调节性T细胞在SIVmac239感染中国恒河猴中的变化及其机制的初步研究

CD4+CD25+调节性T细胞是1995年才发现的一个具有免疫抑制功能的T细胞亚群，主要通过细胞与细胞间直接接触和分泌抑制性细胞因子发挥作用，在维持机体免疫自稳、防止自身免疫以及肿瘤免疫、移植免疫等方面起着重要作用。有关Treg HIV/SIV病毒感染及AIDS的进展关系密切，但却有两种不同的观点。一种认为Treg的数量和功能受到损伤，从而导致宿主免疫系统过度活化。另一种则认为Treg在早期抑制了针对HIV/SIV的特异性的免疫反应，从而导致机体无法清除感染的病毒。本文利用动物模型对CD4+CD25+调节性T细胞在SIV感染后的数量和功能做了动态的检测，并对其中的机制做了初步的探讨。我们首先建立了SIVmac239病毒株对中国起源的恒河猴感染的动物模型，建立了前病毒的检测方法、血浆病毒载量的测定方法、血浆病毒特异性抗体的测定方法，以及病毒的分离方法，并获得了早期感染的相关数据。在研究中我们发现，SIV感染后的1周后即可在恒河猴外周单个核细胞DNA中检测到前病毒。病毒血症也在1周后出现，并很快达到高峰。不同的个体对病毒感染的体液免疫不尽相同，血浆抗体很快出现，但是99003猴抗体下降很快，而99083猴则保持了一定数量的抗体。同时，伴随SIV的感染进程的还有T淋巴细胞的数量变化，CD4+T细胞数量持续下降，而CD8+T细胞数量则在增加，出现CD4/CD8倒置的现象。以上说明恒河猴被SIV所成功感染。在该动物模型的基础上，我们利用体内传代的SIVmac239病毒株，对4只健康恒河猴进行了感染，并对CD4+CD25+调节性T细胞（Treg）亚群在数量上的变化进行了检测，并对其中的机制做了初步探讨。我们在研究中发现，外周血中的Treg在SIV感染后无论是绝对数量还是在占CD4+T细胞中的相对数量均有增加，而且Treg仍然保持了对靶细胞的抑制功能。对腹部淋巴结的分析显示，SIV感染后的一段时期内，该部位FoxP3 mRNA的表达水平也在上升，TGF-β、IL-10的转录也显著增加。前者可以通过抑制树突状细胞间接抑制效应细胞，而后者则是一个抑制性的细胞因子，可以直接作用于靶细胞。因此，我们推测SIV引起免疫系统的过度活化可能不是由于Treg功能的受损，其中的机制需要深入研究。 Treg表达CCR5表面分子（HIV辅助受体之一），同时也有CD4分子的表达，因此推测HIV/SIV可以感染Treg。但是国内外这方面的文献很少。我们对Treg中前病毒的检测发现，SIV可以感染Treg，而且对Treg的感染比例高于CD4+CD25－T细胞。这个结果与Treg绝对数量的上升的结果说明，SIV感染Treg但可能却没有杀伤Treg，因此Treg在数量上有所增加。不过，其中的机制仍有待于进一步的研究。在对SIV引起的体液免疫的研究中还发现，机体针对SIV不同抗原的抗体有不同的模式。部分抗原很快就产生了比较强的反应，但是却不能维持高水平的表达。而针对p27蛋白的抗体产生比较晚，但却长时间维持在比较高的水平。是否这样高水平的抗体有助于控制病毒复制是个值得探讨的问题。

