TM9SF1 promotes bladder cancer cell growth and infiltration

BACKGROUND

Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common urological tumor. It has a high recurrence rate, displays tutor heterogeneity, and resists chemotherapy. Furthermore, the long-term survival rate of BC patients has remained unchanged for decades, which seriously affects the quality of patient survival. To improve the survival rate and prognosis of BC patients, it is necessary to explore the molecular mechanisms of BC development and progression and identify targets for treatment and intervention. Transmembrane 9 superfamily member 1 (TM9SF1), also known as MP70 and HMP70, is a member of a family of nine transmembrane superfamily proteins, which was first identified in 1997. TM9SF1 can be expressed in BC, but its biological function and mechanism in BC are not clear.

AIM

To investigate the biological function and mechanism of TM9SF1 in BC.

METHODS

Cells at 60%-80% confluence were transfected with lentiviral vectors for 48-72 h to achieve stable TM9SF1 overexpression or silencing in three BC cell lines (5637, T24, and UM-UC-3). The effect of TM9SF1 on the biological behavior of BC cells was then investigated through CCK8, wound-healing assay, transwell assay, and flow cytometry.

RESULTS

Overexpression of TM9SF1 increased the in vitro proliferation, migration, and invasion of BC cells by promoting the entry of BC cells into the G2/M phase. Silencing of TM9SF1 inhibited in vitro proliferation, migration, and invasion of BC cells and blocked BC cells in the G1 phase.

CONCLUSION

TM9SF1 may be an oncogene in BC.

Entecavir versus tenofovir for prevention of hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma after curative resection: study protocol for a randomized, open-label trial

BACKGROUND

Entecavir and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) are standard first-line treatments to prevent viral reactivation and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in individuals chronically infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), but the long-term efficacy of the two drugs remains controversial. Also unclear is whether the drugs are effective at preventing viral reactivation or HCC recurrence after hepatectomy to treat HBV-associated HCC. This trial will compare recurrence-free survival, overall survival, viral indicators and adverse events in the long term between patients with HBV-associated HCC who receive entecavir or TDF after curative resection.

METHODS

This study is a randomized, open-label trial. A total of 240 participants will be randomized 1:1 into groups receiving TDF or entecavir monotherapy. The two groups will be compared in terms of recurrence-free and overall survival at 1, 3, and 5 years after surgery; adverse events; virological response; rate of alanine transaminase normalization; and seroreactivity at 24 and 48 weeks after surgery.

DISCUSSION

This study will compare long-term survival between patients with HBV-associated HCC who receive TDF or entecavir monotherapy. Numerous outcomes related to prognosis will be analyzed and compared in this study.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02650271. Registered on January 7, 2016.

Letter: Entecavir versus tenofovir on serum lipoprotein levels of hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma after curative hepatectomy

This article is linked to Ogawa et al papers. To view these articles, visit https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17107 and https://doi.org/10.1111/apt.17693.

[Status and clinical response of fertility preservation in young patients with breast cancer]

Cancer treatments may improve the long-term survival rate of young patients with breast cancer, but also lead to a decrease in fertility. With the younger incidence of breast cancer in China, the fertility needs of this group have received more attention, and fertility preservation technology suitable for cancer patients is developing continuously. However, there are still many problems in the implementation of fertility preservation for young breast cancer patients in China. Patients and breast surgeons have insufficient understanding and conservative attitudes towards fertility preservation technology. And there is a lack of reproductive experts in the treatment process. What's more, the long-term follow-up and information management of patients undergoing fertility preservation are defective. In response to the above, this paper discusses how to deal with patients with potential reproductive needs in clinical practice from the perspective of breast surgeons. The first is to improve their own understanding of fertility preservation, such as the progress of relevant technologies and applicable population, when to intervene, when and how to get pregnant after cancer treatment. Secondly, education for patients must be strengthened, which should include not only fertility preservation, but also scientific contraceptive methods during cancer treatment and treatment measures for unexpected pregnancy. Finally, hospitals and relevant units should standardize the multidisciplinary team of breast cancer, and strengthen the comprehensive management of young breast cancer patients, thus to provide young breast cancer patients with more scientific cancer treatment programs and more reproductive opportunities.

