血红素加氧酶-1可能经诱导 foxp3+CD4 +CD25 + Treg细胞抑制哮喘气道炎症

血红素加氧酶-1(heme oxygenase-1, HO-1)作为体内保护蛋白, 在哮喘气道炎症中具有显著的抗炎作用. foxp3+CD4 ⁺CD25 ⁺ T调节细胞(T regulatory cells, Treg)是调节性细胞的主要组成部分, 以抑制的方式调控其他效应细胞的活性和功能. IL-10是多种细胞分泌的抗炎细胞因子, 具有免疫抑制功能. 本研究探讨HO-1诱导foxp3 ⁺CD4 ⁺CD25 ⁺ Treg, 增加IL-10分泌以拮抗哮喘气道炎症. 选用磁珠分离CD4⁺CD25⁺ Treg, 含 HO-1 质粒转染或血红素(Hemin)和锡-原卟啉(Sn-protoporphyrin, SnPP)处理, RT-PCR和Western blot方法检测显示Hemin上调HO-1表达, CD4⁺CD25⁺ Tregfoxp3 表达及蛋白水平显著增加, ELISA方法测定上清液IL-10水平明显升高. 卵清蛋白(ovalbumin, OVA)致敏、激发的哮喘小鼠, Hemin上调HO-1表达, 肺和脾脏中foxp3表达及蛋白量亦增加, 血清IL-10增高, 而OVA特异性IgE水平降低. 肺病理组织学检测、支气管肺泡灌洗液(bronchial alveolar lavage fluid, BALF)中细胞总数和嗜酸性粒细胞(eosinophil, EOS)计数均显示炎性细胞尤其是EOS浸润减少; CD4 ⁺CD25 ⁺ Treg功能抑制实验发现, OVA致敏、激发Balb/C小鼠经Hemin干预后, 抑制作用显著增加; SnPP能逆转HO-1作用. IL-10剔除的B6.129P2-Il10^tm1Cgn/J小鼠Treg抑制作用经Hemin干预后仍未改善. 但体内外实验发现TGF-β水平无变化. 本研究表明: HO-1可能经诱导CD4 ⁺CD25⁺ Treg 特异性转录因子foxp3表达, 激活CD4 ⁺CD25 ⁺ Treg, 促进IL-10分泌, 以拮抗哮喘气道炎症.     

血红素加氧酶-1介导CD4+CD25High调节性T淋巴细胞拮抗哮喘气道炎症的实验研究

探讨血红素加氧酶-1(HO-1, heme oxygenase-1)介导CD4⁺CD25^High调节性T淋巴细胞(Treg, regulatory T cells)拮抗哮喘气道炎症的作用. 用卵清蛋白(OVA)致敏、激发小鼠制备并建立哮喘动物模型, 并在致敏、激发过程中经氯化高铁血红素(Hemin)或锡-原卟啉(SnPP, Sn- protoporphyrin)处理. 分别测定激发后各组动物血清OVA特异性IgE, 支气管肺泡灌洗液中(BALF, bronchial alveolar lavage fluid)细胞总数和嗜酸性粒细胞(EOS, eosinophil)数及外周血CD4⁺CD25^High Treg细胞变化和肺组织HO-1和Foxp3 mRNA表达量, 结合病理切片分析气道炎症状况. 结果显示: OVA组、Hemin组、SnPP组血清OVA-特异性IgE和BALF中细胞总数及EOS数明显高于正常对照组, 但Hemin组IgE水平及BALF中细胞总数和EOS数明显低于OVA组; 而OVA组和SnPP组间IgE水平及BALF中细胞总数和EOS数无显著性差异; 病理组织学显示OVA组、Hemin组和SnPP组气道组织均见EOS浸润, 但Hemin组气道炎症仍明显轻于OVA组和SnPP组; Hemin组外周血CD4⁺CD25^High Treg细胞比例及肺组织Foxp3 mRNA相对表达量明显高于OVA组. Hemin显著上调HO-1表达. 实验表明, 用Hemin诱导HO-1高表达后外周血CD4⁺CD25^High Treg细胞比例及Foxp3 mRNA相对表达量明显升高, 同时血清OVA特异性IgE明显下降, BALF中细胞总数和EOS数减少, 气道炎症减轻; 提示HO-1可通过提高CD4⁺CD25^High Treg细胞比例并增强其功能来调节体内Th1/Th2平衡, 在支气管哮喘中起到保护作用.     

