Immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization studies of pepsinogen C-producing cells in developing rat fundic glands

The ontogeny of pepsinogen C-producing cells in rat fundic glands was studied by means of light and electron microscopy using an antiserum raised against a synthetic peptide based on rat pepsinogen C. To confirm the immunocytochemistry results, the expression of rat pepsinogen C messenger RNA (mRNA) in the fundic gland was also examined by in situ hybridization using a digoxigenin-labeled RNA probe. In adult rats, pepsinogen C was produced by chief cells, mucous neck cells, and intermediate mucopeptic cells. Pepsinogen C-producing cells appeared in embryos as early as 18.5 days’ gestation. The development of these cells could be classified into four stages: (1) 18.5 days’ gestation to 0.5 days after birth; (2) 0.5 days to 2 weeks after birth; (3) 3–4 weeks after birth; (4) 4–8 weeks after birth. In embryos and young animals, pepsinogen C-producing cells were mucopeptic cells. By 4 weeks after birth, mucous neck cells could be distinguished morphologically. The maturation stages of the chief cells could be traced by electron microscopy along the longitudinal axis of the rat fundic gland by double-staining with anti-pepsinogen C antibody and periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate. Positive reactions for pepsinogen C and pepsinogen C mRNA expression were detected in mucous neck cells. Therefore, we conclude that mucous neck cells are precursor cells of chief cells. Mucous neck cells, intermediate cells, and chief cells are in the same differentiating cell lineage.     

Oral administration of FAK inhibitor TAE226 inhibits the progression of peritoneal dissemination of colorectal cancer

Peritoneal dissemination is one of the most terrible types of colorectal cancer progression. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a crucial role in the biological processes of cancer, such as cell attachment, migration, proliferation and survival, all of which are essential for the progression of peritoneal dissemination. Since we and other groups have reported that the inhibition of FAK activity exhibited a potent anticancer effect in several cancer models, we hypothesized that TAE226, a novel ATP-competitive tyrosine kinase inhibitor designed to target FAK, can prevent the occurrence and progression of peritoneal dissemination. In vitro, TAE226 greatly inhibited the proliferation and migration of HCT116 colon cancer cells, while their adhesion on the matrix surface was minimally inhibited when FAK activity and expression was suppressed by TAE226 and siRNA. In vivo, when HCT116 cells were intraperitoneally inoculated in mice, the cells could attach to the peritoneum and begin to grow within 24 h regardless of the pretreatment of cells with TAE226 or FAK-siRNA, suggesting that FAK is not essential, at least for the initial integrin-matrix contact. Interestingly, the treatment of mice before and after inoculation significantly suppressed cell attachment to the peritoneum. Furthermore, oral administration of TAE226 greatly reduced the size of disseminated tumors and prolonged survival in tumor-bearing mice. Taken together, a possible strategy for inhibiting peritoneal dissemination by targeting FAK with TAE226 appears to be applicable through anti-proliferative and anti-invasion/anti-migration mechanisms.     

Effective Isolation of Retrotransposons and Repetitive DNA Families from the Wheat Genome

New classes of repetitive DNA elements were effectively identified by isolating small fragments of the elements from the wheat genome. A wheat A genome library was constructed from Triticum monococcum by degenerate cleavage with EcoO109I, the recognition sites of which consisted of 5'-PuGGNCCPy-3'multi-sequences. Three novel repetitive sequences pTm6, pTm69 and pTm58 derived from the A genome were screened and tested for high copy number using a blotting approach. pTm6 showed identity with integrase domains of the barley Ty1-Copia-retrotransposon BARE-1 and pTm58 showed similarity to the barley Ty3-gypsy-like retrotransposon Romani. pTm69, however, constituted a tandem array with useful genomic specificities, but did not share any identity with known repetitive elements. This study also sought to isolate wheat D-genome-specific repetitive elements regardless of the level of methylation, by genomic subtraction. Total genomic DNA of Aegilops tauschii was cleaved into short fragments with a methylation-insensitive 4 bp cutter, Mbol, and then common DNA sequences between Ae. tauschii and Triticum turgidum were subtracted by annealing with excess T. turgidum genomic DNA. The D genome repetitive sequence pAt1 was isolated and used to identify an additional novel repetitive sequence family from wheat bacterial artificial chromosomes with a size range of 1 395-1 850 bp. The methods successfully led pathfinding of two unique repetitive families.     

Inactivation of Ca2+-induced ciliary reversal by high-salt extraction in the cilia of Paramecium

Intracellular Ca²⁺ induces ciliary reversal and backward swimming in Paramecium. However, it is not known how the Ca²⁺ signal controls the motor machinery to induce ciliary reversal. We found that demembranated cilia on the ciliated cortical sheets from Paramecium caudatum lost the ability to undergo ciliary reversal after brief extraction with a solution containing 0.5 M KCl. KNO₃, which is similar to KCl with respect to chaotropic effect; it had the same effect as that of KCl on ciliary response. Cyclic AMP antagonizes Ca²⁺-induced ciliary reversal. Limited trypsin digestion prevents endogenous A-kinase and cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of an outer arm dynein light chain and induces ciliary reversal. However, the trypsin digestion prior to the high-salt extraction did not affect the inhibition of Ca²⁺-induced ciliary reversal caused by the high-salt extraction. Furthermore, during the course of the high-salt extraction, some axonemal proteins were extracted from ciliary axonemes, suggesting that they may be responsible for Ca²⁺-induced ciliary reversal.     