[Association between serum lipid level and depression in patients with chronic heart failure]

Objective: To investigate the association between serum lipid level and depression in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods: A total of 348 patients with CHF from the First department of Cardiology of the people's hospital of Shaanxi province from September 2016 to June 2017 were included.The Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) was used to evaluate the degree of depression and some related clinical data were tested.The serum lipid level and depression scores in the patients were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis, and Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the confounding factors of depression. Results: There was significant difference in the proportion of depression between normal serum lipid group and dyslipidemia group (P=0.044). Pearson correlation analysis showed that depression score was linearly related to total cholesterol (r=0.326, P<0.001) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (r=0.354, P<0.001), and Logistic regression analysis showed that after adjusting for age, BMI, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, creatinine, total bilirubin, albumin, B type natriuretic peptide, total cholesterol (OR=3.523, P=0.007) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR=0.205, P=0.041) were associated with depression in CHF patients. Conclusion: Total cholesterol can increase the risk of depression, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol can reduce the risk of depression in CHF patients.

Sudden-onset unilateral ptosis induced by pituitary Macroadenoma, with false-positive jolly and neostigmine tests

The development of ptosis as a consequence of pituitary tumor is an exceptionally rare occurrence. Here, we describe the case of sudden-onset unilateral ptosis induced by pituitary macroadenoma. The condition was characterized by false-positive Jolly and neostigmine tests. These findings mimic oculomotor nerve palsy and make the correct diagnostics rather challenging. The case points to the fact that patients with acquired ptosis need detailed neuroophthalmological examination.

[Retrospective analysis of diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer in pregnancy]

Objective: To investigate the principles of diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer during pregnancy. Methods: Clinical data of patients with breast cancer during pregnancy admitted to Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University between January 2012 to July 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. A total of 17 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer in pregnancy, the median age was 32 years (range from 25 to 45 years old), pathological staging revealed 2 patient with stage 0, 1 with stage Ⅱa, 7 with stage Ⅱb, 1 with stage Ⅲa, 2 with stage Ⅲc, 4 with stage Ⅳ. Results: Thirteen patients received surgical treatment in pregnancy, the gestational age at surgery was (27.7±4.6) weeks; 2 patients with ductal carcinoma in situ received mastectomy, 11 patients with breast cancer underwent modified radical mastectomy. In patients undergoing surgery during pregnancy, no prophylactic contractions were used in 4 patients who had been treated earlier, there were 2 patients with frequent contractions within 24 hours after operation in these patients. Follow-up 9 patients were given oral nifedipine to prevent contractions, no obvious contractions occurred after the operation. Seven patients received chemotherapy during pregnancy; the chemotherapy of 4 cases of triple negative breast cancer was weekly paclitaxel sequential epirubicin and cyclophosphamide, the chemotherapy of the other three patients was docetaxel sequential epirubicin and cyclophosphamide. Fifteen patients underwent cesarean section to terminate pregnancy, 2 patients underwent spontaneous labor. The gestational age of birth was (36.9 ±1.3) weeks. Less than 35 weeks of termination of pregnancy occurred in one patient, the fetus was delivered to the neonatal intensive care unit due to neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, and suffered from congenital dysaudia. The prognosis of the other 16 survived infants was good. The median follow-up time was 10 months (range from 4 to 27) months, in 13 patients of stage 0 to Ⅲc, one patient were diagnosed with bone metastasis at 12 months after surgery, the remaining 12 patients had no disease progression, the progression free survival rate was 12/13, the overall survival rate was 13/13. Among the 4 patients with stage Ⅳ, one died in 7 months after delivery, one had new liver metastasis in 8 months after delivery. The remaining 2 patients were in stable condition. Conclusions: Breast cancer in pregnancy can be treated effectively, multidisciplinary cooperation and detailed assessment of maternal-fetal risks and benefits are necessary. Chemotherapy during pregnancy is safe for maternal-fetal, but it needed a large sample of clinical studies and long-term follow-up. The neonatal outcome was associated with gestational age, and therefore premature delivery was avoided as much as possible during treatment.

