CYP17基因新的突变导致两姐妹17α羟化酶/17,20裂链酶联合缺乏

目的分析一家庭中患17α羟化酶／17，20裂链酶联合缺乏症的两姐妹及其父母的CYP17基因序列。方法外周血中提取基因组DNA。设计引物行PCR反应并对PCR产物进行序列测定。结果两姐妹均表现为典型的17α羟化酶／17，20裂链酶联合缺乏，其CYP17基因均为985缺失TAC插入AA的纯合子突变，而其父母是杂合子突变。结论985缺失TAC插入AA杂合子仅是一遗传标志，并不能引起疾病，但这种纯合子突变或在此基础上再发生另一突变可导致疾病的发生。     

过氧钒烟酸对糖尿病鼠苯丙氨酸羟化酶活性的影响

目的　探讨过氧钒烟酸（ Ｐ Ｏ Ｖ） 的降血糖作用的分子生物学机制。方法　选用 Ｓ Ｄ 大鼠用链脲佐菌素诱导产生糖尿病鼠动物模型，观察用 Ｐ Ｏ Ｖ 和美迪康（ Ｍｅｔ） 治疗后各组大鼠血、尿糖水平及血肝细胞质中苯丙氨酸羟化酶（ Ｐ Ａ Ｈ） 活性改变情况，并进行比较。结果　糖尿病鼠 Ｐ Ａ Ｈ 活性明显增高，用 Ｐ Ｏ Ｖ治疗４ 周后活性受到抑制，血糖水平明显下降，临床症状得以改善。结论　 Ｐ Ｏ Ｖ 的降糖作用优于美迪康，且未见明显毒副作用。     

Time-dependent effects of ovarian steroids on tyrosine hydroxylase activity in the limbic forebrain of female rats

Summary In this work, we have studied the time-course of the effects of pharmacological administration of ovarian steroids on tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity in the limbic forebrain of ovariectomized rats. Administration of estradiol produced a late decrease in TH activity. This effect was found 24 hours after the last steroid injection, disappearing at 32 hours. It was antagonized by progesterone, since a single injection of this steroid to estradiol-pretreated rats reversed to control values the estradiol-induced decrease. Nevertheless, the administration of progesterone after estradiol treatment caused a short-time decrease in the limbic activity of TH, which was observed 4 hours after the last steroid injection, disappearing subsequently. On the other hand, the administration of progesterone alone produced a biphasic effect, with a reduction at 24 hours, followed by an increase at 32 hours. These effects were only observed in the animals non-treated with estradiol, disappearing with a previous treatment with estrogens. Hence, it can be concluded that both ovarian steroids may affect the limbic TH activity. Thus, estradiol produced a late inhibitory effect on the activity of this enzyme, which was antagonized by progesterone. Administration of the last one to estradiol-treated rats produced a short-time inhibitory effect, whereas its administration to non-treated rats produced a late biphasic effect (inhibition followed by stimulation), which was not observed in estradiol-treated rats.     

Polysialylated Neural Cell Adhesion is Involved in Target-induced Morphological Differentiation of Arcuate Dopaminergic Neurons

We have previously shown that the morphological and biochemical maturation of developing rat hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons is accelerated when they are cocultivated with pituitary intermediate lobe cells, one of their targets. Only two subsets of hypothalamic dopaminergic neurons (arcuate, A12, and periventricular, A14, nuclei) may project to the pars intermedia. In order to determine whether the two populations are equally responsive to coculture conditions, we microdissected the hypothalamus of 17-day-old rat fetuses in two fragments containing cell bodies from the A12 and from the A14 regions, prepared neuronal cultures from both portions and incubated them separately with intermediate lobe cells. The presence of intermediate lobe cells increased tyrosine hydroxylase levels in both dopaminergic neuron subsets, but morphological differentiation was accelerated in dopaminergic neurons originating in the arcuate nucleus only. We then investigated whether physical contact between developing arcuate neurons and their target cells was a prerequisite of the morphological effect by interposing a semipermeable membrane between cultivated neurons and intermediate lobe cells in transwell culture dishes. The morphological effect was no longer observed under transwell coculture conditions, pointing to the involvement of membrane-bound molecules. Accordingly, the stimulating effect of coculture on arcuate dopaminergic neurons was completely abolished by the removal of polysialic acid on neural cell adhesion molecules by endoneuraminidase N treatment. Thus, maturation of A12 and A14 dopaminergic neurons exhibits differential susceptibility to intermediate lobe target cells, and polysialylated-NCAM is required for the contact-dependent effect.     

