RANK ligand mediates progestin-induced mammary epithelial proliferation and carcinogenesis

RANK ligand (RANKL), a TNF-related molecule, is essential for osteoclast formation, function and survival through interaction with its receptor RANK. Mammary glands of RANK- and RANKL-deficient mice develop normally during sexual maturation, but fail to form lobuloalveolar structures during pregnancy because of defective proliferation and increased apoptosis of mammary epithelium. It has been shown that RANKL is responsible for the major proliferative response of mouse mammary epithelium to progesterone during mammary lactational morphogenesis, and in mouse models, manipulated to induce activation of the RANK/RANKL pathway in the absence of strict hormonal control, inappropriate mammary proliferation is observed. However, there is no evidence so far of a functional contribution of RANKL to tumorigenesis. Here we show that RANK and RANKL are expressed within normal, pre-malignant and neoplastic mammary epithelium, and using complementary gain-of-function (mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV)-RANK transgenic mice) and loss-of function (pharmacological inhibition of RANKL) approaches, define a direct contribution of this pathway in mammary tumorigenesis. Accelerated pre-neoplasias and increased mammary tumour formation were observed in MMTV-RANK transgenic mice after multiparity or treatment with carcinogen and hormone (progesterone). Reciprocally, selective pharmacological inhibition of RANKL attenuated mammary tumour development not only in hormone- and carcinogen-treated MMTV-RANK and wild-type mice, but also in the MMTV-neu transgenic spontaneous tumour model. The reduction in tumorigenesis upon RANKL inhibition was preceded by a reduction in pre-neoplasias as well as rapid and sustained reductions in hormone- and carcinogen-induced mammary epithelial proliferation and cyclin D1 levels. Collectively, our results indicate that RANKL inhibition is acting directly on hormone-induced mammary epithelium at early stages in tumorigenesis, and the permissive contribution of progesterone to increased mammary cancer incidence is due to RANKL-dependent proliferative changes in the mammary epithelium. The current study highlights a potential role for RANKL inhibition in the management of proliferative breast disease.     

S100A8 mediates the activation of P65/HLA-B/S100A8/BCL-2/Caspase-9 (-3) pathway in laryngeal carcinogenesis

S100 calcium binding protein A8 (S100A8),a possible novel member of NF-kappa B signal pathway in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC),interacts with human leukocyte antigen B (HLA-B) which carries an NF-kappa B binding site within the enhancer A. The objective of this study was to explore the molecular mechanism of S100A8 in laryngeal carcinogenesis. RT-PCR,Western blotting and immuno-histochemistry staining were applied to evaluate the expression levels of IKKα,P65,REL-B,S100A8,APAF-1 and BCL-2 genes. The signal transduction passway in which S100A8 might participate was explored by RNA interference. Flow cytometry,TUNEL assay and cell invasion in vitro were used to detect the biological behavior of Hep2 cells induced by S100A8 gene. Our results showed that high expression of S100A8 was related to tumorigenesis in LSCC and negatively correlated with the degree of differentiation,indicating that S100A8 gene could inhibit apoptosis and promote metastasis in LSCC. Additionally,the suppression of S100A8 by RNA interference down-regulated BCL-2 but not APAF-1,P65 and IKKα,while,the suppression of P65 could significantly down-regulate the expression of S100A8 gene. In conclusion,S100A8 plays an important role in P65/HLA-B/S100A8/BCL-2/Caspase-9 (-3) pathway in laryngeal carcinoma.     

ATP mediates rapid reversal of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase activation in visual receptor membranes

Weak or strong lights will activate visual receptor rod disk membrane (RDM) cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) in the presence of GTP cofactor. A similarly activated GTPase can exhaust small amounts of initially present GTP to deactivate the PDE. However, further additions of GTP reactivate PDE without more light, and deactivation by simple GTP depletion takes minutes or more, even at GTP concentrations 100 to 1,000 times lower than physiological levels. A more rapid deactivation mechanism must exist if modulation of cytoplasmic cyclic GMP by light is to play a role on the time scale (seconds) of events in vision. We report here that ATP is essential to such rapid control and that its presence permits multiple cycles of activation-deactivation. The complete control mechanism seems to involve gamma phosphate transfer from both ATP and GTP.     

