Nicolas Christoforou - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Nicolas Christoforou

Disease Models & Mechanisms

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is caused by misexpression of the DUX4 transcriptio... more Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is caused by misexpression of the DUX4 transcription factor in skeletal muscle that results in transcriptional alterations, abnormal phenotypes and cell death. To gain insight into the kinetics of DUX4-induced stresses, we activated DUX4 expression in myoblasts and performed longitudinal RNA sequencing paired with proteomics and phosphoproteomics. This analysis revealed changes in cellular physiology upon DUX4 activation, including DNA damage and altered mRNA splicing. Phosphoproteomic analysis uncovered rapid widespread changes in protein phosphorylation following DUX4 induction, indicating that alterations in kinase signaling might play a role in DUX4-mediated stress and cell death. Indeed, we demonstrate that two stress-responsive MAP kinase pathways, JNK and p38, are activated in response to DUX4 expression. Inhibition of each of these pathways ameliorated DUX4-mediated cell death in myoblasts. These findings uncover that the JNK pat...

Mutations in thedystrophingene cause the most common and currently incurable Duchenne muscular dy... more Mutations in thedystrophingene cause the most common and currently incurable Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) characterized by progressive muscle wasting. Although abnormal Ca2+handling is a pathological feature of DMD, mechanisms underlying defective Ca2+homeostasis remain unclear. Here we generate a novel DMD patient-derived pluripotent stem cell (PSC) model of skeletal muscle with an isogenic control using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)- mediated precise gene correction. Transcriptome analysis identifies dysregulated gene sets in the absence of dystrophin, including genes involved in Ca2+handling, excitation-contraction coupling and muscle contraction. Specifically, analysis of intracellular Ca2+transients and mathematical modeling of Ca2+dynamics reveal significantly reduced cytosolic Ca2+clearance rates in DMD-PSC derived myotubes. Pharmacological assays demonstrate Ca2+flux in myotubes is determined by both intracellular and extracellular so...

ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, 2021

There is a growing need to develop novel wellcharacterized biological inks (bioinks) that are cus... more There is a growing need to develop novel wellcharacterized biological inks (bioinks) that are customizable for three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting of specific tissue types. Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) is one such candidate bioink due to its biocompatibility and tunable mechanical properties. Currently, only low-concentration GelMA hydrogels (≤5% w/v) are suitable as cellladen bioinks, allowing high cell viability, elongation, and migration. Yet, they offer poor printability. Herein, we optimize GelMA bioinks in terms of concentration and cross-linking time for improved skeletal muscle C2C12 cell spreading in 3D, and we augment these by adding gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) or a two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbide (MXene nanosheets) for enhanced printability and biological properties. AuNP and MXene addition endowed GelMA with increased conductivity (up to 0.8 ± 0.07 and 0.9 ± 0.12 S/m, respectively, compared to 0.3 ± 0.06 S/m for pure GelMA). Furthermore, it resulted in an improvement of rheological properties and printability, specifically at 10°C. Improvements in electrical and rheological properties led to enhanced differentiation of encapsulated myoblasts and allowed for printing highly viable (97%) stable constructs. Taken together, these results constitute a significant step toward fabrication of 3D conductive tissue constructs with physiological relevance.

Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 2019

Magnet-assisted transfection or magnetofection refers to the delivery of nucleic acids to target ... more Magnet-assisted transfection or magnetofection refers to the delivery of nucleic acids to target cells with the help of conjugated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and external magnetic fields generated by permanent magnet plates. The external magnetic field, among other parameters, directly affects the transfection efficiency. However, standard permanent magnet plates generate static magnetic fields which are not as effective compared to time-varying, dynamic fields. In this work, we show a new and novel "AC magnet plate" compatible with standard 96-well cell culture plates, which can be easily adapted for benchtop use in a typical lab setting. We provide full design details, modelling, fabrication, measurement and testing on human embryonic kidney cells (HEK 293) to show transfection improvement. We perform magnetofection under different field conditions and show that with increasing AC content, efficiency of transfection is improved.

Journal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, Jan 18, 2017

Skeletal muscle holds significant regenerative potential but is incapable of restoring tissue los... more Skeletal muscle holds significant regenerative potential but is incapable of restoring tissue loss caused due to severe injury, congenital defects, or tumor ablation. Consequently, skeletal muscle models are being developed to study human pathophysiology and regeneration. Their physiological accuracy, however, is hampered by the lack of an easily accessible human cell source that is readily expandable and capable of efficient differentiation. MYOD1, a master gene regulator, induces transdifferentiation of a variety of cell types into skeletal muscle, although inefficiently in human cells. Here we use MYOD1 to establish its capacity to induce skeletal muscle transdifferentiation of human dermal fibroblasts under baseline conditions. We then demonstrate significant transdifferentiation improvement via TGFβ/Activin signaling inhibition, canonical WNT signaling activation, receptor tyrosine kinase binding, and Collagen type I utilization. Mechanistically, we show that manipulation of in...

