Tissue Culture of the Enteric Nervous System from Equine Ileum

Ileal samples were harvested fresh from euthanized adult horses. The tissues were microdissected to prepare wholemount preparations for immunohistochemistry and for either explant or dissociated culture systems of the enteric nervous system. Explant culture systems were established using wholemounts of either the submucous plexus or the muscularis externa (including the myenteric plexus). Dissociated cell cultures could only be obtained from the submucous plexus. Culture systems were maintained for up to 5 days. Immunoreactivity for a neuronal marker (Pan-N) and for glial cell markers (GFAP and S100) indicated the presence of both neurons and enteric glia in the tissue culture preparations.This is the first report of equine enteric neurons being grown in tissue culture. Further refinements to the techniques will be required before this in vitro model can be used for quantitative analysis.     

乳酸菌食品级高效表达载体系统的研究进展

乳酸菌以其遗传工程可行并操作简单,在建立和研究乳酸菌食品级高效表达载体系统方面具有十分重要的实际意义。本文对乳酸菌食品级高效表达载体系统的最近研究及其在外源基因表达方面的应用概况进行初步总结。指出食品级乳酸菌工程及其表达产物可直接用于食品工业、医药和保健品等领域,是具有巨大应用前景的技术。     

替来他明诱导大鼠中枢神经系统c-fos基因的表达

本研究旨在观察替来他明麻醉后大鼠中枢神经系统c-fos基因的表达,了解替来他明在中枢神经系统的作用部位,探讨替来他明对中枢神经系统的作用机制。72只SD大鼠,随机分为生理盐水组、给药后10、30、60、90、100、120和180 min组,每组9只。腹腔注射替来他明50 mg.kg-1后,分别于给药前(生理盐水组)和给药后10、30、60、90、100、120和180 min经4%多聚甲醛(0.1 mol.L-1,PB,pH7.4)灌注后,取脑,将脑分为大脑皮层、海马、丘脑、小脑、脑干5个脑区,置于20%蔗糖溶液中24 h(4℃)脱水。冰冻切片,片厚10μm,按照Elivision法进行免疫组化染色,观察鉴别Fos阳性神经元并做阳性神经元计数。结查显示,对照组中仅发现少量Fos阳性神经元,试验组中Fos阳性神经元在大脑皮层、海马、丘脑、小脑、脑干内都有表达。替来他明腹腔注射10 min后Fos阳性神经元表达开始增加,60 min表达至高峰,90 min表达下降,180 min下降至基线水平,与给药前相比无显著性差异(P0.05)。结果提示,替来他明能诱导大鼠大脑皮层、海马、丘脑、小脑、脑干c-fos基因的表达,大脑皮层、海马、丘脑、小脑和脑干是替来他明的作用位点。     

Expression of Connexin 43 in the Porcine Foetal Gonads During Development

This study was designed to reveal connexin 43 (Cx43) mRNA and protein expression in porcine foetal gonads using RT‐PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Expression of Cx43 was investigated in porcine foetal ovaries and testes on days 50, 70 and 90 post coitum (p.c.). RT‐PCR results indicated that Cx43 mRNA was expressed in both foetal ovaries and testes at all gestational ages examined. Cx43 protein was found in the foetal ovary but its distribution varied across ovarian compartments and changed during development. In foetal ovaries, Cx43 was localized between the interstitial cells surrounding egg nests on all investigated days of prenatal period. Moreover, Cx43 expression was observed between germ cells on day 50 p.c. as well as between pre‐granulosa and granulosa cells of primordial and primary follicles on days 70 and 90 p.c. In the foetal testes, Cx43 protein was detected between neighbouring Leydig cells on all examined days of prenatal period and between adjacent Sertoli cells exclusively on day 90 p.c. The presence of Cx43 protein in all investigated foetal gonads was confirmed by Western blot analysis. Cx43 protein detection between pre‐granulosa cells of primordial follicles suggests its role in regulation of the initial stages of follicle development. The Cx43 immunoexpression between neighbouring Leydig and between Sertoli cells indicates its involvement in controlling their functions. We propose that Cx43‐mediated gap junctional communication is involved in the regulation of porcine foetal gonadal development.     