Quantitative imaging of directional transport through plasmodesmata in moss protonemata via single-cell photoconversion of Dendra2

Cell-to-cell transport of molecules in plants must be properly regulated for plant growth and development. One specialized mechanism that plants have evolved involves transport through plasmodesmata (PD), but when and how transport of molecules via PD is regulated among individual cells remains largely unknown, particularly at the single-cell level. Here, we developed a tool for quantitatively analyzing cell-to-cell transport via PD at a single-cell level using protonemata of Physcomitrella patens and a photoconvertible fluorescent protein, Dendra2. In the filamentous protonemal tissues, one-dimensional intercellular communication can be observed easily. Using this system, we found that Dendra2 was directionally transported toward the apex of the growing protonemata. However, this directional transport could be eliminated by incubation in the dark or treatment with a metabolic inhibitor. Thus, we propose that directional transport of macromolecules can occur via PD in moss protonemata, and may be affected by the photosynthetic and metabolic activity of cells.     

Anti-tumor effect in human breast cancer by TAE226, a dual inhibitor for FAK and IGF-IR in vitro and in vivo

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a 125-kDa non-receptor type tyrosine kinase that localizes to focal adhesions. FAK overexpression is frequently found in invasive and metastatic cancers of the breast, colon, thyroid, and prostate, but its role in osteolytic metastasis is not well understood. In this study, we have analyzed anti-tumor effects of the novel FAK Tyr³⁹⁷ inhibitor TAE226 against bone metastasis in breast cancer by using TAE226. Oral administration of TAE226 in mice significantly decreased bone metastasis and osteoclasts involved which were induced by MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and increased the survival rate of the mouse models of bone metastasis. TAE226 also suppressed the growth of subcutaneous tumors in vivo and the proliferation and migration of MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro. Significantly, TAE226 inhibited the osteoclast formation in murine pre-osteoclastic RAW264.7 cells, and actin ring and pit formation in mature osteoclasts. Moreover, TAE226 inhibited the receptor activator for nuclear factor κ B Ligand (RANKL) gene expression induced by parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) in bone stromal ST2 cells and blood free calcium concentration induced by PTHrP administration in vivo. These findings suggest that FAK was critically involved in osteolytic metastasis and activated in tumors, pre-osteoclasts, mature osteoclasts, and bone stromal cells and TAE226 can be effectively used for the treatment of cancer induced bone metastasis and other bone diseases.     

Ecomorphological dimorphism of juvenile <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trachurus japonicus</Emphasis> in Wakasa Bay,Japan

Morphometric analyses of marine pelagic fishes have generally been conducted for stock identification rather than for ecomorphological understanding. Many papers on stock identification of Trachurus japonicus reported polymorphisms in the Japanese Islands waters. However, none of them has found polymorphism in fish less than 100 mm standard length (SL), despite the environmental differences experienced by juvenile cohorts. The objective of this study was to detect ecomorphological polymorphism of juvenile T. japonicus (<100 mm SL) in Wakasa Bay, Japan, where multiple juvenile cohorts appear. From analyses of size frequency distributions and otolith microstructure, five cohorts were recognized in the bay from September 2003 to August 2004. We then compared 17 morphometric characters on body, fin, and otolith morphology, and found cohort-specific and roughly dimorphic pattern (a streamlined morph and a compressed morph). The dimorphism was markedly observed in 50–70 mm SL, and was regarded as specific to the juvenile stage by comparison with the senior dimorphisms (≥100 mm SL). Referring to the literatures on functional morphology, the streamlined morph and the compressed morph were considered to be suitable to body and caudal fin (BCF) periodic propulsion and BCF transient propulsion, respectively. The juvenile dimorphism was interpreted as adaptive in its developmental environments (i.e., ecomorphological dimorphism) by relating the functional differences to the inferred ecological differences: the streamlined morph is adaptive to feed on larval Engraulis japonicus in coastal waters, whereas the compressed morph is adaptive to associate with jellyfishes in offshore waters.     

Suppressive effects of electrolyzed reduced water on alloxan-induced apoptosis and type 1 diabetes mellitus

Electrolyzed reduced water, which is capable of scavenging reactive oxygen species, is attracting recent attention because it has shown improved efficacy against several types of diseases including diabetes mellitus. Alloxan produces reactive oxygen species and causes type 1 diabetes mellitus in experimental animals by irreversible oxidative damage to insulin-producing β-cells. Here, we showed that electrolyzed reduced water prevented alloxan-induced DNA fragmentation and the production of cells in sub-G1 phase in HIT-T15 pancreatic β-cells. Blood glucose levels in alloxan-induced type 1 diabetes model mice were also significantly suppressed by feeding the mice with electrolyzed reduced water. These results suggest that electrolyzed reduced water can prevent apoptosis of pancreatic β-cells and the development of symptoms in type 1 diabetes model mice by alleviating the alloxan-derived generation of reactive oxygen species.