Optimized flow cytometric assay for the measurement of platelet microparticles in plasma: pre-analytic and analytic considerations

Platelet microparticles (PMP) are submicroscopic membrane vesicles released by platelets during activation. Flow cytometry is the most widely used method for quantifying PMP, but the optimization of the technical method has not yet been fully evaluated. This study was designed to assess the pre-analytical variables including blood sampling conditions, and to evaluate the analytical variations including effect of the platelet-specific antibodies and quantitative beads, precision, linearity and accuracy in comparison with beta-thromboglobulin, which is one of the platelet activation markers. Numbers of PMP collected into citrate-theophylline-adenosine-dipyridamole (CTAD) tubes were increased with time, but to a lesser extent than when collected into sodium citrate tubes. The precision of the PMP assay was relatively high. Excellent linear correlation was observed for dilution linearity. Regarding the platelet-specific antibodies used, anti-CD41a-labeled samples resulted in higher PMP levels than those labeled with anti-CD61 and anti-CD42a. There was no significant difference of PMP counts according to the quantitative beads. The PMP assay is well correlated with beta-thromboglobulin levels. Our findings suggest that blood samples for the PMP assay should be collected in a CTAD tube and delayed measurement is not allowed to avoid artefactual platelet activation. The PMP assay can be used successfully as a useful marker of the detection of in vivo platelet activation, provided that pre-analytical and technical points are optimally taken into consideration.

Effects of angiotensin II on the renal antioxidant activities of borderline hypertensive rats

This study was aimed to study the angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced antioxidant changes in the kidney of borderline-hypertensive rats (BHR). We measured renal antioxidant enzyme activities, and glutathione (GSH) contents and lipid peroxide levels in relation to the age of subjects. In the antioxidant enzyme assays, consistent changes were not observed in relation to age. However, in the assay for reduced GSH, nonenzymatic antioxidant, contents of adult and aged rats were much greater than those of weanling rats. Subcutaneous injection of pressor dose of human Ang II (200 microg/kg over 90 min) significantly reduced enzymatic activities in the weanling (4-week-aged) and adult (10-week-aged) BHR. However, in the relatively aged (16-week-aged) rats, Ang II did not alter enzymatic activities. Renal GSH contents of aged BHR, were highly increased by Ang II. Renal lipid peroxide levels of weanling and adult BHR were increased by Ang II, but decreased in the aged rats. However, these characteristic changes of renal antioxidant due to Ang II of the BHR could not be observed in the age-matched control, Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKR). From these results, it can be concluded that impacts of oxidative stress on the kidney of BHR may be greater in the young rats.

Low-density lipoprotein-antioxidant constituents of Saururus chinensis

A new diarylbutane lignan, saururin A (1), and a known 8-O-4'-type neolignan, machilin D (2), were isolated from a total methanol extract of the underground parts of Saururus chinensis. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis. Compounds 1, 2, and virolin (3) (the methyl ether of 2) exhibited significant low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-antioxidant activity in the thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) assay with IC(50) values of 8.5, 2.9, and 4.3 microM, respectively.

Prevalence and determinants of type 2 diabetes among Filipino-Americans in the Houston, Texas metropolitan statistical area

OBJECTIVE

The few available studies suggest that Filipino-Americans have an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of previously diagnosed type 2 diabetes and its major risk factors among Filipino-Americans.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan statistical area between September 1998 and March 2000. The convenience sample included 831 Filipino-American participants aged 20-74 years. The major risk factors assessed were age, sex, family history of diabetes, socioeconomic status, obesity (BMI >30), physical inactivity, acculturation, region of birth and, in women, history of gestational diabetes and delivery of a baby weighing > 9 lb.

RESULTS

Overall prevalence was estimated to be 16.1% (95% CI 13.5-18.7). Multivariate logistic regression analyses identified independent risk factors: increasing age from ages 35-44 years (odds ratio [OR] 5.6, 95% CI 1.5-20.5) to 65-74 years (34.2, 7.2-163.0); male sex (1.8, 1.1-32.1); family history of diabetes (4.7, 2.6-8.5); obesity (3.6, 1.4-9.0); region of birth, Mindanao (3.2, 1.3-7.7); and, among women, gestational diabetes (21.7, 6.7-69.7) and low income (5.3, 1.4-20.2).

