Highly efficient cryopreservation of human induced pluripotent stem cells using a dimethyl sulfoxide-free solution

Human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells have great potential for regenerative medicine and drug discovery. It is essential to establish highly efficient and reliable methods for hiPS cell cryopreservation. We examined cryopreservation of hiPS cells by the vitrification method using a dimethyl sulfoxide Me2SO-free and serum-free medium, VS2E, that uses Euro-Collins solution as a base with 40% (v/v) ethylene glycol and 10% (w/v) polyethylene glycol as cryoprotectants. This combination of vitrification and cryoprotectants resulted in a higher recovery rate of hiPS cells than with a commercially-available vitrification solution, DAP213, which contained Me2SO and serum components. After vitrification and warming, hiPS cells were cultured easily. Even after several subculturing steps, cells expressed undifferentiated cell markers, such as Oct-3/4 and SSEA-4, and also exhibited alkaline phosphatase activity. The pluripotency of hiPS cells was maintained, as demonstrated by teratoma formation upon hiPS cell transplantation into severe combined immunodeficient mice. Thus, we successfully preserved hiPS cells under liquid nitrogen with high efficiency using Me2SO-free vitrification solution and rapid cooling.     

Genetic characterization of mutants resistant to the antiauxin p-chlorophenoxyisobutyric acid reveals that AAR3, a gene encoding a DCN1-like protein, regulates responses to the synthetic auxin 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in Arabidopsis roots

To isolate novel auxin-responsive mutants in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), we screened mutants for root growth resistance to a putative antiauxin, p-chlorophenoxyisobutyric acid (PCIB), which inhibits auxin action by interfering the upstream auxin-signaling events. Eleven PCIB-resistant mutants were obtained. Genetic mapping indicates that the mutations are located in at least five independent loci, including two known auxin-related loci, TRANSPORT INHIBITOR RESPONSE1 and Arabidopsis CULLIN1. antiauxin-resistant mutants (aars) aar3-1, aar4, and aar5 were also resistant to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid as shown by a root growth assay. Positional cloning of aar3-1 revealed that the AAR3 gene encodes a protein with a domain of unknown function (DUF298), which has not previously been implicated in auxin signaling. The protein has a putative nuclear localization signal and shares homology with the DEFECTIVE IN CULLIN NEDDYLATION-1 protein through the DUF298 domain. The results also indicate that PCIB can facilitate the identification of factors involved in auxin or auxin-related signaling.     

青花菜与白菜间体细胞杂种获得与遗传特性鉴定

为获得芸薹属白菜Brassica campestris与青花菜Brassica oleracea var. botrytis的种间体细胞杂交体,以青花菜和白菜的子叶与下胚轴为材料,分离制备原生质体,用40％聚乙二醇 (Polyethylene glycol,PEG) 进行原生质体融合。融合细胞在以0.3 mol/L 蔗糖、0.3 mol/L葡萄糖为渗透稳定剂,附加0.2 mg/L 2,4-D+0.5 mg/L 6-苄氨基嘌呤 (6-BA) +0.1 mg/L 1-萘乙酸 (NAA) +0.1 mg/L激动素 (Kinetin,Kin) 的改良K8p培养基中液体浅层培养。将包埋于0.1％琼脂糖的8~10个细胞期的细胞在添加0.3 mol/L蔗糖和2 mg/L 6-BA+2 mg/L玉米素 (Zeatin,ZEA) +1 mg/L NAA+0.5 mg/L Kin的Kao培养基中诱导愈伤组织。愈伤组织转到MS+5 mg/L ZEA+2 mg/L IAA诱导不定芽。将长1～2 cm的不定芽转到1/2 MS+0.2 mg/L NAA诱导生根。将生根的植株转移到花盆,并对其杂种性质进行形态学、细胞学和分子生物学鉴定。结果表明,融合细胞培养2～7 d后发生第1次分裂,培养35 d后植板率为0.66％,不定芽再生率达3.7％。形态学观察显示,绝大多数再生植株的叶面积较大,株型和叶型为两种杂交亲本的中间型。染色体计数结果显示,再生植株染色体数目为2n=38。流式细胞仪测定DNA含量显示,再生植株DNA含量是亲本之和。随机扩增多态性DNA (Random amplified polymorphic DNA,RAPD) 和基因组原位杂交 (Genomic in situ hybridization,GISH) 分析结果证明再生植株具有双亲基因组。体细胞杂种花粉育性比较低,杂交、回交后其育性逐渐获得恢复。     

Overexpression of AtCPS and AtKS in Arabidopsis confers increased ent-kaurene production but no increase in bioactive gibberellins

