Activity of Carbetimer in a human tumor cloning system

Summary The antitumor activity of Carbetimer was tested against 171 patient's tumors in a human tumor cloning system. Sixty-seven tumor specimens had adequate growth to be considered evaluable. In 21 specimens survival of tumor colony forming units was 50% that in control plates. Antitumor effect was most impressive in carcinomas of the breast, ovary, and lung. This information will be useful in planning disease oriented Phase II trials.Presented in part at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, May 23–24, 1983.     

Cloning, expression, and biological activity of growth hormone in bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana)

The cDNA (GenBank, AY251538) encoding bullfrog growth hormone (fGH) was cloned by RT-PCR from the total RNA of pituitary glands. Its sequence encoded a putative polypeptide of 215 amino acids, including a signal peptide of 25 amino acids with no change to those of other previous reported bullfrog GHs. The fGH precursor shares 98.1, 96.3, and 95.3% homologies to those of other bullfrog GHs (AAB24792, AAB19428, CAA31038) in amino-acid sequence and its nucleotide sequences of the coding region shares 99.1 and 98.5% homologies to those of previous bullfrog GH genes (S52027 and X12520). The fGH cDNA was also efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli carrying a plasmid pGfGH in which the cDNA was under the control of GST promoter of pGEX1-lambdaT. The expressed fusion protein GST-fGH is comprised about 29.3% of the total cellular protein in such bacteria. The purified GST-fGH cannot only showed a obvious dose-response curve when it reacted with the hepatic membrane receptor proteins from bullfrog, but also significantly increased the body weight and length of bullfrog after twice injection and such effects lasted two or three weeks after the last injection with purified GST-fGH.     

High throughput functional genomics: identification of novel genes with tumor suppressor phenotypes

We have used a combination of high throughput functional genomics, computerized database mining and expression analyses to discover novel human tumor suppressor genes (TSGs). A genome-wide high throughput cDNA phenotype screen was established to identify genes that induce apoptosis or reduce cell viability. TSGs are expressed in normal tissue and frequently act by reduction of growth of transformed cells or induce apoptosis. In agreement with that and thus serving as platform validation, our pro-apoptotic hits included genes for which tumor suppressing activities were known, such as kangai1 and CD81 antigen. Additional genes that so far have been claimed as putative TSGs or associated with tumor inhibitory activities (prostate differentiation factor, hRAS-like suppressor 3, DPH2L1-like and the metastasis inhibitor Kiss1) were confirmed in their proposed TSG-like phenotype by functionally defining their growth inhibitory or pro-apoptotic function towards cancer cells. Finally, novel genes were identified for which neither association with cell growth nor with apoptosis were previously described. A subset of these genes show characteristics of TSGs because they (i) reduce the growth or induce apoptosis in tumor cells; (ii) show reduced expression in tumor vs. normal tissue; and (iii) are located on chromosomal (LOH-) loci for which cancer-associated deletions are described. The pro-apoptotic phenotype and differential expression of these genes in normal and malignant tissue make them promising target candidates for the diagnosis and therapy of various tumors.     

Stem cells: you can't tell a cell by its cover

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are capable of unlimited self-renewal and have the ability to give rise to all tissue types in the body. The use of human ES cells for tissue and cell therapeutics has been suggested, but is limited by ethical concerns as these cells are derived from the inner cell mass of human embryos. In addition, the need for HLA matching of ES cell-derived tissues for allogeneic transplantation would require a bank of several thousand ES cell lines to make tissue therapeutics practical. Recently, adult stem cells-of which those in bone marrow are the best studied-have been shown to be capable of multilineage differentiation into cells of various non-blood tissues. Umbilical cord blood (UCB) haematopoietic stem cells have been shown to be equivalent to bone marrow stem cells for reconstitution of the haematopoietic system. Preliminary studies have also demonstrated that UCB haematopoietic stem cells are multipotent and capable of differentiating into non-blood cell types. This observation raises the exciting possibility of replacing human ES cells for tissue and cell therapeutics with UCB blood haematopoietic stem cells that are normally discarded with the placenta after delivery.     

New Belgian law on research on human embryos: trust in progress through medical science

The new Belgian law on research on embryos in vitro accepts all types of research directed at therapeutic purposes and at increased medical knowledge. This includes research for germline and somatic gene therapy, therapeutic cloning, and the development of embryonic stem cell lines. As this presupposes the creation of embryos for research, this too is allowed. Other goals like sex selection for nonmedical reasons, eugenic practices and reproductive cloning are prohibited. In general, the law expresses a belief in the importance of freedom of research and the acceptance of ethical pluralism in society.     

Obesity – is it a genetic disorder?

