Expression of glucose-regulated stress protein GRP78 is related to progression of melanoma

Aims:  Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is a protein translated in response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress that has been implicated in the pathogenesis and resistance to therapy of a variety of cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate its expression and role in the development and progression of human melanoma.
Methods and results:  The immunohistochemical expression of GRP78 in naevi, primary melanoma and melanoma metastases from 171 patients was correlated with clinicopathological factors and patient survival. The GRP78 immunoreactivity score (IRS) was 0.2 in compound naevi, 0.65 in dysplastic naevi, 4.65 in naevi adjacent to primary melanoma, 2.4 in melanoma in situ , 11.2 in thin (≤1.0 mm) and 18.1 in thick (>1.0 mm) primary melanoma. It was 18 and 17.3 in subcutaneous and lymph node metastases, respectively ( P  < 0.0001). GRP78 expression was positively correlated with increasing tumour thickness ( P  = 0.001) and with increasing dermal tumour mitotic index ( P  = 0.0004). Disease-free survival (χ² = 8.0703, P  = 0.0045) and overall survival (χ² = 6.2633, P  = 0.0123) in melanoma patients with IRS >25 were significantly lower than in melanoma patients with IRS <25.
Conclusions:  GRP78 expression appears to correlate with known correlates of melanoma progression and survival and requires further evaluation as a prognostic biomarker in melanoma.     

小檗碱对胰岛素抵抗大鼠氧化应激和内质网应激的影响

目的观察小檗碱对胰岛素抵抗大鼠氧化/抗氧化状态和内质网应激(endoplasmic reticulum stress,ERstress)的影响,并探讨其改善胰岛素抵抗的分子机制。方法采用高脂高热卡饮食饲养8wk制备胰岛素抵抗大鼠模型,成模后随机分为小檗碱组(BER组)、Alpha-硫辛酸组(ALA组)和模型组(MOD组),各组以相应的药物干预4wk。另设正常组(NOR组),予普通饲料喂养,不予药物干预。比较各组大鼠空腹血糖(FBG)、空腹胰岛素水平(Fins)和胰岛素敏感性(ISI)。血清中丙二醛(MDA)、超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GSH-Px)活性以观察药物对大鼠氧化和抗氧化的影响。Westernblot方法测定肝脏组织中的ER应激标志物c-Jun氨基端激酶(c-junNH2-terminal kinase,JNK)和Phospho-c-Jun(Ser73)(p-c-Jun)的含量变化。RT-PCR方法测定肝脏组织ER应激标志物葡萄糖调节蛋白GRP78(glucose regulated protein78,GRP78)mRNA表达水平,以观察小檗碱对胰岛素抵抗大鼠ER应激的影响。结果与NOR组比较,MOD组大鼠血清中MDA含量明显升高,SOD、GSH-Px活性明显降低(P均<0.05)。BER组大鼠SOD、GSH-Px的活性较MOD组明显升高(P<0.01,P<0.05),MDA含量较模型组明显下降。比较各组肝组织p-c-Jun/JNK的水平,MOD组较NOR组明显升高(P<0.01),BER组及ALA组较MOD组均明显下降(P均<0.01)。比较各组肝组织中GRP78mRNA水平,MOD组较NOR组明显升高(P<0.05),BER组及ALA组较MOD组均明显下降。结论小檗碱能提高胰岛素抵抗大鼠的胰岛素敏感性,增加其抗氧化能力,改善其ER应激状态,其作用机制可能与改善ER应激有关。     

