Radio-resistance induced by nitric oxide to heavy ion irradiation in A172 human glioma cells

To investigate effects of nitric oxide on cellular radio-sensitivity, three human glioma cell lines, i.e. A172, A172 transfected green fluorescence protein (EGFP) gene (EA172) and A172 transfected inducible nitric oxide synthesis (iNOS) gene (iA72), were irradiated by C-12(6+) ions to 0, 1 or My. Productions of nitric oxide and glutathione (GSH) in A172, EA172 and iA172 were determined by chemical methods, cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry at the 24th hour after irradiation, and survival fraction of the cells was measured by colorimetric MTT assay at the 5th day after irradiation. The results showed that the concentrations of nitric oxide and GSH in iA172 were significantly higher than in A172 and EA172; the G(2)/M stage arrest induced by the C-12(6+) ion irradiation was observed in A172 and EA172 but not in iA172 at the 24th hour after exposure; and the survival fraction of iA172 was higher than that of EA172 and iA172. Data suggest that the radio-sensitivity of the A172 was reduced after the iNOS gene transfection. The increase of GSH production and the change of cellular signals such as the cell cycle control induced by nitric oxide may be involved in this radio-resistance.

Capillary liquid chromatographic-high-resolution mass spectrometric analysis of ribonucleotides

A method of capillary HPLC-high-resolution MS was developed for the trace analysis of ATP, GTP, dATP and dGTP Dimethylhexylamine (DMHA) was used as ion-pairing agent for the HPLC retention and separation of the nucleotides and positive ion electrospray time-of-flight MS was used for the detection. The application of capillary HPLC allowed minimal usage of DMHA while providing excellent peak retention and resolution, which significantly reduced the ion suppression in electrospray ionization-MS analysis and thus increased the sensitivity. Adduct ions of nucleotides and DMHA were used as quantitative ions in order to achieve the best sensitivity. DMHA concentration at 5 mM in the aqueous mobile phase at pH 7 was found to be the optimal conditions for the C Is capillary column. The method was applied to determine ATP level in cultured C6 glioma cells that were treated with toxic concentrations of Zn. The results showed that the cellular ATP level decreased from 2.7 pmol/cell (<10% cell death) in average control cell samples to 0.36 pmol/cell as the concentration of Zn increased to 120 mg/l (>35% cell death) in culture medium.

Investigation on intake, accumulation and toxicity of microcystins to silver carp

Daily intake and accumulation of microcystins (MCYSTs, MCs) in silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) were investigated under lab conditions by feeding the fish exclusively with fresh toxic Microcystis bloom at a density of 6 x 10(9) algal cells L-1. The medial lethal dose (LD50) of microcystin-LR to silver carp was estimated to be 270 mu g kg(-1) body-weight, underlining its strong resistance to toxic Microcystis bloom. It can survive after being ingested with high doses of microcystins (about 10 mg kg(-1)) during the 28-days feeding experiment. Enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay results show that microcystin concentrations in muscle and liver are 1.57 +/- 0.31 mu g kg(-1) and 4.28 +/- 1.64 mg kg(-1) fresh weight. The former is much lower than the World Health Organization limit recommended for human consumption. These results suggest that silver carps can be widely used in cyanobacterial bloom control, and consumption of fish muscles is safe for human beings.

