腺病毒介导的NT3基因转染对噪音损伤的耳蜗螺旋神经节细胞的保护作用

神经营养素 3(neurotrophin 3,NT3)作为螺旋神经节细胞特异的营养因子 ,可有效地支持内耳传入神经元的存活 ,因此有望成为治疗因其退变而引起的感音性神经性耳聋的有效因子。实验采用腺病毒介导lacZ基因 ,检测了外源基因在豚鼠内耳中的长期表达。用噪音制备了豚鼠耳聋模型 ,在噪音损伤后第 7天 ,通过圆窗膜注入 1× 10 8重组腺病毒。注入神经营养素 3重组腺 (Ad NT3)的组为实验组 ,注入Ad lacZ的为对照组。 4周后 ,经NT3抗体免疫细胞化学染色可见 ,在注入Ad NT3病毒的实验组中 ,在内耳多种细胞中有明显的NT3蛋白的表达。HE染色显示 ,注射Ad lacZ组的豚鼠耳蜗螺旋神经节细胞明显退变 ,螺旋神经节内细胞间隙拉大 ,细胞密度明显低于注射Ad NT3实验组动物 (P <0 .0 1)。这一结果说明 ,腺病毒介导的NT3基因可长期表达于内耳中 ,并且可在噪音引起毛细胞死亡后有效地抑制螺旋神经节细胞的退变。     

辛伐他汀对动脉粥样硬化大鼠凋亡相关基因Fas及FasL蛋白表达的影响

目的通过研究辛伐他汀对动脉粥样硬化大鼠血管壁中细胞凋亡相关基因Fas及FasL蛋白表达产物的影响,探讨其在预防动脉粥样硬化发生中的可能机制。方法复制动脉粥样硬化大鼠模型,以辛伐他汀干预,取胸主动脉,观察其斑块变化,采用免疫组化Elivision法测定动脉粥样硬化血管壁中Fas、FasL蛋白表达。结果Fas蛋白表达在实验组明显高于对照组及干预组(P<0.01,P<0.05),实验组FasL蛋白表达也明显高于对照组及干预组(P<0.05)。结论Fas及FasL基因通过促进细胞凋亡作用而诱发动脉粥样硬化过程,辛伐他汀可通过调节细胞凋亡过程发挥抗动脉粥样硬化作用。     

人脑星形细胞瘤中p53，Fas/FasL 的表达及其与凋亡关系的研究

目的:探讨细胞凋亡在星形细胞瘤中的作用及其与p53、Fas和Fas配体(Fas ligand,FasL)的关系。方法:对43例星形细胞瘤的标本分别进行HE染色,TUNEL及免疫组化分别标记p53,Fas和FasL。结果:高级别肿瘤和低级别肿瘤间的凋亡无显著差异(P>0.05)。高级别星形细胞瘤的p53,Fas和FasL的表达均显著高于低级别肿瘤(P均<0.05)。结论:突变型p53可作为评价星形细胞瘤生物学行为的参考指标。与低级别星形细胞瘤相比,高级别肿瘤中的细胞凋亡受到了抑制,且Fas与FasL的过表达对细胞凋亡可产生明显影响。     

豚鼠庆大霉素耳中毒后诱发的耳蜗热休克反应

目的：探讨热休克蛋白（HSP）70在庆大霉素（GM）耳中毒中的意义。方法：应用SABC免疫组化技术及图像分析技术并结合听脑干反应（ABR）测试。观察庆大霉素耳中毒后热休克蛋白70在豚鼠耳蜗中表达及其与听阈的关系。结果：实验组耳蜗Corti‘s器、血管纹、螺旋韧带、螺旋缘、螺旋神经节细胞HSP70表达呈强阳性。且ABP阈值变化与HSP70表达的变化高度相关（｜γ｜＞0．8,P＜0．01）。结论：庆大霉素耳中毒后能够诱发耳蜗热休克反应,增加HSP70在豚鼠耳蜗的表达,保护听力。     

Caspase-3在豚鼠内淋巴积水耳蜗中的表达

目的观察Caspase-3在豚鼠内淋巴积水耳蜗中的表达。方法实验分正常对照组和实验组,每组10只豚鼠。用破坏并阻塞豚鼠内淋巴囊的方法造成豚鼠内淋巴积水模型。3周后处死豚鼠,取耳蜗分别用石蜡及火棉胶包埋、切片,免疫组织化学方法观察caspase-3在耳蜗的表达。结果caspase-3在豚鼠内淋巴积水耳蜗中表达呈阳性,阳性区域为耳蜗外侧壁和螺旋神经节细胞。结论caspase-3在豚鼠内淋巴积水耳蜗中呈阳性表达,提示在内淋巴积水病理过程中存在耳蜗细胞凋亡。     

