Human airway xenograft models of epithelial cell regeneration

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Puchelle Edith

2000-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Regeneration and restoration of the airway epithelium after mechanical, viral or bacterial injury have a determinant role in the evolution of numerous respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis, asthma and cystic fibrosis. The study in vivo of epithelial regeneration in animal models has shown that airway epithelial cells are able to dedifferentiate, spread, migrate over the denuded basement membrane and progressively redifferentiate to restore a functional respiratory epithelium after several weeks. Recently, human tracheal xenografts have been developed in immunodeficient severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID and nude mice. In this review we recall that human airway cells implanted in such conditioned host grafts can regenerate a well-differentiated and functional human epithelium; we stress the interest in these humanized mice in assaying candidate progenitor and stem cells of the human airway mucosa.

The expression of Egfl7 in human normal tissues and epithelial tumors.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Chun; Yang, Lian-Yue; Wu, Fan; Tao, Yi-Ming; Liu, Lin-Sen; Zhang, Jin-Fan; He, Ya-Ning; Tang, Li-Li; Chen, Guo-Dong; Guo, Lei

2013-04-23

To investigate the expression of Egfl7 in normal adult human tissues and human epithelial tumors.
 RT-PCR and Western blot were employed to detect Egfl7 expression in normal adult human tissues and 10 human epithelial tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), lung cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, esophageal cancer, malignant glioma, ovarian cancer and renal cancer. Immunohistochemistry and cytoimmunofluorescence were subsequently used to determine the localization of Egfl7 in human epithelial tumor tissues and cell lines. ELISA was also carried out to examine the serum Egfl7 levels in cancer patients. In addition, correlations between Egfl7 expression and clinicopathological features as well as prognosis of HCC and breast cancer were also analyzed on the basis of immunohistochemistry results.
 Egfl7 was differentially expressed in 19 adult human normal tissues and was overexpressed in all 10 human epithelial tumor tissues. The serum Egfl7 level was also significantly elevated in cancer patients. The increased Egfl7 expression in HCC correlated with vein invasion, absence of capsule formation, multiple tumor nodes and poor prognosis. Similarly, upregulation of Egfl7 in breast cancer correlated strongly with TNM stage, lymphatic metastasis, estrogen receptor positivity, Her2 positivity and poor prognosis. 
 Egfl7 is significantly upregulated in human epithelial tumor tissues, suggesting Egfl7 to be a potential biomarker for human epithelial tumors, especially HCC and breast cancer.

[Characterization of epithelial primary culture from human conjunctiva].

Science.gov (United States)

Rivas, L; Blázquez, A; Muñoz-Negrete, F J; López, S; Rebolleda, G; Domínguez, F; Pérez-Esteban, A

2014-01-01

To evaluate primary cultures from human conjunctiva supplemented with fetal bovine serum, autologous serum, and platelet-rich autologous serum, over human amniotic membrane and lens anterior capsules. One-hundred and forty-eight human conjunctiva explants were cultured in CnT50(®) supplemented with 1, 2.5, 5 and 10% fetal bovine serum, autologous serum and platelet-rich autologous serum. Conjunctival samples were incubated at 37°C, 5% CO2 and 95% HR, for 3 weeks. The typical phenotype corresponding to conjunctival epithelial cells was present in all primary cultures. Conjunctival cultures had MUC5AC-positive secretory cells, K19-positive conjunctival cells, and MUC4-positive non-secretory conjunctival cells, but were not corneal phenotype (cytokeratin K3-negative) and fibroblasts (CD90-negative). Conjunctiva epithelial progenitor cells were preserved in all cultures; thus, a cell culture in CnT50(®) supplemented with 1 to 5% autologous serum over human amniotic membrane can provide better information of epithelial cell differentiation for the conjunctival surface reconstruction. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Oftalmología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Liver X receptor ligand cytotoxicity in colon cancer cells and not in normal colon epithelial cells depends on LXRβ subcellular localization.

Science.gov (United States)

Courtaut, Flavie; Derangère, Valentin; Chevriaux, Angélique; Ladoire, Sylvain; Cotte, Alexia K; Arnould, Laurent; Boidot, Romain; Rialland, Mickaël; Ghiringhelli, François; Rébé, Cédric

2015-09-29

Increasing evidence indicates that Liver X Receptors (LXRs) have some anticancer properties. We recently demonstrated that LXR ligands induce colon cancer cell pyroptosis through an LXRβ-dependent pathway. In the present study, we showed that human colon cancer cell lines presented differential cytoplasmic localizations of LXRβ. This localization correlated with caspase-1 activation and cell death induction under treatment with LXR ligand. The association of LXRβ with the truncated form of RXRα (t-RXRα) was responsible for the sequestration of LXRβ in the cytoplasm in colon cancer cells. Moreover t-RXRα was not expressed in normal colon epithelial cells. These cells presented a predominantly nuclear localization of LXRβ and were resistant to LXR ligand cytotoxicity. Our results showed that predominant cytoplasmic localization of LXRβ, which occurs in colon cancer cells but not in normal colon epithelial cells, allowed LXR ligand-induced pyroptosis. This study strengthens the hypothesis that LXRβ could be a promising target in cancer therapy.

Human papillomavirus: cause of epithelial lacrimal sac neoplasia?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sjö, Nicolai Christian; von Buchwald, Christian; Cassonnet, Patricia

2007-01-01

PURPOSE: Epithelial tumours of the lacrimal sac are rare but important entities that may carry grave prognoses. In this study the prevalence and possible role of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in epithelial tumours of the lacrimal sac were evaluated. METHODS: Five papillomas and six...... 11 RNA was demonstrated in two papillomas. CONCLUSIONS: By analysing 11 epithelial lacrimal sac papillomas and carcinomas using PCR, DNA ISH and RNA ISH, we found HPV DNA in all investigated transitional epithelium tumours of the lacrimal sac. HPV RNA was present in two of eight epithelial lacrimal...... sac tumours positive for HPV DNA. As RNA degrades fast in paraffin-embedded tissue, only a small fraction of DNA-positive tumours can be expected to be RNA-positive. We therefore suggest that HPV infection is associated with the development of lacrimal sac papillomas and carcinomas....

Human thymic epithelial cells express functional HLA-DP molecules

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, A; Röpke, C; Nielsen, M

1996-01-01

T lymphocytes, we examined whether human thymic epithelial cells (TEC) expressed HLA-DP molecules. We present evidence that TEC obtained from short time culture express low but significant levels of HLA-DP molecules. The expression of HLA-DP molecules was comparable to or higher than the expression...... of HLA-DP allospecific primed lymphocyte typing (PLT) CD4 T cell lines. IFN-gamma treatment strongly upregulated the HLA-DP allospecific PLT responses whereas other PLT responses remained largely unchanged. In conclusion, these data indicate that human thymus epithelial cells express significant levels...

In vitro metabolism of [14C]-toluene by human and rat liver microsomes and liver slices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, D.E.; Moore, T.J.; Michener, S.R.; Powis, G.

1990-01-01

Toluene metabolites produced by liver microsomes from six human donors included benzylalcohol (Balc), benzaldehyde (Bald) and benzoic acid (Bacid). Microsomes from only one human donor metabolized toluene to p-cresol and o-cresol. Human liver microsomes also metabolized Balc to Bald. Balc metabolism required NADPH, was inhibited by carbon monoxide, and was decreased at a buffer pH of 10. Balc metabolism was not inhibited by ADP-ribose or sodium azide. These results suggest that cytochrome P450 is responsible for the in vitro metabolism of Balc by human liver microsomes. Toluene metabolites formed by human liver slices and released into the incubation media included hippuric acid, and Bacid. Cresols or cresol-conjugates were not detected in liver slice incubation media from any human donor. Toluene metabolism by human liver was compared to metabolism by comparable liver preparations from male Fischer F344 rats. Rates of toluene metabolism by human liver microsomes and liver slices were 9-fold and 1.3-fold greater than for rat liver, respectively. Covalent binding of toluene to human liver microsomes and liver slices was 21-fold and 4-fold greater than for comparable rat liver preparations. Covalent binding of toluene to human microsomes required NADPH, was significantly decreased by coincubation with 4 mM cysteine or 4 mM glutathione, and radioactivity associated with microsomes was decreased by subsequent digestion of microsomes with protease. These results suggest that toluene metabolism and covalent binding of toluene are underestimated if the male Fischer 344 rat is used as a model for human toluene metabolism

Comparative Study of Human Liver Ferritin and Chicken Liver by Moessbauer Spectroscopy. Preliminary Results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oshtrakh, M. I. [Ural State Technical University - UPI, Division of Applied Biophysics, Faculty of Physical Techniques and Devices for Quality Control (Russian Federation); Milder, O. B.; Semionkin, V. A. [Ural State Technical University - UPI, Faculty of Experimental Physics (Russian Federation); Prokopenko, P. G. [Russian State Medical University, Faculty of Biochemistry (Russian Federation); Malakheeva, L. I. [Simbio Holding, Science Consultation Department (Russian Federation)

2004-12-15

A comparative study of normal human liver ferritin and livers from normal chicken and chicken with Marek disease was made by Moessbauer spectroscopy. Small differences of quadrupole splitting and isomer shift were found for human liver ferritin and chicken liver. Moessbauer parameters for liver from normal chicken and chicken with Marek disease were the same.

Comparative Study of Human Liver Ferritin and Chicken Liver by Moessbauer Spectroscopy. Preliminary Results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oshtrakh, M. I.; Milder, O. B.; Semionkin, V. A.; Prokopenko, P. G.; Malakheeva, L. I.

2004-01-01

A comparative study of normal human liver ferritin and livers from normal chicken and chicken with Marek disease was made by Moessbauer spectroscopy. Small differences of quadrupole splitting and isomer shift were found for human liver ferritin and chicken liver. Moessbauer parameters for liver from normal chicken and chicken with Marek disease were the same.

HUMAN LIVER SLICES EXPRESS THE SAME LIDOCAINE BIOTRANSFORMATION RATE AS ISOLATED HUMAN HEPATOCYTES

NARCIS (Netherlands)

OLINGA, P; MEIJER, DKF; SLOOFF, MJH; GROOTHUIS, GMM; Merema, M.T.

1993-01-01

In order to investigate whether liver slices are a valuable tool for the assessment of drug metabolism in human liver, we compared the phase I metabolism of lidocaine in human liver slices and hepatocytes prepared from three human livers. Lidocaine is mainly metabolised to monoethylglycinexylidide

Human corneal epithelial subpopulations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søndergaard, Chris Bath

2013-01-01

Corneal epithelium is being regenerated throughout life by limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs) believed to be located in histologically defined stem cell niches in corneal limbus. Defective or dysfunctional LESCs result in limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) causing pain and decreased visual acuity...... subpopulations in human corneal epithelium using a combination of laser capture microdissection and RNA sequencing for global transcriptomic profiling. We compared dissociation cultures, using either expansion on γ-irradiated NIH/3T3 feeder cells in serum-rich medium or expansion directly on plastic in serum...

Liver cancer-derived hepatitis C virus core proteins shift TGF-beta responses from tumor suppression to epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

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Serena Battaglia

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV infection and associated liver cirrhosis represent a major risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC development. TGF-beta is an important driver of liver fibrogenesis and cancer; however, its actual impact in human cancer progression is still poorly known. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of HCC-derived HCV core natural variants on cancer progression through their impact on TGF-beta signaling. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We provide evidence that HCC-derived core protein expression in primary human or mouse hepatocyte alleviates TGF-beta responses in terms or growth inhibition or apoptosis. Instead, in these hepatocytes TGF-beta was still able to induce an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT, a process that contributes to the promotion of cell invasion and metastasis. Moreover, we demonstrate that different thresholds of Smad3 activation dictate the TGF-beta responses in hepatic cells and that HCV core protein, by decreasing Smad3 activation, may switch TGF-beta growth inhibitory effects to tumor promoting responses. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our data illustrate the capacity of hepatocytes to develop EMT and plasticity under TGF-beta, emphasize the role of HCV core protein in the dynamic of these effects and provide evidence for a paradigm whereby a viral protein implicated in oncogenesis is capable to shift TGF-beta responses from cytostatic effects to EMT development.

Differential growth factor induction and modulation of human gastric epithelial regeneration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tetreault, Marie-Pier; Chailler, Pierre; Rivard, Nathalie; Menard, Daniel

2005-01-01

While several autocrine/paracrine growth factors (GFs) can all stimulate epithelial regeneration in experimentally wounded primary gastric cultures, clinical relevance for their non-redundant cooperative actions in human gastric ulcer healing is suggested by the sequential pattern of GF gene induction in vivo. Using new HGE cell lines able to form a coherent monolayer with tight junctions as well as using primary human gastric epithelial cultures, we show that EGF, TGFα, HGF and IGFs accelerate epithelial restitution upon wounding, independently of the TGFβ pathway (as opposed to intestinal cells). However, they differently modulate cell behavior: TGFα exerts strong effects (even more than EGF) on cytoplasmic spreading and non-oriented protruding activity of bordering cells whereas HGF preferentially coordinates single lamella formation, cell elongation and migration into the wound. IGF-I and IGF-II rather induce the alignment of bordering cells and maintain a compact monolayer front. The number of mitotic cells maximally increases with EGF, followed by TGFα and IGF-I,-II. The current study demonstrates that GFs differentially regulate the regeneration of human gastric epithelial cells through specific modulation of cell shape adaptation, migration and proliferation, further stressing that a coordination of GF activities would be necessary for the normal progression of post-wounding epithelial repair

Human Mammary Luminal Epithelial Cells Contain Progenitors to Myoepithelial Cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pechoux, Christine; Gudjonsson, Thorarinn; Ronnov-Jessen, Lone; Bissell, Mina J; Petersen, Ole

1999-02-01

The origin of the epithelial and myoepithelial cells in the human breast has not been delineated. In this study we have addressed whether luminal epithelial cells and myoepithelial cells are vertically connected, i.e., whether one is the precursor for the other. We used a primary culture assay allowing preservation of basic phenotypic traits of luminal epithelial and myoepithelial cells in culture. The two cell types were then separated immunomagnetically using antibodies directed against lineage-specific cell surface antigens into at best 100% purity. The cellular identity was ascertained by cytochemistry, immunoblotting, and 2-D gel electrophoresis. Luminal epithelial cells were identified by strong expression of cytokeratins 18 and 19 while myoepithelial cells were recognized by expression of vimentin and {alpha}-smooth muscle actin. We used a previously devised culture medium (CDM4) that allows vigorous expansion of proliferative myoepithelial cells and also devised a medium (CDM6) that allowed sufficient expansion of differentiated luminal epithelial cells based on addition of hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor. The two different culture media supported each lineage for at least five passages without signs of interconversion. We used parallel cultures where we switched culture media, thus testing the ability of each lineage to convert to the other. Whereas the myoepithelial lineage showed no signs of interconversion, a subset of luminal epithelial cells, gradually, but distinctly, converted to myoepithelial cells. We propose that in the mature human breast, it is the luminal epithelial cell compartment that gives rise to myoepithelial cells rather than the other way around.