一氧化氮介导的神经胶质瘤细胞对重离子辐射抗性及动物实验降能装置设计

目的：１、研究一氧化氮(NO)介导的神经胶质瘤细胞对重离子辐射抗性；２、研究小鼠大脑受重离子辐照后的损伤修复；３、为了更好的研究小鼠大脑受重离子布拉格（Bragg）峰区辐照后的损伤修复，设计并制造了旋转轮状降能装置。材料与方法：１、采用兰州重离子研究装置（HIRFL）加速的碳离子束辐照人类神经胶质瘤三种基因型细胞株：野生型神经胶质瘤细胞（A172），带绿色荧光蛋白基因的神经胶质瘤细胞（EA172）和带诱导型一氧化氮合酶基因（iNOS）的神经胶质瘤细胞（iA172），以及一种加了一氧化氮合酶抑制剂（L-NAME）的A172细胞（L-NAME-A172）。分别利用化学法、流式细胞术和MTT法检测三种神经胶质瘤细胞中NO、谷胱甘肽（GSH）的含量，以及它们的细胞周期变化和辐照后存活状况。２、利用不同剂量的碳离子束辐照昆明小鼠全脑，采用八臂迷宫检测随时间推移及训练次数的增加小鼠记忆损伤恢复情况。３、采用蒙特卡罗法和模拟退火法设计制造了一个有机玻璃材料的旋转降能装置。结果：1、NO和GSH在iA172细胞中的含量比A172和EA172中显著要高；辐照后24小时，观察到A172和EA172细胞发生周期阻滞即细胞阻滞于G2／M期，而这种现象没有在iA172细胞中观察到，并且iA172在接受同样辐射刺激后，细胞存活率显著高于其它三个细胞株。2、动物实验表明，在0－2Gy的碳离子辐照在短期内影响小鼠的记忆，经过一定时间后，这种影响得到恢复。3、物理实验显示，降能装置的实验数据与理论计算相符。结论：在低剂量的重离子坪区辐射条件下，一定浓度的NO可以使神经胶质瘤细胞产生辐射抗性。低剂量的重离子辐射致脑损伤可以得到很快的修复

γ射线辐照M期细胞的辐射敏感性及A172神经胶质瘤细胞的生物学效应

目的：探讨γ射线辐照SMMC-7721细胞后，M期细胞的辐射敏感性；研究经Y射线车荡照后神经胶质瘤A172细胞的生物学效应，为重离子治癌临床应用提供最基本的f氏LET辐射实验数据。材料与方法：采用兰州医学院第一附属医院60Co γ射线辐照SMMC-7721细胞和A172神经胶质瘤细胞，使用流式细胞技术（FCM）检测辐照后细胞周期的改变，同时通过克隆形成率比较M期和混合时相的SMMC-7721肝癌细胞的辐射敏感性；以细胞存活率不口微核率、微核细胞率来研究A172细胞的生物学效应。结论：1．人肝癌SMMC-7721细胞在M期的受损DNA修复能力比较低，导致M期细胞的辐射敏感性高于混合时相的细胞。2．虽然获得的样品中M期细胞仅有总数的18.5%，但获得的样品经二次平方公式拟合后的Q／p值是混合时相样品的17.5倍。由此说明，M期细胞的辐射敏感性很强，这样才能在比例仅占细胞总数18.5％的情况下起到非常明显的作用。3．由实验数据的分析，ZGy照射后，混合时相细胞在11h，三个时相的辐射敏感性依次为G2/M期＞S期＞G0／G1期。4．A172细胞生物学效应的实验中，细胞存活率γ与剂量D之间呈显著负相关者性，细胞存活率与剂量之间符合回归方程lgY＝-0.07528X＋1.84839，其回归系数r＝-0.93965，其中，p（0.01可以证明细胞存活率与剂量的相关性明显。5．本实验结果表明，A172细胞经低剂量照射后，与对照组相比可形成较高的微核率和微核细胞率，并在较大的剂量辐照后缓慢下降，最后分别维持在42％和37％左右。这说明，低于IGY剂量时，γ射线可引起A172细胞染色体的损伤，进而产生的染色体片断使细胞表现出高的微核率和微核细胞率；在大于IGy的条件下，由于染色体严重受损，细胞分裂延迟。6．实验中，各个剂量点的微核率均比微核细胞率偏高，这个现象可能与细胞本身的特性有关。本实验使用的A172神经胶质瘤细胞，自发微核率比较高，与有关文献报道的不太一致。

BCNU-loaded PEG-PLLA ultrafine fibers and their in vitro antitumor activity against glioma C6 cells

The purpose of the present study was to develop implantable BCNU-toaded poly(ethylene glycol)poly(L-lactic acid) (PEG-PLLA) diblock copolymer fibers for the controlled release of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU). BCNU was well incorporated and dispersed uniformly in biodegradable PEG-PLLA fibers by using electrospinning method. Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope (ESEM) images indicated that the BCNU-loaded PEG-PLLA fibers looked uniform and their surfaces were reasonably smooth. Their average diameters were below 1500 nm. The release rate of BCNU from the fiber mats increased with the increase of BCNU loading amount. In vitro cytotoxicity assay showed that the PEG-PLLA fibers themselves did not affect the growth of rat Glioma C6 cells. Antitumor activity of the BCNU-loaded fibers against the cells was kept over the whole experiment process, while that of pristine BCNU disappeared within 48 h. These results strongly suggest that the BCNU/PEG-PLLA fibers have an effect of controlled release of BCNU and are suitable for postoperative chemotherapy of cancers.