狼疮性肾炎患者血清NETs、TWEAK、外周血CD4+T/CD8+T比例与疾病活动度及肾脏预后的关系

摘要 目的：探讨狼疮性肾炎（LN）患者血清中性粒细胞胞外诱捕网（NETs）、肿瘤坏死因子样凋亡微弱诱导剂（TWEAK）、外周血分化簇（CD）4⁺T/CD8⁺T比例与疾病活动度及肾脏预后的关系。方法：选取2021年8月～2022年8月川北医学院附属医院肾内科收治的LN患者137例（LN组）,根据系统性红斑狼疮疾病活动指数（SLEDAI）-2000评分分为轻度活动组（52例）、中度活动组（45例）、重度活动组（40例）。随访1年,根据肾脏相关终点事件发生情况分为预后不良组（43例）和预后良好组（94例）,另选取同期76名体检健康志愿者（对照组）。采用酶联免疫吸附法检测血清NETs、TWEAK水平,流式细胞术检测外周血CD4⁺T/CD8⁺T比例。Spearman相关性分析LN患者血清NETs、TWEAK和外周血CD4⁺T/CD8⁺T与SLEDAI-2000评分的相关性,多因素Logistic回归分析LN患者预后不良的因素,受试者工作特征曲线分析血清NETs、TWEAK和外周血CD4⁺T/CD8⁺T对LN患者预后不良的预测价值。结果：与对照组比较,LN组血清NETs、TWEAK水平升高,外周血CD4⁺T/CD8⁺T降低（P＜0.05）。轻度活动组、中度活动组、重度活动组血清NETs、TWEAK依次升高,外周血CD4⁺T/CD8⁺T依次降低（P＜0.05）。LN患者SLEDAI-2000评分与血清NETs、TWEAK呈正相关,与外周血CD4⁺T/CD8⁺T呈负相关（P＜0.05）。慢性肾脏病分期4期、SLEDAI-2000评分升高、NETs升高、TWEAK升高为LN患者预后不良的独立危险因素,估算肾小球滤过率升高、CD4⁺T/CD8⁺T升高为独立保护因素（P＜0.05）。血清NETs、TWEAK和外周血CD4⁺T/CD8⁺T联合预测LN患者预后不良的曲线下面积为0.943,大于血清NETs、TWEAK和外周血CD4⁺T/CD8⁺T单独预测的0.790、0.788、0.799（P＜0.05）。结论：LN患者血清NETs、TWEAK水平升高,外周血CD4⁺T/CD8⁺T降低,与疾病活动度及肾脏预后不良密切相关,血清NETs、TWEAK联合外周血CD4⁺T/CD8⁺T预测LN患者肾脏预后的价值较高。     

人类疱疹病毒6型特异性CD4+ T细胞的初步克隆

目的 克隆HHV-6特异性CD4⁺ T细胞,并分析其基本特征。方法 微孔有限稀释法克隆HHV-6特异性CD4⁺ T细胞;3H-TdR掺入法细胞增殖试验筛选HHV-6 特异性CD4+ T细胞克隆;FACS分析HHV-6特异性CD4⁺ T细胞克隆的表面标志;ELISA检测HHV-6特异性CD4⁺ T细胞克隆的细胞因子分泌水平。结果 获得的细胞克隆中有4株以HHV-6感染细胞裂解物特异的方式增殖,并且其增殖水平与HHV-6感染细胞裂解物呈剂量依赖性;细胞克隆表面标志为CD3⁺CD4⁺;W-2和W-4细胞克隆的细胞因子分泌以IL-10为主,W-1细胞克隆的细胞因子分泌以IL-10及IFN-γ为主,W-3细胞克隆的细胞因子分泌以IFN-γ为主。结论 初步建立HHV-6特异性CD4⁺ T细胞克隆,并分析其表面标志和细胞因子分泌水平,为HHV-6特异性Treg细胞的克隆、筛选及其功能的研究奠定基础。     

