Distribution of hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 1 (HAI-1) in human tissues. Cellular surface localization of HAI-1 in simple columnar epithelium and its modulated expression in injured and regenerative tissues

We used a specific monoclonal antibody to human hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 1 (HAI-1) in immunohistochemical procedures to determine the distribution and localization of HAI-1 in human tissues. In normal adult tissues, HAI-1 was predominantly expressed in the simple columnar epithelium of the ducts, tubules, and mucosal surface of various organs. In all cases, HAI-1 was localized predominantly on the cellular lateral (or basolateral) surface. By contrast, hepatocytes, acinar cells, endocrine cells, stromal mesenchymal cells, and inflammatory cells were hardly stainable with the antibody, and stratified squamous epithelium showed only faint immunoreactivity on the surface of cells of the basal layer. In the gastrointestinal tract, the surface epithelium was strongly stained. RNA blot analysis confirmed the presence of specific mRNA transcript in the gastrointestinal mucosa, and in situ hybridization revealed that HAI-1 mRNA showed a similar cellular distribution pattern. Although HAI-1 was not expressed in normal hepatocytes, strong immunoreactivity was observed on the epithelium of pseudo-bile ducts and on the surface of scattered hepatocytes in fulminant hepatitis. The enhanced expression was also noted in regenerating tubule epithelial cells of the kidney after infarction. We conclude that HAI-1 is preferentially expressed in the simple columnar epithelium of the mucosal surface and duct, that the predominant localization of HAI-1 is the cell surface, and that the expression of HAI-1 can be modulated by tissue injury and regeneration.

Differences between recombinant PTTH and crude brain extracts in cAMP-mediated ecdysteroid secretion from the prothoracic glands of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

The ability of recombinant prothoracicotropic hormone (rPTTH) or crude brain extract (cBRAIN) of Bombyx mori to stimulate ecdysteroid secretion from prothoracic glands (PGs) was investigated throughout the fifth instar and the first day of the pupal stage. Crude brain extracts could stimulate much higher ecdysteroid secretion than rPTTH during a 2h incubation. Recombinant PTTH did not increase the level of glandular cyclic AMP, except on days 4 and 5 of the fifth instar. Glandular cAMP levels were increased by cBRAIN from day 0 until day 5 of the fifth instar with the highest increase on day 3. On this day, rPTTH could not stimulate any increase of ecdysteroid secretion from the PGs during a 30min incubation. On the contrary, PGs incubated with cBRAIN for 30min showed increased secretory activity. Furthermore, on day 3 and in the absence of extracellular Ca(2+), rPTTH did not increase the glandular cAMP levels but cBRAIN did. Recombinant PTTH-stimulated ecdysteroid secretion from day 3 PGs was dependent on extracellular Ca(2+) in a dose-dependent manner. However, cBRAIN could stimulate ecdysteroid secretion even in the absence of extracellular Ca(2+). Taken together, the results of these experiments suggest the presence of a previously unknown cerebral prothoracicotropic factor that can stimulate glandular cAMP levels and ecdysteroid secretion from the PGs of Bombyx mori.

Intraperitoneal administration of anti-c-fms monoclonal antibody prevents initial events of atherogenesis but does not reduce the size of advanced lesions in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice

BACKGROUND

Atherosclerosis results from complex inflammatory-fibroproliferative responses. To elucidate the central role of macrophage and macrophage-colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) during atherogenesis, we used a new strategy to administer to adult apolipoprotein E (apoE)-deficient mice a monoclonal antibody (AFS98) raised against c-fms, the receptor of M-CSF.

METHODS AND RESULTS

When 6-week-old apoE-deficient mice were fed a high-fat diet and injected with 2 mg of AFS98 intraperitoneally on alternate days for 6 weeks, accumulation of macrophage-derived foam cells in the aortic root was suppressed by 70% compared with that in controls. This preventive effect was associated with neither remarkable decrease of the number of circulating monocytes nor systemic growth retardation. In contrast, when apoE-deficient mice that had been fed a high-fat diet from 6 weeks of age were given AFS98 from 12 to 18 weeks of age, a minimal protective effect on lesion size was observed.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that (1) macrophage and M-CSF/c-fms play an essential role in the arterial wall during development of the fatty streak lesion and (2) blockade of the M-CSF/c-fms pathway could act as protection from at least early atherogenesis but could have a less preventive effect on maintenance of the advanced lesions.

