G-CSF immunotherapy for treatment of acute disseminated murine melioidosis

Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, is an important pathogen in tropical regions of Australia and Southeast Asia. Antibiotic therapy can be ineffective in patients with acute septicaemic melioidosis. It has been proposed that adjunctive immunotherapy using granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) combined with antibiotics may provide an alternative approach to antibiotics alone. We have developed a murine model for melioidosis that allows novel treatment approaches to be investigated. This study looked at the potential for murine G-CSF therapy both alone and as an adjunct in the treatment of acute disseminated B. pseudomallei infection in BALB/c mice. A number of therapeutic variables involving ceftazidime and recombinant murine G-CSF were studied. Surviving mice were sacrificed and splenic bacterial loads were determined. Combining recombinant murine G-CSF with ceftazidime offered no advantage over ceftazidime alone. Pre-treatment with recombinant murine G-CSF did not demonstrate a significant benefit. This would suggest that adjunct immunotherapy using G-CSF is of limited benefit.     

Proteomics screening of molecular targets of granulocyte colony stimulating factor in the mouse brain and PC12 cell line

Aims

Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), a new neuroprotective agent, binds to its specific receptors in the brain. In this study we hypothesized that at least a part of G-CSF's neuroprotective effect may be mediated through its interaction with other proteins in the brain.

Main methods

Using an immunoprecipitation (IP) kit, at first the antibody of G-CSF was covalently crosslinked to protein A/G agarose. Then the mouse brain or PC12 cell lysate mixed with G-CSF was added to the agarose beads plus antibody. After immunoaffinity isolation of target proteins, gel electrophoresis was performed and protein bands were identified using MALDI-TOF/TOF and MASCOT software.

Key findings

Our data show that G-CSF physically binds to cellular proteins like sodium/potassium-transporting ATPase, beta actin, aldehyde dehydrogenase, regucalcin and glutathione-s-transferase. These proteins are involved in membrane transportation, cell structure, signal transduction, enzymes involve in calcium related cell signaling and redox homeostasis.

Significance

Interaction of G-CSF with these proteins can explain some of its pharmacological effects in the CNS.     

重组人粒细胞-巨噬细胞集落刺激因子包涵体提取、复性和纯化的研究

由基因工程大肠杆菌表达的重组人粒细胞－巨噬细胞集落刺激因子（ｒｈＧＭ－ＣＳＦ）以包涵体的形式存在于细胞中,通过破菌、洗涤获得包涵体,再经过溶解、凝胶过滤、复性、疏水和离子交换柱导析得到了均一的产品,经高压液相和ＳＤＳ－ＰＡＧＥ电泳测定纯度均大于９８％,ｒｈＧＭ－ＣＳＦ的比活为３．２×１０＾７ＩＵ／ｍｇ,纯化获得的ｒｈＧＭ－ＣＳＦ为一酸性蛋白,等电点约为５．２,ＮＨ２－末端有２０个氨基酸序列测定结果     