肝硬化患者的免疫功能障碍与血清壳多糖酶3样蛋白1表达的关系

摘要 目的：探究肝硬化患者的免疫功能障碍与血清壳多糖酶3样蛋白1（CHI3L1）表达关系。方法：招募2018年2月至2020年8月在我院就诊的160例肝硬化患者。通过Child-Pugh评分对肝病的严重程度进行分组,轻度组（n=73）和重度组（n=87）。在本院健康检查中心招募60例年龄相仿且无任何明显疾病或感染的人员作为对照组。并检测CHI3L1蛋白表达、CHI3L1浓度、MR浓度、CD3⁺T、CD25⁺T和CD69⁺T水平以及血浆细胞因子的浓度。结果：对照组较轻度和重度组AST、ALT浓度升高,且轻度组较重度组升高（P<0.05）。Cr血清浓度各组比较无差异（P>0.05）。轻度组中93.15 %患者为Child-Pugh A,重度组中全部为Child-Pugh B/A。重度组较轻度组肝硬化程度严重（P<0.05）。重度组和轻度组较对照组CHI3L1蛋白表达升高,重度组较轻度组升高（P<0.05）。重度组和轻度组血清CHI3L1水平较对照组升高（P<0.05）,重度组较轻度组升高（P<0.05）。重度组和轻度组血清CD163和甘露糖受体（MR）水平较对照组升高（P<0.05）,重度组较轻度组升高（P<0.05）。重度组和轻度组血清CD3⁺T、CD25⁺T和CD69⁺T水平较对照组升高,重度组血清较轻度组升高（P<0.05）。重度组和轻度组白细胞介素（IL-1β）、IL-6、肿瘤坏死因子α（TNF-α）和干扰素（IFN-γ）浓度较对照组升高,重度组较轻度组升高（P<0.05）。Logistic回归分析,提示患者血清CHI3L1、MR、CD3⁺T、CD25⁺T、CD69⁺T与患者肝硬化程度相关（P<0.05）。结论：肝硬化患者中血清CHI3L1与肝硬化严重程度呈正相关,CHI3L1促进T细胞活化、增殖和炎性细胞因子的分泌,这导致加重了免疫介导的肝损伤和纤维化的发展。     

外周血Treg细胞、T淋巴细胞及其亚群与早期宫颈癌的关系及对淋巴结转移的预测价值研究

摘要 目的：分析外周血Treg细胞、T淋巴细胞及其亚群与早期宫颈癌的关系及对淋巴结转移的预测价值。方法：选择我院自2017年1月至2020年12月接诊的60例接受子宫颈癌根治术及盆腔淋巴清扫术的早期宫颈癌患者作为观察组,另选同期的60例健康体检者作为对照组。比较两组外周血Treg细胞、T淋巴细胞及其亚群水平,使用受试者工作特征曲线（ROC）下面积（AUC）评价外周血Treg细胞、T淋巴细胞及其亚群对淋巴结转移的预测效能。结果：观察组外周血Treg细胞、CD8⁺T细胞水平高于对照组,CD3⁺T细胞、CD4⁺T细胞、CD4⁺/CD8⁺比值均低于对照组（P＜0.05）;观察组术后外周血Treg细胞、CD8⁺T细胞水平较术前降低,CD3⁺T细胞、CD4⁺T细胞、CD4⁺/CD8⁺比值均较术前升高（P＜0.05）;在60例早期宫颈癌患者中,发生淋巴结转移12例;淋巴结转移组术前外周血Treg细胞水平、CD8⁺T细胞高于非淋巴结转移组,CD3⁺T细胞、CD4⁺T细胞、CD4⁺/CD8⁺比值均低于非淋巴结转移组（P＜0.05）;经多因素Logistic回归分析,外周血Treg细胞、CD3⁺T细胞、CD4⁺/CD8⁺比值均是早期宫颈癌患者发生淋巴结转移的独立预测因素（P＜0.05）;经ROC曲线分析,外周血Treg细胞、CD3⁺T细胞联合CD4⁺/CD8⁺比值预测早期宫颈癌患者发生淋巴结转移的AUC为0.910。结论：外周血Treg细胞、T淋巴细胞及其亚群水平与早期宫颈癌的病情演变有关,其中外周血Treg细胞、CD3⁺T细胞联合CD4⁺/CD8⁺比值预测淋巴结转移的效能较好,值得进一步研究应用。     

