Production and release of infectious hepatitis C virus from human liver cell cultures in the three-dimensional radial-flow bioreactor

Lack of efficient culture systems for hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been a major obstacle in HCV research. Human liver cells grown in a three-dimensional radial-flow bioreactor were successfully infected following inoculation with plasma from an HCV carrier. Subsequent detection of increased HCV RNA suggested viral replication. Furthermore, transfection of HCV RNA transcribed from full-length cDNA also resulted in the production and release of HCV virions into supernatant. Infectivity was shown by successful secondary passage to a new culture. Introduction of mutations in RNA helicase and polymerase regions of HCV cDNA abolished virus replication, indicating that reverse genetics of this system is possible. The ability to replicate and detect the extracellular release of HCV might provide clues with regard to the persistent nature of HCV infection. It will also accelerate research into the pathogenicity of HCV, as well as the development of prophylactic agents and new therapy.     

Clonal expansion of myelin basic protein-reactive T cells in patients with multiple sclerosis: Restricted T cell receptor V gene rearrangements and CDR3 sequence

Myelin basic protein (MBP)-reactive T cells are thought to play an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). In some patients with MS, these autoreactive T cells display a limited heterogeneity in their epitope recognition and T cell receptor (TCR) variable (V) gene usage. These individual-dependent properties of MBP-reactive T cells have led to the speculation that they may represent clonal expansion in vivo in some MS patients. In the present study, 51 MBP-reactive T cell clones derived from patients with MS and healthy individuals were examined for their epitope recognition and the TCR Vα and Vβ gene rearrangements. The V gene junctional region sequences of identified α and β genes were further analyzed to probe their clonal origins, as the sequences are unique for individual clones. Our data showed that 26 clones derived from nine patients with MS shared a predominant reactivity to the immunodominant regions of MBP, 84–102, 110–129 and 143–168, and used various TCR Vα and Vβ rearrangements. The V gene usage of the clones was restricted to certain Vα Vβ combination(s) in a given MS patient, but varied among different patients. The sequence analysis revealed that the clones generated from a given patient shared a limited or a single junctional region sequence pattern(s), indicating their oligoclonal or monoclonal origin(s). In contrast, 25 MBP-reactive T cell clones derived from normal individuals exhibited unfocused epitope recognition and V gene usage. Thus, the limited heterogeneity of MBP-reactive T cells in their structural and functional charactertistics reflects their clonal expansion in vivo in some patients with MS.     

Effects of prostaglandin E2 on Th0-type human T cell clones: modulation of functions of nuclear proteins involved in cytokine production

The effects of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) on cytokine productionand proliferation of the CD4⁺ human helper T cell clone SP-B21were investigated. In cells stimulated with antl-CD3 mAb, PGE₂inhibited cell proliferation and the production of all the cytokinesexamined. Addition of rlL-2 fully restored the prollferatlveresponse and partially restored the production of IL-4 and IL-5,but not that of other cytokines. In contrast, In cells stimulatedwith phorbol myrlstate acetate (PMA)/A23187, PGE₂ enhanced theproduction of IL-4 and IL-5, and only partially inhibited theproduction of other cytokines. Therefore, the effects of PGE₂vary depending on the mode of T cell activation, and the IL-4and IL-5 are regulated differently from other cytokines. Ina mobility shift assay, only the NF-B (p50/p5O) homodlmer wasobserved in a complex formed with the B sequence in unstlmulatedSP-B21 cells. When cells were stimulated with antl-CD3 mAb orPMA/A23187, a complex formation of NF-B (p50/p65) heterodlmerwith the B sequence was induced. Interestingly, PGE₂ or di-butyryl(Bt₂cAMP abolished the binding of NF-B (p50/p65) heterodlmerto the B sequence in cells stimulated with antl-CD3 mAb butnot with PMA/A23187. Our results suggest that the target ofPGE₂ action is a component in the signal transductlon pathwayleading to the activation of protein klnase C. However, theinhibition of the T cell activation signals by PGE₂ is selective.PGE₂ enhanced the complex formation with NF-AT, AP-1 and CLEOsequences when the cells were activated by either anti-CD3 mAbor PMA/A23187 stimulation. It seems therefore that PGE₂, byelevating cAMP levels, interferes with the activation pathwayfor NF-B but not for NF-AT, AP-1 or CLEO binding protein.     

Histidine-rich protein genes and their transcripts in Plasmodium falciparum and P. lophurae

The presence of histidine-rich protein (HRP) related genes and gene products in Plasmodium falciparum was demonstrated using a synthetic pentahistidine-encoding oligonucleotide and a cloned HRP cDNA probe prepared from the avian parasite P. lophurae. In Northern blotting experiments, two knobby clones of P. falciparum were found to contain a 3500 nucleotide RNA species that hybridized with the oligonucleotide and HRP cDNA probes. As this component had the expected size for an mRNA encoding an 80-90 kDa protein and was absent from two knobless clones of P. falciparum, we concluded that it represented a 'knob protein' mRNA. Using the restriction enzyme EcoRI, three identical cross-hydribizing HRP gene fragments were found in the DNA of both knobby and knobless clones of P. falciparum. These fragments differed in size from those present in P. lophurae. These results suggest that the absence of knob protein mRNA in knobless clones is not due to loss of the corresponding gene(s).     