宫颈癌组织中MHC-Ⅰ类抗原呈递相关蛋白CNX HSP90 GRP94的表达及意义

目的：探讨宫颈炎和宫颈癌组织中CNX、HSP90、GRP94蛋白和HPV16感染在维吾尔族和汉族妇女中的表达及相关关系。方法：采用免疫组化SP法和PCR技术检测宫颈炎组织66例（汉族39例，维吾尔族27例）以及宫颈癌组织92例（汉族30例，维吾尔族62例）中CNX、HSP90、GRP94蛋白的表达和HPV16的感染情况。结果：CNX蛋白在维、汉宫颈癌组织中的阳性率低于维、汉宫颈炎组织中阳性率表达（67．39％，86．36％）（P〈0．05）。并且，CNX蛋白的阳性率在宫颈炎组织中维吾尔族高于汉族（100％，76．92％）（P〈0．05）。HSP90和CRP94蛋白在维、汉宫颈癌组织中的阳性率表达高于维、汉宫颈炎组织（77．17％，56．06％；77．17％，60．60％）（P〈0．05）。宫颈癌组织中HSP90蛋白阳性率表达维吾尔族低于汉族（74．19％，83．33％）（P〈0．05）。HPV16感染在宫颈炎及宫颈癌中的阳性率均为维吾尔族高于汉族（P〈0．05）。通过相关性研究发现，在维吾尔族妇女宫颈癌组织中HSP90与GRP94呈正相关性（r=0．249．P〈0．05）。HSP90蛋白的阳性表达率与HPV16型感染在宫颈癌组织中呈显著正相关（r=0．361，P〈0．05）。结论：通过对CNX、HSP90、GRP94蛋白和HPV16联合检测能提高宫颈癌的检出率。     

滋补脾阴方药含药血清对内质网应激神经元损伤的保护作用及机制研究

目的:运用中药血清药理学方法研究滋补脾阴方药含药血清对内质网应激的保护作用并探讨其机制。方法:以N-糖链抑制剂衣霉素(tunicamycin,Tm)刺激小鼠神经瘤母细胞Neuro2a建立内质网应激模型,滋补脾阴方药含药血清为干预组,采用逆转录聚合酶链式反应方法观察葡萄糖调节蛋白78(glucose regulated protein78,GRP78)和凋亡促进因子CCAAT/增强子结合蛋白同源蛋白(CCAAT/EBP homologousprotein,CHOP)的mRNA表达;乳酸脱氢酶(lactate dehydrogenase,LDH)释放试验观察Tm、星形孢菌素(staurosporine,STS)刺激Neuro2a细胞后的LDH泄漏率。结果:各浓度滋补脾阴方药含药血清预处理组GRP78及CHOP mRNA表达与Tm(5μg/ml)组相比,表达水平明显下调,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),因此滋补脾阴方药含药血清可以抑制Tm诱导内质网应激时GRP78及CHOP mRNA的表达。各浓度滋补脾阴方药含药血清预处理组与Tm组相比,LDH泄漏率明显下降(P<0.05),因此滋补脾阴方药含药血清可以降低Tm和STS刺激后的LDH泄漏率。结论:滋补脾阴方药具有神经保护作用,其机制可能是通过抑制内质网应激及线粒体损伤。     

Chemokines as novel therapeutic targets in inflammatory diseases

Chemokines and their receptors are a large family of inflammatory molecules responsible for a number of biological functions, including the accumulation of leukocytes at tissue sites. Over the past 10 years, a number of studies have indicated a role for chemokines and chemokine receptors in the pathophysiology of several inflammatory diseases, examples of which are multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gastrointestinal diseases including hepatic disease. For this reason, it is not surprising that modulation of their pharmacology could be a prime target for drug discovery. This commentary provides a brief synopsis of our current knowledge of the role of chemokines and their receptors in the inflammatory process, and highlights the pros and possibly cons of chemokine and chemokine receptor antagonism in the therapeutic approach to several inflammatory diseases.     

Bombesin and its family of peptides: prospects for the treatment of obesity

Bombesin, its family of bombesin-like peptides, and many other peptides/hormones modulate biological and behavioral functions in animals. Among the wide variety of functions influenced by bombesin/bombesin-like peptides, the most prominent may be their role in feeding-related behavior. Over many years, intensive psychopharmacological studies have addressed the mechanisms by which these peptides induce feeding suppression, and the results suggest the applicability of bombesin/bombesin-like peptides for the treatment of eating disorders and/or obesity in humans. Recent studies using gene-knockout mice also shed new light on the relationship between bombesin/bombesin-like peptides and feeding behavior. In addition, genetic analyses of the possible links between bombesin/bombesin-like peptides/receptors and human obesity have also been undertaken. Here, we briefly review the literature pertaining to the relationship between bombesin/bombesin-like peptides and feeding behavior—with particular attention to human subjects—and discuss the pharmacotherapeutic potential of bombesin/bombesin-like peptides with regard to obesity.     

