Diversified expression patterns of autotaxin,a gene for phospholipid‐generating enzyme during mouse and chicken development

Autotaxin (ATX), or nucleotide pyrophosphatase‐phosphodiesterase 2, is a secreted lysophospholipase D that generates bioactive phospholipids that act on G protein–coupled receptors. Here we show the expression patterns of the ATX gene in mouse and chicken embryos. ATX has a dynamic spatial and temporal expression pattern in both species and the expression domains during neural development are quite distinct from each other. Murine ATX (mATX) is expressed immediately rostral to the midbrain‐hindbrain boundary, whereas chicken ATX (cATX) is expressed in the diencephalon and later in the parencephalon‐synencephalon boundary. In the neural tube, cATX is expressed in the alar plate in contrast to mATX in the floor plate. ATX is also expressed in the hindbrain and various organ primordia such as face anlagen and skin appendages of the mouse and chicken. These results suggest conserved and non‐conserved roles for ATX during neural development and organogenesis in these species. Developmental Dynamics 236:1134–1143, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Influence of insulin immobilization to thermoresponsive culture surfaces on cell proliferation and thermally induced cell detachment

Temperature-responsive culture dishes immobilized with insulin have been fabricated and studied to shorten cell culture periods by facilitating more rapid cell proliferation. Cells are recovered as contiguous cell sheets simply by temperature changes. Functionalized culture dishes were prepared by previously reported electron beam grafting copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (IPAAm) with its carboxylate-derivatized analog, 2-carboxyisopropylacrylamide (CIPAAm), having similar molecular structure to IPAAm but with carboxylate side chains to tissue culture polystyrene dishes. Insulin was then immobilized onto culture dishes through standard amide bond formation with CIPAAm carboxylate groups. Adhesion and proliferation of bovine carotid artery endothelial cells (ECs) were examined on these insulin-immobilized dishes. Insulin immobilization was shown to promote cell proliferation in serum-supplemented medium. Increasing the grafted CIPAAm content on the tissue culture surfaces reduces cell adhesion and proliferation, even though these surfaces contained increased amounts of immobilized insulin. This result implies that a discrete balance exists between the amount of CIPAAm-free carboxylate groups and immobilized insulin for optimum cell proliferative stimulation. Cells grown on the insulin-immobilized surfaces can be recovered as contiguous cell monolayers simply by lowering culture temperature, without need for exogenous enzyme or calcium chelator additions. In conclusion, insulin-modified thermoresponsive culture dishes may prove useful for advanced cell culture and tissue engineering applications since they facilitate cell proliferation, and cultured cells can be recovered as viable contiguous monolayers by merely reducing culture temperature.     

Heteropentameric cholera toxin B subunit chimeric molecules genetically fused to a vaccine antigen induce systemic and mucosal immune responses: a potential new strategy to target recombinant vaccine antigens to mucosal immune systems

Noninvasive mucosal vaccines are attractive alternatives to parenteral vaccines. Although the conjugation of vaccine antigens with the B subunit of cholera toxin (CTB) is one of the most promising strategies for vaccine delivery to mucosal immune systems, the molecule cannot tolerate large-protein fusion, as it severely impairs pentamerization and loses affinity for GM1-ganglioside. Here we report a new strategy, in which steric hindrance between CTB-antigen fusion subunits is significantly reduced through the integration of unfused CTB "molecular buffers" into the pentamer unit, making them more efficiently self-assemble into biologically active pentamers. In addition, the chimeric protein took a compact configuration, becoming small enough to be secreted, and one-step affinity-purified proteins, when administered through a mucosal route, induced specific immune responses in mice. Since our results are not dependent on the use of a particular expression system or vaccine antigen, this strategy could be broadly applicable to bacterial enterotoxin-based vaccine design.     

Cell biology and pathology of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells

Growing evidence revealed that liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (SEC) play several important roles in physiology and pathology of the liver. It has been well understood that their structural characteristics, such as the membrane sieve and lack of basement membrane, facilitate direct contact of soluble and insoluble serum substances with hepatic parenchymal cells, resulting in enhancement of hepatic metabolic activity. In addition, SEC is now regarded as a member of the scavenger endothelial cells, which have potential to eliminate a variety of macromolecules from the blood circulation by receptor-mediated endocytosis. It is reported that molecules preferentially eliminated by SEC are denatured or modified proteins such as advanced glycation end products, extracellular matrix components including hyaluronic acid, and some lipoproteins. The nature of the scavenger receptors corresponding to these molecules remains to be clarified. Recently, it was noted that SEC has an antigen-presenting function similar to dendritic cells. Taken together, it is suggested that SEC, cooperating with Kupffer cells and hepatic dendritic cells, may partake of immunoregulatory functions in the liver. SEC also plays a pivotal role in the pathological process of ischemia-reperfusion injury following liver surgery and liver transplantation. Thus, it is of importance to elucidate the mechanisms of apoptosis and proliferation of SEC. Recent results on the regulation of growth and apoptotic signaling of SEC are discussed.     

