Polyclonal rabbit anti-murine plasmacytoma cell globulins induce myeloma cells apoptosis and inhibit tumour growth in mice

Multiple myelomas (MMs) are etiologically heterogeneous and there are limited treatment options; indeed, current monoclonal antibody therapies have had limited success, so more effective antibodies are urgently needed. Polyclonal antibodies are a possible alternative because they target multiple antigens simultaneously. In this study, we produced polyclonal rabbit anti-murine plasmacytoma cell immunoglobulin (PAb) by immunizing rabbits with the murine plasmacytoma cell line MPC-11. The isolated PAb bound to plasma surface antigens in several MM cell lines, inhibited their proliferation as revealed by MTT assay, and induce apoptosis as indicated by flow cytometry, microscopic observation of apoptotic changes in morphology, and DNA fragmentation on agarose gels. The cytotoxicity of PAb on MPC-11 cell lines was both dose-dependent and time-dependent; PAb exerted a 50% inhibitory effect on MPC-11 cell viability at a concentration of 200?μg/ml in 48?h. Flow cytometry demonstrated that PAb treatment significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells (48.1%) compared with control IgG (8.3%). Apoptosis triggered by PAb was confirmed by activation of caspase-3, -8, and -9. Serial intravenous or intraperitoneal injections of PAb inhibited tumour growth and prolonged survival in mice bearing murine plasmacytoma, while TUNEL assay demonstrated that PAb induced statistically significant apoptosis (P?相似文献   

FVIII gene delivery by muscle electroporation corrects murine hemophilia A

BACKGROUND: Hemophilia A treatment relies on costly factor VIII (FVIII) replacement that may transmit iatrogenic viral diseases. Viral vectors and cell implants are being developed as improvements. We investigated in vivo electroporation of naked DNA as a safe and simple method for correcting FVIII deficiency. METHODS: B-domain-deleted murine FVIII cDNA expression plasmids were constructed with CMV and elongation factor 1alpha promoters for characterisation in murine C2C12 myoblasts. The construct conferring highest in vitro FVIII secretion was electroporated into skeletal muscle of FVII null mice in vivo for phenotypic correction using a protocol that minimised tissue injury. RESULTS: B-domain-deleted murine FVIII cDNA plasmids induced FVIII secretion from stably transfected C2C12 myoblasts (0.54+/-0.20 mU/day/10(5) cells). Phenotypic correction of hemophilic mice was more consistently achieved using a protocol for in vivo electroporation of gastrocnemius muscle with FVIII cDNA that reduced tissue injury by the use of plate electrodes, hyaluronidase pre-treatment and lower field strength. This technique was associated with <10% muscle necrosis. Activated partial thromboplastin time decreased from 51.4+/-3.3 to 34.7+/-1.1 (mean+/-s.e.m.) seconds (p=0.0004) following in vivo electroporation (0.1 mg plasmid/limb; 8x20 ms pulses, 175 V/cm, 1 Hz) of hemophilic mice. All hemophilic mice (8/8) survived hemostatic challenge after muscle electroporation with FVIII cDNA, whereas all (9/9) untreated hemophilic mice died. Plasmid DNA was detectable only in electroporated muscle and not in all other organs tested, including gonads. CONCLUSION: In vivo intramuscular electroporation of naked FVIII plasmid successfully corrects murine hemophilia.     

Catalase activity is regulated by c-Abl and Arg in the oxidative stress response

The Abl family of mammalian non-receptor tyrosine kinases includes c-Abl and Arg. Recent studies have demonstrated that c-Abl and Arg are activated in the response of cells to oxidative stress. This work demonstrates that catalase, a major effector of the cellular defense against H2O2, interacts with c-Abl and Arg. The results show that H2O2 induced binding of c-Abl and Arg to catalase. The SH3 domains of c-Abl and Arg bound directly to catalase at a P293FNP site. c-Abl and Arg phosphorylated catalase at Tyr231 and Tyr386 in vitro and in the response of cells to H2O2. The functional significance of the interaction is supported by the demonstration that cells deficient in both c-Abl and Arg exhibit substantial increases in H2O2 levels. In addition, c-abl-/- arg-/- cells exhibited a marked increase in H2O2-induced apoptosis compared with that found in the absence of either kinase. These findings indicate that c-Abl and Arg regulate catalase and that this signaling pathway is of importance to apoptosis in the oxidative stress response.     

