Signalling crosstalk in FGF2-mediated protection of endothelial cells from HIV-gp120

Background  

The blood brain barrier (BBB) is the first line of defence of the central nervous system (CNS) against circulating pathogens, such as HIV. The cytotoxic HIV protein, gp120, damages endothelial cells of the BBB, thereby compromising its integrity, which may lead to migration of HIV-infected cells into the brain. Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), produced primarily by astrocytes, promotes endothelial cell fitness and angiogenesis. We hypothesized that treatment of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with FGF2 would protect the cells from gp120-mediated toxicity via endothelial cell survival signalling.     

Midkine,heparin-binding growth factor,blocks kainic acid-induced seizure and neuronal cell death in mouse hippocampus

Background  

Midkine (MK), a member of the heparin-binding growth factor family, which includes MK and pleiotrophin, is known to possess neurotrophic and neuroprotective properties in the central nervous system. Previous studies have shown that MK is an effective neuroprotective agent in reducing retinal degeneration caused by excessive light and decreasing hippocampal neuronal death in ischemic gerbil brain. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether MK acts as an anticonvulsant in kainic acid (KA)-induced seizure in mouse and blocks KA-mediated neuronal cell death in hippocampus.     

Silicon migration during MBE growth of doped (A1, Ga)As films

Silicon migration during MBE growth of (Al, Ga)As and (Al, Ga)As/GaAs or AlAs/GaAs superlattices has been studied by electrochemical C-V and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) concentration-depth profiling. It is found to be concentration dependent, with no preferential migration towards or away from the growth front. At high concentrations, superlattice disordering during growth is observed using photovoltage and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. On the basis of C-V, SIMS and TEM data we propose that silicon migration occurs as the result of a concentration-dependent diffusion process. This is substantiated by measurements of the two-dimensional electron-gas mobility in selectively doped heterojunctions as a function of growth temperature and silicon concentration.     

Investigation of damaged interior walls using synchrotron‐based XPS and XANES

Evidence of internal sulfate attack in field exposure was demonstrated by the damaged interior wall of a three‐year‐old house situated in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Thailand. Partial distension of the mortar was clearly observed together with an expansion of a black substance. Removal of the black substance revealed a dense black layer. This layer was only found in the vicinity of the damaged area, suggesting that this black material is possibly involved in the wall cracking. By employing synchrotron‐based X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) techniques, the unknown sample was chemically identified. The S 2p and O 1s XPS results mutually indicated the existence of sulfate species in the materials collected from the damaged area. The XANES results indicated the presence of ferrous (II) sulfate, confirming sulfate‐induced expansion and cracking. The sulfate attack in the present case appeared to physically affect the structure whereas the chemical integrity at the molecular level of the calcium silicate hydrate phase was retained since there was a lack of spectroscopic evidence for calcium sulfate. It was speculated that internal sulfate probably originated from the contaminated aggregates used during the construction. The current findings would be beneficial for understanding the sulfate‐attack mechanism as well as for future prevention against sulfate attack during construction.     

Size control of magnetite nanoparticles in hydrothermal synthesis by coexistence of lactate and sulfate ions

The size of magnetite nanoparticles was controlled by means of coexistence effects of anions in the starting solution of organic solvent-free hydrothermal synthesis via coprecipitation. As the coexisting anions, lactate ion, which forms relatively stable complex with ferric ion, and sulfate ion were used. The hydrothermal synthesis was carried out at various concentrations of lactate and sulfate ions. The obtained magnetite nanoparticles were characterized by a scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, powder X-ray diffractometer, dynamic light scattering particle size analyzer and superconducting quantum interference device. The formation mechanism of magnetite nanoparticles in this system was investigated based on the experimental results. The coexisting anions remarkably influenced both formation of crystalline nuclei and dispersion stabilization of formed precipitates. The particle size depended strongly on the concentration of lactate and sulfate ions. It has been clarified that lactate ion has the effect to decrease the particle size and sulfate ion promotes the particle growth. By adjusting the concentration of lactate and sulfate ions properly as the operating factor, we could control successfully the particle size from 9.5 to 38.6 nm in median size.     

