Relationship between Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in TNF-α Gene Promoter Region and Inhibitory Effects of Triptolide on TNF-α Production in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Healthy Humans

Tumor necrosis factorα(TNF-α)is ani mpor-tant cytokine that has extensive biological activity.It plays key rolesinthe pathogenesis of rheumatoidarthritis(RA).The TNF-αlocus has yielded a va-riety of polymorphic sites such as-308,-238, 498andso on[1].Amongthese polymorphic sites,ithas been demonstrated that TNF-α-308single nucle-otide polymorphism(SNP)is closely related withthe susceptibility,response to drugs and outcomeof RA[2-5].Triptolide that is a main active compo-nent of Tript…     

Antitumor Effects of the Fibroblasts Transfected TNF-α Gene and its Mutants

Summary: To compare the anti-tumor effects of transmembrane TNF-α (TM-TNF) and secreted TNF-α (S-TNF) in vivo, mouse fibroblasts NIH3T3 were transfected separately with three types of retrovirus containing wild type TNF-α (Wt-TNF), TM-TNF mutant (TM-TNFm), S-TNF mu tant (S-TNFm). Southern blot, RT-PCR, FACS and bioassay were used to investigate TNF-α gene integration, expression and its biological activity. It was found that both fixed cells and supernatant of NIH3T3/Wt-TNF, the fixed cells of NIH3T3/TM-TNFm and the supernatant of NIH3T3/S-TNFm could express high level of TNF-α or its mutants and effectively kill H22 in vitro. The trans fected NIH3T3 were separately injected into the mice at the sites of H22 tumor cell inoculation ac cording to a ratio of 5: 1 or 1: 1 (effector/target cells, E/T) after the third day of H22 challenge,respectively. At the E/T= 5 : 1, the NIH3T3/TM-TNFm induced the highest tumor regression,while NIH3T3/S-TNFm exerted the strongest tumor depressing effect at the E/T= 1 .: 1 in vivo. No obvious side effects were noted throughout the course of treatment. The results suggest that both TM-TNF and S-TNF could cause tumor regression. The anti-tumor effect of TM-TNF would be more powerful and safe than that of S-TNF at the proper E/T ratio.     

The Expression of TNF-α and ICAM-1 in Lesions of Lichen Planus and Its Implication

In order to investigate the role of TNF-α and ICAM-1 in the pathogenesis of lichen planus, immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of TNF-α and ICAM-1 in skin le- sions of the patients with lichen planus and skin tissues of normal subjects. The results showed that positive rates of TNF-α and ICAM-1 expressions in lichen planus were significantly higher than those in normal skins (both P<0.05). Meanwhile, there was a obvious correlation between the in- crease of TNF-α and that of ICAM-1 in lichen planus. The expression of TNF-α and ICAM-1 might play an important role in the development of lichen planus.     

Correlation of cytotoxic effect of transmembrane and secretory TNF-α to cell cycle

This study was aimed to examine the correlation of the cytotoxic effects induced by two types of TNF-α to cell cycle. Hoechst 33342 and PI were used to detect the morphological changes in the cell death induced by the two types of TNF-α. TdT and PI co-staining was performed to determine the phase of cell cycle of apoptotic cells. L929 cells in different phases of cell cycle were further synchronized and their sensitivity to the two types of TNF-α was observed. Our results showed that the apoptosis of HepG2 cells triggered by tm-TNF-α mainly occurred in G1 phase while in HL-60, Raji and K562 cell lines it mainly took place in S phase. The apoptosis of L929 cells induced by tm-TNF-α mainly occurred in S phase while the apoptosis induced by s-TNF-α mainly appeared in G1 phase. L929 cells were sensitive to s-TNF-α when synchronized in G1 phase (cytotoxicity 49.8%) while their sensi-tivity to tm-TNF-α was highest in S phase (45.7%) and G1/S phase (cytotoxicity 40.6%). It was concluded that tm-TNF-α-induced apoptosis of different target cells took place in different phases of cell cycle. The apoptosis of the specific cell line induced by the two types of TNF-α occurred in different phases of cell cycle. The sensitivity of the specific cell line to the two types of TNF-α was correlated with the phase of cell cycle.     