TL1A-induced NF-kappaB activation and c-IAP2 production prevent DR3-mediated apoptosis in TF-1 cells

We recently identified TL1A, an endothelium-derived T cell costimulator and a ligand for tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily members DR3 and decoy receptor 3. To elucidate the signaling events triggered by TL1A-DR3 interaction and to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating DR3-mediated apoptosis, we have studied the effect of TL1A and an agonistic DR3 monoclonal antibody in human erythroleukemic TF-1 cells, which express DR3 endogenously. TL1A induced the formation of a DR3 signaling complex containing TRADD, TRAF2, and RIP and activated the NF-kappaB and the ERK, JNK, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. However, TL1A or an agonistic DR3 monoclonal antibody did not induce apoptosis in these cells nor were there detectable levels of FADD or procaspase-8 seen in the signaling complex. Interestingly, DR3-mediated apoptosis was induced in TF-1 cells in the presence of a NF-kappaB pathway-specific inhibitor but not in the presence of mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors, either alone or in combination, suggesting that DR3-induced NF-kappaB activation was responsible for resistance to apoptosis in these cells. Consistent with this, we found that TL1A significantly increased the production of c-IAP2, a known NF-kappaB-dependent anti-apoptotic protein, and that the NF-kappaB inhibitor or cycloheximide prevented its synthesis. Furthermore, inhibition of c-IAP2 production by RNA interference significantly sensitized TF-1 cells to TL1A-induced apoptosis. Our study identifies a molecular mechanism by which TL1A and DR3 regulate cell fate in TF-1 cells.     

Prostaglandin A1 inhibits rotenone-induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells

The degeneration of nigral dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD) reportedly involves a defect in brain mitochondrial complex I in association with the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and caspase-3. To elucidate molecular mechanisms possibly linking these events, as well as to evaluate the neuroprotective potential of the cyclopentenone prostaglandin A1 (PGA1), an inducer of heat shock proteins (HSPs), we exposed human dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells to the complex I inhibitor rotenone. Dose-dependent apoptosis was preceded by the nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB and then the activation of caspase-3 over the ensuing 24 h. PGA1 increased the expression of HSP70 and HSP27 and protected against rotenone-induced apoptosis, without increasing necrotic death. PGA1 blocked the rotenone-induced nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB and attenuated, but did not abolish, the caspase-3 elevation. Unexpectedly, the caspase-3 inhibitor, Ac-DEVD.CHO (DEVD), at a concentration that completely prevented the caspase-3 elevation produced by rotenone, failed to protect against apoptosis. These results suggest that complex I deficiency in dopamine cells can induce apoptosis by a process involving early NF-kappaB nuclear translocation and caspase-3 activation. PGA1 appears to protect against rotenone-induced cell death by inducing HSPs and blocking nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB in a process that attenuates caspase-3 activation, but is not mediated by its inhibition.     

Pirh2, a p53-induced ubiquitin-protein ligase,promotes p53 degradation

The p53 tumor suppressor exerts anti-proliferative effects in response to various types of stress including DNA damage and abnormal proliferative signals. Tight regulation of p53 is essential for maintaining normal cell growth and this occurs primarily through posttranslational modifications of p53. Here, we describe Pirh2, a gene regulated by p53 that encodes a RING-H2 domain-containing protein with intrinsic ubiquitin-protein ligase activity. Pirh2 physically interacts with p53 and promotes ubiquitination of p53 independently of Mdm2. Expression of Pirh2 decreases the level of p53 protein and abrogation of endogenous Pirh2 expression increases the level of p53. Furthermore, Pirh2 represses p53 functions including p53-dependent transactivation and growth inhibition. We propose that Pirh2 is involved in the negative regulation of p53 function through physical interaction and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. Hence, Pirh2, like Mdm2, participates in an autoregulatory feedback loop that controls p53 function.     

