Sargassum horneri as a Functional Food Ameliorated IgE/BSA-Induced Mast Cell Activation and Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis in Mice

Sargassum horneri (S. horneri), an edible brown alga, has been proposed as a functional food with an improvement effect on abnormal skin immune responses. The present study investigates the anti-allergic effect of an ethanol extract from S. horneri (SHE) on immunoglobulin E (IgE)/bovine serum albumin (BSA)-mediated activation in bone marrow-derived cultured-mast cells (BMCMCs) and passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction in mice. SHE markedly and dose-dependently suppressed the degranulation of BMCMCs by reducing the β-hexosaminidase and histamine release without cytotoxicity. In addition, SHE significantly decreased the FcεRI expression on the surface of BMCMCs and its IgE binding. Moreover, SHE reduced the mRNA expression and the production of allergic cytokines; interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-13; interferon (IFN)-γ and/or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α; and a chemokine, thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC), by suppressing the activation of Src-family kinases and nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling. In further study, the application of SHE reduced the PCA reaction in an IgE/BSA-induced type I allergic mice model. Taken together, we suggest that SHE has an anti-allergic effect in type I allergic responses.     

3种介导猪NR2F2基因转染PK15细胞方法的比较研究

试验旨在研究3种转染方法对猪肾上皮细胞（PK15）的转染效率，为以PK15细胞为模型研究外源基因的功能提供参考。本研究以PK15细胞为研究对象，用脂质体、电穿孔、慢病毒3种转染方法转染后，在荧光显微镜下观察绿色荧光蛋白的表达，采用实时荧光定量PCR检测EGFP和NR2F2基因的表达情况，采用CCK-8检测细胞存活率，进而比较3种方法的转染效果。结果显示，转染PK15细胞后，电穿孔和慢病毒方法转染效率极显著高于脂质体（P<0.01），但电穿孔方法和慢病毒方法之间差异不显著（P>0.05）；EGFP和NR2F2基因的实时荧光定量PCR结果显示慢病毒方法效果最好，脂质体方法较差，与细胞转染效率基本一致；CCK-8结果显示，电穿孔转染后细胞存活率最低，极显著低于对照组（P<0.01），脂质体方法显著低于对照组（P<0.05），慢病毒方法与对照组间差异不显著（P>0.05）。综合考虑转染效率及细胞活性，本研究认为慢病毒转染方法最适合转染PK15细胞，为今后高效转染PK15细胞提供了理想的方法。     

瑞香狼毒化学成分抑制PC-12细胞神经突起生长活性研究

对瑞香狼毒(Stellera chamaejasme L.)的化学成分进行研究,采用硅胶色谱、凝胶色谱、高效液相色谱等多种色谱手段对瑞香狼毒的乙酸乙酯提取物进行分离纯化,利用NMR、MS波谱分析鉴定3个木质素、1个二萜原酸酯、3个双黄酮、2个黄酮。枇杷素(5)、异落叶松树脂醇(7)和(-)-落叶松树脂醇(8)为首次从该植物中分离得到。PC-12细胞活性试验表明,双黄酮类化合物(狼毒色原酮(2),新狼毒素B(3),异新狼毒素A(4))对NGF依赖的PC-12细胞突起生长有较强的抑制活性(P0.05)。     

鼠源细胞TaqMan实时荧光定量PCR检测方法的建立

为对鼠源细胞进行鉴别检测,以鼠线粒体16S rRNA基因序列为靶位点设计特异性引物及探针,建立实时荧光定量PCR检测方法,并评价该方法的特异性及敏感性。结果显示,所建立的检测方法特异性好,针对鼠源细胞基因组荧光定量PCR扩增曲线良好,其他物种来源细胞基因组及生物制品原辅材料未出现特异性扩增曲线;敏感性高,基因拷贝数检出限度为45.3拷贝。本试验建立的荧光定量PCR检测方法能够有效地对鼠源细胞进行快速检测,为细胞质量控制提供了有效方法。     

Na?ve-like conversion enhances the difference in innate in vitro differentiation capacity between rabbit ES cells and iPS cells

Quality evaluation of pluripotent stem cells using appropriate animal models needs to be improved for human regenerative medicine. Previously, we demonstrated that although the in vitro neural differentiating capacity of rabbit induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be mitigated by improving their baseline level of pluripotency, i.e., by converting them into the so-called “naïve-like” state, the effect after such conversion of rabbit embryonic stem cells (ESCs) remains to be elucidated. Here we found that naïve-like conversion enhanced the differences in innate in vitro differentiation capacity between ESCs and iPSCs. Naïve-like rabbit ESCs exhibited several features indicating pluripotency, including the capacity for teratoma formation. They differentiated into mature oligodendrocytes much more effectively (3.3–7.2 times) than naïve-like iPSCs. This suggests an inherent variation in differentiation potential in vitro among PSC lines. When naïve-like ESCs were injected into preimplantation rabbit embryos, although they contributed efficiently to forming the inner cell mass of blastocysts, no chimeric pups were obtained. Thus, in vitro neural differentiation following naïve-like conversion is a promising option for determining the quality of PSCs without the need to demonstrate chimeric contribution. These results provide an opportunity to evaluate which pluripotent stem cells or treatments are best suited for therapeutic use.     