Experimental Cell Research, 2016

In vitro research on vascular tissue engineering has extensively used isolated primary human or a... more In vitro research on vascular tissue engineering has extensively used isolated primary human or animal smooth muscle cells (SMC). Research programs that lack such facilities tend towards commercially available primary cells sources. Here, we aim to evaluate the capacity of commercially available human SMC to maintain their contractile phenotype, and determine if dedifferentiation towards the synthetic phenotype occurs in response to conventional cell culture and passaging without any external biochemical or mechanical stimuli. Lower passage SMC adopted a contractile phenotype marked by a relatively slower proliferation rate, higher expression of proteins of the contractile apparatus and smoothelin, elongated morphology, and reduced deposition of collagen types I and III. As the passage number increased, migratory capacity was enhanced, average cell speed, total distance and net distance travelled increased up to passage 8. Through the various assays, corroborative evidence pinpoints SMC at passage 7 as the transition point between the contractile and synthetic phenotypes, while passage 8 distinctly and consistently exhibited characteristics of synthetic phenotype. This knowledge is particularly useful in selecting SMC of appropriate passage number for the target vascular tissue engineering application, for example, a homeostatic vascular graft for blood vessel replacement versus recreating atherosclerotic blood vessel model in vitro.

Cytoskeleton (Hoboken, N.J.), Jan 25, 2016

The significant gap between quantitative and qualitative understanding of cytoskeletal function i... more The significant gap between quantitative and qualitative understanding of cytoskeletal function is a pressing problem; microscopy and labeling techniques have improved qualitative investigations of localized cytoskeleton behavior, whereas quantitative analyses of whole cell cytoskeleton networks remain challenging. Here we present a method that accurately quantifies cytoskeleton dynamics. Our approach digitally subdivides cytoskeleton images using interrogation windows, within which box-counting is used to infer a fractal dimension (Df ) to characterize spatial arrangement, and gray value intensity (GVI) to determine actin density. A partitioning algorithm further obtains cytoskeleton characteristics from the perinuclear, cytosolic, and periphery cellular regions. We validated our measurement approach on Cytochalasin-treated cells using transgenically modified dermal fibroblast cells expressing fluorescent actin cytoskeletons. This method differentiates between normal and chemically...

Nanotechnology, Jan 6, 2016

Breast cancer is the most common and deadly cancer among women worldwide. Currently, nanotechnolo... more Breast cancer is the most common and deadly cancer among women worldwide. Currently, nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems are useful for cancer treatment; however, strategic planning is critical in order to enhance the anti-cancer properties and reduce the side effects of cancer therapy. Here, we designed multifunctional gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) conjugated with two anti-cancer drugs, TGF-β1 antibody and methotrexate, and a cancer-targeting molecule, folic acid. First, optimum size and shape of AuNPs was selected by the highest uptake of AuNPs by MDA-MB-231, a metastatic human breast cancer cell line. It was 100 nm spherical AuNPs (S-AuNPs) that were used for further studies. A fixed amount (900 μl) of S-AuNP (3.8 × 10(8) particles/ml) was conjugated with folic acid-BSA or methotrexate-BSA. Methotrexate on S-AuNP induced cellular toxicity and the optimum amount of methotrexate-BSA (2.83 mM) was 500 μl. Uptake of S-AuNPs was enhanced by folate conjugation that binds to folate ...

Biomaterials, 2016

Access to smooth muscle cells (SMC) would create opportunities for tissue engineering, drug testi... more Access to smooth muscle cells (SMC) would create opportunities for tissue engineering, drug testing, and disease modeling. Herein we report the direct conversion of human endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) to induced smooth muscle cells (iSMC) by induced expression of MYOCD. The EPC undergo a cytoskeletal rearrangement resembling that of mesenchymal cells within 3 days post initiation of MYOCD expression. By day 7, the reprogrammed cells show upregulation of smooth muscle markers ACTA2, MYH11, and TAGLN by qRT-PCR and ACTA2 and MYH11 expression by immunofluorescence. By two weeks, they resemble umbilical artery SMC in microarray gene expression analysis. The iSMC, in contrast to EPC control, show calcium transients in response to phenylephrine stimulation and a contractility an order of magnitude higher than that of EPC as determined by traction force microscopy. Tissue-engineered blood vessels constructed using iSMC show functionality with respect to flowand drug-mediated vasodilation and vasoconstriction.

