Towards high-throughput single cell/clone cultivation and analysis

In order to better understand cellular processes and behavior, a controlled way of studying high numbers of single cells and their clone formation is greatly needed. Numerous ways of ordering single cells into arrays have previously been described, but platforms in which each cell/clone can be addressed to an exact position in the microplate, cultivated for weeks and treated separately in a high-throughput manner have until now been missing. Here, a novel microplate developed for high-throughput single cell/clone cultivation and analysis is presented. Rapid single cell seeding into microwells, using conventional flow cytometry, allows several thousands of single cells to be cultivated, short-term (72 h) or long-term (10-14 days), and analyzed individually. By controlled sorting of individual cells to predefined locations in the microplate, analysis of single cell heterogeneity and clonogenic properties related to drug sensitivity can be accomplished. Additionally, the platform requires remarkably low number of cells, a major advantage when screening limited amounts of patient cell samples. By seeding single cells into the microplate it is possible to analyze the cells for over 14 generations, ending up with more than 10 000 cells in each well. Described here is a proof-of-concept on compartmentalization and cultivation of thousands of individual cells enabling heterogeneity analysis of various cells/clones and their response to different drugs.     

Introduction of metastatic heterogeneity by short-term in vivo passage of a cloned transformed cell line

An experimental system for the study of metastasis has been developed using an epithelioid cell line of hepatic origin which had previously been chemically transformed in vitro. These metastatic cells were studied in the syngeneic rat strain. The cloned parent cell line metastasizes only to the lungs following intravenous, subcutaneous, or intraperitoneal injection. The metastatic phenotype is stable during in vitro passage, and subclones from the parent clone have a metastatic capacity statistically similar to that of the parent clone. Following ascites passage of the parent cell line, the cell population obtained exhibits the same metastatic ability as the parent clone. However, subclones obtained from the ascites-passaged population exhibit metastatic heterogeneity. This heterogeneity is introduced by the host passage and not by in vitro culture or subcloning. In the case of the two metastatic variants examined, the difference in the metastatic phenotype is found not to be due to differences in arrest or trapping of the cells but appears to be related to long-term survival and proliferation of the tumor cells following their arrest in the lungs. Morphologically the variants are very similar, and growth of the metastatic foci provokes a vigorous inflammatory response by the host.     

The structure-based design of Mdm2/Mdmx-p53 inhibitors gets serious

The p53 protein is the cell's principal bastion of defense against tumor-associated DNA damage. Commonly referred as a "guardian of the genome", p53 is responsible for determining the fate of the cell when the integrity of its genome is damaged. The development of tumors requires breaching this defense line. All known tumor cells either mutate the p53 gene, or in a similar number of cases, use internal cell p53 modulators, Mdm2 and Mdmx proteins, to disable its function. The release of functional p53 from the inhibition by Mdm2 and Mdmx should in principle provide an efficient, nongenotoxic means of cancer therapy. In recent years substantial progress has been made in developing novel p53-activating molecules thanks to several reported crystal structures of Mdm2/x in complex with p53-mimicking peptides and nonpeptidic drug candidates. Understanding the structural attributes of ligand binding holds the key to developing novel, highly effective, and selective drug candidates. Two low-molecular-weight compounds have just recently progressed into early clinical studies.     

Cell proliferation and apoptosis in rat mammary cancer after electrochemical treatment (EChT)

BACKGROUND: Several authors have recently reported encouraging results from Electrochemical treatment (EChT) in malignant tumours. However, EChT is not established and mechanisms are not completely understood. In vivo studies were conducted to evaluate the toxic changes and effectiveness of EChT on an animal tumour model. METHODS: Tumours were induced by injecting cells from the R3230AC rat mammary tumour cell line clone D subcutaneously, in 28 female Fischer 344 rats. EChT was conducted by inserting a platinum electrode into the tumours. The positive and negative control groups were subjected to the same conditions but without current. The rats were kept for 0, 7 or 14 days post-treatment. Three hours prior to euthanasia an i.p. injection of Bromodioxyuridine (BrdU) was given. The rats were euthanized, the lesions extirpated and samples were collected for histopathological, and immunohistochemical examination. RESULTS: Significant changes in cell proliferation rate were seen both in the cathode and anode regions. Apoptosis were induced in the anodic treated area outside the primary necrosis, detected with the TUNEL method. DISCUSSION: The results suggest that secondary cell destruction was caused by necrosis with cathodic EChT and apoptosis or necrosis with anodic EChT.     

