The CKLF1-C19 peptide attenuates allergic lung inflammation by inhibiting CCR3- and CCR4-mediated chemotaxis in a mouse model of asthma

BACKGROUND

  Human chemokine-like factor 1 (CKLF1) is a functional ligand for human CCR4, which is highly expressed on Th2 lymphocytes and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. The expression and function of CKLF1 are associated with asthma. The CKLF1 C-terminal peptides C19 and C27 also interact with human CCR4. Albeit with weaker chemotactic activity, C19 can inhibit chemotaxis induced by both CKLF1 and CCL17. Here, we explore whether C19 can act as an antagonist in the development of asthma.

METHODS

  A mouse model of asthma and in vitro and in vivo chemotaxis assays were used.

RESULTS

  Using a mouse model of asthma, we demonstrate here that C19 reduces airway eosinophilia, lung inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness; in contrast, C27 has little effect on these parameters. The inhibitory effects of C19 on CCR4-mediated chemotaxis could be observed in human Th2 lymphocytes and in the splenocytes from ovalbumin-sensitized mice. Furthermore, we show that C19 can inhibit CCL11-induced chemotaxis of mouse eosinophils and human CCR3-transfected or mouse Ccr3-transfected HEK293 cells. In vivo chemotaxis assays revealed that C19 and C27 can reduce CCL11-mediated recruitment of eosinophils into the peritoneal cavity and that this inhibitory effect is stronger for C19 than for C27.

CONCLUSIONS

  Thus, C19 can attenuate airway eosinophilia and lung inflammation by inhibiting CCR3- and CCR4-mediated chemotaxis in a mouse model of asthma. Given its ability to inhibit human CCR3- and CCR4-meditated chemotaxis, C19 has great therapeutic potential for use in the treatment and control of allergic asthma.

Abstract P4-09-16: WAVE3 Over-Expression Is Associated with Adverse Tumor Characteristics and Mortality in Breast Cancer

Background: WAVE3 regulates actin polymerization and subsequent cell migration leading to enhanced metastatic potential. Based on pilot data that suggested WAVE3 expression was associated with high histologic grade and absence of estrogen receptor (ER) expression we hypothesized that WAVE3 expression would correlate with ER status and tumor grade in a matched group of breast cancer (BC) patients. WAVE3 expression was alsoanalyzed in relation to adverse tumor characteristics, distant recurrence (DR) and BC specific mortality. Methods: Our institutional BC database was reviewed for patients who presented with, invasive BC from 1999-2009. Matching by stage and treatment was achieved for 61 patients with Scarff-Bloom-Richardson (SBR) grade 1 and ER+ tumors (SBR1/ER+) to 61 patients with SBR grade 3 and ER-tumors (SBR3/ER-). Cytosolic WAVE3 tumor expression was determined by immunohistochemistry. The product of stain intensity (0-3) and percentage of cells staining (0-100) was used to derive a WAVE3 score (0-300). The log rank test was utilized to compare BC specific mortality or distant recurrence free survival at various WAVE3 scores. A score of ≥212 was found to have the strongest association with poor outcome. The association between WAVE3 score and clinicopatholigic features, DR and BC specific mortality was assessed. Results: Increased frequency of Her2-neu (+) status, DR and BC specific mortality was noted in the SBR3/ER-group but WAVE3 score was no different between the two groups(Table1). In all 122 patients median WAVE3 score increased with tumor size (0.234, p=0.009), (+) lymph node status 200 vs. (-), 145, p =0.03, and stage (I, 160 vs. II,180 vs III, 240, p=0.012). There was no association between WAVE3 score and Her2-neu status(+200 vs. -180, p=0.51). In the SBR1/ER+ group only (+) lymph node status remained associated with WAVE3 score(+) 200 vs. (-) 130 (p=0.02). In the SBR3/ER-group only lymph node status lost association with WAVE3 score (+)180 vs.(-)170, (p=0.50). DR and BC specific survival could only be assessed in the SBR3/ER-group. Median WAVE3 score was elevated with DR (240 vs. none, 160, p=0.03) and BC specific mortality (270 vs. none 170, p=0.004). A WAVE3 score ≥212 was associated with distant recurrence and BC specific mortality on Kaplan Meier analysis (p=0.01) and P<0.001). On multivariate analysis a WAVE3 score ≥212 was associated with an increased risk for BC specific mortality (p=0.009). The association of DR and WAVE3 score ≥212 approached significance (p=0.068).

