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Sample records for cell growth characteristics

  1. Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell yield and growth characteristics are affected by the tissue-harvesting procedure

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oedayrajsingh-Varma, M. J.; van Ham, S. M.; Knippenberg, M.; Helder, M. N.; Klein-Nulend, J.; Schouten, T. E.; Ritt, M. J. P. F.; van Milligen, F. J.

    2006-01-01

    Adipose tissue contains a stromal vascular fraction that can be easily isolated and provides a rich source of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASC). These ASC are a potential source of cells for tissue engineering. We studied whether the yield and growth characteristics of ASC were

  2. Tumour cells expressing single VEGF isoforms display distinct growth, survival and migration characteristics.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chryso Kanthou

    Full Text Available Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF is produced by most cancer cells as multiple isoforms, which display distinct biological activities. VEGF plays an undisputed role in tumour growth, vascularisation and metastasis; nevertheless the functions of individual isoforms in these processes remain poorly understood. We investigated the effects of three main murine isoforms (VEGF188, 164 and 120 on tumour cell behaviour, using a panel of fibrosarcoma cells we developed that express them individually under endogenous promoter control. Fibrosarcomas expressing only VEGF188 (fs188 or wild type controls (fswt were typically mesenchymal, formed ruffles and displayed strong matrix-binding activity. VEGF164- and VEGF120-producing cells (fs164 and fs120 respectively were less typically mesenchymal, lacked ruffles but formed abundant cell-cell contacts. On 3D collagen, fs188 cells remained mesenchymal while fs164 and fs120 cells adopted rounded/amoeboid and a mix of rounded and elongated morphologies respectively. Consistent with their mesenchymal characteristics, fs188 cells migrated significantly faster than fs164 or fs120 cells on 2D surfaces while contractility inhibitors accelerated fs164 and fs120 cell migration. VEGF164/VEGF120 expression correlated with faster proliferation rates and lower levels of spontaneous apoptosis than VEGF188 expression. Nevertheless, VEGF188 was associated with constitutively active/phosphorylated AKT, ERK1/2 and Stat3 proteins. Differences in proliferation rates and apoptosis could be explained by defective signalling downstream of pAKT to FOXO and GSK3 in fs188 and fswt cells, which also correlated with p27/p21 cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor over-expression. All cells expressed tyrosine kinase VEGF receptors, but these were not active/activatable suggesting that inherent differences between the cell lines are governed by endogenous VEGF isoform expression through complex interactions that are independent of tyrosine

  3. Mesenchymal stem cell like (MSCl) cells generated from human embryonic stem cells support pluripotent cell growth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varga, Nóra; Veréb, Zoltán; Rajnavölgyi, Éva; Német, Katalin; Uher, Ferenc; Sarkadi, Balázs; Apáti, Ágota

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: ► MSC like cells were derived from hESC by a simple and reproducible method. ► Differentiation and immunosuppressive features of MSCl cells were similar to bmMSC. ► MSCl cells as feeder cells support the undifferentiated growth of hESC. -- Abstract: Mesenchymal stem cell like (MSCl) cells were generated from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) through embryoid body formation, and isolated by adherence to plastic surface. MSCl cell lines could be propagated without changes in morphological or functional characteristics for more than 15 passages. These cells, as well as their fluorescent protein expressing stable derivatives, efficiently supported the growth of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells as feeder cells. The MSCl cells did not express the embryonic (Oct4, Nanog, ABCG2, PODXL, or SSEA4), or hematopoietic (CD34, CD45, CD14, CD133, HLA-DR) stem cell markers, while were positive for the characteristic cell surface markers of MSCs (CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105). MSCl cells could be differentiated toward osteogenic, chondrogenic or adipogenic directions and exhibited significant inhibition of mitogen-activated lymphocyte proliferation, and thus presented immunosuppressive features. We suggest that cultured MSCl cells can properly model human MSCs and be applied as efficient feeders in hESC cultures.

  4. Mesenchymal stem cell like (MSCl) cells generated from human embryonic stem cells support pluripotent cell growth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Varga, Nora [Membrane Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest (Hungary); Vereb, Zoltan; Rajnavoelgyi, Eva [Department of Immunology, Medical and Health Science Centre, University of Debrecen, Debrecen (Hungary); Nemet, Katalin; Uher, Ferenc; Sarkadi, Balazs [Membrane Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest (Hungary); Apati, Agota, E-mail: apati@kkk.org.hu [Membrane Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest (Hungary)

    2011-10-28

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MSC like cells were derived from hESC by a simple and reproducible method. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Differentiation and immunosuppressive features of MSCl cells were similar to bmMSC. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MSCl cells as feeder cells support the undifferentiated growth of hESC. -- Abstract: Mesenchymal stem cell like (MSCl) cells were generated from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) through embryoid body formation, and isolated by adherence to plastic surface. MSCl cell lines could be propagated without changes in morphological or functional characteristics for more than 15 passages. These cells, as well as their fluorescent protein expressing stable derivatives, efficiently supported the growth of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells as feeder cells. The MSCl cells did not express the embryonic (Oct4, Nanog, ABCG2, PODXL, or SSEA4), or hematopoietic (CD34, CD45, CD14, CD133, HLA-DR) stem cell markers, while were positive for the characteristic cell surface markers of MSCs (CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105). MSCl cells could be differentiated toward osteogenic, chondrogenic or adipogenic directions and exhibited significant inhibition of mitogen-activated lymphocyte proliferation, and thus presented immunosuppressive features. We suggest that cultured MSCl cells can properly model human MSCs and be applied as efficient feeders in hESC cultures.

  5. Spatial Patterning of Newly-Inserted Material during Bacterial Cell Growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ursell, Tristan

    2012-02-01

    In the life cycle of a bacterium, rudimentary microscopy demonstrates that cell growth and elongation are essential characteristics of cellular reproduction. The peptidoglycan cell wall is the main load-bearing structure that determines both cell shape and overall size. However, simple imaging of cellular growth gives no indication of the spatial patterning nor mechanism by which material is being incorporated into the pre-existing cell wall. We employ a combination of high-resolution pulse-chase fluorescence microscopy, 3D computational microscopy, and detailed mechanistic simulations to explore how spatial patterning results in uniform growth and maintenance of cell shape. We show that growth is happening in discrete bursts randomly distributed over the cell surface, with a well-defined mean size and average rate. We further use these techniques to explore the effects of division and cell wall disrupting antibiotics, like cephalexin and A22, respectively, on the patterning of cell wall growth in E. coli. Finally, we explore the spatial correlation between presence of the bacterial actin-like cytoskeletal protein, MreB, and local cell wall growth. Together these techniques form a powerful method for exploring the detailed dynamics and involvement of antibiotics and cell wall-associated proteins in bacterial cell growth.[4pt] In collaboration with Kerwyn Huang, Stanford University.

  6. Circadian rhythm characteristics of oral squamous cell carcinoma growth in an orthotopic xenograft model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhao NB

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Ningbo Zhao,* Hong Tang,* Kai Yang, Dan Chen Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China*These authors contributed equally to this workBackground: Recent studies show that circadian rhythm changes are closely related to the occurrence and development of various tumors, such as breast, liver, and prostate. However, there are significant differences in circadian rhythm between different tumors. At present, the circadian rhythm characteristics of oral cancer remain unknown. The purpose of this study is to investigate the circadian rhythm characteristics of the in vivo growth of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC.Materials and methods: Thirty-two nude mice were placed under 12-hour light/12-hour dark cycles. The human OSCC cell line BcaCD885 was inoculated in the cheek of nude mice. After 3 weeks, eight mice were sacrificed at four time points, including 4 hours after light onset (HALO, 10 HALO, 16 HALO, and 22 HALO, during a period of 24 hours. The volume of excised tumors was measured and the proliferative index (PI and apoptotic index (AI of tumor cells were determined by flow cytometry. A cosine analysis method was used to determine whether the tumor volume, PI, and AI obeyed a circadian rhythm.Results: There was a significant circadian rhythm in the tumor volume and PI of OSCC cells. For the tumor volume, there were significant differences between the four time points. The peak and trough values of the tumor volume appeared at 3.23 HALO and 15.23 HALO, whereas the peak and trough values of PI appeared at 6.60 HALO and 18.16 HALO, respectively. However, there was no circadian rhythm in the AI of tumor cells, despite significant differences between the four time points.Conclusion: This study demonstrates, for the first time, that the tumor volume and PI of in vivo growing OSCC undergo circadian rhythms. These results support the assertion that time factor should be

  7. Cell-autonomous intracellular androgen receptor signaling drives the growth of human prostate cancer initiating cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vander Griend, Donald J; D'Antonio, Jason; Gurel, Bora; Antony, Lizamma; Demarzo, Angelo M; Isaacs, John T

    2010-01-01

    The lethality of prostate cancer is due to the continuous growth of cancer initiating cells (CICs) which are often stimulated by androgen receptor (AR) signaling. However, the underlying molecular mechanism(s) for such AR-mediated growth stimulation are not fully understood. Such mechanisms may involve cancer cell-dependent induction of tumor stromal cells to produce paracrine growth factors or could involve cancer cell autonomous autocrine and/or intracellular AR signaling pathways. We utilized clinical samples, animal models and a series of AR-positive human prostate cancer cell lines to evaluate AR-mediated growth stimulation of prostate CICs. The present studies document that stromal AR expression is not required for prostate cancer growth, since tumor stroma surrounding AR-positive human prostate cancer metastases (N = 127) are characteristically AR-negative. This lack of a requirement for AR expression in tumor stromal cells is also documented by the fact that human AR-positive prostate cancer cells grow equally well when xenografted in wild-type versus AR-null nude mice. AR-dependent growth stimulation was documented to involve secretion, extracellular binding, and signaling by autocrine growth factors. Orthotopic xenograft animal studies documented that the cellautonomous autocrine growth factors which stimulate prostate CIC growth are not the andromedins secreted by normal prostate stromal cells. Such cell autonomous and extracellular autocrine signaling is necessary but not sufficient for the optimal growth of prostate CICs based upon the response to anti-androgen plus/or minus preconditioned media. AR-induced growth stimulation of human prostate CICs requires AR-dependent intracellular pathways. The identification of such AR-dependent intracellular pathways offers new leads for the development of effective therapies for prostate cancer. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  8. Growth characteristics of (100)HgCdTe layers in low-temperature MOVPE with ditertiarybutyltelluride

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yasuda, K.; Hatano, H.; Ferid, T.; Minamide, M.; Maejima, T.; Kawamoto, K.

    1996-09-01

    Low-temperature growth of (100)HgCdTe (MCT) layers in MOVPE has been studied using ditertiarybutyltelluride (DtBTe), dimethylcadmium (DMCd), and elementary mercury as precursors. MCT layers were grown at 275°C on (100)GaAs substrates. Growths were carried out in a vertical growth cell which has a narrow spacing between the substrate and cell ceiling. Using the growth cell, the Cd-composition ( x) of MCT layers was controlled over a wide range from 0 to 0.98 by the DMCd flow. The growth rate of the MCT layers was constant at 5 μm h -1 for the increased DMCd flow. Preferential Cd-incorporation into MCT layers and an increase of the growth rate were observed in the presence of mercury vapor. The growth characteristics were considered to be due to the alkyl-exchange reaction between DMCd and mercury. The electrical properties and crystallinity of grown layers were also evaluated, which showed that layers with high quality can be grown at 275°C.

  9. Apoptosis induced by cold shock in vitro is dependent on cell growth phase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soloff, B L; Nagle, W A; Moss, A J; Henle, K J; Crawford, J T

    1987-06-15

    Chinese hamster V79 fibroblast cells were exposed to brief periods of cold but non-freezing temperatures at different points on the population growth curve. Upon rewarming, cells at the transition from logarithmic to stationary growth exhibited apoptosis (programmed cell death). Cells in other stages of growth, or after reentry into logarithmic growth by refeeding, did not exhibit apoptosis. Apoptosis was expressed by marked cytoplasmic blebbing, by a characteristic non-random fragmentation of DNA into nucleosomal-sized pieces, and by loss of colony-forming ability. The data suggest that cold shock served as a stimulus for susceptible cells to undergo apoptosis. Thus, the experiments describe a new in vitro system for studying the mechanisms of apoptosis.

  10. The influences of purple sweet potato anthocyanin on the growth characteristics of human retinal pigment epithelial cells

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    Min Sun

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Background: Anthocyanins have been proven to be beneficial to the eyes. However, information is scarce about the effects of purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas, L. anthocyanin (PSPA, a class of anthocyanins derived from purple sweet potato roots, on visual health. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether PSPA could have influences on the growth characteristics (cellular morphology, survival, and proliferation of human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE cells, which perform essential functions for the visual process. Methods: The RPE cell line D407 was used in the present study. The cytotoxicity of PSPA was assessed by MTT assay. Then, cellular morphology, viability, cell cycle, Ki67expression, and PI3K/MAPK activation of RPE cells treated with PSPA were determined. Results: PSPA exhibited dose-dependent promotion of RPE cell proliferation at concentrations ranging from 10 to 1,000 µg/ml. RPE cells treated with PSPA demonstrated a predominantly polygonal morphology in a mosaic arrangement, and colony-like cells displayed numerous short apical microvilli and typical ultrastructure. PSPA treatment also resulted in a better platform growing status, statistically higher viability, an increase in the S-phase, and more Ki67+ cells. However, neither pAkt nor pERK were detected in either group. Conclusions: We found that PSPA maintained high cell viability, boosted DNA synthesis, and preserved a high percentage of continuously cycling cells to promote cell survival and division without changing cell morphology. This paper lays the foundation for further research about the damage-protective activities of PSPA on RPE cells or human vision.

  11. Down-regulation of Rab5 decreases characteristics associated with maintenance of cell transformation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, Patricio; Soto, Nicolás; Díaz, Jorge; Mendoza, Pablo; Díaz, Natalia; Quest, Andrew F.G.; Torres, Vicente A.

    2015-01-01

    The early endosomal protein Rab5 is highly expressed in tumor samples, although a causal relationship between Rab5 expression and cell transformation has not been established. Here, we report the functional effects of targeting endogenous Rab5 with specific shRNA sequences in different tumor cell lines. Rab5 down-regulation in B16-F10 cells decreased tumor formation by subcutaneous injection into C57/BL6 mice. Accordingly, Rab5 targeting in B16-F10 and A549, but not MDA-MB-231 cells was followed by decreased cell proliferation, increased apoptosis and decreased anchorage-independent growth. These findings suggest that Rab5 expression is required to maintain characteristics associated with cell transformation. - Highlights: • Rab5 is important to the maintenance of cell transformation characteristics. • Down-regulation of Rab5 decreases cell proliferation and increases apoptosis in different cancer cells. • Rab5 is required for anchorage-independent growth and tumorigenicity in-vivo

  12. Basic characteristics of plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF): blood cell components and biological effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishiyama, Kazuhiko; Okudera, Toshimitsu; Watanabe, Taisuke; Isobe, Kazushige; Suzuki, Masashi; Masuki, Hideo; Okudera, Hajime; Uematsu, Kohya; Nakata, Koh; Kawase, Tomoyuki

    2016-11-01

    Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is widely used in regenerative medicine because of its high concentrations of various growth factors and platelets. However, the distribution of blood cell components has not been investigated in either PRP or other PRP derivatives. In this study, we focused on plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF), a PRP derivative, and analyzed the distributions of platelets and white blood cells (WBCs). Peripheral blood samples were collected from healthy volunteers ( N  = 14) and centrifuged to prepare PRGF and PRP. Blood cells were counted using an automated hematology analyzer. The effects of PRP and PRGF preparations on cell proliferation were determined using human periosteal cells. In the PRGF preparations, both red blood cells and WBCs were almost completely eliminated, and platelets were concentrated by 2.84-fold, whereas in the PRP preparations, both platelets and WBCs were similarly concentrated by 8.79- and 5.51-fold, respectively. Platelet counts in the PRGF preparations were positively correlated with platelet counts in the whole blood samples, while the platelet concentration rate was negatively correlated with red blood cell counts in the whole blood samples. In contrast, platelet counts and concentration rates in the PRP preparations were significantly influenced by WBC counts in whole blood samples. The PRP preparations, but not the PRGF preparations, significantly suppressed cell growth at higher doses in vitro. Therefore, these results suggest that PRGF preparations can clearly be distinguished from PRP preparations by both inclusion of WBCs and dose-dependent stimulation of periosteal cell proliferation in vitro.

  13. Snail1 induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and tumor initiating stem cell characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dang, Hien; Ding, Wei; Emerson, Dow; Rountree, C Bart

    2011-01-01

    Tumor initiating stem-like cells (TISCs) are a subset of neoplastic cells that possess distinct survival mechanisms and self-renewal characteristics crucial for tumor maintenance and propagation. The induction of epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) by TGFβ has been recently linked to the acquisition of TISC characteristics in breast cancer. In HCC, a TISC and EMT phenotype correlates with a worse prognosis. In this work, our aim is to elucidate the underlying mechanism by which cells acquire tumor initiating characteristics after EMT. Gene and protein expression assays and Nanog-promoter luciferase reporter were utilized in epithelial and mesenchymal phenotype liver cancer cell lines. EMT was analyzed with migration/invasion assays. TISC characteristics were analyzed with tumor-sphere self-renewal and chemotherapy resistance assays. In vivo tumor assay was performed to investigate the role of Snail1 in tumor initiation. TGFβ induced EMT in epithelial cells through the up-regulation of Snail1 in Smad-dependent signaling. Mesenchymal liver cancer post-EMT demonstrates TISC characteristics such as tumor-sphere formation but are not resistant to cytotoxic therapy. The inhibition of Snail1 in mesenchymal cells results in decreased Nanog promoter luciferase activity and loss of self-renewal characteristics in vitro. These changes confirm the direct role of Snail1 in some TISC traits. In vivo, the down-regulation of Snail1 reduced tumor growth but was not sufficient to eliminate tumor initiation. In summary, TGFβ induces EMT and TISC characteristics through Snail1 and Nanog up-regulation. In mesenchymal cells post-EMT, Snail1 directly regulates Nanog expression, and loss of Snail1 regulates tumor growth without affecting tumor initiation

  14. Growth and enzymological characteristics of a pink-pigmented facultative methylotroph Methylobacterium sp. MB1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baev, M V; Kuznetsov, E V; Skladnev, D A; Govorukhina, N I; Sterkin, V E; Tsygankov, Y D

    1992-01-01

    Growth characteristics of batch and continuous cultures of the pink facultative methylotroph Methylobacterium sp. MB1 were determined. The response of a chemostat culture to a pulse increase of methanol concentration was studied. Malate, succinate and oxaloacetate additions to the methanol-supplemented medium decreased batch culture growth inhibition by methanol. The carotenoid content in cells grown in a chemostat decreased with increasing growth rate. The key enzyme activities of C1-metabolism were measured in a chemostat culture at different dilution rates.

  15. Differences in the characteristics of cell cultures established from seven human osteosarcomas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lloyd, E.L.; Henning, C.B.; Mackevicius, F.

    1975-01-01

    Cell cultures derived from seven human osteosarcomas have been characterized with respect to their pattern of growth and cell morphology using light microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Other characteristics studied included growth rates, chromosomal abnormalities, and ability to grow in low serum concentrations and on a semisolid substrate. Normal human fibroblasts in culture have also been examined by the same methods. The results show many differences both between individual osteosarcoma cultures and normal fibroblasts. Two of the osteosarcoma cultures were epithelium-like, and five had a more fibroblastic appearance when viewed by the light microscope. Examination by electron microscopy showed a wide variety of cells in each culture. Many of the features exhibited in the fibroblast-like tumor cells were different from those seen with the normal fibroblast cultures. Growth rates differed widely with characteristic doubling times varying between 1 and 7 days from the osteosarcoma cultures, compared to 3 to 4 days for normal fibroblasts. Unlike normal mouse fibroblasts, which grow poorly or not at all in low serum concentrations, the normal human fibroblasts tested grew almost as well in media with 1 percent serum as with 15 percent serum

  16. Symbiotic Cell Differentiation and Cooperative Growth in Multicellular Aggregates.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jumpei F Yamagishi

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available As cells grow and divide under a given environment, they become crowded and resources are limited, as seen in bacterial biofilms and multicellular aggregates. These cells often show strong interactions through exchanging chemicals, as evident in quorum sensing, to achieve mutualism and division of labor. Here, to achieve stable division of labor, three characteristics are required. First, isogenous cells differentiate into several types. Second, this aggregate of distinct cell types shows better growth than that of isolated cells without interaction and differentiation, by achieving division of labor. Third, this cell aggregate is robust with respect to the number distribution of differentiated cell types. Indeed, theoretical studies have thus far considered how such cooperation is achieved when the ability of cell differentiation is presumed. Here, we address how cells acquire the ability of cell differentiation and division of labor simultaneously, which is also connected with the robustness of a cell society. For this purpose, we developed a dynamical-systems model of cells consisting of chemical components with intracellular catalytic reaction dynamics. The reactions convert external nutrients into internal components for cellular growth, and the divided cells interact through chemical diffusion. We found that cells sharing an identical catalytic network spontaneously differentiate via induction from cell-cell interactions, and then achieve division of labor, enabling a higher growth rate than that in the unicellular case. This symbiotic differentiation emerged for a class of reaction networks under the condition of nutrient limitation and strong cell-cell interactions. Then, robustness in the cell type distribution was achieved, while instability of collective growth could emerge even among the cooperative cells when the internal reserves of products were dominant. The present mechanism is simple and general as a natural consequence of

  17. Vegetation growth patterns on six rock-covered UMTRA Project disposal cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1992-02-01

    This study assessed vegetation growth patterns, the potential impacts of vegetation growth on disposal cell cover integrity, and possible measures that could be taken to monitor and/or control plant growth, where necessary, on six Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project rock-covered disposal cells. A large-scale invasion of volunteer plants was observed on the Shiprock and Burrell disposal cells. Plant growth at the South Clive, Green River, and Tuba City disposal cells was sparse except for the south rock apron and south slope of the Tuba City disposal cell, where windblown sand had filled up part of the rock cover and plant growth was observed. The rock-covered topslope of the Collins Ranch disposal cell was intentionally covered with topsoil and vegetated. Plant roots growing on the disposal cells are changing the characteristics of the cover by drying out the radon barrier, encouraging the establishment of soil-building processes in the bedding and radon barrier layers, creating channels in the radon barrier, and facilitating ecological succession, which could lead to the establishment of additional deep-rooted plants on the disposal cells. If left unchecked, plant roots would reach the tailings at the Burrell and Collins Ranch disposal cells within a few years, likely resulting in the transport of contaminants out of the cells

  18. Crystal growth for high-efficiency silicon solar cells workshop: Summary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dumas, K. A.

    1985-01-01

    The state of the art in the growth of silicon crystals for high-efficiency solar cells are reviewed, sheet requirements are defined, and furture areas of research are identified. Silicon sheet material characteristics that limit cell efficiencies and yields were described as well as the criteria for the ideal sheet-growth method. The device engineers wish list to the material engineer included: silicon sheet with long minority carrier lifetime that is uniform throughout the sheet, and which doesn't change during processing; and sheet material that stays flat throughout device processing, has uniform good mechanical strength, and is low cost. Impurities in silicon solar cells depreciate cell performance by reducing diffusion length and degrading junctions. The impurity behavior, degradation mechanisms, and variations in degradation threshold with diffusion length for silicon solar cells were described.

  19. Relationships between coastal bacterioplankton growth rates and biomass production: comparison of leucine and thymidine uptake with single-cell physiological characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franco-Vidal, Leticia; Morán, Xosé Anxelu G

    2011-02-01

    Specific growth rates of heterotrophic bacterioplankton have been frequently estimated from in situ bacterial production (BP) to biomass (BB) ratios, using a series of assumptions that may result in serious discrepancies with values obtained from predator-free cultures. Here, we used both types of approaches together with a comprehensive assessment of single-cell physiological characteristics (membrane integrity, nucleic acid content, and active respiration) of coastal bacterioplankton during a complete annual cycle (February 2007-January 2008) in the southern Bay of Biscay off Xixón, Spain. Both leucine and thymidine incorporation rates were used in conjunction with empirical tracer to carbon or cells conversion factors (eCFs) to accurately derive BP. Leu and TdR incorporation rates covaried year-round, as did the corresponding eCFs at 0 and 50 m depth. eCFs peaked in autumn, with mean annual values close to the theoretical ones (3.4 kg C mol Leu(-1) and 2.0 × 10(18) cells mol TdR(-1)). Bacterial abundance (0.2-1.5 × 10(6) cells L(-1)) showed a bimodal distribution with maxima in May and October and minima in March. Live (membrane-intact) cells dominated year-round (79-97%), with high nucleic acid cells (42-88%) and actively respiring bacteria (CTC+, 1-16%) showing distinct surface maxima in April and July, respectively. BB (557-1,558 mg C m(-2)) and BP (7-139 mg C m(-2) day(-1)) presented two distinct peaks in spring and autumn, both of similar size due to a strong upwelling event observed in September. Specific growth rates (0.35-3.8 day(-1)) were one order of magnitude higher in predator-free incubations than bacterial turnover rates derived from integrated BP:BB ratios (0.01-0.16 and 0.01-0.09 day(-1), for Leu and TdR, respectively) and were not correlated, probably due to a significant contribution of low activity cells to total standing stocks. The Leu:TdR molar ratio averaged for the water column (6.6-25.5) decreased significantly with higher integrated

  20. Colonyzer: automated quantification of micro-organism growth characteristics on solid agar

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    Young Alexander

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background High-throughput screens comparing growth rates of arrays of distinct micro-organism cultures on solid agar are useful, rapid methods of quantifying genetic interactions. Growth rate is an informative phenotype which can be estimated by measuring cell densities at one or more times after inoculation. Precise estimates can be made by inoculating cultures onto agar and capturing cell density frequently by plate-scanning or photography, especially throughout the exponential growth phase, and summarising growth with a simple dynamic model (e.g. the logistic growth model. In order to parametrize such a model, a robust image analysis tool capable of capturing a wide range of cell densities from plate photographs is required. Results Colonyzer is a collection of image analysis algorithms for automatic quantification of the size, granularity, colour and location of micro-organism cultures grown on solid agar. Colonyzer is uniquely sensitive to extremely low cell densities photographed after dilute liquid culture inoculation (spotting due to image segmentation using a mixed Gaussian model for plate-wide thresholding based on pixel intensity. Colonyzer is robust to slight experimental imperfections and corrects for lighting gradients which would otherwise introduce spatial bias to cell density estimates without the need for imaging dummy plates. Colonyzer is general enough to quantify cultures growing in any rectangular array format, either growing after pinning with a dense inoculum or growing with the irregular morphology characteristic of spotted cultures. Colonyzer was developed using the open source packages: Python, RPy and the Python Imaging Library and its source code and documentation are available on SourceForge under GNU General Public License. Colonyzer is adaptable to suit specific requirements: e.g. automatic detection of cultures at irregular locations on streaked plates for robotic picking, or decreasing analysis time by

  1. Plasticity in variation of xylem and phloem cell characteristics of Norway spruce under different local conditions

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    Jozica eGricar

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available There is limited information on intra-annual plasticity of secondary tissues of tree species growing under different environmental conditions. To increase the knowledge about the plasticity of secondary growth, which allows trees to adapt to specific local climatic regimes, we examined climate–radial growth relationships of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L. H. Karst. from three contrasting locations in the temperate climatic zone by analyzing tree-ring widths for the period 1932–2010, and cell characteristics in xylem and phloem increments formed in the years 2009–2011. Variation in the structure of xylem and phloem increments clearly shows that plasticity in seasonal dynamics of cambial cell production and cell differentiation exists on xylem and phloem sides. Anatomical characteristics of xylem and phloem cells are predominantly site-specific characteristics, because they varied among sites but were fairly uniform among years in trees from the same site. Xylem and phloem tissues formed in the first part of the growing season seemed to be more stable in structure, indicating their priority over latewood and late phloem for tree performance. Long-term climate and radial growth analyses revealed that growth was in general less dependent on precipitation than on temperature; however, growth sensitivity to local conditions differed among the sites. Only partial dependence of radial growth of spruce on climatic factors on the selected sites confirms its strategy to adapt the structure of wood and phloem increments to function optimally in local conditions.

  2. Sexual dimorphism in epigenomicresponses of stem cells to extreme fetal growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delahaye, Fabien; Wijetunga, N. Ari; Heo, Hye J.; Tozour, Jessica N.; Zhao, Yong Mei; Greally, John M.; Einstein, Francine H.

    2014-01-01

    Extreme fetal growth is associated with increased susceptibility to a range of adult diseases through an unknown mechanism of cellular memory. We tested whether heritable epigenetic processes in long-lived CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) showed evidence for re-programming associated with the extremes of fetal growth. Here we show that both fetal growth restriction and over-growth are associated with global shifts towards DNA hypermethylation, targeting cis-regulatory elements in proximity to genes involved in glucose homeostasis and stem cell function. We find a sexually dimorphic response; intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with substantially greater epigenetic dysregulation in males, whereas large for gestational age (LGA) growth predominantly affects females. The findings are consistent with extreme fetal growth interacting with variable fetal susceptibility to influence cellular aging and metabolic characteristics through epigenetic mechanisms, potentially generating biomarkers that could identify infants at higher risk for chronic disease later in life. PMID:25300954

  3. Importance of growth characteristics for yield of barley in different growing systems: will growth characteristics describe yield diffently in different growing systems?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Kristian; Ericson, Lars

    2008-01-01

    The interest in organic grown cereals has increased the need for variety tests under organic growing systems and/or the knowledge on whether growth characteristics describe yield differently under conventional and organic conditions. This paper is a contribution to that question by examining...... the relationships between some important growth characteristics in barley trials in both systems in Northern Sweden and in Denmark. Mixed model analyses were used for regressions of growth characteristics (or transformations of those) on yield (and log-transformed yield), allowing the slope to depend on the growing...... system. The analyses showed that diseases seemed to have a less negative effect on yield in the organic growing system than in the conventional growing system if pesticides were not applied. For other characteristics the effect depended on the country. This was the case for grain characteristics where...

  4. Effects of transforming growth factor-beta on growth and differentiation of the continuous rat thyroid follicular cell line, FRTL-5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morris, J.C. III; Ranganathan, G.; Hay, I.D.; Nelson, R.E.; Jiang, N.S.

    1988-01-01

    Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF beta) has been shown to influence the growth and differentiation of many widely varied cell types in vitro, including some that are endocrinologically active. We have investigated the previously unknown effects of this unique growth factor in the differentiated rat thyroid follicular cell line FRTL-5. The cells demonstrated specific, high affinity binding of TGF beta, and as with other epithelial cells, the growth of these thyroid follicular cells was potently inhibited by addition of TGF beta to the culture medium. TGF beta caused a significant reduction in TSH-sensitive adenylate cyclase activity in the cells. The addition of (Bu)2cAMP along with the growth factor to cultures partially reversed the characteristic morphological changes seen with TGF beta, but did not reverse the growth inhibition. To further investigate the possible mechanisms of the effects of TGF beta on the cells, we measured the influence of the growth factor on [125I]TSH binding. TGF beta did not compete for specific TSH-binding sites; however, exposure of the cells to TGF beta for 12 or more h resulted in a dose-dependent down-regulation of TSH receptors that was fully reversible. While cellular proliferation was potently inhibited by TGF beta, differentiated function, as manifest by iodine-trapping ability, was stimulated by the growth factor. This stimulation of iodine uptake was independent of, and additive to, the stimulatory effects of TSH. Finally, FRTL-5 cells in serum-free medium and in response to TSH were shown to secrete TGF beta-like activity that competed for [125I]TGF beta in a RRA. These studies suggest that TGF beta may represent an autocrine mechanism of controlling the growth response to TSH in thyroid follicular cells, while allowing the continuance of differentiated function

  5. Effects of pomegranate and pomegranate-apple blend juices on the growth characteristics of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris DSM 3922 type strain vegetative cells and spores.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molva, Celenk; Baysal, Ayse Handan

    2015-05-04

    The present study examined the growth characteristics of Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris DSM 3922 vegetative cells and spores after inoculation into apple, pomegranate and pomegranate-apple blend juices (10, 20, 40 and 80%, v/v). Also, the effect of sporulation medium was tested using mineral [Bacillus acidoterrestris agar (BATA) and Bacillus acidocaldarius agar (BAA)] and non-mineral containing media [potato dextrose agar (PDA) and malt extract agar (MEA)]. The juice samples were inoculated separately with approximately 10(5)CFU/mL cells or spores from different sporulation media and then incubated at 37°C for 336 h. The number of cells decreased significantly with increasing pomegranate juice concentration in the blend juices and storage time (ppomegranate juices, respectively while the cell counts attained approximately 7.17 log CFU/mL in apple juice after 336 h. On the other hand, the cell growth was inhibited for a certain time, and then the numbers started to increase after 72 and 144 h in 10% and 20% blend juices, respectively. After 336 h, total population among spores produced on PDA, BATA, BAA and MEA indicated 1.49, 1.65, 1.67, and 1.28 log reductions in pomegranate juice; and 1.51, 1.38, 1.40 and 1.16 log reductions in 80% blend juice, respectively. The inhibitory effects of 10%, 20% and 40% blend juices varied depending on the sporulation media used. The results obtained in this study suggested that pomegranate and pomegranate-apple blend juices could inhibit the growth of A. acidoterrestris DSM 3922 vegetative cells and spores. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Nutritional demands and metabolic characteristics of the DSIR-HA-1179 insect cell line during growth and infection with the Oryctes nudivirus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pushparajan, Charlotte; Claus, Juan Daniel; Marshall, Sean D G; Visnovsky, Gabriel

    2017-12-01

    The DSIR-HA-1179 coleopteran cell line has been identified as a susceptible and permissive host for the in vitro replication of the Oryctes nudivirus, which can be used as a biopesticide against the coconut rhinoceros beetle, pest of palms. The major challenge to in vitro large-scale Oryctes nudivirus production is ensuring process economy. This rests, among other requisites, on the use of low-cost culture media tailored to the nutritional and metabolic needs of the cell line, both in uninfected and infected cultures. The aim of the present study was to characterize the nutritional demands and the metabolic characteristics of the DSIR-HA-1179 cell line during growth and subsequent infection with Oryctes nudivirus in the TC-100 culture medium. Serum-supplementation of the culture medium was found to be critical for cell growth, and addition of 10% fetal bovine serum v/v led to a maximum viable cell density (16.8 × 10 5 cells ml -1 ) with a population doubling time of 4.2 d. Nutritional and metabolic characterization of the cell line revealed a trend of glucose and glutamine consumption but minimal uptake of other amino acids, negligible production of lactate and ammonia, and the accumulation of alanine, both before and after infection. The monitoring of virus production kinetics showed that the TC-100 culture medium was nutritionally sufficient to give a peak yield of 7.38 × 10 7 TCID 50 ml -1 of OrNV at the 6th day post-infection in attached cultures of DSIR-HA-1179 cells in 25 cm 2 T-flasks. Knowledge of the cell line's nutritional demands and virus production kinetics will aid in the formulation of a low-cost culture medium and better process design for large-scale OrNV production in future.

  7. Growth characteristics and enzyme production optimization of lipase Producing Strain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Chaocheng

    2018-01-01

    55 samples from different regions were selected and screened by Rhodamine B flat transparent circle method to observe lipase producing effect, among which, LHY-1, identified as Serratia sp. has the characteristics of fast growth, high enzyme production and stable ability. The colony of this strain is white, the edge is smooth and tidy, the surface is moist, the cell is straight, rod-shaped, gram negative, 0.1-0.2 μm in diameter and, length 0.3-0.5 μm in length.

  8. Exact analytic solutions for a global equation of plant cell growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pietruszka, Mariusz

    2010-05-21

    A generalization of the Lockhart equation for plant cell expansion in isotropic case is presented. The goal is to account for the temporal variation in the wall mechanical properties--in this case by making the wall extensibility a time dependent parameter. We introduce a time-differential equation describing the plant growth process with some key biophysical aspects considered. The aim of this work was to improve prior modeling efforts by taking into account the dynamic character of the plant cell wall with characteristics reminiscent of damped (aperiodic) motion. The equations selected to encapsulate the time evolution of the wall extensibility offer a new insight into the control of cell wall expansion. We find that the solutions to the time dependent second order differential equation reproduce much of the known experimental data for long- and short-time scales. Additionally, in order to support the biomechanical approach, a new growth equation based on the action of expansin proteins is proposed. Remarkably, both methods independently converge to the same kind, sigmoid-shaped, growth description functional V(t) proportional, exp(-exp(-t)), properly describing the volumetric growth and, consequently, growth rate as its time derivative. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. A comparison of neuronal growth cone and cell body membrane: electrophysiological and ultrastructural properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guthrie, P B; Lee, R E; Kater, S B

    1989-10-01

    This study investigated a broad set of general electrophysiological and ultrastructural features of growth cone and cell body membrane of individual neurons where membrane from different regions of the same neuron can be directly compared. Growth cones were surgically isolated from identified adult Helisoma neurons in culture and compared with the cell body using whole-cell patch-clamp recording techniques. All isolated growth cones generated overshooting regenerative action potentials. Five neurons (buccal neurons B4, B5, and B19; pedal neurons P1 and P5) were selected that displayed distinctive action potential waveforms. In all cases, the growth cone action potential was indistinguishable from the cell body action potential and different from growth cones from other identified neurons. Two of these neurons (B5 and B19) were studied further using voltage-clamp procedures; growth cones and cell bodies again revealed major similarities within one neuron type and differences between neuron types. The only suggested difference between the growth cone and cell body was an apparent reduction in the magnitude of the A-current in the growth cone. Peak inward and outward current densities, as with other electrophysiological features, were different between neuron types, but were, again, similar between the growth cone and the cell body of the same neuron. Freeze-fracture analysis of intramembraneous particles (IMPs) was also performed on identified regions of the same neuron in culture. Both the density and the size distribution of IMPs were the same in growth cone, cell body, and neurite membranes. In these general electrophysiological and ultrastructural characteristics, therefore, growth cone membranes appear to retain the identity of the parent neuron cell body membrane.

  10. ECONOMIC GROWTH THEORIES, CONCEPTUAL ELEMENTS, CHARACTERISTICS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florina, POPA

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The approach of economic growth involves understanding the concept and growth factors, respectively, analysing the growth theories, their trend in the context of the development of economic and social life. The economic growth signifies a process aimed at increasing activities in the national economy, expressed by macroeconomic indicators, respectively, the dynamics of the overall Gross Domestic Product or per inhabitant. It can appreciate that, in the short term, this process signifies phases of economic prosperity and on the long-term, expresses an upward trend, a consequence of the succession of increases and decreases. The study presents some elements which outlines the concept of economic growth, that is, definitions, meanings and the main characteristics of the theories of growth, as well as some of its determinant factors. Also, it gives a brief overview of the main theories of economic growth, as they have evolved over time, in line with the economic reality dynamics and the development of the instruments of economic analysis, starting from the classical theories to the new theories and models of economic growth of the modern age.

  11. Morphology and dynamics of tumor cell colonies propagating in epidermal growth factor supplemented media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muzzio, N. E.; Carballido, M.; Pasquale, M. A.; González, P. H.; Azzaroni, O.; Arvia, A. J.

    2018-07-01

    The epidermal growth factor (EGF) plays a key role in physiological and pathological processes. This work reports on the influence of EGF concentration (c EGF) on the modulation of individual cell phenotype and cell colony kinetics with the aim of perturbing the colony front roughness fluctuations. For this purpose, HeLa cell colonies that remain confluent along the whole expansion process with initial quasi-radial geometry and different initial cell populations, as well as colonies with initial quasi-linear geometry and large cell population, are employed. Cell size and morphology as well as its adhesive characteristics depend on c EGF. Quasi-radial colonies (QRC) expansion kinetics in EGF-containing medium exhibits a complex behavior. Namely, at the first stages of growth, the average QRC radius evolution can be described by a t 1/2 diffusion term coupled with exponential growth kinetics up to a critical time, and afterwards a growth regime approaching constant velocity. The extension of each regime depends on c EGF and colony history. In the presence of EGF, the initial expansion of quasi-linear colonies (QLCs) also exhibits morphological changes at both the cell and the colony levels. In these cases, the cell density at the colony border region becomes smaller than in the absence of EGF and consequently, the extension of the effective rim where cell duplication and motility contribute to the colony expansion increases. QLC front displacement velocity increases with c EGF up to a maximum value in the 2–10 ng ml‑1 range. Individual cell velocity is increased by EGF, and an enhancement in both the persistence and the ballistic characteristics of cell trajectories can be distinguished. For an intermediate c EGF, collective cell displacements contribute to the roughening of the colony contours. This global dynamics becomes compatible with the standard Kardar–Parisi–Zhang growth model, although a faster colony roughness saturation in EGF-containing medium

  12. E-cadherin homophilic ligation inhibits cell growth and epidermal growth factor receptor signaling independently of other cell interactions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Perrais, Michaël; Chen, Xiao; Perez-Moreno, Mirna

    2007-01-01

    growth inhibitory signals. To address this question, we have selectively formed E-cadherin homophilic bonds at the cell surface of isolated epithelial cells by using functionally active recombinant E-cadherin protein attached to microspheres. We find that E-cadherin ligation alone reduces the frequency...... of cells entering the S phase, demonstrating that E-cadherin ligation directly transduces growth inhibitory signals. E-cadherin binding to beta-catenin is required for cell growth inhibition, but beta-catenin/T-cell factor transcriptional activity is not involved in growth inhibition resulting from...... homophilic binding. Neither E-cadherin binding to p120-catenin nor beta-catenin binding to alpha-catenin, and thereby the actin cytoskeleton, is required for growth inhibition. E-cadherin ligation also inhibits epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor-mediated growth signaling by a beta...

  13. Organotypic Cultures of Intervertebral Disc Cells: Responses to Growth Factors and Signaling Pathways Involved

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harris Pratsinis

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Intervertebral disc (IVD degeneration is strongly associated with low back pain, a major cause of disability worldwide. An in-depth understanding of IVD cell physiology is required for the design of novel regenerative therapies. Accordingly, aim of this work was the study of IVD cell responses to mitogenic growth factors in a three-dimensional (3D organotypic milieu, comprising characteristic molecules of IVD’s extracellular matrix. In particular, annulus fibrosus (AF cells were cultured inside collagen type-I gels, while nucleus pulposus (NP cells in chondroitin sulfate A (CSA supplemented collagen gels, and the effects of Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF, basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF, and Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I (IGF-I were assessed. All three growth factors stimulated DNA synthesis in both AF and NP 3D cell cultures, with potencies similar to those observed previously in monolayers. CSA supplementation inhibited basal DNA synthesis rates, without affecting the response to growth factors. ERK and Akt were found to be phosphorylated following growth factor stimulation. Blockade of these two signaling pathways using pharmacologic inhibitors significantly, though not completely, inhibited growth factor-induced DNA synthesis. The proposed culture systems may prove useful for further in vitro studies aiming at future interventions for IVD regeneration.

  14. Cells competition in tumor growth poroelasticity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraldi, Massimiliano; Carotenuto, Angelo R.

    2018-03-01

    Growth of biological tissues has been recently treated within the framework of Continuum Mechanics, by adopting heterogeneous poroelastic models where the interaction between soft matrix and interstitial fluid flow is coupled with inelastic effects ad hoc introduced to simulate the macroscopic volumetric growth determined by cells division, cells growth and extracellular matrix changes occurring at the micro-scale level. These continuum models seem to overcome some limitations intrinsically associated to other alternative approaches based on mass balances in multiphase systems, because the crucial role played by residual stresses accompanying growth and nutrients walkway is preserved. Nevertheless, when these strategies are applied to analyze solid tumors, mass growth is usually assigned in a prescribed form that essentially copies the in vitro measured intrinsic growth rates of the cell species. As a consequence, some important cell-cell dynamics governing mass evolution and invasion rates of cancer cells, as well as their coupling with feedback mechanisms associated to in situ stresses, are inevitably lost and thus the spatial distribution and the evolution with time of the growth inside the tumor -which would be results rather than inputs- are forced to enter in the model simply as data. In order to solve this paradox, it is here proposed an enhanced multi-scale poroelastic model undergoing large deformations and embodying inelastic growth, where the net growth terms directly result from the "interspecific" predator-prey (Volterra/Lotka-like) competition occurring at the micro-scale level between healthy and abnormal cell species. In this way, a system of fully-coupled non-linear PDEs is derived to describe how the fight among cell species to grab the available common resources, stress field, pressure gradients, interstitial fluid flows driving nutrients and inhomogeneous growth all simultaneously interact to decide the tumor fate.

  15. Involvement of DNA methylation in the control of cell growth during heat stress in tobacco BY-2 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Centomani, Isabella; Sgobba, Alessandra; D'Addabbo, Pietro; Dipierro, Nunzio; Paradiso, Annalisa; De Gara, Laura; Dipierro, Silvio; Viggiano, Luigi; de Pinto, Maria Concetta

    2015-11-01

    The alteration of growth patterns, through the adjustment of cell division and expansion, is a characteristic response of plants to environmental stress. In order to study this response in more depth, the effect of heat stress on growth was investigated in tobacco BY-2 cells. The results indicate that heat stress inhibited cell division, by slowing cell cycle progression. Cells were stopped in the pre-mitotic phases, as shown by the increased expression of CycD3-1 and by the decrease in the NtCycA13, NtCyc29 and CDKB1-1 transcripts. The decrease in cell length and the reduced expression of Nt-EXPA5 indicated that cell expansion was also inhibited. Since DNA methylation plays a key role in controlling gene expression, the possibility that the altered expression of genes involved in the control of cell growth, observed during heat stress, could be due to changes in the methylation state of their promoters was investigated. The results show that the altered expression of CycD3-1 and Nt-EXPA5 was consistent with changes in the methylation state of the upstream region of these genes. These results suggest that DNA methylation, controlling the expression of genes involved in plant development, contributes to growth alteration occurring in response to environmental changes.

  16. Canine tracheal epithelial cells are more sensitive than rat tracheal epithelial cells to transforming growth factor beta induced growth inhibition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hubbs, A.F.; Hahn, F.F.; Kelly, G.; Thomassen, D.G.

    1988-01-01

    Transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) markedly inhibited growth of canine tracheal epithelial (CTE) cells. Reduced responsiveness to TGFβ-induced growth inhibition accompanied neoplastic progression of these cells from primary to transformed to neoplastic. This was similar to the relationship between neoplastic progression and increased resistance to TGFβ-induced growth inhibition seen for rat tracheal epithelial (RTE) cells. The canine cells were more sensitive than rat cells to TGFβ-induced growth inhibition at all stages in the neoplastic process. (author)

  17. The temperature dependence of the characteristics of crystalline-silicon-based heterojunction solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sachenko, A. V.; Kryuchenko, Yu. V.; Kostylyov, V. P.; Korkishko, R. M.; Sokolovskyi, I. O.; Abramov, A. S.; Abolmasov, S. N.; Andronikov, D. A.; Bobyl', A. V.; Panaiotti, I. E.; Terukov, E. I.; Titov, A. S.; Shvarts, M. Z.

    2016-03-01

    Temperature dependences of the photovoltaic characteristics of ( p)a-Si/( i)a-Si:H/( n)c-Si singlecrystalline- silicon based heterojunction-with-intrinsic-thin-layer (HIT) solar cells have been measured in a temperature range of 80-420 K. The open-circuit voltage ( V OC), fill factor ( FF) of the current-voltage ( I-U) characteristic, and maximum output power ( P max) reach limiting values in the interval of 200-250 K on the background of monotonic growth in the short-circuit current ( I SC) in a temperature range of 80-400 K. At temperatures below this interval, the V OC, FF, and P max values exhibit a decrease. It is theoretically justified that a decrease in the photovoltaic energy conversion characteristics of solar cells observed on heating from 250 to 400 K is related to exponential growth in the intrinsic conductivity. At temperatures below 200 K, the I-U curve shape exhibits a change that is accompanied by a drop in V OC. Possible factors that account for the decrease in V OC, FF, and P max are considered.

  18. Mechanisms of pancreatic beta-cell growth and regeneration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Jens Høiriis

    1989-01-01

    Information about the mechanism of beta-cell growth and regeneration may be obtained by studies of insulinoma cells. In the present study the growth and function of the rat insulinoma cell lines RINm5F and 5AH were evaluated by addition of serum, hormones, and growth factors. It was found...... of insulin mRNA content showed that the insulinoma cells only contained about 2% of that of normal rat beta-cells. These results are discussed in relation to the role of growth factors, oncogenes, and differentiation in the growth and regeneration of beta-cells....... that transferrin is the only obligatory factor whereas growth hormone, epidermal growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, and TRH had modulating effects. A heat-labile heparin binding serum factor which stimulated thymidine incorporation but not cell proliferation was demonstrated in human serum. Measurements...

  19. Growth inhibition of thyroid follicular cell-derived cancers by the opioid growth factor (OGF) - opioid growth factor receptor (OGFr) axis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McLaughlin, Patricia J; Zagon, Ian S; Park, Sunny S; Conway, Andrea; Donahue, Renee N; Goldenberg, David

    2009-01-01

    Carcinoma of the thyroid gland is an uncommon cancer, but the most frequent malignancy of the endocrine system. Most thyroid cancers are derived from the follicular cell. Follicular carcinoma (FTC) is considered more malignant than papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the most lethal human cancers. Opioid Growth Factor (OGF; chemical term - [Met 5 ]-enkephalin) and its receptor, OGFr, form an inhibitory axis regulating cell proliferation. Both the peptide and receptor have been detected in a wide variety of cancers, and OGF is currently used clinically as a biotherapy for some non-thyroid neoplasias. This study addressed the question of whether the OGF-OGFr axis is present and functional in human thyroid follicular cell - derived cancer. Utilizing human ATC (KAT-18), PTC (KTC-1), and FTC (WRO 82-1) cell lines, immunohistochemistry was employed to ascertain the presence and location of OGF and OGFr. The growth characteristics in the presence of OGF or the opioid antagonist naltrexone (NTX), and the specificity of opioid peptides for proliferation of ATC, were established in KAT-18 cells. Dependence on peptide and receptor were investigated using neutralization studies with antibodies and siRNA experiments, respectively. The mechanism of peptide action on DNA synthesis and cell survival was ascertained. The ubiquity of the OGF-OGFr axis in thyroid follicular cell-derived cancer was assessed in KTC-1 (PTC) and WRO 82-1 (FTC) tumor cells. OGF and OGFr were present in KAT-18 cells. Concentrations of 10 -6 M OGF inhibited cell replication up to 30%, whereas NTX increased cell growth up to 35% relative to cultures treated with sterile water. OGF treatment reduced cell number by as much as 38% in KAT-18 ATC in a dose-dependent and receptor-mediated manner. OGF antibodies neutralized the inhibitory effects of OGF, and siRNA knockdown of OGFr negated growth inhibition by OGF. Cell survival was not altered by OGF, but DNA synthesis

  20. Surface nanotopography of an anodized Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy enhances cell growth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Her-Hsiung [Department of Dentistry, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan (China); Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan (China); Department of Biomedical Informatics, Asia University, Taichung 413, Taiwan (China); Department of Stomatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan (China); Wu, Chia-Ping [Institute of Oral Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan (China); Sun, Ying-Sui [Department of Dentistry, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan (China); Yang, Wei-En [Institute of Oral Biology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan (China); Lee, Tzu-Hsin, E-mail: biomaterials@hotmail.com [School of Dentistry, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Oral Medicine Center, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China)

    2014-12-05

    Highlights: • An electrochemical anodization was applied to α/β-type Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy surface. • Anodized surface had a nontoxic nanoporous topography. • Anodized surface increased proteins adsorption due to nanotopography. • Anodized surface enhanced cell growth due to nanotopography. • Electrochemical anodization has potential as implant surface treatment. - Abstract: The α/β-type Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy is a potential replacement for α/β-type Ti–6Al–4V alloy, which is widely used in biomedical implant applications. The biological response to implant material is dependent on the surface characteristics of the material. In the present study, a simple and fast process was developed to perform an electrochemical anodization treatment on Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy. The proposed process yielded a thin surface nanotopography, which enhanced cell growth on the Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy. The surface characteristics, including the morphology, wettability, and protein adsorption, were investigated, and the cytotoxicity was evaluated according to International Organization for Standardization 10993-5 specifications. Cell adhesion of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on the test specimens was observed via fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The anodization process produced a surface nanotopography (pore size <100 nm) on anodized Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy, which enhanced the wettability, protein adsorption, cell adhesion, cell migration, and cell mineralization. The results showed that the surface nanotopography produced using the proposed electrochemical anodization process enhanced cell growth on anodized Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy for implant applications.

  1. Surface nanotopography of an anodized Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy enhances cell growth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang, Her-Hsiung; Wu, Chia-Ping; Sun, Ying-Sui; Yang, Wei-En; Lee, Tzu-Hsin

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • An electrochemical anodization was applied to α/β-type Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy surface. • Anodized surface had a nontoxic nanoporous topography. • Anodized surface increased proteins adsorption due to nanotopography. • Anodized surface enhanced cell growth due to nanotopography. • Electrochemical anodization has potential as implant surface treatment. - Abstract: The α/β-type Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy is a potential replacement for α/β-type Ti–6Al–4V alloy, which is widely used in biomedical implant applications. The biological response to implant material is dependent on the surface characteristics of the material. In the present study, a simple and fast process was developed to perform an electrochemical anodization treatment on Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy. The proposed process yielded a thin surface nanotopography, which enhanced cell growth on the Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy. The surface characteristics, including the morphology, wettability, and protein adsorption, were investigated, and the cytotoxicity was evaluated according to International Organization for Standardization 10993-5 specifications. Cell adhesion of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on the test specimens was observed via fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The anodization process produced a surface nanotopography (pore size <100 nm) on anodized Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy, which enhanced the wettability, protein adsorption, cell adhesion, cell migration, and cell mineralization. The results showed that the surface nanotopography produced using the proposed electrochemical anodization process enhanced cell growth on anodized Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy for implant applications

  2. Phenotypic and growth characterization of human mesenchymal stem cells cultured from permanent and deciduous teeth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Revathi Shekar

    2012-01-01

    Conclusions: Permanent and deciduous teeth are both viable sources of stem cells. The permanent teeth were easier to culture because of a lower chance of contamination with oral microflora. The growth characteristics of the cells obtained from both these sources were similar. However, there was a difference in the ratio of fibroblastoid cells to epithelioid cells between the cultures obtained from the permanent and deciduous teeth.

  3. Human corpus luteum: presence of epidermal growth factor receptors and binding characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayyagari, R.R.; Khan-Dawood, F.S.

    1987-01-01

    Epidermal growth factor receptors are present in many reproductive tissues but have not been demonstrated in the human corpus luteum. To determine the presence of epidermal growth factor receptors and its binding characteristics, we carried out studies on the plasma cell membrane fraction of seven human corpora lutea (days 16 to 25) of the menstrual cycle. Specific epidermal growth factor receptors were present in human corpus luteum. Insulin, nerve growth factor, and human chorionic gonadotropin did not competitively displace epidermal growth factor binding. The optimal conditions for corpus luteum-epidermal growth factor receptor binding were found to be incubation for 2 hours at 4 degrees C with 500 micrograms plasma membrane protein and 140 femtomol 125 I-epidermal growth factor per incubate. The number (mean +/- SEM) of epidermal growth factor binding sites was 12.34 +/- 2.99 X 10(-19) mol/micrograms protein; the dissociation constant was 2.26 +/- 0.56 X 10(-9) mol/L; the association constant was 0.59 +/- 0.12 X 10(9) L/mol. In two regressing corpora lutea obtained on days 2 and 3 of the menstrual cycle, there was no detectable specific epidermal growth factor receptor binding activity. Similarly no epidermal growth factor receptor binding activity could be detected in ovarian stromal tissue. Our findings demonstrate that specific receptors for epidermal growth factor are present in the human corpus luteum. The physiologic significance of epidermal growth factor receptors in human corpus luteum is unknown, but epidermal growth factor may be involved in intragonadal regulation of luteal function

  4. Effect of Thiamine, Ascorbic acid and Gibberellic acid (GA3 on Growth Characteristics, Pigment Content and Reduced Sugars of Petunia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    moslem salehi

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Bedding plants, especially petunia is important element for urban landscaping and attracted the attention of landscapers. This is due to some properties such as growth habit and color. The petunia (Petunia hybrida L. belongs to Solanaceae family that has annual and perennial varieties. This plant is originally from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. Some plant growth regulators such as gibberellic acid (GA3 and vitamins including thiamine and ascorbic acid affect plant growth and development and may extend flowering period. Vitamin C affects cell division and cell growth in plants and is effective on the feeding cycle activity in higher plants and it has an important role in electron transport system. The concentrations of 50 and 100 ppm of vitamin C and thiamine can increase the plant height, leaf number, leaf area, fresh and dry weight, and chemical compounds of the Syngonium plant. The application of 100 mg/l of GA3 significantly increased plant height and the number of leaves of gladiolus. Material and methods: The experiment was arranged in a factorial based on a completely randomized design with five replications. In this research, growth characteristics (lateral branch number, flower number, flower diameter, stem diameter, root length, and lateral branch length and biochemical characteristics (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, carotenoids, and reducing sugar were measured. After seeding and transplanting the seedling at 6 leaf stage, plants sprayed at 4 various growth stages with following treatments: 1-\tControl 2-\tVitamin C(100 mg/l 3-\tThiamin (100 mg/l 4-\tGibberellic acid (100 mg/l 5-\tVitamin C and Thiamin (The concentration of both 100 mg/l 6-\tVitamin C and Gibberellic acid (The concentration of both 100 mg/l 7-\tThiamin and Gibberellic acid (The concentration of both 100 mg/l 8-\tVitamin C, Thiamin and Gibberellic acid (The concentration of three 100 mg/l Data obtained from the measured parameters

  5. A novel cell growth-promoting factor identified in a B cell leukemia cell line, BALL-1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dao, T.; Holan, V.; Minowada, J.

    1993-01-01

    A novel leukemia cell growth-promoting activity has been identified in the culture supernatant from a human B cell leukemia cell line, BALL-1. The supernatant from unstimulated cultures of the BALL-1 cells significantly promoted the growth of 16 out of 24 leukemia/lymphoma cell lines of different lineages (T, B and non-lymphoid) in a minimal concentration of fetal bovine serum (FBS), and 5 out of 12 cases of fresh leukemia cells in FBS-free medium. The growth-promoting sieve filtration and dialysis. The MW of the factor was less than 10 kDa. The growth-promoting activity was heat and acid stable and resistant to trypsin treatment. The factor isolated from the BALL-1 supernatant was distinct from known polypeptide growth factors with MW below 10 kDa, such as epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor α, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), IGF-II and insulin, as determine by specific antibodies and by cell-growth-promoting tests. The factor is the BALL-1 supernatant did not promote the proliferation of normal human fresh peripheral blood lymphocytes or mouse fibroblast cell line, BALB/C 3T3. In addition to the BALL-1 supernatant, a similar growth-promoting activity was found in the culture supernatant from 13 of 17 leukemia/lymphoma cell lines tested. The activity in these culture supernatant promoted the growth of leukemia/lymphoma cell lines in autocrine and/or paracrine fashions. These observations suggest that the low MW cell growth-promoting activity found in the BALL-1 culture supernatant is mediated by a novel factor which may be responsible for the clonal expansion of particular leukemic clones. (author)

  6. Biological characteristics of human-urine-derived stem cells: potential for cell-based therapy in neurology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guan, Jun-Jie; Niu, Xin; Gong, Fei-Xiang; Hu, Bin; Guo, Shang-Chun; Lou, Yuan-Lei; Zhang, Chang-Qing; Deng, Zhi-Feng; Wang, Yang

    2014-07-01

    Stem cells in human urine have gained attention in recent years; however, urine-derived stem cells (USCs) are far from being well elucidated. In this study, we compared the biological characteristics of USCs with adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) and investigated whether USCs could serve as a potential cell source for neural tissue engineering. USCs were isolated from voided urine with a modified culture medium. Through a series of experiments, we examined the growth rate, surface antigens, and differentiation potential of USCs, and compared them with ASCs. USCs showed robust proliferation ability. After serial propagation, USCs retained normal karyotypes. Cell surface antigen expression of USCs was similar to ASCs. With lineage-specific induction factors, USCs could differentiate toward the osteogenic, chondrogenic, adipogenic, and neurogenic lineages. To assess the ability of USCs to survive, differentiate, and migrate, they were seeded onto hydrogel scaffold and transplanted into rat brain. The results showed that USCs were able to survive in the lesion site, migrate to other areas, and express proteins that were associated with neural phenotypes. The results of our study demonstrate that USCs possess similar biological characteristics with ASCs and have multilineage differentiation potential. Moreover USCs can differentiate to neuron-like cells in rat brain. The present study shows that USCs are a promising cell source for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

  7. Changes in germination characteristics and seedling growth ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Changes in germination characteristics and seedling growth between storage ... for up to 1 year and the second group was used for un-stored germination test. ... seed germination performance without loss of longevity of tall fescue species, ...

  8. Mechanical behavior of cells within a cell-based model of wheat leaf growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ulyana Zubairova

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the principles and mechanisms of cell growth coordination in plant tissue remains an outstanding challenge for modern developmental biology. Cell-based modeling is a widely used technique for studying the geometric and topological features of plant tissue morphology during growth. We developed a quasi-one-dimensional model of unidirectional growth of a tissue layer in a linear leaf blade that takes cell autonomous growth mode into account. The model allows for fitting of the visible cell length using the experimental cell length distribution along the longitudinal axis of a wheat leaf epidermis. Additionally, it describes changes in turgor and osmotic pressures for each cell in the growing tissue. Our numerical experiments show that the pressures in the cell change over the cell cycle, and in symplastically growing tissue, they vary from cell to cell and strongly depend on the leaf growing zone to which the cells belong. Therefore, we believe that the mechanical signals generated by pressures are important to consider in simulations of tissue growth as possible targets for molecular genetic regulators of individual cell growth.

  9. Chronic inflammation triggered by the NLRP3 inflammasome in myeloid cells promotes growth plate dysplasia by mesenchymal cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chun; Xu, Can-Xin; Alippe, Yael; Qu, Chao; Xiao, Jianqiu; Schipani, Ernestina; Civitelli, Roberto; Abu-Amer, Yousef; Mbalaviele, Gabriel

    2017-07-07

    Skeletal complications are common features of neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID), a disorder caused by NLRP3-activating mutations. NOMID mice in which NLRP3 is activated globally exhibit several characteristics of the human disease, including systemic inflammation and cartilage dysplasia, but the mechanisms of skeletal manifestations remain unknown. In this study, we find that activation of NLRP3 in myeloid cells, but not mesenchymal cells triggers chronic inflammation, which ultimately, causes growth plate and epiphyseal dysplasia in mice. These responses are IL-1 signaling-dependent, but independent of PARP1, which also functions downstream of NLRP3 and regulates skeletal homeostasis. Mechanistically, inflammation causes severe anemia and hypoxia in the bone environment, yet down-regulates the HIF-1α pathway in chondrocytes, thereby promoting the demise of these cells. Thus, activation of NLRP3 in hematopoietic cells initiates IL-1β-driven paracrine cascades, which promote abnormal growth plate development in NOMID mice.

  10. Pu-erh Tea Inhibits Tumor Cell Growth by Down-Regulating Mutant p53

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Lanjun; Jia, Shuting; Tang, Wenru; Sheng, Jun; Luo, Ying

    2011-01-01

    Pu-erh tea is a kind of fermented tea with the incorporation of microorganisms’ metabolites. Unlike green tea, the chemical characteristics and bioactivities of Pu-erh tea are still not well understood. Using water extracts of Pu-erh tea, we analyzed the tumor cell growth inhibition activities on several genetically engineered mouse tumor cell lines. We found that at the concentration that did not affect wild type mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) growth, Pu-erh tea extracts could inhibit tumor cell growth by down-regulated S phase and cause G1 or G2 arrest. Further study showed that Pu-erh tea extracts down-regulated the expression of mutant p53 in tumor cells at the protein level as well as mRNA level. The same concentration of Pu-erh tea solution did not cause p53 stabilization or activation of its downstream pathways in wild type cells. We also found that Pu-erh tea treatment could slightly down-regulate both HSP70 and HSP90 protein levels in tumor cells. These data revealed the action of Pu-erh tea on tumor cells and provided the possible mechanism for Pu-erh tea action, which explained its selectivity in inhibiting tumor cells without affecting wild type cells. Our data sheds light on the application of Pu-erh tea as an anti-tumor agent with low side effects. PMID:22174618

  11. Cell growth characterization using multi-electrode bioimpedance spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Yi-Yu; Huang, Yu-Jie; Cheng, Kuo-Sheng; Huang, Ji-Jer

    2013-01-01

    Cell growth characterization during culturing is an important issue in a variety of biomedical applications. In this study an electrical bioimpedance spectroscopy-based multi-electrode culture monitoring system was developed to characterize cell growth. A PC12 cell line was cultured for the cell growth study. The bioimpedance variations for PC12 cell growth within the initial 12 h were measured over a range between 1 kHz and 4 MHz at three different medium concentrations. Within this frequency range, the largest bioimpedance value was 1.9 times the smallest bioimpedance value. The phase angle decreased over the range from 1 to 10 kHz when cells were growing. Then, the phase angle approached a constant over the frequency range between 10 kHz and 2 MHz. Thereafter, the phase angle increased rapidly from 20 to 52 degrees during cell culturing between 8 and 12 h at 4 MHz. The maximum cell number after culturing for 12 h increased by 25.8% for the control sites with poly-D-lysine (PDL) pastes. For the normal growth factor, the cell number increased up to 4.78 times from 8 to 12 h, but only 0.96 and 1.60 times for the other two medium growth factors. The correlation coefficients between impedance and cell number were 0.868 (coating with PDL), and 0.836 (without PDL) for the normal concentration medium. Thus, impedance may be used as an index for cell growth characterization. (paper)

  12. Microtubules Growth Rate Alteration in Human Endothelial Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irina B. Alieva

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available To understand how microtubules contribute to the dynamic reorganization of the endothelial cell (EC cytoskeleton, we established an EC model expressing EB3-GFP, a protein that marks microtubule plus-ends. Using this model, we were able to measure microtubule growth rate at the centrosome region and near the cell periphery of a single human EC and in the EC monolayer. We demonstrate that the majority of microtubules in EC are dynamic, the growth rate of their plus-ends is highest in the internal cytoplasm, in the region of the centrosome. Growth rate of microtubule plus-ends decreases from the cell center toward the periphery. Our data suggest the existing mechanism(s of local regulation of microtubule plus-ends growth in EC. Microtubule growth rate in the internal cytoplasm of EC in the monolayer is lower than that of single EC suggesting the regulatory effect of cell-cell contacts. Centrosomal microtubule growth rate distribution in single EC indicated the presence of two subpopulations of microtubules with “normal” (similar to those in monolayer EC and “fast” (three times as much growth rates. Our results indicate functional interactions between cell-cell contacts and microtubules.

  13. CD200-expressing human basal cell carcinoma cells initiate tumor growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colmont, Chantal S; Benketah, Antisar; Reed, Simon H; Hawk, Nga V; Telford, William G; Ohyama, Manabu; Udey, Mark C; Yee, Carole L; Vogel, Jonathan C; Patel, Girish K

    2013-01-22

    Smoothened antagonists directly target the genetic basis of human basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common of all cancers. These drugs inhibit BCC growth, but they are not curative. Although BCC cells are monomorphic, immunofluorescence microscopy reveals a complex hierarchical pattern of growth with inward differentiation along hair follicle lineages. Most BCC cells express the transcription factor KLF4 and are committed to terminal differentiation. A small CD200(+) CD45(-) BCC subpopulation that represents 1.63 ± 1.11% of all BCC cells resides in small clusters at the tumor periphery. By using reproducible in vivo xenograft growth assays, we determined that tumor initiating cell frequencies approximate one per 1.5 million unsorted BCC cells. The CD200(+) CD45(-) BCC subpopulation recreated BCC tumor growth in vivo with typical histological architecture and expression of sonic hedgehog-regulated genes. Reproducible in vivo BCC growth was achieved with as few as 10,000 CD200(+) CD45(-) cells, representing ~1,500-fold enrichment. CD200(-) CD45(-) BCC cells were unable to form tumors. These findings establish a platform to study the effects of Smoothened antagonists on BCC tumor initiating cell and also suggest that currently available anti-CD200 therapy be considered, either as monotherapy or an adjunct to Smoothened antagonists, in the treatment of inoperable BCC.

  14. Growth performance, carcass and hematological characteristics of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Growth performance, carcass and hematological characteristics of rabbits fed graded levels of tiger nuts ( Cyperus esculentus ) ... (p>0.05) difference between treatments. Results demonstrated that (Cyperus esculentus) could be used up to 5% in rabbit's diets without adverse effect on the animals' performance and health.

  15. Beta cell proliferation and growth factors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Jens Høiriis; Svensson, C; Møldrup, Annette

    1999-01-01

    Formation of new beta cells can take place by two pathways: replication of already differentiated beta cells or neogenesis from putative islet stem cells. Under physiological conditions both processes are most pronounced during the fetal and neonatal development of the pancreas. In adulthood little...... increase in the beta cell number seems to occur. In pregnancy, however, a marked hyperplasia of the beta cells is observed both in rodents and man. Increased mitotic activity has been seen both in vivo and in vitro in islets exposed to placental lactogen (PL), prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH...... and activation of the tyrosine kinase JAK2 and the transcription factors STAT1 and 3. The activation of the insulin gene however also requires the distal part of the receptor and activation of calcium uptake and STAT5. In order to identify putative autocrine growth factors or targets for growth factors we have...

  16. Three-dimentional growth of liver / stem cells in vitro under simulated microgravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Mei Fu

    Liver is a important and largest parenchymatous organ in vivo, and have complex and diverse structures and functions. In the world, there are many peoples suffers from liver injury and dis-ease, especially in Asia, but serious shortage of donor organ, especially for organic pathological changes, is a big problem in the world. Stem cells have the capabilities to self-renew and differ-entiate into multiple lineages, and are very significant in both theoretical research and clinical applications. Compared with traditional cell culture, cells of 3D growth are more close to their situation in vivo. The specific physics environment in space provides a great opportunity for 3D growth of cells and tissues. Due to the chance for entering into the space is so scarce, to mimic microgravity effects using a rotating cell culture system (RCCS) designed by NASA, and some other methods were studied for cellular 3D growth in vitro. Neonatal mouse liver Cells, hepatic progenitor/stem cells from fetal liver and WB-F344 cells were cultured in a 1:1 mixture of DMEM and F-12 supplemented with 10 % FCS and several factors, and seeded into the RCCS, 6-well and 24-well plates. Their growth characteristic, metabolism, differentiation and gene expression were studied by SEM, Histochemistry, Flow Cytometry, RT-PCR and so on. The results showed: 1. Neonatal mouse liver Cells (1day after birth) seem easy to grow for a three-dimentional-like structure, when the cells were cultured in the RCCS, a cell aggregate formed after 1 day of culture and were kept during 10 days culture. The size of aggregate was about 1 2 mm in diameter. 2. Hepatic progenitor/stem cells from fetal liver seem a good cell resource for liver disease'cell therapy. They expressed AFP and CKs, and no mature hepato-cytes marker and bile duct epithelial cells marker were detected. When were transplanted into Nod-Scid mice, they had multi-potential differentiation. 3. WB-F344 cells, a liver epithelial cell line, could grew well on

  17. Rheological characteristics of cell suspension and cell culture of Perilla frutescens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, J J; Seki, T; Kinoshita, S; Yoshida, T

    1992-12-05

    Physical properties such as viscosity, fluid dynamic behavior of cell suspension, and size distribution of cell aggregates of a plant, Perilla frustescens, cultured in a liquid medium were studied. As a result of investigations using cells harvester after 12 days of cultivation in a flask, it was found that the apparent viscosity of the cell suspension did not change with any variation of cell concentration below 5 g dry cell/L but markedly increased when the cell concentration increased over 12.8 g dry cell/L. The cell suspension exhibited the characteristics of a Bingham plastic fluid with a small yield stress. The size of cell aggregates in the range 74 to 500 mum did not influence the rheological characteristics of the cell suspension. The rheological characteristics of cultivation mixtures of P. frutescens cultivated in a flask and in a bioreactor were also investigated. The results showed that the flow characteristics of the cell culture could be described by a Bingham plastic model. At the later stage of cultivation, the apparent viscosity increased steadily, even though the biomass concentration (by dry weight) decreased, due to the increase of individual cell size. (c) 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  18. Growth performance, blood parameters and carcass characteristics ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study was carried out with one hundred and twenty (120) day-old marshal chicks to investigate the effect of Maxigrain® enzyme supplementation of corn bran based diets on growth performance, carcass characteristics, haematology and serum biochemistry of broilers in an eight weeks experiment. Four experimental ...

  19. Transgenic plants with enhanced growth characteristics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Unkefer, Pat J.; Anderson, Penelope S.; Knight, Thomas J.

    2018-01-09

    The invention relates to transgenic plants exhibiting dramatically enhanced growth rates, greater seed and fruit/pod yields, earlier and more productive flowering, more efficient nitrogen utilization, increased tolerance to high salt conditions, and increased biomass yields. In one embodiment, transgenic plants engineered to over-express both glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase (GPT) and glutamine synthetase (GS) are provided. The GPT+GS double-transgenic plants of the invention consistently exhibit enhanced growth characteristics, with T0 generation lines showing an increase in biomass over wild type counterparts of between 50% and 300%. Generations that result from sexual crosses and/or selfing typically perform even better, with some of the double-transgenic plants achieving an astounding four-fold biomass increase over wild type plants.

  20. Transgenic plants with enhanced growth characteristics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Unkefer, Pat J.; Anderson, Penelope S.; Knight, Thomas J.

    2016-09-06

    The invention relates to transgenic plants exhibiting dramatically enhanced growth rates, greater seed and fruit/pod yields, earlier and more productive flowering, more efficient nitrogen utilization, increased tolerance to high salt conditions, and increased biomass yields. In one embodiment, transgenic plants engineered to over-express both glutamine phenylpyruvate transaminase (GPT) and glutamine synthetase (GS) are provided. The GPT+GS double-transgenic plants of the invention consistently exhibit enhanced growth characteristics, with T0 generation lines showing an increase in biomass over wild type counterparts of between 50% and 300%. Generations that result from sexual crosses and/or selfing typically perform even better, with some of the double-transgenic plants achieving an astounding four-fold biomass increase over wild type plants.

  1. p8 inhibits the growth of human pancreatic cancer cells and its expression is induced through pathways involved in growth inhibition and repressed by factors promoting cell growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vasseur Sophie

    2003-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background p8 is a stress-induced protein with multiple functions and biochemically related to the architectural factor HMG-I/Y. We analyzed the expression and function of p8 in pancreatic cancer-derived cells. Methods Expression of p8 was silenced in the human pancreatic cancer cell lines Panc-1 and BxPc-3 by infection with a retrovirus expressing p8 RNA in the antisense orientation. Cell growth was measured in control and p8-silenced cells. Influence on p8 expression of the induction of intracellular pathways promoting cellular growth or growth arrest was monitored. Results p8-silenced cells grew more rapidly than control cells transfected with the empty retrovirus. Activation of the Ras→Raf→MEK→ERK and JNK intracellular pathways down-regulated p8 expression. In addition, the MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126 and the JNK inhibitor SP600125 up-regulates expression of p8. Conversely, p38 or TGFβ-1 induced p8 expression whereas the specific p38 inhibitor SB203580 down-regulated p8 expression. Finally, TGFβ-1 induction was in part mediated through p38. Conclusions p8 inhibits the growth of human pancreatic cancer cells. p8 expression is induced through pathways involved in growth inhibition and repressed by factors that promote cell growth. These results suggest that p8 belongs to a pathway regulating the growth of pancreatic cancer cells.

  2. Growth rate characteristics of acidophilic heterotrophic organisms from mine waste rock piles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yacob, T. W.; Silverstein, J.; Jenkins, J.; Andre, B. J.; Rajaram, H.

    2010-12-01

    Autotrophic iron oxidizing bacteria play a key role in pyrite oxidation and generation of acid mine drainage AMD. Scarcity of organic substrates in many disturbed sites insures that IOB have sufficient oxygen and other nutrients for growth. It is proposed that addition of organic carbon substrate to waste rock piles will result in enrichment of heterotrophic microorganisms limiting the role of IOB in AMD generation. Previous researchers have used the acidophilic heterotroph Acidiphilium cryptum as a model to study the effects of organic substrate addition on the pyrite oxidation/AMD cycle. In order to develop a quantitative model of effects such as competition for oxygen, it is necessary to use growth and substrate consumption rate expressions, and one approach is to choose a model strain such as A. cryptum for kinetic studies. However we have found that the growth rate characteristics of A. cryptum may not provide an accurate model of the remediation effects of organic addition to subsurface mined sites. Fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) assays of extracts of mine waste rock enriched with glucose and yeast extract did not produce countable numbers of cells in the Acidiphilium genus, with a detection limit of3 x 104 cells/gram rock, despite evidence of the presence of well established heterotrophic organisms. However, an MPN enrichment produced heterotrophic population estimates of 1x107 and 1x109 cells/gram rock. Growth rate studies of A. cryptum showed that cultures took 120 hours to degrade 50% of an initial glucose concentration of 2,000 mg/L. However a mixed culture enriched from mine waste rock consumed 100% of the same amount of glucose in 24 hours. Substrate consumption data for the mixed culture were fit to a Monod growth model: {dS}/{dt} = μ_{max}S {( {X_0}/{Y} + S_0 -S )}/{(K_s +S)} Kinetic parameters were estimated utilizing a non linear regression method coupled with an ODE solver. The maximum specific growth rate of the mixed population with

  3. Mechanosensation Dynamically Coordinates Polar Growth and Cell Wall Assembly to Promote Cell Survival.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davì, Valeria; Tanimoto, Hirokazu; Ershov, Dmitry; Haupt, Armin; De Belly, Henry; Le Borgne, Rémi; Couturier, Etienne; Boudaoud, Arezki; Minc, Nicolas

    2018-04-23

    How growing cells cope with size expansion while ensuring mechanical integrity is not known. In walled cells, such as those of microbes and plants, growth and viability are both supported by a thin and rigid encasing cell wall (CW). We deciphered the dynamic mechanisms controlling wall surface assembly during cell growth, using a sub-resolution microscopy approach to monitor CW thickness in live rod-shaped fission yeast cells. We found that polar cell growth yielded wall thinning and that thickness negatively influenced growth. Thickness at growing tips exhibited a fluctuating behavior with thickening phases followed by thinning phases, indicative of a delayed feedback promoting thickness homeostasis. This feedback was mediated by mechanosensing through the CW integrity pathway, which probes strain in the wall to adjust synthase localization and activity to surface growth. Mutants defective in thickness homeostasis lysed by rupturing the wall, demonstrating its pivotal role for walled cell survival. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Role of growth factors in the growth of normal and transformed cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lokeshwar, V.B.

    1989-01-01

    Growth factors play an important role in the growth of normal cells. However, their untimely and/or excess production leads to neoplastic transformation. The role of growth factors in the growth of normal cells was studied by investigating the mechanism of transmodulation of the cell surface EGF receptor number by protamine. Protamine increased the EGF stimulated mitogenic response in Swiss mouse 3T3 cells and A431 cells by increasing the number of functionally active EGF receptors. Protamine also increased EGF receptor number in plasma membranes and solubilized membranes. This was evidenced by an increase in both 125 I-EGF-EGF-receptor complex and EGF stimulated phosphorylation of the EGF receptor. The solubilized EGF receptor was retained on a protamine-agarose gel indicating that protamine might increase EGF receptor number by directly activating cryptic EGF receptors in the plasma membranes. The role of growth factors in neoplastic transformation was studied by investigating the role of the oncogene v-sis in the growth of Simian sarcoma virus (SSV) transformed cells. The product of the oncogene v-sis is 94% homologous to the B chain of PDGF. This study found that (i) v-sis gene product is synthesized as a 32 kDa unglycosylated monomer which is glycosylated, dimerized and proteolytically processed into p36, p72, p68, p58, p44 and p27 mol. wt. species respectively. (ii) p36, p72, p68 and p58 are very likely formed in the endoplasmic reticulum and/or Golgi complex. A fraction of newly synthesized p72, p68 and p58 is degraded intracellularly at a fast rate. (iii) p44 is a secretory product which remains tightly associated with the cell surface. p44 is recaptured by the cells through interaction with cell surface PDGF receptors and degraded into p27. (iv) During long term cultures p44 is extracellularly cleaved into a 27 kDa product

  5. The impact of the centrifuge characteristics and centrifugation protocols on the cells, growth factors, and fibrin architecture of a leukocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) clot and membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dohan Ehrenfest, David M; Pinto, Nelson R; Pereda, Andrea; Jiménez, Paula; Corso, Marco Del; Kang, Byung-Soo; Nally, Mauricio; Lanata, Nicole; Wang, Hom-Lay; Quirynen, Marc

    2018-03-01

    of the visible cell bodies appeared destroyed (squashed or shrunk). In the second part of this study, the slow release of the three tested growth factors from original L-PRF membranes was significantly stronger (more than twice stronger, pcentrifuge has its clear own profile of vibrations depending on the rotational speed, and the centrifuge characteristics are directly impacting the architecture and cell content of a L-PRF clot. This result may reveal a considerable flaw in all the PRP/PRF literature, as this parameter was never considered. The original L-PRF clot (Intra-Spin) presented very specific characteristics, which appeared distorted when using centrifuges with a higher vibration level. A-PRF, LW and Salvin centrifuges produced PRF-like materials with a damaged and almost destroyed cell population through the standard protocol, and it is therefore impossible to classify these products in the L-PRF family. Moreover, when using the same centrifuge, the original L-PRF protocol allowed producing larger clots/membranes and a more intense release of growth factors (biological signature at least twice stronger) than the modified A-PRF protocol. Both protocols are therefore significantly different, and the clinical and experimental results from the original L-PRF shall not be extrapolated to the A-PRF. Finally, the comparison between the total released amounts and the initial content of the membrane (after forcible extraction) highlighted that the leukocytes living in the fibrin matrix are involved in the production of significant amounts of growth factors. The centrifuge characteristics and centrifugation protocols impact significantly and dramatically the cells, growth factors and fibrin architecture of L-PRF.

