Intratracheal administration of endotoxin and cytokines: VIII. LPS induces E-selectin expression; anti-E-selectin and soluble E-selectin inhibit acute inflammation

E-selectin is an inducible endothelial adhesion molecule that binds neutrophils. E-selectin mRNA is not constitutively detectable in the lungs of rats. Intratracheal injection of LPS induces pulmonary E-selectin mRNA expression at 2-4 h. Intratracheal injection of LPS followed at 2 and 4 h by intravenous injection of mouse F(ab')2 or F(ab') anti-E-selectin monoclonal antibody inhibits the emigration of neutrophils into the bronchoalveolar space at 6 h by 50-70%. TNF and IL-6 bioactivity are not decreased in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid after treatment with anti-E-selectin antibody as compared to controls, suggesting that the anti-E-selectin does not affect the magnitude of the LPS-initiated cytokine cascade. Intratracheal injection of LPS followed at 2 and 4 h by intravenous injection of soluble E-selectin inhibits neutrophilic emigration at 6 h by 64%, suggesting that endogenous soluble E-selectin shed from activated endothelium may play a role in the endogenous down-regulation of acute inflammation. E-selectin-mediated adhesion of neutrophils to endothelium appears crucial to the full development of the acute inflammation response.

[Effects of luminance contrast and color contrast between components of illusory figure on the illusion magnitude]

Using quantitative psychophysical measurements, the effects of luminance contrast (LC) and equiluminance color contrast (ECC) between components of illusory figures on the magnitudes of orientation illusion (Zoellner illusion), length illusion (Müller-Lyer illusion and Ponzo illusion) and area illusion (Delboeuf illusion) were investigated. The results showed that, compared with normal illusory magnitude, the illusory magnitude of the subjects decreased obviously when LC or ECC existed between the components of the illusory figures. The decrease was especially obvious in the orientation illusion. The minimum contrasts for inducing contour and border illusions were only 1.8% and 5.3% under LC. They increased to 66.0% and 46.4% respectively when both luminance and color contrasts were introduced into the figures. These observations provided evidence for the existence of mutual inhibition between the luminance, color and form channels of the visual system.

[Quantitative studies on discrimination of simple geometric patterns and related visual illusions]

Using quantitative psychophysical measurements, the abilities in discriminating some simple geometric patterns and the related visual illusions (Zoellner, Muller-Lyer, Ponzo and Delboeuf illusions) were investigated under luminance contrast (LC) and isoluminance color contrast (ICC). The results showed that the subjects possessed identical abilities in discriminating parallelity, length and area, and illusory distortion perceived for these geometric properties were of the same strength, no matter the figures were displayed by LC or ICC. The contour- and border illusions, however, vanished at ICC. The minimum contrast inducing contour and border illusions (1.8% and 5.3%, respectively) was considerably lower than that inducing parallelity illusion (15%). These imply that simple geometric properties and contours (or borders) of visual images may be separately transmitted by different visual pathways.

Expression of transforming growth factor alpha in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) is a mitogenic polypeptide which acts on the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The aim of this study was to examine the expression of TGF-alpha in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and surrounding cirrhotic tissue, and to compare it with normal liver. Immunoreactive TGF-alpha was detected using two antibodies raised against its C terminus, a polyclonal antibody 26T and a monoclonal antibody Ab-2. In normal liver immunoreactive TGF-alpha was localised strongly to bile duct epithelium and weakly in occasional parenchymal cells but was notably absent from perisinusoidal and Kupffer cells. Eight out of twenty-eight (28%) cases of HCC expressed TGF-alpha as demonstrated by cytoplasmic staining with both antibodies and in four cases additional membrane immunoreactivity was demonstrated using 26T. However, where cirrhotic tissue surrounding TGF-alpha positive tumours was available for analysis immunoreactive TGF-alpha was detected in only 1/7 cases. TGF-alpha synthesis by malignant hepatocytes was supported by the detection of specific RNA by Northern blotting from two cases with TGF-alpha immunoreactivity. These results implicate bile duct epithelium as an important source of TGF-alpha in human liver. Furthermore, in HCC the expression of TGF-alpha in some cases, together with paucity of TGF-alpha immunoreactivity in surrounding cirrhotic tissue, suggests that TGF-alpha may play a role in continued cell proliferation in human hepatocarcinogenesis.

