Populations of human mesenchymal stem cells were derived from bone marrow and adipose tissue. Here analysis of six individuals is represented. Cells were isolated, expanded and evaluated by the expression of surface antigens using flow cytometry. These cells displayed similar characteristics for many markers. Cells isolated from bone marrow and adipose tissue were found to be homogeneously positive for CD13, CD44, CD90, CD105, and negative for CD45, CD34, CD31 and CD117. Besides, differences in surface antigene CD10 expression between narrow and adipose tissue-derived cells were detected. All these findings indicate that both bone marrow and adipose tissue are important sources of mesenchymal stem cells, which could be used in cell therapy protocols.

A new continuous human embryonic stem cell line (HESC-5) derived from a blastocyst is described. The cultured cell passed over 200 population doublings, which exceeds the Hayflick's limit sufficiently. The cells maintained a stable proliferative activity, high activity of alkaline phosphatase, and expression of transcription factor Oct-4 and of surface antigens SSEA-3, SSEA-4 and TRA-1-60 known to be characteristic of embryonic stem cells of the human origin. Immunofluorescent detection of antigens, characteristic of ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm in the new cell line HESC-5, and in the previously described other four stem cell lines confirms the ability of these cells to retain their pluripotency under in vitro condition. In addition, in all the cell lines, a high telomerase activity was revealed, which controls a stable telomere length and, hence, an unlimited ESC proliferation. Unlike other cell lines, HESC-5 was found, under specific conditions, to spontaneously differentiate into hematopoietic cells. A morphological similarity was shown between ESC colonies cultivated both on a feeder layer and in the non-feeder system.

Isolation and culturing of human neuronal progenitor cells is of significant value for both fundamental research and therapeutic purposes. In this work, human embryonic neuronal cells were characterized as a heterogeneous population of progenitor cells with various differentiation potentials. During in vitro culturing the cells are capable of re-inoculating, proliferating, differentiating and migrating. While differentiating, these cells form neurons and glial cells. The present research demonstrates that depending upon the culturing conditions the embryonic neuronal cells may either form floating aggregates (incubation with embryonic serum), attach (incubation without serum), proliferate, or form neurospheres. Besides, peculiarities of aggregate differentiation during their incubation under various media are described.

The paper considers age-associated alterations of intracellular and intercellular cascades of transduction of proliferative, differentiating, pro- and antiapoptotic signals, their interaction and influence on proliferative activity, differentiation and apoptosis of the immune system cells. One of initial causes of these alterations is accumulation with age of a growing number of antigens exposed on the surface of antigen-presenting cells. As a result of chronic antigenic stimulation, caused by this factor, an insufficient quantity or a slowed down appearance of growth factor receptors (in particular, IL-2 receptor) and costimulation molecules, primarily CD28, on T-cells membrane is observed. Because of this proliferative and antiapoptotic signals, received by T-cells, have a smaller intensity that predetermine reduction of their proliferative activity, and also activity of telomerase, and a greater susceptibility to apoptosis. Permanent activation of immune system is also reflected in age-related increase of expression of CD95 and type I tumour necrosis factor receptor by lymphocytes (that aggravates their susceptibility to apoptosis), and in intensification of proinflammatory cytokine synthesis. The second main cause of alterations in the immune system is an age-related decrease in the synthesis of growth factors that are necessary for cell survival and proliferation. In particular, because of the lack of IL-7, apoptosis intensity of maturing T-cells increases in thymus. Thymic stromal cells remain without contact signals and growth factors generated by lymphocytes, and also undergo apoptosis that causes further reduction of T-lymphopoiesis. Similar events also occur in bone marrow that predetermines age-related decrease in B-lymphopoiesis and in telomerase activity of haemopoietic stem cells, and also their proliferative potential reduction.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have an ability to migrate in the organism to injured tissue to exert influence on inflammation and reparation in these regions. The aim of this study was to determine the optimal time of MSCs transplantation for myocardial reparation in rat experimental heart failure. The experiments were carried out on inbred line Wistar-Kyoto rats. Myocardial experimental infarction (EI) was induced by ligation of the left descending coronary artery. MSCs were isolated from bone marrow, cultivated in vitro and injected into the tail vein on the day of experimental infarction operation. It was shown that the time of MSCs transplantation exerted an essential influence on angiogenesis in a damaged myocardium, on ventricular dilatation and morphological structure of the scar. The best time for MSCs transplantation was determined within two days before EI, and seven days after EI. As a result, the overload of the border zone of infarct region decreased, and no features of infarction relapse were shown in the border zone.