CXCL9 Regulates TGF-β1-Induced Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Human Alveolar Epithelial Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Beirne, Sarah L; Walsh, Sinead M; Fabre, Aurélie; Reviriego, Carlota; Worrell, Julie C; Counihan, Ian P; Lumsden, Robert V; Cramton-Barnes, Jennifer; Belperio, John A; Donnelly, Seamas C; Boylan, Denise; Marchal-Sommé, Joëlle; Kane, Rosemary; Keane, Michael P

2015-09-15

Epithelial to mesenchymal cell transition (EMT), whereby fully differentiated epithelial cells transition to a mesenchymal phenotype, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). CXCR3 and its ligands are recognized to play a protective role in pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, we investigated the presence and extent of EMT and CXCR3 expression in human IPF surgical lung biopsies and assessed whether CXCR3 and its ligand CXCL9 modulate EMT in alveolar epithelial cells. Coexpression of the epithelial marker thyroid transcription factor-1 and the mesenchymal marker α-smooth muscle actin and CXCR3 expression was examined by immunohistochemical staining of IPF surgical lung biopsies. Epithelial and mesenchymal marker expression was examined by quantitative real-time PCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence in human alveolar epithelial (A549) cells treated with TGF-β1 and CXCL9, with Smad2, Smad3, and Smad7 expression and cellular localization examined by Western blotting. We found that significantly more cells were undergoing EMT in fibrotic versus normal areas of lung in IPF surgical lung biopsy samples. CXCR3 was expressed by type II pneumocytes and fibroblasts in fibrotic areas in close proximity to cells undergoing EMT. In vitro, CXCL9 abrogated TGF-β1-induced EMT. A decrease in TGF-β1-induced phosphorylation of Smad2 and Smad3 occurred with CXCL9 treatment. This was associated with increased shuttling of Smad7 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm where it inhibits Smad phosphorylation. This suggests a role for EMT in the pathogenesis of IPF and provides a novel mechanism for the inhibitory effects of CXCL9 on TGF-β1-induced EMT. Copyright © 2015 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

Isolation of primary human hepatocytes from normal and diseased liver tissue: a one hundred liver experience.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ricky H Bhogal

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Successful and consistent isolation of primary human hepatocytes remains a challenge for both cell-based therapeutics/transplantation and laboratory research. Several centres around the world have extensive experience in the isolation of human hepatocytes from non-diseased livers obtained from donor liver surplus to surgical requirement or at hepatic resection for tumours. These livers are an important but limited source of cells for therapy or research. The capacity to isolate cells from diseased liver tissue removed at transplantation would substantially increase availability of cells for research. However no studies comparing the outcome of human hepatocytes isolation from diseased and non-diseased livers presently exist. Here we report our experience isolating human hepatocytes from organ donors, non-diseased resected liver and cirrhotic tissue. We report the cell yields and functional qualities of cells isolated from the different types of liver and demonstrate that a single rigorous protocol allows the routine harvest of good quality primary hepatocytes from the most commonly accessible human liver tissue samples.

Response of cultured normal human mammary epithelial cells to X rays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, T.C.; Stampfer, M.R.; Smith, H.S.

1983-01-01

The effect of X rays on the reproductive death of cultured normal human mammary epithelial cells was examined. Techniques were developed for isolating and culturing normal human mammary epithelial cells which provide sufficient cells at second passage for radiation studies, and an efficient clonogenic assay suitable for measuring radiation survival curves. It was found that the survival curves for epithelial cells from normal breast tissue were exponential and had D 0 values of about 109-148 rad for 225 kVp X rays. No consistent change in cell radiosensitivity with the age of donor was observed, and no sublethal damage repair in these cells could be detected with the split-dose technique

Culture of human intestinal epithelial cell using the dissociating enzyme thermolysin and endothelin-3

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Z. Liu

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Epithelium, a highly dynamic system, plays a key role in the homeostasis of the intestine. However, thus far a human intestinal epithelial cell line has not been established in many countries. Fetal tissue was selected to generate viable cell cultures for its sterile condition, effective generation, and differentiated character. The purpose of the present study was to culture human intestinal epithelial cells by a relatively simple method. Thermolysin was added to improve the yield of epithelial cells, while endothelin-3 was added to stimulate their growth. By adding endothelin-3, the achievement ratio (viable cell cultures/total cultures was enhanced to 60% of a total of 10 cultures (initiated from 8 distinct fetal small intestines, allowing the generation of viable epithelial cell cultures. Western blot, real-time PCR and immunofluorescent staining showed that cytokeratins 8, 18 and mouse intestinal mucosa-1/39 had high expression levels in human intestinal epithelial cells. Differentiated markers such as sucrase-isomaltase, aminopeptidase N and dipeptidylpeptidase IV also showed high expression levels in human intestinal epithelial cells. Differentiated human intestinal epithelial cells, with the expression of surface markers (cytokeratins 8, 18 and mouse intestinal mucosa-1/39 and secretion of cytokines (sucrase-isomaltase, aminopeptidase N and dipeptidylpeptidase IV, may be cultured by the thermolysin and endothelin-3 method and maintained for at least 20 passages. This is relatively simple, requiring no sophisticated techniques or instruments, and may have a number of varied applications.

Chronic Exposure to Particulate Nickel Induces Neoplastic Transformation in Human Lung Epithelial Cells

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Amie L. Holmes

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Nickel is a well-known human lung carcinogen with the particulate form being the most potent; however, the carcinogenic mechanism remains largely unknown. Few studies have investigated the genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of nickel in its target cell, human bronchial epithelial cells. Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the effects of particulate nickel in human lung epithelial cells. We found that nickel subsulfide induced concentration- and time-dependent increases in both cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in human lung epithelial cells (BEP2D. Chronic exposure to nickel subsulfide readily induced cellular transformation, inducing 2.55, 2.9 and 2.35 foci per dish after exposure to 1, 2.5 and 5 μg/cm2 nickel subsulfide, respectively. Sixty-one, 100 and 70 percent of the foci isolated from 1, 2.5, and 5 μg/cm2 nickel subsulfide treatments formed colonies in soft agar and the degree of soft agar colony growth increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus, chronic exposure to particulate nickel induces genotoxicity and cellular transformation in human lung epithelial cells.

Cushing syndrome as presenting symptom of calcifying nested stromal-epithelial tumor of the liver in an adolescent boy: a case report

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weeda, V. B.; de Reuver, Ph R.; Bras, H.; Zsíros, J.; Lamers, W. H.; Aronson, D. C.

2016-01-01

Ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone-producing primary liver tumors are rare, especially in children. We report the case of an adolescent boy of mixed Dutch and Moroccan descent with an adrenocorticotropic hormone-producing calcifying nested stromal-epithelial tumor with long-term follow-up. Thus

Bio-synthesis of gold nanoparticles by human epithelial cells, in vivo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larios-Rodriguez, E; Rangel-Ayon, C; Herrera-Urbina, R; Castillo, S J; Zavala, G

2011-01-01

Healthy epithelial cells, in vivo, have the ability to synthesize gold nanoparticles when aqueous tetrachloroauric acid is made to react with human skin. Neither a reducing agent nor a protecting chemical is needed for this bio-synthesis method. The first indication of gold nanoparticle formation is the staining of the skin, which turns deep purple. Stereoscopic optical micrographs of human skin tissue in contact with aqueous tetrachloroauric acid clearly show the staining of the epithelial cells. The UV-Vis spectrum of these epithelial cells shows an absorption band with a maximum at 553 nm. This absorption peak is within the wavelength region where the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band of aqueous colloidal gold exhibits a maximum. Transmission electron micrographs show that gold nanoparticles synthesized by epithelial cells have sizes between 1 and 100 nm. The electron diffraction pattern of these nanoparticles reveals a crystalline structure whose interplanar distances correspond to fcc metallic gold. Transmission electron micrographs of ultra-thin (70 nm thick) slices of epithelial cells clearly and undoubtedly demonstrate that gold nanoparticles are inside the cell. According to high resolution transmission electron micrographs of intracellular single gold nanoparticles, they have the shape of a polyhedron.

Bio-synthesis of gold nanoparticles by human epithelial cells, in vivo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larios-Rodriguez, E; Rangel-Ayon, C; Herrera-Urbina, R [Departamento de Ingenieria Quimica y Metalurgia, Universidad de Sonora, Rosales y Luis Encinas S/N, Hermosillo, Sonora, C.P. 83000 (Mexico); Castillo, S J [Departamento de Investigacion en Fisica, Universidad de Sonora, Rosales y Luis Encinas S/N, Hermosillo, Sonora, C.P. 83000 (Mexico); Zavala, G, E-mail: elarios@polimeros.uson.mx [Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Cuernavaca, Morelos (Mexico)

2011-09-02

Healthy epithelial cells, in vivo, have the ability to synthesize gold nanoparticles when aqueous tetrachloroauric acid is made to react with human skin. Neither a reducing agent nor a protecting chemical is needed for this bio-synthesis method. The first indication of gold nanoparticle formation is the staining of the skin, which turns deep purple. Stereoscopic optical micrographs of human skin tissue in contact with aqueous tetrachloroauric acid clearly show the staining of the epithelial cells. The UV-Vis spectrum of these epithelial cells shows an absorption band with a maximum at 553 nm. This absorption peak is within the wavelength region where the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band of aqueous colloidal gold exhibits a maximum. Transmission electron micrographs show that gold nanoparticles synthesized by epithelial cells have sizes between 1 and 100 nm. The electron diffraction pattern of these nanoparticles reveals a crystalline structure whose interplanar distances correspond to fcc metallic gold. Transmission electron micrographs of ultra-thin (70 nm thick) slices of epithelial cells clearly and undoubtedly demonstrate that gold nanoparticles are inside the cell. According to high resolution transmission electron micrographs of intracellular single gold nanoparticles, they have the shape of a polyhedron.

Adrenomedullin stimulates cyclic AMP production in the airway epithelial cells of guinea-pigs and in the human epithelial cell line

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Takashi Kawaguchi

1999-01-01

Full Text Available This study was designed to examine the effects of adrenomedullin (AM on airway epithelial cells. Primary cultures of guinea-pig tracheal epithelial cells and the human bronchiolar epithelial cell line NCI-H441 were used. Intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP, cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2, and stable end-products of nitric oxide were assayed. Adrenomedullin (10−6 mol/L stimulated cAMP production in guinea-pig epithelial cells. Indomethacin (10−5 mol/L significantly decreased the basal level of intracellular cAMP in guinea-pig epithelial cells, but not in NCI-H441 cells. However, AM did not stimulate production of PGE2, a major product that can increase cAMP formation. In the case of NCI-H441 cells, AM (10−8 – 10−6 mol/L did not significantly affect intracellular cGMP levels or nitrite content in conditioned medium. Adrenomedullin and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP each stimulated cAMP production in NCI-H441 cells, but AM-stimulated cAMP production was antagonized by the CGRP fragment CGRP8–37. These findings suggest that AM stimulates cAMP production and functionally competes with CGRP for binding sites in airway epithelial cells, at least in human epithelial cells, but that it does not stimulate the release of PGE2 and nitric oxide. Though cyclooxygenase products contribute to some extent to cAMP formation in guinea-pigs, AM independently stimulates intracellular cAMP formation in airway epithelial cells.

Radiological evaluation of a liver simulator in comparison to a human real liver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toledo, Janine M.; Campos, Tarcisio P.R. de

2009-01-01

The present study evaluates the radiological features of a human real healthy liver reproducing its characteristics on a developed liver simulator. The radiological evaluation will be performed through radiological methods such as CT and X-ray images, density and weight measurements, as well as representation of the coloration and texture. According to literature, the liver is the highest weight organ and gland of the body, weighing approximately 1,5 kg. On the liver, the nutrients are absorbed from the digestive tract and are prosecuted and stored for future use by other organs. Also the liver is responsible for the neutralization and elimination of various toxic substances. Thus, it is an interface between the digestive system and the blood. Besides, this organ is the principal source of plasmatic proteins like the albumin, transport of graxos oily acids. Due to its proprieties, the liver holds a large amount of radionuclides on any uptake from external source. The liver simulator was designed to have the same density, weight and corresponding shape. The radiographic image was produced by conventional X-rays machine, in which the radiographic applied parameters were the same applied to abdomen. The result of the radiographic and CT images demonstrates radiological equivalence between the simulator and human real liver. Hounsfield number of the synthetic liver tissue was found on the range of human livers. Therefore, due to its similar shape, chemical composition, radiological response, the liver simulator can be used to investigate ionizing radiation procedures during radiation therapy intervention. (author)

The plasticity of human breast carcinoma cells is more than epithelial to mesenchymal conversion

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Ole William; Nielsen, Helga Lind; Gudjonsson, Thorarinn

2001-01-01

The human breast comprises three lineages: the luminal epithelial lineage, the myoepithelial lineage, and the mesenchymal lineage. It has been widely accepted that human breast neoplasia pertains only to the luminal epithelial lineage. In recent years, however, evidence has accumulated that neopl...

Studies Using an in Vitro Model Show Evidence of Involvement of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Human Endometrial Epithelial Cells in Human Embryo Implantation*

Science.gov (United States)

Uchida, Hiroshi; Maruyama, Tetsuo; Nishikawa-Uchida, Sayaka; Oda, Hideyuki; Miyazaki, Kaoru; Yamasaki, Akiko; Yoshimura, Yasunori

2012-01-01

Human embryo implantation is a critical multistep process consisting of embryo apposition/adhesion, followed by penetration and invasion. Through embryo penetration, the endometrial epithelial cell barrier is disrupted and remodeled by an unknown mechanism. We have previously developed an in vitro model for human embryo implantation employing the human choriocarcinoma cell line JAR and the human endometrial adenocarcinoma cell line Ishikawa. Using this model we have shown that stimulation with ovarian steroid hormones (17β-estradiol and progesterone, E2P4) and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, enhances the attachment and adhesion of JAR spheroids to Ishikawa. In the present study we showed that the attachment and adhesion of JAR spheroids and treatment with E2P4 or SAHA individually induce the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in Ishikawa cells. This was evident by up-regulation of N-cadherin and vimentin, a mesenchymal cell marker, and concomitant down-regulation of E-cadherin in Ishikawa cells. Stimulation with E2P4 or SAHA accelerated Ishikawa cell motility, increased JAR spheroid outgrowth, and enhanced the unique redistribution of N-cadherin, which was most prominent in proximity to the adhered spheroids. Moreover, an N-cadherin functional blocking antibody attenuated all events but not JAR spheroid adhesion. These results collectively provide evidence suggesting that E2P4- and implanting embryo-induced EMT of endometrial epithelial cells may play a pivotal role in the subsequent processes of human embryo implantation with functional control of N-cadherin. PMID:22174415

Translocation of SiO2-NPs across in vitro human bronchial epithelial monolayer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

George, I; Vranic, S; Boland, S; Borot, M C; Marano, F; Baeza-Squiban, A

2013-01-01

Safe development and application of nanotechnologies in many fields require better knowledge about their potential adverse effects on human health. Evidence of abilities of nanoparticles (NPs) to cross epithelial barriers and reach secondary organs via the bloodstream led us to investigate the translocation of SiO 2 NPs of 50 nm (50 nm-SiO 2 -NPs) across human bronchial epithelial cells that are primary targets after exposure to inhaled NPs. We quantified the translocation of fluorescently labelled SiO 2 NPs at non-cytotoxic concentrations (5 and 10 μg/cm 2 ) across Calu-3 epithelial monolayer. After 14 days in culture Calu-3 cells seeded onto 3 μm-polycarbonate Transwell membranes formed an efficient bronchial barrier assessed by measurement of the transepithelial electric resistance and quantification of the permeability of the monolayer. After 24 hours of exposure, we observed a significant translocation of NPs that was more important when the initial NP concentration decreased. Confocal microscopy observations revealed NP uptake by cells and an important NP retention inside the porous membrane. In conclusion, 50 nm-SiO 2 -NPs can cross the human bronchial epithelial barrier without affecting the integrity of the epithelial cell monolayer.