Dscam2 mediates axonal tiling in the Drosophila visual system

Sensory processing centres in both the vertebrate and the invertebrate brain are often organized into reiterated columns, thus facilitating an internal topographic representation of the external world. Cells within each column are arranged in a stereotyped fashion and form precise patterns of synaptic connections within discrete layers. These connections are largely confined to a single column, thereby preserving the spatial information from the periphery. Other neurons integrate this information by connecting to multiple columns. Restricting axons to columns is conceptually similar to tiling. Axons and dendrites of neighbouring neurons of the same class use tiling to form complete, yet non-overlapping, receptive fields. It is thought that, at the molecular level, cell-surface proteins mediate tiling through contact-dependent repulsive interactions, but proteins serving this function have not yet been identified. Here we show that the immunoglobulin superfamily member Dscam2 restricts the connections formed by L1 lamina neurons to columns in the Drosophila visual system. Our data support a model in which Dscam2 homophilic interactions mediate repulsion between neurites of L1 cells in neighbouring columns. We propose that Dscam2 is a tiling receptor for L1 neurons.     

2-ME抑制人子宫内膜癌细胞株增殖的研究

目的　探讨2-甲氧雌二醇(2-ME)对人子宫内膜癌细胞株KLE细胞体外增殖和凋亡的抑制作用.方法选用人子宫内膜癌细胞株KLE进行体外培养,实验组加入不同浓度2-ME的培养液,对照组不含2-ME.用四甲基偶氮唑蓝(MTT)比色法观察2-ME对人子宫内膜癌细胞株KLE增殖的抑制作用;药物作用后的克隆形成实验;电子显微镜(电镜)观察细胞形态变化;流式细胞仪(FCM)观察细胞的凋亡率及细胞周期的变化.结果2-ME浓度为10.0～50.0μM时,明显抑制KLE细胞的增殖(P<0.01),并具有时间依赖性和剂量依赖性.2-ME作用后G0/G1期细胞增加,并伴随G0/G1期细胞的增加,出现细胞凋亡峰和凋亡率的升高(P<0.05).电镜下观察到KLE细胞染色体边集、核固缩、凋亡小体.结论2-ME对人子宫内膜癌KLE细胞株增殖有抑制作用,并能促进其凋亡.     

Formation of accumbens GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors mediates incubation of cocaine craving

Relapse to cocaine use after prolonged abstinence is an important clinical problem. This relapse is often induced by exposure to cues associated with cocaine use. To account for the persistent propensity for relapse, it has been suggested that cue-induced cocaine craving increases over the first several weeks of abstinence and remains high for extended periods. We and others identified an analogous phenomenon in rats that was termed 'incubation of cocaine craving': time-dependent increases in cue-induced cocaine-seeking over the first months after withdrawal from self-administered cocaine. Cocaine-seeking requires the activation of glutamate projections that excite receptors for alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) in the nucleus accumbens. Here we show that the number of synaptic AMPA receptors in the accumbens is increased after prolonged withdrawal from cocaine self-administration by the addition of new AMPA receptors lacking glutamate receptor 2 (GluR2). Furthermore, we show that these new receptors mediate the incubation of cocaine craving. Our results indicate that GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors could be a new target for drug development for the treatment of cocaine addiction. We propose that after prolonged withdrawal from cocaine, increased numbers of synaptic AMPA receptors combined with the higher conductance of GluR2-lacking AMPA receptors causes increased reactivity of accumbens neurons to cocaine-related cues, leading to an intensification of drug craving and relapse.     

