Development of peripheral lymphoid organs and natural killer cells depends on the helix-loop-helix inhibitor Id2

Transcription factors with a basic helix-loop-helix (HLH) motif have been shown to be crucial for various cell differentiation processes during development of multicellular organisms. Id proteins inhibit the functions of these transcription factors in a dominant-negative manner by suppressing their heterodimerization partners through the HLH domains. Members of the Id family also promote cell proliferation, implying a role in the control of cell differentiation. Here we show that Id2 is indispensable for normal development of mice. Id2-/- mice lack lymph nodes and Peyer's patches. However, their splenic architecture is normal, exhibiting T-cell and B-cell compartments and distinct germinal centres. The cell population that produces lymphotoxins, essential factors for the development of secondary lymphoid organs, is barely detectable in the Id2-/- intestine. Furthermore, the null mutants show a greatly reduced population of natural killer (NK) cells, which is due to an intrinsic defect in NK-cell precursors. Our results indicate that Id2 has an essential role in the generation of peripheral lymphoid organs and NK cells.

Prevention of second primary tumors by an acyclic retinoid, polyprenoic acid, in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Hepatoma Prevention Study Group

BACKGROUND

In patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (hepatoma), the rate of recurrent and second primary hepatomas is high despite surgical resection and percutaneous ethanol-injection therapy. We developed an acyclic retinoid, polyprenoic acid, that inhibits hepatocarcinogenesis in the laboratory and induces differentiation and apoptosis in cell lines derived from human hepatoma. In a randomized, controlled study, we tested whether the compound reduced the incidence of recurrent and second primary hepatomas after curative treatment.

METHODS

We prospectively studied 89 patients who were free of disease after surgical resection of a primary hepatoma or the percutaneous injection of ethanol. We randomly assigned the patients to receive either polyprenoic acid (600 mg daily) or placebo for 12 months. We studied the remnant liver by ultrasonography every three months after randomization. The primary end point of the study was the appearance of a histologically confirmed recurrent or new hepatoma.

RESULTS

Treatment with polyprenoic acid significantly reduced the incidence of recurrent or new hepatomas. After a median follow-up of 38 months, 12 patients in the polyprenoic acid group (27 percent) had recurrent or new hepatomas as compared with 22 patients in the placebo group (49 percent, P = 0.04). The most striking difference was in the groups that had second primary hepatomas--7 in the group receiving polyprenoic acid as compared with 20 in the placebo group (P = 0.04 by the log-rank test). Cox proportional-hazards analysis demonstrated that as an independent factor, polyprenoic acid reduced the occurrence of second primary hepatomas (adjusted relative risk, 0.31; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.12 to 0.78).

CONCLUSIONS

Oral polyprenoic acid prevents second primary hepatomas after surgical resection of the original tumor or the percutaneous injection of ethanol.

Endothelin-1 is an autocrine/paracrine factor in the mechanism of angiotensin II-induced hypertrophy in cultured rat cardiomyocytes

To elucidate the cellular mechanism by which angiotensin II (ANG II) induces cardiac hypertrophy, we investigated the possible autocrine/paracrine role of endogenous endothelin-1 (ET-1) in ANG II-induced hypertrophy of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes by use of synthetic ET-1 receptor antagonist and antisense oligonucleotides to preproET-1 (ppET-1) mRNA. Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization revealed that ppET-1 mRNA was expressed in cardiomyocytes, but, to a lesser extent, in nonmyocytes as well. ANG II upregulated ppET-1 mRNA level by threefold over control level as early as 30 min, and it stimulated release of immunoreactive ET-1 from cardiomyocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner. ET-1 stimulated ppET-1 mRNA levels after 30 min in a similar fashion as ANG II. Tetradecanoylphorbol-acetate (10(-7) M) mimicked the effects of ANG II and ET-1 on induction of ppET-1 mRNA. ANG II-induced ppET-1 gene expression was completely blocked by protein kinase C inhibitor H-7 or by down-regulation of endogenous protein kinase C by pretreatment with phorbol ester. ET-1 and ANG II stimulated twofold increase [3H]leucine incorporation into cardiomyocytes, whose effects were similarly and dose dependently inhibited by endothelin A receptor antagonist (BQ123). Introduction of antisense sequence against coding region of ppET-1 mRNA into cardiomyocytes resulted in complete blockade with ppET-1 mRNA levels and [3H]leucine incorporation stimulated by ANG II. These results suggest that endogenous ET-1 locally generated and secreted by cardiomyocytes may contribute to ANG II-induced cardiac hypertrophy via an autocrine/paracrine fashion.