川牛膝多糖的免疫活性及其水解活性片段分离研究

川牛膝多糖（CP）是从传统中药川牛膝（Cyathula officinalis Kuan）中提取的一种活性多糖，现代药理研究表明川牛膝多糖是川牛膝许多生物活性的物质基础。本实验室前期进行了川牛膝多糖的提取、分离、结构鉴定及其部分活性研究，发现川牛膝中多糖含量非常高，在对川牛膝多糖活性的初步研究中也证实了其具有免疫调节作用。我们为了进一步了解其免疫调节活性，并为构效关系的研究奠定基础，对其进行了如下研究： 1． 通过体外毒性检测、淋巴细胞增殖实验、NK细胞杀伤活性和腹腔巨噬细胞吞噬中性红活性测定，发现川牛膝多糖在10～300μg/mL浓度范围内，对细胞无毒性作用；能够促进LPS诱导的B淋巴细胞增殖(P<0.01)、增强NK细胞杀伤活性(P<0.05)和PMΦ吞噬中性红活性(P<0.01)，且随多糖浓度增高而增强；但其对ConA诱导的T淋巴细胞的增殖无促进作用(P>0.05)。 2． 通过正常小鼠体内淋巴细胞转化实验、迟发型变态反应分析、抗体生成细胞检测、碳粒廓清检测、腹腔巨噬细胞吞噬鸡红细胞活性和NK细胞活性测定，发现川牛膝多糖在适应性免疫方面能够促进SRBC免疫小鼠体内的抗体生成细胞的生成（P<0.01）和增强DNFB诱导的DTH（P<0.05），但对ConA诱导的脾淋巴细胞增殖无促进作用（P>0.05）；在固有免疫方面能够提高小鼠碳粒廓清速率（P<0.05），PMΦ吞噬 CRBC 活性（P<0.01）和NK细胞杀伤活性（P<0.05）。同时还发现其对由环磷酰胺(Cy)引起的白细胞数下降具有很好的抑制作用（P<0.01）。 3． 为了获得结构明确、均一的保留活性的川牛膝多糖片段，为其作用机制、构效关系研究提供关键研究材料，我们开展了“保留免疫活性的最小片段”的分离制备的初步研究。建立并优化了川牛膝多糖的酸水解条件，发现在6%的样品浓度，0.025mol/L的硫酸浓度，65℃的水解温度，水解时间为8min的条件下可以得到一系列连续的多糖片段；采用Bio-Gel P2 分子筛柱层析分离得到5个级分，通过体外淋巴细胞增殖实验、NK细胞活性测定、腹腔巨噬细胞吞噬中性红实验发现其中的一个片段仍保留较强的免疫活性，并测得其分子量约为2057Da，为保留免疫活性的最小片段的进一步分离奠定了基础。 Cyathula officinalis Kuan is a commonly-used Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with a wide range of pharmacological activities. Modern pharmacological researches showed the polysaccharide extracted from it (CP) is an important component for many bioactivities of this TCM. In the previous studies, we found CP showed significant immuno-regulative activities. In order to evaluate this activity systematically and lay foundations for revealling its immuno-regulative machanisms and the Structure -Function relationship, we carried out the following research works: 1． The in vitro immunoactivities of CP were evaluated by using normal mice immunocytes with respects to cytotoxicity, lymphocytes proliferation, NK activity and the ability of peritoneal macrophage phagocytizing neutral red. The polysaccharide showed no cytotoxicity below the concentration of 300 μg/mL, and could promote B lymphocytes proliferation (P<0.01), enhance NK activity (P<0.05) and the ability of peritoneal macrophage phagocytizing neutral red (P<0.01) at the concentration of 10-300 μg/mL. The above effects were positively correlated with the concentration of the polysaccharides. But it could not promote T lymphocytes proliferation (P>0.05). 2． The in vivo immunoactivities of CP were observed on normal mice through the following indices: splenic lymphocyte transformation efficiency, delayed-type allergy, antibody-forming cells activity (AFC), rate of carbon clearance, rate of peritoneal macrophage phagocytizing chicken red blood cell (CRBC) and NK activity, and its influence on the decline of the mouse leucocyte count induced by Cy. The polysaccharide at medium-dose enhanced delayed-type allergy （P<0.05）and NK activity（P<0.05） and increased the rate of carbon clearance（P<0.05）, AFC activity（P<0.01） and the rate of peritoneal macrophage phagocytizing CRBC（P<0.01）. The polysaccharides also effectively resisted the decline of the mouse leucocyte count induced by Cy（P<0.01）. However, it couldn’t increase the splenic lymphocyte transformation efficiency（P>0.05）. 3． Attempting to isolate and prepare the minimal fragments retaining activity with identical structure for further studying on immuno-regulative mechanism and Structure-Function relationship, we carried out the study on hydrolysis of CP, isolation of hydrolysed fragments, and the activity evaluation of the isolated fragments. CP with concentration of 6% was hydrolysed at 65℃ for 8 min with sulfuric acid of 0.025 mol/L，then the hydrolysate was separated using Bio-Gel P2 chromatography, 5 portions of fragments were obtained. The immunoactivities of these fragments were evaluated by using normal mice immunocytes with respect to lymphocytes proliferation, NK activity and ability of peritoneal macrophage phagocytizing neutral red. One fragment with relative molecular mass of 2057Da was found retaining immunoactivity.

