荧光显微成像在医学细胞生物学实验教学中的应用探索

医学细胞生物学是医学院校本科生的重要基础学科之一,其实验课程教学工作的改革与创新具有重要意义。本文深入分析了医学细胞生物学实验课程现状,认为课程普遍存在目的不明确、内容不新颖、缺乏整体性、临床联系少等问题。荧光显微成像技术是细胞生物学研究中的关键技术,利用这一技术设计具有整体性的科研实验对于培养医学生操作能力和科研素养具有重要意义。顺铂(cisplatin)为当前肿瘤联合化疗中最常用的药物之一,由于其抗癌机制涉及细胞增殖、细胞凋亡、细胞骨架等一系列细胞生物学知识,且与临床联系紧密,非常适合用于综合性实验设计。实验方案拟使用BrdU染色、Hoechst33258染色及鬼笔环肽染色法,分别检测人肺癌细胞系A549顺铂处理后细胞增殖、细胞凋亡及细胞骨架重排情况。实验完成后,鼓励学生通过查阅文献得出综合的实验结论。希望能够通过科研与教学相融合的方式,更好的激发医学生的学习热情,提高医学生的科研素质,培养全方位的医学人才。     

Human cell lines for biopharmaceutical manufacturing: history,status, and future perspectives

Biotherapeutic proteins represent a mainstay of treatment for a multitude of conditions, for example, autoimmune disorders, hematologic disorders, hormonal dysregulation, cancers, infectious diseases and genetic disorders. The technologies behind their production have changed substantially since biotherapeutic proteins were first approved in the 1980s. Although most biotherapeutic proteins developed to date have been produced using the mammalian Chinese hamster ovary and murine myeloma (NS0, Sp2/0) cell lines, there has been a recent shift toward the use of human cell lines. One of the most important advantages of using human cell lines for protein production is the greater likelihood that the resulting recombinant protein will bear post-translational modifications (PTMs) that are consistent with those seen on endogenous human proteins. Although other mammalian cell lines can produce PTMs similar to human cells, they also produce non-human PTMs, such as galactose-α1,3-galactose and N-glycolylneuraminic acid, which are potentially immunogenic. In addition, human cell lines are grown easily in a serum-free suspension culture, reproduce rapidly and have efficient protein production. A possible disadvantage of using human cell lines is the potential for human-specific viral contamination, although this risk can be mitigated with multiple viral inactivation or clearance steps. In addition, while human cell lines are currently widely used for biopharmaceutical research, vaccine production and production of some licensed protein therapeutics, there is a relative paucity of clinical experience with human cell lines because they have only recently begun to be used for the manufacture of proteins (compared with other types of cell lines). With additional research investment, human cell lines may be further optimized for routine commercial production of a broader range of biotherapeutic proteins.     

Learning-Induced Expression of Meningeal Ependymin mRNA and Demonstration of Ependymin in Neurons and Glial Cells

Abstract: The turnover of a CNS-specific cell adhesion glycoprotein, ependymin, has earlier been found to increase during periods of neuronal plasticity. Here, ependymin mRNA expression was analyzed by semiquantitative in situ hybridization in goldfish. Learning of an active avoidance response resulted in a significant increase in ependymin mRNA expression 20 min to 4 h after acquisition of the task. In contrast, yoked control animals that were exposed to the same numbers of conditioned and unconditioned stimuli in a random, unpaired manner exhibited a strong down-regulation of ependymin mRNA. Hybridization signals were also increased by injection of anti-ependymin antiserum into brain ventricles. Ependymin mRNA was exclusively localized to reticular-shaped fibroblasts of the inner endomeningeal cell layer. Immunoelectron microscopic investigation, however, revealed ependymin also in distinct neuronal and glial cell populations in which no ependymin mRNA had been detected. Uptake of meningeal protein factors into glial and neuronal cells may therefore be of functional importance for plastic adaptations of the CNS.     