Assay of sIL-2R and TNF-α in experimental allergic encephalomyelitis

目的 :研究 s IL- 2 R和 TNF- α在实验性变态反应性脑脊髓炎 (EAE)免疫发病机制中的变化与作用。方法 :应用豚鼠诱导 EAE动物模型。在 MBP+CFA免疫豚鼠的第 8、15、2 2天处死动物 ,取脾细胞 ,加入 Con A诱生培养 ,收集上清液 ,采用 ELISA方法测定 s IL- 2 R水平 ,采用生物活性测定法检测TNF- α水平。结果 :EAE组的 s IL- 2 R与 TNF- α水平明显高于正常对照组。结论 :s IL- 2 R及 TNF- α在EAE免疫发病机制中具有重要作用     

Effect of Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bge on Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and the Expression of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

The effects of salvia miltiorrhiza Bge (SMB) on left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the left ventricle of spontaneously hypertensive rats and the action mechanism were investigated. Normal Wistar-kyoto (WKY) rats were used as negative control, and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were randomly assigned to receive pla- cebo or SMB. SMB (1 g/kg·d) was injected intraperitoneally for 12 weeks. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) were measured. HE, VG and immunohistochemical staining combined with computed morphometry were employed to evaluate the cardiomyocyte size, diameter, the collagen volume fraction (CVF), perivascular circumferential area (PVCA), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression in the left ventricular tissue. The results showed, as compared with WKY rats, the SBP, LVMI, cardiomyocyte size, diameter, CVF, PCVA, and TNF-α expression were increased markedly in the 20-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats. SMB decreased LVMI (P<0.01), size of cardiomyocytes (P<0.01), collagen volume fraction (P<0.01), perivascular circum- ferential area (P<0.01), and TNF-α expression (P<0.01), but had no effect on SBP (P>0.05). It was suggested that chronic administration of SMB could inhibit and reverse the development of LVH in spontaneously hypertensive rats independent of BP. TNF-α may be involved in the reversal mecha- nism of LVH by SMB.     

Expression of IL-1β and TNF-α in MCMV Myocarditis and Its Role

Autoi mmune myocarditis in Coxsackievirus B3(CB3)-infected mice is associated with infiltrationof the heart by inflammatory cells that secreteTNF-αand IL-1[1].In this study we examine theexpression of cytokines , TNF-αand IL-1βpro-duced locallyinthe heart inresponse to MCMVin-fectionin order to determine their potential role inthe development of acute myocarditis .1MATERIALS AND METHODS1 .1Reagents and AntibodiesMonoclonal goat anti-mouse IL-1β, TNF-αanti-body and SABC …     

Association between estrogen receptor β gene Rsa1 polymorphism and depressive disorder in peri-menopausal and menopausal women

Worldwide,theprevalenceofdepressionin womenissignificantlygreaterthaninmen. Availabledatasuggestthatestrogenisstrongly implicatedintheregulationofmoodandbehavior, aswellasinthepathobiologyofmooddisorders[1]. Someresearchers[2,3]administeredtransdermal estradiol0.05mg/dor0.1mg/dtoperi- menopausalwomenwithdepression.After3 weeksofestradioltreatment,mostwomen receivingestradiolexperiencedremissionof depression,comparedwithlesswomenreceiving placebo.ThemeanMont-gomery-Asberg DepressionRatingScal…     

Comparison of Cell Deaths Induced by Transmembrane and Secretory TNF-α

Our previous study showed that transmembrane TNF-α (TM-TNF-α) had broader tumori- cidal spectrum than secretory TNF-α (s-TNF-α). This study examined the difference between the two kinds of TNF-α in inducing cells and the relationship between the apoptosis induced by TM-TNF-α and the cell cycle. Bioassay was employed to compare the cytotoxic effect of two kinds of TNF-α on cell lines L-929 and HepG2. TUNEL was used to detect apoptosis and the TdT and PI co-staining were used for determining the phase of apoptotic cells. Our results showed that TM-TNF-α could kill not only s-TNF-sensitive L929 cells but also s-TNF-tolerant HepG2 cells. TM-TNF-α predominantly induced apoptosis while s-TNF could induce both apoptosis and necrosis. The apoptosis of L-929 cells induced by TM-TNF-α mainly occurred in S phase and the apoptosis of HepG2 predominantly took place in G1 phase. It is concluded that the cytotoxic effects of the two TNF differ substantially. Since TM-TNF-α works locally, mainly induces apoptosis and has broader anti-tumor spectrum, it may be more effective for the treatment of tumor than s-TNF.     