Biodosimetry estimate for high-LET irradiation

The purpose of this paper is to prepare for an easy and reliable biodosimeter protocol for radiation accidents involving high-linear energy transfer (LET) exposure. Human peripheral blood lymphocytes were irradiated using carbon ions (LET: 34.6 keV mu m(-1)), and the chromosome aberrations induced were analyzed using both a conventional colcemid block method and a calyculin A induced premature chromosome condensation (PCC) method. At a lower dose range (0-4 Gy), the measured dicentric (dics) and centric ring chromosomes (cRings) provided reasonable dose information. At higher doses (8 Gy), however, the frequency of dics and cRings was not suitable for dose estimation. Instead, we found that the number of Giemsa-stained drug-induced G2 prematurely condensed chromosomes (G2-PCC) can be used for dose estimation, since the total chromosome number (including fragments) was linearly correlated with radiation dose (r = 0.99). The ratio of the longest and the shortest chromosome length of the drug-induced G2-PCCs increased with radiation dose in a linear-quadratic manner (r = 0.96), which indicates that this ratio can also be used to estimate radiation doses. Obviously, it is easier to establish the dose response curve using the PCC technique than using the conventional metaphase chromosome method. It is assumed that combining the ratio of the longest and the shortest chromosome length with analysis of the total chromosome number might be a valuable tool for rapid and precise dose estimation for victims of radiation accidents.

不同LET辐射对健康人血淋巴细胞和肿瘤细胞的损伤效应

目的: 探讨不同LET辐射对健康人外周血淋巴细胞的遗传损伤效应；了解重离子辐射诱导人血淋巴细胞染色体畸变的特点；研究用G2期染色体畸变预测肿瘤细胞辐射敏感性的可行性。材料与方法：采用兰州近代物理研究所重离子研究装置产生的12C离子和兰州大学第一附属医院放疗科提供的X射线照射健康人外周血，用常规染色体分析技术和姊妹染色体差别染色法研究不同LET辐射对健康人血淋巴细胞中期染色体的损伤效应、高LET辐射的剂量率效应、时程效应和染色体畸变的特点；用Calyculin A诱导间期染色体凝集技术研究12C 离子对淋巴细胞G2期染色体的损伤效应。用60Coγ射线照射人卵巢癌细胞和肝癌细胞，以细胞克隆存活率和G2期染色体畸变为生物学终点，探讨用G2期染色体畸变预测肿瘤细胞辐射敏感性的可行性。 结果与结论 1. 不同LET辐射诱导‘双+环’畸变与剂量之间存在良好的线性平方关系， 12C 离子诱导的畸变在细胞间的分布不符合泊松分布； 12C离子的相对生物学效应随着LET的增大而增大；12C离子诱导染色体畸变在1－5 Gy/min的范围内不存在剂量率效应；在0－4 Gy的剂量范围内不存在时程效应，说明培养48小时后中期‘双+环’畸变能很好的反应12C离子对淋巴细胞的损伤效应。本研究可以帮助人们了解重离子的相对生物学效应，为病人健康组织的保护以及放射医师的防护提供重要的理论数据。 2. LET为34.6 keV/μm的12C离子诱导淋巴细胞G2-期染色体数目畸变与剂量之间存在良好的线性关系(r=0.99)；最长G2-PCC与最短G2-PCC的长度之比与剂量之间存在良好的线性平方关系(r2=0.96)。表明有希望用G2-期染色体畸变评估重离子的相对生物学效应和估计重离子的辐射剂量，也为合理评估空间混合辐射场中重离子辐射所占比例提供了两个潜在的指标。 3. LET为34.6 keV/μm12C 离子诱导的畸变，除大部分染色体型畸变外，还出现少量的染色单体畸变，这一现象在理论上突破了传统的认识，对重离子辐射损伤机理的认识有重要意义。这可能是由于重离子特殊的离子径迹结构诱导染色单体畸变。重离子相对生物学效应是相对于常规射线而言的，而常规射线辐照G0期淋巴细胞只产生染色体型畸变，因此这一现象的存在对重离子相对生物学效应的确定提出了新的问题。 4. γ射线诱导肿瘤细胞G2期染色体初始断裂畸变和修复24小时后残余断裂畸变都与辐射剂量有良好的相关性；肿瘤细胞克隆存活率与G2染色单体初始断裂(r=0.96)和修复24小时后残余断裂(r=0.91)都有一定的相关性，比较而言，G2染色单体初始断裂畸变能更好的反映肿瘤细胞的辐射敏感性，预示G2染色单体初始断裂畸变有希望成为肿瘤细胞辐射敏感性的预测指标。 5. 2 Gyγ射线诱导的G2-染色单体断裂畸变，有近65% 的断裂在辐射后24小时内得以修复；对G2等点染色单体断裂畸变，在辐射后24小时内只有20%左右得以修复；两类畸变的修复主要发生在辐射后2小时内。 6. 在用G2-assay法测定染色体畸变的实验中，给予较高剂量时，很难获得足够的中期细胞以供观察。用G2-assay和G2-PCC技术获得的数据都与细胞克隆存活率有一定的相关性，比较而言，后者的相关性要好一些。表明G2-PCC技术可以作为细胞存活实验和用常规染色体畸变分析放射敏感性的替代方法

