A subset of high-grade pulmonary neuroendocrine carcinomas shows up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-7 associated with nuclear β-catenin immunoreactivity,independent of EGFR and HER-2 gene amplification or expression

Nuclear translocation of β-catenin has been correlated with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) overexpression/activation in nonsmall cell lung cancer. Less is known on β-catenin transactivation in high-grade pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors and on the status of β-catenin activating EGFR and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) or β-catenin target genes cyclin D1 and matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7). β-catenin immunoreactivity was evaluated in 51 large-cell neuroendocrine carcinomas (LCNEC) and 45 small-cell lung carcinomas (SCLC). Nineteen cases were assessed for β-catenin gene exon 3 mutations, expression of MMP-7, and expression/gene amplification of EGFR, HER-2, and cyclin D1. β-catenin was expressed in all 96 high-grade neuroendocrine tumors, the vast majority (94%) showing >50% immunopositive cells. A disarrayed immunoreactivity, however, was commonly encountered consisting in variably altered membrane-associated patterns of staining along with progressive accumulation of cytoplasmic immunoreactivity. In LCNEC, but not in SCLC, the disarrayed patterns correlated with EGFR and HER-2 protein expression. β-catenin nuclear accumulation was found in nine tumors, including seven LCNEC and two SCLC, and was always associated with disarrayed immunoreactivity and increased MMP-7, but not cyclin D1 expression. These cases, however, did not show β-catenin gene mutations or EGFR and HER-2 gene amplification or expression. No association was found between nuclear β-catenin and any clinicopathological variable including patients' survival. The subcellular compartmentalization of β-catenin is profoundly altered in high-grade pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors. A minor subset of these tumors shows β-catenin nuclear accumulation in association with increased expression of MMP-7, but not of cyclin D1, independent of EGFR and HER-2 gene amplification or expression. The authors have no significant financial or other relationship with the manufacturers of any commercial products or commercial services presented in this paper     

鼠巨细胞病毒抑制神经干细胞分化及分化基因表达的体外研究

目的 研究鼠巨细胞病毒(MCMV)感染对体外培养神经干细胞(NSCs)分化及分化基因表达的影响,探讨CMV先天感染致神经损伤的机制.方法 体外分离培养和鉴定BALB/c胎鼠NSCs并检测其分化潜能,用感染复数(MOI)为5、1和0.1的MCMV Smith毒株感染NSCs并进行分化培养,倒置显微镜下观察细胞形态学改变,流式细胞术检测分化细胞比率,免疫荧光法观察NSCs及其分化细胞标记物Nestin、胶质纤维酸性蛋白(GFAP)和神经元特异性烯醇化酶(NSE)表达的变化,采用MCMV早期抗原(EA)示踪感染过程(MOI=1),real-time RT-PCR检测分化早期NSCs Wnt信号途径关键分化基因Wnt-3和Wnt-Ta mRNA水平的动态变化.结果 体外培养的NSCs呈球样生长,神经干细胞特异性标记Nestin表达阳性,并可进一步诱导分化为NF-200阳性的神经元和GFAP阳性的星形胶质细胞;分化培养后,感染组NSCs不能贴壁分化生长并逐渐出现肿胀,细胞Nestin表达下调缓慢并显著高于正常对照组,而GFAP和NSE表达显著低于正常对照组(P<0.05),可检测到MCMV EA的阳性表达;分化培养3-9 d,感染组Nestin阳性细胞比率显著高于正常对照组,GFAP和NSE阳性细胞比率显著低于正常对照组(P<0.05);感染组Wnt-3 mRNA水平在分化培养后第1～2天显著低于正常对照组(P<0.05),感染组Wnto-7a mRNA水平在第0.5～2天明显低于正常对照组(P<0.05);感染组和正常对照组的差异随病毒MOI的增加而更加明显.结论 MCMV感染可明显抑制NSCs向神经元和星形胶质细胞方向分化,导致分化细胞比率减少;下调或干扰NSCs wnt信号途径分化基因wnt-3和Wnt-7a的表达;抑制NSCs分化及其分化基因表达的效应与MOI大小存在一定量效依赖关系;MCMV可能通过抑制NSCs分化基因的表达来抑制其分化,这可能是CMV先天感染致脑发育异常的重要机制之一.     