The relationship between tumor necrosis factor-α gene polymorphisms and acute severe pancreatitis

Objective To investigate the relationship between the presence of the TNF2 allele and plasma concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and soluble TNF receptor (sTNF-R) with the development of acute severe pancreatitis (ASP) and severe sepsis.Methods Genomic DNA was prepared from peripheral blood leukocytes. The TNF1 and TNF2 biallelic polymorphisms were identified by analyzing NcoI-digested DNA fragments obtained from PCR products. Plasma levels of TNFα and sTNF-R were measured by EASIA.Results The overall TNF2 allele frequency in ASP patients was comparable to that found in healthy volunteers (29.2% vs. 29.3%, P&gt;0.05). Severe sepsis occurred in 26 of 72 patients. Patients with severe sepsis showed a significantly higher prevalence of TNF2 than those without (46.2% vs. 19.6%, P&lt;0.05). Plasma TNFα, sTNF-R Ⅰ, and sTNF-R Ⅱ levels were (36±31) pg/ml, (5.4±3.5) ng/ml, and (11.2±7.8) ng/ml, respectively, in patients with severe sepsis, and (31±25) pg/ml, (4.6±3.8) ng/ml, and (8.8±6.6) ng/ml in non-severe sepsis subjects. Differences in TNF levels were not statistically significant between patients with ASP and control group (P&gt;0.05). Moreover, there was no correlation between TNF2 allele frequency and TNFα levels ［(37±31） pg/ml vs. （31±25） pg/ml in TNF2 group and TNF1 group, respectively, P&gt;0.05］.Conclusions Our results suggest that there is no relationship between ASP and the TNF2 allele, but that the TNF2 allele is associated with a susceptibility to severe sepsis as a result of ASP.     

Effect of Coriaria Lactone-activated Astrocyte-conditioned Medium on the Cerebral TNF-α of Normal Rats

It has been well reportedthat inthe process ofepileptogenesis ,the pathological changes of neu-rons were accompanied by obvious morphologicaland functional abnormalities in astrocytes ,inclu-dingthe changesin shape and quantity of cells ,andin metabolic and enzymatic activities ,the electro-physiology , the synthesis of protein, and soon[1 ,2].In our previous research, we had provedthat the onset of epilepsy was related to the i mbal-ance of i mmuno-neuro-endocrine network[3]. Thecytokine is a…     

TNF-α gene-modified dendritic cells act as more potent adjuvants for peptide delivery to induce specific antitumor immunity in mice

Objective To investigate the antitumor immune efficiency of mouse dendritic cells (mDCs) by using adenovirus-mediated tumor necrosis factor-alpha (AdV-TNF-α) gene transfer.Methods MDCs infected with AdV-TNF-α and AdV-pLpA (no gene insert) at 100 multiplicity of infection (MOI) were analyzed by RNase protection assay for their cytokine secretion. Mixed lymphocyte reactions were also performed to analyze their capacity for alloantigen-presentation. C57BL/6 mice were challenged with R3LL tumor cells (Lewis lung carcinoma line) 10 days after vaccination with different engineered DCs and regular DCs as well.Results Compared to AdV-pLpA and mock-infected DCs, AdV-TNF-α-infected DCs displayed up-regulated expression of alpha tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-12 (IL-12), interleukin-18 (IL-18) and granulocyte macrophage colony stimulation factor (GM-CSF), and indicated stronger allogeneic T cell proliferative responses. Furthermore, vaccination of mice with dendritic cell tumor necrosis factor-alpha (DCTNF-α) pulsed with Mut1 peptide induced more efficient tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) cytotoxicity against R3LL tumor cells in vitro and with efficient antitumor immunity in vivo. Conclusion This type of engineered DCs could be applied in clinical settings of DC-based cancer vaccines     

Changes in Number and Biological Function of Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Hypertension Disorder Complicating Pregnancy

To examine the changes in number and function of endothelial progenitor cells （EPCs） from peripheral blood （PB） in hypertension disorder complicating pregnancy （HDCP）, 20 women with HDCP and 20 normal pregnant women at the third trimester were studied. Mononuclear cells （MNCs） from PB were isolated by Ficoll density gradient centrifugation. EPCs were identified by positive expression of both CD34 and CD133 under fluorescence microscope and positive expression of factor Ⅷ as shown by immunocytochemistry. The number of EPCs was flow-cytometrically determined. Proliferation and migration of EPCs were measured by MTT assay and modified Boyden chamber assay, respectively. The adhesion activity of EPCs was detected by counting the number of the adherent cells. The results showed that, compared with normal pregnant women, the number of EPCs was significantly reduced in HDCP （4.29%±1.21% vs 15.32%±2.00%, P〈0.01）, the functional activity of EPCs in HDCP, such as proliferation （13.45%±1.68% vs 18.45%±1.67%）, migration （37.25±7.28 cells/field vs 67.10±9.55 cells/field） and adhesion activity （20.65±5.19 cells/field vs 34.40±6.72 cells/filed） was impaired （P〈0.01）. It is concluded that the number and function of EPCs are significantly decreased in HDCP.     