The role of colony-stimulating factor in granulopoiesis

The proliferation and maturation of granulocytic-monocytic stem cells appears to be controlled by a series of closely related glycoproteins termed “colony-stimulating factors” (CSFs). Recently, we devised a 6-step scheme for the purification of murine fibroblast (L-cell)-derived CSF. Ten liter pools of conditioned media were concentrated by ultrafiltration, precipitated by ethanol, and separated on DEAE cellulose, Con-A Sepharose, and Sephadex G 150. The CSF was separated from trace contaminants, including endotoxin, by density gradient centrifugation. The purified material was radioiodinated and used to define the serum half-life and in vivo distribution. Following IV injection there was a biphasic serum clearance with a t½ of 24–40 min and 2–2½ hours in the first and second phases. Approximately 25% of the tracer was excreted in the urine at 6 h; however, urinary radioactivity was due to low molecular weight peptides. Simultaneous studies by radioimmunoassay showed a similar rapid serum clearance of unlabeled CSF but virtually no urinary CSF activity. Thus, assays for urinary CSF may not provide useful measures of in vivo CSF activity. Further in vitro studies have defined the interaction of CSF with responsive cells in the marrow. Varying doses of CSF were incubated with 10⁷ marrow cells for intervals of 24–48 h. The major increment in cell-associated radioactivity occurred between 6 and 16 h. The reaction was saturable with 1–2 ng/ml CSF. Binding was prevented by cold CSF, but not by other proteins. Irradiation yielded only a minimal reduction in CSF binding. The interaction of CSF with marrow cells appeared to require new protein synthesis, as binding was completely inhibited by cycloheximide and puromycin. Irradiated mice injected with antibodies to CSF showed an inhibition of granulopoiesis by marrow cells in peritoneal diffusion chambers; however, granulopoiesis in the intact bone marrow was unaffected. Granulpoiesis in long-term marrow cultures was also unaffected by anti-CSF. These different responses may be due to accelerated clearance of injected CSF in nonirradiated mice or to extensive stromal interactions that modulate and perhaps control granulocytic differentiation in the intact bone marrow microenvironment.     

血清G-CSF、ADPN在奥沙利铂联合卡培他滨治疗Ⅲ期结直肠癌患者术后辅助中的表达及其与肠道菌群失调的相关性

摘要 目的：探究III期结直肠癌手术患者接受奥沙利铂联合卡培他滨治疗后血清粒细胞集落刺激因子（G-CSF）、人脂联素（ADPN）水平的变化,分析血清G-CSF、ADPN水平与肠道菌群失调的相关性。方法：选择2021年1月至2021年12月于我院接受手术治疗的220例III期结直肠癌患者为研究对象,均对其联合应用奥沙利铂与卡培他滨进行治疗,分析治疗前后患者血清G-CSF、ADPN水平变化,将入组患者按照肠道菌群情况分为肠道正常组（n=80）、菌群失调I度组（n=90）、菌群失调II度组（n=50）,分析肠道菌群失调对入组患者治疗前后血清G-CSF、ADPN水平的影响,最后评估血清G-CSF、ADPN水平与肠道菌群失调的相关性。结果：（1）治疗后入组患者血清G-CSF、ADPN水平均较治疗前出现了明显的降低,前后比较有差异（P<0.05）;（2）治疗后菌群正常组患者血清G-CSF、ADPN水平明显低于菌群失调I度组,菌群失调I度组明显低于菌群失调II度组,各组间血清G-CSF、ADPN水平有差异（P<0.05）;（3）不同肠道菌群失调组患者肠道菌群数量存在差异,患者肠道菌群失调情况越严重,其肠球菌数量越高,乳杆菌数量越低（P<0.05）;（4）血清G-CSF、ADPN水平与乳杆菌数量呈现负相关（r=-0.872、-0.781,P<0.05）,与肠球菌数量呈现正相关（r=0.772、0.819,P<0.05）。结论：Ⅲ期结直肠癌行手术治疗患者术后联用奥沙利铂与卡培他滨可以显著降低其血清G-CSF、ADPN水平,且其降低程度与患者肠道菌群失调情况相关,提示可以考虑将调节结直肠癌患者肠道菌群作为降低患者化疗后炎性反应措施之一推广于临床。     

Enabler for process analytical technology implementation in Pichia pastoris fermentation: Fluorescence‐based soft sensors for rapid quantitation of product titer

Rapid quantitation of product titer is a critical input for control of any bioprocess. This measurement, however, is marred by the myriad components that are present in the fermentation broth, often requiring extensive sample pretreatment before analysis. Spectroscopy techniques such as fluorescence spectroscopy are widely recognized as potential monitoring tools. Here, we investigate the possibility of using fluorescence of the culture supernatant as a potential at‐line monitoring tool to measure the concentration of a recombinant therapeutic protein expressed in a Pichia pastoris fed‐batch fermentation. We propose an integrated method wherein both the target protein and total protein concentrations are predicted using intrinsic riboflavin fluorescence and extrinsic fluorescence, respectively. The root mean square error for estimating the concentrations of the target protein (using riboflavin fluorescence) and total protein (using extrinsic fluorescence) have been estimated to be <0.1 and <0.2, respectively. The proposed approach has been validated for two different biotherapeutic products, human serum albumin and granulocyte colony stimulating factor, that were expressed using Mut⁺ and Mut^s strains of P. pastoris, respectively. The proposed approach is rapid (1 min analysis time, 10 min total with at line sampling) and thus could be a significant enabler for process analytical technology implementation in Pichia fermentation.     