Human epithelial cells increase their rigidity with ageing in vitro: direct measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berdyyeva, Tamara K; Woodworth, Craig D; Sokolov, Igor

2005-01-01

The decrease in elasticity of epithelial tissues with ageing contributes to many human diseases. This change was previously attributed to increased crosslinking of extracellular matrix proteins. Here we show that individual human epithelial cells also become significantly more rigid during ageing in vitro. Using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we found that the Young's modulus of viable cells was consistently increased two- to four-fold in older versus younger cells. Direct visualization of the cytoskeleton using a novel method involving the AFM suggested that increased rigidity of ageing cells was due to a higher density of cytoskeletal fibres. Our results identify a unique mechanism that might contribute to the age-related loss of elasticity in epithelial tissues

Oxytetracycline Inhibits Mucus Secretion and Inflammation in Human Airway Epithelial Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Said Ahmad; Ishinaga, Hajime; Takeuchi, Kazuhiko

2017-01-01

Oxytetracycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, but its nonantibacterial effects in the human respiratory tract are unknown. In this study, the effects of oxytetracycline on mucus secretion and inflammation were examined by PCR and ELISA in the human airway epithelial cell line NCI-H292. Oxytetracycline (10 μg/mL) significantly inhibited TNF-α-induced MUC5AC gene expression and MUC5AC protein levels in NCI-H292 cells. It also downregulated IL-8 and IL-1β gene expression and IL-1β protein levels. Our findings demonstrated that oxytetracycline suppressed mucus production and inflammation in human respiratory epithelial cells, providing further evidence for the usefulness of oxytetracycline for human airway inflammatory diseases. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

The human airway epithelial basal cell transcriptome.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neil R Hackett

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The human airway epithelium consists of 4 major cell types: ciliated, secretory, columnar and basal cells. During natural turnover and in response to injury, the airway basal cells function as stem/progenitor cells for the other airway cell types. The objective of this study is to better understand human airway epithelial basal cell biology by defining the gene expression signature of this cell population.Bronchial brushing was used to obtain airway epithelium from healthy nonsmokers. Microarrays were used to assess the transcriptome of basal cells purified from the airway epithelium in comparison to the transcriptome of the differentiated airway epithelium. This analysis identified the "human airway basal cell signature" as 1,161 unique genes with >5-fold higher expression level in basal cells compared to differentiated epithelium. The basal cell signature was suppressed when the basal cells differentiated into a ciliated airway epithelium in vitro. The basal cell signature displayed overlap with genes expressed in basal-like cells from other human tissues and with that of murine airway basal cells. Consistent with self-modulation as well as signaling to other airway cell types, the human airway basal cell signature was characterized by genes encoding extracellular matrix components, growth factors and growth factor receptors, including genes related to the EGF and VEGF pathways. Interestingly, while the basal cell signature overlaps that of basal-like cells of other organs, the human airway basal cell signature has features not previously associated with this cell type, including a unique pattern of genes encoding extracellular matrix components, G protein-coupled receptors, neuroactive ligands and receptors, and ion channels.The human airway epithelial basal cell signature identified in the present study provides novel insights into the molecular phenotype and biology of the stem/progenitor cells of the human airway epithelium.

Mechanism research of miR-181 regulating human lens epithelial cell apoptosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu Qin

2015-05-01

Full Text Available AIM: To investigate the expression of miR-181 in the lens tissue of cataract and the regulating mechanism of miR-181 on apoptosis of human lens epithelial cell.METHODS:Real time q-PCR was used to measure the expression of miR-181 in the anterior lens capsules of age-related cataract and human lens epithelial cell apoptosis model. miR-181 mimic and inhibitor were transfected using Lipofectamine 2 000 to regulate the expression of miR-181, and then Real time q-PCR was used to verify transfection efficiency. Flow cytometry was used to detect the change of cell apoptosis rate. RESULTS: Compared with control group, the expression of miR-181 was significantly higher in both the anterior lens capsules of age-related cataract and human lens epithelial cell apoptosis model; the relative expression of miR-181 in lens epithelial cells transfected with miR-181 mimic was increased, whereas decreased in cells transfected with miR-181 inhibitor; the apoptosis rate of cells transfected with miR-181 mimic was increased, while reduced in miR-181 inhibitor group. Each result was statistically significant(PCONCLUSION: High expression of miR-181 is detected in anterior lens capsule of age-related cataract. miR-181 might play a certain role in the pathogenesis of cataract via promoting human lens epithelial cell apoptosis. miR-181 probably becomes a new approach for the nonoperative treatment of cataract, but the concrete mechanism still needs to be further studied.

Platelets are a possible regulator of human endometrial re-epithelialization during menstruation.

Science.gov (United States)

Suginami, Koh; Sato, Yukiyasu; Horie, Akihito; Matsumoto, Hisanori; Kyo, Satoru; Araki, Yoshihiko; Konishi, Ikuo; Fujiwara, Hiroshi

2017-01-01

The human endometrium periodically breaks down and regenerates. As platelets have been reported to contribute to the tissue remodeling process, we examined the possible involvement of platelets in endometrial regeneration. The distribution of extravasating platelets throughout the menstrual cycle was immunohistochemically examined using human endometrial tissues. EM-E6/E7/hTERT cells, a human endometrial epithelial cell-derived immortalized cell line, were co-cultured with platelets, and the effects of platelets on the epithelialization response of EM-E6/E7/hTERT cells were investigated by attachment and permeability assays, immunohistochemical staining, and Western blot analysis. Immunohistochemical study showed numerous extravasated platelets in the subluminar stroma during the menstrual phase. The platelets promoted the cell-to-matrigel attachment of EM-E6/E7/hTERT cells concomitantly with the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase. They also promoted cell-to-cell contact among EM-E6/E7/hTERT cells in parallel with E-cadherin expression. These results indicate the possible involvement of platelets in the endometrial epithelial re-epithelialization process. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Human papilloma virus DNAs immortalize normal human mammary epithelial cells and reduce their growth factor requirements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Band, V.; Zajchowski, D.; Kulesa, V.; Sager, R.

1990-01-01

Human papilloma virus (HPV) types 16 and 18 are most commonly associated with cervical carcinoma in patients and induce immortalization of human keratinocytes in culture. HPV has not been associated with breast cancer. This report describes the immortalization of normal human mammary epithelial cells (76N) by plasmid pHPV18 or pHPV16, each containing the linearized viral genome. Transfectants were grown continuously for more than 60 passages, whereas 76N cells senesce after 18-20 passages. The transfectants also differ from 76N cells in cloning in a completely defined medium called D2 and growing a minimally supplemented defined medium (D3) containing epidermal growth factor. All transfectant tested contain integrated HPV DNA, express HPV RNA, and produce HPV E7 protein. HPV transfectants do not form tumors in a nude mouse assay. It is concluded that products of the HPV genome induce immortalization of human breast epithelial cells and reduce their growth factor requirements. This result raises the possibility that HPV might be involved in breast cancer. Furthermore, other tissue-specific primary epithelial cells that are presently difficult to grown and investigate may also be immortalized by HPV

Chromosomal changes in cultured human epithelial cells transformed by low- and high-LET radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Tracy Chui-hsu; Craise, L.M; Prioleau, J.C.; Stampfer, M.R.; Rhim, J.S.

1990-11-01

For a better assessment of radiation risk in space, an understanding of the responses of human cells, especially the epithelial cells, to low- and high-LET radiation is essential. In our laboratory, we have successfully developed techniques to study the neoplastic transformation of two human epithelial cell systems by ionizing radiation. These cell systems are human mammary epithelial cells (H184B5) and human epidermal keratinocytes (HEK). Both cell lines are immortal, anchorage dependent for growth, and nontumorigenic in athymic nude nice. Neoplastic transformation was achieved by irradiation cells successively. Our results showed that radiogenic cell transformation is a multistep process and that a single exposure of ionizing radiation can cause only one step of transformation. It requires, therefore, multihits to make human epithelial cells fully tumorigenic. Using a simple karyotyping method, we did chromosome analysis with cells cloned at various stages of transformation. We found no consistent large terminal deletion of chromosomes in radiation-induced transformants. Some changes of total number of chromosomes, however, were observed in the transformed cells. These transformants provide an unique opportunity for further genetic studies at a molecular level. 15 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.

Chromosomal changes in cultured human epithelial cells transformed by low- and high-LET radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Tracy Chui-hsu; Craise, L.M; Prioleau, J.C.; Stampfer, M.R.; Rhim, J.S.

1990-11-01

For a better assessment of radiation risk in space, an understanding of the responses of human cells, especially the epithelial cells, to low- and high-LET radiation is essential. In our laboratory, we have successfully developed techniques to study the neoplastic transformation of two human epithelial cell systems by ionizing radiation. These cell systems are human mammary epithelial cells (H184B5) and human epidermal keratinocytes (HEK). Both cell lines are immortal, anchorage dependent for growth, and nontumorigenic in athymic nude nice. Neoplastic transformation was achieved by irradiation cells successively. Our results showed that radiogenic cell transformation is a multistep process and that a single exposure of ionizing radiation can cause only one step of transformation. It requires, therefore, multihits to make human epithelial cells fully tumorigenic. Using a simple karyotyping method, we did chromosome analysis with cells cloned at various stages of transformation. We found no consistent large terminal deletion of chromosomes in radiation-induced transformants. Some changes of total number of chromosomes, however, were observed in the transformed cells. These transformants provide an unique opportunity for further genetic studies at a molecular level. 15 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs

Engineered human broncho-epithelial tissue-like assemblies

Science.gov (United States)

Goodwin, Thomas J. (Inventor)

2012-01-01

Three-dimensional human broncho-epithelial tissue-like assemblies (TLAs) are produced in a rotating wall vessel (RWV) with microcarriers by coculturing mesenchymal bronchial-tracheal cells (BTC) and bronchial epithelium cells (BEC). These TLAs display structural characteristics and express markers of in vivo respiratory epithelia. TLAs are useful for screening compounds active in lung tissues such as antiviral compounds, cystic fibrosis treatments, allergens, and cytotoxic compounds.

4-Methoxyestradiol-induced oxidative injuries in human lung epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng Yahsin; Chang, Louis W.; Cheng Lichuan; Tsai, M.-H.; Lin Pinpin

2007-01-01

Epidemiological studies indicated that people exposed to dioxins were prone to the development of lung diseases including lung cancer. Animal studies demonstrated that 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) increased liver tumors and promoted lung metaplasia in females. Metabolic changes in 17β-estradiol (E 2 ) resulted from an interaction between TCDD and E 2 could be associated with gender difference. Previously, we reported that methoxylestradiols (MeOE 2 ), especially 4-MeOE 2 , accumulated in human lung cells (BEAS-2B) co-treated with TCDD and E 2 . In the present study, we demonstrate unique accumulation of 4-MeOE 2 , as a result of TCDD/E 2 interaction and revealed its bioactivity in human lung epithelial cell line (H1355). 4-Methoxyestradiol treatment significantly decreased cell growth and increased mitotic index. Elevation of ROS and SOD activity, with a concomitant decrease in the intracellular GSH/GSSG ratio, was also detected in 4-MeOE 2 -treated cells. Quantitative comet assay showed increased oxidative DNA damage in the 4-MeOE 2 -treated H1355 cells, which could be significantly reduced by the anti-oxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). However, inhibition of cell growth and increase in mitotic arrest induced by 4-MeOE 2 were unaffected by NAC. We concluded that 4-MeOE 2 accumulation resulting from TCDD and E 2 interaction would contribute to the higher vulnerability on lung pathogenesis in females when exposed to TCDD

Extracellular Matrix Molecular Remodeling in Human Liver Fibrosis Evolution.

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Andrea Baiocchini

Full Text Available Chronic liver damage leads to pathological accumulation of ECM proteins (liver fibrosis. Comprehensive characterization of the human ECM molecular composition is essential for gaining insights into the mechanisms of liver disease. To date, studies of ECM remodeling in human liver diseases have been hampered by the unavailability of purified ECM. Here, we developed a decellularization method to purify ECM scaffolds from human liver tissues. Histological and electron microscopy analyses demonstrated that the ECM scaffolds, devoid of plasma and cellular components, preserved the three-dimensional ECM structure and zonal distribution of ECM components. This method has been then applied on 57 liver biopsies of HCV-infected patients at different stages of liver fibrosis according to METAVIR classification. Label-free nLC-MS/MS proteomics and computation biology were performed to analyze the ECM molecular composition in liver fibrosis progression, thus unveiling protein expression signatures specific for the HCV-related liver fibrotic stages. In particular, the ECM molecular composition of liver fibrosis was found to involve dynamic changes in matrix stiffness, flexibility and density related to the dysregulation of predominant collagen, elastic fibers and minor components with both structural and signaling properties. This study contributes to the understanding of the molecular bases underlying ECM remodeling in liver fibrosis and suggests new molecular targets for fibrolytic strategies.

Anti-inflammatory effects of embelin in A549 cells and human asthmatic airway epithelial tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, In-Seung; Cho, Dong-Hyuk; Kim, Ki-Suk; Kim, Kang-Hoon; Park, Jiyoung; Kim, Yumi; Jung, Ji Hoon; Kim, Kwanil; Jung, Hee-Jae; Jang, Hyeung-Jin

2018-02-01

Allergic asthma is the most common type in asthma, which is defined as a chronic inflammatory disease of the lung. In this study, we investigated whether embelin (Emb), the major component of Ardisia japonica BL. (AJB), exhibits anti-inflammatory effects on allergic asthma via inhibition of NF-κB activity using A549 cells and asthmatic airway epithelial tissues. Inflammation was induced in A549 cells, a human airway epithelial cell line, by IL-1β (10 ng/ml) treatment for 4 h. The effects of Emb on NF-κB activity and COX-2 protein expression in inflamed airway epithelial cells and human asthmatic airway epithelial tissues were analyzed via western blot. The secretion levels of NF-κB-mediated cytokines/chemokines, including IL-4, 6, 9, 13, TNF-α and eotaxin, were measured by a multiplex assay. Emb significantly blocked NF-κB activity in IL-1β-treated A549 cells and human asthmatic airway epithelial tissues. COX-2 expression was also reduced in both IL-1β-treated A549 cells and asthmatic tissues Emb application. Emb significantly reduced the secretion of IL-4, IL-6 and eotaxin in human asthmatic airway epithelial tissues by inhibiting activity of NF-κB. The results of this study suggest that Emb may be used as an anti-inflammatory agent via inhibition of NF-κB and related cytokines.