Expression of tocopherol-associated protein in mast cells

Tocopherol-associated protein (TAP) was expressed in mouse mast cells. TAP was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm, and the subcellular localization was not changed by alpha-tocopherol. The results suggest that the physiological role of TAP in mast cells is not regulation of tocopherol function but an as-yet-unidentified activity.     

Thromboxane A2 modulates interaction of dendritic cells and T cells and regulates acquired immunity

Physical interaction of T cells and dendritic cells (DCs) is essential for T cell proliferation and differentiation, but it has been unclear how this interaction is regulated physiologically. Here we show that DCs produce thromboxane A2 (TXA2), whereas naive T cells express the thromboxane receptor (TP). In vitro, a TP agonist enhances random cell movement (chemokinesis) of naive but not memory T cells, impairs DC-T cell adhesion, and inhibits DC-dependent proliferation of T cells. In vivo, immune responses to foreign antigens are enhanced in TP-deficient mice, which also develop marked lymphadenopathy with age. Similar immune responses were seen in wild-type mice treated with a TP antagonist during the sensitization period. Thus, TXA2-TP signaling modulates acquired immunity by negatively regulating DC-T cell interactions.     

Syntheses of polymeric cobalt dinitrogen complexes and reduction of the coordinated nitrogen

Polymeric cobalt dinitrogen complexes were synthesized by two different methods: by the ligand substitution reaction of polymers 5a – c and 6a – c , containing 4-diphenylphosphinophenylethylene units ( 3 ) or 4-diphenylphosphinomethylphenylethylene units ( 4 ), respectively, with hydridodinitrogentris(triphenylphosphine)cobalt(I) (CoH(N₂)(PPh₃)₃), or by the direct reaction of tris(acetylacetonato)cobalt(III) with triphenylphosphine, the polymers 5a – c or 6a – c , and triisobutylaluminium under nitrogen. The intensity of the v band in the IR spectrum of the polymeric dinitrogen complex was found to be about four times as that of CoH(N₂)(PPh₃)₃. Ammonia was formed after hydrolysis of the complex, which was prepared by mixing a tetrahydrofuran solution of naphthaline, lithium, and titanium tetrachloride with the polymeric dinitrogen complex. The yields of ammonia in the case of the polymeric complexes were high in comparison with that obtained with CoH(N₂)(PPh₃)₃. The highest yields of ammonia were obtained when a mole ratio [P?]/[Co] < 1 ([P?] is the concentration of phosphino groups in the polymer and [Co] is that of Co in CoH(N₂)(PPh₃)₃), a temperature of ?20°C, and a reaction time of 1 h were applied.     

Tissue factor pathway inhibitor can interact with platelets

Tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) regulates the extrinsic pathway of blood coagulation. However, there is no report on interaction between TFPI and platelets other than that by Tsuji, who found that whole blood anticoagulated with TFPI exhibited remarkable decrease in platelet count. Our study revealed that washed platelets suspended in modified Tyrode's buffer (8 mM CaCl2) containing TFPI exhibit platelet aggregation. However, platelets aggregation was observed without TFPI, but its increase and intensity were slow and weak, compared to that in the presence of TFPI. This aggregation was inhibited by anti-CD41 (anti-GPIIb) antibody. This finding suggested that TFPI promotes platelet aggregation.     

Evidence of allosteric conformational changes in the antibody constant region upon antigen binding

We have addressed the question of whether antigen binding induces a conformational change in the heavy chain constant (C(H)) domain of antibodies using staphylococcal protein A or streptococcal protein G as probes, since these proteins are known to bind to IgG domains such as C(H)1 and C(H)2-C(H)3 domains. Biosensor assays on interactions between these proteins and mouse IgG specific to (4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl)acetyl (NP) or their enzymatic fragments conducted in the presence or absence of the hapten, NP-epsilon-aminocaproic acid (NP-Cap), showed that the binding of IgG to these proteins was inhibited by the binding of NP-Cap. The results of isothermal titration calorimetry also revealed that the association constant for the interaction of protein A with IgG2b decreased by the addition of NP-Cap. These results suggested that antigen binding induced conformational changes in binding sites for protein G or protein A located at C(H)1 and C(H)2-C(H)3 domains, respectively.