[Thoughts on optimizing the breast cancer screening strategies and implementation effects]

Reasonable and effective breast cancer screening can make early diagnosis of breast cancer, improve the cure rate, prolong survival and improve the patients' quality of life. China has made preliminary exploration and attempt in breast cancer screening, however, there are still some problems that have not been solved in terms of the proportion of opportunistic screening, the selection of screening targets, methods and frequency, and the judgment of screening results. Therefore, this article analyzes the above problems in details, and presents some thoughts and recommendations on how to optimize the breast cancer screening strategies and implementation effects in China, from the experience of clinical practice, under the background of constantly emerging new research results and techniques and the rapid development of artificial intelligence, that is, to adjust measures to local conditions, provide personalized strategies, achieve precise screening, preach and educate, ensure health insurance coverage, improve quality control, offer technical support and employ artificial intelligence.

Thrombin Activates Latent TGFβ1 via Integrin αvβ1 in Gingival Fibroblasts

Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, apoptosis, and extracellular matrix production. It also plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of gingival overgrowth. Thrombin is a key player in tissue repair, remodeling, and fibrosis after an injury, and it exerts profibrotic effects by activating protease-activated receptors. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF or CCN2) modulates cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, matrix production, and wound healing. It is overexpressed in many fibrotic disorders, including gingival overgrowth, and it is positively associated with the degree of fibrosis in gingival overgrowth. In human gingival fibroblasts, we previously found that TGFβ1 induced CCN2 protein synthesis through c-jun N-terminal kinase and Smad3 activation. Thrombin stimulates CCN2 synthesis through protease-activated receptor 1 and c-jun N-terminal kinase signaling. Curcumin inhibited TGFβ1- and thrombin-induced CCN2 synthesis. In this study, we demonstrated that thrombin and protease-activated receptor 1 agonist SFLLRN induced latent TGFβ1 activation and Smad3 phosphorylation in human gingival fibroblasts. Pretreatment with a TGFβ-neutralizing antibody, TGFβ type I receptor inhibitor SB431542, and Smad3 inhibitor SIS3 inhibited approximately 86%, 94%, and 100% of thrombin-induced CCN2 synthesis, respectively. Furthermore, blocking integrin subunits αv and β1 with antibodies effectively inhibited SFLLRN-induced Smad3 phosphorylation and CCN2 synthesis and increased activated TGFβ1 levels; however, similar effects were not observed for integrins αvβ3 and αvβ5. These results suggest that protease-activated receptor 1-induced CCN2 synthesis in human gingival fibroblasts is mediated through integrin αvβ1-induced latent TGFβ1 activation and subsequent TGFβ1 signaling. Moreover, curcumin dose dependently decreased thrombin-induced activated TGFβ1 levels. Curcumin-inhibited thrombin-induced CCN2 synthesis in human gingival fibroblasts is caused by the suppression of latent TGFβ1 activation.

Performance and Mix Measurements of Indirect Drive Cu-Doped Be Implosions

The ablator couples energy between the driver and fusion fuel in inertial confinement fusion (ICF). Because of its low opacity, high solid density, and material properties, beryllium has long been considered an ideal ablator for ICF ignition experiments at the National Ignition Facility. We report here the first indirect drive Be implosions driven with shaped laser pulses and diagnosed with fusion yield at the OMEGA laser. The results show good performance with an average DD neutron yield of ∼2×10^{9} at a convergence ratio of R_{0}/R∼10 and little impact due to the growth of hydrodynamic instabilities and mix. In addition, the effect of adding an inner liner of W between the Be and DD is demonstrated.

Towards stable silicon nanoarray hybrid solar cells

Silicon nanoarray hybrid solar cells benefit from the ease of fabrication and the cost-effectiveness of the hybrid structure, and represent a new research focus towards the utilization of solar energy. However, hybrid solar cells composed of both inorganic and organic components suffer from the notorious stability issue, which has to be tackled before the hybrid solar cells could become a viable alternative for harvesting solar energy. Here we show that Si nanoarray/PEDOT:PSS hybrid solar cells with improved stability can be fabricated via eliminating the water inclusion in the initial formation of the heterojunction between Si nanoarray and PEDOT:PSS. The Si nanoarray hybrid solar cells are stable against rapid degradation in the atmosphere environment for several months without encapsulation. This finding paves the way towards the real-world applications of Si nanoarray hybrid solar cells.

