Ventral neural tube cells differentiate into hepatocytes in the chick embryo

A population of ventral neural tube cells has recently been shown to migrate out of the hind brain neural tube via the vagus nerve and contribute to the developing gastrointestinal tract. Since liver is also innervated by the vagus nerve, we sought to determine if these cells also migrate into the liver. Ventral neural tube cells in the caudal hindbrain of chick embryos were tagged with a replication-deficient retroviral vector containing the LacZ gene on embryonic day 2. Embryos were processed for detection of labeled cells on embryonic day 5 and 11. Labeled cells were seen in the liver on both days and identified as hepatocytes. Previously, it was believed that all hepatocytes develop from the gut endoderm. Results of the present study show an additional source for the formation of liver cells. Received 25 August 1998; received after revision 5 November 1998; accepted 5 November 1998     

冷再生基层的应用与质量控制

结合通顺路大修工程冷再生基层的施工工艺,对冷再生基层的应用施工中应注意的问题以及施工过程中的质量控制进行总结并提出建议。     

The effect of cycloheximide on nuclear uH2A content

Summary The effect of intraperitonal cycloheximide administration on acid-soluble rat liver chromatin proteins has been investigated by electrophoresis in acetic acid-urea polyacrylamide gels. A nonhistone protein, which migrates between oxidized histone H3 and histone H1 has been found tobe increased in amount following cycloheximide treatment. This protein seems to be identical with semihistone protein H24 (uH2A). A possible relationship of uH2A to the inhibition of rRNA synthesis is discussed.This work was supported by the Turkish Scientific and Technical Research Council (TUBITAK) Project No. TAG 339     

Neuronal plasticity and regeneration in the olfactory system of mammals: morphological and functional recovery following olfactory bulb deafferentation

The mammalian olfactory system has the unique property in the permanent turnover of the olfactory sensory neurons under normal conditions and following injury. This implies that the topographical map of the epithelium-to-bulb connections generated during ontogenesis has to be maintained despite neuron renewal in order to insure olfactory information processing. One way to investigate this issue has been to disrupt the peripheral connections and analyze how neural connections may be reestablished as well as how animals may perform in olfactory-mediated tasks. This review surveys the main data pertaining to both morphological and functional recoveries taking place in the peripheral olfactory system following olfactory bulb deafferentation. Conclusions from these studies are enlightened by recent data from molecular biology.     

The neurotrophic factors in non-neuronal tissues

Although neurotrophic factors are defined as molecules that maintain neuronal cells, they possess a range of functions outside the nervous system. For example, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor is essential for ureteric branching in kidney morphogenesis and for regulating the fate of stem cells during spermatogenesis. Leukemia inhibitory factor, a member of the interleukin-6 (IL-6) ciliary neurotrophic factor family, inhibits differentiation of embryonic stem cells, induces tubulogenesis in the embryonic kidney, and regulates sperm differentiation. Other IL-6 family members are important in cardiac differentiation and they have pleiotropic functions in the hematopoietic and immune systems. Although neurotrophin receptors have been found on a number of non-neuronal tissues, they represent mostly truncated receptor isoforms that are incapable of signal transduction and may have scavenger or dominant negative functions. However, several examples can be presented of essential non-neuronal functions played by neurotrophins in e.g., cardiac, hair follicle, and vascular differentiation, and the maintenance of immune cells.     

Increased demyelination and axonal damage in metallothionein I+II-deficient mice during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Metallothioneins I+II (MT-I+II) are antioxidant, neuroprotective factors. We previously showed that MT-I+II deficiency during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) leads to increased disease incidence and clinical symptoms. Moreover, the inflammatory response of macrophages and T cells, oxidative stress, and apoptotic cell death during EAE were increased by MT-I+II deficiency. We now show for the first time that demyelination and axonal damage are significantly increased in MT-I+II deficient mice during EAE. Furthermore, oligodendroglial regeneration, growth cone formation, and tissue repair including expression of trophic factors were significantly reduced in MT-I+II-deficient mice during EAE. Accordingly, MT-I+II have protective and regenerative roles in the brain. Received 31 October 2002; received after revision 23 November 2002; accepted 26 November 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. M. Penkowa and C. Espejo contributed equally to this paper.     

健脑益寿胶囊对衰老模型小鼠体内LPO的影响

观察健脑益寿胶囊的抗衰老作用,并初步探讨其作用机理.选用6月龄小鼠随机分为6组,分别为健脑益寿胶囊高、中、低剂量组、模型组、维生素E组、空白对照组.另取2月龄小鼠10只,作为青龄对照组.除空白对照组、青龄空白组外均颈背部sc给予D-半乳糖,剂量为120 mg/kg,造成衰老模型,并同时灌胃给予健脑益寿胶囊高、中、低3个剂量组健脑益寿胶囊,剂量分别为3.744、1.872、0.936 g/kg,维生素E组灌胃给予维生素E,剂量为20 mg/kg(模型组不给药),连续造模、给药6周,6周后处死小鼠,分别测定心、肝组织的脂质过氧化产物(LPO)含量.健脑益寿胶囊可不同程度降低D-半乳糖所致衰老小鼠心、肝组织的LPO含量.健脑益寿胶囊能降低体内脂质过氧化产物的含量,具有明显的延缓衰老作用,其抗衰老作用机理可能与其降低体内脂质过氧化产物的含量有关.     

耐盐能源植物海滨锦葵(Kostelezkya virginica)再生体系的建立

对海滨锦葵组织培养再生体系进行了研究，结果表明：1．海滨锦葵茎段外植体较好的愈伤组织诱导培养基组合为MS＋KT1．5mg／L＋IAA2．0mg／L或MS＋6-BA4．0mg／L＋IBA0．2mg／L＋Inositol50mg／L．2．海滨锦葵愈伤诱导不定芽的较好培养基组合为MS＋NAA2．0mg／L＋2iP5．0mg／L和MS＋NAA0．5mg／L＋2iP5．0mg／L．3．海滨锦葵腋芽分化不定芽的较好培养基组合为改良MS（含2倍有机营养）＋KT0．4mg／L＋IAA1．0mg／L．MS基本培养基中适当提高有机营养的含量对腋芽的增殖有促进作用，实验中以有机营养的含量为基本培养基2倍时效果较好．4．不定芽在1／ZMS的培养基中附加IBA1．0mg／L牛根最好．     

紫花苜蓿高频体细胞胚与次生胚再生体系的建立

通过系统地对紫花苜蓿体细胞胚发生以及次生胚发生途径中若干影响因子的比较研究,建立了紫花苜蓿高频体细胞胚和次生胚再生体系.结果表明,体细胞胚再生体系及次生胚再生体系均具有严格的基因型依赖性,不同的品种间以及同一品种内的不同株系间再生频率存在较大差别;MSO培养基可作为胚状体成苗培养基,但次生胚在MSO培养基中成苗率较低而再次形成新的胚状体;改良无激素SH培养基可有效终止次生胚的发生,并诱导次生胚成苗.此外,从6个紫花苜蓿品种中筛选到3个具有较强胚状体再生能力的品种,6个高胚状体发生能力的株系,2个具有较强的次生胚发生能力的株系,为进一步的遗传转化奠定了基础.