Caspase-3在老年豚鼠耳蜗螺旋神经节细胞的表达

目的检测caspase-3在老年豚鼠耳蜗的表达。方法实验分两组:实验组和对照组,实验组豚鼠年龄为33至35个月之间,对照组豚鼠年龄为2至3个月。用免疫组织化学方法检测caspase-3在两组豚鼠耳蜗的表达。结果Caspase-3在实验组耳蜗的表达呈阳性,阳性区域主要存在于耳蜗螺旋神经节细胞。在对照组耳蜗的表达呈阴性。结论Caspase-3在老年豚鼠耳蜗螺旋神经节细胞中呈阳性表达,提示caspase-3在豚鼠耳蜗老化过程中起重要作用。     

汉滩病毒诱导小鼠骨髓瘤SP2／0细胞凋亡的初步研究

为研究汉滩病毒对肿瘤细胞的诱导凋亡作用,以一定量病毒悬液感染体外培养的SP2／0细胞,接种后一定时间将细胞消化甩片行Gimsa染色观察凋亡细胞核的变化,制细胞悬液以流式细胞仪测细胞周期,并用免疫组化的方法检测凋亡分子Fas和FasL的表达。结果示经病毒诱导后细胞出现生长特性及形态学变化,Giemsa染色观察到典型凋亡细胞：流式细胞仪显示有凋亡峰出现;免疫组化检测出感染后SP2／0细胞中Fas和FasL表达明显升高。该结果表明汉滩病毒可诱导体外培养SP2／0细胞凋亡,其发生可能与凋亡分子Fas和FasL有关。     

顺铂对小鼠耳蜗螺旋神经节细胞凋亡及caspase-3表达的影响

目的:建立小鼠顺铂(CDDP)耳毒性模型,研究不同剂量顺铂对小鼠耳蜗螺旋神经节细胞凋亡及caspase-3表达的影响。方法:采用末端脱氧核苷酸转移酶介导的缺口末端标记(TUNEL)技术检测螺旋神经节细胞的凋亡;应用免疫组织化学Envision法检测caspase-3在螺旋神经节中的表达;同时结合听脑干反应(ABR)测试,观察用药前后小鼠听力的变化。结果:不同剂量顺铂组小鼠体重和听力明显下降,与对照组比较均有显著性差异(P0.05,P0.01);并且随着顺铂给药剂量的增加,小鼠耳蜗螺旋神经节中TUNEL阳性细胞数增多,以及caspase-3表达明显增强。结论:应用小鼠能建立可靠的顺铂耳毒性模型;顺铂可导致耳蜗螺旋神经节细胞凋亡,而且此凋亡过程中有caspase-3的参与,进一步证实了凋亡可能是顺铂耳毒性机制之一。     

人脑星形细胞瘤中p53，Fas／FasL的表达及其与凋亡关系的研究

目的：探讨细胞凋亡在星形细胞瘤中的作用及其与p53、Fas和Fas配体（Fas ligand,FasL）的关系。方法：对43例星形细胞瘤的标本分别进行HE染色,TUNEL及免疫组化分别标记p53,Fas和FasL。结果：高级别肿瘤和低级别肿瘤间的凋亡无显著差异（P〉0．05）。高级别星形细胞瘤的p53,Fas和FasL的表达均显著高于低级别肿瘤（P均〈0．05）。结论：突变型p53可作为评价星形细胞瘤生物学行为的参考指标。与低级别星形细胞瘤相比,高级别肿瘤中的细胞凋亡受到了抑制,且Fas与FasL的过表达对细胞凋亡可产生明显影响。     

Fas／FasL与消化道肿瘤的相关性

Fas,FasL均是细胞表面受体。正常情况下,Fas分子主要分布于人体各个组织器官及病变细胞表面,FasL广泛分布于活化的T细胞等免疫细胞表面。Fas与FasL的结合可导致表达Fas的细胞凋亡,平衡机体免疫反应。当机体发生肿瘤时,肿瘤细胞表面Fas表达下调,有时甚至出现FasL的表达,不但削弱了Fas阳性淋巴细胞的攻击能力,而且赋予了肿瘤细胞杀伤免疫细胞的能力,即肿瘤免疫逃逸的新机制—Fas反击。就这一新机制与消化道肿瘤尤其胃部肿瘤的相关性做一综述。     

Involvement of calpain-I and microRNA34 in kanamycin-induced apoptosis of inner ear cells

