Epidermal hyperplasia and expansion of the interfollicular stem cell compartment in mutant mice with a C-terminal truncation of Patched1

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is conserved from flies to humans and is indispensable in embryogenesis and adulthood. Patched (Ptc) encodes a receptor for Hh ligands and functions as a tumor suppressor. PTCH1 mutations in humans are found in basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and irradiated Ptc1(+/-) mice recapitulate this phenotype. However, due to embryonic lethality associated with the Ptc1 null mutation, its normal function in embryonic and adult skin remains unknown. Here we describe the epidermal phenotypes of a spontaneous and viable allele of Ptc1, Ptc1(mes), in which the C-terminal domain (CTD) is truncated. Ptc1(mes/mes) embryos display normal epidermal and hair follicle development. Postnatal Ptc1(mes/mes) skin displays severe basal cell layer hyperplasia and increased proliferation, while stratification of the suprabasal layers is mostly normal. Interestingly, truncation of the Ptc1 CTD did not result in skin tumors. However, long term labeling studies revealed a greater than three-fold increase in label-retaining cells in the interfollicular epidermis of Ptc1(mes/mes) adults, indicating possible expansion of the epidermal stem cell compartment. Increased expression of regulators of epidermal homeostasis, c-Myc and p63, was also observed in Ptc1(mes/mes) adult skin. These results suggest that the CTD of Ptc1 is involved in regulating epidermal homeostasis in mature skin.     

小菜蛾成虫下唇须感器的超微结构及其神经元中枢投射

【目的】明确小菜蛾Plutella xylostella成虫下唇须感器的形态结构及感器神经元的投射。【方法】利用光学显微镜观察和扫描电子显微镜观察下唇须结构和感器类型,利用神经回填技术和激光共聚焦显微镜观察下唇须感器神经元在脑部的投射。【结果】小菜蛾成虫下唇须共3节,其上存在Böhm氏鬃毛、钟形感器、鳞形感器、锥形感器、微毛形感器5种不同类型的感器和一个陷窝器结构。Böhm氏鬃毛短小尖细,钟形感器形如顶部凹陷的圆帽,两种感器均分布于下唇须第1节,且大小上均无雌雄二型差异;鳞形感器形同柳叶,锥形感器粗而直,均散生于下唇须的第2和3节,两种感器在大小上均存在雌雄二型差异,其中雌性的鳞形感器显著大于雄性的,根据其雌雄二型差异现象推测雌蛾的鳞形感器可能与感受寄主植物挥发物有关;下唇须第3节中上部具有一个圆形陷窝器结构,雄虫的陷窝器内径为5.68±0.33μm,雌虫的为6.03±0.23μm,雌雄间无显著性差异;凹坑内长有表面光滑的微毛形感器。小菜蛾下唇须感器神经元主要投射于脑部咽下神经节、每个触角叶的下唇须陷窝器神经纤维球和腹神经索3条通路。【结论】阐明了小菜蛾下唇须感器的类型、分布和形态特征及其感器神经元在脑部的投射形态,为深入了解小菜蛾下唇须感器的生理和功能奠定了基础。     

灰茶尺蠖成虫触角及幼虫头部感器超微结构

【目的】明确灰茶尺蠖Ectropis grisescens成虫触角及幼虫头部感器的种类、形态、数量和分布,以探讨灰茶尺蠖的行为机制。【方法】利用扫描电镜技术观察灰茶尺蠖雌、雄成虫触角和5龄幼虫头部感器的超微结构。【结果】灰茶尺蠖成虫触角上分布有8种感器,分别是栓锥形感器、耳形感器、毛形感器(Ⅰ-Ⅳ)、B?hm氏鬃毛、腔锥形感器(Ⅰ和Ⅱ)、鳞形感器、锥形感器(Ⅰ和Ⅱ)和刺形感器。其中,栓锥形感器仅分布在雌蛾触角上,耳形感器、毛形感器(STⅠ-Ⅲ)仅分布在雄虫触角上。5龄幼虫触角上着生1个栓锥形感器、1个锥形感器和2个刺形感器;上唇着生有6对刺形感器,内唇着生有3对刺形感器和1对指形感器;上颚基部外侧着生有2个刺形感器;下颚及下颚须着生有5个刺形感器、9个锥形感器和2个栓锥形感器;下唇须着生有1个锥形感器和1个刺形感器;吐丝器前端着生有1对刺形感器。【结论】灰茶尺蠖雌、雄成虫触角感器存在性二型性,且雄虫上感器种类和数量较多,据此推测雄虫感受寄主植物或性信息素的能力较强;幼虫头部感器具有嗅觉和味觉功能,在其判断食物的种类和适应性等生态行为中发挥重要作用。     

