Minimally cultured bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells ameliorate fibrotic lung injury

Clinical use of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) holds great promise for regenerative medicine in intractable lung diseases, such as lung fibrosis or acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, a severe obstacle to the clinical application of BMMSC transplantation is the time-consuming, laborious processes required for cell culture. In order to evaluate the clinical applicability of BMMSC transplantation, we tested whether engraftment of minimally cultured BMMSCs ameliorates progressive fibrotic lung injury. Differences between murine BMMSCs cultured for 2 h (2-h adherent BMMSCs) and conventionally (9-day) cultured BMMSCs were examined in vitro. The effects of grafting either type of BMMSCs on fibrotic lung injury were then assessed by transfer experiments in a murine bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis model, in which donor cells were administered 3 days after challenge. 2-h adherent BMMSCs were smaller, less granular, possessed higher proliferative capacity and expressed higher levels of several stem cell markers and chemokine receptors than 9-day cultured BMMSCs, but lower type I procollagen, alpha-smooth muscle actin, tumour necrosis factor-beta and oncogenic transcription factor c-Myc, suggesting that they may be advantageous for cell-based therapy compared with 9-day cultured BMMSCs. Grafting 2-h adherent BMMSCs ameliorated inflammatory and fibrotic lung disorders, and reduced mortality equally well or better than 9-day cultured BMMSCs. Minimally cultured BMMSCs can substitute for conventionally cultured BMMSCs and will be a promising cell source for the treatment of acute fibrotic lung injury.

Characterization and structural investigation of fractal porous-silica over an extremely wide scale range of pore size

We have succeeded in creating Menger sponge-like fractal body, i.e., porous-silica samples with Menger sponge-like fractal geometries, by a novel template method utilizing template particles of alkylketene dimer (AKD) and a sol-gel synthesis of tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS). We report here the first experimental results on characterization and structural investigations of the fractal porous-silica samples prepared with various conditions such as calcination temperature and packing condition of the template particles. In order to characterize the fractal porous-silica samples, pore volume distribution, porosity and specific surface area were measured over an extremely wide scale from 1 nm to 100 microm by means of mercury porosimetry, (1)H NMR cryoporometry, nitrogen gas adsorption experiments together with direct evaluations of cross-sectional fractal dimension D(cs), and size limits of D(cs). We have found that the pore volume distribution and specific surface area of the fractal porous-silica samples can be discussed in terms of different fractal porous structures at different scale regions.

5-fluorouracil-induced histopathological changes in the central nervous system of rat fetuses

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), a thymidylate synthesis inhibitor, has been well known to induce developmental anomalies in the craniofacial tissues and limb buds. Recently it was reported that microencephaly was also induced in rat neonates after 5-Fu-treatement in late phase of pregnancy (Kumar et al., 2006). In this study, pregnant rats were treated with 5-Fu (15, 30 or 50 mg/kg) on day 13 of gestation, and their fetuses were examined for histopathological changes, especially in the fetal central nervous system (CNS) at 12, 24 and 48 hours after treatment (HAT). At 12 HAT, an enhancement of pyknosis of neuronal progenitor cells and subsequent loss of dead cells were detected in the CNS in a dose-dependent manner. The severity of such histopathological changes in the CNS was most prominent in the telencephalon (middle and dorsal layers of the ventricular zone) and spinal cord (dorsal area). Pyknotic cells decreased towards 48 HAT in the brain while they increased towards 48 HAT in the spinal cord. Almost all of the nuclei of pyknotic cells were positively stained by TUNEL method and showed characteristics of apoptotic cells under electron microscopy. Therefore, these pyknotic cells were considered to be apoptotic ones. Enhanced apoptosis and reduced mitosis in neuronal progenitor cells in the telencephalon seem to be responsible for the later induction of microencephaly reported by Kumar et al. (2006).

Fibrocytes: a new insight into kidney fibrosis

Fibrocytes are supposed to be a circulating connective tissue cell progenitor, which consists of a novel population of peripheral blood cells. This distinct population of blood-borne cells shares markers of leukocytes as well as mesenchymal cells. Accumulating evidence indicates that fibrosis is characteristic of progressive chronic kidney diseases of any etiologies, resulting in kidney failure. We have uncovered that CCR7-positive fibrocytes migrate into the kidney in response to secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine (SLC/CCL21) and contribute to kidney fibrosis induced by unilateral ureteral obstruction in mice. In addition, the blockade of CCL21/CCR7 signaling by anti-CCL21 antibodies reduced kidney fibrosis, which was confirmed by a decrease in fibrosis in CCR7-null mice with concomitant reduction in macrophage recruitment along with reduced renal transcripts of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2). These findings suggest that fibrocytes dependent on CCL21/CCR7 signaling pathways contribute to the pathogenesis of kidney fibrosis, thereby providing that regulating fibrocytes may provide a novel therapeutic benefit for kidney fibrosis.

