Inhibition of in vivo tumorigenicity and invasiveness of a human glioblastoma cell line transfected with antisense uPAR vectors

Our previous studies showed that glioblastomas express increased urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptors (uPARs) in comparison to low-grade gliomas (Yamamoto et al., Cancer Res., 54, 5016-5020, 1994). To explore whether downregulation of uPAR inhibits tumor formation and invasiveness, a human glioblastoma cell line was transfected with a cDNA construct corresponding to 300 bp of the human uPAR's 5¢ end in an antisense orientation, resulting in a reduced number of uPA receptors. Co-culture studies with tumor spheroids and fetal rat brain aggregates showed that antisense SNB19-AS1 cells expressing reduced uPAR failed to invade fetal rat brain aggregates. Intracerebral injection of SNB19-AS1 stable transfectants failed to form tumors and were negative for uPAR expression in nude mice. Thus uPAR appears in this model to be essential for tumorigenicity and invasion of glioblastomas in vivo.     

Gene delivery to glioma cells in rat brain by grafting of a retrovirus packaging cell line

Retrovirus vectors only integrate into the genome of dividing cells and can thus be used to selectively infect tumor cells in the adult rat brain. Gene delivery was assessed by using the retrovirus BAG vector, which bears the Escherichia coli lacZ gene under the MoMLV LTR promoter-enhancer element, and by histochemical staining for bacterial beta-galactosidase activity. Direct injection of this vector (90-900 cfu) into the adult rat brain, with or without prior inoculation of C6 glioma cells (2 x 10(5) cells) resulted in labeling of only a few cells as assessed 1 week later. When the psi 2-BAG packaging line was grafted into the brain, labeled psi 2-BAG cells could be found after 1 day, but not after 5 days, following grafting, suggesting that the grafted cells had been rejected and that no endogenous cells had integrated released vector, or that expression of lacZ had been turned off. In contrast, when the psi 2-BAG packaging line was grafted into a brain region, which had been inoculated previously with rat C6 glioma cells (2 x 10(5) cells), beta-galactosidase labeling of these tumor cells, identified by immunocytochemistry for glial fibrillary acidic protein and S100, could be demonstrated 10 days later. Thus, grafting of retrovirus packaging lines into adult brain provides a mean to infect tumor cells in situ. The grafted packaging cells may continue to release retrovirus particles for an extended period, thus infecting more cells at the stage of division appropriate for viral integration, as compared to inoculation of the virus alone. Grafting of retrovirus packaging cell lines could be used to selectively deliver "killer" or "suppressor" genes to tumor cells in the brain to curtail their growth.     

Developmental profile of kainate receptor subunit KA1 revealed by Cre expression in YAC transgenic mice

To determine the spatio-temporal expression in brain of the high-affinity kainate receptor subunit KA1, we generated transgenic mice expressing Cre recombinase from the KA1 gene on a chromosomally integrated 550 kb yeast artificial chromosome (YAC). Activity of the KA1 gene promoter during brain development was visualized by Cre immunohistochemistry, and by X-gal staining of beta-galactosidase induced by Cre recombinase in double transgenic KA1-Cre/lacZ indicator mice. During early brain development, expression from the YAC-carried KA1-Cre transgene was observed in all major brain areas, predicting a function for KA1 in the developing central nervous system. In the adult brain, KA1-Cre transgene expression was restricted mainly to hippocampal CA3 pyramidal and dentate gyrus granule cells, an adult expression pattern characteristic for the endogenous KA1 alleles. KA1-Cre transgenic mice may help in elucidating the role of floxed genes ablated in vivo in KA1 expressing neurons.     