Surface migration study of atoms and formation of truly-smooth top and bottom heterointerfaces in GaAsAlAs quantum wells by temperature-switched technique in molecular beam epitaxy

We have studied the temperature dependence of migration of atoms on growth-interrupted and uninterrupted GaAs and AlAs growth front in molecular beam epitaxy. The optimum growth condition for achieving truly-smooth surface on an atomic scale is found to be quite different between GaAs and AlAs. On this basis, we have developed a novel temperature-switched technique by which both top (AlAs-on-GaAs) and bottom (GaAs-on-AlAs) interfaces in GaAsAlAs quantum wells can be prepared truly-smooth.     

GAP-43 mRNA detection by in situ hybridization, direct and indirect in situ RT-PCR in hippocampal and cerebellar tissue sections of adult rat brain

The growth-associated protein GAP-43 is a presynaptic membrane phosphoprotein that is expressed at high levels during development and axonal growth. To evaluate the cellular distribution of GAP-43 mRNA in the hippocampus and cerebellum of adult rats we applied in situ hybridization (ISH) as well as direct and indirect in situ RT-PCR using biotin as a reporter molecule. ISH resulted in a positive signal in most cerebellar granular cells and in 30% of hippocampal CA3 neurons. Direct in situ RT-PCR yielded cells with strong signals in every region investigated, with elevated background levels most likely related to incorporation of labeled nucleotides into non-specific amplicons through internal priming and DNA repair activity. Indirect in situ RT-PCR turned out to be the best approach for detecting GAP-43 mRNA positive cells. Cerebellar cells exhibiting a positive signal for GAP-43 mRNA were of the granular cell type (98%). Hippocampal neurons with a positive reaction for GAP-43 mRNA included all the neuron groups analyzed, namely CA1 (99%) and CA3 pyramidal cells (94%) and dentate gyrus granule cells (92%). Dentate gyrus granule cells have not tested positive for GAP-43 mRNA detection by molecular morphology analysis. These data show that in normal rats GAP-43 mRNA is present in different cell populations of hippocampal formation, supporting the role of this protein in the ongoing processes of synaptic plasticity.     

Theoretical considerations in growing uniform epilayers

We briefly describe, theoretical considerations in the quest to grow crystalline films with perfection in uniformity of thickness. The endeavor of perfect crystallinity is best served by growing epitaxially. Thickness uniformity is facilitated by growing in a monolayer-by-monolayer mode-so called Frank-van der Merwe (FM) mode. The island (Volmer-Weber=VW) mode is undesirable; it promotes roughening and the creation of crystalline imperfections. Equilibrium criteria, proposed by Bauer, on the basis of shape equilibrium, predict that FM growth is favored by strong substrate bonding. The dependence of shape equilibration on adatom migration barriers, substrate temperature, and deposition rate is discussed. Modification of the system to improve adverse conditions by intermixing, alloying, and the use of surfactants is outlined. VW growth may also commence after completion of one or a few monolayers (MLs) in FM mode. This form of island growth, also known as Stranski-Krastanov (SK) growth, is mainly due to electronic effects, but may also be triggered by epitaxial strain relief. The tailoring of growth into FM-like growth, when VW or SK conditions exist-by an appropriate increase of supersaturation usually effected by controlling the substrate temperature and deposition rate, is briefly discussed.     

Direct formation of InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots during submonolayer epitaxies from molecular beams

Direct formation of InGaAs/GaAs quantum dots is studied comparatively by Reflection High Energy Electron Diffraction, Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Photoluminescence methods. It is found that submonolayer migration enhanced epitaxy growth mode allows a reduction in the dispersion of quantum dots size distribution as compared to submonolayer molecular beam epitaxy. In situ and ex situ results obtained are in agreement with each other and give a conceptual kinetic picture of the growth processes during epitaxy from molecular beams.     

Evaluation of Stability and Sensitivity of Cell Fluorescent Labels When Used for Cell Migration

The directed migration of mammalian cells is a foundation of development and growth. A variety of processes such as tissue development, wound healing, pathogen recognition/destruction as well as cancer metastasis are the result of regulated or dysregulated cell migration. While the ability to measure a cell’s propensity to migrate has clinical relevance in several settings, no universal protocol has been established to measure cell migration. A variety of techniques are currently used to measure migration including manual counting, flow cytometry or Coulter counting, microfluidic devices, computerized spectroscopic methods, or the use of various tracking dyes interfaced with fluorescent or non-fluorescent plate readers. In order to expedite the measurement of migration, we compared several common cytoplasmic and lipophilic cell tracking dyes to determine the best dye for determining migration of rare population of cells. CellVue® Burgundy was found to be superior over calcein AM, Cell Tracker Green CMFDA (chloromethyl fluorescein diacetate), Vybrant CFDA (carboxy fluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester) in its retention within cells, superior to CellVue® NIR 815, PKH67, and CM DiI with regard to signal to noise ratio, and superior to PKH26 with regard to instrument versatility.     