  6. Growth-Dependent Catalase Localization in Exiguobacterium oxidotolerans T-2-2T Reflected by Catalase Activity of Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanaoka, Yoshiko; Takebe, Fumihiko; Nodasaka, Yoshinobu; Hara, Isao; Matsuyama, Hidetoshi; Yumoto, Isao

    2013-01-01

    A psychrotolerant and H2O2-resistant bacterium, Exiguobacterium oxidotolerans T-2-2T, exhibits extraordinary H2O2 resistance and produces catalase not only intracellularly but also extracellularly. The intracellular and extracellular catalases exhibited the same enzymatic characteristics, that is, they exhibited the temperature-dependent activity characteristic of a cold-adapted enzyme, their heat stabilities were similar to those of mesophilic enzymes and very high catalytic intensity. In addition, catalase gene analysis indicated that the bacterium possessed the sole clade 1 catalase gene corresponding to intracellular catalase. Hence, intracellular catalase is secreted into the extracellular space. In addition to intracellular and extracellular catalases, the inner circumference of the cells showed the localization of catalase in the mid-stationary growth phase, which was observed by immunoelectron microscopy using an antibody against the intracellular catalase of the strain. The cells demonstrated higher catalase activity in the mid-stationary growth phase than in the exponential growth phase. The catalase localized in the inner circumference can be dissociated by treatment with Tween 60. Thus, the localized catalase is not tightly bound to the inner circumference of the cells and may play a role in the oxidative defense of the cells under low metabolic state. PMID:24204687

  7. Growth-dependent catalase localization in Exiguobacterium oxidotolerans T-2-2T reflected by catalase activity of cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanaoka, Yoshiko; Takebe, Fumihiko; Nodasaka, Yoshinobu; Hara, Isao; Matsuyama, Hidetoshi; Yumoto, Isao

    2013-01-01

    A psychrotolerant and H2O2-resistant bacterium, Exiguobacterium oxidotolerans T-2-2(T), exhibits extraordinary H2O2 resistance and produces catalase not only intracellularly but also extracellularly. The intracellular and extracellular catalases exhibited the same enzymatic characteristics, that is, they exhibited the temperature-dependent activity characteristic of a cold-adapted enzyme, their heat stabilities were similar to those of mesophilic enzymes and very high catalytic intensity. In addition, catalase gene analysis indicated that the bacterium possessed the sole clade 1 catalase gene corresponding to intracellular catalase. Hence, intracellular catalase is secreted into the extracellular space. In addition to intracellular and extracellular catalases, the inner circumference of the cells showed the localization of catalase in the mid-stationary growth phase, which was observed by immunoelectron microscopy using an antibody against the intracellular catalase of the strain. The cells demonstrated higher catalase activity in the mid-stationary growth phase than in the exponential growth phase. The catalase localized in the inner circumference can be dissociated by treatment with Tween 60. Thus, the localized catalase is not tightly bound to the inner circumference of the cells and may play a role in the oxidative defense of the cells under low metabolic state.

  8. Different culture media affect growth characteristics, surface marker distribution and chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagmann, Sebastien; Moradi, Babak; Frank, Sebastian; Dreher, Thomas; Kämmerer, Peer Wolfgang; Richter, Wiltrud; Gotterbarm, Tobias

    2013-07-30

    Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) play an important role in modern tissue engineering, while distinct variations of culture media compositions and supplements have been reported. Because MSCs are heterogeneous regarding their regenerative potential and their surface markers, these parameters were compared in four widely used culture media compositions. MSCs were isolated from bone marrow and expanded in four established cell culture media. MSC yield/1000 MNCs, passage time and growth index were observed. In P4, typical MSC surface markers were analysed by fluorescence cytometry. Additionally, chondrogenic, adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation potential were evaluated. Growth index and P0 cell yield varied importantly between the media. The different expansion media had a significant influence on the expression of CD10, CD90, CD105, CD140b CD146 and STRO-1. While no significant differences were observed regarding osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation, chondrogenic differentiation was superior in medium A as reflected by GAG/DNA content. The choice of expansion medium can have a significant influence on growth, differentiation potential and surface marker expression of mesenchymal stromal cells, which is of fundamental importance for tissue engineering procedures.

  9. Feeder Cell Type Affects the Growth of In Vitro Cultured Bovine Trophoblast Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Islam M. Saadeldin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Trophectoderm cells are the foremost embryonic cells to differentiate with prospective stem-cell properties. In the current study, we aimed at improving the current approach for trophoblast culture by using granulosa cells as feeders. Porcine granulosa cells (PGCs compared to the conventional mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs were used to grow trophectoderm cells from hatched bovine blastocysts. Isolated trophectoderm cells were monitored and displayed characteristic epithelial/cuboidal morphology. The isolated trophectoderm cells expressed mRNA of homeobox protein (CDX2, cytokeratin-8 (KRT8, and interferon tau (IFNT. The expression level was higher on PGCs compared to MEFs throughout the study. In addition, primary trophectoderm cell colonies grew faster on PGCs, with a doubling time of approximately 48 hrs, compared to MEFs. PGCs feeders produced a fair amount of 17β-estradiol and progesterone. We speculated that the supplementation of sex steroids and still-unknown factors during the trophoblasts coculture on PGCs have helped to have better trophectoderm cell’s growth than on MEFs. This is the first time to use PGCs as feeders to culture trophectoderm cells and it proved superior to MEFs. We propose PGCs as alternative feeders for long-term culture of bovine trophectoderm cells. This model will potentially benefit studies on the early trophoblast and embryonic development in bovines.

  10. Biology, seed characteristics and growth establishment of comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.)

    OpenAIRE

    KOVÁŘOVÁ, Jaroslava

    2016-01-01

    The thesis titled "Biology, seed characteristics and growth establishment of common comfrey (Symphytum officinale L.)" dealt with the evaluation methods of reproduction comfrey and evaluation of the impact of environmental conditions to the grow of comfrey. Further it dealt with germination tests and their statistical evaluation while respecting the specific work with seeds. They were evaluated seed characteristics, which are reflected in the growth of these plants arising both in soil and in...

  11. Growth Kinetics, Characterization, and Plasticity of Human Menstrual Blood Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Davood Mehrabani

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available One of the readily available sources of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs is menstrual blood-derived stem cells (Men-SCs, which exhibit characteristics similar to other types of MSCs. This study was performed to determine the growth kinetics, plasticity, and characterization of Men-SCs in women. During spring 2014 in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, menstrual blood (5 mL was obtained from 10 women on their third day of menstruation in 2 age groups of 30 to 40 and 40 to 50 years old. Ficoll was used to separate the mononuclear cell fraction. After the Men-SCs were cultured, they were subcultured up to passage 4. Growth behavior and population doubling time were evaluated by seeding 5×104 cells into 12- and 24-well culture plates, and the colonies were enumerated. The expression of CD44, CD90, and CD34 was evaluated. The osteogenic potential was assessed by alizarin red staining. The Men-SCs were shown to be plastic adherent and spindle-shaped. Regarding the growth curves in the 12- and 24-well culture plates, it was demonstrated that in the women aged between 30 and 40 years, population doubling time was 55.5 and 62 hours, respectively, while these values in the women aged between 40 and 50 years were 70.4 and 72.4 hours, correspondingly. Positive expression of CD44 and CD90 and negative expression of CD34 were noted. In the osteogenic differentiation medium, the cells differentiated toward osteoblasts. As human Men-SCs are easily collectable without any invasive procedure and are a safe and rapid source of MSCs, they can be a good candidate for stem cell banking and cell transplantation in women.

  12. BMP signaling regulates satellite cell-dependent postnatal muscle growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stantzou, Amalia; Schirwis, Elija; Swist, Sandra; Alonso-Martin, Sonia; Polydorou, Ioanna; Zarrouki, Faouzi; Mouisel, Etienne; Beley, Cyriaque; Julien, Anaïs; Le Grand, Fabien; Garcia, Luis; Colnot, Céline; Birchmeier, Carmen; Braun, Thomas; Schuelke, Markus; Relaix, Frédéric; Amthor, Helge

    2017-08-01

    Postnatal growth of skeletal muscle largely depends on the expansion and differentiation of resident stem cells, the so-called satellite cells. Here, we demonstrate that postnatal satellite cells express components of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling machinery. Overexpression of noggin in postnatal mice (to antagonize BMP ligands), satellite cell-specific knockout of Alk3 (the gene encoding the BMP transmembrane receptor) or overexpression of inhibitory SMAD6 decreased satellite cell proliferation and accretion during myofiber growth, and ultimately retarded muscle growth. Moreover, reduced BMP signaling diminished the adult satellite cell pool. Abrogation of BMP signaling in satellite cell-derived primary myoblasts strongly diminished cell proliferation and upregulated the expression of cell cycle inhibitors p21 and p57 In conclusion, these results show that BMP signaling defines postnatal muscle development by regulating satellite cell-dependent myofiber growth and the generation of the adult muscle stem cell pool. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  13. Cell-cell adhesion mediated by binding of membrane-anchored transforming growth factor α to epidermal growth factor receptors promotes cell proliferation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anklesaria, P.; Greenberger, J.S.; Teixido, J.; Laiho, M.; Massague, J.; Pierce, J.H.

    1990-01-01

    The precursor for transforming growth factor α, pro-TGF-α, is a cell surface glycoprotein that can establish contact with epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors on adjacent cells. To examine whether the pro-TGF-α/EGF receptor pair can simultaneously mediate cell adhesion and promote cell proliferation, the authors have expressed pro-TGF-α in a bone marrow stromal cell line labeled with [ 35 S] cysteine. Expression of pro-TGF-α allows these cells to support long-term attachment of an EGF/interleukin-3-dependent hematopoietic progenitor cell line that expresses EGF receptors but is unable to adhere to normal stroma. This interaction is inhibited by soluble EGF receptor ligands. Further, the hematopoietic progenitor cells replicate their DNA while they are attached to the stromal cell layer and become foci of sustained cell proliferation. Thus, pro-TGF-α and the EGF receptor can function as mediators of intercellular adhesion and this interaction may promote a mitogenic response. They propose the term juxtacrine to designate this form of stimulation between adjacent cells

  14. PaCeQuant: A Tool for High-Throughput Quantification of Pavement Cell Shape Characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Möller, Birgit; Poeschl, Yvonne; Plötner, Romina; Bürstenbinder, Katharina

    2017-11-01

    Pavement cells (PCs) are the most frequently occurring cell type in the leaf epidermis and play important roles in leaf growth and function. In many plant species, PCs form highly complex jigsaw-puzzle-shaped cells with interlocking lobes. Understanding of their development is of high interest for plant science research because of their importance for leaf growth and hence for plant fitness and crop yield. Studies of PC development, however, are limited, because robust methods are lacking that enable automatic segmentation and quantification of PC shape parameters suitable to reflect their cellular complexity. Here, we present our new ImageJ-based tool, PaCeQuant, which provides a fully automatic image analysis workflow for PC shape quantification. PaCeQuant automatically detects cell boundaries of PCs from confocal input images and enables manual correction of automatic segmentation results or direct import of manually segmented cells. PaCeQuant simultaneously extracts 27 shape features that include global, contour-based, skeleton-based, and PC-specific object descriptors. In addition, we included a method for classification and analysis of lobes at two-cell junctions and three-cell junctions, respectively. We provide an R script for graphical visualization and statistical analysis. We validated PaCeQuant by extensive comparative analysis to manual segmentation and existing quantification tools and demonstrated its usability to analyze PC shape characteristics during development and between different genotypes. PaCeQuant thus provides a platform for robust, efficient, and reproducible quantitative analysis of PC shape characteristics that can easily be applied to study PC development in large data sets. © 2017 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.

  15. Impaired Angiogenic Potential of Human Placental Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Intrauterine Growth Restriction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandò, Chiara; Razini, Paola; Novielli, Chiara; Anelli, Gaia Maria; Belicchi, Marzia; Erratico, Silvia; Banfi, Stefania; Meregalli, Mirella; Tavelli, Alessandro; Baccarin, Marco; Rolfo, Alessandro; Motta, Silvia; Torrente, Yvan; Cetin, Irene

    2016-04-01

    Human placental mesenchymal stromal cells (pMSCs) have never been investigated in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). We characterized cells isolated from placental membranes and the basal disc of six IUGR and five physiological placentas. Cell viability and proliferation were assessed every 7 days during a 6-week culture. Expression of hematopoietic, stem, endothelial, and mesenchymal markers was evaluated by flow cytometry. We characterized the multipotency of pMSCs and the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial content and function. Cell viability was high in all samples, and proliferation rate was lower in IUGR compared with control cells. All samples presented a starting heterogeneous population, shifting during culture toward homogeneity for mesenchymal markers and occurring earlier in IUGR than in controls. In vitro multipotency of IUGR-derived pMSCs was restricted because their capacity for adipocyte differentiation was increased, whereas their ability to differentiate toward endothelial cell lineage was decreased. Mitochondrial content and function were higher in IUGR pMSCs than controls, possibly indicating a shift from anaerobic to aerobic metabolism, with the loss of the metabolic characteristics that are typical of undifferentiated multipotent cells. This study demonstrates that the loss of endothelial differentiation potential and the increase of adipogenic ability are likely to play a significant role in the vicious cycle of abnormal placental development in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). This is the first observation of a potential role for placental mesenchymal stromal cells in intrauterine growth restriction, thus leading to new perspectives for the treatment of IUGR. ©AlphaMed Press.

  16. The cell biology of bone growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, J S; Oyajobi, B O; Russell, R G

    1994-02-01

    The field of bone cell biology is clearly of relevance to the problem of stunting in children, as in the final analysis the cells of the growing long bone are the ultimate 'regulators'. It is the alterations in the functions of these cells that manifests as a reduction in height. Normal longitudinal growth is achieved by the coordinated recruitment, proliferation, differentiation, maturation and eventual death of the cells of growth plate and bone. Cellular activity is closely regulated by endocrine factors acting directly or indirectly, with factors produced locally and stored within the bone and cartilage microenvironment having a critical role in intercellular communication. Disruption of any of these processes can lead to growth disturbances, since it only requires a defect in a single gene to have profound effects. Studies in recent years have shed light on the biochemical and molecular effects of cytokines and growth factors and have shown that these regulatory molecules may mediate the effects of certain hormones important in controlling growth. However, the complex interrelationship of these molecules is still not clear. Notwithstanding, understanding of the mechanisms involved in bone remodelling is increasing, as this area attracts much research because of the high incidence of metabolic bone disease in Western society. Although studies of adult bone remodelling are of relevance, there is a requirement for increased research directed specifically at the mechanisms of endochondral ossification and its regulation. Longitudinal bone growth is a challenge to the cell biologist, since it is an accelerated cycle of cellular division and differentiation, within which it is not easy to separate events temporally and spatially. In addition, different regulatory mechanisms are probably important at different stages of growth. Another difficulty impeding progress in this field is the lack of appropriate animal models for research. Much information has come from

  17. Modification of cell growth rate by irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Itoh, Hisao; Takemasa, Kazuhiko; Nishiguchi, Iku; Ka, Wei-Jei; Kutsuki, Shoji; Hashimoto, Shozo

    1993-01-01

    The effect of irradiation on the proliferation kinetics of the monolayer cells has been studied. Two human cell lines with different doubling times (HeLa-P and RMUG) and two clones that have the same radiosensitivity but different doubling times (HeLa-R and HeLa-S) were irradiated with a daily dose of 2 Gy for 6 days. The number of the clonogenic cells/dish was calculated by multiplying the number of total cell/dish by the survival fraction. In the rapidly growing cells (HeLa-P, HeLa-R), the number of the clonogenic cells was not decreased by the first two fractionated irradiations, but decreased thereafter at a similar rate as by single-dose fractionation, whereas the clonogenic cell number decreased from the first fractionated irradiation in the slowly growing cells (RMUG, HeLa-S). When the proliferation of clonogenic cell number increased along with a similar growth rates that was seen in all other types of cells. Further, no correlation was seen between the growth rates of cells without irradiation and cells that received irradiation. This latter result suggests that the slow growth rate of non-irradiated cells may not be the predictive factor of the tumor cure and the interruption of radiotherapy may reduce the beneficial effect of this treatment even in slow growing tumors. (author)

  18. Fibroblast growth factor receptor mediates fibroblast-dependent growth in EMMPRIN-depleted head and neck cancer tumor cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhiyong; Hartman, Yolanda E; Warram, Jason M; Knowles, Joseph A; Sweeny, Larissa; Zhou, Tong; Rosenthal, Eben L

    2011-08-01

    Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tumors (HNSCC) contain a dense fibrous stroma which is known to promote tumor growth, although the mechanism of stroma-mediated growth remains unclear. As dysplastic mucosal epithelium progresses to cancer, there is incremental overexpression of extracellular matrix metalloprotease inducer (EMMPRIN) which is associated with tumor growth and metastasis. Here, we present evidence that gain of EMMPRIN expression allows tumor growth to be less dependent on fibroblasts by modulating fibroblast growth factor receptor-2 (FGFR2) signaling. We show that silencing EMMPRIN in FaDu and SCC-5 HNSCC cell lines inhibits cell growth, but when EMMPRIN-silenced tumor cells were cocultured with fibroblasts or inoculated with fibroblasts into severe combined immunodeficient mice, the growth inhibition by silencing EMMPRIN was blunted by the presence of fibroblasts. Coculture experiments showed fibroblast-dependent tumor cell growth occurred via a paracrine signaling. Analysis of tumor gene expression revealed expression of FGFR2 was inversely related to EMMPRIN expression. To determine the role of FGFR2 signaling in EMMPRIN-silenced tumor cells, ligands and inhibitors of FGFR2 were assessed. Both FGF1 and FGF2 enhanced tumor growth in EMMPRIN-silenced cells compared with control vector-transfected cells, whereas inhibition of FGFR2 with blocking antibody or with a synthetic inhibitor (PD173074) inhibited tumor cell growth in fibroblast coculture, suggesting the importance of FGFR2 signaling in fibroblast-mediated tumor growth. Analysis of xenografted tumors revealed that EMMPRIN-silenced tumors had a larger stromal compartment compared with control. Taken together, these results suggest that EMMPRIN acquired during tumor progression promotes fibroblast-independent tumor growth.

  19. Fibroblast growth factor receptor mediates fibroblast-dependent growth in EMMPRIN depleted head and neck cancer tumor cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhiyong; Hartman, Yolanda E.; Warram, Jason M.; Knowles, Joseph A.; Sweeny, Larrisa; Zhou, Tong; Rosenthal, Eben L.

    2011-01-01

    Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tumors (HNSCC) contain a dense fibrous stroma which is known to promote tumor growth, although the mechanism of stroma mediated growth remains unclear. As dysplastic mucosal epithelium progresses to cancer there is incremental overexpression of extracellular matrix metalloprotease inducer (EMMPRIN) which is associated with tumor growth and metastasis. Here we present evidence that gain of EMMPRIN expression allows tumor growth to be less dependent on fibroblasts by modulating fibroblast growth factor receptor-2 (FGFR2) signaling. We show that silencing EMMPRIN in FaDu and SCC-5 HNSCC cell lines inhibits cell growth, but when EMMPRIN-silenced tumor cells were co-cultured with fibroblasts or inoculated with fibroblasts into SCID mice, the growth inhibition by silencing EMMPRIN was blunted by the presence of fibroblasts. Co-culture experiments demonstrated fibroblast-dependent tumor cell growth occurred via a paracrine signaling. Analysis of tumor gene expression revealed expression of FGFR2 was inversely related to EMMPRIN expression. To determine the role of FGFR2 signaling in EMMPRIN silenced tumor cells, ligands and inhibitors of FGFR2 were assessed. Both FGF1 and FGF2 enhanced tumor growth in EMMPRIN silenced cells compared to control vector transfected cells, while inhibition of FGFR2 with blocking antibody or with a synthetic inhibitor (PD173074) inhibited tumor cell growth in fibroblast co-culture, suggesting the importance of FGFR2 signaling in fibroblast mediated tumor growth. Analysis of xenografted tumors revealed EMMPRIN silenced tumors had a larger stromal compartment compared to control. Taken together, these results suggest that EMMPRIN acquired during tumor progression promotes fibroblast independent tumor growth. PMID:21665938

  20. Search for KPNA7 cargo proteins in human cells reveals MVP and ZNF414 as novel regulators of cancer cell growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vuorinen, Elisa M; Rajala, Nina K; Rauhala, Hanna E; Nurminen, Anssi T; Hytönen, Vesa P; Kallioniemi, Anne

    2017-01-01

    Karyopherin alpha 7 (KPNA7) belongs to a family of nuclear import proteins that recognize and bind nuclear localization signals (NLSs) in proteins to be transported to the nucleus. Previously we found that KPNA7 is overexpressed in a subset of pancreatic cancer cell lines and acts as a critical regulator of growth in these cells. This characteristic of KPNA7 is likely to be mediated by its cargo proteins that are still mainly unknown. Here, we used protein affinity chromatography in Hs700T and MIA PaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cell lines and identified 377 putative KPNA7 cargo proteins, most of which were known or predicted to localize to the nucleus. The interaction was confirmed for two of the candidates, MVP and ZNF414, using co-immunoprecipitation, and their transport to the nucleus was hindered by siRNA based KPNA7 silencing. Most importantly, silencing of MVP and ZNF414 resulted in marked reduction in Hs700T cell growth. In conclusion, these data uncover two previously unknown human KPNA7 cargo proteins with distinct roles as novel regulators of pancreatic cancer cell growth, thus deepening our understanding on the contribution of nuclear transport in cancer pathogenesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Growth of cells superinoculated onto irradiated and nonirradiated confluent monolayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuoka, H.; Ueo, H.; Sugimachi, K.

    1990-01-01

    We prepared confluent monolayers of normal BALB/c 3T3 cells and compared differences in the growth of four types of cells superinoculated onto these nonirradiated and irradiated monolayers. The test cells were normal BALB/c 3T3 A31 cells, a squamous cell carcinoma from a human esophageal cancer (KSE-1), human fetal fibroblasts, and V-79 cells from Chinese hamster lung fibroblasts. Cell growth was checked by counting the cell number, determining [3H]thymidine incorporation and assessing colony formation. We found that on nonirradiated monolayers, colony formation of human fetal fibroblasts and normal BALB/c 3T3 cells was completely inhibited. On irradiated cells, test cells did exhibit some growth. KSE-1 cells, which had a low clonogenic efficiency on plastic surfaces, formed colonies on both irradiated and nonirradiated cells. On these monolayers, the clonogenic efficiency of V-79 cells was also higher than that on plastic surfaces. We conclude that the nonirradiated monolayer of BALB/c 3T3 cells completely inhibits the growth of superinoculated normal BALB/c 3T3 and human fetal fibroblasts, while on the other hand, they facilitate the growth of neoplastic KSE-1 and V-79 cells by providing a surface for cell adherence and growth, without affecting the presence of normal cells in co-cultures

  2. Analysis of growth characteristics of filamentous fungi in different nutrient media.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meletiadis, J.; Meis, J.F.G.M.; Mouton, J.W.; Verweij, P.E.

    2001-01-01

    A microbroth kinetic model based on turbidity measurements was developed in order to analyze the growth characteristics of three species of filamentous fungi (Rhizopus microsporus, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Scedosporium prolificans) characterized by different growth rates in five nutrient media

  3. The Interaction of Learning Disability Status and Student Demographic Characteristics on Mathematics Growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stevens, Joseph J; Schulte, Ann C

    This study examined mathematics achievement growth of students without disabilities (SWoD) and students with learning disabilities (LD) and tested whether growth and LD status interacted with student demographic characteristics. Growth was estimated in a statewide sample of 79,554 students over Grades 3 to 7. The LD group was significantly lower in achievement in each grade and had less growth than the SWoD group. We also found that student demographic characteristics were significantly related to mathematics growth, but only three demographic characteristics were statistically significant as interactions. We found that LD-SWoD differences at Grade 3 were moderated by student sex, while Black race/ethnicity and free or reduced lunch (FRL) status moderated LD-SWoD differences at all grades. These results provide practitioners and policy makers with more specific information about which particular LD students show faster or slower growth in mathematics. Our results show that simply including predictors in a regression equation may produce different results than direct testing of interactions and achievement gaps may be larger for some LD subgroups of students than previously reported.

  4. Isolation, culture and biological characteristics of multipotent porcine skeletal muscle satellite cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jinjuan; Liu, Hao; Wang, Kunfu; Li, Lu; Yuan, Hongyi; Liu, Xueting; Liu, Yingjie; Guan, Weijun

    2017-12-01

    Skeletal muscle has a huge regenerative potential for postnatal muscle growth and repair, which mainly depends on a kind of muscle progenitor cell population, called satellite cell. Nowadays, the majority of satellite cells were obtained from human, mouse, rat and other animals but rarely from pig. In this article, the porcine skeletal muscle satellite cells were isolated and cultured in vitro. The expression of surface markers of satellite cells was detected by immunofluorescence and RT-PCR assays. The differentiation capacity was assessed by inducing satellite cells into adipocytes, myoblasts and osteoblasts. The results showed that satellite cells isolated from porcine tibialis anterior were subcultured up to 12 passages and were positive for Pax7, Myod, c-Met, desmin, PCNA and NANOG but were negative for Myogenin. Satellite cells were also induced to differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblasts and myoblasts, respectively. These findings indicated that porcine satellite cells possess similar biological characteristics of stem cells, which may provide theoretical basis and experimental evidence for potential therapeutic application in the treatment of dystrophic muscle and other muscle injuries.

  5. Growth performance, carcass and organ characteristics of growing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An experiment was conducted at the Department of Animal Science teaching and research farm, Bayero University Kano, to evaluate the effect of feeding graded levels of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) in diets on growth performance, carcass and organ characteristics of weaned rabbits. Twenty eight grower rabbits of ...

  6. Growth of Youth-owned MSEs in Ethiopia: Characteristics ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Rahel

    The study examines the factors that influence the growth of youth-owned MSEs in Ethiopia using .... have prioritized the development of MSEs as a tool to expand employment, ... Tigray and Harari), and two city administrations (Addis Ababa and Dire .... firm cooperation and social networks; (iii) Firm characteristics including:.

  7. TOFA suppresses ovarian cancer cell growth in vitro and in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shu; Qiu, Lihua; Wu, Buchu; Shen, Haoran; Zhu, Jing; Zhou, Liang; Gu, Liying; Di, Wen

    2013-08-01

    A characteristic feature of cancer cells is the activation of de novo fatty acid synthesis. Acetyl‑CoA carboxylase (ACC) is a key enzyme in fatty acid synthesis, accelerating the reaction that carboxylates cytosolic acetyl‑CoA to form malonyl‑CoA. ACC is highly expressed in several types of human cancer and is important in breast and prostate cancer cell growth. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of 5‑tetradecyloxy‑2‑furoic acid (TOFA), an allosteric inhibitor of ACC, on the proliferation and cell cycle progression of the ovarian cancer cell lines COC1 and COC1/DDP. TOFA was found to be cytotoxic to COC1 and COC1/DDP cells with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of ~26.1 and 11.6 µg/ml, respectively. TOFA inhibited the proliferation of the cancer cells examined in a time‑ and dose‑dependent manner, arrested the cells in the G0/G1 cell cycle phase and induced apoptosis. The expression of the cell cycle regulating proteins cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4, as well as the expression of the apoptosis‑related proteins caspase‑3 and Bcl‑2, were detected by western blot analysis. Cyclin D1, CDK4 and Bcl‑2 protein expression was inhibited by TOFA, while caspase‑3 was cleaved and activated. To the best of our knowledge, the present study demonstrated for the first time that TOFA inhibits COC1/DDP cell growth in ovarian tumor mouse xenografts. By inhibiting ACC, TOFA may be a promising small molecule agent for ovarian cancer therapy.

  8. Radiation cell survival and growth delay studies in multicellular spheroids of small-cell lung carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duchesne, G.M.; Peacock, J.H.

    1987-01-01

    The radiation sensitivity of two small-cell lung carcinoma cell lines growing as multicellular spheroids in static culture was determined using clonogenic cell survival and growth delay as endpoints. Growth delay determination suggested that clonogenic cell kill was less than was obtained by direct assay of cell survival. Recovery from potentially lethal damage was assayed in one line (HC12) but was not demonstrable, and clonogenic cell survival decreased with time in treated spheroids with diameters greater than 300 μm which contained a hypoxic cell population. Microscopic examination of the treated spheroids showed the emergence of an abnormal giant-cell population, and the progressive clonogenic cell loss that occurred after treatment was thought to be due to oxygen and nutrient deprivation of the remaining viable cells by this doomed cell population. Correction of the growth delay measurements for changes in cell size and clonogenic cell population allowed correlation of the growth delay and cell survival data. (author)

  9. Electrochemical behaviour and nanoscale characteristics of CNT-based fibers as new substrate for cell growth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Polizu, S.; Yahia, L.H. [Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, PQ (Canada). Laboratoire d' innovation et d' analyse de la bioperformance; Savadogo, O. [Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, Montreal, PQ (Canada). Laboratoire de nouveaux materiaux pour l' energie et l' electrochimie; Maugey, M.; Poulin, P. [Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal, CNRS, Bordeaux (France); Rouabhia, M. [Laval Univ., Quebec City, PQ (Canada). Faculty of Medicine

    2008-07-01

    This paper reported on a study in which carbon nanotube (CNT) macroscopic fibers were formulated by a newly developed non-covalent method for fabricating fibrous substrate. The covalent and noncovalent chemistry of CNTs has been widely used in the development of CNT-based biomaterials as active substrates for living cells. Time of Flight Mass Spectroscopy (TOF-SIMS) analysis was used to determine the surface characteristics of the CNT-based fibers produced by wet spinning method. The structure and texture of fibers were imaged using Low-Vacuum Scanning Electron Microscopy (LV-SEM) equipped with an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) for microanalysis. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) imaging revealed the structure of fibers. Cyclic Voltametry (CV) measurements were performed to examine the electrochemical behaviour of fibers. Sulfuric acid and a cell culture medium was used as the 2 different electrolytes. The influences of environmental parameters on the electrochemical phenomena taking place were identified. The intrinsic electrochemical characteristics of fibers were revealed through measurements in acid environment. The cell culture medium simulated the physiological conditions. It was concluded that the newly developed wet spinning method is very efficient for making CNT-based fibers as electroactive biomaterials. The structural nanoscale details evidenced a good alignment of nanotubes in the thread and the critical role it plays in electrochemical interactions. The differences induced by the variation of electrolytes suggest that a relationship could be established between the fiber chemistry and the electrochemical response. This correlation has considerably potential for the design of new biomedical devices. 2 refs.

  10. [Characteristics of Cannabis sativa L.: seed morphology, germination and growth characteristics, and distinction from Hibiscus cannabinus L].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshimatsu, Kayo; Kitazawa, Takashi; Kawano, Noriaki; Iida, Osamu; Kawahara, Nobuo

    2010-02-01

    Illegal cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) cultivation is still a social problem worldwide. Fifty inquiries on cannabis that Research Center for Medicinal Plant Resources (Tsukuba Division) received between January 1, 2000 and March 31, 2009 were itemized in to 8 categories; 1: seed identification, 2: plant identification, 3: indoor cultivation, 4: outdoor cultivation, 5: germination and growth characteristics, 6: expected amount of cannabis products derived from illegal cannabis plant, 7: non-narcotic cannabis and 8: usage of medicinal cannabis. Top three inquiries were 1: seed identification (16 cases), 3: indoor cultivation (10 cases) and 4: outdoor cultivation (6 cases). Characteristics of cannabis, namely seed morphology, germination and growth characteristics, and distinction from kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) that is frequently misjudged as cannabis, were studied to contribute for prevention of illegal cannabis cultivation.

  11. A preliminary account of growth characteristics and seed ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    An autecological study of Cassia mimosoides L., which invades mismanaged Dohne Sourveld, was initiated at the Agricultural Research Institute, Dohne. A study of growth characteristics revealed that the nature of the root distribution enabled the plant to take up moisture from superficial as well as deeper soil layers, while ...

  12. Biodegradation and growth characteristics of a toluene-degrading ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A toluene-degrading strain was isolated from active sludge in this study. Both growth characteristic and the performance to degrade toluene by the strain in batch culture mode were evaluated. Results showed that the isolated strain presented a good ability to remove toluene with the maximum removal efficiency of 93.8%.

  13. Clonogenic growth of human breast cancer cells co-cultured in direct contact with serum-activated fibroblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samoszuk, Michael; Tan, Jenny; Chorn, Guillaume

    2005-01-01

    Accumulating evidence suggests that fibroblasts play a pivotal role in promoting the growth of breast cancer cells. The objective of the present study was to characterize and validate an in vitro model of the interaction between small numbers of human breast cancer cells and human fibroblasts. We measured the clonogenic growth of small numbers of human breast cancer cells co-cultured in direct contact with serum-activated, normal human fibroblasts. Using DNA microarrays, we also characterized the gene expression profile of the serum-activated fibroblasts. In order to validate the in vivo relevance of our experiments, we then analyzed clinical samples of metastatic breast cancer for the presence of myofibroblasts expressing α-smooth muscle actin. Clonogenic growth of human breast cancer cells obtained directly from in situ and invasive tumors was dramatically and consistently enhanced when the tumor cells were co-cultured in direct contact with serum-activated fibroblasts. This effect was abolished when the cells were co-cultured in transwells separated by permeable inserts. The fibroblasts in our experimental model exhibited a gene expression signature characteristic of 'serum response' (i.e. myofibroblasts). Immunostaining of human samples of metastatic breast cancer tissue confirmed that myofibroblasts are in direct contact with breast cancer cells. Serum-activated fibroblasts promote the clonogenic growth of human breast cancer cells in vitro through a mechanism that involves direct physical contact between the cells. This model shares many important molecular and phenotypic similarities with the fibroblasts that are naturally found in breast cancers

  14. Effects of exogenous cyclic AMP on growth characteristics and radiation response of Reuber H35 hepatoma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    van Rijn, J.; van Den Berg, J.; van Meeteren, A.; van Wijk, R.

    1983-01-01

    Reuber H35 rat hepatoma cells, clone KRC, were used to study the effect of cyclic AMP on radiation-induced cell death. Treatment of logarithmically growing cultures with 0.5 mM cAMP for 17 hr prior to irradiation resulted in a decreased cell survival. Similar results were obtained with cultures irradiated after treatment with Bt 2 cAMP. Treatment of H35 cells with cAMP or Bt 2 cAMP caused inhibition of their proliferation and resulted in an accumulation of cells in early S phase and depletion of G2-phase cells. In synchronized cultures cells were relatively radioresistant during their S phase. In addition to single-dose treatment with X rays, the effect of Bt 2 cAMP on radiation-induced cell death was studied during fractionated irradiation wtih 2.5 Gy per day. This fractionated irradiation resulted in a dose-reduction factor of 1.6 at the 10% survival level and a 10-fold decrease in the surviving cell population due to the cooperative effects of Bt 2 cAMP on growth rate and radiation survival. The effect of cAMP on radiation-induced mitotic delay was also studied. It appeared that where cAMP had on effect on the progression of G2 cells into mitosis, it prevented cells from recovery from the X-ray mitotic delay in G2

  15. CP-31398 inhibits the growth of p53-mutated liver cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Xing-Xing; Zhang, Yu-Nan; Yan, Jun-Wei; Yan, Jing-Jun; Wu, Qian; Song, Yu-Hu

    2016-01-01

    The tumor suppressor p53 is one of the most frequently mutated genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Previous studies demonstrated that CP-31398 restored the native conformation of mutant p53 and trans-activated p53 downstream genes in tumor cells. However, the research on the application of CP-31398 to liver cancer has not been reported. Here, we investigated the effects of CP-31398 on the phenotype of HCC cells carrying p53 mutation. The effects of CP-31398 on the characteristic of p53-mutated HCC cells were evaluated through analyzing cell cycle, cell apoptosis, cell proliferation, and the expression of p53 downstream genes. In tumor xenografts developed by PLC/PRF/5 cells, the inhibition of tumor growth by CP-31398 was analyzed through gross morphology, growth curve, and the expression of p53-related genes. Firstly, we demonstrated that CP-31398 inhibited the growth of p53-mutated liver cancer cells in a dose-dependent and p53-dependent manner. Then, further study showed that CP-31398 re-activated wild-type p53 function in p53-mutated HCC cells, which resulted in inhibitive response of cell proliferation and an induction of cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. Finally, in vivo data confirmed that CP-31398 blocked the growth of xenografts tumors through transactivation of p53-responsive downstream molecules. Our results demonstrated that CP-31398 induced desired phenotypic change of p53-mutated HCC cells in vitro and in vivo, which revealed that CP-31398 would be developed as a therapeutic candidate for HCC carrying p53 mutation.

  16. Overexpression of p42.3 promotes cell growth and tumorigenicity in hepatocellular carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Wei; Dong, Wei-Wei; Mao, Lin-Lin; Li, Wen-Mei; Cui, Jian-Tao; Xing, Rui; Lu, You-Yong

    2013-01-01

    AIM: To investigate the association of p42.3 expression with clinicopathological characteristics and the biological function of p42.3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: We used reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), quantitative real-time RT-PCR and western blotting to detect p42.3 mRNA and protein expression in hepatic cell lines. We examined primary HCC samples and matched adjacent normal tissue by immunohistochemistry to investigate the correlation between p42.3 expression and clinicopathological features. HepG2 cells were transfected with a pIRES2-EGFP-p42.3 expression vector to examine the function of the p42.3 gene. Transfected cells were analyzed for their viability and malignant transformation abilities by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, colony formation assay, and tumorigenicity assay in nude mice. RESULTS: p42.3 is differentially expressed in primary HCC tumors and cell lines. Approximately 69.6% (96/138) of cells were p42.3-positive in hepatic tumor tissues, while 30.7% (35/114) were p42.3-positive in tumor-adjacent normal tissues. Clinicopathological characteristics of the HCC specimens revealed a significant correlation between p42.3 expression and tumor differentiation (P = 0.031). However, p42.3 positivity was not related to tumor tumor-node-metastasis classification, hepatitis B virus status, or hepatoma type. Regarding p42.3 overexpression in stably transfected HepG2 cells, we discovered significant enhancement of cancer cell growth and colony formation in vitro, and significantly enhanced tumorigenicity in nude mice. Western blot analysis of cell cycle proteins revealed that enhanced p42.3 levels promote upregulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, cyclin B1 and mitotic arrest deficient 2. CONCLUSION: p42.3 promotes tumorigenicity and tumor growth in HCC and may be a potential target for future clinical cancer therapeutics. PMID:23704824

  17. Growth characteristics and productivity of cold-tolerant “Kowinearly ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Growth characteristics and productivity of cold-tolerant “Kowinearly” Italian ryegrass in the northern part of South Korea. Gi Jun Choi, Hee Chung Ji, Ki-Yong Kim, Hyung Soo Park, Sung Seo, Ki-Won Lee, Sang-Hoon Lee ...

  18. Potency testing of mesenchymal stromal cell growth expanded in human platelet lysate from different human tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fazzina, R; Iudicone, P; Fioravanti, D; Bonanno, G; Totta, P; Zizzari, I G; Pierelli, L

    2016-08-25

    Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been largely investigated, in the past decade, as potential therapeutic strategies for various acute and chronic pathological conditions. MSCs isolated from different sources, such as bone marrow (BM), umbilical cord tissue (UCT) and adipose tissue (AT), share many biological features, although they may show some differences on cumulative yield, proliferative ability and differentiation potential. The standardization of MSCs growth and their functional amplification is a mandatory objective of cell therapies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cumulative yield and the ex vivo amplification potential of MSCs obtained from various sources and different subjects, using defined culture conditions with a standardized platelet lysate (PL) as growth stimulus. MSCs isolated from BM, UCT and AT and expanded in human PL were compared in terms of cumulative yield and growth potential per gram of starting tissue. MSCs morphology, phenotype, differentiation potential, and immunomodulatory properties were also investigated to evaluate their biological characteristics. The use of standardized PL-based culture conditions resulted in a very low variability of MSC growth. Our data showed that AT has the greater capacity to generate MSC per gram of initial tissue, compared to BM and UCT. However, UCT-MSCs replicated faster than AT-MSCs and BM-MSCs, revealing a greater proliferation capacity of this source irrespective of its lower MSC yield. All MSCs exhibited the typical MSC phenotype and the ability to differentiate into all mesodermal lineages, while BM-MSCs showed the most prominent immunosuppressive effect in vitro. The adoption of standardized culture conditions may help researchers and clinicians to reveal particular characteristics and inter-individual variability of MSCs sourced from different tissues. These data will be beneficial to set the standards for tissue collection and MSCs clinical-scale expansion both for cell banking

  19. Bone Marrow-Derived, Neural-Like Cells Have the Characteristics of Neurons to Protect the Peripheral Nerve in Microenvironment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shi-lei Guo

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Effective repair of peripheral nerve defects is difficult because of the slow growth of new axonal growth. We propose that “neural-like cells” may be useful for the protection of peripheral nerve destructions. Such cells should prolong the time for the disintegration of spinal nerves, reduce lesions, and improve recovery. But the mechanism of neural-like cells in the peripheral nerve is still unclear. In this study, bone marrow-derived neural-like cells were used as seed cells. The cells were injected into the distal end of severed rabbit peripheral nerves that were no longer integrated with the central nervous system. Electromyography (EMG, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM were employed to analyze the development of the cells in the peripheral nerve environment. The CMAP amplitude appeared during the 5th week following surgery, at which time morphological characteristics of myelinated nerve fiber formation were observed. Bone marrow-derived neural-like cells could protect the disintegration and destruction of the injured peripheral nerve.

  20. Transformation by Oncogenic Ras Expands the Early Genomic Response to Transforming Growth Factor β in Intestinal Epithelial Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carl E. Allen

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available A substantial body of evidence implicates TGFβ as a tumor promoter in epithelial cells that have become resistant to its tumor suppressor activity. To better understand early, genome-wide TGFβ responses in cells resistant to growth inhibition by TGFβ, we used microarray analysis in a well-defined cell culture system of sensitive and resistant intestinal epithelial cells. TGFβ-regulated gene expression in TGFβ-growth-sensitive, nontransformed rat intestinal epithelial cells (RIE-1 was compared to expression in TGFβ-growth-resistant RIE cells stably transformed by oncogenic Ras(12V. Treatment of RIE-1 cells with 2 ng/ml TGFβ1 for 1 hour increased the expression of eight gene sequences by 2.6-fold or more, whereas eight were down regulated 2.6-fold. In RIE-Ras(12V cells, 42 gene sequences were upregulated and only 3 were down-regulated. Comparison of RIE and RIE-Ras(12V identified 37 gene sequences as unique, Ras-dependent genomic targets of TGFβ1. TGFβ-regulation of connective tissue growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor, two genes up-regulated in RIE-Ras cells and previously implicated in tumor promotion, was independently confirmed and further characterized by Northern analysis. Our data indicate that overexpression of oncogenic Ras in intestinal epithelial cells confers a significantly expanded repertoire of robust, early transcriptional responses to TGFβ via signaling pathways yet to be fully elucidated but including the canonical Raf-1/MAPK/Erk pathway. Loss of sensitivity to growth inhibition by TGFβ does not abrogate TGFβ signaling and actually expands the early transcriptional response to TGFβ1. Expression of some of these genes may confer to Ras-transformed cells characteristics favorable for tumor promotion.

  1. Another brick in the cell wall: biosynthesis dependent growth model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adelin Barbacci

    Full Text Available Expansive growth of plant cell is conditioned by the cell wall ability to extend irreversibly. This process is possible if (i a tensile stress is developed in the cell wall due to the coupling effect between turgor pressure and the modulation of its mechanical properties through enzymatic and physicochemical reactions and if (ii new cell wall elements can be synthesized and assembled to the existing wall. In other words, expansive growth is the result of coupling effects between mechanical, thermal and chemical energy. To have a better understanding of this process, models must describe the interplay between physical or mechanical variable with biological events. In this paper we propose a general unified and theoretical framework to model growth in function of energy forms and their coupling. This framework is based on irreversible thermodynamics. It is then applied to model growth of the internodal cell of Chara corallina modulated by changes in pressure and temperature. The results describe accurately cell growth in term of length increment but also in term of cell pectate biosynthesis and incorporation to the expanding wall. Moreover, the classical growth model based on Lockhart's equation such as the one proposed by Ortega, appears as a particular and restrictive case of the more general growth equation developed in this paper.

  2. Effects of shading on the photosynthetic characteristics and mesophyll cell ultrastructure of summer maize.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Baizhao; Cui, Haiyan; Camberato, James J; Dong, Shuting; Liu, Peng; Zhao, Bin; Zhang, Jiwang

    2016-08-01

    A field experiment was conducted to study the effects of shading on the photosynthetic characteristics and mesophyll cell ultrastructure of two summer maize hybrids Denghai605 (DH605) and Zhengdan958 (ZD958). The ambient sunlight treatment was used as control (CK) and shading treatments (40 % of ambient sunlight) were applied at different growth stages from silking (R1) to physiological maturity (R6) (S1), from the sixth leaf stage (V6) to R1 (S2), and from seeding to R6 (S3), respectively. The net photosynthetic rate (P n) was significantly decreased after shading. The greatest reduction of P n was found at S3 treatment, followed by S1 and S2 treatments. P n of S3 was decreased by 59 and 48 % for DH605, and 39 and 43 % for ZD958 at tasseling and milk-ripe stages, respectively, compared to that of CK. Additionally, leaf area index (LAI) and chlorophyll content decreased after shading. In terms of mesophyll cell ultrastructure, chloroplast configuration of mesophyll cells dispersed, and part of chloroplast swelled and became circular. Meanwhile, the major characteristics of chloroplasts showed poorly developed thylakoid structure at the early growth stage, blurry lamellar structure, loose grana, and a large gap between slices and warping granum. Then, plasmolysis occurred in mesophyll cells and the endomembrane system was destroyed, which resulted in the dissolution of cell membrane, karyotheca, mitochondria, and some membrane structures. The damaged mesophyll cell ultrastructure led to the decrease of photosynthetic capacity, and thus resulted in significant yield reduction by 45, 11, and 84 % in S1, S2, and S3 treatments, respectively, compared to that of CK.

  3. Minoxidil Promotes Hair Growth through Stimulation of Growth Factor Release from Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nahyun Choi

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Minoxidil directly promotes hair growth via the stimulation of dermal papilla (DP and epithelial cells. Alternatively, there is little evidence for indirect promotion of hair growth via stimulation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs. We investigated whether minoxidil stimulates ASCs and if increased growth factor secretion by ASCs facilitates minoxidil-induced hair growth. Telogen-to-anagen induction was examined in mice. Cultured DP cells and vibrissae hair follicle organ cultures were used to further examine the underlying mechanisms. Subcutaneous injection of minoxidil-treated ASCs accelerated telogen-to-anagen transition in mice, and increased hair weight at day 14 post-injection. Minoxidil did not alter ASC proliferation, but increased migration and tube formation. Minoxidil also increased the secretion of growth factors from ASCs, including chemokine (C-X-C motif ligand 1 (CXCL1, platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF, and platelet-derived growth factor-C (PDGF-C. Minoxidil increased extracellular signal–regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2 phosphorylation, and concomitant upregulation of PD-ECGF and PDGF-C mRNA levels were attenuated by an ERK inhibitor. Subcutaneous injection of CXCL1, PD-ECGF, or PDGF-C enhanced anagen induction in mice, and both CXCL1 and PDGF-C increased hair length in ex vivo organ culture. Treatment with CXCL1, PD-ECGF, or PDGF-C also increased the proliferation index in DP cells. Finally, topical application of CXCL1, PD-ECGF, or PDGF-C with 2% minoxidil enhanced anagen induction when compared to minoxidil alone. Minoxidil stimulates ASC motility and increases paracrine growth factor signaling. Minoxidil-stimulated secretion of growth factors by ASCs may enhance hair growth by promoting DP proliferation. Therefore, minoxidil can be used as an ASC preconditioning agent for hair regeneration.

  4. Minoxidil Promotes Hair Growth through Stimulation of Growth Factor Release from Adipose-Derived Stem Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Nahyun; Shin, Soyoung; Song, Sun U.; Sung, Jong-Hyuk

    2018-01-01

    Minoxidil directly promotes hair growth via the stimulation of dermal papilla (DP) and epithelial cells. Alternatively, there is little evidence for indirect promotion of hair growth via stimulation of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs). We investigated whether minoxidil stimulates ASCs and if increased growth factor secretion by ASCs facilitates minoxidil-induced hair growth. Telogen-to-anagen induction was examined in mice. Cultured DP cells and vibrissae hair follicle organ cultures were used to further examine the underlying mechanisms. Subcutaneous injection of minoxidil-treated ASCs accelerated telogen-to-anagen transition in mice, and increased hair weight at day 14 post-injection. Minoxidil did not alter ASC proliferation, but increased migration and tube formation. Minoxidil also increased the secretion of growth factors from ASCs, including chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1), platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor (PD-ECGF), and platelet-derived growth factor-C (PDGF-C). Minoxidil increased extracellular signal–regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) phosphorylation, and concomitant upregulation of PD-ECGF and PDGF-C mRNA levels were attenuated by an ERK inhibitor. Subcutaneous injection of CXCL1, PD-ECGF, or PDGF-C enhanced anagen induction in mice, and both CXCL1 and PDGF-C increased hair length in ex vivo organ culture. Treatment with CXCL1, PD-ECGF, or PDGF-C also increased the proliferation index in DP cells. Finally, topical application of CXCL1, PD-ECGF, or PDGF-C with 2% minoxidil enhanced anagen induction when compared to minoxidil alone. Minoxidil stimulates ASC motility and increases paracrine growth factor signaling. Minoxidil-stimulated secretion of growth factors by ASCs may enhance hair growth by promoting DP proliferation. Therefore, minoxidil can be used as an ASC preconditioning agent for hair regeneration. PMID:29495622

  5. Effect of repeated irradiation on biological characteristics of lung adenocarcinoma cell line Anip973 in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Qingyong; Xu Xiangying; Yang Zhiwei

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To study the effect of repeated irradiation on biological characteristics of human lung adenocarcinoma cell line Anip973 in vitro. Methods: Anip973 cells were treated with high energy X-ray to a total dose of 60 Gy at 4 Gy fractions. The radiosensitivity of Anip973R and its parental cell were measured by clonogenic assay. The biological parameters were fitted to the single hit multitarget formula. Furthermore, the population double time(PDT) and cell cycle distribution were measured by cell growth curve and flow cytometry, respectively. Results: Comparing with its parental cell, Anip973 R acquired radioresistance showing increased D 0 , D q and SF 2 and a broader shoulder. PDT of Anip973R extended 3 h more than that of Anip973. The Anip973R also showed higher and lower percentage of cells in G 1 and S phase (P 2 /M distribution (P>0.05). Conclusions: A radioresistant lung adenocarcinoma cell line Anip973R is established by repeatedly irradiation. Its radioresistance displays obviously in lower dose area. However, its characteristic of cell cycle is not completely coincident with the classical radiobiological theory. (authors)

  6. Effects of Cadmium on the Growth and Physiological Characteristics ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Administrator

    2011-11-09

    Nov 9, 2011 ... The effects of cadmium (Cd) stress on the growth and physiological characteristics were studied in 3 sorghum species viz., sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. cv. Hunnigreen], sorghum hybrid sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor × Sorghum sudanense, cv. Everlush) and sudangrass [Sorghum.

  7. Sulforaphane suppresses the growth of glioblastoma cells, glioblastoma stem cell-like spheroids, and tumor xenografts through multiple cell signaling pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bijangi-Vishehsaraei, Khadijeh; Reza Saadatzadeh, M; Wang, Haiyan; Nguyen, Angie; Kamocka, Malgorzata M; Cai, Wenjing; Cohen-Gadol, Aaron A; Halum, Stacey L; Sarkaria, Jann N; Pollok, Karen E; Safa, Ahmad R

    2017-12-01

    OBJECTIVE Defects in the apoptotic machinery and augmented survival signals contribute to drug resistance in glioblastoma (GBM). Moreover, another complexity related to GBM treatment is the concept that GBM development and recurrence may arise from the expression of GBM stem cells (GSCs). Therefore, the use of a multifaceted approach or multitargeted agents that affect specific tumor cell characteristics will likely be necessary to successfully eradicate GBM. The objective of this study was to investigate the usefulness of sulforaphane (SFN)-a constituent of cruciferous vegetables with a multitargeted effect-as a therapeutic agent for GBM. METHODS The inhibitory effects of SFN on established cell lines, early primary cultures, CD133-positive GSCs, GSC-derived spheroids, and GBM xenografts were evaluated using various methods, including GSC isolation and the sphere-forming assay, analysis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis, cell growth inhibition assay, comet assays for assessing SFN-triggered DNA damage, confocal microscopy, Western blot analysis, and the determination of in vivo efficacy as assessed in human GBM xenograft models. RESULTS SFN triggered the significant inhibition of cell survival and induced apoptotic cell death, which was associated with caspase 3 and caspase 7 activation. Moreover, SFN triggered the formation of mitochondrial ROS, and SFN-triggered cell death was ROS dependent. Comet assays revealed that SFN increased single- and double-strand DNA breaks in GBM. Compared with the vehicle control cells, a significantly higher amount of γ-H2AX foci correlated with an increase in DNA double-strand breaks in the SFN-treated samples. Furthermore, SFN robustly inhibited the growth of GBM cell-induced cell death in established cell cultures and early-passage primary cultures and, most importantly, was effective in eliminating GSCs, which play a major role in drug resistance and disease recurrence. In vivo studies revealed that SFN

  8. Insulin-like growth factors act synergistically with basic fibroblast growth factor and nerve growth factor to promote chromaffin cell proliferation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frödin, M; Gammeltoft, S

    1994-01-01

    We have investigated the effects of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and nerve growth factor (NGF) on DNA synthesis in cultured chromaffin cells from fetal, neonatal, and adult rats by using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdUrd) pulse labeling for 24 or 48 h...... implications for improving the survival of chromaffin cell implants in diseased human brain....

  9. The role of tumor cell-derived connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) in pancreatic tumor growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennewith, Kevin L; Huang, Xin; Ham, Christine M; Graves, Edward E; Erler, Janine T; Kambham, Neeraja; Feazell, Jonathan; Yang, George P; Koong, Albert; Giaccia, Amato J

    2009-02-01

    Pancreatic cancer is highly aggressive and refractory to existing therapies. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) is a fibrosis-related gene that is thought to play a role in pancreatic tumor progression. However, CCN2 can be expressed in a variety of cell types, and the contribution of CCN2 derived from either tumor cells or stromal cells as it affects the growth of pancreatic tumors is unknown. Using genetic inhibition of CCN2, we have discovered that CCN2 derived from tumor cells is a critical regulator of pancreatic tumor growth. Pancreatic tumor cells derived from CCN2 shRNA-expressing clones showed dramatically reduced growth in soft agar and when implanted s.c. We also observed a role for CCN2 in the growth of pancreatic tumors implanted orthotopically, with tumor volume measurements obtained by positron emission tomography imaging. Mechanistically, CCN2 protects cells from hypoxia-mediated apoptosis, providing an in vivo selection for tumor cells that express high levels of CCN2. We found that CCN2 expression and secretion was increased in hypoxic pancreatic tumor cells in vitro, and we observed colocalization of CCN2 and hypoxia in pancreatic tumor xenografts and clinical pancreatic adenocarcinomas. Furthermore, we found increased CCN2 staining in clinical pancreatic tumor tissue relative to stromal cells surrounding the tumor, supporting our assertion that tumor cell-derived CCN2 is important for pancreatic tumor growth. Taken together, these data improve our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for pancreatic tumor growth and progression, and also indicate that CCN2 produced by tumor cells represents a viable therapeutic target for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

  10. Characteristics of the Dendrite Growth in the Electrochemical Alane Production Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Park Hyun-Kyu

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The electrochemical alane production process was proposed for a feasible production of alane. The operation of process was difficult because of short circuit by a dendrite growth in the reactor. Therefore, characteristics of the dendrite growth in the process were investigated. We conducted the electrochemical alane production process using Teflon block for inhibition of the dendrite growth. The obtained dendrite was characterized by XRD, SEM and ICP-AES. It was concluded that the dendrite growth was attributed to a melting and agglomeration of Al fine particles existed in the solution.

  11. A millifluidic study of cell-to-cell heterogeneity in growth-rate and cell-division capability in populations of isogenic cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shima P Damodaran

    Full Text Available To address possible cell-to-cell heterogeneity in growth dynamics of isogenic cell populations of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we developed a millifluidic drop-based device that not only allows the analysis of populations grown from single cells over periods of a week, but is also able to sort and collect drops of interest, containing viable and healthy cells, which can be used for further experimentation. In this study, we used isogenic algal cells that were first synchronized in mixotrophic growth conditions. We show that these synchronized cells, when placed in droplets and kept in mixotrophic growth conditions, exhibit mostly homogeneous growth statistics, but with two distinct subpopulations: a major population with a short doubling-time (fast-growers and a significant subpopulation of slowly dividing cells (slow-growers. These observations suggest that algal cells from an isogenic population may be present in either of two states, a state of restricted division and a state of active division. When isogenic cells were allowed to propagate for about 1000 generations on solid agar plates, they displayed an increased heterogeneity in their growth dynamics. Although we could still identify the original populations of slow- and fast-growers, drops inoculated with a single progenitor cell now displayed a wider diversity of doubling-times. Moreover, populations dividing with the same growth-rate often reached different cell numbers in stationary phase, suggesting that the progenitor cells differed in the number of cell divisions they could undertake. We discuss possible explanations for these cell-to-cell heterogeneities in growth dynamics, such as mutations, differential aging or stochastic variations in metabolites and macromolecules yielding molecular switches, in the light of single-cell heterogeneities that have been reported among isogenic populations of other eu- and prokaryotes.

  12. Halofuginone suppresses growth of human uterine leiomyoma cells in a mouse xenograft model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koohestani, Faezeh; Qiang, Wenan; MacNeill, Amy L; Druschitz, Stacy A; Serna, Vanida A; Adur, Malavika; Kurita, Takeshi; Nowak, Romana A

    2016-07-01

    Does halofuginone (HF) inhibit the growth of human uterine leiomyoma cells in a mouse xenograft model? HF suppresses the growth of human uterine leiomyoma cells in a mouse xenograft model through inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. Uterine leiomyomas are the most common benign tumors of the female reproductive tract. HF can suppress the growth of human uterine leiomyoma cells in vitro. The mouse xenograft model reflects the characteristics of human leiomyomas. Primary leiomyoma smooth muscle cells from eight patients were xenografted under the renal capsule of adult, ovariectomized NOD-scid IL2Rγ(null) mice (NSG). Mice were treated with two different doses of HF or vehicle for 4 weeks with six to eight mice per group. Mouse body weight measurements and immunohistochemical analysis of body organs were carried out to assess the safety of HF treatment. Xenografted tumors were measured and analyzed for cellular and molecular changes induced by HF. Ovarian steroid hormone receptors were evaluated for possible modulation by HF. Treatment of mice carrying human UL xenografts with HF at 0.25 or 0.50 mg/kg body weight for 4 weeks resulted in a 35-40% (P leiomyoma cells in an in vivo model, HF was administered to mice whose tolerance and metabolism of the drug may differ from that in humans. Also, the longer term effects of HF treatment are yet unclear. The results of this study showing the effectiveness of HF in reducing UL tumor growth by interfering with the main cellular processes regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis are in agreement with previous studies on the effects of HF on other fibrotic diseases. HF can be considered as a candidate for reducing the size of leiomyomas, particularly prior to surgery. This project was funded by NIH PO1HD057877 and R01 HD064402. Authors report no competing interests. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights

  13. Reliability of using circulating tumor cells for detecting epidermal growth factor receptor mutation status in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients: a meta-analysis and systematic review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hu F

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Fang Hu,* Xiaowei Mao,* Yujun Zhang, Xiaoxuan Zheng, Ping Gu, Huimin Wang, Xueyan ZhangDepartment of Pulmonary Medicine, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this workPurpose: To evaluate the clinical value of circulating tumor cells as a surrogate to detect epidermal growth factor receptor mutation in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC patients.Methods: We searched the electronic databases, and all articles meeting predetermined selection criteria were included in this study. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio were calculated. The evaluation indexes of the diagnostic performance were the summary receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve.Results: Eight eligible publications with 255 advanced NSCLC patients were included in this meta-analysis. Taking tumor tissues as reference, the pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio of circulating tumor cells for detecting the epidermal growth factor receptor mutation status were found to be 0.82 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.50–0.95, 0.95 (95% CI: 0.24–1.00, 16.81 (95% CI: 0.33–848.62, 0.19 (95% CI: 0.06–0.64, and 86.81 (95% CI: 1.22–6,154.15, respectively. The area under the summary receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.89–0.94. The subgroup analysis showed that the factors of blood volume, histological type, EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy, and circulating tumor cell and tissue test methods for EGFR accounted for the significant difference of the pooled specificity. No significant difference was found between the pooled sensitivity of the subgroup.Conclusion: Our meta-analysis confirmed that circulating tumor cells are a good surrogate for

  14. Geometrical versus Random β-TCP Scaffolds: Exploring the Effects on Schwann Cell Growth and Behavior.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lauren Sweet

    Full Text Available Numerous studies have demonstrated that Schwann cells (SCs play a role in nerve regeneration; however, their role in innervating a bioceramic scaffold for potential application in bone regeneration is still unknown. Here we report the cell growth and functional behavior of SCs on β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP scaffolds arranged in 3D printed-lattice (P-β-TCP and randomly-porous, template-casted (N-β-TCP structures. Our results indicate that SCs proliferated well and expressed the phenotypic markers p75LNGFR and the S100-β subunit of SCs as well as displayed growth morphology on both scaffolds, but SCs showed spindle-shaped morphology with a significant degree of SCs alignment on the P-β-TCP scaffolds, seen to a lesser degree in the N-β-TCP scaffold. The gene expressions of nerve growth factor (β-ngf, neutrophin-3 (nt-3, platelet-derived growth factor (pdgf-bb, and vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf-a were higher at day 7 than at day 14. While no significant differences in protein secretion were measured between these last two time points, the scaffolds promoted the protein secretion at day 3 compared to that on the cell culture plates. These results together imply that the β-TCP scaffolds can support SC cell growth and that the 3D-printed scaffold appeared to significantly promote the alignment of SCs along the struts. Further studies are needed to investigate the early and late stage relationship between gene expression and protein secretion of SCs on the scaffolds with refined characteristics, thus better exploring the potential of SCs to support vascularization and innervation in synthetic bone grafts.

  15. Radiomimetic effect of cisplatin on cucumber root development: the relationship between cell division and cell growth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dubrovsky, J. G. [Division of Experimental Biology, Center for Biological Research (CIB), PO Box 128, La Paz, BCS 23000 (Mexico)

    1993-07-01

    Cisplatin [DDP, cis-dichlorodiammine platinum (II)], a strong cytostatic and antineoplastic agent, was tested on seedlings of cucumber Cucumis sativus L. for its general effect on root development and its particular effects on root cell division and cell growth. DDP was characterized as a radiomimetic compound since both DDP (1·3 × 10{sup -5} M) and γ-irradiation (2·5-10 kGy) drastically and irreversibly stopped development of embryonic lateral root primordia (LRPs) in the radicle by inhibiting both mitotic activity and cell growth. In 20% of the LRPs of DDP-treated roots, cells did not divide at all. Dividing cells completed no more than two cell cycles. These effects were specific because when DDP was available to the roots only at the onset of cell division, cell proliferation and cell growth were similar to that produced by constant incubation. Neither DDP nor γ-irradiation affected non-meristematic cell elongation. It was concluded that cell growth of meristematic cells is closely related to cell division. However, non-meristematic cell growth is independent of DNA damage. This suggests DDP as a tool to reveal these autonomous processes in plants development and to detect tissue compartments in mature plant embryos which contain potentially non-meristematic cells. (author)

  16. Alginate as a cell culture substrate for growth and differentiation of human retinal pigment epithelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heidari, Razeih; Soheili, Zahra-Soheila; Samiei, Shahram; Ahmadieh, Hamid; Davari, Maliheh; Nazemroaya, Fatemeh; Bagheri, Abouzar; Deezagi, Abdolkhalegh

    2015-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells' behavior in alginate beads that establish 3D environment for cellular growth and mimic extracellular matrix versus the conventional 2D monolayer culture. RPE cells were encapsulated in alginate beads by dripping alginate cell suspension into CaCl2 solution. Beads were suspended in three different media including Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM)/F12 alone, DMEM/F12 supplemented with 10 % fetal bovine serum (FBS), and DMEM/F12 supplemented with 30 % human amniotic fluid (HAF). RPE cells were cultivated on polystyrene under the same conditions as controls. Cell phenotype, cell proliferation, cell death, and MTT assay, immunocytochemistry, and real-time RT-PCR were performed to evaluate the effect of alginate on RPE cells characteristics and integrity. RPE cells can survive and proliferate in alginate matrixes. Immunocytochemistry analysis exhibited Nestin, RPE65, and cytokeratin expressions in a reasonable number of cultured cells in alginate beads. Real-time PCR data demonstrated high levels of Nestin, CHX10, RPE65, and tyrosinase gene expressions in RPE cells immobilized in alginate when compared to 2D monolayer culture systems. The results suggest that alginate can be used as a reliable scaffold for maintenance of RPE cells' integrity and in vitro propagation of human retinal progenitor cells for cell replacement therapies in retinal diseases.

  17. Effects of cadmium on the growth and physiological characteristics ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The effects of cadmium (Cd) stress on the growth and physiological characteristics were studied in 3 sorghum species viz., sweet sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. cv. Hunnigreen], sorghum hybrid sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor × Sorghum sudanense, cv. Everlush) and sudangrass [Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf ...

  18. Benzimidazoles diminish ERE transcriptional activity and cell growth in breast cancer cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Payton-Stewart, Florastina [Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA (United States); Tilghman, Syreeta L. [Division of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA (United States); Williams, LaKeisha G. [Division of Clinical and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA (United States); Winfield, Leyte L., E-mail: lwinfield@spelman.edu [Department of Chemistry, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA (United States)

    2014-08-08

    Highlights: • The methyl-substituted benzimidazole was more effective at inhibiting growth in MDA-MB 231 cells. • The naphthyl-substituted benzimidazole was more effective at inhibiting growth in MCF-7 cells than ICI. • The benzimidazole molecules demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in ERE transcriptional activity. • The benzimidazole molecules had binding mode in ERα and ERβ comparable to that of the co-crystallized ligand. - Abstract: Estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ) are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily. They regulate the transcription of estrogen-responsive genes and mediate numerous estrogen related diseases (i.e., fertility, osteoporosis, cancer, etc.). As such, ERs are potentially useful targets for developing therapies and diagnostic tools for hormonally responsive human breast cancers. In this work, two benzimidazole-based sulfonamides originally designed to reduce proliferation in prostate cancer, have been evaluated for their ability to modulate growth in estrogen dependent and independent cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB 231) using cell viability assays. The molecules reduced growth in MCF-7 cells, but differed in their impact on the growth of MDA-MB 231 cells. Although both molecules reduced estrogen response element (ERE) transcriptional activity in a dose dependent manner, the contrasting activity in the MDA-MB-231 cells seems to suggest that the molecules may act through alternate ER-mediated pathways. Further, the methyl analog showed modest selectivity for the ERβ receptor in an ER gene expression array panel, while the naphthyl analog did not significantly alter gene expression. The molecules were docked in the ligand binding domains of the ERα-antagonist and ERβ-agonist crystal structures to evaluate the potential of the molecules to interact with the receptors. The computational analysis complimented the results obtained in the assay of transcriptional activity and gene expression suggesting that the molecules

  19. Benzimidazoles diminish ERE transcriptional activity and cell growth in breast cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Payton-Stewart, Florastina; Tilghman, Syreeta L.; Williams, LaKeisha G.; Winfield, Leyte L.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • The methyl-substituted benzimidazole was more effective at inhibiting growth in MDA-MB 231 cells. • The naphthyl-substituted benzimidazole was more effective at inhibiting growth in MCF-7 cells than ICI. • The benzimidazole molecules demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in ERE transcriptional activity. • The benzimidazole molecules had binding mode in ERα and ERβ comparable to that of the co-crystallized ligand. - Abstract: Estrogen receptors (ERα and ERβ) are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily. They regulate the transcription of estrogen-responsive genes and mediate numerous estrogen related diseases (i.e., fertility, osteoporosis, cancer, etc.). As such, ERs are potentially useful targets for developing therapies and diagnostic tools for hormonally responsive human breast cancers. In this work, two benzimidazole-based sulfonamides originally designed to reduce proliferation in prostate cancer, have been evaluated for their ability to modulate growth in estrogen dependent and independent cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB 231) using cell viability assays. The molecules reduced growth in MCF-7 cells, but differed in their impact on the growth of MDA-MB 231 cells. Although both molecules reduced estrogen response element (ERE) transcriptional activity in a dose dependent manner, the contrasting activity in the MDA-MB-231 cells seems to suggest that the molecules may act through alternate ER-mediated pathways. Further, the methyl analog showed modest selectivity for the ERβ receptor in an ER gene expression array panel, while the naphthyl analog did not significantly alter gene expression. The molecules were docked in the ligand binding domains of the ERα-antagonist and ERβ-agonist crystal structures to evaluate the potential of the molecules to interact with the receptors. The computational analysis complimented the results obtained in the assay of transcriptional activity and gene expression suggesting that the molecules

  20. Contributions of cell growth and biochemical reactions to nongenetic variability of cells.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schwabe, A.; Bruggeman, F.J.

    2014-01-01

    Cell-to-cell variability in the molecular composition of isogenic, steady-state growing cells arises spontaneously from the inherent stochasticity of intracellular biochemical reactions and cell growth. Here, we present a general decomposition of the total variance in the copy number per cell of a

  1. Growth, carcase and meat characteristics of stress susceptible and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Growth, carcase and meat characteristics of stress susceptible and stress resistant. South African Landrace gilts. P.H. Heinze*. Animal and Dairy Science Research Institute, Private Bag X2, Irene, 1675Republic of South Africa. G. Mitchell. Department of Physiology, Medical School, University of the Witwatersrand, York ...

  2. c-myb stimulates cell growth by regulation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and IGF-binding protein-3 in K562 leukemia cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Min-Sun; Kim, Sun-Young; Arunachalam, Sankarganesh [Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-712 (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Pyoung-Han [Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-712 (Korea, Republic of); Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-712 (Korea, Republic of); Yi, Ho-Keun [Department of Biochemistry, School of Dentistry, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-712 (Korea, Republic of); Nam, Sang-Yun [Department of Alternative Therapy, School of Alternative Medicine and Health Science, Jeonju University, Jeonju 561-712 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Dae-Yeol, E-mail: leedy@chonbuk.ac.kr [Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-712 (Korea, Republic of); Research Institute of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju 561-712 (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-07-17

    c-myb plays an important role in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation, and is highly expressed in immature hematopoietic cells. The human chronic myelogenous leukemia cell K562, highly expresses IGF-I, IGF-II, IGF-IR, and IGF-induced cellular proliferation is mediated by IGF-IR. To characterize the impact of c-myb on the IGF-IGFBP-3 axis in leukemia cells, we overexpressed c-myb using an adenovirus gene transfer system in K562 cells. The overexpression of c-myb induced cell proliferation, compared to control, and c-myb induced cell growth was inhibited by anti-IGF-IR antibodies. c-myb overexpression resulted in a significant increase in the expression of IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGF-IR, and a decrease in IGFBP-3 expression. By contrast, disruption of c-myb function by DN-myb overexpression resulted in significant reduction of IGF-I, IGF-II, IGF-IR, and elevation of IGFBP-3 expression. In addition, exogenous IGFBP-3 inhibited the proliferation of K562 cells, and c-myb induced cell growth was blocked by IGFBP-3 overexpression in a dose-dependent manner. The growth-promoting effects of c-myb were mediated through two major intracellular signaling pathways, Akt and Erk. Activation of Akt and Erk by c-myb was completely blocked by IGF-IR and IGFBP-3 antibodies. These findings suggest that c-myb stimulates cell growth, in part, by regulating expression of the components of IGF-IGFBP axis in K562 cells. In addition, disruption of c-myb function by DN-myb may provide a useful strategy for treatment of leukemia.

  3. c-myb stimulates cell growth by regulation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and IGF-binding protein-3 in K562 leukemia cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Min-Sun; Kim, Sun-Young; Arunachalam, Sankarganesh; Hwang, Pyoung-Han; Yi, Ho-Keun; Nam, Sang-Yun; Lee, Dae-Yeol

    2009-01-01

    c-myb plays an important role in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation, and is highly expressed in immature hematopoietic cells. The human chronic myelogenous leukemia cell K562, highly expresses IGF-I, IGF-II, IGF-IR, and IGF-induced cellular proliferation is mediated by IGF-IR. To characterize the impact of c-myb on the IGF-IGFBP-3 axis in leukemia cells, we overexpressed c-myb using an adenovirus gene transfer system in K562 cells. The overexpression of c-myb induced cell proliferation, compared to control, and c-myb induced cell growth was inhibited by anti-IGF-IR antibodies. c-myb overexpression resulted in a significant increase in the expression of IGF-I, IGF-II, and IGF-IR, and a decrease in IGFBP-3 expression. By contrast, disruption of c-myb function by DN-myb overexpression resulted in significant reduction of IGF-I, IGF-II, IGF-IR, and elevation of IGFBP-3 expression. In addition, exogenous IGFBP-3 inhibited the proliferation of K562 cells, and c-myb induced cell growth was blocked by IGFBP-3 overexpression in a dose-dependent manner. The growth-promoting effects of c-myb were mediated through two major intracellular signaling pathways, Akt and Erk. Activation of Akt and Erk by c-myb was completely blocked by IGF-IR and IGFBP-3 antibodies. These findings suggest that c-myb stimulates cell growth, in part, by regulating expression of the components of IGF-IGFBP axis in K562 cells. In addition, disruption of c-myb function by DN-myb may provide a useful strategy for treatment of leukemia.

  4. Immunoreactive transforming growth factor alpha and epidermal growth factor in oral squamous cell carcinomas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Therkildsen, M H; Poulsen, Steen Seier; Bretlau, P

    1993-01-01

    Forty oral squamous cell carcinomas have been investigated immunohistochemically for the presence of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-alpha) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). The same cases were recently characterized for the expression of EGF-receptors. TGF-alpha was detected...... previous results confirms the existence of TGF-alpha, EGF, and EGF-receptors in the majority of oral squamous cell carcinomas and their metastases......., the cells above the basal cell layer were positive for both TGF-alpha and EGF. The same staining pattern was observed in oral mucosa obtained from healthy persons. In moderately to well differentiated carcinomas, the immunoreactivity was mainly confined to the cytologically more differentiated cells, thus...

  5. Nonmalignant T cells stimulate growth of T-cell lymphoma cells in the presence of bacterial toxins

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Woetmann, Anders; Lovato, Paola; Eriksen, Karsten W

    2007-01-01

    Bacterial toxins including staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs). Here, we investigate SE-mediated interactions between nonmalignant T cells and malignant T-cell lines established from skin and blood of CTCL patients....... The malignant CTCL cells express MHC class II molecules that are high-affinity receptors for SE. Although treatment with SE has no direct effect on the growth of the malignant CTCL cells, the SE-treated CTCL cells induce vigorous proliferation of the SE-responsive nonmalignant T cells. In turn, the nonmalignant...... T cells enhance proliferation of the malignant cells in an SE- and MHC class II-dependent manner. Furthermore, SE and, in addition, alloantigen presentation by malignant CTCL cells to irradiated nonmalignant CD4(+) T-cell lines also enhance proliferation of the malignant cells. The growth...

  6. Adenylate kinase I does not affect cellular growth characteristics under normal and metabolic stress conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Bruin, Wieke; Oerlemans, Frank; Wieringa, Bé

    2004-07-01

    Adenylate kinase (AK)-catalyzed phosphotransfer is essential in the maintenance of cellular energetic economy in cells of fully differentiated tissues with highly variable energy demand, such as muscle and brain. To investigate if AK isoenzymes have a comparable function in the energy-demand management of proliferating cells, AK1 and AK1beta were expressed in mouse neuroblastoma N2a cells and in human colon carcinoma SW480 cells. Glucose deprivation, galactose feeding, and metabolic inhibitor tests revealed a differential energy dependency for these two cell lines. N2a cells showed a faster proliferation rate and strongest coupling to mitochondrial activity, SW480 proliferation was more dependent on glycolysis. Despite these differences, ectopic expression of AK1 or AK1beta did not affect their growth characteristics under normal conditions. Also, no differential effects were seen under metabolic stress upon treatment with mitochondrial and glycolytic inhibitors in in vitro culture or in solid tumors grown in vivo. Although many intimate connections have been revealed between cell death and metabolism, our results suggest that AK1- or AK1beta-mediated high-energy phosphoryl transfer is not a modulating factor in the survival of tumor cells during episodes of metabolic crisis.

  7. Growth characteristics of Lactobacillus brevis KB290 in the presence of bile.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimoto-Nira, Hiromi; Suzuki, Shigenori; Suganuma, Hiroyuki; Moriya, Naoko; Suzuki, Chise

    2015-10-01

    Live Lactobacillus brevis KB290 have several probiotic activities, including immune stimulation and modulation of intestinal microbial balance. We investigated the adaptation of L. brevis KB290 to bile as a mechanism of intestinal survival. Strain KB290 was grown for 5 days at 37 °C in tryptone-yeast extract-glucose (TYG) broth supplemented with 0.5% sodium acetate (TYGA) containing 0.15%, 0.3%, or 0.5% bile. Growth was determined by absorbance at 620 nm or by dry weight. Growth was enhanced as the broth's bile concentration increased. Bile-enhanced growth was not observed in TYG broth or with xylose or fructose as the carbon source, although strain KB290 could assimilate these sugars. Compared with cells grown without bile, cells grown with bile had twice the cell yield (dry weight) and higher hydrophobicity, which may improve epithelial adhesion. Metabolite analysis revealed that bile induced more lactate production by glycolysis, thus enhancing growth efficiency. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that cells cultured without bile for 5 days in TYGA broth had a shortened rod shape and showed lysis and aggregation, unlike cells cultured for 1 day; cells grown with bile for 5 days had an intact rod shape and rarely appeared damaged. Cellular material leakage through autolysis was lower in the presence of bile than in its absence. Thus lysis of strain KB290 cells cultured for extended periods was suppressed in the presence of bile. This study provides new role of bile and sodium acetate for retaining an intact cell shape and enhancing cell yield, which are beneficial for intestinal survival. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Expression of PML tumor suppressor in A 431 cells reduces cellular growth by inhibiting the epidermal growth factor receptor expression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vallian, S.; Chang, K.S.

    2004-01-01

    Our previous studies showed that the promyelocytic leukemia, PML, protein functions as a cellular and growth suppressor. Transient expression of PML was also found to repress the activity of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene promoter. In this study we have examined the effects of PML on A431 cells, which express a high level of + protein. The PML gene was introduced into the cells using the adenovirus-mediated gene transfer system. Western blot analysis on the extracts from the cells expressing PML showed a significant repression in the expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor protein. The cells were examined for growth and DNA synthesis. The data showed a marked reduction in both growth and DNA synthesis rate in the cells expressing PML compared with the control cells. Furthermore, in comparison with the controls, the cells expressing PML were found to be more in G1 phase, fewer in S and about the same number in the G2/M phase. This data clearly demonstrated that the repression of epidermal growth factor receptor expression in A 431 cells by PML was associated with inhibition of cell growth and alteration of the cell cycle distribution, suggesting a novel mechanism for the known growth inhibitory effects of PML

  9. Mesenchymal stem cells support neuronal fiber growth in an organotypic brain slice co-culture model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sygnecka, Katja; Heider, Andreas; Scherf, Nico; Alt, Rüdiger; Franke, Heike; Heine, Claudia

    2015-04-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been identified as promising candidates for neuroregenerative cell therapies. However, the impact of different isolation procedures on the functional and regenerative characteristics of MSC populations has not been studied thoroughly. To quantify these differences, we directly compared classically isolated bulk bone marrow-derived MSCs (bulk BM-MSCs) to the subpopulation Sca-1(+)Lin(-)CD45(-)-derived MSCs(-) (SL45-MSCs), isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting from bulk BM-cell suspensions. Both populations were analyzed with respect to functional readouts, that are, frequency of fibroblast colony forming units (CFU-f), general morphology, and expression of stem cell markers. The SL45-MSC population is characterized by greater morphological homogeneity, higher CFU-f frequency, and significantly increased nestin expression compared with bulk BM-MSCs. We further quantified the potential of both cell populations to enhance neuronal fiber growth, using an ex vivo model of organotypic brain slice co-cultures of the mesocortical dopaminergic projection system. The MSC populations were cultivated underneath the slice co-cultures without direct contact using a transwell system. After cultivation, the fiber density in the border region between the two brain slices was quantified. While both populations significantly enhanced fiber outgrowth as compared with controls, purified SL45-MSCs stimulated fiber growth to a larger degree. Subsequently, we analyzed the expression of different growth factors in both cell populations. The results show a significantly higher expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and basic fibroblast growth factor in the SL45-MSCs population. Altogether, we conclude that MSC preparations enriched for primary MSCs promote neuronal regeneration and axonal regrowth, more effectively than bulk BM-MSCs, an effect that may be mediated by a higher BDNF secretion.