Native and cryoconservated human embryonic liver cells at different stages of gestation (5, 6 and 7 weeks) have been studied. Tissue desagregation was performed by trypsinisation technique. A part of the samples was studied after their trypsinisation, another part - after 3-week storage. Cell viability of all samples was higher than 90%. CD34 antigen expression was highest in 5-week gestation samples. The tendency of the deacrease of CD34 antigen expression was seen in 7-week gestation samples. CD34 antigen expression was higher in the samples after their cryoconservation than in native ones. The CD34 antigen expression afer their cryoconservation was accompanied by an increase in numbers of cells expressing CD38, CD45RA, CD33, CD13 and CD14 antigens as well as markers of erythroid precursor cells -CD71, CD36 and CD45RO. Percentage of alpha-actin positive cells was higher in 6- and 7-week samples. An increase in alpha-actin positive cell fraction has been seen also in samples after their cryogenic conservation.

Some regularities of immobilization of chlorate-reducing bacteria by various carriers and especially sewage treatment for chlorate and chromates by adhered bacteria have been studied. Most bacterial cells are immobilized during the first hour of contact with the carrier. The studied carriers, as to their ability to adsorb Aerococcus dechloraticans TGS-463 cells, may be arranged in the following sequence: porolon > claydite > glass broaches > maize stem > barley straw. The 12-24 hour culture Aerococcus dechloraticans TGS-463 expresses maximum ability to immobilization. The bacterial cell fastening on the carrier increases 2.1 times the reduction velocity for chlorates and 1.6 times that for chromates. The velocity of chlorates and chromates reduction by the culture factened on the carrier decreases in the due course of time, that requires the carrier regeneration.

An experimental model of differentiated mouse embryonic stem cells with retractive activity similar to that of cardiomyocytes without preliminary formation of embryoid bodies was obtained. The basic factor that induced in vitro embryonic cell differentiation into cardial type is the recombinant cytokine LIF under prolonged cultivation. The positive reaction of the cells with retractive activity to isoproterenol indicates the presence of the beta-adrenergic receptor activity characteristic only for terminal differentiated mammalian cardiomyocytes.

Prototroch formation was studied in the polychaete Nereis virens using light, scanning electron, and confocal laser microscopy. Cell lineage of trochoblasts was followed and chronology of their appearance was determined. The prototroch ciliary ring is formed by twelve descendants of micromere lm(2). The remaining four primary trochoblasts have no cilia and, together with descendants of accessory trochoblasts, become anterior supporting cells of the prototroch. Posterior supporting cells are formed by secondary trochoblasts, which are derived from the second micromere quartet 2m. The results obtained make it possible to analyze one of the ancient programs of animal development.

The rabbit spermatogenesis was investigated in dynamics with morphology of testicular tissues being analysed. Allocation characteristic of spermatogenous epithelium cells in spermatic ductules was examined for 19 age groups of rabbit males aged from 10 days to 12 months. The availability of three types of spermatogonia A, intermediate and B was analysed. In has been determined that the age from 10 days to 4 weeks is optimal for isolation of testis stem cells, when rabbit spermatogonia are represented by spermatogonia of A-type only.

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is a key enzyme of the renin-angiotensin and kallikrein-kinin systems responsible for the regulation of blood pressure. Recently the new physiological function of ACE has been revealed: the enzyme hydrolyses in vivo the natural peptide (N-AcSer-Asp-Lys-Pro), a negative regulator of hematopoietic stem cell proliferation. Somatic ACE is a single-chain glycoprotein, which contains two highly homologous domains (N- and C-domains, respectively), possessing a zinc-dependent active site. The domains differ in the rate of substrate hydrolysis, interaction with ACE inhibitors and chloride activation profiles. Specific ACE inhibitors used for treatment of hypertension, inhibit both domains, but their dissociation rates of enzyme-inhibitor complex are different. Selective binding of ACE inhibitors to either N- or C-domain may influence their biological effect during treatment. Different functional significance of these domains may be due to some differences in their thee-dimentional structures. X-ray structure of testicular ACE was recently solved and three-dimentional structure of N-domain was modeled. The structural features of domain active sites may be useful for construction of new selective inhibitors.

