Alterations in the INK4a/ARF locus and their effects on the growth of human osteosarcoma cell lines

Two different proteins, p16(INK4a) and p14(ARF), encoded by the INK4a/ARF locus play important roles in the RB and p53 pathways, respectively. This study was performed to determine genetic and epigenetic alterations in the INK4a/ARF locus and their effects on the growth of osteosarcoma. Among six cell lines examined, both p16(INK4a) and p14(ARF) exons were homozygously deleted in two cell lines, MG63 and HOS, and both p16(INK4a) and p14(ARF) promoters were methylated in one cell line, U2OS. Wild-type mRNA and proteins for p16(INK4a) and p14(ARF) were expressed in three other cell lines, SaOS2, HuO9, and G292. Transfection studies were performed using two cell lines, U2OS and MG63. Both the RB and p53 genes were wild types in U2OS, whereas p53 but not RB was mutated in MG63. Both p16(INK4a) and p14(ARF) suppressed the growth of U2OS, whereas p16(INK4a) but not p14(ARF) suppressed the growth of MG63. p53 only did not suppress the growth of MG63 either; however, coexpression of p14(ARF) with p53 increased the fraction of the G0/G1 phase in MG63 cells. The data presented here demonstrate the importance of genetic and epigenetic alterations in the INK4a/ARF locus for the growth of osteosarcoma and thus will be useful to further understand the biologic behavior of osteosarcoma in association with the defects in the p53 and RB pathways.     

Polyethylene/phospholipid polymer alloy as an alternative to poly(vinylchloride)-based materials

To develop new biomaterials for making medical devices, polymer alloys composed of a phospholipid polymer, poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC), and polyethylene (PE) were prepared. The PE/PMPC alloy membrane could be obtained by a combination of solution mixing and solvent evaporation methods using xylene and n-butanol mixture as a solvent. Moreover, thermal treatment was applied to improve the mechanical properties of the PE/PMPC alloy membrane. In the PE/PMPC alloy membrane, the PMPC domains were located not only inside the membrane but also at the surface. Surface analysis of the PE/PMPC alloy membrane with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, wettability evaluation, and dynamic contact angle measurements revealed that the phospholipid polar groups in the PMPC covered the surface even after thermal treatment. Blood compatibility tests with attention to platelet adhesion and change in morphology of adhered platelets showed that the PE/PMPC alloy membrane had excellent platelet adhesion resistance. We finally concluded that the PE/PMPC alloy could be used as biomaterials instead of poly(vinyl chloride)-based materials.     

Identification of p46 Shc expressed in the nuclei of hepatocytes with high proliferating activity: Study of regenerating rat liver

The adaptor molecule Shc is a proto-oncogene product, and it is known to be associated with cell proliferation. However, the role of Shc in the proliferation and regeneration of hepatocytes remains unknown. In the present study, we report that p46 Shc is specifically expressed in the nuclei of proliferative (or regenerative) hepatocytes, suggesting that p46 Shc protein plays a role in hepatocellular proliferation. The expression of Shc was analyzed in liver tissue after partial hepatectomy (PH) or sham operation in Wistar rats by using immunohistochemistry and/or Western blot analysis. In addition, the expression of various cell cycle-related proteins, such as Cdk4, cyclin D1, PCNA, and Cdk1 was analyzed in the tissues of regenerating rat liver. Furthermore, the tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc was studied in liver tissue after PH or sham operation by immunoprecipitation using a monoclonal phosphotyrosine antibody. Although the protein levels of p52 Shc were unchanged in liver tissues after PH or sham operation, tyrosine phosphorylation was detected only in the regenerating rat liver after PH. The levels of p46 Shc protein were markedly increased in liver tissues during the liver regenerative process. In contrast, p66 Shc was not detected in the liver tissues after PH or sham operation. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry showed that the main location of p46 Shc was in the nuclei of proliferating hepatocytes after PH. These data suggest that p46 Shc expressed in hepatocellular nuclei may be closely related to the proliferation of hepatocytes. Therefore, it is suggested that p46 Shc expressed in hepatocellular nuclei may be a useful marker for detecting hepatocytes with high proliferative activity.     

抗人DR5抗体mDRA- 6细胞毒作用机制分析

目的:探讨鼠抗人DR5单克隆抗体(mAb)mDRA-6对Jurkat细胞的细胞毒作用及其机制。方法:以流式细胞术测定mAbmDRA-6对Jurkat细胞的细胞毒作用和细胞凋亡作用,以及caspase8、9的抑制剂对mAbmDRA-6诱导的Jurkat细胞凋亡的影响。在荧光显微镜下,观察mAbmDRA-6对Jurkat细胞形态的影响。以琼脂糖凝胶电泳检测Jurkat细胞中的DNA片段化。结果:mAbmDRA-6对Jurkat细胞具有显著的细胞毒作用,并呈剂量和时间依赖性。经mAbmDRA-6处理后,Jurkat细胞可出现典型的细胞凋亡的形态特征:细胞膜皱缩,出泡,染色质浓缩,形成凋亡小体等。经mAbmDRA-6处理后,Jurkat细胞膜表面高表达丝氨酸磷脂,并可导致Jurkat细胞中的DNA片段化。caspase8的抑制剂可明显抑制mAbmDRA-6诱导的Jurkat细胞凋亡,caspase9的抑制剂的影响很小。结论:mAbmDRA-6可通过死亡受体信号传导途径诱导Jurakt细胞凋亡,对Jurkat细胞产生细胞毒作用,其在以TRAIL/DR5系统进行的肿瘤治疗和探讨DR5功能结构域方面具有广阔的应用前景。     