Hypoxia induces apoptosis with enhanced expression of Fas antigen messenger RNA in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes

We examined whether apoptosis occurs in cardiomyocytes by hypoxia in vitro. Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and nonmyocytes were cultured in 95% N2-5% CO2 atmosphere to produce hypoxic conditions. DNA fragmentation into integer multiples of the internucleosomal DNA length was observed in cardiomyocytes as early as 12 hours, whereas nonmyocytes did not show fragmentation of DNA up to 72 hours. DNA fragmentation of cardiomyocytes induced by hypoxia was also confirmed by nick-end labeling in situ. Messenger RNA for Fas antigen, a mediator of apoptotic cell death, was expressed in both cardiomyocytes and nonmyocytes as revealed by Northern blotting and in situ hybridization. In hypoxic condition, Fas messenger RNA levels in cardiomyocytes were upregulated by twofold over controls, whereas those of nonmyocytes were downregulated. These results indicate that cardiomyocyte death by hypoxia can occur via apoptosis and that Fas antigen may be associated with the mechanism of this apoptotic process.

Photolysis of the carbon monoxide complex of myoglobin: nanosecond time-resolved crystallography

The biological activity of macromolecules is accompanied by rapid structural changes. The photosensitivity of the carbon monoxide complex of myoglobin was used at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility to obtain pulsed, Laue x-ray diffraction data with nanosecond time resolution during the process of heme and protein relaxation after carbon monoxide photodissociation and during rebinding. These time-resolved experiments reveal the structures of myoglobin photoproducts, provide a structural foundation to spectroscopic results and molecular dynamics calculations, and demonstrate that time-resolved macromolecular crystallography can elucidate the structural bases of biochemical mechanisms on the nanosecond time scale.

Endothelin-1 induces hypertrophy with enhanced expression of muscle-specific genes in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes

To determine whether endothelin-1 (ET-1) induces hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes, the effects of ET-1 on the expression of muscle-specific genes and a proto-oncogene, c-fos, in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were examined by Northern blot analysis. ET-1 (10(-7) M) induced about twofold to fourfold increases in the gene expression of myosin light chain 2, alpha-actin, and troponin I after 6 hours, which continued up to 24 hours. The ET-1-induced increases in mRNA levels for these muscle-specific genes were dose dependent (10(-9) to 10(-7) M). Run-on transcriptional assay showed that the changes in mRNA level for three muscle-specific genes were regulated, at least in part, at the transcriptional level. 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), a potent protein kinase C activator, and the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin also increased mRNA levels of three muscle-specific genes. ET-1, TPA, and ionomycin similarly induced the expression of c-fos after 30 minutes, which returned to an undetectable level after 6 hours. ET-1 remarkably and dose-dependently stimulated accumulation of total inositol phosphates in cardiomyocytes. Morphometrical evaluation showed that ET-1 significantly increased surface area of cardiomyocytes without cell proliferation. ET-1 also dose-dependently stimulated the synthesis of protein and DNA, which was unaffected by the L-type calcium channel blocker nicardipine. These data suggest that ET-1 induces hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes associated with the induction of muscle-specific gene transcripts through the possible involvement of protein kinase C activation or intracellular Ca2+ mobilization.

