Adaptive T cell immunotherapy in cancer

Impaired tumor-specific effector T cells contribute to tumor progression and unfavorable clinical outcomes. As a compensatory T cell-dependent cancer immunoediting strategy, adoptive T cell therapy(ACT) has achieved encouraging therapeutic results,and this strategy is now on the center stage of cancer treatment and research. ACT involves the ex vivo stimulation and expansion of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes(TILs) with inherent tumor reactivity or T cells that have been genetically modified to express the cognate chimeric antigen receptor or T cell receptor(CAR/TCR), followed by the passive transfer of these cells into a lymphodepleted host. Primed T cells must provide highly efficient and long-lasting immune defense against transformed cells during ACT. Anin-depth understanding of the basic mechanisms of these living drugs can help us improve upon current strategies and design better next-generation T cell-based immunotherapies. From this perspective, we provide an overview of current developments in different ACT strategies, with a focus on frontier clinical trials that offer a proof of principle. Meanwhile, insights into the determinants of ACT are discussed, which will lead to more rational, potent and widespread applications in the future.     

Allotransplantation of adult spinal cord tissues after complete transected spinal cord injury: Long-term survival and functional recovery in canines

Science China Life Sciences - Spinal cord injury (SCI), especially complete transected SCI, leads to loss of cells and extracellular matrix and functional impairments. In a previous study, we...     

From signaling to function: how strigolactones regulate plant development

Science China Life Sciences -     

Co-transformation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Panax</Emphasis> major ginsenosides Rb<Subscript>1</Subscript> and Rg<Subscript>1</Subscript> to minor ginsenosides C–K and F<Subscript>1</Subscript> by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cladosporium cladosporioides</Emphasis>

Rb₁ and Rg₁ are the major ginsenosides in protopanaxadiol and protopanaxatriol. Their content in ginsenosides was 23.8 and 17.6%, respectively. A total of 22 isolates of β-glucosidase producing microorganisms were isolated from the soil of a ginseng field using Esculin-R2A agar. Among these isolates, the strain GH21 showed the strongest activities to convert ginsenoside Rb₁ and Rg₁ to minor ginsenosides compound-K and F₁, respectively. Ginsenosides Rb₁ and Rg₁ bioconversion rates were 74.2 and 89.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, the results demonstrated that the ginsenoside Rg₁ could change the biotransformation pathway of ginsenoside Rb₁ by inhibiting the formation of the intermediate metabolite gypenoside-XVII. GH21 was identified as a Cladosporium cladosporioides species based on the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rRNA gene sequences constructed phylogenetic trees.     

The complete mitochondrial genomes of largemouth bass of the northern subspecies (Micropterus salmoides salmoides) and Florida subspecies (Micropterus salmoides floridanus) and their applications in the identification of largemouth bass species

The largemouth bass belongs to the family Centrarchidae, which includes two subspecies: the northern subspecies, Micropterus salmoides salmoides, and the Florida subspecies, Micropterus salmoides floridanus. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genomes of the two subspecies were sequenced, and their genetic differences were identified. The mitogenomes of M. s. salmoides and M. s. floridanus are 16,486 and 16,479?bp in length, respectively. The two subspecies consisted of 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA, and 22 transfer RNA), which are typical for vertebrate mtDNA. Phylogenetic analysis provided statistical support for the monophyly of the family Centrarchidae. Comparison of the two subspecies' mitogenomes revealed a relatively high number (450) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in protein-coding genes. We characterized SNPs in the partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene of different individuals from three cultured populations, one wild northern subspecies population, and one wild Florida subspecies population. Twenty-eight SNPs were fixed with alternative nucleotides in the two subspecies, which could be used for differentiating them. Based on this gene, phylogenetic tree and genetic distance analyses supported that cultured largemouth bass in China belongs to the northern subspecies.     

2D differential in-gel electrophoresis for the identification of esophageal scans cell cancer-specific protein markers

The reproducibility of conventional two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis can be improved using differential in-gel electrophoresis (DIGE), a new emerging technology for proteomic analysis. In DIGE, two pools of proteins are labeled with 1-(5-carboxypentyl)-1'-propylindocarbocyanine halide (Cy3) N-hydroxy-succinimidyl ester and 1-(5-carboxypentyl)-1'-methylindodi-carbocyanine halide (Cy5) N-hydroxysuccinimidyl ester fluorescent dyes, respectively. The labeled proteins are mixed and separated in the same 2D gel. 2D DIGE was applied to quantify the differences in protein expression between laser capture microdissection-procured esophageal carcinoma cells and normal epithelial cells and to define cancer-specific and normal-specific protein markers. Analysis of the 2D images from protein lysates of approximately 250,000 cancer cells and normal cells identified 1038 protein spots in cancer cell lysates and 1088 protein spots in normal cell lysates. Of the detected proteins, 58 spots were up-regulated by >3-fold and 107 were down-regulated by >3-fold in cancer cells. In addition to previously identified down-regulated protein annexin I, tumor rejection antigen (gp96) was found up-regulated in esophageal squamous cell cancer. Global quantification of protein expression between laser capture-microdissected patient-matched cancer cells and normal cells using 2D DIGE in combination with mass spectrometry is a powerful tool for the molecular characterization of cancer progression and identification of cancer-specific protein markers.     

生物基分子介导纳米金属材料的制备及其应用

纳米金属材料具有纳米晶强化效应、光吸收率大、较高的表面能和单磁畴性能等优点,因其在医药、化学催化、抗菌抑毒等方面发挥着越来越重要的作用而受到人们广泛关注.近年来,随着全球石化资源消耗与曰俱增,环境污染加剧,基于可再生资源的生物基分子介导纳米材料的制备研究方兴未艾.生物基分子是指直接或间接来源于生物质的小分子或大分子物质...     

三角帆蚌Hc-GSK3β基因鉴定及内壳色性状相关SNP筛选

为了探究三角帆蚌(Hyriopsis cumingii)糖原合成激酶-3β(GSK3β)基因对壳色的影响,研究采用RACE技术获得Hc-GSK3β基因cDNA全长1867 bp,其中包含1261 bp的ORF区编码420个氨基酸, ORF中含有一个S＿TKc结构域,该结构域序列高度保守。组织差异表达分析发现Hc-GSK3β基因在紫色蚌鳃、斧足、内脏团和边缘膜组织中表达量高于白色蚌的表达量(P<0.05),且在斧足和边缘膜表达差异水平达到极显著(P<0.01),而在紫色蚌闭壳肌组织中表达量显著低于白色蚌(P<0.05)。原位杂交(ISH)实验结果显示在三角帆蚌外套膜的外褶、中褶、內褶、背膜区和腹膜区均有阳性信号产生,且在外褶的信号表达较强烈。该基因经重测序比较,共鉴定出6个SNP位点,其中在C+185A位点的CA基因型在紫色蚌的分布频率显著高于白色三角帆蚌(P<0.05);在紫色蚌中, T+341G位点TT基因型三角帆蚌内壳颜色参数b值显著低于TG基因型(P<0.05)。研究表明, Hc-GSK3β基因参与了三角帆蚌壳色形成,筛选的SNP标记可用于三角帆蚌壳...