Histamine excites rat lateral vestibular nuclear neurons through activation of post-synaptic H2 receptors

Through whole-cell patch recordings in brainstem slices, the effects of histamine on neuronal activity of the lateral vestibular nucleus (LVN) were investigated. Bath application of histamine elicited a concentration-dependent excitation of both spontaneous firing (n = 19) and silent (n = 7) LVN neurons. Moreover, histamine induced a stable inward current in the LVN neurons (n = 5) and the histamine-induced depolarization of membrane potential persisted in the presence of tetrodotoxin (n = 4), indicating a direct post-synaptic effect of the histamine on the LVN neurons. Selective histamine H2 receptor antagonist ranitidine effectively blocked the histamine-evoked excitatory responses on the LVN neurons (n = 4), but selective histamine H1 receptor antagonist triprolidine did not (n = 4). In addition, selective histamine H2 receptor agonist dimaprit (n = 3) rather than 2-pyridylethylamine (n = 4), a selective histamine H1 receptor agonist, mimicked the excitatory action of histamine on LVN neurons. The results demonstrate that histamine excites the LVN neurons via post-synaptic histamine H2 receptors and suggest that the central histaminergic projection arising from the hypothalamus may modulate LVN neurons activity and actively influence the vestibular reflexes and functions.     

吲哚胺2,3-双加氧酶1在胃癌中的研究进展

胃癌 (Gastric Cancer,GC) 是全球第五大最常见的恶性肿瘤,也是第四大癌症死亡相关原因。胃癌异质性明显,肿瘤微环境复杂,免疫检查点抑制剂虽然在晚期胃癌中展现出一定抗肿瘤疗效,但获益人群仍在少数。吲哚胺2,3-双加氧酶 1 (Indoleamine 2,3-Dioxygenase 1,IDO1) 是色氨酸沿犬尿氨酸途径代谢中的关键酶,对肿瘤免疫逃逸起到了关键作用。目前已有多项研究表明IDO1在胃癌发生发展及幽门螺杆菌感染和EB病毒感染中发挥重要作用,所以靶向IDO1有望成为胃癌免疫治疗的新策略。本文就IDO1作用机制、IDO1在胃癌及相关疾病中的研究进展及IDO1抑制剂在胃癌中的应用前景进行综述。     

Gradual potentiation of isometric muscle force during constant electrical stimulation

An investigation was carried out into how stimulation frequency and stimulation history affect the potentiation of muscle force during 20s of constant stimulation of the two knee extensors in isometric conditions. Stimulation frequency significantly affected the potentiation pattern: low-frequency (2.5–10 Hz) stimulation showed a reduction and subsequent enhancement of force, and high-frequency (14.3–25 Hz) stimulation showed only enhancement of force. The degree of enhancement in force and time-to-peak decreased with the stimulation frequency. Whereas conditioning stimulation (both 40 Hz and 14.3 Hz) significantly enhanced the muscle force above 85%, following main stimulation (14.3 Hz) after short rest (10 s and 50 s, respectively) induced little force enhancement (below 8%). In particular, when the frequency of the conditioning stimulation was 14.3 Hz, the initial force at the main stimulation showed a very similar value to the final force value of the conditioning stimulation (above 90% similarity). The potentiated twitch force slowly decayed during rest, with an average time constant of 2.4 min. These observations indicate that muscle potentiation depends on the stimulation frequency and stimulation history, and therefore a computer model of potentiation can play an important role in predicting muscle force and body movement induced by electrical stimulation.     

Appearance of the LAT protein at an early stage of B-cell development and its possible role

The linker protein LAT is expressed mainly in T and natural killer (NK) cells. LAT-deficient mice have an arrest of intrathymic T-cell development at the CD4+ CD8+ stage and lack mature T cells in the periphery. However, no gross abnormality in development and function of the B and NK cells has been described. Here we report that LAT is expressed in mouse progenitor B (pro-B) and precursor B (pre-B) cells, but not in immature or mature B cells. LAT in pre-B cells becomes tyrosine phosphorylated upon cross-linking of the pre-B-cell receptor (pre-BCR) by anti- micro antibody. Incubation of 1xN/2b (mouse pre-B-cell line) cells or bone marrow cells from microMT/ microMT mice, which lack B cells after the small pre-B-cell stage, with anti-Ig beta antibody resulted in the downregulation of LAT expression. Transgenic mice which expressed LAT protein in B-lineage cells showed an increased proportion of pro- and large pre-B cells in the bone marrow and a remarkable reduction in the numbers of mature B cells in peripheral lymphoid tissues. Collectively, the present results indicate that LAT is expressed in the cells at the early stages of B-lineage development, but is absent in immature and mature B cells. LAT may play a crucial role in the negative regulation of B-cell development at the transition from pre-B to mature B-cell stages, and signal(s) via the pre-BCR may extinguish LAT expression, thus allowing pre-B-cell differentiation towards the mature B-cell stage.