Rapamycin Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Relationships in Osteosarcoma: A Comparative Oncology Study in Dogs

Background

Signaling through the mTOR pathway contributes to growth, progression and chemoresistance of several cancers. Accordingly, inhibitors have been developed as potentially valuable therapeutics. Their optimal development requires consideration of dose, regimen, biomarkers and a rationale for their use in combination with other agents. Using the infrastructure of the Comparative Oncology Trials Consortium many of these complex questions were asked within a relevant population of dogs with osteosarcoma to inform the development of mTOR inhibitors for future use in pediatric osteosarcoma patients.

Methodology/Principal Findings

This prospective dose escalation study of a parenteral formulation of rapamycin sought to define a safe, pharmacokinetically relevant, and pharmacodynamically active dose of rapamycin in dogs with appendicular osteosarcoma. Dogs entered into dose cohorts consisting of 3 dogs/cohort. Dogs underwent a pre-treatment tumor biopsy and collection of baseline PBMC. Dogs received a single intramuscular dose of rapamycin and underwent 48-hour whole blood pharmacokinetic sampling. Additionally, daily intramuscular doses of rapamycin were administered for 7 days with blood rapamycin trough levels collected on Day 8, 9 and 15. At Day 8 post-treatment collection of tumor and PBMC were obtained. No maximally tolerated dose of rapamycin was attained through escalation to the maximal planned dose of 0.08 mg/kg (2.5 mg/30kg dog). Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed a dose-dependent exposure. In all cohorts modulation of the mTOR pathway in tumor and PBMC (pS6RP/S6RP) was demonstrated. No change in pAKT/AKT was seen in tumor samples following rapamycin therapy.

Conclusions/Significance

Rapamycin may be safely administered to dogs and can yield therapeutic exposures. Modulation pS6RP/S6RP in tumor tissue and PBMCs was not dependent on dose. Results from this study confirm that the dog may be included in the translational development of rapamycin and potentially other mTOR inhibitors. Ongoing studies of rapamycin in dogs will define optimal schedules for their use in cancer and evaluate the role of rapamycin use in the setting of minimal residual disease.     

生物血管异种移植的初步研究

目的为了寻求一种新的小口径血管代用品,建立异种移植的动物实验模型,以观察异种移植物的安全性、可靠性、通畅性及组织学改变。方法共采用17只杂种雌性犬,实验组10只,植入经环氧化物处理的猪血管移植物;对照组7只,植入人造血管。手术方法为右侧股动静脉瘘。术后通过超声和血管造影方法来观察移植血管的通畅性,并在术后3月将移植物取出,进行病理学检查,观察移植前后移植物的组织学改变。结果术后第一周、二周行Doppler超声检查结果,两组动静脉瘘均通畅,2周内血管通畅率为100%。术后3个月动脉造影检查后,生物血管组(PG)通畅5只,通畅率62.5%,e-PTFE组通畅4只,通畅率66.7%。两组数据统计学处理,差异无显著性(P>0.05)。术后3月对移植物取材,进行光镜及扫描电镜病理学检查,通畅的生物血管吻合口无狭窄,吻合部位有新的内膜覆盖,周围组织无钙化,有新生的内皮细胞覆盖。结论经环氧化物处理的猪的血管移植物(PG)生物血管作为异种移植物,生物相容性好,具有一定的可行性。     

DC-SIGN蛋白在家蚕系统中的表达及生物活性研究

目的：构建人DC-SIGN基因片段的家蚕表达系统,进行目的产物表达、鉴定及生物活性分析。方法：从体外刺激分化的DC细胞中克隆出DC-SIGN cDNA,在家蚕表达载体pBacPAK8的BamHⅠ和EcoRⅠ位点构建成重组质粒pBacPAK8-DC-SIGN,与线性化的Bm-BacPAK6病毒基因组DNA共转染家蚕细胞,空斑筛选得到重组病毒Bm-BacPAK-DC-SIGN,重组病毒感染家蚕细胞BmN,Western blot检测表达产物;HIV-1包膜糖蛋白gp120与表达产物孵育检测其生物活性。结果：构建了稳定表达人DC-SIGN蛋白片段的家蚕杆状病毒表达系统;成功表达了DC-SIGN蛋白片段,且能特异性地与HIV-1包膜糖蛋白gp120结合。结论：成功地在家蚕杆状病毒表达系统中表达了人DC-SIGN蛋白片段,具有天然DC-SIGN蛋白样的生物活性,为其抗体制备及AIDS防治药物的研发奠定了基础。     

