In Vivo Osteo-organoid Approach for Harvesting Therapeutic Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells

Summary

Here, we established in vivo osteo-organoids triggered by bone morphogenetic protein-2-loaded gelatin scaffolds to harvest therapeutic hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells for the reconstruction of a damaged hematopoietic and immune system. Overall, this approach can provide a promising cell source for cell therapies.

Abstract

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) requires a sufficient number of therapeutic hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs). To identify an adequate source of HSPCs, we developed an in vivo osteo-organoid by implanting scaffolds loaded with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) into an internal muscle pouch near the femur in mice. After 12 weeks of implantation, we retrieved the in vivo osteo-organoids and conducted flow cytometry analysis on HPSCs, revealing a significant presence of HSPC subsets within the in vivo osteo-organoids.

We then established a sublethal model of hematopoietic/immune system injury in mice through radiation and performed hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) by injecting the extracted osteo-organoid-derived cells into the peripheral blood of radiated mice. The effect of hematopoietic recovery was evaluated through hematological, peripheral blood chimerism, and solid organ chimerism analyses. The results confirmed that in vivo osteo-organoid-derived cells can rapidly and efficiently reconstruct damaged peripheral and solid immune organs in irradiated mice. This approach holds potential as an alternative source of HSPCs for HSCT, offering benefits to a larger number of patients.

Introduction

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation stands as the conventional therapy for a variety of hematological malignancies, as well as numerous inherited and autoimmune disorders^1,2,3,4. Nevertheless, the restricted quantity and origin of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) have emerged as a substantial impediment to the clinical implementation of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)^5,6.

Large-scale in vitro cell expansion is a commonly employed method for harvesting therapeutic cells^5,7. Various studies have developed conditions that stimulate HSPCs to self-renew in vitro, typically through the use of a combination of self-renewal agonists (such as cytokines and growth factors) and serum albumin, resulting in the ex vivo expansion of HSPCs⁸. However, it is important to note that current methods are still time-consuming and challenging to maintain the self-renewal capacity of expanded HSPCs⁹.

In contrast to the aforementioned method, harvesting cells in vivo presents a new and innovative strategy. This approach involves the establishment of an in vivo osteo-organoid that mimics the native bone marrow structure^10,11. To achieve this, we form in vivo osteo-organoids using bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2)-loaded gelatin scaffolds to obtain abundant and high-quality autologous cell cocktails, including HSPCs. By therapeutically applying these osteo-organoids, we have successfully treated irradiation damage and demonstrated that HSPCs derived from the osteo-organoids can rapidly and stably reconstitute the experimentally impaired immune system.

Protocol

Male and female C57BL/6 mice, aged 8-10 weeks, were included in the study. All mice were housed in the animal facility of East China University of Science and Technology. All the experimental procedures were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees of East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST-21010). 1. Fabrication of bioactive scaffold Preparation Put the cleaned and dried surgical scissors and tweezers into a 1,000 mL …

Representative Results

As per the protocol, we have created a bioactive scaffold by dripping BMP-2 into a degradable gelatin sponge under sterile conditions. The scaffold was then implanted into the lower limb muscles of mice to establish in vivo osteo-organoids. After an incubation period of 12 weeks, we conducted macroscopic photography, histological analysis, and flow cytometry analysis on the osteo-organoids (Figure 1A). The gelatin sponge was cut into cubes with dimensions of 5 mm x 5 mm x 5 mm, and …

Discussion

In this protocol, we present an approach to establish in vivo osteo-organoids with bone marrow-like structures by implanting gelatin sponge scaffolds loaded with BMP-2. We demonstrate that these in vivo osteo-organoids can stably produce therapeutic HSPCs over a long period of time (more than 12 weeks). Compared to existing in vitro expansion or in vivo incubation methods that load cells, this protocol can obtain cell cocktails with diverse cell types, including HSPCs and various immun…