A chimeric tyrosine/tryptophan hydroxylase

The neurotransmitter biosynthetic enzymes, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) are each composed of an amino-terminal regulatory domain and a carboxylterminal catalytic domain. A chimeric hydroxylase was generated by coupling the regulatory domain of TH (TH-R) to the catalytic domain of TPH (TPH-C) and expressing the recombinant enzyme in bacteria. The chimeric junction was created at proline 165 in TH and proline 106 in TPH because this residue is within a conserved five amino-acid span (ValProTrpPhePro) that defines the beginning of the highly homologous catalytic domains of TH and TPH. Radioenzymatic activity assays demonstrated that the TH-R/TPH-C chimera hydroxylates tryptophan, but not tyrosine. Therefore, the regulatory domain does not confer substrate specificity. Although the TH-R/TPH-C enzyme did serve as a substrate for protein kinase (PKA), activation was not observed following phosphorylation. Phosphorylation studies in combination with kinetic data provided evidence that TH-R does not exert a dominant influence on TPH-C. Stability assays revealed that, whereas TH exhibited a t_1/2 of 84 min at 37°C, TPH was much less stable (t _1/2=28.3 min). The stability profile of TH-R/TPH-C, however, was superimposable on that of TH. Removal of the regulatory domain (a deletion of 165 amino acids from the N-terminus) of TH rendered the catalytic domain highly unstable, as demonstrated by at _1/2 of 14 min. The authors conclude that the regulatory domain of TH functions as a stabilizer of enzyme activity. As a corollary, the well-characterized instability of TPH may be attributed to the inability of its regulatory domain to stabilize the catalytic domain.     

人酪氨酸羟化酶基因真核表达载体的构建及在哺乳动物细胞中的表达

用限制性内切酶EcoRI从pKS(-)HTH_1切下全长为1.9 kb的人酪氨酸羟化酶基因,在T_4DNA连接酶的作用下连接在真核表达载体pCDNA_3的EcoR Ⅰ位点,构建成重组质粒pcD-NA_3HTH_1,该质粒转染COS-7细胞,免疫荧光组织化学染色证实酪氨酸羟化酶在其中的表达。     

Flunarizine induces a transient loss of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in nigrostriatal neurons

Neurotoxic effects of flunarizine (Fz), a selective calcium channel blocker, on the nigrostriatal dopamine system was investigated. Systemic injections of Fz to mice resulted in a transient loss of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactive nigrostriatal neurons without cell loss. TH immunoreactivity in these neurons was greatly reduced as rapidly as one day after drug administration (regardless of dosage used) and thereafter recovered in both dose- and time-dependent manners. Such a novel neurotoxic action of Fz may constitute a morphological substrate for reversible drug-induced parkinsonian signs described in recent clinical case reports.     

大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞转染人TH基因的实验研究

目的评价酪氨酸羟化酶(tyrosine hydroxylase,TH)基因修饰骨髓间充质干细胞(mesenchymalstem cells,MSCs)后TH的表达情况及转染TH基因对MSCs的影响.方法构建含人TH基因的pCMV/hTH质粒,用脂质体转染原代培养的大鼠MSCs;Western blot及免疫细胞化学染色鉴定TH基因的表达及MSCs的分化情况;MTT比色法测定转染后的MSCs细胞活性,并与未转染的MSCs进行细胞活性比较.结果构建的pCMV/hTH质粒经ECoRI酶切后产生1.9okb和5.3kb的片段,与回收的目的基因及载体基因片段大小相符;转基因后的MSCs Western blot及免疫细胞化学染色显示TH染色阳性;转染后MSCs未见有NeuN,GFAP的表达;MTT比色法测定细胞活性,未转染与转染者差异无显著性.结论构建的TH基因能在体外培养的鼠MSCs中较好的表达,转染不会诱导MSCs向神经样细胞分化,对MSCs细胞活性无明显影响.     