Calmodulin-dependent protein kinases phosphorylate gp130 at the serine-based dileucine internalization motif

The receptor for leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) consists of two polypeptides, the low affinity LIF receptor (LIFR) and gp130. We previously demonstrated that LIF stimulation caused phosphorylation of gp130 at Ser782, adjacent to a dileucine internalization motif, and that transient expression of a mutant receptor lacking Ser782 resulted in increased cell surface expression and increased LIF-stimulated gene expression compared to wild-type receptor. Phosphorylation of Ser782 on gp130 fusion protein by LIF-stimulated 3T3-L1 cell extracts was inhibited 61% by autocamtide-2-related inhibitory peptide (AIP), a highly specific and highly effective inhibitor of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type II (CaMKII). Purified rat forebrain CaMKII was also able to phosphorylate gp130 fusion protein at Ser782 in vitro. Furthermore, antibodies targeting CaMKII and CaMKIV were able to immunoprecipitate gp130 phosphorylating activity from LIF-stimulated 3T3-L1 lysates. While pretreatment of cells with the MAPKK inhibitors PD98059 and U0126 blocked phosphorylation of Ser782 prior to LIF stimulation, these inhibitors did not block Ser782 phosphorylation by LIF-stimulated 3T3-L1 cell extracts in vitro. These results show that CaMKII and possibly CaMKIV phosphorylate Ser782 in the serine-based dileucine internalization motif of gp130 via a MAPK-dependent pathway.     

The βc receptor family – Structural insights and their functional implications

Granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin-3 (IL-3) and IL-5 are members of a small family of cytokines that share a beta receptor subunit (βc). These cytokines regulate the growth, differentiation, migration and effector function activities of many hematopoietic cells in bone marrow, blood and sites of inflammation. Excessive or aberrant signaling can result in chronic inflammatory conditions and myeloid leukemias. The crystal structures of the GM-CSF ternary complex, the IL-5 binary complex and the very recent IL-3 receptor alpha subunit build upon decades of structure–function studies, giving new insights into cytokine–receptor specificity and signal transduction. Selective modulation of receptor function is now a real possibility and the structures of the βc receptor family are being used to discover novel and disease-specific therapeutics.     

Therapeutic effects on experimental metastatic tumor-bearing mice by vaccination with GM-CSF gene-modified and tumor antigen-pulsed macrophages

ｈｅｍｏｄｉｆｉｃａｔｉｏｎｏｆｔｕｍｏｒｃｅｌｌｓｏｒｅｆｆｅｃｔｏｒｃｅｌｌｓｕｓｉｎｇｃｙｔｏｋｉｎｅｇｅｎｅｓａｓａｓｔｒａｔｅｇｙｔｏｅｎｈａｎｃｅｈｏｓｔａｎｔｉｔｕｍｏｒｉｍｍｕｎｉｔｙｈａｓｂｅｅｎｓｔｕｄｉｅｄｉｎｔｅｎｓｉｖｅｌｙｏｖｅｒｔｈｅｐａｓｔｆｉｖｅｙｅａｒｓ[1],ｂｕｔｔｈｅａｎｔｉｇｅｎｐｒｅｓｅｎｔｉｎｇｃｅｌｌｓ(ＡＰＣｓ)ｗｈｉｃｈｃａｎｅｎｇｕｌｆｔｕｍｏｒａｎｔｉｇｅｎｓａｎｄｅｌｉｃｉｔｐｏｔｅｎｔａｎｔｉｔｕｍｏｒｒｅｓｐｏｎｓｅｓｈａｖｅｂｅｅｎｉｇ…     

