Functions of milk protein gene 5′ flanking regions on human growth hormone gene

Fragments containing 5′ flanking regions of four bovine milk protein genes—alpha lactalbumin (bαLA), alpha S₁ casein (bαS₁CN), beta casein (bβCN), kappa casein (b_kCN)—and mouse whey acidic protein (mWAP) gene were prepared by PCR and ligated to human growth hormone (hGH) gene. These recombinant DNAs were microinjected into rat embryos to produce transgenic rats, and the functions of the 5′ regions to direct secretion of hGH in the milk were tested. Although milk was obtained only in 5 of 19 mWAP/hGH rat lines, more than two-thirds of the rats carrying the other four DNAs produced milk. More than 80% of the lactated rats carrying bαLA/, bβCN/, and mWAP/hGH, and 33% of the laclated bαS₁CN/hGH rats secreted detectable amounts of hGH (> 0.05 μg/ml) in the milk. In some rats, the hGH concentrations in the milk were comparable to or more than that of the corresponding milk protein in bovine milk. The ranges of hGH concentrations in the milk of bαLA/, bβCN/, bαS₁CN/, and mWAP/hGH rats were 1.13–4,360 μg/ml, 0.11–10,900 μg/ml, 86.8–6,480 μg/ml, and 6.87–151 μg/ml, respectively. HGH was also detected in the sera of these rats, and some abnormalities of growth and reproduction were observed. All but one virgin mWAP/hGH rat secreted up to 0.0722 μg/ml of hGH in the serum, and more than half of them showed abnormal fat accumulations at their abdomen. None of the bαCN/hGH rats secreted detectable amount of hGH into their milk, whereas 8 of the 11 lines secreted hGH into their sera. For the production of hGH in transgenic rat milk, the 5′ region of bαS₁CN was shown most suitable, because the bαS₁CN/hGH rat secreted > 6,000 μg/ml of hGH into the milk and could be reproduced. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Correction to: Comparison of the usability of an automatic sleep staging program via portable 1-channel electroencephalograph and manual sleep staging with traditional polysomnography

Sleep and Biological Rhythms -     

Cytotoxicity Induced by Monoclonal Antibody to α-Fetoprotein Coadministered with Spleen Cells of Nude Mice

This paper describes an attempt to effectively induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) in nude mice. A monoclonal antibody against α-fetoprotein, 80G, coadministered with spleen cells from other nude mice bearing HuH-7N (xenograft of human hepatoma cell line, HuH-7) significantly suppressed the growth of HuH-7N as compared to treatment with 80G alone. 80G with spleen cells from normal nude mice also had some suppressive effect. In contrast, no effect was observed with each spleen cells alone as well as 80G alone. These results suggest that further supply of effector cells could enhance ADCC activity in nude mice.     

Elevated serum α-fetoprotein level of nude mice bearing hepatoma cells by treatment with monoclonal antibodies to α-fetoprotein

This study was carried out to clarify the reason for elevation of serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level of nude mice bearing hepatoma cells after treatment with monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) to AFP. MoAbs to AFP showed no effect on the cumulative amounts of AFP secreted from human hepatoma cell line, HuH-7, in vitro. However, the treatment of nude mice bearing HuH-7N cells (HuH-7 xenograft) with MoAbs to AFP led to elevation of the serum AFP level in spite of the fact that the growth curve of HuH-7N cells was similar to that for PBS treatment. This apparent elevation of the serum AFP level is thought to be due to the slow elimination of AFP-MoAb immune complexes with little lattice structure from circulation, but not the enhancement of AFP secretion of HuH-7N cells. Thus, when using a MoAb alone or MoAb-drug conjugate, the serum AFP level should only be cautiously used as a tumor marker for evaluating the targeting immunotherapy.     

Piper longum Constituents Induce PANC-1 Human Pancreatic Cancer Cell Death under Nutrition Starvation

Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive form of cancer with a poor prognosis, partly due to ‘austerity’, a phenomenon of tolerance to nutrient deprivation and survival in its hypovascular tumor microenvironment. Anti-austerity agents which preferentially diminish the survival of cancer cells under nutrition starvation is regarded as new generation anti-cancer agents. This study investigated the potential of Piper longum constituents as anti-austerity agents. The ethanolic extract of Piper longum was found to have preferential cytotoxicity towards PANC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells in a nutrient-deprived medium (NDM). Further investigation led to the identification of pipernonaline ( 3 ) as the lead compound with the strongest anti-austerity activity, inducing cell death and inhibiting migration in a normal nutrient medium, as well as strongly inhibiting the Akt/mTOR/autophagy pathway. Therefore, pipernonaline ( 3 ) holds promise as a novel antiausterity agent for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.     