S‐Gal®, A novel 1H MRI reporter for β‐galactosidase

Reporter genes and associated enzyme activity are becoming increasingly significant for research in vivo. The lacZ gene and β‐galactosidase (β‐gal) expression have long been exploited as reporters of biologic manipulation at the molecular level, and a noninvasive detection strategy based on proton MRI is particularly attractive. 3,4‐Cyclohexenoesculetin β‐D‐galactopyranoside (S‐Gal®) is a commercial histologic stain, which forms a black precipitate in the presence of β‐gal and ferric ions, suggesting potential detectability by MRI. Generation of the precipitate is now shown to cause strong T₂* relaxation, revealing β‐gal activity. A series of tests with the enzyme in vitro and with tumor cells shows that this approach can be used as an assay for β‐gal activity. Proof of principle is shown in human breast tumor xenografts in mice. Upon direct injection of a mixture of 3,4‐cyclohexenoesculetin β‐D‐galactopyranoside and ferric ammonium citrate, intense contrast was observed immediately in MCF7‐lacZ tumors, but not in wild‐type tumors. 3,4‐Cyclohexenoesculetin β‐D‐galactopyranoside activation in combination with ferric ions introduces a novel approach for assaying enzyme activity by MRI in vivo. Magn Reson Med, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Introduction of DT40 cells into chick embryos

Aim: To examine the transfection of exogenous genes into chick embryos, applying the characteristics of avian leukosis virus (ALV)-induced chicken B cell line DT40 to the production of chimeric birds. Methods: The DT40 cells incorporated with exogenous gene (lacZ constructs encoding Escherichia coli β-galactosidase: β-gal) were introduced into chick embryos by the injection of cells into stage X blastoderm. Manipulated eggs were incubated for 3 (trial 1) or 6 (trial 2) days, and the expression of lacZ DNA was detected by a histochemical staining method of β-galactosidase and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Results: The survival rates of the manipulated embryos incubated for 3 days (stage 18-20: trial 1) and 6 days (stage 28, 30: trial 2) were about 42% and 38%, respectively. The expression rates of the lacZ gene in the embryos in the trials 1 and 2 were about 60 % and 23 %, respectively, for the survived embryos. Conclusion: The rate of embryonic viability and expression rate of introduced genes were not so high, but it suggested the possibility of utilizing the DT40 cells as a vector for carrying exogenous genes into chick embryos.     

Effects of calorie restriction on the age-dependent accumulation of mutations in the small intestine of lacZ-transgenic mice

To understand the effect of calorie restriction on genome maintenance systems, the age-dependent accumulation of mutations in animals maintained on high and low calorie diets was examined using lacZ-transgenic mice. Mice were fed a diet of 95 kcal/w or 65 kcal/w from 2 to 17 months of age. The mutation frequencies in the lacZ gene in epithelial tissues from the small intestine were examined at 12 and 17 months. Mutation frequencies were found to be lower in mice fed with a low calorie diet than in mice fed with a high calorie diet at the two age points. The molecular nature of the mutations was examined with DNA sequencing. It showed a predominance of transversions from G:C to T:A, and this is a typical type of mutation induced by reactive oxygen species. The fraction of this type of mutation among the different types of mutations detected was not affected by calorie restriction. The percentage of the other types of mutation was not influenced either. These results suggest that calorie restriction reduces the age-dependent accumulation of mutations by stimulating or inducing various types of DNA protection and repair systems rather than protecting cells against any specific type of DNA alteration.     

Immortalization of bipotential glial progenitors and generation of permanent "blue" cell lines

The transfer of the adenovirus 5 E1A gene into brain cells from rat embryos led to the establishment of phenotypically untransformed clonal glial cell lines. Some lines displayed properties of oligodendrocyte-astrocyte progenitors. Their differentiation involved several steps that were dependent on culture conditions and cell interactions. Subsequently, a few lines were cotransfected with a vector carrying a modified dihydrofolate reductase gene and with the Escherichia coli lacZ gene. After selection for resistance to methotrexate, cell lines were derived that stably expressed the lacZ gene. These cells were individually detectable by histochemical staining for beta-galactosidase activity, even in the presence of other cells. These results suggest that this type of cell line could be of interest for further in vitro, and possibly transplant, studies of the differentiation and interactions of glial cells.     