Capillary electrophoretic study on UDP-sugars in cells

Glucose is an important regulator of cell growth and metabolism. Uridine diphosphate sugars (UDP-sugars), as the intermediate products of metabolism, play pivotal roles as precursors in the synthesis of complex carbohydrates and glycolipids as well as lectose. It is very important to study their metabolism in cells in clinical biochemistry. A capillary electrophoretic method has been developed for the analysis of UDP-sugars and nucleotides, By using an uncoated capillary (70cm x 50 mu m) and 20 mmol/L borax buffer (pH 9), 4 important UDP-sugars can be analyzed in 15 min at 22 kV with satisfactory precision and sensitivity. The developed method has been applied to analyze UDP-sugars concentrations in lymphocytes, fibroblasts and mesangial cells, and the results show it not only is much better than HPLC method, but also can be used to measure the energy charge of cells.

虎眼万年青多糖对小鼠免疫功能的调节作用

依据虎眼万年青组分中多糖对小鼠巨噬细胞吞噬功能的影响,筛选并优化出60%醇浓度中性多糖活性组分S3,进而研究其对体液免疫、细胞免疫及细胞因子变化的影响,并从细胞和分子水平探讨其作用的机理.方法:采用溶血素测定方法,测定S3对小鼠脾细胞溶血素抗体的诱导作用;采用3H-TdR渗入法,测定S3对ConA诱导小鼠脾淋巴细胞的增殖作用;采用3H-TdR后标记法,测定S3对NK细胞细胞毒活性的影响;以ELISA法测定S3对小鼠脾细胞IL-2产生的影响;利用流式细胞术,检测S3对T淋巴细胞亚群CD3、CD4、CD8、CD4/CD8阳性细胞百分率的影响;采用RT-PCR方法检测IL-2 mBNA的表达水平.结果:S3高、中剂量组能明显增强小鼠脾细胞溶血素抗体的形成(P<0.05);各剂量组均能明显增强ConA诱导的淋巴细胞增殖能力(P<0.001);各剂量组均能增强NK细胞的细胞毒活性并促进IL-2的产生(P<0.001,P<0.01);高、中剂量组CD8阳性细胞百分率明显降低(P<0.001),各剂量组均能显著地提高CD4/CD8阳性细胞百分率(P<0.001);高剂量组可明显促进脾细胞中细胞因子IL-2的mRNA表达,使表达量增加(P<0.05).结论:S3具有较强的增强机体多种免疫功能的作用,可利用开发为一种免疫增强药物.

Identification and analysis of a Sciaenops ocellatus ISG15 homologue that is involved in host immune defense against bacterial infection

