Cloning and analysis of Trypanosoma (Nannomonas) congolense ILNat 2.1 VSG gene

Genes encoding various Trypanosoma (Trypanozoon) brucei variable surface glycoproteins (VSGs) show considerable conservation among different members of this species, known as isotypes. The occurrence of isotypes in other salivarian trypanosomes has not been well documented. We have cloned sequences encoding Trypanosoma (Nannomonas) congolense ILNat 2.1 VSG, and used it in DNA blot hybridization analyses of this and other T. congolense clones originating from geographically separate regions of East Africa. The data indicate that the expression of ILNat 2.1 VSG gene proceeds by duplicative transposition resulting in the presence of an extra expression-linked copy in the expressing clones examined. Furthermore the ILNat 2.1 VSG gene sequence is absent or has greatly diverged, in all other T. (N.) congolense clones that belong to different serodemes. This suggests that some T. (N.) congolense VSGs may be limited to their respective antigen repertoires. The data are discussed in the light of their implications for antigenic variation in T. (N.) congolense, and parasite epidemiology.     

Recognition of an extensive range of IgE-reactive proteins in cod extract

Allergy to fish is one of the most common food allergies. Gad c 1 is the only fish allergen which has been purified and characterized. Other allergens have been detected by Western blot in cod extracts. We have now improved the Western-blot procedure in order to characterize fish IgE-reactive proteins from extracts prepared under different conditions: pre-rigor mortis and postrigor mortis. EDTA addition or not. and DEAE ion-exchange chromatography. Several IgE-reactive protein bands have been identified over a wide molecular-weight range. In particular, the 104- and 130-kDa IgEreactive protein bands were detected. These new bands may correspond to aggregates, as EDTA increased the relative amount of the 60-, 67-, 104-, and 130-kDa IgE-reactive protein bands in Western blot. All these bands were also detected by an antiparvalbumin monoclonal antibody, specific to the first calcium-binding site. The longer period of storage increased the relative amounts of the 41-, 80-, 104-. and 130-kDa IgE-reactive protein bands. The 18-kDa band was detected only in fish stored for several days. In conclusion, we have described IgE-reactive protein bands over a wide molecular-weight range (12–130 kDa) in Western blot of cod extract, and shown that EDTA and storage conditions may influence the relative distribution of IgE-reactive protein bands.     

CR-lipped bearing is an adequate functional solution to patients with perioperative excessive laxity in cruciate retaining total knee arthroplasty

BackgroundThe cruciate retaining lipped (CR-lipped) bearing is designed to provide more anterior-posterior (AP) stability and could be employed to resolve excessive intraoperative laxity during the cruciate retaining TKA (CR-TKA). The aim of the study was to determine whether the CR-lipped bearing in CR-TKAs with a perioperative excessive laxity allows equivalent functional results as compared to the standard CR articulation.MethodsA cohort of 111 TKAs with CR-lipped bearings was matched to a cohort of conventional CR bearings regarding age and sex. The CR-lipped bearing was used in patients with excessive knee AP laxity and the regular CR bearing was used in patients without excessive AP laxity during TKA. Various PROMs (WOMAC, KSS, SF-36) were assessed preoperatively and at 5-years postoperative in combination with revision rate and Range of Motion (ROM).ResultsPROMs did not differ significantly between both groups 5-years postoperatively. Mean ROM (flexion) 5-years postoperatively was not significantly different. The implant survivorship was 100% for both cohorts with revision for any reason as end point.ConclusionBased on these results, the CR-lipped bearing is a safe and effective solution for mild interoperatively assessed PCL laxity during CR-TKA without loss of function or decreased survivorship at 5 years. Peroperative conversion to a PS-TKA in order to obtain satisfactory functional scores might therefore not be necessary when mild PCL laxity is observed during surgery. Further research should focus on verifying this approach and longer follow-up is needed to generate data on long term survivorship.Level of evidenceLevel IV therapeutic, retrospective, cohort study.     

Wg3h细胞系转染PSV_2-neo质粒前后生长特性及表面超微结构改变的研究

本文对转染PSV_2-neo质粒后的Wg3h细胞系(Wg3h-neo)在长期传代中的生长特性和表面超微结构与母系Wg3h细胞进行了比较研究。结果发现:转染后Wg3h细胞的DNA合成及生长速度明显高于母系Wg3h细胞,生长饱和密度增大。在软琼脂培养中不形成集落,接种在裸鼠不长肿瘤。在扫描电镜下,细胞表面的微绒毛较母系Wg3h细胞丰富。Southern印迹杂交实验证明PSV_2-neo质粒已整合到宿主细胞的基因组中。转染后Wg3h细胞的生长特性和表面超微结构均发生了某些转化特征。     