CONCLUSIONS

The study observed a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes and supports earlier studies suggesting that Filipinos are at higher risk for type 2 diabetes than the U.S. non-Hispanic white population.

Experimental studies on the antiviral agent famciclovir in Behçet's disease symptoms in ICR mice

BACKGROUND

Chronic oral aphthae, recurrent genital ulcers and uveitis are the three main manifestations of Behçet's disease (BD). The aetiopathogenesis of BD is still obscure, but herpes simplex virus (HSV) is one of the possible causal factors. Various kinds of drugs, including immunosuppressants and aciclovir have been used in treatment, but effectiveness is variable.

OBJECTIVES

To demonstrate the efficacy of famciclovir, an antiviral compound that acts against HSV, varicella-zoster virus and hepatitis B virus, in a murine model of BD.

METHODS

Using the HSV-induced BD mouse model, famciclovir was administered variously before and after inoculation or from the day of lesion occurrence, with appropriate controls. Ulceration of the mouth and genital skin and eye involvement were monitored. In addition, spleen cytokine expression was measured by polymerase chain reaction.

RESULTS

Pretreatment and concurrent treatment did not affect the occurrence of BD, but treatment from the appearance of lesions was effective in improving BD and preventing recurrence. After famciclovir, interleukin 2 expression correlated with the recurrence of BD symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

This model suggests the possible role of immune response to viral infection in the development and activation of BD. The study provides a rationale for clinical trials of famciclovir in the human form of BD.

The timing and characterization of p53 mutations in progression from atypical ductal hyperplasia to invasive lesions in the breast cancer

The main reason for the recent interest in p53 is that almost 50% of human cancers contain p53 gene mutations. The majority of studies on p53 alterations in breast cancer have been limited to the isolated cases of ductal carcinoma in situ and infiltrating ductal carcinoma. The aims of this study were to determine the status and timing of p53 mutation in the progression from atypical ductal hyperplasia to invasive cancer, and to evaluate the patterns of p53 mutations in noninvasive and invasive lesions. Available lesions of invasive (n=88) and noninvasive (n=76) lesions were microdissected in 107 paraffin-embedded tissues (19 ductal carcinomas in situ, 57 invasive carcinomas with intraductal components, and 31 pure invasive carcinomas) and double-strand DNA sequencing was performed in exon 4-9 of the p53 gene. Among in situ cancers without invasive disease 36.8% had p53 mutations whereas in situ cancer with concurrent invasive disease showed p53 mutations in 33.3% of cases. In particular, two of seven atypical ductal hyperplasias harbored p53 alterations (one insertion and one missense mutation) in exon 8. The invasive component harbored p53 mutations in 30 of 88 cases (34.1%). We also discovered a novel deletion of 14 bp in exon 6 of two invasive lesions. The invasive component (1.33+/-0.13) carried a greater number of p53 mutations than its counterparts (1.19+/-0.10) and demonstrated more frequent multiple mutations (23.3% vs. 15.4%), but without statistical significance. Moreover, no statistical significance could be attached to the mutation frequency in the zinc-binding domains (26.7% vs. 15.4%), the directly DNA contact region (13.3% vs. 15.4%) and the missense mutation of p53 (50.0% vs. 57.7%) of the two groups. Based on our results, in spite of the small number of the lesions investigated, p53 mutation can occur at the stage of atypical ductal hyperplasia. The hypermutability and the specific p53 mutations involving the biologically functional domain (e.g., zinc binding domain or DNA contact region) have an insignificant influence on invasive progression in the breast cancer.

