Alteration of surfactant protein A expression in renal cell carcinoma

Surfactant protein-A (SP-A) belongs to a family of collagen-containing C-type lectins called collectins. SP-A is expressed by renal tubule epithelial cells. We investigated the distribution of SP-A in renal cell carcinomas (RCC) using immunohistochemical techniques and western blotting. We used 35 formalin fixed, paraffin embedded (FFPE) RCC tissue samples. We compared results with clinico-pathological parameters of RCC including age, sex, Fuhrman grade, tumor volume, tumor node metastasis (TNM) and clinical stage. SP-A was localized in the glomerulus and renal tubule epithelium in nontumor tissue and strong SP-A immunoreactivity was observed in tumor tissue. SP-A was expressed in the RCC tumor cells (64%) and nontumor cells (34%) in males and RCC tumor cells (90%) and nontumor cells (30%) in females. There was a significant correlation between SP-A immunoreactivity in tumor cells and gender, age, tumor diameter, Fuhrman grade and tumor diameter. Western blot analysis supported the immunohistochemical findings. We present evidence for involvement of SP-A in RCC and suggest that increased SP-A expression in RCC is associated with favorable prognosis.     

Palatability and feeding preferences of Uresiphita maorialis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) for three Sophora species

In a three-hour bioassay, we tested the palatability and feeding preferences of Uresiphita maorialis (kōwhai moth) for Sophora tetraptera, Sophora microphylla and Sophora prostrata. Palatability tests showed no differences among the Sophora species. Feeding preferences, on the other hand, showed that S. tetraptera and S. microphylla leaves are preferred over S. prostrata leaves. Our results support our field observations in Wellington city parks and gardens showing that S. tetraptera and S. microphylla plants frequently have higher densities of larvae than S. prostrata.     

Regulated expression of osteopontin in the peri-implantation rabbit uterus

Blastocyst attachment to the lining of the mammalian uterus during early implantation involves the initial apposition of the trophoblast to the uterine epithelial surface. Osteopontin (OPN) is a glycoprotein component of the extracellular matrix that is secreted by the glandular epithelium of mammalian uteri at the time of implantation. This protein is recognized by several members of the integrin family and promotes cell-cell attachment and adhesion. In the present study, rabbit uteri were examined using Northern and in situ hybridization to evaluate the temporal and spatial distribution of OPN mRNA during early pregnancy. Northern blot analysis demonstrated a dramatic increase in OPN expression on Days 4-7 of pregnancy, corresponding to the rise in circulating progesterone and the time of initial embryo attachment in this species. In situ hybridization analysis revealed OPN mRNA expression on Day 6.75 of pregnancy, which was most prominent on endometrial epithelium. Using immunofluorescence, OPN protein was present on the glandular epithelium on Day 6.75 of pregnancy, but was absent on blastocysts. Further, no expression of OPN mRNA or protein was found in the nonpregnant endometrium. Induction of endometrial OPN expression was observed in unmated rabbits treated with progesterone alone and was prevented by cotreatment with the antiprogestin ZK137.316. Estradiol-17beta had no effect on OPN expression by itself, and estrogen priming was not necessary to demonstrate the stimulatory effect of progesterone. In The rabbit uterus, as in other mammalian species studied, OPN is expressed in a stage-specific manner by the endometrial glands during the peri-implantation period and is regulated by progesterone.     

Effect of unilateral and bilateral resistance exercise on maximal voluntary strength,total volume of load lifted,and perceptual and metabolic responses

The present study investigated the effect of unilateral and bilateral resistance exercise (RE) on maximal voluntary strength, total volume of load lifted (TVLL), rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and blood lactate concentration of resistance-trained males. Twelve healthy men were assessed for the leg extension one-repetition maximum (1RM) strength using bilateral and unilateral contractions. Following this assessment, an RE session (3 sets of repetitions to failure) was conducted with bilateral and unilateral (both limbs) contractions using a load of 50% 1RM. The TVLL was calculated by the product of the number of repetitions and the load lifted per repetition. RPE and blood lactate were measured before, during and after each set. Session RPE was measured 30 minutes after RE sessions. There was a significant difference in the bilateral (120.0±11.9) and unilateral (135.0±20.2 kg) 1RM strength (p < 0.05). The TVLL was similar between both RE sessions. Although the repetitions decreased with each successive set, the total number of repetitions completed in the bilateral protocol (48) was superior to the unilateral (40) protocol (p < 0.05). In both bouts, RPE increased with each subsequent set whilst blood lactate increased after set 1 and thereafter remained stable (p < 0.05). The RPE and lactate responses were not significantly different between both sessions. In conclusion, a bilateral deficit in leg extension strength was confirmed, but the TVLL was similar between both RE sessions when exercising to voluntary fatigue. This outcome could be attributed to the number of repetitions completed in the unilateral RE bout. The equal TVLL would also explain the similar perceptual and metabolic responses across each RE session.     