APAAP免疫印迹技术对抗副流感病毒1，3型单克隆抗体识别抗原表位的研究

副流感病毒１，３型（ＰａｒａｉｎｆｌｕｅｎｚａＶｉｒｕｓｔｙｐｅ１，３：ＰＩＶ＿１．３）单克隆抗体（ＭｃＡｂ）应用免疫印迹技术（Ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎｂｌｏｔｔｉｎｇ）识别抗原表位特性。结果表明：ＰＩＶ＿１．３抗原经还原剂处理后，ＳＤＳ－ＰＡＧＥ５％～１５％梯度胶电泳，能分辨二十多条清晰的蛋白带。转印后采用碱性磷酸酶抗碱性磷酸酶复合物（ＡＰＡＡＰ）染色，本底浅，呈玫瑰红色带，优于ＨＲＰ染色结果。ＰＩＶ＿１的５株ＭｃＡｂ：ＩＣ＿５、ＩＨ＿６、ＩＨ＿２、ＩＣ＿１０、３Ｄ＿５分别与６８ｋＤ～５０ｋＤ、６８ｋＤ、５８ｋＤ～２７ｋＤ、５５ｋＤ～５０ｋＤ、５０ｋＤ对应ＰＩＶ＿１的蛋白质抗原表位起反应。ＰＩＶ＿３的６株ＭｃＡｂ：２Ａ＿１０、５Ｇ＿３、２Ｄ＿１１、２Ｅ＿１０、２Ｂ＿１２、４Ｆ＿１２与７０ｋＤ、６８ｋＤ、６０ｋＤ～５０ｋＤ、５５ｋｐ～４０ｋＤ、５５ｋＤ、４０ｋＤ对应的蛋白质抗原表位特异结合，说明ＰＩＶ＿１．３的１１株ＭｃＡｂ同对应抗原表位点的结合分布较广，有利于对ＰＩＶ＿１．３抗原的快速、敏感、特异检测。     

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。     

Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (Hunter disease): Identification and characterization of eight point mutations in the iduronate-2-sulfatase gene in Japanese patients

Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (Hunter disease) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme iduronate-2-sulfatase. Varied clinical phenotypes of this disease have been described. To identify mutations in individual patients and to examine possible correlations between mutations and clinical phenotypes, we analyzed the iduronate-2-sulfatase gene in Japanese patients with different clinical phenotypes. Five missense mutations, S333L (severe), R468Q (severe), R468L (severe), W337R (intermediate), R48P (mild), and three nonsense mutations, W345X (severe), R443X (intermediate), Q531X (mild), were identified by the RT-PCR method. Transient expression in the enzyme-deficient fibroblasts revealed that all five missense mutant enzymes were synthesized as the normal-size precursor (73 kD), and the nonsense mutant enzymes were synthesized as truncated ones (W345X:54 kD, R443X:59 kD, and Q531X:69 kD), although stable mature enzymes (45–56 kD) were not detected by Western blot analysis. Further more, expression of the eight mutant cDNAs resulted in severe reductions of iduronate-2-sulfatase enzyme activity in comparison with a normal cDNA. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Changes of synapsin I messenger RNA expression during rat brain development

Synapsin I is a synaptic phosphoprotein that is involved in the short-term regulation of neurotransmitter release. In this report we present the first extensive study of the developmental expression of its corresponding messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) by in situ hybridization and northern blot analysis in rat brain. Synapsin I mRNA showed pronounced differences in expression in different brain regions during postnatal development. The early expression of synapsin I mRNA in ontogenetically older regions such as the thalamus, the piriform cortex and the hippocampus coincides with the earlier maturation of these regions, in contrast to its later expression in ontogenetically younger areas such as the cerebellum and the neocortex. An intriguing expression pattern was found in the hippocampus. In all hippocampal subregions synapsin I mRNA expression increased from postnatal day (PND) 1 to 17. After PND 17, however, there was a marked dissociation between persisting high expression levels in CA3 and the dentate gyrus and a strong decline in synapsin I mRNA expression in CA1. The persistence of synapsin I in some adult rat brain regions indicates that it plays a part in synapse formation during plastic adaption in neuronal connectivities.     

Vertical transmission of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I): Detection of proviral DNA in HTLV-I carrier gravida

The seroprevalence rate of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I) in pregnant women in the Osaka district was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blot analysis. Twenty-one (1.0%) of 2192 samples tested were positive for both assays and the seropositive parturients were found to be integrated with HTLV-I proviral DNA in their mononuclear cells by a DNA dot blot hybridization assay using HTLV-I DNA probe or by a selective DNA amplification technique using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). On the other hand, proviral DNA was not detected in cord blood of the neonates born to the carrier mothers, indicating that transplacental infection of HTLV-I during pregnancy could be excluded. The results support the hypothesis that postpartum infection via breast milk plays a significant role among the possible perinatal transmission routes.     

Presence and distribution of ghrelin-immunopositive cells in the chicken gastrointestinal tract

The presence and distribution patterns of ghrelin, a gastric acylated peptide, were studied in the entire gastrointestinal tract of the chicken (Gallus domesticus) using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase immunohistochemical method, western blot analysis and a specific antibody against the C-terminal region of rat ghrelin. Ghrelin-immunopositive cells were observed in the mucosal layer of all segments examined. The largest numbers of ghrelin-positive cells were located at the base of lobuli of the proventriculus gland, along villi of the intestines and in crypts of the duodenum. Lower numbers of ghrelin-immunostained cells were located in crypts of jejunum and ileum and only few ghrelin-immunostained cells were detected at the base of crypts of the large intestine. Closed and open types of cells were observed in all segments. Western blot analysis confirmed the presence of ghrelin-like protein in the entire chicken gastrointestinal tract. The anatomical distribution patterns and the morphological characteristics of chicken ghrelin-positive cells suggest that they are endocrine cells. Furthermore, it is concluded that ghrelin shows a high degree of preservation during evolution from non-mammalian vertebrates to mammals.