Perforin and Fas cytolytic pathways coordinately shape the selection and diversity of CD8+-T-cell escape variants of influenza virus

Antigenic variation is a viral strategy exploited to promote survival in the face of the host immune response and represents a major challenge for efficient vaccine development. Influenza viruses are pathogens with high transmissibility and mutation rates, enabling viral escape from immunity induced by prior infection or vaccination. Intense selection from neutralizing antibody drives antigenic changes in the surface glycoproteins, resulting in emergence of new strains able to reinfect hosts immune to previously circulating viruses. CD8+ cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) also provide protective immunity from influenza virus infection and may contribute to the antigenic evolution of influenza viruses. Utilizing mice transgenic for an influenza virus NP366-374 peptide-specific T-cell receptor, we demonstrated that the respiratory tract is a suitable site for generation of escape variants of influenza virus selected by CTL in vivo. In this report the contributions of the perforin and Fas pathways utilized by influenza virus-specific CTLs in viral clearance and selection of CTL escape variants have been evaluated. While transgenic CTLs deficient in either perforin- or Fas-mediated pathways are efficient in initial pulmonary viral control, variant virus emergence was observed in all the mice studied, although the spectrum of viral CTL escape variants selected varied profoundly. Thus, a less-restricted repertoire of escape variants was observed in mice with an intact perforin cytotoxic pathway compared with a limited variant diversity in perforin pathway-deficient mice, although maximal variant diversity was observed in mice having both Fas and perforin pathways intact. We conclude that selection of viral CTL escape variants reflects coordinate action between the tightly controlled perforin/granzyme pathway and the more promiscuous Fas/FasL pathway.     

长吻对鱼粉等六种商品饲料中粗蛋白和能量的消化率

本试验以三氧化二铬（Ｃｒ２Ｏ３）为指示物测定Ⅰ龄长吻对鱼粉、猪血粉、豆饼粉、菜籽饼粉、小麦粉和玉米蛋白粉等六种商品饲料原料粗蛋白和总能量的消化率。试验饲料由参考饲料和试验原料以７０∶３０的比例混合挤压制成颗粒饲料。试验鱼粪便样品用虹吸方式收集,并将测试的消化率结果经过降低１０％的校正。由此所得消化率值更能反应长吻的消化生理状况。另外本文对六种饲料的消化率结果进行了讨论。     

The inhibition of lung cancer cell growth by intracellular immunization with LC—1 ScFv

INTRODUCTIONLung cancer remains the leading cause of can-cer mortaIity in the world, accounting for more thanone sixth of cancer deaths in the world[1]. Antibod-ies have been proved to be a powerful tool fOr thestudy of 1ung cancer. A monoclonal IgM antibody,LC-1, was obtained in our laboratory. It can reactat a high rate with all four pathological types of lungcancers, including lung adenocarcinoma, 1ung squamous carcinoma, large cell lung cancer and smaIlcell lung cancert but not wit…     

siRNA介导的NFBD1表达沉默对HeLa细胞增殖与凋亡的影响

NFBD1,也称MDC1,是1个参与细胞内DNA损伤后细胞应答反应的重要分子．为探讨NFBD1在细胞增殖和凋亡中的作用及其作为分子靶点用于肿瘤治疗的潜在价值,本研究采用siRNA技术抑制NFBD1的表达,并观察了其对人宫颈癌细胞HeLa细胞增殖和细胞凋亡的影响．半定量RT-PCR和蛋白质印迹分析结果表明,筛选到的短链NFBD1 siRNA能有效抑制内源NFBD1的表达,抑制程度约100％．细胞生长曲线分析结果表明,siRNA介导的NFBD1表达沉默导致HeLa细胞生长增殖的显著抑制．FACS分析结果表明,NFBD1表达抑制导致sub-G₁峰的出现,同时蛋白质印迹分析观察到了caspase 3和PARP（poly-ADP-ribose polymerase）的剪接激活,表明NFBD1表达抑制诱发了细胞凋亡．在该凋亡过程中,P-53及其下游靶分子Bax和Puma的表达水平均没有发生明显变化,但Noxa的表达在mRNA和蛋白质水平上均显著上调,强烈提示该凋亡过程很可能是1个不依赖P53的凋亡途径,且Noxa的转录激活在该凋亡过程中可能起着重要作用．这些结果表明,NFBD1参与细胞生长增殖和凋亡的调节,是一个潜在的肿瘤治疗新靶点．     

