血管内皮细胞生长因子及其受体在IgA肾病患者肾组织中表达的研究

目的　检测 2 4例不同病理改变的IgA肾病患者肾组织中血管内皮细胞生长因子 (Vascularendothelialgrowthfactor,VEGF)及其受体VEGF R2 (flk 1)和Ⅳ型胶原的表达 ,并将其表达水平与临床病理改变进行相关分析。方法　应用免疫组织化学SP法。结果　VEGF主要表达于肾小球脏层上皮细胞 ,flk 1主要表达于肾小球和间质血管内皮细胞。肾小球内VEGF和flk 1表达呈正相关 (P <0 0 5 ) ,两者在中度病变组肾小球内表达最多 ,重度病变组表达最少 (P <0 0 5 )。随病理改变程度加重 ,患者 2 4h尿蛋白定量、血压、血肌酐水平均明显增高 (P <0 0 5 )。肾小球内VEGF表达在轻、中度病变组与尿蛋白水平呈正相关 (P <0 0 5 ) ;在重度病变组则无相关性 ,与患者血压、血肌酐水平也无明显相关性 (P >0 0 5 )。肾小球内Ⅳ型胶原随病变加重表达增多 ,在重度病变组表达最多 (P <0 0 1) ;在轻、中度病变组肾小球内VEGF表达与Ⅳ型胶原的表达呈正相关 (P <0 0 5 )。各组肾小球内VEGF表达与肾小球微血管密度呈正相关 (P <0 0 1) ,重度病变组肾小球微血管密度减少 (P <0 0 5 )。结论　这些结果说明VEGF在IgA肾病的病理进展过程中发挥重要作用 ,可能涉及内皮细胞通透性增强、细胞外基质合成增多、血管生成障碍等多种机制     

血管内皮细胞生长因子研究进展

从不同侧面阐述了血管内皮细胞生长因子（VEGF）在新生血管形成中的作用.VEGF诱导新生血管形成,具有血管渗透性,是新生血管形成的主要调控者之一.VEGF mRNA不同剪接,形成5种VEGF变异体(isoform)即VEGF121-206.VEGF诱导新生血管的调控过程、拮抗VEGF成为大家竞相研究的领域.     

趋化因子及其受体对血管内皮细胞的作用

趋化因子是机体内一类重要的生物活性物质,参与多种生理病理活动的调控。趋化因子可通过对血管内皮细胞的趋化作用,引起血管内皮细胞增殖、迁移、毛细血管形成而促进血管生成;部分趋化因子可通过凋亡和抑制多种促血管生成因子的活性而发挥抑制血管生成的作用。现将趋化因子及其受体对血管内皮细胞的作用进行综述。     

血管内皮细胞的结构和功能

血管内皮细胞是一个多功能细胞。本文重点介绍血管内皮细胞的形态结构、生理功能及在抗血栓中的作用。     

AIBP基因表达下调促进心肌微血管内皮细胞血管新生

目的:探讨阻断载脂蛋白A-I结合蛋白(AIBP)的表达后对心肌微血管内皮细胞(CMECs)血管新生的作用。方法:消化法分离SD大鼠CMECs,通过慢病毒介导的siRNA转染CMECs下调AIBP基因表达,并设立空白对照组及阴性转染组。RT-PCR法检测AIBP基因的表达;CCK-8比色法检测细胞增殖;Transwell小室评价细胞迁移能力;成管实验评价血管新生能力。结果:RT-PCR结果显示,与空白对照组及阴性转染组相比,转染组CMECs中AIBP表达显著降低(P0.01);CCK-8结果显示,与空白对照组及阴性转染组相比,转染组CMECs增值水平显著增高(P0.01);Transwell法结果显示,与空白对照组及阴性转染组相比,转染组CMECs迁移能力显著增高(P0.01);成管实验显示,与空白对照组及阴性转染组相比,转染组CMECs成管能力显著增高(P0.01)。结论:抑制AIBP表达可以明显促进CMECs增殖,促进其迁移和成管。     

血管内皮细胞的激活

血管内皮细胞被多种炎症介质激活后,主要表现为３个方面的变化：（１）细胞收缩变圆,细胞连续间出现裂隙,内皮层通透性增高;（２）细胞膜表面表达一些新的蛋白质抗原,如主要组织相容性抗原和多种细胞粘附分子,影响炎症、免疫和肿瘤转移过程;（３）细胞合成分泌对凝血、纤溶系统和血管张力有调节作用的活性因子以及多种炎症介质,影响机体内环境的稳定,参与某些疾病的发病过程。     

