Sex determination involves synergistic action of SRY and SF1 on a specific Sox9 enhancer

The mammalian Y chromosome acts as a dominant male determinant as a result of the action of a single gene, Sry, whose role in sex determination is to initiate testis rather than ovary development from early bipotential gonads. It does so by triggering the differentiation of Sertoli cells from supporting cell precursors, which would otherwise give follicle cells. The related autosomal gene Sox9 is also known from loss-of-function mutations in mice and humans to be essential for Sertoli cell differentiation; moreover, its abnormal expression in an XX gonad can lead to male development in the absence of Sry. These genetic data, together with the finding that Sox9 is upregulated in Sertoli cell precursors just after SRY expression begins, has led to the proposal that Sox9 could be directly regulated by SRY. However, the mechanism by which SRY action might affect Sox9 expression was not understood. Here we show that SRY binds to multiple elements within a Sox9 gonad-specific enhancer in mice, and that it does so along with steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1, encoded by the gene Nr5a1 (Sf1)), an orphan nuclear receptor. Mutation, co-transfection and sex-reversal studies all point to a feedforward, self-reinforcing pathway in which SF1 and SRY cooperatively upregulate Sox9 and then, together with SF1, SOX9 also binds to the enhancer to help maintain its own expression after that of SRY has ceased. Our results open up the field, permitting further characterization of the molecular mechanisms regulating sex determination and how they have evolved, as well as how they fail in cases of sex reversal.     

胰腺癌淋巴管密度与VEGF-C和VEGF-D在癌组织中表达的关系

目的：观察人胰腺癌组织中淋巴管的形态和分布特点以及VEGF-C和VEGF-D在癌组织中的表达,为胰腺癌组织淋巴管形态及其生成研究提供形态学依据,探讨胰腺癌淋巴道转移机制.方法：取手术切除的人胰腺癌组织标本23例,按癌中心区、周边区及正常区切取组织,应用二步法免疫组化染色观察VEGF-C/D在胰腺癌组织中的表达、LYVE-1标记淋巴管进行淋巴管计数.结果：VEGF-C在胰腺癌组织中的表达范围相对较广,主要表达于胰腺癌癌细胞的胞浆中.而VEGF-D只表达于部分癌细胞浸润的腺管和腺泡中;胰腺癌组织中LYVE-1染色阳性的脉管具有淋巴管的形态学特征;VEGF-C和VEGF-D表达阳性的胰腺癌组织的淋巴管数密度较VEGF-C和VEGF-D表达阴性组增多.结论：VEGF-C/D在癌组织中的阳性表达和癌周组织的微淋巴管数量增加,提示胰腺癌组织中可能存在新生的淋巴管,癌细胞侵袭淋巴管的途径可能是通过新生的淋巴管进入淋巴道.     

诱导肿瘤细胞HeLa为多能性干细胞的研究

将携带4种转录因子的逆转录病毒共同感染HeLa细胞,感染后的细胞铺到滋养层细胞MEF上培养,细胞长出类似胚胎干细胞的克隆团,这种克隆团可以扩增,并进一步诱导分化为神经元,同时免疫荧光检测细胞分化不同天数后Pax6,Sox1和βⅢ-tubulin的表达.结果表明,肿瘤细胞HeLa在Oct4、Sox2、c-Myc、Klf4等4种转录因子的作用下成功重编程为多能干细胞,同时可进一步分化为神经元.     

Dendritic cells control lymphocyte entry to lymph nodes through high endothelial venules

While patrolling the body in search of foreign antigens, naive lymphocytes continuously circulate from the blood, through the lymph nodes, into the lymphatic vessels and back to the blood. This process, called lymphocyte recirculation, provides the body with effective immune surveillance for foreign invaders and for alterations to the body's own cells. However, the mechanisms that regulate lymphocyte recirculation during homeostasis remain incompletely characterized. Here we show that dendritic cells (DCs), which are well known for their role in antigen presentation to T lymphocytes, control the entry of naive lymphocytes to lymph nodes by modulating the phenotype of high endothelial venules (HEVs), which are blood vessels specialized in lymphocyte recruitment. We found that in vivo depletion of CD11c(+) DCs in adult mice over a 1-week period induces a reduction in the size and cellularity of the peripheral and mucosal lymph nodes. In the absence of DCs, the mature adult HEV phenotype reverts to an immature neonatal phenotype, and HEV-mediated lymphocyte recruitment to lymph nodes is inhibited. Co-culture experiments showed that the effect of DCs on HEV endothelial cells is direct and requires lymphotoxin-β-receptor-dependent signalling. DCs express lymphotoxin, and DC-derived lymphotoxin is important for lymphocyte homing to lymph nodes in vivo. Together, our results reveal a previously unsuspected role for DCs in the regulation of lymphocyte recirculation during immune surveillance.     

王锦蛇(Elaphe carinata)Sox基因保守区的克隆及测序

参照人SRY基因HMG-box保守区序列设计一对兼并引物,PCR扩增了王锦蛇的Sox基因,采用SSCP技术筛选阳性克隆,并对其进行了测序.结果在雌雄个体中共筛选出4个Sox基因,其中一个为雌性独有,显示出性别差异性;4个Sox基因DNA序列及编码的氨基酸序列与人相应SOX基因的相似性分别为91%、91%、92%、91%和96%、98%、96%、96%,显示出高度的保守性.实验结果为王锦蛇的性别决定机制研究提供了分子资料.     

医用藻酸盐敷料体外降解的研究

研究藻酸盐医用敷料体外降解的规律及不同降解时间其产物对内皮细胞增殖情况的影响,为藻酸盐医用敷料在临床使用中提供参考。以PBS缓冲液(模拟体液环境)为降解介质,对藻酸盐敷料进行体外降解;用藻酸盐敷料的失重率、分子质量变化表征本体的变化规律;用降解液中降解产物的糖醛酸含量变化表征降解产物的变化规律。将降解液与内皮细胞共培养,用MTT法检测内皮细胞增殖情况。藻酸盐敷料在模拟体液环境条件下,可以被降解,42 d失重率为61.2%,降解过程中其分子质量逐渐减小,最终产物为糖醛酸,其浓度不断增大。不同时间的降解产物均能促进内皮细胞的增殖。藻酸盐医用敷料体外降解比较快,完全降解的最终产物为糖醛酸,其降解液可以促进内皮细胞的增殖、分化,提高细胞新陈代谢能力,增加新细胞的再生速度,促进伤口的愈合。     

两对引物PCR扩增黑斑蛙Sox基因

以人的SRY基因的HMG-box保守区设计的两对引物,对黑斑蛙Sox基因的扩增.结果如下:1)雌雄黑斑蛙均扩增出一条带,大小约为220 bp,说明Sox基因的长度在黑斑蛙雌雄个体间无性别差异;2)两对引物的扩增结果相同,表明Sox基因有高度保守性.