Neuronal and Glial Properties Coexist in a Novel Mouse CNS Immortalized Cell Line

A mes-c-myc A1 (A1) cell line was generated by retroviral infection of cultured embryonic mesencephalic cells and selected by neomycin resistance. A1 cells cease to divide and undergo morphological differentiation after serum withdrawal or addition of c-AMP. Proliferating or morphologically differentiated A1 cells are all positive for vimentin and nestin, a marker of neural precursor, and show neuronal markers such as microtubule-associated protein 1, neuron-specific enolase and peripherin, and the glial marker glial fibrillary acidic protein. Neuronal and glial markers coexist in single cells. Furthermore, A1 cells show presence of glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 mRNA and its embryonic form EP10 and accumulate the neurotransmitter GABA. Electrophysiological studies demonstrate that morphologically differentiated A1 cells display voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels in response to depolarizing stimuli. A1 cells thus represent a novel, bipotent neural cell line useful for studying CNS differentiation and plasticity, as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying development of GABAergic neurotransmission.     

神经节苷脂联合咪达唑仑治疗重症颅脑损伤的临床疗效及对患者血清MMP-9、GFAP、MBP、NSE水平的影响

目的:探讨神经节苷脂联合咪达唑仑治疗重症颅脑损伤的临床疗效及对患者血清基质金属蛋白酶-9(MMP-9)、胶质纤维酸性蛋白(GFAP)、髓鞘碱性蛋白(MBP)、神经元特异性烯醇化酶(NSE)水平的影响。方法:选择2016年3月到2017年9月于我院进行治疗的85例重症颅脑损伤患者,将其按随机数表法分为观察组(n=45)和对照组(n=40),对照组使用神经节苷脂治疗,观察组采用神经节苷脂联合咪达唑仑治疗。比较两组治疗后疗效及血清GFAP、中枢神经特异蛋白(S100β)、NSE、MMP-9、MBP、C反应蛋白(CRP)、白细胞介素-6(IL-6)、肿瘤坏死因子α(TNF-α)水平、格拉斯哥昏迷评分(Glasgow Coma Scale,GCS)评分的变化及不良反应的发生情况。结果:治疗后,观察组临床疗效总有效率(93.33%)显著高于对照组(75.00%,P0.05);两组血清GFAP、S100β、NSE、MMP-9、MBP、CRP、IL-6及TNF-α水平均较治疗前明显下降,且观察组以上指标均显著低于对照组(P0.05);观察组GCS评分明显高于对照组(P0.05),且不良反应发生率明显低于对照组(6.67%vs. 30.00%,P0.05)。结论:神经节苷脂联合咪达唑仑治疗重症颅脑损伤患者的临床效果显著,明显优于单用神经节苷脂治疗,可能与其有效改善患者血清MMP-9、GFAP、MBP、NSE水平及抑制炎症因子的生成有关。     

Structure and expression of the Chlorobium vibrioforme hemA gene

The green sulfur bacterium, Chlorobium vibrioforme, synthesizes the tetrapyrrole precursor, -aminolevulinic acid (ALA), from glutamate via the RNA-dependent five-carbon pathway. A 1.9-kb clone of genomic DNA from C. vibrioforme that is capable of transforming a glutamyl-tRNA reductase-deficient, ALA-dependent, hemA mutant of Escherichia coli to prototrophy was sequenced. The transforming C. vibrioforme DNA has significant sequence similarity to the E. coli, Salmonella typhimurium, and Bacillus subtilis hemA genes and contains a 1245 base open reading frame that encodes a 415 amino acid polypeptide with a calculated molecular weight of 46174. This polypeptide has over 28% amino acid identity with the polypeptides deduced from the nucleic acid sequences of the E. coli, S. typhimurium, and B. subtilis hemA genes. No sequence similarity was detected, at either the nucleic acid or the peptide level, with the Rhodobacter capsulatus or Bradyrhizobium japonicum hemA genes, which encode ALA synthase, or with the S. typhimurium hemL gene, which encodes glutamate-1-semialdehyde aminotransferase. These results establish that hemA encodes glutamyl-tRNA reductase in species that use the five-carbon ALA biosynthetic pathway. A second region of the cloned DNA, located downstream from the hemA gene, has significant sequence similarity to the E. coli and B. subtilis hemC genes. This region contains a potential open reading frame that encodes a polypeptide that has high sequence identity to the deduced E. coli and B. subtilis HemC peptides. hemC encodes the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic enzyme, porphobilinogen deaminase, in these species. Preliminary evidence was obtained for the existence of a 3.0-kb polycistronic meassge that includes the hemA sequence, in exponentially growing C. vibrioforme cells. Results of condon usage analysis for the C. vibrioforme hemA gene indicate that green sulfur bacteria are more closely related to purple nonsulfur bacteria than to enteric bacteria. Sequences corresponding to a polyadenylation signal and a poly(A) attachment site were found immediately downstream from the 3 end of the hemA open reading frame.     