Combined therapy of transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization with intratumoral dendritic cell infusion for hepatocellular carcinoma: clinical safety

The curative treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), including surgical resection and radiofrequency ablation (RFA), do not prevent tumour recurrence effectively. Dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapies are believed to contribute to the eradication of the residual and recurrent tumour cells. The current study was designed to assess the safety and bioactivity of DC infusion into tumour tissues following transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization (TAE) for patients with cirrhosis and HCC. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were differentiated into phenotypically confirmed DCs. Ten patients were administered autologous DCs through an arterial catheter during TAE treatment. Shortly thereafter, some HCC nodules were treated additionally to achieve the curative local therapeutic effects. There was no clinical or serological evidence of adverse events, including hepatic failure or autoimmune responses in any patients, in addition to those due to TAE. Following the infusion of (111)Indium-labelled DCs, DCs were detectable inside and around the HCC nodules for up to 17 days, and were associated with lymphocyte and monocyte infiltration. Interestingly, T lymphocyte responses were induced against peptides derived from the tumour antigens, Her-2/neu, MRP3, hTERT and AFP, 4 weeks after the infusion in some patients. The cumulative survival rates were not significantly changed by this strategy. These results demonstrate that transcatheter arterial DC infusion into tumour tissues following TAE treatment is feasible and safe for patients with cirrhosis and HCC. Furthermore, the antigen-non-specific, immature DC infusion may induce immune responses to unprimed tumour antigens, providing a plausible strategy to enhance tumour immunity.

A haplotype of the human CXCR1 gene protective against rapid disease progression in HIV-1+ patients

Chemokines and their receptors are key factors in the onset and progression of AIDS. Among them, accumulating evidence strongly indicates the involvement of IL-8 and its receptors, CXCR1 and CXCR2, in AIDS-related conditions. Through extensive investigation of genetic variations of the human CXCR1-CXCR2 locus, we identified a haplotype of the CXCR1 gene (CXCR1-Ha) carrying two nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms, CXCR1_300 (Met to Arg) in the N terminus extracellular domain and CXCR1_142 (Arg to Cys) in the C terminus intracellular domain. Transfection experiments with CXCR1 cDNAs corresponding to the CXCR1-Ha and the alternative CXCR1-HA haplotype showed reduced expression of CD4 and CXCR4 in CXCR1-Ha cells in human osteosarcoma cells as well as in Jurkat and CEM human T lymphocytes. Furthermore, the efficiency of X4-tropic HIV-1(NL4-3) infection was significantly lower in CXCR1-Ha cells than in CXCR1-HA cells. The results were further confirmed by a series of experiments using six HIV-1 clinical isolates from AIDS patients. A genetic association study was performed by using an HIV-1(+) patient cohort consisting of two subpopulations of AIDS with extreme phenotypes of rapid and slow progression of the disease. The frequency of the CXCR1-Ha allele is markedly less frequent in patients with rapid disease onset than those with slow progression (P = 0.0003). These results provide strong evidence of a protective role of the CXCR1-Ha allele on disease progression in AIDS, probably acting through modulation of CD4 and CXCR4 expression.

Blockade of VEGF accelerates proteinuria, via decrease in nephrin expression in rat crescentic glomerulonephritis

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic factor that maintains the glomerular and peritubular capillary (PTC) network in the kidney. The soluble form of the VEGF receptor-1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1)) is known to regulate VEGF activity by binding VEGF in the circulation. We hypothesized that VEGF may be beneficial for maintaining glomerular filtration barrier and vascular network in rats with progressive glomerulonephritis (GN). For blockade of VEGF activity in vivo, rats were transfected twice with plasmid DNA encoding the murine sFlt-1 gene into femoral muscle 3 days before and 2 weeks after the induction of antiglomerular basement membrane antibody-induced GN. Inhibition of VEGF with sFlt-1 resulted in massive urinary protein excretion, concomitantly with downregulated expression of nephrin in nephritic rats. Further, blockade of VEGF induced mild proteinuria in normal rats. Administration of sFlt-1 affected neither the infiltration of macrophages nor crescentic formation. In contrast, treatment of sFlt-1 accelerated the progression of glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis accompanied with renal dysfunction and PTC loss at day 56. VEGF may play a role in maintaining the podocyte function as well as renal vasculature, thereby protecting glomeruli and interstitium from progressive renal insults.

