NKG2D ligand RAE1ε induces generation and enhances the inhibitor function of myeloid‐derived suppressor cells in mice

Expression of surface NKG2D ligands on tumour cells, which activates nature killer (NK) cells and CD8⁺ T cells, is crucial in antitumour immunity. Some types of tumours have evolved mechanisms to suppress NKG2D‐mediated immune cell activation, such as tumour‐derived soluble NKG2D ligands or sustained NKG2D ligands produced by tumours down‐regulate the expression of NKG2D on NK cells and CD8⁺ T cells. Here, we report that surface NKG2D ligand RAE1ε on tumour cells induces CD11b⁺Gr‐1⁺ myeloid‐derived suppressor cell (MDSC) via NKG2D in vitro and in vivo. MDSCs induced by RAE1ε display a robust induction of IL‐10 and arginase, and these MDSCs show greater suppressive activity by inhibiting antigen‐non‐specific CD8⁺ T‐cell proliferation. Consistently, upon adoptive transfer, MDSCs induced by RAE1ε significantly promote CT26 tumour growth in IL‐10‐ and arginase‐dependent manners. RAE1ε moves cytokine balance towards Th2 but not Th1 in vivo. Furthermore, RAE1ε enhances inhibitory function of CT26‐derived MDSCs and promotes IL‐4 rather than IFN‐γ production from CT26‐derived MDSCs through NKG2D in vitro. Our study has demonstrated a novel mechanism for NKG2D ligand⁺ tumour cells escaping from immunosurveillance by facilitating the proliferation and the inhibitory function of MDSCs.     

Multi-Band Ultra-Sharp Transmission Response in All-Dielectric Resonant Structures Containing Kerr Nonlinear Media

All-dielectric resonant structure (ADRS) consisting of high-index nonlinear dielectrics has been theoretically and numerically demonstrated with multi-band ultra-sharp transmission response in this work. Bandwidth down to sub-nanometer and spectral Q-factor up to 920 are achieved in this ADRS-based metamaterial-like platform. Strong resonant electric field distributions by the high-index dielectric resonators and efficient coupling between the layered dielectric particles and the cavity mainly contribute to the multiple narrowband light transmission filtering. By using a Kerr nonlinear medium as the resonant dielectric, the positions of the transmission dips in the spectrum can be actively tuned by the incident light intensity. Due to the ultra-narrow spectral feature and the strong electric field distribution by the resonators, an efficient all-optical switching behavior with high spectral difference intensity and contrast ratio is obtained. Further study presents the observed multi-band transmission with high scalability by tuning the structural parameters. These optical features hold the predicted ADRS be potentially applied to constructing dielectric metamaterial-based all-optical switching or active subtractive transmission filtering with low power threshold at sub-diffraction scale.     

Single Cell Analysis Linking Ribosomal (r)DNA and rRNA Copy Numbers to Cell Size and Growth Rate Provides Insights into Molecular Protistan Ecology

Ribosomal (r)RNA and rDNA have been golden molecular markers in microbial ecology. However, it remains poorly understood how ribotype copy number (CN)‐based characteristics are linked with diversity, abundance, and activity of protist populations and communities observed at organismal levels. Here, we applied a single‐cell approach to quantify ribotype CNs in two ciliate species reared at different temperatures. We found that in actively growing cells, the per‐cell rDNA and rRNA CNs scaled with cell volume (CV) to 0.44 and 0.58 powers, respectively. The modeled rDNA and rRNA concentrations thus appear to be much higher in smaller than in larger cells. The observed rRNA:rDNA ratio scaled with CV^0.14. The maximum growth rate could be well predicted by a combination of per‐cell ribotype CN and temperature. Our empirical data and modeling on single‐cell ribotype scaling are in agreement with both the metabolic theory of ecology and the growth rate hypothesis, providing a quantitative framework for linking cellular rDNA and rRNA CNs with body size, growth (activity), and biomass stoichiometry. This study also demonstrates that the expression rate of rRNA genes is constrained by cell size, and favors biomass rather than abundance‐based interpretation of quantitative ribotype data in population and community ecology of protists.     

无血清无饲养层条件下培养小鼠胚胎干细胞

目的研究在无血清无饲养层条件下小鼠胚胎干细胞的培养方法,为最终建立无血清无饲养层培养系统打下基础。方法比较小鼠胚胎干细胞ES-S8株在无血清培养体系和有血清培养体系中的生长情况,分析ES-S8细胞克隆形成效率,测定其生长速度;然后在撤去血清和饲养层的条件下培养ES-S8细胞,进行AKP染色和表面标记物SSEA-1免疫荧光检测。结果ES-S8细胞在无血清培养条件下细胞生长速度减缓,克隆形成率降低,但AKP染色、SSEA-1免疫荧光均显阳性;在无血清无饲养层条件下ES-S8细胞培养仍能形成克隆,且AKP染色、SSEA-1免疫荧光均显阳性。结论研究表明ES-S8细胞能够在无血清无饲养层的培养条件下生长,保持其良好的未分化特性。     

番茄的耐盐性与耐盐转基因番茄

由于土壤盐渍化的日益加剧导致作物大量减产,通过基因工程的方法将耐盐基因转入作物,培育耐盐作物新品种是开发利用盐碱地的一种经济、有效的手段.番茄是一种栽培广泛,具有重要经济价值的蔬菜,又是基因工程的模式生物之一,开展番茄耐盐性研究具有重要意义.分析了番茄的耐盐性和转耐盐基因番茄的研究现状.     