  10. Effects of hepatocyte growth factor on glutathione synthesis, growth, and apoptosis is cell density-dependent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Heping; Magilnick, Nathaniel; Xia Meng; Lu, Shelly C.

    2008-01-01

    Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a potent hepatocyte mitogen that exerts opposing effects depending on cell density. Glutathione (GSH) is the main non-protein thiol in mammalian cells that modulates growth and apoptosis. We previously showed that GSH level is inversely related to cell density of hepatocytes and is positively related to growth. Our current work examined whether HGF can modulate GSH synthesis in a cell density-dependent manner and how GSH in turn influence HGF's effects. We found HGF treatment of H4IIE cells increased cell GSH levels only under subconfluent density. The increase in cell GSH under low density was due to increased transcription of GSH synthetic enzymes. This correlated with increased protein levels and nuclear binding activities of c-Jun, c-Fos, p65, p50, Nrf1 and Nrf2 to the promoter region of these genes. HGF acts as a mitogen in H4IIE cells under low cell density and protects against tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)-induced apoptosis by limiting JNK activation. However, HGF is pro-apoptotic under high cell density and exacerbates TNFα-induced apoptosis by potentiating JNK activation. The increase in cell GSH under low cell density allows HGF to exert its full mitogenic effect but is not necessary for its anti-apoptotic effect

  11. SATB2 expression increased anchorage-independent growth and cell migration in human bronchial epithelial cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Feng; Jordan, Ashley; Kluz, Thomas [Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987 (United States); Shen, Steven [Center for Health Informatics and Bioinformatics, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016 (United States); Sun, Hong; Cartularo, Laura A. [Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987 (United States); Costa, Max, E-mail: Max.Costa@nyumc.org [Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987 (United States)

    2016-02-15

    The special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 (SATB2) is a protein that binds to the nuclear matrix attachment region of the cell and regulates gene expression by altering chromatin structure. In our previous study, we reported that SATB2 gene expression was induced in human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells transformed by arsenic, chromium, nickel and vanadium. In this study, we show that ectopic expression of SATB2 in the normal human bronchial epithelial cell-line BEAS-2B increased anchorage-independent growth and cell migration, meanwhile, shRNA-mediated knockdown of SATB2 significantly decreased anchorage-independent growth in Ni transformed BEAS-2B cells. RNA sequencing analyses of SATB2 regulated genes revealed the enrichment of those involved in cytoskeleton, cell adhesion and cell-movement pathways. Our evidence supports the hypothesis that SATB2 plays an important role in BEAS-2B cell transformation. - Highlights: • We performed SATB2 overexpression in the BEAS-2B cell line. • We performed SATB2 knockdown in a Ni transformed BEAS-2B cell line. • SATB2 induced anchorage-independent growth and increased cell migration. • SATB2 knockdown significantly decreased anchorage-independent growth. • We identified alterations in gene involved in cytoskeleton, cell adhesion.

  12. SATB2 expression increased anchorage-independent growth and cell migration in human bronchial epithelial cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Feng; Jordan, Ashley; Kluz, Thomas; Shen, Steven; Sun, Hong; Cartularo, Laura A.; Costa, Max

    2016-01-01

    The special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 (SATB2) is a protein that binds to the nuclear matrix attachment region of the cell and regulates gene expression by altering chromatin structure. In our previous study, we reported that SATB2 gene expression was induced in human bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B cells transformed by arsenic, chromium, nickel and vanadium. In this study, we show that ectopic expression of SATB2 in the normal human bronchial epithelial cell-line BEAS-2B increased anchorage-independent growth and cell migration, meanwhile, shRNA-mediated knockdown of SATB2 significantly decreased anchorage-independent growth in Ni transformed BEAS-2B cells. RNA sequencing analyses of SATB2 regulated genes revealed the enrichment of those involved in cytoskeleton, cell adhesion and cell-movement pathways. Our evidence supports the hypothesis that SATB2 plays an important role in BEAS-2B cell transformation. - Highlights: • We performed SATB2 overexpression in the BEAS-2B cell line. • We performed SATB2 knockdown in a Ni transformed BEAS-2B cell line. • SATB2 induced anchorage-independent growth and increased cell migration. • SATB2 knockdown significantly decreased anchorage-independent growth. • We identified alterations in gene involved in cytoskeleton, cell adhesion.

  13. Berberine slows cell growth in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonon, Anna; Mangolini, Alessandra; Pinton, Paolo; Senno, Laura del; Aguiari, Gianluca

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Berberine at appropriate doses slows cell proliferation in ADPKD cystic cells. •Reduction of cell growth by berberine occurs by inhibition of ERK and p70-S6 kinase. •Higher doses of berberine cause an overall cytotoxic effect. •Berberine overdose induces apoptotic bodies formation and DNA fragmentation. •Antiproliferative properties of this drug make it a new candidate for ADPKD therapy. -- Abstract: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common hereditary monogenic disorder characterized by development and enlargement of kidney cysts that lead to loss of renal function. It is caused by mutations in two genes (PKD1 and PKD2) encoding for polycystin-1 and polycystin-2 proteins which regulate different signals including cAMP, mTOR and EGFR pathways. Abnormal activation of these signals following PC1 or PC2 loss of function causes an increased cell proliferation which is a typical hallmark of this disease. Despite the promising findings obtained in animal models with targeted inhibitors able to reduce cystic cell growth, currently, no specific approved therapy for ADPKD is available. Therefore, the research of new more effective molecules could be crucial for the treatment of this severe pathology. In this regard, we have studied the effect of berberine, an isoquinoline quaternary alkaloid, on cell proliferation and apoptosis in human and mouse ADPKD cystic cell lines. Berberine treatment slows cell proliferation of ADPKD cystic cells in a dose-dependent manner and at high doses (100 μg/mL) it induces cell death in cystic cells as well as in normal kidney tubule cells. However, at 10 μg/mL, berberine reduces cell growth in ADPKD cystic cells only enhancing G 0 /G 1 phase of cell cycle and inhibiting ERK and p70-S6 kinases. Our results indicate that berberine shows a selected antiproliferative activity in cellular models for ADPKD, suggesting that this molecule and similar natural compounds could open new opportunities

  14. Berberine slows cell growth in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bonon, Anna; Mangolini, Alessandra [Department of Biomedical and Specialty Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara (Italy); Pinton, Paolo [Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, Section of General Pathology, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara (Italy); Senno, Laura del [Department of Biomedical and Specialty Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara (Italy); Aguiari, Gianluca, E-mail: dsn@unife.it [Department of Biomedical and Specialty Surgical Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara (Italy)

    2013-11-22

    Highlights: •Berberine at appropriate doses slows cell proliferation in ADPKD cystic cells. •Reduction of cell growth by berberine occurs by inhibition of ERK and p70-S6 kinase. •Higher doses of berberine cause an overall cytotoxic effect. •Berberine overdose induces apoptotic bodies formation and DNA fragmentation. •Antiproliferative properties of this drug make it a new candidate for ADPKD therapy. -- Abstract: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common hereditary monogenic disorder characterized by development and enlargement of kidney cysts that lead to loss of renal function. It is caused by mutations in two genes (PKD1 and PKD2) encoding for polycystin-1 and polycystin-2 proteins which regulate different signals including cAMP, mTOR and EGFR pathways. Abnormal activation of these signals following PC1 or PC2 loss of function causes an increased cell proliferation which is a typical hallmark of this disease. Despite the promising findings obtained in animal models with targeted inhibitors able to reduce cystic cell growth, currently, no specific approved therapy for ADPKD is available. Therefore, the research of new more effective molecules could be crucial for the treatment of this severe pathology. In this regard, we have studied the effect of berberine, an isoquinoline quaternary alkaloid, on cell proliferation and apoptosis in human and mouse ADPKD cystic cell lines. Berberine treatment slows cell proliferation of ADPKD cystic cells in a dose-dependent manner and at high doses (100 μg/mL) it induces cell death in cystic cells as well as in normal kidney tubule cells. However, at 10 μg/mL, berberine reduces cell growth in ADPKD cystic cells only enhancing G{sub 0}/G{sub 1} phase of cell cycle and inhibiting ERK and p70-S6 kinases. Our results indicate that berberine shows a selected antiproliferative activity in cellular models for ADPKD, suggesting that this molecule and similar natural compounds could open new

  15. Linking stem cell function and growth pattern of intestinal organoids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thalheim, Torsten; Quaas, Marianne; Herberg, Maria; Braumann, Ulf-Dietrich; Kerner, Christiane; Loeffler, Markus; Aust, Gabriela; Galle, Joerg

    2018-01-15

    Intestinal stem cells (ISCs) require well-defined signals from their environment in order to carry out their specific functions. Most of these signals are provided by neighboring cells that form a stem cell niche, whose shape and cellular composition self-organize. Major features of this self-organization can be studied in ISC-derived organoid culture. In this system, manipulation of essential pathways of stem cell maintenance and differentiation results in well-described growth phenotypes. We here provide an individual cell-based model of intestinal organoids that enables a mechanistic explanation of the observed growth phenotypes. In simulation studies of the 3D structure of expanding organoids, we investigate interdependences between Wnt- and Notch-signaling which control the shape of the stem cell niche and, thus, the growth pattern of the organoids. Similar to in vitro experiments, changes of pathway activities alter the cellular composition of the organoids and, thereby, affect their shape. Exogenous Wnt enforces transitions from branched into a cyst-like growth pattern; known to occur spontaneously during long term organoid expansion. Based on our simulation results, we predict that the cyst-like pattern is associated with biomechanical changes of the cells which assign them a growth advantage. The results suggest ongoing stem cell adaptation to in vitro conditions during long term expansion by stabilizing Wnt-activity. Our study exemplifies the potential of individual cell-based modeling in unraveling links between molecular stem cell regulation and 3D growth of tissues. This kind of modeling combines experimental results in the fields of stem cell biology and cell biomechanics constituting a prerequisite for a better understanding of tissue regeneration as well as developmental processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Prolyl oligopeptidase inhibition-induced growth arrest of human gastric cancer cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, Kanayo [Laboratory of Cell Biology, Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 4-20-1 Nasahara, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-1094 (Japan); Sakaguchi, Minoru, E-mail: sakaguti@gly.oups.ac.jp [Laboratory of Cell Biology, Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 4-20-1 Nasahara, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-1094 (Japan); Tanaka, Satoshi [Laboratory of Cell Biology, Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 4-20-1 Nasahara, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-1094 (Japan); Yoshimoto, Tadashi [Department of Life Science, Setsunan University, 17-8 Ikeda-Nakamachi, Neyagawa, Osaka 572-8508 (Japan); Takaoka, Masanori [Laboratory of Cell Biology, Osaka University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 4-20-1 Nasahara, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-1094 (Japan)

    2014-01-03

    Highlights: •We examined the effects of prolyl oligopeptidase (POP) inhibition on p53 null gastric cancer cell growth. •POP inhibition-induced cell growth suppression was associated with an increase in a quiescent G{sub 0} state. •POP might regulate the exit from and/or reentry into the cell cycle. -- Abstract: Prolyl oligopeptidase (POP) is a serine endopeptidase that hydrolyzes post-proline peptide bonds in peptides that are <30 amino acids in length. We recently reported that POP inhibition suppressed the growth of human neuroblastoma cells. The growth suppression was associated with pronounced G{sub 0}/G{sub 1} cell cycle arrest and increased levels of the CDK inhibitor p27{sup kip1} and the tumor suppressor p53. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of POP inhibition-induced cell growth arrest using a human gastric cancer cell line, KATO III cells, which had a p53 gene deletion. POP specific inhibitors, 3-((4-[2-(E)-styrylphenoxy]butanoyl)-L-4-hydroxyprolyl)-thiazolidine (SUAM-14746) and benzyloxycarbonyl-thioprolyl-thioprolinal, or RNAi-mediated POP knockdown inhibited the growth of KATO III cells irrespective of their p53 status. SUAM-14746-induced growth inhibition was associated with G{sub 0}/G{sub 1} cell cycle phase arrest and increased levels of p27{sup kip1} in the nuclei and the pRb2/p130 protein expression. Moreover, SUAM-14746-mediated cell cycle arrest of KATO III cells was associated with an increase in the quiescent G{sub 0} state, defined by low level staining for the proliferation marker, Ki-67. These results indicate that POP may be a positive regulator of cell cycle progression by regulating the exit from and/or reentry into the cell cycle by KATO III cells.

  17. Single Cell Analysis Linking Ribosomal (r)DNA and rRNA Copy Numbers to Cell Size and Growth Rate Provides Insights into Molecular Protistan Ecology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Rao; Gong, Jun

    2017-11-01

    Ribosomal (r)RNA and rDNA have been golden molecular markers in microbial ecology. However, it remains poorly understood how ribotype copy number (CN)-based characteristics are linked with diversity, abundance, and activity of protist populations and communities observed at organismal levels. Here, we applied a single-cell approach to quantify ribotype CNs in two ciliate species reared at different temperatures. We found that in actively growing cells, the per-cell rDNA and rRNA CNs scaled with cell volume (CV) to 0.44 and 0.58 powers, respectively. The modeled rDNA and rRNA concentrations thus appear to be much higher in smaller than in larger cells. The observed rRNA:rDNA ratio scaled with CV 0.14 . The maximum growth rate could be well predicted by a combination of per-cell ribotype CN and temperature. Our empirical data and modeling on single-cell ribotype scaling are in agreement with both the metabolic theory of ecology and the growth rate hypothesis, providing a quantitative framework for linking cellular rDNA and rRNA CNs with body size, growth (activity), and biomass stoichiometry. This study also demonstrates that the expression rate of rRNA genes is constrained by cell size, and favors biomass rather than abundance-based interpretation of quantitative ribotype data in population and community ecology of protists. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Society of Protistologists.

  18. Effects of fish silage on growth and biochemical characteristics of fresh water microalga Scenedesmus sp. MB 23

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jasmin Kaippilliparambil Abdulsamad

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Scenedesmus sp. MB 23 was cultivated in fish silage to study the effects of different concentrations on the growth and biochemical characteristics, particularly the protein, carbohydrate and lipid properties. Fish silage with 12% concentration was most effective for the growth and biomass production of Scenedesmus sp. The microalga reached maximum cell density (2433.89 × 104 cells/mL, chlorophyll-a concentration (2.766 μg/mL, specific growth rate (0.48/d and biomass (2.73 g/L on this medium. In mass culture, enhanced production of protein (123.87 mg/g dry weight of alga, carbohydrate (44.904 mg/g dry weight of alga and lipid (84.21 mg/g dry weight of alga was found using 9% fish silage. The effective reduction (up to 90% in the concentrations of nitrate, phosphorus and ammonia in the final fish silage medium proved the removal efficiency of Scenedesmus sp. The enhanced production of Scenedesmus sp. MB 23 indicated that effective bioremediation of fish waste can be conducted using algal mass production in fish silage. The study also proved that microalgae grown in fish silage have great industrial potential and can be used as a source of feed and biofuel.

  19. Quantum dot-based molecular imaging of cancer cell growth using a clone formation assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geng, Xia-Fei; Fang, Min; Liu, Shao-Ping; Li, Yan

    2016-10-01

    This aim of the present study was to investigate clonal growth behavior and analyze the proliferation characteristics of cancer cells. The MCF‑7 human breast cancer cell line, SW480 human colon cancer cell line and SGC7901 human gastric cancer cell line were selected to investigate the morphology of cell clones. Quantum dot‑based molecular targeted imaging techniques (which stained pan‑cytokeratin in the cytoplasm green and Ki67 in the cell nucleus yellow or red) were used to investigate the clone formation rate, cell morphology, discrete tendency, and Ki67 expression and distribution in clones. From the cell clone formation assay, the MCF‑7, SW480 and SGC7901 cells were observed to form clones on days 6, 8 and 12 of cell culture, respectively. These three types of cells had heterogeneous morphology, large nuclear:cytoplasmic ratios, and conspicuous pathological mitotic features. The cells at the clone periphery formed multiple pseudopodium. In certain clones, cancer cells at the borderline were separated from the central cell clusters or presented a discrete tendency. With quantum dot‑based molecular targeted imaging techniques, cells with strong Ki67 expression were predominantly shown to be distributed at the clone periphery, or concentrated on one side of the clones. In conclusion, cancer cell clones showed asymmetric growth behavior, and Ki67 was widely expressed in clones of these three cell lines, with strong expression around the clones, or aggregated at one side. Cell clone formation assay based on quantum dots molecular imaging offered a novel method to study the proliferative features of cancer cells, thus providing a further insight into tumor biology.

  20. Multiple growths of epitaxial lift-off solar cells from a single InP substrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Kyusang; Shiu, Kuen-Ting; Zimmerman, Jeramy D.; Forrest, Stephen R.; Renshaw, Christopher K.

    2010-01-01

    We demonstrate multiple growths of flexible, thin-film indium tin oxide-InP Schottky-barrier solar cells on a single InP wafer via epitaxial lift-off (ELO). Layers that protect the InP parent wafer surface during the ELO process are subsequently removed by selective wet-chemical etching, with the active solar cell layers transferred to a thin, flexible plastic host substrate by cold welding at room temperature. The first- and second-growth solar cells exhibit no performance degradation under simulated Atmospheric Mass 1.5 Global (AM 1.5G) illumination, and have a power conversion efficiency of η p =14.4±0.4% and η p =14.8±0.2%, respectively. The current-voltage characteristics for the solar cells and atomic force microscope images of the substrate indicate that the parent wafer is undamaged, and is suitable for reuse after ELO and the protection-layer removal processes. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, reflection high-energy electron diffraction observation, and three-dimensional surface profiling show a surface that is comparable or improved to the original epiready wafer following ELO. Wafer reuse over multiple cycles suggests that high-efficiency; single-crystal thin-film solar cells may provide a practical path to low-cost solar-to-electrical energy conversion.

  1. Adhesive protein interactions with chitosan: consequences for valve endothelial cell growth on tissue-engineering materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuy, Janet L; Beckstead, Benjamin L; Brown, Chad D; Hoffman, Allan S; Giachelli, Cecilia M

    2003-11-01

    Stable endothelialization of a tissue-engineered heart valve is essential for proper valve function, although adhesive characteristics of the native valve endothelial cell (VEC) have rarely been explored. This research evaluated VEC adhesive qualities and attempted to enhance VEC growth on the biopolymer chitosan, a novel tissue-engineering scaffold material with promising biological and chemical properties. Aortic VEC cultures were isolated and found to preferentially adhere to fibronectin, collagen types IV and I over laminin and osteopontin in a dose-dependent manner. Seeding of VEC onto comparison substrates revealed VEC growth and morphology to be preferential in the order: tissue culture polystyrene > gelatin, poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide), chitosan > poly(hydroxy alkanoate). Adhesive protein precoating of chitosan did not significantly enhance VEC growth, despite equivalent protein adsorption as to polystyrene. Initial cell adhesion to protein-precoated chitosan, however, was higher than for polystyrene. Composite chitosan/collagen type IV films were investigated as an alternative to simple protein precoatings, and were shown to improve VEC growth and morphology over chitosan alone. These findings suggest potential manipulation of chitosan properties to improve amenability to valve tissue-engineering applications. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Nerve Growth Factor in Cancer Cell Death and Survival

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Molloy, Niamh H.; Read, Danielle E.; Gorman, Adrienne M.

    2011-01-01

    One of the major challenges for cancer therapeutics is the resistance of many tumor cells to induction of cell death due to pro-survival signaling in the cancer cells. Here we review the growing literature which shows that neurotrophins contribute to pro-survival signaling in many different types of cancer. In particular, nerve growth factor, the archetypal neurotrophin, has been shown to play a role in tumorigenesis over the past decade. Nerve growth factor mediates its effects through its two cognate receptors, TrkA, a receptor tyrosine kinase and p75 NTR , a member of the death receptor superfamily. Depending on the tumor origin, pro-survival signaling can be mediated by TrkA receptors or by p75 NTR . For example, in breast cancer the aberrant expression of nerve growth factor stimulates proliferative signaling through TrkA and pro-survival signaling through p75 NTR . This latter signaling through p75 NTR promotes increased resistance to the induction of cell death by chemotherapeutic treatments. In contrast, in prostate cells the p75 NTR mediates cell death and prevents metastasis. In prostate cancer, expression of this receptor is lost, which contributes to tumor progression by allowing cells to survive, proliferate and metastasize. This review focuses on our current knowledge of neurotrophin signaling in cancer, with a particular emphasis on nerve growth factor regulation of cell death and survival in cancer

  3. High-throughput gene expression profiling indicates dysregulation of intestinal cell cycle mediators and growth factors during primary simian immunodeficiency virus infection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    George, Michael D; Sankaran, Sumathi; Reay, Elizabeth; Gelli, Angie C; Dandekar, Satya

    2003-07-20

    During primary simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection, CD4+ T cells are severely depleted in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), while CD8+ T-cell numbers dramatically increase. To gain an understanding of the molecular basis of this disruption in T-cell homeostasis, host gene expression was monitored in longitudinal jejunum tissue biopsies from SIV-infected rhesus macaques by DNA microarray analysis. Transcription of cyclin E1, CDC2, retinoblastoma, transforming growth factor (TGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and interleukin-2 was repressed while cyclins B1 and D2 and transcription factor E2F were upregulated, indicating a complex dysregulation of growth and proliferation within the intestinal mucosa. Innate, cell-mediated, and humoral immune responses were markedly upregulated in animals that significantly reduced their viral loads and retained more intestinal CD4+ T cells. We conclude that the alterations in intestinal gene expression during primary SIV infection were characteristic of a broad-range immune response, and reflective of the efficacy of viral suppression.

  4. High-throughput gene expression profiling indicates dysregulation of intestinal cell cycle mediators and growth factors during primary simian immunodeficiency virus infection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    George, Michael D.; Sankaran, Sumathi; Reay, Elizabeth; Gelli, Angie C.; Dandekar, Satya

    2003-01-01

    During primary simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection, CD4+ T cells are severely depleted in gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT), while CD8+ T-cell numbers dramatically increase. To gain an understanding of the molecular basis of this disruption in T-cell homeostasis, host gene expression was monitored in longitudinal jejunum tissue biopsies from SIV-infected rhesus macaques by DNA microarray analysis. Transcription of cyclin E1, CDC2, retinoblastoma, transforming growth factor (TGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and interleukin-2 was repressed while cyclins B1 and D2 and transcription factor E2F were upregulated, indicating a complex dysregulation of growth and proliferation within the intestinal mucosa. Innate, cell-mediated, and humoral immune responses were markedly upregulated in animals that significantly reduced their viral loads and retained more intestinal CD4+ T cells. We conclude that the alterations in intestinal gene expression during primary SIV infection were characteristic of a broad-range immune response, and reflective of the efficacy of viral suppression

  5. Growth hormone is a growth factor for the differentiated pancreatic beta-cell

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Linde, S; Welinder, B S; Billestrup, N

    1989-01-01

    The regulation of the growth of the pancreatic beta-cell is poorly understood. There are previous indications of a role of GH in the growth and insulin production of the pancreatic islets. In the present study we present evidence for a direct long-term effect of GH on proliferation and insulin...

  6. Effects of nisin and temperature on survival, growth, and enterotoxin production characteristics of psychrotrophic Bacillus cereus in beef gravy.

    OpenAIRE

    Beuchat, L R; Clavero, M R; Jaquette, C B

    1997-01-01

    The presence of psychrotrophic enterotoxigenic Bacillus cereus in ready-to-serve meats and meat products that have not been subjected to sterilization treatment is a public health concern. A study was undertaken to determine the survival, growth, and diarrheal enterotoxin production characteristics of four strains of psychrotrophic B. cereus in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth and beef gravy as affected by temperature and supplementation with nisin. A portion of unheated vegetative cells from...

  7. Neural Stem Cell Differentiation Using Microfluidic Device-Generated Growth Factor Gradient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Ji Hyeon; Sim, Jiyeon; Kim, Hyun-Jung

    2018-04-11

    Neural stem cells (NSCs) have the ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple nervous system cell types. During embryonic development, the concentrations of soluble biological molecules have a critical role in controlling cell proliferation, migration, differentiation and apoptosis. In an effort to find optimal culture conditions for the generation of desired cell types in vitro , we used a microfluidic chip-generated growth factor gradient system. In the current study, NSCs in the microfluidic device remained healthy during the entire period of cell culture, and proliferated and differentiated in response to the concentration gradient of growth factors (epithermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor). We also showed that overexpression of ASCL1 in NSCs increased neuronal differentiation depending on the concentration gradient of growth factors generated in the microfluidic gradient chip. The microfluidic system allowed us to study concentration-dependent effects of growth factors within a single device, while a traditional system requires multiple independent cultures using fixed growth factor concentrations. Our study suggests that the microfluidic gradient-generating chip is a powerful tool for determining the optimal culture conditions.

  8. Pectin methyl esterase inhibits intrusive and symplastic cell growth in developing wood cells of Populus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siedlecka, Anna; Wiklund, Susanne; Péronne, Marie-Amélie; Micheli, Fabienne; Lesniewska, Joanna; Sethson, Ingmar; Edlund, Ulf; Richard, Luc; Sundberg, Björn; Mellerowicz, Ewa J

    2008-02-01

    Wood cells, unlike most other cells in plants, grow by a unique combination of intrusive and symplastic growth. Fibers grow in diameter by diffuse symplastic growth, but they elongate solely by intrusive apical growth penetrating the pectin-rich middle lamella that cements neighboring cells together. In contrast, vessel elements grow in diameter by a combination of intrusive and symplastic growth. We demonstrate that an abundant pectin methyl esterase (PME; EC 3.1.1.11) from wood-forming tissues of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula x tremuloides) acts as a negative regulator of both symplastic and intrusive growth of developing wood cells. When PttPME1 expression was up- and down-regulated in transgenic aspen trees, the PME activity in wood-forming tissues was correspondingly altered. PME removes methyl ester groups from homogalacturonan (HG) and transgenic trees had modified HG methylesterification patterns, as demonstrated by two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance and immunostaining using PAM1 and LM7 antibodies. In situ distributions of PAM1 and LM7 epitopes revealed changes in pectin methylesterification in transgenic trees that were specifically localized in expanding wood cells. The results show that en block deesterification of HG by PttPME1 inhibits both symplastic growth and intrusive growth. PttPME1 is therefore involved in mechanisms determining fiber width and length in the wood of aspen trees.

  9. Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein 7 Mediates Glioma Cell Growth and Migration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Jiang

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 (IGFBP-7 is the only member of the IGFBP superfamily that binds strongly to insulin, suggesting that IGFBP-7 may have different functions from other IGFBPs. Unlike other IGFBPs, the expression and functions of IGFBP-7 in glioma tumors have not been reported. Using cDNA microarray analysis, we found that expression of IGFBP-7 correlated with the grade of glioma tumors and the overall patient survival. This finding was further validated by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. We used RNAi to examine the role of IGFBP-7 in glioma cells, inhibiting IGFBP-7 expression by short interfering RNA transfection. Cell proliferation was suppressed after IGFBP-7 expression was inhibited for 5 days, and glioma cell growth was stimulated consistently by the addition of recombinant IGFBP-7 protein. Moreover, glioma cell migration was attenuated by IGFBP-7 depletion but enhanced by IGFBP-7 overexpression and addition. Overexpression of AKT1 in IGFBP-7-overxpressed cells attenuated the IGFBP-7-promoted migration and further enhanced inhibition of IGFBP-7 depletion on the migration. Phosphorylation of AKT and Erk1/2 was also inversely regulated by IGFBP-7 expression. These two factors together suggest that IGFBP-7 can regulate glioma cell migration through the AKT-ERK pathway, thereby playing an important role in glioma growth and migration.

  10. Antiprogestin mifepristone inhibits the growth of cancer cells of reproductive and non-reproductive origin regardless of progesterone receptor expression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tieszen, Chelsea R; Goyeneche, Alicia A; Brandhagen, BreeAnn N; Ortbahn, Casey T; Telleria, Carlos M

    2011-01-01

    Mifepristone (MF) has been largely used in reproductive medicine due to its capacity to modulate the progesterone receptor (PR). The study of MF has been expanded to the field of oncology; yet it remains unclear whether the expression of PR is required for MF to act as an anti-cancer agent. Our laboratory has shown that MF is a potent inhibitor of ovarian cancer cell growth. In this study we questioned whether the growth inhibitory properties of MF observed in ovarian cancer cells would translate to other cancers of reproductive and non-reproductive origin and, importantly, whether its efficacy is related to the expression of cognate PR. Dose-response experiments were conducted with cancer cell lines of the nervous system, breast, prostate, ovary, and bone. Cultures were exposed to vehicle or increasing concentrations of MF for 72 h and analysed for cell number and cell cycle traverse, and hypodiploid DNA content characteristic of apoptotic cell death. For all cell lines, expression of steroid hormone receptors upon treatment with vehicle or cytostatic doses of MF for 24 h was studied by Western blot, whereas the activity of the G1/S regulatory protein Cdk2 in both treatment groups was monitored in vitro by the capacity of Cdk2 to phosphorylate histone H1. MF growth inhibited all cancer cell lines regardless of tissue of origin and hormone responsiveness, and reduced the activity of Cdk2. Cancer cells in which MF induced G1 growth arrest were less susceptible to lethality in the presence of high concentrations of MF, when compared to cancer cells that did not accumulate in G1. While all cancer cell lines were growth inhibited by MF, only the breast cancer MCF-7 cells expressed cognate PR. Antiprogestin MF inhibits the growth of different cancer cell lines with a cytostatic effect at lower concentrations in association with a decline in the activity of the cell cycle regulatory protein Cdk2, and apoptotic lethality at higher doses in association with increased

  11. Antiprogestin mifepristone inhibits the growth of cancer cells of reproductive and non-reproductive origin regardless of progesterone receptor expression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ortbahn Casey T

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Mifepristone (MF has been largely used in reproductive medicine due to its capacity to modulate the progesterone receptor (PR. The study of MF has been expanded to the field of oncology; yet it remains unclear whether the expression of PR is required for MF to act as an anti-cancer agent. Our laboratory has shown that MF is a potent inhibitor of ovarian cancer cell growth. In this study we questioned whether the growth inhibitory properties of MF observed in ovarian cancer cells would translate to other cancers of reproductive and non-reproductive origin and, importantly, whether its efficacy is related to the expression of cognate PR. Methods Dose-response experiments were conducted with cancer cell lines of the nervous system, breast, prostate, ovary, and bone. Cultures were exposed to vehicle or increasing concentrations of MF for 72 h and analysed for cell number and cell cycle traverse, and hypodiploid DNA content characteristic of apoptotic cell death. For all cell lines, expression of steroid hormone receptors upon treatment with vehicle or cytostatic doses of MF for 24 h was studied by Western blot, whereas the activity of the G1/S regulatory protein Cdk2 in both treatment groups was monitored in vitro by the capacity of Cdk2 to phosphorylate histone H1. Results MF growth inhibited all cancer cell lines regardless of tissue of origin and hormone responsiveness, and reduced the activity of Cdk2. Cancer cells in which MF induced G1 growth arrest were less susceptible to lethality in the presence of high concentrations of MF, when compared to cancer cells that did not accumulate in G1. While all cancer cell lines were growth inhibited by MF, only the breast cancer MCF-7 cells expressed cognate PR. Conclusions Antiprogestin MF inhibits the growth of different cancer cell lines with a cytostatic effect at lower concentrations in association with a decline in the activity of the cell cycle regulatory protein Cdk2, and

  12. Inhibition of cell growth by EGR-1 in human primary cultures from malignant glioma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gagliardi Franco

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The aim of this work was to investigate in vitro the putative role of EGR-1 in the growth of glioma cells. EGR-1 expression was examined during the early passages in vitro of 17 primary cell lines grown from 3 grade III and from 14 grade IV malignant astrocytoma explants. The explanted tumors were genetically characterized at the p53, MDM2 and INK4a/ARF loci, and fibronectin expression and growth characteristics were examined. A recombinant adenovirus overexpressing EGR-1 was tested in the primary cell lines. Results Low levels of EGR-1 protein were found in all primary cultures examined, with lower values present in grade IV tumors and in cultures carrying wild-type copies of p53 gene. The levels of EGR-1 protein were significantly correlated to the amount of intracellular fibronectin, but only in tumors carrying wild-type copies of the p53 gene (R = 0,78, p = 0.0082. Duplication time, plating efficiency, colony formation in agarose, and contact inhibition were also altered in the p53 mutated tumor cultures compared to those carrying wild-type p53. Growth arrest was achieved in both types of tumor within 1–2 weeks following infection with a recombinant adenovirus overexpressing EGR-1 but not with the control adenovirus. Conclusions Suppression of EGR-1 is a common event in gliomas and in most cases this is achieved through down-regulation of gene expression. Expression of EGR-1 by recombinant adenovirus infection almost completely abolishes the growth of tumor cells in vitro, regardless of the mutational status of the p53 gene.

  13. Podoplanin enhances lung cancer cell growth in vivo by inducing platelet aggregation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyata, Kenichi; Takemoto, Ai; Okumura, Sakae; Nishio, Makoto; Fujita, Naoya

    2017-06-22

    Podoplanin/Aggrus, known as a platelet aggregation-inducing factor, is frequently overexpressed in lung squamous cell carcinomas (LSCC) and glioblastomas among other tumours, and its expression has been reported to be correlated with poor prognosis. However, the contribution of podoplanin to malignant progression has been elusive. Here we demonstrate that in podoplanin-positive LSCC cells, their growth was abrogated by podoplanin knockout in vivo but not in vitro. Conversely, ectopic expression of podoplanin promoted cell growth in vivo and facilitated intratumoral platelet activation. Consistently, LSCC cells evoked podoplanin-mediated platelet aggregation (PMPA), and the releasates from platelets during PMPA promoted the growth of LSCC cells in vitro. Phospho-receptor-tyrosine-kinase array analysis revealed that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) phosphorylation of LSCC cells was responsible for the growth promotion induced by platelet releasates. Treatment with an antiplatelet agent or podoplanin-neutralizing antibody depressed the growth of an LSCC tumour xenograft via suppression of EGFR phosphorylation. These results suggested that podoplanin in LSCC enhanced cell growth by inducing PMPA in vivo and contributed to malignant progression.

  14. Applications of the growth characteristics induced by the spectral ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Let A be a complex unital Banach algebra. Using a connection between the spectral distance and the growth characteristics of a certain entire map into A, we derive a generalization of Gelfand's famous power boundedness theorem. Elaborating on these ideas, with the help of a Phragmén–Lindelöf device for subharmonic ...

  15. Aromatase inhibitor (anastrozole) affects growth of endometrioma cells in culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badawy, Shawky Z A; Brown, Shereene; Kaufman, Lydia; Wojtowycz, Martha A

    2015-05-01

    To study the effects of aromatase inhibitor (anastrozole) on the growth and estradiol secretion of endometrioma cells in culture. Endometrioma cells are grown in vitro until maximum growth before used in this study. This was done in the research laboratory for tissue culture, in an academic hospital. Testosterone at a concentration of 10 μg/mL was added as a substrate for the intracellular aromatase. In addition, aromatase inhibitor was added at a concentration of 200 and 300 μg/mL. The effect on cell growth and estradiol secretion is evaluated using Student's t-test. The use of testosterone increased estradiol secretion by endometrioma cells in culture. The use of aromatase inhibitor significantly inhibited the growth of endometrioma cells, and estradiol secretion. Aromatase inhibitor (anastrozole) may be an effective treatment for endometriosis due to inhibition of cellular aromatase. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Facile modification of gelatin-based microcarriers with multiporous surface and proliferative growth factors delivery to enhance cell growth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang Sha [Department of Oral Histology and Pathology, School of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an 710032 (China); Research and Development Center for Tissue Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an 710032 (China); Wang Yijuan [Key Laboratory for Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi' an 710062 (China); Deng, Tianzheng [Research and Development Center for Tissue Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an 710032 (China); Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an 710032 (China); Jin Fang [Department of Orthodontics, School of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an, 710032 (China); Liu Shouxin [Key Laboratory for Macromolecular Science of Shaanxi Province, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi' an 710062 (China); Zhang Yongjie [Department of Oral Histology and Pathology, School of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an 710032 (China); Research and Development Center for Tissue Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an 710032 (China); Feng Feng [Research and Development Center for Tissue Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an 710032 (China); Department of Dermatology, Tangdu Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an 710038 (China); Jin Yan [Department of Oral Histology and Pathology, School of Stomatology, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an 710032 (China); Research and Development Center for Tissue Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi' an 710032 (China)], E-mail: yanjin@fmmu.edu.cn

    2008-07-28

    The design of microcarriers plays an important role in the success of cell expansion. The present article provides a facile approach to modify the gelatin-based particles and investigates the feasibility of their acting as microcarriers for cell attachment and growth. Gelatin particles (150-320 {mu}m) were modified by cryogenic treatment and lyophilization to develop the surface with the features of multiporous morphology and were incorporated with proliferative growth factors (bFGF) by adsorption during the post-preparation, which enables them to serve as microcarriers for cells amplification, together with the advantages of larger cell-surface contact area and capability of promoting cell propagation. The microstructure and release assay of the modified microcarriers demonstrated that the pores on surface were uniform and bFGF was released in a controlled manner. Through in vitro fibroblast culture, these features resulted in a prominent increase in the cell attachment rate and cell growth rate relative to the conditions without modification. Although the scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy analysis results indicated that cells attached, spread, and proliferated on all the microcarriers, cell growth clearly showed a significant correlation with the multiporous structure of microcarriers, in particular on bFGF combined ones. These results validate our previous assumption that the facile modification could improve cell growth on the gelatin-based microcarriers obviously and the novel microcarriers may be a promising candidate in tissue engineering.

  17. Facile modification of gelatin-based microcarriers with multiporous surface and proliferative growth factors delivery to enhance cell growth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Sha; Wang Yijuan; Deng, Tianzheng; Jin Fang; Liu Shouxin; Zhang Yongjie; Feng Feng; Jin Yan

    2008-01-01

    The design of microcarriers plays an important role in the success of cell expansion. The present article provides a facile approach to modify the gelatin-based particles and investigates the feasibility of their acting as microcarriers for cell attachment and growth. Gelatin particles (150-320 μm) were modified by cryogenic treatment and lyophilization to develop the surface with the features of multiporous morphology and were incorporated with proliferative growth factors (bFGF) by adsorption during the post-preparation, which enables them to serve as microcarriers for cells amplification, together with the advantages of larger cell-surface contact area and capability of promoting cell propagation. The microstructure and release assay of the modified microcarriers demonstrated that the pores on surface were uniform and bFGF was released in a controlled manner. Through in vitro fibroblast culture, these features resulted in a prominent increase in the cell attachment rate and cell growth rate relative to the conditions without modification. Although the scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy analysis results indicated that cells attached, spread, and proliferated on all the microcarriers, cell growth clearly showed a significant correlation with the multiporous structure of microcarriers, in particular on bFGF combined ones. These results validate our previous assumption that the facile modification could improve cell growth on the gelatin-based microcarriers obviously and the novel microcarriers may be a promising candidate in tissue engineering

  18. Interleukin 1 is an autocrine regulator of human endothelial cell growth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cozzolino, F.; Torcia, M.; Aldinucci, D.; Ziche, M.; Bani, D.; Almerigogna, F.; Stern, D.M.

    1990-01-01

    Proliferation of endothelial cells is regulated through the autocrine production of growth factors and the expression of cognate surface receptors. In this study, the authors demonstrate that interleukin 1 (IL-1) is an inhibitor of endothelial growth in vitro and in vivo. IL-1 arrested growing, cultured endothelial cells in G 1 phase; inhibition of proliferation was dose dependent and occurred in parallel with occupancy of endothelial surface IL-1 receptors. In an angiogenesis model, IL-1 could inhibit fibroblast growth factor-induced vessel formation. The autocrine nature of the IL-1 effect on endothelial proliferation was demonstrated by the observation that occupancy of cell-surface receptors by endogenous IL-1 depressed cell growth. The potential significance of this finding was emphasized by the detection of IL-1 in the native endothelium of human umbilical veins. A mechanism by which IL-1 may exert its inhibitory effect on endothelial cell growth was suggested by studies showing that IL-1 decreased the expression of high-affinity fibroblast growth factor binding sites on endothelium. These results point to a potentially important role of IL-1 in regulating blood vessel growth the suggest that autocrine production of inhibitory factors may be a mechanism controlling proliferation of normal cells

  19. Nerve Growth Factor in Cancer Cell Death and Survival

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Molloy, Niamh H.; Read, Danielle E.; Gorman, Adrienne M., E-mail: adrienne.gorman@nuigalway.ie [Apoptosis Research Centre, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway (Ireland)

    2011-02-01

    One of the major challenges for cancer therapeutics is the resistance of many tumor cells to induction of cell death due to pro-survival signaling in the cancer cells. Here we review the growing literature which shows that neurotrophins contribute to pro-survival signaling in many different types of cancer. In particular, nerve growth factor, the archetypal neurotrophin, has been shown to play a role in tumorigenesis over the past decade. Nerve growth factor mediates its effects through its two cognate receptors, TrkA, a receptor tyrosine kinase and p75{sup NTR}, a member of the death receptor superfamily. Depending on the tumor origin, pro-survival signaling can be mediated by TrkA receptors or by p75{sup NTR}. For example, in breast cancer the aberrant expression of nerve growth factor stimulates proliferative signaling through TrkA and pro-survival signaling through p75{sup NTR}. This latter signaling through p75{sup NTR} promotes increased resistance to the induction of cell death by chemotherapeutic treatments. In contrast, in prostate cells the p75{sup NTR} mediates cell death and prevents metastasis. In prostate cancer, expression of this receptor is lost, which contributes to tumor progression by allowing cells to survive, proliferate and metastasize. This review focuses on our current knowledge of neurotrophin signaling in cancer, with a particular emphasis on nerve growth factor regulation of cell death and survival in cancer.

  20. Pumpkin seed extract: Cell growth inhibition of hyperplastic and cancer cells, independent of steroid hormone receptors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Medjakovic, Svjetlana; Hobiger, Stefanie; Ardjomand-Woelkart, Karin; Bucar, Franz; Jungbauer, Alois

    2016-04-01

    Pumpkin seeds have been known in folk medicine as remedy for kidney, bladder and prostate disorders since centuries. Nevertheless, pumpkin research provides insufficient data to back up traditional beliefs of ethnomedical practice. The bioactivity of a hydro-ethanolic extract of pumpkin seeds from the Styrian pumpkin, Cucurbita pepo L. subsp. pepo var. styriaca, was investigated. As pumpkin seed extracts are standardized to cucurbitin, this compound was also tested. Transactivational activity was evaluated for human androgen receptor, estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor with in vitro yeast assays. Cell viability tests with prostate cancer cells, breast cancer cells, colorectal adenocarcinoma cells and a hyperplastic cell line from benign prostate hyperplasia tissue were performed. As model for non-hyperplastic cells, effects on cell viability were tested with a human dermal fibroblast cell line (HDF-5). No transactivational activity was found for human androgen receptor, estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor, for both, extract and cucurbitin. A cell growth inhibition of ~40-50% was observed for all cell lines, with the exception of HDF-5, which showed with ~20% much lower cell growth inhibition. Given the receptor status of some cell lines, a steroid-hormone receptor independent growth inhibiting effect can be assumed. The cell growth inhibition for fast growing cells together with the cell growth inhibition of prostate-, breast- and colon cancer cells corroborates the ethnomedical use of pumpkin seeds for a treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia. Moreover, due to the lack of androgenic activity, pumpkin seed applications can be regarded as safe for the prostate. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Epigallocathechin gallate, polyphenol present in green tea, inhibits stem-like characteristics and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in nasopharyngeal cancer cell lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Chien-Hung

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Previous studies have demonstrated that the consumption of green tea inhibits the growth of various cancers. Most cancers are believed to be initiated from and maintained by a small population of cancer stem-like cells (CSC or tumor-initiating cells (TIC that are responsible for tumor relapse and chemotherapeutic resistance. Although epigallocathechin gallate (EGCG, the most abundant catechin in green tea, has been reported to induce growth inhibition and apoptosis in some cancer cells, its effect on CSC is undefined. In this study, we enriched CSC by the sphere formation, and provided an efficient model for further experiments. Using this method, we examined the effects of EGCG regulating the nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC CSC and attempted to elucidate the possible mechanisms. Methods NPC TW01 and TW06 cell lines were enriched by sphere formation and characterized their phenotypical properties, such as invasion capacity, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT and gene expression were analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (q-RT-PCR. EGCG-induced growth inhibition in the parental and sphere-derived cells was determined by MTT and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU assay. EGCG-induced apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry with Annexin V and PI staining. The effects of EGCG on sphere-derived cell tumorigenicity, migration and invasion were determined by soft agar assay, wound healing, and cell invasion assay. The alternation of protein expression regulated by EGCG on these sphere-derived cells was assessed by immunofluorescence staining and western blot. Results NPC sphere-derived cells grown in serum-free non-adherent culture showed increased expression of stem cell markers and EMT markers compared to parental cells grown in conventional culture. Although EGCG induced growth inhibition and apoptosis in the parental cells in a dose-dependent manner, it was not as effective against spheres

  2. Developmental characteristics of parenchyma and fiber cells and their secondary wall deposition in fargesia yunnanensis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, S.G.; Zhan, H.; Wan, C.B.; Lin, S.Y.

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study is to describe and analyse the morphological characteristics of nuclei and the secondary wall deposition in parenchyma and fiber cells during the whole bamboo growth cycle from shoots to old culms, with a further purpose to assess the developmental differences between fibers and parenchyma cells and analyze the secondary wall deposition mechanism. Initially the fiber wall thickness was less than the parenchyma cell thickness in young shoots, but increased significantly after 1 year. Fibers elongated earlier than both their nuclei and parenchyma cells. Fiber nuclei also elongated and presented the spindle shape in longitudinal section. The formation and elongation of long cells were involved in the fast elongation of internodes. In mature culms, the ways of secondary wall deposition for fibers depended on their diameter and positions. Large diameter fibers usually had more cell wall layers than narrow fibers. (author)

  3. Fluoxetine regulates cell growth inhibition of interferon-α.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yu-Min; Yu, Bu-Chin; Chiu, Wen-Tai; Sun, Hung-Yu; Chien, Yu-Chieh; Su, Hui-Chen; Yen, Shu-Yang; Lai, Hsin-Wen; Bai, Chyi-Huey; Young, Kung-Chia; Tsao, Chiung-Wen

    2016-10-01

    Fluoxetine, a well-known anti-depression agent, may act as a chemosensitizer to assist and promote cancer therapy. However, how fluoxetine regulates cellular signaling to enhance cellular responses against tumor cell growth remains unclear. In the present study, addition of fluoxetine promoted growth inhibition of interferon-alpha (IFN-α) in human bladder carcinoma cells but not in normal uroepithelial cells through lessening the IFN-α-induced apoptosis but switching to cause G1 arrest, and maintaining the IFN-α-mediated reduction in G2/M phase. Activations and signal transducer and transactivator (STAT)-1 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-α) were involved in this process. Chemical inhibitions of STAT-1 or PPAR-α partially rescued bladder carcinoma cells from IFN-α-mediated growth inhibition via blockades of G1 arrest, cyclin D1 reduction, p53 downregulation and p27 upregulation in the presence of fluoxetine. However, the functions of both proteins were not involved in the control of fluoxetine over apoptosis and maintained the declined G2/M phase of IFN-α. These results indicated that activation of PPAR-α and STAT-1 participated, at least in part, in growth inhibition of IFN-α in the presence of fluoxetine.

  4. Allelic deletions of cell growth regulators during progression of bladder cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Primdahl, H; von der Maase, H; Christensen, M

    2000-01-01

    Cell growth regulators include proteins of the p53 pathway encoded by the genes CDKN2A (p16, p14arf), MDM2, TP53, and CDKN1A (p21) as well as proteins encoded by genes like RB1, E2F, and MYCL. In the present study we investigated allelic deletions of all these genes in each recurrent bladder tumor...... difference in the numbers of gene loci hit by deletions muscle-invasive versus noninvasive tumors (P = 0.0000002), with the genes most often hit by deletions in muscle-invasive tumors being TP53, RB1, and MYCL. A number of novel findings were made. Losses of MYCL and RB1 alleles were more pronounced...... that a characteristic difference between recurrent noninvasive and recurrent progressing bladder tumors is loss of cell cycle-regulatory genes in the latter group....

  5. Breviscapine suppresses the growth of non-small cell lung cancer

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Breviscapine (BVP) has previously been shown to inhibit the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma cells.However, little is known about the effects of BVP on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) growth. Here, we aimedto study the effects of BVP on human NSCLC growth. We employed A549, NCL-H460 and A549 cells ...

  6. Differences in growth properties of endometrial cancer in three dimensional (3D) culture and 2D cell monolayer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chitcholtan, Kenny; Asselin, Eric; Parent, Sophie; Sykes, Peter H.; Evans, John J.

    2013-01-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models have an invaluable role in understanding the behaviour of tumour cells in a well defined microenvironment. This is because some aspects of tumour characteristics cannot be fully recapitulated in a cell monolayer (2D). In the present study, we compared growth patterns, expression of signalling molecules, and metabolism-associated proteins of endometrial cancer cell lines in 3D and 2D cell cultures. Cancer cells formed spherical structures in 3D reconstituted basement membrane (3D rBM), and the morphological appearance was cell line dependent. Cell differentiation was observed after 8 days in the 3D rBM. There was reduced proliferation, detected by less expression of PCNA in 3D rBM than in 2D cell monolayers. The addition of exogenous epidermal growth factor (EGF) to cancer cells induced phosphorylation of EGFR and Akt in both cell culture conditions. The uptake of glucose was selectively altered in the 3D rBM, but there was a lack of association with Glut-1 expression. The secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ) was selectively altered in 3D rBM, and it was cell line dependent. Our data demonstrated that 3D rBM as an in vitro model can influence proliferation and metabolism of endometrial cancer cell behaviour compared to 2D cell monolayer. Changes are specific to individual cell types. The use of 3D rBM is, therefore, important in the in vitro study of targeted anticancer therapies.

  7. Differences in growth properties of endometrial cancer in three dimensional (3D) culture and 2D cell monolayer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chitcholtan, Kenny, E-mail: kenny.chitcholtan@otago.ac.nz [Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Otago, Christchurch, 2 Riccarton Avenue, Christchurch 8011 (New Zealand); Asselin, Eric, E-mail: Eric.Asselin@uqtr.ca [Department of Chemistry and Biology, University of Quebec, at Trois-Rivières, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada G9A 5H7 (Canada); Parent, Sophie, E-mail: Sophie.Parent@uqtr.ca [Department of Chemistry and Biology, University of Quebec, at Trois-Rivières, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada G9A 5H7 (Canada); Sykes, Peter H., E-mail: peter.sykes@otago.ac.nz [Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Otago, Christchurch, 2 Riccarton Avenue, Christchurch 8011 (New Zealand); Evans, John J., E-mail: john.evans@otago.ac.nz [Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Otago, Christchurch, 2 Riccarton Avenue, Christchurch 8011 (New Zealand); Centre of Neuroendocrinology and The MacDiarmid Institute of Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, University of Otago, Christchurch, 2 Riccarton Avenue, Christchurch 8011 (New Zealand)

    2013-01-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models have an invaluable role in understanding the behaviour of tumour cells in a well defined microenvironment. This is because some aspects of tumour characteristics cannot be fully recapitulated in a cell monolayer (2D). In the present study, we compared growth patterns, expression of signalling molecules, and metabolism-associated proteins of endometrial cancer cell lines in 3D and 2D cell cultures. Cancer cells formed spherical structures in 3D reconstituted basement membrane (3D rBM), and the morphological appearance was cell line dependent. Cell differentiation was observed after 8 days in the 3D rBM. There was reduced proliferation, detected by less expression of PCNA in 3D rBM than in 2D cell monolayers. The addition of exogenous epidermal growth factor (EGF) to cancer cells induced phosphorylation of EGFR and Akt in both cell culture conditions. The uptake of glucose was selectively altered in the 3D rBM, but there was a lack of association with Glut-1 expression. The secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and prostaglandin E{sub 2} (PGE{sub 2}) was selectively altered in 3D rBM, and it was cell line dependent. Our data demonstrated that 3D rBM as an in vitro model can influence proliferation and metabolism of endometrial cancer cell behaviour compared to 2D cell monolayer. Changes are specific to individual cell types. The use of 3D rBM is, therefore, important in the in vitro study of targeted anticancer therapies.

  8. Altered growth, differentiation, and responsiveness to epidermal growth factor of human embryonic mesenchymal cells of palate by persistent rubella virus infection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoneda, T.; Urade, M.; Sakuda, M.; Miyazaki, T.

    1986-01-01

    We previously demonstrated that human embryonic mesenchymal cells derived from the palate (HEMP cells) retain alkaline phosphatase (ALP) content and capacity for collagen synthesis after long-term culture, and their growth is markedly stimulated by epidermal growth factor (EGF). There was a dramatic decrease in ALP content and capacity to synthesize collagen in HEMP cells (HEMP-RV cells) persistently infected with rubella virus (RV). EGF increased ALP activity and decreased collagen synthesis in HEMP cells, whereas EGF showed no effect on these activities in HEMP-RV cells. Growth of HEMP-RV cells was slightly reduced compared with that of HEMP cells. EGF stimulated growth of HEMP cells and to a lesser extent of HEMP-RV cells. Binding of 125 I-EGF to cell-surface receptors in HEMP-RV cells was, to our surprise, twice as much as that in HEMP cells. However, internalization of bound 125 I-EGF in HEMP-RV cells was profoundly diminished. Thus, persistent RV infection causes not only changes in HEMP cell growth and differentiation but a decrease in or loss of HEMP cell responsiveness to EGF. The effects of persistent RV infection on palatal cell differentiation as well as growth may be responsible for the pathogenesis of congenital rubella. Furthermore, since HEMP cells appear to be closely related to osteoblasts, these results suggest a mechanism for RV-induced osseous abnormalities manifested in congenital rubella patients

  9. Transcriptional analysis of cell growth and morphogenesis in the unicellular green alga Micrasterias (Streptophyta, with emphasis on the role of expansin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leliaert Frederik

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Streptophyte green algae share several characteristics of cell growth and cell wall formation with their relatives, the embryophytic land plants. The multilobed cell wall of Micrasterias denticulata that rebuilds symmetrically after cell division and consists of pectin and cellulose, makes this unicellular streptophyte alga an interesting model system to study the molecular controls on cell shape and cell wall formation in green plants. Results Genome-wide transcript expression profiling of synchronously growing cells identified 107 genes of which the expression correlated with the growth phase. Four transcripts showed high similarity to expansins that had not been examined previously in green algae. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that these genes are most closely related to the plant EXPANSIN A family, although their domain organization is very divergent. A GFP-tagged version of the expansin-resembling protein MdEXP2 localized to the cell wall and in Golgi-derived vesicles. Overexpression phenotypes ranged from lobe elongation to loss of growth polarity and planarity. These results indicate that MdEXP2 can alter the cell wall structure and, thus, might have a function related to that of land plant expansins during cell morphogenesis. Conclusions Our study demonstrates the potential of M. denticulata as a unicellular model system, in which cell growth mechanisms have been discovered similar to those in land plants. Additionally, evidence is provided that the evolutionary origins of many cell wall components and regulatory genes in embryophytes precede the colonization of land.

  10. ITE inhibits growth of human pulmonary artery endothelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pang, Ling-Pin; Li, Yan; Zou, Qing-Yun; Zhou, Chi; Lei, Wei; Zheng, Jing; Huang, Shi-An

    2017-10-01

    Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a deadly disorder is associated with excessive growth of human pulmonary artery endothelial (HPAECs) and smooth muscle (HPASMCs) cells. Current therapies primarily aim at promoting vasodilation, which only ameliorates clinical symptoms without a cure. 2-(1'H-indole-3'-carbonyl)-thiazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (ITE) is an endogenous aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand, and mediates many cellular function including cell growth. However, the roles of ITE in human lung endothelial cells remain elusive. Herein, we tested a hypothesis that ITE inhibits growth of human pulmonary artery endothelial cells via AhR. Immunohistochemistry was performed to localize AhR expression in human lung tissues. The crystal violet method and MTT assay were used to determine ITE's effects on growth of HPAECs. The AhR activation in HPAECs was confirmed using Western blotting and RT-qPCR. The role of AhR in ITE-affected proliferation of HPAECs was assessed using siRNA knockdown method followed by the crystal violet method. Immunohistochemistry revealed that AhR was present in human lung tissues, primarily in endothelial and smooth muscle cells of pulmonary veins and arteries, as well as in bronchial and alveolar sac epithelia. We also found that ITE dose- and time-dependently inhibited proliferation of HPAECs with a maximum inhibition of 83% at 20 µM after 6 days of treatment. ITE rapidly decreased AhR protein levels, while it increased mRNA levels of cytochrome P450 (CYP), family 1, member A1 (CYP1A1) and B1 (CYP1B1), indicating activation of the AhR/CYP1A1 and AhR/CYP1B1 pathways in HPAECs. The AhR siRNA significantly suppressed AhR protein expression, whereas it did not significantly alter ITE-inhibited growth of HPAECs. ITE suppresses growth of HPAECs independent of AhR, suggesting that ITE may play an important role in preventing excessive growth of lung endothelial cells.

  11. Growth Mechanism of Microbial Colonies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Minhui; Martini, K. Michael; Kim, Neil H.; Sherer, Nicholas; Lee, Jia Gloria; Kuhlman, Thomas; Goldenfeld, Nigel

    Experiments on nutrient-limited E. coli colonies, growing on agar gel from single cells reveal a power-law distribution of sizes, both during the growth process and in the final stage when growth has ceased. We developed a Python simulation to study the growth mechanism of the bacterial population and thus understand the broad details of the experimental findings. The simulation takes into account nutrient uptake, metabolic function, growth and cell division. Bacteria are modeled in two dimensions as hard circle-capped cylinders with steric interactions and elastic stress dependent growth characteristics. Nutrient is able to diffuse within and between the colonies. The mechanism of microbial colony growth involves reproduction of cells within the colonies and the merging of different colonies. We report results on the dynamic scaling laws and final state size distribution, that capture in semi-quantitative detail the trends observed in experiment. Supported by NSF Grant 0822613.

  12. Growth-inhibiting effect of tumor necrosis factor on human umbilical vein endothelial cells is enhanced with advancing age in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimada, Y.; Kaji, K.; Ito, H.; Noda, K.; Matsuo, M.

    1990-01-01

    We have examined the effects of in vitro aging on the growth capacity of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) under the influence of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) with or without interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). The growth and colony-forming abilities of control cells were impaired with advancing age in vitro, especially at later stages (more than 70-80% of life span completed). It was found that treatment with TNF inhibited growth and colony-forming efficiency at any in vitro age. The effects of TNF were shown to increase with increasing in vitro age, as reflected by a more pronounced increase in doubling times, a decrease in saturation density, and a reduction in colony-forming efficiency. However, the characteristics of TNF receptors, including the dissociation constant, and the number of TNF-binding sites per cell-surface area remained rather constant. The effect of TNF was augmented by IFN-gamma at a dose that alone affected growth and colony formation only slightly. The augmentation by IFN-gamma was also found to depend on in vitro age; the synergy with TNF in the deterioration of colony-forming ability was observed only in aged cells. These results suggest that the intrinsic responsiveness of HUVECs to growth-inhibiting factors, as well as to growth-stimulating factors, changes during aging in vitro

  13. Changes in responsiveness of rat tracheal epithelial cells to growth factors during preneoplastic transformation in cell culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomassen, D.G.

    1988-01-01

    Preneoplastic rat tracheal epithelial (RTE) cell lines require fewer growth factors for clonal proliferation in culture than normal cells. Serum-free media missing various combinations of growth factors (e.g., cholera toxin, serum albumin, epidermal growth factor, hydrocortisone) required for proliferation of normal, but not preneoplastic, RTE cells can be used to select for carcinogen-induced preneoplastic variants having an increased proliferative potential in culture. These results suggest that reductions in growth factor requirements are primary events in the carcinogenic process. (author)

  14. Triiodothyronine regulates cell growth and survival in renal cell cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czarnecka, Anna M; Matak, Damian; Szymanski, Lukasz; Czarnecka, Karolina H; Lewicki, Slawomir; Zdanowski, Robert; Brzezianska-Lasota, Ewa; Szczylik, Cezary

    2016-10-01

    Triiodothyronine plays an important role in the regulation of kidney cell growth, differentiation and metabolism. Patients with renal cell cancer who develop hypothyreosis during tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment have statistically longer survival. In this study, we developed cell based model of triiodothyronine (T3) analysis in RCC and we show the different effects of T3 on renal cell cancer (RCC) cell growth response and expression of the thyroid hormone receptor in human renal cell cancer cell lines from primary and metastatic tumors along with human kidney cancer stem cells. Wild-type thyroid hormone receptor is ubiquitously expressed in human renal cancer cell lines, but normalized against healthy renal proximal tube cell expression its level is upregulated in Caki-2, RCC6, SKRC-42, SKRC-45 cell lines. On the contrary the mRNA level in the 769-P, ACHN, HKCSC, and HEK293 cells is significantly decreased. The TRβ protein was abundant in the cytoplasm of the 786-O, Caki-2, RCC6, and SKRC-45 cells and in the nucleus of SKRC-42, ACHN, 769-P and cancer stem cells. T3 has promoting effect on the cell proliferation of HKCSC, Caki-2, ASE, ACHN, SK-RC-42, SMKT-R2, Caki-1, 786-0, and SK-RC-45 cells. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor, sunitinib, directly inhibits proliferation of RCC cells, while thyroid hormone receptor antagonist 1-850 (CAS 251310‑57-3) has less significant inhibitory impact. T3 stimulation does not abrogate inhibitory effect of sunitinib. Renal cancer tumor cells hypostimulated with T3 may be more responsive to tyrosine kinase inhibition. Moreover, some tumors may be considered as T3-independent and present aggressive phenotype with thyroid hormone receptor activated independently from the ligand. On the contrary proliferation induced by deregulated VHL and or c-Met pathways may transgress normal T3 mediated regulation of the cell cycle.

  15. Isolation of a cDNA for a Growth Factor of Vascular Endothelial Cells from Human Lung Cancer Cells: Its Identity with Insulin‐like Growth Factor II

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagiwara, Koichi; Kobayashi, Tatsuo; Tobita, Masato; Kikyo, Nobuaki; Yazaki, Yoshio

    1995-01-01

    We have found growth‐promoting activity for vascular endothelial cells in the conditioned medium of a human lung cancer cell line, T3M‐11. Purification and characterization of the growth‐promoting activity have been carried out using ammonium sulfate precipitation and gel‐exclusion chromatography. The activity migrated as a single peak just after ribonuclease. It did not bind to a heparin affinity column. These results suggest that the activity is not a heparin‐binding growth factor (including fibroblast growth factors) or a vascular endothelial growth factor. To identify the molecule exhibiting the growth‐promoting activity, a cDNA encoding the growth factor was isolated through functional expression cloning in COS‐1 cells from a cDNA library prepared from T3M‐11 cells. The nucleotide sequence encoded by the cDNA proved to be identical with that of insulin‐like growth factor II. PMID:7730145

  16. Enzalutamide inhibits androgen receptor-positive bladder cancer cell growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawahara, Takashi; Ide, Hiroki; Kashiwagi, Eiji; El-Shishtawy, Kareem A; Li, Yi; Reis, Leonardo O; Zheng, Yichun; Miyamoto, Hiroshi

    2016-10-01

    Emerging preclinical evidence suggests that androgen-mediated androgen receptor (AR) signals promote bladder cancer progression. However, little is known about the efficacy of an AR signaling inhibitor, enzalutamide, in the growth of bladder cancer cells. In this study, we compared the effects of enzalutamide and 2 other classic antiandrogens, flutamide and bicalutamide, on androgen-induced bladder cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion as well as tumor growth in vivo. Thiazolyl blue cell viability assay, flow cytometry, scratch wound-healing assay, transwell invasion assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and reporter gene assay were performed in AR-positive (e.g., UMUC3, TCCSUP, and 647V-AR) and AR-negative (e.g., UMUC3-AR-short hairpin RNA [shRNA], TCCSUP-AR-shRNA, 647V) bladder cancer lines treated with dihydrotestosterone and each AR antagonist. We also used a mouse xenograft model for bladder cancer. Dihydrotestosterone increased bladder cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion indicating that endogenous or exogenous AR was functional. Enzalutamide, hydroxyflutamide, and bicalutamide showed similar inhibitory effects, without significant agonist activity, on androgen-mediated cell viability/apoptosis, cell migration, and cell invasion in AR-positive lines. No significant effects of dihydrotestosterone as well as AR antagonists on the growth of AR-negative cells were seen. Correspondingly, in UMUC3 cells, these AR antagonists down-regulated androgen-induced expression of AR, matrix metalloproteinase-2, and interleukin-6. Androgen-enhanced AR-mediated transcriptional activity was also blocked by each AR antagonist exhibiting insignificant agonist activity. In UMUC3 xenograft-bearing mice, oral gavage treatment with each antiandrogen retarded tumor growth, and only enzalutamide demonstrated a statistically significant suppression compared with mock treatment. Our current data support recent observations indicating the involvement of

  17. Splenectomy inhibits non-small cell lung cancer growth by modulating anti-tumor adaptive and innate immune response

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levy, Liran; Mishalian, Inbal; Bayuch, Rachel; Zolotarov, Lida; Michaeli, Janna; Fridlender, Zvi G

    2015-01-01

    It has been shown that inhibitors of the immune system reside in the spleen and inhibit the endogenous antitumor effects of the immune system. We hypothesized that splenectomy would inhibit the growth of relatively large non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors by modulating the systemic inhibition of the immune system, and in particular Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSC). The effect of splenectomy was evaluated in several murine lung cancer models. We found that splenectomy reduces tumor growth and the development of lung metastases, but only in advanced tumors. In immune-deficient NOD-SCID mice the effect of splenectomy on tumor growth and metastatic spread disappeared. Splenectomy significantly reduced the presence of MDSC, and especially monocytic-MDSC in the circulation and inside the tumor. Specific reduction of the CCR2+ subset of monocytic MDSC was demonstrated, and the importance of the CCL2-CCR2 axis was further shown by a marked reduction in CCL2 following splenectomy. These changes were followed by changes in the macrophages contents of the tumors to become more antitumorigenic, and by increased activation of CD8+ Cytotoxic T-cells (CTL). By MDSC depletion, and adoptive transfer of MDSCs, we demonstrated that the effect of splenectomy on tumor growth was substantially mediated by MDSC cells. We conclude that the spleen is an important contributor to tumor growth and metastases, and that splenectomy can blunt this effect by depletion of MDSC, changing the amount and characteristics of myeloid cells and enhancing activation of CTL. PMID:26137413

  18. Pyruvate carboxylase is required for glutamine-independent growth of tumor cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Tzuling; Sudderth, Jessica; Yang, Chendong; Mullen, Andrew R.; Jin, Eunsook S.; Matés, José M.; DeBerardinis, Ralph J.

    2011-01-01

    Tumor cells require a constant supply of macromolecular precursors, and interrupting this supply has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy in cancer. Precursors for lipids, nucleic acids, and proteins are generated in the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and removed from the mitochondria to participate in biosynthetic reactions. Refilling the pool of precursor molecules (anaplerosis) is therefore crucial to maintain cell growth. Many tumor cells use glutamine to feed anaplerosis. Here we studied how “glutamine-addicted” cells react to interruptions of glutamine metabolism. Silencing of glutaminase (GLS), which catalyzes the first step in glutamine-dependent anaplerosis, suppressed but did not eliminate the growth of glioblastoma cells in culture and in vivo. Profiling metabolic fluxes in GLS-suppressed cells revealed induction of a compensatory anaplerotic mechanism catalyzed by pyruvate carboxylase (PC), allowing the cells to use glucose-derived pyruvate rather than glutamine for anaplerosis. Although PC was dispensable when glutamine was available, forcing cells to adapt to low-glutamine conditions rendered them absolutely dependent on PC for growth. Furthermore, in other cell lines, measuring PC activity in nutrient-replete conditions predicted dependence on specific anaplerotic enzymes. Cells with high PC activity were resistant to GLS silencing and did not require glutamine for survival or growth, but displayed suppressed growth when PC was silenced. Thus, PC-mediated, glucose-dependent anaplerosis allows cells to achieve glutamine independence. Induction of PC during chronic suppression of glutamine metabolism may prove to be a mechanism of resistance to therapies targeting glutaminolysis. PMID:21555572

  19. Cell longevity and sustained primary growth in palm stems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomlinson, P Barry; Huggett, Brett A

    2012-12-01

    Longevity, or organismal life span, is determined largely by the period over which constituent cells can function metabolically. Plants, with modular organization (the ability continually to develop new organs and tissues) differ from animals, with unitary organization (a fixed body plan), and this difference is reflected in their respective life spans, potentially much longer in plants than animals. We draw attention to the observation that palm trees, as a group of monocotyledons without secondary growth comparable to that of lignophytes (plants with secondary growth from a bifacial cambium), retain by means of sustained primary growth living cells in their trunks throughout their organismal life span. Does this make palms the longest-lived trees because they can grow as individuals for several centuries? No conventional lignophyte retains living metabolically active differentiated cell types in its trunk for this length of time, even though the tree as a whole can exist for millennia. Does this contrast also imply that the long-lived cells in a palm trunk have exceptional properties, which allows this seeming immortality? We document the long-life of many tall palm species and their inherent long-lived stem cell properties, comparing such plants to conventional trees. We provide a summary of aspects of cell age and life span in animals and plants. Cell replacement is a feature of animal function, whereas conventional trees rely on active growth centers (meristems) to sustain organismal development. However, the long persistence of living cells in palm trunks is seen not as evidence for unique metabolic processes that sustain longevity, but is a consequence of unique constructional features. This conclusion suggests that the life span of plant cells is not necessarily genetically determined.

  20. Induced pluripotent stem cells derived from rabbits exhibit some characteristics of naïve pluripotency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pierre Osteil

    2013-05-01

    Not much is known about the molecular and functional features of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs in rabbits. To address this, we derived and characterized 2 types of rabbit PSCs from the same breed of New Zealand White rabbits: 4 lines of embryonic stem cells (rbESCs, and 3 lines of induced PSCs (rbiPSCs that were obtained by reprogramming adult skin fibroblasts. All cell lines required fibroblast growth factor 2 for their growth and proliferation. All rbESC lines showed molecular and functional properties typically associated with primed pluripotency. The cell cycle of rbESCs had a prolonged G1 phase and a DNA damage checkpoint before entry into the S phase, which are the 2 features typically associated with the somatic cell cycle. In contrast, the rbiPSC lines exhibited some characteristics of naïve pluripotency, including resistance to single-cell dissociation by trypsin, robust activity of the distal enhancer of the mouse Oct4 gene, and expression of naïve pluripotency-specific genes, as defined in rodents. According to gene expression profiles, rbiPSCs were closer to the rabbit inner cell mass (ICM than rbESCs. Furthermore, rbiPSCs were capable of colonizing the ICM after aggregation with morulas. Therefore, we propose that rbiPSCs self-renew in an intermediate state between naïve and primed pluripotency, which represents a key step toward the generation of bona fide naïve PSC lines in rabbits.

  1. Induced pluripotent stem cells derived from rabbits exhibit some characteristics of naïve pluripotency

    Science.gov (United States)

    Osteil, Pierre; Tapponnier, Yann; Markossian, Suzy; Godet, Murielle; Schmaltz-Panneau, Barbara; Jouneau, Luc; Cabau, Cédric; Joly, Thierry; Blachère, Thierry; Gócza, Elen; Bernat, Agnieszka; Yerle, Martine; Acloque, Hervé; Hidot, Sullivan; Bosze, Zsuzsanna; Duranthon, Véronique; Savatier, Pierre; Afanassieff, Marielle

    2013-01-01

    Summary Not much is known about the molecular and functional features of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in rabbits. To address this, we derived and characterized 2 types of rabbit PSCs from the same breed of New Zealand White rabbits: 4 lines of embryonic stem cells (rbESCs), and 3 lines of induced PSCs (rbiPSCs) that were obtained by reprogramming adult skin fibroblasts. All cell lines required fibroblast growth factor 2 for their growth and proliferation. All rbESC lines showed molecular and functional properties typically associated with primed pluripotency. The cell cycle of rbESCs had a prolonged G1 phase and a DNA damage checkpoint before entry into the S phase, which are the 2 features typically associated with the somatic cell cycle. In contrast, the rbiPSC lines exhibited some characteristics of naïve pluripotency, including resistance to single-cell dissociation by trypsin, robust activity of the distal enhancer of the mouse Oct4 gene, and expression of naïve pluripotency-specific genes, as defined in rodents. According to gene expression profiles, rbiPSCs were closer to the rabbit inner cell mass (ICM) than rbESCs. Furthermore, rbiPSCs were capable of colonizing the ICM after aggregation with morulas. Therefore, we propose that rbiPSCs self-renew in an intermediate state between naïve and primed pluripotency, which represents a key step toward the generation of bona fide naïve PSC lines in rabbits. PMID:23789112

  2. Pancreatic growth and cell turnover in the rat fed raw soya flour

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oates, P.S.; Morgan, R.G.

    1982-01-01

    Growth and differentiation of the pancreatic acinar cell was studied in rats fed raw soya flour (RSF) for up to a year. A second group of rats were fed a control diet. After 1 week of RSF feeding there was a 200% increase in tissue RNA and weight, indicating initial hypertrophy, which was maintained for the 1-year study period. By the second week and over the remainder of the period studied there was also a marked increase in total DNA, suggesting hyperplasia. Cell turnover, as measured by the rate of incorporation of 3H-thymidine into pancreatic DNA, was significantly higher in RSF-fed animals only from the second to fourth weeks; it then returned to control values. Autoradiography showed an 18-fold increase in duct cell labeling at the end of the first week and an 11-fold increase by the end of the second week. Acinar cell labeling doubled from the second to the twelfth week. These studies confirm previous reports that RSF produces pancreatic hypertrophy and hyperplasia. They furthermore show that there is initially marked stimulation of DNA synthesis in the duct cell compartment. The results suggest that cells with the morphologic characteristics of duct cells may be the precursors of acinar cells in hyperplastic pancreatic tissue

  3. Cloned Hemoglobin Genes Enhance Growth Of Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khosla, Chaitan; Bailey, James E.

    1991-01-01

    Experiments show that portable deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences incorporated into host cells make them produce hemoglobins - oxygen-binding proteins essential to function of red blood cells. Method useful in several biotechnological applications. One, enhancement of growth of cells at higher densities. Another, production of hemoglobin to enhance supplies of oxygen in cells, for use in chemical reactions requiring oxygen, as additive to serum to increase transport of oxygen, and for binding and separating oxygen from mixtures of gases.

  4. Colon cancer stem cells dictate tumor growth and resist cell death by production of interleukin-4.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todaro, Matilde; Alea, Mileidys Perez; Di Stefano, Anna B; Cammareri, Patrizia; Vermeulen, Louis; Iovino, Flora; Tripodo, Claudio; Russo, Antonio; Gulotta, Gaspare; Medema, Jan Paul; Stassi, Giorgio

    2007-10-11

    A novel paradigm in tumor biology suggests that cancer growth is driven by stem-like cells within a tumor. Here, we describe the identification and characterization of such cells from colon carcinomas using the stem cell marker CD133 that accounts around 2% of the cells in human colon cancer. The CD133(+) cells grow in vitro as undifferentiated tumor spheroids, and they are both necessary and sufficient to initiate tumor growth in immunodeficient mice. Xenografts resemble the original human tumor maintaining the rare subpopulation of tumorigenic CD133(+) cells. Further analysis revealed that the CD133(+) cells produce and utilize IL-4 to protect themselves from apoptosis. Consistently, treatment with IL-4Ralpha antagonist or anti-IL-4 neutralizing antibody strongly enhances the antitumor efficacy of standard chemotherapeutic drugs through selective sensitization of CD133(+) cells. Our data suggest that colon tumor growth is dictated by stem-like cells that are treatment resistant due to the autocrine production of IL-4.

  5. Design and characteristics of cytotoxic fibroblast growth factor 1 conjugate for fibroblast growth factor receptor-targeted cancer therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Szlachcic A

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Anna Szlachcic, Malgorzata Zakrzewska, Michal Lobocki, Piotr Jakimowicz, Jacek Otlewski Department of Protein Engineering, Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland Abstract: Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs are attractive candidate cancer therapy targets as they are overexpressed in multiple types of tumors, such as breast, prostate, bladder, and lung cancer. In this study, a natural ligand of FGFR, an engineered variant of fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1V, was conjugated to a potent cytotoxic drug, monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE, and used as a targeting agent for cancer cells overexpressing FGFRs, similar to antibodies in antibody–drug conjugates. The FGF1V–valine–citrulline–MMAE conjugate showed a favorable stability profile, bound FGFRs on the cell surface specifically, and efficiently released the drug (MMAE upon cleavage by the lysosomal protease cathepsin B. Importantly, the conjugate showed a prominent cytotoxic effect toward cell lines expressing FGFR. FGF1V–vcMMAE was highly cytotoxic at concentrations even an order of magnitude lower than those found for free MMAE. This effect was FGFR-specific as cells lacking FGFR did not show any increased mortality. Keywords: fibroblast growth factor 1, FGF receptor, targeted cancer therapy, cytotoxic conjugates, FGFR-dependent cancer, MMAE, auristatin

  6. Surface Acoustic Waves (SAW-Based Biosensing for Quantification of Cell Growth in 2D and 3D Cultures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tao Wang

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Detection and quantification of cell viability and growth in two-dimensional (2D and three-dimensional (3D cell cultures commonly involve harvesting of cells and therefore requires a parallel set-up of several replicates for time-lapse or dose–response studies. Thus, developing a non-invasive and touch-free detection of cell growth in longitudinal studies of 3D tumor spheroid cultures or of stem cell regeneration remains a major unmet need. Since surface acoustic waves (SAWs permit mass loading-based biosensing and have been touted due to their many advantages including low cost, small size and ease of assembly, we examined the potential of SAW-biosensing to detect and quantify cell growth. Herein, we demonstrate that a shear horizontal-surface acoustic waves (SH-SAW device comprising two pairs of resonators consisting of interdigital transducers and reflecting fingers can be used to quantify mass loading by the cells in suspension as well as within a 3D cell culture platform. A 3D COMSOL model was built to simulate the mass loading response of increasing concentrations of cells in suspension in the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS well in order to predict the characteristics and optimize the design of the SH-SAW biosensor. The simulated relative frequency shift from the two oscillatory circuit systems (one of which functions as control were found to be concordant to experimental data generated with RAW264.7 macrophage and A549 cancer cells. In addition, results showed that SAW measurements per se did not affect viability of cells. Further, SH-SAW biosensing was applied to A549 cells cultured on a 3D electrospun nanofiber scaffold that generate tumor spheroids (tumoroids and the results showed the device's ability to detect changes in tumor spheroid growth over the course of eight days. Taken together, these results demonstrate the use of SH-SAW device for detection and quantification of cell growth changes over time in 2D suspension cultures and in

  7. Surface Acoustic Waves (SAW)-Based Biosensing for Quantification of Cell Growth in 2D and 3D Cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tao; Green, Ryan; Nair, Rajesh Ramakrishnan; Howell, Mark; Mohapatra, Subhra; Guldiken, Rasim; Mohapatra, Shyam Sundar

    2015-12-19

    Detection and quantification of cell viability and growth in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures commonly involve harvesting of cells and therefore requires a parallel set-up of several replicates for time-lapse or dose-response studies. Thus, developing a non-invasive and touch-free detection of cell growth in longitudinal studies of 3D tumor spheroid cultures or of stem cell regeneration remains a major unmet need. Since surface acoustic waves (SAWs) permit mass loading-based biosensing and have been touted due to their many advantages including low cost, small size and ease of assembly, we examined the potential of SAW-biosensing to detect and quantify cell growth. Herein, we demonstrate that a shear horizontal-surface acoustic waves (SH-SAW) device comprising two pairs of resonators consisting of interdigital transducers and reflecting fingers can be used to quantify mass loading by the cells in suspension as well as within a 3D cell culture platform. A 3D COMSOL model was built to simulate the mass loading response of increasing concentrations of cells in suspension in the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) well in order to predict the characteristics and optimize the design of the SH-SAW biosensor. The simulated relative frequency shift from the two oscillatory circuit systems (one of which functions as control) were found to be concordant to experimental data generated with RAW264.7 macrophage and A549 cancer cells. In addition, results showed that SAW measurements per se did not affect viability of cells. Further, SH-SAW biosensing was applied to A549 cells cultured on a 3D electrospun nanofiber scaffold that generate tumor spheroids (tumoroids) and the results showed the device's ability to detect changes in tumor spheroid growth over the course of eight days. Taken together, these results demonstrate the use of SH-SAW device for detection and quantification of cell growth changes over time in 2D suspension cultures and in 3D cell

  8. Human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells inhibit T-cell lymphoma growth in vitro and in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahn, Jin-Ok; Chae, Ji-Sang; Coh, Ye-Rin; Jung, Woo-Sung; Lee, Hee-Woo; Shin, Il-Seob; Kang, Sung-Keun; Youn, Hwa-Young

    2014-09-01

    Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are thought to be one of the most reliable stem cell sources for a variety of cell therapies. This study investigated the anti-tumor effect of human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAT-MSCs) on EL4 murine T-cell lymphoma in vitro and in vivo. The growth-inhibitory effect of hAT-MSCs on EL4 tumor cells was evaluated using a WST-1 cell proliferation assay. Cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis were investigated by flow cytometry and western blot. To evaluate an anti-tumor effect of hAT-MSCs on T-cell lymphoma in vivo, CM-DiI-labeled hAT-MSCs were circumtumorally injected in tumor-bearing nude mice, and tumor size was measured. hAT-MSCs inhibited T-cell lymphoma growth by altering cell-cycle progression and inducing apoptosis in vitro. hAT-MSCs inhibited tumor growth in tumor-bearing nude mice and prolonged survival time. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that hAT-MSCs migrated to tumor sites. hAT-MSCs suppress the growth of T-cell lymphoma, suggesting a therapeutic option for T-cell lymphoma. Copyright© 2014 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  9. Effects of basic fibroblast growth factor and insulin-like growth factor on cultured cartilage cells from skate Raja porasa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Tingjun; Jin, Lingyun; Wang, Xiaofeng

    2003-12-01

    Effects of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) on cartilage cells from proboscis of skate, Raja porasa Günther, were investigated in this study. The cartilage cells were cultured in 20% FBS-supplemented MEM medium at 24°C. Twelve hours after culture initiation, the cartilage cells were treated with bFGF and IGF-II at different concentration combinations. It was found that 20 ng/ml of bFGF or 80 ng/ml of IGF-II was enough to have obvious stimulating effect on the growth and division of skate cartilage cells. Test of bFGF and IGF-II together, revealed that 20 ng/ml of bFGF and 80 ng/ml of IGF-II together had the best stimulating effect on the growth and division of skate cartilage cells. The cartilage cells cultured could form a monolayer at day 7.