RNase E cleavage in the 5' leader of a tRNA precursor

In this study, we have used various tRNA(Tyr)Su3 precursor (pSu3) derivatives that are processed less efficiently by RNase P to investigate if the 5' leader is a target for RNase E. We present data that suggest that RNase E cleaves the 5' leader of pSu3 both in vivo and in vitro. The site of cleavage in the 5' leader corresponds to the cleavage site for a previously identified endonuclease activity referred to as RNase P2/O. Thus, our findings suggest that RNase P2/O and RNase E activities are of the same origin. These data are in keeping with the suggestion that the structure of the 5' leader influences tRNA expression by affecting tRNA processing and indicate the involvement of RNase E in the regulation of cellular tRNA levels.     

Heterogenecity of stromal cell precursers isolated from rat bone marrow

Bone marrow stroma contains mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) which are progenitor cells, at least for tissues arising from mesechyma. The study of MSC biology yields controversial data. Therefore further experiments are needed to characterize these cells. The aim of our research was to compare primary cultures and subcultures of stromal precursor cells isolated from rat bone marrow. Long-term cultures of these cells isolated from 5 animals have been obtained. Morphological, immunophenotypic, and functional (capacity to osteogenic differentiation) characteristics of the cells have been investigated. We show that the cell morphology in the cultures is highly heterogenic. Morphological cell types are described. Heterogeneity of stromal cells declines on late passages. Cell cultures isolated from different animals have the same immunophenotypic markers (CD90, CD44, CD54, CD106, CD45, CD11b) but different morphological characteristics and a different capacity to osteogenic differentiation during long-term cultivation. The data show that more specific markers and functional tests should be applied to identify MSC.     

Inhibitory effects of short-term administration of dl-α-lipoic acid on oxidative vulnerability induced by Aβ amyloid fibrils (25–35) in mice

Aβ amyloid peptide is believed to induce oxidative stress leading to inflammation, which is postulated to play a significant role in the toxicity of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study was designed to investigate the inhibitory effects of dl-α lipoic acid (LA), a potential free radical scavenger, on oxidative vulnerability induced by intraperitoneal injection of Aβ_25–35 amyloid fibrils in mice. Mice were divided into three groups: control, Aβ amyloid toxicity induced (AT), and LA treated (ATL). Blood Plasma was separated, liver, spleen and brain were dissected and analysis of oxidants, antioxidants, ATPases, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and nuclear factor kappa-B (NFκB) were carried out. Results show biochemical parameters such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were significantly lowered (P < 0.05) and levels of antioxidants and ATPase (P < 0.05) were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in hepatocytes, splenocytes and astrocytes of the ATL group. Moreover, our histological results revealed a decreased GFAP immunoreactivity in the neocortical region and NFκB immunoreactivity in neocortex, liver and spleen. This study reiterates LA as a potent free radical scavenger to combat oxidative vulnerability in the treatment for Aβ amyloid toxicity.     

Glial α1-receptors probably inhibit the high-affinity uptake of noradrenaline into astrocytes in the rat brain in vivo

The effect of ₂-receptor blockage on the extraneuronal turnover of noradrenaline (NA) has been studied in the intact rat brain. Tropolone and yohimbine, along with reserpine or desmethylimipramine, were given 30 min after intracerebroventricular injection of [7-³H]NA, i.e. after the tracer had been stored or inactivated. Tropolone given alone did not change the fractions of³H-activity recovered as [³H]NA from hypothalamus, septum, striatum and pons-medulla, but in the presence of yohimbine improved the [³H]NA recovery in all areas except pons-medulla. The maximum effect was seen in the hypothalamus of reserpine-treated rats. Since the ₂-autoreceptors were blocked, the increased [³H]NA recovery does not reflect a down-regulated neuronal NA turnover. Instead it seems to show that a fraction greater than normal of neuronally released NA had been taken up into astrocytes and remained unmetabolized if catechol-O-methyltransferase was inactive. It is assumed that yohimbine enabled the protective tropolone effect by blocking astrocytic ₂-receptors that otherwise, either by itself or by antagonizing -receptor-induced hyperpolarization or cAMP formation, had impaired parameters that stimulate the high-affinity NA Uptake₁ of astrocytes (e.g. membrane potential, Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase) or control the gap junction permeability in the glial syncytium.     