HIV-1 Gag蛋白在大肠杆菌表达系统中诱导和纯化条件的优化

为探讨诱导温度对于HIV-1 Gag在大肠杆菌中表达产物状态以及尿素浓度对蛋白纯化效果的影响, 将30oC和37oC诱导表达的包涵体分别溶于不同浓度的尿素, 比较溶解性的差异, 并比较复性的不同。将30oC诱导的目的蛋白分别用2 mol/L和8 mol/L尿素溶解后做层析分离, 比较两者的分离效果。结果发现, 与37oC相比, 30oC诱导表达的蛋白能有效溶于低浓度尿素, 并且更容易复性。与8 mol/L尿素溶解相比, 30oC诱导的包涵体用2 mol/L尿素溶解后通过凝胶过滤和离子交换层析纯化能得到更好的分离效果。这提示低温诱导的Gag包涵体中可能含有更多类似天然态构象的蛋白, 而低浓度尿素有利于保持包涵体中蛋白的天然态构象。从而为包涵体蛋白的诱导表达和分离纯化提供了参考。     

Orexinergic Neurotransmission in Temperature Responses to Methamphetamine and Stress: Mathematical Modeling as a Data Assimilation Approach

Experimental Data

Orexinergic neurotransmission is involved in mediating temperature responses to methamphetamine (Meth). In experiments in rats, SB-334867 (SB), an antagonist of orexin receptors (OX1R), at a dose of 10 mg/kg decreases late temperature responses (t>60 min) to an intermediate dose of Meth (5 mg/kg). A higher dose of SB (30 mg/kg) attenuates temperature responses to low dose (1 mg/kg) of Meth and to stress. In contrast, it significantly exaggerates early responses (t<60 min) to intermediate and high doses (5 and 10 mg/kg) of Meth. As pretreatment with SB also inhibits temperature response to the stress of injection, traditional statistical analysis of temperature responses is difficult.

Mathematical Modeling

We have developed a mathematical model that explains the complexity of temperature responses to Meth as the interplay between excitatory and inhibitory nodes. We have extended the developed model to include the stress of manipulations and the effects of SB. Stress is synergistic with Meth on the action on excitatory node. Orexin receptors mediate an activation of on both excitatory and inhibitory nodes by low doses of Meth, but not on the node activated by high doses (HD). Exaggeration of early responses to high doses of Meth involves disinhibition: low dose of SB decreases tonic inhibition of HD and lowers the activation threshold, while the higher dose suppresses the inhibitory component. Using a modeling approach to data assimilation appears efficient in separating individual components of complex response with statistical analysis unachievable by traditional data processing methods.     

Understanding the Role of Dicer in Astrocyte Development

The Dicer1 allele is used to show that microRNAs (miRNAs) play important roles in astrocyte development and functions. While it is known that astrocytes that lack miRNAs are dysregulated, the in vivo phenotypes of these astrocytes are not well understood. In this study, we use Aldh1l1-EGFP transgene, a marker of astrocytes, to characterize mouse models with conditional Dicer1 ablation (via either human or mouse GFAP-Cre). This transgene revealed novel features of the defective astrocytes from the absence of miRNA. Although astrocyte miRNAs were depleted in both lines, we found histological and molecular differences in the Aldh1l1-EGFP cells between the two Cre lines. Aldh1l1-EGFP cells from hGFAP-Cre mutant lines displayed up-regulation of Aldh1l1-EGFP with increased proliferation and a genomic profile that acquired many features of wildtype primary astrocyte cultures. In the young mGFAP-Cre mutant lines we found that Aldh1l1-EGFP cells were disorganized and hyperproliferative in the developing cerebellum. Using the Aldh1l1-EGFP transgene, our work provides new insights into the roles of miRNAs in astrocyte development and the features of astrocytes in these two mouse models.     

Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for treating elderly vascular dementia

This study aimed to determine the efficacy and safety of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (HUC-MSC) transplantation for treating elderly vascular dementia (VaD). Ten VaD patients (average age, 73.88 years old) were treated. HUC-MSCs were isolated, cultured, stem cell-marked, and qualified and administered as a 3-course intravenous infusion to these patients. The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) and the Activities of Daily Living Index (Barthel Index scoring system) were used to assess the cognitive function and daily living activity improvements in these patients before transplantation (T0), 3 months after transplantation (T1), and 6 months after transplantation (T2). The MMSE and Barthel Index scores were 15.80 ± 5.49 and 42.00 ± 9.33 points at T0, respectively, and were significantly different when compared with those at T1 (19.20 ± 6.39 and 49.20 ± 10.86 points, respectively, P < 0.05), whereas there was no difference when compared with those at T2 (14.00 ± 6.55 and 40.70 ± 10.37 points, respectively, P > 0.05). HUC-MSC transplantation was safe and feasible for VaD and improved early cognitive functions and daily living activities in VaD patients to a certain extent, thus improving patients’ quality of life.