Identification of the haematopoietic stem cell niche and control of the niche size

Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are a subset of bone marrow cells that are capable of self-renewal and of forming all types of blood cells (multi-potential). However, the HSC 'niche'--the in vivo regulatory microenvironment where HSCs reside--and the mechanisms involved in controlling the number of adult HSCs remain largely unknown. The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signal has an essential role in inducing haematopoietic tissue during embryogenesis. We investigated the roles of the BMP signalling pathway in regulating adult HSC development in vivo by analysing mutant mice with conditional inactivation of BMP receptor type IA (BMPRIA). Here we show that an increase in the number of spindle-shaped N-cadherin+CD45- osteoblastic (SNO) cells correlates with an increase in the number of HSCs. The long-term HSCs are found attached to SNO cells. Two adherens junction molecules, N-cadherin and beta-catenin, are asymmetrically localized between the SNO cells and the long-term HSCs. We conclude that SNO cells lining the bone surface function as a key component of the niche to support HSCs, and that BMP signalling through BMPRIA controls the number of HSCs by regulating niche size.     

高校学报生态位宽度研究

高校学报生态位宽度主要测度高校学报开发利用各种资源的程度。生态位越宽，其适应性越强，竞争优势越明显。高校学报不仅要积极探讨现实中的资源状态，还要不断挖掘潜在的资源状态，扩大生态位宽度。     

Isolation of a cDNA encoding the vascular type-1 angiotensin II receptor

Angiotensin II is an important effector molecule controlling blood pressure and volume in the cardiovascular system. Its importance is manifested by the efficacy of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in the treatment of hypertension and congestive heart failure. Angiotensin II interacts with two pharmacologically distinct subtypes of cell-surface receptors, AT1 and AT2. AT1 receptors seem to mediate the major cardiovascular effects of angiotensin II. Here we report the isolation by expression cloning of a complementary DNA encoding a unique protein with the pharmacological specificity of a vascular AT1 receptor. Hydropathic modelling of the deduced protein suggests that it shares the seven-transmembrane-region motif with the G protein-coupled receptor superfamily. Knowledge of the AT1 receptor primary sequence should now permit structural analysis, definition of the angiotensin II receptor gene family and delineation of the contribution of AT receptors to the genetic component of hypertension.     

Variable expression of Ia antigens on the vascular endothelium of mouse skin allografts

Ia antigens are membrane-bound glycoproteins that play a part in antigen recognition and subsequent cell-cell interactions in the immune response. In the mouse they are coded for by the I region of the major histocompatibility complex H-2 and have been demonstrated on B lymphocytes, monocytes, activated T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells, including Langerhans cells. Ia-like antigens have also been detected on the vascular endothelium in man and on epidermal keratinocytes in rats but expression on the latter cells was induced by a graft-versus-host reaction or by contact hypersensitivity. In the mouse, previous studies have suggested that Ia antigens in skin are restricted to epidermal Langerhans cells and it was thought that these were the targets for Ia-dependent rejection of skin allografts. The results presented here show that Ia antigens in mouse allografts are also present on the vascular endothelium but their expression is variable and dependent on the immunological status of the recipient. These findings suggest that vascular endothelial cells can act as targets in Ia-incompatible skin allograft rejection.     

A mouse knock-in model exposes sequential proteolytic pathways that regulate p27Kip1 in G1 and S phase

The protein p27Kip1 is an inhibitor of cell division. An increase in p27 causes proliferating cells to exit from the cell cycle, and a decrease in p27 is necessary for quiescent cells to resume division. Abnormally low amounts of p27 are associated with pathological states of excessive cell proliferation, especially cancers. In normal and tumour cells, p27 is regulated primarily at the level of translation and protein turnover. Phosphorylation of p27 on threonine 187 (T187) by cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2) is thought to initiate the major pathway for p27 proteolysis. To critically test the importance of this pathway in vivo, we replaced the murine p27 gene with one that encoded alanine instead of threonine at position 187 (p27T187A). Here we show that cells expressing p27T187A were unable to downregulate p27 during the S and G2 phases of the cell cycle, but that this had a surprisingly modest effect on cell proliferation both in vitro and in vivo. Our efforts to explain this unexpected result led to the discovery of a second proteolytic pathway for controlling p27, one that is activated by mitogens and degrades p27 exclusively during G1.     