Inner ear cells, including hair cells, spiral ganglion cells, stria vascularis cells and supporting cells on the basilar membrane, play a major role in transducing hearing signals and regulating inner ear homoeostasis. However, their functions are often damaged by antibiotic-induced ototoxicity. Apoptosis is probably involved in inner ear cell injury following aminoglycoside treatment. Calpain, a calcium-dependent protease, is essential for mediating and promoting cell death. We have therefore investigated the involvement of calpain in the molecular mechanism underlying ototoxicity induced by the antibiotic kanamycin in mice. Kanamycin (750 mg/kg) mainly induced cell death of cochlear cells, including stria vascularis cells, supporting cells and spiral ganglion cells, but not hair cells within the organ of Corti. Cell death due to apoptosis occurred in a time-dependent manner with concomitant up-regulation of calpain expression. Furthermore, the expression levels of two microRNAs, mir34a and mir34c, were altered in a dose-dependent manner in cochlear cells. These novel findings demonstrated the involvement of both calpain and microRNAs in antibiotic-induced ototoxicity.     

Caspase-Mediated Apoptosis in the Cochleae Contributes to the Early Onset of Hearing Loss in A/J Mice

A/J and C57BL/6 J (B6) mice share a mutation in Cdh23 (ahl allele) and are characterized by age-related hearing loss. However, hearing loss occurs much earlier in A/J mice at about four weeks of age. Recent study has revealed that a mutation in citrate synthase (Cs) is one of the main contributors, but the mechanism is largely unknown. In the present study, we showed that A/J mice displayed more severe degeneration of hair cells, spiral ganglion neurons, and stria vascularis in the cochleae compared with B6 mice. Moreover, messenger RNA accumulation levels of caspase-3 and caspase-9 in the inner ears of A/J mice were significantly higher than those in B6 mice at 2 and 8 weeks of age. Immunohistochemistry localized caspase-3 expression mainly to the hair cells, spiral ganglion neurons, and stria vascularis in cochleae. In vitro transfection with Cs short hairpin RNA (shRNA) alone or cotransfection with Cs shRNA and Cdh23 shRNA significantly increased the levels of caspase-3 in an inner ear cell line (HEI-OC1). Finally, a pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK could preserve the hearing of A/J mice by lowering about 15 decibels of the sound pressure level for the auditory-evoked brainstem response thresholds. In conclusion, our results suggest that caspase-mediated apoptosis in the cochleae, which may be related to a Cs mutation, contributes to the early onset of hearing loss in A/J mice.     

Enzyme-histochemical localization of carbonic anhydrase in the inner ear of the guinea pig and several improvements of the technique

We have made several improvements in the method of fixation of the inner ear and the enzyme-histochemical technique for carbonic anhydrase (CA) detection. The results confirmed that CA is localized in the hair cells of the organ of Corti, Deiters' cells or nerve endings, inner pillar cells, Boettcher's cells, stria vascularis, spiral ligament, spiral limbus, and spiral ganglion cells. These results generally agree with previous histochemical observations but showed some differences. Our method preserved tissue morphology and showed more detailed localization of CA activity in the inner ear. In particular, the marginal zone of stria vascularis and the epithelial cells of spiral prominence, facing the endolymph, showed no CA activity, while the suprastrial region of the spiral ligament and the supralimbal region of the spiral limbus, juxtaposed to the perilymph, showed CA activity. In outer hair cells, the cuticular plate, which faces the endolymph showed CA activity, but the lateral membrane, which faces the perilymph showed no CA activity. In contrast, the inner hair cell cytoplasm showed diffuse CA activity. These results will be useful in considering ion exchange between endolymph and its adjacent cells, and between perilymph and its adjacent structures.     

Primary culture of capillary endothelial cells from the spiral ligament and stria vascularis of bovine inner ear

Summary Methods for isolation and culture of microvascular endothelial cells of the inner ear were devised to provide an in-vitro system for studying endothelial functions in this tissue. Capillaries from the stria vascularis and spiral ligament were treated enzymatically to free them from surrounding tissue. Contamination by extraneous tissue was minimized by banding capillary segments in Percoll gradients and culture in plasma-derived serum on a fibronectin-coated substrate. Although only small amounts of inner ear tissue were available, tritiated thymidine autoradiography demonstrated that considerable growth in culture was possible. Addition of heparin and endothelial cell growth supplement to the medium enhanced proliferation. The endothelial origin of the cultured cells was confirmed by immunofluorescent demonstration of the presence of Factor VIII-related antigen and angiotensin-converting enzyme. In addition, tight junctions between cells were observed in both thin sections and platinum replicas obtained by freezefracture techniques. Endothelial cells from neither the stria vascularis nor the spiral ligament allowed passage of horseradish peroxidase across the monolayer during a 5-min period. However, endothelial cells from the stria vascularis exhibited a greater amount of pinocytotic activity than those of the spiral ligament, a difference that is also observed in vivo. Methods for expanding a small population of endothelial cells with retention of specialized properties into one of sufficient size for morphologic and biochemical studies have been demonstrated for the inner ear.     

