Absence of the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) and the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) interferes with the maintenance,but not with the formation of peripheral myelin

We have previously shown that mice deficient in the gene for the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) develop normal myelin in the peripheral nerves, but show axon and myelin degeneration at eight months of age, suggesting that MAG is involved in the maintenance of axon-Schwann cell integrity. The search for molecules that might replace MAG during myelination revealed an overexpression of the neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) at those aspects where MAG is detectable in wild type mice. To test whether N-CAM might compensate for MAG during myelination in MAG-deficient mice, double mutants deficient in both MAG and N-CAM (MAG⁻/N-CAM⁻mice) were generated by cross-breeding the single mutants. Whereas alterations of myelin development were not detectable in either of the single or double mutants, degeneration of myelin and axons occurred approximately 4 weeks earlier in MAG⁻/N-CAM⁻than in MAG⁻mutants. Furthermore, at 8 weeks of age, single fiber preparation and electron microscopy revealed that the number of profiles indicative of degeneration was substantially increased in MAG⁻/N-CAM⁻mutants when compared to MAG⁻mice. These data suggest that in MAG-deficient mice N-CAM does not compensate for MAG in myelin formation but partially substitutes for it in the maintenance of axon-myelin integrity. Received: 20 May 1996 / Accepted: 19 July 1996     

Vitrification of one-cell mouse embryos in cryotubes

Preventing intracellular ice formation is essential to cryopreserve cells. Prevention can be achieved by converting cell water into a non-crystalline glass, that is, to vitrify. The prevailing belief is that to achieve vitrification, cells must be suspended in a solution containing a high concentration of glass-inducing solutes and cooled rapidly. In this study, we vitrified 1-cell mouse embryos and examined the effect of the cooling rate, the warming rate, and the concentration of cryoprotectant on cell survival. Embryos were vitrified in cryotubes. The vitrification solutions used were EFS20, EFS30, and EFS40, which contained ethylene glycol (20, 30 and 40% v/v, respectively), Ficoll (24%, 21%, and 18% w/v, respectively) and sucrose (0.4 0.35, and 0.3 M, respectively). A 5-μl EFS solution suspended with 1-cell embryos was placed in a cryotube. After 2 min in an EFS solution at 23 °C, embryos were vitrified by direct immersion into liquid nitrogen. The sample was warmed at 34 °C/min, 4,600 °C/min and 6,600 °C/min. With EFS40, the survival was low regardless of the warming rate. With EFS30 and EFS20, survival was also low when the warming rate was low, but increased with higher warming rates, likely due to prevention of intracellular ice formation. When 1-cell embryos were vitrified with EFS20 and warmed rapidly, almost all of the embryos developed to blastocysts in vitro. Moreover, when vitrified 1-cell embryos were transferred to recipients at the 2-cell stage, 43% of them developed to term. In conclusion, we developed a vitrification method for 1-cell mouse embryos by rapid warming using cryotubes.     

Porcine Cloned Embryos Reconstructed with the Cell Nuclei of Tetraploid M-phase Fibroblast Cells Can Restore Normal Diploidy at the Blastocyst Stage

The cell cycle of donor cells as a major factor that affects cloning efficiency remains debatable. G2/M phase cells as a donor can successfully produce cloned animals, but a minimal amount is known regarding nuclear remodeling events. In this study, porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFFs) were carefully synchronized at G1 or M phase as donor cells. Most of the cloned embryos reconstructed from PFFs at G1 (G1-embryos) or M (M-embryos) phase formed a pronucleus-like nucleus (PN) within 6-h post fusion (hpf), but the M-embryos formed PN earlier than the G1-embryos did. Moreover, 77.4% of the M-embryos formed two PNs, whereas the G1-embryos formed a single PN. The rate of extrusion of polar body-like structures by the M-embryos was significantly lower than that extruded by the G1-embryos (26.3% vs. 37.1%, P?相似文献   

CELL SURFACE ALTERATIONS BY TAXOL ASSOCIATED WITH ABNORMAL MORPHOGENESIS IN THE CHICK EMBRYO

The anticancer drug taxol brings about its biological effects by altering the stability of microtubules. We have examined the effects of taxol on early morphogenesis in chick embryos culturedin vitro. Taxol induced various abnormalities in the developing nervous system, heart and somites as well as general retardation of development. SEM studies revealed that taxol treatment leads to dramatic alterations in the embryonic cell surfaces. Time-course experiments demonstrated that the action of taxol is very rapid and becomes evident within a few minutes at the ultrastructural level. Taxol thus throws embryonic cell adhesion and motility out of balance. This appears to be the major cause of abnormal morphogenesis in taxol-treated embryos.     