Table 1

Conclusion: WAVE3 expression is not associated with tumor grade, and ER or Her2 neu status. WAVE3 is associated with tumor size, stage, DR and BC specific mortality in the high risk SBR3/ER-group. A WAVE3 score of ≥212 is associated with distant recurrence and breast cancer specific mortality on univariate analysis and BC specific mortality on uni-and multivariate analysis. WAVE3 expression may contribute to adverse outcome in high risk breast cancer patients.

Epigenetic inactivation of T-box transcription factor 5, a novel tumor suppressor gene, is associated with colon cancer

T-box transcription factor 5 (TBX5) is a member of a phylogenetically conserved family of genes involved in the regulation of developmental processes. The function of TBX5 in cancer development is largely unclear. We identified that TBX5 was preferentially methylated in cancer using methylation-sensitive arbitrarily primed PCR. We aim to clarify the epigenetic inactivation, biological function and clinical significance of TBX5 in colon cancer. Promoter methylation was evaluated by combined bisulfite restriction analysis and bisulfite genomic sequencing. Cell proliferation was examined by cell viability assay and colony formation assay, apoptosis by flow cytometry and cell migration by wound-healing assay. TBX5 target genes were identified by cDNA microarray analysis. Cox regression model and log-rank test were used to identify independent predictors of prognosis. TBX5 was silenced or downregulated in 88% (7/8) colon cancer cell lines, but was expressed in normal colon tissues. Loss of gene expression was associated with promoter methylation. The biological function of TBX5 in human colon cancer cells was examined. Re-expression of TBX5 in silenced colon cancer cell lines suppressed colony formation (P<0.001), proliferation (P<0.001), migration and induced apoptosis (P<0.01). Induction of apoptosis was mediated through cross-talk of extrinsic apoptosis pathway, apoptotic BCL2-associated X protein and Granzyme A signaling cascades. TBX5 suppressed tumor cell proliferation and metastasis through the upregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A, metastasis suppressor 1 and downregulation of synuclein gamma and metastasis-associated protein 1 family member 2. TBX5 methylation was detected in 68% (71/105) of primary colon tumors. Multivariate analysis showed that patients with TBX5 methylation had a significantly poor overall survival (P=0.0007). In conclusion, we identified a novel functional tumor suppressor gene TBX5 inactivated by promoter methylation in colon cancer. Detection of methylated TBX5 may serve as a potential biomarker for the prognosis of this malignancy.

Circuit QED and sudden phase switching in a superconducting qubit array

Superconducting qubits connected in an array can form quantum many-body systems such as the quantum Ising model. By coupling the qubits to a superconducting resonator, the combined system forms a circuit QED system. Here, we study the nonlinear behavior in the many-body state of the qubit array using a semiclassical approach. We show that sudden switchings as well as a bistable regime between the ferromagnetic phase and the paramagnetic phase can be observed in the qubit array. A superconducting circuit to implement this system is presented with realistic parameters.

Association of the CD226 single nucleotide polymorphism with systemic lupus erythematosus in the Chinese Han population

A novel non-synonymous (Gly307Ser) variant, rs763361, of the CD226 gene on chromosome 18q22 was recently shown to be associated with multiple autoimmune diseases. Taking into consideration that different autoimmune diseases may share some common pathogenic pathways, in this study we performed case-control studies to assess any genetic linkage with systemic lupus erythemtosus (SLE). An association between the Gly307Ser single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and susceptibility to SLE was identified. The TT genotype [odds ratio (OR) = 1.79, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-3.01, P = 0.025] and the T allele (OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.05-1.74, P = 0.018) of the rs763361 SNP were associated with the risk of SLE. This finding indicates that polymorphism of Gly307Ser (rs763361) in exon 7 of the CD226 gene may be associated with the development of SLE.

Growth suppression of human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma by adenoviral-mediated interleukin-12

This study explored the inhibitory role of the adenoviral-mediated-interleukin (IL)-12 (Ad.mIL-12) gene in the growth of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Human epithelial type 2 (Hep-2) cells were transfected with Ad.mIL-12, and IL-12 gene expression of the cells was evaluated. The proliferation and apoptosis of Hep-2 cells in vitro were detected by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and flow cytometry. Experimental tumours in mice were injected intratumourally with the same recombinant adenoviruses and inhibition of tumour growth observed. Apoptosis in Hep-2 xenotransplants was detected using TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labelling) assay and transmission electron microscopy. The expression of IL-12 in Ad.mIL-12 transfected Hep-2 cells was significantly increased. In vitro, Ad.mIL-12 decreased the viability of and increased apoptosis in Hep-2 cells. Increased apoptosis was also seen in vivo. The mean weight and volume of tumours in Ad.mIL-12 treated mice were significantly lower than in the control group. It is concluded that Ad.mIL-12 can suppress LSCC growth and induce apoptosis.