Insulin-like growth factor-I induces hypertrophy with enhanced expression of muscle specific genes in cultured rat cardiomyocytes

BACKGROUND

Cardiac hypertrophy is commonly observed in acromegalic patients, in whom serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels are elevated. In the present study, we examined whether IGF-I induces hypertrophy in cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes through its specific receptor and whether IGF binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), which is a major circulating carrier protein for IGF-I, inhibits IGF-I-induced cardiac hypertrophy in vitro.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Because the response of cardiac hypertrophy is characterized by the induction of expression for muscle-specific genes, the effect of IGF-I on steady-state levels of mRNA for myosin light chain-2 (MLC-2) and troponin I and for skeletal and cardiac alpha-actin isoforms was evaluated by Northern blot analysis. IGF-I (10(-7) M) increased mRNA levels for MLC-2 and troponin I as early as 60 minutes with maximum levels by 6 hours, which were maintained for as long as 24 hours. IGF-I (10(-7) M) also increased transcripts for skeletal alpha-actin but not for cardiac alpha-actin. The cell size as evaluated morphometrically was almost doubled after 48-hour treatment with IGF-I. IGF-I induction of protein synthesis was dose dependent (10(-10) to 10(-7) M) with a maximal 2.2-fold increase seen at 10(-8) M. In contrast to the hypertrophic effect of IGF-I, growth hormone affected neither protein synthesis nor expression for muscle-specific genes. Binding study using 125I-IGF-I revealed the presence of specific binding sites for IGF-I in rat cardiomyocytes. IGFBP-3 induced a dose-dependent inhibition of protein synthesis stimulated by IGF-I; IGFBP-3 (10(-7) M) completely inhibited the [3H]leucine uptake stimulated by IGF-I (10(-8) M). IGFBP-3 similarly inhibited the IGF-I-stimulated gene expressions for MLC-2 and troponin I.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that IGF-I directly causes cardiac hypertrophy and that its effect can be blocked by IGFBP-3.

IL-7 receptor alpha+ CD3(-) cells in the embryonic intestine induces the organizing center of Peyer's patches

Peyer's patch (PP) organogenesis proceeds through three histologically distinct steps: formation of organizing centers expressing VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 in segregated regions of the intestine at 15.5 days post-coitus (d.p.c.) (step I), accumulation of blood cells expressing different sets of surface markers to this region at 16.5-17.0 d.p.c. (step II), and entry of CD3+ and B220+ lymphocytes just before birth (step III). PP formation of both Il7ra-/- and Lta-/- mice is impaired from step I, suggesting involvement of the two molecules at the same timing in PP organogenesis. Expression of lymphotoxin (LT) alpha and LTbeta in IL-7 receptor (IL-7R) alpha+ cells in the intestine indicates that defects of Il7ra-/- and Lta-/- mice are due to functional inability of IL-7Ralpha+ cells in the induction of PP anlage. Blocking of IL-7Ralpha function by a single injection of the antagonistic mAb in 15.5 d.p.c. embryos suppressed appearance of VCAM-1(+) spots and expression of LTalpha and LTbeta in the intestine, which eventually resulted in mice without PP but are otherwise normal. Intestinal IL-7Ralpha+ cells are lymphoid in morphology but CD3(-) and functional in both nu/nu and Rag2-/- mice. These results implicate IL-7Ralpha+ CD3(-) cells as the direct inducer of the organizing center of PP.

Natriuretic peptides inhibit angiotensin II-induced proliferation of rat cardiac fibroblasts by blocking endothelin-1 gene expression

The present study was aimed to test the role of endothelin-1 (ET-1) as a possible autocrine/paracrine growth factor for cardiac fibroblasts, and to examine its interaction with cardiac natriuretic hormones. Expression of preproET-1 (ppET-1) mRNA by cultured cardiac fibroblasts from neonatal rats was demonstrated by Northern blot analysis using cDNA for rat ppET-1 as a probe. Angiotensin II (ANG II) and ET-1 transiently (30 min) increased steady-state ppET-1 mRNA levels in cardiac fibroblasts. Both ET-1 and ANG II significantly stimulated [3H] thymidine incorporation into cardiac fibroblasts, whose effects were dose-dependently inhibited by an ETA receptor antagonist (BQ123), BQ123 also inhibited both ET-1- and ANG II-induced ppET-1 mRNA expression. Both atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP, BNP), which activate particulate guanylate cyclase, inhibited ppET-1 mRNA expression and [3H]thymidine incorporation stimulated by ANG II and ET-1. Sodium nitroprusside, a soluble guanylate cyclase activator, and 8-bromocyclic GMP, a membrane-permeable cGMP derivative, similarly inhibited ppET-1 mRNA expression and [3H]-thymidine incorporation. BNP was more potent than ANP to inhibit ANG II- and ET-1-stimulated DNA synthesis, whereas BNP and ANP were almost equipotent in stimulating cGMP generation in cardiac fibroblasts. Our data demonstrated that ANG II and ET-1 upregulate ET-1 gene expression in rat cardiac fibroblasts partly via cyclic GMP-dependent mechanism, and that natriuretic peptides inhibit ANG II-stimulated proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts, possibly by inhibiting ET-1 gene expression. Our data suggest the possible role of endogenous ET-1 as an autocrine/paracrine growth factor for cardiac fibroblasts and its close interaction with natriuretic peptides in the regulation of cardiac fibrosis.