In vitro evaluation of Radachlorin® sensitizer for photodynamic therapy

This paper reports the evaluation of a new photosensitizer, Radachlorin® in comparison with one of its well known components but used solely, Chlorin e₆. The photodynamic properties and cell uptake and localisation of the two drugs were compared. In vitro studies were conducted on human adenocarcinoma cells (HT29) and lung carcinoma cell line (A549). Both dyes showed an absorption maximum between 640 and 650 nm, but those absorption peaks are enhanced by interactions with serum, with a shifted maximum at 661 and 664 nm, and much higher absorbance. As Radachlorin® is constituted of different products and as photoreactivity is dependent on absorbed light energy, we chose to adapt concentrations so that both drugs had the same absorption at the irradiation wavelength (664 nm) for photoreactivity tests, and express concentrations in optical density at 664 nm. The capacity of the two drugs to generate Reactive Oxygen Species was identical, but on HT29 cells, Radachlorin® reaches its optimal LD50 sooner than Chlorin e₆. Radachlorin® LD50 on HT29 cells was 0.0251 OD_664nm after 2 h and 0.0672 OD_664nm for Chlorin e₆ for a 20 J cm^?2 irradiation. Radachlorin® gave very similar results on A549 cells, LD50 being 0.05 for 5 J irradiation, and 0.026 for 10 and 20 J cm^?2. Pharmacokinetics using fluorescence showed that, even if Radachlorin® quickly crossed HT29 (a human colonic cancer line) cell membrane, cellular distribution evolved from a diffuse cytoplasmic repartition 1 hour after Radachlorin® addition to a delimited localisation into organelles all around the nucleus. Radachlorin® intracellular fluorescence decreased after 4 h, whereas we did not observe a decrease of Chlorin e₆ intracellular fluorescence for times up to 24 h. In both case, a quick decline was observed as soon as the culture medium was replaced with a drug-free one. Radachlorin® appears to be an excellent photosensitizer, with similar phototoxicity to Chlorin e₆ on cell cultures, but with quicker kinetics, which could be an improvement if confirmed on further in vivo studies.     

HPV E6 antisense induces apoptosis in CaSki cells via suppression of E6 splicing

Cervical cancer is known to be highly associated with viral oncogene E6 and E7 of human papilloma virus. Down-regulation of oncogene expression by antisense-based gene therapy has been extensively studied. To investigate the effect of HPV 16 E6 antisense nucleic acid (AS) on cervical cancer cells, human cervical cancer cell lines, CaSki and SiHa cells harboring HPV 16 genome were transfected with plasmid containing E6(AS). The decreased viability and the apoptotic morphology were observed in E6(AS)-transfected cervical cancer cell lines. By 6 h after transfection, inhibition of E6 splicing, rapid upregulations of p53 and a p53-responsive protein, GADD45, were displayed in E6(AS)-transfected CaSki cells. Furthermore, E6(AS) induced loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, release of mitochondrial cytochrome c into the cytoplasm, and subsequent activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. These results indicate that HPV 16 E6(AS) induces apoptosis in CaSki cells via upregulation of p53 and release of cytochrome c into cytoplasm, consequently activating procaspase-9 and procaspase-3.     

Dipterocarpol in Oleoresin of Dipterocarpus alatus Attributed to Cytotoxicity and Apoptosis-Inducing Effect

Dipterocarpus alatus Roxb. ex G. Don is widely found in Southeast Asia. Its oleo-resin has reportedly been used in biodiesel production. Two different biodiesel production processes produce resinous byproducts, namely degumming (DG) and distillation (DT). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identified sesquiterpenes and triterpenes in oleo-resin, DG, and DT; and long-chain hydrocarbons in oleo-resin. High-performance liquid chromatography detected dipterocarpol as a marker compound, with the highest to lowest amounts detected in DG, DT, and oleo-resin, respectively. Oleo-resin, DG, and DT exerted more cytotoxicity than dipterocarpol, and melphalan, a chemotherapeutic drug. Oleo-resin, DG, and DT exerted cytotoxicity to a different degree in T cell leukemia (Jurkat), cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa), and human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells, while the highest selectivity was found in the Jurkat cells compared to the non-cancer Vero cells. Dipterocarpol exhibited the highest cytotoxicity in HepG2 cells and the lowest cytotoxicity in Jurkat cells. Oleo-resin, DG, and DT induced apoptosis in Jurkat cells. In oleo-resin, DG, and DT, dipterocarpol and other compounds may act in synergy leading to cytotoxicity and an apoptosis-inducing effect. Oleo-resin, DG, and DT could be potential sources for anticancer agents. Dipterocarpol could serve as a biomarker for follow ups on the anticancer activity of a sample from D. alatus.     

