肾素(原)受体在大鼠肾小球系膜细胞和肾脏的表达

近年发现的肾素（原）受体（renin／prorenin receptor,RnR）已被证明具有生物学功能,在心、肾及多种细胞表达。本文旨在观察RnR在体外培养的大鼠肾小球系膜细胞（mesangial cells,MCs）和肾脏中是否表达,及其表达的细胞部位,并用RnR的多肽阻断剂肾素原“柄区肽”（handle region peptide,HRP）与RnR结合后观察受体复合物进入细胞的过程与定位。结果显示,RnR主要存在于大鼠肾脏皮质肾小球系膜区和体外培养的MCs的细胞核周围胞浆和细胞膜。将FITC标记的HRP（FITC-HRP）加入细胞培养液后30S到30min期间,可观察到FITC-HRP由培养液转移到胞浆内并进入细胞核。用免疫荧光和激光共聚焦技术观察到,HRP与RnR的共定位主要位于细胞膜和细胞核周围胞浆;在30min时,一部分HRP已进入细胞核,而RnR没有进入细胞核内,仍主要位于细胞核周围胞浆。上述结果提示,RnR与其配基结合后进入细胞内并发挥生物学效应。     

Structural changes in the pars intermedia of the cichlid teleost Sarotherodon mossambicus as a result of background adaptation and illumination

Summary The pars intermedia of Sarotherodon mossambicus contains two structurally different endocrine cell types. The predominant cell type is assumed to synthesize MSH and related peptides. The second cell type is PAS positive; its function and products are unknown. In this second cell type changes occur in relation to background colour and illumination. Thus, PAS positive cells of fish adapted to a white background are less numerous and metabolically less active than those of fish adapted to a black background, and are most active in fish kept in total darkness. In blinded fish, whether in light or in darkness, the activity of the PAS positive cells is similar to that of the black background-adapted animals. The significance of these responses in relation to the control of background adaptation is discussed.     

Arylarnine N-acetyltransferase as a potential biornarker in bladder cancer: fluorescent in situ hybridization and irnmunohistochernistry studies

Arylamine N-acetyltransferase isoenzymes NAT1 and NAT2 are encoded at two polymorphic loci on human chromosome 8p22. The two loci have previously been identified using chimeric Yeast Artificial Chromosome (YAC) clones encoding either NAT1 or NAT2 as probes for metaphase chromosomes using fluorescent in situ hybridization. The 8p22 region has been demonstrated to be deleted in highly invasive bladder tumours and since NAT isoenzymes participate in the metabolism of arylamine bladder carcinogens, it is important to determine whether NAT1 and NAT2 gene loci are included in the region of deletion. We describe here the application of a cosmid clone for NAT2 as a biomarker for Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH) on interphase nuclei of exfoliated bladder cells. We also describe a 70kb probe for NAT1 which is a candidate for a suitable biomarker for use in similar FISH studies. lmmunohistochemical staining of bladder tumour sections with a polyclonal anti-peptide antibody specific for the NATl isoenzyme as a biomarker for NAT1 protein expression is also shown.     

Development of a serum-free medium using computer-assisted factorial design and analysis

Stepwise screening of media supplements using factorial design and analysis was employed in the development of serum-free medium for a recombinant Chinese hamster ovary cell line. The effects (growth and target protein production) of different combinations were measured at two time points to ensure adequate response. The results were analysed by a computer program specialized in factorial analysis. The formulation deduced from the previous experiment was used as the new basal medium for the next screening. Certain significant nutrients were studied again in a more advanced formulation in order to analyse the potential synergistic effects with new media components. Compared to cells grown in serum-containing medium, cells adapted to the final formulation of the serum-free medium had a comparable growth rate but a four fold increase in the active protein production.Abbreviations ANOVA Analysis of variance - BSA bovine serum albumin - CHO Chinese hamster ovary - FBS fetal bovine serum - MTT 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide - PBS phosphate buffered saline - SFM serum-free medium     

Effect of H. pylori on the expression of TRAIL, FasL and their receptor subtypes in human gastric epithelial cells and their role in apoptosis