ISG15 is an interferon-stimulated gene that encodes a ubiquitin-like protein. ISG15 homologues have been identified in a number of fish species, some of which are known to be regulated at expression level by virus infection and lipopolysacchande (LPS) treatment However, the relationship between ISG15 and live bacterial infection has not been investigated in piscine models. In this study, an ISG15 homologue, SoISG15, was identified from red drum Scraeriops ocellaws and analyzed at expression and functional levels The open reading frame ofSolSG15 is 477 base pairs (bp) and mtronless, with a 5'-untranslated region (UTR) of 91 bp and a 3'-UTR of 415 bp The deduced amino acid sequence of S0ISG15 shares 60-67% overall identities with the ISG15 of several fish species. S0ISG15 possesses two conserved ubiquinn-like domains and the canonical ubiquitin conjugation motif, LRGG, at the C-terminus. Expressional analysis showed that constitutive expression of SolSG15 was highest in blood and lowest in kidney Experimental challenges with LPS and bacterial pathogens induced significant S0ISG15 expression in the kidney but not in the liver Similar differential induction was also observed at cellular level with primary hepatocytes and head kidney (HK) lymphocytes. Poly(' C), however, effected drastic induction of S0ISG15 expression in kidney and liver at both tissue and cellular levels. Immunoblot analysis showed that S0ISG15 was secreted by cultured HK lymphocytes into the extracellular milieu. Recombinant S0ISG15 expressed in and purified from Eschenclua colt was able to enhance the respiratory burst activity, acid phosphatase activity, and bactericidal activity of HK macrophages. Taken together, the results of this study indicated that SoISG 15 possesses apparent immunological property and is likely to be involved in host immune defense against bacterial infection. (C)2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.

Morphological and ultrastructural characterization of the coelomocytes in Apostichopus japonicus

The coelomocytes suspended in the coelomic fluid and occurring in the coelomic epithelial layer of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus (Selenka) (Holothuroidea: Aspidochirota: Stichopodidae) function as mediators of the immune system, trephocytic cells and nutrient transport cells. Types of coelomocytes are characterized based on their morphological and ultrastructural features. Flow cytometry plus light and electron microscopic analyses were conducted in order to characterize the coelomocytes of A. japonicus. Six types of coelomocytes were identified: lymphocytes, morula cells, amoebocytes, crystal cells, fusiform cells and vibratile cells. Within these major categories, several distinctive cell types occurred that might represent developmental stages. The mean +/- SD coelomocyte concentration in the individuals (body length: 10 to 15 cm; weight: 100 to 150 g) was (3.79 +/- 0.65) X 10(6) cells ml(-1). The coelomic fluid contained mainly hyalinocytes (76.69%) and granulocytes (23.31 %).

Effect of ethanol extract of alga Laurencia supplementation on DNA oxidation and alkylation damage in mice

Laurencia terpenoid extract (LET) had been extracted from the red alga Laurencia tristicha. The study is to investigate the effects of LET supplementation on DNA oxidation and alkylation damages in mice. Forty healthy kunming mice weighing between 18g and 25g were randomly assigned into 4 groups, each consisting of ten animals. The mice were orally intubated respectively for 60 days with the designed concentrations of LET (25, 50, 100 mg/kg b.w.) for three exposed groups and salad oil (0.2 ml) for the blank group. Food and water were free for the animals. Mice in the blank and exposed groups were sacrificed after the last treatment and the blood of each animal was quickly taken for further experiments. The spontaneous and oxidized DNA damages of peripheral lymphocytes induced by H2O2 were analysed by SCGE. O-6-Methy-guanine (O-6-MeG) was measured by high performance capillary zone electrophoresis. There was no significantly difference in DNA spontaneous damage on peripheral lymphocytes of all the mice. The oxidative DNA damage in the 50 mg/Kg body weight supplement group are 286AU with the oxidation of 10 mu mol/L H2O2, significantly lower than the blank group 332AU (p<0.05). The contents of O-6-MeG in plasma in the 50mg/kg b.w. and 100mg/kg b.w. supplement group were 1.50 mu mol/L andl.88 mu mol/L, significantly lower than that of the blank group, which was 2.89 mu mol/L(p<0.05). The results from the present study indicated that the LET were rich in terpenoids and safety to be taken orally and it could improve antioxidative and decrease DNA damage effectively.

