Purification and adhesion receptor phenotype of ovine bone marrow-derived haemopoietic colony-forming cells.

Ovine haemopoietic progenitor cells that form colonies (CFC) in soft agar cultures were compared to more mature bone marrow cells for their level of expression of the adhesion receptor molecules ovine (ov) CD44, ov CD11a (LFA-1) and ov CD58 (LFA-3) as well as the 175-antigen using specific monoclonal antibodies. Ov CD44, ov CD11a and ov CD58 were expressed on all CFC of the myeloid (non-erythroid) series, whereas ov CD44 and ov CD11a expression was very low or absent from a small number of blast and erythroid series CFC. Within the mature non-erythroid population of myeloid cells, neutrophils retained a low level of expression of ov CD11a. Most CFC representing all lineages strongly expressed the ov CD44 antigen. In contrast, the majority of CFC lacked the 175-antigen, as did bone marrow lymphocytes, basophils and mast cells. This property of CFC was exploited in a negative selection technique using panning and immunomagnetic beads to select CFC from other bone marrow cells with a 116-125-fold enrichment, 12-14% purity and 29-40% yield. These results demonstrate that ovine CFC express some of the molecules necessary to allow adhesion to haemapoietic stromal cells and vascular endothelium in the tissues. Future studies will concentrate on the function of the adhesion receptor molecules in medullary and extra-medullary haemopoiesis and inflammatory cell development in sheep.     

Irreversible damage in ovine ovarian tissue after cryopreservation in propanediol: analyses after in vitro culture and xenotransplantation

Current progress in cancer treatment has increased the incidence of long-term patient survival. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OT) is still the most promising fertility saving method offered to young female patients with cancer prior to the onset of radio-chemotherapy. Further follicular development of immature primordial follicles depends on transplantation or in vitro culture (IVC). Aim of this study was to evaluate the appropriateness of cryopreserved ovine OT with 1,2-propanediol (PROH) after short-term IVC and xenotransplantation (XT). Ovarian tissue fragments from young adult sheep were cryopreserved using a standard slow-freezing protocol with 1.5 M PROH. Cryopreserved OT was assessed by light- and transmission electron microscopic analyses after thawing, IVC or XT in severe immunodeficient mice. Control OT showed the presence of healthy preantral follicles (Mean: 78.8%; SE 2.9%) and normal structure of the stromal tissue. After thawing and IVC over 80% of damaged primordial follicles and poor preservation of the stromal tissue was observed. After XT, OT demonstrated deficient follicles and huge areas of vacuolization in the stromal tissue confirmed by ultrastructural assessment. In conclusion, because of the irreversible character of the follicular and stromal damage of cryopreserved ovine ovarian tissue after IVC and XT, strong improvement of the utilized protocol is needed to be suitable for the preservation of ovine ovarian tissue. The deleterious effects of PROH do not imply its exclusion as cryoprotectant, but more research is needed for the development of less toxic cryoprotectant mixtures and toxicity neutralizers with attested cryoprotectant capacity for the safe and feasible freezing of human ovarian tissue.     

Pulmonary dendritic cells isolated from neonatal and adult ovine lung tissue

Lung dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen presenting cells (APCs) that initiate and modulate the adaptive immune response upon microbial infection within the pulmonary environment. For the first time, neonatal and adult lung DCs in a large animal model were compared in these studies. Here, we isolated and identified lung DCs in both neonatal and adult sheep, a valuable experimental animal utilized in pulmonary studies of naturally occurring respiratory diseases. Neonatal lung DCs exhibited characteristic dendrites and morphology when observed by transmission electron microscopy and expressed low to moderate DEC-205, CD80/86, MHC class II and CD 14. Regardless of age, lung DCs were functionally able to endocytose FITC conjugated ovalbumin but to a lesser degree than monocyte-derived DCs. In addition, neonatal lung DCs were demonstrated to be potent stimulators of allogeneic T cell proliferation. Together, these results demonstrate that neonatal and adult lung DCs are functionally similar. It is apparent from the data presented that neonatal pulmonary DCs do not exhibit an intrinsic functional defect that would impair their ability to take up antigen and stimulate na?ve T cells. These data support growing evidence that neonatal immune responses may differ from adults due to different microenvironmental influences rather than differences in dendritic cell maturation states.     