Up-regulation of Hsp27 plays a role in the resistance of human colon carcinoma HT29 cells to photooxidative stress

The Photofrin-resistant cell line (HT29-P14) was used in the present study to investigate the mechanism(s) involved in Photofrin-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT). We compared gene expression profiles between the resistant cell line and its parental cell line (HT29) using DNA microarray analysis. A significant up-regulation of small heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27) was found in HT29-P14 cells. The elevated Hsp27 level may play an important role in the resistance of HT29-P14 to Photofrin-PDT. To test this hypothesis, we stably transfected HT29 cells with human Hsp27 complementary DNA. The potential role of Hsp27 in the resistance to PDT was examined in Hsp27-overexpressing cells. Stable trasnfected cells (H13) showed an increased survival after Photofrin-PDT, suggesting that the up-regulation of Hsp27 is related to the induced resistance to Photofrin-PDT. Phosphorylation of Hsp27 has been suggested to play an important role in cytoprotection. We have examined the phosphorylation activity of Hsp27 among the parental and resistant cells, as well as the overexpression cells. An elevated level of Hsp27 resulted in an increased ability of phosphorylation in both resistant and overexpressing cells after PDT. The activation of the phosphorylation of Hsp27 induced by PDT was not mediated by the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. These data suggest that Hsp27 may play an important role in mediating the adaptive response to Photofrin-PDT-induced oxidative stress and that the pathways leading to Hsp27 phosphorylation may contribute to the resistance of the cells to photooxidative damage.     

Antitumor immunity induced by tumor cells engineered to express a membrane-bound form of IL-2

Transduction of cytokine gene into tumor cells is a promising method of tumor therapy, but the value is limited by accompanying side effects. To focus antitumor immune response to tumor antigen-specific CTL, we developed an antitumor vaccine by transfecting modified IL-2 gene in a membrane-bound form (mbIL-2) into B16F10 melanoma cells. The mbIL-2 clone showed reduced tumorigenicity and metastatic ability, and inhibited metastasis and prolonged the survival of mice against B16F10 cells. The inhibition of B16F10 metastasis by mbIL-2 was accompanied by the increment of CD8(+) T cells. The metastasis of mbIL-2 clone was significantly increased in the CD8(+) T cell-depleted mice, but not in CD4(+) T cell depleted mice. Spleen cells immunized with the mbIL-2 clone showed higher CTL activity towards B16F10 cells than those immunized with control cells. The size of CD8(+) T cell population in the lung of mice injected with the mbIL-2 clone was markedly greater than that of mice injected with B16F10 cells, but there was no detectible change in CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell populations of lymph nodes and spleen. These results suggest that when the mbIL-2 clone is introduced into the blood stream, it migrates mainly to lung and activates CD8(+) T cells in situ, possibly by direct priming. Such a tumor vaccine may ameliorate the toxic side effects encountered with conventional cytokine gene therapy.     

Design,synthesis and biological evaluation of quinazolin-4(3H)-one Schiff base conjugates as potential antiamoebic agents

In an effort to develop novel antiamoebic scaffolds having better efficacy than the standard drug metronidazole (IC₅₀ = 1.80 μM) used against Entamoeba histolytica, quinazolin-4(3H)-one Schiff base conjugates were synthesized and evaluated against HM1: IMSS strain of E. histolytica. Out of the thirteen compounds (S2-S14), six compounds (S2, S3, S4, S5, S6 and S11) were found to be better inhibitors than metronidazole and showed low cytotoxicity on HeLa cells, a cervical cancer cell line. The structure of intermediate compound S1 was confirmed by crystal structure studies.     

A STRATEGY FOR ISOLATING DIFFERENTIATIONINDUCING COMPLEMENTARY DNAs FROM HUMAN ESOPHAGEAL CANCER CELL LINE TREATED WITH RETINOIC ACID

Treatment of the human esophageal cancer cell line EC8712 with retinoic acid (RA) stopped the cell growth significantly and gave rise to terminal differentiation of the cells characterized by increased expression of involucrin gene. Two cDNA libraries were constructed from the parental and RA-treated cells respectively. Repeated subtractive hybridization of single-stranded plasmid DNA prepared from pooled colonies of cDNA library of the parental cells with cDNA probe generated from the RA-treated cells exhausted sequences common to both libraries of the cell. The unhybridized cDNA probe represented, therefore, the genes activated after RA-treatment. By using these enriched cDNAs as probe to screen the cDNA library constructed from the RA-treated cells thirty-nine positive colonies were obtained, of which two were specifically due to RA-induction. One of these two cDNA clones, designated as pRA538, has undergone further analysis and shown differentiation-inducing effect on parental cancer cells. A novel     

A strategy for isolating differentiation-inducing complementary DNAs from human esophageal cancer cell line treated with retinoic acid.

