Improved maintenance of adult rat hepatocytes in a new serum-free medium in the presence or absence of barbiturates

Summary For serum-free primary culture of adult rat hepatocytes, a synthetic medium DM-160 and rat-tail collagen were selected for the basal medium and for the culture substratum, respectively. Barbiturates, such as phenobarbital and 1-ethyl-5-isobutylbarbiturate, efficiently supported survival of hepatocytes and maintained their morphologic features at lower concentrations under the serum-free conditions than under the serum-supplemented conditions. However, the hepatocyte survival rates under the serum-free conditions were lower than those under the serum-supplemented conditions in the presence or absence of barbiturates. Supplementation of the basal medium with a combination of five groups of factors (5Fs), such as eight amino acids (Ala, Arg, Gly, Ile, Met, Phe, Pro, and Trp), two unsaturated fatty acids (linoleate and oleate), a protease inhibitor (aprotinin), three vitamins (A, C, and E), and five trace elements (Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and Se), improved the hepatocyte survival under the serum-free conditions in the presence or absence of barbiturates. In other words, the serum could be completely substituted by the 5Fs. Hepatocyte cultures maintained in the 5Fs-suppelemented basal medium showed excellent induction of tyrosine aminotransferase activity in response to dexamethasone in the presence or absence of barbiturates. The efficiency of the 5Fs-supplemented basal medium for maintaining hepatocytes was not inferior to those of other media in common use with hepatocytes, such as Williams' medium E and Waymouth's medium MB-752/1. In conclusion, maintenance of functional hepatocytes in serum-free primary culture could be improved by use of the new medium preparation (the 5Fs-supplemented DM-160) in the presence of barbiturates. This work was supported by a grant no. 61771923 from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.     

Mode of antitumor action of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor on the sarcoma Meth A transplanted in the mouse

The mode of antitumor action of rHu-TNF was elucidated in BALB/c mice bearing Meth A fibrosarcoma 7 days after transplantation with respect to time course, dose-response relationships and selectivity of the effects. The maximal cytotoxic effect on tumor cells revealed by inhibition of DNA synthesis and maximal lesional effect on tumor vasculature revealed by change in blood pool-size in the tissue were detected at 30 min and I h after administration of rHu-TNF, respectively. The dose-response relationship between cytotoxic and tumoricidal effects of rHu-TNF was irrespective of administration route. ED₅₀s of these antitumor effects afteri.v. administration of rHu-TNF were about 50 times as high as ED₅₀s afteri.t. administration. ED₅₀ ofi.t. given rHu-TNF for vascular effect was about 20 times as high as that for cytotoxicity while ED₅₀ ofi.v. rHu-TNF for vascular effect was only 2–3 times as high as that for cytotoxicity. The whole body autoradiographies with [¹²⁵I] HSA giveni.v. to see the blood influx into tumor tissue and [¹⁴C]thymidine given i.v. to see DNA synthesis in the whole body after administration of rHu-TNF revealed that the distribution of radioactivity was markedly changed in the tumor alone without any detectable change in other whole body tissues.In conclusion, thein vivo antitumor effect of rHu-TNF giveni.t. ori.v., appears to be exerted through the direct action on Meth A sarcoma rather than indirectly on tumor vasculature. Under present conditions, the effect of rHu-TNF in the whole body tissues seems rather selective on cells and vasculature of the tumor.     

Efficient expression of genetically engineered hepatitis B virus surface antigen P31 proteins in yeast

We have constructed plasmids that express modified hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) P31-coding genes (M-P31c, d, e, f, and i) having various genetically engineered pre-S2 regions. The plasmids contain the GAPDH (gene coding for glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) promoter and the PGK (gene coding for 3-phosphoglycerate kinase) terminator, both isolated from sake brewing yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae Kyokai III. Expression levels of the modified HBsAg P31 proteins in yeast are greatly increased from 0.4% to 11.7% of total cell protein. However, the specific mRNAs are expressed at equal levels and the degradation rates of the modified P31 proteins do not vary significantly. Therefore, we considered that different expression levels of the modified P31 proteins are attributed to the changes of the post-translational efficiency. And it was suggested that the conformational stability of the N-terminal peptide (Met-1-Phe-46) in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane determines the expression level of modified P31 proteins.     

Radioprotective effects of dimethyl sulfoxide in golden hamster embryo cells exposed to gamma rays at 77 K. I. Radical formation as studied by electron spin resonance