Extracellular matrix in development of the early embryo

The extracellular matrix interacts with cells and promotes and regulates cellular functions such as adhesion, migration, proliferation, differentiation, and morphogenesis. Extracellular molecules are linked to one another by multiple binding domains and form a stable, multifunctional matrix. Cells respond to the extracellular matrix through plasma membrane receptors, which include integrin and non-integrin receptors. The regulation of these interactions requires the coordination of a multiplicity of signals both spatially and temporally.     

Challenge to the suppression of tumor growth by the β4-galactosyltransferase genes

It has been well established that structural changes in glycans attached to proteins and lipids are associated with malignant transformation of cells. We focused on galactose residues among the sugars since they are involved in the galectin-mediated biology, and many carbohydrate antigens are frequently expressed on this sugar. We found changes in the expression of the β4-galactosyltransferase (β4GalT) 2 and 5 genes in cancer cells: decreased expression of the β4GalT2 gene and increased expression of the β4GalT5 gene. The growth of mouse melanoma cells showing enhanced expression of the β4GalT2 gene or reduced expression of the β4GalT5 gene is inhibited remarkably in syngeneic mice. Tumor growth inhibition is probably caused by the induction of apoptosis, inhibition of angiogenesis, and/or reduced MAPK signals. Direct transduction of human β4GalT2 cDNA together with the adenovirus vector into human hepatocellular carcinoma cells grown in SCID mice results in marked growth retardation of the tumors. β4GalT gene-transfer appears to be a potential tool for cancer therapy.     

Role of atomic transverse migration in growth of diamond-like carbon films

The growth of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films is studied using molecular dynamics simulations. The effect of impact angle on film structure is carefully studied, which shows that the transverse migration of the incident atoms is the main channel of film relaxation. A transverse-migration-induced film relaxation model is presented to elucidate the process of film relaxation which advances the original model of subplantation. The process of DLC film growth on a rough surface is also investigated, as well as the evolution of microstructure and surface morphology of the film. A preferential-to-homogeneous growth mode and a smoothing of the film are observed, which are due to the transverse migration of the incident atoms.     

Grains,growth, and grooving

We report the in situ investigation of grain growth and grain boundary migration, performed with a variable-temperature scanning tunneling microscope (STM) on a polycrystalline gold film. Atomic step resolution allowed us to identify the individual grains and, thus, also the grain boundaries. Our special, thermal-drift-compensated STM design made it possible to follow the same sample area over large temperature intervals. In this way, we have directly observed grain boundary migration and grain growth. In a first quantitative analysis we correlate the observed, unexpected changes in surface roughness with the evolution of the grain and grain boundary configuration.     

Increased numbers of oligodendrocyte lineage cells in the optic nerves of cerebroside sulfotransferase knockout mice

Sulfatide is a myelin glycolipid that functions in the formation of paranodal axo-glial junctions in vivo and in the regulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation in vitro. Cerebroside sulfotransferase (CST) catalyzes the production of two sulfated glycolipids, sulfatide and proligodendroblast antigen, in oligodendrocyte lineage cells. Recent studies have demonstrated significant increases in oligodendrocytes from the myelination stage through adulthood in brain and spinal cord under CST-deficient conditions. However, whether these result from excess migration or in situ proliferation during development is undetermined. In the present study, CST-deficient optic nerves were used to examine migration and proliferation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) under sulfated glycolipid-deficient conditions. In adults, more NG2-positive OPCs and fully differentiated cells were observed. In developing optic nerves, the number of cells at the leading edge of migration was similar in CST-deficient and wild-type mice. However, BrdU(+) proliferating OPCs were more abundant in CST-deficient mice. These results suggest that sulfated glycolipids may be involved in proliferation of OPCs in vivo.     

