Renal glomerulogenesis in medaka fish, Oryzias latipes

We provide an overview of glomerulogenesis in medaka from the embryo to the adult by means of in situ hybridization with the wt1 gene as a marker as well as histology and three-dimensional images. The pronephric glomus starts to develop in the intermediate mesoderm during early somitogenesis, is completed before hatching, and persists throughout the lifetime of the fish. Within 5 days after hatching, mesonephric glomerulus formation begins in the caudomedial end of the pronephric sinus and duct area. The number of glomeruli reaches approximately 200-300 in each kidney within 2 months after hatching. wt1 expression during nephron maturation served as a marker for the formation of the mesenchymal condensate and the nephrogenic body. Existence of mesenchymal condensates and persistence of wt1 expression in the adult kidney suggest that the mesonephros retains precursor cells that may be capable of contributing to neoglomerulogenesis during adulthood. Developmental Dynamics 237:2342-2352, 2008. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Apoptotic rate in peripheral T-cell lymphomas. A study using a tissue microarray with validation on full tissue sections

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are a heterogeneous group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas with a wide spectrum of clinicopathologic features, and apoptosis mechanisms may have a role in lymphomagenesis. We assessed apoptotic rate (AR) in 112 PTCLs using a tissue microarray developed in our laboratory and a modified terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling assay. The mean AR was 1.47% +/- 1.38% for the entire group of PTCLs (range, 0.06%-5.15%), and AR varied significantly among different tumor types. In mycosis fungoides, the mean AR was 0.74%; angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, 1.02%; PTCL, not otherwise specified, 1.38%; cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), 1.41%; anaplastic lymphoma kinase protein (ALK)-negative ALCL, 1.43%; extranodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma of nasal type, 2.04%; ALK-positive ALCL, 2.95%; and enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma, 3.06%. Mean AR was higher in PTCL with large cell vs small/medium cell morphologic features (1.66% +/- 1.1% vs 0.99% +/- 1.0%). In a subset of 33 PTCLs, the tissue microarray results comparedfavorably with those obtained in full tissue sections. We conclude that the highest ARs in PTCLs are found in enteropathy-type T-cell lymphoma and ALK-positive ALCL, and that AR can be assessed reliably by using a tissue microarray.     

The effect of crosslinking in elastomers investigated by NMR analysis of 13C edited transverse 1H NMR relaxation

The transverse nuclear ¹H magnetization decay in poly(styrene-co-butadiene) (SBR) is investigated by editing ¹³C NMR spectra. This technique allows for the assignment of localized ¹H dynamical information by discriminating the chemical sites based on their chemical shift in the ¹³C dimension. Here, the homo- and heteronuclear dipolar couplings contribute to the ¹H NMR relaxation giving additional information to a homonuclear experiment. In this heteronuclear 2D experiment two prominent peaks are observed in the ¹³C dimension, which correspond to CH and CH₂ groups, respectively. The decay rate in the ¹H dimension is found for both groups to scale with the crosslink density. An additional ultra-fast magnetization decay is reported. The effect of the carbon black filler is investigated for this component. The analysis of the ¹³C NMR edited transverse ¹H magnetization relaxation is a useful tool in combining high resolution NMR spectra with information on molecular dynamics, providing insight into crosslink density and filler effects.     

Potential involvement of gelatinases and their inhibitors in Mannheimia haemolytica pneumonia in cattle

Mannheimia haemolytica infection of the lower respiratory tract of cattle results in a bronchofibrinous pneumonia characterized by massive cellular influx and lung tissue remodeling and scarring. Since altered levels of gelatinases and their inhibitors have been detected in a variety of inflammatory conditions and are associated with tissue remodeling, we examined the presence of gelatinases in lesional and nonlesional lung tissue obtained from calves experimentally infected with M. haemolytica. Lesional tissue had elevated levels of progelatinase A and B and active gelatinase A and B when compared with nonlesional tissue obtained from the same lung lobe. In vitro, M. haemolytica products stimulated production of gelatinase B, but not its activation, by bovine monocytes. Alveolar macrophages showed constitutive production of gelatinase B but no change in response to M. haemolytica products. Bovine neutrophils exposed to M. haemolytica products also released gelatinase B, and there was a significant increase in the activated form of this enzyme. These effects were virtually identical when recombinant O-sialoglycoprotease was used to stimulate these cells. M. haemolytica products also enhanced the expression by bovine monocytes and alveolar macrophages of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1. Our results provide evidence that matrix metalloproteinases are activated in lung lesions from cattle with shipping fever and that M. haemolytica virulence products induce production, release, and especially activation of gelatinase B by bovine inflammatory cells in vitro.     

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) BB acts as achemoattractant for human malignant mesotheliomacells via PDGF receptor b - integrin a3b1 interaction

Platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF BB) and the PDGF receptor b are expressed on mesotheliomacells, but their biological function has not yet been defined. In the present study we used Boyden chambersfitted with filters coated with the adhesive matrix proteins fibronectin, laminin, collagen type IV or the non-matrixadhesive molecule poly-L-lysine (PLL). Mesothelioma cells migrated towards PDGF BB at concen-trationsranging from 0.78 to 12.5 ng/ml if matrix proteins were present as adhesive substrates. This migrationwas integrin dependent since the same cells failed to migrate if the adhesive interactions necessary for migra-tionwere provided by molecules other than integrins. Migration of mesothelioma cells on fibronectin, lamininor collagen-type IV in response to PDGF BB was inhibited if the cells were pretreated with blocking anti-bodiesto a3b1 integrin. These findings describe for the first time PDGF BB as a chemoattractant for malig-nantmesothelioma cells and that collaboration between PDGF receptor b and integrin a3b1 is necessaryfor the motile response of these cells to PDGF BB.©Kluwer Academic Publishers     

华南、华北人群HLA-DQB1等位基因多态性

目的从基因水平调查了中国华南、华北地区人群HLA-DQB1等位基因频率，并研究比较两地区人群HLA-DQB1多态性分布。方法采用深圳益生堂生物企业有限公司研制开发的“HLA-DQB1低分辨率分型基因芯片检测试剂盒”，应用聚合酶链反应．序列特异性引物＋序列特异性寡核苷酸探针芯片检测技术，对700名南方地区的中国人和320名北方地区的中国人进行基因分型。结果鉴定了10个HLA-DQB1等位基因，获得了一组准确、科学的统计数据。结论得到了中国华南、华北地区人群HLA-DQB1等位基因频率差异的数据，证明中国人群HLA-DQB1＊02，05，0601，0602，0603的分布南北差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05），为疾病相关性研究、人文科学研究提供了可靠的遗传学数据。