The CatSper channel mediates progesterone-induced Ca2+ influx in human sperm

In the oviduct, cumulus cells that surround the oocyte release progesterone. In human sperm, progesterone stimulates a Ca(2+) increase by a non-genomic mechanism. The Ca(2+) signal has been proposed to control chemotaxis, hyperactivation and acrosomal exocytosis of sperm. However, the underlying signalling mechanism has remained mysterious. Here we show that progesterone activates the sperm-specific, pH-sensitive CatSper Ca(2+) channel. We found that both progesterone and alkaline pH stimulate a rapid Ca(2+) influx with almost no latency, incompatible with a signalling pathway involving metabotropic receptors and second messengers. The Ca(2+) signals evoked by alkaline pH and progesterone are inhibited by the Ca(v) channel blockers NNC 55-0396 and mibefradil. Patch-clamp recordings from sperm reveal an alkaline-activated current carried by mono- and divalent ions that exhibits all the hallmarks of sperm-specific CatSper Ca(2+) channels. Progesterone substantially enhances the CatSper current. The alkaline- and progesterone-activated CatSper current is inhibited by both drugs. Our results resolve a long-standing controversy over the non-genomic progesterone signalling. In human sperm, either the CatSper channel itself or an associated protein serves as the non-genomic progesterone receptor. The identification of CatSper channel blockers will greatly facilitate the study of Ca(2+) signalling in sperm and help to define further the physiological role of progesterone and CatSper.     

CTCF mediates methylation-sensitive enhancer-blocking activity at the H19/Igf2 locus

The Insulin-like growth factor 2 (Igf2) and H19 genes are imprinted, resulting in silencing of the maternal and paternal alleles, respectively. This event is dependent upon an imprinted-control region two kilobases upstream of H19 (refs 1, 2). On the paternal chromosome this element is methylated and required for the silencing of H19 (refs 2-4). On the maternal chromosome the region is unmethylated and required for silencing of the Igf2 gene 90 kilobases upstream. We have proposed that the unmethylated imprinted-control region acts as a chromatin boundary that blocks the interaction of Igf2 with enhancers that lie 3' of H19 (refs 5, 6). This enhancer-blocking activity would then be lost when the region was methylated, thereby allowing expression of Igf2 paternally. Here we show, using transgenic mice and tissue culture, that the unmethylated imprinted-control regions from mouse and human H19 exhibit enhancer-blocking activity. Furthermore, we show that CTCF, a zinc finger protein implicated in vertebrate boundary function, binds to several sites in the unmethylated imprinted-control region that are essential for enhancer blocking. Consistent with our model, CTCF binding is abolished by DNA methylation. This is the first example, to our knowledge, of a regulated chromatin boundary in vertebrates.     

Ultra-prolonged activation of CO2-sensing neurons disorients mosquitoes

Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) present in exhaled air is the most important sensory cue for female blood-feeding mosquitoes, causing activation of long-distance host-seeking flight, navigation towards the vertebrate host and, in the case of Aedes aegypti, increased sensitivity to skin odours. The CO(2) detection machinery is therefore an ideal target to disrupt host seeking. Here we use electrophysiological assays to identify a volatile odorant that causes an unusual, ultra-prolonged activation of CO(2)-detecting neurons in three major disease-transmitting mosquitoes: Anopheles gambiae, Culex quinquefasciatus and A. aegypti. Importantly, ultra-prolonged activation of these neurons severely compromises their ability subsequently to detect CO(2) for several minutes. We also identify odours that strongly inhibit CO(2)-sensitive neurons as candidates for use in disruption of host-seeking behaviour, as well as an odour that evokes CO(2)-like activity and thus has potential use as a lure in trapping devices. Analysis of responses to panels of structurally related odours across the three mosquitoes and Drosophila, which have related CO(2)-receptor proteins, reveals a pattern of inhibition that is often conserved. We use video tracking in wind-tunnel experiments to demonstrate that the novel ultra-prolonged activators can completely disrupt CO(2)-mediated activation as well as source-finding behaviour in Aedes mosquitoes, even after the odour is no longer present. Lastly, semi-field studies demonstrate that use of ultra-prolonged activators disrupts CO(2)-mediated hut entry behaviour of Culex mosquitoes. The three classes of CO(2)-response-modifying odours offer powerful instruments for developing new generations of insect repellents and lures, which even in small quantities can interfere with the ability of mosquitoes to seek humans.     

