Cell sheet technology: a promising strategy in regenerative medicine

Regenerative medicine is a burgeoning field that is important to combat challenging diseases and functional impairments. Compared with traditional cell therapies with evident shortcomings (e.g., cell suspension injection or tissue engineering with scaffolds), scaffold-free cell sheet technology enables transplanted cells to be grafted and fully maintain their viability on target sites. Clinical and experimental studies have advanced the application of cell sheet technology to numerous tissues and organs (e.g., liver, cornea and bone). However, previous reviews have failed to discuss vital aspects of this rapidly developing technology, and many new challenges are gradually emerging. This review aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to cell sheet technology from cell selection to the ultimate applications of cell sheets, and challenges and future visions are also described.     

Bachman's Sparrows at the northern periphery of their range: home range size and microhabitat selection

Populations of Bachman's Sparrows (Peucaea aestivalis) have declined range‐wide since the late 1960s. Populations at the periphery of their range have exhibited some of the steepest declines, and these sparrows are now rare or extirpated over much of the northern extent of their historical range. To better understand the spatial ecology of Bachman's Sparrows in this region of decline, we examined microhabitat selection and determined the home range sizes of radio‐tagged male Bachman's Sparrows (N = 37) in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina in 2014 and 2015. From April to July, we located males 1–2 times daily for 5–6 d per week. We measured vegetation structure in home ranges using 5‐m‐radius plots centered on a subset of 10 randomly selected telemetry locations as well as in available unused locations 50 m and in a random direction from each telemetry location. Mean size of home ranges (7.9 ha) was larger than estimates reported in most previous studies, with differences among studies possibly due, at least in part, to differences in the characteristics of habitats where studies were conducted. The home ranges of Bachman's Sparrows in our study had greater densities of woody and dead vegetation than unused areas. Although generally considered detrimental to the presence of Bachman's Sparrows, the presence of some woody vegetation in frequently burned (i.e., ≤ 3‐yr return interval) longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) communities like those in our study may be important in providing song perches for males and cover from attacking predators. Bachman's Sparrows in our study showed clear selection for several vegetation characteristics linked to frequent fire. Management strategies that approximate historical fire regimes in longleaf pine ecosystems should continue to be promoted as essential tools for the conservation of Bachman's Sparrows.     

阿拉善高原2种荒漠植物根系构型及生态适应性特征

根系构型决定了植物对资源的吸收方式，根系构型的变化是植物对环境的生态适应和有效生存策略。在阿拉善高原西南缘红砂（Reaumuria soongarica）-珍珠猪毛菜（Salsola passerina）混生群落采用传统挖掘法收集两种植物根系，基于量化的根系形态指标，利用几何拓扑学及分形理论分析了根系构型特征，探讨了该地区2种植物对干旱生境的生态适应策略。结果表明：红砂和珍珠猪毛菜根系均以水平分布占优，根系浅层化分布明显，混生的两种植物占据不同的生态位；2种荒漠植物均具有较大的比根长（SRL）和比表面积（SRA），红砂SRL=21.3 cm/g，SRA=7.6 cm²/g，珍珠SRL=22.4 cm/g，SRA=6.5 cm²/g，有利于水分和养分的获取；红砂根系拓扑指数（TI）、修正拓扑参数（q_a和q_b）分别为0.86、0.52、0.49，珍珠猪毛菜对应参数分别为0.93、0.76、0.73，表明2种植物根系均趋向于鱼尾形分支结构；根系分形维数值（FD_红=1.488、FD_珍=1.422）较小，而分形丰度值（lgK_红=1.855、lgK_珍=1.774）较大，表明2种植物分支相对简单，但空间拓展能力强，有利于对营养空间的占有。上述特征可能是阿拉善西南缘红砂-珍珠猪毛菜群落2种荒漠植物植物对干旱贫瘠生境的重要生态适应策略。     

肿瘤特异性蛋白B7-H4纳米抗体的筛选和鉴定

羊驼体内存在天然缺少轻链的重链抗体,克隆重链抗体可变区(VHH),即可构建单域抗体(single-domain antibodies,sdAbs),又称纳米抗体(nanobody,Nb)。利用非免疫羊驼噬菌体文库筛选肿瘤特异性蛋白B7-H4的纳米抗体,经过4轮淘选,ELASE鉴定阳性克隆噬菌体,测序获得其DNA序列后体外转录为mRNA,将修饰纯化后的mRNA转染到肿瘤细胞,利用细胞免疫荧光检测mRNA在肿瘤细胞内是否表达,Western印迹进一步验证其表达情况;通过CCK-8法鉴定其对肿瘤细胞的增殖抑制能力;划痕实验鉴定其对肿瘤细胞迁移能力的影响;Transwell法鉴定其对肿瘤细胞的侵袭能力的影响;裸鼠荷瘤模型瘤旁注射mRNA,鉴定其在体内实验对肿瘤组织的作用。结果显示,通过淘选获得1个高亲和性的噬菌体株菌H6;DNA测序并导出的氨基酸序列符合羊驼纳米抗体结构;将其mRNA导入肿瘤细胞,能有效表达出纳米抗体H6;转染H6-mRNA的肿瘤细胞(0.84±0.08)与未转染H6-mRNA的对照组(1.83±0.04)相比,其增殖能力明显受到抑制,P<0.01,其迁移和侵袭能力(78.60±5.36)明显低于空白对照组(197.80±21.04),效果优于B7-H4 mRNA的siRNA(95.40±16.56);在裸鼠乳腺癌模型中能有效抑制肿瘤生长,效果优于紫杉醇和B7-H4 mRNA的siRNA。这说明筛选所得抗B7-H4纳米抗体H6能特异结合B7-H4蛋白并封闭其功能,导致肿瘤细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭受到抑制。该结果为利用B7-H4作为治疗癌症的靶点提供了实验基础。     

兰州唐古特白刺根际微生物分离鉴定

【目的】从兰州唐古特白刺根际分离得到对植物有潜在促生效果的功能微生物，为研发相关菌种制剂的研究奠定基础。【方法】通过平板划线法从其根际分离纯化出6株细菌，并对菌株进行形态特征观察、革兰氏染色等一系列生理生化试验。用藜麦检测各菌株的促生功能，并对具有优良促生作用的1个菌株16S rRNA基因进行分子鉴定及基因草图绘制。【结果】根据生化鉴定结果，6株细菌分别属于不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter)、土壤杆菌属(Agrobacterium)、类芽孢杆菌属(Paenibacillus)、芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)、鞘氨醇单胞菌属(Sphingomonas)和假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas)。其中，16S rRNA基因鉴定BC4属于肠杆菌属(Enterobacter)，具有较好的促生效果。【结论】BC4具有较好的促生效果，为兰州唐古特白刺菌种资源的开发和利用提供了一定的理论依据。