Critical stages of tumor growth regulation in transgenic mice harboring a hepatocellular carcinoma revealed by distinct patterns of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and transforming growth factor-beta mRNA production

There is now good evidence that cytokines contribute to the regulation of tumor growth. The cytokine-driven modulation of tumor growth was investigated during the progression of a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in SV40 large T tumor antigen transgenic mice. In vivo, an increased rate of liver growth correlated with increased transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 mRNA expression, while the greatest amounts of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha mRNA were detected earlier during tumor development. Conversely, no particular alteration of IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, IL-6, IL-2, IL-4 and IFN-gamma mRNA production could be reported. In vitro, hepatocyte-like tumor cell lines established at two stages, either before or after HCC differentiation, were characterized. The early-stage-derived cell line produced TNF-alpha mRNA, but had barely detectable expression of TGF-beta 1 mRNA, while later-stage- derived cell lines showed the reciprocal pattern. All cell lines displayed a lack of sensitivity to TNF-alpha, although some degree of sensitivity to TNF-alpha could be observed in the presence of actinomycin-D or after treatment with IFN-gamma. The early-stage- derived cell line was sensitive to the growth inhibitory effects of TGF- beta 1, but late-stage-derived tumor cell lines displayed a loss of sensitivity to TGF-beta 1 which correlated with the increased expression of TGF-beta 1 mRNA. Altogether, this suggests that tumor cells contribute to the discrete TNF-alpha and TGF-beta 1 expression patterns during HCC progression. This model of HCC could be of valuable interest to assess the impact of various immunotherapeutic strategies on modulation of tumor growth.      

Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy versus fatty replacement of the right ventricle. An autopsy case report

We report an autopsy case of a cardiomyopathy characterized by fatty replacement of the right ventricular myocardium and compare its clinical and histologic characteristics with those of the arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. A 39-year old male died suddenly in a hospital room. He had an alcoholic cirrhosis with ascitis, but the clinical examination and the biology showed no abnormalities explaining the death. Histologically, in the right ventricle, large areas of cardiomyocytes were replaced by fat, but there was no fibrosis. In contrast, fibrosis is present in association with fat in arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Fatty replacement of the right ventricle is likely to be a distinct entity. Right ventricular failure has been shown to be a possible complication. Sudden death is probably rare and is likely to occur when other arrhythmogenic factors are associated.     

Axonal and glial currents activated during the post-tetanic hyperpolarization in non-myelinated nerve

 Changes in membrane potential and potassium concentration in the extracellular space ([K⁺]_e) of rabbit vagus nerve were measured simultaneously during electrical activity and during the period of recovery using a modified sucrose-gap method and potassium-sensitive microelectrodes. After stimulation for 15 s at 15 Hz the main activity-induced increase in [K⁺]_e reached 16.9 mM. This increase in [K⁺]_e was paralleled by a depolarization of the preparation. The period of activity was followed by a post-tetanic hyperpolarization (PTH) lasting tens of seconds, generated by the axonal electrogenic Na⁺-K⁺ pump and to a lesser extent by the pump of the surrounding Schwann cells. The amplitude of the PTH dramatically increased in experiments in which inward currents were blocked by removal of Cl^– or after application of Cs⁺ or Ba²⁺, indicating that under normal conditions the current generated by the Na⁺-K⁺ pump is strongly short-circuited. A pharmacological and kinetic study showed that these currents are: (1) the hyperpolarization-activated current I _h, and (2) the inwardly rectifying I _KIR current. The results show that the latter originates from Schwann cells. Our data indicate that in non-myelinated nerves there is a subtle association of inward ionic channels which (1) helps the cell to maintain an optimal membrane potential after a period of activity, and (2) contributes to the removal of excess K⁺ from the extracellular space. Received: 7 August 1997 / Received after revision 6 April 1998 / Accepted: 15 April 1998     

Fully automatic quantification of microarray image data

DNA microarrays are now widely used to measure expression levels and DNA copy number in biological samples. Ratios of relative abundance of nucleic acids are derived from images of regular arrays of spots containing target genetic material to which fluorescently labeled samples are hybridized. Whereas there are a number of methods in use for the quantification of images, many of the software systems in wide use either encourage or require extensive human interaction at the level of individual spots on arrays. We present a fully automatic system for microarray image quantification. The system automatically locates both subarray grids and individual spots, requiring no user identification of any image coordinates. Ratios are computed based on explicit segmentation of each spot. On a typical image of 6000 spots, the entire process takes less than 20 sec. We present a quantitative assessment of performance on multiple replicates of genome-wide array-based comparative genomic hybridization experiments. By explicitly identifying the pixels in each spot, the system yields more accurate estimates of ratios than systems assuming spot circularity. The software, called, runs on Windows platforms and is available free of charge for academic use.     

