人胚胎干细胞系HUES4的培养和染色体核型分析

目的建立人胚胎干细胞无动物源性饲养层培养方法,同时对长时间体外培养的人胚胎干细胞核型变化进行分析。方法人胚胎干细胞系HUES4细胞分别培养于小鼠胚胎成纤维细胞和人包皮成纤维细胞饲养层,并对其干细胞特性进行鉴定;在培养传代过程中,收获P27、P34、P41和P44细胞进行染色体核型分析,P27细胞还进行DNA短串联重复序列多态性分析。结果生长于人包皮成纤维细胞饲养层的HUES4细胞碱性磷酸酶染色以及SSEA-4、TRA-1-60和TRA-1-81抗原阳性,SSEA-1抗原阴性。所检测的4代细胞中均见46,XY/46,XY,t（9;15）（q22;q26）核型嵌合现象,且异常核型百分比随传代次数增加有上升的趋势。结论培养人胚胎干细胞的饲养层细胞可由无动物源性的饲养层细胞替代;长期体外培养有增加细胞染色体核型异常的风险。     

Novel OCTN2 mutations: No genotype–phenotype correlations: Early carnitine therapy prevents cardiomyopathy

Primary systemic carnitine deficiency or carnitine uptake defect (OMIM 212140) is a potentially lethal, autosomal recessive disorder characterized by progressive infantile‐onset cardiomyopathy, weakness, and recurrent hypoglycemic hypoketotic encephalopathy, which is highly responsive to L ‐carnitine therapy. Molecular analysis of the SLC22A5 (OCTN2) gene, encoding the high‐affinity carnitine transporter, was done in 11 affected individuals by direct nucleotide sequencing of polymerase chain reaction products from all 10 exons. Carnitine uptake (at Km of 5 μM) in cultured skin fibroblasts ranged from 1% to 20% of normal controls. Eleven mutations (delF23, N32S, and one 11‐bp duplication in exon 1; R169W in exon 3; a donor splice mutation [IVS3+1 G > A] in intron 3; frameshift mutations in exons 5 and 6; Y401X in exon 7; T440M, T468R and S470F in exon 8) are described. There was no correlation between residual uptake and severity of clinical presentation, suggesting that the wide phenotypic variability is likely related to exogenous stressors exacerbating carnitine deficiency. Most importantly, strict compliance with carnitine from birth appears to prevent the phenotype. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Production of genetically modified cells expressing specific transgenes by retroviral vectors for gene therapy

Summary Techniques and protocols are described for the generation of genetically modified cells that can be used for gene therapy. Primary fibroblast cultures are established from skin biopsies, maintained in culture, frozen for long-term storage, and retrieved when necessary. Retroviral packaging cell lines are generated by transfection of DNA into retroviral packaging cells by calcium-phosphate precipitation method or by lipofection method. To generate cell lines expressing high titer virus, individual colonies of cells are cloned and the virus titer is determined. Virus collected from packaging cells expressing high titer virus is then used to infect primary fibroblasts. To obtain fibroblast cell lines expressing high amounts of transgenes, individual cells can be cloned to generate clonal cell lines. Although the methods described here are for fibroblasts, the same methods or modification of the methods can be used for other cell types.     

Appearance of extrachromosomal circular DNAs during in vivo and in vitro ageing of mammalian cells

Appearance of extrachromosomal circular DNAs with in vivo and in vitro cellular ageing was examined by using a new technique of mica-press-adsorption for electron microscopy. The size distribution and the copy number of circular DNA complexes varied, depending on the cellular age. Extrachromosomal circular DNA complexes of variable length of more than 0.5 microns or 1.5 kilobase (kb) appeared during in vivo ageing of rat lymphocytes and in vitro ageing of cultured human lung fibroblasts. A restricted size class of circular forms of less than 0.5 microns in contour length was amplified in human skin fibroblasts from aged normal or Werner's syndrome subjects. These circular DNA molecules are suggested to be products of DNA rearrangements or gene amplification occurring in the chromosome.     

Monoclonal antibodies cross-reacting with fibroblasts of myocardial interstitial connective tissue and with group a streptococcal cell wall protein antigens

N. F. Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology. Institute of Rheumatology, Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. (Presented by Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, P. A. Vershilova.) Translated from Byulleten' Éksperimental'noi Biologii i Meditsiny, Vol. 108, No. 7, pp. 74–76, July, 1989.     

Marked induction of gelatinases,especially type B,in host fibroblasts by human ovarian cancer cells in athymic mice

Two human ovarian adenocarcinoma cell lines, MCAS-3 and OVISE-3 were found to secrete little of any type of gelatinase in tissue culture. However, when these cell lines were implanted subcutaneously into nude mice the cyst fluids from the resultant tumors contained gelatinase A and/or B. The enzyme activities, especially of gelatinase B, were much higher in the malignant MCAS-3 tumors than in those of the less malignant OVISE-3 tumor cells. To elucidate the origin of gelatinase B in cyst fluids of the MCAS-3 tumors, murine skin fibroblasts (MSF) were isolated from a subcutaneous tumor in a nude mouse and tested for their proteinase secretion in culture. MSF cells, which secreted some gelatinase A and gelatinase B, were induced to secrete high levels of both enzymes, especially gelatinase B, by co-cultivation with MCAS-3 cells. In addition, gelatinase A activity was induced by incubation of MSF cells with the conditioned medium of either MCAS-3 or OVISE-3 cells, whereas gelatinase B was induced only with that of MCAS-3. Although cytokines or growth factors such as IL-1 TGF-1, TNF- or EGF stimulated the secretion of gelatinases A and B from MSF cells, their effects on gelatinase B activity were far less than that of the MCAS-3 conditioned medium. These results indicate that the major part of gelatinase B activity in the cyst fluids of the ovarian tumors is secreted by host interstitial cells stimulated by tumor-derived humoral factors. Similar tumor cell-host cell interactions may be important in the production of various proteinases in other tumor types.     