Current research of C-Sight visual prosthesis for the blind

Electrical stimulation of the optic nerve with penetrating electrode array for visual recovery had been proposed by C-Sight group. This paper presents the latest progress of various component parts of visual prosthesis, including design and testing of neural stimulator, fabrication of multi-channel flexible microelectrode array. According to the experiment data, the linearity between practical stimulator output and the setting parameters has been validated. The temporal properties of EEP evoked by optic nerve stimulation with penetrating electrodes will be introduced briefly according to in vivo electrophysiological study.

Loss of type III transforming growth factor-beta receptor expression is due to methylation silencing of the transcription factor GATA3 in renal cell carcinoma

Loss of transforming growth factor-beta receptor III (TbetaRIII) correlates with loss of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) responsiveness and suggests a role for dysregulated TGF-beta signaling in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) progression and metastasis. Here we identify that for all stages of ccRCC TbetaRIII expression is downregulated in patient-matched tissue samples and cell lines. We find that this loss of expression is not due to methylation of the gene and we define GATA3 as the first transcriptional factor to positively regulate TbetaRIII expression in human cells. We localize GATA3's binding to a 10-bp region of the TbetaRIII proximal promoter. We demonstrate that GATA3 mRNA is downregulated in all stages, of ccRCC, mechanistically show that GATA3 is methylated in ccRCC patient tumor tissues as well as cell lines, and that inhibiting GATA3 expression in normal renal epithelial cells downregulates TbetaRIII mRNA and protein expression. These data support a sequential model whereby loss of GATA3 expression through epigenetic silencing decreases TbetaRIII expression during ccRCC progression.

Inclusion cyst and graft contraction in Tutoplast human cadeveric pericardium following Peyronie's grafting: a previously unreported complication

Tutoplast human cadaveric pericardium has been utilized safely and successfully in numerous series of tunica albuginea grafting for Peyronie's curvature without reported rejection, cyst formation, or foreign body reaction. We describe a previously unreported complication of inclusion cyst formation and graft contraction in a 40-year-old white male following Tutoplast human cadaveric pericardial graft surgical correction of Peyronie's curvature. The complication was successfully treated with surgical graft excision and replacement with autologous temporalis fascia.

Characterization of differential gene expression in monkey arterial neointima following balloon catheter injury

Vaso-occlusive sequelae following percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), including smooth muscle cell migration, proliferation, and attendant extracellular matrix production, often results in restenosis of the treated artery. To further understand the molecular mechanisms governing progressive intimal hyperplasia, we performed a molecular screen using differential display PCR on total RNA prepared from injured and normal carotid arterial segments to identify a subset of differentially expressed genes at t=7 days post-balloon catheter injury in a non-human primate. DNA sequence analysis of selected differentially expressed RNA by this procedure using 240 combinations of random primer pairs yielded 41 distinct cDNA sequences: 22 of which have significant sequence homology to previously identified meta-zoan genes, 15 GEMS (genes expressed in monkey neointima), and 4 GSMS (genes suppressed in monkey neointima) that have little homology to reported sequences. Among the up-regulated homologues include i) secreted growth regulatory factors, ii) membrane receptors, iii) transcription factors, iv) cell adhesion molecules, and v) extracellular matrix proteins; some of which have not been previously linked to vascular restenosis. In particular, Cyr61, a known angiogenesis inducer, was found to be highly expressed in the neointima lesion of the balloon-injured monkey artery. This finding provides the first links of Cyr61 to the pathogenesis of vascular restenosis, and identifies a novel locus for potential therapeutic intervention. These studies identified a number of known and unknown genes, whose up- or down-regulated expression during the proliferative phase of vascular restenosis makes them potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

Discovery of a regulatory motif that controls the exposure of specific upstream cyclin-dependent kinase sites that determine both conformation and growth suppressing activity of pRb