Genome-wide association identifies SKIV2L and MYRIP as protective factors for age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly in the developed world. We conducted a genome-wide association study in a series of families enriched for AMD and completed a meta-analysis of this new data with results from reanalysis of an existing study of a late-stage case-control cohort. We tested the top findings for replication in 1896 cases and 1866 controls and identified two novel genetic protective factors for AMD. In addition to the complement factor H (CFH) (P=2.3 × 10⁻⁶⁴) and age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (ARMS2) (P=1.2 × 10⁻⁶⁰) loci, we observed a protective effect at rs429608, an intronic SNP in SKIV2L (P=5.3 × 10⁻¹⁵), a gene near the complement component 2 (C2)/complement factor B (BF) locus, that indicates the protective effect may be mediated by variants other than the C2/BF variants previously studied. Haplotype analysis at this locus identified three protective haplotypes defined by the rs429608 protective allele. We also identified a new potentially protective effect at rs2679798 in MYRIP (P=2.9 × 10⁻⁴), a gene involved in retinal pigment epithelium melanosome trafficking. Interestingly, MYRIP was initially identified in the family-based scan and was confirmed in the case-control set. From these efforts, we report the identification of two novel protective factors for AMD and confirm the previously known associations at CFH, ARMS2 and C3.

Epigenetic inactivation of T-box transcription factor 5, a novel tumor suppressor gene, is associated with colon cancer

T-box transcription factor 5 (TBX5) is a member of a phylogenetically conserved family of genes involved in the regulation of developmental processes. The function of TBX5 in cancer development is largely unclear. We identified that TBX5 was preferentially methylated in cancer using methylation-sensitive arbitrarily primed PCR. We aim to clarify the epigenetic inactivation, biological function and clinical significance of TBX5 in colon cancer. Promoter methylation was evaluated by combined bisulfite restriction analysis and bisulfite genomic sequencing. Cell proliferation was examined by cell viability assay and colony formation assay, apoptosis by flow cytometry and cell migration by wound-healing assay. TBX5 target genes were identified by cDNA microarray analysis. Cox regression model and log-rank test were used to identify independent predictors of prognosis. TBX5 was silenced or downregulated in 88% (7/8) colon cancer cell lines, but was expressed in normal colon tissues. Loss of gene expression was associated with promoter methylation. The biological function of TBX5 in human colon cancer cells was examined. Re-expression of TBX5 in silenced colon cancer cell lines suppressed colony formation (P<0.001), proliferation (P<0.001), migration and induced apoptosis (P<0.01). Induction of apoptosis was mediated through cross-talk of extrinsic apoptosis pathway, apoptotic BCL2-associated X protein and Granzyme A signaling cascades. TBX5 suppressed tumor cell proliferation and metastasis through the upregulation of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A, metastasis suppressor 1 and downregulation of synuclein gamma and metastasis-associated protein 1 family member 2. TBX5 methylation was detected in 68% (71/105) of primary colon tumors. Multivariate analysis showed that patients with TBX5 methylation had a significantly poor overall survival (P=0.0007). In conclusion, we identified a novel functional tumor suppressor gene TBX5 inactivated by promoter methylation in colon cancer. Detection of methylated TBX5 may serve as a potential biomarker for the prognosis of this malignancy.

Essential roles of Jab1 in cell survival, spontaneous DNA damage and DNA repair

Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (JAB1) is a multifunctional protein that participates in the control of cell proliferation and the stability of multiple proteins. JAB1 overexpression has been implicated in the pathogenesis of human cancer. JAB1 regulates several key proteins and thereby produces varied effects on cell cycle progression, genome stability and cell survival. However, the biological significance of JAB1 activity in these cellular signaling pathways is unclear. Therefore, we developed mice that were deficient in Jab1 and analyzed the null embryos and heterozygous cells. This disruption of Jab1 in mice resulted in early embryonic lethality due to accelerated apoptosis. Loss of Jab1 expression sensitized both mouse primary embryonic fibroblasts and osteosarcoma cells to γ-radiation-induced apoptosis, with an increase in spontaneous DNA damage and homologous recombination (HR) defects, both of which correlated with reduced levels of the DNA repair protein Rad51 and elevated levels of p53. Furthermore, the accumulated p53 directly binds to Rad51 promoter, inhibits its activity and represents a major mechanism underlying the HR repair defect in Jab1-deficient cells. These results indicate that Jab1 is essential for efficient DNA repair and mechanistically link Jab1 to the maintenance of genome integrity and to cell survival.

