Antibody responses to galectin-8, TARP and TRAP1 in prostate cancer patients treated with a GM-CSF-secreting cellular immunotherapy

A critical factor in clinical development of cancer immunotherapies is the identification of tumor-associated antigens that may be related to immunotherapy potency. In this study, protein microarrays containing >8,000 human proteins were screened with serum from prostate cancer patients (N = 13) before and after treatment with a granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-secreting whole cell immunotherapy. Thirty-three proteins were identified that displayed significantly elevated (P ≤ 0.05) signals in post-treatment samples, including three proteins that have previously been associated with prostate carcinogenesis, galectin-8, T-cell alternative reading frame protein (TARP) and TNF-receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1). Expanded analysis of antibody induction in metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients (N = 92) from two phase 1/2 trials of prostate cancer immunotherapy, G-9803 and G-0010, indicated a significant (P = 0.03) association of TARP antibody induction and median survival time (MST). Antibody induction to TARP was also significantly correlated (P = 0.036) with an increase in prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSADT) in patients with a biochemical (PSA) recurrence following prostatectomy or radiation therapy (N = 19) from in a previous phase 1/2 trial of prostate cancer immunotherapy, G-9802. RNA and protein encoding TARP and TRAP1 was up-regulated in prostate cancer tissue compared to matched normal controls. These preliminary findings suggest that antibody induction to TARP may represent a possible biomarker for treatment response to GM-CSF secreting cellular immunotherapy in prostate cancer patients and demonstrates the utility of using protein microarrays for the high-throughput screening of patient-derived antibody responses.     

The Tumor Suppressor pVHL Down-regulates Never-in-Mitosis A-related Kinase 8 via Hypoxia-inducible Factors to Maintain Cilia in Human Renal Cancer Cells

NEK8 (never in mitosis gene A (NIMA)-related kinase 8) is involved in cytoskeleton, cilia, and DNA damage response/repair. Abnormal expression and/or dysfunction of NEK8 are related to cancer development and progression. However, the mechanisms that regulate NEK8 are not well declared. We demonstrated here that pVHL may be involved in regulating NEK8. We found that CAK-I cells with wild-type vhl expressed a lower level of NEK8 than the cells loss of vhl, such as 786-O, 769-P, and A-498 cells. Moreover, pVHL overexpression down-regulated the NEK8 protein in 786-O cells, whereas pVHL knockdown up-regulated NEK8 in CAK-I cells. In addition, we found that the positive hypoxia response elements (HREs) are located in the promoter of the nek8 sequence and hypoxia could induce nek8 expression in different cell types. Consistent with this, down-regulation of hypoxia-inducible factors α (HIF-1α or HIF-2α) by isoform-specific siRNA reduced the ability of hypoxia inducing nek8 expression. In vivo, NEK8 and HIF-1α expression were increased in kidneys of rats subjected to an experimental hypoxia model of ischemia and reperfusion. Furthermore, NEK8 siRNA transfection significantly blocked pVHL-knockdown-induced cilia disassembling, through impairing the pVHL-knockdown-up-regulated NEK8 expression. These results support that nek8 may be a novel hypoxia-inducible gene. In conclusion, our findings show that nek8 may be a new HIF target gene and pVHL can down-regulate NEK8 via HIFs to maintain the primary cilia structure in human renal cancer cells.     

中国柞蚕幼虫腹足趾钩的研究

趾钩是鳞翅目幼虫分类上常用的特征之一。从本世纪40年代起,神冈等对家蚕幼虫腹足趾钩进行了广泛的研究,中岛(1956)对柞蚕幼虫腹足趾钩有过简短的报告。柞蚕幼虫腹足趾钩不但与地理品种分化有关,而且,由于柞蚕幼虫在野外山林中生活,柞蚕取食等活动,均靠趾钩把握柞枝,趾钩与柞蚕把握力有着密切关系。现将柞蚕幼虫腹足趾钩的形态特征扼要报告如下。     