莱姆病螺旋体60kD抗原的基因克隆及表达

利用质粒ｐＡＴ１５３为载体，构建了莱姆螺旋体全细胞ＤＮＡ基因文库，用菌落原位固相酶斑法从文库中初选出一株表达６０ｋＤ抗原的克隆子，命名为ｐＬＷ２２７。经免疫印迹分析、核酸杂交、连续亚克隆分析，证明此重组菌株表达了莱姆螺旋体６０ｋＤ抗原，编码该抗原的基因表达单位为２．２ｋｂ或更小，位于莱姆螺旋体的染色体上。该抗原的表达为进一步研究莱姆病的致病机理打下了基础。     

超抗原金黄色葡萄球菌肠毒素基因B的原核表达

目的构建重组pET-30a-SEB原核表达载体,转化感受态大肠杆菌BL-21(DE3),诱导表达超抗原金黄色葡萄球菌肠毒素B(staphylococcalenterotoxinB,SEB)。方法利用PCR技术从产SEB的金黄色葡萄球菌标准菌株CMCC-26075基因组DNA中克隆SEB全长序列,将其克隆到pGEM-TEasy载体中并进行测序。构建pET-30a-SEB原核表达质粒,转化感受态大肠杆菌BL21(DE3),异丙基硫代β-D半乳糖苷(isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside,IPTG)诱导表达,经镍离子螯合亲和层析纯化后免疫鉴定。结果PCR获得超抗原SEB基因片段,与克隆载体连接后经测序与文献报道的基本一致;成功构建了pET-30a-SEB原核表达质粒且成功诱导表达出相对分子质量(Mr)约31×103的蛋白。结论成功克隆了seb基因序列,并进行了原核表达和鉴定,获得了SEB蛋白,为后续对超抗原SEB的进一步研究奠定了基础。     

Construction of radiation-reduced hybrids and their use in mapping of microclones from chromosome 10p11.2-q11.2

Summary Radiation-reduced hybrids for mapping of DNA markers in the pericentromeric region of chromosome 10 were developed. A Chinese hamster/human somatic cell hybrid (762-8A) carrying chromosomes 10 and Y as the only human material were exposed to 40,000 rads of irradiation and then rescued by fusion with non-irradiated recipient Chinese hamster cells (GM459). Southern hybridization analyses revealed that 10 of 128 HAT-resistant clones contained human chromosomal fragments corresponding to at least one marker locus betweenFNRB (10p-11.2) andRBP3 (10q11.2). These hybrids were then used to map microdissection clones previously isolated and roughly mapped to this chromosomal region by fluorescencein situ hybridization (FISH). Two of the six microclones studied could be mapped to the proximity of the D10-S102 locus. These radiation hybrids are useful for the construction of refined genetic maps of the pericentromeric region of chromosome 10.     

幽门螺杆菌基因hp0231和hp0410的克隆表达及生物信息学分析

目的获取幽门螺杆菌hp0231和hp0410基因的序列,预测其编码蛋白HP0231和HP0410作为候选疫苗的可行性,在大肠杆菌表达系统中表达hp0231和hp0410。方法提取幽门螺杆菌标准株NCTC11639的基因组DNA,按照GenBank中幽门螺杆菌标准株22695的序列设计引物PCR,扩增hp0231和hp0410基因,克隆入pMD18-T载体中测序,进行生物信息学分析。将hp0231和hp0410克隆入表达载体pGEX-4T-1中,诱导表达,SDS-PAGE电泳鉴定。结果生物信息学分析表明HP0231和HP0410均为外膜蛋白,具良好的抗原性,并且与其他生物的同源性较低,其作为Hp疫苗不易产生交叉反应以及自身免疫性反应,构建的重组菌可高水平表达可溶性重组蛋白。结论HP0231和HP0410是有良好应用前景的Hp候选疫苗。     

Intratumorous distribution of catecholaminergic clone cells of human neuroblastoma

Summary The intratumorous distribution of catecholaminergic clone cells in 23 human neuroblastomas was studied using Falck-Hillarp's method, and the findings compared with the catecholamine (CA) content within the tumour. All the specimens contained elements with CA fluorescence, and the pattern of fluorescence was classified from the distribution of CA-positive cells and neurofibrils, as diffuse cellular (DC); diffuse fibrillary (DF), sporadic (S), clustered (C), island-shaped (I), and bundled (B). The strength of CA fluorescence of both cellular and fibrillary elements correlated well with the CA content within the tumour. In addition, all tumours of urinary VMA-negative cases also contained significantly larger amounts of CA than other, non-functioning, tumours in the paediatric age group. The results of this study suggest that firstly, the ratio of CA-positive cells to CA-positive neuronal processes is proportionately higher in the poorly-differentiated neuroblastomas and that secondly, even tumours negative for urinary VMA or HVA might be polyclonal and contain catecholaminergic elements.This study was supported in part by a Research Grant from the Ministry of Education, Japan (No. 59570549)