转染癌基因的骨髓基质干细胞体外分化特征

目的:观察转染癌基因的骨髓基质干细胞在体外分化情况,为肝细胞癌的细胞源研究提供实验依据。方法:实验于2003-05/2004-06在南方医科大学药理教研室实验室完成。①两步法获取大鼠肝细胞,梯度离心法分离大鼠骨髓基质干细胞。②单基因转染是单独将c-myc或K-ras癌基因瞬时转染大鼠骨髓基质干细胞,6孔培养板中培养,24h后荧光显微镜下观察骨髓基质干细胞转染结果。双基因转染步骤相同,只是将c-myc和K-ras癌基因同时转染大鼠骨髓基质干细胞。③c-myc癌基因转染组、K-ras癌基因转染组、双癌基因转染组常规培养,加入含体积分数为0.1胎牛血清的DMEM培养基,于37℃、体积分数为0.05的CO2孵箱培养,每24h半量更换培养液。④c-myc癌基因转染 肝细胞组、K-ras癌基因转染 肝细胞组、双癌基因转染 肝细胞组将已转染癌基因的骨髓基质干细胞,置于叠加的培养板半透膜的上方(细胞密度均为1×105个/cm2),再将肝细胞置于半透膜的下方(每孔细胞密度为3×105/cm2)进行共培养,其余步骤同常规培养。⑤通过反转录聚合酶式反应和细胞免疫组化检测骨髓基质干细胞分化情况。结果:①癌基因转染24h骨髓基质干细胞检测结果:单独转染c-myc或K-ras癌基因的细胞,其绿色荧光蛋白呈均匀一致分布;双基因转染的细胞,绿色荧光蛋白呈点片状分布。②各组骨髓基质干细胞向肿瘤细胞分化检测结果:c-myc癌基因转染组、K-ras癌基因转染组、双癌基因转染组的骨髓基质干细胞,均未向肿瘤细胞分化;c-myc癌基因转染 肝细胞组、K-ras癌基因转染 肝细胞组、双癌基因转染 肝细胞组的骨髓基质干细胞,均向肝细胞癌发展;空白对照组骨髓基质干细胞细胞均为阴性。此外,双癌基因转染 肝细胞组的骨髓基质干细胞分化增殖迅速,反转录聚合酶式反应和免疫组化检测发现,培养第7天出现甲胎蛋白表达,并迅速增加,而第7天出现的白蛋白和细胞角蛋白18表达迅速减弱,第14天消失。结论:转染癌基因的骨髓基质干细胞,在向肝细胞诱导的条件下,部分癌基因可以使干细胞分化为肝癌细胞;多癌基因转染时,更易于使干细胞分化为肝癌细胞。     

Serologic test for syphilis as a surrogate marker for human immunodeficiency virus infection among United States blood donors

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the usefulness of the serologic test for syphilis (STS) in preventing the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B and C viruses, and human T- lymphotropic virus via the transfusion of seronegative, infectious window-period blood. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Demographic and laboratory information on blood donations made between January 1992 and June 1994 in 18 American Red Cross regions was analyzed. It was assumed that the same proportion of HIV-positive and HIV-infectious window- period donations reacted on STS and were negative on other screening tests (hepatitis B and C viruses and human T-lymphotropic virus). This proportion multiplied by the estimated number of HIV-infectious window- period donations is the number of post-screening HIV-infectious donations removed by STS. RESULTS: Of 4,468,570 donations, 12,145 (0.27%) were STS positive and 377 (0.008%) were HIV positive. Among donations that were negative on other screening tests, STS-reactive donations were 12 times more likely to be HIV positive (odds ratio = 11.9; 95% CI = 5,26). However, of an estimated 13 infectious window- period donations, 0.2 would have been removed because of a reactive STS, at a cost of over $16 million. CONCLUSION: STS is a poor marker and a costly strategy for preventing post-screening HIV infections and other blood-borne diseases.     

Polycystic Kidney Disease Re-evaluated: A Population-based Study

A genetic register of all known cases of autosomal dominantpolycystic kidney disease occurring in South and Mid-Wales hasbeen established. In a population of 2.1 million, 209 familieswith affected members were identified, 303 of whom are currentlyalive, 70 on renal replacement therapy. An additional 551 caseswould be predicted amongst family members at 50 per cent and25 per cent risk, giving an apparent prevalence of 1:2459 inthe general population. Five possible new mutations were seenwhere adults with phenotypic autosomal dominant polycystic kidneydisease had both parents alive, age > 55 years with no cystsvisible on ultrasound. The take-on rate for renal replacementtherapy increased during 1970–79 but has apparently reacheda plateau of 4.8 cases per million population per year overthe last 8 years, despite a rapidly increasing acceptance ofuraemic patients as a whole (72/10⁶/year in 1988–89).Considerably more patients with autosomal dominant polycystickidney disease aged over 50 years were started on treatmentin 1980–89 than in 1970–79, but the survival overallimproved with time. All cases of autosomal dominant polycystickidney disease reaching end-stage renal disease are now beingtreated, but the apparent clinical prevalence of this conditionin our region is less than half the supposed gene frequency,suggesting that undiagnosed cases have a benign prognosis.     

Electron microscopic evidence of persistent chlamydial infection following treatment

Chlamydia trachomatis infections of the female and male genital tracts are often asymptomatic and, thus, tend to become persistent. In the persistent state the typical Chlamydia life cycle is arrested and standard antibiotic regimens do not always eradicate this infection. We sought to relate treatment failures in men and women with persistent chlamydial genital tract infections to electron microscopic evidence of chlamydial persistence and with atypical morphological forms of the organism. Of 16 patients with chlamydial persistence following azithromycin treatment, morphological variants of this organism were observed by electron microscopy from one endocervical sample and one male urethral sample. We document the presence of intracellular inclusions containing only reticulate bodies, extracellular monomembrane and polymembrane phagosomes containing elementary bodies and reticulate bodies with abnormal outer membranes in the process of dividing extracellularly. These observations parallel previous in vitro studies of chlamydial persistence under adverse conditions. This capacity of C. trachomatis to undergo atypical morphological alterations in vivo may contribute to its persistence and relative resistance to antibiotics.     

Cancer: A reproductive strategy of "ultra-selfish" genes?

A hypothesis is presented in which the process of "malignant transformation" which ultimately results in the rapidly dividing tumor(s)(cells) causing "cancer", is regarded as an evolved reproductive strategy of "ultra-selfish" (proto-)(onco-)genes, already present in the genome, or introduced by a virus.