  10. Fibroblast growth factor regulates insulin-like growth factor-binding protein production by vascular smooth muscle cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ververis, J; Ku, L; Delafontaine, P

    1994-02-01

    Insulin-like growth factor I is an important mitogen for vascular smooth muscle cells, and its effects are regulated by several binding proteins. Western ligand blotting of conditioned medium from rat aortic smooth muscle cells detected a 24 kDa binding protein and a 28 kDa glycosylated variant of this protein, consistent with insulin-like growth factor binding protein-4 by size. Low amounts of a glycosylated 38 to 42 kDa doublet (consistent with binding protein-3) and a 31 kDa non-glycosylated protein also were present. Basic fibroblast growth factor markedly increased secretion of the 24 kDa binding protein and its 28 kDa glycosylated variant. This effect was dose- and time-dependent and was inhibited by co-incubation with cycloheximide. Crosslinking of [125I]-insulin-like growth factor I to cell monolayers revealed no surface-associated binding proteins, either basally or after agonist treatment. Induction of binding protein production by fibroblast growth factor at sites of vascular injury may be important in vascular proliferative responses in vivo.

  11. Inhibition of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2) in gallbladder cancer cells leads to decreased growth in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcia, Patricia; Leal, Pamela; Ili, Carmen; Brebi, Priscilla; Alvarez, Hector; Roa, Juan C

    2013-06-01

    Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is an aggressive neoplasm associated with late diagnosis, unsatisfactory treatment and poor prognosis. Previous work showed that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression is increased in this malignancy. This matricellular protein plays an important role in various cellular processes and its involvement in the tumorigenesis of several human cancers has been demonstrated. However, the precise function of CTGF expression in cancer cells is yet to be determined. The aim of this study was to evaluate the CTGF expression in gallbladder cancer cell lines, and its effect on cell viability, colony formation and in vitro cell migration. CTGF expression was evaluated in seven GBC cell lines by Western blot assay. Endogenous CTGF expression was downregulated by lentiviral shRNA directed against CTGF mRNA in G-415 cells, and the effects on cell viability, anchorage-independent growth and migration was assessed by comparing them to scrambled vector-transfected cells. Knockdown of CTGF resulted in significant reduction in cell viability, colony formation and anchorage-independent growth (P cancer may confer a growth advantage for neoplastic cells. © 2013 The Authors. International Journal of Experimental Pathology © 2013 International Journal of Experimental Pathology.

  12. The intrusive growth of initial cells in re-arangement of cells in cambium of Tilia cordata Mill.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wiesław Włoch

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In the cambium of linden producing wood with short period of grain inclination change (2-4 years, the intensive reorientation of cells takes place. This is possible mainly through an intrusive growth of cell ends from one radial file entering space between tangential walls of neighboring file and through unequal periclinal divisions that occur in the "initial surface". The intrusive growth is located on the longitudinal edge of a fusiform cell close to the end, and causes deviation of cell ends in a neighbouring file from the initial surface. Unequal periclinal division divides a cell with a deviated end into two derivatives, unequal in size. The one of them, which inherits the deviated end, leaves the initial surface becoming a xylem or phloem mother cell. This means that the old end is eliminated. The intensity of intrusive growth and unequal periclinal divisions is decisive for the velocity of cambial cell reorientation. The oriented intrusive growth occurs only in the initial cells. For that reason, changes in cell-ends position do not occur within one packet of cells but are distinct between neighbouring packets.

  13. TP508 accelerates fracture repair by promoting cell growth over cell death

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Xinmin; Wang Hali; Touma, Edward; Qi Yuchen; Rousseau, Emma; Quigg, Richard J.; Ryaby, James T.

    2007-01-01

    TP508 is a synthetic 23-amino acid peptide representing a receptor-binding domain of human thrombin. We have previously shown that a single injection of TP508 accelerates fracture healing in a rat femoral fracture model. To understand how TP508 acts at the protein level during fracture healing, we compared the translational profiles between saline-control and fractured femur at six time points after TP508 treatment using the second generation of BD Clontech TM Antibody Microarray. Here, we demonstrate that TP508 accelerates fracture healing by modulating expression levels of proteins primarily involved in the functional categories of cell cycle, cellular growth and proliferation, and cell death. The majority of those proteins are physically interrelated and functionally overlapped. The action of those proteins is highlighted by a central theme of promoting cell growth via balance of cell survival over cell death signals. This appears to occur through the stimulation of several bone healing pathways including cell cycle-G1/S checkpoint regulation, apoptosis, JAK/STAT, NF-κB, PDGF, PI3K/AKT, PTEN, and ERK/MAPK

  14. Effects of salt-drought stress on growth and physiobiochemical characteristics of Tamarix chinensis seedlings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Junhua; Xia, Jiangbao; Fang, Yanming; Li, Tian; Liu, Jingtao

    2014-01-01

    The present study was designed to clarify the effects of salinity and water intercross stresses on the growth and physiobiochemical characteristics of Tamarix chinensis seedlings by pots culture under the artificial simulated conditions. The growth, activities of SOD, POD, and contents of MDA and osmotic adjusting substances of three years old seedlings of T. chinensis were studied under different salt-drought intercross stress. Results showed that the influence of salt stress on growth was greater than drought stress, the oxidation resistance of SOD and POD weakened gradually with salt and drought stresses intensified, and the content of MDA was higher under severe drought and mild and moderate salt stresses. The proline contents increased with the stress intensified but only significantly higher than control under the intercross stresses of severe salt-severe drought. It implied that T. chinensis could improve its stress resistance by adjusted self-growth and physiobiochemical characteristics, and the intercross compatibility of T. chinensis to salt and drought stresses can enhance the salt resistance under appropriate drought stress, but the dominant factors influencing the physiological biochemical characteristics of T. chinensis were various with the changing of salt-drought intercross stresses gradients.

  15. Effects of Salt-Drought Stress on Growth and Physiobiochemical Characteristics of Tamarix chinensis Seedlings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junhua Liu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The present study was designed to clarify the effects of salinity and water intercross stresses on the growth and physiobiochemical characteristics of Tamarix chinensis seedlings by pots culture under the artificial simulated conditions. The growth, activities of SOD, POD, and contents of MDA and osmotic adjusting substances of three years old seedlings of T. chinensis were studied under different salt-drought intercross stress. Results showed that the influence of salt stress on growth was greater than drought stress, the oxidation resistance of SOD and POD weakened gradually with salt and drought stresses intensified, and the content of MDA was higher under severe drought and mild and moderate salt stresses. The proline contents increased with the stress intensified but only significantly higher than control under the intercross stresses of severe salt-severe drought. It implied that T. chinensis could improve its stress resistance by adjusted self-growth and physiobiochemical characteristics, and the intercross compatibility of T. chinensis to salt and drought stresses can enhance the salt resistance under appropriate drought stress, but the dominant factors influencing the physiological biochemical characteristics of T. chinensis were various with the changing of salt-drought intercross stresses gradients.

  16. Expression of growth factor receptors and targeting of EGFR in cholangiocarcinoma cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu, Ling; Hausmann, Martin; Dietmaier, Wolfgang; Kellermeier, Silvia; Pesch, Theresa; Stieber-Gunckel, Manuela; Lippert, Elisabeth; Klebl, Frank; Rogler, Gerhard

    2010-01-01

    Cholangiocarcinoma (CC) is a malignant neoplasm of the bile ducts or the gallbladder. Targeting of growth factor receptors showed therapeutic potential in palliative settings for many solid tumors. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of seven growth factor receptors in CC cell lines and to assess the effect of blocking the EGFR receptor in vitro. Expression of EGFR (epithelial growth factor receptor), HGFR (hepatocyte growth factor receptor) IGF1R (insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor), IGF2R (insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor) and VEGFR1-3 (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1-3) were examined in four human CC cell lines (EGI-1, HuH28, OZ and TFK-1). The effect of the anti-EGFR-antibody cetuximab on cell growth and apoptosis was studied and cell lines were examined for KRAS mutations. EGFR, HGFR and IGFR1 were present in all four cell lines tested. IGFR2 expression was confirmed in EGI-1 and TFK-1. No growth-inhibitory effect was found in EGI-1 cells after incubation with cetuximab. Cetuximab dose-dependently inhibited growth in TFK-1. Increased apoptosis was only seen in TFK-1 cells at the highest cetuximab dose tested (1 mg/ml), with no dose-response-relationship at lower concentrations. In EGI-1 a heterozygous KRAS mutation was found in codon 12 (c.35G>A; p.G12D). HuH28, OZ and TFK-1 lacked KRAS mutation. CC cell lines express a pattern of different growth receptors in vitro. Growth factor inhibitor treatment could be affected from the KRAS genotype in CC. The expression of EGFR itself does not allow prognoses on growth inhibition by cetuximab

  17. Expression of growth factor receptors and targeting of EGFR in cholangiocarcinoma cell lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kellermeier Silvia

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Cholangiocarcinoma (CC is a malignant neoplasm of the bile ducts or the gallbladder. Targeting of growth factor receptors showed therapeutic potential in palliative settings for many solid tumors. The aim of this study was to determine the expression of seven growth factor receptors in CC cell lines and to assess the effect of blocking the EGFR receptor in vitro. Methods Expression of EGFR (epithelial growth factor receptor, HGFR (hepatocyte growth factor receptor IGF1R (insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor, IGF2R (insulin-like growth factor 2 receptor and VEGFR1-3 (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1-3 were examined in four human CC cell lines (EGI-1, HuH28, OZ and TFK-1. The effect of the anti-EGFR-antibody cetuximab on cell growth and apoptosis was studied and cell lines were examined for KRAS mutations. Results EGFR, HGFR and IGFR1 were present in all four cell lines tested. IGFR2 expression was confirmed in EGI-1 and TFK-1. No growth-inhibitory effect was found in EGI-1 cells after incubation with cetuximab. Cetuximab dose-dependently inhibited growth in TFK-1. Increased apoptosis was only seen in TFK-1 cells at the highest cetuximab dose tested (1 mg/ml, with no dose-response-relationship at lower concentrations. In EGI-1 a heterozygous KRAS mutation was found in codon 12 (c.35G>A; p.G12D. HuH28, OZ and TFK-1 lacked KRAS mutation. Conclusion CC cell lines express a pattern of different growth receptors in vitro. Growth factor inhibitor treatment could be affected from the KRAS genotype in CC. The expression of EGFR itself does not allow prognoses on growth inhibition by cetuximab.

  18. Targeting the erythropoietin receptor on glioma cells reduces tumour growth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peres, Elodie A.; Valable, Samuel; Guillamo, Jean-Sebastien; Marteau, Lena; Bernaudin, Jean-Francois; Roussel, Simon; Lechapt-Zalcman, Emmanuele; Bernaudin, Myriam; Petit, Edwige

    2011-01-01

    Hypoxia has been shown to be one of the major events involved in EPO expression. Accordingly, EPO might be expressed by cerebral neoplastic cells, especially in glioblastoma, known to be highly hypoxic tumours. The expression of EPOR has been described in glioma cells. However, data from the literature remain descriptive and controversial. On the basis of an endogenous source of EPO in the brain, we have focused on a potential role of EPOR in brain tumour growth. In the present study, with complementary approaches to target EPO/EPOR signalling, we demonstrate the presence of a functional EPO/EPOR system on glioma cells leading to the activation of the ERK pathway. This EPO/EPOR system is involved in glioma cell proliferation in vitro. In vivo, we show that the down-regulation of EPOR expression on glioma cells reduces tumour growth and enhances animal survival. Our results support the hypothesis that EPOR signalling in tumour cells is involved in the control of glioma growth.

  19. Inhibition of connective tissue growth factor overexpression decreases growth of hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro and in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Xiao-Qin; Cheng, Hai-Qing; Li, Hong; Zhu, Yan; Li, Yu-Hua; Feng, Zhen-Qing; Zhang, Jian-Ping

    2011-11-01

    We have previously found that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is highly expressed in a rat model of liver cancer. Here, we examined expression of CTGF in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells and its effect on cell growth. Real-time PCR was used to observe expression of CTGF in human HCC cell lines HepG2, SMMC-7721, MHCC-97H and LO2. siRNA for the CTGF gene was designed, synthesized and cloned into a Plk0.1-GFP-SP6 vector to construct a lentivirus-mediated shRNA/CTGF. CTGF mRNA and protein expression in HepG2 cells treated by CTGF-specific shRNA was evaluated by real-time PCR and Western blotting. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was utilized to evaluate the growth effect, and a colony formation assay was used for observing clonogenic growth. In vivo, tumor cell proliferation was evaluated in a nude mouse model of xenotransplantation. Statistical significance was determined by t test for comparison between two groups, or analysis of variance (ANOVA) for multiple groups. Immunohistochemical staining of CTGF was seen in 35 of 40 HCC samples (87.5%). CTGF was overexpressed 5-fold in 20 HCC tissues, compared with surrounding non-tumor liver tissue. CTGF mRNA level was 5 - 8-fold higher in HepG2, SMMC-7721 and MHCC-97H than in LO2 cells. This indicated that the inhibition rate of cell growth was 43% after knockdown of CTGF expression (P < 0.05). Soft agar colony formation assay showed that siRNA mediated knockdown of CTGF inhibited colony formation in soft agar of HepG2 cells (P < 0.05). The volume of tumors from CTGF-shRNA-expressing cells only accounted for 35% of the tumors from the scrambled control-infected HepG2 cells (P < 0.05). CTGF was overexpressed in human HCC cells and downregulation of CTGF inhibited HCC growth in vitro and in vivo. Knockdown of CTGF may be a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of HCC.

  20. An engineering thermodynamic approach to select the electromagnetic wave effective on cell growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lucia, Umberto; Grisolia, Giulia; Ponzetto, Antonio; Silvagno, Francesca

    2017-09-21

    To date, the choice of the characteristics of the extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field beneficial in proliferative disorders is still empirical. In order to make the ELF interaction selective, we applied the thermodynamic and biochemical principles to the analysis of the thermo-chemical output generated by the cell in the environment. The theoretical approach applied an engineering bio-thermodynamic approach recently developed in order to obtain a physical-mathematical model that calculated the frequency of the field able to maximize the mean entropy changes as a function of cellular parameters. The combined biochemical approach envisioned the changes of entropy as a metabolic shift leading to a reduction of cell growth. The proliferation of six human cancer cell lines was evaluated as the output signal able to confirm the correctness of the mathematical model. By considering the cell as a reactive system able to respond to the unbalancing external stimuli, for the first time we could calculate and validate the frequencies of the field specifically effective on distinct cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Effect of human mesenchymal stem cells on the growth of HepG2 and Hela cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Xiaohui; Matsumoto, Rena; Yang, Pengyuan; Uemura, Toshimasa

    2013-01-01

    Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) accumulate at carcinomas and have a great impact on cancer cell's behavior. Here we demonstrated that hMSCs could display both the promotional and inhibitive effects on growth of HepG2 and Hela cells by using the conditioned media, indirect co-culture, and cell-to-cell co-culture. Cell growth was increased following the addition of lower proportion of hMSCs while decreased by treatment of higher proportion of hMSCs. We also established a novel noninvasive label way by using internalizing quantum dots (i-QDs) for study of cell-cell contact in the co-culture, which was effective and sensitive for both tracking and distinguishing different cells population without the disturbance of cells. Furthermore, we investigated the role of hMSCs in regulation of cell growth and showed that mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) signaling pathways were involved in hMSC-mediated cell inhibition and proliferation. Our findings suggested that hMSCs regulated cancer cell function by providing a suitable environment, and the discovery from the study would provide some clues for development of effective strategy for hMSC-based cancer therapies.

  2. Arecoline inhibits endothelial cell growth and migration and the attachment to mononuclear cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuei-Kuen Tseng

    2014-09-01

    Conclusion: Arecoline impaired vascular endothelial cells by inhibiting their growth and migration and their adhesion to U937 mononuclear cells. These results reveal that arecoline may contribute to the pathogenesis of oral submucous fibrosis and cardiovascular diseases by affecting endothelial cell function in BQ chewers.

  3. Influence of radiosterilized cells on cells L1210 growth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malaise, E.P.; Decheva-Ninova, Z.; Tubiana, M.

    1975-01-01

    The effect of cells sterilized by acute X-irradiation is investigated on the growth of L 1210 cells. For this purpose young male mice DBA 2 are injected intraperitoneally or hypodermically with suspension of either live cells or live and sterile cells. The effect is considered according to survival time of treated animals and the number of leukemic cells examined in dynamics after their intraperitoneal incorporation or according to tumor size after their hypodermical incorporation. In both cases the incorporation of sterile cells has an inhibitory effect - life duration of treated mice is increased. This common effect disappears if animals are previously irradiated with 350 R. The sterile cells have also a local stimulating effect when incorporated hypodermically - time for their duplication is reduced from 15,8 to 13,7 hours. This stimulation is much more expressed when the recipients are previously irradiated - the time for tumor cells duplication being 12,2 hours. Direct stimulating effect of sterilized cells is not established when they are intraperitoneally incorporated. (author)

  4. GROWTH-INHIBITION OF 2 SOLID TUMORS IN MICE, CAUSED BY POLYAMINE DEPLETION, IS NOT ATTENDED BY ALTERATIONS IN CELL-CYCLE PHASE DISTRIBUTION

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    HESSELS, J; KINGMA, AW; MUSKIET, FAJ; SARHAN, S; SEILER, N

    1991-01-01

    We studied the effect of polyamine depletion on growth and cell cycle characteristics of subcutaneously grown Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) and fibrosarcoma (FIO 26) in mice. Polyamine depletion was achieved by inhibition of ornithine decarboxylase using 2-(difluoromethyl)ornithine, limitation of

  5. An in vitro study on bacterial growth interactions and intestinal epithelial cell adhesion characteristics of probiotic combinations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moussavi, Mahta; Adams, Michelle Catherine

    2010-05-01

    The aims of this study were to examine long-term growth interactions of five probiotic strains (Lactobacillus casei 01, Lactobacillus plantarum HA8, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC 55730 and Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12) either alone or in combination with Propionibacterium jensenii 702 in a co-culture system and to determine their adhesion ability to human colon adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2. Growth patterns of probiotic Lactobacillus strains were not considerably affected by the presence of P. jensenii 702, whereas lactobacilli exerted a strong antagonistic action against P. jensenii 702. In the co-culture of Bif. lactis Bb12 and P. jensenii 702, a significant synergistic influence on growth of both bacteria was observed (P < 0.05). The results of adhesion assay showed that when probiotic strains were tested in combination, there was evidence of an associated effect on percentage adherence. However, in most cases these differences were not statistically significant (P < 0.05). Adhesion percentage of Lb. casei 01 and Lb. rhamnosus GG both decreased significantly in the presence of P. jensenii 702 compared to their adhesion levels when alone (P < 0.05). These results show that the survival and percentage adhesion of some probiotic strains may be influenced by the presence of other strains and this should be considered when formulating in the probiotic products.

  6. Growth characteristics of fibroblasts isolated from the trunk and distal aspect of the limb of horses and ponies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, C B; Wilson, D A; Keegan, K G; Kreeger, J M; Adelstein, E H; Ganjam, V K

    2000-01-01

    To determine if there is a difference in in vitro growth of fibroblasts isolated from the trunk and distal aspect of the limb of horses and ponies. To determine the effects of a corticosteroid and monokine on in vitro growth of fibroblasts isolated from the trunk and distal aspect of the limb of horses and ponies. Growth of fibroblasts from tissues harvested from the trunk and limb were compared from horse and pony samples grown in control media and control media with triamcinolone or monokine added. Dermal and subcutaneous tissue from 22 horses and 17 ponies of various ages and breeds. Fibroblast growth was assessed by tritiated thymidine uptake using standard cell culture techniques. The effect of a monokine or triamcinolone plus control media were compared with control media for fibroblast growth. Fibroblast growth from tissues isolated from the horse limb was significantly less than growth from the horse trunk and the limb and trunk of ponies. Monokine was more effective than triamcinolone in suppressing fibroblast growth from tissues isolated from the trunk and limb in both horses and ponies. There are growth differences in fibroblasts isolated from the limb of horses compared with those isolated from the trunk and from the limb and trunk of ponies. The difference in fibroblast growth from tissues isolated from the trunk and limb of horses and ponies may provide evidence for the difference reported in the healing characteristics of limb wounds in horses and ponies. Influencing fibroblast growth may provide a key to controlling the development of exuberant granulation tissue in horses and ponies.

  7. Improved Performance in Mammalian Cell Perfusion Cultures by Growth Inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolf, Moritz K F; Closet, Aurélie; Bzowska, Monika; Bielser, Jean-Marc; Souquet, Jonathan; Broly, Hervé; Morbidelli, Massimo

    2018-05-21

    Mammalian cell perfusion cultures represent a promising alternative to the current fed-batch technology for the production of various biopharmaceuticals. Long-term operation at a fixed viable cell density (VCD) requires a viable culture and a constant removal of excessive cells. Product loss in the cell removing bleed stream deteriorates the process yield. In this study, the authors investigate the use of chemical and environmental growth inhibition on culture performance by either adding valeric acid (VA) to the production media or by reducing the culture temperature (33.0 °C) with respect to control conditions (36.5 °C, no VA). Low temperature significantly reduces cellular growth, thus, resulting in lower bleed rates accompanied by a reduced product loss of 11% compared to 26% under control conditions. Additionally, the cell specific productivity of the target protein improves and maintained stable leading to media savings per mass of product. VA shows initially an inhibitory effect on cellular growth. However, cells seemed to adapt to the presence of the inhibitor resulting in a recovery of the cellular growth. Cell cycle and Western blot analyses support the observed results. This work underlines the role of temperature as a key operating variable for the optimization of perfusion cultures. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Celecoxib and tauro-ursodeoxycholic acid co-treatment inhibits cell growth in familial adenomatous polyposis derived LT97 colon adenoma cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Heumen, Bjorn W.H. van, E-mail: b.vanheumen@mdl.umcn.nl [Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Roelofs, Hennie M.J.; Morsche, Rene H.M. te [Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Marian, Brigitte [Institute of Cancer Research, Wien University, Vienna (Austria); Nagengast, Fokko M.; Peters, Wilbert H.M. [Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen (Netherlands)

    2012-04-15

    Chemoprevention would be a desirable strategy to avoid duodenectomy in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) suffering from duodenal adenomatosis. We investigated the in vitro effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and COX-2 expression of the potential chemopreventives celecoxib and tauro-ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). HT-29 colon cancer cells and LT97 colorectal micro-adenoma cells derived from a patient with FAP, were exposed to low dose celecoxib and UDCA alone or in combination with tauro-cholic acid (CA) and tauro-chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), mimicking bile of FAP patients treated with UDCA. In HT-29 cells, co-treatment with low dose celecoxib and UDCA resulted in a decreased cell growth (14-17%, p < 0.01). A more pronounced decrease (23-27%, p < 0.01) was observed in LT97 cells. Cell growth of HT-29 cells exposed to 'artificial bile' enriched with UDCA, was decreased (p < 0.001), either in the absence or presence of celecoxib. In LT97 cells incubated with 'artificial bile' enriched with UDCA, cell growth was decreased only in the presence of celecoxib (p < 0.05). No clear evidence was found for involvement of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, caspase-3, or COX-2 in the cellular processes leading to the observed changes in cell growth. In conclusion, co-treatment with low dose celecoxib and UDCA has growth inhibitory effects on colorectal adenoma cells derived from a patient with FAP, and further research on this combination as promising chemopreventive strategy is desired. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Celecoxib and UDCA acid co-treatment decreases cell growth in colon tumor cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer UDCA enriched 'artificial bile' decreases LT-97 cell growth only in presence of celecoxib. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer PCNA, caspase-3, nor COX-2 seem to be involved in the observed changes in cell growth.

  9. Celecoxib and tauro-ursodeoxycholic acid co-treatment inhibits cell growth in familial adenomatous polyposis derived LT97 colon adenoma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heumen, Bjorn W.H. van; Roelofs, Hennie M.J.; Morsche, René H.M. te; Marian, Brigitte; Nagengast, Fokko M.; Peters, Wilbert H.M.

    2012-01-01

    Chemoprevention would be a desirable strategy to avoid duodenectomy in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) suffering from duodenal adenomatosis. We investigated the in vitro effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and COX-2 expression of the potential chemopreventives celecoxib and tauro-ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). HT-29 colon cancer cells and LT97 colorectal micro-adenoma cells derived from a patient with FAP, were exposed to low dose celecoxib and UDCA alone or in combination with tauro-cholic acid (CA) and tauro-chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), mimicking bile of FAP patients treated with UDCA. In HT-29 cells, co-treatment with low dose celecoxib and UDCA resulted in a decreased cell growth (14–17%, p < 0.01). A more pronounced decrease (23–27%, p < 0.01) was observed in LT97 cells. Cell growth of HT-29 cells exposed to ‘artificial bile’ enriched with UDCA, was decreased (p < 0.001), either in the absence or presence of celecoxib. In LT97 cells incubated with ‘artificial bile’ enriched with UDCA, cell growth was decreased only in the presence of celecoxib (p < 0.05). No clear evidence was found for involvement of proliferating cell nuclear antigen, caspase-3, or COX-2 in the cellular processes leading to the observed changes in cell growth. In conclusion, co-treatment with low dose celecoxib and UDCA has growth inhibitory effects on colorectal adenoma cells derived from a patient with FAP, and further research on this combination as promising chemopreventive strategy is desired. -- Highlights: ► Celecoxib and UDCA acid co-treatment decreases cell growth in colon tumor cells. ► UDCA enriched ‘artificial bile’ decreases LT-97 cell growth only in presence of celecoxib. ► PCNA, caspase-3, nor COX-2 seem to be involved in the observed changes in cell growth.

  10. Effects of benzalkonium chloride on growth and survival of Chang conjunctival cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Saint Jean, M; Brignole, F; Bringuier, A F; Bauchet, A; Feldmann, G; Baudouin, C

    1999-03-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the action of benzalkonium chloride (BAC), used as a preservative in most ophthalmic topical solutions, on epithelial conjunctival cells in vitro. A continuous human conjunctival cell line (Wong-Kilbourne derivative of Chang conjunctiva) was exposed to BAC solutions at various concentrations (0.1%-0.0001%) during a period of 10 minutes. Cells were examined before treatment and 3, 24, 48, and 72 hours later, after reexposure to normal cell culture conditions. Cell number and viability were assessed with crystal violet and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide colorimetric assays. The expression of the apoptotic marker Apo 2.7, nuclear antigen p53, membrane proteins Fas and Fas ligand, and DNA content was studied by flow cytometry. Morphologic aspects of cell nuclei were analyzed on slides with a nucleic acid-specific dye, 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride. Cytoskeleton was labeled with a monoclonal anti-pancytokeratin antibody. In addition, apoptosis was measured by DNA electrophoresis assays in agarose gel. Cell exposure to 0.1% and 0.05% BAC induced cell lysis immediately after treatment. All cells (100%) treated with 0.01% BAC died in a delayed manner within 24 hours, with most of the characteristics of apoptosis (chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation, reduction in cell volume, expression of the apoptotic marker Apo 2.7, and apoptotic changes in DNA content). Aliquots of 0.005%, 0.001%, 0.0005%, and 0.0001% BAC induced growth arrest and apoptotic cell death in a dose-dependent manner between 24 and 72 hours after treatment. The expressions of Fas and p53 did not vary after BAC treatment. Fas ligand was always negative. These results suggest that BAC induces cell growth arrest and death at a concentration as low as 0.0001%. The mode of BAC-induced cell death is dose-dependent. Cells die by necrosis after BAC treatment at high concentrations and by apoptosis if low concentrations of

  11. Fluoro-sorafenib (Regorafenib) effects on hepatoma cells: growth inhibition, quiescence and recovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carr, Brian I.; Cavallini, Aldo; Lippolis, Catia; D’Alessandro, Rosalba; Messa, Caterina; Refolo, Maria Grazia; Tafaro, Angela

    2015-01-01

    To evaluate the growth-inhibitory properties of the potent multi-kinase antagonist Regorafenib (Fluoro-Sorafenib), which was synthesized as a more potent Sorafenib, a Raf inhibitor and to determine whether similar mechanisms were involved, human hepatoma cell lines were grown in the presence or absence of Regorafanib and examined for growth inhibition. Western blots were performed for Raf targets, for apoptosis and autophagy. Regorafenib inhibited growth of human Hep3B, PLC/PRF/5 and HepG2 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Multiple signaling pathways were altered, including MAP kinases phospho-ERK and phospho-JNK and its target phospho-c-Jun. There was evidence for apoptosis by FACS, cleavage of caspases and increased Bax levels; as well as induction of autophagy, as judged by increased Beclin-1 and LC3 (II) levels. Prolonged drug exposure resulted in cell quiescence. Full growth recovery occurred after drug removal, unlike with doxorubicin chemotherapy. Regorafenib is a potent inhibitor of cell growth. Cells surviving Regorafenib treatment remain viable, but quiescent and capable of regrowth following drug removal. The reversibility of tumor cell growth suppression after drug removal may have clinical implications. PMID:22777740

  12. Insulin-like growth factors and pancreas beta cells.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haeften, T.W. van; Twickler, M.

    2004-01-01

    Abstract Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) have been implicated in normal growth, and especially foetal pancreas beta-cell development. As low birth weight has been implicated in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes, much research has evolved into the importance of IGF and their

  13. Insulin-like growth factors and pancreas beta cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Haeften, T. W.; Twickler, TB

    Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) have been implicated in normal growth, and especially foetal pancreas beta-cell development. As low birth weight has been implicated in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes, much research has evolved into the importance of IGF and their signalling

  14. Insulin-like growth factors and pancreas beta cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Haeften, T. W.; Twickler, Th B.

    2004-01-01

    Abstract Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) have been implicated in normal growth, and especially foetal pancreas beta-cell development. As low birth weight has been implicated in the development of obesity and type 2 diabetes, much research has evolved into the importance of IGF and their

  15. 17-AAG suppresses growth and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells via regulation of the LATS1/YAP pathway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Xiang-Yun; Luo, Qing-Quan; Xu, Yun-Hua; Tang, Nai-Wang; Niu, Xiao-Min; Li, Zi-Ming; Shen, Sheng-Ping; Lu, Shun; Chen, Zhi-Wei

    2015-01-01

    The large tumour suppressor 1 (LATS1) signalling network has been proved to be an essential regulator within the cell, participating in multiple cellular phenotypes. However, it is unclear concerning the clinical significance of LATS1 and the regulatory mechanisms of 17-Allylamino-17- demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) in lung adenocarcinoma (LAC). The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation of LATS1 and yes-associated protein (YAP) expression with clinicopathological characteristics in LAC patients, and the effects of 17-AAG on biological behaviours of LAC cells. Subcutaneous LAC tumour models were further established to observe the tumour growth in nude mice. The results showed that the positive expression of LATS1 was significantly lowered (26.7% versus 68.0%, P AAG inhibited proliferation and invasion, and induced cell apoptosis and cycle arrest in LAC cells together with increased expression of E-cadherin and p-LATS1, and decreased expression of YAP and connective tissue growth factor. Tumour volumes and weight were much smaller in 17-AAG-treated groups than those in untreated group (P AAG suppresses growth and invasion of LAC cells via regulation of the LATS1/YAP pathway in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that we may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of human LAC. PMID:25712415

  16. Hybrid cellular automaton modeling of nutrient modulated cell growth in tissue engineering constructs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, C A; Lin, Tze-Hung; Chen, Shih-Di; Huang, Hsing-I

    2010-01-21

    Mathematic models help interpret experimental results and accelerate tissue engineering developments. We develop in this paper a hybrid cellular automata model that combines the differential nutrient transport equation to investigate the nutrient limited cell construct development for cartilage tissue engineering. Individual cell behaviors of migration, contact inhibition and cell collision, coupled with the cell proliferation regulated by oxygen concentration were carefully studied. Simplified two-dimensional simulations were performed. Using this model, we investigated the influence of cell migration speed on the overall cell growth within in vitro cell scaffolds. It was found that intense cell motility can enhance initial cell growth rates. However, since cell growth is also significantly modulated by the nutrient contents, intense cell motility with conventional uniform cell seeding method may lead to declined cell growth in the final time because concentrated cell population has been growing around the scaffold periphery to block the nutrient transport from outside culture media. Therefore, homogeneous cell seeding may not be a good way of gaining large and uniform cell densities for the final results. We then compared cell growth in scaffolds with various seeding modes, and proposed a seeding mode with cells initially residing in the middle area of the scaffold that may efficiently reduce the nutrient blockage and result in a better cell amount and uniform cell distribution for tissue engineering construct developments.

  17. BRE enhances in vivo growth of tumor cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chan, Ben Chung-Lap; Li Qing; Chow, Stephanie Ka-Yee; Ching, Arthur Kar-Keung; Liew, Choong Tsek; Lim, Pak-Leong; Lee, Kenneth Ka-Ho; Chan, John Yeuk-Hon; Chui, Y.-L.

    2005-01-01

    Human BRE, a death receptor-associating intracellular protein, attenuates apoptotic response of human and mouse tumor cell lines to death receptor stimuli in vitro. In this report, we addressed whether the in vitro antiapoptotic effect of BRE could impact on tumor growth in vivo. We have shown that the mouse Lewis lung carcinoma D122 stable transfectants of human BRE expression vector developed into local tumor significantly faster than the stable transfectants of empty vector and parental D122, in both the syngeneic C57BL/6 host and nude mice. In vitro growth of the BRE stable transfectants was, however, not accelerated. No significant difference in metastasis between the transfectants and the parental D122 was detected. Thus, overexpression of BRE promotes local tumor growth but not metastasis. We conclude that the enhanced tumor growth is more likely due to the antiapoptotic activity of BRE than any direct effect of the protein on cell proliferation

  18. In silico characterization of cell-cell interactions using a cellular automata model of cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kihara, Takanori; Kashitani, Kosuke; Miyake, Jun

    2017-07-14

    Cell proliferation is a key characteristic of eukaryotic cells. During cell proliferation, cells interact with each other. In this study, we developed a cellular automata model to estimate cell-cell interactions using experimentally obtained images of cultured cells. We used four types of cells; HeLa cells, human osteosarcoma (HOS) cells, rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and rat smooth muscle A7r5 cells. These cells were cultured and stained daily. The obtained cell images were binarized and clipped into squares containing about 10 4 cells. These cells showed characteristic cell proliferation patterns. The growth curves of these cells were generated from the cell proliferation images and we determined the doubling time of these cells from the growth curves. We developed a simple cellular automata system with an easily accessible graphical user interface. This system has five variable parameters, namely, initial cell number, doubling time, motility, cell-cell adhesion, and cell-cell contact inhibition (of proliferation). Within these parameters, we obtained initial cell numbers and doubling times experimentally. We set the motility at a constant value because the effect of the parameter for our simulation was restricted. Therefore, we simulated cell proliferation behavior with cell-cell adhesion and cell-cell contact inhibition as variables. By comparing growth curves and proliferation cell images, we succeeded in determining the cell-cell interaction properties of each cell. Simulated HeLa and HOS cells exhibited low cell-cell adhesion and weak cell-cell contact inhibition. Simulated MSCs exhibited high cell-cell adhesion and positive cell-cell contact inhibition. Simulated A7r5 cells exhibited low cell-cell adhesion and strong cell-cell contact inhibition. These simulated results correlated with the experimental growth curves and proliferation images. Our simulation approach is an easy method for evaluating the cell-cell interaction properties of cells.

  19. Growth factor combination for chondrogenic induction from human mesenchymal stem cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Indrawattana, Nitaya; Chen Guoping; Tadokoro, Mika; Shann, Linzi H.; Ohgushi, Hajime; Tateishi, Tetsuya; Tanaka, Junzo; Bunyaratvej, Ahnond

    2004-01-01

    During the last decade, many strategies for cartilage engineering have been emerging. Stem cell induction is one of the possible approaches for cartilage engineering. The mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with their pluripotency and availability have been demonstrated to be an attractive cell source. It needs the stimulation with cell growth factors to make the multipluripotent MSCs differentiate into chondrogenic lineage. We have shown particular patterns of in vitro chondrogenesis induction on human bone marrow MSCs (hBMSCs) by cycling the growth factors. The pellet cultures of hBMSCs were prepared for chondrogenic induction. Growth factors: TGF-β3, BMP-6, and IGF-1 were used in combination for cell induction. Gene expression, histology, immunohistology, and real-time PCR methods were measured on days 21 after cell induction. As shown by histology and immunohistology, the induced cells have shown the feature of chondrocytes in their morphology and extracellular matrix in both inducing patterns of combination and cycling induction. Moreover, the real-time PCR assay has shown the expression of gene markers of chondrogenesis, collagen type II and aggrecan. This study has demonstrated that cartilage tissue can be created from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Interestingly, the combined growth factors TGF-β3 and BMP-6 or TGF-β3 and IGF-1 were more effective for chondrogenesis induction as shown by the real-time PCR assay. The combination of these growth factors may be the important key for in vitro chondrogenesis induction

  20. Expression of insulin-like growth factor-2 receptors on EL4 lymphoma cells overexpressing growth hormone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farmer, John T; Weigent, Douglas A

    2007-01-01

    In the present study, we report the upregulation of functional IGF-2Rs in cells overexpressing growth hormone (GH). EL4 lymphoma cells stably transfected with an rGH cDNA overexpression vector (GHo) exhibited an increase in the binding of (125)I-IGF-2 with no change in the binding affinity compared to vector alone controls. An increase in the expression of the insulin-like growth factor-2 receptor (IGF-2R) in cells overexpressing GH was confirmed by Western blot analysis and IGF-2R promoter luciferase assays. EL4 cells produce insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF-2) as detected by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); however, no IGF-2 protein was detected by Western analysis. The increase in the expression of the IGF-2R resulted in greater levels of IGF-2 uptake in GHo cells compared to vector alone controls. The data suggest that one of the consequences of the overexpression of GH is an increase in the expression of the IGF-2R.

  1. Population growth in Shanghai and its characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, K

    1985-07-01

    There has been an astonishing change in Shanghai's natural population growth over the past 34 years, with a significant difference between urban and suburban areas. In 1954, the birth rate reached as high as 52.6/1000 and the death rate dropped as low as 7.1/1000, the natural growth rate being 45.4/1000. The substantial decline in the rate of natural increase in Shanghai is due to the enormous achievements of family planning programs. In 1983, the 1-child rate of Shanghai areas was 96.56%, with that in urban areas reaching 99.36% and that in rural areas 92.4%. In the last decade, with the development of industrial production, several satellite cities have been built, attracting some of the urban residents from the city proper. The 5 characteristics relating to Shanghai's population growth are: 1) population density is high and population distribution is uneven; 2) fertility declined drastically in the 1970s; 3) the proportion of young is declining and the proportion of aged is increasing; 4) the mortality has been declining steadily, resulting in a longer life expectancy; and 5) the sex ratio has evened out since the liberation when males greatly outnumbered females. These factors point out the arduous task for family planning in the coming years. The enormous population and the increasing number of young people at child bearing ages point out the necessity of carrying on the family planning program.

  2. Cell Wall Composition, Biosynthesis and Remodeling during Pollen Tube Growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean-Claude Mollet

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The pollen tube is a fast tip-growing cell carrying the two sperm cells to the ovule allowing the double fertilization process and seed setting. To succeed in this process, the spatial and temporal controls of pollen tube growth within the female organ are critical. It requires a massive cell wall deposition to promote fast pollen tube elongation and a tight control of the cell wall remodeling to modify the mechanical properties. In addition, during its journey, the pollen tube interacts with the pistil, which plays key roles in pollen tube nutrition, guidance and in the rejection of the self-incompatible pollen. This review focuses on our current knowledge in the biochemistry and localization of the main cell wall polymers including pectin, hemicellulose, cellulose and callose from several pollen tube species. Moreover, based on transcriptomic data and functional genomic studies, the possible enzymes involved in the cell wall remodeling during pollen tube growth and their impact on the cell wall mechanics are also described. Finally, mutant analyses have permitted to gain insight in the function of several genes involved in the pollen tube cell wall biosynthesis and their roles in pollen tube growth are further discussed.

  3. Cells from the adult corneal stroma can be reprogrammed to a neuron-like cell using exogenous growth factors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Greene, Carol Ann, E-mail: carol.greene@auckland.ac.nz; Chang, Chuan-Yuan; Fraser, Cameron J.; Nelidova, Dasha E.; Chen, Jing A.; Lim, Angela; Brebner, Alex; McGhee, Jennifer; Sherwin, Trevor; Green, Colin R.

    2014-03-10

    Cells thought to be stem cells isolated from the cornea of the eye have been shown to exhibit neurogenic potential. We set out to uncover the identity and location of these cells within the cornea and to elucidate their neuronal protein and gene expression profile during the process of switching to a neuron-like cell. Here we report that every cell of the adult human and rat corneal stroma is capable of differentiating into a neuron-like cell when treated with neurogenic differentiation specifying growth factors. Furthermore, the expression of genes regulating neurogenesis and mature neuronal structure and function was increased. The switch from a corneal stromal cell to a neuron-like cell was also shown to occur in vivo in intact corneas of living rats. Our results clearly indicate that lineage specifying growth factors can affect changes in the protein and gene expression profiles of adult cells, suggesting that possibly many adult cell populations can be made to switch into another type of mature cell by simply modifying the growth factor environment. - Highlights: • Adult corneal stromal cells can differentiated into neuron-like cells. • Neuronal specification of the adult stromal cell population is stochastic. • Neuronal specification in an adult cell population can be brought about by growth factors.

  4. Cells from the adult corneal stroma can be reprogrammed to a neuron-like cell using exogenous growth factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Greene, Carol Ann; Chang, Chuan-Yuan; Fraser, Cameron J.; Nelidova, Dasha E.; Chen, Jing A.; Lim, Angela; Brebner, Alex; McGhee, Jennifer; Sherwin, Trevor; Green, Colin R.

    2014-01-01

    Cells thought to be stem cells isolated from the cornea of the eye have been shown to exhibit neurogenic potential. We set out to uncover the identity and location of these cells within the cornea and to elucidate their neuronal protein and gene expression profile during the process of switching to a neuron-like cell. Here we report that every cell of the adult human and rat corneal stroma is capable of differentiating into a neuron-like cell when treated with neurogenic differentiation specifying growth factors. Furthermore, the expression of genes regulating neurogenesis and mature neuronal structure and function was increased. The switch from a corneal stromal cell to a neuron-like cell was also shown to occur in vivo in intact corneas of living rats. Our results clearly indicate that lineage specifying growth factors can affect changes in the protein and gene expression profiles of adult cells, suggesting that possibly many adult cell populations can be made to switch into another type of mature cell by simply modifying the growth factor environment. - Highlights: • Adult corneal stromal cells can differentiated into neuron-like cells. • Neuronal specification of the adult stromal cell population is stochastic. • Neuronal specification in an adult cell population can be brought about by growth factors

  5. Effects of hyperthermia on growth kinetics of Chinese hamster ovarian carcinoma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leeper, D.B.; Bobyock, S.B.

    1987-01-01

    The effects of hyperthermia on growth rate, cell volume, and density at plateau phase were studied in OvCa cells in monolayer culture in McCoy's 5a + 10% FCS. At 37 0 C, T/sub G/=9.3 hr, cell density at plateau was 32 x 10/sup 4//cm/sup 2/, and mean cell volume decreased from 1200 μ/sup 3/ at the onset of exponential growth to 850 μ/sup 3/ in plateau phase. Cells were acutely heated for 60' at 43 0 ,30' at 44 0 , or 15' at 45 0 (S.F.=20%) and incubated at 37 0 ; or were chronically heated for up to 80 hr at 39-42 0 . Acute heating at 43-45 0 delayed cell division for appx 13 hr after which growth resumed with a T/sub G/=18 hr. Incubation at 39-40 0 had no effect on T/sub G/, but temperatures of 40.5-42 0 increased T/sub G/ at ΔH=176 kcal/mole. Increasing incubation temperature decreased cell density at plateau phase and altered cell volume kinetics. Cell density in plateau phase was 20 x 10/sup 4//cm/sup 2/ at 39 0 , 13 x 10/sup 4//cm/sup 2/ at 40 0 , 5x10/sup 4//cm/sup 2/ at 41 0 . Growth was greatly reduced at 42 0 (T/sub G/=55 hr) and doubling did not occur before onset of cell lysis. The decrease in cell volume with growth of the culture was unaffected at 39 0 . However, at temperatures ≥40 0 cell volume transiently increase, and the rate of decrease in volume that normally occurred with growth at 37-39 0 was less such that at 41 0 there was no decrease in volume at all before cells entered plateau phase. The authors' hypothesis is that the effects of heat on growth kinetics are related to alterations in rates of protein synthesis. This is currently being tested

  6. Binding Characteristics Of Ivermectin To Blood Cells | Nweke ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The binding characteristics of Ivermectin were determined using scatchard plots. The percentage binding to platelet rich plasma, white blood cells and red blood cells were 90.00 + 1.00, 96-90 + 1.05 and 46.20 + 1.10 S.D respectively. It was found to bind the highest to white blood cells and the least to red blood cells.

  7. Inhibitory activities of Perilla frutescens britton leaf extract against the growth, migration, and adhesion of human cancer cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwak, Youngeun

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Perilla frutescens Britton leaves are a commonly consumed vegetable in different Asian countries including Korea. Cancer is a major cause of human death worldwide. The aim of the current study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of ethanol extract of perilla leaf (PLE) against important characteristics of cancer cells, including unrestricted growth, resisted apoptosis, and activated metastasis, using human cancer cells. MATERIALS/METHODS Two human cancer cell lines were used in this study, HCT116 colorectal carcinoma cells and H1299 non-small cell lung carcinoma cells. Assays using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide were performed for measurement of cell growth. Soft agar and wound healing assays were performed to determine colony formation and cell migration, respectively. Nuclear staining and cell cycle analysis were performed for assessment of apoptosis. Fibronectin-coated plates were used to determine cell adhesion. RESULTS Treatment of HCT116 and H1299 cells with PLE resulted in dose-dependent inhibition of growth by 52-92% (at the concentrations of 87.5, 175, and 350 µg/ml) and completely abolished the colony formation in soft agar (at the concentration of 350 µg/ml). Treatment with PLE at the 350 µg/ml concentration resulted in change of the nucleus morphology and significantly increased sub-G1 cell population in both cells, indicating its apoptosis-inducing activity. PLE at the concentration range of 87.5 to 350 µg/ml was also effective in inhibiting the migration of H1299 cells (by 52-58%) and adhesion of both HCT116 and H1299 cells (by 25-46%). CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that PLE exerts anti-cancer activities against colon and lung cancers in vitro. Further studies are needed in order to determine whether similar effects are reproduced in vivo. PMID:25671062

  8. Influence of Cell-Cell Interactions on the Population Growth Rate in a Tumor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yong

    2017-12-01

    The understanding of the macroscopic phenomenological models of the population growth at a microscopic level is important to predict the population behaviors emerged from the interactions between the individuals. In this work, we consider the influence of the population growth rate R on the cell-cell interaction in a tumor system and show that, in most cases especially small proliferative probabilities, the regulative role of the interaction will be strengthened with the decline of the intrinsic proliferative probabilities. For the high replication rates of an individual and the cooperative interactions, the proliferative probability almost has no effect. We compute the dependences of R on the interactions between the cells under the approximation of the nearest neighbor in the rim of an avascular tumor. Our results are helpful to qualitatively understand the influence of the interactions between the individuals on the growth rate in population systems. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos. 11675008 and 21434001

  9. Growth inhibition and chemosensitization of exogenous nitric oxide released from NONOates in glioma cells in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weyerbrock, Astrid; Baumer, Brunhilde; Papazoglou, Anna

    2009-01-01

    Exogenous nitric oxide (NO) from NO donors has cytotoxic, chemosensitizing, and radiosensitizing effects, and increases vascular permeability and blood flow in tumors. Yet little is known about whether these cytotoxic and chemosensitizing effects can be observed in glioma cells at doses that alter tumor physiological characteristics in vivo and whether these effects are tumor selective. The effect of NO released from proline NONOate, diethylamine NONOate, spermine NONOate, and sodium nitrite on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and chemosensitivity to carboplatin of cultured glioma cells was studied in C6, U87 glioma cells, human glioblastoma cells, and human astrocytes and fibroblasts. Although proline NONOate failed to induce cell death, the other NO donors induced growth arrest when present in high concentrations (10(-2) M) in all cell lines. Chemosensitization was observed after concomitant incubation with spermine NONOate and carboplatin in C6 and human glioblastoma cells. There is strong evidence that cell death occurs primarily by necrosis and to a lesser degree by apoptosis. The NO doses, which altered tumor physiology in vivo, were not cytotoxic, indicating that NO alters vascular permeability and cell viability in vivo by different mechanisms. The authors found that NO-generating agents at high concentrations are potent growth inhibitors and might also be useful as chemosensitizers in glioma cells. These data corroborate the theory that the use of NOgenerating agents may play a role in the multimodal treatment of malignant gliomas but that the NO release must be targeted more specifically to tumor cells to improve selectivity and efficacy.

  10. Altered Cell Wall Plasticity Can Restrict Plant Growth under Ammonium Nutrition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Podgórska, Anna; Burian, Maria; Gieczewska, Katarzyna; Ostaszewska-Bugajska, Monika; Zebrowski, Jacek; Solecka, Danuta; Szal, Bożena

    2017-01-01

    Plants mainly utilize inorganic forms of nitrogen (N), such as nitrate (NO 3 - ) and ammonium (NH 4 + ). However, the composition of the N source is important, because excess of NH 4 + promotes morphological disorders. Plants cultured on NH 4 + as the sole N source exhibit serious growth inhibition, commonly referred to as "ammonium toxicity syndrome." NH 4 + -mediated suppression of growth may be attributable to both repression of cell elongation and reduction of cell division. The precondition for cell enlargement is the expansion of the cell wall, which requires the loosening of the cell wall polymers. Therefore, to understand how NH 4 + nutrition may trigger growth retardation in plants, properties of their cell walls were analyzed. We found that Arabidopsis thaliana using NH 4 + as the sole N source has smaller cells with relatively thicker cell walls. Moreover, cellulose, which is the main load-bearing polysaccharide revealed a denser assembly of microfibrils. Consequently, the leaf blade tissue showed elevated tensile strength and indicated higher cell wall stiffness. These changes might be related to changes in polysaccharide and ion content of cell walls. Further, NH 4 + toxicity was associated with altered activities of cell wall modifying proteins. The lower activity and/or expression of pectin hydrolyzing enzymes and expansins might limit cell wall expansion. Additionally, the higher activity of cell wall peroxidases can lead to higher cross-linking of cell wall polymers. Overall, the NH 4 + -mediated inhibition of growth is related to a more rigid cell wall structure, which limits expansion of cells. The changes in cell wall composition were also indicated by decreased expression of Feronia , a receptor-like kinase involved in the control of cell wall extension.

  11. Suppression of DHT-induced paracrine stimulation of endothelial cell growth by estrogens via prostate cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Juan; Zhao, Yuan; Li, Jinghe; Weng, Chunyan; Cai, Jingjing; Yang, Kan; Yuan, Hong; Imperato-McGinley, Julianne; Zhu, Yuan-Shan

    2013-07-01

    Androgen modulation of angiogenesis in prostate cancer may be not directly mediated by androgen receptor (AR) as AR is not detected in the prostatic endothelial cells. We examined the paracrine stimulation of cell proliferation by prostate tumor cells and its modulation by androgen and estrogens in a murine endothelial cell line (MEC) that does not express AR. Tumor cell conditioned media (TCM) collected from LAPC-4 or LNCaP prostatic tumor cells produced a time- and concentration-dependent induction of cell growth in MECs, which was parallel to the VEGF concentration in the TCM. This TCM-induced cell growth in MECs was enhanced by the treatment of prostatic tumor cells with dihydrotestosterone (DHT). Both the TCM-stimulation and DHT-enhancement effects in MECs were completely blocked by SU5416, a specific VEGF receptor antagonist. Co-administration of 17α-estradiol or 17β-estradiol with DHT in prostatic tumor cells completely inhibited the DHT-enhancement effect while treatment with DHT, 17α-estradiol or 17β-estradiol did not produce any significant direct effect in MECs. Moreover, administration of 17α-estradiol or 17β-estradiol in xenograft animals with LAPC-4 or LNCaP prostate tumor significantly decreased the microvessel number in the tumor tissues. Our study indicated that prostate tumor cells regulate endothelial cell growth through a paracrine mechanism, which is mainly mediated by VEGF; and DHT is able to modulate endothelial cell growth via tumor cells, which is inhibited by 17α-estradiol and 17β-estradiol. Thus, both17α-estradiol and 17β-estradiol are potential agents for anti-angiogenesis therapy in androgen-responsive prostate cancer. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Surface characteristics determining the cell compatibility of ionically cross-linked alginate gels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Machida-Sano, Ikuko; Hirakawa, Makoto; Matsumoto, Hiroki; Kamada, Mitsuki; Ogawa, Sakito; Satoh, Nao; Namiki, Hideo

    2014-01-01

    In this study we investigated differences in the characteristics determining the suitability of five types of ion (Fe 3+ , Al 3+ , Ca 2+ , Ba 2+ and Sr 2+ )-cross-linked alginate films as culture substrates for cells. Human dermal fibroblasts were cultured on each alginate film to examine the cell affinity of the alginates. Since cell behavior on the surface of a material is dependent on the proteins adsorbed to it, we investigated the protein adsorption ability and surface features (wettability, morphology and charge) related to the protein adsorption abilities of alginate films. We observed that ferric, aluminum and barium ion-cross-linked alginate films supported better cell growth and adsorbed higher amounts of serum proteins than other types. Surface wettability analysis demonstrated that ferric and aluminum ion-cross-linked alginates had moderate hydrophilic surfaces, while other types showed highly hydrophilic surfaces. The roughness was exhibited only on barium ion-cross-linked alginate surface. Surface charge measurements revealed that alginate films had negatively charged surfaces, and showed little difference among the five types of gel. These results indicate that the critical factors of ionically cross-linked alginate films determining the protein adsorption ability required for their cell compatibility may be surface wettability and morphology. (paper)

  13. TOR and paradigm change: cell growth is controlled.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, Michael N

    2016-09-15

    This year marks the 25th anniversary of the discovery of target of rapamycin (TOR), a highly conserved kinase and central controller of cell growth. In this Retrospective, I briefly describe the discovery of TOR and the subsequent elucidation of its cellular role. I place particular emphasis on an article by Barbet et al. from 1996, the first suggesting that TOR controls cell growth in response to nutrients. © 2016 Hall. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  14. Engineering CHO cells with an oncogenic KIT improves cells growth, resilience to stress, and productivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahameed, Mohamed; Tirosh, Boaz

    2017-11-01

    An optimized biomanufacturing process in mammalian cells is contingent on the ability of the producing cells to reach high viable cell densities. In addition, at the peak of growth, cells need to continue producing the biological entity at a consistent quality. Thus, engineering cells with robust growth performance and resilience to variable stress conditions is highly desirable. The tyrosine kinase receptor, KIT, plays a key role in cell differentiation and the survival of several immune cell types. Its oncogenic mutant, D816V, endows cells with high proliferation capacity, and resistance to kinase inhibitors. Importantly, this onco-KIT mutant when introduced into various cell types is arrested in the endoplasmic reticulum in a constitutively active form. Here, we investigated the effect of oncogenic D816V KIT on the performance of CHO-K1 cells under conventional tissue culture growth settings and when adapted, to shaking conditions. The onco-KIT promoted global protein synthesis, elevated the expression of a secretable transgene, enhanced proliferation, and improved the overall titers of a model glycoprotein. Moreover, the expression of the onco-KIT endowed the cells with a remarkable resistance to various stress conditions. Our data suggest that the introduction of onco-KIT can serve as a strategy for improving glycoprotein biomanufacturing. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 2560-2570. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Endothelial cell capture of heparin-binding growth factors under flow.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bing Zhao

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Circulation is an important delivery method for both natural and synthetic molecules, but microenvironment interactions, regulated by endothelial cells and critical to the molecule's fate, are difficult to interpret using traditional approaches. In this work, we analyzed and predicted growth factor capture under flow using computer modeling and a three-dimensional experimental approach that includes pertinent circulation characteristics such as pulsatile flow, competing binding interactions, and limited bioavailability. An understanding of the controlling features of this process was desired. The experimental module consisted of a bioreactor with synthetic endothelial-lined hollow fibers under flow. The physical design of the system was incorporated into the model parameters. The heparin-binding growth factor fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2 was used for both the experiments and simulations. Our computational model was composed of three parts: (1 media flow equations, (2 mass transport equations and (3 cell surface reaction equations. The model is based on the flow and reactions within a single hollow fiber and was scaled linearly by the total number of fibers for comparison with experimental results. Our model predicted, and experiments confirmed, that removal of heparan sulfate (HS from the system would result in a dramatic loss of binding by heparin-binding proteins, but not by proteins that do not bind heparin. The model further predicted a significant loss of bound protein at flow rates only slightly higher than average capillary flow rates, corroborated experimentally, suggesting that the probability of capture in a single pass at high flow rates is extremely low. Several other key parameters were investigated with the coupling between receptors and proteoglycans shown to have a critical impact on successful capture. The combined system offers opportunities to examine circulation capture in a straightforward quantitative manner that

  16. Effect of single-dose radiation on cell survival and growth hormone secretion by rat anterior pituitary cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hochberg, Z.; Kuten, A.; Hertz, P.; Tatcher, M.; Kedar, A.; Benderly, A.

    1983-01-01

    Cranial irradiation has been shown to impair growth hormone secretion in children. In this study a cell culture of dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells was exposed to single doses of radiation in the range of 100 to 1500 rad. Survival curves were obtained for the different anterior pituitary cell lines, and growth hormone secretion was measured in the tissue culture medium. Both survival and growth hormone secretion curves showed an initial shoulder in the range of 0 to 300 rad, followed by a decline between 300 to 750 rad. It is concluded that growth hormone secreting acidophilic pituicytes are sensitive to radiation at single doses greater than 300 rad

  17. Antitumor action of 3-bromopyruvate implicates reorganized tumor growth regulatory components of tumor milieu, cell cycle arrest and induction of mitochondria-dependent tumor cell death.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yadav, Saveg; Kujur, Praveen Kumar; Pandey, Shrish Kumar; Goel, Yugal; Maurya, Babu Nandan; Verma, Ashish; Kumar, Ajay; Singh, Rana Pratap; Singh, Sukh Mahendra

    2018-01-15

    Evidences demonstrate that metabolic inhibitor 3-bromopyruvate (3-BP) exerts a potent antitumor action against a wide range of malignancies. However, the effect of 3-BP on progression of the tumors of thymic origin remains unexplored. Although, constituents of tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a pivotal role in regulation of tumor progression, it remains unclear if 3-BP can alter the composition of the crucial tumor growth regulatory components of the external surrounding of tumor cells. Thus, the present investigation attempts to understand the effect of 3-BP administration to a host bearing a progressively growing tumor of thymic origin on tumor growth regulatory soluble, cellular and biophysical components of tumor milieu vis-à-vis understanding its association with tumor progression, accompanying cell cycle events and mode of cell death. Further, the expression of cell survival regulatory molecules and hemodynamic characteristics of the tumor milieu were analysed to decipher mechanisms underlying the antitumor action of 3-BP. Administration of 3-BP to tumor-bearing hosts retarded tumor progression accompanied by induction of tumor cell death, cell cycle arrest, declined metabolism, inhibited mitochondrial membrane potential, elevated release of cytochrome c and altered hemodynamics. Moreover, 3-BP reconstituted the external milieu, in concurrence with deregulated glucose and pH homeostasis and increased tumor infiltration by NK cells, macrophages, and T lymphocytes. Further, 3-BP administration altered the expression of key regulatory molecules involved in glucose uptake, intracellular pH and tumor cell survival. The outcomes of this study will help in optimizing the therapeutic application of 3-BP by targeting crucial tumor growth regulatory components of tumor milieu. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Differential growth of pavement cells of Arabidopsis thaliana leaf epidermis as revealed by microbead labeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elsner, Joanna; Lipowczan, Marcin; Kwiatkowska, Dorota

    2018-02-01

    In numerous vascular plants, pavement cells of the leaf epidermis are shaped like a jigsaw-puzzle piece. Knowledge about the subcellular pattern of growth that accompanies morphogenesis of such a complex shape is crucial for studies of the role of the cytoskeleton, cell wall and phytohormones in plant cell development. Because the detailed growth pattern of the anticlinal and periclinal cell walls remains unknown, our aim was to measure pavement cell growth at a subcellular resolution. Using fluorescent microbeads applied to the surface of the adaxial leaf epidermis of Arabidopsis thaliana as landmarks for growth computation, we directly assessed the growth rates for the outer periclinal and anticlinal cell walls at a subcellular scale. We observed complementary tendencies in the growth pattern of the outer periclinal and anticlinal cell walls. Central portions of periclinal walls were characterized by relatively slow growth, while growth of the other wall portions was heterogeneous. Local growth of the periclinal walls accompanying lobe development after initiation was relatively fast and anisotropic, with maximal extension usually in the direction along the lobe axis. This growth pattern of the periclinal walls was complemented by the extension of the anticlinal walls, which was faster on the lobe sides than at the tips. Growth of the anticlinal and outer periclinal walls of leaf pavement cells is heterogeneous. The growth of the lobes resembles cell elongation via diffuse growth rather than tip growth. © 2018 Botanical Society of America.

  19. Effects of nisin and temperature on survival, growth, and enterotoxin production characteristics of psychrotrophic Bacillus cereus in beef gravy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beuchat, L R; Clavero, M R; Jaquette, C B

    1997-05-01

    The presence of psychrotrophic enterotoxigenic Bacillus cereus in ready-to-serve meats and meat products that have not been subjected to sterilization treatment is a public health concern. A study was undertaken to determine the survival, growth, and diarrheal enterotoxin production characteristics of four strains of psychrotrophic B. cereus in brain heart infusion (BHI) broth and beef gravy as affected by temperature and supplementation with nisin. A portion of unheated vegetative cells from 24-h BHI broth cultures was sensitive to nisin as evidenced by an inability to form colonies on BHI agar containing 10 micrograms of nisin/ml. Heat-stressed cells exhibited increased sensitivity to nisin. At concentrations as low as 1 microgram/ml, nisin was lethal to B. cereus, the effect being more pronounced in BHI broth than in beef gravy. The inhibitory effect of nisin (1 microgram/ml) was greater on vegetative cells than on spores inoculated into beef gravy and was more pronounced at 8 degrees C than at 15 degrees C. Nisin, at a concentration of 5 or 50 micrograms/ml, inhibited growth in gravy inoculated with vegetative cells and stored at 8 or 15 degrees C, respectively, for 14 days. Growth of vegetative cells and spores of B. cereus after an initial period of inhibition is attributed to loss of activity of nisin. One of two test strains produced diarrheal enterotoxin in gravy stored at 8 or 15 degrees C within 9 or 3 days, respectively. Enterotoxin production was inhibited in gravy supplemented with 1 microgram of nisin/ml and stored at 8 degrees C for 14 days; 5 micrograms of nisin/ml was required for inhibition at 15 degrees C. Enterotoxin was not detected in gravy in which less than 5.85 log10 CFU of B. cereus/ml had grown. Results indicate that as little as 1 microgram of nisin/ml may be effective in inhibiting or retarding growth of and diarrheal enterotoxin production by vegetative cells and spores of psychrotrophic B. cereus in beef gravy at 8 degrees C, a

  20. Standardized orthotopic xenografts in zebrafish reveal glioma cell-line-specific characteristics and tumor cell heterogeneity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandra M. Welker

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Glioblastoma (GBM is a deadly brain cancer, for which few effective drug treatments are available. Several studies have used zebrafish models to study GBM, but a standardized approach to modeling GBM in zebrafish was lacking to date, preventing comparison of data across studies. Here, we describe a new, standardized orthotopic xenotransplant model of GBM in zebrafish. Dose-response survival assays were used to define the optimal number of cells for tumor formation. Techniques to measure tumor burden and cell spread within the brain over real time were optimized using mouse neural stem cells as control transplants. Applying this standardized approach, we transplanted two patient-derived GBM cell lines, serum-grown adherent cells and neurospheres, into the midbrain region of embryonic zebrafish and analyzed transplanted larvae over time. Progressive brain tumor growth and premature larval death were observed using both cell lines; however, fewer transplanted neurosphere cells were needed for tumor growth and lethality. Tumors were heterogeneous, containing both cells expressing stem cell markers and cells expressing markers of differentiation. A small proportion of transplanted neurosphere cells expressed glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP or vimentin, markers of more differentiated cells, but this number increased significantly during tumor growth, indicating that these cells undergo differentiation in vivo. By contrast, most serum-grown adherent cells expressed GFAP and vimentin at the earliest times examined post-transplant. Both cell types produced brain tumors that contained Sox2+ cells, indicative of tumor stem cells. Transplanted larvae were treated with currently used GBM therapeutics, temozolomide or bortezomib, and this resulted in a reduction in tumor volume in vivo and an increase in survival. The standardized model reported here facilitates robust and reproducible analysis of glioblastoma tumor cells in real time and provides a

  1. Growth factor involvement in tension-induced skeletal muscle growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vandenburgh, Herman H.

    1993-01-01

    Long-term manned space travel will require a better understanding of skeletal muscle atrophy which results from microgravity. Astronaut strength and dexterity must be maintained for normal mission operations and for emergency situations. Although exercise in space slows the rate of muscle loss, it does not prevent it. A biochemical understanding of how gravity/tension/exercise help to maintain muscle size by altering protein synthesis and/or degradation rate should ultimately allow pharmacological intervention to prevent muscle atrophy in microgravity. The overall objective is to examine some of the basic biochemical processes involved in tension-induced muscle growth. With an experimental in vitro system, the role of exogenous and endogenous muscle growth factors in mechanically stimulated muscle growth are examined. Differentiated avian skeletal myofibers can be 'exercised' in tissue culture using a newly developed dynamic mechanical cell stimulator device which simulates different muscle activity patterns. Patterns of mechanical activity which significantly affect muscle growth and metabolic characteristics were found. Both exogenous and endogenous growth factors are essential for tension-induced muscle growth. Exogenous growth factors found in serum, such as insulin, insulin-like growth factors, and steroids, are important regulators of muscle protein turnover rates and mechanically-induced muscle growth. Endogenous growth factors are synthesized and released into the culture medium when muscle cells are mechanically stimulated. At least one family of mechanically induced endogenous factors, the prostaglandins, help to regulate the rates of protein turnover in muscle cells. Endogenously synthesized IGF-1 is another. The interaction of muscle mechanical activity and these growth factors in the regulation of muscle protein turnover rates with our in vitro model system is studied.

  2. Birth weight and characteristics of endothelial and smooth muscle cell cultures from human umbilical cord vessels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lurbe Empar

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Low birth weight has been related to an increased risk for developing high blood pressure in adult life. The molecular and cellular analysis of umbilical cord artery and vein may provide information about the early vascular characteristics of an individual. We have assessed several phenotype characteristics of the four vascular cell types derived from human umbilical cords of newborns with different birth weight. Further follow-up studies could show the association of those vascular properties with infancy and adulthood blood pressure. Methods Endothelial and smooth muscle cell cultures were obtained from umbilical cords from two groups of newborns of birth weight less than 2.8 kg or higher than 3.5 kg. The expression of specific endothelial cell markers (von Willebrand factor, CD31, and the binding and internalization of acetylated low-density lipoprotein and the smooth muscle cell specific α-actin have been evaluated. Cell culture viability, proliferation kinetic, growth fraction (expression of Ki67 and percentage of senescent cells (detection of β-galactosidase activity at pH 6.0 have been determined. Endothelial cell projection area was determined by morphometric analysis of cell cultures after CD31 immunodetection. Results The highest variation was found in cell density at the confluence of endothelial cell cultures derived from umbilical cord arteries (66,789 ± 5,093 cells/cm2 vs. 45,630 ± 11,927 cells/cm2, p 2, p Conclusion The analysis of umbilical cord artery endothelial cells, which demonstrated differences in cell size related to birth weight, can provide hints about the cellular and molecular links between lower birth weight and increased adult high blood pressure risk.

  3. Endothelial cells stimulate growth of normal and cancerous breast epithelial cells in 3D culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Magnusson Magnus K

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Epithelial-stromal interaction provides regulatory signals that maintain correct histoarchitecture and homeostasis in the normal breast and facilitates tumor progression in breast cancer. However, research on the regulatory role of the endothelial component in the normal and malignant breast gland has largely been neglected. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of endothelial cells on growth and differentiation of human breast epithelial cells in a three-dimensional (3D co-culture assay. Methods Breast luminal and myoepithelial cells and endothelial cells were isolated from reduction mammoplasties. Primary cells and established normal and malignant breast cell lines were embedded in reconstituted basement membrane in direct co-culture with endothelial cells and by separation of Transwell filters. Morphogenic and phenotypic profiles of co-cultures was evaluated by phase contrast microscopy, immunostaining and confocal microscopy. Results In co-culture, endothelial cells stimulate proliferation of both luminal- and myoepithelial cells. Furthermore, endothelial cells induce a subpopulation of luminal epithelial cells to form large acini/ducts with a large and clear lumen. Endothelial cells also stimulate growth and cloning efficiency of normal and malignant breast epithelial cell lines. Transwell and gradient co-culture studies show that endothelial derived effects are mediated - at least partially - by soluble factors. Conclusion Breast endothelial cells - beside their role in transporting nutrients and oxygen to tissues - are vital component of the epithelial microenvironment in the breast and provide proliferative signals to the normal and malignant breast epithelium. These growth promoting effects of endothelial cells should be taken into consideration in breast cancer biology.

  4. Sequential growth factor application in bone marrow stromal cell ligament engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreau, Jodie E; Chen, Jingsong; Horan, Rebecca L; Kaplan, David L; Altman, Gregory H

    2005-01-01

    In vitro bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) growth may be enhanced through culture medium supplementation, mimicking the biochemical environment in which cells optimally proliferate and differentiate. We hypothesize that the sequential administration of growth factors to first proliferate and then differentiate BMSCs cultured on silk fiber matrices will support the enhanced development of ligament tissue in vitro. Confluent second passage (P2) BMSCs obtained from purified bone marrow aspirates were seeded on RGD-modified silk matrices. Seeded matrices were divided into three groups for 5 days of static culture, with medium supplement of basic fibroblast growth factor (B) (1 ng/mL), epidermal growth factor (E; 1 ng/mL), or growth factor-free control (C). After day 5, medium supplementation was changed to transforming growth factor-beta1 (T; 5 ng/mL) or C for an additional 9 days of culture. Real-time RT-PCR, SEM, MTT, histology, and ELISA for collagen type I of all sample groups were performed. Results indicated that BT supported the greatest cell ingrowth after 14 days of culture in addition to the greatest cumulative collagen type I expression measured by ELISA. Sequential growth factor application promoted significant increases in collagen type I transcript expression from day 5 of culture to day 14, for five of six groups tested. All T-supplemented samples surpassed their respective control samples in both cell ingrowth and collagen deposition. All samples supported spindle-shaped, fibroblast cell morphology, aligning with the direction of silk fibers. These findings indicate significant in vitro ligament development after only 14 days of culture when using a sequential growth factor approach.

  5. Stem cells in Nanomia bijuga (Siphonophora), a colonial animal with localized growth zones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siebert, Stefan; Goetz, Freya E; Church, Samuel H; Bhattacharyya, Pathikrit; Zapata, Felipe; Haddock, Steven H D; Dunn, Casey W

    2015-01-01

    Siphonophores (Hydrozoa) have unparalleled colony-level complexity, precision of colony organization, and functional specialization between zooids (i.e., the units that make up colonies). Previous work has shown that, unlike other colonial animals, most growth in siphonophores is restricted to one or two well-defined growth zones that are the sites of both elongation and zooid budding. It remained unknown, however, how this unique colony growth and development is realized at the cellular level. To understand the colony-level growth and development of siphonophores at the cellular level, we characterize the distribution of proliferating cells and interstitial stem cells (i-cells) in the siphonophore Nanomia bijuga. Within the colony, we find evidence that i-cells are present at the tip of the horn, the structure within the growth zone that gives rise to new zooids. Co-localized gene expression of vasa-1, pl10, piwi, nanos-1, and nanos-2 suggests that i-cells persist in the youngest zooid buds and that i-cells become progressively restricted to specific regions within the zooids until they are mostly absent from the oldest zooids. The examined genes remain expressed in gametogenic regions. No evidence for i-cells is found in the stem between maturing zooids. Domains of high cell proliferation include regions where the examined genes are expressed, but also include some areas in which the examined genes were not expressed such as the stem within the growth zones. Cell proliferation in regions devoid of vasa-1, pl10, piwi, nanos-1, and nanos-2 expression indicates the presence of mitotically active epithelial cell lineages and, potentially, progenitor cell populations. We provide the first evidence for i-cells in a siphonophore. Our findings suggest maintenance of i-cell populations at the sites of growth zones and that these sites are the main source of i-cells. This restriction of stem cells to particular regions in the colony, in combination with localized budding

  6. STAMP alters the growth of transformed and ovarian cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    He, Yuanzheng; Blackford, John A Jr; Kohn, Elise C; Simons, S Stoney Jr

    2010-01-01

    Steroid receptors play major roles in the development, differentiation, and homeostasis of normal and malignant tissue. STAMP is a novel coregulator that not only enhances the ability of p160 coactivator family members TIF2 and SRC-1 to increase gene induction by many of the classical steroid receptors but also modulates the potency (or EC 50 ) of agonists and the partial agonist activity of antisteroids. These modulatory activities of STAMP are not limited to gene induction but are also observed for receptor-mediated gene repression. However, a physiological role for STAMP remains unclear. The growth rate of HEK293 cells stably transfected with STAMP plasmid and overexpressing STAMP protein is found to be decreased. We therefore asked whether different STAMP levels might also contribute to the abnormal growth rates of cancer cells. Panels of different stage human cancers were screened for altered levels of STAMP mRNA. Those cancers with the greatest apparent changes in STAMP mRNA were pursued in cultured cancer cell lines. Higher levels of STAMP are shown to have the physiologically relevant function of reducing the growth of HEK293 cells but, unexpectedly, in a steroid-independent manner. STAMP expression was examined in eight human cancer panels. More extensive studies of ovarian cancers suggested the presence of higher levels of STAMP mRNA. Lowering STAMP mRNA levels with siRNAs alters the proliferation of several ovarian cancer tissue culture lines in a cell line-specific manner. This cell line-specific effect of STAMP is not unique and is also seen for the conventional effects of STAMP on glucocorticoid receptor-regulated gene transactivation. This study indicates that a physiological function of STAMP in several settings is to modify cell growth rates in a manner that can be independent of steroid hormones. Studies with eleven tissue culture cell lines of ovarian cancer revealed a cell line-dependent effect of reduced STAMP mRNA on cell growth rates. This

  7. Nitrogen deficiency inhibits leaf blade growth in Lolium perenne by increasing cell cycle duration and decreasing mitotic and post-mitotic growth rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavanová, Monika; Lattanzi, Fernando Alfredo; Schnyder, Hans

    2008-06-01

    Nitrogen deficiency severely inhibits leaf growth. This response was analysed at the cellular level by growing Lolium perenne L. under 7.5 mM (high) or 1 mM (low) nitrate supply, and performing a kinematic analysis to assess the effect of nitrogen status on cell proliferation and cell growth in the leaf blade epidermis. Low nitrogen supply reduced leaf elongation rate (LER) by 43% through a similar decrease in the cell production rate and final cell length. The former was entirely because of a decreased average cell division rate (0.023 versus 0.032 h(-1)) and thus longer cell cycle duration (30 versus 22 h). Nitrogen status did not affect the number of division cycles of the initial cell's progeny (5.7), and accordingly the meristematic cell number (53). Meristematic cell length was unaffected by nitrogen deficiency, implying that the division and mitotic growth rates were equally impaired. The shorter mature cell length arose from a considerably reduced post-mitotic growth rate (0.033 versus 0.049 h(-1)). But, nitrogen stress did not affect the position where elongation stopped, and increased cell elongation duration. In conclusion, nitrogen deficiency limited leaf growth by increasing the cell cycle duration and decreasing mitotic and post-mitotic elongation rates, delaying cell maturation.

  8. To Evaluate the Effect of Soil Physical and Chemical Characteristics on the Growth Characteristics of Saffron (Crocus sativus L. Corms in Tornbat-e Heydariyeh Area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fariba Zarghani

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Saffron is one of the most economically important plants across Iran and all over the world. The most important cultivated areas of saffron are in Khorasan-e Razavi and Southern Khorasan provinces (Jihad Keshavarzi Khorasan Razavi, 2013. The corm is the reservoir of photosynthetic materials and plays an important role in the saffron life cycle. Corm size and physicochemical characteristics of soil determine the growth and yield of saffron (Aytekin et al., 2008. It has been advised to use corms with diameter more than 2.5 cm (Kafi et al., 2002. Despite the importance of this plant, few studies have been conducted on the effects of soil characteristics on the growth of the plant in natural field conditions. Therefore, the objective which we will try to achieve is: to evaluate the effect of soil physical and chemical characteristics of the growth of saffron corm and determine the most important effect characteristics. Materials and methods In September 2012, 30 samples of 3 to 5 years old saffron corms were taken from the fields with similar management in Torbat Heydariyeh. The surrounding soil corms (depth of 0 to 30 cm were sampled, too. Dry weight of corms was measured in the laboratory. Air dried soil samples were passed through a 2 mm sieve and used for physical-chemical analyses. Soil texture was determined by using pipet method. Total nitrogen, available phosphorous, available potassium, soil organic carbon and calcium carbonate equivalent were measured in bulk soil samples. Calcium, magnesium, sodium, EC and pH were measured in the saturated soil paste. Fe, Cu and Zn were extracted by DTPA and measured by atomic adsorption spectroscopy. Correlation, regression and neural network technique were used to analyze the data and to identify the most important soil characteristics on the corms characteristics. Results and discussion Diameter and dry weight of corms with mean values of 34.04 mm and 3.72 g, ranged from 22.8 to 51.7 mm

  9. High value of the radiobiological parameter Dq correlates to expression of the transforming growth factor beta type II receptor in a panel of small cell lung cancer cell lines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hougaard, S; Krarup, M; Nørgaard, P

    1998-01-01

    Our panel of SCLC cell lines have previously been examined for their radiobiological characteristics and sensitivity to treatment with TGF beta 1. In this study we examined the possible correlations between radiobiological parameters and the expression of the TGF beta type II receptor (TGF beta......-rII). We have, in other studies, shown that the presence of TGF beta-rII was mandatory for transmitting the growth inhibitory effect of TGF beta. The results showed a statistically significant difference in Dq, i.e. the shoulder width of the survival curve, between cell lines expressing TGF beta......-rII and cell lines which did not express the receptor (P = 0.01). Cell lines expressing TGF beta-rII had a high Dq-value. TGF beta-rII expression did not correlate with any other radiobiological parameters. We suggest that an intact growth inhibitory pathway mediated by the TGF beta-rII may have a significant...