三氧化二砷对食管癌细胞增殖和热休克蛋白70表达的影响

目的：研究三氧化二砷（As2O3）对食管癌细胞增殖和热休克蛋白70（HSP70）表达的影响。方法：通过相差显微镜、流式细胞术、免疫细胞化学染色和免疫印迹分析等方法观察As2O3对人食管癌细胞株EC1的作用效果和作用机制。结果：与对照组相比,经2μmol/L和5μmol/Las2O3作用的细胞出现明显的生长抑制,G2/M期细胞比例增加;2μmol/Las2O3作用48h后经Ecl细胞HSP70（heat shock protein70）及HSC70(heat shock cognate protein70)表达均增加。结论：As2O3诱导食管癌细胞G2/M期阻滞抑制细胞增殖和生长;HSP70的升高是细胞对As2O3作用后出现的应激反应,并与细胞周期阻滞相关。     

Intragenic duplication and divergence in the spectrin superfamily of proteins

Many structural, signaling, and adhesion molecules contain tandemly repeated amino acid motifs. The alpha-actinin/spectrin/dystrophin superfamily of F-actin-crosslinking proteins contains an array of triple alpha-helical motifs (spectrin repeats). We present here the complete sequence of the novel beta-spectrin isoform beta(Heavy)- spectrin (beta H). The sequence of beta H supports the origin of alpha- and beta-spectrins from a common ancestor, and we present a novel model for the origin of the spectrins from a homodimeric actin-crosslinking precursor. The pattern of similarity between the spectrin repeat units indicates that they have evolved by a series of nested, nonuniform duplications. Furthermore, the spectrins and dystrophins clearly have common ancestry, yet the repeat unit is of a different length in each family. Together, these observations suggest a dynamic period of increase in repeat number accompanied by homogenization within each array by concerted evolution. However, today, there is greater similarity of homologous repeats between species than there is across repeats within species, suggesting that concerted evolution ceased some time before the arthropod/vertebrate split. We propose a two-phase model for the evolution of the spectrin repeat arrays in which an initial phase of concerted evolution is subsequently retarded as each new protein becomes constrained to a specific length and the repeats diverge at the DNA level. This evolutionary model has general applicability to the origins of the many other proteins that have tandemly repeated motifs.      

ARID1A Is Essential for Endometrial Function during Early Pregnancy

AT-rich interactive domain 1A gene (ARID1A) loss is a frequent event in endometriosis-associated ovarian carcinomas. Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue that normally grows inside the uterus grows outside the uterus, and 50% of women with endometriosis are infertile. ARID1A protein levels were significantly lower in the eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis compared to women without endometriosis. However, an understanding of the physiological effects of ARID1A loss remains quite poor, and the function of Arid1a in the female reproductive tract has remained elusive. In order to understand the role of Arid1a in the uterus, we have generated mice with conditional ablation of Arid1a in the PGR positive cells (Pgr ^cre/+ Arid1a ^f/f; Arid1a ^d/d). Ovarian function and uterine development of Arid1a ^d/d mice were normal. However, Arid1a ^d/d mice were sterile due to defective embryo implantation and decidualization. The epithelial proliferation was significantly increased in Arid1a ^d/d mice compared to control mice. Enhanced epithelial estrogen activity and reduced epithelial PGR expression, which impedes maturation of the receptive uterus, was observed in Arid1a ^d/d mice at the peri-implantation period. The microarray analysis revealed that ARID1A represses the genes related to cell cycle and DNA replication. We showed that ARID1A positively regulates Klf15 expression with PGR to inhibit epithelial proliferation at peri-implantation. Our results suggest that Arid1a has a critical role in modulating epithelial proliferation which is a critical requisite for fertility. This finding provides a new signaling pathway for steroid hormone regulation in female reproductive biology and furthers our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie dysregulation of hormonal signaling in human reproductive disorders such as endometriosis.