Formation of free radicals in golden hamster embryo (GHE) cells in the frozen living state by gamma irradiation has been studied by electron spin resonance spectroscopy at 4.2 and 77 K. The relative yields of H atoms, OH radicals, and organic radicals trapped in the irradiated GHE cells are 12, 72, and 16%, respectively, of total radical yields. When dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) is added to GHE cells at 77 K, a large quantity of CH2SOCH3 radicals (DMSO radicals) are formed after gamma irradiation. The yields of OH radicals are not affected by the addition of DMSO. When the GHE cell-DMSO mixtures are irradiated with gamma rays at 77 K and then warmed to 111 K, the OH radicals decay, whereas the DMSO radicals do not increase complementarily. Moreover, the decay rates of the OH radicals at 111 K do not depend upon the concentration of DMSO. Thus OH radicals do not react with DMSO during warming of the irradiated sample. When H atoms are produced by gamma irradiation of acid ice at 60 K, the decay rates of the H atoms at 77 K increase with increasing DMSO concentration, indicating that DMSO reacts with H atoms (CH3SOCH3 + H----.CH2SOCH3 + H2) at 77 K by quantum-mechanical tunneling. When the GHE cell-DMSO mixture is irradiated with gamma rays at 77 or 4.2 K in the dark, DMSO ions are produced in addition to DMSO radicals. Therefore it is concluded that DMSO does not scavenge OH radicals, but does capture H atoms, holes and/or electrons in the gamma-irradiated cells, resulting in the remarkable formation of DMSO radicals. This scavenger effect of DMSO may be related to the radioprotection of DMSO against cell killing described in the companion paper (Watanabe et al., Radiat. Res., this issue).     

Purification and partial characterization of two types of growth-inhibitory protein latently present in rabbit serum.

Normal rabbit serum contained two kinds of growth-inhibitory protein, GI-I and GI-II, in latent forms. These latent inhibitors were activated by incubation at 37 degrees C for 12 h, and their activation was lowered by inhibitors for serine, cysteine and metalloproteinases. Both growth inhibitors were highly purified in active forms by successive column chromatographies. GI-I showed a major protein band with an Mr of 18,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, while GI-II showed a major protein band with an Mr of 36,000. GI-I and GI-II half-inhibited the growth of rat tumorigenic cell line (RSV-BRL) at concentrations of 0.5 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml, excess concentrations. Of the 15 cell lines tested, GI-I specifically inhibited the growth of rodent and lagomorph cells, whereas GI-II nonspecifically inhibited the growth of all cell lines tested. Specificities for cell type and malignancy were not observed with either inhibitor. These growth inhibitors were stable to a reducing reagent and proteinase inhibitors, but labile to urea, acid, organic solvents, trypsin, plasmin and heating at 95 degrees C for 5 min. These properties suggested that both growth inhibitors might be distinct from known growth-inhibitory factors.     

The Eiken Latex test for detection of a cryptococcal antigen in cryptococcosis

A latex agglutination test for cryptococcal antigen, the Eiken Latex test (Eiken, Tokyo, Japan), was compared with a monoclonal antibody-based agglutination assay, Pastorex^® Cryptococcus (Diagnostics Pasteur, Marneur-la-Coquette, France). In a murine model of disseminated cryptococcosis, the kinetics of the antigen titers by the Eiken Latex were similar to those by the Pastorex^® Cryptococcus, but sensitivity was much higher. In HIV-negative patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis, a cryptococcal antigen was detected in 6 of 10 patients by the Eiken Latex test and in only 3 of those patients by the Pastorex^® Cryptococcus. The results indicate that the Eiken Latex is more sensitive for the detection of the cryptococcal antigen, even in non-disseminated cryptococcosis. The sensitivity and specificity of the Eiken Latex were examined using 195 sera from 25 patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis and 170 patients with non-cryptococcosis. The cutoff value of 1:8 showed a sensitivity of 76% (19/25) and a specificity of 98.9% (168/170).     

Double or Nothing: A Drosophila Mutation Affecting Meiotic Chromosome Segregation in Both Females and Males

We describe a Drosophila mutation, Double or nothing (Dub), that causes meiotic nondisjunction in a conditional, dominant manner. Previously isolated mutations in Drosophila specifically affect meiosis either in females or males, with the exception of the mei-S332 and ord genes which are required for proper sister-chromatid cohesion. Dub is unusual in that it causes aberrant chromosome segregation almost exclusively in meiosis I in both sexes. In Dub mutant females both nonexchange and exchange chromosomes undergo nondisjunction, but the effect of Dub on nonexchange chromosomes is more pronounced. Dub reduces recombination levels slightly. Multiple nondisjoined chromosomes frequently cosegregate to the same pole. Dub results in nondisjunction of all chromosomes in meiosis I of males, although the levels are lower than in females. When homozygous, Dub is a conditional lethal allele and exhibits phenotypes consistent with cell death.     

Analysis of effector T cells against the murine syngeneic tumor MethA in mice orally administered antitumor polysaccharide SPR-901

The growth of MethA tumor was significantly inhibited by oral administration of the -glucan SPR-901 in BALB/c (+/+) mice but not in nude mice. Mice treated orally with SPR-901 exhibited an augmentation of antigen-specific resistance against rechallenge with the tumor cells. The tumor-neutralizing activity of regional lymph node cells from MethA-bearing mice against the tumor was augmented by oral administration of SPR-901. The tumor-neutralizing activity of lymph node cells from SPR-901-treated mice mainly appeared in Lyt2+cells. Furthermore, lymphokine-activated killer activity of these cells was enhanced by administration of SPR-901. The antitumor effect of SPR-901 was abrogated in mice depleted of either L3T4+ or Lyt2+ cells, and in cyclosporin-A-treated mice. These results suggest that Lyt2+ cells are important effector cells in MethA-bearing mice orally adminstered SPR-901 and that functional exertion of both Lyt2+ and L3T4+T cells is necessary for the antitumor effect of orally administered SPR-901 in vivo.