A One-Step Gene Amplification System for Use in Cultured Mammalian Cells and Transgenic Animals

Gene amplification is widely used for the production of pharmaceuticals and therapeutics in situations where a mammalian system is essential to synthesise a fully active product. Current gene amplification systems require multiple rounds of selection, often with high concentrations of toxic chemicals, to achieve the highest levels of gene amplification. The use of these systems has not been demonstrated in specialised mammalian cells, such as embryonic-stem cells, which can be used to generate transgenic animals. Thus, it has not yet proved possible to produce transgenic animals containing amplified copies of a gene of interest, with the potential to synthesise large amounts of a valuable gene product. We have developed a new amplification system, based around vectors encoding a partially disabled hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) minigene, which can achieve greater than 1000-fold amplification of HPRT and the human growth hormone gene in a single step in Chinese hamster-lung cells. The amplification system also works in mouse embryonic-stem cells and we have used it to produce mice which express 30-fold higher levels of human protein C in milk than obtained with conventional transgenesis using the same protein C construct. This system should also be applicable to large animal transgenics produced by nuclear transfer from cultured cell lines.     

Exposure to Dishwashing Liquid Assessed in University Students from Brest City: A Preliminary Study—A First Approach to Household Products Exposure in France

In recent years, more attention has been paid to exposure of the general population to household products. In order to assess exposure, it is necessary to generate exposure data. For this reason, a preliminary study of dishwashing liquid contact on Brest university students was performed. Dishwashing liquid is frequently used and when it is improperly mixed it can liberate harmful molecules. As for university students, they may have a repetitive contact with dishwashing liquid during their academic studies. Relevant parameters as frequency of dishwashing, duration, and amount of dishwashing liquid were assessed from questionnaires and laboratory tests. Tests revealed that overall no difference between the sexes and the type of residential household on dishwashing was present on this population. Amount of washed items and duration was significantly correlated, which could seem logical but remarkable considering the lack of correlation between other parameters. Values of 1.39 and 58.8 μg/kg bw/day for the 95th percentile of dermal and inhalation probabilistic exposure were found, respectively. Dermal exposure coincides with deterministic published data. In the case of inhalation exposure no published data are available. Higher inhalation exposure value may show that dermal exposure is diminished by high dilution of dishwashing liquid in water.     

Quercetin 3-glucoside protects neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells in vitro against oxidative damage by inducing sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2-mediated cholesterol biosynthesis

The flavonoid quercetin 3-glucoside (Q3G) protected SH-SY5Y, HEK293, and MCF-7 cells against hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress. cDNA microarray studies suggested that Q3G-pretreated cells subjected to oxidative stress up-regulate the expression of genes associated with lipid and cholesterol biosynthesis. Q3G pretreatment elevated both the expression and activation of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-2 (SREBP-2) only in SH-SY5Y cells subjected to oxidative stress. Inhibition of SREBP-2 expression by small interfering RNA or small molecule inhibitors of 2,3-oxidosqualene:lanosterol cyclase or HMG-CoA reductase blocked Q3G-mediated cytoprotection in SH-SY5Y cells. By contrast, Q3G did not protect either HEK293 or MCF-7 cells via this signaling pathway. Moreover, the addition of isopentenyl pyrophosphate rescued SH-SY5Y cells from the inhibitory effect of HMG-CoA reductase inhibition. Last, Q3G pretreatment enhanced the incorporation of [(14)C]acetate into [(14)C]cholesterol in SH-SY5Y cells under oxidative stress. Taken together, these studies suggest a novel mechanism for flavonoid-induced cytoprotection in SH-SY5Y cells involving SREBP-2-mediated sterol synthesis that decreases lipid peroxidation by maintaining membrane integrity in the presence of oxidative stress.     

Bcl‐2 rescues motoneurons from early cell death in the cervical spinal cord of the chicken embryo

Motoneurons (MNs) in the cervical spinal cord of the chicken embryo undergo programmed cell death (PCD) between embryonic day (E) 4 and E5. The intracellular molecules regulating this early phase of PCD remain unknown. Here we show that introduction of Bcl‐2 by a replication‐competent avian retroviral vector prevented MN degeneration at E4.5, whereas the expression of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) was ineffective. Bcl‐2 expression did not affect the number of Islet‐1/2‐positive MNs at the onset of cell death (E4). However, when examined at the end of the cell death period (E5.5), the number of Islet‐1/2‐positive MNs was clearly increased in Bcl‐2‐transfected embryos compared with control and GFP‐transfected embryos. Activation of caspase‐3, which is normally observed in this early MN death, was also prevented by Bcl‐2. Thus, MNs in the cervical spinal cord appear to use intracellular pathway(s) for early PCD that is responsive to Bcl‐2. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Neurobiol 53: 381–390, 2002     

Cell function profiling to assess clone stability

In cell line development the identification of stable Chinese hamster ovary cells for production is a critical but onerous task. The stability trial focus upon high-level attributes can mask profound underlying cellular changes, leading to unstable clones mistakenly being chosen for production. The challenge is to assay underlying cell pathways and subsystems without pushing up cell line development costs. ChemStress® cell function profiling is a simple, multiwell plate-based assay that uses a panel of active chemicals to mimic known bioprocess stresses and challenge key pathways. After 3 days of static culture on the plate, functional responses are assayed, for example, titer and growth. Here this approach is used to monitor 131 clones as they change over real stability trials. A novel stability metric is defined over the data to identify stable clones that remain unperturbed across many components of cell function. This allows stability trials to look beneath the titer to identify clones that are internally more stable.     