[Metastatic calvarial tumor: report of 3 cases]

We report 3 cases of calvarial tumor metastasized from the following malignancies: squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, hepatocellular carcinoma, and clear cell carcinoma of the kidney. All three patients presented with a painful mass as the initial symptom. Although each tumor was successfully extirpated, out-come was not satisfactory because of the malignant nature of the primary sources. The main purpose of treatment of metastatic calvarial tumors was thought to be relief of pain and cosmetic reasons. Metastatic calvarial tumors may reach considerable size as reported here. We stressed that meticulous care should be paid to repair of the dura and reconstruction of subcutaneous soft tissues, since scalp necrosis or cerebrospinal fluid retention may occur following preoperative embolization of feeding arteries and extensive removal of subcutaneous tissues invaded by tumor.

Secretion of protease nexin-II/amyloid beta protein precursor by human colorectal carcinoma cells and its modulation by cytokines/growth factors and proteinase inhibitors

Trypsin inhibitors secreted by human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines were analyzed by reverse zymography. Among eleven cell lines analyzed, the major inhibitor secreted was protease nexin-II (PN-II), a secreted form of amyloid beta protein precursor (APP) containing a Kunitz-type serine proteinase inhibitor domain. Expression of the APP gene was also confirmed in the cell lines and the main APP mRNA species were PN-II types. The APP gene expression was constant during cell growth in vitro. On the other hand, the rate of extracellular PN-II accumulation markedly increased after long-term serum-free maintenance of the confluent culture. The extracellular accumulation of PN-II was also strongly stimulated either by interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) treatment or to a lesser extent by basic fibroblast growth factor, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, hepatocyte growth factor or epidermal growth factor. Neither serum depletion- nor IL-1beta-induced stimulation of extracellular PN-II accumulation were accompanied by obvious alteration of the levels of APP mRNA and cellular APP holoprotein, suggesting that the enhanced extracellular accumulation of PN-II might result from up-regulation of the secretory pathway of APP. The IL-1beta-induced PN-II secretion was significantly inhibited by relatively high concentrations (50-200 microg/ml) of aprotinin, a serine proteinase inhibitor, in a dose-dependent manner without obvious cell-toxic effects.

Moyamoya disease showing atypical angiographic findings--two case reports

A 7-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl presented with moyamoya disease showing atypical angiographic findings. In these cases, the internal carotid artery (ICA) had a tapering occlusion just distal to the origin of the ophthalmic artery, whereas the top of the ICA was not occluded and was retrogradely supplied through the posterior communicating artery from the posterior circulation. Surgical treatment resolved the symptoms in both patients. Moyamoya disease may include a number of variant types not showing all the characteristic angiographic findings of moyamoya disease.

Hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 2 lacking the first Kunitz-type serine proteinase inhibitor domain is a predominant product in mouse but not in human

Hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 2 (HAI-2) is a new Kunitz-type serine protease inhibitor, which is purified and cloned from human stomach cancer cell line MKN45. The mature HAI-2 protein contains two Kunitz domains and the first domain is mainly responsible for the inhibitory activity against hepatocyte growth factor activator (HGFA). In this study, we identified the mouse homolog of HAI-2 (mHAI-2) by screening the data base of public expressed sequence tag (dbEST). In addition to a full-length cDNA corresponding to human HAI-2, a shorter size of mHAI-2 cDNA was obtained from mouse kidney by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Sequence analysis of this shorter cDNA revealed that the region encoding the first Kunitz domain was completely deleted. Analysis of mouse genomic DNA showed that the deleted cDNA was generated by an alternative splicing mechanism. Surprisingly, the spliced form lacking the first Kunitz domain was a predominant transcript in all tissues of mice tested but not in those of human as assessed by RT-PCR analysis. This phenomenon is also confirmed by Western blot analysis using the specific antiserum against human HAI-2 protein. These results suggest that most of HAI-2 expressed in various tissues of mice may be unable to inhibit HGFA efficiently.