The plant growth hormone gibberellin (GA) is important for many aspects of plant growth and development. Although most genes encoding enzymes at each step of the GA biosynthetic pathway have been cloned, their regulation is less well understood. To assess how up-regulation of early steps affects the biosynthetic pathway overall, we have examined transgenic Arabidopsis plants that overexpress either AtCPS or AtKS or both. These genes encode the enzymes ent-copalyl diphosphate synthase (CPS) and ent-kaurene synthase, which catalyze the first two committed steps in GA biosynthesis. We find that both CPS and CPS/ent-kaurene synthase overexpressors have greatly increased levels of the early intermediates ent-kaurene and ent-kaurenoic acid, but a lesser increase of later metabolites. These overexpression lines do not exhibit any GA overdose morphology and have wild-type levels of bioactive GAs. Our data show that CPS is limiting for ent-kaurene production and suggest that conversion of ent-kaurenoic acid to GA12 by ent-kaurenoic acid oxidase may be an important rate-limiting step for production of bioactive GA. These results demonstrate the ability of plants to maintain GA homeostasis despite large changes in accumulation of early intermediates in the biosynthetic pathway.     

Coupling effects of distal loops on structural stability and enzymatic activity of Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase revealed by deletion mutants

Residues distal from the active site in dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) have regulatory roles in catalytic reaction and also folding stability. The couplings of the distal residues to the ones in the active site have been analyzed using site-directed mutants. To expand our understanding of the structural and functional influences of distal residue mutation, we explored the structural stability and enzymatic activity of deletion mutants. Deletion has greater structural and dynamical impacts on the corresponding part than site-directed mutation does. Thus, deletion amplifies the effects caused by distal mutations, which should make the mutual couplings among the distant residues more apparent. We focused on residues 52, 67, 121, and 145 in the four distinct loops of DHFR. All the single-residue deletion mutants showed marked reduction in stability, except for Δ52 in an αC–βC loop. Double deletion mutants showed that the loop αC–βC has nonadditive couplings with the βF–βG and βG–βH loops regarding stability. Single deletion to the loops αC–βC or βC–βD resulted in considerable activity reduction, demonstrating that the loops couple to the residues near the active site. The four loops were shown to be functionally interdependent from the double deletion experiments.     

Antioxidant Properties of Bromocriptine, a Dopamine Agonist

Abstract: It has been suggested that free radicals may adversely influence the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. We conducted this study to determine whether bro-mocriptine, an agent widely used for treating parkinsonism, possesses antioxidant effects. Bromocriptine scavenged superoxide produced from a superoxide generating system (hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase) by the spin-trapping method using electron spin resonance. Bromocriptine had a strong scavenging effect on the 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline- N -oxide hydroxide signal produced from Fenton's reaction. Bromocriptine also attenuated the stable free radical diphenyl- p -picrylhydrazyl signal. This drug inhibited the autooxidation of rat brain homogenates in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. Autooxidation of brain homogenates collected from rats treated with bromocriptine (2.5 mg/kg, i.p., daily for 3 days) was significantly reduced as compared with values in untreated rat homogenates. These observations suggest that bromocriptine is a free radical scavenger and a potent antioxidant.     

黄土丘陵区人工柠条种植年限和坡位对土壤团聚体稳定性的影响

柠条(Caragana korshinskii Kom.)种植是黄土高原地区生态环境建设中重要的人工植被恢复措施。选择黄土丘陵区条带种植15、25和35年的柠条坡地,以荒草坡地为对照,运用Le Bissonnais法分析柠条种植不同年限和坡位对0—40 cm土层团聚体分布及其稳定性的影响。结果表明:长时间柠条种植对土壤团聚体稳定性的影响主要在0—20 cm土层;不同处理下土壤大团聚体(>0.25 mm)含量总体表现为柠条35年>柠条25年>柠条15年>荒草地,表明柠条种植年限增加促进了大团聚体的形成。从坡面尺度看,柠条平均重量直径整体表现为坡下>坡上>坡中;在上坡的柠条35年样地具有最大值(3.08 mm),但在下坡荒草地显著高于柠条林地(P<0.05)。基于相对消散指数和相对机械破碎指数,上中坡土壤团聚体均对消散作用和机械破碎作用较敏感,而下坡的下层土壤团聚体对破碎作用更敏感。冗余分析表明,土壤有机碳和粘粒含量与柠条平均重量直径呈显著正相关关系(P<0.05)。种植年限是影响土壤团聚体稳定性的主要因素,解释了30.4%的变异;其次是土层...     