Morphometrische Befunde zum submikroskopischen Aufbau des Sehnerven der Ratte

Zusammenfassung An 10 normalen Sehnerven (Länge: 10 mm; Durchmesser: 0,5 mm) erwachsener Albino-Ratten wurden morphometrische licht- und elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen mit der Treffermethode an 3 Stellen durchgeführt: 1 mm vor dem Bulbus oculi (Meßort A); Mitte zwischen Bulbus und Chiasma (Meßort B); 1 mm vor dem Chiasma opticum (Meßort C). Die statistisch signifikanten Ergebnisse der Untersuchung sind: 1. die Gesamtzahl der markhaltigen Fasern im Sehnerven der erwachsenen Ratte beträgt in elektronenmikroskopischen Aufnahmen 107152±6780. 2. Der relative Volumenanteil der Markfasern (Axone und Markscheiden) nimmt von A über B nach C um 13,3 Vol.- % zu, der relative Volumenanteil des Interstitiums (Glia, Gefäßmesenchym und extracellulärer Raum) um den gleichen Betrag ab. 3. Mit der Volumenabnahme des Interstitiums korreliert eine Abnahme der Gliakernzahl pro mm³ von A über B nach C um 46,2% und eine Abnahme der Dichte des Capillarnetzes gemessen an der Zahl der Endothel- und Pericytenkerne. 4. Die Größe der Querschnittsflächen durch den Sehnerven ist am Meßort B (Mittelabschnitt) kleiner als bei A und C. 5. Die Berechnung der absoluten Volumina aus den relativen Volumenwerten und der Querschnittsflächengröße ergibt, daß das Volumen des Interstitiums zwischen A und B um 34,8% abnimmt, während das Markfaservolumen hier fast unverändert bleibt. Dagegen nimmt zwischen B und C das Markfaservolumen um 11,8% zu, während das Volumen des Interstitiums weiter, aber nur geringfügig abnimmt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daß die Umfang. zunahme des Sehnerven vom Mittelabschnitt (Durchtritt durch den Canalis opticus) gegen beide Endabschnitte durch Volumenvermehrung jeweils verschiedener Gewebskomponenten bedingt ist.

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Stereological study on the submicroscopic structure of the rat optic nerve

Summary The normal optic nerves of ten adult albino rats were studied using stereological methods of cell counting in light microscopic preparations and point-hit counting on electron micrographs. The observations were confined to three locations of the nerve: one mm from the eyeball (point A), one mm from the optic chiasm (point C) and midway between these sites corresponding to the canalis opticus (point B). The statistically significant results are: 1. the total number of myelinated nerve fibres in the optic nerve is 107152±6780. 2. The volume of myelinated nerve fibres (axons plus myelin sheaths) increases by 13.3% from point A to C, whereas the volume of interstitium (glial cells, capillaries and extracellular space) decreases concomitantly. 3. The decrease in interstitial tissue corresponds to a 46.2% decrease in glial cells between A and C and of capillaries indicated by the numbers of endothelial cells and pericytes. 4. The surface area of cross sections of the optic nerve at point B is smaller than at point A and point C. 5. The absolute volume of the two structural components in the optic nerve, calculated from percentage volume and cross section surfaces, showed that the volume of interstitial tissue decreases from the eyeball to the intermediate portion by 34.8% whereas the volume of myelinated fibres remains nearly constant. From the intermediate portion to the optic chiasm the volume of myelinated fibres increases by 11.8% whereas the interstitial volume further decreases slightly. Thus the increasing diameter of the optic nerve from the middle part to both ends is caused by increases in volume of different tissue constituents.

Mit Unterstützung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

The derivation and use of biosynthetic incorporation and dilution values

Mathematical expressions governing incorporation and dilution values in a simple, three component biosynthetic system are established and used to track the influence of pathway structure and sampling time on the numerical value of these parameters. A more productive manner of using the incorporation concept is suggested.