Immortalization of human umbilical vein endothelial cells with telomerase reverse transcriptase and simian virus 40 large T antigen

Objective: To establish normally conditionally-immortalized human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by ectopic expression of the human telomerase catalytic enzyme (hTERT) and simian virus 40 large T (SV40 LT) antigen. Methods: Primary HUVECs were transfected with recombinant retrovirus containing hTERT or SV40 LT respectively. Subsequently drug resistant cell clones were screened and expanded for further studies. Endothelial cell biomarkers were confirmed by examination. Results: The morphological phenotype of the transfected cells was similar to the non-transfected cells. Von Willebrand factor, hTERT and SV40 LT could be detected in transfected HUVECs. Moreover, higher telomerase activity in transfected cells was maintained for over 50 population doublings compared with only low level of endogenous telomerase transiently at early population doublings in primary HUVECs. When exposed to TNF-α(tumor necrosis factor-α), the expression of E-selectin in transfected cells was significantly up-regulated, but no alteration of endothelial lipase was found. Conclusion: Ectopic coexpression of hTERT and SV40 LT can effectively immortalize HUVECs without tumorigenicity in vitro. Immortalized HUVECs may be an ideal target of further molecular function studies.     

Berbamine induces apoptosis in human hepatoma cell line SMMC7721 by loss in mitochondrial transmembrane potential and caspase activation

Objective： To investigate the effect ofberbamine on human hepatoma cell line SMMC7721. Methods： The effects of 24 h and 48 h incubation with different concentrations （0-64 μg/ml） of the berbamine on SMMC7721 cells were evaluated using 3-4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide （MTT） assay. Hoechst 33258 staining was conducted to distinguish the apoptotic cell, and the appearance of sub-G1 stage was determined by PI （propidium iodide） staining, the percentage of apoptotic cell was determined by flow cytometry following annexin V/PI staining. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze the cell cycle distribution and the mitochondrial membrane potential （△ψm）, the expression of activated caspase3 and caspase9 was analyzed by Western-blot. Results： The proliferation of SMMC7721 was decreased after treatment with berbamine in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Berbamine could induce apoptosis in SMMC7721 cells and could cause cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase, to induce loss of mitochondrial membrane potential （AVm） and activate caspase3 and caspase9. Berbamine-induced apoptosis could be blocked by the broad caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk. Conclusion： Berbamine exerts antiproliferative effects on human hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC7721 cells. The anticancer activity of berbamine could be attributed partly to its inhibition of cell proliferation and induction of apoptosis in cancer cells through loss in mitochondrial transmembrane potential and caspase activation.     

Study on the expression and mutation of human telomeric repeat binding factor （hTRF1） in 10 malignant hematopoietic cell lines

Objective: Detecting the expression and mutation of human telomeric repeat binding factor (hTRF1) in 10 malignant hematopoietic cell line cells on the base of determining its genomic structure and its four pseudogenes to clarify if h TRF1 mutation is one of the factors of the activation oftelomerase. Methods: hTRF1cDNA sequences were obtained from GenBank, its genome structure and pseudogenes were forecasted by BLAST and other biology information programs and then testified by sequencing.Real-time RT-PCR was used to detect the expression ofhTRF1mRNA in 10 cell line cells, including myelogenous leukemia cell lines K562, HL-60, U-937, NB4, THP-1, HEL and Dami; lymphoblastic leukemia cell lines 6T-CEM, Jurkat and Raji. Telomerase activities of cells were detected by using telomeric repeat amplification (TRAP)-ELISA protocol. PCR and sequencing were used to detect mutation of each exon of h TRF1 in 10 cell line cells. Results: h TRF1 gene, mapped to 8q 13, was divided into 10 exons and spans 38.6 kb. Four processed pseudogenes of hTRF1 located on chromosome 13, 18, 21 and X respectively, was named as ψhTRF1-13, ψhTRF1-18, ψhTRF1-21 and ψhTRF1-X respectively. All cell line cells showed positive telomerase activity. The expression of hTRF1 was significantly lower in malignant hematopoietic cell lines cells (0.0338, 0.0108～0.0749) than in normal mononuclear cells (0.0493, 0.0369～0.128) (P=0.004). But no significant mutation was found in all exons of hTRF1 in 10 cell line cells. Four variants were found in part of intron 1,2 and 8 ofhTRF1. Their infection on gene function is unknown and needs further studies. Conclusion: hTRF1 mutation is probably not one of the main factors for telomerase activation in malignant hematopoietic disease.     

