NK cells: An attractive candidate for cancer therapy

Natural killer (NK) cells have significant capability in tumor immune-surveillance. The ability of lyse transformed cells immediately in an antigen-independent manner make them an attractive candidate for cancer cell therapy. Despite employment of NK cells in cancer immunotherapy, clinical trials are faced with serious limitations such as trouble with the penetration of NK cells in tumor sites, limited in vivo persistence, and tumor microenvironment interference. Taken together, the NK-cell cancer therapy is still infant scenario that has a long way to be translated in clinic. Current article first reviews characteristic features of NK lymphocytes. Then, it discusses about important disruptive barriers and motivator in the developmental stages of NK cells like as tumor microenvironment. Finally, some revolutionary approaches are highlighted utilizing of NK cells in cancer therapy.     

Imaging- and Flow Cytometry-based Analysis of Cell Position and the Cell Cycle in 3D Melanoma Spheroids

Three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroids are utilized in cancer research as a more accurate model of the in vivo tumor microenvironment, compared to traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture. The spheroid model is able to mimic the effects of cell-cell interaction, hypoxia and nutrient deprivation, and drug penetration. One characteristic of this model is the development of a necrotic core, surrounded by a ring of G1 arrested cells, with proliferating cells on the outer layers of the spheroid. Of interest in the cancer field is how different regions of the spheroid respond to drug therapies as well as genetic or environmental manipulation. We describe here the use of the fluorescence ubiquitination cell cycle indicator (FUCCI) system along with cytometry and image analysis using commercial software to characterize the cell cycle status of cells with respect to their position inside melanoma spheroids. These methods may be used to track changes in cell cycle status, gene/protein expression or cell viability in different sub-regions of tumor spheroids over time and under different conditions.     

Stromal cell-derived factor-1alpha induces astrocyte proliferation through the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 pathway

Stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), the ligand of the CXCR4 receptor, is a chemokine involved in chemotaxis and brain development that also acts as co-receptor for HIV-1 infection. We previously demonstrated that CXCR4 and SDF-1alpha are expressed in cultured type-I cortical rat astrocytes, cortical neurones and cerebellar granule cells. Here, we investigated the possible functions of CXCR4 expressed in rat type-I cortical astrocytes and demonstrated that SDF-1alpha stimulated the proliferation of these cells in vitro. The proliferative activity induced by SDF-1alpha in astrocytes was reduced by PD98059, indicating the involvement of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) in the astrocyte proliferation induced by CXCR4 stimulation. This observation was further confirmed showing that SDF-1alpha treatment selectively activated ERK1/2, but not p38 or stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK). Moreover, both astrocyte proliferation and ERK1/2 phosphorylation, induced by SDF-1alpha, were inhibited by pertussis toxin (PTX) and wortmannin treatment indicating the involvement of a PTX sensitive G-protein and of phosphatidyl inositol-3 kinase in the signalling of SDF-1alpha. In addition, Pyk2 activation represent an upstream components for the CXCR4 signalling to ERK1/2 in astrocytes. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating a proliferative effect for SDF-1alpha in primary cultures of rat type-I astrocytes, and showing that the activation of ERK1/2 is responsible for this effect. These data suggest that CXCR4/SDF-1 should play an important role in physiological and pathological glial proliferation, such as brain development, reactive gliosis and brain tumour formation.     

JNK相互作用蛋白通过JNK途径影响鼻咽癌的增殖和凋亡

EB病毒编码的瘤蛋白潜伏膜蛋白（LMP1）所介导的活化蛋白（AP-1）信号转导途径在细胞增殖、分化、转化与凋亡方面发挥着重要作用.越来越多的证据表明,AP-1信号转导通路中上游激酶JNK在鼻咽癌的发生发展过程中起着重要作用.最近克隆出来的JNK相互作用蛋白(JIP-1)是一种能抑制JNK核移位的胞浆锚蛋白.为探讨JIP在LMP1调控AP-1信号通路中的作用机制,采用间接免疫荧光法和报告基因法,发现JIP通过有效地抑制磷酸化的JNK从胞浆移位入核,从而抑制LMP1上调的AP-1活性.同时,JIP导入鼻咽癌细胞中,MTT法发现JIP能够明显抑制鼻咽癌细胞的生长.进一步发现转染JIP后细胞的集落形成率与对照组相比大约降低了53.6%,也抑制了细胞. 提示JIP可明显抑制细胞的增殖作用.进一步采用流式细胞术分析,结果发现JIP引起细胞G1/S期细胞阻滞,说明JIP是抑制细胞增殖的重要调节子.进一步采用流式细胞术定量发现,转染JIP后细胞的24 h凋亡百分率由1.25%上升到8.25%,上升约6.6倍,48 h由1.04%上升到31.45%,上升约30倍. 采用激光共聚焦显微镜发现,转染JIP后细胞核发生显著变化,核质由均匀状态固缩成高凝集状态,形成了典型的胞膜体.提示JIP可有效地促进细胞凋亡.结果表明,JIP可通过抑制活化的JNK核移位,降低LMP1所介导的AP-1信号通路.并进一步发现JIP可有效地抑制细胞增殖和细胞凋亡,从而提示JIP可作为新的治疗肿瘤潜在靶分子.     

