Cellular Microenvironment ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; cytology

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are hematopoietic malignancies characterized by peripheral cytopenia and dysplastic bone marrow that arise from mutations in the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC). Recently, significant effects have been made to develop appropriate mouse models to study this complex disease. Three general approaches have been used to establish the MDS mouse, including treatment with mutagens or carcinogen, xenotransplantation of human MDS cells, and genetic engineering of mouse hematopoietic cells. In this review, several MDS mouse models and the advances of study on the mechanisms of malignant clone and the marrow microenvironment are summarized. In addition, the progress in xenotransplantation models of MDS and the problems to be solved are discussed briefly.
Animals ; Cellular Microenvironment ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF)is a progressive lung disease characterized by pulmonary interstitial fibrosis and pulmonary dysfunction.Cell microenvironment is mainly composed of cell components,extracellular matrix,extracellular regulators,and liquid substances.Changes in microenvironment components are closely related to IPF.This article elaborates the roles of cell microenvironments including cytokines,mesenchymal cells,extracellular matrix,and unfolded proteins in the pathogenesis of IPF.
Cellular Microenvironment ; Extracellular Matrix ; Humans ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Lung

Given its state of stable proliferative inhibition, cellular senescence is primarily depicted as a critical mechanism by which organisms delay the progression of carcinogenesis. Cells undergoing senescence are often associated with the alteration of a series of specific features and functions, such as metabolic shifts, stemness induction, and microenvironment remodeling. However, recent research has revealed more complexity associated with senescence, including adverse effects on both physiological and pathological processes. How organisms evade these harmful consequences and survive has become an urgent research issue. Several therapeutic strategies targeting senescence, including senolytics, senomorphics, immunotherapy, and function restoration, have achieved initial success in certain scenarios. In this review, we describe in detail the characteristic changes associated with cellular senescence and summarize currently available countermeasures.
Humans ; Cellular Senescence ; Carcinogenesis ; Immunotherapy ; Aging ; Tumor Microenvironment

Microfluidic chip is a novel technology platform, in which microchannels are fabricated in different materials. The ability to precisely control the microflows makes it possible to mimic the microenvironment of cells in physiological or pathological states, which provides many distinct advantages for cell research. In this paper are reviewed the design and fabrication of microfluidic chip, the application of microfluidic chip in cell culture and cell researches; the enormous advantages of microfluidic chips in precise experimental control of the cellular microenvironment are introduced.
Cell Adhesion ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Movement ; Cells, Cultured ; Cellular Microenvironment ; Humans ; Microfluidic Analytical Techniques ; methods

The interactions between B7 molecules and CD28-family receptors are crucial in the regulation of adaptive cellular immunity. In cancer, the aberrant expression of co-inhibitory B7 molecules has been attributed to reduced anti-tumor immunity and cancer immune evasion, prompting the development of cancer therapeutics that can restore T cell function. Murine tumor models have provided significant support for the targeting of multiple immune checkpoints involving CTLA-4, PD-1, ICOS, B7-H3 and B7-H4 during tumor growth, and clinical studies investigating the therapeutic effects of CTLA-4 and PD-1 blockade have shown exceptionally promising results in patients with advanced melanoma and other cancers. The expression pattern of co-inhibitory B7 ligands in the tumor microenvironment has also been largely correlated with poor patient prognosis, and recent evidence suggests that the presence of several B7 molecules may predict the responsiveness of immunotherapies that rely on pre-existing tumor-associated immune responses. While monotherapies blocking T cell co-inhibition have beneficial effects in reducing tumor burden, combinatorial immunotherapy targeting multiple immune checkpoints involved in various stages of the anti-tumor response has led to the most substantial impact on tumor reduction. In this review, we will examine the contributions of B7- and CD28-family members in the context of cancer development, and discuss the implications of current human findings in cancer immunotherapy.
B7 Antigens ; Humans ; Immune Evasion ; Immunity, Cellular ; Immunotherapy* ; Ligands ; Melanoma ; Prognosis ; Tumor Burden ; Tumor Microenvironment