Overexpression of human sperm protein 17 increases migration and decreases the chemosensitivity of human epithelial ovarian cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Fang-qiu; Han, Yan-ling; Liu, Qun; Wu, Bo; Huang, Wen-bin; Zeng, Su-yun

2009-01-01

Most deaths from ovarian cancer are due to metastases that are resistant to conventional therapies. But the factors that regulate the metastatic process and chemoresistance of ovarian cancer are poorly understood. In the current study, we investigated the aberrant expression of human sperm protein 17 (HSp17) in human epithelial ovarian cancer cells and tried to analyze its influences on the cell behaviors like migration and chemoresistance. Immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry were used to identify HSp17 in paraffin embedded ovarian malignant tumor specimens and peritoneal metastatic malignant cells. Then we examined the effect of HSp17 overexpression on the proliferation, migration, and chemoresistance of ovarian cancer cells to carboplatin and cisplatin in a human ovarian carcinoma cell line, HO8910. We found that HSp17 was aberrantly expressed in 43% (30/70) of the patients with primary epithelial ovarian carcinomas, and in all of the metastatic cancer cells of ascites from 8 patients. The Sp17 expression was also detected in the metastatic lesions the same as in ovarian lesions. None of the 7 non-epithelial tumors primarily developed in the ovaries was immunopositive for HSp17. Overexpression of HSp17 increased the migration but decreased the chemosensitivity of ovarian carcinoma cells to carboplatin and cisplatin. HSp17 is aberrantly expressed in a significant proportion of epithelial ovarian carcinomas. Our results strongly suggest that HSp17 plays a role in metastatic disease and resistance of epithelial ovarian carcinoma to chemotherapy

TLR-dependent human mucosal epithelial cell responses to microbial pathogens.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paola eMassari

2014-08-01

Full Text Available AbstractToll-Like Receptor (TLR signaling represents one of the best studied pathways to implement defense mechanisms against invading microbes in humans as well as in animals. TLRs respond to specific microbial ligands and to danger signals produced by the host during infection, and initiate downstream cascades that activate both innate and adaptive immunity. TLRs are expressed by professional immune cells and by the large majority of non-hematopoietic cells, including epithelial cells. In epithelial tissues, TLR functions are particularly important because these sites are constantly exposed to microorganisms, due to their location at the host interface with the environment. While at these sites, specific defense mechanisms and inflammatory responses are initiated via TLR signaling against pathogens, suppression or lack of TLR activation is also observed in response to the commensal microbiota. The mechanisms by which TLR signaling is regulated in mucosal epithelial cells include differential expression and levels of TLRs (and their signaling partners, their cellular localization and positioning within the tissue in a fashion that favors responses to pathogens while dampening responses to commensals and maintaining tissue homeostasis in physiologic conditions. In this review, the expression and activation of TLRs in mucosal epithelial cells of several sites of the human body are examined. Specifically, the oral cavity, the ear canal and eye, the airways, the gut and the reproductive tract are discussed, along with how site-specific host defense mechanisms are implemented via TLR signaling.

Transfection of normal human bronchial epithelial cells with the bcl-2 oncogene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kennedy, C.H.; Kenyon, K.D.; Tesfaigzi, J. [and others

1995-12-01

In vitro, studies examining the transformation of virus-immortalized human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells after exposure to chemical and physical carcinogens have contributed to our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the development of lung cancer. Virus-immortalized HBE cells have been used because of both the limited life span of normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells in culture (approximately 30-35 population doublins) and their resistance to in vitro malignant transformation. For example, human papillomavirus (HPV)-immortalized HBE cells have been used to study the genetic changes that occur after exposure to {alpha}-particles in vitro. Although this model may prove to be useful for studying the 18% or less of bronchogenic carcinomas found to contain HPV sequences, it is not an appropriate model for studying the majority of lung epithelial malignancies in which HPV DNA is not detected. This view is supported by the fact that HPV-immortalized cell lines commonly exhibit aneuploidy. This results of this study suggest that: (1) NHBE cells can be transiently transfected with the pCMV{Beta} vector; and (2) the antibiotic hygromycin-resistant transfected cells.

Transfection of normal human bronchial epithelial cells with the bcl-2 oncogene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, C.H.; Kenyon, K.D.; Tesfaigzi, J.

1995-01-01

In vitro, studies examining the transformation of virus-immortalized human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells after exposure to chemical and physical carcinogens have contributed to our understanding of the mechanisms that underlie the development of lung cancer. Virus-immortalized HBE cells have been used because of both the limited life span of normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells in culture (approximately 30-35 population doublins) and their resistance to in vitro malignant transformation. For example, human papillomavirus (HPV)-immortalized HBE cells have been used to study the genetic changes that occur after exposure to α-particles in vitro. Although this model may prove to be useful for studying the 18% or less of bronchogenic carcinomas found to contain HPV sequences, it is not an appropriate model for studying the majority of lung epithelial malignancies in which HPV DNA is not detected. This view is supported by the fact that HPV-immortalized cell lines commonly exhibit aneuploidy. This results of this study suggest that: (1) NHBE cells can be transiently transfected with the pCMVΒ vector; and (2) the antibiotic hygromycin-resistant transfected cells

Structure of neuro-endocrine and neuro-epithelial interactions in human foetal pancreas.

Science.gov (United States)

Krivova, Yuliya; Proshchina, Alexandra; Barabanov, Valeriy; Leonova, Olga; Saveliev, Sergey

2016-12-01

In the pancreas of many mammals including humans, endocrine islet cells can be integrated with the nervous system components into neuro-insular complexes. The mechanism of the formation of such complexes is not clearly understood. The present study evaluated the interactions between the nervous system components, epithelial cells and endocrine cells in the human pancreas. Foetal pancreas, gestational age 19-23 weeks (13 cases) and 30-34 weeks (7 cases), were studied using double immunohistochemical labeling with neural markers (S100 protein and beta III tubulin), epithelial marker (cytokeratin 19 (CK19)) and antibodies to insulin and glucagon. We first analyse the structure of neuro-insular complexes using confocal microscopy and provide immunohistochemical evidences of the presence of endocrine cells within the ganglia or inside the nerve bundles. We showed that the nervous system components contact with the epithelial cells located in ducts or in clusters outside the ductal epithelium and form complexes with separate epithelial cells. We observed CK19-positive cells inside the ganglia and nerve bundles which were located separately or were integrated with the islets. Therefore, we conclude that neuro-insular complexes may forms as a result of integration between epithelial cells and nervous system components at the initial stages of islets formation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Human immunodeficiency virus infection and the liver.

Science.gov (United States)

Crane, Megan; Iser, David; Lewin, Sharon R

2012-03-27

Liver disease in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals encompasses the spectrum from abnormal liver function tests, liver decompensation, with and without evidence of cirrhosis on biopsy, to non-alcoholic liver disease and its more severe form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatocellular cancer. HIV can infect multiple cells in the liver, leading to enhanced intrahepatic apoptosis, activation and fibrosis. HIV can also alter gastro-intestinal tract permeability, leading to increased levels of circulating lipopolysaccharide that may have an impact on liver function. This review focuses on recent changes in the epidemiology, pathogenesis and clinical presentation of liver disease in HIV-infected patients, in the absence of co-infection with hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus, with a specific focus on issues relevant to low and middle income countries.

Repairing organs: lessons from intestine and liver

OpenAIRE

Gehart Helmuth; Clevers Hans

2015-01-01

The concept of organ regeneration has fascinated humanity from ancient mythology to modern science fiction. Recent advances offer the potential to soon bring such technology within the grasp of clinical medicine. Rapidly expanding insights into the intrinsic repair processes of the intestine and liver have uncovered significant plasticity in epithelial tissues. Harnessing this knowledge researchers have recently created culture systems that enable the expansion of stem cells into transplantab...

The protective effect of resveratrol on human lens epithelial cells against ultraviolet-induced apoptosis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xue - Fang Chen

2013-06-01

Full Text Available AIM: To investigate the protective effect of resveratrol on human lens epithelial cells against ultraviolet-induced apoptosis. METHODS:Subcultured human lens epithelial cell line, ultraviolet induced cell apoptosis, 20μmol/L resveratrol pretreated cell, the indicators change was observed: rate of apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry and apoptosis-related factors of caspses-3 and caspase-9 were detected by colorimetric detection, ultrastructure changes were observed under transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: Flow cytometry instrument testing found that resveratrol can suppress the apoptosis induced by ultraviolet irradiation, caspses-3 and caspase-9 content in positive control group were significantly higher than that of the negative control group at the same time period, the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05; caspses-3 and caspase-9 content in experimental group were lower than that in the positive control group at the same time, the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05. In addition, the damage of human lens epithelial cells was alleviated with the incubation time of resveratrol elongated. CONCLUSION:Resveratrol may inhibit ultraviolet-induced apoptosis of human lens epithelial cells, it has preventive function against radioactive cataract, and it can provide reliable evidence for pursuing effective medicine to prevent and treat cataract.

Regulation of hTERT Expression and Function in Newly Immortalized p53(+) Human Mammary Epithelial Cell Lines

Science.gov (United States)

2007-06-01

human mammary epithelial cell types by human papilloma virus 16 e6 or e7. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 1995; 92:3687-91. 54. Shay JW, Pereira-Smith OM, Wright...Liu X-L, Chu Q, Gao Q, Band V. Immortalization of distinct human mammary epithelial cell types by human papilloma virus 16 e6 or e7. Proc Nat Acad

The plasticity of human breast carcinoma cells is more than epithelial to mesenchymal conversion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

William Petersen, Ole; Lind Nielsen, Helga; Gudjonsson, Thorarinn; Villadsen, René; Rønnov-Jessen, Lone; Bissell, Mina J

2001-01-01

The human breast comprises three lineages: the luminal epithelial lineage, the myoepithelial lineage, and the mesenchymal lineage. It has been widely accepted that human breast neoplasia pertains only to the luminal epithelial lineage. In recent years, however, evidence has accumulated that neoplastic breast epithelial cells may be substantially more plastic in their differentiation repertoire than previously anticipated. Thus, along with an increasing availability of markers for the myoepithelial lineage, at least a partial differentiation towards this lineage is being revealed frequently. It has also become clear that conversions towards the mesenchymal lineage actually occur, referred to as epithelial to mesenchymal transitions. Indeed, some of the so-called myofibroblasts surrounding the tumor may have an epithelial origin rather than a mesenchymal origin. Because myoepithelial cells, epithelial to mesenchymal transition-derived cells, genuine stromal cells and myofibroblasts share common markers, we now need to define a more ambitious set of markers to distinguish these cell types in the microenvironment of the tumors. This is necessary because the different microenvironments may confer different clinical outcomes. The aim of this commentary is to describe some of the inherent complexities in defining cellular phenotypes in the microenvironment of breast cancer and to expand wherever possible on the implications for tumor suppression and progression

The plasticity of human breast carcinoma cells is more than epithelial to mesenchymal conversion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petersen, Ole William; Nielsen, Helga Lind; Gudjonsson, Thorarinn; Villadsen, Ren& #233; ; Ronnov-Jessen, Lone; Bissell, Mina J.

2001-05-12

The human breast comprises three lineages: the luminal epithelial lineage, the myoepithelial lineage, and the mesenchymal lineage. It has been widely accepted that human breast neoplasia pertains only to the luminal epithelial lineage. In recent years, however, evidence has accumulated that neoplastic breast epithelial cells may be substantially more plastic in their differentiation repertoire than previously anticipated. Thus, along with an increasing availability of markers for the myoepithelial lineage, at least a partial differentiation towards this lineage is being revealed frequently. It has also become clear that conversions towards the mesenchymal lineage actually occur, referred to as epithelial to mesenchymal transitions. Indeed, some of the so-called myofibroblasts surrounding the tumor may indeed have an epithelial origin rather than a mesenchymal origin. Because myoepithelial cells, epithelial to mesenchymal transition-derived cells, genuine stromal cells and myofibroblasts share common markers, we now need to define a more ambitious set of markers to distinguish these cell types in the microenvironment of the tumors. This is necessary because the different microenvironments may confer different clinical outcomes. The aim of this commentary is to describe some of the inherent complexities in defining cellular phenotypes in the microenvironment of breast cancer and to expand wherever possible on the implications for tumor suppression and progression.

Dataset of protein species from human liver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stanislav Naryzhny

2017-06-01

Full Text Available This article contains data related to the research article entitled “Zipf׳s law in proteomics” (Naryzhny et al., 2017 [1]. The protein composition in the human liver or hepatocarcinoma (HepG2 cells extracts was estimated using a filter-aided sample preparation (FASP protocol. The protein species/proteoform composition in the human liver was determined by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE followed by Electrospray Ionization Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (ESI LC-MS/MS. In the case of two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE, the gel was stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R350, and image analysis was performed with ImageMaster 2D Platinum software (GE Healthcare. The 96 sections in the 2D gel were selected and cut for subsequent ESI LC-MS/MS and protein identification. If the same protein was detected in different sections, it was considered to exist as different protein species/proteoforms. A list of human liver proteoforms detected in this way is presented.

TWEAK induces liver progenitor cell proliferation

Science.gov (United States)

Jakubowski, Aniela; Ambrose, Christine; Parr, Michael; Lincecum, John M.; Wang, Monica Z.; Zheng, Timothy S.; Browning, Beth; Michaelson, Jennifer S.; Baestcher, Manfred; Wang, Bruce; Bissell, D. Montgomery; Burkly, Linda C.

2005-01-01

Progenitor (“oval”) cell expansion accompanies many forms of liver injury, including alcohol toxicity and submassive parenchymal necrosis as well as experimental injury models featuring blocked hepatocyte replication. Oval cells can potentially become either hepatocytes or biliary epithelial cells and may be critical to liver regeneration, particularly when hepatocyte replication is impaired. The regulation of oval cell proliferation is incompletely understood. Herein we present evidence that a TNF family member called TWEAK (TNF-like weak inducer of apoptosis) stimulates oval cell proliferation in mouse liver through its receptor Fn14. TWEAK has no effect on mature hepatocytes and thus appears to be selective for oval cells. Transgenic mice overexpressing TWEAK in hepatocytes exhibit periportal oval cell hyperplasia. A similar phenotype was obtained in adult wild-type mice, but not Fn14-null mice, by administering TWEAK-expressing adenovirus. Oval cell expansion induced by 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC) was significantly reduced in Fn14-null mice as well as in adult wild-type mice with a blocking anti-TWEAK mAb. Importantly, TWEAK stimulated the proliferation of an oval cell culture model. Finally, we show increased Fn14 expression in chronic hepatitis C and other human liver diseases relative to its expression in normal liver, which suggests a role for the TWEAK/Fn14 pathway in human liver injury. We conclude that TWEAK has a selective mitogenic effect for liver oval cells that distinguishes it from other previously described growth factors. PMID:16110324

Long-term culture of human liver tissue with advanced hepatic functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Soon Seng; Xiong, Anming; Nguyen, Khanh; Masek, Marilyn; No, Da Yoon; Elazar, Menashe; Shteyer, Eyal; Winters, Mark A; Voedisch, Amy; Shaw, Kate; Rashid, Sheikh Tamir; Frank, Curtis W; Cho, Nam Joon; Glenn, Jeffrey S

2017-06-02

A major challenge for studying authentic liver cell function and cell replacement therapies is that primary human hepatocytes rapidly lose their advanced function in conventional, 2-dimensional culture platforms. Here, we describe the fabrication of 3-dimensional hexagonally arrayed lobular human liver tissues inspired by the liver's natural architecture. The engineered liver tissues exhibit key features of advanced differentiation, such as human-specific cytochrome P450-mediated drug metabolism and the ability to support efficient infection with patient-derived inoculums of hepatitis C virus. The tissues permit the assessment of antiviral agents and maintain their advanced functions for over 5 months in culture. This extended functionality enabled the prediction of a fatal human-specific hepatotoxicity caused by fialuridine (FIAU), which had escaped detection by preclinical models and short-term clinical studies. The results obtained with the engineered human liver tissue in this study provide proof-of-concept determination of human-specific drug metabolism, demonstrate the ability to support infection with human hepatitis virus derived from an infected patient and subsequent antiviral drug testing against said infection, and facilitate detection of human-specific drug hepatotoxicity associated with late-onset liver failure. Looking forward, the scalability and biocompatibility of the scaffold are also ideal for future cell replacement therapeutic strategies.