Brief Communication: Role of Nuclear Background and in vivo Environment in Variable Segregation Behavior of the Aging-Dependent T414G Mutation at Critical Control Site for Human Fibroblast mtDNA Replication

Previous work had shown a large accumulation (up to 50% of mtDNA) of a noninherited T414G transversion at a critical control site for mtDNA replication in skin fibroblasts from the majority of human subjects above 65 years old, and its absence in younger individuals. In the present studies, long-term in vitro culture of several fibroblasts populations carrying the heteroplasmic T414G mutation revealed an outgrowth of the mutant cells by wild-type cells. This observation supported the previous conclusion that the mutation accumulation is an in vivo phenomenon, while, at the same time, indicating intrinsic physiological differences between mutant and wild-type cells. Furthermore, subcloning experiments revealed a striking mosaic distribution of the mutation in the original fibroblasts populations, as shown by its presence, in heteroplasmic or homoplasmic form, in a fraction (18–32%) of the fibroblasts, and its absence in the others. In other investigations, transfer of mitochondria from mutation-carrying fibroblasts into mtDNA-less 143B.TK^–0 206 cells revealed the persistence of the mosaic distribution of the mutation, however, with a near-complete shift to homoplasmy. The generality of the latter phenomenon would exclude a founder effect by one or few mitochondria in the transformation experiments, and would rather point to the important role of the nuclear background in the in vitro behavior of the T414G mutation. The stability of the homoplasmic mutation in ⁰ cell transformants provides a powerful tool for analyzing its biochemical effects.     

IL-10抑制AVP诱导大鼠心脏成纤维细胞CaN活性

目的：研究白细胞介素10（IL-10）对精氨酸血管加压素(AVP)诱导大鼠心脏成纤维细胞(CFs)钙调神经磷酸酶（CaN）活性的影响。方法:用培养的新生SD大鼠CFs，四氮唑盐(MTT)比色法检测CFs增殖，流式细胞仪检测细胞周期，分光光度法测定CaN活性。结果:（1）10-7 mol/L AVP组CFs的吸光度（A490）明显高于对照组（P<0.01）。IL-10呈浓度依赖性下调 AVP诱导的CFs的A490值（P<0.05或P<0.01）。IL-10本身对CFs的增殖无抑制作用。（2）10-7 mol/L AVP组CFs的S期百分率及增殖指数均明显高于对照组（均P<0.01）；10-6 g/L IL-10+10-7 mol/LAVP组S期百分率及增殖指数均明显低于AVP组（P<0.01）。（3）10-7 mol/L AVP组CaN活性明显高于对照组（P<0.01）；10-8、10-7、10-6和10-5g/L +10-7 mol/L AVP组的CaN活性均明显低于AVP组（P<0.01），但仍高于对照组（P<0.01或P<0.05）。IL-10呈浓度依赖性下调 AVP诱导CFs的CaN活性。结论:IL-10具有抑制AVP诱导CFs增殖和下调CFs的CaN活性的作用，这可能对预防和逆转心脏重构有一定的价值。     

慢病毒介导的外源基因体外投递系统的建立

目的针对不同哺乳类细胞建立相应的慢病毒体外感染体系，以建立慢病毒介导的外源基因体外投递系统。方法按Invitrogen公司推荐的标准程序进行慢病毒（携带EGFP基因）包装（脂质体介导的瞬时转染）、超速离心浓缩和保存等，随后用病毒上清或浓缩后的病毒感染293FT细胞，24—48h后荧光显微镜下观察是否见绿色荧光以证实慢病毒是否成功生产；将携带EGFP基因的病毒上清或浓缩后的病毒分别加入内含293FF细胞、小鼠ES细胞、小鼠胚胎成纤维细胞（MEFs）或小鼠睾丸生殖细胞的培养板孔内，感染6—12h后，用相应培养基替换感染液，数天后荧光显微镜下观察是否见绿色荧光以证实慢病毒是否成功感染不同哺乳类细胞。结果按标准程序生产的携带EGFP基因慢病毒（病毒上清或浓缩后的病毒）成功高效率感染293FF细胞、MEFs或小鼠睾丸生殖细胞；用浓缩后的病毒（携带EGFP基因）感染小鼠ES细胞，亦可获得EGFP阳性的ES细胞克隆。结论熟练掌握了慢病毒包装、浓缩及鉴定等技术，同时针对不同哺乳类细胞建立了相应的慢病毒介导的外源基因体外传递系统，这些为相关后续研究打下了良好的基础。