Ascorbic Acid in Mesencephalic Cultures: Effects on Dopaminergic Neuron Development

Ascorbic acid exists in high intracellular concentrations in fetal rat brain. In mesencephalic cultures the cellular ascorbic acid content drops sharply to undetectable levels when no ascorbic acid is added to the medium, thus creating a model of scorbutic neuronal tissue and affording the study of ascorbic acid's effects on mesencephalic cell development and function. Cultures treated with 0.2 mM ascorbic acid were compared with controls (scorbutic cultures) by using morphological and biochemical indices. Ascorbic acid cultures at 7 and 14 days in vitro showed a marked increase in glial proliferation on glial fibrillary acidic protein staining and increased neurite growth and number on tyrosine hydroxylase staining. Significantly higher dopamine uptake and levels of dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid were also observed after 7 and 14 days of ascorbic acid treatment. The capacity to accumulate ascorbic acid and the ability to retain the intracellular ascorbic acid developed gradually as the cultures matured. Ascorbic acid reached the embryonal levels by day 14 in vitro. We conclude that although neuronal cultures can survive and grow in the absence of detectable levels of ascorbic acid, its presence exerts a broad effect on dopamine neuron morphology and biochemical functioning either directly or through increased glial proliferation, or possibly both.     

Toxic Effects of Iron for Cultured Mesencephalic Dopaminergic Neurons Derived from Rat Embryonic Brains

Iron, a transition metal possibly involved in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease, was tested for its toxic effects toward cultures of dissociated rat mesencephalic cells. When cultures were switched for 24 h to serum-free conditions, the effective concentrations of ferrous iron (Fe2+) producing a loss of 50% of dopaminergic neurons, as quantified by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunocytochemistry, TH mRNA in situ hybridization, and measurement of TH activity, were on the order of 200 microM. High-affinity dopamine (DA) uptake, which reflects integrity and function of dopaminergic nerve terminals, was impaired at significantly lower concentrations (EC50 = 67 microM). Toxic effects were not restricted to dopaminergic neurons inasmuch as trypan blue dye exclusion index and gamma-aminobutyric acid uptake, two parameters used to assess survival of other types of cells present in these cultures, were also affected. Protection against iron cytotoxicity was afforded by desferrioxamine and apotransferrin, two ferric iron-chelating agents. Normal supplementation of the culture medium by serum proteins during treatment was also effective, presumably via nonspecific sequestration. Potential interactions with DA were also investigated. Fe2+ at subtoxic concentrations and desferrioxamine in the absence of exogenous iron added to the cultures failed to potentiate or reduce DA cytotoxicity for mesencephalic cells, respectively. Transferrin, the glycoprotein responsible for intracellular delivery of iron, was ineffective in initiating selective cytotoxic effects toward dopaminergic neurons preloaded with DA. Altogether, these results suggest (a) that ferrous iron is a potent neurotoxin for dopaminergic neurons as well as for other cell types in dissociated mesencephalic cultures, acting likely via autoxidation into its ferric form, and (b) that the presence of intra- and extracellular DA is not required for the observed toxic effects.     

泛素C末端水解酶L1对神经元的保护作用

泛素C末端水解酶L1(UCH-L1)是一种在脑内高度表达,具有泛素水解酶、泛素连接酶和稳定泛素单体功能的去泛素化酶．UCH-L1参与维持神经元突触的正常形态及功能,并能够缓解β-淀粉样蛋白诱导的长时程增强(LTP)缺失及记忆障碍;此外,UCH-L1的突变体I93M与家族性帕金森氏病相关,而UCH-L1的S18Y多态性则对神经元具有保护作用．通过研究UCH-L1的结构、功能及其在神经系统的作用机制,可以为阿尔茨海默病、帕金森氏病等神经退行性疾病的治疗提供相关思路和借鉴．     

不同培养条件对半夏悬浮培养细胞生长及总生物碱形成的影响

研究了半夏悬浮培养过程中细胞鲜重的变化和MS培养基组分中碳源、钙盐、Fe盐及肌醇变化对半夏悬浮培养细胞生长及总生物碱合成的影响。结果表明 ,半夏细胞的生长曲线呈“S”型 ,细胞的最佳收获时间为 2 1d。在两种碳源中 ,葡萄糖比蔗糖利于细胞的生长和总生物碱的合成 ,最适浓度为 2 0g L。最适合细胞生长和总生物碱形成的钙盐浓度为 1 8mmol L、Fe盐浓度为 0 0 6mmol L和肌醇浓度为 10 0mg L。     