18例肺曲霉病临床分析

目的提高对肺曲霉病的认识。方法对诊断为肺曲霉病的18例病例的临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果83%的肺曲霉病患者伴有基础疾病;有临床症状者占89%;胸部影像表现为：以右肺为主,多见于上叶,且多分布于外周;大叶性肺炎型占17%,肺曲霉球型占50%,结节或肿块型占33%,支气管肺炎型占6%,双肺弥漫病变型占22%,且有22%合并胸腔积液;组织病理学发现呈约45°分支和有隔膜的曲霉菌丝;50%患者行肺叶切除术,术后应用抗真菌药物,50%患者仅接受抗真菌药物治疗;89%的患者治愈或好转,11%死亡。结论肺曲霉病患者多有基础疾病;部分类型有典型影像学改变;诊断需结合既往病史、临床表现和胸部影像表现及相关实验室检查,确诊有赖于组织病理学检查;治疗主要是药物,部分可手术。     

表达小鼠粒细胞-巨噬细胞集落刺激因子的重组非复制型痘苗病毒的构建及鉴定

目的:以非复制型痘苗病毒天坛株为载体表达小鼠粒细胞-巨噬细胞集落刺激因子(GM-CSF),并体外鉴定其生物学活性。方法:构建含有小鼠GM-CSF的重组痘苗病毒质粒,与非复制型痘苗病毒进行同源重组,筛选表达小鼠GM-CSF的重组痘苗病毒rNTVGMCSFLacZ,对目的基因及蛋白的表达进行鉴定,并在体外检测目的蛋白的生物学活性。结果:构建的重组病毒rNTVGMCSFLacZ中正确插入了小鼠GM-CSF基因,Western印迹结果表明其能正确表达GM-CSF,且在体外证明rNTVGMCSFLacZ表达的小鼠GM-CSF能分泌到细胞外,具有生物学活性。结论:构建了一株能分泌表达有生物学活性的小鼠GM-CSF的重组非复制型痘苗病毒。     

Neutrophilia and elevated serum cytokines are implicated in glycogen storage disease type Ia

Glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSD-Ia) patients deficient in glucose-6-phosphatase-alpha manifest a disturbed glucose homeostasis. We hypothesized that disturbed glucose homeostasis might affect myeloid functions. Here, we show that GSD-Ia mice exhibit normal neutrophil activities but have elevated myeloid progenitor cells in the bone marrow and spleen. Interestingly, GSD-Ia mice exhibit a persistent increase in peripheral blood neutrophil counts along with elevated serum levels of granulocyte colony stimulating factor and cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant. Taken together, our results suggest that a loss of glucose homeostasis can compromise the immune system, resulting in neutrophilia. This may explain some of the unexpected clinical manifestations seen in GSD-Ia.     

Over-expression of proteins using a modified pBAD24 vector in <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis> expression system

A modified pBAD24 vector (pBAD24M) was constructed with the araBAD promoter of the arabinose operon along with T7g10 sequence elements and a modified Shine–Dalgarno sequence. While both green fluorescent protein and granulocyte colony stimulating factor showed negligible expression under the original pBAD24 vector, they were expressed at >35% of total cellular protein with the modified vector. Similar results were obtained for staphylokinase wherein the pBAD24-SAK construct yielded 8 ng/10⁶ c.f.u. of E. coli induced cells while the pBAD24M-SAK vector showed nearly 55 ng/10⁶ c.f.u. induced bacterial cells as tested by ELISA. Interestingly, the expression levels using modified pBAD24 vector matched that achieved with T7 promoter based vector system. The modified pBAD24 vector therefore represents a simple and a useful prokaryotic expression system for efficient repression, modulation and elevated protein expression levels. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Established cell lines of mouse marrow adherent cells producing differentiation factor(s) for the granulocyte-macrophage lineage