CXCL8和CXCR2在血管内皮细胞趋化外周血循环纤维细胞中的作用

目的:周皮细胞的分化在血管新生过程中具有重要作用,没有周皮细胞及其分泌组建的基底膜的支撑,毛细血管就没有正常的功能.作者以前的工作证明周皮细胞可能来源于外周血循环纤维细胞(PBFC),但血管内皮细胞如何趋化PBFC还不清楚.本实验重点观察CXCL8及其受体CXCR2在血管内皮细胞趋化PBFC中的作用.方法:分离纯化人PBFC后与人微血管内皮细胞(HDMEC)共培养,观察共培养条件下PBFC的形态学改变,并检测PBFC细胞内CXCR2 mRNA表达和HDMEC内CXCL8mRNA的表达.结果:与HDMEC共培养后,PBFC由梭形向菱形改变;HDMEC内的CXCL8 mRNA水平与PBFC共培养24小时后增高约10倍,培养后48小时仍维持在高水平;PBFC内的CXCR2 mRNA水平在共培养后24小时增高约3倍,且在培养后24小时仍维持在较高水平.结论:CXCL8/CXCR2可能参与了血管内皮细胞趋化PBFC的过程.     

血管内皮细胞的生物学功能

本文概述了近年来国内外对血管内皮细胞生物学功能的最新认识,指出血管内皮细胞除作为血液和组织间物质转运的屏障外,最主要的功能是使循环血液保持流动状态,防止血栓形成,文章同时强调了血管内皮细胞在生物学、医学研究领域中所起的重要作用。     

微重力对血管及血管内皮细胞的影响

血管系统功能紊乱是微重力诱导立位耐力不良发生的重要因素之一。血管内皮细胞是覆盖在血管内壁上组成血管管腔面的一层单层细胞,是血管壁的重要组成部分,并且在血管功能调控中起到渗透屏障、调节舒缩等重要作用。近年研究发现,微重力可对不同部位的血管系统和血管内皮细胞产生不同的影响,比如可使脑动脉缩血管反应性增加、舒血管反应性下降,颈动脉和腹主动脉缩血管和舒血管反应性下降,肺动脉缩血管反应性下降、舒血管反应性增加,肠系膜动静脉和下肢动脉缩血管反应性下降。另外,微重力可促进大血管来源的内皮细胞生长,但抑制微血管来源的内皮细胞的生长。本文就微重力对血管及血管内皮细胞影响的研究进展作一概述。     

Collagen fibrillogenesis in a three-dimensional fibroblast cell culture system

The purpose of this study was to follow collagen fibril formation in a newly developed three dimensional cell culture system. Human neonatal foreskin fibroblasts were grown on a nylon mesh in Dulbecco's Modified Eagles Medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum and antibiotics. Fibrillogenesis was initiated by the addition of 50 micrograms/ml ascorbate to confluent cultures. Sample meshes were processed for electron microscopy or immuno-electron microscopy. Fibrils 20–30 nm in diameter, with 67 nm periodicity, were first detected five days after the addition of ascorbate. As cultures progressed, cells organized into parallel layers between which collagen fibers continued to form and increase in diameter. By day 50, fiber diameter ranged from 30 to 80 nm and large bundles were seen. No collagen fibril formation occurred in control cultures to which no ascorbate was added. However, large amounts of microfibrils were observed. Antibodies against the aminopropeptide of type I procollagen were found to bind to fibrils with diameters less than 34 nm while antibodies against the aminopropeptide of type III collagen bound primarily to fibers which ranged from 35–54 nm in diameter. We believe that this system, which morphologically resembles a normal dermis, will werve as an excellent model for the study of collagen fibrillogenesis.     

A simplified technique for the short-term tissue culture of rabbit corneal cells

Summary A technique for the short-term culture of pure populations of rabbit corneal endothelial and epithelial cells has been developed. Rabbit corneas were placed on concave agarose surfaces, treated briefly with a solution of trypsin and ethylenediamine tetracetic acid, and transferred, either epithelial cell surface or endothelial cell surface down, to microscope slide culture chambers. Within 6 to 12 h the epithelial cells or endothelial cells attached to the slide chamber surface and the cornea was removed, leaving behind a pure population of cells which spread out and grew to fill the surface of the slide chamber. This technique provides a simple and economic means for the reproducible initiation of primary cultures of rabbit corneal epithelial and endothelial cells for us in a variety of experiments. This study was supported in part by Public Health Service grants EY03150, EY02580, and EY02377 from the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, and a Foreign Fellowship (Dr. Xie) from Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., New York, NY.     