Maturation of embryonic stem cells into endothelial cells in an in vitro model of vasculogenesis

A primitive vascular plexus is formed through coordinated regulation of differentiation, proliferation, migration, and cell-cell adhesion of endothelial cell (EC) progenitors. In this study, a culture system was devised to investigate the behavior of purified EC progenitors in vitro. Because Flk-1(+) cells derived from ES cells did not initially express other EC markers, they were sorted and used as EC progenitors. Their in vitro differentiation into ECs, via vascular endothelial-cadherin (VE-cadherin)+ platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1)+ CD34(-) to VE-cadherin+ PECAM-1(+) CD34(+) stage, occurred without exogenous factors, whereas their proliferation, particularly at low cell density, required OP9 feeder cells. On OP9 feeder layer, EC progenitors gave rise to sheet-like clusters of Flk-1(+) cells, with VE-cadherin concentrated at the cell-cell junction. The growth was suppressed by Flt-1-IgG1 chimeric protein and dependent on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) but not placenta growth factor (PIGF). Further addition of VEGF resulted in cell dispersion, indicating the role of VEGF in the migration of ECs as well as their proliferation. Cell-cell adhesion of ECs in this culture system was mediated by VE-cadherin. Thus, the culture system described here is useful in dissecting the cellular events of EC progenitors that occur during vasculogenesis and in investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes.

Long-term administration of adrenocorticotropin modulates the expression of IGF-I and TGF-beta 1 mRNAs in the rat adrenal cortex

The effects of long-term adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) therapy on the expression of IGF-I and TGF-beta 1 on rat adrenal cortex was investigated. ACTH (0.1 mg/kg/day) or saline as control was injected intraperitoneally in 5-week-old Wistar rats every day for 4 weeks. ACTH significantly increased adrenal weight (P < 0.05) and serum corticosterone (P < 0.05). Competitive RT-PCR analysis on the adrenocortical mRNA showed increased IGF-I (P < 0.01) at 4 weeks of ACTH and increased TGF-beta 1 (P < 0.01) at 1 week of ACTH compared the control group. ACTH also significantly increased proliferating cell nuclear antigen mRNA level (P < 0.01), at 4 weeks of treatment, which correlated with IGF-I level (P < 0.01), but correlated negatively with ACTH-stimulated TGF-beta 1 level (P < 0.05). There was a weak correlation between IGF-I and serum corticosterone (P < 0.05), and between TGF-beta 1 mRNA levels and serum corticosterone concentration (P < 0.05). Histologically, ACTH induced hypertrophy in the zona fasciculata cells and increased the clear cells containing lipid deposits. Immunohistochemistry showed that IGF-I peptide was mainly expressed in the periphery of the zona fasciculata at 4 weeks of ACTH therapy, while the same therapy caused a slight increase in TGF-beta 1 expression in the same area. Our results show that an increase in adrenocortical growth resulting from ACTH treatment is associated with an increase in IGF-I mRNA expression but only a transient increase in TGF-beta 1 mRNA expression.

Enhanced tumor growth and invasiveness in vivo by a carboxyl-terminal fragment of alpha1-proteinase inhibitor generated by matrix metalloproteinases: a possible modulatory role in natural killer cytotoxicity

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are believed to contribute to the complex process of cancer progression. They also exhibit an alpha1-proteinase inhibitor (alphaPI)-degrading activity generating a carboxyl-terminal fragment of approximately 5 kd (alphaPI-C). This study reports that overexpression of alphaPI-C in S2-020, a cloned subline derived from the human pancreas adenocarcinoma cell line SUIT-2, potentiates the growth capability of the cells in nude mice. After stable transfection of a vector containing a chimeric cDNA encoding a signal peptide sequence of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 followed by cDNA for alphaPI-C into S2-020 cells, three clones that stably secrete alphaPI-C were obtained. The ectopic expression of alphaPI-C did not alter in vitro cellular growth. However, subcutaneous injection of the alphaPI-C-secreting clones resulted in tumors that were 1.5 to 3-fold larger than those of control clones with an increased tendency to invasiveness and lymph node metastasis. These effects could be a result of modulation of natural killer (NK) cell-mediated control of tumor growth in nude mice, as the growth advantage of alphaPI-C-secreting clones was not observed in NK-depleted mice, and alphaPI-C-secreting clones showed decreased NK sensitivity in vitro. In addition, production of alphaPI and generation of the cleaved form of alphaPI by MMP were observed in various human tumor cell lines and in a highly metastatic subline of SUIT-2 in vitro. These results provide experimental evidence that the alphaPI-degrading activity of MMPs may play a role in tumor progression not only via the inactivation of alphaPI but also via the generation of alphaPI-C.

