CYP17A1基因新突变致17α-羟化酶/17,20-裂解酶部分性缺陷症

目的研究1例17α-羟化酶/17,20-裂解酶部分性联合缺陷症患者CYP17A1基因突变特点,并结合患者的临床表现与基因突变类型初步探讨P450C17酶蛋白的结构与功能的关系。方法收集1例17α-羟化酶/17,20-裂解酶部分性联合缺陷症患者的临床资料及其亲属血标本,提取基因组DNA,设计7对引物扩增CYP17A1基因的8个外显子及外显子与内含子的连接区域,琼脂糖凝胶电泳鉴定PCR产物,产物胶回收后直接做为DNA双链模板测序。DNA双链模板不一致的PCR产物经克隆后测序。测序结果在核苷酸序列数据库进行比较分析。结果患者CYP17A1基因突变检测结果为5994-5995delAT/7541C>T复合杂合子。这两种突变均未见报道。推测5994-5995delAT导致I259H,274X,突变形成的截短蛋白质缺少血红素结合区域,因此是没有功能的;而通过人类P450C17酶计算机模型分析显示7541C>T导致的A398V远离酶的活性中心,推测突变可能使酶的活性减弱,而不是完全地丧失。患者临床表现为有自发不规则月经及轻度高血压、低血钾,结合激素测定结果提示肾上腺和性腺保留部分功能。因而患者的基因型与其临床表型是一致的。结论应进行突变P450C17酶的功能学研究来进一步明确结构改变对功能的影响。     

自然流产模型小鼠蜕膜细胞凋亡及Bcl-2、Bax表达的研究

目的：通过比较正常妊娠模型小鼠及自然流产模型小鼠蜕膜细胞凋亡及Bcl-2、Bax蛋白的表达，从细胞及分子水平探讨自然流产的发病机制。方法：建立正常妊娠模型CBAXBALB／c和自然流产模型CBAXDBA／2。用免疫组化SABC法测定两组模型孕13天蜕膜细胞Bcl-2和Bax蛋白的表达，并通过MIAS-2000医用彩色病理图像免疫组化测量系统对其表达进行半定量分析，其结果用平均灰度值表示；同时应用DNA缺口原位末端标记技术（TUNEL）测定两组模型孕13天蜕膜细胞凋亡情况。结果：与正常妊娠模型相比，自然流产模型蜕膜细胞Bcl-2蛋白的表达降低（P〈0．01）；Bax蛋白的表达明显升高（P〈0．01）。蜕膜细胞凋亡指数，自然流产模型明显高于正常妊娠模型（P〈0．01）。结论：早孕期蜕膜组织细胞凋亡异常是自然流产的机制之一，Bcl-2／Bax途径可能是诱导早孕期蜕膜细胞凋亡的重要因素。     

Loss of membranous E-cadherin expression in pancreatic cancer: Correlation with lymph node metastasis,high grade,and advanced stage

Epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin) is a Ca²⁺-dependent cell-cell adhesion molecule that connects cells via homotypic interactions. Its function is critical in the induction and maintenance of cell polarity and differentiation, and its loss of downregulation is associated with an invasive and poorly differentiated phenotype in colon and other tumours. We have used an avidin-biotin immunoperoxidase technique to localize E-cadherin in microwave-treated, paraffin-embedded sections from 36 patients with pancreatic adenocarcinomas. E-cadherin was expressed by normal ductal and acinar cells with typical membranous staining at the intercellular junctions. Loss of normal surface E-cadherin expression was found in 19/36 (53 per cent) tumours compared to the adjacent normal ductal cells. Abnormal E-cadherin expression was found more frequently in poorly differentiated (grade III) (6/7, 86 per cent) than in well-differentiated tumours (grade I) (4/14, 28 per cent) (P=0·012). Membranous E-cadherin expression was also lost more frequently in primary tumours with lymph node (stage III) (14/23, 61 per cent) and distant metastasis (stage IV) (2/2, 100 per cent) compared with 3/11 (27 per cent) lymph node-negative tumours (stage I) (P=0·043). In conclusions, our data indicate that loss of membranous E-cadherin expression is associated with high grade and advanced stage in pancreatic cancer.     

