Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor induces operational tolerance to fully allogenic cardiac grafts.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to T Takayama.
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Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is the key enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway in carbohydrate metabolism, and it plays an important role in cell proliferation and antioxidant regulation within cells in various organs. Although marked cell proliferation and oxidant/antioxidant metabolism occur in lung alveolar epithelial cells, definite data has been lacking as to whether cytochemically detectable G6PD is present in alveolar epithelial cells. The distribution pattern of G6PD within these cells, if it is present, is also unknown. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the subcellular localization of G6PD in alveolar cells in the rat lung using a newly-developed enzyme-cytochemistry (copper-ferrocyanide) method. Type I cells and stromal endothelia and fibroblasts showed no activities. Electron-dense precipitates indicating G6PD activity were clearly visible in the cytoplasm and on the cytosolic side of the endoplasmic reticulum of type II alveolar epithelial cells. The cytochemical controls ensured specific detection of enzyme activity. This enzyme may play a role in airway defense by delivering substances for cell proliferation and antioxidant forces, thus maintaining the airway architecture.
Accumulation of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in DNA, which may result from the continuous reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation associated with chronic inflammation, has been reported in various human preneoplastic lesions and in cancerous tissues. However, no direct causative relationship between the 8-OHdG formation and carcinogenesis has been thus far demonstrated in humans. Directly proving the causality requires showing that depletion of 8-OHdG levels in tissue by interfering with ROS generation results in a reduction in cancer. Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with a high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Several studies on patients with chronic HCV have shown that hepatic iron overload is attributable to liver injury and that iron depletion improved serum aminotransferase levels. Excess iron is known to generate ROS within cells, which causes mutagenic lesions, such as 8-OHdG. In this study, therefore, we have evaluated whether therapeutic iron reduction (phlebotomy and low iron diet) with a long-term follow-up (6 years) would decrease the hepatic 8-OHdG levels and the risk of HCC development in patients with chronic HCV. Patients (34) enrolled were those who had undergone standard IFN therapy but had no sustained response. Quantitative immunohistochemistry using the KS-400 image analyzing system and electrochemical detection was used for 8-OHdG detection. With this treatment, elevated hepatic 8-OHdG levels in patients with chronic hepatitis C (8.3 +/- 4.6/10(5) dG) significantly decreased to almost normal levels (2.2 +/- 0.9/10(5) dG; P < 0.001) with concomitant improvement of hepatitis severity, including fibrosis, whereas HCV titers were unaffected. None of these patients developed HCC. Thus, long-term iron reduction therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C may potentially lower the risk of progression to HCC.
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BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to analyze the clinicopathologic variables and the postoperative outcome in patients with mass-forming intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) to identify important factors for predicting postresection prognosis. Although it has been reported that mass-forming ICC has a different etiology and biologic features compared with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), patients with ICC have been dealt with clinicopathologically in the same manner as patients with HCC. METHODS: Sixty patients who underwent hepatectomy for mass-forming ICC with curative intent between 1981 and 1999 were studied. Fourteen preoperative clinical and diagnostic parameters and 12 postoperative surgicopathologic parameters were analyzed. RESULTS: The rate of operative mortality in this patient cohort was 5%, and the overall 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year survival rates were 68%, 35%, and 29%, respectively, with a median survival of 19.6 months. A multivariate analysis revealed that independent negative prognostic factors were 1) hepatic regional lymph node metastasis, 2) multiple tumor presentation, 3) symptomatic tumor, and 4) the presence of vascular invasion. Using these factors, a new staging system was devised: Stage I disease was defined as a solitary tumor without vascular invasion, Stage II disease was defined as a solitary tumor with vascular invasion, Stage IIIA disease was defined as multiple tumors with or without vascular invasion, Stage IIIB disease was defined as any tumor with regional lymph node metastasis, and Stage IV disease was defined as any tumor with distant metastases. The Kaplan-Meier estimated 3-year survival rate and the median survival for each subgroup were 74% for patients with Stage I disease (median survival is the time when the cumulative survival rate of some patients' group declined to 50%; thus, the median survival could not be calculated in patients with Stage I disease because survival was 74% at the latest follow-up), 48% and 26.2 months for patients with Stage II disease, 18% and 16.8 months for patients with Stage IIIA disease, and 7% and 11.2 months for patients with Stage IIIB disease, respectively (P < 0.0001). None of the patients met the criteria for Stage IV disease. CONCLUSIONS: The current results support the use of a new staging system for patients with ICC that is simple and predicts well the differences in survival after patients undergo hepatic resection.