Squid glutathione S-transferase. Relationships with other glutathione S-transferases and S-crystallins of cephalopods

Glutathione S-transferase (GST, EC 2.5.1.18) was purified from the digestive gland of the squid Ommastrephes sloani pacificus. It had high enzymatic activity for the 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene substrate and was composed of a major and a minor polypeptide band, both with molecular masses near 25 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide gels. GST cDNA clones were derived from the digestive gland mRNA. The deduced GSTs of the longest cDNAs (pGST5 and pGST11) containing the entire coding sequence have a molecular mass near 23 kDa. Sequence comparisons showed that the squid GST is 42-44% identical to both squid and octopus S-crystallins (the major proteins of the lens), 32-34% identical to class pi and 29-32% identical to class alpha GSTs of vertebrates, and 19-23% identical to other GSTs of vertebrates and insects. Northern blot hybridization revealed that GST mRNAs were much more abundant in the digestive gland than in the testis, mantle, or lens. Analysis of a squid GST gene indicated that it has an exon-intron structure similar to that of the vertebrate class pi GST gene. An apparently novel repetitive element was identified in the 5'-flanking sequence of the squid GST gene. Our results suggest that multiple duplications of an ancestral GST gene gave rise to a family of enzymatically inactive crystallins specialized for lens refraction and one (or two) active GST enzyme expressed preferentially, but not exclusively, in the digestive gland in squids. This differs from the innovation of refractive function from a metabolic enzyme by increased expression in the lens with minimal or no gene duplication, as occurred among the enzyme-crystallins of vertebrates.

Activated pulmonary vascular neutrophils as early mediators of endotoxin-induced lung inflammation

Pulmonary vascular sequestration of leukocytes has been reported to increase in some models of lung injury, including that induced by gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Neutrophils recruited to the lung likely participate in LPS-induced lung inflammation and associated injury, but the functional activities of these pulmonary vascular neutrophils have not been directly assessed. In the current study, cells were recovered by pulmonary vascular lavage (PVL) of isolated rat lungs, harvested 2 h after intravenous infusion of LPS (3 mg/kg) or saline in intact rats, at which time LPS-induced neutrophil recruitment to the lung could be appreciated histologically but not by airway lavage. Relative concentrations of leukocytes recovered from the pulmonary vasculature by PVL were compared with those present in circulating blood, normalizing for lavage dilution on the basis of erythrocyte counts. Excess neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and eosinophils were recovered from the pulmonary vasculature of controls, and LPS infusion increased recovery of neutrophils (most prominently), lymphocytes, and monocytes. Compared with cells recovered from controls, PVL neutrophils from LPS-infused animals were primed for increased zymosan-stimulated superoxide generation, determined by ferricytochrome C reduction, and were more adherent to nylon wool columns. Northern blots of extracted RNA demonstrated that LPS infusion also upregulated interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) mRNA expression in PVL leukocyte samples, but not BAL or circulating blood samples. Ficoll-hypaque separation demonstrated that the LPS-induced IL-1 beta signal in PVL leukocytes was derived primarily from polymorphonuclear rather than mononuclear leukocytes. In conclusion, all circulating leukocyte populations are sequestered in rat lungs, and LPS increases pulmonary vascular sequestration of leukocytes, recruiting most prominently an activated pool of neutrophils that are more adherent, primed for increased oxygen radical production, and expressing increased IL-1 beta message. These findings suggest a more prominent role than previously appreciated for sequestered neutrophils in sepsis-induced lung inflammation.

Deficient repair of DNA lesion O6-methylguanine in cirrhosis

Cirrhosis is a risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma. O6-methylguanine is a promutagenic and potentially carcinogenic DNA lesion produced by environmental alkylating agents. If it is not repaired, DNA replication can lead to a G-to-A transition mutation, which is a known mechanism of oncogene activation. We have found that the activity of the repairing methyltransferase enzyme is significantly lower in cirrhotic tissue than in non-cirrhotic diseased liver or in normal liver. This finding suggests a mechanism for cirrhosis being a risk factor for cancer of the liver: increased cellular proliferation together with persistence of O6-methylguanine might lead to malignant transformation of liver cells through mutation and oncogene activation.