Mechanics of the cellular actin cortex: From signalling to shape change

The actin cortex is a thin layer of actin, myosin and actin-binding proteins that underlies the membrane of most animal cells. It is highly dynamic and can undergo remodelling on timescales of tens of seconds, thanks to protein turnover and myosin-mediated contractions. The cortex enables cells to resist external mechanical stresses, controls cell shape and allows cells to exert forces on their neighbours. Thus, its mechanical properties are the key to its physiological function. Here, we give an overview of how cortex composition, structure and dynamics control cortex mechanics and cell shape. We use mitosis as an example to illustrate how global and local regulation of cortex mechanics gives rise to a complex series of cell shape changes.     

Cell penetrating peptide TAT can kill cancer cells via membrane disruption after attachment of camptothecin

Attachment of traditional anticancer drugs to cell penetrating peptides is an effective strategy to improve their application in cancer treatment. In this study, we designed and synthesized the conjugates TAT-CPT and TAT-2CPT by attaching camptothecin (CPT) to the N-terminus of the cell penetrating peptide TAT. Interestingly, we found that TAT-CPT and especially TAT-2CPT could kill cancer cells via membrane disruption, which is similar to antimicrobial peptides. This might be because that CPT could perform as a hydrophobic residue to increase the extent of membrane insertion of TAT and the stability of the pores. In addition, TAT-CPT and TAT-2CPT could also kill cancer cells by the released CPT after they entered cells. Taken together, attachment of CPT could turn cell penetrating peptide TAT into an antimicrobial peptide with a dual mechanism of anticancer action, which presents a new strategy to develop anticancer peptides based on cell penetrating peptides.     

The binding,transport and fate of aluminium in biological cells

Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust and yet, paradoxically, it has no known biological function. Aluminium is biochemically reactive, it is simply that it is not required for any essential process in extant biota. There is evidence neither of element-specific nor evolutionarily conserved aluminium biochemistry. This means that there are no ligands or chaperones which are specific to its transport, there are no transporters or channels to selectively facilitate its passage across membranes, there are no intracellular storage proteins to aid its cellular homeostasis and there are no pathways which evolved to enable the metabolism and excretion of aluminium. Of course, aluminium is found in every compartment of every cell of every organism, from virus through to Man. Herein we have investigated each of the ‘silent’ pathways and metabolic events which together constitute a form of aluminium homeostasis in biota, identifying and evaluating as far as is possible what is known and, equally importantly, what is unknown about its uptake, transport, storage and excretion.     

The effect of Amaryllidaceae alkaloids haemanthamine and haemanthidine on cell cycle progression and apoptosis in p53-negative human leukemic Jurkat cells

Plants from the Amaryllidaceae family have been shown to be a promising source of biologically active natural compounds of which some selected are currently in pre-clinical development. Regardless of interesting pioneer works, little is known about Amaryllidaceae alkaloids that have shown promising anti-cancer activities. The crinane group of the Amaryllidaceae, including haemanthamine and haemanthidine, was amongst the first of these compounds to exhibit an interesting cytotoxic potential against cancer cell lines. However, the mechanism of cytotoxic and anti-proliferative activity is not yet entirely clear. The primary objectives of the current study were to investigate the effects of haemanthamine and haemanthidine on the induction of apoptosis and the cell cycle regulatory pathway in p53-null Jurkat cells. Results indicate that haemanthamine and haemanthidine treatment decreases cell viability and mitochondrial membrane potential, leads to a decline in the percentage of cells in the S phase of the cell cycle, induces apoptosis detected by Annexin V staining and increases caspase activity. Dose dependent apoptosis was cross verified by fluorescence and bright field microscopy through Annexin V/propidium iodine staining and morphological changes which characteristically attend programmed cell death. The apoptotic effect of haemanthamine and haemanthidine on leukemia cells is more pronounced than that of gamma radiation. Contrary to gamma radiation, Jurkat cells do not completely halt the cell cycle 24 h upon haemanthamine and haemanthidine exposure. Both Amaryllidaceae alkaloids accumulate cells preferentially at G1 and G2 stages of the cell cycle with increased p16 expression and Chk1 Ser345 phosphorylation. Concerning the pro-apoptotic effect, haemanthidine was more active than haemanthamine in the Jurkat leukemia cell line.     