Def-2, -3, -6 and -8, novel mouse genes differentially expressed in the haemopoietic system

To identify developmentally regulated genes during myeloid differentiation, a self-inactivating retroviral gene-trap vector carrying a beta-galactosidase-neomycin (SA/lacZ/neo) fusion gene was constructed and used to infect myeloid progenitor cells (FDCP-Mix A4). G418-resistant and beta-galactosidase positive cell lines (gene-trap integration [GTI] clones) were established and induced to differentiate in vitro into either macrophages or granulocytes. Expression of the trapped loci was monitored at a single-cell level by analysing the mature cell types for beta-galactosidase activity. All 37 GTI clones tested showed down-regulation either during granulocyte or both granulocytic and macrophage differentiation. The endogenous coding regions fused to the SA/lacZ/neo reporter gene were isolated from eight clones. Molecular analysis revealed that half of them represented novel mouse genes (def-2, -3, -6 and -8) which we confirmed to be differentially expressed in primary haemopoietic tissues. Database searches revealed no significant similarities for def-2 (associated with haemopoietic progenitors) and def-8 (expressed most strongly in peripheral leucocytes). Def-6, which is down-regulated upon the differentiation into myeloid as well as erythroid lineages, was found to be closely related but not identical with the recently described B-cell-specific switch recombinase SWAP-70. Def-3, which is down-regulated upon differentiation into granulocytes but expressed in progenitor cells and macrophages, defines a novel family of RNA binding proteins.     

Ablation of p21-activated kinase-1 in mice promotes isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy in association with activation of Erk1/2 and inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A

Earlier investigations in our lab indicated an anti-adrenergic effect induced by activation of p21-activated kinase (Pak-1) and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Our objective was to test the hypothesis that Pak-1/PP2A is a signaling cascade controlling stress-induced cardiac growth. We determined the effects of ablation of the Pak-1 gene on the response of the myocardium to chronic stress of isoproterenol (ISO) administration. Wild-type (WT) and Pak-1-knockout (Pak-1-KO) mice were randomized into six groups to receive either ISO, saline (CTRL), or ISO and FR180204, a selective inhibitor of Erk1/2. Echocardiography revealed that hearts of the Pak-1-KO/ISO group had increased LV fractional shortening, reduced LV chamber volume in diastole and systole, increased cardiac hypertrophy, and enhanced transmitral early filling deceleration time, compared to all other groups. The changes were associated with an increase in relative Erk1/2 activation in Pak-1-KO/ISO mice versus all other groups. ISO-induced cardiac hypertrophy and Erk1/2 activation in Pak-1-KO/ISO were attenuated when the selective Erk1/2 inhibitor FR180204 was administered. Immunoprecipitation showed an association between Pak-1, PP2A, and Erk1/2. Cardiac myocytes infected with an adenoviral vector expressing constitutively active Pak-1 showed a repression of Erk1/2 activation. p38 MAPK phosphorylation was decreased in Pak-1-KO/ISO and Pak-1-KO/CTRL mice compared to WT. Levels of phosphorylated PP2A were increased in ISO-treated Pak-1-KO mice, indicating reduced phosphatase activity. Maximum Ca²⁺-activated tension in detergent-extracted bundles of papillary fibers from ISO-treated Pak-1-KO mice was higher than in all other groups. Analysis of cTnI phosphorylation indicated that compared to WT, ISO-induced phosphorylation of cTnI was blunted in Pak-1-KO mice. Active Pak-1 is a natural inhibitor of Erk1/2 and a novel anti-hypertrophic signaling molecule upstream of PP2A.     

伤寒沙门菌fljB∶∶lacZ变异株的制备

目的:为研究伤寒沙门菌z66鞭毛抗原编码基因fljB的表达调节机制,建立该fljB基因的β-半乳糖苷酶基因(lacZ)插入变异株。方法:采用自杀质粒介导的同源重组方法进行制备。设计加接KpnⅠ和SalⅠ的特异性引物,用PCR扩增获得fljB基因的上、下游同源性DNA片段,并与用KpnⅠ和SalⅠ酶切pSV-β-半乳糖苷酶载体(pSV-β-galactosidase vector)的片段定向连接,将连接片段克隆至自杀质粒pGMB151,再通过电击法将重组质粒转入伤寒沙门菌,在含X-Gal的蔗糖平板上筛选获得同源重组的变异株。结果:经筛选获得阳性克隆,经PCR及序列分析证实,fljB基因中的763 bp被3550 bp的lacZ片段替代。结论:成功构建伤寒沙门菌flj∶∶lacZ突变株,为进一步研究fljB基因表达调节机制奠定了基础。