Growth of differentiated ovine tracheal epithelial cells in vitro

Culture of ovine tracheal epithelial cells is a useful tool for conducting various in vitro studies. We describe herein an in vitro technique and the conditions for culturing primary epithelial cells derived from tracheas of adult sheep. Ovine tracheas were surgically removed from 2- to 3-month-old healthy sheep and tracheal epithelial cells were isolated by 0.15% pronase digestion. After epithelial cells isolation, a Millicell insert with porous membrane was coated with 0.05% human placental collagen and the epithelial cells were added to the membrane. To create an air-liquid interface environment for the cells, the apical compartment of the membrane containing the tracheal epithelial cells was left exposed to 5% CO(2) at 37 degrees C for 2 days then increased to 9% CO(2) while cells in the basolateral compartment underneath the membrane contained the growth medium necessary for cells nourishment. Pepsin digestion was more effective in reducing the number of fibroblasts than other procedures. Cells were allowed to grow for 6-7 days to form a confluent monolayer and nearly 21 days for cilia formation on the apical surface as determined by light microscopy of haematoxylin and eosin-stained sections of membranes. In order to further confirm the epithelial origin of cells, cells were stained for cytokeratin antigen by immunohistochemistry. Most ciliated epithelial cells were immunoreactive for cytokeratin. This is the first report of differentiated ovine tracheal epithelial cells growth and isolation. This technique can be used in numerous in vitro investigative studies in ovine species as an animal model for human disease.     

家兔睾丸间质细胞的分离纯化及原代培养

为了研究家兔睾丸间质细胞(Leydigcell,LC)的分离纯化程序及体外生长特点,试验采用4种不同消化程序对家兔睾丸组织进行消化,percoll梯度分离出兔LC,并进行体外培养。结果表明:经4℃保存和34℃孵育,0.5mg/mLⅠ型胶原酶消化40min获得的细胞数最多,经percoll梯度分离的细胞纯度达92%;34℃、5%CO2条件下细胞生长良好,呈现梭形和不规则形2种形状。     

陆川猪耳部成纤维细胞的体外培养

本研究建立陆川猪耳部成纤维细胞的体外培养体系,采用组织块培养法可以获得陆川猪耳部成纤维细胞。用0.25%胰蛋白酶＋0.02%EDTA消化液消化细胞、用含有10%FBS的DMEM对细胞进行培养,能很好的支持陆川猪耳部成纤维细胞的生长。传3代后,观察到培养的细胞形态逐渐均一,为典型的成纤维细胞,绝大部分呈梭形或不规则三角形...     

Evaluation of an in vitro degranulation challenge procedure for equine pulmonary mast cells.

Pulmonary mast cells (PMC) are important components of the inflammatory process in equine allergic lung diseases such as heaves. Very little, however, is known of the degranulation kinetics of these cells and thus, their pathophysiologic role remains largely speculative. The purpose of this study was to develop a repeatable protocol for in vitro equine PMC degranulation. Five mature horses (sex: 2 M, 3 F; age: 8.8 +/- 6.5 y), historically free of pulmonary disease and normal on clinical respiratory examination, arterial blood gas analysis, pulmonary mechanics testing and histamine inhalation challenge, were studied. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed on 4 separate occasions, at least 2 d apart, in a different lung lobe on each occasion. The lavage fluid was concentrated by centrifugation. Cells were resuspended in modified HEPES/Tyrode, assessed for viability by Trypan blue exclusion, and PMC concentration determined. Cell inocula containing 30,000 PMC were incubated with 10(-8) to 6 x 10(-5) M A23187. Cells were then separated by centrifugation and histamine release (HR) was determined by fluorometric assay. The procedure was readily performed and yielded sufficient PMC for 30 to 60 inocula per lavage. Maximal HR (34.4 +/- 16.1%) was obtained with 10(-5) M A23187. The degranulation process was largely complete by 20 min but cell lysis was negligible. The challenge was repeatable within horse and produced a mean coefficient of variability of 23.0% following 20 min incubation with 10(-5) M A23187. We conclude that equine PMC degranulation can be repeatably performed in vitro and speculate that this protocol may be useful in further studies on the pathophysiology and treatment of equine allergic lung diseases.     