IN-VITRO IMMUNOTOXICITY AND CYTOTOXICITY OF TRICHOSANTHIN AGAINST HUMAN NORMAL IMMUNOCYTES AND LEUKEMIA-LYMPHOMA CELLS

Trichosanthin (TCS) is a ribosome-inactivating protein from root tubers of Trichosanthes kirilowii Maxim. In this paper, the effects of TCS on the viability of human peripheral blood immunocytess, on the proliferation of lymphocytes, and its cytotoxicity to twelve cell lines of lymphoma or leukemia had been observed. TCS at high concentration (>12.5 mu g/ml) affected the viability of human B lymphocytes, but not that of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), T lymphocytes and granulocytes. Human peripheral blood-derived monocytes/macrophages were highly sensitive to TCS (ID50 at 1.70 mu g/ml). TCS suppressed lymphocyte proliferation stimulated by Concanavalin A (Con A) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Human T cell lines and macrophage cell lines were more sensitive (ID50 < 0.9 mu g/ml) to TCS than B cell lines and myeloid lines. These results suggest that selective cytotoxicity of TCS to human macrophages/monocytes may be implicated in anti-HIV activity, and that selectively killing some leukemia-lymphoma cells by TCS merit further evaluation in treatment of some lymphoma and leukemia.

Hepatocyte growth factor enhances the generation of high-purity oligodendrocytes from human embryonic stem cells

Generation of homogeneous oligodendrocytes as donor cells is essential for human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based cell therapy for demylinating diseases. Herein we present a novel method for efficiently obtaining mature oligodendrocytes from hESCs with high purity (79.7 +/- 6.9%), using hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and G5 supplement(containing insulin, transferrin, selenite, biotin, hydrocortisone, basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor) in a four-step method. We induced hESCs into neural progenitors (NP) with HGF (5 ng/ml) and G5 (1 x) supplemented medium in an adherent differentiation system. The purified NPs were amplified in suspension as neurospheres for 1 month, and terminal oligodendrocyte differentiation was then induced by G5 supplement withdrawal and HGF treatment (20 ng/ml). The cells generated displayed typical morphologies of mature oligodendrocytes and expressed oligodendrocyte markers O4 and myelin basic protein (MBP). Our result revealed that HGF significantly enhanced the proliferation of hESC-derived NPs and promoted the differentiation as well as the maturation of oligodendrocytes from NPs. Further studies suggest that HGF/c-Met signaling pathway might play an important role in oligodendrocyte differentiation in our system. Our studies provide a means for generating the clinically relevant cell type and a platform for deciphering the molecular mechanisms that control oligodendrocyte differentiation. (C) 2009 International Society of Differentiation. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Migration of mouse antibody-secreting hybridoma cells from blood to genital tract and its regulation by sex hormones are associated with the differential expression patterns of adhesion molecules and chemokines in the tract rather than in the antibody-secreting cells

To understand better the molecular mechanisms of differential migration of antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) into mouse genital tracts, and regulation by sex hormones, surface markers, hormone receptors and adhesion molecules in mouse SG2 and PA4 hybridoma cells, respectively, secreting IgG2b and polymeric IgA antibody were detected by flow cytometry or RT-PCR. Semiquantitative RT-PCR was also used for measuring mRNA expression of adhesion molecules and chemokines (VCAM-1, ICAM-1, P-selectin, JAM-1 and CXCL12) in genital tracts of various adult mouse groups. The mRNAs of androgen receptor, estrogen receptor beta and CXCR4 were expressed in the ASCs. Sex hormones had no effect on expression of these molecules in ASCs. Except for VCAM-1, mRNA of all examined genes was expressed in normal mouse genital tracts. The mean of relative amounts of ICAM-1 and CXCL12 mRNA in all examined organs of females were higher (2.1- and 1.9-fold) than those in males. After orchiectomy or ovariectomy, the expression of ICAM-1, CXCL12 and P-selectin mRNA in the examined organs increased, except JAM-1 in male and CXCL12 in female. Sex hormone treatment recovered the changes to normal levels of mRNA expression in many examined genital tissues. In combination with our previous work, preferential migration of ASCs into female genital tract and regulation of migration by sex hormones are associated with expression patterns of adhesion molecules and chemokines in genital tract rather than in ASCs. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