Postnatal loss of Dlk1 imprinting in stem cells and niche astrocytes regulates neurogenesis

The gene for the atypical NOTCH ligand delta-like homologue 1 (Dlk1) encodes membrane-bound and secreted isoforms that function in several developmental processes in vitro and in vivo. Dlk1, a member of a cluster of imprinted genes, is expressed from the paternally inherited chromosome. Here we show that mice that are deficient in Dlk1 have defects in postnatal neurogenesis in the subventricular zone: a developmental continuum that results in depletion of mature neurons in the olfactory bulb. We show that DLK1 is secreted by niche astrocytes, whereas its membrane-bound isoform is present in neural stem cells (NSCs) and is required for the inductive effect of secreted DLK1 on self-renewal. Notably, we find that there is a requirement for Dlk1 to be expressed from both maternally and paternally inherited chromosomes. Selective absence of Dlk1 imprinting in both NSCs and niche astrocytes is associated with postnatal acquisition of DNA methylation at the germ-line-derived imprinting control region. The results emphasize molecular relationships between NSCs and the niche astrocyte cells of the microenvironment, identifying a signalling system encoded by a single gene that functions coordinately in both cell types. The modulation of genomic imprinting in a stem-cell environment adds a new level of epigenetic regulation to the establishment and maintenance of the niche, raising wider questions about the adaptability, function and evolution of imprinting in specific developmental contexts.     

RBM5蛋白调控c-FLIP差异性剪切及其抑制A549增殖的研究

本文试探讨RBM5蛋白对肺腺癌细胞A549增殖的影响及其作用机制,以期为开辟肺癌基因治疗新途径提供帮助.本研究构建了表达RBM5基因的真核表达载体,并转染A549细胞株,增强其中该基因的表达量.采用RT-PCR检测转染后A549细胞中c-FLIP基因不同剪切体的表达量,并绘制生长曲线.结果表明,RBM5基因在A549细胞中的高表达,可以调控c-FLIP的差异剪切,减少c-FLIP-S的表达量,激活细胞程序化死亡相关通路,抑制肺腺癌细胞恶性增殖.     

具有线性前馈环节的高阶系统跟随低阶模型的MRACS设计方法

以往的ＭＲＡＣＳ设计方法都存在的正反馈环,且属同阶跟随同阶的情况．正反馈环的使用往往存在会使系统不稳定的特点,本文用线性前馈环节取代了正反馈环,解决了稳定问题,提高了抗噪声能力,并把原来同阶系统跟随同阶模型的方法,推广为高阶系统跟随低价模型的ＭＲＡＣＳ设计。     

Functional dissection of lysine deacetylases reveals that HDAC1 and p300 regulate AMPK

First identified as histone-modifying proteins, lysine acetyltransferases (KATs) and deacetylases (KDACs) antagonize each other through modification of the side chains of lysine residues in histone proteins. Acetylation of many non-histone proteins involved in chromatin, metabolism or cytoskeleton regulation were further identified in eukaryotic organisms, but the corresponding enzymes and substrate-specific functions of the modifications are unclear. Moreover, mechanisms underlying functional specificity of individual KDACs remain enigmatic, and the substrate spectra of each KDAC lack comprehensive definition. Here we dissect the functional specificity of 12 critical human KDACs using a genome-wide synthetic lethality screen in cultured human cells. The genetic interaction profiles revealed enzyme-substrate relationships between individual KDACs and many important substrates governing a wide array of biological processes including metabolism, development and cell cycle progression. We further confirmed that acetylation and deacetylation of the catalytic subunit of the adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a critical cellular energy-sensing protein kinase complex, is controlled by the opposing catalytic activities of HDAC1 and p300. Deacetylation of AMPK enhances physical interaction with the upstream kinase LKB1, leading to AMPK phosphorylation and activation, and resulting in lipid breakdown in human liver cells. These findings provide new insights into previously underappreciated metabolic regulatory roles of HDAC1 in coordinating nutrient availability and cellular responses upstream of AMPK, and demonstrate the importance of high-throughput genetic interaction profiling to elucidate functional specificity and critical substrates of individual human KDACs potentially valuable for therapeutic applications.     

结构稳定的亚克力毛毯开发

介绍了稳定型亚克力毛毯的组织结构.说明了FG-88机器的编织系统,产品的设计方案,机器的改造方法等.比较了新组织与传统组织中毛圈脱落所需外力的大小和延伸性.     

新型雌激素受体ERα36与窖蛋白-1在皮肤组织细胞中的表达和分布特征

采用蛋白免疫印迹杂交和免疫细胞荧光等方法首次研究了新型雌激素受体ERα36和窖蛋白-1（Caveolin-1）在大鼠皮肤组织中以及角质细胞系中的表达,探讨了二者的表达关系和分布特征.结果发现：（1）大鼠皮肤中有ERα36的表达,其表达的量与Caveolin-1的表达量呈负相关,且存在性别差异和部位差异;（2）表皮角质细胞中有ERα36的表达,主要分布在细胞膜上,且与Caveolin-1共定位.提示新型雌激素受体ERα36存在于皮肤细胞中,且可能参与Caveolin-1介导的雌激素信号转导,在雌激素治疗皮肤疾病过程中发挥一定作用.