Mesenchymal stem cells present in the bone marrow and some other organs are primitive pluripotent precursors of osseous, cartilaginous, adipose, and other mesenchymal tissues. The recently revealed capacity of these cells for differentiation into nonmesenchymal derivatives is of considerable theoretical and practical interest. However, many aspects of the biology of these cells remain obscure despite active research. This review considers possible sources and methods for the isolation of mesenchymal stem cells, their potential for proliferation and differentiation in different directions, and outlooks of their therapeutic application. A model of parent-progeny relationships of stromal cells is proposed, and the problems of regulation of proliferation and differentiation of mesenchymal precursors as well as their role in the maintenance of regeneration and tissue functioning are discussed.

Motor neuron disease (MND) is caused by selective degeneration of motor neurons of the cerebral cortex, brain stem and spinal cord. Many genetic systems are thought to be involved in pathogenesis of this complex disease. A significant etiological factor of MND may be oxygen free radicals, which damage neuronal cells when they are present in high concentrations. Detoxication processes resulting in the formation of free radicals, which subsequently transformed into nontoxic products, are also critical for the disease development. The major participants of these processes are cytochromes P-450 (CYP2E1, CYP2D6), glutathione-S-transferases (GSTM1, GSTT1, GSTP1) and N-acetyltransferases (NAT2). To investigate a role of genes of detoxication system in development of MND, we study polymorphisms in these genes in 72 patients with MND from Moscow and controls from Russia. Significant statistical differences have been found in frequency of the alleles CYP2E1*1D, CYP2D6*4 and GSTM1(0/0) and genotypes homozygous for GSTM1 (0) between the study and control groups. The analysis of GSTT1, GSTP1 and NAT1 gene polymorphisms has revealed no between-group differences in distribution of different alleles and genotypes. The GSTP1*A/ GSTP1*A genotype was associated with a classical upper and lower motor neuron involvement and the GSTP1*A allele with predominant lower and upper motor neuron involvement.

A comparative analysis of the impact of cell therapy (allogenic fetal liver cells, stem cells of autologic bone marrow) on lipid homeostasis, microcirculatory disturbances and structural changes in some organs was made using the atherosclerosis model in guinea-pigs. A positive effect of cell therapy on these parameters was established. The effect was stronger and prolonged after transplantation of stem cells. Atherogenic diet weakens the effect of cell therapy. Thus, cell therapy is more effective in restriction of atherogenic risk factors.

The objective of this study was to analyze the species differences in the numbers of stromal precursor cell (CFU-f), their cloning efficiency (CFE-0 and their dynamics in different organs during aging, using the mathematical gradient decrease method. Age changes of CFU-f numbers and of their CFE-f were studied in the thymus and the spleen of mice and guinea pigs. The study was performed using CFU-f cloning in monolayer cultures. CFU-f numbers and CFE-f were found to decrease with aging both in the thymus and the spleen of mice and guinea pigs. However these changes were different in each species and were variable in different organs of the animals of the same species, which, probably was associated with the physiological characteristics and aging peculiarities of the animals of different species and with the functional role of organs studied. The process of reduction was more significant in the thymus of guinea pigs and mice - the numbers of CFU-f were decreased 75- and 12-fold, respectively. Since it is known that the population of CFU-f in the thymus and the spleen includes inducible osteogenic precursor cells, the data obtained indicate the possibility of a reduction in numbers of this category ofstromal precursors, that could be one of the reasons of osteoporosis of aging. The application of a mathematical analysis using the gradient decrease method allows to predict the time-course of age changes and to evaluate the dynamics of CFU-f numbers and of CFE-f in association with organism aging.

This review includes the literature data and the results of authors' own investigations on identification, cultivation and perspectives of therapeutic application of human and animal regional stem cells. Proliferation of pluripotent stem cells is observed in subventricular area of lateral ventricles and subgranular layer of dentate fascia of hippocampal formation of adult brain of man and animals. Data on the hierarchical organization of gene networks in the regulation of individual development may point to a possible functional role of repeating mini- and microsatellite DNA sequences in stem cell differentiation. The variants of application of human bone marrow as a source of stem cells for repair of damaged brain tissues are considered. It is established that heat shock proteins block the formation of glial scar during neurotransplantation. The viability of stem cells during transplantation may be improved by insertion of genes for neurotrophic growth factors into a genome of transplanted neurons.

