Antibody responses to galectin-8, TARP and TRAP1 in prostate cancer patients treated with a GM-CSF-secreting cellular immunotherapy

A critical factor in clinical development of cancer immunotherapies is the identification of tumor-associated antigens that may be related to immunotherapy potency. In this study, protein microarrays containing >8,000 human proteins were screened with serum from prostate cancer patients (N = 13) before and after treatment with a granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-secreting whole cell immunotherapy. Thirty-three proteins were identified that displayed significantly elevated (P ≤ 0.05) signals in post-treatment samples, including three proteins that have previously been associated with prostate carcinogenesis, galectin-8, T-cell alternative reading frame protein (TARP) and TNF-receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1). Expanded analysis of antibody induction in metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients (N = 92) from two phase 1/2 trials of prostate cancer immunotherapy, G-9803 and G-0010, indicated a significant (P = 0.03) association of TARP antibody induction and median survival time (MST). Antibody induction to TARP was also significantly correlated (P = 0.036) with an increase in prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSADT) in patients with a biochemical (PSA) recurrence following prostatectomy or radiation therapy (N = 19) from in a previous phase 1/2 trial of prostate cancer immunotherapy, G-9802. RNA and protein encoding TARP and TRAP1 was up-regulated in prostate cancer tissue compared to matched normal controls. These preliminary findings suggest that antibody induction to TARP may represent a possible biomarker for treatment response to GM-CSF secreting cellular immunotherapy in prostate cancer patients and demonstrates the utility of using protein microarrays for the high-throughput screening of patient-derived antibody responses.     

The Tumor Suppressor pVHL Down-regulates Never-in-Mitosis A-related Kinase 8 via Hypoxia-inducible Factors to Maintain Cilia in Human Renal Cancer Cells

NEK8 (never in mitosis gene A (NIMA)-related kinase 8) is involved in cytoskeleton, cilia, and DNA damage response/repair. Abnormal expression and/or dysfunction of NEK8 are related to cancer development and progression. However, the mechanisms that regulate NEK8 are not well declared. We demonstrated here that pVHL may be involved in regulating NEK8. We found that CAK-I cells with wild-type vhl expressed a lower level of NEK8 than the cells loss of vhl, such as 786-O, 769-P, and A-498 cells. Moreover, pVHL overexpression down-regulated the NEK8 protein in 786-O cells, whereas pVHL knockdown up-regulated NEK8 in CAK-I cells. In addition, we found that the positive hypoxia response elements (HREs) are located in the promoter of the nek8 sequence and hypoxia could induce nek8 expression in different cell types. Consistent with this, down-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factors α (HIF-1α or HIF-2α) by isoform-specific siRNA reduced the ability of hypoxia inducing nek8 expression. In vivo, NEK8 and HIF-1α expression were increased in kidneys of rats subjected to an experimental hypoxia model of ischemia and reperfusion. Furthermore, NEK8 siRNA transfection significantly blocked pVHL-knockdown-induced cilia disassembling, through impairing the pVHL-knockdown-up-regulated NEK8 expression. These results support that nek8 may be a novel hypoxia-inducible gene. In conclusion, our findings show that nek8 may be a new HIF target gene and pVHL can down-regulate NEK8 via HIFs to maintain the primary cilia structure in human renal cancer cells.     

陕西省棘蝇属一新种(双翅目:蝇科)

整理近年来采自我国秦岭山区的蝇科标本中,发现棘蝇属Phaonia R.-D.一新种。模式标本保存于沈阳师范学院生物系。     

韦氏鳞(虫八)的精子结构(双尾目)

韦氏鳞(虫八)(Lepidocampa weberi)精子为细长的鞭毛精子,成束排列成精索。顶体由三层结构组成;核圆柱形,接于顶体后;鞭毛轴丝微管式为“9+9+2”,9条副微管排列不整齐,集中于轴丝的一侧;两条细长的线粒体衍生物位于顶体、核与轴丝之间,贯穿于精子中部;精子尾部围有大量片层结构。结果表明韦氏鳞(虫八)精子与康(虫八)精子较为接近,但可能比康(虫八)精子更为特化。     

沙田柚染色体组型及Giemsa带型分析

本文以沙田柚为材料,对其染色体组型及带型进行了观察分析。组型分析:染色体数目2n=18,根据染色体的相对长度分成大小染色体两种类型,前者包括1、2、3、4和5对,后者为6、7、8和9对,根据臂比,9对染色体能够被分成中部着丝点和近中着丝点染色体两种类型。即第5、7,9对为亚中部着丝点,其余为中部着丝点,第6对染色体上有随体;Giemsa带型:除第二对染色体只显中间带外,其余都显着丝点带,并在3、4、8对染色体短臂上和2、3、1对染色体长臂上均显端带,第2、3,6对同源染色体之间的C带显示杂合性。     

长叶车前花叶病毒单克隆抗体的制备及在病毒分型中的应用

应用细胞杂交技术,将长叶车前花叶病毒杭州分离株(RMVha)、烟草花叶病毒普通株(TMVc)和北京番茄株(TMVbe-t)免疫的Balb/c小鼠脾细胞与Sp2/0-Ag14小鼠骨髓瘤细胞融合,经筛选测定,成功地获得了5株稳定分泌特异性单克隆抗体的杂交瘤细胞株,其中1株属于IgG_(2b),其余4株均属于IgG_(?),5株细胞株均制备了腹水抗体,ELISA效价最高达256000,琼脂双扩散效价达128,根据与15个不同RMV和TMV毒株的反应特性,可将5株单克隆抗体分为A、B、C三组,分别针对a、b、c三个不同的抗原决定簇。根据三组单克隆抗体反应性的差异,15个毒株可分为8个血清型,本文讨论了所获得的5株杂交瘤细胞在植物病毒的诊断、病毒病原的鉴定及病毒分型方面的应用价值。     

家蝇巨螯螨的侵袭行为及其对蝇类的影响

本文报道1983年4月至1984年9月对家蝇巨螯螨的某些行为的观察研究结果,包括对跗节1形态的扫描电镜观察,以及截肢前后侵袭家蝇的行为。见到跗节1有约10根毛状感受器,它们在感觉和寻找宿主上起重要作用。该螨对腐食性蝇类,如家蝇、厩腐蝇、夏厕蝇等具有较强的侵袭力。该螨在附着蝇体当螨量超过10只时,宿主卵巢滤泡发育受抑制,寿命缩短。每只雌螨每天平均消耗2个蝇卵,每4只雌螨每天平均消耗1条1龄蝇类幼虫。另外,也观察到家蝇成虫的日龄与性别对螨的诱引力没有明显差异,而卵的新鲜程度却有明显的差异。最后,对实验结果加以讨论,并对该螨的研究和利用提出一些建议。