The conformation and activity of pRb, the product of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene, is dependent on the phosphorylation status of one or more of its 16 potential cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) sites. However, it is not clear whether the phosphorylation status of one or more of these sites contributes to the determination of the various conformations and activity of pRb. Moreover, whether and how the conformation of pRb may regulate the phosphorylation of the cdk sites is also unclear. In the process of analyzing the function and regulation of pRb, we uncovered the existence of an unusual structural motif, m89 (amino acids 880-900), the mutation of which confers upon pRb a hypophosphorylated conformation. Mutation of this structural domain activates, rather than inactivates, the growth suppressor function of pRb. In order to understand the effect of the mutation of m89 on the phosphorylation of cdk sites, we identified all the cdk sites (Thr-356, Ser-807/Ser-811, and Thr821) the phosphorylation of which drastically modify the conformation of pRb. Mutation of each of these four sites alone or in combinations results in the different conformations of pRb, the migration pattern of which, on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, resembles various in vivo hypophosphorylated forms. Each of these hypophosphorylated forms of pRb has enhanced growth suppressing activity relative to the wild type. Our data revealed that the m89 structural motif controls the exposure of the cdk sites Ser-807/Ser-811 in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the m89 mutant has enhanced growth suppressing activity, similar to a mutant with alanine substitutions at Ser-807/Ser-811. Our recent finding, that the m89 region is part of a structural domain, p5, conserved antigenically and functionally between pRb and p53, suggests that the evolutionarily conserved p5 domain may play a role in the coordinated regulation of the activity of these two tumor suppressors, under certain growth conditions.

Direct activation of TERT transcription by c-MYC

The MYC proto-oncogene encodes a ubiquitous transcription factor (c-MYC) involved in the control of cell proliferation and differentiation. Deregulated expression of c-MYC caused by gene amplification, retroviral insertion, or chromosomal translocation is associated with tumorigenesis. The function of c-MYC and its role in tumorigenesis are poorly understood because few c-MYC targets have been identified. Here we show that c-MYC has a direct role in induction of the activity of telomerase, the ribonucleoprotein complex expressed in proliferating and transformed cells, in which it preserves chromosome integrity by maintaining telomere length. c-MYC activates telomerase by inducing expression of its catalytic subunit, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). Telomerase complex activity is dependent on TERT, a specialized type of reverse transcriptase. TERT and c-MYC are expressed in normal and transformed proliferating cells, downregulated in quiescent and terminally differentiated cells, and can both induce immortalization when constitutively expressed in transfected cells. Consistent with the recently reported association between MYC overexpression and induction of telomerase activity, we find here that the TERT promoter contains numerous c-MYC-binding sites that mediate TERT transcriptional activation. c-MYC-induced TERT expression is rapid and independent of cell proliferation and additional protein synthesis, consistent with direct transcriptional activation of TERT. Our results indicate that TERT is a target of c-MYC activity and identify a pathway linking cell proliferation and chromosome integrity in normal and neoplastic cells.

Coordinated regulation of iron-controlling genes, H-ferritin and IRP2, by c-MYC

The protein encoded by the c-MYC proto-oncogene is a transcription factor that can both activate and repress the expression of target genes, but few of its transcriptional targets have been identified. Here, c-MYC is shown to repress the expression of the heavy subunit of the protein ferritin (H-ferritin), which sequesters intracellular iron, and to stimulate the expression of the iron regulatory protein-2 (IRP2), which increases the intracellular iron pool. Down-regulation of the expression of H-ferritin gene was required for cell transformation by c-MYC. These results indicate that c-MYC coordinately regulates genes controlling intracellular iron concentrations and that this function is essential for the control of cell proliferation and transformation by c-MYC.

Interactions involving the human RNA polymerase II transcription/nucleotide excision repair complex TFIIH, the nucleotide excision repair protein XPG, and Cockayne syndrome group B (CSB) protein

The human basal transcription factor TFIIH plays a central role in two distinct processes. TFIIH is an obligatory component of the RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) transcription initiation complex. Additionally, it is believed to be the core structure around which some if not all the components of the nucleotide excision repair (NER) machinery assemble to constitute a nucleotide excision repairosome. At least two of the subunits of TFIIH (XPB and XPD proteins) are implicated in the disease xeroderma pigmentosum (XP). We have exploited the availability of the cloned XPB, XPD, p62, p44, and p34 genes (all of which encode polypeptide subunits of TFIIH) to examine interactions between in vitro-translated polypeptides by co-immunoprecipitation. Additionally we have examined interactions between TFIIH components, the human NER protein XPG, and the CSB protein which is implicated in Cockayne syndrome (CS). Our analyses demonstrate that the XPB, XPD, p44, and p62 proteins interact with each other. XPG protein interacts with multiple subunits of TFIIH and with CSB protein.