Summary Two continuous cell lines derived from long-term cultures of AKR mouse bone marrow adherent cells were isolated. These cell lines release colony stimulating activity (CSA), a factor that induces in vitro differentiation of granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells. The colony forming cells and cluster forming cells in mouse marrow responsive to CSA from cell line conditioned medium were compared with those responsive to CSA from mouse lung conditioned medium (MLCM). Colony forming cells were characterized by analysis of their density distribution after equilibrium centrifugation in density gradient. Cluster forming cells were characterized by analyzing the progeny of individual clusters after transfer to fresh semisolid culture medium containing MLCM. The results obtained indicate that the CSA from cell line conditioned medium closely compares with the CSA from MLCM in terms of the populations of colony and cluster forming cells stimulated. This work was supported by a research grant from the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (CRL 802620), Paris, France.     

Single step intein-mediated purification of hGMCSF expressed in salt-inducible <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. coli</Emphasis>

Human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (hGMCSF) is an important therapeutic cytokine. As a novel attempt to purify hGMCSF protein, without the enzymatic cleavage of the affinity tag, an intein-based system was used. The gene was fused by overlap extension PCR to the intein sequence at its N-terminal in pTYB11 vector. The hGMCSF was expressed as a fusion protein in E. coli BL21(DE3), and E. coli GJ1158. In the former, the protein was expressed as inclusion bodies and upon purification the yield was 7 mg/l with a specific activity of 0.5 × 10⁷ IU/mg. In salt-inducible E. coli GJ1158, hGMCSF was expressed in a soluble form at 20 mg/l and a specific activity of 0.9 × 10⁷ IU/mg. The intein-hGMCSF was purified on a chitin affinity column by cleaving intein with 50 mM DTT resulting in a highly pure 14.7 kDa hGMCSF.     

变态反应性支气管肺曲霉病临床特点探讨

目的分析变态反应性支气管肺曲霉病(ABPA)的临床特征,以期早期诊断,合理治疗及预防。方法回顾性分析浙江大学医学院附属第一医院2009年6月至2011年7月收治的13例ABPA患者的临床资料,所有患者均依照目前通用的ABPA诊断标准进行诊断,分析其临床表现,影像学特征,治疗方案及疗效等。结果 ABPA好发于中老年患者,且都好发支气管扩张及哮喘患者。13例ABPA患者均有咳嗽,咳痰,8例气喘,4例发热,9例肺部可闻及哮鸣音。13例ABPA患者中有12例CT检查发现囊状或静脉曲张样中心性支气管扩张和支气管粘液栓形成及树芽征为主要特点的小叶中心结节形成。总IgE升高12例,嗜酸粒细胞绝对值升高6例,烟曲菌特异性IgE升高10例。12例接受激素及抗真菌药物治疗,均达到临床症状好转。结论 ABPA临床表现缺乏特异性,为提高对ABPA的认识,对可疑患者早期进行外周血嗜酸性粒细胞数、血清总IgE、烟曲霉菌特异性IgE、肺部CT等检查以确诊,糖皮质激素及伊曲康唑治疗ABPA能取得良好的疗效。     

Malnutrition promotes prostaglandin over leukotriene production and dysregulates eicosanoid-cytokine crosstalk in activated resident macrophages

We previously described a murine model of malnutrition that mimicked features of moderate human malnutrition, and led to increased dissemination of Leishmania donovani. In this study, we investigated the effect of malnutrition on macrophage production of cytokines, prostaglandins (PGs), and leukotrienes (LTs). Using either LPS or calcium ionophore A23187 as a stimulus, macrophages from the malnourished mice produced a 3-fold higher PG/LT ((PGE₂+6-keto-PGF_1α)/(LTB₄+cysteinyl leukotrienes)) ratio than macrophages from well-nourished mice. LPS-stimulated macrophages from the malnourished mice produced decreased levels of TNF-α, GM-CSF, and IL-10, but similar levels of IL-6 and NO compared to well-nourished mice. A complex crosstalk between the eicosanoids and cytokines in the LPS-stimulated macrophages from the malnourished mice was evident by the following: (1) high levels of PG secretion despite low levels of TNF-α; (2) supplemental IL-10 modulated the excessive PG production; (3) GM-CSF rectified the PG/LT ratio, but did not correct the abnormal cytokine profile; and (4) inhibitors of cyclooxygenase decreased the PG/LT ratio, but did not affect TNF-α. Thus, in this model of malnutrition, there is a relative increase in anti-inflammatory PGs compared to pro-inflammatory LTs, which may contribute to immunodeficiency.     

