Smad7过度表达抑制3T3细胞增殖和TGF-β1基因表达

研究Smad7过度表达对TGF β1基因表达的调控和对 3T3细胞增殖的影响。实验将Smad7质粒 ,通过脂质体介导转染NIH3T3细胞 ,应用RT PCR方法鉴定转染结果和检测TGF β1mRNA的表达 ,以及用免疫细胞化学检测TGF β1蛋白的表达情况 ,并观察基因转染对细胞增殖的影响。结果显示转染Smad7后 ,NIH3T3细胞中TGF β1mRNA的表达显著减少 (P <0 0 5 ) ,TGF β1蛋白的表达下降 ,细胞增殖明显减缓 (P <0 0 5 )。提示Smad7过度表达能够抑制 3T3细胞的增殖和TGF β1基因的表达 ,可以通过阻断TGF β细胞内信号传导来调控TGF β1的生物学行为。     

The induction of baboon glycodelin expression by progesterone is not through Sp1

Glycodelin is a major secretory product of the uterine glandular epithelial cells of the human and non-human primate during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and early pregnancy. Since progesterone levels are elevated during these periods we sought to determine how progesterone modulates glycodelin gene expression. Co-transfection of various deletions of the baboon glycodelin promoter with the progesterone receptor (PR) into Ishikawa cells, a human endometrial cell line, revealed that full progesterone responsiveness is retained within the region -119/+48. In COS-1 cells, a kidney cell line, progesterone failed to elevate luciferase levels when various deletion constructs and the PR were co-transfected. Mutation of the Sp1 site in the -67/+48 region lowered basal expression but did not affect the ability of progesterone to increase expression of the luciferase reporter in Ishikawa cells. These findings suggest that Sp1 sites are not involved in the progesterone regulation of the baboon glycodelin gene. We propose that progesterone induces a factor that regulates glycodelin gene expression in the uterus since we failed to obtain a similar response in a non-uterine cell line.     

Maternal effects in infant and adult phenotypes of 5HT1A and 5HT1B receptor knockout mice

The influence of the pre- and postweaning maternal environment on the offspring's phenotype was examined in 5-HT1A and 5-HT1B receptor knockout mice (KO1A and KO1B, respectively). We have previously shown that, when born to and raised by homozygous dams of the same genotype, adult KO1A are more anxious than wild-type (WT) mice, and adult KO1B are hyperactive and slightly less anxious than WT mice. We extend our studies here to the behavioral results of the offspring's own genotype, when the dam's genotype is constant, and the effects of the dam's genotype when the offspring's genotype is constant. In Experiments 1 and 2, KO1A-/- pups produced less ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) than controls in an isolation test on postnatal Day 7 when born to and reared by KO1A dams, either -/- or +/-. Heterozygous F1 pups reared by KO1A-/- dams produced more USV and were less anxious in the plus-maze at 2 to 3 months of age than F1 pups born to and reared by WT dams (Experiment 3). F1 pups reared by KO1B-/- dams produced less USV and were more anxious in the plus-maze than F1 pups reared by WT dams (Experiment 4). The results support a role for maternal effects that may comprise direct effects such as the dam's behavior and nutritional care of the pup, and possibly more complex indirect effects through the establishment of idiosyncratic dam-pup dyadic interactions. We recommend that breeding techniques that rely on same genotype (mutant-mutant or WT-WT) breeding pairs not be used to generate offspring when the focus of research is the study of gene function, but rather when familial effects need to be studied.     