Effect of impurities on the matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectra of single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides

The effect of impurities on the analysis of single-stranded DNA oligomers by the technique of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization with time-of-flight mass spectrometry has been studied using the matrix 3-hydroxypicolinic acid and 355-nm pulsed light. By mixing the DNA oligomers with different concentrations of impurities and recording mass spectra, limits are set on the tolerable level of a given impurity in a sample. The tolerance limits for sodium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium acetate, sodium fluoride, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and manganese(II) chloride were found to be approximately 10(-2) M. It was found that magnesium salts degraded the mass spectrum at much lower levels of 10(-4) M. The organic compounds tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (Tris), urea, dithiothreitol (DTT), glycerol, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), when present as its ammonium salt, were tolerable at concentrations into the range of 0.25-0.5 M, while the organic polyamine compound spermine substantially degraded the mass spectrum at concentrations above 10(-2) M. When comparing these results for DNA analysis with previously reported limits for protein analysis, large differences are seen for some of the impurities tested.

Analysis of enzymatic DNA sequencing reactions by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry

The products from base-specific, dideoxy-nucleotide chain-termination DNA sequencing reactions catalyzed by the modified T7 DNA polymerase have been analyzed by using the technique of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Preliminary experiments were performed to determine detection limits for a synthetic mixture of mixed-base single-stranded DNA which contained a 14-mer, a 21-mer, and a 41-mer; acceptable spectra, showing peaks for each component, were obtainable for samples that contained as little as 5 fmol per component. Initial sequencing reactions were therefore carried out on 2-pmol amounts of a short synthetic template that was 45 nucleotides in length, employing 2 pmol of 12-mer as the primer strand. This provided readable sequence information out to the 19th base past the primer. Using a 21-mer primer, nearly the entire sequence of the template could be read.

[Alternations of collagen content and collagen gene expression in rat vascular structural remodeling of pulmonary artery induced by hypoxia]

The change of collagen content and procollagen alpha 1 (I), alpha 1 (III) mRNA expression in rat vascular structural remodeling of extrapulmonary artery (EPA) induced by hypoxia were investigated. 72 wistar male rats weighing 200-300g were used and divided into 2 groups: air-breathing group (N group, 39 rats) and hypoxic group (H group, 33 rats exposed to 5000m hypobaric hypoxia for 7 days). Results showed that mPAp, Rv/(Lv+s), the wet, dry weights and hypoxyproline (HP) content in EPA of H group were increased from 2.83 +/- 0.09kPa (mean +/- smean), 0.23 +/- 0.01, 5.2 +/- 0.2mg, 1.7 +/- 0.1mg and 22.3 +/- 1.0 micrograms)/100g BW (body weight) to 4.77 +/- 0.12kPa, 0.43 +/- 0.01, 10.5 +/- 0.5mg, 4.1 +/- 0.2mg and 58.4 +/- 3.4 micrograms/100g BW (body weight) to 4.77 +/- 0.12kPa, 0.43 +/- 0.02, 10.5 +/- 0.5mg, 4.1 +/- 0.2mg and 58.4 +/- 3.4 micrograms/100g (all P < 0.01). Dot Blot and Northern Blot hybridization analyses showed that in EPA of H group procollagen alpha 1(I) and alpha 1(III) mRNAs were increased 154% and 177% (all P < 0.05). Histological study (HE) showed that hypoxia could induce an increase in the wall thickness of EPA, particularly in adventitial thickness of the pulmonary arterial trunk. Electron microscopy revealed the hypertrophied medial smooth muscle cells containing a significant increase in rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), in extracellular ground, collagen fibers and elastin were increased. In adventitia, the fibroblasts showed both hypertrophy and hyperplasia and surrounding collagen fibers were increased. These studies suggested that fibroblast might play important role in the remodeling of EPA during the early hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and the increase of collagen gene expression might be involved in the mechanism of collagen content and remodeling of EPA induced by hypoxia.