小鼠出生后背部毛囊发育与Lef-1表达的研究

旨在研究Lef-1在小鼠背部毛囊生长周期中的表达规律及其与毛囊生长更替的关系。本试验采用石蜡切片HE染色、Western blotting以及免疫组织化学方法,研究小鼠毛囊的周期性变化,检测Lef-1在小鼠毛囊生长的不同时期皮肤组织中的蛋白表达水平,并对其进行组织定位。结果,昆明系小鼠毛囊生长呈周期性变化,处于不同生长时期的毛囊具有各期的特殊结构;Western blotting结果显示,在各阶段皮肤组织中存在Lef-1蛋白的表达,其在毛囊生长初期的表达量显著高于中期和末期;免疫组织化学结果显示,Lef-1在不同毛囊生长时期的皮脂腺、根鞘和真皮乳头均有不同程度的表达。Lef-1的表达与毛囊的周期性变化存在相关性。     

猪骨骼肌发育过程中免疫相关基因的表达分析

为探究猪骨骼肌发育过程中免疫相关基因的表达模式以及相关生物学功能,本研究根据蓝塘猪和长白猪骨骼肌10个发育时期的转录组数据,对各时期免疫相关基因的表达数目和表达量进行分析,鉴定了相邻发育时期之间以及同一时期品种间差异表达的免疫相关基因,并对后者进行功能注释分析。结果表明:在蓝塘猪与长白猪骨骼肌发育过程中存在1 129个表达的免疫相关基因;胚胎期35 d和49 d、胚胎期91 d和生后期2d这2组相邻时期之间的差异表达免疫相关基因数目最多;品种间差异表达免疫相关基因数目则在胚胎期49d以及生后期180d最多,且趋向于在蓝塘猪上调表达,并富集在NIK/NF-κB信号传导、细胞凋亡的负调控等生物学过程中。本研究表明免疫相关基因在猪骨骼肌发育过程中存在表达,长白猪与蓝塘猪骨骼肌生长发育差异可能与NF-κB介导的细胞凋亡有关。     

Light Microscopy of the Enteric Nervous System of Horses with or without Equine Dysautonomia (Grass Sickness): its Correlation with the Motor Effects of Physostigmine

Light microscopy was undertaken on sections from the caudal flexure of the duodenum and the terminal ileum proximal to the ileocaecal fold in 5 control horses, 5 horses with acute grass sickness (AGS), and 5 horses with chronic grass sickness (CGS). With the exception of the ileal submucous plexus of the CGS group, the AGS group had the lowest number of neurons as measured using a subjective scoring scheme. The proportion of abnormal neurons in the AGS group was similar in both plexuses and both regions, whereas the values for the CGS group were much higher in the duodenal region than in the ileal region. The motility of tissue adjacent to that used for histology was measured isometrically in vitro. The increase in the rate of contractions following exposure to physostigmine was greatest for the AGS group, both from the duodenal and from the ileal region. The latency was longest for the AGS group, suggesting that the material from this group had the least number of active cholinergic neurons. The studies with physostigmine thus indicated that the most severe functional damage occurred in cases of AGS. These findings confirm that extensive damage occurs in the enteric neurons in equine grass sickness. There was good correlation between the functional cholinergic responses and the extent of neuronal degeneration.     

Perineuronal Nets in the Central Nervous System

The remnant of ultimobranchial (UB) body in the thyroid gland of adult buffalo was studied. This remnant appeared in the form of irregular and elongated follicles of various size and shape with folded lumen. These structures occupied a peripheral location beneath the capsule, as well as being embedded mostly in the vascular connective tissue of the thyroid. Calcitonin cells were predominantly localized in the UB follicles. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that surface of most UB follicular cells was almost flat and polyhedral or hexagonal in shape. Other follicles possessed cells with dome shaped apical surface demarcated by a shallow intercellular depression. The luminal surface of the follicular cell lining was studded with microvilli that appeared with various density and length and were numerous at the cellular borders. Interestingly, most of UB follicular cells were provided with single cilium, projecting over the cell surface. Notably some UB follicles presented various stages of apocrine activities.     

Inflammatory Cytokine Gene Expression in Blood During the Development of Oligofructose-Induced Laminitis in Horses

Systemic inflammation is a risk factor for laminitis in horses and precedes the onset of lameness in experimental models. We therefore hypothesized that whole-blood inflammatory cytokine expression would increase during the development of laminitis in a carbohydrate overload model. Blood samples were obtained from 14 horses undergoing laminitis induction with 10 g/kg oligofructose as part of another study. Samples were collected at 0, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24 hours, and lameness evaluations were performed every 4 hours. Expression levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α were measured in whole blood by using real-time PCR. IL-1β, IL-8, and IL-10 expression increased above baseline from 8 to 24 hours (P < .001), and IL-6 expression increased at 16 and 20 hours (P = .005). Expression of tumor necrosis factor-α did not change over time. All horses developed clinical laminitis between 12 and 24 hours. Increased mean IL-1β, IL-8, and IL-10 expression detected at 8 hours therefore preceded the onset of lameness. We conclude that peripheral leukocyte cytokine expression increases as systemic inflammation develops in an alimentary carbohydrate overload model of laminitis, and this precedes detection of lameness. Results support current recommendations to control the systemic inflammatory response in order to lower the risk of laminitis in horses.