Overexpression of IL-8 in the cornea induces ulcer formation in the SCID mouse

AIMS

Although interleukin 8 (IL-8) is not produced in the normal cornea, it has been detected there in several pathological conditions. In this study, the direct effects of IL-8 overexpression on the cornea was examined.

METHODS

The corneal surface of severe combined immunodeficiency mice was infected by the adenovirus vector encoding human IL-8 (IL-8/Ad5) and clinical and pathological changes were observed at various time points.

RESULTS

Clinically, marked angiogenesis and ulcer formation in the cornea were observed by 12 hours and 24 hours, respectively. Histologically, prominent angiogenesis was observed in the corneal stroma at 12 hours. Cleft formation between the corneal epithelium and stroma, and neutrophil infiltration into the corneal stroma were seen at 16 hours. By 24 hours after the infection with IL-8/Ad5, a shallow ulcer was formed in the cornea. In contrast, infection with the control adenovirus carrying the beta galactosidase gene (LacZ) showed neither corneal ulceration nor neutrophil infiltration. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that infection with IL-8/Ad5 resulted in the production of IL-8 by corneal and conjunctival stromal cells.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate that IL-8 overexpression in corneal tissue causes ulcer formation in the cornea through chemoattraction of neutrophils, suggesting the aetiological role of IL-8 in some types of corneal ulcers.

A searchable database for proteomes of oral microorganisms

An online database of proteomes for two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) gel data was constructed and it is now freely accessible through a web-based interface. Proteins from three oral bacteria, Streptococcus mutans UA159, Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans HK1651, and Porphyromonas gingivalis W83, whose genome databases are freely available, were separated by 2DE, and protein spots were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) and identified. About 1000 spots from the gels of P. gingivalis W83 were extracted and analyzed by MALDI-TOF, and 330 proteins were identified. In addition, 160 of 240 spots of A. actinomycetemcomitans and 158 of 356 spots of S. mutans were identified. Information such as spot coordinates on the gels, protein names (predicted functions), molecular weights, isoelectroric points, and links to online databases, including Oral Pathogen Sequence Databases of the Los Alamos National Laboratory Bioscience Division (ORALGEN) and National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) or The Institute Genomic Research (TIGR), were stored in tables accessible through the relational database management system MySQL on an Apache web server. To test for functionality of this database system, responses of S. mutans to environmental changes were analyzed using the database and 21 spots on the gel were identified as proteins whose expression had been increased or decreased by environmental pH change without in-gel trypsin digestion, protein extraction, or MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS (mass spectrometer) analysis. The identified proteins are agreement with those reported in previous papers on acid tolerance of S. mutans, demonstrating the usefulness of the system. This database is available at http://www.myamagu.dent.kyushu-u.ac.jp/~bioinformatics/index.html or http://www.bipos.mascat.nihon-u.ac.jp/index.html.

ADAMTS-1 is involved in normal follicular development, ovulatory process and organization of the medullary vascular network in the ovary

To clarify the role of disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type I motifs-1 (ADAMTS-1) in ovarian function, we examined abnormalities in ovulatory processes, folliculogenesis and the vascular system of ADAMTS-1 null ovaries. First, when immature female mice were treated with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG)/human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the number of ovulated oocytes was markedly decreased in ADAMTS-1 null mice in comparison to ADAMTS-1 (+/-) controls. The proportion of anovulated follicles to total mature follicles was significantly higher in ADAMTS-1 null females when compared with controls. The numbers of growing follicles at each stage were counted. The number of follicles at type 5b (late preantral) and later stages was markedly reduced in ADAMTS-1 null mice, irrespective of gonadotropin treatment (no gonadotropins, PMSG alone or PMSG/hCG). These data demonstrate that impairment of ovarian function to ovulate oocytes in ADAMTS-1 null mice occurs at two different levels: in the development of growing follicles and ovulatory processes. Furthermore, ADAMTS-1 null ovaries included a number of unusual atretic follicles that showed no sign of oocyte degeneration but lost the surrounding granulosa cell layers and were considered to be derived from type 4 or 5a follicles. These results suggest that ADAMTS-1 is important for follicular development beyond the type 4 and/or 5a and for maintaining normal granulosa cell layers in follicles. Finally, the number of large blood vessels in the medullar zone was significantly decreased in ADAMTS-1 null mice ovaries, suggesting that ADAMTS-1 is also involved in the organization of the medullary vascular network.