Amino acid metabolism of bovine blastocysts derived from parthenogenetically activated or in vitro fertilized oocytes

The uptake and synthesis of 19 amino acids by fresh or frozen-thawed bovine blastocysts produced by parthenogenesis (PT) or in vitro fertilization (IVF) were compared in the present study. Fresh blastocysts, 180 h after IVF or PT activation, and frozen-thawed blastocysts, 168 h old and cultured for 12 h post-thawing, were cultured in synthetic oviduct fluid medium (SOFM) containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with both essential and non-essential amino acids (EAA and NEAA, respectively) (Medium 1: M1) or SOFM containing PVA with only EAA (Medium 2: M2). In Experiment 1, when fresh or frozen-thawed PT blastocysts were cultured in M1, the uptake of glutamate (in fresh only), aspartate and arginine, and the synthesis of glutamine and alanine were significantly enhanced. In the culture with M2, serine, asparagine, glutamate, glutamine, glycine, arginine and alanine were significantly taken up. It was found that the glutamine concentrations was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in the culture medium drops containing embryos than in the drops without embryos. In Experiment 2, when PT blastocysts were cultured in M1, the uptake of aspartate and synthesis of alanine were greater (P < 0.01) than those by IVF blastocysts. When M2 was used, a significant (P < 0.01) production of serine, asparagine, glutamate, glutamine and alanine, and the uptake of arginine by PT blastocysts were observed. In Experiment 3, when IVF blastocysts were cultured in M1, fresh blastocysts depleted more aspartate and glutamate, and produced more glutamine and alanine than frozen-thawed blastocysts. When cultured in M2, frozen-thawed blastocysts depleted more threonine (P < 0.01) than fresh blastocysts. These results indicate that the uptake and synthesis of amino acids were different in fresh or frozen-thawed bovine blastocysts derived from PT or IVF. These differences in amino acid metabolism may be related to the viability of the blastocysts.

Synthesis, topoisomerase I inhibition and antitumor cytotoxicity of 2,2':6',2"-, 2,2':6',3"- and 2,2':6',4"-terpyridine derivatives

For the development of new anticancer agents, 2,2':6',2"-, 2,2':6',3"- and 2,2':6',4"-terpyridine derivatives were designed and evaluated for their topoisomerase I inhibitory activity and antitumor cytotoxicity. Structure-activity relationship studies indicated that 2,2':6',2"-terpyridine derivatives were highly cytotoxic toward several human tumor cell lines, whereas 2,2':6',3"- and 2,2':6',4"-terpyridine derivatives were potent topoisomerase I inhibitors.

Endothelial cells enhance human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication in macrophages through a C/EBP-dependent mechanism

Macrophages are early targets of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection and serve as potential reservoirs for long-term infection. Through inflammatory mediators and direct cell contact, infected macrophages interact with neighboring cell populations, such as the endothelium, which create a microenvironment favorable for HIV-1 replication. We hypothesize that the transcriptional activator C/EBPbeta is critical for macrophages to respond to endothelial cell-derived signals. We show that endothelial cells significantly enhance C/EBPbeta binding activity and HIV-1 replication in macrophages. This increase in HIV-1 transcription is due to cell-cell contact as well as the production of soluble factors, mediated in part by ICAM-1 and interleukin 6, respectively. Furthermore, C/EBP factors are necessary for endothelial cell-dependent activation of HIV-1 transcription in macrophages, and HIV-1 induction can be inhibited by a C/EBP dominant-negative protein. In addition, C/EBP binding sites are necessary for efficient LTR activity and HIV-1 replication in the presence of endothelial cells. Taken together, these results indicate that endothelial cells, through the activation of C/EBPbeta, provide a microenvironment that supports HIV-1 replication in monocytes/macrophages.

Absence of human papillomavirus DNA in nongenital seborrheic keratosis

Seborrheic keratosis (SK) is a benign epidermal tumor of unknown etiology. Because of its wart-like morphology, human papillomavirus (HPV) has been suggested as a possible causative agent. Viral involvement, however, has not been confirmed yet despite extensive research. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of HPV 6/11, 31, 33 DNA in nongenital SK. We analyzed 40 biopsy specimens taken from patients with nongenital SK using in situ polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and PCR with tissue extracts. The SK specimens (n=40), analyzed by in situ PCR, were negative for all HPV probes tested (types 6/11, 31, 33). Control slides (condyloma acuminatum, n=3) were positive for type 6/11, 31, and 33 HPV probes tested. Melasma samples (n=4), the negative controls, were consistently negative. No HPV DNA band was detected by PCR with the tissue extracts from paraffin-embedded SK samples, while condyloma acuminatum, the positive controls, showed DNA bands of the correct molecular weights. Our results show that HPV type 6/11, 31, and 33 cannot be recognized as causative agents for nongenital SK, which is in contrast to the previous studies. Further studies are required to reveal the presence of other types (more than 90) of HPV DNA.