Molecular Forms of Acetylcholinesterase in Pineal Cell and Sympathetic Neuronal Cultures

Abstract The activities of the various molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were measured in monolayer cultures of neonatal rat pineal cells grown alone and in co-culture with sympathetic neurons. AChE forms characterized by sedimentation coefficients of 4S, 6.5S, and 10S were found in the neuronal and pineal cultures, as well as in the co-cultures. The 16S AChE form was found only in the neuronal cultures. Total AChE activity increased with culture age in the co-cultures, but it decreased in pineal cells cultured alone. The low level of activity present in the neuronal cultures did not change markedly over the 27-day culture period. These results, which show bidirectional neuron-pineal cell effects, suggest that AChE molecular forms may be important markers to study the mechanisms underlying neuron-target cell interaction in the developing sympathetic nervous system.     

p53-Knockout Mice Are Protected Against the Long-Term Effects of Methamphetamine on Dopaminergic Terminals and Cell Bodies

Abstract: p53-knockout mice provide a useful model to test the role of p53 in the neurotoxic effects of drugs in vivo. To test the involvement of p53 in methamphetamine (METH)-induced toxicity, wild-type mice, as well as heterozygous and homozygous p53-knockout male mice, were administered four injections of three different doses (2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 mg/kg) of the drug given at 2-h intervals within the space of 1 day. METH caused a marked dose-dependent loss of dopamine transporters in both the striatum and the nucleus accumbens of wild-type mice killed 2 weeks after drug administration. However, this METH-induced decrease in dopamine transporters was attenuated in both homozygous and heterozygous p53-knockout mice, with homozygous animals showing significantly greater protection. The possibility for p53 involvement in METH-induced toxicity was also supported by the observation that METH caused marked increases in p53-like immunoreactivity in the striata of wild-type mice and very little change in heterozygous p53-knockout mice, whereas no p53-like immunostaining was detected in the homozygous p53-knockout mice. Further support for p53 involvement was provided by the fact that METH treatment caused significant decreases in dopamine transporter mRNA and the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta and the ventral tegmental area of wild-type but not homozygous p53-knockout mice killed 2 weeks after cessation of METH administration. These results provide concordant evidence for a role of the tumor suppressor, p53, in the long-term deleterious effects of a drug acting on brain dopamine systems.     

Studies on the Metabolism and Toxicity of l-Methyl-4-Phenyl-l,2,3,6-Tetrahydropyridine in Cultures of Embryonic Rat Mesencephalon

The metabolism of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) was studied in dissociated cell cultures prepared from embryonic rat mesencephalon. MPTP was added to the feeding medium and at the end of the incubation period MPTP was separated from the water-soluble metabolite by ether extraction. Our results demonstrate that, in cultures, MPTP is oxidized predominantly by monoamine oxidase B, since deprenyl but not clorgyline had an inhibitory effect on its metabolism. The metabolite of MPTP diffuses freely in the feeding medium (99% of the total) and its concentration increases with time. The concentration of the metabolite can be increased by increasing the number of cells plated into the tissue culture dish and the toxicity to dopamine neurons depends on the amount of metabolite accumulated in the feeding medium. The metabolism of MPTP is reduced by decreasing the number of glial cells present in the cultures.     

Effects of short- and long-acting dopamine agonists on sensitized dopaminergic neurotransmission in rats with unilateral 6-OHDA lesions

The effects of short and long-acting dopamine agonists on sensitized dopaminergic transmission in an animal model of Parkinson's disease were investigated. Rats with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesions of the left nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway were pre-exposed i.p. to 50 mg/kg methyl levodopa for 10 days. After a 7-day withdrawal period, these animals were treated with saline i.p., 0.05 mg/kg apomorphine s.c., or 0.5 mg/kg cabergoline i.p., once daily for 7 days. On the 8th day, rats in each treatment group received a challenge dose of 0.05 mg/kg apomorphine or saline s.c. The temporal changes in the number of rotations away from the 6-OHDA lesion side were evaluated after the challenge. The apomorphine challenge increased the number of rotations more markedly in the apomorphine pretreated rats than in the other pretreatment groups. In cabergoline pretreated rats, the number of rotations was significantly lower than that of saline-pretreated animals. Pretreatment with saline did not alter the apomorphine sensitivity of rotational behavior. These findings suggest that the repeated administration of long-acting dopamine agonists may reduce sensitized dopaminergic transmission in dopamine-depleted rats, whereas short-acting ones may further enhance sensitization of the transmission process.     