The Fas-Fas ligand system is involved in apoptosis. The mouse anti-human Fas monoclonal antibody HFE7A (m-HFE7A) has a potential use in human therapy against autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Information on the three-dimensional structure is essential for antibody humanization. Crystals of an antigen-binding fragment (Fab) of m-HFE7A were obtained by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method using sodium citrate as a precipitant and 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol as an additive. Fast optimization to produce single crystals suitable for X-ray analysis was achieved by the streak-seeding technique. The crystals belong to the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 43.4, b = 74.0, c = 133.8 A. The crystals diffract at least to 2.5 A resolution.
BACKGROUND: The prognosis of patients with primary biliary cirrhosis has improved since the introduction of transplantation. However, there has been limited experience with living-related liver transplantation for primary biliary cirrhosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1996 and October 2000, 105 patients underwent living-related liver transplantation at the University of Tokyo Hospital. Eighteen of these patients with primary biliary cirrhosis were the subjects of this study. The risk scores in the conventional and updated Mayo models ranged from 5.9 to 11.6 and 6.9 to 13.7, respectively. RESULTS: The graft weight ranged from 330 to 533 g, corresponding to 33 to 55% of the recipient's standard liver volume. Two patients died of pneumonia, 1 died due to sepsis, and the remaining 15 patients survived. The risk scores for the conventional and updated Mayo models correlated well with the duration of hospitalization (P=0.01, R=0.67 for both). The scores of the dead patients by the two models were more than 10 and 12, respectively. The postoperative courses of all of the donors were uneventful. CONCLUSIONS: The risk score in the Mayo model adequately reflected the outcome of the patients. To achieve the best possible outcome, further therapeutic tactics are necessary for patients with conventional or updated Mayo risk scores of more than 10 or 12, respectively.
BACKGROUND: Overexpression of annexin II, a calcium-dependent phospholipid-binding protein, has been reported in various carcinomas. One of its ligands is tenascin-C, an extracellular matrix glycoprotein with predominantly antiadhesive qualities that also has been reported to be a prognostic marker for several carcinomas. In the current study, the authors investigated the correlation between the overexpression of annexin II and tenascin-C in colorectal carcinoma. METHODS: Western blot analysis of annexin II expression was examined in four human colorectal carcinoma cell lines. Using immunohistochemical methods, the authors also examined expression of annexin II and tenascin-C in 105 primary colorectal carcinoma cases. RESULTS: Although annexin II was expressed in human colon carcinoma cell lines, there was no apparent correlation between its expression level and the metastatic potential of these cell lines. The authors observed overexpression of annexin II and tenascin-C proteins in 29.5% and 49.5%, respectively, of colorectal carcinoma cases. Overexpression of annexin II was found to be correlated significantly with histologic type, tumor size, depth of invasion, and pTNM stage, whereas tenascin-C overexpression was noted to be correlated significantly with histologic type, depth of invasion, lymphatic invasion, venous invasion, lymph node metastasis, and pTNM stage. Expression of annexin II was shown to be correlated significantly with that of tenascin-C. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that annexin II and tenascin-C cooverexpression was an independent factor of poor prognosis in patients with colorectal carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: The data from the current study suggest that both annexin II and tenascin-C are overexpressed in advanced colorectal carcinoma and that they may be related to the progression and metastatic spread of colorectal carcinoma.
Although it is known that dendritic cells (DCs) produce cytokines, there is little information about how cytokine synthesis is regulated during DC development. A range of cytokine mRNA/proteins was analyzed in immature (CD86-) or mature (CD86+) murine bone marrow (BM)- derived DCs. Highly purified, flow-sorted, immature DCs exhibited higher amounts of interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha), IL-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), and macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) mRNA/protein than mature DCs. After differentiation, DC up-regulated the levels of IL-6 and IL-15 mRNA/protein and synthesized de novo mRNA/protein for IL-12p35, IL-12p40, and IL-18. Although immature BM-derived DCs did not stimulate naive allogeneic T cells, mature DCs elicited a mixed population of T helper (Th) 1 (mainly) and Th2 cells in 3d-mixed leukocyte reactions. CD86+ BM DCs switched to different cytokine patterns according to whether they were terminally differentiated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or CD40 ligation. Although both stimuli increased IL-6, IL-12p40, IL-15, and TNF-alpha mRNA/protein levels, only LPS up-regulated transcription of IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-12p35, and MIF genes. Although LPS and CD40 cross-linking increased the T-cell allostimulatory function of BM DCs, only LPS stimulation shifted the balance of naive Th differentiation to Th1 cells, a mechanism dependent on the up-regulation of IL-12p35 and not of IL-23. These results demonstrate that, depending on the stimuli used to terminally mature BM DCs, DCs synthesize a different pattern of cytokines and exhibit distinct Th cell-driving potential.
The immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 inhibits the phenotypic and functional maturation of dendritic cells (DC) and has been reported to confer tolerogenic properties on these important professional APC. Here, we exposed murine bone marrow-derived myeloid DC to either mouse (m) or viral (v) IL-10 early during their in vitro generation in response to GM-CSF and IL-4. Both mIL-10 and vIL-10 down-regulated the expression of CCR7 mRNA determined by RT-PCR, while mIL-10 up-regulated the expression of CCR5 transcripts. These changes in CCR7 and CCR5 expression were associated with inhibition and augmentation, respectively, of DC chemotaxis toward their respective agonists, macrophage inflammatory proteins 3beta and 1alpha, while in vivo homing of DC from peripheral s.c. sites to secondary lymphoid tissue of syngeneic or allogeneic recipients was significantly impaired. Anti-mIL-10R mAb reversed the effects of mIL-10 on CCR expression and restored DC homing ability. Retroviral transduction of mIL-10- and vIL-10-treated DC to overexpress transgenic CCR7 partially restored the cells' lymphoid tissue homing ability in allogeneic recipients. However, CCR7 gene transfer did not reinstate the capacity of IL-10-treated DC to prime host naive T cells for ex vivo proliferative responses or Th1 cytokine (IFN-gamma) production in response to rechallenge with (donor) alloantigen. These findings suggest that in addition to their capacity to subvert DC maturation/function and confer tolerogenic potential on these cells, mIL-10 and vIL-10 regulate DC migratory responses via modulation of CCR expression.
Ferritin, which is composed of H and L subunits, plays an important role in iron storage and in the control of intracellular iron distribution. Synthesis of both ferritin subunits is controlled by a common cytosolic protein, iron regulatory protein (IRP), which binds to the iron-responsive element (IRE) in the 5'-UTR of the H- and L-ferritin mRNAs. In the present study, we have identified a single point mutation (A49U) in the IRE motif of H-ferritin mRNA, in four of seven members of a Japanese family affected by dominantly inherited iron overload. Gel-shift mobility assay and Scatchard-plot analysis revealed that a mutated IRE probe had a higher binding affinity to IRP than did the wild-type probe. When mutated H subunit was overexpressed in COS-1 cells, suppression of H-subunit synthesis and of the increment of radiolabeled iron uptake were observed. These data suggest that the A49U mutation in the IRE of H-subunit is responsible for tissue iron deposition and is a novel cause of hereditary iron overload, most likely related to impairment of the ferroxidase activity generated by H subunit.
BACKGROUND: Genetic engineering of dendritic cells (DC) to express immunosuppressive molecule(s) offers potential for therapy of allograft rejection and autoimmune disease. Viral (v) interleukin (IL)-10, encoded by the Epstein-Barr virus, is highly homologous to mammalian (m) IL-10, but lacks certain of its T-cell stimulatory activities. Our aim was to evaluate and compare the influence of vIL-10 and mIL-10 gene transfer on the T-cell and natural killer (NK) cell stimulatory activity of DC, and their impact on the growth of transplantable tumors. METHODS: Myeloid DC progenitors, propagated from the bone marrow of C57BL/6J (H2b) mice in granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor + IL-4, were transduced using retroviral supematant from the BOSC ecotropic packaging cell line. The function of the IL-b gene-modified DC was assessed by examining their ability to induce naive allogeneic T-cell proliferation and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) generation. MCA205 (H2b) sarcoma cells mixed with either vIL-10-, mIL-10-, or Zeo (control gene)-transduced DC were inoculated intradermally into C57BL/6J (syngeneic) or BALB/cJ (H2d) (allogeneic) recipients, which were monitored for tumor growth. The role of specific host effector cell populations in tumor resistance was determined by antibody depletion. RESULTS: Compared with control gene-modified DC, both vIL-10- and mIL-10-transduced DC, which secreted the transgene product, showed reduced surface expression of MHC class II and costimulatory molecules, and impaired ability to induce T-cell proliferation. vIL-10-transduced DC were also inhibited with respect to CTL induction but did not affect the generation of NK cells. By contrast, mIL-10-transduced DC augmented CTL generation and NK cell activity. In the tumor transplant model, vIL-10-transduced DC enhanced tumor growth both in syngeneic and allogeneic hosts, whereas mIL-10-transduced cells inhibited tumor development. Depletion of CD4+ or CD8+ T cells or NK cells in mice given mIL-10-transduced DC reversed this therapeutic effect. CONCLUSION: mIL-10 gene-modified myeloid DC promote CTL and NK cell-mediated responses and inhibit tumor growth. By contrast, vIL-10-engineered DC, which elicit diminished CTL responses and do not promote NK cell activity, seem to have therapeutic potential for inhibition of T cell-mediated immunity.
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