Transport of Proteins Across the Human Placenta

PROBLEM: The transport of various proteins across the human placenta was investigated by comparing maternal and fetal concentrations of tetanus antigen (TT-AG), anti-tetanus (TT)-immunoglobulin G (IgG) (following maternal vaccination), IgA, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), human placental lactogen (hPL), and alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) at term. METHOD OF STUDY: The concentrations of the six proteins were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in serum of maternal venous and umbilical (fetal) vein samples obtained at delivery from uncomplicated term pregnancies (n = 16). RESULTS: The ratios (mean ± standard deviation) of fetal (umbilical) to maternal level were 1.41 ± 0.33 (anti-TT-IgG), 0.91 ± 0.37 (TT-AG), 0.002 ± 0.001 (IgA), 0.003 ± 0.001 (hCG), and 0.008 ± 0.004 (hPL), while the maternal:fetal concentration ratio of AFP was 0.002 ± 0.002. IgA, hCG, hPL, and AFP showed a close correlation between maternal and fetal levels varying between r² = 0.47 to 0.73 (P < 0.004–0.0001). Because AFP is produced by the fetus while IgA originates in the mother, the appearance of small amounts of these two proteins in the maternal or fetal compartment, respectively, suggests a slow rate of diffusion following a high concentration gradient. The detection of hCG and hPL in fetal serum is also interpreted as diffusion from the maternal into the fetal blood. Anti-TT-IgG has a significantly higher concentration in the fetal as compared with the maternal serum, which is in line with the well-documented active transfer of IgG. Fetal TT-antigen levels were similar to maternal concentrations, showing a close correlation (r² = 0.74, P < 0.0001) between the two proteins. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation between maternal and fetal concentrations of various proteins like IgA (150,000 Da), hCG (42,000 Da), and hPL (21,000 Da) suggests passive diffusion of these macromolecules across the placenta from the maternal to the fetal side, albeit at a slow rate. A similar process is postulated for AFP (70,000 Da) diffusing in the opposite direction from the fetus to the mother. There was no significant difference between the transplacental fetomaternal gradient of IgA and hCG and the maternal-fetal gradient of AFP. In view of the substantially larger volume of circulating maternal as compared with fetal blood, a significantly higher rate of crossing of AFP as compared with the other proteins must be assumed. It is uncertain whether a difference in the rate of transplacental transfer in the two directions or an additional source of AFP production in the maternal compartment explains the high maternal level. Anti-TT-IgG concentration is significantly higher in fetal than in maternal serum suggesting active transfer from the mother to the fetus. Furthermore, there is considerable transfer of TT-AG and a close correlation of fetal:maternal ratios of anti-TT-IgG (150,000 Da) and TT-AG (150,000 Da) could be an indication for a specific transfer of the antigen antibody complex.     

The anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2 can functionally substitute for the B cell survival but not for the marginal zone B cell differentiation activity of BAFF

The TNF family ligand B cell-activating factor (BAFF, BLyS, TALL-1) is an essential factor for B cell development. BAFF binds to three receptors, BAFF-R, transmembrane activator and CAML interactor (TACI), and B cell maturation antigen (BCMA), but only BAFF-R is required for successful survival and maturation of splenic B cells. To test whether the effect of BAFF is due to the up-regulation of anti-apoptotic factors, TACI-Ig-transgenic mice, in which BAFF function is inhibited, were crossed with transgenic mice expressing FLICE-inhibitory protein (FLIP) or Bcl-2 in the B cell compartment. FLIP expression did not rescue B cells, while enforced Bcl-2 expression restored peripheral B cells and the ability to mount T-dependent antibody responses. However, many B cells retained immaturity markers and failed to express normal amounts of CD21. Marginal zone B cells were not restored and the T-independent IgG3, but not IgM, response was impaired in the TACI-IgxBcl-2 mice. These results suggest that BAFF is required not only to inhibit apoptosis of maturating B cells, but also to promote differentiation events, in particular those leading to the generation of marginal zone B cells.     

