Effects of magnetic fields on mammary tumor development induced by 7, 12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene in rats

A series of epidemiological studies have indicated associations between exposure to magnetic fields (MFs) and a variety of cancers, including breast cancer. In order to test the possibility that MF acts as a cancer promoter or copromoter, four separate experiments have been conducted in rats in which the effects of chronic exposure to MFs on the development of mammary tumors induced by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) were determined. Female rats were exposed in magnetic coils for 91 days (24 h/day) to either alternating current (AC; 50 Hz)-MF or direct current (DC)-MF. Magnetic flux density of the DC-MF was 15 mT. Two AC-MF exposures used a homogeneous field with a flux density of 30 mT (rms); one used a gradient field with flux density ranging from 0.3–1 μT. DMBA (5 mg) was administered orally at the onset of MF exposure and was repeated thrice at intervals of 1 week. In each experiment, 18–36 animals were exposed in 6 magnetic coils. The same number of rats were used as sham-exposed control. These control animals were treated with DMBA and were placed in dummy coils in the same room as the MF-exposed rats. Furthermore, groups of age-matched rats (reference controls) were treated with DMBA but housed in another room to exclude any MF exposure due to the magnetic stray field from the MF produced by coils. At the end of the exposure or sham-exposure period, tumor number and weight or size of tumors were determined at necropsy. Results were as follows: In sham-exposed animals or reference controls, the tumor incidence varied between 50 and 78% in the 4 experiments. The average number of mammary tumors per tumor-bearing animal varied between 1.6 and 2.9. In none of the experiments did MFs significantly alter tumor incidence, but in one of the experiments with AC-MF exposure at 30 mT, the number of tumors per tumor-bearing animal was significantly increased. Furthermore, exposure to a DC-MF at 15 mT significantly enhanced the tumor weight. Exposure to a gradient AC-MF at 0.3–1 μT exerted no significant effects. These experiments seem to indicate that MFs at high flux densities may act as a promoter or copromoter of breast cancer. However, this interpretation must be considered only a tentative conclusion because of the limitations of this study, particularly the small sample size used for MF exposure and the lack of repetition of data. © 1993 Wiley-Liss. Inc.     

Ultrastructure and Cytochemistry of Periostracum and Mantle Edge of Biomphalaria glabrata (Gastropoda,Basommatophora)

Abstract Three layers of different electron density can be distinguished in the periostracum. Periostracal units of up to 900 nm length are merged into the outer fibrous layer and binding of gold-labelled lectin-WGA indicates the presence of chitin because it is labile to chitinase treatment. The periostracum is formed by the epithelia of the groove and the belt at the mantle edge. The distal and basal epithelium of the groove consists mainly of type A cells with an extended Golgi apparatus and apical vesicles. The presence of peroxidase and phenol oxidase indicates a function in tanning of the periostracum. In the proximal epithelium of the groove, type B cells with protruding apices add more material for periostracum formation. Type C cells secrete single periostracal units which are formed within single vesicles or larger vacuoles. Type D cells secrete electron-dense vesicles which also contain WGA-positive material. The distal cells of the belt are characterized by predominating strands of the rER while subapical vacuoles, to some of which WGA binds, dominate in the cells of the central part. In the belt, phenol oxidase and peroxidase can be localized in cisternae of the rER and the Golgi apparatus. Numerous control incubations indicate that, indeed, two different enzymes are localized.     

Transmitter amino acid levels in rat brain regions after amygdala-kindling or chronic electrode implantation without kindling: Evidence for a pro-kindling effect of prolonged electrode implantation

Kindling is a chronic model of epilepsy characterized by a progressive increase in response to the same regularly applied stimulus. The biological basis of the kindling phenomenon requires to be determined, but several studies indicate that alterations in amino acidergic neurotransmission may be involved. In the present experiments, levels of glutamate, aspartate, GABA, glycine, and taurine were determined in 12 brain regions by HPLC in 3 groups of animals: (a) a group which was kindled via electrical stimulation of intraamygdala electrodes and was sacrificed 36 days after the last fully kindled seizure for neurochemical determinations; (b) a group of implanted but nonstimulated rats (surgical control group) in which neurochemical measurements were done at the same time after electrode implantation as the kindled group, and (c) a group of non-implanted, naive control rats. Compared to surgical controls, kindling induced a significant reduction of glutamate, GABA, and taurine in the brain stem (pons/medulla), whereas no differences between both groups were found in any of the other regions. However, both electrode-implanted groups differed significantly from non-implanted naive rats in several regions, indicating that electrode-implantation per se induced long-lasting alterations in transmitter amino acids. The most striking difference to naive controls was an increase of glycine levels in several regions in which this amino acid is known to potentiate glutamatergic transmission. In order to examine the functional consequences of prolonged electrode implantation, seizure thresholds were determined in groups of rats with short and prolonged electrode implantation. Data from these experiments indicated that prolonged electrode implantation per se induces pro-kindling effects, i.e. a dramatic decrease of seizure threshold. The data of this study thus demonstrate that the choice of adequate controls is critical in neurochemical and functional studies on the kindling phenomenon.     