Epidemiologic and clinical survey of Behcet's disease in Korea: the first multicenter study

The prevalence of Behcet's disease is the highest in the East Asian and the Mediterranean countries. Behcet's disease is also distributed in the Asian countries, but the nationwide survey has not been performed in Korea yet. The Korean Study Group for Behcet's Disease, founded in 1999, conducted a multicenter, retrospective survey on epidemiologic and clinical features of the patients with Behcet's disease from 20 hospitals around the nation from 1997 to 1999. Of 3,497 patients, 1,527 were classified into complete or incomplete type of Behcet's disease according to the revised Shimizu's classification. The sex ratio was 1:1.75 with the female predominance. Geographical distribution showed the highest frequency in Seoul (38.5%). Clinically, 98.8% had oral ulcers, 83.2% had genital ulcers, 84.3% had skin lesions and 50.9% had ocular lesions. As for the minor clinical manifestations, articular symptoms were the most frequent. The pathergy test showed positive in 15.4% of patients and revealed a higher positive rate in males (20.2%) than in females (12.7%). In conclusion, we performed the first multicenter study on Behcet's disease in Korea and revealed the female predominance, higher frequency of ocular lesions, and lower positivity of pathergy test in the patients.

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-pyridinium increases S-adenosyl-L-methionine dependent phospholipid methylation

1-Methyl-4-phenyl-pyridinium (MPP(+)) and S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) cause Parkinson's disease (PD)-like changes. SAM and MPP(+) require their charged S-methyl and N-methyl groups, so the PD-like symptoms may be related to their ability to modulate the methylation process. The SAM-dependent methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine (PTE) to produce phosphatidylcholine (PTC), via phosphatidylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PEMT), and the hydrolysis of PTC to form lyso-PTC, a cytotoxic agent, are potential loci for the action of MPP(+). In this study, the effects of MPP(+) on the methylation of PTE to PTC and the production of lyso-PTC were determined. The results showed that SAM increased PTC and lyso-PTC. The rat striatum showed the highest PEMT activity and lyso-PTC formation, which substantiate with the fact that the striatum is the major structure that is affected in PD. MPP(+) significantly enhanced PEMT activity and the formation of lyso-PTC in the rat liver and brain. MPP(+) increased the affinity and the V(max) of PEMT for SAM. 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) effect was lesser and inhibited by deprenyl (MAO-B inhibitor). The nor-methyl analogs of MPP(+) were inactive, but some of the charged analogs of MPP(+) showed comparable effects to those of MPP(+). Lyso-PTC that can be increased by SAM and MPP(+) caused severe impairments of locomotor activities in rats. These results indicate that SAM and MPP(+) have complementary effects on phospholipid methylation. Thus, SAM-induced hypermethylation could be involved in the etiology of PD and an increase of phospholipid methylation could be one of the mechanisms by which MPP(+) causes parkinsonism.

L-dopa upregulates the expression and activities of methionine adenosyl transferase and catechol-O-methyltransferase