取食雄蜂蛹粉对龟纹瓢虫和异色瓢虫卵黄发生的影响

本文比较了龟纹瓢虫Proylea japonica和异色瓢虫Harmonia axyridis取食蚜虫和取食雄蜂蛹粉时的卵黄发生情况.当取食雄蜂蛹粉时,体内卵黄蛋白出现迟,积累速度慢,产卵前期长.但用保幼激素类似物ZR512点滴处理后则能达到与食蚜对照相当的水平.ZR512对取食雄蜂蛹粉瓢虫的作用显著大于取食岈虫者.进一步的研究表明,ZR512能促进这两种瓢虫取食雄蜂蛹粉,但对成虫的体重没有明显的影响.因此推论,雄蜂蛹粉基本能够满足这两种瓢虫生殖的营养需要,但对其内分泌有一定的影响,使瓢虫处于类似生殖滞育的状态.本文根据不同食物条件对卵黄蛋白发生的影响不同,建议用卵黄蛋白的量作为生理指标,以快速初步筛选和评估人工饲料.     

沙田柚染色体组型及Giemsa带型分析

本文以沙田柚为材料,对其染色体组型及带型进行了观察分析。组型分析:染色体数目2n=18,根据染色体的相对长度分成大小染色体两种类型,前者包括1、2、3、4和5对,后者为6、7、8和9对,根据臂比,9对染色体能够被分成中部着丝点和近中着丝点染色体两种类型。即第5、7,9对为亚中部着丝点,其余为中部着丝点,第6对染色体上有随体;Giemsa带型:除第二对染色体只显中间带外,其余都显着丝点带,并在3、4、8对染色体短臂上和2、3、1对染色体长臂上均显端带,第2、3,6对同源染色体之间的C带显示杂合性。     

根结线虫天敌真菌的筛选研究初报

从土壤和病株上分离到10个线虫的天敌真菌菌株,其中有三个菌株较有希望,烛台霉属(Candelabrello sp.)一个。孤孢属(Monacrosporium spp.)两个,菌株代号分别为CN_7;CN_(?)和CN_5。 据试验:CN_7较好,菌丝体生长的温度范围是20～33℃,最适宜的温度范围是25～30℃,以式捕捉环捕食线虫,对培养基选择性不强,最适宜的pH值是6.0～7.5,但在pH4.5～8.0都能进收缩行捕捉,捕捉器官形成量多,捕虫势强且稳定,在水中也能形成捕捉环并捕食线虫。     

多胚水稻ApⅢ（双13）的胚胎学观察

对多胚水稻（Ｏｒｙｚａ ｓａｔｉｖａ Ｌ．）ＡｐⅢ的大量成熟颖果、人工萌发的幼苗和开花后３～５ ｄ 的幼嫩颖果进行的整体解剖和显微制片观察表明：ＡｐⅢ的５０００粒成熟颖果中,８９．０％ 含单胚单苗,８．９％ 和１．２％分别含双胚双苗和三胚三苗;７００多粒幼嫩颖果中,９０．０％ ～９５．０％ 含单胚,５．０％ ～７．０％ 含双胚。因制片的数目有限,未见到含三胚的;在含单胚和多胚颖果中,胚均位于同一胚囊的珠孔端,未见到胚囊以外存在不定胚。根据上述结果,似可以认为ＡｐⅢ单粒颖果的双胚和三胚是由同一胚囊内的卵细胞和１或２个助细胞受精或不受精发育而来的     

植被对于气候的反馈作用

根据地球表面两个平衡方程：热量平衡方程和水量平衡方程初步探讨了植被对于气候的反馈作用。研究结果指出,植被对于全球气候变化有减缓作用,植被的存在将使一地的径流量减少,增加了保水能力,对于一地降水量无显著影响,而对于气候变化的作用是增温还是降温须视具体地点的情况而定。对于中纬度地区,当某一区域的径流量的变化与下垫面反射率的变化满足关系：Δｆ ＝ ５Δα×１０－ ４ｇ／（ｃｍ ２·ｍ ｉｎ）时,地表温度并不因为下垫面反射率或径流量的变化而变化。这一研究结果还表明在制定全球变化对陆地生态系统影响对策时必须因地制宜,以保证地球成为一个适于人类生存与持续发展的生命支持系统