Effects of Different Tissue Microenvironments on Gene Expression in Breast Cancer Cells

In metastasis, circulating tumor cells penetrate the walls of blood vessels and enter the metastatic target tissue, thereby becoming exposed to novel and relatively unsupportive microenvironments. In the new microenvironments, the tumor cells often remain in a dormant state indefinitely and must adapt before they are able to successfully colonize the tissue. Very little is known about this adaptive process. We studied temporal changes in gene expression when breast cancer cells adapt to survive and grow on brain, bone marrow, and lung tissue maintained in an in vivo culture system, as models of the metastatic colonization of these tissues. We observed the transient activation of genes typically associated with homeostasis and stress during the initial stages of adaptation, followed by the activation of genes that mediate more advanced functions, such as elaboration of cell morphology and cell division, as the cells adapted to thrive in the host tissue microenvironment. We also observed the temporary induction of genes characteristic of the host tissue, which was particularly evident when tumor cells were grown on brain tissue. These early transient gene expression events suggest potential points of therapeutic intervention that are not evident in data from well-established tumors.     

A Comparison of Collection Techniques for Gene Expression Analysis of Human Oral Taste Tissue

Variability in human taste perception is associated with both genetic and environmental factors. The influence of taste receptor expression on this variability is unknown, in part, due to the difficulty in obtaining human oral tissue that enables quantitative expression measures of taste genes. In a comparison of six current techniques (Oragene RNeasy Kit, Isohelix swab, Livibrush cytobrush, tongue saliva, cheek saliva collection, and fungiform papillae biopsy), we identify the fungiform papillae biopsy is the optimal sampling technique to analyse human taste gene expression. The fungiform papillae biopsy resulted in the highest RNA integrity, enabling amplification of all the assessed taste receptor genes (TAS1R1, TAS1R2, TAS1R3, SCNN1A and CD36) and taste tissue marker genes (NCAM1, GNAT3 and PLCβ2). Furthermore, quantitative expression was observed in a subset of taste genes assessed from the saliva collection techniques (cheek saliva, tongue saliva and Oragene RNA kit). These saliva collection techniques may be useful as a non-invasive alternative sampling technique to the fungiform papillae biopsy. Identification of the fungiform papillae biopsy as the optimal collection method will facilitate further research into understanding the effect of gene expression on variability in human taste perception.     

Effects of Nitrate and Ammonium on Gene Expression of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxylase and Nitrogen Metabolism in Maize Leaf Tissue during Recovery from Nitrogen Stress

We previously showed that the selective accumulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) in photosynthetically maturing maize (Zea mays L.) leaf cells induced by nitrate supply to nitrogen-starved plants was primarily a consequence of the level of its mRNA (B Sugiharto, K Miyata, H Nakamoto, H Sasakawa, T Sugiyama [1990] Plant Physiol 92: 963-969). To determine the specificity of inorganic nitrogen sources for the regulation of PEPC gene expression, nitrate (16 millimolar) or ammonium (6 millimolar) was supplied to plants grown previously in low nitrate (0.8 millimolar), and changes in the level of PEPC and its mRNA were measured in the basal region of the youngest, fully developed leaves of plants during recovery from nitrogen stress. The exogenous supply of nitrogen selectively increased the levels of protein and mRNA for PEPC. This increase was more pronounced in plants supplemented with ammonium than with nitrate. The accumulation of PEPC during nitrogen recovery increased in parallel with the increase in the activity of glutamine synthetase and/or ferredoxin-dependent glutamate synthase. Among the major amino acids, glutamine was the most influenced during recovery, and its level increased in parallel with the steady-state level of PEPC mRNA for 7 hours after nitrogen supply. The administration of glutamine (12 millimolar) to nitrogen-starved plants increased the steady-state level of PEPC mRNA 7 hours after administration, whereas 12 millimolar glutamate decreased the level of PEPC mRNA. The results indicate that glutamine and/or its metabolite(s) can be a positive control on the nitrogen-dependent regulation of PEPC gene expression in maize leaf cells.     

Expression of Potato Virus Y Coat Protein Gene in Transgenic Potato

Potato virus Y (PVY) N coat protein (CP) coding sequence was cloned into a plant expression vector pMON316 under the CaMV 35S promoter. Leaf discs of potato (Solanum tuberosum) were used to Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer. A large number of regenerated putative transgenic plants were obtained based on kanamycin resistance. Using total DNA purified from transgenic plants as templates and two oligonucleotides synthesized from 5' and 3' of the PVY coat protein gene as primers, the authors carried out polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to check the presence of this gene and obtained a 0. 8 kb specific DNA fragment after 35 cycles of amplification. Southern blot indicated that the PCR product was indeed PVY CP gene which had been integrated into the potato genome. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of our transgenic plants showed that CP gene was expressed in at least some transgenic potato plants.     