Isolation of a glial-restricted tripotential cell line from embryonic spinal cord cultures

Neuroepithelial stem cells (NEPs), glial-restricted precursors (GRPs), and neuron-restricted precursors (NRPs) are present during early differentiation of the spinal cord and can be identified by cell surface markers. In this article, we describe the properties of GRP cells that have been immortalized using a regulatable v-myc retrovirus construct. Immortalized GRP cells can be maintained in an undifferentiated dividing state for long periods and can be induced to differentiate into two types of astrocytes and into oligodendrocytes in culture. A clonal cell line prepared from immortalized GRP cells, termed GRIP-1, was also shown to retain the properties of a glial-restricted tripotential precursor. Transplantation of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled subclones of the immortalized cells into the adult CNS demonstrates that this cell line can also participate in the in vivo development of astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Late passages of the immortalized cells undergo limited transdifferentiation into neurons as assessed by expression of multiple neuronal markers. The availability of a conditionally immortalized cell line obviates the difficulties of obtaining a large and homogeneous population of GRPs that can be used for studying the mechanism and signals for glial cell differentiation as well as their application in transplantation protocols.     

Per and neuropeptide expression in the rat suprachiasmatic nuclei: compartmentalization and differential cellular induction by light

Per1 and Per2, two clock genes rhythmically expressed in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), are implicated in the molecular mechanism of the circadian pacemaker and play a major role in its entrainment by light. To date, it is not known if every cell of the SCN, a heterogeneous structure in respect of neuropeptide content, expresses clock genes equally. The aim of this study was to identify, by single and double non-radioactive and/or radioactive hybridizations, the cell types (AVP, VIP and GRP) expressing Per1 or Per2 in the SCN of rats, (1) when Per are highly expressed during the daytime, and (2) after induction of Per expression by a light pulse at night. Our results indicate that, during the daytime, Per1 and Per2 genes are both mainly expressed in the AVP cells of the dorso-median part of the SCN, whereas only a few VIP cells in the ventral part of the SCN exhibit Per gene expression. In contrast, following a light pulse at night, there is differential induction of the two Per genes. Per1 expression essentially occurs in the ventro-lateral GRP cells, while Per2 expression is not restricted to the retinorecipient part of the SCN as it also occurs in AVP cells. Altogether, our results suggest that Per1 and Per2 are mainly expressed in AVP cells during the daytime and suggest that GRP cells play an important role in resetting of the clock by light.     

Stable expression of the alkaline phosphatase marker gene by neural cells in culture and after transplantation into the CNS using cells derived from a transgenic rat

Multipotent stem cells and more developmentally restricted precursors have previously been isolated from the developing nervous system and their properties analyzed by culture assays in vitro and by transplantation in vivo. However, the variety of labeling techniques that have been used to identify grafted cells in vivo have been unsatisfactory. In this article we describe the characteristics of cells isolated from a transgenic rat in which the marker gene human placental alkaline phosphatase (hPAP) is linked to the ubiquitously active R26 gene promoter. We show that hPAP is readily detected in embryonic neuroepithelial stem cells, neuronal-restricted precursor cells, and glial-restricted precursor cells. Transgene expression is robust and can be detected by both immunocytochemistry and histochemistry. Furthermore, the levels of hPAP on the cell surface are sufficient for live cell labeling and fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Expression of hPAP is stable in isolated cells in culture and in cells transplanted into the spinal cord for at least 1 month. We submit that cells isolated from this transgenic rat will be valuable for studies of neural development and regeneration.