Proteomic analysis of primary colon cancer-associated fibroblasts using the SELDI-ProteinChip platform

Objective: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are one of the hallmarks of the cancer microenvironment. Recent evidence has indicated that CAFs are more competent in enhancing cancer cell growth and migration than normal fibroblasts. However, the unique protein expression of CAFs has not been fully elucidated. This study aims to investigate the characterizations of colon CAFs by comparing the differential protein expression between CAFs and normal fibroblasts. Methods: Primary fibroblasts were isolated from surgical specimen of human colon cancer and matched normal colonic tissue. Purity of the cell population was verified through immunostain analysis. Total cell lysates and conditioned media from each group of cells were extracted, and protein expression analysis was conducted using the surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) ProteinChip platform. Results: Most primary cells showed typical fibroblast-like features after two weeks. Increased proportion of α-smooth muscle actin-positive myofibroblasts was detected within the CAFs in four of the six pairs of primary cells. Fibroblast activation protein was weakly expressed in most cells without differences. Using SELDI-TOF-MS ProteinChip platform, four protein peaks mass over charge ratio (m/z) 1142, 3011, 4035, and 4945 were detected in the total cell lysates, and two protein peaks m/z 1368 and 1389 were detected in the conditioned media. The potential candidate proteins found in the Swiss-Prot database include morphogenetic neuropeptides, FMRFamide-related peptides, insulin-like growth factor II, thymosin β-4-like protein 3, and tight junction-associated protein 1. Conclusions: Using the SELDI-ProteinChip platform, differential protein expressions were identified in colon CAFs compared with normal colonic stromal fibroblasts. The complex proteomic alternations in colon CAFs may play important roles related to the colon cancer microenvironment.     

Automatic segmentation of bladder in CT images

Segmentation of the bladder in computerized tomography （CT） images is an important step in radiation therapy planning of prostate cancer. We present a new segmentation scheme to automatically delineate the bladder contour in CT images with three major steps. First, we use the mean shift algorithm to obtain a clustered image containing the rough contour of the bladder, which is then extracted in the second step by applying a region-growing algorithm with the initial seed point selected from a line-by-line scanning process. The third step is to refine the bladder contour more accurately using the rolling-ball algorithm. These steps are then extended to segment the bladder volume in a slice-by-slice manner. The obtained results were compared to manual segmentation by radiation oncologists. The average values of sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and Hausdorffdistance are 86.5%, 96.3%, 90.5%, 96.5%, and 2.8 pixels, respectively. The results show that the bladder can be accurately segmented.     

A food-grade industrial arming yeast expressing β-1,3-1,4-glucanase with enhanced thermal stability

The aim of this work was to construct a novel food-grade industrial arming yeast displaying β-1,3-1,4-glucanase and to evaluate the thermal stability of the glucanase for practical application. For this purpose, a bi-directional vector containing galactokinase (GAL1) and phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) promoters in different orientations was constructed. The β-1,3-1,4-glucanase gene from Bacillus subtilis was fused to α-agglutinin and expressed under the control of the GAL1 promoter. α-galactosidase induced by the constitutive PGK1 promoter was used as a food-grade selection marker. The feasibility of the α-galactosidase marker was confirmed by the growth of transformants harboring the constructed vector on a medium containing melibiose as a sole carbon source, and by the clear halo around the transformants in Congo-red plates owing to the expression of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase. The analysis of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase activity in cell pellets and in the supernatant of the recombinant yeast strain revealed that β-1,3-1,4-glucanase was successfully displayed on the cell surface of the yeast. The displayed β-1,3-1,4-glucanase activity in the recombinant yeast cells increased immediately after the addition of galactose and reached 45.1 U/ml after 32-h induction. The thermal stability of β-1,3-1,4-glucanase displayed in the recombinant yeast cells was enhanced compared with the free enzyme. These results suggest that the constructed food-grade yeast has the potential to improve the brewing properties of beer.     