Roles of proximal ligand in heme proteins: replacement of proximal histidine of human myoglobin with cysteine and tyrosine by site-directed mutagenesis as models for P-450, chloroperoxidase, and catalase

Histidine-93(F8) in human myoglobin (Mb), which is the proximal ligand of the heme iron, has been replaced with cysteine or tyrosine by site-directed mutagenesis. The resultant proximal cysteine and tyrosine mutant Mbs (H93C and H93Y Mbs, respectively) exhibit the altered axial ligation analogous to P-450, chloroperoxidase, and catalase. Coordination of cysteine or tyrosine to the ferric heme iron is confirmed by spectroscopic measurements including electronic absorption, hyperfine-shifted 1H-NMR, EPR, resonance Raman spectroscopies, and redox potential measurements of ferric/ferrous couple. H93C Mb is five-coordinate ferric high-spin with the proximal cysteine. H93Y Mb bearing the proximal tyrosine ligated to the iron is also in a ferric high-spin, five-coordinate state. The reactions of the mutants with cumene hydroperoxide show that the thiolate ligand enhances heterolytic O-O bond cleavage of the oxidant, while the phenolate ligand hardly affects the heterolysis/homolysis ratio for O-O bond scission in comparison with wild-type Mb. Monooxygenase activities such as epoxidation of styrene and N-demethylation of N,N-dimethylaniline, and catalase activity (dismutation of hydrogen peroxide) by wild-type Mb and the mutants, are examined by using H2O2. The increase of the catalytic activities by the mutation was, at most, 5-fold in the epoxidation reaction.

Cephalometric and computed tomographic predictors of obstructive sleep apnea severity

The interaction between craniofacial structure assessed by lateral cephalometry, and tongue, soft palate, and upper airway size determined from computed tomography (CT) scans was examined in 25 control subjects and 80 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). On the basis of the cephalometric analyses, the patients with OSA had retruded mandibles with larger ANB angle differences, elongated maxillary and mandibular incisors and mandibular molars, and high total upper and lower face heights The computed tomographic evaluations revealed that patients with OSA also had larger tongue, soft palate, and upper airway volumes. Men with OSA and skeletal Class I malocclusions had significantly larger soft palates than comparable controls. Both tongue and soft palate volumes were positively correlated with body mass index. A principal component analysis reduced the database, and one significant correlation was identified. Subjects with high total, upper and lower face heights, elongated maxillary and mandibular teeth, and proclined lower incisors were observed to have large tongue, soft palate, and upper airway volumes, to have a higher apnea index and to be obese. Linear regression analysis indicated that a high apnea index was seen in association with large tongue and soft palate volumes, a retrognathic mandible, an anteroposterior discrepancy between the maxilla and mandible, an open bite tendency between the incisors, and obesity.

Identification of maturation-inducing steroid in a teleost, the amago salmon (Oncorhynchus rhodurus)

Maturation-inducing steroid in amago salmon (Oncorhynchus rhodurus) has been identified from media in which immature but fully grown folliculated oocytes of amago salmon had been incubated for 18-24 hr with chum salmon gonadotropin (SGA). The maturation-inducing (MI) activity of residues at various steps of purification was assessed by an in vitro germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) assay based on fully grown prophase-arrested folliculated oocytes of amago salmon. Ether extracts of the media from these incubates showed high MI activity. Yolk and oil droplets were removed from the ether extract by partition with equal volumes of 50% methanol and n-hexane. MI activity was found only in the 50% methanol phase. The 50% methanol phase was then fractionated (20 separate fractions) by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. MI activity was found only in fraction 10 which had a retention time coinciding exactly with 17 alpha,20 beta-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog). The purity and final characterization of the residues of fraction 10 were further confirmed by thin-layer chromatography and mass spectrometry with authentic 17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog standard. The present study, together with our previous findings that in amago salmon 17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog is the most potent steroid for the induction of oocyte maturation in vitro and is present at high concentrations in the plasma only around the time of oocyte maturation, indicates that 17 alpha,20 beta-diOHprog is the major naturally occurring maturation-inducing steroid in this species.

