IFN-α诱导HuH7细胞固有免疫分子APOBEC3G的表达

目的了解IFN-α对HuH7细胞固有免疫分子APOBEC3G表达的影响及其机制。方法HuH7细胞给予不同浓度的IFN-α(0 U/ml、100U/ml、400U/ml、800U/ml and 1200U/ml)刺激,10h后提取细胞总RNA,RT-PCR和实时定量RT-PCR检测HuH7细胞内APOBEC3G的mRNA水平变化,Western blot分析APOBEC3G蛋白水平的表达;分别构建不同长度的含有IRF-E(IFN regulatory factor element)位点的APOBEC3G起始密码上游序列报告质粒、不含IRF-E和IRF-E位点突变的虫荧光素酶报告质粒,报告基因分析IFN-α刺激后APOBEC3G起始密码上游IPF-E位点对APOBEC3G表达的影响。结果IFN-α上调HuH7细胞APOBEC3G mRNA和蛋白水平的表达,并具有剂量依赖的效应。序列分析发现APOBEC3G起始密码上游的-298～-283和-57～-47位碱基分别存在IRF-E和ISRE(IFN stimulated re- sponse element)序列。报告基因分析结果显示,干扰素使含有IRF-E序列的APOBEC3G启动子报告质粒的虫荧光素酶的活性增加6～8倍,而不含IRF-E序列和IRF-E位点突变的报告质粒的虫荧光素酶活性在干扰素刺激后几乎没有变化。结论IFN-α可通过IRF-E位点上调APOBEC3G mRNA和蛋白水平的表达,从而发挥抗病毒效应。     

大鼠CD4+ CD25+ T调节细胞的分离培养及其功能分析

目的:研究大鼠CD4 CD25 T调节细胞(Tr)的分离培养,并对其功能进行初步分析。方法:无菌条件下切取大鼠脾脏分离脾淋巴细胞。用免疫磁珠细胞分离系统(MACS)分选CD4 CD25 T细胞,并以流式细胞术检测其纯度后,对其进行扩增。采用混合淋巴细胞反应研究CD4 CD25 Tr细胞对CD4 CD25-T细胞的免疫抑制作用。用ELISA法检测培养上清中IL-2、IFN-γ及IL-10水平的差异。结果:MACS分离的CD4 CD25 T细胞的纯度达86%~93%。该细胞与CD4 CD25-T细胞相比能特异性地表达Foxp3基因。体外培养中能明显抑制效应T细胞增殖及其分泌IFN-γ、IL-2,但其自身能分泌Th2型细胞因子IL-10。结论:采用MACS系统阴性加阳性分选,可高效快速的获得理想纯度和免疫抑制功能的大鼠CD4 CD25 T调节细胞,该细胞对CD4 CD25-T细胞具有明显的免疫抑制作用,并能特异性的表达Foxp3基因。     

解偶联蛋白3基因启动子区-55(C>T)多态与中国人静息能量消耗及体脂含量与分布的关系

目的研究解偶联蛋白3基因(UCP3)启动子区-55(C>T)多态与中国人静息能量消耗、体脂参数的关系。方法在300名中国人(正常体重91人,超重/肥胖209人)中,用聚合酶链反应-限制性片段长度多态性(polymerase chain reaction-restrictionfragment length polymorphisms ,PCR-RFLP)检测UCP3基因启动子区-55(C>T)变异,并测定其静息能量消耗、体脂含量及分布。结果UCP3基因启动子区-55(C>T)多态基因型频率与肥胖及肥胖类型均无相关。正常体重组TT基因型者静息能量消耗水平显著高于CT及CC基因型者(P<0·05) ;超重/肥胖组各基因型者间比较亦有同样趋势。在超重/肥胖组,TT基因型者FM/FFM值与CT及CC基因型者差异有显著意义(P<0·01)。结论UCP3基因启动子区-55(C>T)多态与中国人静息能量消耗相关,该变异可能通过对静息能量消耗的影响调节机体的能量代谢。     

