Reactivation of heat-inactivated Ku proteins by heat shock cognate protein HSC73

Purpose: Mouse double-stranded DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) activity is heat sensitive. Recovery of heat-inactivated DNA repair activity is a problem after combination therapy with radiation and heat. We investigated the mechanism of recovery of heat-inactivated DNA-PK activity.

Methods: Hybrid cells containing a fragment of human chromosome 8 in scid cells (RD13B2) were used. DNA-PK activity was measured by an in vitro assay. Immunoprecipitation of the nuclear extract was performed with an anti-Ku80 antibody. Proteins co-precipitated with Ku80 were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and detected by Western blotting using anti-heat shock protein (HSP)72 and anti-heat shock cognate protein (HSC)73 antibodies. HSC73 was overexpressed with the pcDNA3.1 vector. Short hairpin (sh)RNA was used to downregulate HSC73 and HSP72.

Results: The activity of heat-inactivated DNA-PK recovered to about 50% of control during an additional incubation at 37?°C after heat treatment at 44?°C for 15?min in the presence of cycloheximide (which inhibits de novo protein synthesis). Maximal recovery was observed within 3?h of incubation at 37?°C after heat treatment. Constitutively expressed HSC73, which folds newly synthesized proteins, reached maximal levels 3?h after heat treatment using a co-immunoprecipitation assay with the Ku80 protein. Inhibiting HSC73, but not HSP72, expression with shRNA decreased the recovery of DNA-PK activity after heat treatment.

Conclusions: These results suggest that de novo protein synthesis is unnecessary for recovery of some heat-inactivated DNA-PK. Rather, it might be reactivated by the molecular chaperone activity of HSC73, but not HSP72.     

The relationships among monocyte subsets,miRNAs and inflammatory cytokines in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Background

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) causes irreversible myocardial damage and release of inflammatory mediators, including cytokines, chemokines and miRNAs. We aimed to investigate changes in the levels of cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α and IL-10), miRNAs profiles (miR-146 and miR-155) and distribution of different monocyte subsets (CD14++CD16-, CD14++CD16+, CD14+CD16++) in the acute and post-healing phases of AMI.

成人骨髓间充质干细胞对造血干细胞体外增殖的影响

目的研究骨髓间充质干细胞（MSC）对脐带血（CB）CD34^＋细胞体外增殖和造血重建能力的影响。方法取人骨髓单个核细胞贴壁培养．梭形细胞完全融合后传代，用流式细胞仪检测免疫表型；将CBCD34^＋细胞接种到MSC或其他培养液中．比较不同培养条件对造血干细胞扩增能力、集落形成能力及黏附分子表达的影响。结果在加入IL-3的培养体系中．在MSC和细胞因子作用下，CD34^＋细胞扩增7d和14d后，有核细胞（NC）、CD34^＋细胞和CDl33^＋细胞数，实验组均显著多于对照组。CD34＋细胞在未加入IL-3的培养体系中培养8d后，实验组NC、CD34^＋细胞、CD34^＋CD38-细胞和造血祖细胞集落扩增倍数均显著高于对照组。扩增后CD34^＋细胞的ALCAM、VLA-α4、VLA-α5、VLA-β1、HCAM、PECAM和LFA-1表达较扩增前无显著变化。结论MSC可为造血干细胞（HSC）体外扩增提供适宜的微环境，有助于CD34^＋细胞体外增殖并抑制HSC分化，保持其造血重建潜能和归巢能力。     

正交优选法筛选荆芥炭炮制的最佳工艺

目的　筛选荆芥炭炮制的最佳工艺。方法　采用分光光度法,测定不同工艺炮制的荆芥炭中总黄酮的含量。结果　荆芥炭炮制的最佳条件是2 10℃、加热10 m in。结论　重复试验表明,所选的最佳炮制工艺较为合理。     

Systematic patient involvement for homebased outpatient administration of complex chemotherapy in acute leukemia and lymphoma

Based on experience with comprehensive patient involvement, we present data from implementation of portable, programmable infusion pumps (PPP) for home‐based chemotherapy administration in patients with acute leukaemia and in lymphoma patients receiving (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, melphalan) BEAM regimen. Data from 84 patients, receiving 177 cycles of PPP administered chemotherapy, showed convincing safety with minor equipment errors encountered and with high patient satisfaction. In‐hospital days could be reduced with 52% out of a total of 1197 treatment days. Homebased PPP has several advantages from a patient perspective and furthermore frees up in‐hospital beds for patients in need of them.     

Hepatic stellate cells and extracellular matrix in hepatocellular carcinoma: more complicated than ever

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer death. Recent epidemiological data indicate that the mortality rate of HCC will double over the next decades in the USA and Europe. Liver cancer progresses in a large percentage of cases during the clinical course of chronic fibro‐inflammatory liver diseases leading to cirrhosis. Therefore, HCC development is regarded as the result of different environmental risk factors each involving different genetic, epigenetic‐ and chromosomal alterations and gene mutations. During tumour progression, the malignant hepatocytes and the activated hepatic stellate cells are accompanied by cancer‐associated fibroblasts, myofibroblasts and immune cells generally called tumour stromal cells. This new and dynamic milieu further enhances the responsiveness of tumour cells towards soluble mediators secreted by tumour stromal cells, thus directly affecting the malignant hepatocytes. This results in altered molecular pathways with cell proliferation as the most important mechanism of liver cancer progression. Given this contextual complexity, it is of utmost importance to characterize the molecular pathogenesis of HCC, and to identify the dominant pathways/drivers and aberrant signalling pathways. This will allow an effective therapy for HCC that should combine strategies affecting both cancer and the tumour stromal cells. This review provides an overview of the recent challenges and issues regarding hepatic stellate cells, extracellular matrix dynamics, liver fibrosis/cirrhosis and therapy, tumour microenvironment and HCC.     

Mechanism of autoimmune hepatic fibrogenesis induced by an adenovirus encoding the human liver autoantigen cytochrome P450 2D6

Autoimmune hepatitis type 2 (AIH-2) is a severe autoimmune liver disease with unknown etiology. We recently developed the CYP2D6 mouse model for AIH-2, in which mice are challenged with an adenovirus (Ad-2D6) expressing human cytochrome P450 2D6 (hCYP2D6), the major autoantigen in AIH-2. Such mice develop chronic hepatitis with cellular infiltrations and generation of hCYP2D6-specific antibodies and T cells. Importantly, the CYP2D6 model represents the only model displaying chronic fibrosis allowing for a detailed investigation of the mechanisms of chronic autoimmune-mediated liver fibrogenesis. We found that hCYP2D6-dependent chronic activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC) resulted in an increased extracellular matrix deposition and elevated expression of α-smooth muscle actin predominantly in and underneath the liver capsule. The route of Ad-2D6 infection dramatically influenced the activation and trafficking of inflammatory monocytes, NK cells and hCYP2D6-specific T cells. Intraperitoneal Ad-2D6 infection caused subcapsular fibrosis and persistent clustering of inflammatory monocytes. In contrast, intravenous infection caused an accumulation of hCYP2D6-specific CD4 T cells throughout the liver parenchyma and induced a strong NK cell response preventing chronic HSC activation and fibrosis. In summary, we found that the location of the initial site of inflammation and autoantigen expression caused a differential cellular trafficking and activation and thereby determined the outcome of AIH-2-like hepatic damage and fibrosis.