Culture of human intestinal epithelial cell using the dissociating enzyme thermolysin and endothelin-3

OpenAIRE

Liu, Z.; Zhang, P.; Zhou, Y.; Qin, H.; Shen, T.

2010-01-01

Epithelium, a highly dynamic system, plays a key role in the homeostasis of the intestine. However, thus far a human intestinal epithelial cell line has not been established in many countries. Fetal tissue was selected to generate viable cell cultures for its sterile condition, effective generation, and differentiated character. The purpose of the present study was to culture human intestinal epithelial cells by a relatively simple method. Thermolysin was added to improve the yield of epithel...

A study of human liver ferritin and chicken liver and spleen using Moessbauer spectroscopy with high velocity resolution

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oshtrakh, M. I., E-mail: oshtrakh@mail.utnet.ru [Ural State Technical University-UPI, Faculty of Physical Techniques and Devices for Quality Control (Russian Federation); Milder, O. B.; Semionkin, V. A. [Ural State Technical University-UPI, Faculty of Experimental Physics (Russian Federation)

2008-01-15

Lyophilized samples of human liver ferritin and chicken liver and spleen were measured at room temperature using Moessbauer spectroscopy with high velocity resolution. An increase in the velocity resolution of Moessbauer spectroscopy permitted us to increase accuracy and decrease experimental error in determining the hyperfine parameters of human liver ferritin and chicken liver and spleen. Moessbauer spectroscopy with high velocity resolution may be very useful for revealing small differences in hyperfine parameters during biomedical research.

Human nasal turbinates as a viable source of respiratory epithelial cells using co-culture system versus dispase-dissociation technique.

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Noruddin, Nur Adelina Ahmad; Saim, Aminuddin B; Chua, Kien Hui; Idrus, Ruszymah

2007-12-01

To compare a co-culture system with a conventional dispase-dissociation method for obtaining functional human respiratory epithelial cells from the nasal turbinates for tissue engineering application. Human respiratory epithelial cells were serially passaged using a co-culture system and a conventional dispase-dissociation technique. The growth kinetics and gene expression levels of the cultured respiratory epithelial cells were compared. Four genes were investigated, namely cytokeratin-18, a marker for ciliated and secretory epithelial cells; cytokeratin-14, a marker for basal epithelial cells; MKI67, a proliferation marker; and MUC5B, a marker for mucin secretion. Immunocytochemical analysis was performed using monoclonal antibodies against the high molecular-weight cytokeratin 34 beta E12, cytokeratin 18, and MUC5A to investigate the protein expression from cultured respiratory epithelial cells. Respiratory epithelial cells cultured using both methods maintained polygonal morphology throughout the passages. At passage 1, co-cultured respiratory epithelial showed a 2.6-times higher growth rate compared to conventional dispase dissociation technique, and 7.8 times higher at passage 2. Better basal gene expression was observed by co-cultured respiratory epithelial cells compared to dispase dissociated cells. Immunocytochemical analyses were positive for the respiratory epithelial cells cultured using both techniques. Co-culture system produced superior quality of cultured human respiratory epithelial cells from the nasal turbinates as compared to dispase dissociation technique.

Hepatocyte transplantation and advancements in alternative cell sources for liver-based regenerative medicine.

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Lee, Charlotte A; Sinha, Siddharth; Fitzpatrick, Emer; Dhawan, Anil

2018-06-01

Human hepatocyte transplantation has been actively perused as an alternative to liver replacement for acute liver failure and liver-based metabolic defects. Current challenges in this field include a limited cell source, reduced cell viability following cryopreservation and poor engraftment of cells into the recipient liver with consequent limited life span. As a result, alternative stem cell sources such as pluripotent stem cells, fibroblasts, hepatic progenitor cells, amniotic epithelial cells and mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) can be used to generate induced hepatocyte like cells (HLC) with each technique exhibiting advantages and disadvantages. HLCs may have comparable function to primary human hepatocytes and could offer patient-specific treatment. However, long-term functionality of transplanted HLCs and the potential oncogenic risks of using stem cells have yet to be established. The immunomodulatory effects of MSCs are promising, and multiple clinical trials are investigating their effect in cirrhosis and acute liver failure. Here, we review the current status of hepatocyte transplantation, alternative cell sources to primary human hepatocytes and their potential in liver regeneration. We also describe recent clinical trials using hepatocytes derived from stem cells and their role in improving the phenotype of several liver diseases.

Invasion of Human Oral Epithelial Cells by Prevotella intermedia

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Dorn, Brian R.; Leung, K.-P.; Progulske-Fox, Ann

1998-01-01

Invasion of oral epithelial cells by pathogenic oral bacteria may represent an important virulence factor in the progression of periodontal disease. Here we report that a clinical isolate of Prevotella intermedia, strain 17, was found to invade a human oral epithelial cell line (KB), whereas P. intermedia 27, another clinical isolate, and P. intermedia 25611, the type strain, were not found to invade the cell line. Invasion was quantified by the recovery of viable bacteria following a standard antibiotic protection assay and observed by electron microscopy. Cytochalasin D, cycloheximide, monodansylcadaverine, and low temperature (4°C) inhibited the internalization of P. intermedia 17. Antibodies raised against P. intermedia type C fimbriae and against whole cells inhibited invasion, but the anti-type-C-fimbria antibody inhibited invasion to a greater extent than the anti-whole-cell antibody. This work provides evidence that at least one strain of P. intermedia can invade an oral epithelial cell line and that the type C fimbriae and a cytoskeletal rearrangement are required for this invasion. PMID:9826397

Epimorphin regulates bile duct formation via effects on mitosis orientation in rat liver epithelial stem-like cells.

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Junnian Zhou

Full Text Available Understanding how hepatic precursor cells can generate differentiated bile ducts is crucial for studies on epithelial morphogenesis and for development of cell therapies for hepatobiliary diseases. Epimorphin (EPM is a key morphogen for duct morphogenesis in various epithelial organs. The role of EPM in bile duct formation (DF from hepatic precursor cells, however, is not known. To address this issue, we used WB-F344 rat epithelial stem-like cells as model for bile duct formation. A micropattern and a uniaxial static stretch device was used to investigate the effects of EPM and stress fiber bundles on the mitosis orientation (MO of WB cells. Immunohistochemistry of liver tissue sections demonstrated high EPM expression around bile ducts in vivo. In vitro, recombinant EPM selectively induced DF through upregulation of CK19 expression and suppression of HNF3alpha and HNF6, with no effects on other hepatocytic genes investigated. Our data provide evidence that EPM guides MO of WB-F344 cells via effects on stress fiber bundles and focal adhesion assembly, as supported by blockade EPM, beta1 integrin, and F-actin assembly. These blockers can also inhibit EPM-induced DF. These results demonstrate a new biophysical action of EPM in bile duct formation, during which determination of MO plays a crucial role.

Liver Flukes: the Malady Neglected

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Lim, Jae Hoon [Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2011-06-15

Liver fluke disease is a chronic parasitic inflammatory disease of the bile ducts. Infection occurs through ingestion of fluke-infested, fresh-water raw fish. The most well-known species that cause human infection are Clonorchis sinensis, Opisthorchis viverrini and Opisthorchis felineus. Adult flukes settle in the small intrahepatic bile ducts and then they live there for 20-30 years. The long-lived flukes cause long-lasting chronic inflammation of the bile ducts and this produces epithelial hyperplasia, periductal fibrosis and bile duct dilatation. The vast majority of patients are asymptomatic, but the patients with heavy infection suffer from lassitude and nonspecific abdominal complaints. The complications are stone formation, recurrent pyogenic cholangitis and cholangiocarcinoma. Approximately 35 million people are infected with liver flukes throughout the world and the exceptionally high incidence of cholangiocarcinoma in some endemic areas is closely related with a high prevalence of liver fluke infection. Considering the impact of this food-borne malady on public health and the severe possible clinical consequences, liver fluke infection should not be forgotten or neglected.

Liver Flukes: the Malady Neglected

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lim, Jae Hoon

2011-01-01

Liver fluke disease is a chronic parasitic inflammatory disease of the bile ducts. Infection occurs through ingestion of fluke-infested, fresh-water raw fish. The most well-known species that cause human infection are Clonorchis sinensis, Opisthorchis viverrini and Opisthorchis felineus. Adult flukes settle in the small intrahepatic bile ducts and then they live there for 20-30 years. The long-lived flukes cause long-lasting chronic inflammation of the bile ducts and this produces epithelial hyperplasia, periductal fibrosis and bile duct dilatation. The vast majority of patients are asymptomatic, but the patients with heavy infection suffer from lassitude and nonspecific abdominal complaints. The complications are stone formation, recurrent pyogenic cholangitis and cholangiocarcinoma. Approximately 35 million people are infected with liver flukes throughout the world and the exceptionally high incidence of cholangiocarcinoma in some endemic areas is closely related with a high prevalence of liver fluke infection. Considering the impact of this food-borne malady on public health and the severe possible clinical consequences, liver fluke infection should not be forgotten or neglected.

Hepatic cholesterol ester hydrolase in human liver disease.

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Simon, J B; Poon, R W

1978-09-01

Human liver contains an acid cholesterol ester hydrolase (CEH) of presumed lysosomal origin, but its significance is unknown. We developed a modified CEH radioassay suitable for needle biopsy specimens and measured hepatic activity of this enzyme in 69 patients undergoing percutaneous liver biopsy. Histologically normal livers hydrolyzed 5.80 +/- 0.78 SEM mumoles of cholesterol ester per hr per g of liver protein (n, 10). Values were similar in alcoholic liver disease (n, 17), obstructive jaundice (n, 9), and miscellaneous hepatic disorders (n, 21). In contrast, mean hepatic CEH activity was more than 3-fold elevated in 12 patients with acute hepatitis, 21.05 +/- 2.45 SEM mumoles per hr per g of protein (P less than 0.01). In 2 patients studied serially, CEH returned to normal as hepatitis resolved. CEH activity in all patients paralleled SGOT levels (r, 0.84; P less than 0.01). There was no correlation with serum levels of free or esterified cholesterol nor with serum activity of lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase, the enzyme responsible for cholesterol esterification in plasma. These studies confirm the presence of CEH activity in human liver and show markedly increased activity in acute hepatitis. The pathogenesis and clinical significance of altered hepatic CEH activity in liver disease require further study.

Three-dimensional reconstructions of intrahepatic bile duct tubulogenesis in human liver

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestentoft, Peter S; Jelnes, Peter; Hopkinson, Branden M

2011-01-01

BACKGROUND: During liver development, intrahepatic bile ducts are thought to arise by a unique asymmetric mode of cholangiocyte tubulogenesis characterized by a series of remodeling stages. Moreover, in liver diseases, cells lining the Canals of Hering can proliferate and generate new hepatic...... in normal liver and in the extensive ductular reactions originating from intrahepatic bile ducts and branching into the parenchyma of the acetaminophen intoxicated liver. In the developing human liver, three-dimensional reconstructions using multiple marker proteins confirmed that the human intrahepatic...

Engineering stromal-epithelial interactions in vitro for ...

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Background: Crosstalk between epithelial and stromal cells drives the morphogenesis of ectodermal organs during development and promotes normal mature adult epithelial tissue function. Epithelial-mesenchymal interactions (EMIs) have been examined using mammalian models, ex vivo tissue recombination, and in vitro co-cultures. Although these approaches have elucidated signaling mechanisms underlying morphogenetic processes and adult mammalian epithelial tissue function, they are limited by the availability of human tissue, low throughput, and human developmental or physiological relevance. Objectives: Bioengineering strategies to promote EMIs using human epithelial and mesenchymal cells have enabled the development of human in vitro models of adult epidermal and glandular tissues. In this review, we describe recent bioengineered models of human epithelial tissue and organs that can instruct the design of organotypic models of human developmental processes.Methods: We reviewed current bioengineering literature and here describe how bioengineered EMIs have enabled the development of human in vitro epithelial tissue models.Discussion: Engineered models to promote EMIs have recapitulated the architecture, phenotype, and function of adult human epithelial tissue, and similar engineering principles could be used to develop models of developmental morphogenesis. We describe how bioengineering strategies including bioprinting and spheroid culture could be implemented to

Granulin Secreted by the Food-Borne Liver Fluke Opisthorchis viverrini Promotes Angiogenesis in Human Endothelial Cells

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Brandon Haugen

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini is a food-borne, zoonotic pathogen endemic to Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia. The adult developmental stage of the O. viverrini parasite excretes and secretes numerous proteins within the biliary tract including the gall bladder. Lesions caused by the feeding activities of the liver fluke represent wounds that undergo protracted cycles of healing and re-injury during chronic infection, which can last for decades. Components of the excretory/secretory (ES complement released by the worms capably drive proliferation of bile duct epithelial cells and are implicated in establishing the oncogenic milieu that leads to bile duct cancer, cholangiocarcinoma. An ES protein, the secreted granulin-like growth factor termed Ov-GRN-1, accelerates wound resolution in mice and in vitro. To investigate angiogenesis (blood vessel development that may contribute to wound healing promoted by liver fluke granulin and, by implication, to carcinogenesis during chronic opisthorchiasis, we employed an in vitro tubule formation assay (TFA where human umbilical vein endothelial cells were grown on gelled basement matrix. Ten and 40 nM Ov-GRN-1 significantly stimulated angiogenesis as monitored by cellular proliferation and by TFA in real time. This demonstration of potent angiogenic property of Ov-GRN-1 bolsters earlier reports on the therapeutic potential for chronic non-healing wounds of diabetics, tobacco users, and the elderly and, in addition, showcases another of the hallmark of cancer characteristic of this carcinogenic liver fluke.

Effect of the Human Amniotic Membrane on Liver Regeneration in Rats

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Mesut Sipahi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Operations are performed for broader liver surgery indications for a better understanding of hepatic anatomy/physiology and developments in operation technology. Surgery can cure some patients with liver metastasis of some tumors. Nevertheless, postoperative liver failure is the most feared complication causing mortality in patients who have undergone excision of a large liver mass. The human amniotic membrane has regenerative effects. Thus, we investigated the effects of the human amniotic membrane on regeneration of the resected liver. Methods. Twenty female Wistar albino rats were divided into control and experimental groups and underwent a 70% hepatectomy. The human amniotic membrane was placed over the residual liver in the experimental group. Relative liver weight, histopathological features, and biochemical parameters were assessed on postoperative day 3. Results. Total protein and albumin levels were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. No difference in relative liver weight was observed between the groups. Hepatocyte mitotic count was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group. Hepatic steatosis was detected in the experimental group. Conclusion. Applying the amniotic membrane to residual liver adversely affected liver regeneration. However, mesenchymal stem cell research has the potential to accelerate liver regeneration investigations.

Molecular Structure of Human-Liver Glycogen.

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Bin Deng

Full Text Available Glycogen is a highly branched glucose polymer which is involved in maintaining blood-sugar homeostasis. Liver glycogen contains large composite α particles made up of linked β particles. Previous studies have shown that the binding which links β particles into α particles is impaired in diabetic mice. The present study reports the first molecular structural characterization of human-liver glycogen from non-diabetic patients, using transmission electron microscopy for morphology and size-exclusion chromatography for the molecular size distribution; the latter is also studied as a function of time during acid hydrolysis in vitro, which is sensitive to certain structural features, particularly glycosidic vs. proteinaceous linkages. The results are compared with those seen in mice and pigs. The molecular structural change during acid hydrolysis is similar in each case, and indicates that the linkage of β into α particles is not glycosidic. This result, and the similar morphology in each case, together imply that human liver glycogen has similar molecular structure to those of mice and pigs. This knowledge will be useful for future diabetes drug targets.