Jak3 activation in human lymphocyte precursor cells

Although expression of the Jak3 tyrosine kinase in T lymphocytes has been thought to be restricted to mature, activated cells, mutations of Jak3 can lead to the development of a human severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) characterized by an absence of peripheral T lymphocytes. We therefore examined in detail the expression of Jak3 throughout human T cell differentiation and show that Jak3 is in fact present throughout the entire developmental process, with high levels expressed in thymocytes. Jak3 is highly expressed in double negative (CD4⁻CD8⁻) cells, one of the earliest stages of thymocyte differentiation, and can be activated via the IL-7 receptor. IL-7 is known to stimulate thymocyte proliferation and initiate re-arrangement of the T cell receptor (TCR) β gene, suggesting that the failure of mutated Jak3 proteins to transduce this signal may be responsible for failures in T cell development. While Jak3 SCID patients possess mature peripheral B cells, we demonstrate that the Jak3 tyrosine kinase is also expressed in human pre-B cells and can be activated by the pre-B cell growth factor IL-7.     

c-myc反义寡核苷酸对肿瘤细胞表面抗原和对CD3AK杀伤敏感性的调节作用

目的：观察c-myc反义寡核苷酸上调人高转移性肺巨细胞腺癌PG细胞表面抗原分子的表达水平，提高免疫效应细胞杀伤敏感性的作用和机制。方法：PT－PCR方法检测c-myc mRNA表达水平的变化。MTT法检测细胞增殖活性和CD3AK杀伤活性的变化。流式细胞术检测细胞表面抗原表达的变化以及c-myc蛋白表达水平的变化。结果：c-myc反义寡核苷酸（1μmol/L）明显地抑制PG细胞c-myc mRNA和蛋白表达水平，显著提高细胞表面HLA－ABC、ICAM－1分子的表达，其表达率分别从68．44％、38．40％增高到83．16％和42．09％（P＜0．01）。CD3AK对反义寡核苷酸处理的PG细胞的不同效靶比杀伤活性，分别从40．0％、65．0％、74．0％增高到52．0％、74．0％、91．0％（P＜0．01）。结论：c-myc反义寡核苷酸通过抑制PG细胞c-myc mRNA和蛋白表达，上调PG细胞表面HLA－ABC、ICAM－1分子的表达水平，提高其对免疫效应细胞的杀伤敏感性。     

AMPK as a metabolic switch in rat muscle,liver and adipose tissue after exercise

An increasing body of evidence has revealed that activation of adenosine monophosphate (AMP)‐activated protein kinase (AMPK)‐activated protein kinase increases fatty acid oxidation by lowering the concentration of malonyl coenzyme A (CoA), an inhibitor of carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1. Studies carried out primarily in skeletal muscle suggest that AMPK modulates the concentration of malonyl CoA by concurrently phosphorylating and inhibiting acetyl CoA carboxylase (ACC), the rate limiting enzyme in malonyl CoA synthesis, and phosphorylating and activating malonyl CoA decarboxylase (MCD), an enzyme involved in its degradation. We have recently observed that AMPK and MCD activities are increased and ACC activity diminished in skeletal muscle, liver and, surprisingly, in adipose tissue 30 min following exercise (treadmill run) in normal rats. In liver and adipose tissue these changes were associated with a decrease in the activity of glycerol‐3‐phosphate acyltransferase (GPAT), which catalyses the first committed reaction in glycerolipid synthesis and, which like ACC, is phosphorylated and inhibited by AMPK. Similar changes in ACC, MCD and GPAT were observed following the administration of 5‐aminoimidazole 4‐carboxamide‐riboside (AICAR), further indicating that the exercise‐induced alterations in these enzymes were AMPK‐mediated. Conclusions: (1) AMPK plays a major role in regulating lipid metabolism in multiple tissues following exercise. (2) The net effect of its activation is to increase fatty acid oxidation and diminish glycerolipid synthesis. (3) The relevance of these findings to the regulation of muscle glycogen repletion in the post‐exercise state and to the demonstrated ability of AMPK activation to decrease adiposity and increase insulin sensitivity in rodents remains to be determined.     

基于颅脑CT图像的边缘提取

边缘提取是CT图像三维重建前期工作中的关键步骤.本文一方面利用CT图像分割的等距法求取图像的灰度阈值;另一方面求取图像的梯度阈值,利用这两个阈值将颅脑CT图像中各器官的边缘提取出来,作为三维重建的轮廓输入.实验结果表明:这种方法实时性好,适应性强,提取的边缘清晰完整,准确性较高.     