Enrichment of prion protein in exosomes derived from ovine cerebral spinal fluid

Prion diseases are transmissible neurodegenerative disorders affecting humans and a wide variety of animal species including sheep and cattle. The transmissible agent, the prion, is an abnormally folded form (PrP(Sc)) of the host encoded cellular prion protein (PrP(C)). Distribution of the prion protein in the fluids of species susceptible to these diseases is of importance to human health and the iatrogenic spread of prion disease. Aside from blood which is confirmed to be a source of prion infectivity, it is currently unclear which other body fluids harbor a significant transmission risk. In the current study we examined two ovine fluids; pseudo-afferent lymph and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), for the presence of exosomes and concurrent enrichment of the normal, cellular form of the prion protein (PrP(C)). Here we demonstrate the existence of exosomes in both pseudo-afferent lymph and CSF isolated from sheep. In the CSF derived exosomes we were able to show an enrichment of PrP(C) over unfractionated CSF. This experimental approach suggests that CSF derived exosomes could be used as a novel means of detecting abnormal forms of the prion protein and provide an in vivo link between these vesicles and prion disease pathogenesis.     

Effects of ovine growth hormone and other anterior pituitary hormones on lipolysis of rat and ovine adipose tissue in vitro

Ovine growth hormone ( oGH ) was tested for its effects on lipolysis of rat and ovine adipose tissue in vitro. Ovine growth hormone at 1, 5 and 25 micrograms/ml stimulated lipolysis (P less than .05) of chopped rat adipose tissue and isolated rat adipocytes incubated in the presence of 100 mU/ml adenosine deaminase and .2 micrograms/ml dexamethasone, but had no effect on lipolysis of chopped ovine adipose tissue or isolated ovine adipocytes. Isoproterenol, a beta-adrenergic agonist, stimulated lipolysis (P less than .05) of both rat and ovine adipose tissue. Contaminants of the oGH preparation used were examined for lipolytic effects. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) content in oGH were measured by radioimmunoassay. When quantities of these hormones contaminating 5 and 25 micrograms oGH were tested for lipolysis in rat adipose tissue, the TSH contamination could account for some (30%) of the lipolysis observed with oGH , while the other hormones had no effect. Also, preincubation of oGH with anti-GH, but not with anti-TSH or anti-LH, removed the principle in oGH responsible for the lipolytic effect on rat adipose tissue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Characterisation of IgE-mediated histamine release from equine basophils in vitro

In vitro IgE-mediated histamine release by equine blood basophils was characterised as the basis for a screening test for immediate hypersensitivity responses in horses. The responses are initiated by inducing agents that are capable of crosslinking or bridging the membrane-bound IgE molecules. The release process is complete within 40 mins. In vitro histamine release is dose-dependent, with a submaximal response at less or greater than the optimal dose of inducing agent. Exogenous calcium is required but not magnesium; the optimal release calcium concentration is 1.0 to 1.5 mM. If an IgE-mediated inducing agent is added in the absence of exogenous calcium, the basophils become desensitised. The pH and temperature optima for release are physiological (pH 7.4, 37 degrees C). Histamine release is potentiated by deuterium oxide.     