C-terminal tail of β-adrenergic receptors: immunocytochemical localization within astrocytes and their relation to catecholaminergic neurons in N. tractus solitarii and area postrema

β-Adrenergic receptors (βAR) in the medial nuclei of tractus solitarii (m-NTS) and area postrema (AP) may bind to catecholamines released from neurons, whereas only the AP has fenestrated capillaries allowing access to circulating catecholamines. Since varied autonomic responses are seen following βAR activation of the dorsal vagal complex, including the m-NTS and AP, we hypothesized that there might be a cellular basis for varied responses to βAR stimulation that depends pn the differential access to circulating catecholamines. Therefore, we comparatively examined the ultrastructural localization of the βAR in relation to catecholaminergic neurons in these regions. An antibody directed against the C-terminal tail (amino acids 404–418) of hamster β-adrenergic receptor (βAR404) was used in this study. The localization of βAR404 was achieved by the avidin-biotin peroxidase complex (ABC) technique in combination with a pre-embed immunogold labeling method to localize tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the catecholamine-synthesizing enzyme. Within m-NTS and at subpostremal border, labeling for βAR404 was evident along the intracellular surface of plasma membranes of small, apparently distal, astrocytic processes. Astrocytic processes with βAR404-immunoreactivity formed multiple, thin lamellae around TH-labeled and non-TH neuronal cell bodies and dendrites. βAR404-immunoreactive astrocytes also extended end-feet around blood vessels and surrounded groups of axon terminals that were directly juxtaposed to each other. Some, but not all, of these axons demonstrated TH-immunoreactivity. Fewer βAR404-immunoreactive astrocytes were detected in AP, regardless of their proximity to catecholaminergic processes or blood vessels. The present astrocytic localization of βAR404, together with the earlier, neuronal localization of βAR's third intracellular loop, suggest that the βAR may be substantially different between neurons and astrocytes. The regional difference in the prevalence of βAR404-immunoreactive astrocytes suggests that these receptive sites may either: (i) be preferentially activated by catecholamines released from terminals rather than circulating catecholamines; or (ii) be down-regulated in AP due to blood-born substances, such as catecholamines. The extensive localization of βAR in the border between m-NTS and AP also suggests that catecholaminergic activation of these astrocytes may dictate the degree of diffusion of catecholamines which are of neuronal or vascular origin. The specific localization of βAR404-immunoreactivity to the more distal portions of astrocytes suggests the possibility that astrocytes have restrictive distributions of βAR and that the β-adrenergic activation lead to morphological or chemical changes that are also localized to the distal portions of astrocytes. Additionally, the detection of βAR404 in astrocytes contacting non-TH-immunoreactive neurons suggests the possibility for catecholaminergic modulation of non-catecholaminergic neurons via the activation of astrocytes.     

东方人苯丙酮尿症的分子遗传学—苯丙氨酸羟化酶基因中一终止突变与单体型4的连锁不平衡性

应用聚合酶链反应(PCR)方法扩增苯丙氨酸羟化酶(PAH)基因的每个外显子及其侧翼的内含子,并克隆到M 13载体中进行序列分析。发现中国人苯丙酮尿症(Phenylketonuria,PKU)患者的PAH基因外显子3中有1个Arg~(111)→Ter~(111)的点突变,此突变与东方人最常见的突变单体型4呈连锁不平衡。此突变占中国人PAH等位基因的10％左右,但不存在于高加索人群中,表明在种族分化过程中PAH基因位点发生了互不相关的突变事件。