Kinetics of retroviral production from the amphotropic ΨCRIP murine producer cell line

Rapidly expanding development and practice of gene therapy requires the availability of large quantities of high titer retroviral supernatants. One way to achieve high retroviral titers is through improved understanding of the kinetics of retroviral production and decay, and the subsequent development of improved cell culture methods. In the present study we investigated the effects of different operational modes on the retroviral production of the NIH 3T3 fibroblast derived amphotropic murine retroviral producing cell line pMFG/CRIP. Semi-continuous culture (exchange of 50% of medium volume daily) was found to promote cell growth and enhance retroviral production. The rapid medium exchange resulted in significantly larger amounts of high titer supernatants and an extended production phase as compared to the batch control cultures. The specific viral productivity of the pMFG/CRIP cells was in the range of 10 to 40 infectious viruses produced per thousand producer cells per day. The CV-1 African Green Monkey kidney cell line was used as the infection target. Lowering the serum level form 20% to 10% improved retroviral production slightly. However, at lower serum levels (1%, 5% and 10% (v/v)) growth of the producer cell line, and thus retroviral production, was directly proportional to the serum level. The half-life of the virus at 37°C was found to be 5.5 hours. Promoting the growth of producer cell lines can improve retroviral vectors titers and viral production. High cell density systems that allow for rapid cell growth and waste product removal are likely to be used to generate high-titer retroviral supernatants.     

Development of insect resistance in tomato plants expressing the δ-endotoxin gene ofBacillus thuringiensis subsp.tenebrionis

A crystal -endotoxin gene ofBacillus thuringiensis subsp.tenebrionis (B.t.t.) encoding a coleopteran insect-specific toxin was used to construct a chimeric gene which expressed the toxin in plant cells. Via anAgrobacterium tumefaciens binary vector system, the toxin gene was transferred into tomato cells. From leaf disks recombinant plants were regenerated. Hybridization experiments demonstrated that these plants synthesized toxin-specific mRNA of the expected size. Transgenic tomato plants with the chimericB.t.t. toxin gene contained a 74 kDa protein which cross-reacted with toxin antibodies. The expression caused a significant insecticidal activity of the transgenic tomato plants against Colorado potato beetle larvae.     

Epstein─Barr病毒膜抗原在中国仓鼠卵巢（CHO）细胞中的表达

将切去３’端穿膜序列的ＥＢ病毒膜抗原（ＭＡ）基因,插入ｐＳＶ２－ｄｈｆｒ质粒的ＳＶ４０早期启动子下游,构建了真核表达载体ｐＳＶ２－ｄｈｆｒＧＰＴＲ,使两个ＳＶ４０早期启动子分别调控ＭＡ和二氢叶酸还原酶（ｄｈｆｒ）基因。将该重组质粒转化ＣＨＯ－ｄｈｆｒ细胞,在选择培养基中筛选阳性克隆,用氨甲喋呤加压扩增,建立了表达ＥＢＶ－ＭＡ的克隆细胞系。ｗｅｓｔｅｒｎｂｌｏｔ分析证明,所表达的蛋白的分子量大约为３４０ｋｄ和２２０ｋｄ。经过细Ｓｅｐｈａｒｏｓｅ２Ｂ琼脂糖凝胶层析初步纯化的抗原与福氏佐剂混合免疫小鼠,２周后小鼠血清中出现明显的ｇｐ３４０／２２０特异性抗体,表明切去嵌膜区结构的ＥＢＶ－ＭＡ基因在ＣＨＯ细胞中的表达产物具有同天然膜抗原相似的分子量大小、糖基化程度、免疫特异性和免疫原性,可望成为ＥＢ病毒人用基因工程亚单位疫苗。     

乳腺癌p53蛋白过度表达和雌激素受体免疫组化检测及意义

应用免疫组化方法,对３２例乳腺癌组织中肿瘤抑制基因ｐ５３蛋白的表达和雌激素受体的状态分别进行了检测。结果３２例中ｐ５３蛋白阳性１８例,阳性率５６．３％,１８例伴有同侧腋下淋巴结转移者阳性１３例（７２．２％）３而１４例无转移者阳性５例（３５．７％）二组阳性率差异显著（ＰＭＯ．０５）。３２例中雌激素受体阳性１７例,１８例伴转移者阳性８例（４４．４％）;１４例无转移者阳性９例（６４．３％）。结果表明,ｐ５３蛋白的异常表达与乳腺癌的浸润转移有关,结合雌激素受体的检查,可作为临床预后判断一个有价值的标志。     

狂犬病毒“北京株”在地鼠肾传代细胞中增殖的电镜观察

用透射电子显微镜观察术,对狂犬病固定毒“北京株”在地鼠肾传代细胞（ＢＨＫ２１）中增殖的形态学变化进行了研究。在受感染的细胞中有大量子弹状和长杆状的病毒颗粒。大多数病毒在扩张的内质网膜上以出芽的方式发生,凸向内质网腔内并逐渐发育成子弹状和杆关的成熟病毒。含病的内质,多周围常伴有颗粒或丝状均质区域,少数病毒在细胞膜上芽生。细胞间隙中亦可见病毒。还见病毒在细胞核膜内、外层上芽生,核周围间隙中许多病毒,有     