In-vitro formation of a collagenous matrix upon previously diseased and experimentally treated cemental root surfaces

Summary A diseased and mechanically treated surface of root cementum is known, clinically, to favor periodontal regeneration. The present investigation was undertaken to test whether previously diseased and experimentally treated root surfaces can support the in-vitro formation of a new collagenous matrix. Three teeth extracted for advanced periodontitis were treated first with 5% sodium hypochlorite for 2 h to remove all organic material from the root surface. After the healthy, apical one third of the root was cut off, the roots were scaled with moderate pressure to remove visible calculus. Non-demineralized root discs were cut and placed on a co-culture of periodontal ligament- and alveolar bone-derived cells. After 7 weeks in culture, either one of two matrix types was found along the root surface. The most frequent matrix consisted of clusters of cells layered within densely aggregated collagen fibrils. The other, less frequent matrix consisted of loosely arranged collagen fibrils adjacent to the cemental surface. The findings support the notion that, in vitro, a collagenous matrix is formed in contact to diseased and experimentally treated root surfaces. However, the smooth, non-demineralized and scaled cemental surface does not appear to be a suitable substrate for interdigitation with newly produced collagen fibrils.     

Tight junction biogenesis during early development

The tight junction (TJ) is an essential component of the differentiated epithelial cell required for polarised transport and intercellular integrity and signalling. Whilst much can be learnt about how the TJ is constructed and maintained and how it functions using a wide range of cellular systems, the mechanisms of TJ biogenesis within developmental models must be studied to gain insight into this process as an integral part of epithelial differentiation. Here, we review TJ biogenesis in the early mammalian embryo, mainly considering the mouse but also including the human and other species, and, briefly, within the amphibian embryo. We relate TJ biogenesis to inherent mechanisms of cell differentiation and biosynthesis occurring during cleavage of the egg and the formation of the first epithelium. We also evaluate a wide range of exogenous cues, including cell-cell interactions, protein kinase C signalling, gap junctional communication, Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and cellular energy status, that may contribute to TJ biogenesis in the embryo and how these may shape the pattern of early morphogenesis.     

ILK在肺鳞状细胞癌和肺腺癌的表达及其与临床病理特征和预后的关系

目的 探讨ILK在肺鳞状细胞癌和肺腺癌组织中的表达情况，及其与病理分型、肿瘤分化、分期、淋巴结转移及预后的关系。方法采用S-P免疫组织化学方法和Western Blot法，检测肺鳞状细胞癌和肺腺癌组织及相应癌旁肺组织中整合连接激酶（integrin-linkedkinase，ILK）的表达情况，并结合临床和病理资料进行分析。结果免疫组化结果显示：ILK在53／76（70％）的肺癌组织中阳性表达。其中鳞状细胞癌阳性率75％（33／44），腺癌阳性率62．5％（20／32），其表达与肺鳞状细胞癌的分化呈负相关（P〈0．01），与临床分期（P〈0．01）、淋巴结转移（P〈0．01）呈正相关；与肺腺癌的临床分期（P〈0．01）和淋巴结转移（P〈0．01）正相关，与分化程度无相关性（P〉0．05）。同时，其表达与患者的生存时间呈负相关（P〈0．01），与年龄、性别、肿瘤大小和组织类型等因素无关。Western Blot法进一步证实ILK在肺癌组织中的表达显著高于癌旁正常肺组织（P〈0．01），其表达与肺癌的分化（P〈0．01）显著负相关。结论肺鳞状细胞癌和肺腺癌中，ILK与肺癌的侵袭和转移有关。ILK可作为判断肺鳞状细胞癌和肺腺癌预后的参考指标。