Selection of anthocyanin-accumulating potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) cell lines from calli derived from seedlings produced by gamma-irradiated seeds

Callus cell lines of potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Zarevo) were obtained from seedlings germinated from gamma-irradiated seeds (200 Gy). Some of these cell lines produce red-violet pigments which were identified as acylated anthocyanins. The major anthocyanin was determined to be peonidin 3-O-[6-O-(4-O-E-p-coumaroyl-rhamnosyl)-glucoside]-5-O-glucoside (peonanin). Single cell-derived protoclones from non-pigmented protoplasts sometimes also gave rise to pigmented cell clusters thus indicating that the changes in the expression of the anthocyanin pathway can also occur after the stage of initial callus induction.     

评论：塑料结合模块促进聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯的酶法降解

塑料的大量生产和无节制的使用已造成严重的环境污染。为了减少塑料废物对环境的影响,近年来塑料酶法降解已成为国内外研究者关注的热点。例如,通过蛋白质工程策略提高塑料降解酶催化活性和热稳定性,进一步提高酶法降解的效率。另外,通过融合酶策略将塑料结合模块与塑料降解酶融合,也可以促进塑料降解。近期发表在期刊Chem Catalysis的一项研究表明,采用碳水化合物结合模块融合策略可以在低浓度(<10 wt%)的底物聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯[poly(ethylene terephthalate),PET]中提高塑料降解酶的活性。但是在高浓度底物(10 wt%−20 wt%)中,该策略无法提高PET的酶法降解。该项研究对于采用塑料结合模块促进酶法降解塑料具有重要的指导意义。     

The agony of choice: Impact of the host animal species on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay performance for host cell protein quantification

Host cell proteins (HCPs) are inevitable process-related impurities in biotherapeutics commonly monitored by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Of particular importance for their reliable detection are the anti-HCP polyclonal antibodies (pAbs), supposed to detect a broad range of HCPs. The present study focuses on the identification of suitable host animal species for the development of high-performance CHO-HCP ELISAs, assuming the generation of pAbs with adequate coverage and specificity. Hence, antibodies derived from immunization of sheep, goats, donkeys, rabbits, and chickens were compared concerning their amount of HCP-specific antibodies, coverage, and performance in a sandwich ELISA. Immunization of sheep, goats, donkeys, and rabbits met all test criteria, whereas the antibodies from chickens cannot be recommended based on the results of this study. Additionally, a mixture of antibodies from the five host species was prepared to assess if coverage and ELISA performance can be improved by a multispecies approach. Comparable results were obtained for the single- and multispecies ELISAs in different in-process samples, indicating no substantial improvement for the latter in ELISA performance while raising ethical and financial concerns.     

αCT1 peptide sensitizes glioma cells to temozolomide in a glioblastoma organoid platform

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common form of brain cancer. Even with aggressive treatment, tumor recurrence is almost universal and patient prognosis is poor because many GBM cell subpopulations, especially the mesenchymal and glioma stem cell populations, are resistant to temozolomide (TMZ), the most commonly used chemotherapeutic in GBM. For this reason, there is an urgent need for the development of new therapies that can more effectively treat GBM. Several recent studies have indicated that high expression of connexin 43 (Cx43) in GBM is associated with poor patient outcomes. It has been hypothesized that inhibition of the Cx43 hemichannels could prevent TMZ efflux and sensitize otherwise resistance cells to the treatment. In this study, we use a three-dimensional organoid model of GBM to demonstrate that combinatorial treatment with TMZ and αCT1, a Cx43 mimetic peptide, significantly improves treatment efficacy in certain populations of GBM. Confocal imaging was used to visualize changes in Cx43 expression in response to combinatorial treatment. These results indicate that Cx43 inhibition should be pursued further as an improved treatment for GBM.     

CHIRBASE,a graphical molecular database on the separation of enantiomers by liquid-, supercritical fluid-, and gas chromatography

In order to cope with the increasing number of publications on the separation of enantiomers by chromatography on a chiral stationary phase, the graphical molecular database CHIRBASE was created. In the present state, the database package covers information (structural, bibiographic, and chromatographic data) on liquid-, supercritical fluid-, and gas chromatography; other methods will follow. CHIRBASE, running on the MDL software Chembase®, meets the requirements of contemporary information management in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. (Detailed information including a demo-version of each part of CHIRBASE can be obtained from the authors on request.) © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.