Mesenchymal stem cells have generated great interest among researchers and physicians due to their unique biological characteristics and potential clinical applications. Here, I propose for the first time the concept of a hierarchical system which is composed of all mesenchymal stem cells from post-embryonic subtotipotent stem cells to MSC progenitors. Post-embryonic subtotipotent stem cells are left-over cells during embryonic development and are on the top of the hierarchy. MSC system is a combination of cells that are derived from different stages of embryonic development, possess different differentiation potential and ultimately give rise to cells that share a similar set of phenotypic markers. The concept of MSC system has important implications: (1) it entirely explains the three important biological characteristics of MSC: stem cell properties of MSC, MSC as components of tissue microenvironment and immunomodulatory functions of MSC. (2) It balances immune responses and tissue metabolism. (3) It could provide tissue-specific stem cells for clinical application with high efficiency and safety. In a word, this concept constitutes an important part of the biological properties of MSC and will help researchers gain better insight into MSC.
Cell Differentiation ; Cellular Microenvironment ; Humans ; Immunomodulation ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; immunology ; physiology ; Phenotype

Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinoma (EBVaGC) is one of the four subtypes of gastric carcinoma (GC), as defined by the novel classification recently proposed by The Cancer Genome Atlas. EBVaGC has several clinicopathological features such as longer survival and higher frequency of lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma (LELC) and carcinoma with Crohn's disease-like lymphoid reaction that distinguish it from EBV-negative GC. The intensity and pattern of host cellular immune response in GC have been found to significantly correlate with the prognosis of patients with GC, suggesting that immune reaction and tumor microenvironment have critical roles in the progression of GC, and in particular, EBVaGC. Here, we reviewed the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying prominent immune reactions in patients with EBVaGC. In EBVaGC, deregulation of the expression of immune response-related genes promotes marked intra- or peritumoral immune cell infiltration. The expression of programmed death receptor-ligand 1 is known to be increased in EBVaGC, and therefore, it has been proposed as a favorable prognostic factor for patients with EBVaGC, albeit some data supporting this claim are controversial. Overall, the underlying mechanisms and clinical significance of the host cellular immune response in patients with EBVaGC have not been thoroughly elucidated. Therefore, further research is necessary to better understand the role of tumor microenvironment in EBVaGC.
Classification ; Genome ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; Prognosis ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Tumor Microenvironment

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a group of heterogeneous clonal diseases characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis, peripheral blood cytopenias and high risk of transformation to acute myeloid leukemia.Recently more and more investigations indicate that the abnormality of bone marrow microenvironment is one of important reasons related to MDS. In this article the abnormality of stroma cells, cytokines and signaling pathways in hematopoietic micro-environment of MDS is reviewed.
Bone Marrow ; Cellular Microenvironment ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Humans ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; Signal Transduction ; Stromal Cells ; metabolism

BACKGROUND: Polymeric hydrogels are extensively used as promising biomaterials in a broad range of biomedical applications, including tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and drug delivery. These materials have advantages such as structural similarity to the native extracellular matrix (ECM), multi-tunable physicochemical and biological properties, and biocompatibility. METHODS: In situ forming hydrogels show a phase transition from a solution to a gel state through various physical and chemical cross-linking reactions. These advanced hydrogel materials have been widely used for tissue regenerative medicine because of the ease of encapsulating therapeutic agents, such as cells, drugs, proteins, and genes. RESULTS: With advances in biomaterials engineering, these hydrogel materials have been utilized as either artificial cellular microenvironments to create engineered tissue constructs or as bioactive acellular matrices to stimulate the native ECM for enhanced tissue regeneration and restoration. CONCLUSION: In this review, we discuss the use of in situ cross-linkable hydrogels in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. In particular, we focus on emerging technologies as a powerful therapeutic tool for tissue regenerative medicine applications.
Biocompatible Materials ; Cellular Microenvironment ; Extracellular Matrix ; Hydrogel* ; Hydrogels* ; Phase Transition ; Polymers ; Regeneration ; Regenerative Medicine* ; Tissue Engineering