EPO修饰增强Muller细胞对RCS大鼠视网膜变性的干预效果

目的：研究人源促红细胞生成素（hEPO）修饰的Müller（hEPO-Müller）细胞对视网膜退行性病变大鼠的干预作用。方法通过质粒转染法构建hEPO和GFP的Müller细胞稳转株（hEPO-Müller和GFP-Müller）;以体外共培养和体内细胞移植为研究体系,利用RT-PCR和冰冻切片及免疫荧光染色的方法检测hEPO-Müller对RCS大鼠视网膜退行性病变的干预作用。内核层与外核层厚度比较采用t检验。结果本实验成功构建了hEPO-Müller和GFP-Müller细胞系。将RCS大鼠的视网膜组织剥离并在体外不同条件下培养两周后测定视网膜各核层厚度发现,与对照细胞裂解液共培养组的内核层（15.94±1.77）μm和外核层（24.81±3.03）μm的厚度相比较,两核层的厚度分别在hEPO组为（23.03±3.29）μm,（33.92±7.59）μm（P〈0.05）;Müller 组为（24.81±2.02）μm,（32.15±3.03）μm（P〈0.05）;hEPO-Müller组为（32.40±8.35）μm,（40.25±3.29）μm（n=3, P〈0.01）;以hEPO-Müller组厚度增加最为显著（P〈0.05）。提示EPO和Müller细胞对视网膜变性都有干预作用且两者可以叠加。将hEPO-Müller和GFP-Müller分别移植到RCS大鼠的视网膜下腔,四周后取视网膜进行冰冻切片检测,染色结果显示,细胞移植后有更多的外核层细胞存活,且同样也是hEPO-Müller组的外核层细胞更多。此外,Müller移植并不会促进视网膜的胶质化。结论移植Müller细胞可以减缓RCS大鼠视网膜变性,而经hEPO修饰的Müller细胞对视网膜变性有更好的干预作用。因此,Müller细胞可以作为一种供体细胞兼携带hEPO等营养因子的载体用于视网膜变性的治疗。     

自体骨髓间充质干细胞移植对膝骨性关节炎的疗效观察

目的探讨关节内注射自体骨髓间充质干细胞(BMSC)治疗膝骨性关节炎的临床疗效以及安全性。方法将2010年8月至2013年7月期间在文登整骨医院就诊的80例膝骨关节炎患者根据治疗时间随机平均分为BMSC治疗组和对照组。分别在无菌条件下连续3次每月行关节腔注射培养的BMSC与玻璃酸钠注射治疗。术后3、6、12个月测量西安大略和麦克马斯特大学(WOMAC)骨性关节炎指数可视化量表,记录并发症发生率。治疗前后组间比较采用两样本t检验、卡方检验。结果治疗前治疗组关节评分为(70.9±18.9),对照组关节评分为(69.7±20.9),治疗前两组的WOMAC骨关节炎指数评分比较,差异无统计学意义(P=0.791)。治疗后治疗组WOMAC骨关节炎指数评分(40.9±20.2),对照组WOMAC骨关节炎指数评分为(51.4±21.1),差异有统计学意义(P=0.025)。结论自体BMSC具有较少并发症并能够提高术后的关节功能,是治疗早期膝骨性关节炎的有效新方式。     

The evolution of postpairing male mate choice

An increasing number of empirical studies in animals have demonstrated male mate choice. However, little is known about the evolution of postpairing male choice, specifically which occurs by differential allocation of male parental care in response to female signals. We use a population genetic model to examine whether such postpairing male mate choice can evolve when males face a trade‐off between parental care and extra‐pair copulations (EPCs). Specifically, we assume that males allocate more effort to providing parental care when mated to preferred (signaling) females, but they are then unable to allocate additional effort to seek EPCs. We find that both male preference and female signaling can evolve in this situation, under certain conditions. First, this evolution requires a relatively large difference in parental investment between males mated to preferred versus nonpreferred females. Second, whether male choice and female signaling alleles become fixed in a population versus cycle in their frequencies depends on the additional fecundity benefits from EPCs that are gained by choosy males. Third, less costly female signals enable both signaling and choice alleles to evolve under more relaxed conditions. Our results also provide a new insight into the evolution of sexual conflict over parental care.     

Loss of FoxO3a prevents aortic aneurysm formation through maintenance of VSMC homeostasis

Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotypic switching plays a critical role in the formation of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). FoxO3a is a key suppressor of VSMC homeostasis. We found that in human and animal AAA tissues, FoxO3a was upregulated, SM22α and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) proteins were downregulated and synthetic phenotypic markers were upregulated, indicating that VSMC phenotypic switching occurred in these diseased tissues. In addition, in cultured VSMCs, significant enhancement of FoxO3a expression was found during angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced VSMC phenotypic switching. In vivo, FoxO3a overexpression in C57BL/6J mice treated with Ang II increased the formation of AAAs, whereas FoxO3a knockdown exerted an inhibitory effect on AAA formation in ApoE^−/− mice infused with Ang II. Mechanistically, FoxO3a overexpression significantly inhibited the expression of differentiated smooth muscle cell (SMC) markers, activated autophagy, the essential repressor of VSMC homeostasis, and promoted AAA formation. Our study revealed that FoxO3a promotes VSMC phenotypic switching to accelerate AAA formation through the P62/LC3BII autophagy signaling pathway and that therapeutic approaches that decrease FoxO3a expression may prevent AAA formation.Subject terms: Cell biology, Diseases     

Effect of thyroid hormones on activity dynamics of enzymes of intestinal mucosa of juvenile roach <Emphasis Type="Italic">Rutilus rutilus</Emphasis>

The effect of thyroid hormones on activity dynamics of enzymes (proteinases and glycosidases) of intestinal mucosa of juvenile roach Rutilius rutilus was investigated. Application of substances increasing and decreasing the level of thyroid hormones in blood plasma significantly influences the growth rate and the activity of proteinases and glycosidases functioning in the intestinal mucosa. In most cases, the activity level of trypsin-like proteinases and the activity of glycosidases in the fish exposed to triiodothyronine were significantly higher than in the control. The activity level of chymotrypsin-like proteinases in fish form the group with exposure of exogenous triiodothyronine only in the end of the experiment surpassed the values of this parameter in the control fish. In the fish developing at deficiency of thyroid hormones, the growth rate and proteinases activity were significantly lower in comparison with the control.