Turnover of O-Glucosides of Dihydrozeatin and Dihydrozeatin-9-riboside During the Cell Growth Cycle of Photoautotrophic Cell Suspension Cultures of Chenopodium rubrum

The cellular levels of O-glucosides of ³H-(diH)Z and ³H-(diH)[9R]Z, the major short-term metabolites of ³H-(diH)Z having been exogenously supplied to photoautotrophically growing suspension cell cultures of Chenopodium rubrum, decreased significantly during further culture, irrespective of whether the cells were maintained in the stationary phase or were transferred to conditions restoring cell divison. Metabolism of both compounds was more pronounced during the active growth phase than during the stationary phase. The O-glucosides were converted preferentially to polar compounds of as yet unknown nature, which were partly excreted into the medium. The cellular pools of both glycosides remained compartmented within the vacuole. In contrast to the O-glycosides, the small cellular pools of the aglycones ³H-(diH)Z and ³H-(diH)[9R]Z maintained their level during the experimental period of 30 days. Small amounts of the glucosides, as well as of the aglycones, were recovered from the medium and could have resulted from the lysis of a few cells. The results demonstrate, for the first time, that O-glucosides of cytokinins are not irreversibly deposited within the vacuole of plant cells but may serve to maintain a small, but more or less constant pool of extra-vacuolar, presumably cytosolic, aglycones. (DiH)Z and its derivatives could be demonstrated to be endogenous cytokinins of Chenopodium rubrum suspension cultured cells occurring along with those of the isopentenyladenine and zeatin types.     

Cu2+对喜树愈伤细胞中喜树碱合成的影响

喜树碱是一种从木本植物喜树(Camptothecaacuminata)中分离得到的抗癌活性物质,通过细胞培养合成喜树碱是喜树碱生产的一条重要途径。研究Cu~(2 )对喜树愈伤细胞培养中喜树碱积累的影响,结果表明,在B5培养基中添加0.008mg/mLCuCl2时,对喜树愈伤细胞的生长没有明显影响,但是对喜树愈伤细胞合成喜树碱的促进作用最强,喜树碱含量比未诱导前增加了约30倍。Cu~(2 )阻止培养细胞后期过氧化物酶活力的下降,并抑制花青素的生成。与黑暗培养相比,光照条件下添加Cu~(2 )更利于喜树愈伤细胞诱导合成喜树碱。     

Protective effects of riluzole on dopamine neurons: involvement of oxidative stress and cellular energy metabolism

Riluzole is neuroprotective in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and may also protect dopamine (DA) neurons in Parkinson's disease. We examined the neuroprotective potential of riluzole on DA neurons using primary rat mesencephalic cultures and human dopaminergic neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Riluzole (up to 10 microM:) alone affected neither the survival of DA neurons in primary cultures nor the growth of SH-SY5Y cells after up to 72 h. Riluzole (1-10 microM:) dose-dependently reduced DA cell loss caused by exposure to MPP(+) in both types of cultures. These protective effects were accompanied by a dose-dependent decrease of intracellular ATP depletion caused by MPP(+) (30-300 microM:) in SH-SY5Y cells without affecting intracellular net NADH content, suggesting a reduction of cellular ATP consumption rather than normalization of mitochondrial ATP production. Riluzole (1-10 microM:) also attenuated oxidative injury in both cell types induced by exposure to L-DOPA and 6-hydroxydopamine, respectively. Consistent with its antioxidative effects, riluzole reduced lipid peroxidation induced by Fe(3+) and L-DOPA in primary mesencephalic cultures. Riluzole (10 microM) did not alter high-affinity uptake of either DA or MPP(+). However, in the same cell systems, riluzole induced neuronal and glial cell death with concentrations higher than those needed for maximal protective effects (> or =100 microM:). These data demonstrate that riluzole has protective effects on DA neurons in vitro against neuronal injuries induced by (a) impairment of cellular energy metabolism and/or (b) oxidative stress. These results provide further impetus to explore the neuroprotective potential of riluzole in Parkinson's disease.     

rhGM—CSF对人骨髓粒单祖细胞集落形成及U937细胞分化的影响

本文应用造血祖细胞体外培养技术研究了重组人粒细胞－巨噬细胞集落刺激因子（ｒｈＧＭ—ＣＳＦ）对正常人骨髓粒单祖细胞集落（ＣＦＵ—ＧＭ）形成的影响,结果表明ｒｈＧＭ—ＣＳＦ在体外能促进细胞集落的形成,此种效应在一定范围内呈剂量依赖关系,与ＬＥＵＣＯＭＡＸ各剂量组相比无显著性差异。采用ＮＢＴ还原试验和ＡＰＡＡＰ法观察了ｒｈＧＭ—ＣＳＦ对Ｕ９３７细胞分化的影响,结果显示ｒｈＧＭ—ＣＳＦ能抑制Ｕ９３７细胞的增殖,促进其分化,部分细胞具有ＮＢＴ还原能力,ＣＤ１１６阳性细胞数增加。     