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING): A “new chapter” in virus-associated cancer research. Lessons from wild-derived mouse models of innate immunity

Thanks to the numerous studies that have been carried out recently in the field of cytosolic DNA sensing, STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) is now recognized as a key mediator of innate immune signaling. A substantial body of evidence derived from in vivo mouse models demonstrates that STING-regulated pathways underlie the pathogenesis of many diseases including infectious diseases and cancers. It has also become evident from these studies that STING is a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer. However, mouse strains commonly used for modelling innate immune response against infections or tumors do not allow investigators to accurately reproduce certain specific characteristics of immune response observed in human cells. In this review, we will discuss recent data demonstrating that the use of wild-derived genetically distinct inbred mice as a model for investigation into the innate immunity signaling networks may provide valuable insight into the STING-regulated pathways specific for human cells. The maximum complexity of STING-mediated mechanisms can probably be seen in case of DNA virus-induced carcinogenesis in which STING may perform unexpected biological activities. Therefore, in another part of this review we will summarize emerging data on the role of STING in human DNA virus-related oncopathologies, with particular attention to HPV-associated cervical cancer, aiming to demonstrate that STING indeed “starts a new chapter” in research on this issue and that wild-derived mouse models of STING-mediated response to infections will probably be helpful in finding out molecular basis for clinical observations.     

In vitro rescue of isolated embryos of Bactris major jacq. and Desmoncus orthacanthos mart., potentially useful native palms from the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico)

Summary Bactris major and Desmoncus orthacanthos are native palms from the Yucatan Peninsula which could be used as substitutes for rattan. When their seeds were germinated in vivo and in vitro they proved to be highly recalcitrant. Therefore, the culture of isolated embryos was studied as an alternative means of producing planting material for nurseries. It was found that the in vitro germination of the isolated embryos was gradually reduced by storage, falling to zero by 5 wk. However, isolated embryos from freshly collected seeds germinated at ∼100% frequency. The presence of the endosperm, whether still attached to the embryos or separated from them but in direct contact with the nutrient medium, greatly reduced germination in both species. High concentrations of abscisic acid (ABA, 100 μM) only slightly diminished it, suggesting a different cause for the observed endosperm-induced inhibition. This embryo rescue method permits the production of sufficient plants for in vitro micropropagation and the establishment of experimental plots to evaluate the full potential of these materials.     

Nonhistone chromatin proteins of B-lymphocytes stimulated by lipopolysaccharide Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis of proteins synthesized and phoshorylated during the initiation of lymphocyte differentiation

Synthesis and phosphorylation of nonhistone chromatin and nucleoplasmic proteins during the first 24 h of activation of mouse B-lymphocytes by the B-cell mitogen lipopolysaccharide have been studied by two-dimensional gel electrophoretic analysis. Although little change occurs in the nucleoplasmic proteins, it has been shown that the incorporation of [³⁵S]methionine into nonhistone chromatin proteins is selectively stimulated. The degree of stimulation and the kinetics of synthesis are characteristic for each individual protein; some proteins exhibit increased incorporation only 4 h after addition of mitogen, while others are synthesized de novo between 8 and 24 h. After 72 h stimulation, the majority of nonhistone chromatin protein synthesis occurs in the highly differentiated lymphoblasts and plasma cells actively secreting IgM, very little synthesis taking place in the small lymphocytes. Analysis of nuclear proteins from lymphocytes stimulated for 2 h showed no selective stimulation of phosphorylation. These observations suggest that nonhistone chromatin proteins play an important role in the regulation of gene expression in B-lymphocytes.     

Thermal inhibition of repair of methylmethane sulfonate-damaged DNA in chick embryo fibroblasts

Chick embryo fibroblasts were treated with the monofunctional alkylating agent methylmethane sulfonate at various concentrations for 1 h at 42°C, rinsed and then incubated post-treatment at various temperatures at which the kinetics of alkali-labile bond disappearance was followed. Growth experiments showed that these cells grew similarly at temperatures of either 37°C or 42°C. Repair as assessed by removal of alkali-labile bond was also similar for postincubation in the temperature range 37–42°C for damage due to methylmethane sulfonate treatment at concentrations less than 1.5 mM. When the postincubation temperature was raised higher than 42.5–43°C, this type of repair was stopped. The normal internal body temperature of adult chickens is about 41.6°C. Hence the present finding indicates that chick cells are much more severely restricted in DNA repair at temperatures above normal than are mammalian cells, which can function in this respect for several deg. C above 37°C.     

High-performance Liquid Chromatography of Aflatoxins with Fluorescence Detection

Aflatoxins B_l, B₂, G₁ and G₂ were quantitatively detected by high-performance liquid chromatography on a 12 µl flow-cell in the fluorometric detector using the mobile phase of toluene system instead of chloroform, dichloromethane or methanol system. Various kinds of columns and mobile phases were tested, and fine mutual separation of all the four aflatoxins without quenching their fluorescence was achieved by using sHica gel column and toluene- ethyl acetate-formic acid-methanol (89.0: 7.5: 2.0: 1.5 v/v/v/v). The relationship between the fluorescence peak area and the amount injected was linear in the range of 0.3 ng to 120 ng. This method, as applied to food and feed extracts, is sensitive at the 10~20 ppb levels of the four kinds of aflatoxins.