Endotoxin-induced cytokine gene expression in vivo. IV. Expression of interleukin-1 alpha/beta and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist mRNA during endotoxemia and during endotoxin-initiated local acute inflammation

After the intravenous (IV) injection of endotoxin, (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]), in the rat, interleukin-1 alpha/beta (IL-1 alpha/beta) mRNA expression peaks at 1 hour in whole organ RNA preparations of the lung, liver, spleen, and bowel. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) mRNA peaks at 2 to 4 hours, consistent with the hypothesis that IL-1ra acts as an endogenous negative feedback mechanism to downregulate the proinflammatory effects of IL-1. After the intratracheal (IT) injection of LPS, however, IL-1 and IL-1ra mRNA levels in whole lung peak at 6 hours, concurrent with the maximum influx of neutrophils (PMNs) into the bronchoalveolar space. To address the cellular source of IL-1 and IL-1ra mRNA in the lung during acute pneumonitis, mRNA levels were studied in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) macrophages incubated with LPS in vitro for 6 hours as compared with BAL cells (95% PMNs) obtained 6 hours after IT injection of LPS. A much greater expression of IL-1 and IL-1ra mRNA was observed in PMN-rich BAL cells obtained after IT injection of LPS, suggesting that PMNs contribute substantially to IL-1 and IL-1ra mRNA expression. Fractionation of alveolar macrophage-enriched and PMN-enriched subpopulations from the BAL cells obtained at 6 hours after IT injection of LPS confirmed that neutrophils are a source of IL-1 and IL-1ra mRNA. The difference in the kinetics of IL-1 and IL-1ra mRNA expression in whole lung RNA preparations after IV and IT injections of LPS is due to the contribution of PMNs that appear in the lung in large numbers after IT injection. Finally, human peripheral blood PMNs were found to express IL-1ra mRNA and protein after in vitro incubation with LPS. PMNs may contribute to the up- and downregulation of their own accumulation by expressing both IL-1 and IL-1ra.

Infrequent point mutations in codons 12 and 61 of ras oncogenes in human hepatocellular carcinomas

DNA from human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) were analysed for the presence of mutations in codons 12 and 61 of the K-ras, H-ras and N-ras genes. The relevant ras sequences were amplified in vitro using the polymerase chain reaction and point mutations detected by selective hybridisation using mutation-specific synthetic oligonucleotides. In one of the 19 HCCs a mutation in codon 61 of the K-ras gene was detected, whilst in 3/19 HCCs a mutation was found in codon 61 of the N-ras gene. The mutations were all heterozygous A-T transversions and were found in HCCs arising in patients with underlying cirrhosis. In two of these patients where the corresponding normal tissue was available only the wild-type ras gene was detected, indicating that oncogenic activation of the ras gene was a consequence of somatic mutation. In another patient the same mutation in codon 61 of the N-ras gene was found in cirrhotic liver tissue and in all four patients the same mutation was also detected in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded liver biopsy HCC tissue obtained at diagnosis. These results indicate that mutational activation of the ras genes at codon 61 is an infrequent but possibly early event in the development of HCC in Britain.

c-erbB-2 oncogene expression in hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma

The c-erbB-2 proto-oncogene encodes a transmembrane protein which is homologous to the epidermal growth factor receptor. This protein can be localized immunohistochemically in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded material using a monoclonal antibody NCL-CB11; positive membrane staining correlates with gene amplification and protein overexpression in breast cancer. Using this technique we have shown that only 2/26 (8%) of hepatocellular carcinomas, 0/10 (0%) of cholangiocarcinomas and 0/2 (0%) hepatoblastomas overexpressed c-erbB-2 as evidenced by membrane staining. Moreover c-erbB-2 mRNA was not detected in seven hepatocellular carcinomas examined by Northern blot analysis. c-erbB-2 overexpression is, therefore, unlikely to be contributing to the malignant phenotype in hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma.

[Discussion on criteria for appraising the endanger threatening rare medicinal plants]

This paper deals with the criteria for appraising the endanger threatening rare medicinal plants. A preliminary evaluating method is presented.