狭叶柴胡的抗过敏活性及其有效成分

本文以compound 48／80在体外诱导大鼠腹腔肥大细胞释放组胺,评价狭叶柴胡及其成分的抗过敏活性。狭叶柴胡醇提物及正丁醇部分(100μg／mL)、乙酸乙酯及水部分(10,100μg／mL)显著减少组胺释放,以乙酸乙酯部分的作用最强,狭叶柴胡挥发油(100μg／mL)对组胺释放呈现一定的促进作用。从乙酸乙酯部分分离得到异鼠李素和槲皮素两种主要化合物,均显著抑制组胺释放,表明黄酮为狭叶柴胡抗过敏作用的有效成分。     

Calcium regulates the expression of a<Emphasis Type="Italic">Dictyostelium discoideum</Emphasis> asparaginyl tRNA synthetase gene

In a screen for calcium-regulated gene expression during growth and development ofDictyostelium discoideum we have identified an asparaginyl tRNA synthetase (ddAsnRS) gene, the second tRNA synthetase gene identified in this organism. TheddAsnRS gene shows many unique features. One, it is repressed by lowering cellular calcium, making it the first known calcium-regulated tRNA synthetase. Two, despite the calcium-dependence, its expression is unaltered during the cell cycle, making this the firstD. discoideum gene to show a calcium-dependent but cell cycle phase-independent expression. Finally, the N-terminal domain of the predicted ddAsnRS protein shows higher sequence similarity to Glutaminyl tRNA synthetases than to other Asn tRNA synthetases. These unique features of theAsnRS from this primitive eukaryote not only point to a novel mechanism regulating the components of translation machinery and gene expression by calcium, but also hint at a link between the evolution ofGlnRS andAsnRS in eukaryotes.     

Maximization of hydrogen production ability in high-density suspension of Rhodovulum sulfidophilum cells using intracellular poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) as sole substrate

Growth of and hydrogen production by wild-type (WT) Rhodovulum sulfidophilum were compared with those by one of its mutants lacking the poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) biosynthesis ability (PNM2). During phototrophic growth under aerobic conditions with fixed illumination, changes in the extinction coefficient and PHB content of WT and PNM2 cells revealed interference of light penetration by PHB. WT cells synthesized PHB at an early stage of the cultivation. PHB degradation after exhaustion of acetate during the cultivation of WT resulted in a decrease of the extinction coefficient. The hydrogen production rate under anaerobic conditions with fixed illumination was examined in WT and PNM2 cell suspensions at different densities. The hydrogen production rate was determined not by the light penetration but by the kinds of hydrogen donors and the density of suspension. The highest value of the rate of hydrogen production from PHB, 33.0 ml/l/h, was improved compared with 26.6 ml/l/h, which was the highest value in hydrogen production from succinate. Under the same illumination, conversion to hydrogen from PHB is more efficient than that from succinate, which is one of the best substrates for hydrogen production. These results suggest that the hydrogen production rate can be maximized in the hydrogen production system based on PHB degradation, which is achieved in high-density suspension under external-substrate-depleted conditions after aerobic cultivation in the presence of an excess amount of acetate.     

L7811鼠腹水肿瘤细胞^31P核磁共振的研究

用~(31)P核磁共振技术(~(31)P-NMR)研究了L_(7811)鼠腹水肿瘤细胞和615系鼠胸腺细胞(正常对照细胞)。结果发现在肿瘤晚期阶段,L_(7811)腹水肿瘤细胞的含磷化合物未进入完全不活跃状态。此外,腹水肿瘤细胞的磷脂组成与含量亦有明显改变。因此,~(31)P-NMR谱可做为观察肿瘤细胞内能量生成和某些磷脂合成宏观动态过程的一项参考指标。