反复呼吸道感染儿童血清维生素A、维生素E水平与免疫球蛋白、T淋巴细胞亚群、NK细胞及骨密度的关系分析

摘要 目的：探讨反复呼吸道感染（RRTI）儿童血清维生素A、维生素E水平与免疫球蛋白（Ig）、T淋巴细胞亚群、NK细胞及骨密度的关系。方法：选择2018年2月至2020年12月我院儿科收治的107例RRTI患儿（感染组）和83例同期于我院体检的健康儿童（对照组）为研究对象,检测两组血清维生素A、维生素E水平、Ig水平,外周血T淋巴细胞亚群、NK细胞占比以及骨密度。分析维生素A、维生素E与Ig、T淋巴细胞亚群、NK细胞及骨密度的相关性。结果：感染组血清维生素A、维生素E、IgG、IgA、IgM及外周血CD3⁺T细胞百分比、CD4⁺T细胞百分比、CD3^-CD56⁺ NK细胞百分比、CD56brightNK细胞百分比、CD56dimNK细胞百分比、桡骨和胫骨骨密度均低于对照组（P＜0.05）,外周血CD8⁺T细胞百分比高于对照组（P＜0.05）。血清维生素A及维生素E水平与外周血CD8⁺T细胞百分比呈负相关（P＜0.05）,与IgG、IgA、IgM水平,外周血CD3⁺ T细胞百分比、CD4⁺T细胞百分比、CD3^-CD56⁺ NK细胞百分比、CD56brightNK细胞百分比、CD56dimNK细胞百分比、桡骨和胫骨骨密度呈正相关（P＜0.05）。结论：RRTI患儿血清维生素A、维生素E水平明显降低,且与免疫功能障碍和骨密度降低有关。     

脓毒症患者外周血T淋巴细胞PD-1表达变化及胸腺肽α-1的免疫调理作用研究

摘要 目的：探讨脓毒症患者外周血T淋巴细胞程序性细胞死亡受体1（PD-1）表达特点,分析胸腺肽?琢-1治疗对患者免疫功能的影响。方法：选择2018年3月至2020年6月我院重症医学科收治的140例脓毒症患者（脓毒症组）和同期于我院进行体检的95例健康志愿者（对照组）,根据急性生理与慢性健康评估Ⅱ（APACHE Ⅱ）、序贯器官衰竭评估（SOFA）评分结果将脓毒症患者分为APACHE Ⅱ 0~10分组（51例）、11~20分组（62例）和＞20分组（27例）;SOFA评分0~5分组（48例）、6~10分组（60例）和＞10分组（32例）。检测外周血CD4⁺T细胞上PD-1表达、CD8⁺T细胞上PD-1表达,比较组间差异性。Pearson秩相关性分析外周血CD4⁺T细胞上PD-1表达、CD8⁺T细胞上PD-1表达与APACHE Ⅱ、SOFA评分相关性。根据治疗方法将脓毒症患者分为A组（60例）和B组（80例）,A组给予常规综合治疗和乌司他丁治疗,B组在A组的基础上联合胸腺肽α-1治疗,比较两组治疗前后外周血T淋巴细胞（CD3⁺、CD4⁺、CD8⁺）、NK细胞（CD3-CD16⁺CD56⁺）差异。结果：脓毒症组外周血CD4⁺T细胞上PD-1表达、CD8⁺T细胞上PD-1表达高于对照组（P＜0.001）,外周血CD4⁺T细胞上PD-1表达、CD8⁺T细胞上PD-1表达随APACHE Ⅱ、SOFA评分的增加而增高,各组间差异显著（P＜0.05）。Pearson秩相关分析结果显示外周血CD4⁺T细胞上PD-1表达、CD8+T细胞上PD-1表达与APACHE Ⅱ评分、SOFA评分呈正相关（r=0.569、0.475;0.653、0.509,P均＜0.05）。B组治疗后CD3⁺、CD4⁺、CD3-CD16⁺CD56⁺高于A组（P＜0.05）,CD8⁺低于A组（P＜0.05）。结论：脓毒症患者外周血CD4⁺、CD8⁺T细胞上PD-1表达均增高,其表达与病情严重程度密切相关。给予胸腺肽α-1治疗可改善患者免疫功能。     