High nonphysiological doses of l-dopa are administered to Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, to replenish the depleted dopamine (DA). A large portion of the administered L-dopa and the newly formed DA undergoes methylation by reacting with S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM). In the process SAM, as well as L-dopa and DA, is utilized and great demands are placed on the transmethylation system. In this study we investigated whether L-dopa increases the transmethylation process by inducing methionine adenosyl transferase (MAT), the enzyme that produces SAM, and catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT), the enzyme that transfers the methyl group from SAM to L-dopa and DA. Swiss Webster mice were injected with L-dopa, four times/day, for 1 to 16 days. Brain DA, 3-O-methyldopa (3-OMD), SAM, S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), MAT, and COMT were measured following a 24-h withdrawal period. An increase of 264% of brain DA occurred at days 2 and 3 after which it tapered to about 164% of control. The brain level of 3-OMD increased to 870% of the control. SAM was increased by 44% after the sixth day and SAH level was about double after the second day. After day 3, MAT activity was increased by about 35%. Western blot analysis showed that MAT is more clearly characterized in 10% mercaptoethanol reducing buffer in which 31.5-, 38- (beta), and 48-kDa (alpha1/alpha2) subunits were distinctly revealed. The induction of the 38-kDa and, more prominently, the 48-kDa subunits of MAT and the potential transactivator proteins of MAT, c-Jun/AP-1, was evident by day 6. The 31.5-kDa subunit was downregulated. COMT was detected as 24.7-, 30-, and 47.5-kDa bands in the brain, consistent with the membrane-bound COMT I (MB-COMT) and the dimeric COMT II. The 24.7- and the 30-kDa MB-COMT bands were induced in the brain by day 6 and peaked on day 9. The highlight of the study is the fact that L-dopa induces the enzymes MAT and COMT. In addition, the downturn in brain DA after the sixth day coincides with the increase in SAM and the 48-kDa MAT protein. Thus, during PD treatment with L-dopa the induction of MAT and COMT is likely to occur and in turn increase the methylation and reduction of L-dopa and DA that may help cause the tolerance or the wearing-off effect developed to L-dopa.

Development of porcine oocytes from preovulatory follicles of different sizes after maturation in media supplemented with follicular fluids

The development of porcine oocytes from large (3.1-8.0 mm in diameter) or small (<3.1 mm) follicles was examined after maturation culture in medium containing porcine follicular fluid (pFF). Large follicles yielded larger (256 microm v. 221 microm; P<0.05) cumulus-oocyte complexes and more (22 v. 14%) morphologically normal oocytes than small follicles (Experiment 1). In Experiments 2-4, maturation media supplemented with mixed pFF (10%) from small and large follicles was used. More oocytes from large follicles matured (58% v. 91%), formed pronuclei (81% v. 90%) and developed to the blastocyst stage (2% v. 10%) than oocytes from small follicles. In Experiments 5-7, the effects of pFF collected from either small or large follicles on oocyte development were examined. Regardless of the source of oocytes, large-follicle-derived pFF more significantly enhanced preimplantation development than did small-follicle-derived pFF. The highest rate of blastocyst formation (16%) was found when oocytes from large follicles were cultured in maturation medium containing large-follicle-derived pFF. These results suggest that oocytes from large follicles have greater developmental potential than oocytes from small follicles, and that the origin of pFF, which is added to the maturation media, might be an important factor for improving in vitro development of porcine oocytes.

Novel mutations of the transglutaminase 1 gene in lamellar ichthyosis

Lamellar ichthyosis, one form of congenital autosomal recessive ichthyosis, is caused by mutations in the gene (TGM1) encoding the transglutaminase 1 enzyme. Mutations, deletions, or insertion of TGM1 have been reported so far. Here we report that three novel mutations of TGM1, D101V, N288T, and R306W, cause lamellar ichthyosis in two different families. The patient in family LI-KD has N288T and R306W mutations, and the patient in family LI-LK has D101V and R306W mutations. The activity of the transglutaminase 1 enzyme of the patient in family LI-LK was only about 15% of normal. Also, three-dimensional structural prediction analyses revealed that the N288T and R306W mutations, and possibly the D101V mutation, cause misfolding in the central catalytic core domain of the transglutaminase 1 enzyme that would probably result in reduced enzyme activity. Our data suggest that the greatly reduced transglutaminase 1 activities are due to disruptions of the native folding of transglutaminase 1, and that these mutations may play a critical role in the pathology of lamellar ichthyosis.

Analysis of cross-resistance of the selective estrogen receptor modulators arzoxifene (LY353381) and LY117018 in tamoxifen-stimulated breast cancer xenografts

PURPOSE

Cross-resistance is the primary issue facing the evaluation of new antiestrogens to treat metastatic breast cancer because they may be tested, initially, in populations of patients that have failed long-term adjuvant tamoxifen (Tam) therapy.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

We have tested the benzothiophene derivatives, arzoxifene (Arzox; LY353381) and LY117018 in two models of Tam-stimulated tumor growth derived from either MCF-7 (M. M. Gottardis and V. C. Jordan, Cancer Res., 48: 5183-5187, 1988) or T47D (J. MacGregor Schafer et al., Clin. Cancer Res., 6: 4373-4380, 2000) breast cancer cells.