"Ring syndrome" involving chromosome 2 confirmed by FISH analysis using chromosome-specific subtelomeric probes

"Ring syndrome" is described as those cases with complete ring chromosomes showing, independently of the chromosome involved, severe growth failure, minor dysmorphic features, and mild-to-moderate mental retardation, without major malformations. We present a girl with ring 2 chromosome, exhibiting severe growth failure, minor dysmorphic features, spontaneously closed ventricular septum defect, and normal development. G-banding chromosome analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis using chromosome-specific subtelomeric probes (2ptel, 2qtel) demonstrated the major karyotype as 46,XX,r(2)(p25.3q37.3).ish r(2)(2ptel+,2qtel+). We review the cases with "ring syndrome" confirmed by FISH using chromosome-specific subtelomeric probes, suggesting that this method might be useful to predict developmental prognosis in a case with an apparently complete ring chromosome.

Differential modulation of human basophil functions through prostaglandin D2 receptors DP and chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule expressed on Th2 cells/DP2

BACKGROUND

Both prostaglandin (PG) D receptor (DP) and CRTH2 (chemoattractant receptor-homologous molecule expressed on Th2 cells)/DP2 are high-affinity receptors for PGD2. Previous studies have demonstrated that PGD2 enhances releasability and induces CRTH2/DP2-mediated migration in human basophils, but the precise effects of PGD2 on basophils as well as receptor usage have not been fully clarified.

OBJECTIVE

We comprehensively explored the roles of DP and CRTH2/DP2 in basophil functions by using selective agonists and antagonists for each receptor.

METHODS

DP and CRTH2/DP2 transcripts were quantified by real-time PCR. We studied the effects of selective agonists (DP: BW245C; CRTH2/DP2: 13,14-dihydro-15-keto (DK)-PGD2) and/or antagonists (DP: BWA868C; CRTH2/DP2: ramatroban) on Ca2+ mobilization, migration, degranulation, CD11b expression and survival of human basophils.

RESULTS

Basophils expressed transcripts of both DP and CRTH2/DP2, but the levels of CRTH2/DP2 transcripts were ca. 100-fold higher compared with DP transcripts. Ca2+ influx was induced in basophils by either PGD2 or DK-PGD2/CRTH2 agonist but not by BW245C/DP agonist. Basophils treated with PGD2 were completely desensitized to subsequent stimulation with DK-PGD2, but not vice versa. DK-PGD2 as well as PGD2 up-regulated CD11b expression, induced migration and enhanced degranulation, and those effects were completely antagonized by ramatroban/CRTH2 antagonist. In contrast, BW245C/DP agonist exhibited an inhibitory effect on basophil migration and IgE-mediated degranulation, and the migration inhibitory effect was effectively antagonized by BWA868C/DP antagonist. On the other hand, while PGD2 significantly shortened the basophil life-span, neither DK-PGD2/CRTH2 agonist nor BW245C/DP agonist did.

CONCLUSION

CRTH2/DP2 is primarily responsible for the pro-inflammatory effects of PGD2 on human basophils, while DP introduces negative signals capable of antagonizing the effects of CRTH2/DP2 in these cells. The effects of PGD2 on longevity imply a mechanism(s) other than via DP or CRTH2/DP2. CRTH2/DP2 on basophils may afford opportunities for therapeutic targeting in allergic inflammation.

CCL22 and CCL17 in rat radiation pneumonitis and in human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is caused by various known and unknown aetiologies, but the key pathogenic mechanisms are still ill-defined. Chemokines are a large family of chemotactic cytokines that play pivotal roles in various inflammatory diseases. In the present study, the roles of chemokines in a rat model of radiation pneumonitis/ pulmonary fibrosis were examined. Accumulation of inflammatory cells and pneumonitis were observed on day 28, and diffuse alveolar wall thickening with extensive fibrosis was observed on day 56. In addition to the previously reported CCL2 (macrophage chemoattractant protein-1) induction, selective upregulation of CCL22 (macrophage-derived chemokine) and CCL17 (thymus and activation-regulated chemokine) were demonstrated for the first time in the irradiated lung tissues. Immunohistochemically, it was demonstrated that CCL22 and CCL17 were localised primarily to alveolar macrophages, whereas their receptor CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) was detected on alveolar lymphocytes and macrophages. On further analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis, elevated levels of CCL22, but not of CCL17, were observed in the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients. Since these two chemokines play pivotal roles in various type-2 T-helper cell-dominant diseases, it was speculated that CCL22, and probably CCL17, are involved in the pathophysiology of radiation pneumonitis/pulmonary fibrosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis through the recruitment of CC chemokine receptor 4-positive type-2 T-helper cells and alveolar macrophages.