小细胞肺癌患者外周血淋巴细胞亚群分析

目的探究化疗对小细胞肺癌(small cell lung cancer,SCLC)患者免疫功能的影响。方法选择2013年1月到2018年12月我院收治的95例小细胞肺癌患者为研究对象。患者第一周期、第二周期化疗前采用流式细胞术检测患者外周血淋巴细胞亚群水平,分别按照不同疗效及不同化疗方案对患者外周血淋巴细胞亚群进行比较。结果(1)化疗后,95例患者CD3⁺、CD4⁺、CD8⁺细胞平均值增加,CD19⁺、γδT细胞平均值减少,差异均有统计学意义(均P<0.05)。(2)化疗后,部分缓解组患者CD3⁺、CD8⁺细胞平均值增加,CD19⁺细胞减少,差异有统计学意义(均P<0.05);病情稳定组和病情进展组患者各细胞水平无显著变化(均P>0.05)。(3)依托泊苷联合顺铂(EP)方案组化疗后患者CD3⁺、CD8⁺细胞平均值增多,CD19⁺细胞减少,差异均有统计学意义(均P<0.05);伊立替康联合顺铂(IP)方案和依托泊苷联合卡铂(EC)方案组化疗后患者各细胞水平无显著变化(均P>0.05)。结论化疗可以调节小细胞肺癌患者的免疫功能,增强细胞免疫,降低体液免疫,其中EC方案对患者细胞免疫的增强作用较为显著。     

肺癌患者外周血T淋巴细胞分型与抗核抗体之间的关系研究

摘要 目的：研究肺癌患者外周血T淋巴细胞分型与抗核抗体之间的关系。方法：选择2019年1月到2021年6月在我院接受治疗的肺癌患者81例作为研究组,并选择同期健康志愿者81例作为对照组,检测并比较两组患者外周血CD4⁺、CD8⁺和CD4⁺/CD8⁺淋巴细胞比例,以及抗核抗体血清滴度。比较不同抗核抗体、年龄、性别、TNM分期、肿瘤分化程度以及病理类型肺癌患者外周血CD4⁺、CD8⁺和CD4⁺/CD8⁺淋巴细胞比例。结果：（1）肺癌患者外周血CD4⁺和CD4⁺/CD8⁺淋巴细胞比例显著低于对照组,而CD8⁺淋巴细胞比例显著高于对照组（P<0.05）;（2）III+IV肺癌患者外周血CD4⁺、和CD4⁺/CD8⁺淋巴细胞比例均显著低于I+II肺癌患者,而CD8⁺淋巴细胞比例均显著高于I+II肺癌患者（P<0.05）;（3）小细胞肺癌患者外周血CD4⁺、和CD4⁺/CD8⁺淋巴细胞比例均显著低于非小肺癌患者,而CD8⁺淋巴细胞比例均显著高于非小肺癌患者（P<0.05）;（4）肺癌患者抗核抗体血清滴度显著高于对照组（P<0.05）;（5）抗核抗体阳性患者CD4⁺和CD4⁺/CD8⁺淋巴细胞亚群比例均显著低于抗核抗体阴性患者,而CD8⁺淋巴细胞亚群比例显著高于抗核抗体阴性患者（P<0.05）。结论：肺癌患者外周血T淋巴细胞亚群表达异常,并且其表达水平可能与抗核抗体滴度有关。     

Role of the ASK1-SEK1-JNK1-HIPK1 signal in Daxx trafficking and ASK1 oligomerization

Overexpression of JNK binding domain inhibited glucose deprivation-induced JNK1 activation, relocalization of Daxx from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, and apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) oligomerization in human prostate adenocarcinoma DU-145 cells. However, SB203580, a p38 inhibitor, did not prevent relocalization of Daxx and oligomerization of ASK1 during glucose deprivation. Studies from in vivo labeling and immune complex kinase assay demonstrated that phosphorylation of Daxx occurred during glucose deprivation, and its phosphorylation was mediated through the ASK1-SEK1-JNK1-HIPK1 signal transduction pathway. Data from immunofluorescence staining and protein interaction assay suggest that phosphorylated Daxx may be translocated to the cytoplasm, bind to ASK1, and subsequently lead to ASK1 oligomerization. Mutation of Daxx Ser667 to Ala results in suppression of Daxx relocalization during glucose deprivation, suggesting that Ser667 residue plays an important role in the relocalization of Daxx. Unlike wild-type Daxx, a Daxx deletion mutant (amino acids 501-625) mainly localized to the cytoplasm, where it associated with ASK1, activated JNK1, and induced ASK1 oligomerization without glucose deprivation. Taken together, these results show that glucose deprivation activates the ASK1-SEK1-JNK1-HIPK1 pathway, and the activated HIPK1 is probably involved in the relocalization of Daxx from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. The relocalized Daxx may play an important role in glucose deprivation-induced ASK1 oligomerization.     