RESULTS

Using the MCF-7:Tam model, we found that both Arzox and LY117018 (1.5 mg/day) resulted in tumor growth and, therefore, were partially cross-resistant with Tam. Next, using the T47D:17beta-estradiol (E(2)) model, we compared the antiestrogenic/antitumor properties of Arzox and LY117018 and determined that neither Arzox nor LY117018 caused T47D:E(2) tumor growth after 21 weeks. In addition, we determined that long-term treatment does not result in failure and subsequent development of transplantable Arzox- or LY117018-stimulated tumors. To establish whether Arzox and LY117018 are cross-resistant in T47D:Tam tumors, mice were treated with Arzox or LY117018 (1.5 mg/day), and, again, we found that neither resulted in the growth of transplantable tumors. Lastly, we showed that Arzox and LY117018 were only partially able to compete with postmenopausal E(2) (0.3 cm silastic capsule) in T47D:Tam tumors. However, when T47D:E(2) tumors were treated for 7 days instead of 5 days, both Arzox and LY117018 were more effective.

CONCLUSIONS

Arzox is not cross-resistant with Tam in the T47D athymic mouse model but does exhibit cross-resistance in the MCF-7 model.

The effect of supplemental oxygen on the transarterial wall oxygen gradients at a prosthetic vascular graft to artery anastomosis in the rabbit

Artery wall hypoxia has been proposed to contribute to many kinds of artery wall pathology, including atherosclerosis and intimal hyperplasia. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of supplemental oxygen on the transarterial wall oxygen gradients at a prosthetic vascular device (PVG)-to-artery anastomosis. The transarterial wall oxygen gradient in the infrarenal aorta of New Zealand White rabbits housed for 42 days in a 40% supplemental oxygen was measured with an oxygen microelectrode 2 mm distal to a PVG-to-artery anastomosis. Oxygen tensions were significantly increased throughout the artery wall at all time points in the supplemental oxygen groups compared to those in non-oxygen-supplemented groups. Within the oxygen-supplemented groups, the outer artery wall had diminished oxygen tensions immediately following creation of the anastomosis, with a slow return to control oxygen tensions on postanastomosis day 42 which correlated with a return of the vasa vasorum. These changes were noted without differences in blood pressure or arterial blood oxygen concentrations within the oxygen-supplemented group. Artery wall hypoxia noted following the creation of a PVG-to-artery anastomosis can be eliminated and artery wall oxygen tensions significantly increased by the administration of supplemental oxygen.

Planomicrobium koreense gen. nov., sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from the Korean traditional fermented seafood jeotgal, and transfer of Planococcus okeanokoites (Nakagawa et al. 1996) and Planococcus mcmeekinii (Junge et al. 1998) to the genus Planomicrobium

A bacterial strain, JG07T, isolated from the Korean traditional fermented seafood jeotgal, was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. Cells of strain JG07T are cocci or short rods in the early growth phase but change to rods as the cultures age. The peptidoglycan type is A4alpha, based on L-Lys-D-Glu. The menaquinone profile is characterized by the predominance of MK-8 followed by MK-7 and MK-6. The cellular fatty acid profile contains major amounts of saturated, unsaturated and branched fatty acids. The cellular phospholipids are phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and bisphosphatidylglycerol. The G+C content of the DNA is 47 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis showed that strain JG07T forms a cluster with Planococcus okeanokoites and Planococcus mcmeekinii, and the relationship between this cluster and two other Planococcus species described previously is supported by bootstrap analysis at a confidence level of 100%. The 16S-23S internally transcribed spacer (ITS) sequence similarity and DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain JG07T and the type strains of other Planococcus species are in the range 74.6-83.2% and 10.4-20.5%, respectively. On the basis of the phenotypic and phylogenetic data and the genomic distinctiveness, strain JG07T is considered to represent a new genus and a new species, for which the name Planomicrobium koreense gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. It is also proposed that Planococcus okeanokoites and Planococcus mcmeekinii be transferred to the new genus Planomicrobium as Planomicrobium okeanokoites and Planomicrobium mcmeekinii, respectively.