A concept of impossibility of appearance of novel cardiomyocytes in the heart of adult men in exchange for those lost due to cardiovascular diseases had dominated medicine and biology for many long decades. However ability of human myocardium to regenerate was demonstrated during recent years in multiple studies. This dictated necessity to reconsider previously generally accepted concept. At present researchers and practicing physicians actively discuss possibility of the use of transplantation of bone marrow stem cells, proper cardiac stem cells, skeletal muscle myoblasts or precursors of endothelial cells in patients with myocardial infarction and heart failure in order to restore normal cardiac structure and function. Another potential method of restoration of the myocardium in patients with cardiovascular diseases is the use of cytokines which stimulate migration of stem cells into myocardium and their differentiation into cardiomyocytes.

Numerous publications on the ability of adult stem cells to differentiate into the cells of various tissues, not always homodermic (stem cell flexibility), to contain serious methodic errors. The main flexibility phenomena, such as "transdifferentiation" of hemopoietic stem cells into hepatocytes, cardiomyocytes, beta-cells of islets of Langerhans, neurons etc., are caused not by a shift of the differentiation path, but by cell merging, resulting in appearance of hybrids with unusual markers of cells of non-hemopoietic origin. The second most frequent error is wrong identification of macrophages and lymphocytes, which are present in any tissue and have the donor's genotype in chimeras. Even when the cause of the error is unknown, the phenomenon of unusual cell formation is exclusively rare and never bears therapeutic potential. In general, it is at least too early to revise the main tenets of the stem cell doctrine. Embryonic stem cells are totipotent indeed; however, the time of their clinical use has not come yet. Attempts to induce their ordered differentiation keep on failing; they very often lead to formation of teratomas and, even if necessary cells such as hemopoietic stem cells are formed, they do not work after administration into an organism that has been exposed to radiation. Clinical use of embryonic stem cells do not seem possible in this decade.

Two constructs were devised, containing the full-length gene of the human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) fused with the 5' and 3' flanking promoter sequences of bovine alpha-S1-casein gene. Both constructs contained a 1518-bp fragment that included exons 18 and 19 and 320 bp of the 3' flanking region of bovine gene @CSN1S1, but differed in size of the 5' flanking sequences, which were of 721 bp, and exon 1 in construct pGCm1 and 2001 bp and exon 1 and intron 1 in construct pGCm2. With both constructs, transgenic mice were produced. The transgene expression was assessed using RT-PCR and immunochemically from the production of human G-CSF in milk of lactating females. Secretion of human G-CSF into the milk varied in a wide range, from 0.8 microg/ml to over 1 mg/ml, in mice with construct pGCml and was low (up to 60 microg/ml) or absent in mice with construct pGCm2. G-CSF glycosylation was incomplete in mice with transgene pGCml and complete in mice with pGCm2. G-CSF of transgenic mouse milk was shown to stimulate the formation and growth of granulocyte-containing colonies in human umbilical blood cell culture and be close or identical in physiological activity to the natural human G-CSF.

In this article is presented the result of the experiments on mice-hybrids F1(CBA x C57B1/6), which indicates the presence of the reaction of "ischemia/reperfusion" for stem cells of two "critical" cell renewal systems of organism (bone marrow and intestinal epithelium) during the irradiation under the conditions of hypoxic radioprotector application. The additional injection of the source of nitric oxide radicals-sodum nitroprusside (SNT) to the mice right after the irradiation under the conditions of hypoxic protection by serotonin, resulted the substantial increase of the survival rate of hematopoietic stem cells (registered by the methods of endogenous and exogenous colony forming in spleen) and stem cells of intestinal epithelium (registered by the method of intestinal "microcolonies"). The similar radioprotective effect was also registered during the test of survival rate of mice under tests of "bone marrow" and "intestinal" forms of radiation lethality that is evidence of the importance of the realization of phenomenon "ischemia/reperfusion" in the reaction of whole organism on the acute radiation injury. As SNP weakens the manifestation apoptosis and necrosis through competition with active forms of oxygen (AFO) during the period of "reperfusion" on basis of the found out phenomenon experimental model for studying mechanisms of stem cells damage in vivo induced by AFO and for the search of the modifiers weakening or strengthening such damage can be developed.