Materials

AF700-anti-CD11b (M1/70)	eBioscience	56-0112-82	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
AF700-anti-Sca-1 (D7)	BioLegend	108141	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
APC-anti-CD3e (145-2C11)	Tonbo	20-0031-U100	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
bio-anti-CD34 (RAM34)	eBioscience	13-0341-82	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
BV421-anti-CD127 (IL-7Rα)	BioLegend	135023	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
BV510-anti-CD48 (HM48-1)	BioLegend	103443	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
BV711-anti-CD16/32 (93)	BioLegend	101337	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
Capillary tube	Shanghai Huake Labware Co.	DC616297403604-100mm/0.5mm
Cell strainer	CORNING	352340
Ethanol	GENERAL-REAGENT	01158566
Ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) solution	Servicebio	G1105
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid dipotassium salt dihydrate (EDTA-K2)	Solarbio	E8651
FITC-anti-CD45.2 (104)	BioLegend	109806	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
Flowjo	Becton, Dickinson & Company		A flow cytometry.
Gelatin sponge	Jiangxi Xiangen Co.		Use under sterile conditions.
HBSS without Ca2+ and Mg2+	Gibco	14170112	HBSS without Ca2+ and Mg2+ can prevent cell aggregation.
Hematology analyzer	Sysmex	pocH-100i Diff
iodine swabs	Xiangtan Mulan Biological Technology Co., Ltd.	01011	To prevent the infection after operation.
Isoflurane	RWD	R510-22-10	To avoid adverse effects of anesthesia waste gases on the environment and laboratory personnel, a gas recovery system should be used in conjunction.
Kraft paper			absorbent paper
LIVE/DEAD Fixable Near IR Dead Cell Staining Kit(used in 3.4.5)	Thermo Fisher Scientific	L34962	A live/dead staining kit. Store at -20 °C. Dissolve in 50 μL of DMSO for working solution.
lubricating vet ointment	Pfizer		To prevent dryness and counteract the ocular irritations caused by isoflurane.
Neutral balsam	Solarbio	G8590
nylon filter	Shanghai Shangshai Wire Mesh Manufacturing Co., Ltd.		Used for cell filtration.
Paraffin liquid	Macklin	P815706
Paraformaldehyde (PFA) solution	Servicebio	G1101	Immersion fixation is used for routine animal tissues. The volume of fixative used is generally 10-20 times the tissue volume, and fixation at room temperature for 24 hours is sufficient.
PE-anti-CD45.1 (A20)	BioLegend	110708	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
PE-CF594-anti-CD135 (A2F10.1)	BD Biosciences	562537	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
PE-Cy5-anti-c-kit (2B8)	BD Biosciences	105809	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
PE-Cy7-anti-B220 (RA3-6B2)	BioLegend	103222	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
PE-Cy7-anti-CD150 (TC15-12F12.2)	BioLegend	115914	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
PE-Dazzle594-anti-CD4 (GK1.5)	BioLegend	100456	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
Pentobarbital sodium salt	Sigma-Aldrich	57-33-0	Prepare for use at a concentration of 1% (w/v).
PerCp-Cy5.5-anti-CD8a (53-6.7)	BioLegend	100734	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:200 for staining.
PerCp-Cy5.5-anti-lineage cocktail	BD Biosciences	561317	Store at 4 °C. Dilute 1:10  for staining.
Red blood cell lysis buffer	Beyotime	C3702	Store at 4 °C. Use in clean bench.
rhBMP-2	Shanghai Rebone Biomaterials Co.		The concentration of rhBMP-2 in the stock solution is 1.0 mg/mL.
Staining buffer	BioLegend	420201	Store at 4 °C.
Xylene	GENERAL-REAGENT	01018114
Zombie UV Fixable Viability Kit (used in 6.2.5)	BioLegend	423108	A live/dead staining kit. For reconstitution, bring the kit to room temperature; add 100 µL of DMSO to one vial of Zombie UV dye until fully dissolved.