A genetic diversity comparison between captive individuals and wild individuals of Elliot＇s Pheasant （Syrmaticus ellioti） using mitochondrial DNA

Maintaining genetic diversity is a major issue in conservation biology. In this study, we demonstrate the differences of genetic diversity levels between wild and captive individuals of Elliot‘s Pheasant Syrmaticus ellioti. Wild individuals showed a higher genetic diversity level than that of the captive individuals. Nucleotide diversity and haplotype diversity of wild individuals were 0.00628 and 0.993, while those of captive individuals were 0.00150 and 0.584 respectively. Only 3 haplotypes of mtDNA control region sequence were identified among 36 captive individuals, while 16 unique haplotypes were identified among the 17 wild individuals in this study. One captive haplotype was shared by a wild individual from Anhui Province. It is concluded that a low number of founders was the likely reason for the lower level genetic diversity of the captive group. Careful genetic management is suggested for captive populations, particularly of such an endangered species, to maintain genetic variability levels.     

Immunomodulatory function of orally administered thymosin α1

Objective: To investigate the immunological function of a yeast expression system for thymosin α1(Tα1). Methods: A constructed Tα1 yeast expression system was used to investigate the immunological function of orally administered Tα1. Dried yeast containing three different concentration of Tα1 was fed to normal Balb/c mice and other Balb/c mice whose immunities were inhibited in advance by cyclophosphamide. Synthesized Tα1 peptide was used as positive control and dried yeast with empty plasmid was used as negative control. CD4 and CD8 levels were detected by flow cytometry assay. TNF-α IFN-γ IL-2, IL-6 and IL-10 levels were detected by liquid chip. Results: In normal Balb/c mice or immune inhibition Balb/c mice, CD8 levels were significantly increased. Especially in immune inhibition Balb/c mice, CD8 levels in synthesized Tα1 group (18.77％±4.72％),small dose group (13.48％±6.17％) and large dose group (22.74％±1.09％) were significantly higher than that in empty yeast control group (7.49％±2.14％). Conclusion: Orally administered Tα1 has its certain immunomodulatory function.     

Characteristics of transgenic tomatoes antisensed for the ethylene receptor genes LeERT1 and LeERT2

Two stable transformed lines containing antisense LeERT1 or LeERT2 sequences and their hybridized line were investigated to determine the effect of LeERT1 and LeERT2 specificity in the ethylene receptor family in tomato （Lycopersicon esculenturn Mill.） on ethylene signaling. The transgenic line alel containing antisense LeER T1 displayed shorter length of seedling grown in the dark and adult plant in the light, severe epinastic petiole, and accelerated abscission of petiole explant and senescence of flower explant, compared with its wild type B 1. The transgenic line ale2 containing antisense LeERT2 also exhibited shorter hypocotyls and slightly accelerated abscission. The phenotypes of cross line dale of LeERT1 and LeERT2 were close to alel in many aspects. These results suggested that LeERT1 probably plays a relatively important role in ethylene signaling of tomato growth and development.     

A study on sampling strategies in the figure cognitive process

This study was aimed at investigating the sampling strategies for 2 types of figures: 3-D cubes and human faces. The research was focused on: (a) from where the sampling process started; (b) in what order the figures' features were sampled. The study consisted of 2 experiments: (a) sampling strategies for 3-D cubes; (b) sampling strategies for human faces. The results showed that: (a), for 3-D cubes, the first sampling was mostly located at the outline parts, rarely at the center part; while for human faces, the first sampling was mostly located at the hair and outline parts, rarely at the mouth or cheek parts, in most cases, the first sampling-position had no significant effects on cognitive performance and that (b), the sampling order, both for 3-D cubes and for human faces, was determined by the degree of difference among the sampled-features.     