Annals of biomedical engineering, Jan 16, 2015

Annals of biomedical engineering, Jan 17, 2015

Umbilical cord blood represents a promising cell source for pro-angiogenic therapies. The present... more Umbilical cord blood represents a promising cell source for pro-angiogenic therapies. The present study examined the potential of mononuclear cells (MNCs) from umbilical cord blood to support endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) microvessel formation. MNCs were isolated from the cord blood of 20 separate donors and selected for further characterization based upon their proliferation potential and morphological resemblance to human vascular pericytes (HVPs). MNCs were screened for their ability to support EPC network formation using an in vitro assay (Matrigel™) as well as a reductionist, coculture system consisting of no additional angiogenic cytokines beyond those present in serum. In less than 15% of the isolations, we identified a population of highly proliferative MNCs that phenotypically resembled HVPs as assessed by expression of PDGFR-β, NG2, α-SMA, and ephrin-B2. Within a Matrigel™ system, MNCs demonstrated pericyte-like function through colocalization to EPC networks and simil...

Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.), 2014

The discovery of novel disease-modifying drugs for osteoarthritis (OA) is limited by the lack of ... more The discovery of novel disease-modifying drugs for osteoarthritis (OA) is limited by the lack of adequate genetically defined cartilage tissues for application in high-throughput screening systems. We addressed this need by synthesizing cartilage from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to establish and validate an in vitro model of OA. Native or iPSC-derived mouse cartilage samples were treated with the cytokine interleukin-1α (IL-1α) for 3 days to model the inflammatory environment of OA. The biochemical content, mechanical properties, and gene expression of the resulting tissues were assayed. In addition, the inflammatory and catabolic environment of the media was assessed. To establish high-throughput capability, we used a 96-well plate format and conducted a screen of previously identified candidate OA drugs. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) release into the medium was used as the primary output for screening. Treatment of iPSC-derived or native cartilage with IL-1α induced character...

BioResearch Open Access, 2015

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) represent promising cell so... more Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) represent promising cell sources for angiogenic therapies. There are, however, conflicting reports regarding the ability of MSCs to support network formation of endothelial cells. The goal of this study was to assess the ability of human bone marrow-derived MSCs to support network formation of endothelial outgrowth cells (EOCs) derived from umbilical cord blood EPCs. We hypothesized that upon in vitro coculture, MSCs and EOCs promote a microenvironment conducive for EOC network formation without the addition of angiogenic growth supplements. EOC networks formed by coculture with MSCs underwent regression and cell loss by day 10 with a near 4-fold and 2-fold reduction in branch points and mean segment length, respectively, in comparison with networks formed by coculture vascular smooth muscle cell (SMC) cocultures. EOC network regression in MSC cocultures was not caused by lack of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A or changes in TGF-b1 or Ang-2 supernatant concentrations in comparison with SMC cocultures. Removal of CD45 + cells from MSCs improved EOC network formation through a 2-fold increase in total segment length and number of branch points in comparison to unsorted MSCs by day 6. These improvements, however, were not sustained by day 10. CD45 expression in MSC cocultures correlated with EOC network regression with a 5-fold increase between day 6 and day 10 of culture. The addition of supplemental growth factors VEGF, fibroblastic growth factor-2, EGF, hydrocortisone, insulin growth factor-1, ascorbic acid, and heparin to MSC cocultures promoted stable EOC network formation over 2 weeks in vitro, without affecting CD45 expression, as evidenced by a lack of significant differences in total segment length (p = 0.96). These findings demonstrate the ability of MSCs to support EOC network formation correlates with removal of CD45 + cells and improves upon the addition of soluble growth factors.

Stem cell reports, Jan 9, 2014

Gene activation by the CRISPR/Cas9 system has the potential to enable new approaches to science a... more Gene activation by the CRISPR/Cas9 system has the potential to enable new approaches to science and medicine, but the technology must be enhanced to robustly control cell behavior. We show that the fusion of two transactivation domains to Cas9 dramatically enhances gene activation to a level that is necessary to reprogram cell phenotype. Targeted activation of the endogenous Myod1 gene locus with this system led to stable and sustained reprogramming of mouse embryonic fibroblasts into skeletal myocytes. The levels of myogenic marker expression obtained by the activation of endogenous Myod1 gene were comparable to that achieved by overexpression of lentivirally delivered MYOD1 transcription factor.