  10. Endothelial MMP14 is required for endothelial-dependent growth support of human airway basal cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Bi-Sen; Gomi, Kazunori; Rafii, Shahin; Crystal, Ronald G.; Walters, Matthew S.

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT Human airway basal cells are the stem (or progenitor) population of the airway epithelium, and play a central role in anchoring the epithelium to the basement membrane. The anatomic position of basal cells allows for potential paracrine signaling between them and the underlying non-epithelial stromal cells. In support of this, we have previously demonstrated that endothelial cells support growth of basal cells during co-culture through vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA)-mediated signaling. Building on these findings, we found, by RNA sequencing analysis, that basal cells expressed multiple fibroblast growth factor (FGF) ligands (FGF2, FGF5, FGF11 and FGF13) and that only FGF2 and FGF5 were capable of functioning in a paracrine manner to activate classical FGF receptor (FGFR) signaling. Antibody-mediated blocking of FGFR1 during basal-cell–endothelial-cell co-culture significantly reduced the endothelial-cell-dependent basal cell growth. Stimulation of endothelial cells with basal-cell-derived growth factors induced endothelial cell expression of matrix metallopeptidase 14 (MMP14), and short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated knockdown of endothelial cell MMP14 significantly reduced the endothelial-cell-dependent growth of basal cells. Overall, these data characterize a new growth-factor-mediated reciprocal ‘crosstalk’ between human airway basal cells and endothelial cells that regulates proliferation of basal cells. PMID:26116571

  11. Nerve growth factor promotes human hemopoietic colony growth and differentiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuda, H.; Coughlin, M.D.; Bienenstock, J.; Denburg, J.A.

    1988-01-01

    Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a neurotropic polypeptide necessary for the survival and growth of some central neurons, as well as sensory afferent and sympathetic neurons. Much is now known of the structural and functional characteristics of NGF, whose gene has recently been clones. Since it is synthesized in largest amounts by the male mouse submandibular gland, its role exclusively in nerve growth is questionable. These experiments indicate that NGF causes a significant stimulation of granulocyte colonies grown from human peripheral blood in standard hemopoietic methylcellulose assays. Further, NGF appears to act in a relatively selective fashion to induce the differentiation of eosinophils and basophils/mast cells. Depletion experiments show that the NGF effect may be T-cell dependent and that NGF augments the colony-stimulating effect of supernatants from the leukemic T-cell (Mo) line. The hemopoietic activity of NGF is blocked by 125 I-polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies to NGF. The authors conclude that NGF may indirectly act as a local growth factor in tissues other than those of the nervous system by causing T cells to synthesize or secrete molecules with colony-stimulating activity. In view of the synthesis of NGF in tissue injury, the involvement of basophils/mast cells and eosinophils in allergic and other inflammatory processes, and the association of mast cells with fibrosis and tissue repair, they postulate that NGF plays an important biological role in a variety of repair processes

  12. Hexavalent chromate reduction during growth and by immobilized cells of arthrobacter sp. suk 1205

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dey, S.; Paul, A.K.

    2017-01-01

    The chromate reducing actinomycetes, Arthrobacter sp. SUK 1205, isolated from chromite mine overburden of Odisha, India exhibited significant chromate reduction during growth with characteristic formation of pale green insoluble precipitate. Reduction of chromate increased with increase in inoculum density but the reduction potential declined as and when Cr(VI) concentration in the medium was increased. Chromate reducing efficiency was promoted when glycerol and glucose were used as electron donors and pH and temperature were maintained at 7.0 and 35 degree C, respectively. The reduction process was inhibited by several metal ions and metabolic inhibitors but not by Cu(II), Mn(II) and DNP. Among the matrices tested for whole cell immobilization, Ca-alginate immobilized whole cells were found to be most effective and were comparable with non-immobilized cells. Minimal salts (MS) medium was the most effective base for Cr(VI) reduction studies with immobilized cells. Under such conditions, the immobilized cells retained their enzymatic activity at least for 4 consecutive cycles indicating the potential of Arthrobacter sp. SUK 1205 in bioremediation of environmental chromium pollution. (author)

  13. Induction of growth and proliferation of fibroblast cells in magnetic field

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Naghmeh Ezatti

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Background: Tissue engineering is generally defined as developing and changing the laboratory growth of molecules and cells in tissues or organs to replace and repair the damaged part of body. This study was carried out to stimulate the growth of cultured fibroblast cells by a physical electromagnetic method. Methods: First, an air-core coil was prepared and the cell culture plate was placed comfortably into the mold, then the plate containing the culture medium and human fibroblast cell along with air-core coil were placed in an incubator and then connected to the power supply. Thus, the sample underwent electromagnetic field at different times, and cell proliferation was studied by MTTassay. Results: Microscopic images indicated that the cells undergoing electromagnetic field (0.35 amps had a significant growth compared to the cells in control group in a definit range of stimulation. Conclusion: In conclusion, electromagnetic stimulation in a definite range led to cell proliferation and could be used as a positive factor in tissue engineering.

  14. A Dominant-Negative PPARγ Mutant Promotes Cell Cycle Progression and Cell Growth in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joey Z. Liu

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available PPARγ ligands have been shown to have antiproliferative effects on many cell types. We herein report that a synthetic dominant-negative (DN PPARγ mutant functions like a growth factor to promote cell cycle progression and cell proliferation in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (CASMCs. In quiescent CASMCs, adenovirus-expressed DN-PPARγ promoted G1→S cell cycle progression, enhanced BrdU incorporation, and increased cell proliferation. DN-PPARγ expression also markedly enhanced positive regulators of the cell cycle, increasing Rb and CDC2 phosphorylation and the expression of cyclin A, B1, D1, and MCM7. Conversely, overexpression of wild-type (WT or constitutively-active (CA PPARγ inhibited cell cycle progression and the activity and expression of positive regulators of the cell cycle. DN-PPARγ expression, however, did not up-regulate positive cell cycle regulators in PPARγ-deficient cells, strongly suggesting that DN-PPARγ effects on cell cycle result from blocking the function of endogenous wild-type PPARγ. DN-PPARγ expression enhanced phosphorylation of ERK MAPKs. Furthermore, the ERK specific-inhibitor PD98059 blocked DN-PPARγ-induced phosphorylation of Rb and expression of cyclin A and MCM7. Our data thus suggest that DN-PPARγ promotes cell cycle progression and cell growth in CASMCs by modulating fundamental cell cycle regulatory proteins and MAPK mitogenic signaling pathways in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs.

  15. The influence of elevated levels of platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor/thymidine phosphorylase on tumourigenicity, tumour growth, and oxygenation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Griffiths, L.; Stratford, I.J.

    1998-01-01

    Purpose: Investigation of the effect of platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor/thymidine phosphorylase (PD-ECGF/TP) on various aspects of tumour growth in a xenograft model, including growth rate, tumourigenicity and oxygenation levels. Methods and Materials: MDA 231 breast cancer cells overexpressing PD-ECGF/TP protein were made by retroviral transduction. These cells were grown in vitro and in vivo as xenografts. Direct measurement of tumours was used to record growth parameters, while the comet assay with the bioreductive drug RSU 1069 was used to assess tumour cell oxygenation. Results: We report that MDA 231 breast tumour cell lines expressing an increased range of levels of PD-ECGF/TP have increased tumourigenicity positively related to the level of PD-ECGF/TP when implanted in nude mice. As previously reported, tumours grown from these overexpressing cell lines grew faster than the parental line. These tumours expressed higher levels of TP activity and showed increased immunocytochemical staining for PD-ECGF. In addition, the rate of growth was found to be positively related to the level of PD-ECGF/TP expressed by the tumour cells. When the comet assay was used to compare the oxygenation status of cells between the parental and PD-ECGF/TP overexpressing tumours, the latter were found to have a larger proportion of well oxygenated cells. This is consistent with these tumours having an increased and functionally competent vascular supply in response to the expression of PD-ECGF/TP. Conclusion: PD-ECGF/TP appears to be capable of influencing tumourigenicity, angiogenesis and tumour growth in a proportional manner and can directly influence tumour oxygenation levels via its role in formation of functional vasculature

  16. Effect of soy saponin on the growth of human colon cancer cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Cheng-Yu; Chen, Yue-Hwa; Chien, Yi-Wen; Huang, Wen-Hsuan; Lin, Shyh-Hsiang

    2010-01-01

    AIM: To investigate the effect of extracted soybean saponins on the growth of human colon cancer cells. METHODS: WiDr human colon cancer cells were treated with 150, 300, 600 or 1200 ppm of soy saponin to determine the effect on cell growth, cell morphology, alkaline phosphatase (AP) and protein kinase C (PKC) activities, and P53 protein, c-Fos and c-Jun gene expression. RESULTS: Soy saponin decreased the number of viable cells in a dose-dependent manner and suppressed 12-O-tetradecanol-phorbol-13-acetate-stimulated PKC activity (P saponins developed cytoplasmic vesicles and the cell membrane became rougher and more irregular in a dose-dependent manner, and eventually disassembled. At 600 and 1200 ppm, the activity of AP was increased (P saponin. CONCLUSION: Soy saponin may be effective in preventing colon cancer by affecting cell morphology, cell proliferation enzymes, and cell growth. PMID:20632438

  17. Imprint lithography provides topographical nanocues to guide cell growth in primary cortical cell culture

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Xie, S.; Luttge, R.

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we describe a technology platform to study the effect of nanocues on the cell growth direction in primary cortical cell culture. Topographical cues to cells are provided using nanoscale features created by Jet and Flash Imprint Lithography, coated with polyethylenimine. We

  18. Cell Size and Growth Rate Are Modulated by TORC2-Dependent Signals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lucena, Rafael; Alcaide-Gavilán, Maria; Schubert, Katherine; He, Maybo; Domnauer, Matthew G; Marquer, Catherine; Klose, Christian; Surma, Michal A; Kellogg, Douglas R

    2018-01-22

    The size of all cells, from bacteria to vertebrates, is proportional to the growth rate set by nutrient availability, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Here, we show that nutrients modulate cell size and growth rate via the TORC2 signaling network in budding yeast. An important function of the TORC2 network is to modulate synthesis of ceramide lipids, which play roles in signaling. TORC2-dependent control of ceramide signaling strongly influences both cell size and growth rate. Thus, cells that cannot make ceramides fail to modulate their growth rate or size in response to changes in nutrients. PP2A associated with the Rts1 regulatory subunit (PP2A Rts1 ) is embedded in a feedback loop that controls TORC2 signaling and helps set the level of TORC2 signaling to match nutrient availability. Together, the data suggest a model in which growth rate and cell size are mechanistically linked by ceramide-dependent signals arising from the TORC2 network. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Growth characteristics of liquid cultures increase the reliability of presumptive identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pinhata, Juliana Maira Watanabe; Felippe, Isis Moreira; Gallo, Juliana Failde; Chimara, Erica; Ferrazoli, Lucilaine; de Oliveira, Rosangela Siqueira

    2018-04-23

    We evaluated the microscopic and macroscopic characteristics of mycobacteria growth indicator tube (MGIT) cultures for the presumptive identification of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and assessed the reliability of this strategy for correctly directing isolates to drug susceptibility testing (DST) or species identification. A total of 1526 isolates of mycobacteria received at the Instituto Adolfo Lutz were prospectively subjected to presumptive identification by the observation of growth characteristics along with cord formation detection via microscopy. The presumptive identification showed a sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 98.8, 92.5 and 97.9 %, respectively. Macroscopic analysis of MTBC isolates that would have been erroneously classified as non-tuberculous mycobacteria based solely on microscopic morphology enabled us to direct them rapidly to DST, representing a substantial gain to patients. In conclusion, the growth characteristics of mycobacteria in MGIT, when considered along with cord formation, increased the reliability of the presumptive identification, which has a great impact on the laboratory budget and turnaround times.

  20. Radiation adaptive response for the growth of cultured glial cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, S.; Miura, Y.; Kano, M.; Toda, T.; Urano, S.

    2003-01-01

    Full text: To examine the molecular mechanism of radiation adaptive response (RAR) for the growth of cultured glial cells and to investigate the influence of aging on the response, glial cells were cultured from young and aged rats (1 month and 24 months old). RAR for the growth of glial cells conditioned with a low dose of X-rays and subsequently exposed to a high dose of X-rays was examined for cell number and BrdU incorporation. Involvement of the subcellular signaling pathway factors in RAR was investigated using their inhibitors, activators and mutated glial cells. RAR was observed in cells cultured from young rats, but was not in cells from aged rats. The inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) suppressed RAR. The activators of PKC instead of low dose irradiation also caused RAR. Moreover, glial cells cultured from severe combined immunodeficiency (scid) mice (CB-17 scid) and ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) cells from AT patients showed no RAR. These results indicated that PKC, ATM, DNAPK and/or PI3K were involved in RAR for growth and BrdU incorporation of cultured glial cells and RAR decreased with aging. Proteomics data of glial cells exposed to severe stress of H 2 O 2 or X-rays also will be presented in the conference since little or no difference has not been observed with slight stress yet

  1. Glycan Sulfation Modulates Dendritic Cell Biology and Tumor Growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roland El Ghazal

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available In cancer, proteoglycans have been found to play roles in facilitating the actions of growth factors, and effecting matrix invasion and remodeling. However, little is known regarding the genetic and functional importance of glycan chains displayed by proteoglycans on dendritic cells (DCs in cancer immunity. In lung carcinoma, among other solid tumors, tumor-associated DCs play largely subversive/suppressive roles, promoting tumor growth and progression. Herein, we show that targeting of DC glycan sulfation through mutation in the heparan sulfate biosynthetic enzyme N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase-1 (Ndst1 in mice increased DC maturation and inhibited trafficking of DCs to draining lymph nodes. Lymphatic-driven DC migration and chemokine (CCL21-dependent activation of a major signaling pathway required for DC migration (as measured by phospho-Akt were sensitive to Ndst1 mutation in DCs. Lewis lung carcinoma tumors in mice deficient in Ndst1 were reduced in size. Purified CD11c+ cells from the tumors, which contain the tumor-infiltrating DC population, showed a similar phenotype in mutant cells. These features were replicated in mice deficient in syndecan-4, the major heparan sulfate proteoglycan expressed on the DC surface: Tumors were growth-impaired in syndecan-4–deficient mice and were characterized by increased infiltration by mature DCs. Tumors on the mutant background also showed greater infiltration by NK cells and NKT cells. These findings indicate the genetic importance of DC heparan sulfate proteoglycans in tumor growth and may guide therapeutic development of novel strategies to target syndecan-4 and heparan sulfate in cancer.

  2. Hormone activities and the cell cycle machinery in immunity-triggered growth inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reitz, M U; Gifford, M L; Schäfer, P

    2015-04-01

    Biotic stress and diseases caused by pathogen attack pose threats in crop production and significantly reduce crop yields. Enhancing immunity against pathogens is therefore of outstanding importance in crop breeding. However, this must be balanced, as immune activation inhibits plant growth. This immunity-coupled growth trade-off does not support resistance but is postulated to reflect the reallocation of resources to drive immunity. There is, however, increasing evidence that growth-immunity trade-offs are based on the reconfiguration of hormone pathways, shared by growth and immunity signalling. Studies in roots revealed the role of hormones in orchestrating growth across different cell types, with some hormones showing a defined cell type-specific activity. This is apparently highly relevant for the regulation of the cell cycle machinery and might be part of the growth-immunity cross-talk. Since plants are constantly exposed to Immuno-activating microbes under agricultural conditions, the transition from a growth to an immunity operating mode can significantly reduce crop yield and can conflict our efforts to generate next-generation crops with improved yield under climate change conditions. By focusing on roots, we outline the current knowledge of hormone signalling on the cell cycle machinery to explain growth trade-offs induced by immunity. By referring to abiotic stress studies, we further introduce how root cell type-specific hormone activities might contribute to growth under immunity and discuss the feasibility of uncoupling the growth-immunity cross-talk. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. MHC class II molecules regulate growth in human T cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, M; Odum, Niels; Bendtzen, K

    1994-01-01

    MHC-class-II-positive T cells are found in tissues involved in autoimmune disorders. Stimulation of class II molecules by monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) or bacterial superantigens induces protein tyrosine phosphorylation through activation of protein tyrosine kinases in T cells, and class II signals...... lines tested. Only one of three CD4+, CD45RAhigh, ROhigh T cells responded to class II costimulation. There was no correlation between T cell responsiveness to class II and the cytokine production profile of the T cell in question. Thus, T cell lines producing interferon (IFN)-gamma but not IL-4 (TH1...... modulate several T cell responses. Here, we studied further the role of class II molecules in the regulation of T cell growth. Costimulation of class II molecules by immobilized HLA-DR mAb significantly enhanced interleukin (IL)-2-supported T cell growth of the majority of CD4+, CD45RAlow, ROhigh T cell...

  4. Platelet lysates produced from expired platelet concentrates support growth and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandra Mjoll Jonsdottir-Buch

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem cells are promising candidates in regenerative cell therapy. Conventional culture methods involve the use of animal substances, specifically fetal bovine serum as growth supplement. Since the use of animal-derived products is undesirable for human applications, platelet lysates produced from human platelets are an attractive alternative. This is especially true if platelet lysates from already approved transfusion units at blood banks can be utilized. The purpose of this study was to produce human platelet lysates from expired, blood bank-approved platelet concentrates and evaluate their use as growth supplement in the culture of mesenchymal stem cells. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells were cultured with one of three culture supplements; fetal bovine serum, lysates from freshly prepared human platelet concentrates, or lysates from expired human platelet concentrates. The effects of these platelet-derived culture supplements on basic mesenchymal stem cell characteristics were evaluated. All cultures maintained the typical mesenchymal stem cell surface marker expression, trilineage differentiation potential, and the ability to suppress in vitro immune responses. However, mesenchymal stem cells supplemented with platelet lysates proliferated faster than traditionally cultured cells and increased the expression of the osteogenic marker gene RUNX-2; yet no difference between the use of fresh and expired platelet concentrates was observed. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings suggest that human platelet lysates produced from expired platelet concentrates can be used as an alternative to fetal bovine serum for mesenchymal stem cell culture to the same extent as lysates from fresh platelets.

  5. Combined inhibition of EMMPRIN and epidermal growth factor receptor prevents the growth and migration of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Shinsuke; Ishikawa, Kazuo

    2014-03-01

    It has been reported that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression is associated with the extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) in some solid tumors; however, the relationship of EMMPRIN with EGFR in head and neck cancers is not fully understood. To determine the relationship between EMMPRIN and EGFR in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), HNSCC cells were stimulated with epidermal growth factor (EGF), a ligand of EGFR. EMMPRIN expression in HNSCC cells was upregulated by EGF. In addition, EGF stimulation induced HNSCC cell invasion and MMP-9 expression. This increase in invasion and MMP-9 expression was abrogated by downmodulation of EMMPRIN. Furthermore, to determine the effects of combined EMMPRIN and EGFR targeting in HNSCC, HNSCC cells were treated with an EMMPRIN function-blocking antibody and the EGFR inhibitor AG1478. This combined treatment resulted in greater inhibition of HNSCC cell proliferation and migration compared with the individual agents alone. These results suggest that EMMPRIN mediates EGFR-induced tumorigenicity and that combined targeting of EMMPRIN and EGFR may be an efficacious treatment approach.

  6. Hydrocarbon fermentation: kinetics of microbial cell growth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goma, G [Institut National des Sciences Appliquees, Toulouse; Ribot, D

    1978-11-01

    Modeling of microbial growth using nonmiscible substrate is studied when kinetics of substrate dissolution is rate limiting. When the substrate concentration is low, the growth rate is described by an analytical relation that can be identified as a Contois relationship. If the substrate concentration is greater than a critical value S/sub crit/, the potentially useful hydrocarbon S* concentration is described by S* = S/sub crit//(1 + S/sub crit//S). A relationship was found between S/sub crit/ and the biomass concentration X. When X increased, S/sub crit/ decreased. The cell growth rate is related to a relation ..mu.. = ..mu../sub m/(A(X/S/sub crit/)(1 + S/sub crit//S) + 1)/sup -1/. This model describes the evolution of the growth rate when exponential or linear growth occurs, which is related to physico-chemical properties and hydrodynamic fermentation conditions. Experimental data to support the model are presented.

  7. Growth, body characteristics and blood parameters of ostrich chickens receiving commercial probiotics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Karimi-Kivi, R.; Dadashbeiki, M.; Seidavi, A.

    2015-07-01

    This study was undertaken to determine the effect of four commercial probiotics on growth, body characteristics and haematological parameters of ostrich chicks. A total of 25 ostrich chicks (937±68.1 g) were individually allocated and fed the experimental diet for six weeks (n=5 per treatment). Experimental diets consisted of a corn/soybean meal-based diet unsupplemented (T1: Control), and four diets supplemented with probiotics according to the recommendations of the manufacturer (T2: 0.04% Bioplus 2B; T3: 0.09% Primalac; T4: 0.1% Thepax; and T5: 0.03% Protexin). Feed intake (FI), body weight (BW) and seven body characteristics (e.g. height) were measured every week. Blood samples and other body characteristics were also taken in the last week. There was an interaction effect between diet and time on all the growth variables and body characteristics (p<0.05). Both the BW and the BW gain of the ostrich chicks were, in general, higher for those fed the diet T2 than those fed the control diet (0.42, 1.07, 0.99, 1.09, 2.51, and 1.66 kg BW gain vs 0.28, 0.41, 0.83, 0.94, 1.15, and 1.15 kg BW gain at 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 days respectively), while for those fed the other diets containing probiotics differences were only observed at 42 days (p<0.05). Consuming probiotics over an extended period influenced several of the haematological parameters differently compared to those fed the control diet (p<0.05). T2 and T3 increased the concentration of total cholesterol (157 and 210 mg/dL respectively), when compared to those fed the control diet (119 mg/dL), while total cholesterol was slightly reduced (p>0.05) for those fed the diet containing Thepax (T4, 79 mg/dL). In conclusion, the effects of commercial probiotics on growth performance, body characteristics and haematological parameters varied among probiotics. (Author)

  8. Enhanced gastric cancer growth potential of mesenchymal stem cells derived from gastric cancer tissues educated by CD4+ T cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Rongman; Zhao, Xiangdong; Zhao, Yuanyuan; Chen, Bin; Sun, Li; Xu, Changgen; Shen, Bo; Wang, Mei; Xu, Wenrong; Zhu, Wei

    2018-04-01

    Gastric cancer mesenchymal stem cells (GC-MSCs) can promote the development of tumour growth. The tumour-promoting role of tumour-associated MSCs and T cells has been demonstrated. T cells as the major immune cells may influence and induce a pro-tumour phenotype in MSCs. This study focused on whether CD4 + T cells can affect GC-MSCs to promote gastric cancer growth. CD4 + T cells upregulation of programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in GC-MSCs through the phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription (p-STAT3) signalling pathway was confirmed by immunofluorescence, western blotting and RT-PCR. Migration of GC cells was detected by Transwell migration assay, and apoptosis of GC cells was measured by flow cytometry using annexin V/propidium iodide double staining. CD4 + T cell-primed GC-MSCs promoted GC growth in a subcutaneously transplanted tumour model in BALB/c nu/nu mice. Gastric cancer mesenchymal stem cells stimulated by activated CD4 + T cells promoted migration of GC cells and enhanced GC growth potential in BALB/c nu/nu xenografts. PD-L1 upregulation of GC-MSCs stimulated by CD4 + T cells was mediated through the p-STAT3 signalling pathway. CD4 + T cells-primed GC-MSCs have greater GC volume and growth rate-promoting role than GC-MSCs, with cancer cell-intrinsic PD-1/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling activation. This study showed that GC-MSCs are plastic. The immunophenotype of GC-MSCs stimulated by CD4 + T cells has major changes that may influence tumour cell growth. This research was based on the interaction between tumour cells, MSCs and immune cells, providing a new understanding of the development and immunotherapy of GC. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. cgCorrect: a method to correct for confounding cell-cell variation due to cell growth in single-cell transcriptomics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blasi, Thomas; Buettner, Florian; Strasser, Michael K.; Marr, Carsten; Theis, Fabian J.

    2017-06-01

    Accessing gene expression at a single-cell level has unraveled often large heterogeneity among seemingly homogeneous cells, which remains obscured when using traditional population-based approaches. The computational analysis of single-cell transcriptomics data, however, still imposes unresolved challenges with respect to normalization, visualization and modeling the data. One such issue is differences in cell size, which introduce additional variability into the data and for which appropriate normalization techniques are needed. Otherwise, these differences in cell size may obscure genuine heterogeneities among cell populations and lead to overdispersed steady-state distributions of mRNA transcript numbers. We present cgCorrect, a statistical framework to correct for differences in cell size that are due to cell growth in single-cell transcriptomics data. We derive the probability for the cell-growth-corrected mRNA transcript number given the measured, cell size-dependent mRNA transcript number, based on the assumption that the average number of transcripts in a cell increases proportionally to the cell’s volume during the cell cycle. cgCorrect can be used for both data normalization and to analyze the steady-state distributions used to infer the gene expression mechanism. We demonstrate its applicability on both simulated data and single-cell quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) data from mouse blood stem and progenitor cells (and to quantitative single-cell RNA-sequencing data obtained from mouse embryonic stem cells). We show that correcting for differences in cell size affects the interpretation of the data obtained by typically performed computational analysis.

  10. Characteristics and stimulation potential with BMP-2 and BMP-7 of tenocyte-like cells isolated from the rotator cuff of female donors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Franka Klatte-Schulz

    Full Text Available Tendon bone healing of the rotator cuff is often associated with non-healing or recurrent defects, which seems to be influenced by the patient's age and sex. The present study aims to examine cellular biological characteristics of tenocyte-like cells that may contribute to this impaired rotator cuff healing. Moreover, a therapeutic approach using growth factors could possibly stimulate tendon bone healing. Therefore, our second aim was to identify patient groups who would particularly benefit from growth factor stimulation. Tenocyte-like cells isolated from supraspinatus tendons of female donors younger and older than 65 years of age were characterized with respect to different cellular biological parameters, such as cell density, cell count, marker expression, collagen-I protein synthesis, and stem cell potential. Furthermore, cells of the donor groups were stimulated with BMP-2 and BMP-7 (200 and 1000 ng/ml in 3D-culture and analyzed for cell count, marker expression and collagen-I protein synthesis. Female donors older than 65 years of age showed significantly decreased cell count and collagen-I protein synthesis compared to cells from donors younger than 65 years. Cellular biological parameters including cell count, collagen-I and -III expression, and collagen-I protein synthesis of cells from both donor groups were stimulated with BMP-2 and BMP-7. The cells from donors older than 65 years revealed a decreased stimulation potential for cell count compared to the younger group. Cells from female donors older than 65 years of age showed inferior cellular biological characteristics. This may be one reason for a weaker healing potential observed in older female patients and should be taken into consideration for tendon bone healing of the rotator cuff.

  11. 17-AAG suppresses growth and invasion of lung adenocarcinoma cells via regulation of the LATS1/YAP pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Xiang-Yun; Luo, Qing-Quan; Xu, Yun-Hua; Tang, Nai-Wang; Niu, Xiao-Min; Li, Zi-Ming; Shen, Sheng-Ping; Lu, Shun; Chen, Zhi-Wei

    2015-03-01

    The large tumour suppressor 1 (LATS1) signalling network has been proved to be an essential regulator within the cell, participating in multiple cellular phenotypes. However, it is unclear concerning the clinical significance of LATS1 and the regulatory mechanisms of 17-Allylamino-17- demethoxygeldanamycin (17-AAG) in lung adenocarcinoma (LAC). The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation of LATS1 and yes-associated protein (YAP) expression with clinicopathological characteristics in LAC patients, and the effects of 17-AAG on biological behaviours of LAC cells. Subcutaneous LAC tumour models were further established to observe the tumour growth in nude mice. The results showed that the positive expression of LATS1 was significantly lowered (26.7% versus 68.0%, P AAG inhibited proliferation and invasion, and induced cell apoptosis and cycle arrest in LAC cells together with increased expression of E-cadherin and p-LATS1, and decreased expression of YAP and connective tissue growth factor. Tumour volumes and weight were much smaller in 17-AAG-treated groups than those in untreated group (P AAG suppresses growth and invasion of LAC cells via regulation of the LATS1/YAP pathway in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that we may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of human LAC. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

  12. Antenatal taurine reduces cerebral cell apoptosis in fetal rats with intrauterine growth restriction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jing; Wang, Xiaofeng; Liu, Ying; Yang, Na; Xu, Jing; Ren, Xiaotun

    2013-08-15

    From pregnancy to parturition, Sprague-Dawley rats were daily administered a low protein diet to establish a model of intrauterine growth restriction. From the 12(th) day of pregnancy, 300 mg/kg rine was daily added to food until spontaneous delivery occurred. Brain tissues from normal neonatal rats at 6 hours after delivery, neonatal rats with intrauterine growth restriction, and neonatal rats with intrauterine growth restriction undergoing taurine supplement were obtained for further experiments. The terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated biotin-16-dUTP nick-end labeling assay revealed that the number of apoptotic cells in the brain tissue of neonatal rats with intrauterine growth restriction significantly increased. Taurine supplement in pregnant rats reduced cell apoptosis in brain tissue from neonatal rats with intrauterine growth restriction. nohistochemical staining revealed that taurine supplement increased glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor expression and decreased caspase-3 expression in the cerebral cortex of intrauterine growth-restricted fetal rats. These results indicate that taurine supplement reduces cell apoptosis through the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor-caspase-3 signaling pathway, resulting in a protective effect on the intrauterine growth-restricted fetal rat brain.

  13. Transactivation of the TIEG1 confers growth inhibition of transforming growth factor-β-susceptible hepatocellular carcinoma cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Lei; Lai, Yiu-Kay; Zhang, Jin-Fang; Chan, Chu-Yan; Lu, Gang; Lin, Marie CM; He, Ming-Liang; Li, Ji-Cheng; Kung, Hsiang-Fu

    2012-01-01

    AIM: To investigate the role of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β-inducible early gene 1 (TIEG1) in TGF-β-induced growth inhibition in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. METHODS: Human hepatocyte and HCC cell lines with varied susceptibilities to TGF-β1 were tested by methylthiazoletetrazolium (MTT) assay. The expression changes of Smad2, Smad3, Smad4, Smad7, TIEG1 and TIEG2 gene following treatment with TGF-β1 in a TGF-β-sensitive hepatocyte cell line (MIHA), a TGF-β-sensitive hepatoma cell line (Hep3B) and two TGF-β-insensitive hepatoma cell lines (HepG2 and Bel7404) were examined. SiRNA targeting TIEG1 was transfected into Hep3B cells and the sensitivity of cells to TGF-β1 was examined. Overexpression of TIEG1 was induced by lentiviral-mediated transduction in TGF-β1-resistant hepatoma cell lines (Bel7404 and HepG2). MTT assay and 4’,6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole staining were used to identify cell viability and apoptosis, respectively. The expression level of stathmin was measured by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western-blotting analysis, and stathmin promoter activity by TIEG1 was monitored by a luciferase reporter gene system. RESULTS: TIEG1 was significantly upregulated by TGF-β1 in the TGF-β1-sensitive HCC cell line, Hep3B, but not in the resistant cell lines. The suppression of TIEG1 by siRNAs decreased the sensitivity of Hep3B cells to TGF-β1, whereas the overexpression of TIEG1 mediated growth inhibition and apoptosis in TGF-β1-resistant HCC cell lines, which resembled those of TGF-β1-sensitive HCC cells treated with TGF-β1. Our data further suggested that stathmin was a direct target of TIEG1, as stathmin was significantly downregulated by TIEG1 overexpression, and stathmin promoter activity was inhibited by TIEG1 in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that transactivation of TIEG1 conferred growth inhibition of TGF-β-susceptible human HCC cells. PMID:22563190

  14. Wall extensibility: its nature, measurement and relationship to plant cell growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cosgrove, D. J.

    1993-01-01

    Expansive growth of plant cells is controlled principally by processes that loosen the wall and enable it to expand irreversibly. The central role of wall relaxation for cell expansion is reviewed. The most common methods for assessing the extension properties of plant cell walls ( wall extensibility') are described, categorized and assessed critically. What emerges are three fundamentally different approaches which test growing cells for their ability (a) to enlarge at different values of turgor, (b) to induce wall relaxation, and (c) to deform elastically or plastically in response to an applied tensile force. Analogous methods with isolated walls are similarly reviewed. The results of these different assays are related to the nature of plant cell growth and pertinent biophysical theory. I argue that the extensibilities' measured by these assays are fundamentally different from one another and that some are more pertinent to growth than others.

  15. Tumor Cells Express FcγRl Which Contributes to Tumor Cell Growth and a Metastatic Phenotype

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Bud Nelson

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available High levels of circulating immune complexes containing tumor-associated antigens are associated with a poor prognosis for individuals with cancer. The ability of B cells, previously exposed to tumor-associated antigens, to promote both in vitro and in vivo tumor growth formed the rationale to evaluate the mechanism by which immune complexes may promote tumor growth. In elucidating this mechanism, FcγRl expression by tumor cells was characterized by flow cytometry, polymerase chain reaction, and sequence analysis. Immune complexes containing shed tumor antigen and anti-shed tumor antigen Ab cross-linked FcγRl-expressing tumor cells, which resulted in an induction of tumor cell proliferation and of shed tumor antigen production. Use of selective tyrosine kinase inhibitors demonstrated that tumor cell proliferation induced by immune complex cross-linking of FcγRl is dependent on the tyrosine kinase signal transduction pathway. A selective inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase also inhibited this induction of tumor cell proliferation. These findings support a role for immune complexes and FcγRl expression by tumor cells in augmentation of tumor growth and a metastatic phenotype.

  16. Modulation of Regorafenib effects on HCC cell lines by epidermal growth factor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Alessandro, Rosalba; Refolo, Maria Grazia; Lippolis, Catia; Carella, Nicola; Messa, Caterina; Cavallini, Aldo; Carr, Brian Irving

    2015-06-01

    Blood platelet numbers are correlated to growth and aggressiveness of several tumor types, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We previously found that platelet lysates (hPLs) also stimulated growth and migration, and antagonized the growth-inhibitory and apoptotic effects of both Sorafenib and Regorafenib, two multikinase inhibitors, on three HCC cell lines. In this study, in vitro function of human epidermal growth factor (EGF) with and without Sorafenib or Regorafenib was investigated. An ELISA kit was used to evaluate the EGF concentrations in hPLs. In vitro function of EGF was assessed with proliferation MTT test. Apoptosis assay, scratch assays, and Transwell assays were performed for apoptosis, invasion, and migration, respectively. MAPK Activation Kit was used to explore MAPK phosphorylation. EGF antagonized the growth inhibition of Regorafenib on three HCC cell lines. Regorafenib-mediated growth inhibition was blocked by 70 % when the cells were pre-treated with EGF. EGF also blocked Regorafenib-induced apoptosis, as well as Regorafenib-induced decreases in cell migration and invasion. The EGF effects were in turn antagonized by concomitant addition to the cultures of EGF receptor antagonist Erlotinib, showing that the EGF receptor was involved in the mechanisms of EGF-mediated blocking of Regorafenib effects. Erlotinib also partially blocked the effects of hPLs in antagonizing Regorafenib-mediated growth inhibition, showing that EGF was an important component of hPL actions. All these results show that EGF antagonized Regorafenib-mediated growth and migration inhibition and apoptosis induction in HCC cells and reinforce the idea that microenvironment can influence cancer drug actions.

  17. Renal epithelial cell growth can occur in absence of Na+-H+ exchanger activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohrmann, M.; Cantiello, H.F.; Ausiello, D.A.

    1987-01-01

    An electroneutral Na+-H+ exchange system has been described in a variety of tissues and cell types, including those of renal origin, and has been proposed to play a role in the activation of growth. We have recently characterized the presence of this ubiquitous transporter in the apical domain of confluent epithelial LLC-PK1 cells. Because most apical membrane proteins appear late in cell growth, accompanying epithelial cell polarization, we determined whether the Na+-H+ exchanger is required for the growth of LLC-PK1 cells. The studies reported here show that there is no obligatory requirement for increased H+ efflux or Na+ entry via the Na+-H+ exchanger for the initiation of cell growth in this epithelial cell line. We used 22 Na+ influx, acid extrusion, and intracellular pH determinations to show that onset of cell growth, as measured by DNA content, precedes the activity of the Na+-H+ exchanger in exponentially growing cells, whereas confluent monolayers express Na+-H+ exchanger activity. When confluent cells are replated at low density, Na+-H+ exchanger activity disappears within 8 h in contrast to high-density replated cells. The fact that Na+-H+ exchanger activity is only present in confluent monolayers suggests that the development of tight junctions and polar differentiation play a role in the expression of the Na+-H+ exchanger and that this exchanger is more important to the polar epithelial cell for transepithelial transport than for the maintenance of intracellular pH

  18. Tunneling effects in the current-voltage characteristics of high-efficiency GaAs solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kachare, R.; Anspaugh, B. E.; Garlick, G. F. J.

    1988-01-01

    Evidence is that tunneling via states in the forbidden gap is the dominant source of excess current in the dark current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of high-efficiency DMCVD grown Al(x)Ga(1-x)As/GaAs(x is equal to or greater than 0.85) solar cells. The dark forward and reverse I-V measurements were made on several solar cells, for the first time, at temperatures between 193 and 301 K. Low-voltage reverse-bias I-V data of a number of cells give a thermal activation energy for excess current of 0.026 + or - 0.005 eV, which corresponds to the carbon impurity in GaAs. However, other energy levels between 0.02 eV and 0.04 eV were observed in some cells which may correspond to impurity levels introduced by Cu, Si, Ge, or Cd. The forward-bias excess current is mainly due to carrier tunneling between localized levels created in the space-charge layer by impurities such as carbon, which are incorporated during the solar cell growth process. A model is suggested to explain the results.

  19. Neurotensin-induced Erk1/2 phosphorylation and growth of human colonic cancer cells are independent from growth factors receptors activation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Massa, Fabienne; Tormo, Aurelie; Beraud-Dufour, Sophie; Coppola, Thierry [Institut de Pharmacologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire, Universite de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, CNRS UMR 6097, 660 route des Lucioles, 06560 Valbonne (France); Mazella, Jean, E-mail: mazella@ipmc.cnrs.fr [Institut de Pharmacologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire, Universite de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, CNRS UMR 6097, 660 route des Lucioles, 06560 Valbonne (France)

    2011-10-14

    Highlights: {yields} We compare intracellular pathways of NT and EGF in HT29 cells. {yields} NT does not transactivate EGFR. {yields} Transactivation of EGFR is not a general rule in cancer cell growth. -- Abstract: Neurotensin (NT) promotes the proliferation of human colonic cancer cells by undefined mechanisms. We already demonstrated that, in the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT29, the effects of NT were mediated by a complex formed between the NT receptor-1 (NTSR1) and-3 (NTSR3). Here we examined cellular mechanisms that led to NT-induced MAP kinase phosphorylation and growth factors receptors transactivation in colonic cancer cells and proliferation in HT29 cells. With the aim to identify upstream signaling involved in NT-elicited MAP kinase activation, we found that the stimulatory effects of the peptide were totally independent from the activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) both in the HT29 and the HCT116 cells. NT was unable to promote phosphorylation of EGFR and to compete with EGF for its binding to the receptor. Pharmacological approaches allowed us to differentiate EGF and NT signaling in HT29 cells since only NT activation of Erk1/2 was shown to be sensitive to PKC inhibitors and since only NT increased the intracellular level of calcium. We also observed that NT was not able to transactivate Insulin-like growth factor receptor. Our findings indicate that, in the HT29 and HCT116 cell lines, NT stimulates MAP kinase phosphorylation and cell growth by a pathway which does not involve EGF system but rather NT receptors which transduce their own intracellular effectors. These results indicate that depending on the cell line used, blocking EGFR is not the general rule to inhibit NT-induced cancer cell proliferation.

  20. CFD method research on characteristics cells in rod bundle fuel assembly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Jie; Chen Bingyan; Zhang Hong

    2011-01-01

    Two characteristic cells are in AFA-3G fuel assembly, that is typical cell and control rod guide cell. And there are some rules on the arrangement of mixing vanes. For the two characteristic cells, mixing capability is evaluated axially from the point of the first and second kind of sub-channel with CFD method. Mass mixing and heat mixing are interaction but different with each other. Although the mass mixing in the first kind of sub-channel is stronger, the thermal capability of the two is to some tune from the point of heat transfer. In the experiment research on thermal-hydraulic performance of AFA-3G fuel assembly, the arrangements of mixing vanes should refer to the two spacer grids of characteristic cells. (authors)

  1. Neoplastic progression of rat tracheal epithelial cells involves resistance to transforming growth factor beta

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hubbs, A.F.; Hahn, F.F.; Thomassen, D.G.

    1988-01-01

    Primary, transformed, and tumor-derived rat tracheal epithelial (RTE) cells were grown in serum-free medium containing 0 to 300 pg/mL transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) markedly inhibited the growth of primary RTE cells with a 50% drop in the efficiency of colony formation seen at TGFβ concentrations between 10 and 30 pg/ mL. The effect of TGFβ on preneoplastic RTE cells was similar to the effect on normal primary RTE cells. Cell lines established from tumors produced by inoculation of transformed RTE cells into nude mice were relatively resistant to -TGFβ-induced growth inhibition. Resistance to TGFβ-induced growth inhibition, therefore, appears to be a late event in the development of neoplasia. (author)

  2. Growth-inhibitory effects of the red alga Gelidium amansii on cultured cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yue-Hwa; Tu, Ching-Jung; Wu, Hsiao-Ting

    2004-02-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Gelidium amansii, an edible red agar cultivated off the northeast coast of Taiwan, on the growth of two lines of cancer cells, murine hepatoma (Hepa-1) and human leukemia (HL-60) cells, as well as a normal cell line, murine embryo fibroblast cells (NIH-3T3). The potential role of G. amansii on the induction of apoptosis was also examined. The results indicated that all extracts from G. amansii, including phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and methanol extracts from dried algae as well as the dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) extract from freeze-dried G. amansii agar, inhibited the growth of Hepa-1 and NIH-3T3 cells, but not the growth of HL-60 cells. Annexin V-positive cells were observed in methanol and DMSO extract-treated, but not PBS extract-treated Hepa-1 and NIH-3T3 cells, suggesting that the lipid-soluble extracts of G. amansii induced apoptosis. In summary, extracts of G. amansii from various preparations exhibited antiproliferative effects on Hepa-1 and NIH-3T3 cells, and apoptosis may play a role in the methanol and DMSO extract-induced inhibitory effects. However, the antiproliferative effects of PBS extracts was not through apoptosis. Moreover, the growth-inhibitory effects of G. amansii were not specific to cancer cells.

  3. Correlation of cell growth and heterologous protein production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liu, Zihe; Hou, Jin; Martinez Ruiz, José Luis

    2013-01-01

    .g., metabolic and cellular stresses have a strong impact on recombinant protein production. In this work, we investigated the effect of the specific growth rate on the production of two different recombinant proteins. Our results show that human insulin precursor is produced in a growth-associated manner...... turnover, cell cycle, and global stress response. We also found that there is a shift at a specific growth rate of 0.1 h−1 that influences protein production. Thus, for lower specific growth rates, the α-amylase and insulin precursor-producing strains present similar cell responses and phenotypes, whereas......With the increasing demand for biopharmaceutical proteins and industrial enzymes, it is necessary to optimize the production by microbial fermentation or cell cultures. Yeasts are well established for the production of a wide range of recombinant proteins, but there are also some limitations; e...

  4. radiochemical studies on the growth of myeloma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elshershaby, H.M.M.

    2008-01-01

    cancer is a disease of unregulated cell growth. humans of all ages develop cancer, and a wide variety of organs are affected. multiple myeloma is a cancer in which antibody-producing plasma cells grow in an uncontrolled and invasive (malignant) manner. melphalan (DNA cross-linker), is one of the most widely used and effective drugs in the treatment of multiple myeloma. thalidomide as an immunomodulatory agent is clinically useful in a number of cancers. antitumor activity may be related to a number of known properties, including antitumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and T-cell costimulatory and antiangiogenic effect. however, it may also involve direct antitumor effects. radiotherapy is an important modality in the treatment of cancer. the aim of radiotherapy is to deliver radiation doses and schedules that kill cancer cells, while preserving normal tissue function. the aim of these studies was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of some chemical substances (chemotherapy)such as melphalan and thalidomide and γ-radiation (radiotherapy)on the growth of myeloma cells. also some confirmatory tests such as β2-microglobulin, caspases enzymes 8 and 9 and flow cytometric analyses were performed for the obtained optimum doses.

  5. Host-Polarized Cell Growth in Animal Symbionts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pende, Nika; Wang, Jinglan; Weber, Philipp M; Verheul, Jolanda; Kuru, Erkin; Rittmann, Simon K-M R; Leisch, Nikolaus; VanNieuwenhze, Michael S; Brun, Yves V; den Blaauwen, Tanneke; Bulgheresi, Silvia

    2018-04-02

    To determine the fundamentals of cell growth, we must extend cell biological studies to non-model organisms. Here, we investigated the growth modes of the only two rods known to widen instead of elongating, Candidatus Thiosymbion oneisti and Thiosymbion hypermnestrae. These bacteria are attached by one pole to the surface of their respective nematode hosts. By incubating live Ca. T. oneisti and T. hypermnestrae with a peptidoglycan metabolic probe, we observed that the insertion of new cell wall starts at the poles and proceeds inward, concomitantly with FtsZ-based membrane constriction. Remarkably, in Ca. T. hypermnestrae, the proximal, animal-attached pole grows before the distal, free pole, indicating that the peptidoglycan synthesis machinery is host oriented. Immunostaining of the symbionts with an antibody against the actin homolog MreB revealed that it was arranged medially-that is, parallel to the cell long axis-throughout the symbiont life cycle. Given that depolymerization of MreB abolished newly synthesized peptidoglycan insertion and impaired divisome assembly, we conclude that MreB function is required for symbiont widening and division. In conclusion, our data invoke a reassessment of the localization and function of the bacterial actin homolog. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  6. Coniferyl alcohol hinders the growth of tobacco BY-2 cells and Nicotiana benthamiana seedlings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Väisänen, Enni E; Smeds, Annika I; Fagerstedt, Kurt V; Teeri, Teemu H; Willför, Stefan M; Kärkönen, Anna

    2015-09-01

    Externally added coniferyl alcohol at high concentrations reduces the growth of Nicotiana cells and seedlings. Coniferyl alcohol is metabolized by BY-2 cells to several compounds. Coniferyl alcohol (CA) is a common monolignol and a building block of lignin. The toxicity of monolignol alcohols has been stated in the literature, but there are only few studies suggesting that this is true. We investigated the physiological effects of CA on living plant cells in more detail. Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) Bright yellow-2 cells (BY-2) and Nicotiana benthamiana seedlings both showed concentration-dependent growth retardation in response to 0.5-5 mM CA treatment. In some cases, CA addition caused cell death in BY-2 cultures, but this response was dependent on the growth stage of the cells. Based on LC-MS/MS analysis, BY-2 cells did not accumulate the externally supplemented CA, but metabolized it to ferulic acid, ferulic acid glycoside, coniferin, and to some other phenolic compounds. In addition to growth inhibition, CA caused the formation of a lignin-like compound detected by phloroglucinol staining in N. benthamiana roots and occasionally in BY-2 cells. To prevent this, we added potassium iodide (KI, at 5 mM) to overcome the peroxidase-mediated CA polymerization to lignin. KI had, however, toxic effects on its own: in N. benthamiana seedlings, it caused reduction in growth; in BY-2 cells, reduction in growth and cell viability. Surprisingly, CA restored the growth of KI-treated BY-2 cells and N. benthamiana seedlings. Our results suggest that CA at high concentrations is toxic to plant cells.

  7. The simulation model of growth and cell divisions for the root apex with an apical cell in application to Azolla pinnata.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piekarska-Stachowiak, Anna; Nakielski, Jerzy

    2013-12-01

    In contrast to seed plants, the roots of most ferns have a single apical cell which is the ultimate source of all cells in the root. The apical cell has a tetrahedral shape and divides asymmetrically. The root cap derives from the distal division face, while merophytes derived from three proximal division faces contribute to the root proper. The merophytes are produced sequentially forming three sectors along a helix around the root axis. During development, they divide and differentiate in a predictable pattern. Such growth causes cell pattern of the root apex to be remarkably regular and self-perpetuating. The nature of this regularity remains unknown. This paper shows the 2D simulation model for growth of the root apex with the apical cell in application to Azolla pinnata. The field of growth rates of the organ, prescribed by the model, is of a tensor type (symplastic growth) and cells divide taking principal growth directions into account. The simulations show how the cell pattern in a longitudinal section of the apex develops in time. The virtual root apex grows realistically and its cell pattern is similar to that observed in anatomical sections. The simulations indicate that the cell pattern regularity results from cell divisions which are oriented with respect to principal growth directions. Such divisions are essential for maintenance of peri-anticlinal arrangement of cell walls and coordinated growth of merophytes during the development. The highly specific division program that takes place in merophytes prior to differentiation seems to be regulated at the cellular level.

  8. A novel muscarinic antagonist R2HBJJ inhibits non-small cell lung cancer cell growth and arrests the cell cycle in G0/G1.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nan Hua

    Full Text Available Lung cancers express the cholinergic autocrine loop, which facilitates the progression of cancer cells. The antagonists of mAChRs have been demonstrated to depress the growth of small cell lung cancers (SCLCs. In this study we intended to investigate the growth inhibitory effect of R2HBJJ, a novel muscarinic antagonist, on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC cells and the possible mechanisms. The competitive binding assay revealed that R2HBJJ had a high affinity to M3 and M1 AChRs. R2HBJJ presented a strong anticholinergic activity on carbachol-induced contraction of guinea-pig trachea. R2HBJJ markedly suppressed the growth of NSCLC cells, such as H1299, H460 and H157. In H1299 cells, both R2HBJJ and its leading compound R2-PHC displayed significant anti-proliferative activity as M3 receptor antagonist darifenacin. Exogenous replenish of ACh could attenuate R2HBJJ-induced growth inhibition. Silencing M3 receptor or ChAT by specific-siRNAs resulted in a growth inhibition of 55.5% and 37.9% on H1299 cells 96 h post transfection, respectively. Further studies revealed that treatment with R2HBJJ arrested the cell cycle in G0/G1 by down-regulation of cyclin D1-CDK4/6-Rb. Therefore, the current study reveals that NSCLC cells express an autocrine and paracrine cholinergic system which stimulates the growth of NSCLC cells. R2HBJJ, as a novel mAChRs antagonist, can block the local cholinergic loop by antagonizing predominantly M3 receptors and inhibit NSCLC cell growth, which suggest that M3 receptor antagonist might be a potential chemotherapeutic regimen for NSCLC.

  9. Immunological characteristics of mesenchymal stem cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cíntia de Vasconcellos Machado

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Although bone marrow is the main source, mesenchymal stem cells have already been isolated from various other tissues, such as the liver, pancreas, adipose tissue, peripheral blood and dental pulp. These plastic adherent cells are morphologically similar to fibroblasts and have a high proliferative potential. This special group of cells possesses two essential characteristics: self-renewal and differentiation, with appropriate stimuli, into various cell types. Mesenchymal stem cells are considered immunologically privileged, since they do not express costimulatory molecules, required for complete T cell activation, on their surface. Several studies have shown that these cells exert an immunosuppressive effect on cells from both innate and acquired immunity systems. Mesenchymal stem cells can regulate the immune response in vitro by inhibiting the maturation of dendritic cells, as well as by suppressing the proliferation and function of T and B lymphocytes and natural killer cells. These special properties of mesenchymal stem cells make them a promising strategy in the treatment of immune mediated disorders, such as graft-versus-host disease and autoimmune diseases, as well as in regenerative medicine. The understanding of immune regulation mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cells, and also those involved in the differentiation of these cells in various lineages is primordial for their successful and safe application in different areas of medicine.

  10. Platelets promote osteosarcoma cell growth through activation of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor-Akt signaling axis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takagi, Satoshi; Takemoto, Ai; Takami, Miho; Oh-Hara, Tomoko; Fujita, Naoya

    2014-08-01

    The interactions of tumor cells with platelets contribute to the progression of tumor malignancy, and the expression levels of platelet aggregation-inducing factors positively correlate with the metastatic potential of osteosarcoma cells. However, it is unclear how tumor-platelet interaction contributes to the proliferation of osteosarcomas. We report here that osteosarcoma-platelet interactions induce the release of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) from platelets, which promotes the proliferation of osteosarcomas. Co-culture of platelets with MG63 or HOS osteosarcoma cells, which could induce platelet aggregation, enhanced the proliferation of each cell line in vitro. Analysis of phospho-antibody arrays revealed that co-culture of MG63 cells with platelets induced the phosphorylation of platelet derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR) and Akt. The addition of supernatants of osteosarcoma-platelet reactants also increased the growth of MG63 and HOS cells as well as the level of phosphorylated-PDGFR and -Akt. Sunitinib or LY294002, but not erlotinib, significantly inhibited the platelet-induced proliferation of osteosarcoma cells, indicating that PDGF released from platelets plays an important role in the proliferation of osteosarcomas by activating the PDGFR and then Akt. Our results suggest that inhibitors that specifically target osteosarcoma-platelet interactions may eradicate osteosarcomas. © 2014 The Authors. Cancer Science published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

  11. CASK inhibits ECV304 cell growth and interacts with Id1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qi Jie; Su Yongyue; Sun Rongju; Zhang Fang; Luo Xiaofeng; Yang Zongcheng; Luo Xiangdong

    2005-01-01

    Calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase (CASK) is generally known as a scaffold protein. Here we show that overexpression of CASK resulted in a reduced rate of cell growth, while inhibition of expression of endogenous CASK via RNA-mediated interference resulted in an increased rate of cell growth in ECV304 cells. To explore the molecular mechanism, we identified a novel CASK-interacting protein, inhibitor of differentiation 1 (Id1) with a yeast two-hybrid screening. Furthermore, endogenous CASK and Id1 proteins were co-precipitated from the lysates of ECV304 cells by immunoprecipitation. Mammalian two-hybrid protein-protein interaction assays indicated that CASK possessed a different binding activity for Id1 and its alternative splicing variant. It is known that Id proteins play important roles in regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation. Thus, we speculate that the regulation of cell growth mediated by CASK may be involved in Id1. Our findings indicate a novel function of CASK, the mechanism that remains to be further investigated

  12. Radiation damage of hemopoietic tissue: circulating stem cells and growth factor responses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wagemaker, G.

    1997-01-01

    Briefly, evidence in rodents and nonhuman primates demonstrated two types of immature cells to be involved in regeneration following total body irradiation (X-rays). These cell populations can be separated and there is good responses differ. Related to these observations, experimental growth factor therapy has been ineffective at doses larger than 6-7 Gy X-rays and was shown to be optimally effective at the mid-lethal dose of 5 Gy. Consequently, at relatively high doses of radiation, treatment should initially be directed at reconstitution of growth factor responding stem cell subsets rather than at accelerated production of mature blood cells. Following cytotoxic insult to bone marrow, hemopoietic reconstitution is characterized by an increased fraction of stem cells that enters circulation. This might reflect a physiological mechanism to regulate the activities of the scattered bone marrow sites. In experimental studies with nonhuman primates, we showed that the number of circulating immature cells are proportional to those in the bone marrow and can be used for quantitative evaluation of residual stem cells numbers and to monitor the effectiveness of growth factor therapy at the immature cell level. The latter observations enables the design of growth factor treatment schedules for radiation induced myelosuppression in which thrombopenia is reduced and the recovery of immature bone marrow cells is promoted. (N.C.)

  13. Characteristic thickened cell walls of the bracts of the 'eternal flower' Helichrysum bracteatum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishikawa, Kuniko; Ito, Hiroaki; Awano, Tatsuya; Hosokawa, Munetaka; Yazawa, Susumu

    2008-07-01

    Helichrysum bracteatum is called an 'eternal flower' and has large, coloured, scarious bracts. These maintain their aesthetic value without wilting or discoloration for many years. There have been no research studies of cell death or cell morphology of the scarious bract, and hence the aim of this work was to elucidate these characteristics for the bract of H. bracteatum. DAPI (4'6-diamidino-2-phenylindol dihydrochloride) staining and fluorescence microscopy were used for observation of cell nuclei. Light microscopy (LM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and polarized light microscopy were used for observation of cells, including cell wall morphology. Cell death occurred at the bract tip during the early stage of flower development. The cell wall was the most prominent characteristic of H. bracteatum bract cells. Characteristic thickened secondary cell walls on the inside of the primary cell walls were observed in both epidermal and inner cells. In addition, the walls of all cells exhibited birefringence. Characteristic thickened secondary cell walls have orientated cellulose microfibrils as well as general secondary cell walls of the tracheary elements. For comparison, these characters were not observed in the petal and bract tissues of Chrysanthemum morifolium. Bracts at anthesis are composed of dead cells. Helichrysum bracteatum bracts have characteristic thickened secondary cell walls that have not been observed in the parenchyma of any other flowers or leaves. The cells of the H. bracteatum bract differ from other tissues with secondary cell walls, suggesting that they may be a new cell type.

  14. GP88 (PC-Cell Derived Growth Factor, progranulin stimulates proliferation and confers letrozole resistance to aromatase overexpressing breast cancer cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabnis Gauri

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Aromatase inhibitors (AI that inhibit breast cancer cell growth by blocking estrogen synthesis have become the treatment of choice for post-menopausal women with estrogen receptor positive (ER+ breast cancer. However, some patients display de novo or acquired resistance to AI. Interactions between estrogen and growth factor signaling pathways have been identified in estrogen-responsive cells as one possible reason for acquisition of resistance. Our laboratory has characterized an autocrine growth factor overexpressed in invasive ductal carcinoma named PC-Cell Derived Growth Factor (GP88, also known as progranulin. In the present study, we investigated the role GP88 on the acquisition of resistance to letrozole in ER+ breast cancer cells Methods We used two aromatase overexpressing human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7-CA cells and AC1 cells and their letrozole resistant counterparts as study models. Effect of stimulating or inhibiting GP88 expression on proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, survival and letrozole responsiveness was examined. Results GP88 induced cell proliferation and conferred letrozole resistance in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. Conversely, naturally letrozole resistant breast cancer cells displayed a 10-fold increase in GP88 expression when compared to letrozole sensitive cells. GP88 overexpression, or exogenous addition blocked the inhibitory effect of letrozole on proliferation, and stimulated survival and soft agar colony formation. In letrozole resistant cells, silencing GP88 by siRNA inhibited cell proliferation and restored their sensitivity to letrozole. Conclusion Our findings provide information on the role of an alternate growth and survival factor on the acquisition of aromatase inhibitor resistance in ER+ breast cancer.

  15. Growth and lipid accumulation characteristics of Scenedesmus obliquus in semi-continuous cultivation outdoors for biodiesel feedstock production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Pingzhong; Yang, Kang; Xu, Zhongbin; Wang, Zhongming; Fan, Lu; Qin, Lei; Zhu, Shunni; Shang, Changhua; Chai, Peng; Yuan, Zhenhong; Hu, Lei

    2014-12-01

    In an effort to identify suitable microalgal species for biodiesel production, seven species were isolated from various habitats and their growth characteristics were compared. The results demonstrated that a green alga Scenedesmus obliquus could grow more rapidly and synthesize more lipids than other six microalgal strains. S. obliquus grew well both indoors and outdoors, and reached higher μmax indoors than that outdoors. However, the cells achieved higher dry weight (4.36 g L(-1)), lipid content (49.6%) and productivity (183 mg L(-1) day(-1)) outdoors than in indoor cultures. During the 61 days semi-continuous cultivation outdoors, high biomass productivities (450-550 mg L(-1) day(-1)) and μmax (1.05-1.44 day(-1)) were obtained. The cells could also achieve high lipid productivities (151-193 mg L(-1) day(-1)). These results indicated that S. obliquus was promising for lipids production in semi-continuous cultivation outdoors. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Degranulating mast cells in fibrotic regions of human tumors and evidence that mast cell heparin interferes with the growth of tumor cells through a mechanism involving fibroblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samoszuk, Michael; Kanakubo, Emi; Chan, John K

    2005-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that mast cells that are present in fibrotic regions of cancer can suppress the growth of tumor cells through an indirect mechanism involving peri-tumoral fibroblasts. We first immunostained a wide variety of human cancers for the presence of degranulated mast cells. In a subsequent series of controlled in vitro experiments, we then co-cultured UACC-812 human breast cancer cells with normal fibroblasts in the presence or absence of different combinations and doses of mast cell tryptase, mast cell heparin, a lysate of the human mast cell line HMC-1, and fibroblast growth factor-7 (FGF-7), a powerful, heparin-binding growth factor for breast epithelial cells. Degranulating mast cells were localized predominantly in the fibrous tissue of every case of breast cancer, head and neck cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Hodgkin's disease that we examined. Mast cell tryptase and HMC-1 lysate had no significant effect on the clonogenic growth of cancer cells co-cultured with fibroblasts. By contrast, mast cell heparin at multiple doses significantly reduced the size and number of colonies of tumor cells co-cultured with fibroblasts, especially in the presence of FGF-7. Neither heparin nor FGF-7, individually or in combination, produced any significant effect on the clonogenic growth of breast cancer cells cultured without fibroblasts. Degranulating mast cells are restricted to peri-tumoral fibrous tissue, and mast cell heparin is a powerful inhibitor of clonogenic growth of tumor cells co-cultured with fibroblasts. These results may help to explain the well-known ability of heparin to inhibit the growth of primary and metastatic tumors

  17. Degranulating mast cells in fibrotic regions of human tumors and evidence that mast cell heparin interferes with the growth of tumor cells through a mechanism involving fibroblasts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kanakubo Emi

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that mast cells that are present in fibrotic regions of cancer can suppress the growth of tumor cells through an indirect mechanism involving peri-tumoral fibroblasts. Methods We first immunostained a wide variety of human cancers for the presence of degranulated mast cells. In a subsequent series of controlled in vitro experiments, we then co-cultured UACC-812 human breast cancer cells with normal fibroblasts in the presence or absence of different combinations and doses of mast cell tryptase, mast cell heparin, a lysate of the human mast cell line HMC-1, and fibroblast growth factor-7 (FGF-7, a powerful, heparin-binding growth factor for breast epithelial cells. Results Degranulating mast cells were localized predominantly in the fibrous tissue of every case of breast cancer, head and neck cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Hodgkin's disease that we examined. Mast cell tryptase and HMC-1 lysate had no significant effect on the clonogenic growth of cancer cells co-cultured with fibroblasts. By contrast, mast cell heparin at multiple doses significantly reduced the size and number of colonies of tumor cells co-cultured with fibroblasts, especially in the presence of FGF-7. Neither heparin nor FGF-7, individually or in combination, produced any significant effect on the clonogenic growth of breast cancer cells cultured without fibroblasts. Conclusion Degranulating mast cells are restricted to peri-tumoral fibrous tissue, and mast cell heparin is a powerful inhibitor of clonogenic growth of tumor cells co-cultured with fibroblasts. These results may help to explain the well-known ability of heparin to inhibit the growth of primary and metastatic tumors.

  18. Comparative effects of 4-phenyl-3-butenoic acid and vorinostat on cell growth and signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burns, Timothy J; Ali, Amna; Matesic, Diane F

    2015-02-01

    4-phenyl-3-butenoic acid (PBA) is a small-molecule anti-inflammatory agent, which has been shown to inhibit growth, increase gap junction intercellular communication and modulate activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and c-jun n-terminal kinase (JNK) in tumorigenic cells at concentrations that do not similarly affect non-tumorigenic cells. Vorinostat is an anticancer agent structurally similar to PBA. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of these two agents on JNK and p38 activation, cell growth and gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC). Cell growth, GJIC and western blot analyses were performed utilizing tumorigenic WBras1 and H2009 human carcinoma cells, and non-tumorigenic WBneo3 and human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells. Both compounds significantly inhibited WBras1 and H2009 tumorigenic cell growth and increased GJIC in WBras1 cells, as previously reported for PBA. Under similar conditions, both compounds increased phosphorylation of p38 MAPK in tumorigenic but not in non-tumorigenic cells and decreased phosphorylation of JNK in tumorigenic cells. However, a decrease in phosphorylation of JNK occurred in non-tumorigenic WBras1 cells following vorinostat treatment but not PBA treatment. Both compounds showed a selective growth inhibition of H2009 human carcinoma over normal HBE lung cells but, unlike PBA, vorinostat significantly decreased cell growth in WBneo3 cells. Overall, PBA exhibited similar effects to vorinostat in tumorigenic cells, while also showing reduced effects on JNK phosphorylation and growth in non-tumorigenic cells compared to ras-transformed cells. Copyright© 2015 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  19. Seminal plasma enhances cervical adenocarcinoma cell proliferation and tumour growth in vivo.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jason R Sutherland

    Full Text Available Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in women in sub-Saharan Africa. Extensive evidence has shown that cervical cancer and its precursor lesions are caused by Human papillomavirus (HPV infection. Although the vast majority of HPV infections are naturally resolved, failure to eradicate infected cells has been shown to promote viral persistence and tumorigenesis. Furthermore, following neoplastic transformation, exposure of cervical epithelial cells to inflammatory mediators either directly or via the systemic circulation may enhance progression of the disease. It is well recognised that seminal plasma contains an abundance of inflammatory mediators, which are identified as regulators of tumour growth. Here we investigated the role of seminal plasma in regulating neoplastic cervical epithelial cell growth and tumorigenesis. Using HeLa cervical adenocarcinoma cells, we found that seminal plasma (SP induced the expression of the inflammatory enzymes, prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (PTGS1 and PTGS2, cytokines interleukin (IL -6, and -11 and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A. To investigate the role of SP on tumour cell growth in vivo, we xenografted HeLa cells subcutaneously into the dorsal flank of nude mice. Intra-peritoneal administration of SP rapidly and significantly enhanced the tumour growth rate and size of HeLa cell xenografts in nude mice. As observed in vitro, we found that SP induced expression of inflammatory PTGS enzymes, cytokines and VEGF-A in vivo. Furthermore we found that SP enhances blood vessel size in HeLa cell xenografts. Finally we show that SP-induced cytokine production, VEGF-A expression and cell proliferation are mediated via the induction of the inflammatory PTGS pathway.

  20. Downregulation of connective tissue growth factor reduces migration and invasiveness of osteosarcoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yinjun; Zhao, Shichang; Zhang, Changqing; Li, Xiaolin

    2016-02-01

    As one of the most serious types of primary bone tumor, osteosarcoma (OSA) features metastatic lesions, and resistance to chemotherapy is common. The underlying mechanisms of these characteristics may account for the failure of treatments and the poor prognosis of patients with OSA. It has been reported that inhibition of Cyr61 suppresses OSA cell proliferation as it represents a target of statins. In addition to cystein‑rich protein 61 (Cyr61) and nephroblastoma overexpression, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is a member of the CCN family and may therefore exhibit effects on human OSA cells similar to those of Cyr61. In the current study, acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining were used to determine the rate of apoptosis. The present study demonstrated that small interfering RNA‑mediated silencing of CTGF promoted cell death and suppressed OSA cell migration and invasion, as indicated by wound healing and Transwell assays, while lentivirus‑mediated overexpression of CTGF reversed these effects. Furthermore, a colorimetric caspase assay demonstrated that CTGF knockdown enhanced the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs. The results of the present study provided a novel molecular target which may be utilized for the treatment of metastatic OSA.

  1. Characteristic of innate lymphoid cells (ILC

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mateusz Adamiak

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Innate lymphoid cells (ILC is a newly described family of immune cells that are part of the natural immunity which is important not only during infections caused by microorganisms, but also in the formation of lymphoid tissue, tissue remodeling after damage due to injury and homeostasis tissue stromal cells. Family ILC cells form NK cells (natural killer and lymphoid tissue inducer T cells (LTi, which, although they have different functions, are evolutionarily related. NK cells are producing mainly IFN-γ, whereas LTi cells as NKR+LTi like, IL-17 and/or IL-22, which suggests that the last two cells, can also represent the innate versions of helper T cell - TH17 and TH22. Third population of ILC is formed by cells with characteristics such as NK cells and LTi (ILC22 - which are named NK22 cells, natural cytotoxicity receptor 22 (NCR22 cells or NK receptor-positive (LTi NKR+ LTi cells. Fourth population of ILC cells are ILC17 - producing IL-17, while the fifth is formed by natural helper type 2 T cells (nTH2, nuocyte, innate type 2 helper cells (IH2 and multi-potent progenitor type 2 cells (MPPtype2. Cells of the last population synthesize IL-5 and IL-13. It is assumed that an extraordinary functional diversity of ILC family, resembles T cells, probably because they are under the control of the corresponding transcription factors - as direct regulation factors, such as the family of lymphocytes T.

  2. STAT6 Mediates Interleukin-4 Growth Inhibition in Human Breast Cancer Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer L. Gooch

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available In addition to acting as a hematopoietic growth factor, interleukin-4 (IL-4 inhibits growth of some transformed cells in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we show that insulin receptor substrate (IRS-1, IRS-2, and signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6 are phosphorylated following IL-4 treatment in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. STAT6 DNA binding is enhanced by IL-4 treatment. STAT6 activation occurs even after IRS-1 depletion, suggesting the two pathways are independent. To examine the role of STAT6 in IL-4-mediated growth inhibition and apoptosis, a fulllength STAT6 cDNA was transfected into MCF-7 cells. Transient overexpression of STAT6 resulted in both cytoplasmic and nuclear expression of the protein, increased DNA binding in response to IL-4, and increased transactivation of an IL-4 responsive promoter. In STAT6-transfected cells, basal proliferation was reduced whereas apoptosis was increased. Finally, stable expression of STAT6 resulted in reduced foci formation compared to vector-transfected cells alone. These results suggest STAT6 is required for IL-4mediated growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis in human breast cancer cells.

  3. Bacterial Cell Wall Growth, Shape and Division

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Derouaux, A.; Terrak, M.; den Blaauwen, T.; Vollmer, W.; Remaut, H.; Fronzes, R.

    2014-01-01

    The shape of a bacterial cell is maintained by its peptidoglycan sacculus that completely surrounds the cytoplasmic membrane. During growth the sacculus is enlarged by peptidoglycan synthesis complexes that are controlled by components linked to the cytoskeleton and, in Gram-negative bacteria, by

  4. Interdependence of cell growth and gene expression: origins and consequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Matthew; Gunderson, Carl W; Mateescu, Eduard M; Zhang, Zhongge; Hwa, Terence

    2010-11-19

    In bacteria, the rate of cell proliferation and the level of gene expression are intimately intertwined. Elucidating these relations is important both for understanding the physiological functions of endogenous genetic circuits and for designing robust synthetic systems. We describe a phenomenological study that reveals intrinsic constraints governing the allocation of resources toward protein synthesis and other aspects of cell growth. A theory incorporating these constraints can accurately predict how cell proliferation and gene expression affect one another, quantitatively accounting for the effect of translation-inhibiting antibiotics on gene expression and the effect of gratuitous protein expression on cell growth. The use of such empirical relations, analogous to phenomenological laws, may facilitate our understanding and manipulation of complex biological systems before underlying regulatory circuits are elucidated.

  5. Industry growth, work role characteristics, and job satisfaction: a cross-level mediation model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ford, Michael T; Wooldridge, Jessica D

    2012-10-01

    The associations between industry revenue growth, individual work role characteristics, and job satisfaction were examined in this cross-level mediation analysis. Work roles were expected to be more autonomous, involve greater skill variety, and offer more opportunities for growth and development for workers in growing industries than for workers in declining industries. Supervisor support was also hypothesized to be stronger for workers in high-growth industries. Results from a nationally representative (U.S.) sample of service industry workers, using multilevel modeling, supported these propositions and suggest that job enrichment mediates relations between industry growth and job satisfaction. Associations between industry growth and autonomy were also stronger among workers in occupations that are less normatively autonomous, suggesting that industry growth fosters a weakening, and industry decline a strengthening, of traditional differences in autonomy across work roles. These results contribute to a multilevel perspective on organizational environments, individual work roles, and worker attitudes and well-being.

  6. Biofilm growth program and architecture revealed by single-cell live imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Jing; Sabass, Benedikt; Stone, Howard; Wingreen, Ned; Bassler, Bonnie

    Biofilms are surface-associated bacterial communities. Little is known about biofilm structure at the level of individual cells. We image living, growing Vibrio cholerae biofilms from founder cells to ten thousand cells at single-cell resolution, and discover the forces underpinning the architectural evolution of the biofilm. Mutagenesis, matrix labeling, and simulations demonstrate that surface-adhesion-mediated compression causes V. cholerae biofilms to transition from a two-dimensional branched morphology to a dense, ordered three-dimensional cluster. We discover that directional proliferation of rod-shaped bacteria plays a dominant role in shaping the biofilm architecture, and this growth pattern is controlled by a single gene. Competition analyses reveal the advantages of the dense growth mode in providing the biofilm with superior mechanical properties. We will further present continuum theory to model the three-dimensional growth of biofilms at the solid-liquid interface as well as solid-air interface.

  7. Effect of sanguinarine on the growth and radiosensitivity of human ovarian cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Jiaying; Ji Junmin; Jiao Yang; Wu Li; Fan Sanjun

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To study the effect of sanguinarine on the growth and radiosensitivity of ovarian cancer SK-OV-3 cells. Methods: Cell growth was determined by MTT and clonogenic assay. Cell cycle analysis was performed by flow cytometry assay. The cell apoptosis was analyzed by Annexin V/PI assay. Results: Sanguinarine inhibited SK-OV-3 cell growth in a dose-and time-dependent fashion and its IC 50 values were 3.02 and 1.11 μmol/L at 24 and 48 h, respectively. Sanguinarine also significantly triggered a sub-G 1 peak, an indicator of apoptosis,and caused a G 0 /G 1 arrest. Furthermore, the cell apoptosis induced by X-irradiation was significantly increased at 6 Gy when the cells were pre-treated with sanguinarine, in which the early apoptotic population increased from 10.28% to 43.28% (t=19.41, P<0.01) and the late apoptotic population increased from 20.26% to 30.80% (t=8.78, P<0.01). The multi-target click model was used to fit survival curves and the SER of sanguinarine treatment approached to 1.625 at the dose of D 0 . Conclusions: Sanguinarine could inhibit SK-OV-3 cell growth by inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest and enhance cell radiosensitivity at low doses. (authors)

  8. The mycobacterial DNA-binding protein 1 (MDP1 from Mycobacterium bovis BCG influences various growth characteristics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maurischat Sven

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Pathogenic mycobacteria such as M. tuberculosis, M. bovis or M. leprae are characterised by their extremely slow growth rate which plays an important role in mycobacterial virulence and eradication of the bacteria. Various limiting factors influence the generation time of mycobacteria, and the mycobacterial DNA-binding protein 1 (MDP1 has also been implicated in growth regulation. Our strategy to investigate the role of MDP1 in mycobacterial growth consisted in the generation and characterisation of a M. bovis BCG derivative expressing a MDP1-antisense gene. Results The expression rate of the MDP1 protein in the recombinant M. bovis BCG containing the MDP1-antisense plasmid was reduced by about 50% compared to the reference strain M. bovis BCG containing the empty vector. In comparison to this reference strain, the recombinant M. bovis BCG grew faster in broth culture and reached higher cell masses in stationary phase. Likewise its intracellular growth in mouse and human macrophages was ameliorated. Bacterial clumping in broth culture was reduced by the antisense plasmid. The antisense plasmid increased the susceptibility of the bacteria towards Ampicillin. 2-D protein gels of bacteria maintained under oxygen-poor conditions demonstrated a reduction in the number and the intensity of many protein spots in the antisense strain compared to the reference strain. Conclusion The MDP1 protein has a major impact on various growth characteristics of M. bovis BCG. It plays an important role in virulence-related traits such as aggregate formation and intracellular multiplication. Its impact on the protein expression in a low-oxygen atmosphere indicates a role in the adaptation to the hypoxic conditions present in the granuloma.

  9. Mesenchymal stem cell 1 (MSC1-based therapy attenuates tumor growth whereas MSC2-treatment promotes tumor growth and metastasis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruth S Waterman

    Full Text Available Currently, there are many promising clinical trials using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs in cell-based therapies of numerous diseases. Increasingly, however, there is a concern over the use of MSCs because they home to tumors and can support tumor growth and metastasis. For instance, we established that MSCs in the ovarian tumor microenvironment promoted tumor growth and favored angiogenesis. In parallel studies, we also developed a new approach to induce the conventional mixed pool of MSCs into two uniform but distinct phenotypes we termed MSC1 and MSC2.Here we tested the in vitro and in vivo stability of MSC1 and MSC2 phenotypes as well as their effects on tumor growth and spread. In vitro co-culture of MSC1 with various cancer cells diminished growth in colony forming units and tumor spheroid assays, while conventional MSCs or MSC2 co-culture had the opposite effect in these assays. Co-culture of MSC1 and cancer cells also distinctly affected their migration and invasion potential when compared to MSCs or MSC2 treated samples. The expression of bioactive molecules also differed dramatically among these samples. MSC1-based treatment of established tumors in an immune competent model attenuated tumor growth and metastasis in contrast to MSCs- and MSC2-treated animals in which tumor growth and spread was increased. Also, in contrast to these groups, MSC1-therapy led to less ascites accumulation, increased CD45+leukocytes, decreased collagen deposition, and mast cell degranulation.These observations indicate that the MSC1 and MSC2 phenotypes may be convenient tools for the discovery of critical components of the tumor stroma. The continued investigation of these cells may help ensure that cell based-therapy is used safely and effectively in human disease.

  10. Insulin-Like Growth Factor Axis Expression in Dental Pulp Cells Derived From Carious Teeth

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    Hanaa Esa Alkharobi

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The insulin-like growth factor (IGF axis plays an important role in dental tissue regeneration and most components of this axis are expressed in human dental pulp cells (DPCs. In our previous study, we analyzed IGF axis gene expression in DPCs and demonstrated a novel role of IGF binding protein (IGFBP-2 and -3 in coordinating mineralized matrix formation in differentiating DPCs. A more recent study from our laboratory partially characterized dental pulp stem cells from teeth with superficial caries (cDPCs and showed that their potential to differentiate odontoblasts and/or into osteoblasts is enhanced by exposure to the mild inflammatory conditions characteristic of superficial caries. In the present study, we examine whether changes apparent in IGF axis expression during osteogenic differentiation of healthy DPCs are also apparent in DPCs derived from carious affected teeth.

  11. Isolation, Characterization and Growth Kinetic Comparison of Bone Marrow and Adipose Tissue Mesenchymal Stem Cells of Guinea Pig.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aliborzi, Ghaem; Vahdati, Akbar; Mehrabani, Davood; Hosseini, Seyed Ebrahim; Tamadon, Amin

    2016-05-30

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from different sources have different characteristics. Moreover, MSCs are not isolated and characterized in Guinea pig for animal model of cell therapy. was the isolating of bone marrow MSCs (BM-MSCs) and adipose tissue MSCs (AT-MSCs) from Guinea pig and assessing their characteristics. In this study, bone marrow and adipose tissue were collected from three Guinea pigs and cultured and expanded through eight passages. BM-MSCs and AT-MSCs at passages 2, 5 and 8 were seeded in 24-well plates in triplicate. Cells were counted from each well 1~7 days after seeding to determine population doubling time (PDT) and cell growth curves. Cells of passage 3 were cultured in osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation media. BM-MSCs and AT-MSCs attached to the culture flask and displayed spindle-shaped morphology. Proliferation rate of AT-MSCs in the analyzed passages was more than BM-MSCs. The increase in the PDT of MSCs occurs with the increase in the number of passages. Moreover, after culture of BM-MSCs and AT-MSCs in differentiation media, the cells differentiated toward osteoblasts and adipocytes as verified by Alizarin Red staining and Oil Red O staining, respectively. BM-MSCs and AT-MSCs of Guinea pig could be valuable source of multipotent stem cells for use in experimental and preclinical studies in animal models.

  12. Effects of x-irradiation on cell division, oxygen consumption, and growth medium pH of an insect cell line cultured in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koval, T.M.; Myser, W.C.; Hink, W.F.

