Mediastinal tumors: biopsy under US guidance

Percutaneous biopsies of mediastinal tumors were successfully performed under sonographic guidance in 14 of 21 patients. In 10 of 11 malignant lesions, malignancy was determined by means of cytologic and histologic examination of the specimens obtained. A histologic diagnosis was reached in seven patients with malignant mediastinal tumors, including all four cases of Hodgkin lymphoma. Mediastinal biopsy under sonographic guidance is a technically simple, rapid, and accurate procedure, but its application is limited to tumors of the anterior mediastinum.     

Intravenous digital subtraction renal angiography: use in screening for renovascular hypertension

Intravenous digital subtraction renal angiography (DSRA) has been compared with conventional angiography only in small, selected series of hypertensive patients. The authors prospectively examined with intravenous DSRA 94 patients at increased risk for renovascular hypertension and compared these studies with conventional angiography. A stenosis of at least one main renal artery was identified with intravenous DSRA in 22 patients and confirmed in 20 patients. No significant stenoses were seen with conventional angiography in any of the 64 patients in whom lesions were not seen with intravenous DSRA. Since inadequate DSRA studies were considered positive for renal artery stenosis, the sensitivity of intravenous DSRA was 100% (25 of 25); specificity, 93% (64 of 69); positive predictive value, 83% (25 of 30); and negative predictive value, 100% (64 of 64). The authors conclude that intravenous DSRA is a sensitive test for identifying stenosis of the main renal arteries and is appropriate to use as a screening test among patients at increased risk for renovascular hypertension.     

Characteristics of recombinant W501S mutated human γ‐glutamyl carboxylase

Summary. A mutation (W501S) in the vitamin K‐dependent γ‐glutamyl carboxylase (VKC) that leads to a congenital bleeding disorder was recently discovered in two patients. To characterize the enzyme defect, recombinant VKC‐W501S was expressed in and purified from insect cells. The major effect of the mutation appears to be to decrease the affinity of the carboxylase for the propeptide of its substrates. This observation agrees with recent data that place part of the propeptide binding site within residues 495–513 of VKC. Additionally, we demonstrate that the affinity between descarboxy osteocalcin (d‐OC) and VKC remains unaffected by the W501S mutation. This confirms earlier data that the high‐affinity site for d‐OC is not located on the propeptide binding domain of VKC. Two properties of the enzyme suggest an explanation for the observation that vitamin K supplementation ameliorates the effects of the mutation: (i) since full carboxylation requires the propeptide to remain bound to the enzyme sufficiently long for full carboxylation, a reduced affinity can cause its premature release before carboxylation is complete; (ii) propeptide binding results in a decrease of the K_M for vitamin K hydroquinone in wild‐type, but not in mutant carboxylase, resulting in increased vitamin K requirement of affected subjects.     

体外诱导骨髓间充质干细胞向神经元样细胞分化的机制研究

目的体外诱导成人骨髓间充质干细胞(MSCs)向神经元样细胞分化,并探讨分化过程中多效蛋白(PTN)mRNA的表达,以了解MSCs向神经元样细胞分化的特性和机制。方法密度梯度离心加贴壁培养法分离成人MSCs,原代和传代培养。取第6代MSCs设对照和试验组进行诱导,诱导后30 min至3 d,观察细胞形态并计数。免疫细胞化学法和反转录-聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)法测定分化后细胞神经细胞特异性表面标志神经元烯醇化酶(NSE)、微管相关蛋白(MAP)-2,胶原酸性蛋白(GFAP)和诱导前、诱导后12 h PTN mRNA的表达。结果接种24 h后MSCs开始贴壁,呈圆形或椭圆形。3 d后可见梭状细胞呈集落状生长,10～14 d融合。第5～6代时呈现较均一的成纤维细胞样形态。诱导后胞体向胞核收缩;出现双极及多极细胞。12 h变形细胞增多,细长突起相互连接。24 h后变形细胞增多不明显。诱导后12 h大部分细胞表达NSE(64.79±0.07)%、MAP-2(60.05±0.09)%,未检测到GFAP的表达,RT-PCR半定量检测有NSE mRNA的表达(0.66±0.15)。实验组诱导后12 h细胞有PTN mRNA的表达(0.689±0.017)。结论建立了稳定的成人MSCs培养增殖体系,MSCs可体外诱导分化为神经元样细胞,在分化过程中有外观形态变化和特异性标志物NSE和MAP-2的表达,同时有PTN mRNA的表达,提示PTN可能参与调控了MSCs向神经元样细胞的分化。     

Structural diversity in twin-arginine signal peptide-binding proteins

The twin-arginine transport (Tat) system is dedicated to the translocation of folded proteins across the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. Proteins are targeted to the Tat system by signal peptides containing a twin-arginine motif. In Escherichia coli, many Tat substrates bind redox-active cofactors in the cytoplasm before transport. Coordination of cofactor insertion with protein export involves a "Tat proofreading" process in which chaperones bind twin-arginine signal peptides, thus preventing premature export. The initial Tat signal-binding proteins described belonged to the TorD family, which are required for assembly of N- and S-oxide reductases. Here, we report that E. coli NapD is a Tat signal peptide-binding chaperone involved in biosynthesis of the Tat-dependent nitrate reductase NapA. NapD binds tightly and specifically to the NapA twin-arginine signal peptide and suppresses signal peptide translocation activity such that transport via the Tat pathway is retarded. High-resolution, heteronuclear, multidimensional NMR spectroscopy reveals the 3D solution structure of NapD. The chaperone adopts a ferredoxin-type fold, which is completely distinct from the TorD family. Thus, NapD represents a new family of twin-arginine signal-peptide-binding proteins.