The correlation of MHC haplotype and development of Behçet's disease-like symptoms induced by herpes simplex virus in several inbred mouse strains

It has been postulated that human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B51 is associated with Behçet's disease. In previous study, we induced Behçet's disease-like symptoms in ICR mice inoculated with herpes simplex virus. In this study, several inbred mouse strains -- B10.BR (H-2k), B10.RIII (H-2r), C57BL/6 (H-2b), C3H/He (H-2k), Balb/c (H-2d) -- which had different types of major histocompatibility complex (MHC), were inoculated with herpes simplex virus type 1 (KOS strain) in order to demonstrate the role of histocompatibility antigen in the development of Behçet's disease-like symptoms. Behçet's disease-like symptoms developed in 40-50% of B10.BR, B10.RIII and C57BL/6 strains, but in only 2% of C3H/He and Balb/c. B10.BR and C3H/He strains had a common haplotype (H-2k) but the rate of manifestation was different. So, we conclude that MHC is not directly correlated with development of Behçet's disease-like symptoms in the animal model of herpes simplex virus induced Behçet's disease-like symptoms.

Establishment of an animal embryo culture system containing various embryotropins and its efficacy for culturing ICR mouse one-cell embryos derived in vivo or in vitro

OBJECTIVE

To develop an effective ICR mouse embryo culture medium.

DESIGN

In vitro model study.

SETTING

University-affiliated hospital.

ANIMALS

Four-week-old, superovulated mice.

INTERVENTION(S)

In vivo- or in vitro-derived one-cell embryos were cultured in preimplantation-1 medium (P-1).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Preimplantation development.

RESULT(S)

In vivo-derived embryos were cultured in BSA-containing P-1, to which one of the following substances was added: [1] no addition, [2] amino acids (aa), [3] aa+hemoglobin (hb), [4] aa+hb+cysteine (cys), [5] aa+hb and glucose (glu) added at the four-cell, or [6] aa+hb and glu+cys added at the four-cell stage. More (P<0.05) blastocysts developed after aa or aa+hb addition than after no addition, and glu addition to such medium further stimulated the formation (54%). In P-1 with aa+glu, the addition of 1 microg/mL hb was optimal. Additional improvement of blastocyst formation (78%) was achieved by ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), supplementation and bovine serum albumin replacement with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) did not inhibit the development. P-1 supplemented with aa, hb, glu, EDTA, and PVA also supported the development of in vitro-derived embryos (70%).

CONCLUSION(S)

A modified P-1 medium was developed, and it supported the development of both in vivo- and in vitro-derived ICR mouse embryos.

Cryopreservation of ICR mouse oocytes: improved post-thawed preimplantation development after vitrification using Taxol, a cytoskeleton stabilizer

OBJECTIVE

To establish an effective cryopreservation method.

DESIGN

In vitro model study.

SETTING

Infertility Medical Center, Pochon CHA University.

ANIMAL(S)

Four-week-old ICR mice superovulated with pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotropin.

INTERVENTION(S)

Vitrified-thawed oocytes were fertilized and subsequently cultured in vitro.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S)

Post-thawed development, chromosome/spindle normalities, and blastocyst quality.

RESULT(S)

More cumulus-enclosed oocytes were fertilized and developed to the 8-cell stage after vitrification and thawing than denuded oocytes. However, cryopreserved oocytes of both types had lower spindle and chromosome normalities than fresh oocytes, which resulted in reduced developmental competence after thawing. The addition of 1 microM of Taxol, a cytoskeleton stabilizer, to vitrification solution greatly promoted the blastocyst formation of vitrified-thawed oocytes, compared with no addition (24.0% vs. 58.6%). No difference in blastocyst quality, which was evaluated by blastomere and inner cell mass cell numbers and inner cell mass cell per trophoblast ratio, was found between fresh oocytes and oocytes vitrified with Taxol.

CONCLUSION(S)

A vitrification solution consisting of 5.5 M ethylene glycol, 1.0 M sucrose, 10% fetal bovine serum, and 1 microM Taxol greatly improved post-thawed development of vitrified oocytes.