A systematic comparison between collagen-induced arthritis and pristane-induced arthritis in Dark Agouti rats

OBJECTIVES

Both collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and pristane-induced arthritis (PIA) are commonly used rat models of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was systematically to compare the differences between CIA and PIA in Dark Agouti (DA) rats.

METHODS

The CIA was induced by immunising DA rats intradermally with collagen type (C) and PIA was induced by injecting subcutaneously with pristane. The arthritis was evaluated macroscopically and microscopically. Nitric oxide (NO) level of plasma was determined by Griess reaction method. Plasma autoimmune antibodies, including C specific IgG antibody (anti-C IgG), cyclic citrullinated peptide specific IgG antibody (anti-CCP IgG), IgM and IgG rheumatoid factors (IgM RF and IgG RF), were detected by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

The onset of PIA rats was earlier than that of CIA rats. The involved sites of PIA rats were mostly wrist/ankle and metacarpophalangeal/metatarsophalangeal (MCP/MTP) joints while those of CIA rats were primarily distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints. NO level of plasma was increased in PIA rats, as anti-C IgG, anti-CCP IgG, IgM RF and IgG RF levels of plasma were increased in CIA rats. The kidney hyaline casts were more frequent in CIA rats than in control rats, with 9/12 in PIA group, 8/8 in CIA, and 4/8 in control, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

PIA mainly affected wrist/ankle joints and MCP/MTP joints, had more severe inflammation and hardly involved other organs; while CIA mostly influenced DIP joints, had more autoimmune antibodies in plasma, and always showed hyaline casts in kidney. These findings will be useful to select the animal model of RA.

Calibrating parametric subject-specific risk estimation

For modern evidence-based medicine, decisions on disease prevention or management strategies are often guided by a risk index system. For each individual, the system uses his/her baseline information to estimate the risk of experiencing a future disease-related clinical event. Such a risk scoring scheme is usually derived from an overly simplified parametric model. To validate a model-based procedure, one may perform a standard global evaluation via, for instance, a receiver operating characteristic analysis. In this article, we propose a method to calibrate the risk index system at a subject level. Specifically, we developed point and interval estimation procedures for t-year mortality rates conditional on the estimated parametric risk score. The proposals are illustrated with a dataset from a large clinical trial with post-myocardial infarction patients.

Regularized estimation for the accelerated failure time model

SUMMARY

In the presence of high-dimensional predictors, it is challenging to develop reliable regression models that can be used to accurately predict future outcomes. Further complications arise when the outcome of interest is an event time, which is often not fully observed due to censoring. In this article, we develop robust prediction models for event time outcomes by regularizing the Gehan's estimator for the accelerated failure time (AFT) model (Tsiatis, 1996, Annals of Statistics 18, 305-328) with least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalty. Unlike existing methods based on the inverse probability weighting and the Buckley and James estimator (Buckley and James, 1979, Biometrika 66, 429-436), the proposed approach does not require additional assumptions about the censoring and always yields a solution that is convergent. Furthermore, the proposed estimator leads to a stable regression model for prediction even if the AFT model fails to hold. To facilitate the adaptive selection of the tuning parameter, we detail an efficient numerical algorithm for obtaining the entire regularization path. The proposed procedures are applied to a breast cancer dataset to derive a reliable regression model for predicting patient survival based on a set of clinical prognostic factors and gene signatures. Finite sample performances of the procedures are evaluated through a simulation study.

Identifying subjects who benefit from additional information for better prediction of the outcome variables

Suppose that we are interested in using new bio- or clinical markers, in addition to the conventional markers, to improve prediction or diagnosis of the patient's clinical outcome. The incremental value from the new markers is typically assessed by averaging across patients in the entire study population. However, when measuring the new markers is costly or invasive, an overall improvement does not justify measuring the new markers in all patients. A more practical strategy is to utilize the patient's conventional markers to decide whether the new markers are needed for improving prediction of his/her health outcomes. In this article, we propose inference procedures for the incremental values of new markers across various subgroups of patients classified by the conventional markers. The resulting point and interval estimates can be quite useful for medical decision makers seeking to balance the predictive or diagnostic value of new markers against their associated cost and risk. Our proposals are theoretically justified and illustrated empirically with two real examples.