Obesity is one of the most pressing problems in the industrialized world. Twin, adoption and family studies have shown that genetic factors play a significant role in the pathogenesis of obesity. Rare mutations in humans and model organisms have provided insights into the pathways involved in body weight regulation. Studies of candidate genes indicate that some of the genes involved in pathways regulating energy expenditure and food intake may play a role in the predisposition to obesity. Amongst these genes, sequence variations in the adrenergic receptors, uncoupling proteins, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, and the leptin receptor genes are of particular relevance. Results that have been replicated in at least three genome-wide scans suggest that key genes are located on chromosomes 2p, 3q, 5p, 6p, 7q, 10p, 11q, 17p and 20q. We conclude that the currently available evidence suggests four levels of genetic determination of obesity: genetic obesity, strong genetic predisposition, slight genetic predisposition, and genetically resistant. This growing body of research may help in the development of anti-obesity agents and perhaps genetic tests to predict the risk for obesity.     

RSD-7的克隆及其在睾丸组织中的定位

目的 分离、克隆精子发生相关基因,深入了解精子发生的分子机制。方法 采用本组克隆的大鼠睾丸EST筛选cDNA文库、Northern blot、原核表达和纯化、抗体制备和免疫组化等技术。结果 (1)获得1个新的全长cDNA序列,命名为RSD-7。全长l238bp,编码232个氨基酸,GenBank接收号为AF315467。序列分析显示,RSD-7基因编码蛋白质含有1个Ubiquitin-like结构域。(2)Northern blot结果显示,在8种成鼠组织中,RSD-7基因仅在睾丸组织中有明显表达。不同发育天龄的大鼠睾丸组织Northern blot结果显示,出生后30d的大鼠RSD-7基因开始表达,一直到120d仍有表达。(3)RSD-7 cDNA在大肠杆菌中获得高效表达,并纯化了GST-RSD-7融合蛋白,以此为抗原制备了高效价的抗RSD-7蛋白的多克隆抗体。(4)通过免疫组织化学方法,RSD-7蛋白定位于Sertoli细胞胞浆和质膜上。结论 初步分析了RSD-7基因的表达特征并制备了抗RSD-7多克隆抗体,为进一步研究RSD-7蛋白在精子发生过程中的功能提供了条件。     

SPACRCAN in the interphotoreceptor matrix of the mouse retina: molecular,developmental and promoter analysis

SPACRCAN is a novel proteoglycan present in the interphotoreceptor matrix (IPM) of the rat and human retina that resists aqueous extraction through its binding to hyaluronan. The purpose of this study was: to clone mouse Spacrcan; to characterize the promoter elements; to define the deduced amino acid sequence; to establish the time of Spacrcan expression during retinal development; and to determine the time of appearance and distribution of SPACRCAN protein. Spacrcan cDNA clone was obtained through PCR amplification of a mouse retina cDNA library, and RT-PCR amplification and 5'RACE of mouse retina RNA. The deduced polypeptide sequence of mouse SPACRCAN contains a signal peptide at the N-terminal, seven N-link glycosylation sites, numerous potential O-linked glycosylation sites in a central mucin-like domain, two glycosaminoglycan attachment sites, five potential hyaluronan-binding motifs, two epidermal growth factor-like domains, and a hydrophobic stretch of 23 amino acids near the C-terminal. Comparison of the genomic structure of mouse and human SPACRCAN showed significant structure conservation. Analysis of the promoter region revealed several important putative regulatory elements including a Ret-1/PCE-1 element, an 11 base motif for Crx binding, six copies of PIRE, a Ret-4 element, three copies of AP-1, a CRE element, and five copies of GATA3. Northern blot analysis and immunohistochemistry were used to determine the tissue specificity of Spacrcan mRNA and to localize SPACRCAN in developing retina. Spacrcan mRNA is expressed in both retina and pineal gland and was detectable as early as embryonic day 15. The protein is first detectable in the IPM at postnatal day 8 where it increases in concert with the extension of photoreceptor inner and outer segments from the outer retinal surface. The presence of several unique regulatory elements in the promoter region and characteristic molecular features shared with the orthologue in human and rat suggest an important functional role of SPACRCAN in the IPM. The time of appearance of the SPACRCAN protein during retinal development suggests that this matrix protein may establish the extracellular microenvironment into which photoreceptor outer segments are elaborated.     

结核杆菌H37Rv异柠檬酸裂解酶基因的克隆及表达

目的构建在大肠杆菌中高效表达结核杆菌H37Rv异柠檬酸裂解酶(ICL)的重组质粒,实现ICL在原核表达系统的高效稳定表达.方法采用PCR和克隆技术构建含有结核杆菌H37Rv ICL基因的表达质粒pET30(a)-Rv0467,转化至E.coli BL21(DE3)中诱导表达.目的蛋白经金属螯合层析纯化后,对其活性进行初步研究.结果构建了高效表达结核杆菌H37Rv ICL的质粒;在E.coli BL21(DE3)中得到高效表达,目的蛋白占总蛋白含量的30%;表达产物以可溶性形式存在,通过金属螯合层析纯化,所得酶的纯度为90%;目的蛋白具有ICL的活性.结论利用原核表达系统成功克隆表达了结核杆菌H37Rv的ICL,为以ICL为靶点建立新型抗结核药物奠定了基础.