极端耐盐放线菌白色普氏菌YIM 90005T四氢嘧啶及5-羟基四氢嘧啶合成相关基因的克隆

摘要：【目的】 为了研究耐盐放线菌对高盐环境的适应机理。【方法】 用HPLC定量检测了极端耐盐、丝状产孢放线菌——白色普氏菌（Prauserella alba） YIM 90005T在不同盐浓度下胞内相容性溶质的种类和含量。【结果】 结果发现,四氢嘧啶和5-羟基四氢嘧啶是其主要的相容性溶质。在培养基NaCl浓度为10%时,四氢嘧啶在胞内累积浓度最大,为18.77 μg/mg干菌体重。之后随NaCl浓度的升高,胞内的四氢嘧啶含量逐渐减少,而5-羟基四氢嘧啶的含量逐渐增加,在该菌耐受的最高NaCl浓度下（24% w/v）,胞内5-羟基四氢嘧啶含量达到最大值,为22.98 μg/mg干菌体重。设计兼并引物,利用染色体步移,克隆得到四氢嘧啶及5-羟基四氢嘧啶合成相关基因ectABCD。序列分析表明,ectABCD位于一个操纵子中。进一步对不同NaCl浓度培养条件下ectB,D的表达量进行定量分析,结果表明该基因簇表达量随着培养基中NaCl浓度的增加而增大。【结论】 研究结果证实5-羟基四氢嘧啶是P. alba YIM 90005T在极高盐浓度条件下起渗透调节及保护的相容性溶质。     

Sphingosine kinase regulates the sensitivity of Dictyostelium discoideum cells to the anticancer drug cisplatin

The drug cisplatin is widely used to treat a number of tumor types. However, resistance to the drug, which remains poorly understood, limits its usefulness. Previous work using Dictyostelium discoideum as a model for studying drug resistance showed that mutants lacking sphingosine-1-phosphate (S-1-P) lyase, the enzyme that degrades S-1-P, had increased resistance to cisplatin, whereas mutants overexpressing the enzyme were more sensitive to the drug. S-1-P is synthesized from sphingosine and ATP by the enzyme sphingosine kinase. We have identified two sphingosine kinase genes in D. discoideum--sgkA and sgkB--that are homologous to those of other species. The biochemical properties of the SgkA and SgkB enzymes suggest that they are the equivalent of the human Sphk1 and Sphk2 enzymes, respectively. Disruption of the kinases by homologous recombination (both single and double mutants) or overexpression of the sgkA gene resulted in altered growth rates and altered response to cisplatin. The null mutants showed increased sensitivity to cisplatin, whereas mutants overexpressing the sphingosine kinase resulted in increased resistance compared to the parental cells. The results indicate that both the SgkA and the SgkB enzymes function in regulating cisplatin sensitivity. The increase in sensitivity of the sphingosine kinase-null mutants was reversed by the addition of S-1-P, and the increased resistance of the sphingosine kinase overexpressor mutant was reversed by the inhibitor N,N-dimethylsphingosine. Parallel changes in sensitivity of the null mutants are seen with the platinum-based drug carboplatin but not with doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and etoposide. This pattern of specificity is similar to that observed with the S-1-P lyase mutants and should be useful in designing therapeutic schemes involving more than one drug. This study identifies the sphingosine kinases as new drug targets for modulating the sensitivity to platinum-based drugs.     

Effects of Different Sources and Levels of Zinc on H2O2-Induced Apoptosis in IEC-6 Cells