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry of underivatized single-stranded DNA oligomers by matrix-assisted laser desorption

Matrix-assisted laser desorption with concomitant ionization (MALDI) in conjunction with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) has been used to analyze underivatized random-base single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) oligomers ranging from 10 to 89 nucleotides in length by embedding them in a solid matrix of 3-hydroxypicolinic acid. At 355-nm desorption wavelength, mass spectra of positive and negative ions measured by reflecting and linear time-of-flight mass spectrometers are compared. Results from the linear system show the ionization yield is approximately equal for each polarity. Metastable ion decay is significant for the larger ssDNA oligomer ions, which results in a decrease in signal intensity and the broadening of mass peaks. In order to obtain an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio on a reflecting TOF system, a higher laser irradiance is needed, which consequently causes further degradation of mass resolution. With the apparent advantages of better sensitivity and mass resolution, it is concluded that a linear TOF system is better suited for the mass spectrometric analysis of ssDNA oligomers larger than about a 25-mer. The current system permits one-base resolution up to about a 40-mer. Mass accuracy for a 20-mer or smaller is within +/- 0.05%. Comparison of mass spectra from 5-ns and 35-ps pulse widths at the same energy density shows no significant differences. Mechanisms for oligonucleotide ion production in these experiments are discussed.

The transcription factor HNF1 acts with C/EBP alpha to synergistically activate the human albumin promoter through a novel domain

HNF1 and C/EBP alpha are transcription factors that bind to and trans-activate the human albumin gene proximal promoter. Various 5' deletions of the human albumin promoter were coupled to a luciferase reporter gene (alb-luc constructs) and co-electroporated with HNF1 and/or C/EBP alpha expression vectors into HeLa cells. Luciferase activities from co-electroporation of the HNF1 and C/EBP alpha expression vectors with the alb-luc constructs were approximately 10-fold greater than the sum of the activities achieved with HNF1 and C/EBP alpha alone. Analysis of COOH-terminal or internal deletions of the HNF1 expression vector revealed that the domain important for collaborative interaction with C/EBP alpha could be localized to a 157 amino acid region not previously described. This domain is proline and glutamine-rich and is highly homologous (66%) to a portion of vHNF1, an evolutionarily related gene first identified in dedifferentiated hepatoma cells. A construct linking the negatively charged activation domain of herpes simplex virus protein VP16 to the DNA-binding domain of HNF1 showed that it could also synergize with C/EBP alpha to trans-activate the human albumin gene promoter. Our studies delineate a domain in HNF1 important for synergistic activation with C/EBP alpha.

The Rb gene suppresses the growth of normal cells

The suppression of tumor formation, first demonstrated by somatic cell hybrid and microcell fusion experiments, suggests the existence of a class of genes that selectively suppress the growth of tumor cells but not normal cells. The reintroduction of these genes into tumor cells presumably renders the cells responsive to in vivo growth inhibitory environment. As the inheritance of a defective retinoblastoma gene (Rb-1) allele results in a predisposition to the development of various cancers, and since inactivation of both alleles are observed in tumor cells, the Rb gene has been suspected to have the ability to suppress tumor growth. Data presented here demonstrated that different types of normal cells, which have a limited life span, were also growth arrested by a transfected Rb gene. Cell lines which are resistant to the growth suppression effect of the Rb gene in vitro, retain the ability to form tumors in nude mice even in the presence of a stable and highly expressed wild type Rb protein. We conclude that while the Rb gene can suppress the growth of many tumor cell lines, its growth suppression effect is not tumor specific.

