Lymphocyte reduction induced by hindlimb unloading： distinct mechanisms in the spleen and thymus

Hindlimb unloading (HU) in rodent is a well-accepted ground-based model used to simulate some of the condi-tions of space flight and reproduce its deleterious effects on the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and immune systems. In this study, the effects of HU on lymphocyte homeostasis in the spleen and thymus of mice were examined. HU was found to drastically deplete various cell populations in the spleen and thymus. These changes are likely to be mediated by apoptosis, since DNA strand breaks indicative of apoptosis were detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end-labeling in both splenocytes and thymocytes. Surprisingly, administration of opioid antagonists or interference with the Fas-FasL interaction was able to block HU-induced reductions of splenocytes, but not thymocytes. On the other hand, steroid receptor antagonists blocked the reduction of lymphocyte numbers in both spleen and thymus. Therefore, the effects of HU on the homeostasis of splenocytes and thymocytes must be exerted through distinct mechanisms.     

胸腺细胞在胸腺外凋亡的形态学证据

In vitro thymus explants culture designed in this paper can mimic the thymic microenvironment as it were in vivo. Theoretically, thymus explants are cut off free from blood stream. So if some developing or developed thymocytes had the inclination to migrate into the periphery, they would only be accumulated in the blood vessels within thymus explants. After 3-day's culture, under transmission electron microscope we observed the migrating thymocytes accumulated in the blood vessels of C57BL/6 mice thymus explants, and these thymocytes were occurring apoptosis at different stage. To our knowledge, this findings offers the first morphological evidence that thymocytes do not necessarily die inside the thymus in situ, and that having acquired the death signals thymocytes can migrate into the blood stream and die quickly outside the thymus. But this is not to say that we deny the intrathymic death hypothesis. On the contrary, we found the number of thymocytes occurring in situ apoptosis on the surfaces of stromal cells is far more than that of migrating into the blood vessels. So, our proposal is that there are two sites for thymocytes apoptosis, some die inside the thymus and the others die outside the thymus.     

小鼠胸腺髓质上皮细胞系体内诱导胸腺细胞功能成熟

来源于BALB/c小鼠 (H-2^d)胸腺的髓质上皮细胞系MTEC1细胞表达H-2^d和I -A^d 分子 .为研究上皮细胞诱导胸腺细胞阳性选择及功能分化的能力 ,首先用γ 线照射C5 7BL/6J小鼠(H-2^d) ,再经静脉注射 (H-2^b×d)F1代骨髓细胞 ,制备 H-2^b×d→H-2^b)嵌合体 ,然后将MTEC1细胞注射到嵌合体胸腺内 .注射后 2个月 ,经HE染色显示 ,MTEC1细胞在嵌合体小鼠胸腺被膜下皮质区成簇存在 ,体外免疫学试验发现 ,嵌合体小鼠脾细胞含有抗原特异性H-2^d识别限制的杀伤T细胞 (CTL) ,IL -2产生T细胞及增殖应答T细胞 .在MLR试验中 ,嵌合体小鼠脾细胞显示对H-2^d 同种异型抗原的明显耐受 .从而证明MTEC1髓质上皮细胞能在胸腺微环境内诱导H-2^d识别限制的对特异抗原应答的T细胞发育及功能成熟 .由此提出在胸腺髓质区进行“2次胸腺选择”的假说 ,并讨论了其意义 .     

胸腺五肽显著增强干扰素在抗病毒治程中的特异性CTL效应

目的:探究在e抗原(HBe Ag)阳性的慢性乙型肝炎患者采用聚乙二醇干扰素-2a(peg-2a)联合核苷类药物治疗过程中,加用胸腺五肽对细胞免疫应答的影响。方法:选择采用聚乙二醇干扰素α-2a联合核苷类药物(拉米夫定+阿德福韦酯)治疗48周,HBe Ag仍为阳性,且HLA-A2阳性的慢性乙型肝炎患者18例,分为两组。一组原方案延长联合治疗作为对照,另一组在原方案基础上再加用胸腺五肽治疗(10 mg/次,2次/周,共24周)治疗,所有病人均治疗至96周。并做体外HBV特异性细胞毒T淋巴细胞(HBV specific CTL)培养增殖,通过Elispot技术分析其分泌细胞因子(肿瘤坏死因子-α,干扰素-γ,白介素-10)的功能。结果:HBe Ag转阴率,治疗96周时联合胸腺五肽组为44.4%(4/9),原方案对照组为22.2%(2/9)。HBs Ag滴度,48周时,HBs Ag为4571±3772 IU/m:;96周时,联合胸腺五肽组为1962±2869 IU/m L,转阴1人,原方案对照组为3490±3124 IU/m L,P=0.093。HBV特异性CTL培养增殖,96周时联合胸腺五肽组高于原方案对照组,且联合胸腺五肽组TNF-的分泌也高于原方案对照组,P0.05。结论:胸腺五肽显著增强干扰素抗病毒治疗过程中的特异性CTL效应。     