紫杉醇诱导不依赖于Caspase-3细胞类似Paraptosis的荧光光谱分析

研究了紫杉醇(Taxol)诱导人肺腺癌细胞(ASTC-a-1)类似Paraptosis的特征和机理。采用CCK-8技术检测了抑制细胞活性的特性,结果表明大于70 μmol·L-1浓度的紫杉醇可以显著抑制细胞活性;采用激光共聚焦扫描荧光成像从形态上检测了紫杉醇诱导细胞死亡的形态特征,表明紫杉醇诱导了类似副凋亡(Paraptosis)特征的细胞肿胀和细胞质空泡化,而且没有细胞膜皱褶、细胞核浓缩等细胞凋亡的特征;通过基因质粒转染在细胞转染稳定表达基于荧光共振能量转移(FRET)质粒SCAT3,并利用FRET受体光漂白技术和荧光光谱检测分析技术研究了紫杉醇诱导细胞类似Paraptosis过程中Caspase-3的活化特性,结果表明在紫杉醇诱导细胞质肿胀和细胞死亡的过程中Caspase-3没有被活化。以上研究结果表明紫杉醇可以通过类似Paraptosis的方式明显诱导细胞程序性死亡,该过程不依赖于Caspase-3的活性。     

The neuroblast and angioblast chemotaxic factor SDF-1 (CXCL12) expression is briefly up regulated by reactive astrocytes in brain following neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injury

Background  

Stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1 or CXCL12) is chemotaxic for CXCR4 expressing bone marrow-derived cells. It functions in brain embryonic development and in response to ischemic injury in helping guide neuroblast migration and vasculogenesis. In experimental adult stroke models SDF-1 is expressed perivascularly in the injured region up to 30 days after the injury, suggesting it could be a therapeutic target for tissue repair strategies. We hypothesized that SDF-1 would be expressed in similar temporal and spatial patterns following hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury in neonatal brain.     

Effects of ultrasonic and graft treatments on grafting degree,structure, functionality,and digestibility of rapeseed protein isolate-dextran conjugates

Rapeseed protein isolate (RPI) and dextran conjugates were prepared by traditional and ultrasonic assisted wet-heating. The effects on the grafting degree (GD), structure, functionality, and digestibility of conjugates were studied. Ultrasonic frequency, temperature, and time all significantly affected the GD. Under the optimum conditions (temperature of 90 °C and time of 60 min), compared to traditional wet-heating, ultrasonic treatment at 28 kHz significantly increased the GD by 2.12 times. Compared to RPI, surface hydrophobicities of conjugates were significantly decreased by graft and ultrasonic treatments. Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and amino acid composition results confirmed that traditional graft reaction involved cysteine (Cys) and lysine (Lys) whereas the ultrasonic assisted one involved only Cys. Both were from the 12S globulin subunit and cruciferin. Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR) and circular dichroism (CD) results showed that graft treatment significantly changed secondary structure and ultrasonic treatment had the greatest impact on the decrease in the β-sheet (19.1%) and the increase in the random coil (49.6%). Graft and ultrasonic treatments both made surface structure looser and more porous. The two treatments also caused molecular weight to become bigger, and ultrasonic treatment had the greatest effect on the increase (68.2%) in 110–20.5 kDa. Structural modifications of RPI by grafting to dextran caused improvements of solubility (at pH 5–6), emulsifying activity (at pH 4–10), emulsion stability (at pH 4–5 and 9–10), and thermal stability (at temperature 90–100 °C). The digestibility of conjugates was decreased by graft and ultrasonic treatments and the conjugates were mainly digested in the intestinal phase. The ultrasonic assisted wet-heating was an efficient and safe method for producing RPI-dextran conjugates and improving the utilization value of rapeseed meal.     

Effect of Surfactant Type and Concentration on Surfactant Migration,Surface Tension,and Adhesion of Latex Films

The effect of surfactant type and concentration on the migration behavior of surfactant in a latex film was investigated. Two types of surfactant, including an anionic (sodium lauryl sulfate, SLS) and a non-ionic (nonylphenol ethoxylate, average number of ethylene oxide units = 40, NP-40) surfactant, were used in an emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate butyl acrylate copolymer (MMA–BA). The total amount of surfactant was varied in three levels, i.e., 1.5, 3, and 4.5 wt%, and the surfactants were used both pure and in a mixture state. The surfactant migration to the film–air (F–A) and film–substrate (F–S) interfaces of the latex films was determined by using an attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) method. In addition, the adhesion of the latex films to glass substrates was measured by a pull-off test. The results showed that the migration of anionic surfactant to the interfaces was greater than the non-ionic one. It was also found that the use of non-ionic surfactant along with anionic surfactant could decrease the migration of the anionic surfactant to the interfaces.