Cell-free extract from porcine induced pluripotent stem cells can affect porcine somatic cell nuclear reprogramming

Pretreatment of somatic cells with undifferentiated cell extracts, such as embryonic stem cells and mammalian oocytes, is an attractive alternative method for reprogramming control. The properties of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are similar to those of embryonic stem cells; however, no studies have reported somatic cell nuclear reprogramming using iPSC extracts. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of porcine iPSC extracts treatment on porcine ear fibroblasts and early development of porcine cloned embryos produced from porcine ear skin fibroblasts pretreated with the porcine iPSC extracts. The Chariot^TM reagent system was used to deliver the iPSC extracts into cultured porcine ear skin fibroblasts. The iPSC extracts-treated cells (iPSC-treated cells) were cultured for 3 days and used for analyzing histone modification and somatic cell nuclear transfer. Compared to the results for nontreated cells, the trimethylation status of histone H3 lysine residue 9 (H3K9) in the iPSC-treated cells significantly decreased. The expression of Jmjd2b, the H3K9 trimethylation-specific demethylase gene, significantly increased in the iPSC-treated cells; conversely, the expression of the proapoptotic genes, Bax and p53, significantly decreased. When the iPSC-treated cells were transferred into enucleated porcine oocytes, no differences were observed in blastocyst development and total cell number in blastocysts compared with the results for control cells. However, H3K9 trimethylation of pronuclear-stage-cloned embryos significantly decreased in the iPSC-treated cells. Additionally, Bax and p53 gene expression in the blastocysts was significantly lower in iPSC-treated cells than in control cells. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show that an extracts of porcine iPSCs can affect histone modification and gene expression in porcine ear skin fibroblasts and cloned embryos.     

Mdivi-1, mitochondrial fission inhibitor,impairs developmental competence and mitochondrial function of embryos and cells in pigs

Mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that undergo constant fusion/fission as well as activities orchestrated by large dynamin-related GTPases. These dynamic mitochondrial processes influence mitochondrial morphology, size and function. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of mitochondrial fission inhibitor, mdivi-1, on developmental competence and mitochondrial function of porcine embryos and primary cells. Presumptive porcine embryos were cultured in PZM-3 medium supplemented with mdivi-1 (0, 10 and 50 μM) for 6 days. Porcine fibroblast cells were cultured in growth medium with mdivi-1 (0 and 50 μM) for 2 days. Our results showed that the rate of blastocyst production and cell growth in the mdivi-1 (50 μM) treated group was lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential in the mdivi-1 (50 μM) treated group was increased relative to the control group (P < 0.05). Subsequent evaluation revealed that the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the apoptotic index were increased by mdivi-1 (50 μM) treatment (P < 0.05). Finally, the expression of mitochondrial fission-related protein (Drp 1) was lower in the embryos and cells in the mdivi-1-treated group than the control group. Taken together, these results indicate that mdivi-1 treatment may inhibit developmental competence and mitochondrial function in porcine embryos and primary cells.     

Expression of matrix metalloproteinases in bovine luteal cells induced by prostaglandin F2α, interferon γ and tumor necrosis factor α

We recently demonstrated that luteal cells flow out from the ovary via lymphatic vessels during luteolysis. However, the regulatory mechanisms of the outflow of luteal cells are not known. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) can degrade the extracellular matrix and basal membrane, and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs) inhibit the activity of MMPs. To test the hypothesis that MMP expression in luteal cells is regulated by luteolytic factors, we investigated the effects of prostaglandin F2α (PGF), interferon γ (IFNG) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF) on the mRNA expression of MMPs and TIMPs in cultured luteal cells. Luteal cells obtained from the CL at the mid-luteal stage (days 8–12 after ovulation) were cultured with PGF (0.01, 0.1, 1 μM), IFNG (0.05, 0.5, 5 nM) and TNF (0.05, 0.5, 0.5 nM) alone or in combination for 24 h. PGF and IFNG significantly increased the expression of MMP-1 mRNA. In addition, 1 μM PGF in combination with 5 nM IFNG stimulated MMP-1 and MMP-9 mRNA expression significantly more than either treatment alone. In contrast, IFNG significantly decreased the level of MMP-14 mRNA. The mRNA expression of TIMP-1, which preferentially inhibits MMP-1, was suppressed by 5 nM INFG. One μM PGF and 5 nM IFNG suppressed TIMP-2 mRNA expression. These results suggest a new role of MMPs: luteal MMPs stimulated by PGF and IFNG break down the extracellular matrix surrounding luteal cells, which accelerates detachment from the CL during luteolysis, providing an essential prerequisite for outflow of luteal cells from the CL to lymphatic vessels.