一种动态检测小鼠微量血中T细胞受体重排删除环含量的方法

目的:通过检测比较外周血(颈动脉大量采血和微量隐静脉采血)、胸腺组织和脾脏组织等不同成分或组织中T细胞受体重排删除环(T cell receptor rearrangement excision circles,TREC)的含量,并建立一种通过微量外周血PCR预扩增的方法,评估胸腺输出功能。方法:采用C57BL/6小鼠作为实验对象,分成幼年组(5周龄,n=10)和成年组(15周龄,n=10)。经过隐静脉采血及颈动脉采血后处死小鼠,取小鼠胸腺器官和脾脏器官,提取基因组DNA(g DNA),隐静脉微量血g DNA通过PCR预扩增,提纯后再和颈动脉血、胸腺组织和脾脏组织g DNA一起进行实时定量PCR,分析各组织成分TREC的表达水平及差别。结果:幼年组胸腺组织及外周血中TREC的含量比成年组高,且二者趋势基本一致;而脾脏组织结果与其相反;幼年组小鼠胸腺组织中TREC的含量比脾脏组织中高,成年组小鼠结果与之相反;微量外周血经过预扩增后再进行实时定量PCR的结果与直接定量PCR结果一致,且更高效。结论:研究提供了一种新型高效的动态检测T细胞受体重排删除环和检测胸腺输出功能的方法。     

“大多数抗原”和“少数抗原”的含义——与曹祥华老师商榷

曹祥华[4]认为人教版教材中提出的"大多数抗原"和"少数抗原"是指某种抗原的大多数和少数,笔者认为此处应理解为不同类别抗原中的大多数种类和少数种类更符合高中阶段的生物学学习。     

携带HSV-1TK基因的逆转录病毒载体构建及在HeLa细胞中的表达

目的:构建携带单纯疱疹病毒脱氧胸腺嘧啶激酶基因(herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase,HSV-TK)的逆转录病毒,用于宫颈癌的治疗研究。方法:用限制性内切酶从质粒pcDNA3.1/HA-myc-His(-)Z-TK切下HSV-1TK cDNA序列,亚克隆入逆转录病毒载体pLXSN得到重组质粒pLXSN-TK,鉴定正确的阳性重组质粒经PA317细胞包装,G418筛选,在NIH3T3细胞进行病毒滴度测定。然后用病毒感染人宫颈癌细胞HeLa。PCR、RT-PCR和Western blotting方法检测HSV-1TK基因在HeLa中的整合和表达情况。结果:重组质粒pLXSN-TK经PA317细胞包装后收获病毒上清,感染HeLa细胞,检测发现HSV-1TK基因整合到细胞基因组DNA中,并且能有效的转录和翻译。结论:成功构建了逆转录病毒pLXSN-TK,该病毒能有效感染HeLa细胞,并使携带的治疗基因HSV-1TK在细胞中表达,为今后HSV-1TK基因治疗宫颈癌的研究奠定基础。     

甜菜夜蛾促前胸腺激素cDNA的克隆和表达

利用兼并引物扩增出甜菜夜蛾(Spodoptera exigua, Spe)的促前胸腺激素(prothoracicotropic hormone, PTTH) cDNA, 克隆和测序结果显示出PTTH cDNA编码226个氨基酸的开放阅读框: 包括信号肽、1个功能未知的肽和PTTH. 和其他已知物种的PTTH比较, 甜菜夜蛾和夜蛾科昆虫有较高的同源性, 和蚕蛾科和大蚕蛾科昆虫的相似性稍低, 但是PTTH分子中的7个半胱氨酸残基的位置是非常保守的. 整体免疫组织化学检测发现PTTH表达在甜菜夜蛾脑中的2对神经分泌细胞中. Northern杂交表明在脑中有高丰度的PTTH mRNA存在, 分子大小约为1.2 kb. 半定量RT-PCR检测了PTTH在幼虫期和蛹期的发育变化, 显示出PTTH表达和蜕皮变态有密切的关系, 暗示PTTH在甜菜夜蛾行使其生物学功能很可能是通过刺激前胸腺合成和分泌蜕皮激素来完成的.     

Raman spectroscopic analysis of the effect of ultraviolet irradiation on calf thymus DNA

Raman spectroscopy was used for the first time to detect the effect of independent UVA (ultraviolet-A: 320-400nm) and UVB (ultraviolet-B: 280-320 nm) irradiation on the calf thymus DNA in aqueous solution. After both UVA and UVB irradiation for 1h or 3h, the damage to the conformation of DNA was moderate, but the reduction of the B-form DNA component was obvious. Both UVA and UVB caused significant damage to the deoxyribose moiety and bases, among which the pyrimidine base pairs were more seriously affected. There appeared to be preferential damaging sites on DNA molecules caused by UVA and UVB irradiation. UVA irradiation caused more damage to the deoxyribose than UVB irradiation, while UVB irradiation caused more significant damage to the pyrimidine moiety than UVA irradiation. After UVB irradiation for 3h, unstacking of the AT base pairs and the cytosine ring took place, severe damage to the thymine moiety occurred, and some base pairs were modified. Moreover, with either UVA or UVB irradiation for 3h,the photoreactivation of DNA occurred. The damage to the DNA caused by UVB was immediate, while the damage caused by UVA was proportional to the irradiation duration. The experimental results partly indicate the formation of some cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and (6-4) photoproducts.     

N-甲基亚硝基脲诱导小鼠胸腺淋巴瘤TCR基因重排分析

目的探讨N-甲基亚硝基脲（MNU）诱导的小鼠胸腺淋巴瘤的单克隆起源。方法采用巢式PCR方法,对8例MNU诱导的胸腺淋巴瘤组织进行T细胞受体β链（TCRβ）和γ链（TCRγ）克隆性基因重排分析,并对TCRγ基因重排的PCR产物直接测序。结果 8例胸腺淋巴瘤检测TCRβ和TCRγ均呈克隆性基因重排。DNA序列测定证实TCRγ基因PCR扩增产物为基因重排产物。结论巢式PCR TCR基因重排检测及DNA序列分析证实,MNU诱导的小鼠胸腺淋巴瘤是来源于T细胞的肿瘤。