Effects of mercury released from gold extraction by amalgamation on renal function and environment in Shanxi, China

We investigated the distribution of mercury and its impacts on the renal function of the residents living in mercury-contaminated area due to gold extraction by amalgamation in some area of Shanxi, China. The results showed that mercury concentrations in contaminated air in four seasons were 79-240 ng/m(3). The mercury concentration in the river across contaminated area was also high. The mercury contents in the grain were higher than those in the non-mercury contaminated area. The urinary mercury and urinary beta(2)-microglobulin for the residents living in the contaminated area were 1.24 +/- 3.80 microg/L and 228.98 +/- 4.34 microg/g Cr, higher than those in the non-mercury contaminated area.

Effect of 25 hydroxy vitamin D status on serological response to influenza vaccine in cancer patients

e20575

Background: Increasing epidemiologic data suggest association of vitamin D deficiency with influenza epidemic. Vitamin D acts as an immune modulator and stimulates the expression of protective anti-microbial peptides. We conducted a prospective influenza vaccination study to determine the influence of vitamin D status on serological response to flu vaccine in cancer patients. Methods: Cancer patients at Roswell Park Cancer Institute were offered trivalent (H1N1, H3N2, B/Malaysia) Flu vaccine (Fluzone, 2006–7) and sera collected for hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay titers. Response to vaccination was defined as ≥ 1:40 titer ratio or a 4 fold increase in HI titer at 3 months post vaccination, against any of the 3 strains. Chi-square tests were performed to compare serological response between the groups with lowest and highest quartiles of baseline 25 (OH) vitamin D (D) level. Logistic regression model was used using other covariates such as age, gender, cancer type, and chemotherapy (CT) as controls. Results: 85 patients with colorectal, 35 with prostate, 1 with anal and 1 with gastric adenocarcinoma participated in the study. Median age was 62 years (range: 24–87 years), 85 (70%) were males. Overall serological response was 59%. Median baseline D level was 42.9 ng/mL (range: 4.0–92.8 ng/mL); lowest and highest quartiles were 26.9 and 53.4 ng/mL. There was no association between serological response and baseline D level (p=0.42) or the lowest and highest quartiles of D level (p=0.6). The odds of response did not vary by sex (p=0.95). CRC patients (OR-0.051; 95% CI-0.013 to 0.209; p<0.0001) were less likely to respond. Few patients (n=20; 16%) were D deficient (<20ng/mL), 43 had D < 32ng/mL .70 patients (54.7%) were on vitamin D supplements. Among those in whom the dose of supplement was known (46),the median daily vitamin D supplement dose was 2000 IU (800–9000 IU).There was no association between serological response and dose (p=0.09). There was no difference in the response rates among patients on D supplement 44/70 (62.9%) versus those not on any D supplement 28/52 (53.8%)(p=0.32). Conclusions: Vitamin D status, in a population in which vitamin D supplementation was commonly used, did not affect serological response to influenza vaccine.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

DLEC1 is a functional 3p22.3 tumour suppressor silenced by promoter CpG methylation in colon and gastric cancers

Promoter CpG methylation of tumour suppressor genes (TSGs) is an epigenetic biomarker for TSG identification and molecular diagnosis. We screened genome wide for novel methylated genes through methylation subtraction of a genetic demethylation model of colon cancer (double knockout of DNMT1 and DNMT3B in HCT116) and identified DLEC1 (Deleted in lung and oesophageal cancer 1), a major 3p22.3 TSG, as one of the methylated targets. We further found that DLEC1 was downregulated or silenced in most colorectal and gastric cell lines due to promoter methylation, whereas broadly expressed in normal tissues including colon and stomach, and unmethylated in expressing cell lines and immortalised normal colon epithelial cells. DLEC1 expression was reactivated through pharmacologic or genetic demethylation, indicating a DNMT1/DNMT3B-mediated methylation silencing. Aberrant methylation was further detected in primary colorectal (10 out of 34, 29%) and gastric tumours (30 out of 89, 34%), but seldom in paired normal colon (0 out of 17) and gastric (1 out of 20, 5%) samples. No correlation between DLEC1 methylation and clinical parameters of gastric cancers was found. Ectopic expression of DLEC1 in silenced HCT116 and MKN45 cells strongly inhibited their clonogenicity. Thus, DLEC1 is a functional tumour suppressor, being frequently silenced by epigenetic mechanism in gastrointestinal tumours.