Regulation of heat shock protein 70 release in astrocytes: role of signaling kinases

The ability to mount a successful stress response in the face of injury is critical to the long-term viability of individual cells and to the organism in general. The stress response, characterized in part by the upregulation of heat shock proteins, is compromised in several neurodegenerative disorders and in some neuronal populations, including motoneurons (MNs). Because astrocytes have a greater capacity than neurons to survive metabolic stress, and because they are intimately associated with the regulation of neuronal function, it is important to understand their stress response, so that we may to better appreciate the impact of stress on neuronal viability during injury or disease. We show that astrocytes subjected to hyperthermia upregulate Hsp/c70 in addition to intracellular signaling components including activated forms of extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2), Akt, and c-jun N-terminal kinase/stress activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK). Furthermore, astrocytes release increasing amounts of Hsp/c70 into the extracellular environment following stress, an event that is abrogated when signaling through the ERK1/2 and phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) pathways is compromised and enhanced by inhibition of the JNK pathway. Last, we show that the Hsp/c70 is released from astrocytes in exosomes. Together, these data illustrate the diverse regulation of stress-induced Hsp/c70 release in exosomes, and the way in which the balance of activated signal transduction pathways affects this release. These data highlight how stressful insults can alter the microenvironment of an astrocyte, which may ultimately have implications for the survival of neighboring neurons.     

Motoneuron programmed cell death in response to proBDNF

Motoneurons (MN) as well as most neuronal populations undergo a temporally and spatially specific period of programmed cell death (PCD). Several factors have been considered to regulate the survival of MNs during this period, including availability of muscle-derived trophic support and activity. The possibility that target-derived factors may also negatively regulate MN survival has been considered, but not pursued. Neurotrophin precursors, through their interaction with p75(NTR) and sortilin receptors have been shown to induce cell death during development and following injury in the CNS. In this study, we find that muscle cells produce and secrete proBDNF. ProBDNF through its interaction with p75(NTR) and sortilin, promotes a caspase-dependent death of MNs in culture. We also provide data to suggest that proBDNF regulates MN PCD during development in vivo.     

Exogenous Hsc70, but not thermal preconditioning, confers protection to motoneurons subjected to oxidative stress

Proper sensing of stress and the initiation of the stress response are critical to maintaining cell viability in response to noxious stimuli. Induction of the stress response prior to the exposure of a lethal stress (preconditioning) can be protective. Heat shock proteins (Hsps), the main products of the stress response, are considered to be responsible for this protective effect. Most cells readily initiate a stress response, but some neuronal phenotypes, including motoneurons (MNs), have a diminished capacity to do so. We have found that, given a proper stimulus, MNs can execute a heat stress response; but, it does not protect them from death caused by hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) induced oxidative stress, despite inhibiting H(2)O(2)-induced caspase activation. Conversely, we demonstrate that incubation with the heat shock cognate 70 (Hsc70) protein prior to oxidative insult can protect MNs from oxidative stress. This survival promoting effect may be mediated through the substrate binding domain (SBD) of Hsc70. Our data suggest that stress preconditioning may not be beneficial to MNs, but that pharmacological interventions and alternative means of acquiring components of the stress response are an effective means of ameliorating lethal stress in MNs and may be potentially useful therapeutically in preventing pathological MN loss.     

Bcl-2 rescues motoneurons from early cell death in the cervical spinal cord of the chicken embryo

Motoneurons (MNs) in the cervical spinal cord of the chicken embryo undergo programmed cell death (PCD) between embryonic day (E) 4 and E5. The intracellular molecules regulating this early phase of PCD remain unknown. Here we show that introduction of Bcl-2 by a replication-competent avian retroviral vector prevented MN degeneration at E4.5, whereas the expression of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) was ineffective. Bcl-2 expression did not affect the number of Islet-1/2-positive MNs at the onset of cell death (E4). However, when examined at the end of the cell death period (E5.5), the number of Islet-1/2-positive MNs was clearly increased in Bcl-2-transfected embryos compared with control and GFP-transfected embryos. Activation of caspase-3, which is normally observed in this early MN death, was also prevented by Bcl-2. Thus, MNs in the cervical spinal cord appear to use intracellular pathway(s) for early PCD that is responsive to Bcl-2.