P27在子宫内膜增生过长、腺癌中的表达及意义

研究 P2 7在子宫内膜增生过长、腺癌中的表达及意义。应用免疫组化 S- P法分别检测子宫内膜单纯性、复杂性、不典型增生过长和腺癌组织中 P2 7蛋白表达。结果表明 :P2 7蛋白高表达率在子宫内膜单纯性、复杂性、不典型增生过长和腺癌组织中分别为 70 % ( 7/1 0 ) ,60 % ( 6/1 0 ) ,40 % ( 4 /1 0 ) ,30 % ( 1 0 /33) ,P2 7蛋白高表达率在子宫内膜增生过长、腺癌中差异有显著性 ( p<0 .0 5 )。子宫内膜腺癌 P2 7蛋白表达与年龄 ,组织分化程度 ,有无肌层浸润无关 ( p>0 .0 5 )。 P2 7蛋白表达减少与子宫内膜腺癌的发生有关 ,分析 P2 7蛋白表达有助于了解子宫内膜腺癌发生、发展的分子生物学机制     

DNA甲基化在肿瘤形成中的作用(综述)

DNA甲基化改变是肿瘤细胞中常见的现象,DNA甲基化与肿瘤的发生有密切关系。从以下几方面对此做一综述。（1）简介哺乳动物细胞的DNA甲基化;（2）DNA甲基化与肿瘤基因突变;（3）肿瘤DNA甲基化的基因外作用,其中包括：原癌基因的低甲基化和抑癌基因的高甲基化。     

NGN3与PAX4双基因表达腺病毒载体的构建与表达

目的:运用pADxsi系统构建带人NGN3与PAX4双基因表达腺病毒载体.方法:采用基因克隆技术,将目的基因NGN3从pEGFP-N1-NGN3质粒上切下连到pShuttle-GFP-CMV上,替换GFP,得到pShuttle-CMV-NGN3;再将PAX4从pEGFP-N1-PAX4质粒上切下连到系统pShuttle-CMV-NGN3上,得到pShuttle-CMV-NGN3/CMV-PAX4穿梭质粒;最后将CMV-NGN3/CMV-PAX4从pShuttle-CMV-NGN3/CMV-PAX4转移到ADxsi骨架载体上,得到pADxsi-CMV-NGN3/CMV-PAX4病毒质粒,然后在293细胞中进行包装与扩增活性病毒,并进行病毒滴度测定.体外感染人脐带间充质干细胞.逆转录-聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)与免疫印迹(Western blotting)检测目的基因在细胞内的表达情况, 免疫细胞化学与间接荧光法检测目的分子在细胞内的定位.结果:酶切鉴定和PCR证明重组人NGN3与PAX4双基因表达腺病毒载体构建正确;RT-PCR与Western blotting结果显示目的基因在细胞持续稳定表达;间接荧光与免疫化学表明重组腺病毒可高效感染人脐带间充质干细胞,且目的基因特异性地定位于细胞核内.结论:应用重组技术成功构建人NGN3与PAX4双基因表达腺病毒载体,且在间充质干细胞内持续而稳定表达.     

A cell surface receptor mediates extracellular Ca(2+) sensing in guard cells

Extracellular Ca(2+) (Ca(2+)(o)) is required for various physiological and developmental processes in animals and plants. In response to varied Ca(2+)(o) levels, plants maintain relatively constant internal Ca(2+) content, suggesting a precise regulatory mechanism for Ca(2+) homeostasis. However, little is known about how plants monitor Ca(2+)(o) status and whether Ca(2+)(o)-sensing receptors exist. The effects of Ca(2+)(o) on guard cells in promoting stomatal closure by inducing increases in the concentration of cytosolic Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) provide a clue to Ca(2+)(o) sensing. Here we have used a functional screening assay in mammalian cells to isolate an Arabidopsis complementary DNA clone encoding a Ca(2+)-sensing receptor, CAS. CAS is localized to the plasma membrane, exhibits low-affinity/high-capacity Ca(2+) binding, and mediates Ca(2+)(o)-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increases. CAS is expressed predominantly in the shoot, including guard cells. Repression of CAS disrupts Ca(2+)(o) signalling in guard cells, and impairs bolting (swift upward growth at the transition to seed production) in response to Ca(2+) deficiency, so we conclude that CAS may be a primary transducer of Ca(2+)(o) in plants.