Abnormal biantennary sugar chains are expressed in human chorionic gonadotropin produced in the choriocarcinoma cell line, JEG-3

Over the past two decades, sugar chain structures of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) produced in healthy people, three types of trophoblastic disease, and some types of cell lines have been analyzed. The abnormal biantennary structure of hCG is a good marker for the diagnosis of malignant choriocarcinoma. In spite of much research, hCG with an abnormal biantennary structure is only detected in the urine of choriocarcinoma or pregnant diabetic patients. We hypothesized that the formation mechanism of the abnormal biantennary sugar chain structure is mainly caused by high GnT-IV activity. To confirm this, we measured the N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GnT)-IV activity and hCG productivity in three choriocarcinoma cell lines, and selected JEG-3 cells. hCG samples were purified from medium conditioned by JEG-3 cells, and their sugar chain structures were analyzed. We detected an abnormal biantennary structure, and the proportions were different from those previously reported in the urine samples of choriocarcinoma patients. These findings proved our hypothesis and suggest the usefulness of JEG-3 cells for further analyses of abnormal biantennary structure formation. Published in 2004.     

p73 is expressed in human thymic epithelial cells.

The thymus is a heterogeneous immune organ in which immature T-cells develop and eventually specialize to make certain immune responses of their own. Among various types of stromal cells in the thymus, thymic epithelial cells (TECs) have a crucially important function for presenting self-antigens and secreting cytokines to thymocytes for their maturation into T-cells. In this study we show that the p73 gene, a homologue of the tumor suppressor gene p53, was expressed in the nucleus of the human TEC in vivo and in TEC lines in vitro. Because p73 has the capacity to be a transactivator like p53, it may contribute to T-cell development in the context of TEC biology as regulated in the cell cycle and apoptosis.     

Change in mobility of side chains due to neutralization of charged poly(L-lysine) with dansyl group

Poly(L -lysine) having dansyl (5-dimethylamino-1-naphthalene-sulfonyl) groups to its side chains was prepared. The fluorescence spectra and fluorescence anisotropy ratios of the dansyl (DNS) group were measured in various conditions. In aqueous solution the increase in emission intensity was observed reflecting the alkali-induced coil-to-helix transition. In aqueous-methanolic solutions with methanol content above 60 wt %, the poly(L -lysine) with DNS group (DNS-PLL) was probed to show α-helical conformation from CD spectra. With addition of alkali, the increase in fluorescence intensity of α-helical DNS-PLL and the drastic change in fluorescence anisotropy ratio were observed. In this case the rotational mobility of DNS probe decreases, gives a minimum at a certain concentration of added alkali, and then increases again up to approximately the initial level. At the concentration where the rotational mobility gives the minimum, intensity of scattered light gives a maximum. This shows that suppression of the mobility of DNS side chains is caused by the intermolecular aggregation of α-helical DNS-PLL. This concentration of added alkali corresponds to the midpoint of neutralization to charged side chains of the DNS-PLL. The interaction that causes aggregate of α-helical DNS-PLL is suggested to be the intermolecular hydrogen bonding between neutralized and unneutralized side chains. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Far-infrared spectra of polyalanines with alpha-helical and beta-form structures

Far-infrared spectra of poly-L -alanines having the α-helical conformation and the β-form structure were measured. The spectra of glycine–L -alanine copolymer, silk fibroin, and copoly-D ,L -alanines with different D :L compositions were also measured. In addition to the bands so far reported, four bands at 190, 107, 120, and 90 cm^?1were found for the α-helix conformation and the two bands at 442 and 247 cm^?1 were found for the β form. The 442 cm^?1 band consists of the parallel 432 cm^?1 and perpendicular 445 cm^?1 bands. The 247 cm^?1 band is well defined and has strong dichroism parallel to the direction of stretching. These two bands appear also for silk fibroin and glycine–L -alanine copolymer. All the far-infrared bands of copoly-D ,L -alanines can be interpreted as α-helix bands, the three peaks at 580, 478, and 420 cm^?1 being ascribed to the D -residue incorporated into the right-handed α-helix or to the L -residue in the left-handed α-helix.     

Mulberry leaf powder prevents atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice

Mulberry is commonly used to feed silkworms. Here we examined whether a dietary intake of mulberry leaf (ML) could affect atherogenesis in vivo and in vitro. Apolipoprotein E-deficient mice were fed either normal chow (control group) or a diet containing 1% ML powder (ML group) from 6 weeks of age. The mice were sacrificed after 12 weeks. The susceptibility of plasma lipoprotein to oxidation was assessed using diene formation. A significant increase in the lag time of lipoprotein oxidation was detected in the ML group compared with the control group. Furthermore, the ML group showed a 40% reduction in atherosclerotic lesion size in the aortae compared with the control. We also examined the direct anti-oxidative activity of ML in vitro. Aqueous extract of ML had a strong scavenging effect on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and inhibited lipoprotein oxidation. These results confirm that ML contains anti-oxidative substances that might help prevent atherosclerosis.     

Telomerase activation induces elongation of the telomeric single-stranded overhang, but does not prevent chromosome aberrations in human vascular endothelial cells

Chromosome aberrations such as loss of chromosome 13 were frequently observed in human endothelial cells from umbilical cord veins (HUVEC). A recent study showed that the length of telomeric single-stranded 3'-overhangs (G-tails) is more important as an essential structure for chromosome maintenance than the net telomere length in telomere t-loop formation. Here, we have examined G-tail length using G-tail telomere HPA in normal and hTERT-transduced HUVECs. We found that forced expression of hTERT in HUVEC induced G-tail as well as total telomere length elongation. G-tail length was well correlated with total telomere length. However, hTERT introduction did not prevent chromosome aberrations such as loss of chromosome 13. Normal characteristics such as morphology, up-regulation of vWF, and tube formation were observed in hTERT-HUVEC as in young normal HUVEC. These results show that chromosome aberrations in HUVEC are independent of telomere G-tail and total telomere attrition.