The effect of intravenously administered salbutamol on serum potassium in asthmatic and nonasthmatic atopic subjects

The role of adrenergic mechanism in the pathogenesis of allergic disease is controversial. Recent experimental and clinical reports have suggested that -adrenergic blockade impairs and stimulation enhances extrarenal potassium uptake in humans. This led us to study the effect of the intravenous administration of salbutamol, a specific -2-adrenergic agonist, on serum potassium in 9 healthy subjects and in 23 patients with allergic asthma and/or rhinitis. Serum potassium fell significantly and reached a peak decline at the end of venous infusion in all the normal subjects. Seventeen atopic subjects showed a lower or absent serum K⁺ decrement: there was no difference between asthmatic and rhinitic patients. There was no relation among the salbutamol-induced serum potassium decrement, serum glucose increment, blood pressure and heart-rate changes, and nonspecific bronchial reactivity. These findings suggest that -2-adrenergic hyporesponsiveness is present only in some allergic patients.     

Angiotensin-(1–7) stimulates water transport in rat inner medullary collecting duct: evidence for involvement of vasopressin V2 receptors

The peptide angiotensin-(1–7) [Ang-(1–7)] is known to enhance water transport in rat inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD). The aim of this study was to determine the mechanism of the Ang-(1–7) effect on osmotic water permeability (P _f). P _f was measured in the normal rat IMCD perfused in vitro in presence of agonists [Ang-(1–7), arginine vasopressin (AVP) and Ang-(3–8)], and antagonists of the angiotensin and the vasopressin cascade. Ang-(1–7), but not Ang-(3–8), increased P _f significantly. The effect of Ang-(1–7) on P _f was abolished by its selective antagonist, A-779, added before or after Ang-(1–7). Prostaglandin E₂ and the protein kinase A inhibitor H8 also blocked the Ang-(1–7) effect. Blockade of vasopressin V₁ receptors by antagonists did not change the Ang-(1–7) effect, but pre-treatment with a V₂ antagonist abolished the effect of Ang-(1–7) on P _f. Similarly, pre-treatment with A-779 inhibited AVPs effect on P _f. Forskolin-stimulated P _f was blocked both by A-779 and by the V₂ antagonist. Finally, Ang-(1–7) increased cAMP levels in fresh IMCD cell suspensions whilst the forskolin-stimulated cAMP synthesis was decreased by A-779 and the V₂ antagonist. These data provide evidence that Ang-(1–7) interacts via its receptor with the AVP V₂ system through a mechanism involving adenylate-cyclase activation.     

七年制生物物理技术教学探索

根据七年制医学生培养要求，在“生物物理技术”教学中，除介绍有关物理方法与技术的原理及在生物医学中的应用外，还尝试了小论文写作和渗透科研思路、方法培养的探索。     

DHPLC screening of cystic fibrosis gene mutations

Denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) using ion-pairing reverse phase chromatography (IPRPC) columns is a technique for the screening of gene mutations. In order to evaluate the potential utility of this assay method in a clinical laboratory setting, we subjected the PCR products of 73 CF patients known to bear CFTR mutations to this analytic technique. We used thermal denaturation profile parameters specified by the MELT program tool, made available by Stanford University. Using this strategy, we determined an initial analytic sensitivity of 90.4% for any of 73 known CFTR mutations. Most of the mutations not detected by DHPLC under these conditions are alpha-substitutions. This information may eventually help to improve the MELT algorithm. Increasing column denaturation temperatures for one or two degrees above those recommended by the MELT program allowed 100% detection of CFTR mutations tested. By comparing DHPLC methodology used in this study with the recently reported study based on Wavemaker 3.4.4 software (Transgenomic, Omaha, NE) [Le Marechal et al., 2001) and with previous SSCP analysis of CFTR mutations [Ravnik-Glavac et al., 1994] we emphasized differences and similarities in order to refine the DHPLC system and discuss the relationship to the alternative approaches. We conclude that the DHPLC method, under optimized conditions, is highly accurate, rapid, and efficient in detecting mutations in the CFTR gene and may find high utility in screening individuals for CFTR mutations. Hum Mutat 19:374-383, 2002. Published 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Adenosine and adenine nucleotides are independently released from both the nerve terminals and the muscle fibres upon electrical stimulation of the innervated skeletal muscle of the frog