人参细胞悬浮培养中的激素调节及细胞分裂的研究

在人参细胞悬浮培养中,单使用植物生长调节剂时以Zmg/L 2,4—D和2mg/LNAA的效果较好.在不同激素组合的试验中,以2mg/L 2,4—D+2mg/L NAA+0.5mg/L KT的效果最好.悬浮条件下人参细胞的再生方式有有丝分裂、无丝分裂和出芽繁殖,其中直径为50μm以下的小型园形细胞的分裂为有丝分裂,而葫芦形、肾形、长园形及不定形的巨型细胞常表现为无丝分裂和出芽繁殖.植物激素对不同类型细胞的分裂有一定的影响作用.和愈伤组织固体培养相比,细胞悬浮培养可使细胞干重增加近5倍.     

Cell shape and arrangement of cultured aortic smooth muscle cells grown on collagen gels

Aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC) grown on conventional plastic culture dishes have morphological and functional properties of dedifferentiated cells in sub-culture. We examined the influence of collagen gels on the cell shape and arrangement. The cells grown on collagen gels showed a multilayered growth with formation of nodules. When the edge of the collagen gels was detached from the culture dish, the shape and arrangement of cells on the edge differed from that of the central, still attached region. The cells grown on floating collagen gels exhibited a spindle-like shape and were arranged in concentric circles. These findings suggest that the physical property of the substrate influences the cell shape and arrangement.     

Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Exerts Neurotrophic Effects on Dopaminergic Neurons In Vitro and Promotes Their Survival and Regrowth After Damage by 1-Methyl-4-Phenylpyridinium

Abstract: The effect of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) on the growth of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons and on their survival following exposure to the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP⁺) was examined in vitro. In cultures developing under normal conditions, GDNF at 1 ng/ml optimally improved the survival and stimulated the growth of dopaminergic neurons without affecting glial growth. In cultures treated with MPP⁺, GDNF could not prevent toxicity to dopaminergic neurons. The uptake of [³H]dopamine and the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons were similarly reduced by MPP⁺ in the presence or absence of GDNF. However, after removal of MPP⁺, GDNF protected dopaminergic neurons from the continuous cell death and stimulated the regrowth of dopaminergic fibers damaged by MPP⁺. We conclude that GDNF supports the growth of normally developing dopaminergic neurons and stimulates their survival and recovery after damage. These findings suggest that GDNF could be useful in the development of therapeutic approaches to Parkinson's disease, which is characterized by dopaminergic cell loss.     

Modulatory Effects of Testosterone on 1-Methyl-4-Phenyl- 1, 2, 3, 6-Tetrahydropyridine-Induced Neurotoxicity

Abstract: In this experiment, we examined the modulatory effects of testosterone on the parkinsonism-inducing drug 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) in two strains of mice. Orchidectomized male CD-1 and C57/BI mice were implanted with either empty Silastic capsules or capsules containing testosterone and subsequently treated with MPTP. A small area of the corpus striatum was removed for determination of dopamine (DA) content, whereas the remainder was superfused and used to measure L-DOPA (5 μ M )-evoked DA release. In animals treated with MPTP, L-DOPA-evoked DA release was reduced significantly in CD-1 mice, but not in C57/BI mice, treated with testosterone. No differences in L-DOPA-stimulated DA release between MPTP- versus vehicle-treated mice was observed in either the CD-1 or C57/BI mice receiving empty Silastic capsules. Corpus striatum DA contents were more severely depleted in the MPTP-sensitive C57/BI versus the CD-1 mouse strain irrespective of hormone treatment. These results confirm previous results demonstrating differences in these two mouse strains in response to the neurotoxic effects of MPTP upon corpus striatum DA content. More interestingly, they show an important differential modulatory effect of testosterone upon L-DOPA-evoked DA release as a function of MPTP treatment and indicate that testosterone significantly alters the neurotoxic effects of MPTP in the CD-1 mouse.     