Treatment of the human esophageal cancer cell line EC8712 with retinoic acid (RA) stopped the cell growth significantly and gave rise to terminal differentiation of the cells characterized by increased expression of involucrin gene. Two cDNA libraries were constructed from the parental and RA-treated cells respectively. Repeated subtractive hybridization of single-stranded plasmid DNA prepared from pooled colonies of cDNA library of the parental cells with cDNA probe generated from the RA-treated cells exhausted sequences common to both libraries of the cell. The unhybridized cDNA probe represented, therefore, the genes activated after RA-treatment. By using these enriched cDNAs as probe to screen the cDNA library constructed from the RA-treated cells thirty-nine positive colonies were obtained, of which two were specifically due to RA-induction. One of these two cDNA clones, designated as pRA538, has undergone further analysis and shown differentiation-inducing effect on parental cancer cells. A novel strategy for cloning genes involved in terminal differentiation of cancer cells is developed.     

Quick analysis of baicalin in Scutellariae Radix by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a monoclonal antibody

To establish an immunoassay for baicalin (BA), a hybridoma cell line (9D6) secreting a monoclonal antibody (MAb) against BA was prepared by cell fusion with splenocytes derived from a mouse immunized with BA-bovine serum albumin (BSA) conjugate and a myeloma cell line, SP2/0-Ag14. MAb 9D6 shows specific reactivity against BA and its aglycone, baicalein, but not against other natural products. We developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using MAb 9D6 in a competitive manner, ranging from 200 ng/mL to 2 μg/mL. After validating the developed ELISA on the basis of intra- and inter-assays and a recovery experiment, it was found that the ELISA was not only simple, but also sufficiently reliable and accurate for quality control of Scutellariae Radix. It allowed determination of BA in complex and mixed materials, such as Kampo medicines.     

Proteomic analysis of differential protein expression in a human hepatoma revertant cell line by using an improved two-dimensional electrophoresis procedure combined with matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight-mass spectrometry

The proteomic profiles of a human hepatoma revertant, CL1, and its original cell line, SMMC7721, were compared by using an improved two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) procedure, with multi-IPGstrips gels (length 相似文献   

3-磷酸甘油醛脱氢酶与酵母线粒体基因组维持蛋白Mgm101的相互作用

采用酵母双杂交方法, 以Mgm101p为诱饵, 筛选酵母cDNA文库. 分离鉴定15个与Mgm101p相互作用的蛋白因子, 其中5个阳性克隆均为GPD1编码的3-磷酸甘油醛脱氢酶(GAPDH). 克隆了GPD1在 S. cerevisiae的同系物ScTDH2基因, 进行绿色荧光蛋白GFP标记、 亚细胞组分分离和蛋白质印迹分析, 结果表明, GAPDH除了在细胞质为糖酵解酶的主要作用外, 可能为多功能蛋白, 在酵母线粒体中与Mgm101p相互作用参与线粒体DNA维持的生物过程.     

Formycin A resistant mutants due to defect in adenosine transport system in Vibrio parahaemolyticus

An antibiotic formycin A inhibited growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus under certain conditions, which suggested that formycin A was taken up by cells under these conditions. We found that formycin A was transported via the adenosine transport system which we previously reported as a Na(+)-coupled cotransport system. We isolated many formycin A resistant mutants, and about half of them grew very poorly on adenosine as a sole source of carbon. Judging from their reversion frequencies, these mutants seemed to have single mutations. Respiration driven uptake of 14C-adenosine was not observed in such mutants; also, Na+ uptake induced by the addition of adenosine or formycin A to a cell suspension was completely abolished in them. Thus we conclude that these mutants possess a defect in the Na+/adenosine cotransport system, and have become formycin A resistant.     

Defective transport of thymidine by cultured cells resistant to 5-bromodeoxyuridine.

A line of HeLa cells resistant to 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BUdR) was established by continuous culture in growth medium containing BUdR; during the selection period, BUdR concentrations, initially 15 micrometer, were gradually increased to 100 micrometer. Cells of a clone (HeLa/B5) established from this line were also resistant to 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine (FUdR), but not to the free base, 5-fluorouracil. Although extracts of HeLa/B5 cells exhibited levels of thymidine kinase activity comparable to those of parental cells, rates of uptake of BUdR, FUdR, and thymidine into intact cells were much reduced. The kinetics of uptake of uridine and adenosine, nucleosides which appear to be transported independently of thymidine in HeLa cells, were similar for HeLa/B5 and the parental line (HeLa/O). Relative to thymidine uptake by HeLa/O cells, that by HeLa/B5 cells was distinctly less sensitive to nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBMPR), a specific inhibitor of nucleoside transport in various types of animal cells. Despite this difference in NBMPR sensitivity, both cell lines possessed the same number of high affinity NBMPR binding sites per mg cell protein. The altered kinetics of thymidine uptake and the NBMPR insensitivity of that function in HeLA/B5 cells suggest that resistance to BUdR is due to an altered thymidine transport mechanism.