Endothelin ETA receptor antagonist blocks cardiac hypertrophy provoked by hemodynamic overload

BACKGROUND

We have recently shown that angiotensin II-induced hypertrophy of cultured rat cardiomyocytes was partially blocked by an endothelin (ET) receptor antagonist (BQ123) selective for the ETA subtype, suggesting the possible involvement of endogenous ET-1 in the mechanism of cardiac hypertrophy in vitro. In the present study, we studied the in vivo blockade effects of BQ123 on cardiac hypertrophy provoked by left ventricular overload with aortic banding in adult rats.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Forty rats were divided into four groups: (1) sham-operated rats without BQ123 administration, (2) rats with aortic banding without BQ123 administration, (3) sham-operated rats with BQ123 administration, and (4) rats with aortic banding with BQ123 administration. BQ123 (250 micrograms/h) was administered continuously by an osmotic pump starting 24 hours before operation. BQ123 blocked increases in the ratio of left ventricular weight to body weight and in the diameter of cardiomyocytes provoked by aortic banding at 1 week, but those blockade actions were no longer observed at 2 weeks. Skeletal alpha-actin and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) mRNA in the left ventricle, transcriptional markers for cardiac hypertrophy, significantly increased in the rats with aortic banding at 1 week and 2 weeks. In the rats with BQ123 administration, despite the hemodynamic overload, skeletal alpha-actin and ANP mRNA in the left ventricle remained at the control levels at 1 week; however, those blockade actions were abolished at 2 weeks. Plasma ET-1 levels increased after aortic banding, peaking at 24 hours, then returned to the basal level at 4 days. Prepro-ET-1 mRNA levels in the left ventricle also increased 24 hours after aortic banding, then declined to the basal level at 4 days.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that endogenous ET-1 synthesized in the cardiovascular system plays a role in the mechanism of cardiac hypertrophy during the early phase of pressure overload in vivo.

Crystal structure of nitric oxide reductase from denitrifying fungus Fusarium oxysporum

Structures of nitric oxide reductase (NOR) in the ferric resting and the ferrous CO states have been solved at 2.0 A resolution. These structures provide significant new insights into how NO is reduced in biological systems. The haem distal pocket is open to solvent, implicating this region as a possible NADH binding site. In combination with mutagenesis results, a hydrogen-bonding network from the water molecule adjacent to the iron ligand to the protein surface of the distal pocket through the hydroxyl group of Ser 286 and the carboxyl group of Asp 393 can be assigned to a pathway for proton delivery during the NO reduction reaction.

Three distinctive steps in Peyer's patch formation of murine embryo

Investigation of the process of Peyer's patch (PP) formation has been hampered by difficulties in identifying its initial step in the embryo. In this study, we overcame this problem by means of whole-mount immunohistochemistry using mAb against the molecules which were expressed in the cells accumulated at the site of PP development. This method was sensitive enough to distinguish a minute cell cluster in the developing gastrointestinal tract. We analyzed the time course of the expression of various surface markers and found that PP formation proceeds through three successive steps. The first is the appearance of a VCAM-1+ cell cluster at 15.5 days postcoitus (d.p.c.). Histological examination of the VCAM-1+ clusters suggested that VCAM-1+ cells represent a stromal component. The second step is characterized by the accumulation of round cells expressing la, IL-7R or CD4 at 17.5 d.p.c. Lymphocytes expressing CD3 or B220 were detected only in the final step which started at 18.5 d.p.c. Using any of these markers, the aggregation was initially detected on the upper jejunum and it extended to the colon as the number of clusters increased. At the neonatal stage, the number reached up to eight or nine, irrespective of the antibodies used for the detection. In the aly/aly mutant mouse, where no lymph nodes or PP are found in the adult, none of these three steps was detected. On the other hand, in the SCID mouse that is defective in the formation of mature lymphocytes, the first and second step proceeded, whereas the third step was undetectable. These findings suggest that the progression of each step is indeed regulated by different mechanisms.