Anti-angiogenesis therapy based on the bone marrow-derived stromal cells genetically engineered to express sFlt-1 in mouse tumor model

Background

Bone marrow-derived stromal cells (BMSCs) are important for development, tissue cell replenishment, and wound healing in physiological and pathological conditions. BMSCs were found to preferably reach sites undergoing the process of cell proliferation, such as wound and tumor, suggesting that BMSCs may be used as a vehicle for gene therapy of tumor.

Methods

Mouse BMSCs were loaded with recombinant adenoviruses which express soluble Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 (sFlt-1). The anti-angiogenesis of sFlt-1 in BMSCs was determined using endothelial cells proliferation inhibition assay and alginate encapsulation assay. The anti-tumor effects of BMSCs expressing sFlt-1 through tail-vein infusion were evaluated in two mouse tumor metastases models.

Results

BMSCs genetically modified with Adv-GFP-sFlt-1 could effectively express and secret sFlt-1. BMSCs loaded with sFlt-1 gene could preferentially home to tumor loci and decrease lung metastases and prolong lifespan in mouse tumor model through inducing anti-angiogenesis and apoptosis in tumors.

Conclusion

We demonstrated that BMSCs might be employed as a promising vehicle for tumor gene therapy which can effectively not only improve the concentration of anticancer therapeutics in tumors, but also modify the tumor microenvironment.

Josephson junction microscope for low-frequency fluctuators

The high-Q harmonic oscillator mode of a Josephson junction can be used as a novel probe of spurious two-level systems (TLSs) inside the amorphous oxide tunnel barrier of the junction. In particular, we show that spectroscopic transmission measurements of the junction resonator mode can reveal how the coupling magnitude between the junction and the TLSs varies with an external magnetic field applied in the plane of the tunnel barrier. The proposed experiments offer the possibility of clearly resolving the underlying coupling mechanism for these spurious TLSs, an important decoherence source limiting the quality of superconducting quantum devices.

Effect of propafenone on Kv1.4 inactivation

Interactions between antiarrhythmic drugs and ion channels are important subjects in the field of cardiovascular electro-pharmacology. This study explores the relationship between propafenone and C-type inactivation of Kv1.4 channel. fKvl.4deltaN, a ferret Kv1.4 N-terminal deleted mutant, was employed in this study. fKvl.4deltaN cRNA was injected into Xenopus oocytes to express fKvl.4deltaN channel and two electrode voltage clamp technique was used to record the current. We found that fKvl.4deltaN channel current was rapidly depressed in a frequency-dependent manner and meanwhile, C-type inactivation in this channel was increased more than 7 folds in the presence of 100 microM propafenone. While propafenone has no effect on Kv1.4deltaN recovery. All the results indicate that propafenone blocks Kvl.4deltaN channel through intracellular bindings and that binding of propafenone with Kvl.4deltaN channel leads to a conformational change on the extracellular site which accelerates C-type inactivation, suggesting that propafenone, as an open channel blocker, may affect the mechanism of C-type inactivation.

Correcting low-frequency noise with continuous measurement

Low-frequency noise presents a serious source of decoherence in solid-state qubits. When combined with a continuous weak measurement of the eigenstates, low-frequency noise induces a second-order relaxation between the qubit states. Here, we show that the relaxation provides a unique approach to calibrate the low-frequency noise in the time domain. By encoding one qubit with two physical qubits that are alternatively calibrated, quantum-logic gates with high fidelity can be performed.

Two diketopiperazines from marine fungus Gliocladium sp. YUP08

Two new diketopiperazines, PJ147 (1) and PJ157 (2), were isolated from the mycelium of a fungus, Gliocladium sp. YUP08, which was separated from sea mud collected in Rushan, Shandong, China. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopical and chemical methods.

Mannan-modified adenovirus as a vaccine to induce antitumor immunity

Tumor vaccine is a useful strategy for cancer therapy. However, priming of the immune system requires the relevant antigen to be presented by antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Here, we employed telomerase reverse transcriptase as a model antigen to explore the feasibility of using mannan-modified adenovirus as a tumor vaccine. We found that tumor immunogene therapy with the vaccine was effective at protective antitumor immunity in mice. The antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes were found in in vitro cytotoxicity assay. The elevation of the killing activity could be abrogated by anti-CD8 or anti-major histocompatibility complex-I antibodies. Adoptive transfer of purified CD8+ cells, and CD4+ cells to a less extent, was effective at antitumor activity. In vivo antitumor activity could be abrogated by depleting CD4+ T lymphocytes. A possible explanation for the antitumor effects may be the antigen was transferred to APCs in the presence of mannan. These observations provide insights into the design of novel vaccine strategies and might be important for the future application of antigens identified in other diseases.