Differential Effects of Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Neurturin on Developing and Adult Substantia Nigra Dopaminergic Neurons

Neurturin (NTN) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), two members of the GDNF family of growth factors, exert very similar biological activities in different systems, including the substantia nigra. Our goal in the present work was to compare their function and define whether nonoverlapping biological activities on midbrain dopaminergic neurons exist. We first found that NTN and GDNF are differentially regulated during postnatal development. NTN mRNA progressively decreased in the ventral mesencephalon and progressively increased in the striatum, coincident with a decrease in GDNF mRNA expression. This finding suggested distinct physiological roles for each factor in the nigrostriatal system. We therefore examined their function in ventral mesencephalon cultures and found that NTN promoted survival comparable with GDNF, but only GDNF induced sprouting and hypertrophy of developing dopaminergic neurons. We subsequently examined the ability of NTN to prevent the 6-hydroxydopamine-induced degeneration of adult dopaminergic neurons in vivo. Fibroblasts genetically engineered to deliver high levels of GDNF or NTN were grafted supranigrally. NTN was found to be as potent as GDNF at preventing the death of nigral dopaminergic neurons, but only GDNF induced tyrosine hydroxylase staining, sprouting, or hypertrophy of dopaminergic neurons. In conclusion, our results show selective survival-promoting effects of NTN over wider survival, neuritogenic, and hypertrophic effects of GDNF on dopaminergic neurons in vitro and in vivo. Such differences are likely to underlie unique roles for each factor in postnatal development and may ultimately be exploited in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.     

Effects of tenascin-W on osteoblasts in vitro

Tenascin-W is a glycoprotein secreted into the extracellular matrix of developing bones. Here, we have examined possible roles for tenascin-W in osteogenesis. Purified recombinant tenascin-W, like tenascin-C, increases the number of mineralized foci in primary cultures of avian osteoblasts and increases alkaline phosphatase activity in vitro. In addition, tenascin-W in solution promotes the migration of primary osteoblasts across fibronectin-coated filters. The sixth fibronectin type III domain of chicken tenascin-W contains a phylogenetically conserved KGD motif that is predicted to be available to integrin binding. To determine whether this motif is potentially functional, we have cultured osteoblasts on KGD-containing peptides and control peptides. Osteoblasts cultured on peptides with the KGD motif acquire a multipolar phenotype with pseudopods tipped with actin-rich ruffles, which is similar to the morphology of osteoblasts cultured on recombinant tenascin-W. Moreover, the KGD peptides, but not the control peptides, promote proliferation in cultured osteoblasts but not alkaline phosphatase activity or migration. Finally, explanted embryonic frontal bones are significantly thicker when cultured in the presence of tenascin-W, suggesting that tenascin-W can accelerate the formation of new bone in a complex multicellular environment.     

Effect of Chlorsulfuron on Morphogenetic and Disordered Cell Division in Cultures of Passiflora edulis

We examined the effects of a sulfonylurea herbicide, chlorsulfuron, which is known as a potent inhibitor of plant cell division, on morphogenetic cell division and disorganized cell division using the culture system of multiple shoot primordia and callus of Passiflora edulis. The multiple shoot primordia tissue treated with chlorsulfuron failed to achieve shoot morphogenesis, and a large part of the tissue was necrotized during the posttreatment culture, even when it was washed and transferred to chlorsulfuron-free medium. The inhibition of Passiflora shoot morphogenesis by chlorsulfuron was not reversed by the simultaneous addition of branched amino acids, which are known to reverse the inhibitory effect of chlorsulfuron. In contrast, the same treatment of chlorsulfuron on the callus did not kill the cells, although the growth resumption was retarded by a prolonged lag period. The addition of branched amino acids enhanced the recovery growth of the chlorsulfuron-treated callus. These results suggest that the inhibition of disorganized cell division (callus growth) by chlorsulfuron is reversible, whereas morphogenetic cell division (shoot morphogenesis), which is under complex regulation, is inhibited irreversibly by chlorsulfuron. Qualitative differences between morphogenetic cell division and disordered simple proliferative cell division are discussed. Received November 17, 1997; accepted June 4, 1998     

葡萄糖对重组CHO细胞生长代谢及EPO表达的影响

在CHO细胞批培养中 ,葡萄糖浓度从8.9增加到49.6mmol/L ,最大活细胞密度没有明显的差异 ,乳酸对葡萄糖的得率系数首先随着葡萄糖浓度的增加而增加 ,葡萄糖浓度达到 17.9mmol/L后 ,乳酸对葡萄糖的得率系数基本上维持恒定。在本实验中 ,葡萄糖浓度对谷氨酰胺代谢没有明显的影响。EPO的累积浓度首先随着起始葡萄糖浓度的增加 ( 8.9～ 17.9mmol L)而增加 ,进而又随着葡萄糖浓度的增加 (17.9～ 49.6mmol L)而下降 ,表明存在一最适浓度 ,在此浓度下重组CHO细胞的EPO表达最大。