频繁使用染发剂对小鼠染色体畸变率影响的研究

研究了多次接触７ 种染发剂对不同组小鼠骨髓和生殖细胞染色体畸变率的影响。结果发现, ７ 种染发剂均导致出现较高的染色体畸变率,３ 种能引起小鼠骨髓细胞染色体畸变率显著上升, 其中以粉末状染发剂的影响最为严重。４ 种染发剂对进行生殖细胞染色体畸变实验的小鼠均产生显著影响, 尤以氧化型染发剂最为明显。     

Distinct Wnt members regulate the hierarchical morphogenesis of skin regions (spinal tract) and individual feathers

Skin morphogenesis occurs in successive stages. First, the skin forms distinct regions (macropatterning). Then skin appendages with particular shapes and sizes form within each region (micropatterning). Ectopic DKK expression inhibited dermis formation in feather tracts and individual buds, implying the importance of Wnts, and prompted the assessment of individual Wnt functions at different morphogenetic levels using the feather model. Wnt 1, 3a, 5a and 11 initially were expressed moderately throughout the feather tract then were up-regulated in restricted regions following two modes: Wnt 1 and 3a became restricted to the placodal epithelium, then to the elongated distal bud epidermis; Wnt 5a and 11 intensified in the inter-tract region and interprimordia epidermis or dermis, respectively, then appeared in the elongated distal bud dermis. Their role in feather tract formation was determined using RCAS mediated misexpression in ovo at E2/E3. Their function in periodic feather patterning was examined by misexpression in vitro using reconstituted E7 skin explant cultures. Wnt 1 reduced spinal tract size, but enhanced feather primordia size. Wnt 3a increased dermal thickness, expanded the spinal tract size, reduced interbud domain spacing, and produced non-tapering "giant buds". Wnt 11 and dominant negative Wnt 1 enhanced interbud spacing, and generated thinner buds. In cultured dermal fibroblasts, Wnt 1 and 3a stimulated cell proliferation and activated the canonical beta-catenin pathway. Wnt 11 inhibited proliferation but stimulated migration. Wnt 5a and 11 triggered the JNK pathway. Thus distinctive Wnts have positive and negative roles in forming the dermis, tracts, interbud spacing and the growth and shaping of individual buds.     

Scd1 ab-Xyk : a new asebia allele characterized by a CCC trinucleotide insertion in exon 5 of the stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 gene in mouse

We describe here a spontaneous, autosomal recessive mutant mouse suffering from skin and hair defects, which arose in the outbred Kunming strain. By haplotype analysis and direct sequencing of PCR products, we show that this mutation is a new allele of the asebia locus with a naturally occurring mutation in the Scd1 gene (a CCC insertion at nucleotide position 835 in exon 5), which codes for stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1. This mutation introduces an extra proline residue at position 279 in the Scd1 protein. The mutant mice, originally designated km/km but now assigned the name Scd1 ^ab-Xyk (hereafter abbreviated as ab ^Xyk / ab ^Xyk ), have a similar gross and histological phenotype to that reported for previously characterized allelic asebia mutations ( Scd1 ^ab , Scd1 ^abJ , Scd1 ^ab2J , and Scd1 ^tm1Ntam ). Histological analysis showed they were also characterized by hypoplasic sebaceous glands and abnormal hair follicles. In a cross between Kunming- ab ^Xyk / ab ^Xyk and ABJ/Le- ab ^J / ab ^J mice, all the progeny showed the same phenotype, indicating that the two mutations were non-complementing and therefore allelic. Comparisons with the other four allelic mutants indicate that the Scd1 ^ab-Xyk mutation causes the mildest change in Scd1 function. This new mouse mutant is a good model not only for the study of scarring alopecias in humans, which are characterized by hypoplasic sebaceous glands, but also for studying the structure and function of the Scd1 protein.Communicated by G. ReuterThe first two authors contribute equally to this work     