DEC1 and MIC-1

Comment on: Qian Y, et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2012; 109:11300-5.     

LINE-1编码蛋白L1-ORF1的原核表达纯化和多克隆抗体制备

目的: 制备具有肿瘤组织特异性表达的L1-ORF1蛋白多克隆抗体并进行初步应用研究。方法:采取基因工程表达方法制备L1-ORF1蛋白,免疫家兔制备多克隆抗体,间接ELISA检测抗体效价,Western blot和细胞免疫荧光方法检测抗体特异性,免疫检测验证其识别肿瘤细胞内L1-ORF1蛋白的特异性。结果:制备的抗L1-ORF1蛋白多克隆抗体具有很高的敏感性与特异性,免疫学检测表明该抗体不仅能检测出正常细胞中瞬时表达的L1-ORF1蛋白,而且可检测出肿瘤细胞中天然表达的L1-ORF1蛋白。结论:制备的多克隆抗体具有较高的敏感性与特异性,为以后该抗体的进一步应用奠定了基础。     

Antagonism between Cry1Ac1 and Cyt1A1 toxins of bacillus thuringiensis

Most strains of the insecticidal bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis have a combination of different protoxins in their parasporal crystals. Some of the combinations clearly interact synergistically, like the toxins present in B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis. In this paper we describe a novel joint activity of toxins from different strains of B. thuringiensis. In vitro bioassays in which we used pure, trypsin-activated Cry1Ac1 proteins from B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, Cyt1A1 from B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, and Trichoplusia ni BTI-Tn5B1-4 cells revealed contrasting susceptibility characteristics. The 50% lethal concentrations (LC50s) were estimated to be 4,967 of Cry1Ac1 per ml of medium and 11.69 ng of Cyt1A1 per ml of medium. When mixtures of these toxins in different proportions were assayed, eight different LC50s were obtained. All of these LC50s were significantly higher than the expected LC50s of the mixtures. In addition, a series of bioassays were performed with late first-instar larvae of the cabbage looper and pure Cry1Ac1 and Cyt1A1 crystals, as well as two different combinations of the two toxins. The estimated mean LC50 of Cry1Ac1 was 2.46 ng/cm2 of diet, while Cyt1A1 crystals exhibited no toxicity, even at very high concentrations. The estimated mean LC50s of Cry1Ac1 crystals were 15.69 and 19.05 ng per cm2 of diet when these crystals were mixed with 100 and 1,000 ng of Cyt1A1 crystals per cm2 of diet, respectively. These results indicate that there is clear antagonism between the two toxins both in vitro and in vivo. Other joint-action analyses corroborated these results. Although this is the second report of antagonism between B. thuringiensis toxins, our evidence is the first evidence of antagonism between toxins from different subspecies of B. thuringiensis (B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis) detected both in vivo and in vitro. Some possible explanations for this relationship are discussed.     

Antagonism between Cry1Ac1 and Cyt1A1 Toxins of Bacillus thuringiensis

Most strains of the insecticidal bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis have a combination of different protoxins in their parasporal crystals. Some of the combinations clearly interact synergistically, like the toxins present in B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis. In this paper we describe a novel joint activity of toxins from different strains of B. thuringiensis. In vitro bioassays in which we used pure, trypsin-activated Cry1Ac1 proteins from B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, Cyt1A1 from B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, and Trichoplusia ni BTI-Tn5B1-4 cells revealed contrasting susceptibility characteristics. The 50% lethal concentrations (LC₅₀s) were estimated to be 4,967 of Cry1Ac1 per ml of medium and 11.69 ng of Cyt1A1 per ml of medium. When mixtures of these toxins in different proportions were assayed, eight different LC₅₀s were obtained. All of these LC₅₀s were significantly higher than the expected LC₅₀s of the mixtures. In addition, a series of bioassays were performed with late first-instar larvae of the cabbage looper and pure Cry1Ac1 and Cyt1A1 crystals, as well as two different combinations of the two toxins. The estimated mean LC₅₀ of Cry1Ac1 was 2.46 ng/cm² of diet, while Cyt1A1 crystals exhibited no toxicity, even at very high concentrations. The estimated mean LC₅₀s of Cry1Ac1 crystals were 15.69 and 19.05 ng per cm² of diet when these crystals were mixed with 100 and 1,000 ng of Cyt1A1 crystals per cm² of diet, respectively. These results indicate that there is clear antagonism between the two toxins both in vitro and in vivo. Other joint-action analyses corroborated these results. Although this is the second report of antagonism between B. thuringiensis toxins, our evidence is the first evidence of antagonism between toxins from different subspecies of B. thuringiensis (B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis) detected both in vivo and in vitro. Some possible explanations for this relationship are discussed.     

