食管癌细胞NGAL基因－152 ～ －60区段存在TPA反应元件

以往研究发现,在TPA诱导永生化食管上皮细胞癌变中中性粒细胞明胶酶相关载脂蛋白 (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin,NGAL) 基因过表达,但过表达机制不明. 最近研究提示,食管癌细胞NGAL启动子及其邻近区域可能存在着TPA反应元件. 为了对NGAL的这一TPA反应元件进行更准确定位,采用PCR法结合嵌套缺失实验从食管癌细胞中克隆了NGAL 5′ 侧翼区－152～+84、－140～+84、－78～+84、－59～+84、－50～+84、－41～+84、－37～+84、－29～+84和－10～+84等片段,并定向插入pGLB、pGLP或pGLE等萤火虫荧光素酶报告基因表达载体中,构建了pGLB-152、pGLP-152、pGLE-152、pGLB-140、pGLB-78、pGLB-59、pGLB-50、pGLB-41、pGLB-37、pGLB-29和pGLB-10等系列报告基因表达载体. 将上述报告基因表达载体分别同pRL-TK共转染食管癌细胞EC109,并用TPA刺激,检测TPA刺激转染EC109的相对荧光素酶活力,综合判定NGAL －152～+84区不同长度片段的TPA反应性,对NGAL启动子区的TPA反应元件给予进一步分段定位. 结果表明,NGAL启动子区的TPA反应元件位于－152～－60区段,而且应答TPA刺激的反应能力很强. 生物信息学分析结果显示,NGAL启动子区所存在的TPA反应元件很可能是一种新结构类型. 研究说明,NGAL在DNA序列上有应答TPA刺激的结构基础,将有助于深入到分子水平揭示TPA诱导永生化食管上皮细胞癌变中NGAL过表达机制,也有助于进一步认识TPA信号细胞内传递途径网络在肿瘤发生发展中的作用.     

Crystal Structure of the Dog Lipocalin Allergen Can f 2: Implications for Cross-reactivity to the Cat Allergen Fel d 4

The dog lipocalin allergen Can f 2 is an important cause of allergic sensitization in humans worldwide. Here, the first crystal structure of recombinant rCan f 2 at 1.45 Å resolution displays a classical lipocalin fold with a conserved Gly-Xaa-Trp motif, in which Trp19 stabilizes the overall topology of the monomeric rCan f 2. Phe38 and Tyr84 localized on the L1 and L5 loops, respectively, control access to the highly hydrophobic calyx. Although the rCan f 2 calyx is nearly identical with the aero-allergens MUP1, Equ c 1 and A2U from mouse, horse and rat, respectively, no IgE cross-reactivity was found using sera from five mono-sensitized subjects. However, clear IgE cross-reactivity was demonstrated between Can f 2 and the cat allergen Fel d 4, although they share less than 22% sequence identity. This suggests a role for these allergens in co-sensitization between cat- and dog-allergic patients.     

The cancer cell secretome: A good source for discovering biomarkers?

Cancer is a leading cause of death. Early detection is usually associated with better clinical outcomes. Recent advances in genomics and proteomics raised hopes that new biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis or monitoring therapeutic response will soon be discovered. Proteins secreted by cancer cells, referred also as “the cancer cell secretome”, is a promising source for biomarker discovery. In this review we will summarize recent advances in cancer cell secretome analysis, focusing on the five most fatal cancers (lung, breast, prostate, colorectal, and pancreatic). For each cancer type we will describe the proteomic approaches utilized for the identification of novel biomarkers. Despite progress, identification of markers that are superior to those currently used has proven to be a difficult task and very few, if any, newly discovered biomarker has entered the clinic the last 10 years.     

Simultaneous measurement of superoxide generation and intracellular calcium ion of neutrophil-like culture cells.

We have developed a novel method for simultaneously measuring fluorescence and chemiluminescence. The generation of superoxide anion and the intracellular Ca(2+) ion concentration of neutrophil-like cells stimulated by agonists were measured in real time by our method. Our results were in agreement with the intracellular signalling in the neutrophils. We also found that the presence of Zn(2+) ion inhibited both the generation of superoxide anion and the influx of Ca(2+) ions.     