Site-directed mutagenesis of the myostatin gene in ovine fetal myoblast cells in vitro

Myostatin is an important negative regulator of muscle growth and development. Natural mutations of the myostatin gene cause a double muscling phenotype in beef cattle, pigs and sheep. Therefore, it is feasible to produce a high growth domestic breed by generating a transgenic animal with a mutation, deletion or knockout of the myostatin gene. Our objective was to introduce a subtle mutation of G to A 281-bp upstream of the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) end of the myostatin gene in Poll Dorset fetal myoblast cells in vitro. Fetal myoblast cells were isolated from fetuses at day 50 of gestation from Poll Dorset sheep and transfected with linear gene-targeting vector pMSTN-A using electroporation. We obtained seven gene-targeted cell colonies with homologous recombination, which were positive as confirmed by PCR, Southern blot. The Western blot analysis result demonstrated that the myostatin protein expression in positive colonies is lower than that of negative ones. These results strongly suggest that we successfully mutated the myostatin gene of Poll Dorset ovine fetal myoblast cells and the mutation can effectively downregulate the myostatin protein expression.     

Endocytosis of erythrocytes in vivo and particulate substances in vitro by feline neoplastic mast cells.

Clinical evidence for the phagocytic capability of neoplastic feline mast cells was provided by recognition of endocytosed erythrocytes in seven of 12 cytological smears of mast cell neoplasms, particularly in those cells collected from splenic tumors. The capability of these neoplastic mast cells to endocytose particulate substances was also studied in vitro. Evidence is presented that under cultural conditions, feline neoplastic mast cells are capable of endocytosing a variety of substances including polystyrene latex microspheres, zymosan particles, horse spleen ferritin, salmon sperm nuclei, horseradish peroxidase, and carbon particles.     

Characteristics of in vitro passaged cells derived from a rat transplantable malignant fibrous histiocytoma

Morphologic and functional characteristics were investigated on in vitro passaged cells (MT-P) derived from a rat transplantable malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH-MT). There were spindle, polygonal, and giant cell types in MT-P. Ultrastructurally, the polygonal and giant cells had the abundant cytoplasm with many lysosomes and processes, whereas the spindle cells possessed smooth cell surface and a small number of lysosomes in their cytoplasm. Immunorosette formation for Fc- and C3-surface receptors and phagocytic activity were demonstrated in 10-20% of MT-P. MT-P were positive for acid phosphatase, nonspecific esterase and alkaline phosphatase. Chromosomes counted in 100 MT-P ranged from 32 to 100 with two peaks of 64 and 76. Tumors induced in syngeneic rats by inoculating MT-P showed variable histologic patterns. They were composed partly of histiocytic cells arranged in a compact sheet. Fibroblastic cells often arranged in a storiform pattern or were supported by myxoid matrix. Osteosarcoma-like structures were occasionally found in the tumors. These results suggest that MFH-MT is heterogeneous, although some cells constituting the tumors have histiocytic markers.     

Characterization and in vitro culture of male germ cells from developing bovine testis

The transition from male primitive germ cells (gonocytes) to type A spermatogonia in the neonatal testis is the initial process and a crucial process in spermatogenesis. However, in large domestic animals, the physiological and biochemical characteristics of germ cells during the developmental processes remain largely unknown. In this study, we characterized bovine germ cells in the developing testis from the neonatal stage to the adult stage. The binding of the lectin Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) and the expression of ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 1 (UCHL1) were restricted to gonocytes in the neonatal testis and spermatogonia in the adult testis. Gonocytes also expressed a germ cell marker (VASA) and stem cell markers (NANOG and OCT3/4), while the expressions of these markers in the adult testis were restricted to differentiated spermatic cells and were rarely expressed in spermatogonia. We subsequently utilized these markers to characterize gonocytes and spermatogonia after culture in vitro. Spermatogonia that were collected from the adult testis formed colonies in vitro only for one week. On the other hand, gonocytes from the neonatal testis could proliferate and form colonies after every passage for 1.5 months in culture. These colonies retained undifferentiated states of gonocytes as confirmed by the expression of both germ cell and stem cell markers. Moreover, a transplantation assay using immunodeficient mice testes showed that long-term cultured cells derived from gonocytes were able to colonize in the recipient testis. These results indicated that bovine gonocytes could maintain germ cell and stem cell potential in vitro.