Sleep and its homeostatic regulation in mice lacking the adenosine A1 receptor

Sleep deprivation (SD) increases extracellular adenosine levels in the basal forebrain, and pharmacological manipulations that increase extracellular adenosine in the same area promote sleep. As pharmacological evidence indicates that the effect is mediated through adenosine A1 receptors (A1R), we expected A1R knockout (KO) mice to have reduced rebound sleep after SD. Male homozygous A1R KO mice, wild-type (WT) mice, and heterozygotes (HET) from a mixed 129/C57BL background were implanted during anesthesia with electrodes for electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG). After 1 week of recovery, they were allowed to adapt to recording leads for 2 weeks. EEG and EMG were recorded continuously. All genotypes had a pronounced diurnal sleep/wake rhythm after 2 weeks of adaptation. We then analyzed 24 h of baseline recording, 6 h of SD starting at light onset, and 42 h of recovery recording. Neither rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep) nor non-REM sleep (NREMS) amounts differed significantly between the groups. SD for 6 h induced a strong NREMS rebound in all three groups. NREMS time and accumulated EEG delta power were equal in WT, HET and KO. Systemic administration of the selective A1R antagonist 8-cyclopentyltheophylline (8-CPT) inhibited sleep for 30 min in WT, whereas saline and 8-CPT both inhibited sleep in KO. We conclude that constitutional lack of adenosine A1R does not prevent the homeostatic regulation of sleep.     

Identification of 16 novel mutations in the argininosuccinate synthetase gene and genotype-phenotype correlation in 38 classical citrullinemia patients

Classical citrullinemia (CTLN1), a rare autosomal recessive disorder, is caused by mutations of the argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS) gene, localized on chromosome 9q34.1. ASS functions as a rate-limiting enzyme in the urea cycle. Previously, we identified 32 mutations in the ASS gene of CTLN1 patients mainly in Japan and the United States, and to date 34 different mutations have been described in 50 families worldwide. In the present study, we report ASS mutations detected in 35 additional CTLN1 families from 11 countries. By analyzing the entire coding sequence and the intron-exon boundaries of the ASS gene using RT-PCR and/or genomic DNA-PCR, we have identified 16 novel mutations (two different 1-bp deletions, a 67-bp insertion, and 13 missense) and have detected 12 known mutations. Altogether, 50 different mutations (seven deletion, three splice site, one duplication, two nonsense, and 37 missense) in 85 CTLN1 families were identified. On the basis of primary sequence comparisons with the crystal structure of E. coli ASS protein, it may be concluded that any of the 37 missense mutations found at 30 different positions led to structural and functional impairments of the human ASS protein. It has been found that three mutations are particularly frequent: IVS6-2A>G in 23 families (Japan: 20 and Korea: three), G390R in 18 families (Turkey: six, U.S.: five, Spain: three, Israel: one, Austria: one, Canada: one, and Bolivia: one), and R304W in 10 families (Japan: nine and Turkey: one). Most mutations of the ASS gene are "private" and are distributed throughout the gene, except for exons 5 and 12-14. It seems that the clinical course of the patients with truncated mutations or the G390R mutation is early-onset/severe. The phenotype of the patients with certain missense mutations (G362V or W179R) is more late-onset/mild. Eight patients with R86H, A118T, R265H, or K310R mutations were adult/late-onset and four of them showed severe symptoms during pregnancy or postpartum. However, it is still difficult to prove the genotype-phenotype correlation, because many patients were compound heterozygotes (with two different mutations), lived in different environments at the time of diagnosis, and/or had several treatment regimes or various knowledge of the disease.     

Human herpesvirus 6 variant a infects human term syncytiotrophoblasts in vitro and induces replication of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in dually infected cells