Therapeutic level of functional human alpha 1 antitrypsin (hAAT) secreted from murine muscle transduced by adeno-associated virus (rAAV1) vector

Alpha 1 antitrypsin (AAT) is a serine proteinase inhibitor (serpin). One well-known function of this protein is to inactivate neutrophil elastase and other neutrophil-derived proteinases, and prevent the destruction of pulmonary extracellular matrix. Deficiency of AAT can cause emphysema due to degradation of interstitial elastin by elastase. The majority of circulating AAT is secreted from the liver. Muscle-directed gene therapy using recombinant adeno-associated virus 2 (rAAV2) vectors has been tested to increase the serum levels of AAT. However, inefficient transduction of rAAV2 vector makes it difficult to reach therapeutic levels of AAT in clinical trials and it remains unclear as to whether muscle-secreted AAT is functional. In the present study, we evaluated five serotypes (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) of rAAV vectors for transduction efficiency in mouse muscle. Results from these studies showed that rAAV1 is the most efficient vector among these serotypes and mediated at least 100-fold higher levels of AAT secretion than the rAAV2 vector. Western blot analysis showed that this murine muscle-secreted human AAT (hAAT) formed a complex with human neutrophil elastase in a dose-dependent manner. An anti-elastase activity assay showed that murine muscle-secreted hAAT inhibited elastase with equal capacity as hAAT purified from plasma. These results provide strong support for the functionality of AAT in ongoing clinical studies of muscle-directed AAT gene therapy.     

Purification and characterization of two recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor glycoforms

Two recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) isoforms were isolated from the medium conditioned by an engineered Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line. The two rhG-CSFs were characterized and were found to differ in the carbohydrate structure attached to Thr-133. The glycoform, referred to as Peak 1, contains the O-linked glycan Neu5Ac(alpha 2-3)Gal(beta 1-3)GalNAc; the Peak 2 glycoform contains the O-linked glycan Neu5Ac(alpha 2-3)Gal(beta 1-3)[Neu5Ac(alpha 2-6)]GalNAc. The two glycoforms displayed a similar biological activity in cultures of a mouse 32D C13 cell line and human bone-marrow myelo-monocytic progenitor cells (CFU-GM). In the latter test both glycoforms displayed a higher activity than nonglycosylated rMet-hG-CSF from Escherichia coli. The pharmacokinetic profile and activity of the two rhG-CSF glycoforms and of a mixture of them (Pool) were investigated in mice treated with a single injection of rhG-CSF at the doses of 125 micrograms and 250 micrograms/kg, given via the intravenous (i.v.) and the subcutaneous (s.c.) route, respectively. The plasma concentration profiles obtained were similar for all three substances and did not show any relevant differences in absorption or elimination. The pharmacokinetic parameters indicate that the three substances have similar area under the curve (AUCs), volumes of distribution, and terminal half-life. Furthermore, our data indicate a high bioavailability of the two different glycoforms of rhG-CSF when given to mice via the s.c. route either singularly or as a mixture. Detectable levels of rhG-CSF persisted for more than 8 h in the i.v. and more than 24 h in the s.c. route of administration. All three substances induced early neutrophilia in mice. All rhG-CSF-treated mice developed a two-four-fold rise in neutrophil counts as early as 4 h after the intravenous and 2 h after the subcutaneous injection. Relatively high levels of neutrophils were maintained for at least 8 and 24 h after i.v. and s.c. administration, respectively.     

Sex steroid hormones do not influence the oxidative burst activity of polymorphonuclear leukocytes from ovariectomized cows in vitro

During the periparturient period, dairy cows are subjected to physiological changes that may induce immunosuppression and an increased susceptibility of the animal to bacterial infections such as mastitis. The incidence of clinical environmental mastitis is high during the last period of gestation, at parturition and during the first month of lactation, suggesting a potential influence of sex steroid hormones. Efficient functioning of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) is necessary during the early phase of infection to clear the mammary gland from invading pathogens. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of sex steroid hormones on the oxidative burst activity of isolated PMN from ovariectomized cows. Ovariectomy was performed to minimize the interference of endogenous estrogen and progesterone levels, which are known to vary extensively during the estrus cycle. Isolated PMN were incubated with different concentrations of 17beta-estradiol, estrone or progesterone. A flow cytometric technique was used to quantify the oxidation of intracellular 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin by the oxidative burst system of PMN following stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate. Staurosporine was used as a positive control for our in vitro model. No statistically significant changes in PMN oxidative burst activity were observed at physiological or pharmacological levels of the three sex steroid hormones. A large variation existed in the oxidative burst activity among cows. In an additional experiment, the expression of estrogen receptor alpha and of progesterone receptor in PMN was evaluated immunohistochemically. No specific staining was detected for both receptors in isolated PMN following incubation with different concentrations of sex steroid hormones.     