Innate immune properties of the immortalized macrophage cell line I-9.5

Summary A colony stimulating factor-1-dependent macrophage cell line, I-9.5, originally derived from a BALB/c splenic macrophage colony, was maintained in culture and examined for the expression of certain properties key to its innate immune function. Chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and superoxide release were assessed in this cell line and compared to either freshly isolated elicited murine peritoneal or splenic macrophages from BALB/c mice. Three separate experiments indicated that I-9.5 displayed comparable phagocytosis of¹⁴C-radio-labeledStaphylococus aureus and similar levels of superoxide release in response to opsonized zymosan. I-9.5, however, demonstrated impaired chemotaxis toward the chemoattractant, N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, and displayed impaired random migration in response to a balanced salt solution. This observation suggests that I-9.5 may serve as an important model for elucidating the structural and molecular correlates of chemotaxis.     

侵袭性曲霉菌病13例临床特点分析

目的分析侵袭性肺曲霉病(IPA)的临床特点,提高对本病的认识。方法对13例确诊的IPA患者的临床资料进行回顾性分析。结果 IPA患者中存在基础疾病或危险因素者占69.2%(9/13);临床表现包括咳嗽、黄痰(13/13)、高热(11/13)、胸闷或呼吸困难(7/13)和咯血(2/13)等;92.3%(12/13)患者有高白细胞血症,WBC大多为(15~30)×109;10例G试验检测的患者中有9例出现阳性;影像学检查:肺内多发空洞及"空气新月征"9例(69.2%),"晕轮征"2例(15.4%),支气管炎表现6例(46.2%),胸腔积液3例(23.1%),颅内播散病灶1例;气管镜检查以粘膜水肿、脓痰、管腔坏死物为主;9例患者痰培养或肺泡灌洗液培养阳性(占69.2%),所有患者病理检查均见曲霉菌丝。所有患者均接受抗真菌药物治疗,4例好转出院,9例恶化放弃治疗或死亡。结论 IPA是临床严峻挑战;掌握该病的临床特点、实验室检查和胸部影像特征,及时的气管镜、组织病理检查有助于IPA确诊。临床医师应高度重视曲霉病。     

Preparation,Relative Toxicity,Chemotherapeutic Activity,and Pharmacokinetics of Liposomal SJA-95: A New Polyene Macrolide Antibiotic

The research work was designed to compare the relative toxicity, chemotherapeutic activity, and pharmacokinetic parameters of liposomal incorporated SJA-95 with that of free SJA-95, with an objective to reduce toxicity and improve therapeutic activity in vivo. Liposomal-incorporated SJA-95 (Lip SJA-95), prepared using the proliposome method, was found to exhibit a higher LD₅₀ value in mice, and the relative toxicity was about 2.5 times lower than that of the free drug. Lip SJA-95 treatment in experimental mice model of Candidiasis showed increased survival and reduced fungal loads in various organs. The pharmacokinetic profile of the free and liposomal drug was evaluated by administration of free and Lip SJA-95 intravenously to healthy albino rabbits in a crossover fashion. Lip SJA-95 showed an initial fall in plasma levels and longer half-life. The improved microbial clearance following treatment with Lip SJA-95 could be attributed partly to an increased tissue uptake, which was reflected in a marked increase in volume of distribution (V_d) and longer half-life (T_1/2). The present results clearly indicated that Lip SJA-95 treatment led to prolonged survival time, effective microbiological clearance, and reduced toxicity in the mice model of Candidiasis.