EGFR expression and EGF stimulation of proliferation in human liver carcinoma cells

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene expression and growth stimulation of EGF on human hepatoma cells of cell lines BEL-7404 and SMMC-7721 were studied. 125I-EGF binding assay was used to measure the binding characteristics and the amounts of EGFR on these cells. The binding time course and the binding competition assay showed that the binding of 125I-EGF to 7404 cells was saturable and specific. Scatchard analysis of EGF binding curve indicated that 7404 and 7721 cells expressed approximately 1.1 x 10(5) and 0.7 x 10(5) EGFRs per cell with binding affinity (Kd) 2.1 nM and 1.8 nM respectively. Northern hybridization and immunoblotting analysis showed the EGFR gene expression products in 7404 and 7721 cells were 5.6 Kb mRNA and 170 Kilo-dalton glycoprotein. Anchorage-dependent growth of 7404 and 7721 cells was stimulated in the presence of nanogram quantities of EGF in medium containing 10% calf serum or 0.5% calf serum. The factors in serum appeared to act synergitically in stimulating of cell proliferation. EGF also stimulated the anchorage-independent growth of 7404 and 7721 cells in soft agar. The results suggest that EGFR is actively expressed in human hepatoma 7404 and 7721 cells and EGF may be one of the mitogens needed for the growth of hepatoma cells.     

甘蔗叶不同部位ATP酶活性细胞化学定位

甘蔗叶片,叶鞘和肥厚带韧皮部 ATP 酶活性定位于筛管、伴胞的质膜、内质网和某些伴胞细胞基质、小囊泡和发育成熟的液泡上;叶片韧皮部薄壁细胞、厚壁细胞和厚壁通道细胞质膜及小囊泡中亦显示有 ATP 水解产物;维管束鞘细咆与厚壁细胞或厚壁通道细胞所构成的细胞间隙上也存在有 ATP 酶活性反应产物沉淀。甘蔗叶片大、中、小三种维管束,从小维管束到大维管束,面向细胞间隙的细胞表面上的 ATP 酶活性逐渐增强,而维管束鞘细胞质膜上的 ATP 酶活性则趋于减弱;同一维管束内则以韧皮部细胞的 ATP 酶活性最强。维管束鞘细胞与叶肉细胞之间存在很多的胞间连丝,并表现出高的 ATP 酶活性。讨论了 ATP 酶活性的分布状态与叶肉细胞的光合产物向韧皮部运输的关系。     

短尾猴（Macaca arctoides）和猕猴跟骨的功能形态研究

本文从形态描述和统计入手,对短尾猴(macaca arctoides)和猕猴的跟骨进行了比较研究。结果表明,所研究的跟骨变量无论数值大小还是几何图形结构都存在一定差异。特别是跟骨最大宽、跟长、后距骨连结面长、跟骨高度及相对跟长存在显著性差异水平。猕猴跟骨变量间的相关关系比短尾猴的表现得更为紧密。据其形态与功能的关系,我们认为:与猕猴相较,短尾猴更适应于地栖生活。这似乎与短尾猴具更大的体重有关。     

Identification and nucleotide sequence of the Leptospira biflexa serovar patoc trpE and trpG genes.

Leptospira biflexa is a representative of an evolutionarily distinct group of eubacteria. In order to better understand the genetic organization and gene regulatory mechanisms of this species, we have chosen to study the genes required for tryptophan biosynthesis in this bacterium. The nucleotide sequence of the region of the L. biflexa serovar patoc chromosome encoding the trpE and trpG genes has been determined. Four open reading frames (ORFs) were identified in this region, but only three ORFs were translated into proteins when the cloned genes were introduced into Escherichia coli. Analysis of the predicted amino acid sequences of the proteins encoded by the ORFs allowed us to identify the trpE and trpG genes of L. biflexa. Enzyme assays confirmed the identity of these two ORFs. Anthranilate synthase from L. biflexa was found to be subject to feedback inhibition by tryptophan. Codon usage analysis showed that there was a bias in L. biflexa towards the use of codons rich in A and T, as would be expected from its G + C content of 37%. Comparison of the amino acid sequences of the trpE gene product and the trpG gene product with corresponding gene products from other bacteria showed regions of highly conserved sequence.     

Fragment A of diphtheria toxin causes pH-dependent lesions in model membranes

Fragment A of diphtheria toxin has been shown to insert into lipid bilayers at low pH (Montecucco, C., Schiavo, G., and Tomasi, M. (1985) Biochem. J. 231, 123-128; Zhao, J.-M., and London, E. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 15369-15377). In this report, evidence is provided which demonstrates that fragment A, like diphtheria toxin, can also cause the release of a fluorescent dye (calcein) from vesicles under acidic conditions and that this release parallels fragment A insertion into the membrane. Although the permeability changes are not as large as those obtained with whole toxin (Jiang, G.-S., Solow, R., and Hu, V. W. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 13424-13429), molecular sieving experiments indicate that the lesion induced by fragment A increases in size with decreasing pH and reaches an upper limit of 30 A at pH 4.0. In addition to size differences, the lesion induced by fragment A releases calcein in a graded manner, whereas diphtheria toxin causes an all-or-none release. One possible interpretation of this result is that the fragment A lesion is transient in comparison to that induced by whole toxin. Although the molecular bases for the observed differences are not understood, these data suggest that fragment A interaction with the lipid bilayer may play a significant role in mediating its own translocation across membranes and that fragment B may aid this process by initiating, enlarging, and stabilizing the lesion formed.     