心理干预对围手术期乳腺癌患者情绪、自评健康及免疫功能的影响研究

Objective：Developing a generalized psychological intervention program, and explore its influence on the emotion, subjective health, and immunity function of the perioperation patients with breast cancer. Method：Sixty patients with breast cancer were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The clinical psychological intervention was performed on patients in the intervention group for 20 days, in addition to the routine therapy and care. Levels of emotion (SAS & SDS), subjective health (SF-36), and immunity function (t lymphocyte subsets) of the patients were tested. Results: 1.There was no significant difference between the age, income, educational level, and type of prefession of the two groups. There was no significant difference between SAS, SDS, SF-36 and lymphocyte subsets（CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD4+/CD8+, NK） of the two groups. 2. Scores of SAS and SDS decreased significantly after intervention in experimental group, while the score of SF-36, the average value of CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and NK increased significantly. For the control group, the score of depression decreased significantly after intervention, while the score of PF, GH, VT, SF, RE, and MH increased significantly. 3. In comparison of the intervention and control group, the intervention effect of SAS, SDS, SF-36 scores (except SF), CD3+, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, and NK differed significantly, with the priority of experimental group. 4. SDS, SAS, and CD3+, CD4+, NK correlated in negative respectively, while SDS, SAS, and CD8+ correlated in positive. PF, RP, GH, SF, and MH of subjective health correlated in positive with every index of immunity function in positive, except negative correlation with CD4+/CD8+. BP, RE correlated with CD3+,CD4+,CD8+, and NK in positive. VT correlated in positive with CD3+, CD8+, and NK, in negative with CD4+/CD8+. Conclusions: 1. Anxiety, depression, and subjective health, correlated with immunity function in perioperation patients with breast cancer. 2. Psychological intervention can improve the emotional status, subjective health, and immune function of patients with breast cancer to the optimum in perioperative period.

条件反射性免疫抑制及其脑机制的c-fos研究

To explore the neural mechanisms underlying conditioned immunomodulation, this study employed the classical taste aversion (CTA) behavioral paradigm to establish the conditioned humoral and cellular immunosuppression (CIS) in Wistar rats, by paring saccharin (CS) with intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of an immunosuppressive drug cyclophophamide (UCS). C-fos immunohistochemistry method was used to observe the changes of the neuronal activities in the rat brain during the acquisition, expression and extinction of the conditioned immunosuppression (CIS). The followings are the main results: 1. Five days after one trial of CS-UCS paring, reexposure to CS alone significantly decreased the level of the anti-ovalbumin (OVA) IgG in the peripheral serum. Two trials of CS-UCS paring and three reexposures to CS not only resulted in further suppression of the primary immune response, but also reduced the numbers of peripheral lymphocytes and white blood cells. This finding indicates that CS can induce suppression of the immune function, and the magnitude of the effects is dependent on the intensity of training. 2. On day 5 following two trials of CS-UCS pairing, CS suppressed the spleen lymphocytes responsiveness to mitogens ConA, PHA and PWM, and decreased the numbers of peripheral lymphocytes and white blood cells. On day 15, only PHA induced lymphocyte proliferation was suppressed by CS. On day 30, presentation of CS did not have any effect on these immune parameters. These results suggest that the conditioned suppression of the cellular immune function can retain 5-15 days, and extinct after 30 days. 3. CTA was easily induced by one or two CS-UCS parings, and remained robust even after 30 days. These data demonstrate that CIS can be dissociated from CTA, and they may be mediated by different neural mechanisms. 4. Immunohistochemistry assays revealed a broad pattern of c-fos expression throughout the rat brain following the CS-UCS pairing and reexposure to CS, suggesting that many brain regions are involved in CIS. Some brain areas including the solitary tract nucleus (Sol), lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPB) and insular cortex (IC), showed high level c-fos expressions in response to both CS and UCS, suggesting that they may be involved in the transmission and integration of the CS and UCS signals in the brain. There were dense c-FOS positive neurons in the paraverntricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SO) of hypothalamus, subfornical organ (SFO) and area postrema (AP) etc. after two trials of CS-UCS paring and after the reexposure to CS 5 days later, but not in the first training and after the extinction of CIS (30 days later). The results reflect that these nuclei may have an important role in CIS expression, and may also response to the immunosuppression of UCS. The conditioned training and reexposure to CS 5 days later induced high level c-fos expression in the cingulate cortex (Cg), central amygdaloid nucleus (Ce), intermediate part of lateral septal nucleus (LSI) and ventrolateral parabrachial nucleus (VLPB) etc. But c-fos induction was not apparent when presenting CS 30 days later. These brain regions are mainly involved in CIS, and may be critical structures in the acquisition and expression of CIS. Some brain regions, including the frontal cortex (Fr), ventral orbital cortex (VO), IC, perirhinal cortex (PRh), LPB and the medial part of solitary nucleus (SolM), showed robust c-FOS expression following the conditioning training and reexposure to CS both on day 5 and day 30, suggesting that they are critically involved in CTA.