Multiferroic domain dynamics in strained strontium titanate

Multiferroicity can be induced in strontium titanate by applying biaxial strain. Using optical second harmonic generation, we report a transition from 4/mmm to the ferroelectric mm2 phase, followed by a transition to a ferroelastic-ferroelectric mm2 phase in a strontium titanate thin film. Piezoelectric force microscopy is used to study ferroelectric domain switching. Second harmonic generation, combined with phase-field modeling, is used to reveal the mechanism of coupled ferroelectric-ferroelastic domain wall motion. These studies have relevance to multiferroics with coupled polar and axial phenomena.

Humoral and cellular immunity induced by tumor cell vaccine based on the chicken xenogeneic homologous matrix metalloproteinase-2

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) has been used as a target for cancer immunotherapy. The activation of immunization by breaking immune tolerance to self-MMP-2 may be one of the promising approaches for the treatment of MMP-2-positive tumors. In this study, we constructed the xenogeneic tumor cell vaccine c-MMP-2 by transfecting CT26 and LLC cells with chicken MMP-2 cDNA constructs. MMP-2-specific autoantibodies in sera and tumor cells were found in mice immunized with c-MMP-2. Protection against tumor growth was evaluated in respect of the relative contributions of autoantibodies, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells. Treatment with this vaccine (c-MMP-2) also prolonged the survival time of mice bearing cancer. The specific cytotoxic T-cell responses suggested that the treatment increased CD8+ T-cell activity. The antitumor activity of c-MMP-2 was abrogated by in vivo depletion of CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes and improved by adoptive transfer of CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes from the mice treated with c-MMP-2. An alternative DNA vaccination strategy for cancer therapy was identified in this study by eliciting humoral and cellular immunoresponse with a crossreacting transfectant.

Two new compounds from marine Streptomyces sp. FX-58

Two new compounds, 5-carboxymethyl-2-propylchromone (1) and 1,6-dihydroxy-8-propylanthraquinone (2), together with a known anthraquinone, 3,8-dihydroxy-1-propylanthraquinone-2-carboxylic acid (3), were isolated from the mycelium of an actinomycete, Streptomyces sp. FX-58, which was separated from a marine plant collected in Qingdao. Their structures were determined based on spectroscopic methods, especially 2D NMR spectral analysis.

Engineering isoflavone metabolism with an artificial bifunctional enzyme

Plant secondary metabolism has been a focus of research in recent years due to its significant roles in plant defense and in human medicine and nutrition. A protein engineering strategy was designed to more effectively manipulate plant secondary metabolite (isoflavonoid) biosynthesis. A bifunctional isoflavone synthase/chalcone isomerase (IFS/CHI) enzyme was constructed by in-frame gene fusion, and expressed in yeast and tobacco. The fusion protein was targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and the individual enzymatic functions of its component fragments were retained when assayed in yeast. Petals and young leaves of IFS/CHI transgenic tobacco plants produced higher levels of the isoflavone genistein and genistein glycosides as a ratio of total flavonoids produced than did plants transformed with IFS alone. Thus, through a combined molecular modeling, in vitro protein engineering and in planta metabolic engineering approach, it was possible to increase the potential for accumulation of isoflavonoid compounds in non-legume plants. Construction of bifunctional enzymes will simplify the transformation of plants with multiple pathway genes, and such enzymes may find broad uses for enzyme (e.g., cytochrome P450 family) and biochemical pathway engineering.