人乳腺癌MDA-MB-231细胞裸鼠移植瘤模型的建立及生物学特性研究

目的-建立人乳腺癌MDA-MB-231细胞株裸小鼠模型,研究其生物学特性,观察MDA-MB-231乳腺癌细胞在移植前后的形态学变化。方法-将人乳腺癌细胞MDA-MB-231接种于裸鼠腋窝处皮下,每3天测量肿瘤大小,第30天处死小鼠。肿瘤组织及相关脏器送病理切片。皮下肿瘤组织细胞及细胞株培养HE染色。结果-肿瘤生长较快,成功率为72%,病理检查符合人乳腺癌细胞特征。肿瘤组织细胞及培养细胞形态学未见显著差异。结论-人乳腺癌细胞株MDA-MB-231裸小鼠模型建立方法较简便,细胞形态无明显差异,且保持了人乳腺癌的生物学特性。     

垂体腺苷酸环化酶激活肽基因的合成表达与活性研究

根据文献报道垂体腺苷酸环化酶激活肽(pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide, PACAP)的氨基酸序列,推导出其核苷酸序列并设计成部分互补的6条寡核苷酸片段,利用DNA合成仪人工合成、纯化这6条寡核苷酸片段,通过片段退火、连接、克隆及测序鉴定获得了PACAP基因.将PACAP基因克隆至pGEX-4T-3质粒中转化BL21进行表达分析,融合蛋白约占细胞总蛋白的30％,其中部分为可溶性,部分以包涵体形式存在.通过亲和层析纯化GST-PACAP融合蛋白,该蛋白质能促进PC12细胞轴突生长及脊髓神经元存活.     

垂体腺苷酸环化酶激活肽基因的合成表达与活性研究

根据文献报道垂体腺苷酸环化酶激活肽(pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide, PACAP)的氨基酸序列,推导出其核苷酸序列并设计成部分互补的6条寡核苷酸片段,利用DNA合成仪人工合成、纯化这6条寡核苷酸片段,通过片段退火、连接、克隆及测序鉴定获得了PACAP基因.将PACAP基因克隆至pGEX-4T-3质粒中转化BL21进行表达分析,融合蛋白约占细胞总蛋白的30％,其中部分为可溶性,部分以包涵体形式存在.通过亲和层析纯化GST-PACAP融合蛋白,该蛋白质能促进PC12细胞轴突生长及脊髓神经元存活.     

重组人GIP衍生物的克隆、表达、纯化及活性研究

葡萄糖依赖性促胰岛素释放肽(glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide,GIP)具有促胰岛素分泌的作用,但因体内半衰期短而限制了其应用。对二肽酶4(dipeptidase IV,DPP IV)识别位点等氨基酸进行改造可有效延长其半衰期。通过人工合成基因或PCR定点突变的方法合成GIP不同突变体基因,将其克隆到大肠杆菌表达载体pET32a(+)中进行诱导表达,通过亲和层析,纯化获得各对应的多肽。经肠激酶酶切后,分别在昆明鼠及糖尿病模型鼠体内研究其生物活性。结果显示突变体mGIP243在昆明鼠体内具有显著的降血糖活性,当给药剂量为48nmol/kg时,其体内降血糖活性可延长至90分钟,相对于将第二位上的丙氨酸突变成丝氨酸的mGIP2和天然GIP半衰期显著延长。GIP类似物mGIP243在2型糖尿病模型鼠中也有降血糖活性,使其可能成为治疗糖尿病的候选药物。     

Convergent Synthesis of the Rat Galanin and Study of Its Biological Activity

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry - The full-length rat galanin (GWTLNSAGYLLGPHAIDNHRSFSDKHGLT-NH2, G29) was prepared by the solid phase peptide synthesis using the Fmoc-strategy. The peptide...     