Age-related changes in cardiac autonomic control during sleep

Aging is commonly associated with decreased sleep quality and increased periodic breathing (PB) that can influence heart rate variability (HRV). Cardiac autonomic control, as inferred from HRV analysis, was determined, taking into account the sleep quality and breathing patterns. Two groups of 12 young (21.1 +/- 0.8 years) and 12 older (64.9 +/- 1.9 years) volunteers underwent electroencephalographic, cardiac, and respiratory recordings during one experimental night. Time and frequency domain indices of HRV were calculated in 5-min segments, together with electroencephalographic and respiratory power spectra. In the elderly, large R-R oscillations in the very-low frequency (VLF) range emerged, that reflected the frequency of PB observed in 18% of the sleep time. PB occurred more frequently during rapid eye movement sleep (REM) sleep and caused a significant (P < 0.02) increase in the standard deviation of normal R-R intervals (SDNN) and absolute low-frequency (LF) power. With normal respiratory patterns, SDNN, absolute VLF, LF, and high frequency (HF) power fell during each sleep stage (P < 0.01) compared with young subjects, with no significant sleep-stage dependent variations. An overall decrease (P < 0.01) in normalized HF/(LF + HF) was observed in the elderly, suggesting a predominant loss of parasympathetic activity which may be related to decreased slow-wave sleep duration. These results indicate that two distinct breathing features, implying different levels of autonomic drive to the heart, influence HRV in the elderly during sleep. The breathing pattern must be considered to correctly interpret HRV in the elderly.     

Fourteen novel OPA1 mutations in autosomal dominant optic atrophy including two de novo mutations in sporadic optic atrophy

The OPA1 gene, encoding a dynamin-related GTPase that plays a role in mitochondrial biogenesis, is implicated in most cases of autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA). Sixty-nine pathogenic OPA1 mutations have been reported so far. Most of these are truncating mutations located in the GTPase domain coding region (exons 8-16) and at the 3'-end (exons 27-28). We screened 44 patients with typical ADOA using PCR-sequencing. We also tested 20 sporadic cases of bilateral optic atrophy compatible with ADOA. Of the 18 OPA1 mutations found, 14 have never been previously reported. The novel mutations include one nonsense mutation, 3 missense mutations, 6 deletions, one insertion and 3 exon-skipping mutations. Two of these are de novo mutations, which were found in 2 patients with sporadic optic atrophy. The recurrent c.2708_2711delTTAG mutation was found in 2 patients with a severe congenital presentation of the disease. These results suggest that screening for OPA1 gene mutations may be useful for patients with optic atrophy who have no affected relatives, or when the presentation of the disease is atypical as in the case of early onset optic atrophy.     

Nucleolar vacuoles observed in rat oocytes

Recently Merveille and al (1984) using light microscope have observed intranucleolar cavities in rat ovocytes from large antral follicles. They have showed that the frequency of these vacuoles increases when follicular growth is stimulated by gonadotropins. In this paper, the ultrastructure of the nucleolar cavities has been studied. Two types of cavities are visible in these nucleoli: 1. nucleolar "interstices" present at the periphery of the nucleoli in remnants of the granular component and of the dense fibrillar components; 2. nucleolar "vacuoles" which are located in the homogeneous substance forming the greatest part of the nucleolus. The nucleolar vacuoli generally are clear-cut and spherical. The density of their content is similar to the nucleoplasm but they don't communicate to the nucleoplasm. By means of cytochemical to detect Ag-NOR proteins (Ploton and al [1983]) and basic proteins (Sheridan and Barnett [1984]), dense fibrillar component of the nucleolus but no basic proteins may be seen in the wall of the cavity. Moreover no evidence of relation between the presence of the vacuoles and the process of follicular atresia has been found.