Survival and neural differentiation of adult neural stem cells transplanted into the mature inner ear

The cochlear sensory epithelium and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) in the adult mammalian inner ear do not regenerate following severe injury. To replace the degenerated SGNs, neural stem cell (NSC) is an attractive alternative for substitution cell therapy. In this study, adult mouse NSCs were transplanted into normal and deafened inner ears of guinea pigs. To more efficiently drive the implanted cells into a neuronal fate, NSCs were also transduced with neurogenin 2 (ngn2) before transplantation. In deafened inner ears and in animals transplanted with ngn2-transduced NSCs, surviving cells expressed the neuronal marker neural class III beta-tubulin. Transplanted cells were found close to the sensory epithelium and adjacent to the SGNs and their peripheral processes. The results illustrate that adult NSCs can survive and differentiate in the injured inner ear. It also demonstrates the feasibility of gene transfer to generate specific progeny for cell replacement therapy in the inner ear.     

Developmental expression patterns of connexin26 and -30 in the rat cochlea

Connexin proteins form transmembranous gap junction channels that connect adjacent cells. Connexin26 and connexin30 have been previously shown to be strongly expressed in the inner ear of adult rats and to be mainly colocalized. Because intercellular connections by gap junction proteins are crucial for maturation of different tissues, we investigated the developmental expression of connexin26 and connexin30 in pre- and postnatal rats using immunocytochemistry. In the rat otocyst, staining for connexin26 as well as for connexin30 appeared at the 17th day of gestation. However, at this stage, expression of connexin30 was low and restricted to the neurosensory epithelium. Beginning from the 3rd postnatal day connexin26 and -30 were expressed with highest immunoreaction in the spiral limbus, the neurosensory epithelium, and between the stria vascularis and the spiral ligament. Beginning from postnatal day 12 the staining pattern resembled that of adult animals, with additional strong staining between all fibrocytes of the spiral ligament. Double labeling experiments demonstrated strongest colocalization of both connexins between the stria vascularis and the spiral ligament. These results demonstrate that development of the cochlear gap junction system precedes the functional maturation of the rat inner ear, which takes place between the 2nd and 3rd postnatal week. In the cochlea of a 22-week-old human embryo, connexin26 and connexin30 could be detected in the lateral wall, suggesting that both connexins also play a crucial role in function of the human inner ear.     

Pax3 function is required specifically for inner ear structures with melanogenic fates

Pax3 mutations result in malformed inner ears in Splotch mutant mice and hearing loss in humans with Waardenburg’s syndrome type I. In the inner ear, Pax3 is thought to be involved mainly in the development of neural crest. However, recent studies have shown that Pax3-expressing cells contribute extensively to multiple inner ear structures, some of which were considered to be derived from the otic epithelium. To examine the specific functions of Pax3 during inner ear development, fate mapping of Pax3 lineage was performed in the presence or absence of functional Pax3 proteins using Pax3^Cre knock-in mice bred to Rosa26 reporter (R26R) line. β-gal-positive cells were widely distributed in Pax3^Cre/+; R26R inner ears at embryonic day (E) 15.5, including the endolymphatic duct, common crus, cristae, maculae, cochleovestibular ganglion, and stria vascularis. In the absence of Pax3 in Pax3^Cre/Cre; R26R inner ears, β-gal-positive cells disappeared from regions with melanocytes such as the stria vascularis of the cochlea and dark cells in the vestibule. Consistently, the expression of Dct, a melanoblast marker, was also absent in the mutant inner ears. However, when examined at E11.5, β-gal positive cells were present in Pax3^Cre/Cre mutant otocysts, whereas Dct expression was absent, suggesting that Pax3 lineage with a melanogenic fate migrated to the inner ear, yet failed to differentiate and survive without Pax3 function. Gross inner ear morphology was generally normal in Pax3^Cre/Cre mutants, unless neural tube defects extended to the cranial region. Taken together, these results suggest that despite the extensive contribution of Pax3-expressing cells to multiple inner ear tissues, Pax3 function is required specifically for inner ear components with melanogenic fates.