Systemic inhibition of tumor growth by soluble Flk-1 gene therapy combined with cisplatin

Soluble Flk-1, a soluble vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor, is a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis, which could restrain growth and metastasis of some experimental tumors. However, antiangiogenic agents alone cannot eradicate tumor completely, and should be combined with other therapy to enhance their effects. In this study, we evaluated the antitumor activity of the combination therapy in the immunocompetent BALB/c mice bearing H22 hepatoma and Meth A fibrosarcoma, respectively. Mice were treated with either msFlk-1 i.m. at 100 microg/mouse once every 3 days for four times from day 3 after the tumor cell injection, cisplatin cycled twice (2 mg/kg i.p. on days 4 and 11 after the tumor cell inoculation), or both agents together. Tumor growth and survival time were continually observed. Antiangiogenesis in vivo was determined by CD31 immunohistochemistry. Assessment of apoptotic cells and histological analysis was also conducted in tumor tissues. Our results showed that the combination therapy could evidently improve antitumor efficacy, including tumor growth suppression, mice survival prolongation, tumor cell apoptosis augmentation as well as neovascularization inhibition as compared with controls, without serious adverse effects. Our data suggest that the combination of DDP with msFlk-1 is more effective to suppress tumor growth in mice than either agent alone, and this combination regimen showed its potential for future clinical application.

Capecitabine (X) plus vinorelbine (N) as second-line therapy in Chinese patients (pts) with metastastic breast cancer (MBC)

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Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies among Chinese women and the incidence continues to rise, particularly in large cities such as Shanghai. X monotherapy is consistently effective and very well tolerated in pretreated MBC. N is also commonly used in this indication. In several studies, the combination of X + N led to response rates ranging from 43–67% in first-line MBC. As there are few data on this combination in pretreated MBC, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of X + N in Chinese pts with MBC refractory to anthracycline or taxane treatment in a phase II trial. Methods: 77 pts of a planned population of 60 pts were enrolled between Feb 2003 and Nov 2004. All pts had measurable MBC (WHO) recurrent after anthracycline or taxane treatment, Karnofsky PS ≥60, adequate bone marrow, renal and hepatic function. Pts received 3-weekly cycles of oral X 1000mg/m2 bid d1–14 + i.v. N 25mg/m2 d1&8, for at least 2 cycles. Pts with progressive disease went off study while those with complete response (CR), partial response (PR), or stable disease (SD) continued treatment for a maximum of 6 cycles. Results: Baseline characteristics of the 77 pts evaluable to date: median age 51 years (range 29–68); median Karnofsky PS 90 (range 70–100). Previous chemotherapy was: anthracycline (87%), paclitaxel/docetaxel (52%). Principal tumor sites were: lung (40%), liver (39%), lymph nodes (33%), thoracic wall (12%), breast (7%), other (3%). All pts received at least 2 cycles, 20 received 4 cycles and 47 received 6 cycles. The overall response rate was 22%, including 5 CR and 12 PR. At a median follow-up of 6 months (95% CI, 4.2–9.0), the median time to progression (TTP) is 6 months (95% CI, 3.5–9.0). The most common (≥10% pts) treatment-related grade 1/2 adverse events were: HFS (16%), nausea (12%), and SGPT abnormality (10%). Most adverse events improved or resolved after dose adjustment and/or suitable treatments. There were very few grade 3/4 adverse events, the most common being leucopenia (12%). Conclusions: X + N is active in pretreated MBC and its efficacy is confirmed in this study in Chinese pts. The combination is also well tolerated.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Combination of MIG (CXCL9) chemokine gene therapy with low-dose cisplatin improves therapeutic efficacy against murine carcinoma

MIG (monokine induced by interferon-gamma) is a CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL9) that can potently inhibit angiogenesis, and displays thymus-dependent antitumor effects. The effectiveness of a treatment combining gene therapy with plasmid-borne MIG (pORF-MIG) and low-dose cisplatin chemotherapy was determined using colon carcinoma (CT26) and Lewis lung carcinoma (LL/2c) murine models. The program was carried out via intramuscular delivery of pORF-MIG at 100 mug/mouse twice a week for 4 weeks, and/or intraperitoneal delivery of cisplatin at 0.6 mg/kg/mouse every 3 days for 48 days. Tumor volume and survival time were evaluated after treatment. CD31 immunohistochemical staining in tumor tissues and alginate capsule models in vivo was used to evaluate angiogenesis. Induction of apoptosis and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) activity were also assessed. The combination of pORF-MIG and low-dose cisplatin produced significant antitumor activity, with complete tumor regression in 4/10 of CT26 colon carcinomas and 3/10 of LL/2c lung carcinomas, low vascularity, in alginate capsules, apparently degraded tumor microvessel density, and increased induction of apoptotic and CTL activities compared with either treatment alone. This study suggests that the combination of pORF-MIG plus cisplatin augments the inhibition of angiogenesis and the induction of apoptosis or CTL activity, all of which enhance antitumor activity. These findings may prove useful in further explorations of the application of combinatorial approaches to the treatment of solid tumors.