The effect of spinal cord injury on the expression of TGF-β and TNF-α in rat articular cartilage

Objective: To observe the expression of TGF-β and TNF-α in the spinal cord injured rat model and discuss the significance of the articular cartilage metabolism. Methods: 36 SD female rats were randomly divided into 2 groups: Rats models of spinal cord injury were implemented by Allen method. T10 laminectomy was performed in the control group. Both groups of rats were killed respectively in 1w, 3w and 6w. Hematoxylin-eosin stain was given to each slice in the model group and control group. Immunohistochemical stain was applied by using ABC method in the expression of TGF-β and TNF-α. Those expressed level were performed in image analysis and statistics process. Results: TGF-β and TNF-α were mainly distributed on the surface layer of the articular cartilage, with a weak expression in control group. The expression of TNF-α in the model group was more significant than that in the control group in the 1w, and still remained an evident difference with that in control group until the 6w(P ＜ 0.05). TGF-β expression of the model group had no remarkable difference with the control group in the lw (P ＞ 0.05) and prominently became stronger at 6w(P ＜ 0.05). Conclusion: The expression of TNF-o occurred early in the development of spinal cord injury, and the expression of TGF-β became stronger with the revival of spinal neural function. Both expressions were strengthened in articular cartilage in the 3rd week.     

Gene expression and cellular localizations of tumor necrosis factor-α at the site of implanted bovine cancellous bone in mice

Cellularimmunityisanimportantimmunephenomenonintheregionofxenogeneicbonegraft.Tumornecrosisfactor--a(TNFQ)playsacriticallmmuno--modulatoryroleincellularprocessofrejection.RecentevidencesupportingtherelationshipbetweenTNFQandboneresorptlonhasbeenprovidedbytheworkofMingetal.LIJ.However,detectionofTNFamRNAatthesiteofimplantedbonehasnotyetbeenshownexperimentally.Inthisstudy,anonradloactiveinSitubybridizationtechniquewasselectedtolocalizeTNFaintheregionofimplantedxenogeneicboneandtoinvesti…     

Upregulation of TNF-α mRNA in hepatic fibrosis rats induced by dimethylnitrosamine

Objective：To observe the expression level of TNF-α mRNA in rats with hepatic fibrosis induced by dimethylnitrosamine （DMN） and to explore its relationship with collagen metabolism and its diagnostic value for hepatic fibrosis.Methods： Twenty-five male Wistar rats were randomly divided into normal control group （n=10） and model group （n=15）. Model rats were induced by DMN for 4 weeks and at final stage were executed. TNF-α mRNA were detected by RT-PCR and the inflammatory necrosis and collagen deposition in hepatic tissue were observed by HE stain and Sirius red stain. The liver functions were determined by automatic biochemical analytic device. The serum marks of liver fibrosis, such as HA, LN and Ⅳ-C were measured with ELISA and RIA. Results： In this study, the rat model of liver fibrosis induced by DMN was successfully constructed. RT-PCR reveals that TNF-α mRNA expression in control group is lower than that of model group. The liver functions of model group were impaired compared with those of the control group （P〈0.01）. Semi-quantitive analysis revealed that TNF-α/β-actin of normal rats was 0.39±0.12, while 0.93±0.05 of model rats. The concentration of HA （434.44±98.81 vs 252.9±26.59 ng/ml, P〈0.01）, LN （70.67±6.32 vs 37.90±5.97 ng/ml, P〈0.01） and Ⅳ-C （79.39±10.52 vs 21.40±4.17 ng/ml, P〈0.01） were significantly increased in the model group as well. Changes of the indexes were similar to the pathological damage of the liver. Conclusion： The results suggested that activation of TNF-α in liver tissues may be the common pathogenic mechanism of liver fibrosis. TNF-α may be a useful index for the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis which worthies further investigation.     