Bone marrow contributes to epithelial cancers in mice and humans as developmental mimicry.

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Cogle, Christopher R; Theise, Neil D; Fu, Dongtao; Ucar, Deniz; Lee, Sean; Guthrie, Steven M; Lonergan, Jean; Rybka, Witold; Krause, Diane S; Scott, Edward W

2007-08-01

Bone marrow cells have the capacity to contribute to distant organs. We show that marrow also contributes to epithelial neoplasias of the small bowel, colon, and lung, but not the skin. In particular, epithelial neoplasias found in patients after hematopoietic cell transplantations demonstrate that human marrow incorporates into neoplasias by adopting the phenotype of the surrounding neoplastic environment. To more rigorously evaluate marrow contribution to epithelial cancer, we employed mouse models of intestinal and lung neoplasias, which revealed specifically that the hematopoietic stem cell and its progeny incorporate within cancer. Furthermore, this marrow involvement in epithelial cancer does not appear to occur by induction of stable fusion. Whereas previous claims have been made that marrow can serve as a direct source of epithelial neoplasia, our results indicate a more cautionary note, that marrow contributes to cancer as a means of developmental mimicry. Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest is found at the end of this article.

Interleukin-13-induced MUC5AC is regulated by 15-lipoxygenase 1 pathway in human bronchial epithelial cells.

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Zhao, Jinming; Maskrey, Ben; Balzar, Silvana; Chibana, Kazuyuki; Mustovich, Anthony; Hu, Haizhen; Trudeau, John B; O'Donnell, Valerie; Wenzel, Sally E

2009-05-01

15-Lipoxygenase-1 (15LO1) and MUC5AC are highly expressed in asthmatic epithelial cells. IL-13 is known to induce 15LO1 and MUC5AC in human airway epithelial cells in vitro. Whether 15LO1 and/or its product 15-HETE modulate MUC5AC expression is unknown. To determine the expression of 15LO1 in freshly harvested epithelial cells from subjects with asthma and normal control subjects and to determine whether IL-13-induced 15LO1 expression and activation regulate MUC5AC expression in human bronchial epithelial cells in vitro. Human airway epithelial cells from subjects with asthma and normal subjects were evaluated ex vivo for 15LO1 and MUC5AC expression. The impact of 15LO1 on MUC5AC expression in vitro was analyzed by inhibiting 15LO1 through pharmacologic (PD146176) and siRNA approaches in human bronchial epithelial cells cultured under air-liquid interface. We analyzed 15 hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE) by liquid chromatography/UV/mass spectrometry. MUC5AC and 15LO1 were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR, immunofluoresence, and Western blot. Epithelial 15LO1 expression increased with asthma severity (P < 0.0001). 15LO1 significantly correlated with MUC5AC ex vivo and in vitro. IL-13 increased 15LO1 expression and stimulated formation of two molecular species of 15-HETE esterified to phosphotidylethanolamine (15-HETE-PE). Inhibition of 15LO1 suppressed 15-HETE-PE and decreased MUC5AC expression in the presence of IL-13 stimulation. The addition of exogenous 15-HETE partially restored MUC5AC expression. Epithelial 15LO1 expression increases with increasing asthma severity. IL-13 induction of 15-HETE-PE enhances MUC5AC expression in human airway epithelial cells. High levels of 15LO1 activity could contribute to the increases of MUC5AC observed in asthma.

A taxonomy of epithelial human cancer and their metastases

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De Moor Bart

2009-12-01

. Moreover, a signature was developed based on our unsupervised clustering of breast tumors and this was predictive for disease-specific survival in three independent studies. Next, the metastases from ovarian, breast, lung and vulva cluster with their tissue of origin while metastases from colon showed a bimodal distribution. A significant part clusters with tissue of origin while the remaining tumors cluster with the tissue of destination. Conclusion Our molecular taxonomy of epithelial human cancer indicates surprising correlations over tissues. This may have a significant impact on the classification of many cancer sites and may guide pathologists, both in research and daily practice. Moreover, these results based on unsupervised analysis yielded a signature predictive of clinical outcome in breast cancer. Additionally, we hypothesize that metastases from gastrointestinal origin either remember their tissue of origin or adapt to the tissue of destination. More specifically, colon metastases in the liver show strong evidence for such a bimodal tissue specific profile.

Generation of folliculogenic human epithelial stem cells from induced pluripotent stem cells

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Yang, Ruifeng; Zheng, Ying; Burrows, Michelle; Liu, Shujing; Wei, Zhi; Nace, Arben; Guo, Wei; Kumar, Suresh; Cotsarelis, George; Xu, Xiaowei

2014-01-01

Epithelial stem cells (EpSCs) in the hair follicle bulge are required for hair follicle growth and cycling. The isolation and propagation of human EpSCs for tissue engineering purposes remains a challenge. Here we develop a strategy to differentiate human iPSCs (hiPSCs) into CD200+/ITGA6+ EpSCs that can reconstitute the epithelial components of the hair follicle and interfollicular epidermis. The hiPSC-derived CD200+/ITGA6+ cells show a similar gene expression signature as EpSCs directly isolated from human hair follicles. Human iPSC-derived CD200+/ITGA6+ cells are capable of generating all hair follicle lineages including the hair shaft, and the inner and outer root sheaths in skin reconstitution assays. The regenerated hair follicles possess a KRT15+ stem cell population and produce hair shafts expressing hair-specific keratins. These results suggest an approach for generating large numbers of human EpSCs for tissue engineering and new treatments for hair loss, wound healing and other degenerative skin disorders.

Cell Spheroids with Enhanced Aggressiveness to Mimic Human Liver Cancer In Vitro and In Vivo.

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Jung, Hong-Ryul; Kang, Hyun Mi; Ryu, Jea-Woon; Kim, Dae-Soo; Noh, Kyung Hee; Kim, Eun-Su; Lee, Ho-Joon; Chung, Kyung-Sook; Cho, Hyun-Soo; Kim, Nam-Soon; Im, Dong-Soo; Lim, Jung Hwa; Jung, Cho-Rok

2017-09-05

We fabricated a spheroid-forming unit (SFU) for efficient and economic production of cell spheroids. We optimized the protocol for generating large and homogenous liver cancer cell spheroids using Huh7 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. The large Huh7 spheroids showed apoptotic and proliferative signals in the centre and at the surface, respectively. In particular, hypoxia-induced factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) and ERK signal activation were detected in the cell spheroids. To diminish core necrosis and increase the oncogenic character, we co-cultured spheroids with 2% human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs promoted proliferation and gene expression of HCC-related genes and cancer stem cell markers in the Huh7 spheroidsby activating cytokine signalling, mimicking gene expression in liver cancer. HUVECs induced angiogenesis and vessel maturation in Huh7 spheroids in vivo by activating epithelial-mesenchymal transition and angiogenic pathways. The large Huh7 cell spheroids containing HUVECs survived at higher concentrations of anti-cancer drugs (doxorubicin and sorafenib) than did monolayer cells. Our large cell spheroid provides a useful in vitro HCC model to enable intuitive observation for anti-cancer drug testing.

Current status of prediction of drug disposition and toxicity in humans using chimeric mice with humanized liver.

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Kitamura, Shigeyuki; Sugihara, Kazumi

2014-01-01

1. Human-chimeric mice with humanized liver have been constructed by transplantation of human hepatocytes into several types of mice having genetic modifications that injure endogenous liver cells. Here, we focus on liver urokinase-type plasminogen activator-transgenic severe combined immunodeficiency (uPA/SCID) mice, which are the most widely used human-chimeric mice. Studies so far indicate that drug metabolism, drug transport, pharmacological effects and toxicological action in these mice are broadly similar to those in humans. 2. Expression of various drug-metabolizing enzymes is known to be different between humans and rodents. However, the expression pattern of cytochrome P450, aldehyde oxidase and phase II enzymes in the liver of human-chimeric mice resembles that in humans, not that in the host mice. 3. Metabolism of various drugs, including S-warfarin, zaleplon, ibuprofen, naproxen, coumarin, troglitazone and midazolam, in human-chimeric mice is mediated by human drug-metabolizing enzymes, not by host mouse enzymes, and thus resembles that in humans. 4. Pharmacological and toxicological effects of various drugs in human-chimeric mice are also similar to those in humans. 5. The current consensus is that chimeric mice with humanized liver are useful to predict drug metabolism catalyzed by cytochrome P450, aldehyde oxidase and phase II enzymes in humans in vivo and in vitro. Some remaining issues are discussed in this review.

Human retinal pigment epithelial cell-induced apoptosis in activated T cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, A; Wiencke, A K; la Cour, M

1998-01-01

human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells can induce apoptosis in activated T cells. METHODS: Fas ligand (FasL) expression was detected by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Cultured RPE cells were cocultured with T-cell lines and peripheral blood lymphocytes for 6 hours to 2 days. Induction...... of apoptosis was detected by 7-amino-actinomycin D and annexin V staining. RESULTS: Retinal pigment epithelial cells expressed FasL and induced apoptosis in activated Fas+ T cells. Blocking of Fas-FasL interaction with antibody strongly inhibited RPE-mediated T-cell apoptosis. Retinal pigment epithelial cells...... induced apoptosis in several activated T-cell populations and T-cell lines, including T-cell antigen receptor (TCR)-CD3-negative T-cell lines. In contrast, RPE cells induced little or no apoptosis in resting peripheral T cells. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II monoclonal antibodies, which...

Human retinal pigment epithelial cell-induced apoptosis in activated T cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, A; Wiencke, A K; la Cour, M

1998-01-01

PURPOSE: The immune privilege of the eye has been thought to be dependent on physical barriers and absence of lymphatic vessels. However, the immune privilege may also involve active immunologic processes, as recent studies have indicated. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether...... human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells can induce apoptosis in activated T cells. METHODS: Fas ligand (FasL) expression was detected by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Cultured RPE cells were cocultured with T-cell lines and peripheral blood lymphocytes for 6 hours to 2 days. Induction...... of apoptosis was detected by 7-amino-actinomycin D and annexin V staining. RESULTS: Retinal pigment epithelial cells expressed FasL and induced apoptosis in activated Fas+ T cells. Blocking of Fas-FasL interaction with antibody strongly inhibited RPE-mediated T-cell apoptosis. Retinal pigment epithelial cells...

Membrane associated ion transport enzymes in normal and transformed fibroblasts and epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borek, C.

1982-01-01

In an effort to evaluate membrane changes associated with neoplastic transformation of fibroblasts and epithelial cells by radiation and chemicals, alterations in membrane-associated (Na + + K + )-ATPase and 5'-nucleotidase activities were investigated. Cell cultures consisted of normal and radiation transformed hamster embryo fibroblasts (HE) and mouse C3H 10T 1/2 fibroblasts, normal and chemically transformed adult rat liver epithelial cells (ARL), as well as hepatocarcinoma cells induced by the liver transformants. Transformed fibroblasts demonstrated a 1-2 fold increase in (Na + + K + )-ATPase activity over the normal, while the transformed liver epithelial cells and carcinoma cells showed a 60% and 40% decrease in activity compared to the normal values, respectively. The 5'-nucleotidase activity was 2 to 3 times higher in the transformed fibroblasts

N-Myc Drives Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer Initiated from Human Prostate Epithelial Cells

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Lee, John K.; Phillips, John W.; Smith, Bryan A.; Park, Jung Wook; Stoyanova, Tanya; McCaffrey, Erin F.; Baertsch, Robert; Sokolov, Artem; Meyerowitz, Justin G.; Mathis, Colleen; Cheng, Donghui; Stuart, Joshua M.; Shokat, Kevan M.; Gustafson, W. Clay; Huang, Jiaoti; Witte, Owen N.

2016-01-01

SUMMARY MYCN amplification and overexpression are common in neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC). However, the impact of aberrant N-Myc expression in prostate tumorigenesis and the cellular origin of NEPC have not been established. We define N-Myc and activated AKT1 as oncogenic components sufficient to transform human prostate epithelial cells to prostate adenocarcinoma and NEPC with phenotypic and molecular features of aggressive, late-stage human disease. We directly show that prostate adenocarcinoma and NEPC can arise from a common epithelial clone. Further, N-Myc is required for tumor maintenance and destabilization of N-Myc through Aurora A kinase inhibition reduces tumor burden. Our findings establish N-Myc as a driver of NEPC and a target for therapeutic intervention. PMID:27050099

Vitamin D3 analog maxacalcitol (OCT) induces hCAP-18/LL-37 production in human oral epithelial cells.

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Tada, Hiroyuki; Shimizu, Takamitsu; Nagaoka, Isao; Takada, Haruhiko

2016-01-01

Maxacalcitol (22-oxacalcitriol: OCT) is a synthetic vitamin D3 analog with a limited calcemic effect. In this study, we investigated whether OCT increases the production of LL-37/CAP-18, a human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide, in human gingival/oral epithelial cells. A human gingival epithelial cell line (Ca9-22) and human oral epithelial cell lines (HSC-2, HSC-3, and HSC-4) exhibited the enhanced expression of LL-37 mRNA upon stimulation with OCT as well as active metabolites of vitamins D3 and D2. Among the human epithelial cell lines, Ca9-22 exhibited the strongest response to these vitamin D-related compounds. OCT induced the higher production of CAP-18 (ng/mL order) until 6 days time-dependently in Ca9-22 cells in culture. The periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis was killed by treatment with the LL-37 peptide. These findings suggest that OCT induces the production of hCAP-18/LL-37 in a manner similar to that induced by the active metabolite of vitamin D3.

TGF-β1 induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT in human bronchial epithelial cells is enhanced by IL-1β but not abrogated by corticosteroids

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Zuraw Bruce L

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Chronic persistent asthma is characterized by ongoing airway inflammation and airway remodeling. The processes leading to airway remodeling are poorly understood, and there is increasing evidence that even aggressive anti-inflammatory therapy does not completely prevent this process. We sought to investigate whether TGFβ1 stimulates bronchial epithelial cells to undergo transition to a mesenchymal phenotype, and whether this transition can be abrogated by corticosteroid treatment or enhanced by the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β. Methods BEAS-2B and primary normal human bronchial epithelial cells were stimulated with TGFβ1 and expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers assessed by quantitative real-time PCR, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence microscopy and zymography. In some cases the epithelial cells were also incubated with corticosteroids or IL-1β. Results were analyzed using non-parametric statistical tests. Results Treatment of BEAS-2B or primary human bronchial epithelial cells with TGFβ1 significantly reduced the expression level of the epithelial adherence junction protein E-cadherin. TGFβ1 then markedly induced mesenchymal marker proteins such as collagen I, tenascin C, fibronectin and α-smooth muscle actin mRNA in a dose dependant manner. The process of mesenchymal transition was accompanied by a morphological change towards a more spindle shaped fibroblast cell type with a more motile and invasive phenotype. Corticosteroid pre-treatment did not significantly alter the TGFβ1 induced transition but IL-1β enhanced the transition. Conclusion Our results indicate, that TGFβ1 can induce mesenchymal transition in the bronchial epithelial cell line and primary cells. Since asthma has been strongly associated with increased expression of TGFβ1 in the airway, epithelial to mesenchymal transition may contribute to the contractile and fibrotic remodeling process that accompanies chronic asthma.