A Comparative Analysis of the Murine Thymic Microenvironment in Normal,Autoimmune, and Immunodeficiency States

It is widely accepted that the thymic microenvironment regulates normal thymopoiesis through a highly coordinated and complex series of cellular and cytokine interactions. A direct corollary of this is that abnormalities within the microenvironment could be of etiologic significance in T-cell-based diseases. Our laboratory has developed a large panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that react specifically with epithelial or nonepithelial markers in the thymus. We have taken advantage of these reagents to characterize the thymic microenvironment of several genetic strains of mice, including BALB/cJ, C57BL/6J, NZB/BlnJ, SM/J, NOD/Ltz, NOD/Ltz-scid/sz, C57BL/6J-Hcph m^e/Hcph m^e, and ALY/NscJcl-aly/aly mice, and littermate control animals. We report herein that control mice, including strains of several backgrounds, have a very consistent phenotypic profile with this panel of monoclonal antibodies, including reactivity with thymic epithelial cells in the cortex, the medulla and the corticomedullary junction, and the extracellular matrix. In contrast, the disease-prone strains studied have unique, abnormal staining of thymic cortex and medulla at both the structural and cellular levels. These phenotypic data suggest that abnormalities in interactions between developing thymocytes and stromal cells characterize disease-prone mice.     

Diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis: comparative potential of amastigote antigen,recombinant antigen and PCR

Development of simple, economical and non-invasive tests for the early diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) or kala-azar (KA) remains a challenge, and serological studies based on antigen prepared from the amastigote stage of Leishmania donovani, the stage that causes infection, are lacking. In the present study, circulating antibodies to total antigen isolated from the promastigote and amastigote stages of the parasite, as well as to recombinant K39 (rK39) antigen, are measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the results compared with a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for KA diagnosis. In 116 samples of KA examined, the amastigote antigen gave significantly higher mean absorbance values in ELISA than did the promastigote antigen. The sensitivity for KA detection was significantly higher using the amastigote antigen (94%) than the promastigote antigen (90.5%). Analysis in 91 controls showed that specificity was higher with amastigote antigen (92.3%) than with promastigote antigen (86.8-89.0%). Reliability of ELISA diagnosis with amastigote antigen was only marginally lower than that with rK39 ELISA or with the PCR test. Easy availability and low cost of indigenous amastigote antigen, together with the simplicity of ELISA compared with PCR, make ELISA based on amastigote antigen a promising choice for the diagnosis of KA.     

CD3+木瓜提取物对ApoE基因缺陷小鼠血脂及炎性相关因素的影响

目的观察木瓜提取物对ApoE基因缺陷小鼠血脂水平、主动脉窦斑块中巨噬细胞活化及肿瘤坏死因子(TNF-α)水平的影响。方法30只雄性ApoE基因缺陷小鼠随机分为3组:对照组、低剂量组和高剂量组,低剂量组和高剂量组分别在基础饲料上添加5%和10%的木瓜提取物喷雾干燥颗粒,饲养16周后经小鼠眼眶静脉取血后处死动物,酶法测定血脂水平、采用免疫组化分析主动脉窦斑块中TNF-α的表达水平和采用免疫荧光反映斑块CD68阳性表达水平与巨噬细胞阳性表达率。结果低剂量组和高剂量组的血清TC和LDL-C显著低于对照组(P<0.05),木瓜提取物能显著下调斑块中TNF-α的表达水平以及减少巨噬细胞的阳性率。结论木瓜提取物降低了血清脂蛋白胆固醇水平(TC和LDL-C),减少了炎性因子TNF-α表达以及减弱巨噬细胞参与程度,预示其可能具有减缓动脉斑块发生发展的抗动脉粥样硬化作用。