重组人KGF制备工艺和活性检测方法的建立

目的:在毕赤酵母中实现了KGF的高效表达,并初步建立了生物学活性检测方法.方法:合成5'端缺失69个核苷酸的KGF基因序列,克隆入pPIC9并转化毕赤酵母菌株GS115中,经诱导表达.发酵液上清采用脱盐层析和阳离子交换层析进行分离纯化.利用貂肺上皮细胞(Mv-1-Lu)检测其生物学活性.结果:表达水平达到了110mg/L发酵液;表达产物经一步离子交换层析就能得到有效分离,总收率在50mg/L发酵液以上;纯化的rhKGF生物学活性与KepivanceTM相当.结论:rhKGF制备工艺和检测方法的建立将为该因子的规模化生产和进一步的临床应用提供良好基础.     

HEPIS的表达谱及其在直肠癌中的表达分析

HEPIS是一个新基因,关于HEPIS的表达和功能尚不十分清楚.本研究首先构建了HEPIS的表达载体pEGFP-C3-HEPIS,采用双荧光素酶报告实验检测了 HEPIS对Wnt、CRE、NF-KB和HRE信号通路的作用,随后采用RNA原位杂交(RISH)检测了 HEPIS在12种不同器官(乳腺,结肠,食道,肾,肝,肺,卵巢,胰腺,前列腺,直肠,胃和宫颈)的癌组织和正常组织的表达差异,并且检测了 HEPIS在40例直肠腺癌和直肠正常组织的表达.研究表明,在293T细胞转染pEGFP-C3-HEPIS后,无论是转录水平还是翻译水平,HEPIS均显著增加,且HEPIS可以显著抑制Wnt、CRE和NF-KB 3条信号通路,对NF-κB信号通路的抑制最为显著.RNA原位杂交实验证实HEPIS在12个器官的癌组织和正常组织中表达存在明显的表达差异.采用GEPIA对HEPIS在直肠癌及正常组织的表达差异进行了分析,结果表明HEPIS在正常直肠组织高表达,进一步采用RISH分析了 HEPIS在40例直肠癌和癌旁组织的表达差异,分析表明HEPIS在正常直肠组织的表达显著高于癌组织(P＜0.01),与GEPIA分析结果一致,说明HEPIS可能是直肠癌的一个潜在抑癌基因.     

Synthesis and Comparative Study of Anti-Adenoviral Activity of 6-Azacytidine and Its Analogues

This paper presents the results of synthesis and study of cytotoxicity and the anti-adenoviral activity of new N4-derivatives of 6-azacytidine and its α-L-glycopyranosyl analogues obtained by the simplified one-pot version of the silyl condensation method. The resulting acylated 4-methylmercapto-1,2,4-triazin-3(2Н)-one glycosides then underwent the amination and/or ammonolysis to provide 6-azacytidine glycoside analogues (2–6, 12, 15, 17) and compounds with modifications at both base and sugar fragments (11, 15). The evaluation of cytotoxicity and antiviral activity of new compounds against AdV5 showed high selectivity indexes for N4-methyl-6-azacytidine (2) and N,O-tetraacetyl-6-azacytidine (8). High anti-adenoviral activity of N4-methyl-6-azacytidine as well as very low cytotoxicity may suggest its further investigation as potential compound for the therapy of AdV infection.     

协同伴侣分子CHIP的E3连接酶活性及其生物学意义

CHIP(carboxy terminus of Hsc70 interacting protein)是一种新发现的具有泛素化连接酶活性的协同分子伴侣,它N端有TPR(the tetratricopeptide repeat)结构,可以和分子伴侣结合,C端有U-box结构,具有E3酶功能.CHIP可以介导一系列重要蛋白质的泛素化降解,从而维持细胞内蛋白质的质量.现就CHIP的结构和功能、CHIP的底物特征、CHIP的生物学作用以及CHIP在疾病发生中的可能作用做一综述.     