Dose-dependent metabolic response of mammary carcinoma to photodynamic therapy

The metabolic response of mammary carcinoma in the C3H mouse to photodynamic therapy (PDT) was measured using in vivo 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (31P-NMR) spectroscopy and pH microelectrodes. Twenty-four hours after administration of Photofrin II (12.5 mg/kg), the tumor was subjected to photoactivation using an argon dye laser. Optical treatment doses were 200, 400, and 600 J/cm2 and corresponded to the following tumor control doses: TCD10/30, TCD50/30, and TCD90/30, respectively. In vivo 31P-NMR spectra and pH micro-electrode measurements were obtained prior to treatment and at 4, 24, 48, and 72 h and 1 week post-treatment. The data revealed a significant (P less than 0.0002) alkalosis as indicated by the pH measured by NMR compared to pH measured by microelectrodes at all treatment levels and time points. Spectral differences between treatment groups were apparent as early as 4 h after treatment. The ratio of beta-nucleoside triphosphate to inorganic phosphate at 4 h after treatment was significantly (P less than 0.01) smaller for 600 J/cm2 treatment than for 200 J/cm2 treatment. At curative (600 J/cm2) levels, from 48 h on, no phosphate resonances were detected in the spectra. The pH measured by NMR transiently decreased from pretreatment levels after 200 and 400 J/cm2 treatment (P less than 0.002, P less than 0.009, respectively), while no change in pH from pretreatment values was found after 600 J/cm2 treatment. The data suggest that the early metabolic response of mammary carcinoma to PDT, as indicated by 31P-NMR spectroscopy, is dose dependent, and may be a sensitive indicator of biological outcome to treatment.     

Immobilization of enzymes with polyaziridines.

A novel method of enzyme immobilization using a low molecular weight prepolymer of tri-functional aziridines which can immobilize enzymes both by covalent attachment and entrapment within a gel matrix is described. The enzymes are immobilized on a solid support and exhibit an excellent retention of enzymatic activity. The immobilization procedure is essentially a single step process which can be easily performed at room temperature or 4 degrees C in either aqueous solution or in an inert organic solvent. The polyaziridines used in the immobilization are nontoxic, available in bulk at low cost and completely miscible with water and many organic solvents, thus providing one of the most satisfactory methods of immobilization available.     

Scanning electron microscopic observation of the pretarsal suckers of the honey-bee ectoparasite,Varroa jacobsoni (Gamasida: Dermanyssina)

The pretarsus of the female miteVarroa jacobsoni Oudemans (1904) consists of two main parts, a cuticular basal stalk and an extrudable, membranous ambulacral pad, the caruncle. The caruncle, when fully extruded and expanded, becomes a bilobed sucker, and when deflated, the entire caruncle is retracted into the basal stalk. The basal stalk of the pretarsus with the sucker fully retracted into it resembles an inverted cone with its narrow portion attached to the apex of the tarsus. The basal stalk consists of three large plates; two lateral and one median. The proximal end of each lateral plate bears a sclerotized claw-like structure which functions to support the expanded caruncle. The median plate possesses a long, narrow ridge process connecting the basal stalk with the caruncle, and functions to control retraction and protraction of the caruncle. The morphology and function of the basal stalk suggest that the claw-like structure are the ungues; the median plate is the unguifer, and the median ridge is the tendon of the retractor/depressor muscles of the pretarsus. The significance of the pretarsal suckers to the control of the mite is also discussed.     

Analysis of time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy in lipid-protein systems

Fluorescent probes located in heterogeneous environments give rise to anomalous time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy. A simple analytical expression of anisotropy has been derived for the case of a small difference in local fluorescence lifetimes. The expression has the diagnostic advantage that the time dependence of the fluorescence anisotropy can be predicted from the differences in fluorescence lifetimes and residual anisotropies of the probes located in different sites. Using this model, the local fluorescence anisotropy parameters and the relative contributions of the lipid probe octadecyl rhodamine B in a lipid environment and in the vicinity of bacteriophage M13 coat protein reconstituted in phospholipid bilayers, composed of 80% 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine and 20% 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol have been determined experimentally. At 40°C, the correlation times for bound and free probes are 2.3 and 3.0 ns, respectively, while the corresponding order parameters are 0.85 and 0.62, respectively.Abbreviations ESR electron spin resonance - DMPC 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine - DMPC 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol - L/P ratio phospholipid to coat protein molar ratio - <> average fluorescence lifetime - r(0) initial anisotropy - r() residual anisotropy On leave of Shanghai Medical Equipment Research Institute, 77 Jiang Ning Rd. Shanghai, People's Republic of China Offprint requests to: M. A. Hemminga     

小鼠LAK细胞对红系祖细胞及多向造血祖细胞增殖的影响

小鼠脾细胞经重组人白细胞介素-2(rhIL-2)激活后对YAC-1,LP-3和WEHI-164等肿瘤细胞均有很强的杀伤活性。在CFU-E和BFU-E培养体系中,不同浓度LAK细胞与BMC直接加入或预温育4h后再培养,均能加强CFU-E和BFU-E增殖。低浓度LAK细胞(LAK/BMC为0.5)与BMC直接加入或预温育后再加入CFU-mix培养体系中,均能增强CFU-mix增殖,而高浓度LAK细胞和BMC(LAK/BMC=8.0)直接加入培养体系则抑制CFU-mix增殖;若共温育后再培养则非常明显地抑制CFU-mix增殖,CFU-mix仅为对照的17.6％。小鼠LAK细胞对造血祖细胞体外增殖具有调节作用,这种调节可能包括分泌某些细胞因子以及细胞间直接相互作用两种方式。