毛喉萜对人胃癌细胞BGC－823中蛋白激酶C及其亚类的影响

以人胃癌细胞ＢＧＣ－８２３为模型,研究了毛喉萜（ｆｏｒｓｋｏｌｉｎ）对胃癌细胞中蛋白激酶Ｃ活性及其亚类基因表达的作用,同时也观察了毛喉萜对癌基因ｃ－ｊｕｎ及抑癌基因ｐ５３表达的影响．结果表明,２×１０~（－５）ｍｏｌ／Ｌ毛喉萜处理ＢＧＣ－８２３细胞７２ｈ,细胞质、膜和细胞核ＰＫＣ活性下降,ＰＫＣ亚类β,γ基因表达被抑制,癌基因ｃ－ｊｕｎ的表达也明显降低,而抑癌基因ｐ５３表达升高,上述变化可能是毛喉萜抑制胃癌细胞增殖等生理效应的重要分子事件。     

Nucleotide Sequence Surrounding the Locus Marker D21S246 on Human Chromosome 21

Most ofthe human Not I linking clones identified to date areconsidered to be derived from CpG islands because ofthe recognitionsequence of this enzyme, and CpG islands have been reportedto be located around the 5' regions of genes. As a pilot study,we determined the complete nucleotide sequence (41,924 bp) ofa human cosmid clone (LL21NC02Q7A10) containing the marker D21S246originating from a Not I linking clone. As a result of sequenceanalysis, we successfully mapped and revealed the genomic genestructure for KIAA0002 previously reported as a cDNA clone.This gene consists of 15 exons and was shown to exist at theD21S246 locus on human chromosome 21q21.3–q22.1. Theseresults demonstrated that genomic marker-anchored DNA sequencingis a useful approach for the human genome project.     

The elimination ofO-linked glycans from glycoproteins under non-reducing conditions

A simple procedure is described for the elimination ofO-linked glycans from bovine submaxillary mucin under non-reducing conditions, using triethylamine in aqueous hydrazine. The glycans were isolated as the hydrazones, which were converted to the reducing glycans by exchange with acetone in neutral aqueous solution. The glycan alditols obtained after reduction corresponded to those obtained by the reductive -elimination ofO-glycans.     

Domoic acid inhibits adenylate cyclase activity in rat brain membranes

Adenylate cyclase activity measured by the formation of cyclic AMP in rat brain membranes was inhibited by a shellfish toxin, domoic acid (DOM). The inhibition of enzyme was dependent on DOM concentration, but about 50% of enzyme activity was resistant to DOM-induced inhibition. Rat brain supernatant resulting from 105,000×g centrifugation for 60 min, stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in membranes. Domoic acid abolished the supernatant-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. The brain supernatant contains factors which modulate adenylate cyclase activity in membranes. The stimulatory factors include calcium, calmodulin, and GTP. In view of these findings, we examined the role of calcium and calmodulin in DOM-induced inhibition of adenylate cyclase in brain membranes. Calcium stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in membranes, and further addition of calmodulin potentiated calcium-stimulated enzyme activity in a concentration dependent manner. Calmodulin also stimulated adenylate cyclase activity, but further addition of calcium did not potentiate calmodulin-stimulated enzyme activity. These results show that the rat brain membranes contain endogenous calcium and calmodulin which stimulate adenylate cyclase activity. However, calmodulin appears to be present in membranes in sub-optimal concentration for adenylate cyclase activation, whereas calcium is present at saturating concentration. Adenylate cyclase activity diminished as DOM concentration was increased, reaching a nadir at about 1 mM. Addition of calcium restored DOM-inhibited adenylate cyclase activity to the control level. Similarly, EGTA also inhibited adenylate cyclase activity in brain membranes in a concentration dependent manner, and addition of calcium restored EGTA-inhibited enzyme activity to above control level. The fact that EGTA is a specific chelator of calcium, and that DOM mimicked adenylate cyclase inhibition by EGTA, indicate that calcium mediates DOM-induced inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity in brain membranes. While DOM completely abolished the supernatant-, and Gpp (NH)p-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity, it partly blocked calmodulin-, and forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in brain membranes. These results indicate that DOM may interact with guanine nucleotide-binding (G) protein and/or the catalytic subunit of adenylate cyclase to produce inhibition of enzyme in rat brain membranes.     

Immunocytochemical identification of photoreceptor proteins in hypothalamic cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons of the larval lamprey (Petromyzon marinus)

Antibodies directed against different visual pigment opsins, and an antibody raised against the C terminal of the -subunit of retinal G protein (transducin) labelled cerebrospinal fluid-contacting cells located within the hypothalamus (postoptic commissural nucleus and ventral hypothalamic nucleus) of ammocoete lampreys (Petromyzon marinus). These antibodies also labelled photoreceptor cells within the retina and the pineal and parapineal organs, but no other areas of the brain. Despite considerable behavioural and physiological evidence for the existence of deep brain photoreceptors, numerous studies have failed to identify photoreceptor proteins within the basal brain. The results presented in this paper support our recent results in the lizard Anolis carolinensis, suggesting that a group of cerebrospinal fluid-contacting neurons within the vertebrate brain have a photosensory capacity. We speculate that these cells mediate extraocular and extrapineal photoreception in nonmammalian vertebrates.