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) may interact during transplacental transmission of HIV-1. The placental syncytiotrophoblast layer serves as the first line of defense of the fetus against viruses. Patterns of replication of HHV-6 variant A (HHV-6A) and HIV-1 were analyzed in singly and dually infected human term syncytiotrophoblast cells cultured in vitro. For this purpose, the GS strain of HHV-6A and the Ba-L and IIIB strains of HIV-1 were used. HHV-6A replication was restricted at the level of early gene products in singly infected syncytiotrophoblasts, whereas no viral protein expression was found in cells infected with HIV-1 alone. Coinfection of syncytiotrophoblast cells with HHV-6A and HIV-1 resulted in production of infectious HIV-1. In contrast, no enhancement of HHV-6A expression was observed in cell cultures infected with both viruses. Uninfected syncytiotrophoblast cells were found to express CXCR4 and CCR3 but not CD4 or CCR5 receptors. Infection of syncytiotrophoblasts with HHV-6A did not induce CD4 expression and had no influence on chemokine receptor expression. Activation of HIV-1 from latency in coinfected cells was mediated by the immediate-early (IE)-A and IE-B gene products of HHV-6A. Open reading frames U86 and U89 of the IE-A region were able to activate HIV-1 replication in a synergistic manner. The data suggest that in vivo double infection of syncytiotrophoblast cells with HHV-6A and HIV-1 could contribute to the transplacental transmission of HIV-1 but not HHV-6A.     

细胞毒性T淋巴细胞相关抗原4融合蛋白抑制狼疮肾炎患者外周血单个核细胞B7分子表达及

目的探讨细胞毒性T淋巴细胞相关抗原4融合蛋白(CTLA-4Ig)对活动期狼疮肾炎(LN)患者外周血单个核细胞(PBMC)细胞表面B7-1(CD80)和B7-2(CD86)表达的影响及其对抗双链DNA(dsDNA)抗体和免疫球蛋白产生的影响。方法将18例活动期LN患者的抗凝血标本随机分为LN的CTLA-4Ig处理组(LN-T组9例)和普通培养组(LN-NC组9例)。另以14例正常人的抗凝血标本为对照,随机分为正常人的CTLA-4Ig处理组(NC-T组7例)和普通培养组(NC-NC组7例)。用密度梯度离心法分离PBMC。处理组加入CTLA-4Ig(10ng/L)、普通培养组加入等量普通培养基37℃孵育72h后,采用流式细胞仪技术检测PBMC细胞表面B7-1和B7-2分子的表达;ELISA法检测孵育液中抗dsDNA抗体、IgG及IgM水平。结果活动期LN患者CTLA-4Ig处理组与普通培养组比较,PB-MC表面B7-2分子表达明显下降(P<0.01);B7-1分子表达无显著变化(P>0.05);孵育液中抗dsD-NA抗体、IgG及IgM的生成均明显减少(P<0.01)。而正常人的两组间各指标差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论CTLA-4Ig可抑制活动期LN患者的PBMC表面B7-2分子的表达,并可减少其抗dsDNA抗体、IgG及IgM的分泌。     

EXT1基因1633-26(C→A)突变可能致多发性外生性骨疣

目的研究1例散发多发性外生性骨疣患者的基因突变情况，确定其致病基因。方法采用聚合酶链反应结合DNA直接测序法检测EXT1以及EXT2基因的突变热点区域；并应用错配引物PCR扩增引入酶切位点结合限制性片段长度多态性方法检测和鉴定突变。结果经测序证实在患者EXT1基因的第7内含子3’剪接位点上游26bp处发现一杂合突变，此杂合突变不存在于其表型正常的父母双亲中，是一个新生突变；错配引物扩增与限制性片段长度多态性分析结果表明在150名家系外正常对照者中没有此突变。结论EXT1基因1633-26（C→A）突变可能是导致这个患者发生多发性外生性骨疣的致病突变。     

HESR1基因在血管新生中作用的初步研究

目的研究转录因子HESR1在血管新生中的作用。方法检测内皮细胞激活状态HESR1表达的影响,克隆HESR1基因,转染到HUVEC,绿色荧光和PCR观察HESR1在内皮细胞的表达,流式细胞仪检测它对血管内皮细胞增殖,boyden小室检测对细胞迁移的影响,建体外二维血管模型,观察HESR1对血管形成的影响。结果内皮细胞激活状态HESR1的表达下降,HESR1基因能抑制内皮细胞的增殖和迁移,减少血管新生。结论HESR1基因通过抑制内皮细胞的增殖和迁移,使内皮细胞从激活状态转入安静状态,减少血管的形成,维持血管的稳定状态。