Zinc has been shown to be an inhibitor of apoptosis for many years. The present study was designed to investigate effects of three zinc chemical forms on H₂O₂-induced cell apoptosis in IEC-6 cells via analysis of cell vitality, LDH activity, apoptosis percentage, caspase-3 activity, and Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3, -8, and -9 gene expression. Cells were divided into H₂O₂ and zinc sources+H₂O₂ groups, and there are three different zinc sources [zinc oxide nanoparticle (nano-ZnO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and zinc sulfate (ZnSO₄)] and three concentrations (normal = 25 μM, medium = 50 μM, and high = 100 μM) used in this article. In the present study, we found the striking cytotoxicity of H₂O₂ higher than 200 μM on cell vitality, LDH activity, and apoptosis percentage in the cells using five different concentrations (50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 μM) of H₂O₂ for 4 h. Moreover, we observed that cell vitality was increased, LDH activity and apoptotic percentage were decreased, and gene expression level of Bax and caspase-3 and -9 was markedly reduced, while gene expression level of Bcl-2 and ratio of Bcl-2/Bax were increased in normal concentration groups of nano-ZnO and ZnSO₄ compared with H₂O₂ group, but no significant difference was observed in caspase-8 gene expression. Furthermore, medium or, more intensely, high concentrations of nano-ZnO and ZnSO₄ enhanced H₂O₂-induced cell apoptosis. Compared with nano-ZnO and ZnSO₄, ZnO showed weakest protective effect on H₂O₂-induced apoptosis at normal concentration and was less toxic to cells at high level. Taken together, we proposed that preventive and protective effects of zinc on H₂O₂-induced cell apoptosis varied in IEC-6 cells with its chemical forms and concentrations, and maybe for the first time, we suggested that nano-ZnO have a protective effect on H₂O₂-induced cell apoptosis in IEC-6 cells.     

miR-10a Regulates Proliferation of Human Cardiomyocyte Progenitor Cells by Targeting GATA6

microRNAs (miRNAs) play essential roles in cardiogenesis. The altered expression of miRNAs can result in cardiac malformations by inducing abnormalities in the behavior of cardiac cells. However, the role of miR-10a in the regulation of cardiomyocyte progenitor cells (CMPCs) remains undetermined. In the present study, we found that up- or down-regulation of miR-10a inhibited or promoted the proliferation of human CMPCs, respectively, without affecting their differentiation toward cardiomyocytes. miR-10a bound to GATA6 directly and reduced GATA6 expression. Over-expression of GATA6 greatly attenuated the miR-10a-mediated inhibitory effect on the proliferation of human CMPCs. Thus, our results indicate that miR-10a could effectively modulate the proliferation of human CMPCs by targeting GATA6. The finding provides novel insights into the potency of miR-10a during heart development.     

黄体酮对3T3-L1脂肪前体细胞成脂分化后细胞中UCP2基因表达的影响

目的:观察体外培养条件下3T3-L1脂肪前体细胞诱导分化成的成熟脂肪细胞中解偶联蛋白2(UCP2)mRNA表达水平及黄体酮对其表达的影响。方法:体外培养3T3-L1脂肪细胞,在诱导3T3-L1脂肪细胞分化成熟后,经不同黄体酮浓度10μm/25μM/50μM/75μM/100μM刺激后,抽提总RNA,用RT-PCR检测UCP2 mRNA的表达。结果:黄体酮会促进成熟脂肪细胞中UCP2 mRNA的表达,(P<0.05)其中25μM浓度刺激下UCP2 mRNA表达量最高。结论:体外培养中,黄体酮对成熟脂肪细胞中UCP2 mRNA的表达与调控具有一定的影响。     

Rapid determination of gatifloxacin in biological samples and pharmaceutical products using europium‐sensitized fluorescence spectrophotometry

A europium‐sensitized fluorescence spectrophotometry method using an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate (SDBS), was developed for the determination of gatifloxacin (GFLX). The GFLX–Eu³⁺–SDBS system was studied and it was found that SDBS significantly enhanced the fluorescence intensity of the GFLX–Eu³⁺ complex (about 25‐fold). The optimal experimental conditions were determined as follows: excitation and emission wavelengths of 338 and 617 nm, pH 7.5, 3.0 × 10^–6 mol/L europium(III), and 5.0 × 10^–5 mol/L SDBS. The enhanced fluorescence intensity of the system (ΔI_f) showed a good linear relationship with the concentration of GFLX over the range 1.0 × 10^–8–8.0 × 10^–7 mol/L with a correlation coefficient of 0.9990. The detection limit (S:N = 3) was determined as 1.0 × 10^–9 mol/L. This method has been successfully applied for the determination of GFLX in pharmaceuticals and human urine/serum samples. Compared with most other methods reported, the rapid and simple procedure proposed here offered higher sensitivity, wider linear range and good stability. The luminescence mechanism of the system is also discussed in detail. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.