植物叶片衰老过程中的基因表达与调控

衰老是一种器官或组织逐步走向功能衰退和死亡的变化过程〔１〕。它除了代表器官或组织生命周期的终结之外,在发育生物学上也有着重要的意义。叶片的衰老是植物的一个重要发育阶段。在这段时期内,植物在成熟叶片内积累的物质,包括大量的氮、碳有机化合物和矿物质,将被分解并运送至植物其它生长旺盛的部分,其中大部分被转移到种子内,为下一代的生长做好准备〔１１〕。对于产生种子的作物,包括绝大多数农作物,这种转移使营养重新分配,对植株保持正常的生长发育与繁殖是十分必要的〔３〕。衰老过程中,叶片细胞在组成成分上有很大的变…     

Diagnostic Necropsy and Selected Tissue and Sample Collection in Rats and Mice

There are multiple sample types that may be collected from a euthanized animal in order to help diagnose or discover infectious agents in an animal colony. Proper collection of tissues for further histological processing can impact the quality of testing results. This article describes the conduct of a basic gross examination including identification of heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, and spleen, as well as how to collect those organs. Additionally four of the more difficult tissue/sample collection techniques are demonstrated. Lung collection and perfusion can be particularly challenging as the tissue needs to be properly inflated with a fixative in order for inside of the tissue to fix properly and to enable thorough histologic evaluation. This article demonstrates the step by step technique to remove the lung and inflate it with fixative in order to achieve optimal fixation of the tissue within 24 hours. Brain collection can be similarly challenging as the tissue is soft and easily damaged. This article demonstrates the step by step technique to expose and remove the brain from the skull with minimal damage to the tissue. The mesenteric lymph node is a good sample type in which to detect many common infectious agents as enteric viruses persist longer in the lymph node than they are shed in feces. This article demonstrates the step by step procedure for locating and aseptically removing the mesenteric lymph node. Finally, identification of infectious agents of the respiratory tract may be performed by bacterial culture or PCR testing of nasal and/or bronchial fluid aspirates taken at necropsy. This procedure describes obtaining and preparing the respiratory aspirate sample for bacterial culture and PCR testing.Download video file.^{(56M, mov)}     

水菠菜叶乙醇提取物对MG-63骨质疏松相关基因表达的影响

为探讨水菠菜叶乙醇提取物与抗骨质疏松作用的关系及其作用机制,用水菠菜叶乙醇提取物处理人成骨样细胞MG-63 48 h后,提取水菠菜叶乙醇提取处理组和对照组细胞的总RNA,将两组RNA纯化为mRNA,逆转录成cDNA,用Cy3和Cy5两种不同的荧光染料进行线性扩增标记,然后与骨质疏松相关基因表达谱芯片杂交,扫描后对获得的数据用LuxScan 3.0软件分析.研究发现经水菠菜叶乙醇提取物诱导后MG-63细胞的244个骨质疏松相关基因中,有c-Fos、JNK、ODF、c-src、OSCAR、RANKL、Samd4、Samd6、Samd7 9个基因表达明显上调,LRP5、Dkk1、TGFB、OPG 4个基因明显下调.结果表明水菠菜叶乙醇提取物能改变骨质疏松相关基因的表达,抗骨质疏松作用机制可能与Wnt/β-catenin蛋白信号传导途径和骨保护素/核因子受体激活信号传导途径有关,与雌激素内分泌途径无关.     

低碘膳食对大鼠脑组织中同源盒基因NKX－2.2表达的影响

目的：探讨低碘膳食对大鼠脑组织同源盒基因Nkx－2.2表达的影响,揭示低碘导致脑发育迟滞的可能分子作用机制。方法：雌性Wistar大鼠随机分为2组：低碘组和正常对照组,均饲以低碘饲料,分别饮用去离子水和碘酸钾溶液,3个月后分别取材于孕16天、新生及20日鼠龄低碘及正常仔鼠,实时荧光定量PCR检测其脑组织中Nkx－2.2 mRNA含量。结果：低碘组血清甲状腺激素水平明显低于对照组(P＜0.05或P＜0.01）,建立缺碘Wistar大鼠动物模型。低碘及正常各年龄组的表达水平随着年龄增加表达趋势不一致,但均有明显差别（F=573.68、120.82, P<0.01)。各年龄组低碘及正常大鼠比较,孕16天正常鼠Nkx－2.2表达水平明显高于低碘鼠(t=6.86, P<0.01),而新生及20日龄低碘鼠Nkx－2.2表达水平明显高于正常鼠(t=15.85、10.61, P<0.01)。结论：同源盒基因Nkx－2.2表达差异与低碘导致脑发育迟滞密切相关。