    1975-01-01

    Cultured Trichoplusia ni cells in exponential growth were administered x-ray doses of 10,000 R and then subcultured. The untreated cell population began exponential growth within a few hours after subculture, eventually reaching stationary growth phase 96 hr later at a cell density of 2.08 x 10 6 cells/ml, whereas the irradiated cell population did not change for 24 hr after irradiation and then began exponential growth at a rate similar to that of control cells, also reaching stationary phase at 96 hr, but at a cell density of 0.93 x 10 6 cells/ml, which is less than half the maximum density of controls. From 24 to 96 hr after treatment, the x-irradiated cells were characterized by an increased consumption of oxygen that was nearly twice the amount utilized by control cells. The pH of the cell growth medium increases over 96 hr from 6.3 to 6.6 for irradiated as well as for untreated cultures, but since the number of x-rayed cells is less than half the number of untreated cells, the pH increase, per cell, of medium from irradiated cultures is about twice that of medium from control cultures

  13. Cytoplasmic proteasomes are not indispensable for cell growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsuchiya, Hikaru; Arai, Naoko; Tanaka, Keiji, E-mail: tanaka-kj@igakuken.or.jp; Saeki, Yasushi, E-mail: saeki-ys@igakuken.or.jp

    2013-07-05

    Highlights: •We succeeded to control the proteasome localization by the anchor-away technique. •Nuclear proteasome-depleted cells showed a lethal phenotype. •Cytoplasmic proteasomes are not indispensable for cell growth in dividing cells. -- Abstract: The 26S proteasome is an essential protease complex responsible for the degradation of ubiquitinated proteins in eukaryotic cells. In rapidly proliferating yeast cells, proteasomes are mainly localized in the nucleus, but the biological significance of the proteasome localization is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the relationship between the proteasome localization and the functions by the anchor-away technique, a ligand-dependent sequestration of a target protein into specific compartment(s). Anchoring of the proteasome to the plasma membrane or the ribosome resulted in conditional depletion of the nuclear proteasomes, whereas anchoring to histone resulted in the proteasome sequestration into the nucleus. We observed that the accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins in all the proteasome-targeted cells, suggesting that both the nuclear and cytoplasmic proteasomes have proteolytic functions and that the ubiquitinated proteins are produced and degraded in each compartment. Consistent with previous studies, the nuclear proteasome-depleted cells exhibited a lethal phenotype. In contrast, the nuclear sequestration of the proteasome resulted only in a mild growth defect, suggesting that the cytoplasmic proteasomes are not basically indispensable for cell growth in rapidly growing yeast cells.

  14. SYMBIODINIUM ISOLATES FROM STONY CORAL: ISOLATION, GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS AND EFFECTS OF UV IRRADIATION

    Science.gov (United States)

    Symbiodinium spp. Isolates from Stony Coral: Isolation, Growth Characteristics and Effects of UV Irradiation (Abstract). J. Phycol. 37(3):42-43.Symbiodinium species were isolated from Montipora capitata, Acropora palmata and two field samples of Porites porites. Cultures ...

  15. Growth inhibitory effects of miR-221 and miR-222 in non-small cell lung cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamashita, Ryo; Sato, Mitsuo; Kakumu, Tomohiko; Hase, Tetsunari; Yogo, Naoyuki; Maruyama, Eiichi; Sekido, Yoshitaka; Kondo, Masashi; Hasegawa, Yoshinori

    2015-01-01

    Both pro- and anti-oncogenic roles of miR-221 and miR-222 microRNAs are reported in several types of human cancers. A previous study suggested their oncogenic role in invasiveness in lung cancer, albeit only one cell line (H460) was used. To further evaluate involvement of miR-221 and miR-222 in lung cancer, we investigated the effects of miR-221 and miR-222 overexpression on six lung cancer cell lines, including H460, as well as one immortalized normal human bronchial epithelial cell line, HBEC4. miR-221 and miR-222 induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like changes in a minority of HBEC4 cells but, unexpectedly, both the microRNAs rather suppressed their invasiveness. Consistent with the prior report, miR-221 and miR-222 promoted growth in H460; however, miR-221 suppressed growth in four other cell lines with no effects in one, and miR-222 suppressed growth in three cell lines but promoted growth in two. These are the first results to show tumor-suppressive effects of miR-221 and miR-222 in lung cancer cells, and we focused on clarifying the mechanisms. Cell cycle and apoptosis analyses revealed that growth suppression by miR-221 and miR-222 occurred through intra-S-phase arrest and/or apoptosis. Finally, lung cancer cell lines transfected with miR-221 or miR-222 became more sensitive to the S-phase targeting drugs, possibly due to an increased S-phase population. In conclusion, our data are the first to show tumor-suppressive effects of miR-221 and miR-222 on lung cancer, warranting testing their potential as therapeutics for the disease

  16. Automated inference procedure for the determination of cell growth parameters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Edouard A.; Koh, Eun Jee; Moffat, Jason; McMillen, David R.

    2016-01-01

    The growth rate and carrying capacity of a cell population are key to the characterization of the population's viability and to the quantification of its responses to perturbations such as drug treatments. Accurate estimation of these parameters necessitates careful analysis. Here, we present a rigorous mathematical approach for the robust analysis of cell count data, in which all the experimental stages of the cell counting process are investigated in detail with the machinery of Bayesian probability theory. We advance a flexible theoretical framework that permits accurate estimates of the growth parameters of cell populations and of the logical correlations between them. Moreover, our approach naturally produces an objective metric of avoidable experimental error, which may be tracked over time in a laboratory to detect instrumentation failures or lapses in protocol. We apply our method to the analysis of cell count data in the context of a logistic growth model by means of a user-friendly computer program that automates this analysis, and present some samples of its output. Finally, we note that a traditional least squares fit can provide misleading estimates of parameter values, because it ignores available information with regard to the way in which the data have actually been collected.

  17. Effects of growth factors and glucosamine on porcine mandibular condylar cartilage cells and hyaline cartilage cells for tissue engineering applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Limin; Detamore, Michael S

    2009-01-01

    Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) condylar cartilage is a distinct cartilage that has both fibrocartilaginous and hyaline-like character, with a thin proliferative zone that separates the fibrocartilaginous fibrous zone at the surface from the hyaline-like mature and hypertrophic zones below. In this study, we compared the effects of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), and glucosamine sulphate on porcine TMJ condylar cartilage and ankle cartilage cells in monolayer culture. In general, TMJ condylar cartilage cells proliferated faster than ankle cartilage cells, while ankle cells produced significantly greater amounts of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and collagen than TMJ condylar cartilage cells. IGF-I and bFGF were potent stimulators of TMJ cell proliferation, while no signals statistically outperformed controls for ankle cell proliferation. IGF-I was the most effective signal for GAG production with ankle cells, and the most potent upregulator of collagen synthesis for both cell types. Glucosamine sulphate promoted cell proliferation and biosynthesis at specific concentrations and outperformed growth factors in certain instances. In conclusion, hyaline cartilage cells had lower cell numbers and superior biosynthesis compared to TMJ condylar cartilage cells, and we have found IGF-I at 100 ng/mL and glucosamine sulphate at 100 microg/mL to be the most effective signals for these cells under the prescribed conditions.

  18. Expression of a hyperactive androgen receptor leads to androgen-independent growth of prostate cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsieh, Chen-Lin; Cai, Changmeng; Giwa, Ahmed; Bivins, Aaronica; Chen, Shao-Yong; Sabry, Dina; Govardhan, Kumara; Shemshedini, Lirim

    2008-07-01

    Cellular changes that affect the androgen receptor (AR) can cause prostate cancer to transition from androgen dependent to androgen independent, which is usually lethal. One common change in prostate tumors is overexpression of the AR, which has been shown to lead to androgen-independent growth of prostate cancer cells. This led us to hypothesize that expression of a hyperactive AR would be sufficient for androgen-independent growth of prostate cancer cells. To test this hypothesis, stable lune cancer prostate (LNCaP) cell lines were generated, which express a virion phosphoprotein (VP)16-AR hybrid protein that contains full-length AR fused to the strong viral transcriptional activation domain VP16. This fusion protein elicited as much as a 20-fold stronger transcriptional activity than the natural AR. Stable expression of VP16-AR in LNCaP cells yielded androgen-independent cell proliferation, while under the same growth conditions the parental LNCaP cells exhibited only androgen-dependent growth. These results show that expression of a hyperactive AR is sufficient for androgen-independent growth of prostate cancer cells. To study the molecular basis of this enhanced growth, we measured the expression of soluble guanylyl cyclase-alpha1 (sGCalpha1), a subunit of the sGC, an androgen-regulated gene that has been shown to be involved in prostate cancer cell growth. Interestingly, the expression of sGCalpha1 is androgen independent in VP16-AR-expressing cells, in contrast to its androgen-induced expression in control LNCaP cells. RNA(I)-dependent inhibition of sGCalpha1 expression resulted in significantly reduced proliferation of VP16-AR cells, implicating an important role for sGCalpha1 in the androgen-independent growth of these cells.

  19. Choline Phospholipid Metabolites of Human Vascular Endothelial Cells Altered by Cyclooxygenase Inhibition, Growth Factor Depletion, and Paracrine Factors Secreted by Cancer Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noriko Mori

    2003-04-01

    Full Text Available Magnetic resonance studies have previously shown that solid tumors and cancer cells in culture typically exhibit high phosphocholine and total choline. Treatment of cancer cells with the anti-inflammatory agent, indomethacin (INDO, reverted the phenotype of choline phospholipid metabolites in cancer cells towards a less malignant phenotype. Since endothelial cells form a key component of tumor vasculature, in this study, we used MR spectroscopy to characterize the phenotype of choline phospholipid metabolites in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs. We determined the effect of growth factors, the anti-inflammatory agent INDO, and conditioned media obtained from a malignant cell line, on choline phospholipid metabolites. Growth factor depletion or treatment with INDO induced similar changes in the choline phospholipid metabolites of HUVECs. Treatment with conditioned medium obtained from MDA-MB-231 cancer cells induced changes similar to the presence of growth factor supplements. These results suggest that cancer cells secrete growth factors and/or other molecules that influence the choline phospholipid metabolism of HUVECs. The ability of INDO to alter choline phospholipid metabolism in the presence of growth factor supplements suggests that the inflammatory response pathways of HUVECs may play a role in cancer cell-HUVEC interaction and in the response of HUVECs to growth factors.

  20. Müller Glia, Vision-Guided Ocular Growth, Retinal Stem Cells, and a Little Serendipity

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Hypothesis-driven science is expected to result in a continuum of studies and findings along a discrete path. By comparison, serendipity can lead to new directions that branch into different paths. Herein, I describe a diverse series of findings that were motivated by hypotheses, but driven by serendipity. I summarize how investigations into vision-guided ocular growth in the chick eye led to the identification of glucagonergic amacrine cells as key regulators of ocular elongation. Studies designed to assess the impact of the ablation of different types of neurons on vision-guided ocular growth led to the finding of numerous proliferating cells within damaged retinas. These proliferating cells were Müller glia–derived retinal progenitors with a capacity to produce new neurons. Studies designed to investigate Müller glia–derived progenitors led to the identification of a domain of neural stem cells that form a circumferential marginal zone (CMZ) that lines the periphery of the retina. Accelerated ocular growth, caused by visual deprivation, stimulated the proliferation of CMZ progenitors. We formulated a hypothesis that growth-regulating glucagonergic cells may regulate both overall eye size (scleral growth) and the growth of the retina (proliferation of CMZ cells). Subsequent studies identified unusual types of glucagonergic neurons with terminals that ramify within the CMZ; these cells use visual cues to control equatorial ocular growth and the proliferation of CMZ cells. Finally, while studying the signaling pathways that stimulate CMZ and Müller glia–derived progenitors, serendipity led to the discovery of a novel type of glial cell that is scattered across the inner retinal layers. PMID:21960640

  1. Human fetal liver stromal cells that overexpress bFGF support growth and maintenance of human embryonic stem cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiafei Xi

    Full Text Available In guiding hES cell technology toward the clinic, one key issue to be addressed is to culture and maintain hES cells much more safely and economically in large scale. In order to avoid using mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs we isolated human fetal liver stromal cells (hFLSCs from 14 weeks human fetal liver as new human feeder cells. hFLSCs feeders could maintain hES cells for 15 passages (about 100 days. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF is known to play an important role in promoting self-renewal of human embryonic stem (hES cells. So, we established transgenic hFLSCs that stably express bFGF by lentiviral vectors. These transgenic human feeder cells--bFGF-hFLSCs maintained the properties of H9 hES cells without supplementing with any exogenous growth factors. H9 hES cells culturing under these conditions maintained all hES cell features after prolonged culture, including the developmental potential to differentiate into representative tissues of all three embryonic germ layers, unlimited and undifferentiated proliferative ability, and maintenance of normal karyotype. Our results demonstrated that bFGF-hFLSCs feeder cells were central to establishing the signaling network among bFGF, insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2, and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β, thereby providing the framework in which hES cells were instructed to self-renew or to differentiate. We also found that the conditioned medium of bFGF-hFLSCs could maintain the H9 hES cells under feeder-free conditions without supplementing with bFGF. Taken together, bFGF-hFLSCs had great potential as feeders for maintaining pluripotent hES cell lines more safely and economically.

  2. Effects of several physiochemical factors on cell growth and gallic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The production of gallic acid in cell suspension culture of Acer ginnala Maxim was studied. Some physiochemical factors and chemical substances effect on the cell growth and the production of gallic acid were investigated. Cells harvested from plant tissue culture were extracted and applied to high performance liquid ...

  3. Rapamycin causes growth arrest and inhibition of invasion in human chondrosarcoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Jian; Wang, Xiaobo; Zhu, Jiaxue; Liu, Jun

    2016-01-01

    Chondrosarcoma is a highly malignant tumor that is characterized by a potent capacity to invade locally and cause distant metastasis and notable for its lack of response to conventional chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Rapamycin, the inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), is a valuable drug with diverse clinical applications and regulates many cellular processes. However, the effects of rapamycin on cell growth and invasion of human chondrosarcoma cells are not well known. We determined the effect of rapamycin on cell proliferation, cell cycle arrest and invasion by using MTS, flow cytometry and invasion assays in two human chondrosarcoma cell lines, SW1353 and JJ012. Cell cycle regulatory and invasion-related genes' expression analysis was performed by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). We also evaluated the effect of rapamycin on tumor growth by using mice xenograph models. Rapamycin significantly inhibited the cell proliferation, induced cell cycle arrest and decreased the invasion ability of human chondrosarcoma cells. Meanwhile, rapamycin modulated the cell cycle regulatory and invasion-related genes' expression. Furthermore, the tumor growth of mice xenograph models with human chondrosarcoma cells was significantly inhibited by rapamycin. These results provided further insight into the role of rapamycin in chondrosarcoma. Therefore, rapamycin targeted therapy may be a potential treatment strategy for chondrosarcoma.

  4. The Role of Tumor Associated Macrophage in Recurrent Growth of Tumor Stem Cell

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-01

    recent cancer stem cell (CSC) theory, recurrent tumor must arise from a dormant tumor stem cell whose re-growth is triggered by shifting of...microenvironment. This project aims at clarifying the roles of TAM in recurrent growth of dormant stem cell in breast cancer. We hypothesize that the balance of...dormancy and recurrence is determined by the ability of the tumor stem cells to recruit TAM which in turn promotes self-renewal of the stem cell . We

  5. Inactivation of the transforming growth factor beta type II receptor in human small cell lung cancer cell lines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hougaard, S; Nørgaard, P; Abrahamsen, N

    1999-01-01

    Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) exerts a growth inhibitory effect on many cell types through binding to two types of receptors, the type I and II receptors. Resistance to TGF-beta due to lack of type II receptor (RII) has been described in some cancer types including small cell lung...

  6. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) and fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19) autocrine enhance breast cancer cells survival.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiong, Kai Hung; Tan, Boon Shing; Choo, Heng Lungh; Chung, Felicia Fei-Lei; Hii, Ling-Wei; Tan, Si Hoey; Khor, Nelson Tze Woei; Wong, Shew Fung; See, Sze-Jia; Tan, Yuen-Fen; Rosli, Rozita; Cheong, Soon-Keng; Leong, Chee-Onn

    2016-09-06

    Basal-like breast cancer is an aggressive tumor subtype with poor prognosis. The discovery of underlying mechanisms mediating tumor cell survival, and the development of novel agents to target these pathways, is a priority for patients with basal-like breast cancer. From a functional screen to identify key drivers of basal-like breast cancer cell growth, we identified fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) as a potential mediator of cell survival. We found that FGFR4 mediates cancer cell survival predominantly via activation of PI3K/AKT. Importantly, a subset of basal-like breast cancer cells also secrete fibroblast growth factor 19 (FGF19), a canonical ligand specific for FGFR4. siRNA-mediated silencing of FGF19 or neutralization of extracellular FGF19 by anti-FGF19 antibody (1A6) decreases AKT phosphorylation, suppresses cancer cell growth and enhances doxorubicin sensitivity only in the FGFR4+/FGF19+ breast cancer cells. Consistently, FGFR4/FGF19 co-expression was also observed in 82 out of 287 (28.6%) primary breast tumors, and their expression is strongly associated with AKT phosphorylation, Ki-67 staining, higher tumor stage and basal-like phenotype. In summary, our results demonstrated the presence of an FGFR4/FGF19 autocrine signaling that mediates the survival of a subset of basal-like breast cancer cells and suggest that inactivation of this autocrine loop may potentially serve as a novel therapeutic intervention for future treatment of breast cancers.

  7. Distal joint contractures, mental retardation, characteristic face and growth retardation: Chitayat syndrome revisited.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wortmann, S.B.; Rodenburg, R.J.T.; Schwahn, B.; Smeitink, J.A.M.; Morava, E.

    2007-01-01

    We report on a patient with congenital distal limb contractures, characteristic face, prominent metopic sutures, narrow forehead, severe psychomotor and growth retardation, white matter lesions and failure to thrive. The child has many overlapping features with those reported previously by Chitayat.

  8. All-trans retinoic acid inhibits craniopharyngioma cell growth: study on an explant cell model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qiang; You, Chao; Zhou, Liangxue; Sima, Xiutian; Liu, Zhiyong; Liu, Hao; Xu, Jianguo

    2013-05-01

    The ratio between FABP5 and CRABPII determines cellular response to physiological level of retinoic acid; tumor cells undergo proliferation with high level of FABP5 and apoptosis with high level of CRABPII. We intended to study FABP5 and CRABPII expression in craniopharyngiomas, to establish craniopharyngioma cell model using explants method, and to study the effect of pharmacological dose of retinoic acid on craniopharyngioma cells. Expression of FABP5 and CRABPII in craniopharyngioma tissue from 20 patients was studied using immunohistochemistry. Primary craniopharyngioma cell cultures were established using tissue explants method. Craniopharyngioma cells were treated using various concentrations of all-trans retinoic acid, and cell growth curve, apoptosis, expression of FABP5, CRABPII and NF-κB were assayed in different groups. FABP5/CRABPII ratio was significantly higher in adamatinomatous group than that in papillary group. Cell cultures were established in 19 cases (95 %). Pharmacological level retinoic acid inhibited cell growth and induced cellular apoptosis in dose dependent manner, and apoptosis rate cells treated with 30 μM retinoic acid for 24 h was 43 %. Also, retinoic acid increased CRABPII, and decreased FABP5 and NF-κB expression in craniopharyngioma cells. High FABP5/CRABPII ratio is observed in adamatinomatous craniopharyngioma. Retinoic acid at pharmacological level induced craniopharyngioma cell apoptosis via increasing FABP5/CRABPII ratio and inhibiting NF-κB signaling pathway. Our study demonstrated that all-trans retinoic acid might be a candidate for craniopharyngioma adjuvant chemotherapy in future.

  9. Colon cancer stem cells dictate tumor growth and resist cell death by production of interleukin-4

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Todaro, Matilde; Alea, Mileidys Perez; Di Stefano, Anna B.; Cammareri, Patrizia; Vermeulen, Louis; Iovino, Flora; Tripodo, Claudio; Russo, Antonio; Gulotta, Gaspare; Medema, Jan Paul; Stassi, Giorgio

    2007-01-01

    A novel paradigm in tumor biology suggests that cancer growth is driven by stem-like cells within a tumor. Here, we describe the identification and characterization of such cells from colon carcinomas using the stem cell marker CD133 that accounts around 2% of the cells in human colon cancer. The

  10. Growth suppression by transforming growth factor beta 1 of human small-cell lung cancer cell lines is associated with expression of the type II receptor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nørgaard, P; Damstrup, L; Rygaard, K

    1994-01-01

    was observed in two cell lines expressing only type III receptor and in TGF-beta-r negative cell lines. In two cell lines expressing all three receptor types, growth suppression was accompanied by morphological changes. To evaluate the possible involvement of the retinoblastoma protein (pRb) in mediating...

  11. Purification and cultivation of human pituitary growth hormone secreting cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hymer, W. C.

    1979-01-01

    Efforts were directed towards maintenance of actively secreting human pituitary growth hormone cells (somatotrophs) in vitro. The production of human growth hormone (hGH) by this means would be of benefit for the treatment of certain human hypopituitary diseases such as dwarfism. One of the primary approaches was the testing of agents which may logically be expected to increase hGH release. The progress towards this goal is summarized. Results from preliminary experiments dealing with electrophoresis of pituitary cell for the purpose of somatotroph separation are described.

  12. Growth retardation of paramecium and mouse cells by shielding them from background radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawanishi, Masanobu; Okuyama, Katsuyuki; Shiraishi, Kazunori; Matsuda, Yatsuka; Taniguchi, Ryoichi; Shiomi, Nobuyuki; Yonezawa, Morio; Yagi, Takashi

    2012-01-01

    In the 1970s and 1980s, Planel et al. reported that the growth of paramecia was decreased by shielding them from background radiation. In the 1990s, Takizawa et al. found that mouse cells displayed a decreased growth rate under shielded conditions. The purpose of the present study was to confirm that growth is impaired in organisms that have been shielded from background radiation. Radioprotection was produced with a shielding chamber surrounded by a 15 cm thick iron wall and a 10 cm thick paraffin wall that reduced the γ ray and neutron levels in the chamber to 2% and 25% of the background levels, respectively. Although the growth of Paramecium tetraurelia was not impaired by short-term radioprotection (around 10 days), which disagreed with the findings of Planel et al., decreased growth was observed after long-term (40-50 days) radiation shielding. When mouse lymphoma L5178Y cells were incubated inside or outside of the shielding chamber for 7 days, the number of cells present on the 6th and 7th days under the shielding conditions was significantly lower than that present under the non-shielding conditions. These inhibitory effects on cell growth were abrogated by the addition of a 137 Cs γ-ray source disk to the chamber. Furthermore, no growth retardation was observed in XRCC4-deficient mouse M10 cells, which display impaired DNA double strand break repair. (author)

  13. CDP-diacylglycerol synthetase coordinates cell growth and fat storage through phosphatidylinositol metabolism and the insulin pathway.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan Liu

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available During development, animals usually undergo a rapid growth phase followed by a homeostatic stage when growth has ceased. The increase in cell size and number during the growth phase requires a large amount of lipids; while in the static state, excess lipids are usually stored in adipose tissues in preparation for nutrient-limited conditions. How cells coordinate growth and fat storage is not fully understood. Through a genetic screen we identified Drosophila melanogaster CDP-diacylglycerol synthetase (CDS/CdsA, which diverts phosphatidic acid from triacylglycerol synthesis to phosphatidylinositol (PI synthesis and coordinates cell growth and fat storage. Loss of CdsA function causes significant accumulation of neutral lipids in many tissues along with reduced cell/organ size. These phenotypes can be traced back to reduced PI levels and, subsequently, low insulin pathway activity. Overexpressing CdsA rescues the fat storage and cell growth phenotypes of insulin pathway mutants, suggesting that CdsA coordinates cell/tissue growth and lipid storage through the insulin pathway. We also revealed that a DAG-to-PE route mediated by the choline/ethanolamine phosphotransferase Bbc may contribute to the growth of fat cells in CdsA RNAi.

  14. Microstructure and initial growth characteristics of the low temperature microcrystalline silicon films on silicon nitride surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Young-Bae; Rhee, Shi-Woo

    2001-01-01

    Microstructure and initial growth characteristics of the hydrogenated microcrystalline Si (μc-Si:H) films grown on hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiN x :H) surface at low temperature were investigated using high resolution transmission electron microscope and micro-Raman spectroscopy. With increasing the Si and Si - H contents in the SiN x :H surfaces, μc-Si crystallites, a few nanometers in size, were directly grown on amorphous nitride surfaces. It is believed that the crystallites were grown through the nucleation and phase transition from amorphous to crystal in a hydrogen-rich ambient of gas phase and growing surface. The crystallite growth characteristics on the dielectric surface were dependent on the stoichiometric (x=N/Si) ratio corresponding hydrogen bond configuration of the SiN x :H surface. Surface facetting and anisotropic growth of the Si crystallites resulted from the different growth rate on the different lattice planes of Si. No twins and stacking faults were observed in the (111) lattice planes of the Si crystallites surrounding the a-Si matrix. This atomic-scale structure was considered to be the characteristic of the low temperature crystallization of the μc-Si:H by the strain relaxation of crystallites in the a-Si:H matrix. [copyright] 2001 American Institute of Physics

  15. Cellular Cultivation: Growing HeLa Cells Using Standard High School Laboratory Equipment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woloschak, Gayle; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Describes experiments to culture cells in a laboratory that provide students with hands-on experience in manipulating cells and a chance to observe cell growth characteristics first hand. Exposes students to sterile technique, cell culture, cell growth concepts, and eukaryotic cell structure. (JRH)

  16. Overexpression of Hiwi Inhibits the Growth and Migration of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yalin; Jiang, Yan; Ma, Ning; Sang, Bailu; Hu, Xiaolin; Cong, Xiaofeng; Liu, Ziling

    2015-09-01

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematopoietic malignancy characterized by dysregulated growth and proliferation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in bone marrow and excessive expansion of hematopoietic compartments in peripheral blood. Expression deletion of Hiwi, a human Piwi homolog, has been reported to be implicated in leukemogenesis. We here explored Hiwi's role in CML pathogenesis by determining how and whether its forced overexpression could affect CML cell growth and migration. The present results showed that lentivirus-mediated overexpression of Hiwi significantly suppressed cell proliferation and induced obvious apoptosis in K562 cells, a CML line cell line. Tumors in BALB/c nude mice generated by the K562 cells expressing Hiwi were much smaller than those formed by the control cells. Like in vitro, Hiwi upregulation induced cell apoptosis in the tumor tissues in vivo. Additionally, Hiwi elevation suppressed K562 cell migration and inhibited the activity and expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9. In summary, our study demonstrates that Hiwi overexpression inhibits CML cell growth and migration, providing insights into its role in CML pathogenesis.

  17. Cancer Stem Cell Plasticity as Tumor Growth Promoter and Catalyst of Population Collapse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan Poleszczuk

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available It is increasingly argued that cancer stem cells are not a cellular phenotype but rather a transient state that cells can acquire, either through intrinsic signaling cascades or in response to environmental cues. While cancer stem cell plasticity is generally associated with increased aggressiveness and treatment resistance, we set out to thoroughly investigate the impact of different rates of plasticity on early and late tumor growth dynamics and the response to therapy. We develop an agent-based model of cancer stem cell driven tumor growth, in which plasticity is defined as a spontaneous transition between stem and nonstem cancer cell states. Simulations of the model show that plasticity can substantially increase tumor growth rate and invasion. At high rates of plasticity, however, the cells get exhausted and the tumor will undergo spontaneous remission in the long term. In a series of in silico trials, we show that such remission can be facilitated through radiotherapy. The presented study suggests that stem cell plasticity has rather complex, nonintuitive implications on tumor growth and treatment response. Further theoretical, experimental, and integrated studies are needed to fully decipher cancer stem cell plasticity and how it can be harnessed for novel therapeutic approaches.

  18. Lycopene inhibits IGF-I signal transduction and growth in normal prostate epithelial cells by decreasing DHT-modulated IGF-I production in co-cultured reactive stromal cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xunxian; Allen, Jeffrey D; Arnold, Julia T; Blackman, Marc R

    2008-04-01

    Prostate stromal and epithelial cell communication is important in prostate functioning and cancer development. Primary human stromal cells from normal prostate stromal cells (PRSC) maintain a smooth muscle phenotype, whereas those from prostate cancer (6S) display reactive and fibroblastic characteristics. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) stimulates insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) production by 6S but not PSRC cells. Effects of reactive versus normal stroma on normal human prostate epithelial (NPE or PREC) cells are poorly understood. We co-cultured NPE plus 6S or PRSC cells to compare influences of different stromal cells on normal epithelium. Because NPE and PREC cells lose androgen receptor (AR) expression in culture, DHT effects must be modulated by associated stromal cells. When treated with camptothecin (CM), NPE cells, alone and in stromal co-cultures, displayed a dose-dependent increase in DNA fragmentation. NPE/6S co-cultures exhibited reduced CM-induced cell death with exposure to DHT, whereas NPE/PRSC co-cultures exhibited CM-induced cell death regardless of DHT treatment. DHT blocked CM-induced, IGF-I-mediated, NPE death in co-cultured NPE/6S cells without, but not with, added anti-IGF-I and anti-IGF-R antibodies. Lycopene consumption is inversely related to human prostate cancer risk and inhibits IGF-I and androgen signaling in rat prostate cancer. In this study, lycopene, in dietary concentrations, reversed DHT effects of 6S cells on NPE cell death, decreased 6S cell IGF-I production by reducing AR and beta-catenin nuclear localization and inhibited IGF-I-stimulated NPE and PREC growth, perhaps by attenuating IGF-I's effects on serine phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3beta and tyrosine phosphorylation of GSK3. This study expands the understanding of the preventive mechanisms of lycopene in prostate cancer.

  19. NTD Silicon; Product Characteristics, Main Uses and Growth Potential

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hansen, M. G.; Bjorling, C. F.

    2013-01-01

    Topsil is a specialised manufacturer of ultrapure float zone silicon since 1959, headquartered in Denmark. Topsil co-pioneered the invention of Neutron Transmutation Doped (NTD) monocrystalline silicon with research institute Risoe in the 1970s and has since then been world leading manufacturer of NTD silicon for the power market. This presentation will focus on NTD silicon; its characteristics, invention and main uses. It will address the trends of the power market and market projections for NTD, and discuss the growth potential in the years ahead, including larger silicon wafers and management of the NTD supply chain

  20. NTD Silicon; Product Characteristics, Main Uses and Growth Potential

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hansen, M. G.; Bjorling, C. F. [Topsil Semiconductor Materials A/S, Odense (Denmark)

    2013-07-01

    Topsil is a specialised manufacturer of ultrapure float zone silicon since 1959, headquartered in Denmark. Topsil co-pioneered the invention of Neutron Transmutation Doped (NTD) monocrystalline silicon with research institute Risoe in the 1970s and has since then been world leading manufacturer of NTD silicon for the power market. This presentation will focus on NTD silicon; its characteristics, invention and main uses. It will address the trends of the power market and market projections for NTD, and discuss the growth potential in the years ahead, including larger silicon wafers and management of the NTD supply chain.

  1. Changes in pyridine metabolism profile during growth of trigonelline-forming Lotus japonicus cell cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, Yuling; Matsui, Ayu; Sakuta, Masaaki; Ashihara, Hiroshi

    2008-12-01

    Changes in the profile of pyridine metabolism during growth of cells were investigated using trigonelline-forming suspension-cultured cells of Lotus japonicus. Activity of the de novo and salvage pathways of NAD biosynthesis was estimated from the in situ metabolism of [(3)H] quinolinic acid and [(14)C] nicotinamide. Maximum activity of the de novo pathway for NAD synthesis was found in the exponential growth phase, whereas activity of the salvage pathway was increased in the lag phase of cell growth. Expression profiles of some genes related to pyridine metabolism were examined using the expression sequence tags obtained from the L. japonicus database. Transcript levels of NaPRT and NIC, encoding salvage enzymes, were enhanced in the lag phase of cell growth, whereas the maximum expression of NADS was found in the exponential growth phase. Correspondingly, the activities of the salvage enzymes, nicotinate phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.11) and nicotinamidase (EC 3.5.1.19), increased one day after transfer of the stationary phase cells to the fresh medium. The greatest in situ trigonelline synthesis, both from [(3)H] quinolinic acid and [(14)C] nicotinamide, was found in the stationary phase of cell growth. The role of trigonelline in leguminous plants is discussed.

  2. Degradation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mediates Dasatinib-Induced Apoptosis in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu-Chin Lin

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR is an important oncoprotein that promotes cell growth and proliferation. Dasatinib, a bcr-abl inhibitor, has been approved clinically for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia and demonstrated to be effective against solid tumors in vitro through Src inhibition. Here, we disclose that EGFR degradation mediated dasatinib-induced apoptosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC cells. HNSCC cells, including Ca9-22, FaDu, HSC3, SAS, SCC-25, and UMSCC1, were treated with dasatinib, and cell viability, apoptosis, and underlying signal transduction were evaluated. Dasatinib exhibited differential sensitivities against HNSCC cells. Growth inhibition and apoptosis were correlated with its inhibition on Akt, Erk, and Bcl-2, irrespective of Src inhibition. Accordingly, we found that down-regulation of EGFR was a determinant of dasatinib sensitivity. Lysosome inhibitor reversed dasatinib-induced EGFR down-regulation, and c-cbl activity was increased by dasatinib, indicating that dasatinib-induced EGFR down-regulation might be through c-cbl-mediated lysosome degradation. Increased EGFR activation by ligand administration rescued cells from dasatinib-induced apoptosis, whereas inhibition of EGFR enhanced its apoptotic effect. Estrogen receptor α (ERα was demonstrated to play a role in Bcl-2 expression, and dasatinib inhibited ERα at the pretranslational level. ERα was associated with EGFR in dasatinib-treated HNSCC cells. Furthermore, the xenograft model showed that dasatinib inhibited HSC3 tumor growth through in vivo down-regulation of EGFR and ERα. In conclusion, degradation of EGFR is a novel mechanism responsible for dasatinib-induced apoptosis in HNSCC cells.

  3. Effect of NCAM-transfection on growth and invasion of a human cancer cell line

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Edvardsen, K; Bock, E; Jirus, S

    1997-01-01

    of modulating NCAM expression in vivo. In nude mice, NCAM-transfected cells developed tumors with longer latency periods and slower growth rates than tumors induced by NCAM-negative control cells, implying that NCAM may be involved not only in adhesive and motile behavior of tumor cells but also in their growth......-transfected cells. The fact that NCAM expression influences growth regulation attributes a pivotal role to this cell adhesion molecule during ontogenesis and tumor development.......A cDNA encoding the human transmembrane 140 kDa isoform of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) was transfected into the highly invasive MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line. Transfectants with a homogeneous expression of NCAM showed a restricted capacity for penetration of an artificial...

  4. [The Influence of New Medium with RGD on Cell Growth,Cell Fusion and Expression of Exogenous Gene].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Pei-Pei; Wei, Da-Peng; Zhu, Tong-Bo

    2018-03-01

    To investigate the influence of a new culture medium added with RGD on cell growth,cell fusion and expression of exogenous gene. A new medium was prepared by adding different concentrations of RGD to ordinary culture medium. The optimum concentration of RGD was determined by observation of the growth of human pancreatic epithelial cell line HPDE6-C7. After determining the optimum concentration of RGD,different concentrations of cells HPDE6-C7 (5×10 4 ,10 5 ,5×10 5 mL -1 ) were inoculated in the two mediums. The morphology,adherence,growth and density of the cells were observed by inverted microscope; The ratio of clone formation and the positive rate of cloning were compared between the two cultures after fusion; The fluorescence intensity after the transfection of plasmid with green fluorescent protein ( GFP ) and the protein expression after transfection of plasmid with KRAS were observed to campare the expression of exogenous genes between the new medium with ordinary medium. Firstly,the optimal concentration of RGD was 10 ng/mL. Compared with the normal medium,the cultured cells with RGD had better morphology,adhesion and faster proliferation. In addition,both of the number and positive rate of clones formed in the new medium were significantly higher than that in the ordinary medium ( P exogenous gene GFP in the new medium was significantly higher than that in normal medium ( P exogenous gene KRAS of the new medium was also significantly higher than that in normal medium. The new culture medium has highlighted advantages in cell growth,cell fusion and expression of exogenous genes. RGD peptide has widely prospect and potential value in the cell culture. Copyright© by Editorial Board of Journal of Sichuan University (Medical Science Edition).

  5. Growth characteristics of Dayak Borneo yam (Dioscorea hispida and detoxification techniques as alternative food

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    RUDITO

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract. Rudito, Suwarto, Azkiyah L, Witono Y, Saragih B, Arung ET. 2017. Growth characteristics of Dayak Borneo yam (Dioscorea hispida and detoxification techniques as alternative food. Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 3: 99-103. Finding of local food sources to enhance food security areas. This study focuses on the characteristics of growth Dayak Borneo yam observation, toxic substances and detoxification techniques development of non nutritional. The objective of the research was to find out a more concrete picture, as well as comparing it with Java yam non nutritional components as a basis for further exploration of alternative food. Observations indicate that the plant growth of Dayak Borneo yam had specific characteristics, and can be grown in intercropping with other crops. Yam tubers have negative image due to the toxins contained by this commodity, as well as technology management (detoxification and processing of yam products that have not been controlled by the community. But based on the results of physical and chemical detoxification, indicates that the Dayak Borneo yam can be exploited further as food. Dayak Borneo yam need to be developed modification process in raw materials of Dayak Borneo yam as modified starch through fermentation techniques which also intended to obtain intermediate product from which Dayak Borneo yam has a larger functionality as a food ingredient.

  6. Autophagy contributes to gefitinib-induced glioma cell growth inhibition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, Cheng-Yi [Department of Surgery, Fong-Yuan Hospital, Taichung 420, Taiwan (China); Graduate Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung 406, Taiwan (China); Kuan, Yu-Hsiang [Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Department of Pharmacy, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Ou, Yen-Chuan; Li, Jian-Ri [Division of Urology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 407, Taiwan (China); Wu, Chih-Cheng [Department of Anesthesiology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 407, Taiwan (China); Department of Financial and Computational Mathematics, Providence University, Taichung 433, Taiwan (China); Pan, Pin-Ho [Department of Pediatrics, Tungs’ Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital, Taichung 435, Taiwan (China); Chen, Wen-Ying [Department of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Huang, Hsuan-Yi [Department of Surgery, Fong-Yuan Hospital, Taichung 420, Taiwan (China); Chen, Chun-Jung, E-mail: cjchen@vghtc.gov.tw [Department of Medical Research, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung 407, Taiwan (China); Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Rong Hsing Research Center for Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan (China); Center for General Education, Tunghai University, Taichung 407, Taiwan (China); Department of Nursing, HungKuang University, Taichung 433, Taiwan (China)

    2014-09-10

    Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including gefitinib, have been evaluated in patients with malignant gliomas. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in gefitinib-mediated anticancer effects against glioma are incompletely understood. In the present study, the cytostatic potential of gefitinib was demonstrated by the inhibition of glioma cell growth, long-term clonogenic survival, and xenograft tumor growth. The cytostatic consequences were accompanied by autophagy, as evidenced by monodansylcadaverine staining of acidic vesicle formation, conversion of microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain 3-II (LC3-II), degradation of p62, punctate pattern of GFP-LC3, and conversion of GFP-LC3 to cleaved-GFP. Autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenosine and chloroquine and genetic silencing of LC3 or Beclin 1 attenuated gefitinib-induced growth inhibition. Gefitinib-induced autophagy was not accompanied by the disruption of the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling. Instead, the activation of liver kinase-B1/AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling correlated well with the induction of autophagy and growth inhibition caused by gefitinib. Silencing of AMPK suppressed gefitinib-induced autophagy and growth inhibition. The crucial role of AMPK activation in inducing glioma autophagy and growth inhibition was further supported by the actions of AMP mimetic AICAR. Gefitinib was shown to be capable of reducing the proliferation of glioma cells, presumably by autophagic mechanisms involving AMPK activation. - Highlights: • Gefitinib causes cytotoxic and cytostatic effect on glioma. • Gefitinib induces autophagy. • Gefitinib causes cytostatic effect through autophagy. • Gefitinib induces autophagy involving AMPK.

  7. Autophagy contributes to gefitinib-induced glioma cell growth inhibition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Cheng-Yi; Kuan, Yu-Hsiang; Ou, Yen-Chuan; Li, Jian-Ri; Wu, Chih-Cheng; Pan, Pin-Ho; Chen, Wen-Ying; Huang, Hsuan-Yi; Chen, Chun-Jung

    2014-01-01

    Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including gefitinib, have been evaluated in patients with malignant gliomas. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in gefitinib-mediated anticancer effects against glioma are incompletely understood. In the present study, the cytostatic potential of gefitinib was demonstrated by the inhibition of glioma cell growth, long-term clonogenic survival, and xenograft tumor growth. The cytostatic consequences were accompanied by autophagy, as evidenced by monodansylcadaverine staining of acidic vesicle formation, conversion of microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain 3-II (LC3-II), degradation of p62, punctate pattern of GFP-LC3, and conversion of GFP-LC3 to cleaved-GFP. Autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenosine and chloroquine and genetic silencing of LC3 or Beclin 1 attenuated gefitinib-induced growth inhibition. Gefitinib-induced autophagy was not accompanied by the disruption of the Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin signaling. Instead, the activation of liver kinase-B1/AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling correlated well with the induction of autophagy and growth inhibition caused by gefitinib. Silencing of AMPK suppressed gefitinib-induced autophagy and growth inhibition. The crucial role of AMPK activation in inducing glioma autophagy and growth inhibition was further supported by the actions of AMP mimetic AICAR. Gefitinib was shown to be capable of reducing the proliferation of glioma cells, presumably by autophagic mechanisms involving AMPK activation. - Highlights: • Gefitinib causes cytotoxic and cytostatic effect on glioma. • Gefitinib induces autophagy. • Gefitinib causes cytostatic effect through autophagy. • Gefitinib induces autophagy involving AMPK

  8. The effect of radiation intensity on diode characteristics of silicon solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Asgerov, Sh.Q; Agayev, M.N; Hasanov, M.H; Pashayev, I.G

    2008-01-01

    In order to explore electro-physical properties of silicon solar cells, diode characteristics and ohmic properties of Al - Ni / (n+) - Si contact has been studied. Diode characteristics have been studied on a wide temperature range and on various radiation intensity, so this gives us the ability to observe the effect of the radiation and the temperature on electro-physical properties of under study solar cells. Volt-Ampere characteristics of the ohmic contacts of the silicon solar cells have been presented. As well as contact resistance and mechanism of current transmission has been identified.

  9. Characterization of growth and Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus production in attached cultures of the DSIR-HA-1179 coleopteran insect cell line.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pushparajan, Charlotte; Claus, Juan Daniel; Marshall, Sean David Goldie; Visnovsky, Gabriel

    2013-12-01

    The DSIR-HA-1179 coleopteran cell line is a susceptible and permissive host to the Oryctes rhinoceros nudivirus (OrNV), which has been used as a biocontrol agent against the coconut rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros); a pest of palms in the Asia-Pacific region. However, little is known about growth and metabolism of this cell line, knowledge of which is necessary to develop an in vitro large-scale OrNV production process. The strong anchorage-dependent characteristics of the cell line, its particular fragility and its tendency to form dense clumps when manipulated, are the most likely reasons that have precluded further development of the cell line. In order to characterize DSIR-HA-1179 cells, there was first a need for a reliable technique to count the cells. A homogenous cell suspension suitable for enumeration could be produced by treatment with TrypLE Express™ with optimum mean time for cell release calculated as 30 min. The cell line was adapted to grow in four serum-supplemented culture media namely TC-100, IPL-41, Sf-900 II and Sf-900 III and cell growth, glucose consumption, lactate and ammonia production were assessed from static-batch cultures. The maximum viable cell density was reached in Sf-900 II (17.9 × 10(5) cells/ml), with the maximum specific growth rate observed in this culture medium as well (0.0074 h(-1)). Higher production of OrNV was observed in IPL-41 and TC-100 (4.1 × 10(7) TCID50/ml) than in cultures infected in Sf-900 III (2.0 × 10(7) TCID50/ml) and Sf-900 II (1.4 × 10(7) TCID50/ml). At the end of the growth period, glucose was completely consumed in cultures grown in TC-100, while remained in excess in the other three culture media. The cell line produced lactate and ammonia to very low levels in the TC-100 culture medium which is a promising aspect for its cultivation at large-scale.

  10. Growth versus immunity--a redirection of the cell cycle?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eichmann, Ruth; Schäfer, Patrick

    2015-08-01

    Diseases caused by plant pathogens significantly reduce growth and yield in agricultural crop production. Raising immunity in crops is therefore a major aim in breeding programs. However, efforts to enhance immunity are challenged by the occurrence of growth inhibition triggered by immunity that can be as detrimental as diseases. In this review, we will propose molecular models to explain the inhibitory growth-immunity crosstalk. We will briefly discuss why the resource reallocation model might not represent the driving force for the observed growth-immunity trade-offs. We suggest a model in which immunity redirects and initiates hormone signalling activities that can impair plant growth by antagonising cell cycle regulation and meristem activities. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  11. Drought effects on reproductive and growth characteristics in seed orchards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varol, T.; Ozel, H. B.; Bilir, N.

    2017-01-01

    Global climate change is one of the most important environmental problems, and it is also known that this change will lead to negative effects such as drought and increase in global temperature. This change is also estimated to increase its episodic effects negatively on growth and reproduction of the forest trees. In order to estimate the episodic or continuous effects of the drought, it is necessary to carry out studies based on long-term data. One of these studies are the investigation to be carried out on seed orchards that are one of the most important seed resources in forestry. Within this context, in this study, we determined to the reproductive and growth responses of the clones to the drought that continued in the most drought season (2012) for 2 subsequent years along with 65-year climate data for Red Pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) and Taurus Cedar (Cedrus libani Rich.). The relationships of SPEI values with seed characteristics and cone production were examined by using Spearman Correlation Analysis. According to the results obtained from this study, it was found that the severe drought was effected the reproductive characteristics of both of red pine and cedar. The effect of drought on the number of cone (r=-0.810, P=0.022) in red pine and on the number of 1-year-old cones (r=-0.40, P=0.027) and on cone moisture (r=-0.715, P=0.022) in cedar was quite evident. These results indicate that approximately 65% of the change in number of cone in Red Pine and approximately 51% of the change in moisture content of the cones in cedar can be explained with the drought. From the data, it is clear that the drought is effective on the cone yield and seed characteristics in seed orchards of both of Red Pine and Taurus Cedar species. (author)

  12. TGF-beta1 expression in EL4 lymphoma cells overexpressing growth hormone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farmer, John T; Weigent, Douglas A

    2006-03-01

    Our previous studies show that growth hormone overexpression (GHo) upregulates the expression of the IGF-1R and IGF-2R resulting in the protection of the EL4 lymphoma cell line from apoptosis. In this study, we report that GHo also increases TGF-beta1 protein expression measured by luciferase promoter assay, Western analysis, and ELISA. Further, the data show that antibody to TGF-betaR2 decreases TGF-beta1 promoter activity to the level of vector alone control cells. GHo cells treated with (125)I-rh-latent TGF-beta1 showed increased activation of latent TGF-beta1 as measured by an increase in the active 24kDa, TGF-beta1 compared to vector alone control cells. The ability of endogenous GH to increase TGF-beta1 expression is blocked in EL4 cells by antisense but not sense oligodeoxynucleotides or in cells cultured with antibody to growth hormone (GH). The data suggest that endogenous GH may protect from apoptosis through the IGF-1R receptor while limiting cellular growth through increased expression and activation of TGF-beta1.

  13. Effect of COOH-functionalized SWCNT addition on the electrical and photovoltaic characteristics of Malachite Green dye based photovoltaic cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chakraborty, S.; Manik, N. B.

    2014-01-01

    We report the effect of COOH-functionalized single walled carbon nanotubes (COOH-SWCNT) on the electrical and photovoltaic characteristics of Malachite Green (MG) dye based photovoltaic cells. Two different types of photovoltaic cells were prepared, one with MG dye and another by incorporating COOH-SWCNT with this dye. Cells were characterized through different electrical and photovoltaic measurements including photocurrent measurements with pulsed radiation. From the dark current—voltage (I–V) characteristic results, we observed a certain transition voltage (V th ) for both the cells beyond which the conduction mechanism of the cells change sharply. For the MG dye, V th is 3.9 V whereas for COOH-SWCNT mixed with this dye, V th drops to 2.7 V. The device performance improves due to the incorporation of COOH-SWCNT. The open circuit voltage and short circuit current density change from 4.2 to 97 mV and from 108 to 965 μA/cm 2 respectively. Observations from photocurrent measurements show that the rate of growth and decay of the photocurrent are quite faster in the presence of COOH-SWCNT. This observation indicates a faster charge separation processes due to the incorporation of COOH-SWCNT in the MG dye cells. The high aspect ratio of COOH-SWCNT allows efficient conduction pathways for the generated charge carriers. (semiconductor devices)

  14. Cellular radiosensitivity of small-cell lung cancer cell lines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krarup, M; Poulsen, H S; Spang-Thomsen, M

    1997-01-01

    PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to determine the radiobiological characteristics of a panel of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines by use of a clonogenic assay. In addition, we tested whether comparable results could be obtained by employing a growth extrapolation method based...

  15. Hepatoma SK Hep-1 cells exhibit characteristics of oncogenic mesenchymal stem cells with highly metastatic capacity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jong Ryeol Eun

    Full Text Available SK Hep-1 cells (SK cells derived from a patient with liver adenocarcinoma have been considered a human hepatoma cell line with mesenchymal origin characteristics, however, SK cells do not express liver genes and exhibit liver function, thus, we hypothesized whether mesenchymal cells might contribute to human liver primary cancers. Here, we characterized SK cells and its tumourigenicity.We found that classical mesenchymal stem cell (MSC markers were presented on SK cells, but endothelial marker CD31, hematopoietic markers CD34 and CD45 were negative. SK cells are capable of differentiate into adipocytes and osteoblasts as adipose-derived MSC (Ad-MSC and bone marrow-derived MSC (BM-MSC do. Importantly, a single SK cell exhibited a substantial tumourigenicity and metastatic capacity in immunodefficient mice. Metastasis not only occurred in circulating organs such as lung, liver, and kidneys, but also in muscle, outer abdomen, and skin. SK cells presented greater in vitro invasive capacity than those of Ad-MSC and BM-MSC. The xenograft cells from subcutaneous and metastatic tumors exhibited a similar tumourigenicity and metastatic capacity, and showed the same relatively homogenous population with MSC characteristics when compared to parental SK cells. SK cells could unlimitedly expand in vitro without losing MSC characteristics, its tumuorigenicity and metastatic capacity, indicating that SK cells are oncogenic MSC with enhanced self-renewal capacity. We believe that this is the first report that human MSC appear to be transformed into cancer stem cells (CSC, and that their derivatives also function as CSCs.Our findings demonstrate that SK cells represent a transformation mechanism of normal MSC into an enhanced self-renewal CSC with metastasis capacity, SK cells and their xenografts represent a same relative homogeneity of CSC with substantial metastatic capacity. Thus, it represents a novel mechanism of tumor initiation, development and

  16. Changes in Cell Wall Polysaccharides Associated With Growth 1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nevins, Donald J.; English, Patricia D.; Albersheim, Peter

    1968-01-01

    Changes in the polysaccharide composition of Phaseolus vulgaris, P. aureus, and Zea mays cell walls were studied during the first 28 days of seedling development using a gas chromatographic method for the analysis of neutral sugars. Acid hydrolysis of cell wall material from young tissues liberates rhamnose, fucose, arabinose, xylose, mannose, galactose, and glucose which collectively can account for as much as 70% of the dry weight of the wall. Mature walls in fully expanded tissues of these same plants contain less of these constituents (10%-20% of dry wt). Gross differences are observed between developmental patterns of the cell wall in the various parts of a seedling, such as root, stem, and leaf. The general patterns of wall polysaccharide composition change, however, are similar for analogous organs among the varieties of a species. Small but significant differences in the rates of change in sugar composition were detected between varieties of the same species which exhibited different growth patterns. The cell walls of species which are further removed phylogenetically exhibit even more dissimilar developmental patterns. The results demonstrate the dynamic nature of the cell wall during growth as well as the quantitative and qualitative exactness with which the biosynthesis of plant cell walls is regulated. PMID:16656862

  17. Cell proliferation along vascular islands during microvascular network growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelly-Goss Molly R

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Observations in our laboratory provide evidence of vascular islands, defined as disconnected endothelial cell segments, in the adult microcirculation. The objective of this study was to determine if vascular islands are involved in angiogenesis during microvascular network growth. Results Mesenteric tissues, which allow visualization of entire microvascular networks at a single cell level, were harvested from unstimulated adult male Wistar rats and Wistar rats 3 and 10 days post angiogenesis stimulation by mast cell degranulation with compound 48/80. Tissues were immunolabeled for PECAM and BRDU. Identification of vessel lumens via injection of FITC-dextran confirmed that endothelial cell segments were disconnected from nearby patent networks. Stimulated networks displayed increases in vascular area, length density, and capillary sprouting. On day 3, the percentage of islands with at least one BRDU-positive cell increased compared to the unstimulated level and was equal to the percentage of capillary sprouts with at least one BRDU-positive cell. At day 10, the number of vascular islands per vascular area dramatically decreased compared to unstimulated and day 3 levels. Conclusions These results show that vascular islands have the ability to proliferate and suggest that they are able to incorporate into the microcirculation during the initial stages of microvascular network growth.

  18. Impacts of berberine on the growth, migration and radiosensitivity of breast cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Chaoqian; Xu Jiaying; Jiao Yang; Hu Xudong; Che Jun; Fan Saijun

    2012-01-01

    Objective: To study the impacts of berberine on the growth, migration and radiosensitivity in human breast cancer cells. Methods: MTT assay was used to evaluate cell growth.In vitro scratch migration assay was used to determine cell migration. Annexin V assay was used to detect cell apoptosis. The distribution of cell cycle was evaluated by flow cytometry assay. Colony formation assay was used to detect the influence of berberine on cell radiosensitivity. Western blot assay was employed to measure protein expression. Results: Berberine inhibited cell growth and migration in two human breast cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, in a dose-and time-dependent manner. Furthermore, berberine resulted in a cell cycle G 0 /G 1 arrest. Compared with control, the early apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells treated with 40 pμmol/L of berberine was as high as 86.6% and 66.6% (t=8.79, 10.32, P<0.01), respectively. Berberine caused a dose-dependent increase in Bax and Caspase-3 protein expressions, but did not change Cyclin D1 protein expression, while suppressed the expressions of Cyclin B1 and Bcl-2 protein. As analyzed with multi-target click model fitting curves, the SER D0 of berberine-treated cells were 1.12 and 1.22 for MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells respectively at the dose D 0 of X-rays. Conclusions: The berberine inhibited the growth and migration of breast cancer cells via apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest. Moreover, berberine increases cell sensitivity to X-ray irradiation. (authors)

  19. Hamster thecal cells express muscle characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Self, D.A.; Schroeder, P.C.; Gown, A.M.

    1988-01-01

    Contraction of the follicular wall about the time of ovulation appears to be a coordinated event; however, the cells that mediate it remain poorly studied. We examined the theca externa cells in the wall of hamster follicles for the presence of a functional actomyosin system, both in developing follicles and in culture. We used a monoclonal antibody (HHF35) that recognizes the alpha and gamma isoelectric variants of actin normally found in muscle, but not the beta variant associated with non-muscle sources, to evaluate large preovulatory follicles for actin content and composition. Antibody staining of sectioned ovaries showed intense circumferential reactivity in the outermost wall of developing follicles. Immunoblots from two-dimensional gels of theca externa lysates demonstrated the presence of the two muscle-specific isozymes of actin. Immunofluorescence of cultured follicular cells pulse-labeled with [3H] thymidine (for autoradiographic detection of DNA replication) revealed the presence, in many dividing cells, of actin filaments aligned primarily along the longitudinal axis of the cells. In cultures exposed to the calcium ionophore A23187 (10(-4) M) for varying periods (5 min to 1 h), contraction of many individual muscle-actin-positive cells was observed. Immunofluorescence of these cells, fixed immediately after ionophore-induced contraction, revealed compaction of the actin filaments. Our findings demonstrate that the cells of the theca externa contain muscle actins from an early stage and that these cells are capable of contraction even while proliferating in subconfluent cultures. They suggest that follicular growth may include a naturally occurring developmental sequence in which a contractile cell type proliferates in the differentiated state

  20. [Relationship among the Oxygen Concentration, Reactive Oxygen Species and the Biological Characteristics of Mouse Bone Marrow Hematopoietic Stem Cells].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Si-Hua; He, Yu-Xin; Ma, Yi-Ran; Jin, Jing-Chun; Kang, Dan

    2016-02-01

    To investigate the effects of oxygen concentration and reactive oxygen species (ROS) on the biological characteristics of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and to analyzed the relationship among the oxygen concentration, ROS and the biological characteristics of mouse HSC through simulation of oxygen environment experienced by PB HSC during transplantation. The detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS), in vitro amplification, directional differentiation (BFU-E, CFU-GM, CFU-Mix), homing of adhesion molecules (CXCR4, CD44, VLA4, VLA5, P-selectin), migration rate, CFU-S of NOD/SCID mice irradiated with sublethal dose were performed to study the effect of oxgen concentration and reactive oxygen species on the biological characteristics of mouse BM-HSC and the relationship among them. The oxygen concentrations lower than normal oxygen concentration (especially hypoxic oxygen environment) could reduce ROS level and amplify more Lin(-) c-kit(+) Sca-1(+) BM HSC, which was more helpful to the growth of various colonies (BFU-E, CFU-GM, CFU-Mix) and to maintain the migratory ability of HSC, thus promoting CFU-S growth significantly after the transplantation of HSC in NOD/SCID mice irradiated by a sublethal dose. BM HSC exposed to oxygen environments of normal, inconstant oxygen level and strenuously thanging of oxygen concentration could result in higher level of ROS, at the same time, the above-mentioned features and functional indicators were relatively lower. The ROS levels of BM HSC in PB HSCT are closely related to the concentrations and stability of oxygen surrounding the cells. High oxygen concentration results in an high level of ROS, which is not helpful to maintain the biological characteristics of BM HSC. Before transplantation and in vitro amplification, the application of antioxidancs and constant oxygen level environments may be beneficial for transplantation of BMMSC.

  1. Deoxyinosine triphosphate induces MLH1/PMS2- and p53-dependent cell growth arrest and DNA instability in mammalian cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoneshima, Yasuto; Abolhassani, Nona; Iyama, Teruaki; Sakumi, Kunihiko; Shiomi, Naoko; Mori, Masahiko; Shiomi, Tadahiro; Noda, Tetsuo; Tsuchimoto, Daisuke; Nakabeppu, Yusaku

    2016-01-01

    Deoxyinosine (dI) occurs in DNA either by oxidative deamination of a previously incorporated deoxyadenosine residue or by misincorporation of deoxyinosine triphosphate (dITP) from the nucleotide pool during replication. To exclude dITP from the pool, mammals possess specific hydrolysing enzymes, such as inosine triphosphatase (ITPA). Previous studies have shown that deficiency in ITPA results in cell growth suppression and DNA instability. To explore the mechanisms of these phenotypes, we analysed ITPA-deficient human and mouse cells. We found that both growth suppression and accumulation of single-strand breaks in nuclear DNA of ITPA-deficient cells depended on MLH1/PMS2. The cell growth suppression of ITPA-deficient cells also depended on p53, but not on MPG, ENDOV or MSH2. ITPA deficiency significantly increased the levels of p53 protein and p21 mRNA/protein, a well-known target of p53, in an MLH1-dependent manner. Furthermore, MLH1 may also contribute to cell growth arrest by increasing the basal level of p53 activity. PMID:27618981

  2. Tumor associated osteoclast-like giant cells promote tumor growth and lymphangiogenesis by secreting vascular endothelial growth factor-C

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hatano, Yu; Nakahama, Ken-ichi; Isobe, Mitsuaki; Morita, Ikuo

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • M-CSF and RANKL expressing HeLa cells induced osteoclastogenesis in vitro. • We established OGC-containing tumor model in vivo. • OGC-containing tumor became larger independent of M-CSF or RANKL effect. • VEGF-C secreted from OGCs was a one of candidates for OGC-containing tumor growth. - Abstract: Tumors with osteoclast-like giant cells (OGCs) have been reported in a variety of organs and exert an invasive and prometastatic phenotype, but the functional role of OGCs in the tumor environment has not been fully clarified. We established tumors containing OGCs to clarify the role of OGCs in tumor phenotype. A mixture of HeLa cells expressing macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF, HeLa-M) and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL, HeLa-R) effectively supported the differentiation of osteoclast-like cells from bone marrow macrophages in vitro. Moreover, a xenograft study showed OGC formation in a tumor composed of HeLa-M and HeLa-R. Surprisingly, the tumors containing OGCs were significantly larger than the tumors without OGCs, although the growth rates were not different in vitro. Histological analysis showed that lymphangiogenesis and macrophage infiltration in the tumor containing OGCs, but not in other tumors were accelerated. According to quantitative PCR analysis, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C mRNA expression increased with differentiation of osteoclast-like cells. To investigate whether VEGF-C expression is responsible for tumor growth and macrophage infiltration, HeLa cells overexpressing VEGF-C (HeLa-VC) were established and transplanted into mice. Tumors composed of HeLa-VC mimicked the phenotype of the tumors containing OGCs. Furthermore, the vascular permeability of tumor microvessels also increased in tumors containing OGCs and to some extent in VEGF-C-expressing tumors. These results suggest that macrophage infiltration and vascular permeability are possible mediators in these tumors. These

  3. Characteristics, applications and prospects of mesenchymal stem cells in cell therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guadix, Juan A; Zugaza, José L; Gálvez-Martín, Patricia

    2017-05-10

    Recent advances in the field of cell therapy and regenerative medicine describe mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as potential biological products due to their ability to self-renew and differentiate. MSCs are multipotent adult cells with immunomodulatory and regenerative properties, and, given their therapeutic potential, they are being widely studied in order to evaluate their viability, safety and efficacy. In this review, we describe the main characteristics and cellular sources of MSCs, in addition to providing an overview of their properties and current clinical applications, as well offering updated information on the regulatory aspects that define them as somatic cell therapy products. Cell therapy based on MSCs is offered nowadays as a pharmacological alternative, although there are still challenges to be addressed in this regard. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  4. Human Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells plasticity augments scar-free skin wound healing with hair growth.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vikram Sabapathy

    Full Text Available Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs are a promising candidate for cell-based transplantation and regenerative medicine therapies. Thus in the present study Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells (WJ-MSCs have been derived from extra embryonic umbilical cord matrix following removal of both arteries and vein. Also, to overcome the clinical limitations posed by fetal bovine serum (FBS supplementation because of xenogeneic origin of FBS, usual FBS cell culture supplement has been replaced with human platelet lysate (HPL. Apart from general characteristic features of bone marrow-derived MSCs, wharton jelly-derived MSCs have the ability to maintain phenotypic attributes, cell growth kinetics, cell cycle pattern, in vitro multilineage differentiation plasticity, apoptotic pattern, normal karyotype-like intrinsic mesenchymal stem cell properties in long-term in vitro cultures. Moreover, the WJ-MSCs exhibited the in vitro multilineage differentiation capacity by giving rise to differentiated cells of not only mesodermal lineage but also to the cells of ectodermal and endodermal lineage. Also, WJ-MSC did not present any aberrant cell state upon in vivo transplantation in SCID mice and in vitro soft agar assays. The immunomodulatory potential assessed by gene expression levels of immunomodulatory factors upon exposure to inflammatory cytokines in the fetal WJ-MSCs was relatively higher compared to adult bone marrow-derived MSCs. WJ-MSCs seeded on decellularized amniotic membrane scaffold transplantation on the skin injury of SCID mice model demonstrates that combination of WJ-MSCs and decellularized amniotic membrane scaffold exhibited significantly better wound-healing capabilities, having reduced scar formation with hair growth and improved biomechanical properties of regenerated skin compared to WJ-MSCs alone. Further, our experimental data indicate that indocyanin green (ICG at optimal concentration can be resourcefully used for labeling of stem cells

  5. Increasing cell culture population doublings for long-term growth of finite life span human cell cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stampfer, Martha R; Garbe, James C

    2015-02-24

    Cell culture media formulations for culturing human epithelial cells are herein described. Also described are methods of increasing population doublings in a cell culture of finite life span human epithelial cells and prolonging the life span of human cell cultures. Using the cell culture media disclosed alone and in combination with addition to the cell culture of a compound associated with anti-stress activity achieves extended growth of pre-stasis cells and increased population doublings and life span in human epithelial cell cultures.

  6. Plant cell wall extensibility: connecting plant cell growth with cell wall structure, mechanics, and the action of wall-modifying enzymes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cosgrove, Daniel J.

    2015-11-25

    The advent of user-friendly instruments for measuring force/deflection curves of plant surfaces at high spatial resolution has resulted in a recent outpouring of reports of the ‘Young's modulus’ of plant cell walls. The stimulus for these mechanical measurements comes from biomechanical models of morphogenesis of meristems and other tissues, as well as single cells, in which cell wall stress feeds back to regulate microtubule organization, auxin transport, cellulose deposition, and future growth directionality. In this article I review the differences between elastic modulus and wall extensibility in the context of cell growth. Some of the inherent complexities, assumptions, and potential pitfalls in the interpretation of indentation force/deflection curves are discussed. Reported values of elastic moduli from surface indentation measurements appear to be 10- to >1000-fold smaller than realistic tensile elastic moduli in the plane of plant cell walls. Potential reasons for this disparity are discussed, but further work is needed to make sense of the huge range in reported values. The significance of wall stress relaxation for growth is reviewed and connected to recent advances and remaining enigmas in our concepts of how cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectins are assembled to make an extensible cell wall. A comparison of the loosening action of α-expansin and Cel12A endoglucanase is used to illustrate two different ways in which cell walls may be made more extensible and the divergent effects on wall mechanics.

  7. Video Bioinformatics Analysis of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Colony Growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Sabrina; Fonteno, Shawn; Satish, Shruthi; Bhanu, Bir; Talbot, Prue

    2010-01-01

    Because video data are complex and are comprised of many images, mining information from video material is difficult to do without the aid of computer software. Video bioinformatics is a powerful quantitative approach for extracting spatio-temporal data from video images using computer software to perform dating mining and analysis. In this article, we introduce a video bioinformatics method for quantifying the growth of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) by analyzing time-lapse videos collected in a Nikon BioStation CT incubator equipped with a camera for video imaging. In our experiments, hESC colonies that were attached to Matrigel were filmed for 48 hours in the BioStation CT. To determine the rate of growth of these colonies, recipes were developed using CL-Quant software which enables users to extract various types of data from video images. To accurately evaluate colony growth, three recipes were created. The first segmented the image into the colony and background, the second enhanced the image to define colonies throughout the video sequence accurately, and the third measured the number of pixels in the colony over time. The three recipes were run in sequence on video data collected in a BioStation CT to analyze the rate of growth of individual hESC colonies over 48 hours. To verify the truthfulness of the CL-Quant recipes, the same data were analyzed manually using Adobe Photoshop software. When the data obtained using the CL-Quant recipes and Photoshop were compared, results were virtually identical, indicating the CL-Quant recipes were truthful. The method described here could be applied to any video data to measure growth rates of hESC or other cells that grow in colonies. In addition, other video bioinformatics recipes can be developed in the future for other cell processes such as migration, apoptosis, and cell adhesion. PMID:20495527

  8. Opioid and nicotine receptors affect growth regulation of human lung cancer cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maneckjee, R.; Minna, J.D.

    1990-01-01

    Using specific radioactively-labeled ligands, the authors find that lung cancer cell lines of diverse histologic types express multiple, high-affinity membrane receptors for μ, δ, and κ opioid agonists and for nicotine and α-bungarotoxin. These receptors are biologically active because cAMP levels decreased in lung cancer cells after opioid and nicotine application. Nicotine at concentrations found in the blood of smokers had no effect on in vitro lung cancer cell growth, whereas μ, δ, and κ opioid agonists at low concentrations inhibited lung cancer growth in vitro. They also found that lung cancer cells expressed various combinations of immunoreactive opioid peptides (β-endorphin, enkephalin, or dynorphin), suggesting the participation of opioids in a negative autocrine loop or tumor-suppressing system. Due to the almost universal exposure of patients with lung cancer to nicotine, they tested whether nicotine affected the response of lung cancer cell growth to opioids and found that nicotine at concentrations of 100-200 nM partially or totally reversed opioid-induced growth inhibition in 9/14 lung cancer cell lines. These in vitro results for lung cancer cells suggest that opioids could function as part of a tumor suppressor system and that nicotine can function to circumvent this system in the pathogenesis of lung cancer

  9. Opioid and nicotine receptors affect growth regulation of human lung cancer cell lines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maneckjee, R.; Minna, J.D. (National Cancer Institute-Navy Medical Oncology Branch, Bethesda, MD (USA) Uniformed Services Univ. of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD (USA))

    1990-05-01

    Using specific radioactively-labeled ligands, the authors find that lung cancer cell lines of diverse histologic types express multiple, high-affinity membrane receptors for {mu}, {delta}, and {kappa} opioid agonists and for nicotine and {alpha}-bungarotoxin. These receptors are biologically active because cAMP levels decreased in lung cancer cells after opioid and nicotine application. Nicotine at concentrations found in the blood of smokers had no effect on in vitro lung cancer cell growth, whereas {mu}, {delta}, and {kappa} opioid agonists at low concentrations inhibited lung cancer growth in vitro. They also found that lung cancer cells expressed various combinations of immunoreactive opioid peptides ({beta}-endorphin, enkephalin, or dynorphin), suggesting the participation of opioids in a negative autocrine loop or tumor-suppressing system. Due to the almost universal exposure of patients with lung cancer to nicotine, they tested whether nicotine affected the response of lung cancer cell growth to opioids and found that nicotine at concentrations of 100-200 nM partially or totally reversed opioid-induced growth inhibition in 9/14 lung cancer cell lines. These in vitro results for lung cancer cells suggest that opioids could function as part of a tumor suppressor system and that nicotine can function to circumvent this system in the pathogenesis of lung cancer.

  10. A Novel Counter Sheet-flow Sandwich Cell Culture Device for Mammalian Cell Growth in Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Shujin; Gao, Yuxin; Shu, Nanjiang; Tang, Zemei; Tao, Zulai; Long, Mian

    2008-08-01

    Cell culture and growth in space is crucial to understand the cellular responses under microgravity. The effects of microgravity were coupled with such environment restrictions as medium perfusion, in which the underlying mechanism has been poorly understood. In the present work, a customer-made counter sheet-flow sandwich cell culture device was developed upon a biomechanical concept from fish gill breathing. The sandwich culture unit consists of two side chambers where the medium flow is counter-directional, a central chamber where the cells are cultured, and two porous polycarbonate membranes between side and central chambers. Flow dynamics analysis revealed the symmetrical velocity profile and uniform low shear rate distribution of flowing medium inside the central culture chamber, which promotes sufficient mass transport and nutrient supply for mammalian cell growth. An on-orbit experiment performed on a recovery satellite was used to validate the availability of the device.

  11. Effects of epidermal growth factor on neural crest cells in tissue culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erickson, C.A.; Turley, E.A.

    1987-01-01

    Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates the release of hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan (CSPG) from quail trunk neural crest cultures in a dose-dependent fashion. It also promotes the expression of cell-associated heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) as detected by immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation of the 3 H-labeled proteoglycan. Furthermore, EGF stimulates [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation into total cell DNA. These results raise the possibility that EGF or an analogous growth factor is involved in regulation of neural crest cell morphogenesis

  12. Expression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa transposable phages in Pseudomonas putida cells. I. Establishment of lysogeny and lytic growth efficiency

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gorbunova, S.A.; Yanenko, A.S.; Akhverdyan, V.Z.; Reulets, M.A.; Krylov, V.N.

    1986-03-01

    Expression of the genomes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa transposable phages (TP) in the cells of a heterologous host, P. putida PpGl, was studied. A high efficiency of TP lytic growth in PpGl cells was obtained both after zygotic induction following RP4::TP plasmid transfer and after thermoinduction of PpGl cells lysogenic for thermoinducible prophage D3112cts15. Characteristic for PpGl cells was a high TP yield (20-25 phage D3112cts15 particles per cell), which was evidence of a high level of TP transposition in cells of this species. The frequency of RP4::TP transfer into PpGl and PA01 cells was equal, but the lysogeny detection rat was somewhat lower in PpGl. Pseudomonas aeruginosa TP can integrate into the PpGl chromosome, producing inducible lysogens. The presence of RP4 is not necessary for the expression of the TP genome in PpGl cells. The D3112cts15 TP may be used for interspecific transduction of plasmids and chromosomal markers.

  13. Expression of Pseudomonas aeruginosa transposable phages in Pseudomonas putida cells. I. Establishment of lysogeny and lytic growth efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorbunova, S.A.; Yanenko, A.S.; Akhverdyan, V.Z.; Reulets, M.A.; Krylov, V.N.

    1986-01-01

    Expression of the genomes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa transposable phages (TP) in the cells of a heterologous host, P. putida PpGl, was studied. A high efficiency of TP lytic growth in PpGl cells was obtained both after zygotic induction following RP4::TP plasmid transfer and after thermoinduction of PpGl cells lysogenic for thermoinducible prophage D3112cts15. Characteristic for PpGl cells was a high TP yield (20-25 phage D3112cts15 particles per cell), which was evidence of a high level of TP transposition in cells of this species. The frequency of RP4::TP transfer into PpGl and PA01 cells was equal, but the lysogeny detection rat was somewhat lower in PpGl. Pseudomonas aeruginosa TP can integrate into the PpGl chromosome, producing inducible lysogens. The presence of RP4 is not necessary for the expression of the TP genome in PpGl cells. The D3112cts15 TP may be used for interspecific transduction of plasmids and chromosomal markers

  14. Insulin-like growth factor-1 signaling in renal cell carcinoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tracz, Adam F.; Szczylik, Cezary; Porta, Camillo; Czarnecka, Anna M.

    2016-01-01

    Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) incidence is highest in highly developed countries and it is the seventh most common neoplasm diagnosed. RCC management include nephrectomy and targeted therapies. Type 1 insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) pathway plays an important role in cell proliferation and apoptosis resistance. IGF-1 and insulin share overlapping downstream signaling pathways in normal and cancer cells. IGF-1 receptor (IGF1R) stimulation may promote malignant transformation promoting cell proliferation, dedifferentiation and inhibiting apoptosis. Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) patients with IGF1R overexpression have 70 % increased risk of death compared to patients who had tumors without IGF1R expression. IGF1R signaling deregulation may results in p53, WT, BRCA1, VHL loss of function. RCC cells with high expression of IGF1R are more resistant to chemotherapy than cells with low expression. Silencing of IGF1R increase the chemosensitivity of ccRCC cells and the effect is greater in VHL mutated cells. Understanding the role of IGF-1 signaling pathway in RCC may result in development of new targeted therapeutic interventions. First preclinical attempts with anti-IGF-1R monoclonal antibodies or fragment antigen-binding (Fab) fragments alone or in combination with an mTOR inhibitor were shown to inhibit in vitro growth and reduced the number of colonies formed by of RCC cells

  15. Characteristic Thickened Cell Walls of the Bracts of the ‘Eternal Flower’ Helichrysum bracteatum

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishikawa, Kuniko; Ito, Hiroaki; Awano, Tatsuya; Hosokawa, Munetaka; Yazawa, Susumu

    2008-01-01

    Background and Aims Helichrysum bracteatum is called an ‘eternal flower’ and has large, coloured, scarious bracts. These maintain their aesthetic value without wilting or discoloration for many years. There have been no research studies of cell death or cell morphology of the scarious bract, and hence the aim of this work was to elucidate these characteristics for the bract of H. bracteatum. Methods DAPI (4'6-diamidino-2-phenylindol dihydrochloride) staining and fluorescence microscopy were used for observation of cell nuclei. Light microscopy (LM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and polarized light microscopy were used for observation of cells, including cell wall morphology. Key Results Cell death occurred at the bract tip during the early stage of flower development. The cell wall was the most prominent characteristic of H. bracteatum bract cells. Characteristic thickened secondary cell walls on the inside of the primary cell walls were observed in both epidermal and inner cells. In addition, the walls of all cells exhibited birefringence. Characteristic thickened secondary cell walls have orientated cellulose microfibrils as well as general secondary cell walls of the tracheary elements. For comparison, these characters were not observed in the petal and bract tissues of Chrysanthemum morifolium. Conclusions Bracts at anthesis are composed of dead cells. Helichrysum bracteatum bracts have characteristic thickened secondary cell walls that have not been observed in the parenchyma of any other flowers or leaves. The cells of the H. bracteatum bract differ from other tissues with secondary cell walls, suggesting that they may be a new cell type. PMID:18436550

  16. Influence of prostaglandin analogues on epithelial cell proliferation and xenograft growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tutton, P J; Barkla, D H

    1980-01-01

    The influence of two prostaglandin (PG) analogues, 16,16-dimethyl PG E2 and 16,16-dimethyl PG F2 alpha and of the cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, flurbiprofen, on epithelial cell proliferation was assessed using a stathmokinetic technique. The epithelia examined were those of the jejunal crypts, the colonic crypts and that of dimethylhydrazine-induced adenocarcinomas of rat colon. The influence of the two prostaglandin analogues, and of flurbiprofen, on the growth of a human colorectal tumour propagated as xenografts in immune-deprived mice was also assessed. The PG E2 analogue transiently inhibited xenograft growth, but was without effect on the mitotic rate in the rat tissues. The PG F2 alpha analogue was also found to inhibit xenograft growth but, unlike the PG E2 analogue, it was found to be a strong inhibitor of cell proliferation in rat colonic tumours, and an accelerator of proliferation in jejunal-crypt cells. The only statistically significant effect of flurbiprofen was to accelerate cell division in the rat colonic tumours.

  17. Novel Midkine Inhibitor iMDK Inhibits Tumor Growth and Angiogenesis in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masui, Masanori; Okui, Tatsuo; Shimo, Tsuyoshi; Takabatake, Kiyofumi; Fukazawa, Takuya; Matsumoto, Kenichi; Kurio, Naito; Ibaragi, Soichiro; Naomoto, Yoshio; Nagatsuka, Hitoshi; Sasaki, Akira

    2016-06-01

    Midkine is a heparin-binding growth factor highly expressed in various human malignant tumors. However, its role in the growth of oral squamous cell carcinoma is not well understood. In this study, we analyzed the antitumor effect of a novel midkine inhibitor (iMDK) against oral squamous cell carcinoma. Administration of iMDK induced a robust antitumor response and suppressed cluster of differentiation 31 (CD31) expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma HSC-2 cells and SAS cells xenograft models. iMDK inhibited the proliferation of these cells dose-dependently, as well as the expression of midkine and phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase in HSC-2 and SAS cells. Moreover, iMDK significantly inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor and induced tube growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells in a dose-dependent fashion. These findings suggest that midkine is critically involved in oral squamous cell carcinoma and iMDK can be effectively used for the treatment of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  18. Attachment, Growth, and Detachment of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a Chemically Defined Medium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denise Salzig

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The manufacture of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs for clinical applications requires an appropriate growth surface and an optimized, preferably chemically defined medium (CDM for expansion. We investigated a new protein/peptide-free CDM that supports the adhesion, growth, and detachment of an immortalized hMSC line (hMSC-TERT as well as primary cells derived from bone marrow (bm-hMSCs and adipose tissue (ad-hMSCs. We observed the rapid attachment and spreading of hMSC-TERT cells and ad-hMSCs in CDM concomitant with the expression of integrin and actin fibers. Cell spreading was promoted by coating the growth surface with collagen type IV and fibronectin. The growth of hMSC-TERT cells was similar in CDM and serum-containing medium whereas the lag phase of bm-hMSCs was prolonged in CDM. FGF-2 or surface coating with collagen type IV promoted the growth of bm-hMSCs, but laminin had no effect. All three cell types retained their trilineage differentiation capability in CDM and were detached by several enzymes (but not collagenase in the case of hMSC-TERT cells. The medium and coating did not affect detachment efficiency but influenced cell survival after detachment. CDM combined with cell-specific surface coatings and/or FGF-2 supplements is therefore as effective as serum-containing medium for the manufacture of different hMSC types.

  19. Effects of ractopamine hydrochloride on growth performance and carcass characteristics in wool and hair lambs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ángel M. Romero-Maya

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available This study aimed at evaluating the effects of ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC on growth performance and carcass characteristics of wool and hair lambs. For this purpose, 48 lambs averaging 31.3 kg body weight, of which twenty were wool (Ramboullet x Suffolk and twenty eight were hair (Tabasco lambs, and four levels of RAC (0, 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg diet, dry matter basis were used. Wool lambs fed 20 and 30 mg RAC had higher (P<0.05 total gain weight and lower feed conversion than 0 and 10 mg RAC. Wool lambs fed 20 mg RAC had the highest carcass weight, dressing, legs weight and longissimus area as compared to 0, 10 and 30 mg RAC.  In hair lambs there were not effect of RAC on growth performance and carcass characteristics.It was concluded that addition of RAC to finishing diets offered the best growth performance and carcass traits in wool lambs as compared to hair lambs. 