Adipose tissue lipogenesis and fat deposition in leaner broiler chickens

Rates of hepatic lipogenesis and secretion of plasma triglyceride-rich lipoproteins in 6- to 7-wk-old broiler chickens were similar to the overall rate of fat deposition in these birds, although approximately 20% of [14C]-labeled VLDL was oxidized to CO2 within 8 h. Only 6-7% of VLDL and portomicron triglyceride was taken up by the abdominal fat pad, but this proportion of total triglyceride flux could account for about 80-85% of the total fatty acids accumulating in that depot. The rate of lipogenesis in adipose tissue was much lower than that in the liver, but it could account for much of the remaining fatty acids. Lipogenesis from [14C]acetate in cultured chicken adipocytes was markedly inhibited by adding VLDL as an exogenous source of fatty acids. However, adipose tissue lipogenesis was not increased in vivo by reduction of plasma lipoprotein flux by genetic selection, by the feeding of a high protein diet or by immunological intervention. The results confirm that adipose tissue lipogenesis makes only a small contribution to adipose tissue growth in normal broilers. Its importance does not increase in response to the reductions in hepatic lipogenesis that accompany genetic or nutritional manipulation of body composition.

Intratracheal injection of endotoxin and cytokines. II. Interleukin-6 and transforming growth factor beta inhibit acute inflammation

The nature of the endogenous mediators that down-regulate and curtail the exodus of neutrophils into local acute inflammatory sites is unknown. In the present report, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta), members of a family of macrophage-derived proteins known as cytokines, are shown to inhibit significantly the acute neutrophilic exodus caused by an intratracheal injection of endotoxin (LPS), a proinflammatory component of the cell walls of gram-negative bacteria. Transforming growth factor beta (10 micrograms) and IL-6 (10 micrograms) coinjected intratracheally with LPS (10 micrograms) each inhibited the number of neutrophils in 6-hour bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens by approximately 50%. The intratracheal coinjection of IL-6, TGF beta, and LPS inhibited the LPS-induced neutrophilic inflammatory exodus by nearly 75%. Interleukin-6 also is shown to be endogenously upregulated within the lung after intratracheal challenge with endotoxin, providing evidence that IL-6 may represent an endogenous negative feedback mechanism to inhibit endotoxin-initiated cytokine-mediated acute inflammation. Interleukin-6 and TGF beta both strongly inhibited the quantity of TNF-alpha recovered in the BAL fluid of LPS-challenged rats, suggesting that downregulation of LPS-induced TNF-alpha production within the lung represents one mechanism whereby IL-6 and TGF beta exert an antiinflammatory action. Interleukin-6 and TGF beta represent novel pharmacologic and, probably, endogenous inhibitors of acute inflammation.

Plasma lipoprotein metabolism in lean and in fat chickens produced by divergent selection for plasma very low density lipoprotein concentration

Plasma lipoprotein metabolism was studied in vivo in two lines of chickens produced by selection for high and low plasma very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) concentration. Rates of VLDL secretion were measured by determining the rate of accumulation of triglyceride in the plasma after intravenous injection of anti-lipoprotein lipase antibody. The clearance of VLDL-triglyceride and its uptake into liver and adipose tissue was examined using radioactively labeled VLDL synthesized in vivo. The rate of VLDL secretion was about threefold higher in the high-VLDL line as compared to the leaner, low VLDL-line (6.7 vs 2.1 mumol VLDL triglyceride/h per ml of plasma). The clearance of VLDL from the circulation of the low VLDL line was much faster than that of the high VLDL line (t1/2 of 3.7 and 13.6 min, respectively). The proportion of administered radiolabel taken up by the abdominal fat pad was substantially greater in the fat line than in the lean line (11.9 vs 4.8%, respectively). Lipoprotein lipase activities in leg muscle and heart were consistently greater in the low-VLDL line and beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in the plasma of the low-VLDL line were significantly greater than those in the high-VLDL line (0.86 vs 0.48 mumol/ml). The results show that the approximately tenfold difference in plasma VLDL concentration between lines is primarily due to markedly different rates of hepatic VLDL production and that selection has made a major effect on partitioning of VLDL triglyceride between adipose and other tissues.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Endotoxin-induced cytokine gene expression in vivo. I. Expression of tumor necrosis factor mRNA in visceral organs under physiologic conditions and during endotoxemia