Activation of albumin and other liver-specific gene expression in fibroblast-pancreatic cell hybrids: different roles of transcription factors

HNF1 and C/EBP-related proteins are transcription factors important for the activation of albumin gene expression. Fusion of mouse fibroblast (L) cells with rat pancreatic cells (AR42J) unexpectedly activated mouse albumin gene expression in the hybrid cells. In addition, several liver-specific genes such as tyrosine amino-transferase (TAT) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy-kinase (PEPCK) were also activated in the fibroblast-pancreatic hybrids. RNase protection assays using rat HNF1 riboprobes showed that AR42J cells and fibroblast-pancreatic hybrids expressed rat HNF1 transcripts. However, mouse or rat C/EBP alpha transcripts were not expressed in the fibroblast-pancreatic hybrids by RNase protection assays. Transfection of HNF1 expression vector alone was able to activate an albumin promoter (-1 kb, 5' flanking) promoted GPT construct in L cells, but not in HeLa cells, suggesting that different factors in L cells might interact with HNF1 to mediate activation. These results showed the global activation of liver-specific genes (including albumin, TAT, and PEPCK) in somatic cell hybrids. The presence of HNF1 in the hybrids may play a causal role. The absence of C/EBP alpha in the hybrids suggested its non-essential role in the activation of liver-specific gene expression. The other mechanisms responsible for the activation were also discussed.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry of oligonucleotides using 3-hydroxypicolinic acid as an ultraviolet-sensitive matrix

Matrix-assisted laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry has been used to produce quasi-molecular ion signals from underivatized mixed-base single-stranded DNA oligomers ranging from 10 to 67 nucleotides in length. These results were obtained with a new matrix material, 3-hydroxypicolinic acid (3-hydroxypyridine-2-carboxylic acid) which showed significant improvement over many previously reported matrices studied in terms of mass range available, signal-to-noise ratio, and the ability to analyze mixed-base oligomers. The desorption and simultaneous ionization was by pulsed laser light at 10 to 50 mJ/cm2, studied at 266, 308, and 355 nm. Spectra taken at 266 nm provided the smallest amounts of doubly charged and dimer ions--characteristics desirable for DNA sequencing by this technology. Negative-ion spectra were uniformly superior to positive-ion spectra. This new matrix also is quite effective for molecular weight determinations of peptides and proteins in both positive- and negative-ion modes.

Transactivation of pancreas-specific gene sequences in somatic cell hybrids

Enhancer/promoter elements from two pancreas-specific genes, those encoding amylase and elastase, were ligated to the bacterial GPT gene. The resulting construct can be used to select for expression of gene products which activate these pancreas-specific promoters in hybrid cells. The selectable GPT construct was stably transferred into several cell lines either directly or by cotransfection with pSV2Neo. GPT was expressed when transferred to pancreatic cell lines but not when transferred to GPT-fibroblast (L) cells or hepatoma cells. When the transformed L cells and hepatoma cells were fused with pancreatic cell lines, GPT was activated in the hybrid cells. Endogenous pancreas-specific genes from the L-cell and hepatoma parents were also activated in the hybrids. In addition, a pancreas-specific nuclear protein, PTF1, was produced in pancreatic and hybrid cells, correlating with GPT expression. The transformed L cells and hepatoma cells thus contained a nonexpressed construct which could be activated in trans by factors present in pancreatic cells. The hepatoma hybrid also continued to produce albumin, demonstrating the coexpression of liver and pancreas-specific genes in the hybrid-cell population. Cell lines carrying the amylase/elastase/GPT construct may be useful as a selection system for cloning of pancreatic transcription activators.

Genomic organization of the human retinoblastoma gene

Sequence analysis of the human retinoblastoma gene cDNA revealed the presence of repeated elements in the form of direct repeats, inverted repeats and dyad symmetries. The clustering of the dyad symmetrical elements in some exons, #16 and #17, coincides with the hot spots for structural aberrations of the RB-1 locus previously observed in tumors. The RB-1 gene is divided into at least 27 exons distributed over 200 kbp. Three potential Sp1 binding sites are presented within 600 bp upstream of the translation start site. A DNA fragment containing these Sp1 sites ligated to a promotorless CAT gene can promote its transcription in transfected cell culture.

Chlamydial infection in a Chinese gynecologic outpatient clinic

In an attempt to detect the presence, if any, of cervical chlamydial infection, we obtained endocervical smears from 1000 female patients attending the outpatient gynecologic and family planning clinics at Women's Hospital, Zheijiang Medical University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. Using direct immunofluorescent monoclonal antibody staining technique, we identified elementary bodies typical of the Chlamydia trachomatis organism in ten of the 1000 slides (1%). The only characteristic of statistical significance in this small group of infected women was the complaint of infertility for more than two years' duration, noted in six of the ten cases.