, we propose to name them olfactory ectomesenchymal stem cells (OE-MSC). Further studies are now required to corroborate the therapeutic potential of OE-MSCs in animal models of bone and brain diseases.

BackgroundInterferon induced transmembrane proteins 1, 2 and 3 (IFITMs) belong to a family of highly related antiviral factors that have been shown to interfere with a large spectrum of viruses including Filoviruses, Coronaviruses, Influenza virus, Dengue virus and HIV-1. In all these cases, the reported mechanism of antiviral inhibition indicates that the pool of IFITM proteins present in target cells blocks incoming viral particles in endosomal vesicles where they are subsequently degraded.ResultsIn this study, we describe an additional mechanism through which IFITMs block HIV-1. In virus-producing cells, IFITMs coalesce with forming virions and are incorporated into viral particles. Expression of IFITMs during virion assembly leads to the production of virion particles of decreased infectivity that are mostly affected during entry in target cells. This mechanism of inhibition is exerted against different retroviruses and does not seem to be dependent on the type of Envelope present on retroviral particles.ConclusionsThe results described here identify a novel mechanism through which IFITMs affect HIV-1 infectivity during the late phases of the viral life cycle. Put in the context of data obtained by other laboratories, these results indicate that IFITMs can target HIV at two distinct moments of its life cycle, in target cells as well as in virus-producing cells. These results raise the possibility that IFITMs could similarly affect distinct steps of the life cycle of a number of other viruses.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12977-014-0103-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.