The independent release of adenosine and adenine nucleotides upon electrical stimulation was studied in the innervated sartorius muscle of the frog after blockade of the extracellular catabolism of adenosine monophosphate (AMP) through exo-AMP deaminase and ecto-5-nucleotidase. Nerve stimulation (30 min, 0.2Hz) induced the release of both adenosine (19±3 pmol) and adenine nucleotides (101±7 pmol). Experiments performed in the presence of tubocurarine (5 M) to prevent purine release due to nerve-evoked muscle twitching, or under direct stimulation of the muscle in low calcium solutions to prevent pre-synaptic release of purines, showed that there was an evoked release of adenosine and adenine nucleotides both from the nerve endings and from the twitching muscle fibres. Removal of ecto-5-nucleotidase inhibition shows that the catabolism of adenine nucleotides released during stimulation contributes in about 50% to the amount of endogenous extracellular adenosine. When only one of the enzymes catabolizing AMP (ecto-5-nucleotidase or exo-AMP deaminase) was inhibited, the evoked release of adenine nucleotides was undetectable, suggesting that each enzyme is able to catabolize all the AMP formed from adenine nucleotides released upon stimulation. It is concluded that the concentration of endogenous extracellular adenosine is under the control of the relative activities of exo-AMP deaminase and ecto-5-nucleotidase.Brief accounts of some of the results in this study have been published previously (refs. [6, 7]).     

Identification of antigenic epitopes in the haemagglutinin protein of H7 avian influenza virus

ABSTRACT

The H7 subtype avian influenza virus (AIV) has been reported to infect not only poultry but also humans. The haemagglutinin (HA) protein is the major surface antigen of AIV and plays an important role in viral infection. In this study, five monoclonal antibodies (mAbs, 2F8, 3F6, 5C11, 5E2 and 5C12) against the HA protein of H7 virus were produced and characterized. Epitope mapping indicated that ¹⁰³RESGSS¹⁰⁷ was the minimal linear epitope recognized by the mAbs 2F8/3F6/5C11, and mAbs 5E2/5C12 recognized the epitope 103-145aa. The protein sequence alignment of HA indicated that the two epitopes were not found in other subtypes of AIV, and none of the five mAbs cross-reacted with other subtypes, suggesting these mAbs are specific to H7 virus. The epitope ¹⁰³RESGSS¹⁰⁷ was highly conserved among Eurasian lineage strains of H7 AIV, whereas three amino acid substitutions (E104R, E104K and E104G) in the epitope occurred in 98.44% of North-American lineage strains. Any of these single mutations prevented the mutated epitope from being recognized by mAbs 2F8/3F6/5C11; thus, these mAbs can distinguish between Eurasian and North-American lineages of H7 strains. Furthermore, the mAbs 2F8, 3F6 and 5C11 could be highly blocked with H7-positive serum in blocking assays, revealing that ¹⁰³RESGSS¹⁰⁷ may be a dominant epitope stimulating the production of antibodies during viral infection. These results may facilitate future investigations into the structure and function of HA protein, as well as surveillance and detection of H7 virus.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

• Five mAbs against HA protein of H7 AIV were generated and characterized.

• Two novel epitopes ¹⁰³RESGSS¹⁰⁷ and 103-145aa were identified.

• The epitope ¹⁰³RESGSS¹⁰⁷ differs between Eurasian and North-American lineages.

• The mAbs 2F8, 3F6 and 5C11 could distinguish two lineages of H7 strains.

     

Benzylpenicillin preparations can evoke a systemic anaphylactic reaction in guinea pigs

All of the five commercially available benzylpenicillin preparations obtained from different sources and a PcG preparation prepared by filtration of a commercial PcG on Sephadex G10 elicited the systemic anaphylactic reactions in guinea pigs which had been immunized with benzylpenicilloyl (BPO)-Ascaris extract conjugate (BPO-As) mixed with aluminum hydroxide gel. These preparations could evoke no such reactions in guinea pigs immunized with BPO-bovine gamma globulin conjugate (BPO-BGG) emulsified with complete Freund's adjuvant. The severity of the systemic anaphylactic reactions correlated significantly with the titers of either 8-day passive cutaneous anaphylactic (8-day PCA) reactions or 4-hr PCA reactions evoked with the same benzylpenicillin preparations. In vitro benzylpenicillin preparation contracted the tracheas of the guinea pigs immunized with BPO-As. These results indicated that the commercially available benzylpenicillin preparations have enough antigenicity to evoke systemic anaphylactic reactions in guinea pigs immunized with BPO-As mixed with aluminum hydroxide gel. Such guinea pigs represent an animal model for investigation of penicillin allergy.