  20. The Satellite Cell in Male and Female, Developing and Adult Mouse Muscle: Distinct Stem Cells for Growth and Regeneration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neal, Alice; Boldrin, Luisa; Morgan, Jennifer Elizabeth

    2012-01-01

    Satellite cells are myogenic cells found between the basal lamina and the sarcolemma of the muscle fibre. Satellite cells are the source of new myofibres; as such, satellite cell transplantation holds promise as a treatment for muscular dystrophies. We have investigated age and sex differences between mouse satellite cells in vitro and assessed the importance of these factors as mediators of donor cell engraftment in an in vivo model of satellite cell transplantation. We found that satellite cell numbers are increased in growing compared to adult and in male compared to female adult mice. We saw no difference in the expression of the myogenic regulatory factors between male and female mice, but distinct profiles were observed according to developmental stage. We show that, in contrast to adult mice, the majority of satellite cells from two week old mice are proliferating to facilitate myofibre growth; however a small proportion of these cells are quiescent and not contributing to this growth programme. Despite observed changes in satellite cell populations, there is no difference in engraftment efficiency either between satellite cells derived from adult or pre-weaned donor mice, male or female donor cells, or between male and female host muscle environments. We suggest there exist two distinct satellite cell populations: one for muscle growth and maintenance and one for muscle regeneration. PMID:22662253

  1. Danshen extract circumvents drug resistance and represses cell growth in human oral cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Cheng-Yu; Hsieh, Cheng-Chih; Lin, Chih-Kung; Lin, Chun-Shu; Peng, Bo; Lin, Gu-Jiun; Sytwu, Huey-Kang; Chang, Wen-Liang; Chen, Yuan-Wu

    2017-12-29

    Danshen is a common traditional Chinese medicine used to treat neoplastic and chronic inflammatory diseases in China. However, the effects of Danshen on human oral cancer cells remain relatively unknown. This study investigated the antiproliferative effects of a Danshen extract on human oral cancer SAS, SCC25, OEC-M1, and KB drug-resistant cell lines and elucidated the possible underlying mechanism. We investigated the anticancer potential of the Danshen extract in human oral cancer cell lines and an in vivo oral cancer xenograft mouse model. The expression of apoptosis-related molecules was evaluated through Western blotting, and the concentration of in vivo apoptotic markers was measured using immunohistochemical staining. The antitumor effects of 5-fluorouracil and the Danshen extract were compared. Cell proliferation assays revealed that the Danshen extract strongly inhibited oral cancer cell proliferation. Cell morphology studies revealed that the Danshen extract inhibited the growth of SAS, SCC25, and OEC-M1 cells by inducing apoptosis. The Flow cytometric analysis indicated that the Danshen extract induced cell cycle G0/G1 arrest. Immunoblotting analysis for the expression of active caspase-3 and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein indicated that Danshen extract-induced apoptosis in human oral cancer SAS cells was mediated through the caspase pathway. Moreover, the Danshen extract significantly inhibited growth in the SAS xenograft mouse model. Furthermore, the Danshen extract circumvented drug resistance in KB drug-resistant oral cancer cells. The study results suggest that the Danshen extract could be a potential anticancer agent in oral cancer treatment.

  2. Expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptors in EL4 lymphoma cells overexpressing growth hormone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weigent, Douglas A; Arnold, Robyn E

    2005-03-01

    Almost all of the previous studies with growth hormone (GH) have been done with exogenously supplied GH and, therefore, involve actions of the hormone through its receptor. However, the actions of endogenous or lymphocyte GH are still unclear. In a previous study, we showed that overexpression of GH (GHo) in a lymphoid cell line resulted in protection of the cells to apoptosis mediated by nitric oxide (NO). In the present study, we show that the protection from apoptosis could be transferred to control cells with culture fluids obtained from GHo cells and blocked by antibodies to the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) or antibodies to the IGF-1-receptor (IGF-1R). Northern and Western blot analysis detected significantly higher levels of IGF-1 in cells overexpressing GH. An increase in the expression of the IGF-1R in GHo cells was also detected by Western blot analysis, (125)I-IGF-1 binding and analysis of IGF-1R promoter luciferase constructs. Transfection of GHo cells with a dominant negative IGF-1R mutant construct blocked the generation of NO and activation of Akt seen in GHo cells compared to vector alone control EL4 cells. The results suggest that one of the consequences of the overexpression of GH, in cells lacking the GH receptor, is an increase in the expression of IGF-1 and the IGF-1R which mediate the protection of EL4 lymphoma cells from apoptosis.

  3. Modeling Cancer Cell Growth Dynamics In vitro in Response to Antimitotic Drug Treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Lorz

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Investigating the role of intrinsic cell heterogeneity emerging from variations in cell-cycle parameters and apoptosis is a crucial step toward better informing drug administration. Antimitotic agents, widely used in chemotherapy, target exclusively proliferative cells and commonly induce a prolonged mitotic arrest followed by cell death via apoptosis. In this paper, we developed a physiologically motivated mathematical framework for describing cancer cell growth dynamics that incorporates the intrinsic heterogeneity in the time individual cells spend in the cell-cycle and apoptosis process. More precisely, our model comprises two age-structured partial differential equations for the proliferative and apoptotic cell compartments and one ordinary differential equation for the quiescent compartment. To reflect the intrinsic cell heterogeneity that governs the growth dynamics, proliferative and apoptotic cells are structured in “age,” i.e., the amount of time remaining to be spent in each respective compartment. In our model, we considered an antimitotic drug whose effect on the cellular dynamics is to induce mitotic arrest, extending the average cell-cycle length. The prolonged mitotic arrest induced by the drug can trigger apoptosis if the time a cell will spend in the cell cycle is greater than the mitotic arrest threshold. We studied the drug’s effect on the long-term cancer cell growth dynamics using different durations of prolonged mitotic arrest induced by the drug. Our numerical simulations suggest that at confluence and in the absence of the drug, quiescence is the long-term asymptotic behavior emerging from the cancer cell growth dynamics. This pattern is maintained in the presence of small increases in the average cell-cycle length. However, intermediate increases in cell-cycle length markedly decrease the total number of cells and can drive the cancer population to extinction. Intriguingly, a large

  4. Modeling Cancer Cell Growth Dynamics In vitro in Response to Antimitotic Drug Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorz, Alexander; Botesteanu, Dana-Adriana; Levy, Doron

    2017-01-01

    Investigating the role of intrinsic cell heterogeneity emerging from variations in cell-cycle parameters and apoptosis is a crucial step toward better informing drug administration. Antimitotic agents, widely used in chemotherapy, target exclusively proliferative cells and commonly induce a prolonged mitotic arrest followed by cell death via apoptosis. In this paper, we developed a physiologically motivated mathematical framework for describing cancer cell growth dynamics that incorporates the intrinsic heterogeneity in the time individual cells spend in the cell-cycle and apoptosis process. More precisely, our model comprises two age-structured partial differential equations for the proliferative and apoptotic cell compartments and one ordinary differential equation for the quiescent compartment. To reflect the intrinsic cell heterogeneity that governs the growth dynamics, proliferative and apoptotic cells are structured in “age,” i.e., the amount of time remaining to be spent in each respective compartment. In our model, we considered an antimitotic drug whose effect on the cellular dynamics is to induce mitotic arrest, extending the average cell-cycle length. The prolonged mitotic arrest induced by the drug can trigger apoptosis if the time a cell will spend in the cell cycle is greater than the mitotic arrest threshold. We studied the drug’s effect on the long-term cancer cell growth dynamics using different durations of prolonged mitotic arrest induced by the drug. Our numerical simulations suggest that at confluence and in the absence of the drug, quiescence is the long-term asymptotic behavior emerging from the cancer cell growth dynamics. This pattern is maintained in the presence of small increases in the average cell-cycle length. However, intermediate increases in cell-cycle length markedly decrease the total number of cells and can drive the cancer population to extinction. Intriguingly, a large “switch-on/switch-off” increase in the average

  5. Modeling Cancer Cell Growth Dynamics In vitro in Response to Antimitotic Drug Treatment

    KAUST Repository

    Lorz, Alexander; Botesteanu, Dana-Adriana; Levy, Doron

    2017-01-01

    Investigating the role of intrinsic cell heterogeneity emerging from variations in cell-cycle parameters and apoptosis is a crucial step toward better informing drug administration. Antimitotic agents, widely used in chemotherapy, target exclusively proliferative cells and commonly induce a prolonged mitotic arrest followed by cell death via apoptosis. In this paper, we developed a physiologically motivated mathematical framework for describing cancer cell growth dynamics that incorporates the intrinsic heterogeneity in the time individual cells spend in the cell-cycle and apoptosis process. More precisely, our model comprises two age-structured partial differential equations for the proliferative and apoptotic cell compartments and one ordinary differential equation for the quiescent compartment. To reflect the intrinsic cell heterogeneity that governs the growth dynamics, proliferative and apoptotic cells are structured in “age,” i.e., the amount of time remaining to be spent in each respective compartment. In our model, we considered an antimitotic drug whose effect on the cellular dynamics is to induce mitotic arrest, extending the average cell-cycle length. The prolonged mitotic arrest induced by the drug can trigger apoptosis if the time a cell will spend in the cell cycle is greater than the mitotic arrest threshold. We studied the drug's effect on the long-term cancer cell growth dynamics using different durations of prolonged mitotic arrest induced by the drug. Our numerical simulations suggest that at confluence and in the absence of the drug, quiescence is the long-term asymptotic behavior emerging from the cancer cell growth dynamics. This pattern is maintained in the presence of small increases in the average cell-cycle length. However, intermediate increases in cell-cycle length markedly decrease the total number of cells and can drive the cancer population to extinction. Intriguingly, a large “switch-on/ switch-off” increase in the average

  6. Modeling Cancer Cell Growth Dynamics In vitro in Response to Antimitotic Drug Treatment

    KAUST Repository

    Lorz, Alexander

    2017-08-30

    Investigating the role of intrinsic cell heterogeneity emerging from variations in cell-cycle parameters and apoptosis is a crucial step toward better informing drug administration. Antimitotic agents, widely used in chemotherapy, target exclusively proliferative cells and commonly induce a prolonged mitotic arrest followed by cell death via apoptosis. In this paper, we developed a physiologically motivated mathematical framework for describing cancer cell growth dynamics that incorporates the intrinsic heterogeneity in the time individual cells spend in the cell-cycle and apoptosis process. More precisely, our model comprises two age-structured partial differential equations for the proliferative and apoptotic cell compartments and one ordinary differential equation for the quiescent compartment. To reflect the intrinsic cell heterogeneity that governs the growth dynamics, proliferative and apoptotic cells are structured in “age,” i.e., the amount of time remaining to be spent in each respective compartment. In our model, we considered an antimitotic drug whose effect on the cellular dynamics is to induce mitotic arrest, extending the average cell-cycle length. The prolonged mitotic arrest induced by the drug can trigger apoptosis if the time a cell will spend in the cell cycle is greater than the mitotic arrest threshold. We studied the drug\\'s effect on the long-term cancer cell growth dynamics using different durations of prolonged mitotic arrest induced by the drug. Our numerical simulations suggest that at confluence and in the absence of the drug, quiescence is the long-term asymptotic behavior emerging from the cancer cell growth dynamics. This pattern is maintained in the presence of small increases in the average cell-cycle length. However, intermediate increases in cell-cycle length markedly decrease the total number of cells and can drive the cancer population to extinction. Intriguingly, a large “switch-on/ switch-off” increase in the average

  7. [Biological characteristics of mesenchymal stem cell and hematopoietic stem cell in the co-culture system].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Wei; Xu, Chao; Ye, Zhi-Yong; Huang, Xiao-Jun; Yuan, Jia-En; Ma, Tian-Bao; Lin, Han-Biao; Chen, Xiu-Qiong

    2016-10-25

    The aim of the present study was to obtain the qualified hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSC/HPC) and human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in vitro in the co-culture system. Cord blood mononuclear cells were separated from umbilical cord blood by Ficoll lymphocyte separation medium, and then CD34 + HSC was collected by MACS immunomagnetic beads. The selected CD34 + HSC/HPC and MSC were transferred into culture flask. IMDM culture medium with 15% AB-type cord plasma supplemented with interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-6, thrombopoietin (TPO), stem cell factor (SCF) and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt-3L) factors were used as the co-culture system for the amplification of HSC/HPC and MSC. The cellular growth status and proliferation on day 6 and 10 after co-culture were observed by using inverted microscope. The percentage of positive expression of CD34 in HSC/HPC, as well as the percentages of positive expressions of CD105, CD90, CD73, CD45, CD34 and HLA-DR in the 4 th generation MSC, was tested by flow cytometry. Semisolid colony culture was used to test the HSC/HPC colony forming ability. The osteogenic, chondrogenesis and adipogenic ability of the 4 th generation MSC were assessed. The karyotype analysis of MSC was conducted by colchicines. The results demonstrated that the HSC/HPC of co-culture group showed higher ability of amplification, CFU-GM and higher CD34 + percentage compared with the control group. The co-cultured MSC maintained the ability to differentiate into bone cells, fat cells and chondrocytes. And the karyotype stability of MSC remained normal. These results reveal that the appropriate co-culture system for MSC and HSC is developed, and via this co-culture system we could gain both two kinds of these cells. The MSCs under the co-culture system maintain the biological characteristics. The CFU-GM ability, cell counting and the flow cytometry results of HSC/HPC under the co-culture system are conform to the criterion, showing that

  8. PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cell growth inhibited by cucurmosin alone and in combination with an epidermal growth factor receptor-targeted drug.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Congfei; Yang, Aiqin; Zhang, Baoming; Yin, Qiang; Huang, Heguang; Chen, Minghuang; Xie, Jieming

    2014-03-01

    To investigate the inhibition of PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cell growth by cucurmosin (CUS) and its possible mechanism. We observed the inhibition of PANC-1 cell growth by sulforhodamine B and colony-forming experiments in vitro and established nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mouse subcutaneous tumor models in vivo. We used Western blot to analyze protein levels related to apoptosis and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathways after drug intervention, whereas the messenger RNA expression of EGFR was analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Sulforhodamine B and colony-forming experiments indicated that CUS inhibited PANC-1 cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. A stronger inhibitory effect was observed when CUS was combined with gefitinib. The subcutaneous tumor growth was also inhibited. Western blot showed that all the examined proteins decreased, except for 4E-BP1 and the active fragments of caspase 3 and caspase 9 increased. Epidermal growth factor receptor expression did not change significantly in quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cucurmosin can strongly inhibit the growth of PANC-1 cells in vitro and in vivo. Cucurmosin can down-regulate EGFR protein expression, but not at the messenger RNA level. Cucurmosin can also inhibit the ras/raf and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt downstream signaling pathways and enhance the sensitivity of the EGFR-targeted drug gefitinib.

  9. Bone marrow-derived cultured mast cells and peritoneal mast cells as targets of a growth activity secreted by BALB/3T3 fibroblasts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jozaki, K.; Kuriu, A.; Hirota, S.; Onoue, H.; Ebi, Y.; Adachi, S.; Ma, J.Y.; Tarui, S.; Kitamura, Y.

    1991-01-01

    When fibroblast cell lines were cultured in contact with bone marrow-derived cultured mast cells (CMC), both NIH/3T3 and BALB/3T3 cell lines supported the proliferation of CMC. In contrast, when contact between fibroblasts and CMC was prohibited by Biopore membranes or soft agar, only BALB/3T3 fibroblasts supported CMC proliferation, suggesting that BALB/3T3 but not NIH/3T3 cells secreted a significant amount of a mast cell growth activity. Moreover, the BALB/3T3-derived growth activity induced the incorporation of [3H]thymidine by CMC and the clonal growth of peritoneal mast cells in methylcellulose. The mast cell growth activity appeared to be different from interleukin 3 (IL-3) and interleukin 4 (IL-4), because mRNAs for these interleukins were not detectable in BALB/3T3 fibroblasts. Although mast cells are genetically deficient in tissues of W/Wv mice, CMC did develop when bone marrow cells of W/Wv mice were cultured with pokeweed mitogen-stimulated spleen cell-conditioned medium. Because BALB/3T3 fibroblast-conditioned medium (BALB-FCM) did not induce the incorporation of [3H]thymidine by W/Wv CMC, the growth activity in BALB-FCM appeared to be a ligand for the receptor encoded by the W (c-kit) locus. Because CMC and peritoneal mast cells are obtained as homogeneous suspensions rather easily, these cells may be potentially useful as targets for the fibroblast-derived mast cell growth activity

  10. Genetic and Nongenetic Determinants of Cell Growth Variation Assessed by High-Throughput Microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziv, Naomi; Siegal, Mark L.; Gresham, David

    2013-01-01

    In microbial populations, growth initiation and proliferation rates are major components of fitness and therefore likely targets of selection. We used a high-throughput microscopy assay, which enables simultaneous analysis of tens of thousands of microcolonies, to determine the sources and extent of growth rate variation in the budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) in different glucose environments. We find that cell growth rates are regulated by the extracellular concentration of glucose as proposed by Monod (1949), but that significant heterogeneity in growth rates is observed among genetically identical individuals within an environment. Yeast strains isolated from different geographic locations and habitats differ in their growth rate responses to different glucose concentrations. Inheritance patterns suggest that the genetic determinants of growth rates in different glucose concentrations are distinct. In addition, we identified genotypes that differ in the extent of variation in growth rate within an environment despite nearly identical mean growth rates, providing evidence that alleles controlling phenotypic variability segregate in yeast populations. We find that the time to reinitiation of growth (lag) is negatively correlated with growth rate, yet this relationship is strain-dependent. Between environments, the respirative activity of individual cells negatively correlates with glucose abundance and growth rate, but within an environment respirative activity and growth rate show a positive correlation, which we propose reflects differences in protein expression capacity. Our study quantifies the sources of genetic and nongenetic variation in cell growth rates in different glucose environments with unprecedented precision, facilitating their molecular genetic dissection. PMID:23938868

  11. Picropodophyllin inhibits the growth of Ewing's sarcoma cells through the insulin‑like growth factor‑1 receptor/Akt signaling pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Yong-Tao; Wang, Bao-Jun; Miao, Sheng-Wu; Gao, Jian-Jun

    2015-11-01

    Ewing's sarcoma (ES) is the second most common type of pediatric bone tumor, and is associated with a poor prognosis. Picropodophyllin (PPP), a novel selective inhibitor of insulin‑like growth factor‑1 receptor (IGF‑1R), is able to strongly inhibit various types of cancers. However, the effect of IGF‑1R on ES remains unclear. Following treatment with various concentrations of PPP for various times, cell viability was determined using an MTT assay. In addition, cell proliferation and apoptosis was investigated separately by bromodeoxyuridine staining and flow cytometry, respectively. The PPP‑associated signaling pathway was also investigated. The results of the present study suggested that PPP inhibited cell proliferation and viability of A673 and SK‑ES‑1 human Ewing's sarcoma cells in a dose- and time‑dependent manner. In addition, cell apoptosis rates were increased following treatment with PPP. Further investigation of the underlying mechanism revealed that PPP inhibited Akt phosphorylation. Fumonisin B1, an Akt‑specific activator, reversed the inhibitory effects of PPP on cell growth. Furthermore, the results suggested that PPP decreased the expression levels of IGF‑1R, a common activator of Akt signaling. PPP inhibited the growth of human Ewing's sarcoma cells by targeting the IGF‑1R/Akt signaling pathway. Therefore, PPP may prove useful in the development of an effective strategy for the treatment of Ewing's sarcoma.

  12. Cancer drug troglitazone stimulates the growth and response of renal cells to hypoxia inducible factors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Taub, Mary, E-mail: biochtau@buffalo.edu

    2016-03-11

    Troglitazone has been used to suppress the growth of a number of tumors through apoptosis and autophagy. However, previous in vitro studies have employed very high concentrations of troglitazone (≥10{sup −5} M) in order to elicit growth inhibitory effects. In this report, when employing lower concentrations of troglitazone in defined medium, troglitazone was observed to stimulate the growth of primary renal proximal tubule (RPT) cells. Rosiglitazone, like troglitazone, is a thiazolidinedione (TZD) that is known to activate Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor Υ (PPARΥ). Notably, rosiglitazone also stimulates RPT cell growth, as does Υ-linolenic acids, another PPARΥ agonist. The PPARΥ antagonist GW9662 inhibited the growth stimulatory effect of troglitazone. In addition, troglitazone stimulated transcription by a PPAR Response Element/Luciferase construct. These results are consistent with the involvement of PPARΥ as a mediator of the growth stimulatory effect of troglitazone. In a number of tumor cells, the expression of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) is increased, promoting the expression of HIF inducible genes, and vascularization. Troglitazone was observed to stimulate transcription by a HIF/luciferase construct. These observations indicate that troglitazone not only promotes growth, also the survival of RPT cells under conditions of hypoxia. - Highlights: • Troglitazone and rosiglitazone stimulate renal proximal tubule cell growth. • Troglitazone and linolenic acid stimulate growth via PPARϒ. • Linolenic acid stimulates growth in the presence of fatty acid free serum albumin. • Rosiglitazone stimulates transcription by a HRE luciferase construct.

  13. Cancer drug troglitazone stimulates the growth and response of renal cells to hypoxia inducible factors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taub, Mary

    2016-01-01

    Troglitazone has been used to suppress the growth of a number of tumors through apoptosis and autophagy. However, previous in vitro studies have employed very high concentrations of troglitazone (≥10"−"5 M) in order to elicit growth inhibitory effects. In this report, when employing lower concentrations of troglitazone in defined medium, troglitazone was observed to stimulate the growth of primary renal proximal tubule (RPT) cells. Rosiglitazone, like troglitazone, is a thiazolidinedione (TZD) that is known to activate Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor Υ (PPARΥ). Notably, rosiglitazone also stimulates RPT cell growth, as does Υ-linolenic acids, another PPARΥ agonist. The PPARΥ antagonist GW9662 inhibited the growth stimulatory effect of troglitazone. In addition, troglitazone stimulated transcription by a PPAR Response Element/Luciferase construct. These results are consistent with the involvement of PPARΥ as a mediator of the growth stimulatory effect of troglitazone. In a number of tumor cells, the expression of hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) is increased, promoting the expression of HIF inducible genes, and vascularization. Troglitazone was observed to stimulate transcription by a HIF/luciferase construct. These observations indicate that troglitazone not only promotes growth, also the survival of RPT cells under conditions of hypoxia. - Highlights: • Troglitazone and rosiglitazone stimulate renal proximal tubule cell growth. • Troglitazone and linolenic acid stimulate growth via PPARϒ. • Linolenic acid stimulates growth in the presence of fatty acid free serum albumin. • Rosiglitazone stimulates transcription by a HRE luciferase construct.

  14. Troglitazone inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells with t(14;18).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takenokuchi, M; Saigo, K; Nakamachi, Y; Kawano, S; Hashimoto, M; Fujioka, T; Koizumi, T; Tatsumi, E; Kumagai, S

    2006-01-01

    Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma), a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, has been detected in several human leukemia cells. Recent studies reported that PPARgamma ligands inhibit cell proliferation and induce apoptosis in both normal and malignant B-lineage cells. We investigated the expression of PPARgamma and the effects of PPARgamma ligands on UTree-O2, Bay91 and 380, three B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) cell lines with t(14;18), which show a poor prognosis, accompanying c-myc abnormality. Western blot analysis identified expression of PPARgamma protein and real-time PCR that of PPARgamma mRNA on the three cell lines. Troglitazone (TGZ), a synthetic PPARgamma ligand, inhibited cell growth in these cell lines in a dose-dependent manner, which was associated with G(1) cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. We also found this effect PPARgamma independent since PPARgamma antagonists failed to reverse this effect. We assessed the expression of c-myc, an apoptosis-regulatory gene, since c-myc abnormality was detected in most B-ALL cells with t(14;18). TGZ was found to dose-dependently downregulate the expression of c-myc mRNA and c-myc protein in the three cell lines. These results suggest that TGZ inhibits cell growth via induction of G(1) cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in these cell lines and that TGZ-induced apoptosis, at least in part, may be related to the downregulation of c-myc expression. Moreover, the downregulation of c-myc expression by TGZ may depend on a PPARgamma-independent mechanism. Further studies indicate that PPARgamma ligands may serve as a therapeutic agent in B-ALL with t(14;18).

  15. Flavonoid Production, Growth and Differentiation of Stelechocarpus burahol (Bl.) Hook. F. and Th. Cell Suspension Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aini Habibah, Noor; Moeljopawiro, Sukarti; Dewi, Kumala; Indrianto, Ari

    2017-01-01

    Stelechocarpus burahol is a plant containing flavonoid compounds that have the potential for use as an antihyperuricemic for gout medication. This study was performed to assess flavonoid production, growth and cell differentiation of S. burahol in cell suspension culture. Mesocarp was planted in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 7.5 mg L-1 picloram for the induction of callus. Non-embryonic callus obtained was used in the formation of cell suspension cultures. Growth of cells was determined by fresh and dry weights. During the culturing, the fresh weight, dry weight and flavonoid content were determined as a result of culture status. The growth of the S. burahol cell suspension was slow, the stationary phase occurred at 30 days. The production of flavonoids was not in line with the growth of cells and the maximum production occurred on the 15th day of the log phase. The globular-shaped cells dominated the cell suspension culture at all ages. Fluorescein diacetate (FDA) staining of cells derived from cell cultures aged for 36 days showed that some cells were still viable. The results show that flavonoid production, growth and cell differentiation of a S. burahol cell suspension culture differed according to the culture age.

  16. Growth of single T cells and single thymocytes in a high cloning efficiency filler-cell free microculture system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, W F; Ewing, T; Scollay, R; Shortman, K

    1988-01-01

    A high cloning-efficiency microculture system is described in which single T cells, stimulated to divide by phorbol ester and calcium ionophore, grow rapidly under the influence of purified growth factors in the absence of other cells. The kinetics of clonal growth has been monitored over a five day period by phase-contrast microscopy. Mature peripheral T cells, and mature subpopulations from the thymus, responded with a cloning efficiency over 80%; they required IL-2 as a minimum but several other factors enhanced growth. Ly2+L3T4- thymocytes (mean doubling time 10.4 hr) grew more rapidly than Ly2-L3T4+ thymocytes (mean doubling time 15.2 hr). Early (Ly2-L3T4-) thymocytes responded with a cloning efficiency of 60%; their efficient growth was dependent on both IL-1 and IL-2. The typical Ly2+L3T4+ cortical thymocyte did not grow under these conditions.

  17. Novel piplartine-containing ruthenium complexes: synthesis, cell growth inhibition, apoptosis induction and ROS production on HCT116 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Sousa Costa, Cinara O; Araujo Neto, João H; Baliza, Ingrid R S; Dias, Rosane B; Valverde, Ludmila de F; Vidal, Manuela T A; Sales, Caroline B S; Rocha, Clarissa A G; Moreira, Diogo R M; Soares, Milena B P; Batista, Alzir A; Bezerra, Daniel P

    2017-11-28

    Piplartine (piperlongumine) is a plant-derived molecule that has been receiving intense interest due to its anticancer characteristics that target the oxidative stress. In the present paper, two novel piplartine-containing ruthenium complexes [Ru(piplartine)(dppf)(bipy)](PF 6 ) 2 (1) and [Ru(piplartine)(dppb)(bipy)](PF 6 ) 2 (2) were synthesized and investigated for their cellular and molecular responses on cancer cell lines. We found that both complexes are more potent than metal-free piplartine in a panel of cancer cell lines on monolayer cultures, as well in 3D model of cancer multicellular spheroids formed from human colon carcinoma HCT116 cells. Mechanistic studies uncovered that the complexes reduced the cell growth and caused phosphatidylserine externalization, internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, caspase-3 activation and loss of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential on HCT116 cells. Moreover, the pre-treatment with Z-VAD(OMe)-FMK, a pan-caspase inhibitor, reduced the complexes-induced apoptosis, indicating cell death by apoptosis through caspase-dependent and mitochondrial intrinsic pathways. Treatment with the complexes also caused a marked increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), including hydrogen peroxide, superoxide anion and nitric oxide, and decreased reduced glutathione levels. Application of N-acetyl-cysteine, an antioxidant, reduced the ROS levels and apoptosis induced by the complexes, indicating activation of ROS-mediated apoptosis pathway. RNA transcripts of several genes, including gene related to the cell cycle, apoptosis and oxidative stress, were regulated under treatment. However, the complexes failed to induce DNA intercalation. In conclusion, the complexes are more potent than piplartine against different cancer cell lines and are able to induce caspase-dependent and mitochondrial intrinsic apoptosis on HCT116 cells by ROS-mediated pathway.

  18. Human endothelial cell growth and phenotypic expression on three dimensional poly(lactide-co-glycolide) sintered microsphere scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jabbarzadeh, Ehsan; Jiang, Tao; Deng, Meng; Nair, Lakshmi S; Khan, Yusuf M; Laurencin, Cato T

    2007-12-01

    Bone tissue engineering offers promising alternatives to repair and restore tissues. Our laboratory has employed poly(lactide-co-glycolide) PLAGA microspheres to develop a three dimensional (3-D) porous bioresorbable scaffold with a biomimetic pore structure. Osseous healing and integration with the surrounding tissue depends in part on new blood vessel formation within the porous structure. Since endothelial cells play a key role in angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vasculature), the purpose of this study was to better understand human endothelial cell attachment, viability, growth, and phenotypic expression on sintered PLAGA microsphere scaffold. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) examination showed cells attaching to the surface of microspheres and bridging the pores between the microspheres. Cell proliferation studies indicated that cell number increased during early stages and reached a plateau between days 10 and 14. Immunofluorescent staining for actin showed that cells were proliferating three dimensionally through the scaffolds while staining for PECAM-1 (platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule) displayed typical localization at cell-cell contacts. Gene expression analysis showed that endothelial cells grown on PLAGA scaffolds maintained their normal characteristic phenotype. The cell proliferation and phenotypic expression were independent of scaffold pore architecture. These results demonstrate that PLAGA sintered microsphere scaffolds can support the growth and biological functions of human endothelial cells. The insights from this study should aid future studies aimed at enhancing angiogenesis in three dimensional tissue engineered scaffolds.

  19. FOXD3 suppresses tumor growth and angiogenesis in non-small cell lung cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Jun-Hai; Zhao, Chun-Liu; Ding, Lan-Bao; Zhou, Xi

    2015-01-01

    The transcription factor forkhead box D3 (FOXD3), widely studied as a transcriptional repressor in embryogenesis, participates in the carcinogenesis of many cancers. However, the expression pattern and role of FOXD3 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have not been well characterized. We report that FOXD3 is significantly downregulated in NSCLC cell lines and clinical tissues. FOXD3 overexpression significantly inhibits cell growth and results in G1 cell cycle arrest in NSCLC A549 and H1299 cells. In a xenograft tumor model, FOXD3 overexpression inhibits tumor growth and angiogenesis. Remarkably, expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was reduced in FOXD3 overexpression models both in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggest that FOXD3 plays a potential tumor suppressor role in NSCLC progression and represents a promising clinical prognostic marker and therapeutic target for this disease. - Highlights: • FOXD3 is downregulated in NSCLC cell lines and tissues. • FOXD3 overexpression inhibited cell proliferation in NSCLC cells. • FOXD3 overexpression led to decreased angiogenesis in NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo.

  20. FOXD3 suppresses tumor growth and angiogenesis in non-small cell lung cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yan, Jun-Hai; Zhao, Chun-Liu [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Luwan Branch of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20020 (China); Ding, Lan-Bao [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai 10th People' s Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200072 (China); Zhou, Xi, E-mail: modelmap@139.com [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Luwan Branch of Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 20020 (China)

    2015-10-09

    The transcription factor forkhead box D3 (FOXD3), widely studied as a transcriptional repressor in embryogenesis, participates in the carcinogenesis of many cancers. However, the expression pattern and role of FOXD3 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have not been well characterized. We report that FOXD3 is significantly downregulated in NSCLC cell lines and clinical tissues. FOXD3 overexpression significantly inhibits cell growth and results in G1 cell cycle arrest in NSCLC A549 and H1299 cells. In a xenograft tumor model, FOXD3 overexpression inhibits tumor growth and angiogenesis. Remarkably, expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was reduced in FOXD3 overexpression models both in vitro and in vivo. These findings suggest that FOXD3 plays a potential tumor suppressor role in NSCLC progression and represents a promising clinical prognostic marker and therapeutic target for this disease. - Highlights: • FOXD3 is downregulated in NSCLC cell lines and tissues. • FOXD3 overexpression inhibited cell proliferation in NSCLC cells. • FOXD3 overexpression led to decreased angiogenesis in NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo.

  1. In vitro transdifferentiation of umbilical cord stem cells into cardiac myocytes: Role of growth factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rasha A.M. Khattab

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available Recently, stem cell based cell therapy has become a realistic option to replace damaged cardiomyocytes. Most studies on stem cell transplantation therapy have focused on the use of undifferentiated stem cells. There is a strong possibility that some cardiogenic differentiation of the stem cell in vitro prior to transplantation would result in higher engraftment efficiency, as well as enhanced myocardial regeneration and recovery of heart function. In this study we aimed to define the conditions for ex-vivo differentiation of cord blood stem cells to cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells. These conditions include the combination of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF; basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2 and platelet derived growth factor AB (PDGF-AB. Forty cord blood samples were included in this work. In this work, the percentage of CD34+ cells, CD31+ cells and CD34/31+ cells in mononuclear cells (MNC suspension was counted prior to culture (day zero, and day 10 in the different growth factor cocktails used as well as the control tube, from which the fold increase of CD34+ cells, CD31+ cells and CD34/31+ cells was calculated. Detection of cardiac troponin I in the cultured cells to confirm cardiac differentiation was done at day 10 using Mouse anti-troponin I monoclonal antibody. From the present study, it was concluded that the growth factor cocktail in protocol 2 (FGF2+VEGF+PDGF-AB gives better in vitro trans-differentiation of stem/progenitor cells in umbilical cord blood into cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells than the cytokines cocktail in protocol 1 (FGF2+VEGF alone.

  2. Influence of oxygen partial pressure on the characteristics of human hepatocarcinoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trepiana, Jenifer; Meijide, Susana; Navarro, Rosaura; Hernández, M Luisa; Ruiz-Sanz, José Ignacio; Ruiz-Larrea, M Begoña

    2017-08-01

    Most of the in vitro studies using liver cell lines have been performed under atmospheric oxygen partial pressure (21% O 2 ). However, the oxygen concentrations in the liver and cancer cells are far from this value. In the present study, we have evaluated the influence of oxygen on 1) the tumor cell lines features (growth, steady-state ROS levels, GSH content, activities of antioxidant enzymes, p66 Shc and SOD expressions, metalloproteinases secretion, migration, invasion, and adhesion) of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines, and b) the response of the cells to an oxidant stimulus (aqueous leaf extract of the V. baccifera plant species). For this purpose, three hepatocarcinoma cell lines with different p53 status, HepG2 (wild-type), Huh7 (mutated), and Hep3B (deleted), were cultured (6-30 days) under atmospheric (21%) and more physiological (8%) pO 2 . Results showed that after long-term culturing at 8% versus 21% O 2 , the cellular proliferation rate and the steady-state levels of mitochondrial O 2 - were unaffected. However, the intracellular basal ROS levels were higher independently of the characteristics of the cell line. Moreover, the lower pO 2 was associated with lower glutathione content, the induction of p66 Shc and Mn-SOD proteins, and increased SOD activity only in HepG2. This cell line also showed a higher migration rate, secretion of active metalloproteinases, and a faster invasion. HepG2 cells were more resistant to the oxidative stress induced by V. baccifera. Results suggest that the long-term culturing of human hepatoma cells at a low, more physiological pO 2 induces antioxidant adaptations that could be mediated by p53, and may alter the cellular response to a subsequent oxidant challenge. Data support the necessity of validating outcomes from studies performed with hepatoma cell cultures under ambient O 2 . Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Polarity, cell division, and out-of-equilibrium dynamics control the growth of epithelial structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cerruti, Benedetta; Puliafito, Alberto; Shewan, Annette M.; Yu, Wei; Combes, Alexander N.; Little, Melissa H.; Chianale, Federica; Primo, Luca; Serini, Guido; Mostov, Keith E.; Celani, Antonio

    2013-01-01

    The growth of a well-formed epithelial structure is governed by mechanical constraints, cellular apico-basal polarity, and spatially controlled cell division. Here we compared the predictions of a mathematical model of epithelial growth with the morphological analysis of 3D epithelial structures. In both in vitro cyst models and in developing epithelial structures in vivo, epithelial growth could take place close to or far from mechanical equilibrium, and was determined by the hierarchy of time-scales of cell division, cell–cell rearrangements, and lumen dynamics. Equilibrium properties could be inferred by the analysis of cell–cell contact topologies, and the nonequilibrium phenotype was altered by inhibiting ROCK activity. The occurrence of an aberrant multilumen phenotype was linked to fast nonequilibrium growth, even when geometric control of cell division was correctly enforced. We predicted and verified experimentally that slowing down cell division partially rescued a multilumen phenotype induced by altered polarity. These results improve our understanding of the development of epithelial organs and, ultimately, of carcinogenesis. PMID:24145168

  4. Advanced Research of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 
in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan PU

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Lung cancer is severely threatening human health. In recent years, the treatment for lung adenocarcinoma has made a great progress, targeted therapy has been widely applied in clinic, and benefits amount of patients. However, in squamous cell lung cancer, the incidence of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR gene mutant and ALK fusion gene are low,and targeted therapy like Tarceva and crizotinib, can hardly work. Since the fibroblast growth factors (fibroblast growth factor, FGF pathway is considered to be related to tumor cell proliferation, metastasis and angiogenesis, more and more researches proved the amplification of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR in squamous cell lung cancer. Experiments in vivo and in vitro found that blocking FGF pathway could reduce the proliferation of tumor cells and inhibit metastasis. The FGF pathway might be a new target for treatment of squamous cell lung cancer. This article reviews the effect of FGFR in tumorigenesis,as well as the prospect as a therapeutic target in non-small cell lung cancer.

  5. Reduction of Nup107 attenuates the growth factor signaling in the senescent cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Sung Young; Kang, Hyun Tae; Choi, Hae Ri; Park, Sang Chul

    2010-01-01

    Research highlights: → Decreased expression of Nup107 in aged cells and organs. → Depletion of Nup107 results in impaired nuclear translocation of p-ERK. → Depletion of Nup107 affects downstream effectors of ERK signaling. → Depletion of Nup107 inhibits cell proliferation of oligodendroglioma cells. -- Abstract: Hypo-responsiveness to growth factors is a fundamental feature of cellular senescence. In this study, we found markedly decreased level of Nup107, a key scaffold protein in nuclear pore complex assembly, in senescent human diploid fibroblasts as well as in organs of aged mice. Depletion of Nup107 by specific siRNA in young human diploid fibroblasts prevented the effective nuclear translocation of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) following epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation, and decreased the expression of c-Fos in consequence. The disturbances in ERK signaling in Nup107 depleted cells closely mirror the similar changes in senescent cells. Knockdown of Nup107 in anaplastic oligodendroglioma cells caused cell death, rather than growth retardation, indicating a greater sensitivity to Nup107 depletion in cancer cells than in normal cells. These findings support the notion that Nup107 may contribute significantly to the regulation of cell fate in aged and transformed cells by modulating nuclear trafficking of signal molecules.

  6. Reduction of Nup107 attenuates the growth factor signaling in the senescent cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Sung Young; Kang, Hyun Tae; Choi, Hae Ri [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Aging and Apoptosis Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 110-799 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Sang Chul, E-mail: scpark@snu.ac.kr [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Aging and Apoptosis Research Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 110-799 (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-10-08

    Research highlights: {yields} Decreased expression of Nup107 in aged cells and organs. {yields} Depletion of Nup107 results in impaired nuclear translocation of p-ERK. {yields} Depletion of Nup107 affects downstream effectors of ERK signaling. {yields} Depletion of Nup107 inhibits cell proliferation of oligodendroglioma cells. -- Abstract: Hypo-responsiveness to growth factors is a fundamental feature of cellular senescence. In this study, we found markedly decreased level of Nup107, a key scaffold protein in nuclear pore complex assembly, in senescent human diploid fibroblasts as well as in organs of aged mice. Depletion of Nup107 by specific siRNA in young human diploid fibroblasts prevented the effective nuclear translocation of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) following epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation, and decreased the expression of c-Fos in consequence. The disturbances in ERK signaling in Nup107 depleted cells closely mirror the similar changes in senescent cells. Knockdown of Nup107 in anaplastic oligodendroglioma cells caused cell death, rather than growth retardation, indicating a greater sensitivity to Nup107 depletion in cancer cells than in normal cells. These findings support the notion that Nup107 may contribute significantly to the regulation of cell fate in aged and transformed cells by modulating nuclear trafficking of signal molecules.

  7. Preliminary study on proteomic technique in radiobiological characteristics in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Hui; Yi Xuping; Hu Bingqiang; Zeng Liang; Liu Yisong; Liang Songping

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To examine the variation of protein expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines with different biological characteristics and to identify the radiobiological associated proteins. Methods: Biological characteristics of 5-8F and 6-10B were compared by flow cytometry assay after irradiation. The total proteins of 5-8F and 6-10B were separated by immobilized pH gradient(IPG) IEF-SDS two-dimensional gel eleetrophoresis technique. The differentially expressed proteins were cut from the gel and digested into peptides for MALDI-TOF MS and the Q-TOF mass spectrometric analysis. Identification of protein was made through searching in protein sequence database. Protein expressions were examined by western blot and immunohistochemistry method. Results: Nine most differentially expressed proteins between 5-8F cell and 6-10B cell were identified, p73 and CK19 expression examined by western blot were conformal with that by proteomic method, p73 expression in 5-8F cell was higher than in 6-10B cell. CK19 expression in 6- 10B cell was higher than in 5-8F cell. Conclusion: Differentially expression of proteins exist in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cell lines with different biological characteristics. These proteins may be associated with cell radiobiological characteristic with the p73 as a potential biomarker. (authors)

  8. Suppression of SOX18 by siRNA inhibits cell growth and invasion of breast cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jianxiang; Ma, Yanmei; Wang, Shoujun; Chen, Fu; Gu, Yuanting

    2016-06-01

    Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women around the world, and its incidence and mortality rates are still rising. An increasing number of studies have reported that SOX18 plays an important role in various cancers. However, the role of SOX18 in breast cancer remains poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the biological role and potential molecular mechanism of SOX18 in breast cancer. We found that the mRNA and protein expression levels of SOX18 were prevalently and significantly overexpressed in human breast cancer cell lines. Next, we performed loss-of-function experiments by transfection of two breast cancer cell lines, BT-474 and MCF-7, with SOX18 small interfering RNAs (siRNA). Results showed that SOX18 siRNA transfection significantly suppressed mRNA and protein expression of SOX18 in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, knockdown of SOX18 significantly inhibited cell proliferation and invasion, but promoted apoptosis in breast cancer cells. Importantly, several oncogenic proteins, including the Ras homolog gene family member A (RhoA), platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGFB), Insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R), and matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), were markedly decreased by SOX18 siRNA. Taken together, the results of our study suggest that knockdown of SOX18 inhibits breast cancer cell growth and invasion, possibly by downregulating downstream oncogenic proteins, providing novel insights into the development of breast cancer therapy through targeting of SOX18.

  9. Growth factor expression pattern of homologous feeder layer for culturing buffalo embryonic stem cell-like cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Ruchi; George, Aman; Kamble, Nitin M; Chauhan, Manmohan S; Singla, Suresh; Manik, Radhey S; Palta, Prabhat

    2012-01-01

    The present study examined the expression profile of buffalo fetal fibroblasts (BFF) used as a feeder layer for embryonic stem (ES) cell-like cells. The expression of important growth factors was detected in cells at different passages. Mitomycin-C inactivation increased relative expression levels of ACTIVIN-A, TGF-β1, BMP-4 and GREMLIN but not of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2). The expression level of ACTIVIN-A, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4) and FGF-2 was similar in buffalo fetal fibroblast (BFF) cultured in stem cell medium (SCM), SCM+1000IU mL(-1) leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), SCM+5 ngmL(-1) FGF-2 or SCM+LIF+FGF-2 for 24 h whereas GREMLIN expression was higher in FGF-2-supplemented groups. In spent medium, the concentration of ACTIVIN-A was higher in FGF-2-supplemented groups whereas that of TGF-β1 was similar in SCM and LIF+FGF-2, which was higher than when either LIF or FGF-2 was used alone. Following culture of ES cell-like cells on a feeder layer for 24 h, the TGF-β1 concentration was higher with LIF+FGF-2 than with LIF or FGF-2 alone which, in turn, was higher than that in SCM. In the LIF+FGF-2 group, the concentration of TGF-β1 was lower and that of ACTIVIN-A was higher in spent medium at 24 h than at 48 h of culture. These results suggest that BFF produce signalling molecules that may help in self-renewal of buffalo ES cell-like cells.

  10. [Effects of different trophic modes on growth characteristics, metabolism and cellular components of Chlorella vulgaris].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Weibao; Wang, Yang; Yang, Hong; Xi, Yuqin; Han, Rui; Niu, Shiquan

    2015-03-04

    We studied the effects of trophic modes related to glucose and light (photoautotrophy, mixotrophy and heterotrophy) on growth, cellular components and carbon metabolic pathway of Chlorella vulgaris. The parameters about growth of algal cells were investigated by using spectroscopy and chromatography techniques. When trophic mode changed from photoautotrophy to mixotrophy and to heterotrophy successively, the concentrations of soluble sugar, lipid and saturated C16/C18 fatty acids in C. vulgaris increased, whereas the concentrations of unsaturated C16, C18 fatty acids, proteins, photosynthetic pigments and 18 relative amino acids decreased. Light and glucose affect the growth, metabolism and the biochemical components biosynthesis of C. vulgaris. Addition of glucose can promote algal biomass accumulation, stimulate the synthesis of carbonaceous components, but inhibit nitrogenous components. Under illumination cultivation, concentration and consumption level of glucose decided the main trophic modes of C. vulgaris. Mixotrophic and heterotrophic cultivation could promote the growth of algal cells.

  11. Senescence from glioma stem cell differentiation promotes tumor growth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ouchi, Rie; Okabe, Sachiko; Migita, Toshiro; Nakano, Ichiro; Seimiya, Hiroyuki

    2016-01-01

    Glioblastoma (GBM) is a lethal brain tumor composed of heterogeneous cellular populations including glioma stem cells (GSCs) and differentiated non-stem glioma cells (NSGCs). While GSCs are involved in tumor initiation and propagation, NSGCs' role remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that NSGCs undergo senescence and secrete pro-angiogenic proteins, boosting the GSC-derived tumor formation in vivo. We used a GSC model that maintains stemness in neurospheres, but loses the stemness and differentiates into NSGCs upon serum stimulation. These NSGCs downregulated telomerase, shortened telomeres, and eventually became senescent. The senescent NSGCs released pro-angiogenic proteins, including vascular endothelial growth factors and senescence-associated interleukins, such as IL-6 and IL-8. Conditioned medium from senescent NSGCs promoted proliferation of brain microvascular endothelial cells, and mixed implantation of GSCs and senescent NSGCs into mice enhanced the tumorigenic potential of GSCs. The senescent NSGCs seem to be clinically relevant, because both clinical samples and xenografts of GBM contained tumor cells that expressed the senescence markers. Our data suggest that senescent NSGCs promote malignant progression of GBM in part via paracrine effects of the secreted proteins. - Highlights: • Non-stem glioma cells (NSGCs) lose telomerase and eventually become senescent. • Senescent NSGCs secrete pro-angiogenic proteins, such as VEGFs, IL-6, and IL-8. • Senescent NSGCs enhance the growth of brain microvascular endothelial cells. • Senescent NSGCs enhance the tumorigenic potential of glioma stem cells in vivo.

  12. Senescence from glioma stem cell differentiation promotes tumor growth

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ouchi, Rie [Division of Molecular Biotherapy, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan); Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan); Okabe, Sachiko; Migita, Toshiro [Division of Molecular Biotherapy, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan); Nakano, Ichiro [Department of Neurosurgery, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1824 6th Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233 (United States); Seimiya, Hiroyuki, E-mail: hseimiya@jfcr.or.jp [Division of Molecular Biotherapy, Cancer Chemotherapy Center, Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan); Laboratory of Molecular Target Therapy of Cancer, Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 3-8-31 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan)

    2016-02-05

    Glioblastoma (GBM) is a lethal brain tumor composed of heterogeneous cellular populations including glioma stem cells (GSCs) and differentiated non-stem glioma cells (NSGCs). While GSCs are involved in tumor initiation and propagation, NSGCs' role remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that NSGCs undergo senescence and secrete pro-angiogenic proteins, boosting the GSC-derived tumor formation in vivo. We used a GSC model that maintains stemness in neurospheres, but loses the stemness and differentiates into NSGCs upon serum stimulation. These NSGCs downregulated telomerase, shortened telomeres, and eventually became senescent. The senescent NSGCs released pro-angiogenic proteins, including vascular endothelial growth factors and senescence-associated interleukins, such as IL-6 and IL-8. Conditioned medium from senescent NSGCs promoted proliferation of brain microvascular endothelial cells, and mixed implantation of GSCs and senescent NSGCs into mice enhanced the tumorigenic potential of GSCs. The senescent NSGCs seem to be clinically relevant, because both clinical samples and xenografts of GBM contained tumor cells that expressed the senescence markers. Our data suggest that senescent NSGCs promote malignant progression of GBM in part via paracrine effects of the secreted proteins. - Highlights: • Non-stem glioma cells (NSGCs) lose telomerase and eventually become senescent. • Senescent NSGCs secrete pro-angiogenic proteins, such as VEGFs, IL-6, and IL-8. • Senescent NSGCs enhance the growth of brain microvascular endothelial cells. • Senescent NSGCs enhance the tumorigenic potential of glioma stem cells in vivo.

  13. In-vitro growth characteristics of commercial probiotic strains and their potential for inhibition of Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schoster, A.; Permin, A.; Kokotovic, Branko

    2012-01-01

    . To study growth characteristics of 17 commercial probiotic strains (Lactobacilli n=16, Bifidobacteria n=1) MRS broth was adjusted to pH 2 or 4 or supplemented with 0.15% or 0.3% bile. Growth was measured at 0 and 24h and compared spectrophotometrically to control growth in standard MRS broth. Growth under...

  14. IN-VITRO GROWTH CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMERCIAL PROBIOTIC STRAINS AND THEIR POTENTIAL FOR INHIBITION OF CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE AND CLOSTRDIDUM PERFRINGENS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schoster, Angelika; Kokotovic, Branko; Permin, Anders

    . To study growth characteristics of 17 commercial probiotic strains (Lactobacilli n=16, Bifidobacteria n=1) MRS broth was adjusted to pH 2 or 4 or supplemented with 0.15% or 0.3% bile. Growth was measured at 0 and 24h and compared spectrophotometrically to control growth in standard MRS broth. Growth under...

  15. A material-independent cell–environment niche based on microreciprocating motion for cell growth enhancement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Ching-Wen; Wang, Gou-Jen

    2013-01-01

    In tissue engineering, cell–cell, cell–scaffold and cell–environment communication balances regulate how cell populations participate in tissue generation, maintenance and repair. These communication balances are called niches. In this study, an easily implemented and material-independent cell–environment niche based on microreciprocating motions is developed to enhance cell growth. A micropositioning piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate stage is used to provide precise microreciprocating shear stress motions. Various shear stresses were applied to bovine endothelial cells (BECs) that were cultured on the artificially synthesized materials to obtain the suitable shear stress for growth enhancement. It was found that the suitable shear stress for apparent enhancement of BEC growth ranges from 1.8 to 2.2 N m −2 . Biopolymers were further used to verify the feasibility of the proposed approach using the optimized shear stress obtained from the culture on artificially synthesized polymers. The results further confirmed that the growth of BECs was enhanced as expected under the calculated reciprocating frequencies based on the suitable shear stress. It is hoped that the proposed microshear-stress-based niche could be a more cost- and time-effective solution for the enhancement of cell growth in tissue engineering applications. (paper)

  16. The TOR Signaling Pathway in Spatial and Temporal Control of Cell Size and Growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suam Gonzalez

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Cell size is amenable by genetic and environmental factors. The highly conserved nutrient-responsive Target of Rapamycin (TOR signaling pathway regulates cellular metabolic status and growth in response to numerous inputs. Timing and duration of TOR pathway activity is pivotal for both cell mass built up as well as cell cycle progression and is controlled and fine-tuned by the abundance and quality of nutrients, hormonal signals, growth factors, stress, and oxygen. TOR kinases function within two functionally and structurally discrete multiprotein complexes, TORC1 and TORC2, that are implicated in temporal and spatial control of cell size and growth respectively; however, recent data indicate that such functional distinctions are much more complex. Here, we briefly review roles of the two complexes in cellular growth and cytoarchitecture in various experimental model systems.

  17. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells from aged patients with coronary artery disease keep mesenchymal stromal cell properties but exhibit characteristics of aging and have impaired angiogenic potential.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Efimenko, Anastasia; Dzhoyashvili, Nina; Kalinina, Natalia; Kochegura, Tatiana; Akchurin, Renat; Tkachuk, Vsevolod; Parfyonova, Yelena

    2014-01-01

    Tissue regeneration is impaired in aged individuals. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ADSCs), a promising source for cell therapy, were shown to secrete various angiogenic factors and improve vascularization of ischemic tissues. We analyzed how patient age affected the angiogenic properties of ADSCs. ADSCs were isolated from subcutaneous fat tissue of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD; n = 64, 43-77 years old) and without CAD (n = 31, 2-82 years old). ADSC phenotype characterized by flow cytometry was CD90(+)/CD73(+)/CD105(+)/CD45(-)/CD31(-) for all samples, and these cells were capable of adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation. ADSCs from aged patients had shorter telomeres (quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) and a tendency to attenuated telomerase activity. ADSC-conditioned media (ADSC-CM) stimulated capillary-like tube formation by endothelial cells (EA.hy926), and this effect significantly decreased with the age of patients both with and without CAD. Angiogenic factors (vascular endothelial growth factor, placental growth factor, hepatocyte growth factor, angiopoetin-1, and angiogenin) in ADSC-CM measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay significantly decreased with patient age, whereas levels of antiangiogenic factors thrombospondin-1 and endostatin did not. Expression of angiogenic factors in ADSCs did not change with patient age (real-time polymerase chain reaction); however, gene expression of factors related to extracellular proteolysis (urokinase and its receptor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor surface expression increased in ADSCs from aged patients with CAD. ADSCs from aged patients both with and without CAD acquire aging characteristics, and their angiogenic potential declines because of decreasing proangiogenic factor secretion. This could restrict the effectiveness of autologous cell therapy with ADSCs in aged patients.

  18. Components in aqueous Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower extract inhibit in vitro melanoma cell growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karina H. Goldberg

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Skin cancer is extremely common, and melanoma causes about 80% of skin cancer deaths. In fact, melanoma kills over 50 thousand people around the world each year, and these numbers are rising. Clearly, standard treatments are not effectively treating melanoma, and alternative therapies are needed to address this problem. Hibiscus tea has been noted to have medicinal properties, including anticancer effects. Extracts from Hibiscus have been shown to inhibit the growth of a variety of cancer cells. In particular, recent studies found that polyphenols extracted from Hibiscus sabdariffa by organic solvents can inhibit melanoma cell growth. However, effects of aqueous extracts from Hibiscus rosa-sinesis flowers, which are commonly used to make traditional medicinal beverages, have not been examined on melanoma cells. Here, we report that aqueous H. rosa-sinesis flower extract contains compounds that inhibit melanoma cell growth in a dose dependent manner at concentrations that did not affect the growth of nontransformed cells. In addition, these extracts contain low molecular weight growth inhibitory compounds below 3 kD in size that combine with larger compounds to more effectively inhibit melanoma cell growth. Future work should identify these compounds, and evaluate their potential to prevent and treat melanoma and other cancers.

  19. Metastasis and growth of friend tumor cells in irradiated syngeneic hosts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matioli, G.

    1974-01-01

    Friend tumor cells (FTC) have been studied by growing them in lethally irradiated syngeneic mice. After establishing the FTC dilution factor (delta), extinction factor (Q), and the optimal time for colony counts, the FTC kinetic was analyzed by the recovery curve method. It was found that FTC growth is different from that experienced by normal or leukemic Friend stem cells when tested by the same in vivo assay. The most interesting differences were the high metastatic activity, the lack of differentiation, the deterministic growth, and the independence from the spleen microenvironment experienced by the FTC, in contrast with the normal and leukemic stem cells. In addition, the estimate of the critical size the FTC colony has to reach before releasing the first metastatic cells is presented. (U.S.)

  20. Mechanisms underlying the growth inhibitory effects of the cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitor celecoxib in human breast cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Basu, Gargi D; Pathangey, Latha B; Tinder, Teresa L; Gendler, Sandra J; Mukherjee, Pinku

    2005-01-01

    Inhibitors of cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 are being extensively studied as anticancer agents. In the present study we evaluated the mechanisms by which a highly selective COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib, affects tumor growth of two differentially invasive human breast cancer cell lines. MDA-MB-231 (highly invasive) and MDA-MB-468 (moderately invasive) cell lines were treated with varying concentrations of celecoxib in vitro, and the effects of this agent on cell growth and angiogenesis were monitored by evaluating cell proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and vasculogenic mimicry. The in vitro results of MDA-MB-231 cell line were further confirmed in vivo in a mouse xenograft model. The highly invasive MDA-MB-231 cells express higher levels of COX-2 than do the less invasive MDA-MB-468 cells. Celecoxib treatment inhibited COX-2 activity, indicated by prostaglandin E 2 secretion, and caused significant growth arrest in both breast cancer cell lines. In the highly invasive MDA-MB-231 cells, the mechanism of celecoxib-induced growth arrest was by induction of apoptosis, associated with reduced activation of protein kinase B/Akt, and subsequent activation of caspases 3 and 7. In the less invasive MDA-MB-468 cells, growth arrest was a consequence of cell cycle arrest at the G 0 /G 1 checkpoint. Celecoxib-induced growth inhibition was reversed by addition of exogenous prostaglandin E 2 in MDA-MB-468 cells but not in MDA-MB-231 cells. Furthermore, MDA-MB-468 cells formed significantly fewer extracellular matrix associated microvascular channels in vitro than did the high COX-2 expressing MDA-MB-231 cells. Celecoxib treatment not only inhibited cell growth and vascular channel formation but also reduced vascular endothelial growth factor levels. The in vitro findings corroborated in vivo data from a mouse xenograft model in which daily administration of celecoxib significantly reduced tumor growth of MDA-MB-231 cells, which was associated with reduced vascularization and

  1. Formation of binucleated myocardial cells in the neonatal rat. An index for growth hypertrophy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Clubb, F.J. Jr.; Bishop, S.P.

    1984-01-01

    The purposes of this study were to characterize myocardial cell growth in neonatal rats and investigate the mechanism of binucleation in myocardial cells. To test the hypothesis that binucleated myocardial cells result from karyokinesis without cytokinesis, experiments were designed to measure the rate of DNA synthesis and the percentage of binucleated myocardial cells in neonatal rats during growth. Estimates of myocardial cell nuclear divisions were obtained from rats pulsed with tritiated thymidine at 17 days of gestation. Autoradiograms were prepared from isolated myocardial cells of rats killed at various ages postpartum, and the number of developed silver halide grains over myocardial cell nuclei was calculated. This estimated the mitotic activity of nuclei. To determine myocardial cell DNA synthesis postpartum, another set of rats were injected at various time periods with 4 hourly doses of tritiated thymidine, and hearts were fixed by perfusion 1 hour later. Labeling index of myocardial cells was calculated (labeled/total myocardial cells) from autoradiograms. Results indicated that the growth of myocardial cells in period can be divided into three phases: (a) a hyperplastic phase, (b) a transitional phase, and (c) a hypertrophic phase. Binucleation of myocardial cells was not due to fusion of mononucleated cells

  2. NADE (p75NTR-associated cell death executor) suppresses cellular growth in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Xiangjun; Xie, Dong; Roth, Wilfried; Reed, John; Koeffler, H Phillip

    2003-06-01

    NADE, a p75NTR (low-affinity neurotrophin receptor p75) -associated cell death executor, was initially cloned from a human ovarian granulosa cell cDNA library, as an unknown protein with the name, pHGR74. It was reported to mediate nerve growth factor-induced apoptosis. We independently isolated human NADE (pHGR74) from breast cancer cell lines. Expression of NADE in various human cancer cell lines, and human and murine tissues was examined. NADE was highly expressed in human endocrine-related organs and embryotic murine tissues. Forced expression of NADE in CHO (Chinese hamster ovary) cells and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells had little effect on the growth of the cells in vitro, while it dramatically suppressed cellular growth in vivo. We used the yeast two-hybrid system to search for NADE binding protein. Dynactin was identified as a candidate. The p75NTR was not found in this assay and did not co-immunoprecipitate with human NADE. Furthermore, the cells stably transfected with NADE did not respond to NGF or TNF. Thus, human and murine NADE appear to have different functions.

  3. Changes in gene expression following growth stimulation of cultured cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nathans, D.; Lau, L.F.; Lee, S.J.; Linzer, D.I.H.

    1986-01-01

    To identify genes that may be part of a genetic program for the growth of mammalian cells. The authors are characterizing cDNA clones derived from mRNAs that appear at various times after stimulation of resting BALB/c 3T3 cells with serum or growth factors. cDNA libraries were prepared from polyA/sup +/ RNA from cells stimulated with serum for various periods of time, and the libraries were differentially screened with /sup 32/P-cDNA probes made from stimulated or resting cell mRNA. One cDNA library was prepared from cells that were stimulated with serum for 3 hrs in the presence of cycloheximide. The authors purpose in inhibiting protein synthesis was to limit new mRNAs to those that do not require de novo protein synthesis for their accumulation and to amplify mRNAs that are superinduced by serum in the absence of protein synthesis. Of approximately 50,000 recombinant phage plaques screened, 357 clones hybridized to probes derived from stimulated-cell RNA but not to probes from resting-cell RNA. Cross hybridization analysis showed that 4 RNA sequence families accounted for over 95% of the clones; other sequences were found only once

  4. Matrix rigidity regulates cancer cell growth and cellular phenotype.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert W Tilghman

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available The mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix have an important role in cell growth and differentiation. However, it is unclear as to what extent cancer cells respond to changes in the mechanical properties (rigidity/stiffness of the microenvironment and how this response varies among cancer cell lines.In this study we used a recently developed 96-well plate system that arrays extracellular matrix-conjugated polyacrylamide gels that increase in stiffness by at least 50-fold across the plate. This plate was used to determine how changes in the rigidity of the extracellular matrix modulate the biological properties of tumor cells. The cell lines tested fall into one of two categories based on their proliferation on substrates of differing stiffness: "rigidity dependent" (those which show an increase in cell growth as extracellular rigidity is increased, and "rigidity independent" (those which grow equally on both soft and stiff substrates. Cells which grew poorly on soft gels also showed decreased spreading and migration under these conditions. More importantly, seeding the cell lines into the lungs of nude mice revealed that the ability of cells to grow on soft gels in vitro correlated with their ability to grow in a soft tissue environment in vivo. The lung carcinoma line A549 responded to culture on soft gels by expressing the differentiated epithelial marker E-cadherin and decreasing the expression of the mesenchymal transcription factor Slug.These observations suggest that the mechanical properties of the matrix environment play a significant role in regulating the proliferation and the morphological properties of cancer cells. Further, the multiwell format of the soft-plate assay is a useful and effective adjunct to established 3-dimensional cell culture models.

  5. Matrix Rigidity Regulates Cancer Cell Growth and Cellular Phenotype

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tilghman, Robert W.; Cowan, Catharine R.; Mih, Justin D.; Koryakina, Yulia; Gioeli, Daniel; Slack-Davis, Jill K.; Blackman, Brett R.; Tschumperlin, Daniel J.; Parsons, J. Thomas

    2010-01-01

    Background The mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix have an important role in cell growth and differentiation. However, it is unclear as to what extent cancer cells respond to changes in the mechanical properties (rigidity/stiffness) of the microenvironment and how this response varies among cancer cell lines. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study we used a recently developed 96-well plate system that arrays extracellular matrix-conjugated polyacrylamide gels that increase in stiffness by at least 50-fold across the plate. This plate was used to determine how changes in the rigidity of the extracellular matrix modulate the biological properties of tumor cells. The cell lines tested fall into one of two categories based on their proliferation on substrates of differing stiffness: “rigidity dependent” (those which show an increase in cell growth as extracellular rigidity is increased), and “rigidity independent” (those which grow equally on both soft and stiff substrates). Cells which grew poorly on soft gels also showed decreased spreading and migration under these conditions. More importantly, seeding the cell lines into the lungs of nude mice revealed that the ability of cells to grow on soft gels in vitro correlated with their ability to grow in a soft tissue environment in vivo. The lung carcinoma line A549 responded to culture on soft gels by expressing the differentiated epithelial marker E-cadherin and decreasing the expression of the mesenchymal transcription factor Slug. Conclusions/Significance These observations suggest that the mechanical properties of the matrix environment play a significant role in regulating the proliferation and the morphological properties of cancer cells. Further, the multiwell format of the soft-plate assay is a useful and effective adjunct to established 3-dimensional cell culture models. PMID:20886123

  6. Early growth response 4 is involved in cell proliferation of small cell lung cancer through transcriptional activation of its downstream genes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Taisuke Matsuo

    Full Text Available Small cell lung cancer (SCLC is aggressive, with rapid growth and frequent bone metastasis; however, its detailed molecular mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we report the critical role of early growth factor 4 (EGR4, a DNA-binding, zinc-finger transcription factor, in cell proliferation of SCLC. EGR4 overexpression in HEK293T cells conferred significant upregulation of specific splice variants of the parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP gene, resulting in enhancement of the secretion of PTHrP protein, a known mediator of osteolytic bone metastasis. More importantly, depletion of EGR4 expression by siRNA significantly suppressed growth of the SCLC cell lines, SBC-5, SBC-3 and NCI-H1048. On the other hand, introduction of EGR4 into NIH3T3 cells significantly enhanced cell growth. We identified four EGR4 target genes, SAMD5, RAB15, SYNPO and DLX5, which were the most significantly downregulated genes upon depletion of EGR4 expression in all of the SCLC cells examined, and demonstrated the direct recruitment of EGR4 to their promoters by ChIP and luciferase reporter analysis. Notably, knockdown of the expression of these genes by siRNA remarkably suppressed the growth of all the SCLC cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that EGR4 likely regulates the bone metastasis and proliferation of SCLC cells via transcriptional regulation of several target genes, and may therefore be a promising target for the development of anticancer drugs for SCLC patients.

  7. Alternative fuel cycle options: performance characteristics and impact on nuclear power growth potential

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Y.I.; Till, C.E.; Rudolph, R.R.; Deen, J.R.; King, M.J.

    1977-09-01

    The fuel utilization characteristics for LWR, SSCR, CANDU and LMFBR reactor concepts are quantified for various fuel cycle options, including once-through cycles, thorium cycles, and denatured cycles. The implications of various alternative reactor deployment strategies on the long-term nuclear power growth potential are then quantified in terms of the maximum nuclear capacity that can be achieved and the growth pattern over time, subject to the constraint of a fixed uranium-resource base. The overall objective of this study is to shed light on any large differences in the long-term potential that exist between various alternative reactor/fuel cycle deployment strategies

  8. Mevastatin-induced inhibition of cell growth in avocado suspension ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Research Centre for Plant Growth and Development, School of Agricultural Sciences and Agribusiness, University of .... source of regulatory molecules that modulate cell division .... nucellar tissue from embryo callus derived from seed of.

  9. Mesenchymal Stem Cells Retain Their Defining Stem Cell Characteristics After Exposure to Ionizing Radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nicolay, Nils H.; Sommer, Eva; Lopez, Ramon; Wirkner, Ute; Trinh, Thuy; Sisombath, Sonevisay; Debus, Jürgen; Ho, Anthony D.; Saffrich, Rainer; Huber, Peter E.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the ability to migrate to lesion sites and undergo differentiation into functional tissues. Although this function may be important for tissue regeneration after radiation therapy, the influence of ionizing radiation (IR) on cellular survival and the functional aspects of differentiation and stem cell characteristics of MSCs have remained largely unknown. Methods and Materials: Radiation sensitivity of human primary MSCs from healthy volunteers and primary human fibroblast cells was examined, and cellular morphology, cell cycle effects, apoptosis, and differentiation potential after exposure to IR were assessed. Stem cell gene expression patterns after exposure to IR were studied using gene arrays. Results: MSCs were not more radiosensitive than human primary fibroblasts, whereas there were considerable differences regarding radiation sensitivity within individual MSCs. Cellular morphology, cytoskeletal architecture, and cell motility were not markedly altered by IR. Even after high radiation doses up to 10 Gy, MSCs maintained their differentiation potential. Compared to primary fibroblast cells, MSCs did not show an increase in irradiation-induced apoptosis. Gene expression analyses revealed an upregulation of various genes involved in DNA damage response and DNA repair, but expression of established MSC surface markers appeared only marginally influenced by IR. Conclusions: These data suggest that human MSCs are not more radiosensitive than differentiated primary fibroblasts. In addition, upon photon irradiation, MSCs were able to retain their defining stem cell characteristics both on a functional level and regarding stem cell marker expression

  10. Matrix rigidity regulates cancer cell growth by modulating cellular metabolism and protein synthesis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert W Tilghman

    Full Text Available Tumor cells in vivo encounter diverse types of microenvironments both at the site of the primary tumor and at sites of distant metastases. Understanding how the various mechanical properties of these microenvironments affect the biology of tumor cells during disease progression is critical in identifying molecular targets for cancer therapy.This study uses flexible polyacrylamide gels as substrates for cell growth in conjunction with a novel proteomic approach to identify the properties of rigidity-dependent cancer cell lines that contribute to their differential growth on soft and rigid substrates. Compared to cells growing on more rigid/stiff substrates (>10,000 Pa, cells on soft substrates (150-300 Pa exhibited a longer cell cycle, due predominantly to an extension of the G1 phase of the cell cycle, and were metabolically less active, showing decreased levels of intracellular ATP and a marked reduction in protein synthesis. Using stable isotope labeling of amino acids in culture (SILAC and mass spectrometry, we measured the rates of protein synthesis of over 1200 cellular proteins under growth conditions on soft and rigid/stiff substrates. We identified cellular proteins whose syntheses were either preferentially inhibited or preserved on soft matrices. The former category included proteins that regulate cytoskeletal structures (e.g., tubulins and glycolysis (e.g., phosphofructokinase-1, whereas the latter category included proteins that regulate key metabolic pathways required for survival, e.g., nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase, a regulator of the NAD salvage pathway.The cellular properties of rigidity-dependent cancer cells growing on soft matrices are reminiscent of the properties of dormant cancer cells, e.g., slow growth rate and reduced metabolism. We suggest that the use of relatively soft gels as cell culture substrates would allow molecular pathways to be studied under conditions that reflect the different mechanical

  11. A class of DNA-binding peptides from wheat bud causes growth inhibition, G2 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction in HeLa cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elgjo Kjell

    2009-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Deproteinized DNA from eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells still contains a low-molecular weight peptidic fraction which can be dissociated by alkalinization of the medium. This fraction inhibits RNA transcription and tumor cell growth. Removal from DNA of normal cells causes amplification of DNA template activity. This effect is lower or absent in several cancer cell lines. Likewise, the amount of active peptides in cancer cell DNA extracts is lower than in DNA preparation of the corresponding normal cells. Such evidence, and their ubiquitous presence, suggests that they are a regulatory, conserved factor involved in the control of normal cell growth and gene expression. Results We report that peptides extracted from wheat bud chromatin induce growth inhibition, G2 arrest and caspase-dependent apoptosis in HeLa cells. The growth rate is decreased in cells treated during the S phase only and it is accompanied by DNA damage and DNA synthesis inhibition. In G2 cells, this treatment induces inactivation of the CDK1-cyclin B1 complex and an increase of active chk1 kinase expression. Conclusion The data indicate that the chromatin peptidic pool inhibits HeLa cell growth by causing defective DNA replication which, in turn, arrests cell cycle progression to mitosis via G2 checkpoint pathway activation.

  12. Atomic force microscopy stiffness tomography on living Arabidopsis thaliana cells reveals the mechanical properties of surface and deep cell-wall layers during growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radotić, Ksenija; Roduit, Charles; Simonović, Jasna; Hornitschek, Patricia; Fankhauser, Christian; Mutavdžić, Dragosav; Steinbach, Gabor; Dietler, Giovanni; Kasas, Sandor

    2012-08-08

    Cell-wall mechanical properties play a key role in the growth and the protection of plants. However, little is known about genuine wall mechanical properties and their growth-related dynamics at subcellular resolution and in living cells. Here, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) stiffness tomography to explore stiffness distribution in the cell wall of suspension-cultured Arabidopsis thaliana as a model of primary, growing cell wall. For the first time that we know of, this new imaging technique was performed on living single cells of a higher plant, permitting monitoring of the stiffness distribution in cell-wall layers as a function of the depth and its evolution during the different growth phases. The mechanical measurements were correlated with changes in the composition of the cell wall, which were revealed by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In the beginning and end of cell growth, the average stiffness of the cell wall was low and the wall was mechanically homogenous, whereas in the exponential growth phase, the average wall stiffness increased, with increasing heterogeneity. In this phase, the difference between the superficial and deep wall stiffness was highest. FTIR spectra revealed a relative increase in the polysaccharide/lignin content. Copyright © 2012 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. MG132 as a proteasome inhibitor induces cell growth inhibition and cell death in A549 lung cancer cells via influencing reactive oxygen species and GSH level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Yong Hwan; Park, Woo Hyun

    2010-07-01

    Carbobenzoxy-Leu-Leu-leucinal (MG132) as a proteasome inhibitor has been shown to induce apoptotic cell death through formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In the present study, we evaluated the effects of MG132 on the growth of A549 lung cancer cells in relation to cell growth, ROS and glutathione (GSH) levels. Treatment with MG132 inhibited the growth of A549 cells with an IC(50) of approximately 20 microM at 24 hours. DNA flow cytometric analysis indicated that 0.5 approximately 30 microM MG132 induced a G1 phase arrest of the cell cycle in A549 cells. Treatment with 10 or 30 microM MG132 also induced apoptosis, as evidenced by sub-G1 cells and annexin V staining cells. This was accompanied by the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP; Delta psi m). The intracellular ROS levels including O(2) (*-) were strongly increased in 10 or 30 microM MG132-treated A549 cells but were down-regulated in 0.1, 0.5 or 1 microM MG132-treated cells. Furthermore, 10 or 30 microM MG132 increased mitochondrial O(2) (*- ) level but 0.1, 0.5 or 1 microM MG132 decreased that. In addition, 10 or 30 microM MG132 induced GSH depletion in A549 cells. In conclusion, MG132 inhibited the growth of human A549 cells via inducing the cell cycle arrest as well as triggering apoptosis, which was in part correlated with the changes of ROS and GSH levels. Our present data provide important information on the anti-growth mechanisms of MG132 in A549 lung cancer cells in relation to ROS and GSH.

  14. Identification of growth phases and influencing factors in cultivations with AGE1.HN cells using set-based methods.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steffen Borchers

    Full Text Available Production of bio-pharmaceuticals in cell culture, such as mammalian cells, is challenging. Mathematical models can provide support to the analysis, optimization, and the operation of production processes. In particular, unstructured models are suited for these purposes, since they can be tailored to particular process conditions. To this end, growth phases and the most relevant factors influencing cell growth and product formation have to be identified. Due to noisy and erroneous experimental data, unknown kinetic parameters, and the large number of combinations of influencing factors, currently there are only limited structured approaches to tackle these issues. We outline a structured set-based approach to identify different growth phases and the factors influencing cell growth and metabolism. To this end, measurement uncertainties are taken explicitly into account to bound the time-dependent specific growth rate based on the observed increase of the cell concentration. Based on the bounds on the specific growth rate, we can identify qualitatively different growth phases and (in-validate hypotheses on the factors influencing cell growth and metabolism. We apply the approach to a mammalian suspension cell line (AGE1.HN. We show that growth in batch culture can be divided into two main growth phases. The initial phase is characterized by exponential growth dynamics, which can be described consistently by a relatively simple unstructured and segregated model. The subsequent phase is characterized by a decrease in the specific growth rate, which, as shown, results from substrate limitation and the pH of the medium. An extended model is provided which describes the observed dynamics of cell growth and main metabolites, and the corresponding kinetic parameters as well as their confidence intervals are estimated. The study is complemented by an uncertainty and outlier analysis. Overall, we demonstrate utility of set-based methods for analyzing cell

  15. Identification of growth phases and influencing factors in cultivations with AGE1.HN cells using set-based methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borchers, Steffen; Freund, Susann; Rath, Alexander; Streif, Stefan; Reichl, Udo; Findeisen, Rolf

    2013-01-01

    Production of bio-pharmaceuticals in cell culture, such as mammalian cells, is challenging. Mathematical models can provide support to the analysis, optimization, and the operation of production processes. In particular, unstructured models are suited for these purposes, since they can be tailored to particular process conditions. To this end, growth phases and the most relevant factors influencing cell growth and product formation have to be identified. Due to noisy and erroneous experimental data, unknown kinetic parameters, and the large number of combinations of influencing factors, currently there are only limited structured approaches to tackle these issues. We outline a structured set-based approach to identify different growth phases and the factors influencing cell growth and metabolism. To this end, measurement uncertainties are taken explicitly into account to bound the time-dependent specific growth rate based on the observed increase of the cell concentration. Based on the bounds on the specific growth rate, we can identify qualitatively different growth phases and (in-)validate hypotheses on the factors influencing cell growth and metabolism. We apply the approach to a mammalian suspension cell line (AGE1.HN). We show that growth in batch culture can be divided into two main growth phases. The initial phase is characterized by exponential growth dynamics, which can be described consistently by a relatively simple unstructured and segregated model. The subsequent phase is characterized by a decrease in the specific growth rate, which, as shown, results from substrate limitation and the pH of the medium. An extended model is provided which describes the observed dynamics of cell growth and main metabolites, and the corresponding kinetic parameters as well as their confidence intervals are estimated. The study is complemented by an uncertainty and outlier analysis. Overall, we demonstrate utility of set-based methods for analyzing cell growth and

  16. YAP/TAZ enhance mammalian embryonic neural stem cell characteristics in a Tead-dependent manner

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Dasol; Byun, Sung-Hyun; Park, Soojeong; Kim, Juwan; Kim, Inhee; Ha, Soobong; Kwon, Mookwang; Yoon, Keejung, E-mail: keejung@skku.edu

    2015-02-27

    Mammalian brain development is regulated by multiple signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, migration and differentiation. Here we show that YAP/TAZ enhance embryonic neural stem cell characteristics in a cell autonomous fashion using diverse experimental approaches. Introduction of retroviral vectors expressing YAP or TAZ into the mouse embryonic brain induced cell localization in the ventricular zone (VZ), which is the embryonic neural stem cell niche. This change in cell distribution in the cortical layer is due to the increased stemness of infected cells; YAP-expressing cells were colabeled with Sox2, a neural stem cell marker, and YAP/TAZ increased the frequency and size of neurospheres, indicating enhanced self-renewal- and proliferative ability of neural stem cells. These effects appear to be TEA domain family transcription factor (Tead)–dependent; a Tead binding-defective YAP mutant lost the ability to promote neural stem cell characteristics. Consistently, in utero gene transfer of a constitutively active form of Tead2 (Tead2-VP16) recapitulated all the features of YAP/TAZ overexpression, and dominant negative Tead2-EnR resulted in marked cell exit from the VZ toward outer cortical layers. Taken together, these results indicate that the Tead-dependent YAP/TAZ signaling pathway plays important roles in neural stem cell maintenance by enhancing stemness of neural stem cells during mammalian brain development. - Highlights: • Roles of YAP and Tead in vivo during mammalian brain development are clarified. • Expression of YAP promotes embryonic neural stem cell characteristics in vivo in a cell autonomous fashion. • Enhancement of neural stem cell characteristics by YAP depends on Tead. • Transcriptionally active form of Tead alone can recapitulate the effects of YAP. • Transcriptionally repressive form of Tead severely reduces stem cell characteristics.