DE-71-induced apoptosis involving intracellular calcium and the Bax-mitochondria-caspase protease pathway in human neuroblastoma cells In vitro

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are used extensively as flame-retardants and are ubiquitous in the environment and in wildlife and human tissue. Recent studies have shown that PBDEs induce neurotoxic effects in vivo and apoptosis in vitro. However, the signaling mechanisms responsible for these events are still unclear. In this study, we investigated the action of a commercial mixture of PBDEs (pentabrominated diphenyl ether, DE-71) on a human neuroblastoma cell line, SK-N-SH. A cell viability test showed a dose-dependent increase in lactate dehydrogenase leakage and 3-(4,5-dimethylthia-zol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide reduction. Cell apoptosis was observed through morphological examination, and DNA degradation in the cell cycle and cell apoptosis were demonstrated using flow cytometry and DNA laddering. The formation of reactive oxygen species was not observed, but DE-71 was found to significantly induce caspase-3, -8, and -9 activity, which suggests that apoptosis is not induced by oxidative stress but via a caspase-dependent pathway. We further investigated the intracellular calcium ([Ca2+](i)) levels using flow cytometry and observed an increase in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration with a time-dependent trend. We also found that the N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK801 (3 mu M) significantly reduced DE-71-induced cell apoptosis. The results of a Western blotting test demonstrated that DE-71 treatment increases the level of Bax translocation to the mitochondria in a dose-dependent fashion and stimulates the release of cytochrome c (Cyt c) from the mitochondria into the cytoplasm. Overall, our results indicate that DE-71 induces the apoptosis of ([Ca2+](i)) in SK-N-SH cells via Bax insertion, Cyt c release in the mitochondria, and the caspase activation pathway.

TRAIL in the mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi: Gene and its apoptotic effect in HeLa cells

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) is one of the TNF superfamily members, participating in many biological processes including cell proliferation and apoptotic death. In this study, a TRAIL gene was cloned from a perciform fish, the mandarin fish Siniperca chuatsi, a major cultured fish in China's aquaculture, and is named as SCTRAIL for S. chuatsi TRAIL. The full-length cDNA of SCTRAIL is 1359 bp, encoding a 283-amino-acid protein. This deduced protein contains the CYS231, a 23-mer fragment of transmembrane region, a glycosylation site and a TNF family signature, all of which are conserved among TRAIL members. SCTRAIL gene consists of six exons, with five intervening introns, spaced over approximately 9 kb of genomic sequence. Southern blotting demonstrated that the SCTRAIL gene is present as a single copy in mandarin fish genome. A 620 bp promoter region obtained by genome walking contains a number of putative transcription factor binding sites, such as Oct-1, Sp-1, NF-1, RAP-1, C/EBPaLp, NF-kappa B and AP-1. The SCTRAIL is constitutively expressed in all the analyzed tissues, as revealed by RT-PCR, which is confirmed by Western blotting analysis using polyclonal antibody against bacteria-derived recombinant SCTRAIL protein. As an apoptosis-inducing ligand, the overexpression of SCTRAIL but not the mutant SCTRAIL-C203S in HeLa cells induced changes characteristic of apoptosis, including chromatin condensation, nucleus fragmentation, DNA ladder, and increase of sub-G0/G1 cells in FACS analysis. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis induced by Rana grylio virus infection in fish cells

A fish cell line, fathead minnow (FHM) cell, was used to investigate the alteration of mitochondrial dynamics and the mechanism of apoptosis under Rana grylio virus (RGV) infection. Microscopy observations, flow-cytometry analysis and molecular marker detection revealed the apoptotic fate of the RGV-infected cells. Some typical apoptotic characteristics, such as chromatin condensation, DNA fragmentation and mitochondrial fragmentation, were observed, and significantly morphological changes of mitochondria, including size, shape, internal structure and distribution, were revealed. The mitochondria in RGV-infected cells were aggregated around the viromatrix, and the aggregation could be blocked by colchicine. Moreover, the Delta psi m collapse was induced, and caspase-9 and caspase-3 were activated in the RGV-infected cells. In addition, NF-kappa B activation and intracellular Ca2+ increase were also detected at different times after infection. The data revealed the detailed dynamics of mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis induced by an iridovirus, and provided the first report on mitochondrial fragmentation during virus-induced apoptosis in fish cells.