Stimulation of IFN-γ production by garlic lectin in mouse spleen cells: Involvement of IL-12 via activation of p38 MAPK and ERK in macrophages

Several lectins, present in beans and edible plant products, have immuno-potentiating and anti-tumor activities. We here report the effects of garlic lectin purified from garlic bulbs on the production of cytokines such as interleukin-12 (IL-12) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) in the mouse. Garlic lectin induced IFN-γ production in spleen cells in a bell-shaped time (24-60 h)- and concentration (0.25-2.0 mg/ml)-dependent manner. The maximal enhancement was observed at 36 h with 0.5 mg/ml of garlic lectin. The stimulatory effect of garlic lectin on IFN-γ production was completely inhibited by both actinomycin D and cycloheximide, an inhibitor of ribosomal protein synthesis and DNA-dependent RNA polymerase, respectively, and was associated with an increase in IFN-γ mRNA level. Garlic lectin also induced IL-12 production in mouse peritoneal macrophages in a concentration (0.25-1.0 mg/ml)- and bell-shaped time (3-24 h)-dependent manner. The lectin increased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) in macrophages. Furthermore, specific pharmacological inhibitors of ERK kinase (U0126) and p38 MAPK (SB203580) also suppressed the production of IL-12 induced by garlic lectin. The present findings suggest that garlic lectin induces IL-12 production via activation of p38 MAPK and ERK in mouse macrophages, which, in turn, stimulates IFN-γ production through an increase in IFN-γ mRNA in the spleen cells.     

Increase of Circulating CD11b+Gr1+ cells and Recruitment into the Synovium in Osteoarthritic Mice with Hyperlipidemia

Although recent studies suggest that hyperlipidemia is a risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA), the link between OA and hyperlipidemia is not fully understood. As the number of activated, circulating myeloid cells is increased during hyperlipidemia, we speculate that myeloid cells contribute to the pathology of OA. Here, we characterized myeloid cells in STR/Ort mice, a murine osteoarthritis model, under hyperlipidemic conditions. Ratios of myeloid cells in bone marrow, the spleen, and peripheral blood were determined by flow cytometry. To examine the influence of the hematopoietic environment, including abnormal stem cells, on the hematopoietic profile of STR/Ort mice, bone marrow transplantations were performed. The relationship between hyperlipidemia and abnormal hematopoiesis was examined by evaluating biochemical parameters and spleen weight of F₂ animals (STR/Ort x C57BL/6J). In STR/Ort mice, the ratio of CD11b⁺Gr1⁺ cells in spleens and peripheral blood was increased, and CD11b⁺Gr1⁺ cells were also present in synovial tissue. Splenomegaly was observed and correlated with the ratio of CD11b⁺Gr1⁺ cells. When bone marrow from GFP-expressing mice was transplanted into STR/Ort mice, no difference in the percentage of CD11b⁺Gr1⁺ cells was observed between transplanted and age-matched STR/Ort mice. Analysis of biochemical parameters in F₂ mice showed that spleen weight correlated with serum total cholesterol. These results suggest that the increase in circulating and splenic CD11b⁺Gr1⁺ cells in STR/Ort mice originates from hypercholesterolemia. Further investigation of the function of CD11b⁺Gr1⁺ cells in synovial tissue may reveal the pathology of OA in STR/Ort mice.     

PtdIns4KIIα generates endosomal PtdIns(4)P and is required for receptor sorting at early endosomes

Phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase IIα (PtdIns4KIIα) localizes to the trans-Golgi network and endosomal compartments and has been implicated in the regulation of endosomal traffic, but the roles of both its enzymatic activity and the site of its action have not been elucidated. This study shows that PtdIns4KIIα is required for production of endosomal phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns(4)P) on early endosomes and for the sorting of transferrin and epidermal growth factor receptor into recycling and degradative pathways. Depletion of PtdIns4KIIα with small interfering RNA significantly reduced the amount of vesicular PtdIns(4)P on early endosomes but not on Golgi membranes. Cells depleted of PtdIns4KIIα had an impaired ability to sort molecules destined for recycling from early endosomes. We further identify the Eps15 homology domain–containing protein 3 (EHD3) as a possible endosomal effector of PtdIns4KIIα. Tubular endosomes containing EHD3 were shortened and became more vesicular in PtdIns4KIIα-depleted cells. Endosomal PtdIns(4,5)P₂ was also significantly reduced in PtdIns4KIIα-depleted cells. These results show that PtdIns4KIIα regulates receptor sorting at early endosomes through a PtdIns(4)P-dependent pathway and contributes substrate for the synthesis of endosomal PtdIns(4,5)P₂.