Regulation of PCTAIRE1 protein stability by AKT1, LKB1 and BRCA1

PCTAIRE1, also known as CDK16, is a cyclin-dependent kinase that is regulated by cyclin Y. It is a member of the serine-threonine family of kinases and its functions have primarily been implicated in cellular processes like vesicular transport, neuronal growth and development, myogenesis, spermatogenesis and cell proliferation. However, as extensive studies on PCTAIRE1 have not yet been conducted, the signaling pathways for this kinase involved in governing many cellular processes are yet to be elucidated in detail. Here, we report the association of PCTAIRE1 with important cellular proteins involved in major cell signaling pathways, especially cell proliferation. In particular, here we show that PCTAIRE1 interacts with AKT1, a key player of the PI3K signaling pathway that is responsible for promoting cell survival and proliferation. Our studies show that PCTAIRE1 is a substrate of AKT1 that gets stabilized by it. Further, we show that PCTAIRE1 also interacts with and is degraded by LKB1, a kinase that is known to suppress cellular proliferation and also regulate cellular energy metabolism. Moreover, our results show that PCTAIRE1 is also degraded by BRCA1, a well-known tumor suppressor. Together, our studies highlight the regulation of PCTAIRE1 by key players of the major cell signaling pathways involved in regulating cell proliferation, and therefore, provide crucial links that could be explored further to elucidate the mechanistic role of PCTAIRE1 in cell proliferation and tumorigenesis.     

Isolation and Characterization of Ubiquitin-activating Enzyme E1-domain Containing 1, UBE1DC1

Ubiquitin and other ubiquitin-like proteins play important roles in post-translational modification. They are phylogenetically well-conserved in eukaryotes. Activated by other proteins, ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like proteins can covalently modify target proteins. The enzymes responsible for the activation of this modification have been known to include UBA1, SAE2, UBA3, SAE1 and ULA1. Here we report a new ubiquitin activating enzyme like cDNA, named ubiquitin activating enzyme E1-domain containing 1 (UBE1DC1), whose cDNA is 2654 base pairs in length and contains an open reading frame encoding 404 amino acids. The UBE1DC1 gene consists of 12 exons and is located at human chromosome 3q22. The result of RT-PCR showed that UBE1DC1 is expressed in most of human tissues. These two authors contributed equally to this paper. The nucleotide sequence reported in this paper has been submitted to GenBank under accession number AY253672.     

Generation of 'humanized' hCYP1A1_1A2_Cyp1a1/1a2(-/-) mouse line

Human/rodent CYP1A1 and CYP1A2 orthologs are well known to exhibit species-specific differences in substrate preferences and rates of metabolism. This lab previously characterized a BAC-transgenic mouse carrying the human CYP1A1_CYP1A2 locus; in this line, human dioxin-inducible CYP1A1 and basal vs dioxin-inducible CYP1A2 have been shown to be expressed normally (with regard to mRNAs, proteins and three enzyme activities) in every one of nine mouse tissues studied. The mouse Cyp1a1 and Cyp1a2 genes are oriented head-to-head and share a bidirectional promoter region of 13,954 bp. Using Cre recombinase and loxP sites inserted 3' of the stop codons of both genes, we show here a successful interchromosomal excision of 26,173 bp that ablated both genes on the same allele. The Cyp1a1/1a2(-) double-knockout allele was bred with the "humanized" line; the final product is the hCYP1A1_1A2_Cyp1a1/1a2(-/-) line on a theoretically >99.8% C57BL/6J genetic background-having both human genes replacing the mouse orthologs. This line will be valuable for human risk assessment studies involving any environmental toxicant or drug that is a substrate for CYP1A1 or CYP1A2.