Beta-amyloid activated microglia induce cell cycling and cell death in cultured cortical neurons

Immunocytochemical studies of postmortem human tissue have shown that the neurons at risk for degeneration in Alzheimer’s are marked by the ectopic expression of several cell cycle components. The current work investigates the roles that β-amyloid activated microglia might play in leading neurons to re-express cell cycle components. Stable cultures of E16.5 mouse cortical neurons were exposed to β-amyloid alone, microglial cells alone, or microglial cells activated by β-amyloid. Increased cell death was found in response to each of these treatments, however, only the amyloid activated microglial treatment increased the number of neurons that were positive for cell cycle markers such as PCNA or cyclin D and incorporation of BrdU. Double labeling with BrdU and TUNEL techniques verified that the ‘dividing’ neurons were dying, most likely through an apoptotic mechanism. The identity of the soluble factor(s) elaborated by the microglia remains unknown, but FGF2, a suspected neuronal mitogen, was ruled out. These results further support a model in which microglial activation by β-amyloid is a key event in the progression in Alzheimer’s disease.     

Characterization of a soluble form of CD58 in synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

Reduced levels of a soluble form of the adhesion receptor and CD2 ligand CD58 (sCD58) were previously described in RA patients. In order to understand the biological significance of this finding we biochemically characterized sCD58 in RA and asked how well sCD58 binds to CD2. sCD58 concentrations were measured in serum and synovial fluid (SF) samples of RA patients by two ELISAs, one detecting domain 1 of CD58 (CD58-D1), and the other one the complete molecule (CD58-D1 + D2). Small amounts of split sCD58-D1 were found in most RA sera, but not SF. In addition, split sCD58-D2 was detected in SF by affinity chromatography, SDS–PAGE, and Western blotting. Gel filtration gave similar peaks at 95–125 kD for RA sera, SF, and normal serum. Binding of SF-sCD58 to the CD2⁺ Jurkat variant JBB1 or recombinant CD2 was stronger than urinary sCD58 and reached binding of oligomeric recombinant CD58 at low concentrations. In conclusion, sCD58-split products were found in RA sera and SF. At concentrations as they occur in vivo, SF-sCD58 binds to CD2 much more strongly than urinary sCD58. It is conceivable that locally released sCD58 blocks the CD2/CD58 interaction under physiological conditions. Insufficient release of sCD58, e.g. in synovitis, might result in T cell accumulation and perpetuation of inflammation.     

Mechanisms dependent on tryptophan catabolism regulate immune responses in primary Sjögren's syndrome

To investigate the possible role of tryptophan metabolism in immune regulation of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) the serum concentrations of tryptophan and its metabolite kynurenine were measured by reverse‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in 103 patients with pSS, 56 patients with sicca symptoms and 309 healthy blood donors. The kynurenine per tryptophan ratio (kyn/trp), which reflects the activity of the indoleamine‐pyrrole 2,3‐dioxygenase (IDO) enzyme involved in tryptophan catabolism, was calculated. Both female and male patients with pSS had significantly higher serum kynurenine concentrations and kyn/trp than subjects with sicca symptoms or healthy blood donors. The median (quartile range) concentration of kynurenine in female patients with pSS was 2·41 µmol/l (1·86–3·26) compared with 1·85 µmol/l (1·58–2·38, P < 0·0001) in subjects with sicca symptoms and 1·96 µmol/l (1·65–2·27, P < 0·0001) in healthy blood donors. Their kyn/trp × 1000 was 34·0 (25·1–44·3) compared with 25·3 (21·1–31·5, P < 0·0001) in subjects with sicca symptoms and 24·3 (21·0–28·9, P < 0·0001) in healthy blood donors. Female pSS patients with high IDO activity (kyn/trp × 1000 ≥ 34·0) had significantly higher ESR, serum C‐reactive protein, serum IgA and serum beta‐2 microglobulin concentrations as well as higher serum creatinine levels, and they had positive antinuclear antibodies more frequently and presented with more American‐European consensus group criteria than those with low IDO activity (kyn/trp × 1000 < 34·0). These data suggest that mechanisms dependent on tryptophan catabolism regulate immune responses in pSS. Tryptophan degradation is enhanced in patients with pSS, and high IDO activity is associated with severity of pSS.