Fra-1 expression in malignant and benign thyroid tumor

BACKGROUND

The differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules is very important in deciding the treatment modality and the fine needle aspiration is the best diagnostic method. But, there are some limitations in use because of inadequate test materials and difficulty in interpreting. According to the study of oncogene and tumor suppressor gene about the origin of thyroid tumor, expression of Fra-1, one of AP-1 complex, is increased in thyroid neoplasm, though not present in the normal tissue. So, there is a possibility that it will be used as a method for the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules. We tried to know whether presence or absence of Fra-1 expression can be used as a diagnostic method in differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules using the immunohistochemical (IHC) staining method.

METHODS

In 4 types of thyroid tumor that were confirmed by histologic diagnosis after operation (18 cases of adenomatous goiter, 16 cases of follicular adenoma, 30 cases of papillary cancer, 10 cases of follicular cancer), IHC staining method was performed to evaluate the expression of Fra-1.

RESULTS

In papillary and follicular thyroid cancers, the expression of Fra-1 was stronger than in benign thyroid tumor, but there was no difference in Fra-1 expression between the two types of carcinoma. Weak expression of Fra-1 was observed in all cases of follicular adenoma, though it was weaker than in carcinoma, and it was also weakly expressed only in some cases (33%) of adenomatous goiter.

CONCLUSION

The expression of Fra-1 was stronger in thyroid cancer than in benign thyroid tumor, but it was impossible to differentiate thyroid cancer from benign thyroid tumor by presence or absence of Fra-1 expression using IHC staining method.

Silencing and reactivation of the selective estrogen receptor modulator-estrogen receptor alpha complex

4-Hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT), a selective estrogen receptor modulator, is an agonist at a transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) target gene in situ in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells stably transfected with wild-type human ERalpha. In contrast, raloxifene (Ral) is a complete antiestrogen silencing activation function (AF) 1 and AF2 in this system. A natural mutation D351YERalpha enhances 4-OHT agonist activity and changes Ral-like compounds from antagonists to partial agonists. We reasoned that: either the conformation of the Ral-D351YERalpha is altered, thereby reactivating AF2 in the ligand binding domain, or the change at amino acid 351 allosterically reactivates AF1 in the Ral-D351YERalpha complex. Unlike the estradiol-ERalpha complex, agonist activity of 4-OHT and raloxifene through ERalpha and D351YERalpha were not attributed to coactivator (such as SRC-1, AIB1) binding to the ligand binding domain. We conclude that the classic AF2 is not responsible for the agonist activities of 4-OHT-ERalpha, 4-OHT-D351YERalpha, and Ral-D351YERalpha. To address the role of AF1, stable transfectants of ERalpha or D351YERalpha with an AF1 deletion (D351deltaAF1, D351YdeltaAF1) were generated in MDA-MB-231 cells. Additionally, D538A/E542A/D545A triple mutations within helix 12 (D351-3m, D351Y3m) or the COOH-terminal 537 deletion (D351delta537) were tested. The agonist activities of 4-OHT and raloxifene were lost in these stable transfectants, but antiestrogenic action was retained. The reactivation of an estrogen-like property of the Ral-ERalpha complex through AF1 with the D351Y mutation illustrates a novel allosteric mechanism for the selective estrogen receptor modulator ERalpha complex.

Expression of Th2 cytokines decreases the development of and improves Behçet's disease-like symptoms induced by herpes simplex virus in mice

In the etiology of Behçet's disease (BD), viral infection has long been postulated as a contributing factor, and viral involvement has been demonstrated. However, viral infection alone is not sufficient to explain the pathogenesis of BD, and some evidence suggests that immunologic abnormalities are also important. To study the possible role of immune regulation in the development of BD-like symptoms induced by herpes simplex virus inoculation in ICR mice, macrophages were deleted by use of liposome-encapsulated clodronate (lip-Cl(2)MDP). Treatment with lip-Cl(2)MDP suppressed the development of BD-like symptoms, and this suppression was correlated with the induction of interleukin-4 expression in mouse spleens. When the Th2 adjuvant ovalbumin (OVA)-alum was injected into mice with BD-like symptoms, their cutaneous symptoms improved. Adoptive transfer with splenocytes from OVA-alum-injected mice also resulted in improvement. These findings suggest that up-regulated Th2 cytokine expression can attenuate the development of and improve some BD-like symptoms.