Determination of intracellular efficacies of azithromycin against Leishmania major infection in human neutrophils in vitro

Azithromycin is one of a new class of antibiotics known as azalides. Azithromycin has high tissue affinity and this feature is thought to be due to the presence of two basic tertiary amine groups. Leishmania major, one of the causative agents of cutaneous leishmaniosis, is an obligate intracellular parasite. In this in vitro study, the potential anti-leishmanial effect of azithromycin upon intracellular forms namely the amastigote of L. major in mice peritoneal macrophages was investigated. L. major promastigotes were propagated in RPMI-1640 supplemented with 20% fetal calf serum in the log phase. The percentage of phagocytosis and microbiacidal activity of azithromycin on macrophages was assessed in the control and study groups by fluorescence microscopy, using acridine orange. Our results showed that at all the concentrations used (0.05, 0.1, 0.3, 0.6 microg ml(-1)) azithromycin had no inhibitory effect on the phagocytic capacity of mouse peritoneal macrophages. Although no significant difference was observed for leishmaniacidal activity between the study and the control groups at a concentration of 0.05 microg ml(-1) (p>0.05), a significant (p<0.05) increase in leishmaniacidal activity was detected at 0.1, 0.3 and 0.6 microg ml(-1). As a result, azithromycin does not provide any contribution to the phagocytosis of L. major promastigotes in macrophages in vitro, but it increases the intracellular killing rates of amastigotes. These results suggest that it has a potential anti-leishmanial effect, and may provide a significant advantage in the treatment of the disease.     

Galectin-8 modulates neutrophil function via interaction with integrin alphaM

The members of the galectin family are associated with diverse cellular events, including immune response. We investigated the effects of galectin-8 on neutrophil function. Human galectin-8 induced firm and reversible adhesion of peripheral blood neutrophils but not eosinophils to a plastic surface in a lactose-sensitive manner. Other human galectins, galectins-1, -3, and -9, showed low or negligible effects on neutrophil adhesion. Confocal microscopy revealed actin bundle formation in the presence of galectin-8. Cytochalasins inhibited both actin assembly and cell adhesion induced by galectin-8. Affinity purification of galectin-interacting proteins from solubilized neutrophil membrane revealed that N-terminal carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) of galectin-8 bound promatrix metalloproteinase-9 (proMMP-9), and C-terminal CRD bound integrin alphaM/CD11b and proMMP-9. A mutant galectin-8 lacking the carbohydrate-binding activity of N-terminal CRD (galectin-8R69H) retained adhesion-inducing activity, but inactivation of C-terminal CRD (galectin-8R233H) abolished the activity. MMP-3-mediated processing of proMMP-9 was accelerated by galectin-8, and this effect was inhibited by lactose. Galectins-1 and -3 did not affect the processing. Superoxide production, an essential event in bactericidal function of neutrophils, was stimulated by galectin-8 to an extent comparable to that induced by fMLP. Galectin-8R69H but not galectin-8R233H could stimulate superoxide production. Taken together, these results suggest that galectin-8 is a novel factor that modulates the neutrophil function related to transendothelial migration and microbial killing.     

Neutrophil haptotaxis induced by the lectin KM+

KM+ is a D(+)mannose binding lectin from Artocarpus integrifolia that induces neutrophil migration in vitro and in vivo.This attractant activity was shown to be caused by haptotaxis rather than chemotaxis. The inhibition by D(+)mannose of the neutrophil attraction exerted by KM+, both in vitro and in vivo, supports the idea that haptotaxis is triggered in vivo by the sugar binding sites interacting with glycoconjugates located on the neutrophil surface and in the extracellular matrix. In the present study an in vivo haptotaxis assay was performed by intradermally (i.d.) injecting 125I-KM+ (200 ng), which led to a selective staining of loose connective tissue and vascular endothelium. The radiolabelled area exhibited a maximum increase (five-fold) in neutrophil infiltration 3 h after injection, relative to i.d. 200 ng 125I-BSA. We characterized the ex vivo binding of KM+ to tissue elements by immunohistochemistry, using paraformaldehyde-fixed, paraffin-embedded, untreated rat skin. Bound KM+ was detected with an affinity-purified rabbit IgG anti-KM+ and visualized with an alkaline phosphatase based system. KM+ binding to connective tissue and vascular endothelium was inhibited by preincubating KM+ with 0.4 m MD(+)mannose and was potentiated by heparan sulfate (100 g ml–1). An in vitro assay carried out in a Boyden microchamber showed that heparan sulfate potentiated the attractant effect of 10 g KM+ by 34%. The present data suggest that KM+ induces neutrophil migration in vivo by haptotaxis and that the haptotactic gradient could be provided by the interaction of the KM+ carbohydrate recognition site(s) with mannose-containing glycoconjugate(s) in vascular endothelium and connective tissue. Heparan sulfate would act as an accessory molecule, enhancing the KM+ tissue binding and potentiating the induced neutrophil haptotaxis.