Suppression and enhancement of the Freund's incomplete adjuvant-induced writhing reaction by sodium ascorbate in mice

We noticed that an intraperitoneal injection of Freund's incomplete adjuvant (FIA) into mice could stimulate the induction of a writhing reaction. The FIA emulsion-induced writhing reaction was found to be remarkably inhibited by preadministration of oral indomethacin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic drug. The induction of the writhing reaction was also inhibited by intravenous preadministration of sodium ascorbate (SAs) in saline. In the experiments where SAs was added to FIA, it was demonstrated that SAs had dual activity of suppression and enhancement. At lower concentrations SAs functioned as a suppressor of the writhing reaction, while at concentrations higher than about 1 mg/50 microl/mouse it acted as an enhancer of the reaction. Furthermore, this writhing reaction induced by FIA+SAs emulsion was also inhibited by preadministraion of SAs itself as well as indomethacin. These results suggested that the mechanism of the writhing reaction induced by FIA was concerned with the production of prostaglandins (PGs), and SAs might be involved in regulation of the writhing reaction. In this paper, we propose a mouse writhing model induced by FIA or FIA+SAs emulsion as a novel pain model useful for assessment of analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents.

Retroperitoneal bronchogenic cyst: report of a case and literature review

A large cystic mass was found in the subdiaphragmatic region of a 46-year-old woman who had complained of continuous pain in the left flank . The cyst was located in the retroperitoneum just below the diaphragm and was adhered to the diaphragmatic skeletal muscle and abdominal aorta, but was separate from the spleen, pancreas, left adrenal gland and left kidney. The surgically resected cyst measured 8 x 8 x 7 cm and was filled with protein-rich fluid, which contained amylase and embryonal proteins such as carcinoembryonic antigen, CA125 and CA19-9. Histologically, the cyst wall was composed of a fibrovascular connective tissue containing thin smooth muscle layers and mucus-secreting glands and was lined by a ciliated pseudostratified or tall columnar epithelium without dysplastic changes. Thus, a diagnosis of bronchogenic cyst, which is usually discovered in the posterior part of the mediastinum, was made. A rare case of bronchogenic cyst and a literature review is presented.

Effect of the extra n-terminal methionine residue on the stability and folding of recombinant alpha-lactalbumin expressed in Escherichia coli

The structure, stability, and unfolding-refolding kinetics of Escherichia coli-expressed recombinant goat alpha-lactalbumin were studied by circular dichroism spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and stopped-flow measurements, and the results were compared with those of the authentic protein prepared from goat milk. The electric properties of the two proteins were also studied by gel electrophoresis and ion-exchange chromatography. Although the overall structures of the authentic and recombinant proteins are the same, the extra methionine residue at the N terminus of the recombinant protein remarkably affects the native-state stability and the electric properties. The native state of the recombinant protein was 3.5 kcal/mol less stable than the authentic protein, and the recombinant protein was more negatively charged than the authentic one. The recombinant protein unfolded 5.7 times faster than the authentic one, although there were no significant differences in the refolding rates of the two proteins. The destabilization of the recombinant protein can be fully interpreted in terms of the increased unfolding rate of the protein, indicating that the N-terminal region remains unorganized in the transition state of refolding, and hence is not involved in the folding initiation site of the protein. A comparison of the X-ray structures of recombinant alpha-lactalbumin determined here with that of the authentic protein shows that the structural differences between the proteins are confined to the N-terminal region. Theoretical considerations for the differences in the conformational and solvation free energies between the proteins show that the destabilization of the recombinant protein is primarily due to excess conformational entropy of the N-terminal methionine residue in the unfolded state, and also due to less exposure of hydrophobic surface on unfolding. The results suggest that when the N-terminal region of a protein has a rigid structure, expression of the protein by E. coli, which adds the extra methionine residue, destabilizes the native state through a conformational entropy effect. It also shows that differences in the electrostatic interactions of the N-terminal amino group with the side-chain atoms of Thr38, Asp37, and Asp83 bring about a difference in the pKa value of the N-terminal amino group between the proteins, resulting in a greater negative net charge of the recombinant protein at neutral pH.