Biology of glomerular cells in culture

The glomerulus is a complex structure including four cell types, namely mesangial, visceral epithelial, parietal epithelial and endothelial cells. Mesangial cells resemble smooth muscle cells and play a major role in the synthesis of the components of the glomerular basement membrane and in the vasoreactivity of the glomerular tuft. In particular, they express receptors for angiotensin II which mediate mesangial cell contraction, this effect resulting in the decrease of the filtration area. They are also the site of synthesis of a variety of inflammatory agents which are involved in the development of glomerular injury in glomerulonephritis. Visceral epithelial cells, also referred to a podocytes, also participate in the synthesis of the normal constituents of the glomerular basement membrane. They express receptors for atrial natriuretic factor and possess on their surface a number of ectoenzymes. They also, in concert with mesangial cells, release metalloproteases which contribute to the degradation of the extracellular matrix. Parietal epithelial cells have been little studied. They represent the main constituent of the crescents observed in extracapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis. Endothelial cells secrete vasodilatory agents such as nitric oxide and prostacyclin and vasoconstrictor agents such as endothelin which act on the adjacent mesangial cells. New methods of culture of glomerular cells are in progress. Their aim is to keep as long as possible the physiological phenotype of these cells. Another progress is the availability of stable transformed cell lines which represent an abundant source of material for biochemical studies.     

Simplified three-dimensional culture system for long-term expansion of embryonic stem cells

AIM: To devise a simplified and efficient method for long-term culture and maintenance of embryonic stem cells requiring less frequent passaging.METHODS: Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) labeled with enhanced yellow fluorescent protein were cultured in three-dimensional (3-D) self-assembling scaffolds and compared with traditional two-dimentional (2-D) culture techniques requiring mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder layers or leukemia inhibitory factor. 3-D scaffolds encapsulating ESCs were prepared by mixing ESCs with polyethylene glycol tetra-acrylate (PEG-4-Acr) and thiol-functionalized dextran (Dex-SH). Distribution of ESCs in 3-D was monitored by confocal microscopy. Viability and proliferation of encapsulated cells during long-term culture were determined by propidium iodide as well as direct cell counts and PrestoBlue (PB) assays. Genetic expression of pluripotency markers (Oct4, Nanog, Klf4, and Sox2) in ESCs grown under 2-D and 3-D culture conditions was examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Protein expression of selected stemness markers was determined by two different methods, immunofluorescence staining (Oct4 and Nanog) and western blot analysis (Oct4, Nanog, and Klf4). Pluripotency of 3-D scaffold grown ESCs was analyzed by in vivo teratoma assay and in vitro differentiation via embryoid bodies into cells of all three germ layers.RESULTS: Self-assembling scaffolds encapsulating ESCs for 3-D culture without the loss of cell viability were prepared by mixing PEG-4-Acr and Dex-SH (1:1 v/v) to a final concentration of 5% (w/v). Scaffold integrity was dependent on the degree of thiol substitution of Dex-SH and cell concentration. Scaffolds prepared using Dex-SH with 7.5% and 33% thiol substitution and incubated in culture medium maintained their integrity for 11 and 13 d without cells and 22 ± 5 d and 37 ± 5 d with cells, respectively. ESCs formed compact colonies, which progressively increased in size over time due to cell proliferation as determined by confocal microscopy and PB staining. 3-D scaffold cultured ESCs expressed significantly higher levels (P < 0.01) of Oct4, Nanog, and Kl4, showing a 2.8, 3.0 and 1.8 fold increase, respectively, in comparison to 2-D grown cells. A similar increase in the protein expression levels of Oct4, Nanog, and Klf4 was observed in 3-D grown ESCs. However, when 3-D cultured ESCs were subsequently passaged in 2-D culture conditions, the level of these pluripotent markers was reduced to normal levels. 3-D grown ESCs produced teratomas and yielded cells of all three germ layers, expressing brachyury (mesoderm), NCAM (ectoderm), and GATA4 (endoderm) markers. Furthermore, these cells differentiated into osteogenic, chondrogenic, myogenic, and neural lineages expressing Col1, Col2, Myog, and Nestin, respectively.CONCLUSION: This novel 3-D culture system demonstrated long-term maintenance of mouse ESCs without the routine passaging and manipulation necessary for traditional 2-D cell propagation.     

Isolation of epithelial stem cells from dermis by a three-dimensional culture system

Skin is a representative self-renewing tissue containing stem cells. Although many attempts have been made to define and isolate skin-derived stem cells, establishment of a simple and reliable isolation procedure remains a goal to be achieved. Here, we report the isolation of cells having stem cell properties from mouse embryonic skin using a simple selection method based on an assumption that stem cells may grow in an anchorage-independent manner. We inoculated single cell suspensions prepared from mouse embryonic dermis into a temperature-sensitive gel and propagated the resulting colonies in a monolayer culture. The cells named dermis-derived epithelial progenitor-1 (DEEP) showed epithelial morphology and grew rapidly to a more than 200 population doubling level over a period of 250 days. When the cells were kept confluent, they spontaneously formed spheroids and continuously grew even in spheroids. Immunostaining revealed that all of the clones were positive for the expression of cytokeratin-8, -18, -19, and E-cadherin and negative for the expression of cytokeratin-1, -5, -6, -14, -20, vimentin, nestin, a ckit. Furthermore, they expressed epithelial stem cell markers such as p63, integrin beta1, and S100A6. On exposure to TGFbeta in culture, some of DEEP-1 cells expressed alpha-smooth muscle actin. When the cells were transplanted into various organs of adult SCID mice, a part of the inoculated cell population acquired neural, hepatic, and renal cell properties. These results indicate that the cells we isolated were of epithelial stem cell origin and that our new approach is useful for isolation of multipotent stem cells from skin tissues.     