Validity of hair mineral testing

The variance of testing was compared between the College of American Pathologists clinical survey and that of a recent review about hair mineral testing. The review suggested that the accuracy of hair mineral testing was unreliable. In general, there was a greater range of variance in the College of American Pathologists testing results. These latter results are based on laboratory testing and are used as a “yardstick” to determine if a laboratory passes or fails that analyte and are considered a “gold standard.” An extract, which resulted from a method that avoided the washing step, was compared among five laboratories. Very good precision resulted, indicating that the varied washing steps used by the laboratories in a recent review were probably the source of much variance. Analysis of hair analysis seemed to yield important information in several historical or forensic cases involving Ludwig von Beethoven, Napoleon Bonaparte, ex-US-presidents Zachary Taylor and Andrew Jackson, and Charles Hall, an Arctic explorer. Several elements that were reviewed, including arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, germanium, lead, lithium, manganese, mercury, nickel, and thallium, showed relationships between body burden, dosage, and exposure or toxicity. Evidence of toxicity could not be found by measuring hair aluminum or vanadium. Chromium, selenium, and zinc seemed to have nutritional value. Ratios of hair elements with clinical importance could not be found.     

Characterization of the cysteine-rich calcium-binding S100A3 protein from human hair cuticles

S100A3, a unique protein among all members of the calcium-binding S100 family, is specifically expressed at the inner endocuticle of human hair fibers. Upon hair damage, S100A3 is released from hair fibers and possibly destabilizes the hair tissue architecture. This study describes the purification and characterization of native S100A3 isolated from human hair fibers. We extracted native S100A3 from cuticles and purified the protein by anion-exchange chromatography. The results of 2D gel electrophoresis showed that cuticle S100A3 has a slightly lower isoelectric point compared to the recombinant protein. Tandem mass spectrometry of the peptides resulting from endoproteinase digest of cuticle S100A3 revealed that the N-terminal methionine is replaced with an acetyl group. This is the first report on biochemical characteristics of S100A3 in hair cuticle.     

Molecular mechanisms that regulate auditory hair-cell differentiation in the mammalian cochlea

Mechanosensory hair cells of the vertebrate cochlea offer an excellent developmental system to study cell-fate specification, and to gain insight into the many human neurological deficits which result in a hearing loss, by affecting primarily the hair cells. Therefore, there is great interest in studying the molecular mechanisms that regulate their specification and differentiation. Recent studies, based mostly on loss-of-function experiments that target the role of Notch signaling and basic helix-loop-helix genes in inner-ear development have indicated that they can regulate mechanosensory hair cell-fate specification and their initial differentiation.     

双重荧光染色监测听毛细胞游离钙

豚鼠耳蜗分离外毛细胞经fluo-3和fura-red染色后,用激光扫描共聚焦显微镜监测其胞内游离钙的空间分布和动态变化,以fluo-3/fura-red荧光比值大小指示游离钙浓度的高低。外毛细胞胞内游离钙呈不均匀分布,荧光比值分别为细胞质1.71±0.85,质膜1.61±0.75,表皮板1.47±0.65及胞核1.39±0.66,显示细胞质游离钙浓度最高而胞核游离钙浓度最低。静息状态下连续扫描时荧光比值变化小于0.1,而在受到机械刺激后荧光比值增加幅度达0.3—1.2。实验结果表明,fluo-3和fura-red双发射比例法能更准确反映听毛细胞胞内钙的空间分布和动态变化,第二信使钙可能参与了听毛细胞的机械-电换能过程,研究了换能过程中听毛细胞钙信号的时空模式。