c-myc null cells misregulate cad and gadd45 but not other proposed c-Myc targets

We report here that the expression of virtually all proposed c-Myc target genes is unchanged in cells containing a homozygous null deletion of c-myc. Two noteworthy exceptions are the gene cad, which has reduced log phase expression and serum induction in c-myc null cells, and the growth arrest gene gadd45, which is derepressed by c-myc knockout. Thus, cad and gadd45 are the only proposed targets of c-Myc that may contribute to the dramatic slow growth phenotype of c-myc null cells. Our results demonstrate that a loss-of-function approach is critical for the evaluation of potential c-Myc target genes.

Bcl-2 and the outer mitochondrial membrane in the inactivation of cytochrome c during Fas-mediated apoptosis

Fas-driven apoptosis in Jurkat cells results in the inactivation of cytochrome c with cessation of oxygen consumption. Overexpression of Bcl-2 was found to protect against acidification and apoptosis mediated by Fas ligation in these cells. Bcl-2 is present in the outer mitochondrial membrane, but the molecular mechanism by which it protects cells is unknown. Because Bcl-2 projects into the mitochondrial intermembrane space and cytochrome c is located in the intermembrane space, we considered the possibility that Bcl-2 might protect cytochrome c from inactivation during Fas-mediated apoptosis. The present study shows that 1) in Jurkat cells, cytochrome c inactivation during Fas-driven apoptosis requires the permeabilization of the outer mitochondrial membrane; and 2) the post-mitochondrial fraction from CEM cells that overexpress Bcl-2 both prevents and reverses cytochrome c inactivation.

Spectroscopic and kinetic studies on reaction of cytochrome P450nor with nitric oxide. Implication for its nitric oxide reduction mechanism

Cytochrome P450 purified from Fusarium oxysporum (P450nor) is a unique heme enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of nitric oxide to nitrous oxide with electrons directly transferred from NADH (2NO + NADH + H+--> N2O + H2O + NAD+). We studied the reaction of P450nor with NO and NADH using stopped-flow rapid scan and low temperature spectroscopic methods. The NO ligand can bind to the ferric enzyme to form the stable NO bound complex, P450nor(Fe3+NO). Reduction of P450nor(Fe3+NO) with NADH yielded an intermediate, which transiently formed (tau = approximately 100 ms) and spontaneously decomposed to the Fe3+ state. The optical absorption spectrum of the intermediate was different from that of P450nor(Fe2+NO), which was formed by either a one-electron reduction of P450nor(Fe3+NO) with Na2S2O4 or NO binding to P450nor(Fe2+). On the basis of these observations, we suggested that the intermediate is presumably a two-electron reduced product of P450nor(Fe3+NO) by NADH, formally the (Fe3+NO)2-complex. We determined the rate constants of these reactions at 10 degrees C for the NO binding to P450nor(Fe3+) (2.6 x 10(7) M-1 s-1), the NADH reduction of P450nor(Fe3+NO) (0.9 x 10(6) M-1 s-1), and the spontaneous decomposition of the intermediate (0.027 s-1). In these kinetic measurements, it was found that the former two processes are fast enough, while the latter is extremely slow, compared with the fast turnover of the catalytic reaction (1200 s-1 at 10 degrees C), which we measured by monitoring the NADH consumption. Therefore, we suggested that in the catalytic cycle, decomposition of the intermediate is fairly accelerated by free NO, resulting in such a fast turnover. On the basis of several lines of the spectroscopic and the kinetic evidence, we proposed a possible mechanism of the NO reduction by P450nor.