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) mRNA was detected by Northern blotting in whole-organ homogenates of the spleen, liver, kidney, lung, and small bowel in naive and saline-injected control rats, supporting the hypothesis that TNF mRNA is present in vivo in a preformed intracellular pool. TNF mRNA in endotoxin-treated rats as quantitated by densitometry of the ratio of TNF mRNA to actin mRNA in Northern blots was present in increased quantity in the liver, kidney, and lung (1.6-2.9 times over time zero levels) at 15 minutes and increased quantity in the spleen, liver, and kidney (1.3-1.9 times over time zero levels) at 30 minutes. The kinetics of endotoxin-induced TNF gene expression are consistent with the relatively transient peak of serum TNF protein levels reported by previous investigators to occur approximately 1 hour after injection of endotoxin. Because TNF mRNA appeared ubiquitous in the organs of control rats examined and because the endotoxin-induced increase in TNF mRNA was relatively small, endotoxin may induce the expression of the TNF protein in serum not only by increasing TNF mRNA levels but perhaps more importantly by a posttranscriptional mechanism. The presence of a preformed pool of TNF mRNA may teleologically be viewed as a mechanism to increase the rapidity of the host's response to sepsis.

The hematologic effects of chronic administration of the monokines tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-1, and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor on bone marrow and circulation

Monokines may contribute to the regulation of hematopoiesis and circulating numbers of leukocytes during chronic inflammation. The hematologic effects of daily intravenous injection of the recombinant monokines tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) were therefore studied in the bone marrow and circulation of rats over the course of a week. TNF induced daily neutrophilia and lymphopenia with no evidence of tachyphylaxis. TNF also induced a slight decrease in early myeloid forms in the marrow, but, more strikingly, induced a marked erythroid hyperplasia of late normoblasts, although no changes other than a slight reticulocytosis were noted in the peripheral red blood cell compartment. IL-1 also induced daily neutrophilia and lymphopenia with no evidence of tachyphylaxis. IL-1 differed from TNF in the induction of a significant myeloid hyperplasia and in the lack of any effect on the erythroid elements of the marrow. The lack of tachyphylaxis to the chronic administration of both TNF and IL-1 suggests that the mechanism of endotoxin-induced tachyphylaxis is not at the level of the effector cell response to these endogenous cytokines. G-CSF induced a biphasic peripheral neutrophilia first peaking on day one, reaching a nadir on day 4, and then rising progressively again until day 7. The low level of neutrophilia on day 4 is not due to marrow depletion of neutrophils secondary to the neutrophil releasing activity of G-CSF because the marrows of G-CSF-treated rats on both days 3 and 7 contained over twice the number of mature neutrophils as controls. Thus, the trough in the neutrophilia induced by G-CSF is postulated to be due to an as-yet unidentified negative feedback mechanism that inhibits neutrophil release from the marrow.

Biochemical indicators of fatness in meat-type chickens: lack of correlation between lipoprotein lipase activity in post-heparin plasma and body fat

1. Possible relationships between fatness and lipoprotein lipase activity in adipose tissue and plasma from heparinised birds were examined in 7-week-old male and female broilers. 2. Total lipoprotein lipase activity in abdominal fat was significantly correlated (r = 0.5) with fat pad weight, but there was no correlation between specific activity of the enzyme and fat pad weight. 3. Lipoprotein lipase activity in post-heparin plasma showed no correlation with either abdominal fat or total body fat content. 4. The results indicate that measurements of lipoprotein lipase activity in biopsy samples or in post-heparin plasma are of no value in predicting the fat content of live birds.

Expression of immunoglobulin lambda chains in the laboratory rat

We immunized a BALB/c mouse with the lambda-bearing rat IgG1 myeloma IR31, fused its spleen cells with the hybridoma parent line P3.X63.Ag8.653, and isolated a monoclonal antibody (G33/11) directed against rat immunoglobulin lambda chains. We used this antibody to classify two existing rat hybridomas as lambda-bearing proteins (D4.37HL.252 and PC61.5), and isolated one new lambda-bearing rat IgM hybridoma, G36/1. All the normal inbred rat sera that were tested contained lambda-bearing Ig as detected by G33/11, at levels ranging from 1.5% to 13% of the total serum Ig, the mean value being 7.9%. This antibody will be valuable for broadening our understanding of the immunogenetics of the rat, and for the characterization of monoclonal antibodies made in this species.