A meta-analysis of relationship between β-fibrinogen gene -148C/T polymorphism and susceptibility to cerebral infarction in Han Chinese

Objective The results of studies on association between -148C/T polymorphism in promoter region of β-fibrinogen gene and susceptibility to cerebral infarction in Chinese population are controversial. In this study, we summarize the results of published works in this field by a meta-analysis. Data sources Genetic association studies evaluating the β-fibrinogen gene -148C/T polymorphisms and cerebral infarction involving Chinese population published before December 2005 were collected from PubMed, EMBASE and CNKI. Study selection Case control studies involving unrelated, Han subjects aged from 18 to 80 years, and the internationally recognized diagnostic standard of cerebral infarction and genotype frequencies in control group consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were used. Publication bias was tested by funnel plot and the odds ratios of all studies were combined dependent on the result of heterogeneity test among the individual studies. The software Review Manager (Version 4.2) was used for meta-analysis. Results Eleven studies including 1223 patients and 1433 controls met the selection criteria. There was no heterogeneity among the odds ratios (ORs) of individual studies (χ(2)=17.82, P=0.06). The combined OR of susceptibility to cerebral infarction in -148T allele carriers compared to the wild homozygote was 1.32 (95%CI 1.12 to 1.55, P=0.0008). In the patients with cerebral infarction, the average plasma fibrinogen level of allele T carrier was 0.42 g/L (95%CI 0.29 to 0.54, P&lt;0.001), higher than that of -148C/C homozygous ones. Conclusions β-fibrinogen gene -148C/T polymorphism might contribute to susceptibility to cerebral infarction in Han Chinese. To reach a definitive conclusion, further gene to gene and gene to environment interactions studies on β-fibrinogen polymorphisms and cerebral infarction with large sample size are required.     

The effect of spinal cord injury on the expression of TGF-β and TNF-α in rat articular cartilage

Objective： To observe the expression of TGF-β and TNF-α in the spinal cord injured rat model and discuss the significance of the articular cartilage metabolism. Methods： 36 SD female rats were randomly divided into 2 groups： Rats models of spinal cord injury were implemented by Allen method. T10 laminectomy was performed in the control group. Both groups of rats were killed respectively in 1w, 3w and 6w. Hematoxylin-eosin stain was given to each slice in the model group and control group. Immunohistochemical stain was applied by using ABC method in the expression of TGF-β and TNF-α. Those expressed level were performed in image analysis and statistics process. Results： TGF-β and TNF-α were mainly distributed on the surface layer of the articular cartilage, with a weak expression in control group. The expression of TNF-α in the model group was more significant than that in the control group in the lw, and still remained an evident difference with that in control group until the 6w（P 〈 0.05）. TGF-β expression of the model group had no remarkable difference with the control group in the lw （P 〉 0.05） and prominently became stronger at 6w（P 〈 0.05）. Conclusion： The expression of TNF-α occurred early in the development of spinal cord injury, and the expression of TGF-β became stronger with the revival of spinal neural function. Both expressions were strengthened in articular cartilage in the 3rd week.     

Effects of transfection of ICAP-1α and its mutants on adhesion and migration of 2H-11 cells

This study examined the effect of integrin cytoplasmic domain-associated protein 1α (ICAP-1α) and its mutatants T38A and I138A on the adhesion, migration and tube formation of 2H-11 cells.rAAV-ICAP-1α, rAAV-T38A and rAAV-I138A were constructed.After infection, the expression of ICAP-1α and p-ERK1/2, p-c-Jun protein was measured by Western blotting.Adhesion ability was evaluated by using MTT.Cell migration was determined by using Boyden chamber method.Tube formation test was conducted on Matrigel.The results showed that in ICAP-1α, T38A and I138A groups, ICAP-1α protein expression was increased.In T38A and I138A groups, phospho-ERK1/2, phospho-c-Jun protein expressions were significantly increased as compared with the control group and the GFP group.ICAP-1α group protein expression was obviously decreased when compared with the control group and the GFP group.Cell adhesion ratio was 0.1429±0.0080 in control group, 0.1434±0.0077 in GFP group and the ratio in T38A and I138A groups increased to 0.3210±0.0082 and 0.3250±0.0079, respectively.In ICAP-1α group, the ratio was decreased to 0.1005±0.0073.In T38A and I138A groups, the number of migrating 2H-11 cells was increased to 31.45±3.20 and 33.10±5.40 against 18.51±2.80 in control group and 20.47±3.12 in GFP group.In ICAP-1α group, the number was decreased to 12.06±1.72.The number of tube-like structures was increased to 20.41±2.54 in T38A and to 22.26±3.07 in I138A groups as compared to those of control group 12.45±1.84 and GFP group 13.63±2.71.In ICAP-1α group, the number of tube-like structures was decreased to 8.32±1.24.It was suggested that rAAV-T38A and rAAV-I138A transfection can substantially increase 2H-11 cell adhesion, migration and angiogenisis, while rAAV-ICAP-1α can greatly inhibit the effect.These effects might be correlated with ERK1/2 and c-Jun protein phosphorylation.