Tissue Engineering Part A, 2015

The limited regenerative capacity of articular cartilage contributes to progressive joint dysfunc... more The limited regenerative capacity of articular cartilage contributes to progressive joint dysfunction associated with cartilage injury or osteoarthritis. Cartilage tissue engineering seeks to provide a biological substitute for repairing damaged or diseased cartilage, but requires a cell source with the capacity for extensive expansion without loss of chondrogenic potential. In this study, we hypothesized that decreased expression of the cell cycle inhibitor p21 would enhance the proliferative and chondrogenic potential of differentiated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Murine iPSCs were directed to differentiate toward the chondrogenic lineage with an established protocol and then engineered to express a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to reduce the expression of p21. Cells expressing the p21 shRNA demonstrated higher proliferative potential during monolayer expansion and increased synthesis of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in pellet cultures. Furthermore, these cells could be expanded *150-fold over three additional passages without a reduction in the subsequent production of GAGs, while control cells showed reduced potential for GAG synthesis with three additional passages. In pellets from extensively passaged cells, knockdown of p21 attenuated the sharp decrease in cell number that occurred in control cells, and immunohistochemical analysis showed that p21 knockdown limited the production of type I and type X collagen while maintaining synthesis of cartilage-specific type II collagen. These findings suggest that manipulating the cell cycle can augment the monolayer expansion and preserve the chondrogenic capacity of differentiated iPSCs, providing a strategy for enhancing iPSC-based cartilage tissue engineering.

Transient overexpression of defined combinations of master regulator genes can effectively induce... more Transient overexpression of defined combinations of master regulator genes can effectively induce cellular reprogramming: the acquisition of an alternative predicted phenotype from a differentiated cell lineage. This can be of particular importance in cardiac regenerative medicine wherein the heart lacks the capacity to heal itself, but simultaneously contains a large pool of fibroblasts. In this study we determined the cardio-inducing capacity of ten transcription factors to actuate cellular reprogramming of mouse embryonic fibroblasts into cardiomyocyte-like cells. Overexpression of transcription factors MYOCD and SRF alone or in conjunction with Mesp1 and SMARCD3 enhanced the basal but necessary cardio-inducing effect of the previously reported GATA4, TBX5, and MEF2C. In particular, combinations of five or seven transcription factors enhanced the activation of cardiac reporter vectors, and induced an upregulation of cardiac-specific genes. Global gene expression analysis also demonstrated a significantly greater cardio-inducing effect when the transcription factors MYOCD and SRF were used. Detection of cross-striated cells was highly dependent on the cell culture conditions and was enhanced by the addition of valproic acid and JAK inhibitor. Although we detected Ca 2+ transient oscillations in the reprogrammed cells, we did not detect significant changes in resting membrane potential or spontaneously contracting cells. This study further elucidates the cardio-inducing effect of the transcriptional networks involved in cardiac cellular reprogramming, contributing to the ongoing rational design of a robust protocol required for cardiac regenerative therapies.

From Bench to Bedside, 2010

Tissue Engineering Part A, 2013

Coculture of endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in vitro can yield confluent ... more Coculture of endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in vitro can yield confluent monolayers or EC networks. Factors influencing this transition are not known. In this study, we examined whether the spatial arrangement of EC-SMC cocultures affected EC migration, network morphology, and angiogenic protein secretion. Human umbilical cord blood-derived ECs (hCB-ECs) were grown in coculture with human aortic SMCs in either a mixed or lamellar spatial geometry and analyzed over a culture period of 12 days. The hCB-ECs cultured on SMCs in a mixed system had higher cell speeds, shorter persistence times, and lower random motility coefficients than ECs in a lamellar system. By day 12 of coculture, mixed systems demonstrated greater anastomoses and capillary loop formation than lamellar systems as evidenced by a higher number of branch points, angle of curvature between branch points, and percentage of imaged area covered by networks. The network morphology was more uniform in the mixed systems than the lamellar systems with fewer EC clusters present after several days in culture. Proliferation of hCB-ECs was higher for mixed cocultures during the first 24 h of coculture, and then declined dramatically suggesting that proliferation only contributed to network formation during the early stages of coculture. Proteome assay results show reduced solution levels, but no change in intracellular levels of angiogenic proteins in lamellar systems compared to mixed systems. These data suggest that mixing ECs and SMCs together favors the formation of EC networks to a greater extent than a lamellar arrangement in which ECs form a cell layer above a confluent, quiescent layer of SMCs.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2012

The development of regenerative therapies for cartilage injury has been greatly aided by recent a... more The development of regenerative therapies for cartilage injury has been greatly aided by recent advances in stem cell biology. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have the potential to provide an abundant cell source for tissue engineering, as well as generating patient-matched in vitro models to study genetic and environmental factors in cartilage repair and osteoarthritis. However, both cell therapy and modeling approaches require a purified and uniformly differentiated cell population to predictably recapitulate the physiological characteristics of cartilage. Here, iPSCs derived from adult mouse fibroblasts were chondrogenically differentiated and purified by type II collagen (Col2)-driven green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression. Col2 and aggrecan gene expression levels were significantly up-regulated in GFP+ cells compared with GFP− cells and decreased with monolayer expansion. An in vitro cartilage defect model was used to demonstrate integrative repair by GFP+ cells seed...