Isolation and structure determination of a paralytic peptide from the hemolymph of the silkworm, Bombyx mori

A peptide with paralytic activity in larvae of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, was isolated from its hemolymph. Purification procedures consisted of extraction with 50% acetone, Vydac C4 reversed-phase cartridge elution and 4 steps of reversed-phase HPLC. Injection of the purified peptide into 4th instar B. mori larvae caused rapid and rigid paralysis for 2 min at a dose of 3.4 ng/larva. This paralytic peptide consists of 23 amino acid residues containing 2 cysteines with an intra-disulfide bond. The complete amino acid sequence is: H-Glu-AsnPhe-Val-Gly-Gly-Cys-Ala-Thr-Gly-Phe-Lys-Arg-Thr-Ala-Asp-G ly-Arg-Cys-Lys-Pro-Thr-Phe-OH. The relationship between structure and the biologic activity of synthetic analogs indicated that the entire amino acid sequence and the intra-disulfide bond were necessary for biological activity.

Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor induces not only scattering but also cohort migration of human colorectal-adenocarcinoma cells

We presented earlier a 2-dimensional cell-motility assay using a highly metastatic variant (L-10) of human rectal-adenocarcinoma cell line RCM-1 as a motility model of tumor cells of epithelial origin. In this model, L-10 cells moved as coherent cell sheets when stimulated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), and we called this type of movement "cohort migration". Electron- and immunoelectron-microscope study of the migrating cell sheets demonstrated localized release from cell-cell adhesion only at the lower portion of the cells with loss of E-cadherin immunoreactivity, and this change was associated with increased tyrosine phosphorylation of the E-cadherin-catenin complex, including beta-catenin. In the present study, to obtain evidence to support the relevance of our model to carcinoma-cell movement in vivo, we sought a naturally occurring motogenic factor(s) able to induce this cohort migration. Among the factors examined, hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) clearly induced cohort migration of L-10 cells. Additionally, not only L-10 but several other human colorectal-carcinoma cell lines showed this type of migration in response to HGF/SF, while yet others showed scattering-type motility. In this HGF/SF-induced migration, localized release from cell-cell adhesion was induced only at the lower portion of the cells, allowing them to extend leading lamellae, whereas close cell-cell contacts remained at the upper portion of the cells, as seen in TPA-induced cohort migration. Scattering-type cell lines tended to express more c-Met (receptor for HGF/SF) mRNA than the cell lines that showed cohort-type migration. LoVo, one of the scattering-type cell lines, expressed more c-Met protein and less E-cadherin than L-10, which showed cohort-type migration. HGF/SF treatment of LoVo reduced the amount of alpha-catenin complexed with E-cadherin more markedly than in L-10, but in both cell lines this reduction was not accompanied by increased tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin, suggesting the presence of a mechanism other than phosphorylation for release from cell-cell adhesion during cell motility.

Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor induces not only scattering but also cohort migration of human colorectal-adenocarcinoma cells

We presented earlier a 2-dimensional cell-motility assay using a highly metastatic variant (L-10) of human rectal-adenocarcinoma cell line RCM-1 as a motility model of tumor cells of epithelial origin. In this model, L-10 cells moved as coherent cell sheets when stimulated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), and we called this type of movement "cohort migration". Electron- and immunoelectron-microscope study of the migrating cell sheets demonstrated localized release from cell-cell adhesion only at the lower portion of the cells with loss of E-cadherin immunoreactivity, and this change was associated with increased tyrosine phosphorylation of the E-cadherin-catenin complex, including beta-catenin. In the present study, to obtain evidence to support the relevance of our model to carcinoma-cell movement in vivo, we sought a naturally occurring motogenic factor(s) able to induce this cohort migration. Among the factors examined, hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) clearly induced cohort migration of L-10 cells. Additionally, not only L-10 but several other human colorectal-carcinoma cell lines showed this type of migration in response to HGF/SF, while yet others showed scattering-type motility. In this HGF/SF-induced migration, localized release from cell-cell adhesion was induced only at the lower portion of the cells, allowing them to extend leading lamellae, whereas close cell-cell contacts remained at the upper portion of the cells, as seen in TPA-induced cohort migration. Scattering-type cell lines tended to express more c-Met (receptor for HGF/SF) mRNA than the cell lines that showed cohort-type migration. LoVo, one of the scattering-type cell lines, expressed more c-Met protein and less E-cadherin than L-10, which showed cohort-type migration. HGF/SF treatment of LoVo reduced the amount of alpha-catenin complexed with E-cadherin more markedly than in L-10, but in both cell lines this reduction was not accompanied by increased tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin, suggesting the presence of a mechanism other than phosphorylation for release from cell-cell adhesion during cell motility.

Hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor induces not only scattering but also cohort migration of human colorectal-adenocarcinoma cells

We presented earlier a 2-dimensional cell-motility assay using a highly metastatic variant (L-10) of human rectal-adenocarcinoma cell line RCM-1 as a motility model of tumor cells of epithelial origin. In this model, L-10 cells moved as coherent cell sheets when stimulated with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), and we called this type of movement "cohort migration". Electron- and immunoelectron-microscope study of the migrating cell sheets demonstrated localized release from cell-cell adhesion only at the lower portion of the cells with loss of E-cadherin immunoreactivity, and this change was associated with increased tyrosine phosphorylation of the E-cadherin-catenin complex, including beta-catenin. In the present study, to obtain evidence to support the relevance of our model to carcinoma-cell movement in vivo, we sought a naturally occurring motogenic factor(s) able to induce this cohort migration. Among the factors examined, hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor (HGF/SF) clearly induced cohort migration of L-10 cells. Additionally, not only L-10 but several other human colorectal-carcinoma cell lines showed this type of migration in response to HGF/SF, while yet others showed scattering-type motility. In this HGF/SF-induced migration, localized release from cell-cell adhesion was induced only at the lower portion of the cells, allowing them to extend leading lamellae, whereas close cell-cell contacts remained at the upper portion of the cells, as seen in TPA-induced cohort migration. Scattering-type cell lines tended to express more c-Met (receptor for HGF/SF) mRNA than the cell lines that showed cohort-type migration. LoVo, one of the scattering-type cell lines, expressed more c-Met protein and less E-cadherin than L-10, which showed cohort-type migration. HGF/SF treatment of LoVo reduced the amount of alpha-catenin complexed with E-cadherin more markedly than in L-10, but in both cell lines this reduction was not accompanied by increased tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin, suggesting the presence of a mechanism other than phosphorylation for release from cell-cell adhesion during cell motility.

Total laboratory automation in Japan. Past, present, and the future

The history of systematized automation in clinical laboratories in Japan started in 1981. At that time, about 12 laboratory technicians worked in a typical private University hospital laboratory (average size 1000 beds), whereas in national university hospitals (typical size 600 beds), the number of technicians was as low as 18-25. In 1981, the Kochi Medical School was founded as a new national school, and laboratory staffing was limited by the Ministry of Education to only 19 technicians for the first 3 years. Therefore, we started to develop a fully automated laboratory system by ourselves rather than accepting an intolerable shortage of technicians. The system was based on conveyor and robotic technology, and we called this approach systematization. Ten years later, systematized automation was introduced into the Japanese market. As a result, 72% of the national university hospitals in Japan installed commercial systems for systematization. There is a trend now in hospitals with sufficient numbers of technicians, to introduce fully automated systems in their laboratories as well, and even small hospitals with less than 100 beds are planning to introduce such systems. However, current technology is too expensive and not sufficiently standardized to meet the needs of these market segments in Japan. We recommend that companies agree on common shapes and sizes of racks and include more flexible robotic technology in their sample handling systems, to allow for plug and play systems and to make systematization affordable for every laboratory in the world.

Expression of lectin-like oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor-1 in human and murine macrophages: upregulated expression by TNF-alpha

Uptake of oxidized low density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) and subsequent foam cell transformation have been implicated in early atherogenesis. Although multiple molecules, including class A and B scavenger receptors, have been identified as Ox-LDL receptors, additional receptors may also be involved in this process. Here, we provide evidence that lectin-like Ox-LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1), a novel Ox-LDL receptor initially identified in vascular endothelial cells, is also expressed in macrophages in humans and mice. Expression of LOX-1 can be induced after macrophage-like differentiation in vitro in human peripheral blood monocytes and the related cell line THP-1 cells. Furthermore, LOX-1 expression can also be detected in resident peritoneal macrophages, and can be upregulated by an inflammatory cytokine TNF-alpha. These results suggest that LOX-1 in macrophages may play an important role in Ox-LDL uptake and subsequent foam cell formation in this cell type.