A Roadmap for Human Liver Differentiation from Pluripotent Stem Cells

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Lay Teng Ang

2018-02-01

Full Text Available How are closely related lineages, including liver, pancreas, and intestines, diversified from a common endodermal origin? Here, we apply principles learned from developmental biology to rapidly reconstitute liver progenitors from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs. Mapping the formation of multiple endodermal lineages revealed how alternate endodermal fates (e.g., pancreas and intestines are restricted during liver commitment. Human liver fate was encoded by combinations of inductive and repressive extracellular signals at different doses. However, these signaling combinations were temporally re-interpreted: cellular competence to respond to retinoid, WNT, TGF-β, and other signals sharply changed within 24 hr. Consequently, temporally dynamic manipulation of extracellular signals was imperative to suppress the production of unwanted cell fates across six consecutive developmental junctures. This efficiently generated 94.1% ± 7.35% TBX3+HNF4A+ human liver bud progenitors and 81.5% ± 3.2% FAH+ hepatocyte-like cells by days 6 and 18 of hPSC differentiation, respectively; the latter improved short-term survival in the Fah−/−Rag2−/−Il2rg−/− mouse model of liver failure.

PVA matches human liver in needle-tissue interaction.

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de Jong, Tonke L; Pluymen, Loes H; van Gerwen, Dennis J; Kleinrensink, Gert-Jan; Dankelman, Jenny; van den Dobbelsteen, John J

2017-05-01

Medical phantoms can be used to study needle-tissue interaction and to train medical residents. The purpose of this research is to study the suitability of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a liver tissue mimicking material in terms of needle-tissue interaction. Insertions into ex-vivo human livers were used for reference. Six PVA samples were created by varying the mass percentage of PVA to water (4m% and 7m%) and the number of freeze-thaw cycles (1, 2 and 3 cycles, 16hours of freezing at -19°C, 8hours of thawing). The inner needle of an 18 Gauge trocar needle with triangular tip was inserted 13 times into each of the samples, using an insertion velocity of 5 mm/s. In addition, 39 insertions were performed in two ex-vivo human livers. Axial forces on the needle were captured during insertion and retraction and characterized by friction along the needle shaft, peak forces, and number of peak forces per unit length. The concentration of PVA and the number of freeze-thaw cycles both influenced the mechanical interaction between needle and specimen. Insertions into 4m% PVA phantoms with 2 freeze-thaw cycles were comparable to human liver in terms of estimated friction along the needle shaft and the number of peak forces. Therefore, these phantoms are considered to be suitable liver mimicking materials for image-guided needle interventions. The mechanical properties of PVA hydrogels can be influenced in a controlled manner by varying the concentration of PVA and the number of freeze-thaw cycles, to mimic liver tissue characteristics. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

IL-17 suppresses immune effector functions in human papillomavirus-associated epithelial hyperplasia.

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Gosmann, Christina; Mattarollo, Stephen R; Bridge, Jennifer A; Frazer, Ian H; Blumenthal, Antje

2014-09-01

Persistent infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV) causes epithelial hyperplasia that can progress to cancer and is thought to depend on immunosuppressive mechanisms that prevent viral clearance by the host. IL-17 is a cytokine with diverse functions in host defense and in the pathology of autoimmune disorders, chronic inflammatory diseases, and cancer. We analyzed biopsies from patients with HPV-associated cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2/3 and murine skin displaying HPV16 E7 protein-induced epithelial hyperplasia, which closely models hyperplasia in chronic HPV lesions. Expression of IL-17 and IL-23, a major inducer of IL-17, was elevated in both human HPV-infected and murine E7-expressing lesions. Using a skin-grafting model, we demonstrated that IL-17 in HPV16 E7 transgenic skin grafts inhibited effective host immune responses against the graft. IL-17 was produced by CD3(+) T cells, predominantly CD4(+) T cells in human, and CD4(+) and γδ T cells in mouse hyperplastic lesions. IL-23 and IL-1β, but not IL-18, induced IL-17 production in E7 transgenic skin. Together, these findings demonstrate an immunosuppressive role for IL-17 in HPV-associated epithelial hyperplasia and suggest that blocking IL-17 in persistent viral infection may promote antiviral immunity and prevent progression to cancer. Copyright © 2014 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

Metabolic profiles of pomalidomide in human plasma simulated with pharmacokinetic data in control and humanized-liver mice.

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Shimizu, Makiko; Suemizu, Hiroshi; Mitsui, Marina; Shibata, Norio; Guengerich, F Peter; Yamazaki, Hiroshi

2017-10-01

1. Pomalidomide has been shown to be potentially teratogenic in thalidomide-sensitive animal species such as rabbits. Screening for thalidomide analogs devoid of teratogenicity/toxicity - attributable to metabolites formed by cytochrome P450 enzymes - but having immunomodulatory properties is a strategic pathway towards development of new anticancer drugs. 2. In this study, plasma concentrations of pomalidomide, its primary 5-hydroxylated metabolite, and its glucuronide conjugate(s) were investigated in control and humanized-liver mice. Following oral administration of pomalidomide (100 mg/kg), plasma concentrations of 7-hydroxypomalidomide and 5-hydroxypomalidomide glucuronide were slightly higher in humanized-liver mice than in control mice. 3. Simulations of human plasma concentrations of pomalidomide were achieved with simplified physiologically-based pharmacokinetic models in both groups of mice in accordance with reported pomalidomide concentrations after low dose administration in humans. 4. The results indicate that pharmacokinetic profiles of pomalidomide were roughly similar between control mice and humanized-liver mice and that control and humanized-liver mice mediated pomalidomide 5-hydroxylation in vivo. Introducing one aromatic amino group into thalidomide resulted in less species differences in in vivo pharmacokinetics in control and humanized-liver mice.

The fate of epithelial cells in the human large intestine.

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Barkla, D H; Gibson, P R

1999-08-01

One hundred and forty biopsies of the colon and rectum, collected during routine colonoscopies of 51 patients aged 19 to 74 years, were examined using light microscopy and transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that surface epithelial cells undergo apoptosis, passing through fenestrations in the basement membrane to where they enter the lamina propria and are taken up by macrophages; and it is hypothesized that apoptotic cells are carried through the fenestrations on a current of fluid. The study also found that epithelial cells positioned over the crypts are better attached and more robust than those more distant from the crypt opening; and it is further hypothesized that, after reaching the top of the crypts, some goblet cells cease secreting mucus and pass onto the surface compartment of absorptive cells. An unexpected finding was that the lower regions of the crypts commonly contain isolated necrotic colonocytes. Apoptotic cells were rarely observed in the crypt epithelium. The findings of this study support the "recycling" model of epithelial cell death in the surface compartment of the human colon.

Three-Dimensionally Engineered Normal Human Broncho-epithelial Tissue-Like Assemblies: Target Tissues for Human Respiratory Viral Infections

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Goodwin, T. J.; McCarthy, M.; Lin, Y-H

2006-01-01

In vitro three-dimensional (3D) human broncho-epithelial (HBE) tissue-like assemblies (3D HBE TLAs) from this point forward referred to as TLAs were engineered in Rotating Wall Vessel (RWV) technology to mimic the characteristics of in vivo tissues thus providing a tool to study human respiratory viruses and host cell interactions. The TLAs were bioengineered onto collagen-coated cyclodextran microcarriers using primary human mesenchymal bronchial-tracheal cells (HBTC) as the foundation matrix and an adult human bronchial epithelial immortalized cell line (BEAS-2B) as the overlying component. The resulting TLAs share significant characteristics with in vivo human respiratory epithelium including polarization, tight junctions, desmosomes, and microvilli. The presence of tissue-like differentiation markers including villin, keratins, and specific lung epithelium markers, as well as the production of tissue mucin, further confirm these TLAs differentiated into tissues functionally similar to in vivo tissues. Increasing virus titers for human respiratory syncytial virus (wtRSVA2) and parainfluenza virus type 3 (wtPIV3 JS) and the detection of membrane bound glycoproteins over time confirm productive infections with both viruses. Therefore, TLAs mimic aspects of the human respiratory epithelium and provide a unique capability to study the interactions of respiratory viruses and their primary target tissue independent of the host's immune system.

The world of epithelial sheets.

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Honda, Hisao

2017-06-01

An epithelium is a layer of closely connected cells covering the body or lining a body cavity. In this review, several fundamental questions are addressed regarding the epithelium. (i) While an epithelium functions as barrier against the external environment, how is barrier function maintained during its construction? (ii) What determines the apical and basal sides of epithelial layer? (iii) Is there any relationship between the apical side of the epithelium and the apical membrane of an epithelial cell? (iv) Why are hepatocytes (liver cells) called epithelial, even though they differ completely from column-like shape of typical epithelial cells? Keeping these questions in mind, multiple shapes of epithelia were considered, extracting a few of their elemental processes, and constructing a virtual world of epithelia by combining them. Epithelial cells were also classified into several types based on the number of apical domains of each cell. In addition, an intracellular organelle was introduced within epithelial cells, the vacuolar apical compartment (VAC), which is produced within epithelial cells surrounded by external cell matrix (ECM). The VAC interacts with areas of cell-cell contact of the cell surface membrane and is converted to apical membrane. The properties of VACs enable us to answer the initial questions posed above. Finally, the genetic and molecular mechanisms of epithelial morphogenesis are discussed. © 2017 Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists.

Androgen-Sensitized Apoptosis of HPr-1AR Human Prostate Epithelial Cells.

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Congcong Chen

Full Text Available Androgen receptor (AR signaling is crucial to the development and homeostasis of the prostate gland, and its dysregulation mediates common prostate pathologies. The mechanisms whereby AR regulates growth suppression and differentiation of luminal epithelial cells in the prostate gland and proliferation of malignant versions of these cells have been investigated in human and rodent adult prostate. However, the cellular stress response of human prostate epithelial cells is not well understood, though it is central to prostate health and pathology. Here, we report that androgen sensitizes HPr-1AR and RWPE-AR human prostate epithelial cells to cell stress agents and apoptotic cell death. Although 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT treatment alone did not induce cell death, co-treatment of HPr-1AR cells with DHT and an apoptosis inducer, such as staurosporine (STS, TNFt, or hydrogen peroxide, synergistically increased cell death in comparison to treatment with each apoptosis inducer by itself. We found that the synergy between DHT and apoptosis inducer led to activation of the intrinsic/mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, which is supported by robust cleavage activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. Further, the dramatic depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential that we observed upon co-treatment with DHT and STS is consistent with increased mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP in the pro-apoptotic mechanism. Interestingly, the synergy between DHT and apoptosis inducer was abolished by AR antagonists and inhibitors of transcription and protein synthesis, suggesting that AR mediates pro-apoptotic synergy through transcriptional regulation of MOMP genes. Expression analysis revealed that pro-apoptotic genes (BCL2L11/BIM and AIFM2 were DHT-induced, whereas pro-survival genes (BCL2L1/BCL-XL and MCL1 were DHT-repressed. Hence, we propose that the net effect of these AR-mediated expression changes shifts the balance of BCL2-family proteins

Cell sources for in vitro human liver cell culture models

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Freyer, Nora; Damm, Georg; Seehofer, Daniel; Knöspel, Fanny

2016-01-01

In vitro liver cell culture models are gaining increasing importance in pharmacological and toxicological research. The source of cells used is critical for the relevance and the predictive value of such models. Primary human hepatocytes (PHH) are currently considered to be the gold standard for hepatic in vitro culture models, since they directly reflect the specific metabolism and functionality of the human liver; however, the scarcity and difficult logistics of PHH have driven researchers to explore alternative cell sources, including liver cell lines and pluripotent stem cells. Liver cell lines generated from hepatomas or by genetic manipulation are widely used due to their good availability, but they are generally altered in certain metabolic functions. For the past few years, adult and pluripotent stem cells have been attracting increasing attention, due their ability to proliferate and to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells in vitro. However, controlling the differentiation of these cells is still a challenge. This review gives an overview of the major human cell sources under investigation for in vitro liver cell culture models, including primary human liver cells, liver cell lines, and stem cells. The promises and challenges of different cell types are discussed with a focus on the complex 2D and 3D culture approaches under investigation for improving liver cell functionality in vitro. Finally, the specific application options of individual cell sources in pharmacological research or disease modeling are described. PMID:27385595

Interleukin-13–induced MUC5AC Is Regulated by 15-Lipoxygenase 1 Pathway in Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jinming; Maskrey, Ben; Balzar, Silvana; Chibana, Kazuyuki; Mustovich, Anthony; Hu, Haizhen; Trudeau, John B.; O'Donnell, Valerie; Wenzel, Sally E.

2009-01-01

Rationale: 15-Lipoxygenase-1 (15LO1) and MUC5AC are highly expressed in asthmatic epithelial cells. IL-13 is known to induce 15LO1 and MUC5AC in human airway epithelial cells in vitro. Whether 15LO1 and/or its product 15-HETE modulate MUC5AC expression is unknown. Objectives: To determine the expression of 15LO1 in freshly harvested epithelial cells from subjects with asthma and normal control subjects and to determine whether IL-13–induced 15LO1 expression and activation regulate MUC5AC expression in human bronchial epithelial cells in vitro. Methods: Human airway epithelial cells from subjects with asthma and normal subjects were evaluated ex vivo for 15LO1 and MUC5AC expression. The impact of 15LO1 on MUC5AC expression in vitro was analyzed by inhibiting 15LO1 through pharmacologic (PD146176) and siRNA approaches in human bronchial epithelial cells cultured under air–liquid interface. We analyzed 15 hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE) by liquid chromatography/UV/mass spectrometry. MUC5AC and 15LO1 were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR, immunofluoresence, and Western blot. Measurements and Main Results: Epithelial 15LO1 expression increased with asthma severity (P < 0.0001). 15LO1 significantly correlated with MUC5AC ex vivo and in vitro. IL-13 increased 15LO1 expression and stimulated formation of two molecular species of 15-HETE esterified to phosphotidylethanolamine (15-HETE-PE). Inhibition of 15LO1 suppressed 15-HETE-PE and decreased MUC5AC expression in the presence of IL-13 stimulation. The addition of exogenous 15-HETE partially restored MUC5AC expression. Conclusions: Epithelial 15LO1 expression increases with increasing asthma severity. IL-13 induction of 15-HETE-PE enhances MUC5AC expression in human airway epithelial cells. High levels of 15LO1 activity could contribute to the increases of MUC5AC observed in asthma. PMID:19218191

Treatment of chronic desquamative gingivitis using tissue-engineered human cultured gingival epithelial sheets: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Okuda, Kazuhiro; Momose, Manabu; Murata, Masashi; Saito, Yoshinori; lnoie, Masukazu; Shinohara, Chikara; Wolff, Larry F; Yoshie, Hiromasa

2004-04-01

Human cultured gingival epithelial sheets were used as an autologous grafting material for regenerating gingival tissue in the maxillary left and mandibular right quadrants of a patient with chronic desquamative gingivitis. Six months post-surgery in both treated areas, there were gains in keratinized gingiva and no signs of gingival inflammation compared to presurgery. In the maxillary left quadrant, preoperative histopathologic findings revealed the epithelium was separated from the connective tissue and inflammatory cells were extensive. After grafting with the gingival epithelial sheets, inflammatory cells were decreased and separation between epithelium and connective tissue was not observed. The human cultured gingival epithelial sheets fabricated using tissue engineering technology showed significant promise for gingival augmentation in periodontal therapy.

