蛋氨酸三肽对奶牛乳腺上皮细胞酪蛋白和小肽转运载体基因表达量的影响

本试验旨在研究蛋氨酸三肽(Met-Met-Met)对奶牛乳腺上皮细胞(BMECs)酪蛋白和小肽转运载体基因表达量的影响。采用酶消化法培养的第3代奶牛乳腺上皮细胞为模型,各处理在培养基中分别添加0(对照)、40、50、60、70和80μg/mL的蛋氨酸三肽,每个处理5个重复,每个重复1个培养孔,分别培养细胞24、48和72h,检测奶牛乳腺上皮细胞的相对增殖率,整体试验重复2次,确定最佳培养时间;各处理在培养基中分别添加0(对照)、40、50、60、70和80μg/mL的蛋氨酸三肽,每个处理3个重复,每个重复1个培养孔,以最佳培养时间培养,用实时定量PCR法检测酪蛋白基因的表达量,确定适宜蛋氨酸三肽浓度,整体试验重复3次;以最佳培养时间和适宜蛋氨酸三肽浓度培养细胞,以未添加蛋氨酸三肽的培养基为对照,每个处理3个重复,每个重复1个培养孔,测定小肽转运载体基因的表达量,整体试验重复3次。结果表明:在培养基中添加蛋氨酸三肽培养奶牛乳腺上皮细胞24h时,相对增殖率最高;培养基中加入60μg/mL的蛋氨酸三肽培养细胞24h,αs1-酪蛋白和β-酪蛋白的基因表达量最高,同时发现奶牛乳腺上皮细胞中小肽转运载体1和小肽转运载体2基因表达量显著高于对照处理(P0.05)。综上所述,培养基中添加60μg/mL的蛋氨酸三肽能够提高奶牛乳腺上皮细胞酪蛋白和肽转运载体基因的表达量。     

Effect of propolis water extract on apoptosis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro

AIM: To explore the effect of water extract propolis (WEP) from Taishan on apoptosis of human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) induced in vitro by tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). METHODS: HUVECs were collect by digestion-perfusion and cultivated. TNF-α at concentration of 50 μg/L was administrated to induce the apoptosis of HUVECs. After injury, HUVECs were treated with WEP at concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 mg/L, respectively, for 24 h. Apoptosis was evaluated by terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) and flow cytometry (FCM). RESULTS: Apoptosis index in injured group was significantly higher than that in control group, and decreased significantly after treating with WEP at concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 mg/L, respectively (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: WEP may be useful for protection of vascular endothelial cells by inhibiting apoptosis.     

Balance of Treg/Th17 in synovium of collagen-induced arthritis rats and impact of TNF-α blockage therapy

AIM: To investigate the balance of Treg/Th17 in synovium of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) and the impact of tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α) blockage therapy. METHODS: Rat CIA model was established by bovine II collagen injection. The pathological score was evaluated by HE staining and toluidine blue staining. The TNF-α level in plasma was measured by ELISA. The expression of Treg/Th17 in synovium was detected by double staining immunofluorescence. RESULTS: The plasma level of TNF-α in CIA group was significantly higher than that in control group and TNFR-Fc treatment group (P<0.01), whereas no significant difference was found between TNFR-Fc treatment group and control group (P>0.05). No significant difference between CIA group and control group in the ratio of CD4⁺Foxp3⁺Treg cells/CD4⁺ cells in synovium (23.12%±4.93% vs 24.66%±5.82%, P>0.05) was observed, whereas the ratio in TNFR-Fc treatment group was significantly increased(33.07%±5.14%). The ratio of CD4⁺RORγt⁺Th17 cells/CD4⁺ cells in CIA group was significantly higher than that in control group and TNFR-Fc treatment group (9.74%±2.23% vs 1.00%±0.59%, 5.63%±1.76%, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Differentiation disturbance of Treg/Th17 exists in the synovium of CIA rats. TNFR-Fc may restore the balance of Treg/Th17 by inhibiting Th17 cell differentiation and inducing the production or accumulation of Treg.     