Arachnoid cell involvement in the mechanism of coagulation-initiated inflammation in the subarachnoid space after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Objective: To assess if arachnoid cells have the capability to present antigen and activate T-lymphocytes after stimulation by bloody cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and to illuminate the mechanism of coagulation-initiated inflammation in the subarachnoid space after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods: Arachnoid cells were cultured, characterized, and examined by immunofluorescence for the basal expression of human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR). Expression of HLA-DR, after co-culturing arachnoid cells in vitro with bloody CSF, was investigated by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry (FCM). The variation of arachnoid cells' ultrastructure was observed by transmission electron microscope (TEM). Arachnoid cells were co-cultured with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The content of soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2r) in culture medium was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: (1) Arachnoid cells were successfully cultured for many passages. The immunofluorescent staining was positive for HLA-DR in over 95% of the human arachnoid cells. The punctate HLA-DR was distributed in cytoplasm and not in the karyon. (2) After co-culturing arachnoid cells in vitro with bloody CSF, numerous particles with strong fluorescence appeared in the cytoplasm on Day 6. On Day 8, the quantity of particles and fluorescent intensity were maximal. FCM showed that the percentage of HLA-DR expressing cells was (2.5±0.4)% at the first 5 d, increasing to (60.8±3.6)% on Day 7. (3) After co-culturing arachnoid cells in vitro with bloody CSF, many lysosome and secondary lysosome particles were present in the cytoplasm. Hyperplasia of rough endoplasmic reticulum and enlarged cysts were observed, with numerous phagocytizing vesicles also observed at the edge of the arachnoid cells. (4) Arachnoid cells stimulated by bloody CSF were co-cultured in vitro with PBMCs. The content of sIL-2r in the culture medium, having been maintained at around 1.30 ng/ml during the first 3 d, had increased by Day 4. The content of sIL-2r peaked 7.53 ng/ml on Day 7 and then reduced gradually. Conclusions: (1) Basic HLA-DR expression is present in arachnoid cells. (2) After stimulation by bloody CSF, arachnoid cells have the potential to serve as antigen presenting cells (APCs) and the ability to activate T-lymphocytes, indicating that arachnoid cells are involved in the mechanism of coagulation-initiated inflammation in the subarachnoid space after SAH.     

Green Fluorescent Protein Recombinant Nisin as a Probe for Detection of Gram-Positive Bacteria

A great amount of foodborne pathogens were Gram-positive(G+) bacteria, a threat to public health. In this study, considering the binding ability of nisin towards G+ bacteria and the stable fluorescent ability of EGFP protein, a fluorescent nisin–EGFP protein probe was constructed by a gene engineering method. Nisin and EGFP were used as the receptor and fluorophore, respectively, to detect G+ bacteria. The nisin and egfp gene were amplified separately according to the sequence published in Gen Bank using unique primers. The two genes were cloned into a pET-28b(+) vector resulting in apET-28b(+)–nisin–egfp vector. The vector was transferred into Escherichia coli(E. coli) BL21(DE3) for expression. The expressed protein was extracted, purified by a Ni–NTA column, and then tested by the SDS-PAGE method to confirm its molecular weight. Listeria monocytogenes(L.monocytogenes), Staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus), and Micrococcus luteus(M. luteus) were used as the representations of G+ bacteria. E. coli O157, representing the gram-negative(G-) bacteria, was used as a negative control. The binding specificity of the recombinant protein was performed on two types of bacteria and then detected through fluorescent microscopy. The results indicated that the nisin–EGFP probe could detect G+ bacteria at 10~8CFU/mL.     

Helical angle measurement of worm by a coordinate measuring machine and its uncertainty evaluation

The purpose of the study concerns the measurement of worm’s helical angle by a coordinate measurement machine in the ambient industrial environment. The novel measurement method and sampling strategy were described firstly. This method used the coordinate measurement machine to measure both of the worm gear’s left and right surfaces. The worm surface was reconstructed based on the measured data of all the sampling points. Then a middle cylinder was established to truncate the fitted worm surfaces, and the truncated spiral lines were straightened to calculate the helical angle. The measurement uncertainty of worm’s helical angle was evaluated by taking the difference of calculated helical angles along the truncated spiral lines on both the left and right side surfaces of the worm. Twenty-four measurement experiments show that the maximum measurement error of the proposed method is 0.105, and the measurement error ratios are all less than 3.5?. The result means that the measurement method can realize the precision measurement of worm’s helical angle and can be employed in the generally industrial application.     