Transforming growth factor beta 1-specific binding proteins on human vascular endothelial cells.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) regulates the growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) differently depending on the isoform of TGF beta and the culture conditions. The cells are resistant to growth inhibition by TGF beta when the cells are cultured on substratum coated with gelatin. However, the proliferation of HUVEC cultured on substratum without a gelatin coating is inhibited by TGF beta, depending on the isoform and concentration of TGF beta. Binding assays with 125I-TGF beta 1 reveal that HUVEC contain a single class of high-affinity (Kd = 4.4 pM) TGF beta 1 binding sites with 8500 sites per cell. Affinity cross-linking studies demonstrate that HUVEC express 180 and 80 kDa TGF beta 1 binding sites that do not bind TGF beta 2. The reduction and the removal of glycosaminoglycans does not affect the electrophoretic mobility of the 180-kDa binding protein cross-linked with 125I-TGF beta 1. Therefore, the 180-kDa TGF beta 1 binding protein is not related to the type III TGF beta receptor, but might be a novel TGF beta 1-specific receptor/binding protein expressed on vascular endothelial cells. The expression of TGF beta 1 binding sites is not affected by the presence or absence of the gelatin coating on the culture substratum. The data suggest that a gelatin coating does not regulate the susceptibility of HUVEC to TGF beta 1 at the level of the receptor/binding proteins, and that growth inhibition of HUVEC by TGF beta 1 is linked to the regulation of extracellular matrices required for the interaction between the cells and the substratum.     

ALEXANDRIUM SATOANUM SP. NOV. (DINOPHYCEAE) FROM MATOYA BAY,CENTRAL JAPAN1

The gonyaulacoid dinofiagellate Alexandrium satoanum Yuki et Fukuyo sp. nov. is described from Matoya Bay, Pacific coast of central Japan. The species is distinctive in its conical epitheca with almost straight sides and dorsal concavity of the hypotheca. The plate formula is Po, pc, 4′, 6″, 6c, 10s, 5″″, and 2″″, including two accessory plates inside the sulcus. The apical pore plate is triangular and possesses an anterior attachment pore at the right margin. The first apical plate does not make contact with the apical pore plate and lacks a ventral pore. A posterior attachment pore lies at the center of the posterior sulcal plate. In Matoya Bay, vegetative cells occur as solitary cells or sometimes in pairs during late spring and early summer in low concentrations. In connection with this study, the following new combination is proposed: Alexandrium pseudogonyaulax (Biecheler) Horiguchi ex Yuki et Fukuyo comb. nov.     

A pathway through interferon-gamma is the main pathway for induction of nitric oxide upon stimulation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide in mouse peritoneal cells.

Production of nitric oxide (NO) in response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was investigated using cultures of mouse peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) and the macrophage cell line RAW264.7. In the presence of anti-(interferon-gamma) (IFN-gamma), NO production was markedly suppressed in the PEC culture but not in the RAW264.7 culture. In the PEC culture, LPS induced both IFN-gamma production and activation of IFN response factor-1, which leads to the gene expression of inducible NO synthase, but neither was induced in the culture of RAW264.7 cells. In addition to anti-(IFN-gamma), antibodies against interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-18 showed a suppressive effect on LPS-induced NO production in the PEC culture, and these antibodies in synergy showed strong suppression. Stimulation of the PEC culture with IL-12 or IL-18 induced production of IFN-gamma and NO, and these cytokines, in combination, exhibited marked synergism. Stimulation of the culture with IFN-gamma induced production of NO, but not IL-12. The macrophage population in the PEC, prepared as adherent cells, responded well to LPS for IL-12 production, but weakly for production of IFN-gamma and NO. The macrophages also responded well to IFN-gamma for NO production. For production of IFN-gamma by stimulation with LPS or IL-12 + IL-18, nonadherent cells were required in the PEC culture. Considering these results overall, the indirect pathway, through the production of intermediates (such as IFN-gamma-inducing cytokines and IFN-gamma) by the cooperation of macrophages with nonadherent cells, was revealed to play the main role in the LPS-induced NO production pathway, as opposed to the direct pathway requiring only a macrophage population.