Radiosensitivity of canine osteosarcoma cells transfected with wild‐type p53 in vitro*

The p53 gene is one of the important tumour suppressor genes that are involved with the cell survival signal pathway. One of the major functions of the p53 protein is to organize cell cycle regulation and induction of apoptosis for cellular genetic stability. It has been documented that more than 50% of all human cancers include a p53 mutation. We evaluated the difference in radiosensitivity between upregulating the expression of canine wild‐type p53 (cp53) in cultured osteosarcoma (D17) cells and naive D17 cells in vitro. We found that upregulating transfected cp53 D17 cells increased their radiation sensitivity in vitro, and there was a significant decrease (P < 0.009) in survival between cp53‐transfected D17 cells and naive D17 cells. In this experiment, a p53 enhancement ratio (p53ER) reached approximately 3.0 at high doses. The transfected cp53 D17 cells were significantly more radiosensitive at all doses evaluated than naive D17 cells, except at 1 Gy where too few data points were available. The p53ER increased rapidly at doses less than 4 Gy, achieving a maximum of about 3.0 for doses of 4 Gy and above. This study shows the enhanced radiosensitivity of the transfected p53 at clinically relevant doses.     

Effect of miR-181b on cell proliferation and expression of Bcl-2 and SP1 in HepG2 cells

AIM: To investigate the role of miR-181b in the expression of Bcl-2 and SP1 at mRNA and protein levels in the human hepatoma G2 cells (HepG2), and to explore the effect of miR-181b on the regulation of HepG2 cell proliferation. METHODS: The synthetic double-strand complementary DNA based on the sequence of miR-181b was inserted into the vector of miRNASelect^TM pEGP-miR. The microRNA high-expression plasmid was cloned, and the sequences were identified. The miR-181b plasmid was transfected into HepG2 cells with liposomes. The stable cell line was screened by puromycin. The mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2 and SP1 were measured by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) method was used to analyze the proliferation of HepG2 cells. RESULTS: The Western blotting results showed that miR-181b inhibited the protein expression of Bcl-2 and SP1. The result of RT-PCR also indicated that the mRNA expression of Bcl-2 and SP1 was suppressed. Compared with the control, the growth rate of HepG2 with high expression of miR-181b was significantly decreased.CONCLUSION: miR-181b inhibits the proliferation of HepG2, which may be related to the down-regulation of Bcl-2 and SP1.     

Growth hormone suppresses the expression of IGFBP-5, and promotes the IGF-I-induced phosphorylation of Akt in bovine mammary epithelial cells

Growth hormone (GH) plays a specific role to inhibit apoptosis in the bovine mammary gland through the insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I system, however, the mechanism of GH action is poorly understood. In this study, we show that GH dramatically inhibits the expression of IGFBP-5, and GH along with IGF-I enhanced the phosphorylation of Akt through the reduction of IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-5. To determine how GH affects Akt through IGF-I in bovine mammary epithelial cells (BMECs), we examined the phosphorylation of Akt in GH treated BMECs and found that IGF-I induced phosphorylation of Akt was significantly enhanced by the treatment with GH. We demonstrated that GH reduces mRNA and protein expression of IGFBP-5 in BMECs, but it does not affect the expression of IGFBP-3. To determine that the enhanced effect of the Akt phosphorylation by the treatment of GH is due to the inhibition of the expression of IGFBP-5, we examined the effect of IGFBP-3 and -5 on the phosphorylation of Akt through IGF-I in the GH-treated BMECs. The phosphorylation of Akt was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner when IGFBP-5 was added at varying concentrations and was also inhibited in the presence of IGFBP-3. The results of this study suggest that GH plays an important role on mammary gland involution in bovine mammary epithelial cells.     