吗丙嗪对兔和人红细胞脂质过氧化的抑制

Lipid peroxide (LPO) plays pivotal roles in the process and development of many diseases. In this work, we studied the inhibitory effect of probimane (Pro), a Chinese anticancer agent, on erythrocyte LPO and the interaction of Pro with sialic acids (sia). Malondialdehyde (MDA) of erythrocytes activated by hydrogen peroxide was measured. Pro was found to inhibit the product of LPO induced by hydrogen peroxide in a non-enzyme system of both rabbit and human erythrocytes in the absence of doxorubicin. Sia were     

Effect of high glucose levels on the calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells by inducing osteoblastic differentiation and intracellular calcium deposition via BMP-2/Cbfα-1 pathway

In this paper,we investigate the effect and the possible mechanism of high glucose levels on the calcification of human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs).HASMCs were divided into four groups: normal glucose group (NG),osmolality control group (OC),high glucose group (HG,HASMCs culture medium containing 30 mmol/L glucose),and high glucose plus recombinant human Noggin protein (bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) antagonist) group (HN).The mRNA levels and the protein expressions of BMP-2 and core binding factor alpha-1 (Cbfα-1) were measured by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot.After induced by 10 mmol/L β-glycerol phosphoric acid,cells were harvested for assessments of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities at Days 1,2,and 3,and intracellular calcium contents at Days 7 and 14,respectively.High glucose levels increased the mRNA levels and the protein expressions of BMP-2 and Cbfα-1 (P0.05).The expression of Cbfα-1 was partially blocked by Noggin protein (P0.05),while BMP-2 was not (P0.05).After being induced by β-glycerol phosphoric acid,high glucose levels increased the ALP activity [(48.63±1.03) vs.(41.42±2.28) U/mg protein,Day 3;P0.05] and the intracellular calcium content [(2.76±0.09) vs.(1.75±0.07) μmol/mg protein,Day 14;P0.05] in a time-dependent manner when compared with the NG group,while the ALP activity could not be blocked by Noggin protein [(48.63±1.03) vs.(47.37±0.97) U/mg protein,Day 3;P0.05].These results show that high glucose levels can evoke the calcification of HASMCs by inducing osteoblastic trans-differentiation and intracellular calcium deposition via the BMP-2/Cbfα-1 pathway,which can be partially blocked by Noggin protein.     

悠闲英语（四十八）

In Groups——物以类聚 Yesterday, I took my mountain bike1 to the trails2. When I was passing by a pond, I saw a few Canada geese3 cruising on the water. Spring has come, and the geese are back from south and will soon be on their way farther north. The sight of the geese reminded me of a story our kindergarten teacher told us when we were very little. She said that men hunted wild geese for food and the geese didn＇t like them. So, the leader goose taught other geese to fly in the formation of ＂人＂ to remind everyone to keep away from men because they were the worst enemy of geese. Many years later, when I came to the United States, I saw geese fly in the same formation as they fly in the skies of China, and I was puzzled;     

Effect of siRNA-mediated knockdown of eIF3c gene on survival of colon cancer cells

Eukaryotic initiation factor subunit c(eIF3c) has been identified as an oncogene that is over-expressed in tumor cells and,therefore,is a potential therapeutic target for gene-based cancer treatment.This study was focused on investigating the effect of small interfering RNA(siRNA)-mediated eIF3c gene knockdown on colon cancer cell survival.The eIF3c gene was observed to be highly expressed in colon cancer cell models.The expression levels of the gene in eIF3c siRNA infected and control siRNA infected cells were compared via real-time polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and western blotting analysis.Cell proliferation levels were analyzed employing 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol 2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) and colony formation assays.Furthermore,the effects of eIF3c gene knockdown on the cell cycle and apoptosis were analyzed using flow cytometry.The results showed that suppression of eIF3c expression significantly(P<0.001) reduced cell proliferation and colony formation of RKO colon cancer cells.The cell cycle was arrested by decreasing the number of cells entering S phase.Further,apoptosis was induced as a result of eIF3c knockdown.Collectively,eIF3c deletion effectively reduced the survival of colon cancer cells and could be used as a therapeutic tool for colon cancer therapy.