狂犬病病毒重组免疫毒素的表达及其生物活性鉴定

将狂犬病病毒中和性单链抗体基因克隆入原核表达载体pET-PE40,经酶切鉴定及序列测定,成功构建了重组免疫毒素原核表达载体。IPTG诱导后目的蛋白获得高效表达,SDS-PAGE分析目的蛋白主要以不溶性包涵体的形式存在于菌体中,表达量占菌体总蛋白的32.29％。包涵体蛋白经体外复性及离子交换色谱柱、疏水作用色谱柱、Sephadex G200凝胶过滤层析柱三步纯化后获得纯度大于96％的目的蛋白,间接免疫荧光染色检测表明重组免疫毒素与狂犬病病毒感染细胞具有抗原结合活性,MTT试验显示,重组免疫毒素对狂犬病病毒感染细胞具有明显的杀伤作用,而对正常细胞无杀伤作用。     

人酪酪肽及其衍生物的克隆、表达及活性测定

酪酪肽(peptide tyrosine tyrosine, PYY)是存在于机体肠道的肽类激素,有 PYY_1-36和PYY_3-36两种形式,后者可以降低个体食欲并减少食物摄入。分别通过人工合成基因和PCR定点突变的方法,得到PYY_3-36衍生物PYY_3-36-Gly³⁷及PYY_3-36的基因,然后克隆到pET32a(+)表达载体中,转化大肠杆菌并进行诱导表达。通过亲和层析得到融合蛋白,经肠激酶酶切和二次亲和层析得到目的多肽。在昆明鼠体内检测二者生物活性,结果显示剂量为800μg/kg时PYY_3-36及PYY_3-36-Gly³⁷均可抑制昆明鼠的摄食,且抑制作用可达9h,而PYY_3-36-Gly³⁷组的平均抑制率可达50%,明显高于PYY_3-36。     

Zonation of Ribosomal DNA Transcription Defines a Stem Cell Hierarchy in Colorectal Cancer

1. Download : Download high-res image (212KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Seasonal Rhythms of Neuronal Activity in the Human Biological Clock: A Mathematical Model

The mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is implicated in the temporal organization of circadian and seasonal processes. Photic information may have a synchronizing effect on the endogenous clock of the SCN by inducing periodic changes in the functional activity of specific groups of neurons. The present study was performed to analyze the annual profiles of the arginine vasopressin (AVP)- and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-producing neurons in the human SCN. The populations of AVP- and VIP-expressing neurons in the SCN showed marked annual rhythms with an asymmetrical, bimodal waveform. Time series analysis indicated that these annual cycles in peptidergic activity could be described by a statistical model consisting of multiple-harmonic regression and ARMA components. The annual AVP cycle was adequately described by a two-harmonic model and a third-order autoregressive noise component, whereas the properties of the VIP cycle were best characterized by a two-harmonic model and a first-order autoregressive noise component. The models of both annual cycles reached a maximum in September–October and a minimum in May–June, and their estimated amplitudes, relative to the annual mean, were similar in size. These findings indicate that the biosynthesis of vasopressin and VIP in the human SCN exhibits an annual rhythmicity, and that the temporal organization of these processes is mainly controlled by environmental lighting conditions.     

Seasonal Rhythms of Neuronal Activity in the Human Biological Clock: A Mathematical Model

The mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is implicated in the temporal organization of circadian and seasonal processes. Photic information may have a synchronizing effect on the endogenous clock of the SCN by inducing periodic changes in the functional activity of specific groups of neurons. The present study was performed to analyze the annual profiles of the arginine vasopressin (AVP)- and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-producing neurons in the human SCN. The populations of AVP- and VIP-expressing neurons in the SCN showed marked annual rhythms with an asymmetrical, bimodal waveform. Time series analysis indicated that these annual cycles in peptidergic activity could be described by a statistical model consisting of multiple-harmonic regression and ARMA components. The annual AVP cycle was adequately described by a two-harmonic model and a third-order autoregressive noise component, whereas the properties of the VIP cycle were best characterized by a two-harmonic model and a first-order autoregressive noise component. The models of both annual cycles reached a maximum in September-October and a minimum in May-June, and their estimated amplitudes, relative to the annual mean, were similar in size. These findings indicate that the biosynthesis of vasopressin and VIP in the human SCN exhibits an annual rhythmicity, and that the temporal organization of these processes is mainly controlled by environmental lighting conditions.     

亲环素A生物学活性研究进展

亲环素A（cyclophylin A,CypA）是一种多功能且保守的蛋白质,广泛分布在植物、动物和微生物等生物体内,CypA蛋白是第一个被发现的免疫抑制剂环孢霉素A在细胞内的亲环素受体蛋白。CypA在蛋白折叠、免疫抑制、炎症、病毒感染和细胞凋亡等方面的功能,以及植物亲环素功能的研究进展,可为进一步开发利用CypA提供理论依据。