Urinary selenium excretion in selenite-loaded sheep and subsequent Se dynamics in blood constituents

Renal selenium excretion in sheep was measured during intravenous infusion of sodium selenite, and the post-infusion dynamics of Se levels in whole blood, plasma and red blood cells (RBC) were investigated for the next 5 days. The plasma Se level increased almost twenty fold with the infusion of Na2SeO3 (from 0.39 +/- 0.02 to 7.83 +/- 0.33 micromol x L(-1), P < 0.001) compared with the baseline value. The selenium concentration in urine (0.07 +/- 0.02 vs. 18.53 +/- 2.56 micromol x L(-1), P < 0.001), the amount of Se excreted (0.14 +/- 0.07 vs. 21.40 +/- 2.31 nmol x min(-1), P < 0.001) and the renal clearance of Se (0.1 9 +/- 0.03 vs. 3.01 +/- 0.34 mL x min(-1), P < 0.001) were found to be highly significantly elevated during selenite loading. The clearance measurements showed no changes in the urinary flow rate or in the glomerular filtration rate. During and at the end of infusion the highest Se level was attained in plasma, followed by whole blood and RBC. The plasma Se level fell rapidly within 10 min after the end of infusion, but the concentration of Se in RBC was stable up to the fourth hour, when it started to decrease too. On day 5 the Se concentrations in plasma, RBC and whole blood were found to be only slightly but still significantly higher than before the selenite infusion. The large disproportion between the infusion rate of Se (8.76 microg x min(-1)) and its renal excretion rate (1.69 microg x min(-1)) found in clearance measurements suggests low glomerular filtration of infused selenium, which might primarily be caused by the binding of selenite metabolites to blood constituents. The presented results confirm the low bioavailability to ruminants of Se from sodium selenite.     

The composition and spectral properties of three different forms of light-harvesting complex II

Different aggregates of LHC II play a very important role in regulating the light absorption and excitation energy transfer of plant. Trimeric LHC II was purified from spinach thylakoid membrane. In order to obtain the dimeric and monomeric LHC II, the trimer was treated with the mixture of 2% OGP and 10 μg/mL PLA₂, then loaded onto the sucrose density gradient in the presence of 0.06% triton X-100. The LHC II trimer, dimer and monomer isolated by sucrose density gradient all contained three polypeptides with molecular weight of 29, 28 and 26 kd respectively. The pigment composition showed much difference in the content of Chl b and xanthophyll among three forms of LHC II. To study the light capture and excitation energy transfer in different forms of LHC II, the absorption and fluorescence spectra were analyzed. The results clearly showed that the efficiency of energy absorption and transfer was different in the three kinds of LHC II, the highest for trimeric LHC II, intermediate for dimeric LHC II, and the lowest for monomeric LHC II. It was suggested that there might be a physiological homeostasis of different aggregates of LHC II in plants, which is significant for the plant self-regulating upon exposure to variable light environment.     

Sinocarpus decussatus gen. et sp. nov., a new angiosperm with basally syncarpous fruits from the Yixian Formation of Northeast China

An Early Cretaceous angiosperm, Sinocarpus decussatus gen. et sp. nov., is described from the Yixian Formation in Liaoning, China, based on an infructescence fragment. It is probably ebracteate, consisting of one terminal fruit and two pairs of pedicellate lateral fruits arranged decussately. Carpels are probably borne on a small convex receptacle. There are no distinct remnants of a perianth although fragments observed at the base of immature fruits may represent perianth parts. No remnants of androecial parts have been observed, and it is unknown whether the flowers were unisexual or bisexual. The basally syncarpous ovary is superior and composed of 3 or 4 carpels. Each carpel contains about 10 anatropous ovules/seeds borne along the linear placentae. Seeds are flattened and embedded in a thick amorphous material. The character combination of Sinocarpus indicates a systematic position among the basal grade of eudicots or the basal core eudicots, and particularly shows similarities to extant Ranunculaceae, Buxaceae, and Myrothamnaceae, but based on the available data the fossil cannot unambiguously be placed in any modern family.