Long-term proliferation of mouse thymic epithelial cells in culture

Summary Epithelial cells from the normal mouse thymus were successfully cultivated on tissue culture plastic when plated with lethally irradiated support cells of the LA7 rat mammary tumor line. As the irradiated LA7 cells slowly decreased in number the thymus cells proliferated concomitantly to form a confluent monolayer. The cells now in culture have been subcultured 8 times, have doubled in number at least 30 times, and are still proliferating vigorously. The culture technique also supported clonal growth from a single cell, and nine clones have been isolated. The colony-forming efficiency of thymic cells plated at low concentrations was about 8%. These cultures were never overgrown by fibroblasts. The thymus cells were characterized as epithelial by the presence of cytoplasmic keratin and numerous desmosomes and tonofilaments. They were shown to be mouse cells by immunocytochemistry with species specific antibodies, by isoenzyme analysis, and by karyology. The cells stained when reacted with antibodies to tubulin, vimentin, and actin, but not with antibodies to Thy-1.2, Lyt-1, Lyt-2, Ia, or H-2 proteins. More than 85% of the cells had a normal mouse diploid chromosome number of 40. This culture technique opens the way for future studies of T-cell education with homogeneous thymic epithelial cell populations both in vitro and after reimplantation into genetically defined strains of mice. This work was supported by the Veterans Administration, Washington, D.C.     

Role of serum and hormones during the growth and development of rat mammary tumor epithelial cells in collagen gel culture

Summary The characteristics of hormone-dependent rat mammary tumors in response to serum and hormones were determined in collagen gel matrix culture. Epithelial cells from 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced mammary adenocarcinomas were embedded in collagen gel and the effect of estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, insulin, and serum was tested. The total cell number and [³H]thymidine incorporation were used to determine the growth pattern of the cells in culture. It was found that in medium containing 20% porcine serum and supplemented with insulin, estrogen, progesterone and prolactin, both the cell number and [³H]thymidine labeling index increased with time, after an initial lag. Serum seemed to be essential to maintain growth of the tumor cells, because hormones alone, in the absence of serum, were unable to sustain growth of the cells. When estrogen, progesterone, prolactin, and insulin were tested individually in the presence of 20% porcine serum, only estrogen demonstrated a significant stimulatory effect.     

Subcellular localization of procollagen I and prolyl 4-hydroxylase in corneal endothelial cells

To investigate the molecular mechanism of intracellular degradation of type I collagen in normal corneal endothelial cells (CEC), we studied the role of prolyl 4-hydroxylase (P4-H) and protein disulfide-isomerase (PDI; the beta subunit of P4-H) during procollagen I biosynthesis. When the subcellular localization of P4-H and PDI was determined, P4-H demonstrated a characteristic diffuse endoplasmic reticulum (ER) pattern, whereas PDI showed a slightly more restricted distribution within the ER. When colocalization of procollagen I with the enzymes was examined, procollagen I and PDI showed a large degree of colocalization. P4-H and procollagen I were predominantly colocalized at the perinuclear site. When colocalization of type IV collagen with PDI and P4-H was examined, type IV collagen was largely colocalized with PDI, which showed a wider distribution than type IV collagen. Type IV collagen is similarly colocalized with P4-H, except in some perinuclear sites. The colocalization profiles of procollagen I with both PDI and P4-H were not altered in cells treated with alpha,alpha'-dipyridyl compared to those of the untreated cells. The underhydroxylated type IV collagen demonstrated a colocalization profile with PDI similar to that observed with procollagen I, while the underhydroxylated type IV collagen was predominantly colocalized with P4-H at the perinuclear sites. Immunoblot analysis showed no real differences in the amounts of the beta subunit/PDI and the catalytic alpha subunit of P4-H in CEC compared to those of corneal stromal fibroblasts (CSF). When protein-protein association was determined, procollagen I was associated with PDI much more in CEC than it was in CSF, whereas type IV collagen showed no differential association specificity to PDI in both cells. Limited proteolysis of the newly synthesized intracellular procollagen I with pepsin showed that procollagen I in CEC was degraded by pepsin, whereas CSF contained type I collagen composed of alpha1(I) and alpha2(I). These findings suggest that procollagen I synthesized in CEC is not in triple helical conformation and that the improperly folded procollagen I may be preferentially associated with PDI before targeting to the intracellular degradation.