CRISPR系统促进脂肪干细胞成骨分化与抑制成脂分化的研究

本研究旨在优化组织培养法分离小鼠脂肪间充质干细胞（adipose-derived stem cells,ASCs）,为研究成骨分化和成脂分化在间充质干细胞分化过程中的相互影响奠定基础。通过细胞形态学观察、细胞生长曲线和流式仪器检测所分离获得的间充质干细胞的特性,利用CRISPR-dCas9系统在快速促进间充质干细胞成骨分化的前提下观察其对成脂分化的影响,并通过生化染色、实时荧光定量PCR和免疫细胞学等手段进行分析。结果显示,接种3~5 d后可见细胞从组织块周围爬出,光镜下可见细胞形态多为成纤维细胞样的梭形细胞,且形态单一均匀,具有较高的爬出率,可以大大提高脂肪间充质干细胞的分离效率;通过CRISPR-dCas9系统激活Runx2和Osterix基因后可以促进间充质干细胞的成骨分化,实时荧光定量PCR及油红O染色结果显示,CRISPR-dCas9系统可以同时抑制间充质干细胞的成脂分化;通过CRISPR-dCas9-KRAB系统同时抑制成骨相关基因Runx2和Osterix后可以促进成脂分化。本研究利用组织贴壁法成功获得了高纯度的脂肪间充质干细胞,具有间充质干细胞的特性和分化能力;利用CRISPR系统可以同时过表达Runx2和Osterix两个基因,可以在进成骨分化的同时抑制成脂分化,表明成脂分化和成骨分化的相关性,为基因编辑在间充质干细胞诱导分化和临床应用方面提供了新的思路和方法。     

Identification of bovine dendritic cell phenotype from bovine peripheral blood

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen presenting cells, which initiate primary immune responses and also play an important role in the generation of peripheral tolerance. There is no reliable method established for the isolation of bovine peripheral blood DCs, and furthermore, the phenotypes and the functions of bovine DCs are still not fully clear. In the present study, we have attempted to identify bovine peripheral blood DCs by negative-selection. In bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), we have newly characterized the phenotype of DCs, which is CD11c+/CD172a+. These cells display features of myeloid type DCs. In the thymic medulla, CD11c+/CD172a+ cells were also present and CD1+/CD172a+ cells were additionally detected as a population of DCs. The data suggest that one of the bovine DCs phenotypes from PBMC is derived from myeloid lineages lacking a CD1 molecule, which then drift to several tissues, and that they then may express a CD1 molecule upon their functional differentiation.     

AR regulates porcine immature Sertoli cell growth via binding to RNF4 and miR-124a

Sertoli cells are the only somatic cells in the seminiferous epithelium which directly contact with germ cells. Sertoli cells exhibit polarized alignment at the basal membrane of seminiferous tubules to maintain the microenvironment for growth and development of germ cells, and therefore play a crucial role in spermatogenesis. Androgens exert their action through androgen receptor (AR) and AR signalling in the testis is essential for maintenance of spermatogonial numbers, blood–testis barrier integrity, completion of meiosis, adhesion of spermatids and spermiation. In the present study, we demonstrated that AR gene could promote the proliferation of immature porcine Sertoli cells (ST cells) and the cell cycle procession, and accelerate the transition from G1 phase into S phase in ST cells. Meanwhile, miR-124a could affect the proliferation and cell cycle procession of ST cells by targeting 3′-UTR of AR gene. Furthermore, AR bound to the RNF4 via AR DNA-binding domain (DBD) and we verified that RNF4 was necessary for AR to regulate the growth of ST cells. Above all, this study suggests that AR regulates ST cell growth via binding to RNF4 and miR-124a, which may help us to further understand the function of AR in spermatogenesis.     

The mechanism of apoptosis induced by homoharringtonine in HL-60 cells

AIM: To study the signal transduction pathway of apoptosis initiation induced by homoharringtonine in HL-60 cells. METHODS: After establishing the model of apoptosis initiation induced by homoharringtonine in HL-60 cells, at the point of apoptosis initiation, molecular caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bax and Fas/FasL were measured with flow cytometry and transmission electron microscope. ERK2 and P38 expression in HL-60 cells were detected by using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: The model of apoptosis initiation induced by homoharringtonine was established in HL-60 cells. At the point of apoptosis initiation, upregulation of caspase-3 and decrease in Bcl-2/Bax were observed. However, the expression of Fas/FasL did not significantly change. ERK2 expression decreased and P38 expression increased. CONCLUSIONS: Caspase-3, Bcl-2, Bax and mitogen activated protein kinase pathways were involved in signal transduction of apoptosis initiation induced by homoharringtonine in HL-60 cells.