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: In the human stomach expression of TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) and its receptors and the modulatory role of Helicobacter pylori are not well described. Therefore, we investigated the effect of H. pylori on the expression of TRAIL, FasL and their receptors (TRAIL-R1-R4, Fas) in gastric epithelial cells and examined their role in apoptosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: mRNA and protein expression of TRAIL, FasL and their receptors were analyzed in human gastric epithelial cells using RT-PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. Gastric epithelial cells were incubated with FasL, TRAIL and/or H. pylori, and effects on expression, cell viability and epithelial apoptosis were monitored. Apoptosis was analyzed by histone ELISA, DAPI staining and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: TRAIL, FasL and their receptor subtypes were expressed in human gastric mucosa, gastric epithelial cell primary cultures and gastric cancer cells. TRAIL, FasL and H. pylori caused a time- and concentration-dependent induction of DNA fragmentation in gastric cancer cells with synergistic effects. In addition, H. pylori caused a selective up-regulation of TRAIL, TRAIL-R1 and Fas mRNA and protein expression in gastric cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS: Next to FasL and Fas, TRAIL and all of its receptor subtypes are expressed in the human stomach and differentially modulated by H. pylori. TRAIL, FasL and H. pylori show complex interaction mediating apoptosis in human gastric epithelial cells. These findings might be important for the understanding of gastric epithelial cell kinetics in patients with H. pylori infection.     

去卵巢大鼠血清和骨髓细胞碱性磷酸酶水平变化的动态观察

目的：动态观察去卵巢大鼠血清和骨髓细胞碱性磷酸酶（ ALP）水平的变化。方法将80只3月龄雌性SD大鼠按体重分层后随机分为基础组以及假手术和去卵巢3、6、12、24周组。分别在手术前（0）和手术后3、6、12、24周腹主动脉取血处死各组大鼠,分离血清,制备骨髓细胞甩片,用721分光光度计检测血清ALP水平的变化;用显微镜计数骨髓细胞甩片ALP阳性染色细胞的数目。结果在假手术组大鼠中,血清ALP水平在手术后3周显著上升并持续到手术后6周,但在手术后12周开始显著下降并持续到手术后24周;骨髓细胞ALP阳性染色细胞数目在手术后3周显著上升并持续到手术后12周,但在手术后24周却显著下降。在去卵巢组大鼠中,血清ALP水平在手术后3周显著上升,到手术后6周开始显著下降并一直持续到手术后24周;骨髓细胞ALP阳性染色细胞数目在手术后3周显著下降并持续到手术后24周。从手术后3周开始,去卵巢组大鼠血清ALP水平均显著高于假手术组大鼠,但骨髓细胞ALP阳性染色细胞数目均显著低于假手术组大鼠。结论假手术组大鼠血清和骨髓细胞ALP水平变化趋势基本相似,但去卵巢大鼠血清和骨髓细胞ALP水平变化趋势不同。     

Next generation organoids for biomedical research and applications

Organoids are in vitro cultures of miniature fetal or adult organ-like structures. Their potentials for use in tissue and organ replacement, disease modeling, toxicology studies, and drug discovery are tremendous. Currently, major challenges facing human organoid technology include (i) improving the range of cellular heterogeneity for a particular organoid system, (ii) mimicking the native micro- and matrix-environment encountered by cells within organoids, and (iii) developing robust protocols for the in vitro maturation of organoids that remain mostly fetal-like in cultures. To tackle these challenges, we advocate the principle of reverse engineering that replicates the inner workings of in vivo systems with the goal of achieving functionality and maturation of the resulting organoid structures with the input of minimal intrinsic (cellular) and environmental (matrix and niche) constituents. Here, we present an overview of organoid technology development in several systems that employ cell materials derived from fetal and adult tissues and pluripotent stem cell cultures. We focus on key studies that exploit the self-organizing property of embryonic progenitors and the role of designer matrices and cell-free scaffolds in assisting organoid formation. We further explore the relationship between adult stem cells, niche factors, and other current developments that aim to enhance robust organoid maturation. From these works, we propose a standardized pipeline for the development of future protocols that would help generate more physiologically relevant human organoids for various biomedical applications.