Essential role of IL-7 receptor alpha in the formation of Peyer's patch anlage

We investigated the role of IL-7 receptor alpha (IL-7Ralpha) signal in the formation of Peyer's patch (PP) anlage. Although pan-lymphopenia is a common phenotype of rag2-/- and il7ralpha-/- mice, a close inspection revealed nodules corresponding to PP in the adult rag2-/- but not in the il7ralpha-/- mouse. In our previous study, three histologically distinct steps in the formation of PP were identified. The first is the appearance of VCAM-1 + spots in the intestine, which probably represents an initial stage of the formation of the PP anlage. Accumulation of cells bearing IL-7Ralpha, CD4 or Ia in this region then follows and eventually entry of mature lymphocytes expressing CD3 or B220 occurs just before birth. Based on this criterion, we next investigated which of these events is defective in mice with severe combined immunodeficiency. Formation of VCAM-1 + spots and cluster formation of IL-7Ralpha+ cells proceed normally in the rag2-/- mouse which completely lacks mature lymphocytes. In contrast, no VCAM-1+ spots were detected in the embryonic nor neonatal il7ralpha-/- mice, suggesting that IL-7Ralpha signal is involved in the early phase of PP anlage formation. The same defect was found in the jak3-/- mouse. In addition to the appearance of VCAM1+ spots, the clustering of IL-7Ralpha+ cells was absent in the jak3-/- mouse, though IL-7Ralpha+ cells are found to scatter over the intestine. These results indicate that IL-7Ralpha is an essential signal for an early step of PP anlage formation, without which the subsequent processes cannot be initiated.

Absorption characteristics of chemically modified-insulin derivatives with various fatty acids in the small and large intestine

Absorption characteristics of insulin derivatives chemically modified with various fatty acids in the intestine were determined by in situ loop and in vitro modified Ussing chamber methods. The pharmacological activities of these acyl derivatives, as assessed by their hypoglycemic effects after intravenous administration, were reduced upon increasing the carbon number of the fatty acid(s) chemically attached to native insulin. However, high pharmacological activities were seen when mono-and dicaproyl derivatives were administered intravenously. The absorption of insulin after its small intestinal administration could be hardly improved by acylation. In contrast, its absorption after the large intestinal administration was increased by increasing the number of caproic acid molecules attached to insulin. Furthermore, by an in vitro modified Ussing chamber method, it was revealed that the permeability of insulin across both the duodenal and colonic mucous membranes was also improved by increasing the number of caproic acid molecules. These in situ and in vitro results indicated that the chemical modification of insulin with fatty acids was a useful approach for improving insulin absorption from the large intestine.

A new concept of vascular supply to the skin and classification of skin flaps according to their vascularization

The success of fasciocutaneous flaps is based on the existence of epifascial vascular networks and reliable blood supply. However, there has been no thorough classification of the vascular anatomy of the fascia and skin and there is some confusion in regard to cutaneous vascular nomenclature. We divide the vascular systems involved in the cutaneous circulation into four categories. This permits classification of skin flaps into five types (cutaneous, fasciocutaneous, adipofascial, septocutaneous, and musculocutaneous flaps). Fasciocutaneous flaps can be further divided into six types, according to the patterns of the vascular input to the fasciocutaneous plexus. This classification has been demonstrated to be related to clinical effects. Nine new free and island flaps are discussed.

Cloning and sequence analysis of the cDNA encoding P-450 aromatase (P450arom) from a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) ovary; relationship between the amount of P450arom mRNA and the production of oestradiol-17 beta in the ovary

The enzyme aromatase P-450 (P450arom) catalyses the conversion of androgen to oestrogen. A cDNA insert encoding P450arom was isolated from a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) ovary cDNA library. The insert was sequenced and found to contain an open-reading frame predicted to encode a protein of 522 amino acid residues. The deduced polypeptide is 52% homologous with human, mouse and rat P450arom and 53% homologous with that of chicken. The insert was confirmed to encode P450arom by introducing it into COS-1 monkey kidney tumour cells (COS-1 cells) and detecting the conversion of testosterone to oestradiol-17 beta by radioimmunoassay. The N-terminal region of the deduced polypeptide was 19 amino acids longer than that of the other four species, and was found by hydropathy plotting to be very hydrophobic. Northern blot analysis revealed 2.6 kb RNA transcripts which were present in the trout ovary during vitellogenesis and hybridized to the cDNA insert. In preparations from subsequent stages of ovarian development, no RNA transcripts hybridized to the probe. Since the RNA transcripts are present only during the stage of oestradiol-beta production by the ovarian follicles, oestradiol-17 beta production may be regulated, in part, by the amount of P450arom mRNA present.