  17. YAP/TAZ enhance mammalian embryonic neural stem cell characteristics in a Tead-dependent manner

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Han, Dasol; Byun, Sung-Hyun; Park, Soojeong; Kim, Juwan; Kim, Inhee; Ha, Soobong; Kwon, Mookwang; Yoon, Keejung

    2015-01-01

    Mammalian brain development is regulated by multiple signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, migration and differentiation. Here we show that YAP/TAZ enhance embryonic neural stem cell characteristics in a cell autonomous fashion using diverse experimental approaches. Introduction of retroviral vectors expressing YAP or TAZ into the mouse embryonic brain induced cell localization in the ventricular zone (VZ), which is the embryonic neural stem cell niche. This change in cell distribution in the cortical layer is due to the increased stemness of infected cells; YAP-expressing cells were colabeled with Sox2, a neural stem cell marker, and YAP/TAZ increased the frequency and size of neurospheres, indicating enhanced self-renewal- and proliferative ability of neural stem cells. These effects appear to be TEA domain family transcription factor (Tead)–dependent; a Tead binding-defective YAP mutant lost the ability to promote neural stem cell characteristics. Consistently, in utero gene transfer of a constitutively active form of Tead2 (Tead2-VP16) recapitulated all the features of YAP/TAZ overexpression, and dominant negative Tead2-EnR resulted in marked cell exit from the VZ toward outer cortical layers. Taken together, these results indicate that the Tead-dependent YAP/TAZ signaling pathway plays important roles in neural stem cell maintenance by enhancing stemness of neural stem cells during mammalian brain development. - Highlights: • Roles of YAP and Tead in vivo during mammalian brain development are clarified. • Expression of YAP promotes embryonic neural stem cell characteristics in vivo in a cell autonomous fashion. • Enhancement of neural stem cell characteristics by YAP depends on Tead. • Transcriptionally active form of Tead alone can recapitulate the effects of YAP. • Transcriptionally repressive form of Tead severely reduces stem cell characteristics

  18. Damaged DNA binding protein 2 plays a role in breast cancer cell growth.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zilal Kattan

    Full Text Available The Damaged DNA binding protein 2 (DDB2, is involved in nucleotide excision repair as well as in other biological processes in normal cells, including transcription and cell cycle regulation. Loss of DDB2 function may be related to tumor susceptibility. However, hypothesis of this study was that DDB2 could play a role in breast cancer cell growth, resulting in its well known interaction with the proliferative marker E2F1 in breast neoplasia. DDB2 gene was overexpressed in estrogen receptor (ER-positive (MCF-7 and T47D, but not in ER-negative breast cancer (MDA-MB231 and SKBR3 or normal mammary epithelial cell lines. In addition, DDB2 expression was significantly (3.0-fold higher in ER-positive than in ER-negative tumor samples (P = 0.0208 from 16 patients with breast carcinoma. Knockdown of DDB2 by small interfering RNA in MCF-7 cells caused a decrease in cancer cell growth and colony formation. Inversely, introduction of the DDB2 gene into MDA-MB231 cells stimulated growth and colony formation. Cell cycle distribution and 5 Bromodeoxyuridine incorporation by flow cytometry analysis showed that the growth-inhibiting effect of DDB2 knockdown was the consequence of a delayed G1/S transition and a slowed progression through the S phase of MCF-7 cells. These results were supported by a strong decrease in the expression of S phase markers (Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen, cyclin E and dihydrofolate reductase. These findings demonstrate for the first time that DDB2 can play a role as oncogene and may become a promising candidate as a predictive marker in breast cancer.

  19. Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Antibody Titer and Blood Parameters in Broiler Chickens Fed Dietary Myrtle (Myrtus communis Essential Oil as an Alternative to Antibiotic Growth Promoter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahmoodi Bardzardi M

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of Myrtle Essential Oil (MEO on growth performance, carcass characteristics, antibody titer and blood parameters of broiler chickens. A total of 200 Ross 308 broiler chickens were allocated to five dietary treatments with four replicates of 10 birds each. Dietary treatments were prepared by formulating a corn-soybean meal-based diet free of antibiotics (Control and supplementing the basal diet with three levels of MEO at 100, 200, 300 mg/Kg or antibiotic Flavophospholipol (FPL at 600 mg/Kg. The results showed that diets supplemented with MEO and FPL increased the feed intake, body weight gain and improved the feed conversion ratio compared to the control treatment (P. The relative carcass weight was significantly increased, whereas the weight of gastrointestinal tract and liver were decreased in broilers fed MEO (P. Supplementing the basal diet with MEO increased the antibody titers against Avian Influenza Virus (AIV and Newcastle disease Virus (NDV, although supplementing diet with 200 mg/Kg of MEO was more effective (P. Broilers fed MEO diets especially at the level of 300 mg/Kg had a lower white blood cells count and heterophil, heterophil to lymphocyte ratio, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin, but a higher lymphocyte and red blood cells count (P. In conclusion, data showed that diet supplemented with MEO improved the growth performance and increased antibody titers against AIV and NDV, especially at the level of 200 mg/Kg, in broiler chickens and could be an adequate alternative to antibiotics.

  20. Measles virus C protein suppresses gamma-activated factor formation and virus-induced cell growth arrest

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yokota, Shin-ichi; Okabayashi, Tamaki; Fujii, Nobuhiro

    2011-01-01

    Measles virus (MeV) produces two accessory proteins, V and C, from the P gene. These accessory proteins have been reported to contribute to efficient virus proliferation through the modulation of host cell events. Our previous paper described that Vero cell-adapted strains of MeV led host cells to growth arrest through the upregulation of interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1), and wild strains did not. In the present study, we found that C protein expression levels varied among MeV strains in infected SiHa cells. C protein levels were inversely correlated with IRF-1 expression levels and with cell growth arrest. Forced expression of C protein released cells from growth arrest. C-deficient recombinant virus efficiently upregulated IRF-1 and caused growth arrest more efficiently than the wild-type virus. C protein preferentially bound to phosphorylated STAT1 and suppressed STAT1 dimer formation. We conclude that MeV C protein suppresses IFN-γ signaling pathway via inhibition of phosphorylated STAT1 dimerization.

  1. Systems-biology dissection of eukaryotic cell growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrews Justen

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract A recent article in BMC Biology illustrates the use of a systems-biology approach to integrate data across the transcriptome, proteome and metabolome of budding yeast in order to dissect the relationship between nutrient conditions and cell growth. See research article http://jbiol.com/content/6/2/4 and http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/68

  2. Muller glia, vision-guided ocular growth, retinal stem cells, and a little serendipity: the Cogan lecture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fischer, Andy J

    2011-09-29

    Hypothesis-driven science is expected to result in a continuum of studies and findings along a discrete path. By comparison, serendipity can lead to new directions that branch into different paths. Herein, I describe a diverse series of findings that were motivated by hypotheses, but driven by serendipity. I summarize how investigations into vision-guided ocular growth in the chick eye led to the identification of glucagonergic amacrine cells as key regulators of ocular elongation. Studies designed to assess the impact of the ablation of different types of neurons on vision-guided ocular growth led to the finding of numerous proliferating cells within damaged retinas. These proliferating cells were Müller glia-derived retinal progenitors with a capacity to produce new neurons. Studies designed to investigate Müller glia-derived progenitors led to the identification of a domain of neural stem cells that form a circumferential marginal zone (CMZ) that lines the periphery of the retina. Accelerated ocular growth, caused by visual deprivation, stimulated the proliferation of CMZ progenitors. We formulated a hypothesis that growth-regulating glucagonergic cells may regulate both overall eye size (scleral growth) and the growth of the retina (proliferation of CMZ cells). Subsequent studies identified unusual types of glucagonergic neurons with terminals that ramify within the CMZ; these cells use visual cues to control equatorial ocular growth and the proliferation of CMZ cells. Finally, while studying the signaling pathways that stimulate CMZ and Müller glia-derived progenitors, serendipity led to the discovery of a novel type of glial cell that is scattered across the inner retinal layers.

  3. Lymphoma and the control of B cell growth and differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rui, Lixin; Goodnow, Christopher C

    2006-05-01

    It is now widely accepted that lymphomagenesis is a multistep transformation process. A number of genetic changes and environmental and infectious factors contributing to the development and malignant progression of B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders are well documented. Reciprocal chromosomal translocations involving the immunoglobulin loci are a hallmark of most mature B cell lymphomas and lead to dysregulated expression of proto-oncogenes (c-myc) important for cell proliferation or genes involved in cell cycle progression (cyclin D1), differentiation block (bcl-6, PAX5) and cell survival (bcl-2, NF-kappaB). In addition, genetic alterations that inactivate tumor suppressor genes (p53, p16) have been frequently detected in some lymphoma tissues. Many of these genes are normally regulated by signals from the B cell antigen receptor. The high prevalence of bacterial and viral infection in lymphoma patients supports the hypothesis that infectious agents may play a contributory role in the development and evolution of B cell lymphoproliferative disorders by either directly inducing polyclonal B cell hyperactivation (EBV, HCV), or providing a chronic antigenic stimulus (EBV, HCV, HBV, H. pylori), or mimicking B cell antigen receptor signaling (EBV, HCV, HHV8), although whether these are causative factors or they are secondary to genetic changes in lymphomagenesis remains to be defined. Stimulatory signals from reactive T cells, local cytokines and growth factors can also contribute, to some extent, to the progression of transformation. Modulation of B cell antigen receptor signaling therefore emerges as a potentially powerful strategy for controlling the growth of certain B cell lymphomas.

  4. A novel microculture kinetic assay (MiCK assay) for malignant cell growth and chemosensitivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kravtsov, V D

    1994-01-01

    The THERMOmax microplate reader was adapted for monitoring the growth kinetics of human leukaemic OCI/AML-2 and mouse tumour J-774.1 cell lines in continuous culture. Fluid evaporation from wells, CO2 escape and contamination were prevented by hermetic sealing of the microcultures in wells of a 96-well microplate, thus enabling the cells to grow exponentially for 72 h under the conditions of the incubated microplate reader. For both OCI/AML-2 cells, which grow in suspension, and adherent J-774.1 cells, a linear correlation was demonstrated between the number of unstained cells seeded in a given microplate well and the optical density (OD) of that well. Therefore, the OD/time curve of the culture could be deemed to be its growth curve. By the use of the linear fit equation, the actual number of the cells in the wells was computable at any time point of the assay. In the chemosensitivity test, an inhibitory effect of ARA-C on the growth of the cells could be estimated by viewing of the growth curves plotted on the screen. The maximum kinetic rates (Vmax) of the curves in the control and the ARA-C-treated wells were compared, yielding a growth inhibition index (GII). Comparison of results of the kinetic chemosensitivity assay with those of a [3H]thymidine incorporation assay revealed that the novel assay is suitable for precise quantitation of the cell chemosensitivity, is more informative and has the added technical advantage of performance without recourse to radioactive or chemically hazardous substances.

  5. Myotubularin-Related Phosphatase 3 Promotes Growth of Colorectal Cancer Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bo’an Zheng

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to changes in lifestyle, particularly changes in dietary habits, colorectal cancer (CRC increased in recent years despite advances in treatment. Nearly one million new cases diagnosed worldwide and half a million deaths make CRC a leading cause of cancer mortality. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of myotubularin-related phosphatase 3 (MTMR3 in CRC cell growth via lentivirus-mediated small interfering RNA (siRNA transduction in human colon cancer cell lines HCT116 and SW1116. The effect of MTMR3 knockdown on cell growth was evaluated by MTT, colony formation, and flow cytometry assays. The effect of MTMR3 knockdown on cell apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry with Annexin V/7-AAD double staining. The activation of apoptotic markers, Bad and PARP, was detected using Intracellular Signaling Array. Knockdown of MTMR3 resulted in a significant reduction in cell proliferation in both HCT116 and SW1116 cells. Moreover, knockdown of MTMR3 led to S phase cell cycle arrest. Furthermore, knockdown of MTMR3 induced cell apoptosis via phosphorylation of Bad and cleavage of PARP. These results indicate that MTMR3 may play an important role in the progression of CRC and suggest that siRNA mediated silencing of MTMR3 could be an effective tool in CRC treatment.

  6. Pristimerin Inhibits Prostate Cancer Bone Metastasis by Targeting PC-3 Stem Cell Characteristics and VEGF-Induced Vasculogenesis of BM-EPCs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuai Huang

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Prostate cancer (PCa is one of the most common malignant cancers and a major leading cause of cancer deaths in men. Cancer stem-like cells are shown to be highly tumorigenic, pro-angiogenic and can significantly contribute to tumor new vessel formation and bone marrow derived-EPCs (BM-EPCs are shown to recruit to the angiogenic switch in tumor growth and metastatic progression, suggesting the importance of targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs and EPCs for novel tumor therapies. Pristimerin, an active component isolated from Celastraceae and Hippocrateaceae, has shown anti-tumor effects in some cell lines in previous studies. However, the effect and mechanism of Pristimerin on CSCs and EPCs in PCa bone metastasis are not well studied. Methods: The effect of Pristimerin on PC-3 stem cell characteristics and metastasis were detected by spheroid formation, CD133 and CD44 protein expression, matrix-gel invasive assay and colony-formation assay in vitro, VEGF and pro-inflammatory cytokines expression by ELISA assay, and tumor tumorigenicity by X-ray and MR in NOD-SCID mice model in vivo. In addition, we also detected the effect of Pristimerin on VEGF-induced vasculogenesis and protein expression of BM-EPCs. Results: Pristimerin could significantly inhibit spheroid formation and protein expression of CD133 and CD44, reduce VEGF and pro-inflammation cytokines expression of PC-3 cell, and prevent the xenografted PC-3 tumor growth in the bone of nude mice. The present data also showed that Pristimerin significantly inhibited VEGF-induced vasculogenesis of BM-EPCs by suppressing the EPCs functions including proliferation, adhesion, migration, tube formation and inactivation the phosphorylation of VEGFR-2, Akt and eNOS. Conclusion: These data provide evidence that Pristimerin has strong potential for development as a novel agent against prostate bone metastasis by suppressing PC-3 stem cell characteristics and VEGF-induced vasculogenesis of BM-EPCs.

  7. Specific immune cell and cytokine characteristics of human testicular germ cell neoplasia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klein, Britta; Haggeney, Thomas; Fietz, Daniela; Indumathy, Sivanjah; Loveland, Kate L; Hedger, Mark; Kliesch, Sabine; Weidner, Wolfgang; Bergmann, Martin; Schuppe, Hans-Christian

    2016-10-01

    Which immune cells and cytokine profiles are characteristic for testicular germ cell neoplasia and what consequences does this have for the understanding of the related testicular immunopathology? The unique immune environment of testicular germ cell neoplasia comprises B cells and dendritic cells as well as high transcript levels of IL-6 and other B cell supporting or T helper cell type 1 (Th1)-driven cytokines and thus differs profoundly from normal testis or inflammatory lesions associated with hypospermatogenesis. T cells are known to be the major component of inflammatory infiltrates associated with either hypospermatogenesis or testicular cancer. It has previously been reported that B cells are only involved within infiltrates of seminoma samples, but this has not been investigated further. Immunohistochemical characterisation (IHC) of infiltrating immune cells and RT-qPCR-based analysis of corresponding cytokine microenvironments was performed on different testicular pathologies. Testicular biopsies, obtained from men undergoing andrological work-up of infertility or taken during surgery for testicular cancer, were used in this study. Samples were grouped as follows: (i) normal spermatogenesis (n = 18), (ii) hypospermatogenesis associated with lymphocytic infiltrates (n = 10), (iii) samples showing neoplasia [germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS, n = 26) and seminoma, n = 18]. IHC was performed using antibodies against T cells (CD3+), B cells (CD20cy+), dendritic cells (CD11c+), macrophages (CD68+) and mast cells (mast cell tryptase+). Degree and compartmental localisation of immune cells throughout all groups analysed was evaluated semi-quantitatively. RT-qPCR on RNA extracted from cryo-preserved tissue samples was performed to analyse mRNA cytokine expression, specifically levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17a, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α (pro-inflammatory), IL-10, transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 (anti-inflammatory), IL-2, IL-12a, IL-12b

  8. Simultaneous screening of four epidermal growth factor receptor antagonists from Curcuma longa via cell membrane chromatography online coupled with HPLC-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Meng; Ma, Wei-na; Guo, Ying; Hu, Zhi-gang; He, Lang-chong

    2013-07-01

    The epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) are significant targets for screening active compounds. In this work, an analytical method was established for rapid screening, separation, and identification of EGFRs antagonists from Curcuma longa. Human embryonic kidney 293 cells with a steadily high expression of EGFRs were used to prepare the cell membrane stationary phase in a cell membrane chromatography model for screening active compounds. Separation and identification of the retention chromatographic peaks was achieved by HPLC-MS. The active sites, docking extents and inhibitory effects of the active compounds were also demonstrated. The screening result found that ar-turmerone, curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin from Curcuma longa could be active components in a similar manner to gefitinib. Biological trials showed that all of four compounds can inhibit EGFRs protein secretion and cell growth in a dose-dependent manner, and downregulate the phosphorylation of EGFRs. This analytical method demonstrated fast and effective characteristics for screening, separation and identification of the active compounds from a complex system and should be useful for drug discovery with natural medicinal herbs. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. [Growth characteristics of Porites lutea skeleton in east sea area of Hainan Island, China and main affecting environmental factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Qiao Wen; Cao, Zhi Min; Wang, Dao Ru; Li, Yuan Chao; Ni, Jian Yu

    2016-03-01

    The growth characteristics of Porites lutea skeleton in east sea area of Hainan Island were studied by CoralXDS software based on X-ray chronology. The growth parameters obtained included extension rate (ER), skeleton density (D), and calcification rate (CR). The results showed that ER varied from 0.49 to 1.10 cm·a -1 with an annual average of 0.76 cm·a -1 , D varied from 1.11 to 1.35 g·cm -3 with an annual average of 1.22 g·cm -3 , and CR varied from 0.55 to 1.41 g·cm -2 ·a -1 with an annual average of 0.94 g·cm -2 ·a -1 . Statistical analyses indicated that sea surface temperature (SST) was the key environmental factor that controlled the growth characteristics, as it highly co-varied with ER and CR, less so with D. All of the three growth characteristics increased with the increase of SST. There were other factors that influenced the growth characteristics of the coral column, such as light, water salinity, and hydrodynamics, etc. In addition, typhoon and severe tropical storms also imposed a significant impact on the growth pattern of Porites lutea coral. The change in growth pattern of coral skeleton in east of Hainan Island was a response to complex climate fluctuation. Over the past century, SST of east Hainan Island dramatically increased at a rate of 0.15 ℃·(10 a) -1 . The SST increase trend for the oceanic region could be divided into two stages, early 1940s and early 1980s. The human activities and global warming was the main causes for the increase of SST.

  10. A novel peptide sansalvamide analogue inhibits pancreatic cancer cell growth through G0/G1 cell-cycle arrest

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ujiki, Michael B.; Milam, Ben; Ding Xianzhong; Roginsky, Alexandra B.; Salabat, M. Reza; Talamonti, Mark S.; Bell, Richard H.; Gu Wenxin; Silverman, Richard B.; Adrian, Thomas E.

    2006-01-01

    Patients with pancreatic cancer have little hope for cure because no effective therapies are available. Sansalvamide A is a cyclic depsipeptide produced by a marine fungus. We investigated the effect of a novel sansalvamide A analogue on growth, cell-cycle phases, and induction of apoptosis in human pancreatic cancer cells in vitro. The sansalvamide analogue caused marked time- and concentration-dependent inhibition of DNA synthesis and cell proliferation of two human pancreatic cancer cell lines (AsPC-1 and S2-013). The analogue induced G0/G1 phase cell-cycle arrest and morphological changes suggesting induction of apoptosis. Apoptosis was confirmed by annexin V binding. This novel sansalvamide analogue inhibits growth of pancreatic cancer cells through G0/G1 arrest and induces apoptosis. Sansalvamide analogues may be valuable for the treatment of pancreatic cancer

  11. A link between mitotic entry and membrane growth suggests a novel model for cell size control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anastasia, Steph D; Nguyen, Duy Linh; Thai, Vu; Meloy, Melissa; MacDonough, Tracy; Kellogg, Douglas R

    2012-04-02

    Addition of new membrane to the cell surface by membrane trafficking is necessary for cell growth. In this paper, we report that blocking membrane traffic causes a mitotic checkpoint arrest via Wee1-dependent inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdk1. Checkpoint signals are relayed by the Rho1 GTPase, protein kinase C (Pkc1), and a specific form of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A(Cdc55)). Signaling via this pathway is dependent on membrane traffic and appears to increase gradually during polar bud growth. We hypothesize that delivery of vesicles to the site of bud growth generates a signal that is proportional to the extent of polarized membrane growth and that the strength of the signal is read by downstream components to determine when sufficient growth has occurred for initiation of mitosis. Growth-dependent signaling could explain how membrane growth is integrated with cell cycle progression. It could also control both cell size and morphogenesis, thereby reconciling divergent models for mitotic checkpoint function.

  12. Characterization of DNA polymerase. beta. mRNA: cell-cycle growth response in cultured human cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zmudzka, B Z; Fornace, A; Collins, J; Wilson, S H

    1988-10-25

    DNA polymerase ..beta.. (..beta..-polymerase) is a housekeeping enzyme involved in DNA repair in vertebrate cells. The authors used a cDNA probe to study abundance of ..beta..-polymerase mRNA in cultured human cells. The mRNA level in synchronized HeLa cells, representing different stages of the cell-cycle, varied only slightly. Contact inhibited fibroblasts AG-1522 contained the same level of mRNA as growing cells. The steady-state level of mRNA in fibroblasts is equivalent to 6 molecules per cell. The results indicate that the ..beta..-polymerase transcript is low abundance and is neither cell-cycles nor growth phase responsive.

  13. Growth-inhibitory effect of TGF-B on human fetal adrenal cells in primary monolayer culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riopel, L; Branchaud, C L; Goodyer, C G; Adkar, V; Lefebvre, Y

    1989-08-01

    We examined the effects of transforming-growth factor-B (TGF-B) on growth ([3H]-thymidine uptake) and function (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate [DHAS] and cortisol production) of human fetal zone adrenal cells. Results indicate that TGF-B significantly inhibits, in a dose-related manner, both basal and epidermal growth factor (EGF)-stimulated cell growth: IC50 = 0.1-0.25 ng/ml. EGF is ineffective in overcoming the inhibitory effect of TGF-B, suggesting a noncompetitive antagonism between the two factors. Also, the inhibitory effect of TGF-B is additive to that of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). On the other hand, TGF-B (1 ng/ml) does not significantly change basal or ACTH-stimulated DHAS or cortisol secretion. We conclude that, unlike its effect on other steroid-producing cells, TGF-B inhibits growth of fetal zone cells and does not appear to have a significant inhibitory effect on steroidogenesis.

  14. The status of silicon ribbon growth technology for high-efficiency silicon solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciszek, T. F.

    1985-01-01

    More than a dozen methods have been applied to the growth of silicon ribbons, beginning as early as 1963. The ribbon geometry has been particularly intriguing for photovoltaic applications, because it might provide large area, damage free, nearly continuous substrates without the material loss or cost of ingot wafering. In general, the efficiency of silicon ribbon solar cells has been lower than that of ingot cells. The status of some ribbon growth techniques that have achieved laboratory efficiencies greater than 13.5% are reviewed, i.e., edge-defined, film-fed growth (EFG), edge-supported pulling (ESP), ribbon against a drop (RAD), and dendritic web growth (web).

  15. IK channel activation increases tumor growth and induces differential behavioral responses in two breast epithelial cell lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thurber, Amy E; Nelson, Michaela; Frost, Crystal L; Levin, Michael; Brackenbury, William J; Kaplan, David L

    2017-06-27

    Many potassium channel families are over-expressed in cancer, but their mechanistic role in disease progression is poorly understood. Potassium channels modulate membrane potential (Vmem) and thereby influence calcium ion dynamics and other voltage-sensitive signaling mechanisms, potentially acting as transcriptional regulators. This study investigated the differential response to over-expression and activation of a cancer-associated potassium channel, the intermediate conductance calcium-activated potassium channel (IK), on aggressive behaviors in mammary epithelial and breast cancer cell lines. IK was over-expressed in the highly metastatic breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 and the spontaneously immortalized breast epithelial cell line MCF-10A, and the effect on cancer-associated behaviors was assessed. IK over-expression increased primary tumor growth and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 in orthotopic xenografts, demonstrating for the first time in any cancer type that increased IK is sufficient to promote cancer aggression. The primary tumors had similar vascularization as determined by CD31 staining and similar histological characteristics. Interestingly, despite the increased in vivo growth and metastasis, neither IK over-expression nor activation with agonist had a significant effect on MDA-MB-231 proliferation, invasion, or migration in vitro. In contrast, IK decreased MCF-10A proliferation and invasion through Matrigel but had no effect on migration in a scratch-wound assay. We conclude that IK activity is sufficient to promote cell aggression in vivo. Our data provide novel evidence supporting IK and downstream signaling networks as potential targets for cancer therapies.

  16. Phosphoproteomic fingerprinting of epidermal growth factor signaling and anticancer drug action in human tumor cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Yoon-Pin; Diong, Lang-Shi; Qi, Robert; Druker, Brian J; Epstein, Richard J

    2003-12-01

    Many proteins regulating cancer cell growth are tyrosine phosphorylated. Using antiphosphotyrosine affinity chromatography, thiourea protein solubilization, two-dimensional PAGE, and mass spectrometry, we report here the characterization of the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced phosphoproteome in A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cells. Using this approach, more than 50 distinct tyrosine phosphoproteins are identifiable within five main clusters-cytoskeletal proteins, signaling enzymes, SH2-containing adaptors, chaperones, and focal adhesion proteins. Comparison of the phosphoproteomes induced in vitro by transforming growth factor-alpha and platelet-derived growth factor demonstrates the pathway- and cell-specific nature of the phosphoproteomes induced. Elimination of both basal and ligand-dependent phosphoproteins by cell exposure to the EGF receptor catalytic inhibitor gefitinib (Iressa, ZD1839) suggests either an autocrine growth loop or the presence of a second inhibited kinase in A431 cells. By identifying distinct patterns of phosphorylation involving novel signaling substrates, and by clarifying the mechanism of action of anticancer drugs, these findings illustrate the potential of immunoaffinity-based phosphoproteomics for guiding the discovery of new drug targets and the rational utilization of pathway-specific chemotherapies.

  17. Establishment and characterization of American elm cell suspension cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steven M. Eshita; Joseph C. Kamalay; Vicki M. Gingas; Daniel A. Yaussy

    2000-01-01

    Cell suspension cultures of Dutch elm disease (DED)-tolerant and DED-susceptible American elms clones have been established and characterized as prerequisites for contrasts of cellular responses to pathogen-derived elicitors. Characteristics of cultured elm cell growth were monitored by A700 and media conductivity. Combined cell growth data for all experiments within a...

  18. Laminin enhances the growth of human neural stem cells in defined culture media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lathia Justin D

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Human neural stem cells (hNSC have the potential to provide novel cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. In order to realise this goal, protocols need to be developed that allow for large quantities of hNSC to be cultured efficiently. As such, it is important to identify factors which enhance the growth of hNSC. In vivo, stem cells reside in distinct microenvironments or niches that are responsible for the maintenance of stem cell populations. A common feature of niches is the presence of the extracellular matrix molecule, laminin. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of exogenous laminin on hNSC growth. Results To measure hNSC growth, we established culture conditions using B27-supplemented medium that enable neurospheres to grow from human neural cells plated at clonal densities. Limiting dilution assays confirmed that neurospheres were derived from single cells at these densities. Laminin was found to increase hNSC numbers as measured by this neurosphere formation. The effect of laminin was to augment the proliferation/survival of the hNSC, rather than promoting the undifferentiated state. In agreement, apoptosis was reduced in dissociated neurospheres by laminin in an integrin β1-dependent manner. Conclusion The addition of laminin to the culture medium enhances the growth of hNSC, and may therefore aid their large-scale production.

  19. RGS16 inhibits breast cancer cell growth by mitigating phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Genqing; Bansal, Geetanjali; Xie, Zhihui; Druey, Kirk M

    2009-08-07

    Aberrant activity of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway supports growth of many tumors including those of breast, lung, and prostate. Resistance of breast cancer cells to targeted chemotherapies including tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) has been linked to persistent PI3K activity, which may in part be due to increased membrane expression of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors (HER2 and HER3). Recently we found that proteins of the RGS (regulator of G protein signaling) family suppress PI3K activity downstream of the receptor by sequestering its p85alpha subunit from signaling complexes. Because a substantial percentage of breast tumors have RGS16 mutations and reduced RGS16 protein expression, we investigated the link between regulation of PI3K activity by RGS16 and breast cancer cell growth. RGS16 overexpression in MCF7 breast cancer cells inhibited EGF-induced proliferation and Akt phosphorylation, whereas shRNA-mediated extinction of RGS16 augmented cell growth and resistance to TKI treatment. Exposure to TKI also reduced RGS16 expression in MCF7 and BT474 cell lines. RGS16 bound the amino-terminal SH2 and inter-SH2 domains of p85alpha and inhibited its interaction with the EGF receptor-associated adapter protein Gab1. These results suggest that the loss of RGS16 in some breast tumors enhances PI3K signaling elicited by growth factors and thereby promotes proliferation and TKI evasion downstream of HER activation.

  20. Live-Cell Imaging Visualizes Frequent Mitotic Skipping During Senescence-Like Growth Arrest in Mammary Carcinoma Cells Exposed to Ionizing Radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, Masatoshi, E-mail: msuzuki@nagasaki-u.ac.jp [Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki (Japan); Yamauchi, Motohiro; Oka, Yasuyoshi; Suzuki, Keiji; Yamashita, Shunichi [Department of Radiation Medical Sciences, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki (Japan)

    2012-06-01

    Purpose: Senescence-like growth arrest in human solid carcinomas is now recognized as the major outcome of radiotherapy. This study was designed to analyze cell cycle during the process of senescence-like growth arrest in mammary carcinoma cells exposed to X-rays. Methods and Materials: Fluorescent ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicators were introduced into the human mammary carcinoma cell line MCF-7. Cell cycle was sequentially monitored by live-cell imaging for up to 5 days after exposure to 10 Gy of X-rays. Results: Live-cell imaging revealed that cell cycle transition from G2 to G1 phase without mitosis, so-called mitotic skipping, was observed in 17.1% and 69.8% of G1- and G2-irradiated cells, respectively. Entry to G1 phase was confirmed by the nuclear accumulation of mKO{sub 2}-hCdt1 as well as cyclin E, which was inversely correlated to the accumulation of G2-specific markers such as mAG-hGeminin and CENP-F. More than 90% of cells skipping mitosis were persistently arrested in G1 phase and showed positive staining for the senescent biochemical marker, which is senescence-associated ss-galactosidase, indicating induction of senescence-like growth arrest accompanied by mitotic skipping. While G2 irradiation with higher doses of X-rays induced mitotic skipping in approximately 80% of cells, transduction of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) for p53 significantly suppressed mitotic skipping, suggesting that ionizing radiation-induced mitotic skipping is associated with p53 function. Conclusions: The present study found the pathway of senescence-like growth arrest in G1 phase without mitotic entry following G2-irradiation.

  1. Live-Cell Imaging Visualizes Frequent Mitotic Skipping During Senescence-Like Growth Arrest in Mammary Carcinoma Cells Exposed to Ionizing Radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Masatoshi; Yamauchi, Motohiro; Oka, Yasuyoshi; Suzuki, Keiji; Yamashita, Shunichi

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Senescence-like growth arrest in human solid carcinomas is now recognized as the major outcome of radiotherapy. This study was designed to analyze cell cycle during the process of senescence-like growth arrest in mammary carcinoma cells exposed to X-rays. Methods and Materials: Fluorescent ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicators were introduced into the human mammary carcinoma cell line MCF-7. Cell cycle was sequentially monitored by live-cell imaging for up to 5 days after exposure to 10 Gy of X-rays. Results: Live-cell imaging revealed that cell cycle transition from G2 to G1 phase without mitosis, so-called mitotic skipping, was observed in 17.1% and 69.8% of G1- and G2-irradiated cells, respectively. Entry to G1 phase was confirmed by the nuclear accumulation of mKO 2 -hCdt1 as well as cyclin E, which was inversely correlated to the accumulation of G2-specific markers such as mAG-hGeminin and CENP-F. More than 90% of cells skipping mitosis were persistently arrested in G1 phase and showed positive staining for the senescent biochemical marker, which is senescence-associated ß-galactosidase, indicating induction of senescence-like growth arrest accompanied by mitotic skipping. While G2 irradiation with higher doses of X-rays induced mitotic skipping in approximately 80% of cells, transduction of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) for p53 significantly suppressed mitotic skipping, suggesting that ionizing radiation-induced mitotic skipping is associated with p53 function. Conclusions: The present study found the pathway of senescence-like growth arrest in G1 phase without mitotic entry following G2-irradiation.

  2. Effects of space environment on biological characteristics of melanoma B16 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geng Chuanying; Xiang Qing; Xu Mei; Li Hongyan; Xu Bo; Fang Qing; Tang Jingtian; Guo Yupeng

    2006-01-01

    Objective: To examine the effects of space environment on biological characteristics of melanoma B16 Cells. Methods: B16 cells were carried to the space (in orbit for 8 days, circle the earth 286 times) by the 20th Chinese recoverable satellite, and then harvested and monocloned. 110 strains of space B16 cells were obtained in total. Ten strains of space B16 cells were selected and its morphological changes were examined with the phasecontrast microscope. Flow cytometry and MTT assay were carried out to evaluate the cell cycle and cell viability. Results Morphological changes were observed in the space cells, and melainin granules on the surface in some cells. It was demonstrated by MTF assay that space cells viability varied muti- directionally. It was showed by flow cytometry analysis that G1 phase of space cells was prolonged, S phase shortened. Conclusion: Space environment may change the biological characteristics of melanoma B16 cells. (authors)

  3. Effect of growth temperature on photoluminescence and piezoelectric characteristics of ZnO nanowires

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Water, Walter [Institute of Electro-Optical and Materials Science, National Formosa University, Yunlin 632, Taiwan (China); Fang, T.-H. [Institute of Electro-Optical and Materials Science, National Formosa University, Yunlin 632, Taiwan (China); Institute of Mechanical and Electromechanical Engineering, National Formosa University, Yunlin 632, Taiwan (China)], E-mail: fang.tehua@msa.hinet.net; Ji, L.-W.; Lee, C.-C. [Institute of Electro-Optical and Materials Science, National Formosa University, Yunlin 632, Taiwan (China)

    2009-02-25

    ZnO nanowire arrays were synthesized on Au-coated silicon (1 0 0) substrates by using vapour-liquid-solid process in this work. The effect of growth temperatures on the crystal structure and the surface morphology of ZnO nanowires were investigated by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The absorption and optical characteristics of the nanowires were examined by Ultraviolet/Visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence, respectively. The photoluminescence results exhibited ZnO nanowires had an ultraviolet and blue emission at 383 and 492 nm. Then a nanogenerator with ZnO nanowire arrays was fabricated and demonstrated Schottky-like current-voltage characteristics.

  4. Adiponectin deficiency suppresses lymphoma growth in mice by modulating NK cells, CD8 T cells, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Sora; Jeong, Ae Lee; Lee, Sunyi; Park, Jeong Su; Kim, Kwang Dong; Choi, Inpyo; Yoon, Suk Ran; Lee, Myung Sok; Lim, Jong-Seok; Han, Seung Hyun; Yoon, Do Young; Yang, Young

    2013-05-01

    Previously, we found that adiponectin (APN) suppresses IL-2-induced NK cell activation by downregulating the expression of the IFN-γ-inducible TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand and Fas ligand. Although the antitumor function of APN has been reported in several types of solid tumors, with few controversial results, no lymphoma studies have been conducted. In this study, we assessed the role of APN in immune cell function, including NK cells, CTLs, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, in EL4 and B16F10 tumor-bearing APN knockout (KO) mice. We observed attenuated EL4 growth in the APNKO mice. Increased numbers of splenic NK cells and splenic CTLs were identified under naive conditions and EL4-challenged conditions, respectively. In APNKO mice, splenic NK cells showed enhanced cytotoxicity with and without IL-2 stimulation. Additionally, there were decreased levels of myeloid-derived suppressor cell accumulation in the EL4-bearing APNKO mice. Enforced MHC class I expression on B16F10 cells led to attenuated growth of these tumors in APNKO mice. Thus, our results suggest that EL4 regression in APNKO mice is not only due to an enhanced antitumor immune response but also to a high level of MHC class I expression.

  5. Homeobox A7 increases cell proliferation by up-regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor expression in human granulosa cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanase Toshihiko

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Homeobox (HOX genes encode transcription factors, which regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, and migration. The deregulation of HOX genes is frequently associated with human reproductive system disorders. However, knowledge regarding the role of HOX genes in human granulosa cells is limited. Methods To determine the role of HOXA7 in the regulation and associated mechanisms of cell proliferation in human granulosa cells, HOXA7 and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR expressions were examined in primary granulosa cells (hGCs, an immortalized human granulosa cell line, SVOG, and a granulosa tumor cell line, KGN, by real-time PCR and Western blotting. To manipulate the expression of HOXA7, the HOXA7 specific siRNA was used to knockdown HOXA7 in KGN. Conversely, HOXA7 was overexpressed in SVOG by transfection with the pcDNA3.1-HOAX7 vector. Cell proliferation was measured by the MTT assay. Results Our results show that HOXA7 and EGFR were overexpressed in KGN cells compared to hGCs and SVOG cells. Knockdown of HOXA7 in KGN cells significantly decreased cell proliferation and EGFR expression. Overexpression of HOXA7 in SVOG cells significantly promoted cell growth and EGFR expression. Moreover, the EGF-induced KGN proliferation was abrogated, and the activation of downstream signaling was diminished when HOXA7 was knocked down. Overexpression of HOXA7 in SVOG cells had an opposite effect. Conclusions Our present study reveals a novel mechanistic role for HOXA7 in modulating granulosa cell proliferation via the regulation of EGFR. This finding contributes to the knowledge of the pro-proliferation effect of HOXA7 in granulosa cell growth and differentiation.

  6. Stability of electric characteristics of solar cells for continuous power supply

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stojanović Nebojša M.

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper investigates the output characteristics of photovoltaic solar cells working in hostile working conditions. Examined cells, produced by different innovative procedures, are available in the market. The goal was to investigate stability of electric characteristics of solar cells, which are used today in photovoltaic solar modules for charging rechargeable batteries which, coupled with batteries, supply various electronic systems such as radio repeaters on mountains tops, airplanes, mobile communication stations and other remote facilities. Charging of rechargeable batteries requires up to 25 % higher voltage compared to nominal output voltage of the battery. This paper presents results of research of solar cells, which also apply to cases in which continuous power supply is required. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 171007

  7. Mesenchymal stem cells with rhBMP-2 inhibits the growth of canine osteosarcoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rici, Rose Eli Grassi; Alcântara, Dayane; Fratini, Paula; Wenceslau, Cristiane Valverde; Ambrósio, Carlos Eduardo; Miglino, Maria Angelica; Maria, Durvanei Augusto

    2012-02-22

    The bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) belong to a unique group of proteins that includes the growth factor TGF-β. BMPs play important roles in cell differentiation, cell proliferation, and inhibition of cell growth. They also participate in the maturation of several cell types, depending on the microenvironment and interactions with other regulatory factors. Depending on their concentration gradient, the BMPs can attract various types of cells and act as chemotactic, mitogenic, or differentiation agents. BMPs can interfere with cell proliferation and the formation of cartilage and bone. In addition, BMPs can induce the differentiation of mesenchymal progenitor cells into various cell types, including chondroblasts and osteoblasts. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of treatment with rhBMP-2 on the proliferation of canine mesenchymal stem cells (cMSCs) and the tumor suppression properties of rhBMP-2 in canine osteocarcoma (OST) cells. Osteosarcoma cell lines were isolated from biopsies and excisions of animals with osteosarcoma and were characterized by the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Butantan Institute. The mesenchymal stem cells were derived from the bone marrow of canine fetuses (cMSCs) and belong to the University of São Paulo, College of Veterinary Medicine (FMVZ-USP) stem cell bank. After expansion, the cells were cultured in a 12-well Transwell system; cells were treated with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells associated with rhBMP2. Expression of the intracytoplasmic and nuclear markers such as Caspase-3, Bax, Bad, Bcl-2, Ki-67, p53, Oct3/4, Nanog, Stro-1 were performed by flow citometry. We evaluated the regenerative potential of in vitro treatment with rhBMP-2 and found that both osteogenic induction and tumor regression occur in stem cells from canine bone marrow. rhBMP-2 inhibits the proliferation capacity of OST cells by mechanisms of apoptosis and tumor suppression mediated by p53. We propose that rhBMP-2 has great

  8. Inhibition of C. difficile and C. perfringens by commercial and potential probiotic strains and their in-vitro growth characteristics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schoster, A.; Kokotovic, Branko; Permin, A.

    2012-01-01

    strains (Lactobacilli n=16, Bifidobacteria n=1) on growth of clostridia spp was assessed in an agar well diffusion assay and broth co-culture experiment, using supernatant harvested at different growth phases and with and without pH adjustment. To study growth characteristics MRS broth was adjusted to pH2...

  9. Inhibition of canonical WNT signaling attenuates human leiomyoma cell growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ono, Masanori; Yin, Ping; Navarro, Antonia; Moravek, Molly B.; Coon, John S.; Druschitz, Stacy A.; Gottardi, Cara J.; Bulun, Serdar E.

    2014-01-01

    Objective Dysregulation of WNT signaling plays a central role in tumor cell growth and progression. Our goal was to assess the effect of three WNT/β-catenin pathway inhibitors, Inhibitor of β-Catenin And TCF4 (ICAT), niclosamide, and XAV939 on the proliferation of primary cultures of human uterine leiomyoma cells. Design Prospective study of human leiomyoma cells obtained from myomectomy or hysterectomy. Setting University research laboratory. Patient(s) Women (n=38) aged 27–53 years undergoing surgery. Intervention(s) Adenoviral ICAT overexpression or treatment with varying concentrations of niclosamide or XAV939. Main Outcome Measure(s) Cell proliferation, cell death, WNT/β-catenin target gene expression or reporter gene regulation, β-catenin levels and cellular localization. Result(s) ICAT, niclosamide, or XAV939 inhibit WNT/β-catenin pathway activation and exert anti-proliferative effects in primary cultures of human leiomyoma cells. Conclusion(s) Three WNT/β-catenin pathway inhibitors specifically block human leiomyoma growth and proliferation, suggesting that the canonical WNT pathway may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of uterine leiomyoma. Our findings provide rationale for further preclinical and clinical evaluation of ICAT, niclosamide, and XAV939 as candidate anti-tumor agents for uterine leiomyoma. PMID:24534281

  10. Acetoacetate reduces growth and ATP concentration in cancer cell lines which over-express uncoupling protein 2

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Quadros Edward V

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Recent evidence suggests that several human cancers are capable of uncoupling of mitochondrial ATP generation in the presence of intact tricarboxylic acid (TCA enzymes. The goal of the current study was to test the hypothesis that ketone bodies can inhibit cell growth in aggressive cancers and that expression of uncoupling protein 2 is a contributing factor. The proposed mechanism involves inhibition of glycolytic ATP production via a Randle-like cycle while increased uncoupling renders cancers unable to produce compensatory ATP from respiration. Methods Seven aggressive human cancer cell lines, and three control fibroblast lines were grown in vitro in either 10 mM glucose medium (GM, or in glucose plus 10 mM acetoacetate [G+AcA]. The cells were assayed for cell growth, ATP production and expression of UCP2. Results There was a high correlation of cell growth with ATP concentration (r = 0.948 in a continuum across all cell lines. Controls demonstrated normal cell growth and ATP with the lowest density of mitochondrial UCP2 staining while all cancer lines demonstrated proportionally inhibited growth and ATP, and over-expression of UCP2 (p Conclusion Seven human cancer cell lines grown in glucose plus acetoacetate medium showed tightly coupled reduction of growth and ATP concentration. The findings were not observed in control fibroblasts. The observed over-expression of UCP2 in cancer lines, but not in controls, provides a plausible molecular mechanism by which acetoacetate spares normal cells but suppresses growth in cancer lines. The results bear on the hypothesized potential for ketogenic diets as therapeutic strategies.

  11. Cell growth and protein synthesis of unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas in heavy water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishida, M.R.

    1983-01-01

    The effects of heavy water on the cell growth and protein synthesis of the photoautotrophically growing Chlamydomonas cells were studied. The growth rate of the cells is inversely proportional to the concentrations of heavy water. The cells can barely live in 90% heavy water, but they die in 99.85% heavy water within a few days. Incorporation of 14 Cleucine into cells is markedly stimulated by heavy water of various concentrations between 30 and 99.85% in the case of the short time incubation. Contrary to this, in the long time incubation as several days, heavy water inhibits the protein synthesis. Such two modes of the protein synthetic activities are dependent upon the incubation time of the cells grown photoautotrophically in the heavy water media. (author)

  12. Influence of lead on normal and abnormal cell-growth and on certain organs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bell, W B

    1924-02-09

    The general poisonous effects of lead are described. Descriptions and discussions are presented concerning the toxic effects of lead preparations on heart, intestine, uterus, kidney, and blood. The influence of lead on normal growth is discussed, including effects on the development of hyacynth bulbs, the germination of seeds, the germination of frog's eggs, and the growth of tadpoles. The influences of lead on the cells concerned in the implantation of the ovum are also discussed. The effects of lead on abnormal cell growth are discussed. 17 references, 8 figures.

  13. Exposure to nerve growth factor worsens nephrotoxic effect induced by Cyclosporine A in HK-2 cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Donatella Vizza

    Full Text Available Nerve growth factor is a neurotrophin that promotes cell growth, differentiation, survival and death through two different receptors: TrkA(NTR and p75(NTR. Nerve growth factor serum concentrations increase during many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, glomerulonephritis, chronic kidney disease, end-stage renal disease and, particularly, in renal transplant. Considering that nerve growth factor exerts beneficial effects in the treatment of major central and peripheral neurodegenerative diseases, skin and corneal ulcers, we asked whether nerve growth factor could also exert a role in Cyclosporine A-induced graft nephrotoxicity. Our hypothesis was raised from basic evidence indicating that Cyclosporine A-inhibition of calcineurin-NFAT pathway increases nerve growth factor expression levels. Therefore, we investigated the involvement of nerve growth factor and its receptors in the damage exerted by Cyclosporine A in tubular renal cells, HK-2. Our results showed that in HK-2 cells combined treatment with Cyclosporine A + nerve growth factor induced a significant reduction in cell vitality concomitant with a down-regulation of Cyclin D1 and up-regulation of p21 levels respect to cells treated with Cyclosporine A alone. Moreover functional experiments showed that the co-treatment significantly up-regulated human p21promoter activity by involvement of the Sp1 transcription factor, whose nuclear content was negatively regulated by activated NFATc1. In addition we observed that the combined exposure to Cyclosporine A + nerve growth factor promoted an up-regulation of p75 (NTR and its target genes, p53 and BAD leading to the activation of intrinsic apoptosis. Finally, the chemical inhibition of p75(NTR down-regulated the intrinsic apoptotic signal. We describe two new mechanisms by which nerve growth factor promotes growth arrest and apoptosis in tubular renal cells exposed to Cyclosporine A.

  14. Growth, nonspecific immune characteristics, and survival upon challenge with Vibrio harveyi in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) raised on diets containing algal meal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nonwachai, Thasanee; Purivirojkul, Watchariya; Limsuwan, Chalor; Chuchird, Niti; Velasco, Mario; Dhar, Arun K

    2010-08-01

    A 70-day growth trial was conducted with postlarvae 12 (PL12) Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) to study the suitability of soybean meal and oil originating from a single-celled microorganism (thraustochytrid) as fishmeal and fish oil substitutes in practical diets for L. vannamei. The growth, survival rate and immune characteristics were evaluated. Seven experimental diets were designed with soybean meal used as the primary protein source; each formulation contained 33% crude protein and 8% lipid. Fish oil was completely substituted with 3% soybean oil and meals originating from single-celled heterotrophs rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) were added at different concentrations. A commercial shrimp feed was used as the control diet. The final weights and survival rates of the shrimp were not significantly different among all treatments. However, shrimp raised on diets supplemented with marine algal meals rich in DHA and ARA showed significant improvement in immune parameters, such as total hemocyte count, phenoloxidase activity, superoxide dismutase activity, and bactericidal activity. Additionally, the survival rate after challenge with Vibrio harveyi was increased. These findings demonstrated that substitution of thraustochytrid-derived meals as an alternative to fish-based ingredients in shrimp diets provided similar growth rates while increasing the immune parameters and providing vibriosis resistance. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Silencing VDAC1 Expression by siRNA Inhibits Cancer Cell Proliferation and Tumor Growth In Vivo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tasleem Arif

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Alterations in cellular metabolism and bioenergetics are vital for cancer cell growth and motility. Here, the role of the mitochondrial protein voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC1, a master gatekeeper regulating the flux of metabolites and ions between mitochondria and the cytoplasm, in regulating the growth of several cancer cell lines was investigated by silencing VDAC1 expression using small interfering RNA (siRNA. A single siRNA specific to the human VDAC1 sequence at nanomolar concentrations led to some 90% decrease in VDAC1 levels in the lung A549 and H358, prostate PC-3, colon HCT116, glioblastoma U87, liver HepG2, and pancreas Panc-1 cancer cell lines. VDAC1 silencing persisted 144 hours post-transfection and resulted in profound inhibition of cell growth in cancer but not in noncancerous cells, with up to 90% inhibition being observed over 5 days that was prolonged by a second transfection. Cells expressing low VDAC1 levels showed decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and adenoside triphosphate (ATP levels, suggesting limited metabolite exchange between mitochondria and cytosol. Moreover, cells silenced for VDAC1 expression showed decreased migration, even in the presence of the wound healing accelerator basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF. VDAC1-siRNA inhibited cancer cell growth in a Matrigel-based assay in host nude mice. Finally, in a xenograft lung cancer mouse model, chemically modified VDAC1-siRNA not only inhibited tumor growth but also resulted in tumor regression. This study thus shows that VDAC1 silencing by means of RNA interference (RNAi dramatically inhibits cancer cell growth and tumor development by disabling the abnormal metabolic behavior of cancer cells, potentially paving the way for a more effective pipeline of anticancer drugs.

  16. Mammalian cell growth on gold nanoparticle-decorated substrates is influenced by the nanoparticle coating

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christina Rosman

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In this work, we study epithelial cell growth on substrates decorated with gold nanorods that are functionalized either with a positively charged cytotoxic surfactant or with a biocompatible polymer exhibiting one of two different end groups, resulting in a neutral or negative surface charge of the particle. Upon observation of cell growth for three days by live cell imaging using optical dark field microscopy, it was found that all particles supported cell adhesion while no directed cell migration and no significant particle internalization occurred. Concerning cell adhesion and spreading as compared to cell growth on bare substrates after 3 days of incubation, a reduction by 45% and 95%, respectively, for the surfactant particle coating was observed, whereas the amino-terminated polymer induced a reduction by 30% and 40%, respectively, which is absent for the carboxy-terminated polymer. Furthermore, interface-sensitive impedance spectroscopy (electric cell–substrate impedance sensing, ECIS was employed in order to investigate the micromotility of cells added to substrates decorated with various amounts of surfactant-coated particles. A surface density of 65 particles/µm2 (which corresponds to 0.5% of surface coverage with nanoparticles diminishes micromotion by 25% as compared to bare substrates after 35 hours of incubation. We conclude that the surface coating of the gold nanorods, which were applied to the basolateral side of the cells, has a recognizable influence on the growth behavior and thus the coating should be carefully selected for biomedical applications of nanoparticles.

  17. The Effects of Imatinib Mesylate on Cellular Viability, Platelet Derived Growth Factor and Stem Cell Factor in Mouse Testicular Normal Leydig Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kheradmand, Fatemeh; Hashemnia, Seyyed Mohammad Reza; Valizadeh, Nasim; Roshan-Milani, Shiva

    2016-01-01

    Growth factors play an essential role in the development of tumor and normal cells like testicular leydig cells. Treatment of cancer with anti-cancer agents like imatinib mesylate may interfere with normal leydig cell activity, growth and fertility through failure in growth factors' production or their signaling pathways. The purpose of the study was to determine cellular viability and the levels of, platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) and stem cell factor (SCF) in normal mouse leydig cells exposed to imatinib, and addressing the effect of imatinib on fertility potential. The mouse TM3 leydig cells were treated with 0 (control), 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 μM imatinib for 2, 4 and 6 days. Each experiment was repeated three times (15 experiments in each day).The cellular viability and growth factors levels were assessed by MTT and ELISA methods, respectively. For statistical analysis, one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc and Kruskal-Wallis test were performed. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. With increasing drug concentration, cellular viability decreased significantly (pcellular viability, PDGF and SCF levels. Imatinib may reduce fertility potential especially at higher concentrations in patients treated with this drug by decreasing cellular viability. The effect of imatinib on leydig cells is associated with PDGF stimulation. Of course future studies can be helpful in exploring the long term effects of this drug.

  18. Regulation of insulin-like growth factor I receptors on vascular smooth muscle cells by growth factors and phorbol esters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ververis, J J; Ku, L; Delafontaine, P

    1993-06-01

    Insulin-like growth factor I (IGF I) is an important mitogen for vascular smooth muscle cells. To characterize regulation of vascular IGF I receptors, we performed radioligand displacement experiments using rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMs). Serum deprivation for 48 hours caused a 40% decrease in IGF I receptor number. Exposure of quiescent RASMs to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), or angiotensin II (Ang II) caused a 1.5-2.0-fold increase in IGF I receptors per cell. After FGF exposure, there was a marked increase in the mitogenic response to IGF I. IGF I downregulated its receptors in the presence of platelet-poor plasma. Stimulation of protein kinase C (PKC) by exposure of quiescent RASMs to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate caused a biphasic response in IGF I binding; there was a 42% decrease in receptor number at 45 minutes and a 238% increase at 24 hours. To determine the role of PKC in growth factor-induced regulation of IGF I receptors, we downregulated PKC by exposing RASMs to phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) for 48 hours. PDGF- and FGF- but not Ang II-mediated upregulation of IGF I receptors was completely inhibited in PDBu-treated cells. Thus, acute PKC activation by phorbol esters inhibits IGF I binding, whereas chronic PKC activation increases IGF I binding. PDGF and FGF but not Ang II regulate vascular IGF I receptors through a PKC-dependent pathway. These data provide new insights into the regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell IGF I receptors in vitro and are of potential importance in characterizing vascular proliferative responses in vivo.

  19. Radiation response characteristics of human cell in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hall, E.J.

    1987-01-01

    Improvements in tissue culture techniques and growth media have made it possible to culture a range of cells of human origin, both normal and malignant. The most recent addition to the list are endothelial cells. Interesting results have been obtained, some of which may have implications in Radiation Therapy. (i) Repair of Potentially Lethal Damage (PLDR) has been observed in all cell lines investigated; cells of normal origin repair PLD at least as well as malignant cells, which makes clinical trials of PLDR inhibitors of doubtful usefulness. (ii) PLD in fibroblasts of human origin appears to have a component that is repaired rapidly, in a matter of minutes, as well as a slower component that takes hours to repair. (iii) Sublethal damage repair, manifest by a dose-rate effect, has also been observed in all human cell lines tested. Cells of normal tissue origin, including fibroblasts and endothelial cells, exhibit a dose-rate effect that is intermediate between that for cells from traditionally resistant tumors (melanoma and osteosarcoma) and cells from more sensitive tumors (neuroblastoma and breast). (iv) Fibroblasts from patients with Ataxia Telangectasia (AT) are much more sensitive to x-rays, with a D/sub o/ about half that for normal human fibroblasts. Nevertheless repair of both PLD and SLD can be demonstrated in these cells

  20. Biomaterials for the programming of cell growth in oral tissues: The possible role of APA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salerno, Marco; Giacomelli, Luca; Larosa, Claudio

    2011-01-06

    Examples of programmed tissue response after the interaction of cells with biomaterials are a hot topic in current dental research. We propose here the use of anodic porous alumina (APA) for the programming of cell growth in oral tissues. In particular, APA may trigger cell growth by the controlled release of specific growth factors and/or ions. Moreover, APA may be used as a scaffold to promote generation of new tissue, due to the high interconnectivity of pores and the high surface roughness displayed by this material.

  1. Effects of different concentrations of ground oak acorn on growth performance, blood parameters and carcass characteristics of goat kids

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Froutan, Eisa; Azizi, Osman; Sadeghi, Ghorbanali

    2015-01-01

    The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different levels of ground oak acorn on growth performance, blood parameters and carcass characteristics. Twenty-four goat kids averaging 16.93 1.25 kg initial bodyweight were randomly assigned to four experimental diets in a comple...... without any adverse effects on growth performance and carcass characteristics. At this level of acorns, the goats received low concentrations of hydrolysable tannins (11 g/kg DM) in their diet....

  2. Downregulation of connective tissue growth factor inhibits the growth and invasion of gastric cancer cells and attenuates peritoneal dissemination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Cheng-Gang; Lv, Ling; Liu, Fu-Rong; Wang, Zhen-Ning; Liu, Fu-Nan; Li, Yan-Shu; Wang, Chun-Yu; Zhang, Hong-Yan; Sun, Zhe; Xu, Hui-Mian

    2011-09-28

    Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) has been shown to be implicated in tumor development and progression. However, the role of CTGF in gastric cancer remains largely unknown. In this study, we showed that CTGF was highly expressed in gastric cancer tissues compared with matched normal gastric tissues. The CTGF expression in tumor tissue was associated with histologic grade, lymph node metastasis and peritoneal dissemination (P cancer cells and decreased cyclin D1 expression. Moreover, knockdown of CTGF expression also markedly reduced the migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells and decreased the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. Animal studies revealed that nude mice injected with the CTGF knockdown stable cell lines featured a smaller number of peritoneal seeding nodules than the control cell lines. These data suggest that CTGF plays an important role in cell growth and invasion in human gastric cancer and it appears to be a potential prognostic marker for patients with gastric cancer.

  3. Dual-specificity phosphatase 6 (Dusp6), a negative regulator of FGF2/ERK1/2 signaling, enhances 17β-estradiol-induced cell growth in endometrial adenocarcinoma cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hui; Guo, Qiufen; Wang, Chong; Yan, Lei; Fu, Yibing; Fan, Mingjun; Zhao, Xingbo; Li, Mingjiang

    2013-08-25

    Dual-specificity phosphatase 6 (Dusp6) is a negative feedback mechanism of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/ERK1/2 signaling. The aim of this study was to explore the expression of Dusp6 in human endometrial adenocarcinomas and the role of Dusp6 expression in the growth regulation of endometrial adenocarcinoma cell. We found that Dusp6 was over-expressed in human endometrial adenocarcinomas. In Ishikawa cells, plasmid-driven Dusp6 expression efficiently blocked the activity of FGF2-induced MAPK/ERK1/2 signaling. Unexpectedly, Dusp6 expression significantly enhanced the growth of Ishikawa cells. In Dusp6 forced-expression cells, 17β-estradiol stimulation increased the cell growth by all most threefolds. In addition, progesterone treatment reduced the cell growth to about half both in Ishikawa cells with and without forced-Dusp6-expression. Dusp6 over-expression is involved in the pathogenesis and development of human endometrial adenocarcinomas. Dusp6 functions as a negative regulator of FGF2/ERK1/2 signaling but enhances the growth and 17β-estradiol-induced cell growth in endometrial adenocarcinoma cell. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

  4. [Characteristics of Bacillus cereus dissociants].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doroshenko, E V; Loĭko, N G; Il'inskaia, O N; Kolpakov, A I; Gornova, I B; Klimanova, E V; El'-Registan, G I

    2001-01-01

    The autoregulation of the phenotypic (populational) variability of the Bacillus cereus strain 504 was studied. The isolated colonial morphotypes of this bacterium were found to differ in their growth characteristics and the synthesis of extracellular proteases. The phenotypic variabilities of vegetative proliferating cells and those germinated from endospores and cystlike refractory cells were different. Bacterial variants also differed in the production of the d1 and d2 factors (the autoinducers of dormancy and autolysis, respectively) and sensitivity to them. The possible role of these factors in the dissociation of microorganisms is discussed.

  5. Cyclophilin A enhances cell proliferation and tumor growth of liver fluke-associated cholangiocarcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sawanyawisuth Kanlayanee

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Cyclophilin A (CypA expression is associated with malignant phenotypes in many cancers. However, the role and mechanisms of CypA in liver fluke-associated cholangiocarcinoma (CCA are not presently known. In this study, we investigated the expression of CypA in CCA tumor tissues and CCA cell lines as well as regulation mechanisms of CypA in tumor growth using CCA cell lines. Methods CypA expression was determined by real time RT-PCR, Western blot or immunohistochemistry. CypA silence or overexpression in CCA cells was achieved using gene delivery techniques. Cell proliferation was assessed using MTS assay or Ki-67 staining. The effect of silencing CypA on CCA tumor growth was determined in nude mice. The effect of CypA knockdown on ERK1/2 activation was assessed by Western blot. Results CypA was upregulated in 68% of CCA tumor tissues. Silencing CypA significantly suppressed cell proliferation in several CCA cell lines. Likewise, inhibition of CypA peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase activity using cyclosporin A (CsA decreased cell proliferation. In contrast, overexpression of CypA resulted in 30% to 35% increases in proliferation of CCA cell lines. Interestingly, neither silence nor overexpression of CypA affected cell proliferation of a non-tumor human cholangiocyte cell line, MMNK1. Suppression of CypA expression attenuated ERK1/2 activity in CCA M139 cells by using both transient and stable knockdown methods. In the in vivo study, there was a 43% reduction in weight of tumors derived from CypA-silenced CCA cell lines compared with control vector CCA tumors in mice; these tumors with stable CypA silencing showed a reduced cell proliferation. Conclusions CypA is upregulated in majority of CCA patients' tissues and confers a significant growth advantage in CCA cells. Suppression of CypA expression decreases proliferation of CCA cell lines in vitro and reduces tumor growth in the nude mouse model. Inhibition of Cyp

  6. Comparison of Chlamydia trachomatis serovar L2 growth in polarized genital epithelial cells grown in three-dimensional culture with non-polarized cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dessus-Babus, Sophie; Moore, Cheryl G; Whittimore, Judy D; Wyrick, Priscilla B

    2008-04-01

    A common model for studying Chlamydia trachomatis and growing chlamydial stocks uses Lymphogranuloma venereum serovar L2 and non-polarized HeLa cells. However, recent publications indicate that the growth rate and progeny yields can vary considerably for a particular strain depending on the cell line/type used, and seem to be partially related to cell tropism. In the present study, the growth of invasive serovar L2 was compared in endometrial HEC-1B and endocervical HeLa cells polarized on collagen-coated microcarrier beads, as well as in HeLa cells grown in tissue culture flasks. Microscopy analysis revealed no difference in chlamydial attachment/entry patterns or in inclusion development throughout the developmental cycle between cell lines. Very comparable growth curves in both cell lines were also found using real-time PCR analysis, with increases in chlamydial DNA content of 400-500-fold between 2 and 36 h post-inoculation. Similar progeny yields with comparable infectivity were recovered from HEC-1B and HeLa cell bead cultures, and no difference in chlamydial growth was found in polarized vs. non-polarized HeLa cells. In conclusion, unlike other C. trachomatis strains such as urogenital serovar E, invasive serovar L2 grows equally well in physiologically different endometrial and endocervical environments, regardless of the host cell polarization state.

  7. Modulation of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol-induced MCF-7 breast cancer cell growth by cyclooxygenase and aromatase

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takeda, Shuso; Yamamoto, Ikuo; Watanabe, Kazuhito

    2009-01-01

    Δ 9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ 9 -THC), a major constituent of marijuana, has been shown to stimulate the growth of MCF-7 breast cancer cells through cannabinoid receptor-independent signaling [Takeda, S., Yamaori, S., Motoya, E., Matsunaga, T., Kimura, T., Yamamoto, I., Watanabe, K., 2008. Δ 9 -Tetrahydrocannabinol enhances MCF-7 cell proliferation via cannabinoid receptor-independent signaling. Toxicology 245, 141-146]. Although the growth of MCF-7 cells is known to be stimulated by 17β-estradiol (E 2 ), the interaction of Δ 9 -THC and E 2 in MCF-7 cell growth is not fully clarified so far. In the present study, by using E 2 -sensitive MCF-7 cells that have expressed cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and cytochrome P450 19 (aromatase), we studied whether or not COX-2 and aromatase are involved in Δ 9 -THC-mediated MCF-7 cell proliferation. It was shown that Δ 9 -THC-induced MCF-7 cell growth was inhibited by COX-2 inhibitors and was stimulated by arachidonic acid (a COX substrate). However, the growth of MCF-7 cells induced by Δ 9 -THC was not stimulated by PGE 2 , and the expression of aromatase was not affected by COX-2 inhibitors, arachidonic acid, and PGE 2 , suggesting that there is a disconnection between COX-2 (PGE 2 ) and aromatase in Δ 9 -THC-mediated MCF-7 cell proliferation. On the other hand, Δ 9 -THC-induced MCF-7 cell growth was elevated by two kinds of aromatase inhibitors. Taken together with the evidence that Δ 9 -THC-induced MCF-7 cell proliferation was interfered with testosterone (an aromatase substrate) and exogenously provided E 2 , it is suggested that (1) the growth stimulatory effects of Δ 9 -THC are mediated by the product(s) of COX-2 except for PGE 2 , (2) the action of Δ 9 -THC is modulated by E 2 , and (3) COX-2 and aromatase are individually engaged in the proliferation of MCF-7 cells induced by Δ 9 -THC.

  8. Effect of beta-carotene-rich tomato lycopene beta-cyclase ( tlcy-b) on cell growth inhibition in HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palozza, Paola; Bellovino, Diana; Simone, Rossella; Boninsegna, Alma; Cellini, Francesco; Monastra, Giovanni; Gaetani, Sancia

    2009-07-01

    Lycopene beta-cyclase (tlcy-b) tomatoes, obtained by modulating carotenogenesis via genetic engineering, contain a large amount of beta-carotene, as clearly visible by their intense orange colour. In the present study we have subjected tlcy-b tomatoes to an in vitro simulated digestion and analysed the effects of digestate on cell proliferation. To this aim we used HT-29 human colon adenocarcinoma cells, grown in monolayers, as a model. Digested tomatoes were diluted (20 ml, 50 ml and 100 ml/l) in culture medium and added to the cells for different incubation times (24 h, 48 h and 72 h). Inhibition of cell growth by tomato digestate was dose-dependent and resulted from an arrest of cell cycle progression at the G0/G1 and G2/M phase and by apoptosis induction. A down-regulation of cyclin D1, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl expression was observed. We also found that heat treatment of samples before digestion enhanced beta-carotene release and therefore cell growth inhibition. To induce with purified beta-carotene solubilised in tetrahydrofuran the same cell growth inhibition obtained with the tomato digestate, a higher amount of the carotenoid was necessary, suggesting that beta-carotene micellarised during digestion is utilised more efficiently by the cells, but also that other tomato molecules, reasonably made available during digestion, may be present and cooperate with beta-carotene in promoting cell growth arrest.

  9. Stochastic modeling of cell growth with symmetric or asymmetric division

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marantan, Andrew; Amir, Ariel

    2016-07-01

    We consider a class of biologically motivated stochastic processes in which a unicellular organism divides its resources (volume or damaged proteins, in particular) symmetrically or asymmetrically between its progeny. Assuming the final amount of the resource is controlled by a growth policy and subject to additive and multiplicative noise, we derive the recursive integral equation describing the evolution of the resource distribution over subsequent generations and use it to study the properties of stable resource distributions. We find conditions under which a unique stable resource distribution exists and calculate its moments for the class of affine linear growth policies. Moreover, we apply an asymptotic analysis to elucidate the conditions under which the stable distribution (when it exists) has a power-law tail. Finally, we use the results of this asymptotic analysis along with the moment equations to draw a stability phase diagram for the system that reveals the counterintuitive result that asymmetry serves to increase stability while at the same time widening the stable distribution. We also briefly discuss how cells can divide damaged proteins asymmetrically between their progeny as a form of damage control. In the appendixes, motivated by the asymmetric division of cell volume in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we extend our results to the case wherein mother and daughter cells follow different growth policies.

  10. Impaired degradation followed by enhanced recycling of epidermal growth factor receptor caused by hypo-phosphorylation of tyrosine 1045 in RBE cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gui, Anping; Kobayashi, Akira; Motoyama, Hiroaki; Kitazawa, Masato; Takeoka, Michiko; Miyagawa, Shinichi

    2012-01-01

    Since cholangiocarcinoma has a poor prognosis, several epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapies with antibody or small molecule inhibitor treatment have been proposed. However, their effect remains limited. The present study sought to understand the molecular genetic characteristics of cholangiocarcinoma related to EGFR, with emphasis on its degradation and recycling. We evaluated EGFR expression and colocalization by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence, cell surface EGFR expression by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), and EGFR ubiquitination and protein binding by immunoprecipitation in the human cholangiocarcinoma RBE and immortalized cholangiocyte MMNK-1 cell lines. Monensin treatment and Rab11a depletion by siRNA were adopted for inhibition of EGFR recycling. Upon stimulation with EGF, ligand-induced EGFR degradation was impaired and the expression of phospho-tyrosine 1068 and phospho-p44/42 MAPK was sustained in RBE cells as compared with MMNK-1 cells. In RBE cells, the process of EGFR sorting for lysosomal degradation was blocked at the early endosome stage, and non-degradated EGFR was recycled to the cell surface. A disrupted association between EGFR and the E3 ubiquitin ligase c-Cbl, as well as hypo-phosphorylation of EGFR at tyrosine 1045 (Tyr1045), were also observed in RBE cells. In RBE cells, up-regulation of EGFR Tyr1045 phosphorylation is a potentially useful molecular alteration in EGFR-targeted therapy. The combination of molecular-targeted therapy determined by the characteristics of individual EGFR phosphorylation events and EGFR recycling inhibition show promise in future treatments of cholangiocarcinoma

  11. Growth mechanics of bacterial cell wall and morphology of bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Hongyuan; Sun, Sean

    2010-03-01

    The peptidoglycan cell wall of bacteria is responsible for maintaining the cell shape and integrity. During the bacterial life cycle, the growth of the cell wall is affected by mechanical stress and osmotic pressure internal to the cell. We develop a theory to describe cell shape changes under the influence of mechanical forces. We find that the theory predicts a steady state size and shape for bacterial cells ranging from cocci to spirillum. Moreover, the theory suggest a mechanism by which bacterial cytoskeletal proteins such as MreB and crescentin can maintain the shape of the cell. The theory can also explain the several recent experiments on growing bacteria in micro-environments.

  12. Human mesenchymal stem cells cultured on silk hydrogels with variable stiffness and growth factor differentiate into mature smooth muscle cell phenotype.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Floren, Michael; Bonani, Walter; Dharmarajan, Anirudh; Motta, Antonella; Migliaresi, Claudio; Tan, Wei

    2016-02-01

    Cell-matrix and cell-biomolecule interactions play critical roles in a diversity of biological events including cell adhesion, growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. Evidence suggests that a concise crosstalk of these environmental factors may be required to direct stem cell differentiation toward matured cell type and function. However, the culmination of these complex interactions to direct stem cells into highly specific phenotypes in vitro is still widely unknown, particularly in the context of implantable biomaterials. In this study, we utilized tunable hydrogels based on a simple high pressure CO2 method and silk fibroin (SF) the structural protein of Bombyx mori silk fibers. Modification of SF protein starting water solution concentration results in hydrogels of variable stiffness while retaining key structural parameters such as matrix pore size and β-sheet crystallinity. To further resolve the complex crosstalk of chemical signals with matrix properties, we chose to investigate the role of 3D hydrogel stiffness and transforming growth factor (TGF-β1), with the aim of correlating the effects on the vascular commitment of human mesenchymal stem cells. Our data revealed the potential to upregulate matured vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype (myosin heavy chain expression) of hMSCs by employing appropriate matrix stiffness and growth factor (within 72h). Overall, our observations suggest that chemical and physical stimuli within the cellular microenvironment are tightly coupled systems involved in the fate decisions of hMSCs. The production of tunable scaffold materials that are biocompatible and further specialized to mimic tissue-specific niche environments will be of considerable value to future tissue engineering platforms. This article investigates the role of silk fibroin hydrogel stiffness and transforming growth factor (TGF-β1), with the aim of correlating the effects on the vascular commitment of human mesenchymal stem cells. Specifically, we

  13. Fibroblast-mediated in vivo and in vitro growth promotion of tumorigenic rat thyroid carcinoma cells but not normal Fisher rat thyroid follicular cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saitoh, Ohki; Mitsutake, Norisato; Nakayama, Toshiyuki; Nagayama, Yuji

    2009-07-01

    It is known that genetic abnormalities in oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor genes promote carcinogenesis. Numerous recent articles, however, have demonstrated that epithelial-stromal interaction also plays a critical role for initiation and progression of carcinoma cells. Furthermore, ionizing radiation induces alterations in the tissue microenvironments that promote carcinogenesis. There is little or no information on epithelial-stromal interaction in thyroid carcinoma cells. The objective of this study was to determine if epithelial-stromal interaction influenced the growth of thyroid carcinoma cells in vivo and in vitro and to determine if radiation had added or interacting effects. Normal Fisher rat thyroid follicular cells (FRTL5 cells) and tumorigenic rat thyroid carcinoma cells (FRTL-Tc cells) derived from FRTL5 cells were employed. The cells were injected into thyroids or subcutaneously into left flanks of rats alone or in combination with skin-derived fibroblasts. In groups of rats, fibroblasts were irradiated with 0.1 or 4 Gy x-ray 3 days before inoculation. In vitro growth of FRTL-Tc and FRTL-5 cells were evaluated using the fibroblast-conditioned medium and in a co-culture system with fibroblasts. The in vivo experiments demonstrated that FRTL-Tc cells injected intrathyroidally grew faster than those injected subcutaneously, and that admixed fibroblasts enhanced growth of subcutaneous FRTL-Tc tumors, indicating that the intrathyroidal milieu, particularly in the presence of fibroblasts, confer growth-promoting advantage to thyroid carcinoma cells. This in vivo growth-promoting effect of fibroblasts on FRTL-Tc cells was duplicated in the in vitro experiments using the fibroblast-conditioned medium. Thus, our data demonstrate that this effect is mediated by soluble factor(s), is reversible, and is comparable to that of 10% fetal bovine serum. However, normal FRTL5 cells did not respond to the fibroblast-conditioned medium. Furthermore, high- and low

  14. Growth-related variations in the glycosaminoglycan synthesis of ultraviolet light-induced murine cutaneous fibrosarcoma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piepkorn, M.; Carney, H.; Linker, A.

    1985-01-01

    Glycosaminoglycan synthesis was studied in cell populations of ultraviolet light-induced murine cutaneous fibrosarcoma cells under conditions of varying growth rates in vitro. After labeling with the precursors, 3 H-glucosamine and 35 SO 4 , sulfated glycosaminoglycans recoverable by direct proteolysis of the culture monolayers increased approximately 5-fold on a per cell basis from sparsely populated, exponential cell cultures (greater than 85% of cells in S, G2, or M phases) to stationary cultures inhibited by high cell density (greater than 50% of cells in G1). Within this cell surface-associated material, the relative ratio of heparan sulfate to the chondroitin sulfates was approximately 60/40% under conditions of exponential growth; in the growth-arrested cultures, the reverse ratio was found. The substratum attached material, obtained from the flask surface after ethyl glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA)-mediated detachment of the monolayers, contained relatively more hyaluronic acid, heparan sulfate, and chondroitin sulfates in the most actively proliferating cultures compared with the growth-inhibited cell populations. Furthermore, heparan sulfate and the chondroitin sulfates, which were enriched in the substratum material and in the cell pellet of exponential cultures, showed a relative shift to the cell surface-associated compartment (releasable by mild trypsinization after EGTA-mediated cell detachment) and to the compartment loosely associated with the pericellular matrix (i.e., released into the supernatant during detachment of the monolayers in the presence of EGTA)

  15. The Big Bang of tissue growth: Apical cell constriction turns into tissue expansion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janody, Florence

    2018-03-05

    How tissue growth is regulated during development and cancer is a fundamental question in biology. In this issue, Tsoumpekos et al. (2018. J. Cell Biol. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201705104) and Forest et al. (2018. J. Cell Biol. https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201705107) identify Big bang (Bbg) as an important growth regulator of the Drosophila melanogaster wing imaginal disc. © 2018 Janody.

  16. Photovoltaic characteristics of porous silicon /(n+ - p) silicon solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dzhafarov, T.D.; Aslanov, S.S.; Ragimov, S.H.; Sadigov, M.S.; Nabiyeva, A.F.; Yuksel, Aydin S.

    2012-01-01

    Full text : The purpose of this work is to improve the photovoltaic parameters of the screen-printed silicon solar cells by formation the nano-porous silicon film on the frontal surface of the cell. The photovoltaic characteristics of two type silicon solar cells with and without porous silicon layer were measured and compared. A remarkable increment of short-circuit current density and the efficiency by 48 percent and 20 percent, respectively, have been achieved for PS/(n + - pSi) solar cell comparing to (n + - p)Si solar cell without PS layer

  17. Analysis of cell growth dynamics of Pediococcus acidilactici in the presence of inulin in an optimized microenvironment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samanta Koruri, Sharmistha; Chowdhury, Ranjana; Bhattacharya, Pinaki

    2015-09-01

    The present investigation deals with the optimization of cell growth rate of the candidate probiotic Pediococcus acidilactici in the presence of the specific prebiotic inulin. Three independent variables viz. concentration of inulin, concentration of glucose and pH have been selected for optimization study using response surface methodology. Theoretical analysis indicates that the maximum cell growth rate occurs at pH 7, 20 g/dm(3) concentration of inulin and 20 g/dm(3) concentration of glucose. Validation of these values has been done through a set of programmed experiments. Studies on cell dynamics in the presence of different concentrations of inulin have also been carried out to identify any limitation on the initial inulin concentration. Results clearly indicate that cell growth is enhanced with the increase in inulin concentration. However, there is a critical value of the prebiotic concentration (20 g/dm(3) inulin) beyond which the cell growth is inhibited. A summative type growth model has been proposed to explain the growth behaviour of P. acidilactici in the presence of the dual substrate, i.e. glucose and inulin. While growth on glucose follows Monod model, Haldane-type substrate-inhibited growth model holds good for growth on inulin. Intrinsic kinetic parameters for all the model equations have been determined experimentally.

  18. Asynchrony in the growth and motility responses to environmental changes by individual bacterial cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Umehara, Senkei; Hattori, Akihiro; Inoue, Ippei; Yasuda, Kenji

    2007-01-01

    Knowing how individual cells respond to environmental changes helps one understand phenotypic diversity in a bacterial cell population, so we simultaneously monitored the growth and motility of isolated motile Escherichia coli cells over several generations by using a method called on-chip single-cell cultivation. Starved cells quickly stopped growing but remained motile for several hours before gradually becoming immotile. When nutrients were restored the cells soon resumed their growth and proliferation but remained immotile for up to six generations. A flagella visualization assay suggested that deflagellation underlies the observed loss of motility. This set of results demonstrates that single-cell transgenerational study under well-characterized environmental conditions can provide information that will help us understand distinct functions within individual cells

  19. Platelet-rich plasma derived growth factors contribute to stem cell differentiation in musculoskeletal regeneration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Yun; Han, Qixin; Chen, Wei; Song, Jialin; Zhao, Xiaotian; Ouyang, Yuanming; Yuan, Weien; Fan, Cunyi

    2017-10-01

    Stem cell treatment and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy are two significant issues in regenerative medicine. Stem cells such as bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, adipose-derived stem cells and periodontal ligament stem cells can be successfully applied in the field of tissue regeneration. PRP, a natural product isolated from whole blood, can secrete multiple growth factors (GFs) for regulating physiological activities. These GFs can stimulate proliferation and differentiation of different stem cells in injury models. Therefore, combination of both agents receives wide expectations in regenerative medicine, especially in bone, cartilage and tendon repair. In this review, we thoroughly discussed the interaction and underlying mechanisms of platelet-rich plasma derived growth factors with stem cells, and assessed their functions in cell differentiation for musculoskeletal regeneration.

  20. Effect of Drought Stress on Growth and Morphological Characteristics of Two Garlic (Allium sativum L. Ecotypes in Different Planting Densities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    shiva akbari

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Plants may be exposed to various stresses and water deficit is the most important limiting factor of growth and yield in many parts of the world and Iran. Stress induced growth decrement can be because of cell development decrease due to decrement of turgor pressure and meiosis and photosynthesis decrease due to stomata closure. Determination of desired planting density is one of the success factors of plant growth and production. Garlic (Allium sativum has been an important medicinal plant over centuries in human life. According to the importance of medicinal plants and studying the effects of drought stress on them, the goal of this research is to investigate the effect of drought stress and planting density on growth and morphological characteristics of two ecotypes of garlic and determining the preferable ecotype and density from the perspective of these traits. Materials and methods This experiment was performed in 2012 in a farm in south east of Semnan. It was conducted on a split-plot factorial arrangement based on randomized complete blocks design with three replications. Three levels of drought stress with 60, 80 and 100 percent of crop evapotranspiration (ETc were the main plot factors and factorial combination of three planting density (30, 40 and 50 plants.m-2 and two ecotypes of Tabas and Toroud were the levels of sub plot factors. To estimate water requirement of garlic, daily measured meteorology parameters of Semnan synoptic station were used and water requirement was calculated based on FAO-56 instructions. From mid-January, the sampling of leaf area, bulb and leaf fresh and dry weight was started with destructive method every other week and continued until middle of Jun. three plant were selected randomly from each plot in each turn. From middle of May, height and number of leaves were measured. Leaf area measurement was done by leaf area meter (Delta-T. To estimate growth indices, dry weight of aerial and