Comparison of radiosensitivities of human autologous normal and neoplastic thyroid epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.C.; Kopecky, K.J.; Hiraoka, T.; Ezaki, H.; Clifton, K.H.

1986-01-01

Studies were conducted to examine differences between the radiosensitivities of normal and neoplastic epithelial cells of the human thyroid. Freshly excised thyroid tissues from the tumours of eight patients with papillary carcinoma (PC) and five with follicular adenoma (FA) were cultured in vitro separately from normal thyroid tissue obtained from the surgical margins of the same patients. Plating efficiency of unirradiated control tissue was lower, on average for tumour tissue compared with normal tissue. Radiosensitivity, measured by the 37% inactivation dose D 0 , was greater for carcinoma tissue than for normal tissue in seven out of eight PC cases. Adenomatous tissue was less radiosensitive than normal tissue in four out of five FA cases. This is the first report comparing the radiosensitivity of autologous normal and abnormal epithelial tissue from the human thyroid. (author)

Telomerase-immortalized non-malignant human prostate epithelial cells retain the properties of multipotent stem cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Hongzhen; Zhou Jianjun; Miki, Jun; Furusato, Bungo; Gu Yongpeng; Srivastava, Shiv; McLeod, David G.; Vogel, Jonathan C.; Rhim, Johng S.

2008-01-01

Understanding prostate stem cells may provide insight into the origin of prostate cancer. Primary cells have been cultured from human prostate tissue but they usually survive only 15-20 population doublings before undergoing senescence. We report here that RC-170N/h/clone 7 cells, a clonal cell line from hTERT-immortalized primary non-malignant tissue-derived human prostate epithelial cell line (RC170N/h), retain multipotent stem cell properties. The RC-170N/h/clone 7 cells expressed a human embryonic stem cell marker, Oct-4, and potential prostate epithelial stem cell markers, CD133, integrin α2β1 hi and CD44. The RC-170N/h/clone 7 cells proliferated in KGM and Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium with 10% fetal bovine serum and 5 μg/ml insulin (DMEM + 10% FBS + Ins.) medium, and differentiated into epithelial stem cells that expressed epithelial cell markers, including CK5/14, CD44, p63 and cytokeratin 18 (CK18); as well as the mesenchymal cell markers, vimentin, desmin; the neuron and neuroendocrine cell marker, chromogranin A. Furthermore the RC170 N/h/clone 7 cells differentiated into multi tissues when transplanted into the sub-renal capsule and subcutaneously of NOD-SCID mice. The results indicate that RC170N/h/clone 7 cells retain the properties of multipotent stem cells and will be useful as a novel cell model for studying the mechanisms of human prostate stem cell differentiation and transformation

The parietal epithelial cell is crucially involved in human idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

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Dijkman, Henry; Smeets, Bart; van der Laak, Jeroen; Steenbergen, Eric; Wetzels, Jack

2005-10-01

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is one of the most common patterns of glomerular injury encountered in human renal biopsies. Epithelial hyperplasia, which can be prominent in FSGS, has been attributed to dedifferentiation and proliferation of podocytes. Based on observations in a mouse model of FSGS, we pointed to the role of parietal epithelial cells (PECs). In the present study we investigated the relative role of PECs and podocytes in human idiopathic FSGS. We performed a detailed study of lesions from a patient with recurrent idiopathic FSGS by serial sectioning, marker analysis and three-dimensional reconstruction of glomeruli. We have studied the expression of markers for podocytes, PECs, mesangial cells, endothelium, and myofibroblasts. We also looked at proliferation and composition of the deposited extracellular matrix (ECM). We found that proliferating epithelial cells in FSGS lesions are negative for podocyte and macrophage markers, but stain for PEC markers. The composition of the matrix deposited by these cells is identical to Bowman's capsule. Our study demonstrates that PECs are crucially involved in the pathogenesis of FSGS lesions.

Oral focal epithelial hyperplasia: report of 3 cases with human papillomavirus DNA sequencing analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Gültekin, S E; Tokman Yildirim, Benay; Sarisoy, S

2011-01-01

Focal epithelial hyperplasia (FEH), or Heck's disease, is a benign proliferative viral infection of the oral mucosa that is related to Human Papil-lomavirus (HPV), mainly subtypes 13 and 32. Although this condition is known to exist in numerous populations and ethnic groups, the reported cases among Caucasians are relatively rare. It presents as asymptomatic papules or nodules on the oral mucosa, gingiva, tongue, and lips. Histopathologically, it is characterized by parakeratosis, epithelial hyperplasia, focal acanthosis, fusion, and horizontal outgrowth of epithelial ridges and the cells named mitozoids. The purpose of this case report was to present 3 cases of focal epithelial hyperplasia in a pediatric age group. Histopathological and clinical features of cases are discussed and DNA sequencing analysis is reported in which HPV 13, HPV 32, and HPV 11 genomes are detected.

The effects of gender, age, ethnicity, and liver cirrhosis on cytochrome P450 enzyme activity in human liver microsomes and inducibility in cultured human hepatocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Parkinson, Andrew; Mudra, Daniel R.; Johnson, Cory; Dwyer, Anne; Carroll, Kathleen M.

2004-01-01

We have measured cytochrome P450 (CYP) activity in nearly 150 samples of human liver microsomes and 64 samples of cryopreserved human hepatocytes, and we have performed induction studies in over 90 preparations of cultured human hepatocytes. We have analyzed these data to examine whether the expression of CYP enzyme activity in liver microsomes and isolated hepatocytes or the inducibility of CYP enzymes in cultured hepatocytes is influenced by the gender, age, or ethnicity of the donor (the latter being limited to Caucasians, African Americans, and Hispanics due to a paucity of livers from Asian donors). In human liver microsomes, there were no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) in CYP activity as a function of age, gender, or ethnicity with one exception. 7-Ethoxyresorufin O-dealkylase (CYP1A2) activity was greater in males than females, which is consistent with clinical observation. Liver microsomal testosterone 6β-hydroxylase (CYP3A4) activity was slightly greater in females than males, but the difference was not significant. However, in cryopreserved human hepatocytes, the gender difference in CYP3A4 activity (females = twice males) did reach statistical significance, which supports the clinical observation that females metabolize certain CYP3A4 substrates faster than do males. Compared with those from Caucasians and African Americans, liver microsomes from Hispanics had about twice the average activity of CYP2A6, CYP2B6, and CYP2C8 and half the activity of CYP1A2, although this apparent ethnic difference may be a consequence of the relatively low number of Hispanic donors. Primary cultures of hepatocytes were treated with β-naphthoflavone, an inducer of CYP1A2, phenobarbital or rifampin, both of which induce CYP2B6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP3A4, albeit it to different extents. Induction of these CYP enzymes in freshly cultured hepatocytes did not appear to be influenced by the gender or age of the donor. Furthermore, CYP3A4 induction in

Development and Characterization of a Human and Mouse Intestinal Epithelial Cell Monolayer Platform

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Kenji Kozuka

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Summary: We describe the development and characterization of a mouse and human epithelial cell monolayer platform of the small and large intestines, with a broad range of potential applications including the discovery and development of minimally systemic drug candidates. Culture conditions for each intestinal segment were optimized by correlating monolayer global gene expression with the corresponding tissue segment. The monolayers polarized, formed tight junctions, and contained a diversity of intestinal epithelial cell lineages. Ion transport phenotypes of monolayers from the proximal and distal colon and small intestine matched the known and unique physiology of these intestinal segments. The cultures secreted serotonin, GLP-1, and FGF19 and upregulated the epithelial sodium channel in response to known biologically active agents, suggesting intact secretory and absorptive functions. A screen of over 2,000 pharmacologically active compounds for inhibition of potassium ion transport in the mouse distal colon cultures led to the identification of a tool compound. : Siegel and colleagues describe their development of a human and mouse intestinal epithelial cell monolayer platform that maintains the cellular, molecular, and functional characteristics of tissue for each intestinal segment. They demonstrate the platform's application to drug discovery by screening a library of over 2,000 compounds to identify an inhibitor of potassium ion transport in the mouse distal colon. Keywords: intestinal epithelium, organoids, monolayer, colon, small intestine, phenotype screening assays, enteroid, colonoid

Assessment of emerging biomarkers of liver injury in human subjects.

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Schomaker, Shelli; Warner, Roscoe; Bock, Jeff; Johnson, Kent; Potter, David; Van Winkle, Joyce; Aubrecht, Jiri

2013-04-01

Hepatotoxicity remains a major challenge in drug development. Although alanine aminotransferase (ALT) remains the gold standard biomarker of liver injury, alternative biomarker strategies to better predict the potential for severe drug-induced liver injury (DILI) are essential. In this study, we evaluated the utility of glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP), malate dehydrogenase (MDH), and paraxonase 1 (PON1) as indicators of liver injury in cohorts of human subjects, including healthy subjects across age and gender, subjects with a variety of liver impairments, and several cases of acetaminophen poisoning. In the healthy subjects, levels of GLDH and MDH were not affected by age or gender. Reference ranges for GLDH and MDH in healthy subjects were 1-10 and 79-176U/L, respectively. In contrast, the levels of PON1 and PNP were not consistent across cohorts of healthy subjects. Furthermore, GLDH and MDH had a strong correlation with elevated ALT levels and possessed a high predictive power for liver injury, as determined by ROC analysis. In contrast, PON1 and PNP did not detect liver injury in our study. Finally, evaluation of patients with acetaminophen-induced liver injury provided evidence that both GLDH and MDH might have utility as biomarkers of DILI in humans. This study is the first to evaluate GLDH, MDH, PON1, and PNP in a large number of human subjects and, and it provides an impetus for prospective clinical studies to fully evaluate the diagnostic value of GLDH and MDH for detection of liver injury.

Suppressive effect of nobiletin and epicatechin gallate on fructose uptake in human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Satsu, Hideo; Awara, Sohei; Unno, Tomonori; Shimizu, Makoto

2018-04-01

Inhibition of excessive fructose intake in the small intestine could alleviate fructose-induced diseases such as hypertension and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. We examined the effect of phytochemicals on fructose uptake using human intestinal epithelial-like Caco-2 cells which express the fructose transporter, GLUT5. Among 35 phytochemicals tested, five, including nobiletin and epicatechin gallate (ECg), markedly inhibited fructose uptake. Nobiletin and ECg also inhibited the uptake of glucose but not of L-leucine or Gly-Sar, suggesting an inhibitory effect specific to monosaccharide transporters. Kinetic analysis further suggested that this reduction in fructose uptake was associated with a decrease in the apparent number of cell-surface GLUT5 molecules, and not with a change in the affinity of GLUT5 for fructose. Lastly, nobiletin and ECg suppressed the permeation of fructose across Caco-2 cell monolayers. These findings suggest that nobiletin and ECg are good candidates for preventing diseases caused by excessive fructose intake.

Cranberry juice suppressed the diclofenac metabolism by human liver microsomes, but not in healthy human subjects

Science.gov (United States)

Ushijima, Kentarou; Tsuruoka, Shu-ichi; Tsuda, Hidetoshi; Hasegawa, Gohki; Obi, Yuri; Kaneda, Tae; Takahashi, Masaki; Maekawa, Tomohiro; Sasaki, Tomohiro; Koshimizu, Taka-aki; Fujimura, Akio

2009-01-01

AIM To investigate a potential interaction between cranberry juice and diclofenac, a substrate of CYP2C9. METHODS The inhibitory effect of cranberry juice on diclofenac metabolism was determined using human liver microsome assay. Subsequently, we performed a clinical trial in healthy human subjects to determine whether the repeated consumption of cranberry juice changed the diclofenac pharmacokinetics. RESULTS Cranberry juice significantly suppressed diclofenac metabolism by human liver microsomes. On the other hand, repeated consumption of cranberry juice did not influence the diclofenac pharmacokinetics in human subjects. CONCLUSIONS Cranberry juice inhibited diclofenac metabolism by human liver microsomes, but not in human subjects. Based on the present and previous findings, we think that although cranberry juice inhibits CYP2C9 activity in vitro, it does not change the pharmacokinetics of medications metabolized by CYP2C9 in clinical situations. PMID:19694738

Human precision-cut liver slices as a model to test antifibrotic drugs in the early onset of liver fibrosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Westra, Inge M.; Mutsaers, Henricus A. M.; Luangmonkong, Theerut; Hadi, Mackenzie; Oosterhuis, Dorenda; de Jong, Koert P.; Groothuis, Geny M. M.; Olinga, Peter

Liver fibrosis is the progressive accumulation of connective tissue ultimately resulting in loss of organ function. Currently, no effective antifibrotics are available due to a lack of reliable human models. Here we investigated the fibrotic process in human precision-cut liver slices (PCLS) and

Cigarette smoke modulates expression of human rhinovirus-induced airway epithelial host defense genes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Proud

Full Text Available Human rhinovirus (HRV infections trigger acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD and asthma. The human airway epithelial cell is the primary site of HRV infection and responds to infection with altered expression of multiple genes, the products of which could regulate the outcome to infection. Cigarette smoking aggravates asthma symptoms, and is also the predominant risk factor for the development and progression of COPD. We, therefore, examined whether cigarette smoke extract (CSE modulates viral responses by altering HRV-induced epithelial gene expression. Primary cultures of human bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to medium alone, CSE alone, purified HRV-16 alone or to HRV-16+ CSE. After 24 h, supernatants were collected and total cellular RNA was isolated. Gene array analysis was performed to examine mRNA expression. Additional experiments, using real-time RT-PCR, ELISA and/or western blotting, validated altered expression of selected gene products. CSE and HRV-16 each induced groups of genes that were largely independent of each other. When compared to gene expression in response to CSE alone, cells treated with HRV+CSE showed no obvious differences in CSE-induced gene expression. By contrast, compared to gene induction in response to HRV-16 alone, cells exposed to HRV+CSE showed marked suppression of expression of a number of HRV-induced genes associated with various functions, including antiviral defenses, inflammation, viral signaling and airway remodeling. These changes were not associated with altered expression of type I or type III interferons. Thus, CSE alters epithelial responses to HRV infection in a manner that may negatively impact antiviral and host defense outcomes.

Interaction of rocuronium with human liver cytochromes P450

OpenAIRE

Anzenbacherova, Eva; Spicakova, Alena; Jourova, Lenka; Ulrichova, Jitka; Adamus, Milan; Bachleda, Petr; Anzenbacher, Pavel

2015-01-01

Rocuronium is a neuromuscular blocking agent acting as a competitive antagonist of acetylcholine. Results of an inhibition of eight individual liver microsomal cytochromes P450 (CYP) are presented. As the patients are routinely premedicated with diazepam, possible interaction of diazepam with rocuronium has been also studied. Results indicated that rocuronium interacts with human liver microsomal CYPs by binding to the substrate site. Next, concentration dependent inhibition of liver micro...

Liver cancer oncogenomics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marquardt, Jens U; Andersen, Jesper B

2015-01-01

Primary liver cancers are among the most rapidly evolving malignant tumors worldwide. An underlying chronic inflammatory liver disease, which precedes liver cancer development for several decades and frequently creates a pro-oncogenic microenvironment, impairs progress in therapeutic approaches....... Molecular heterogeneity of liver cancer is potentiated by a crosstalk between epithelial tumor and stromal cells that complicate translational efforts to unravel molecular mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis with a drugable intend. Next-generation sequencing has greatly advanced our understanding of cancer...... development. With regards to liver cancer, the unprecedented coverage of next-generation sequencing has created a detailed map of genetic alterations and identified key somatic changes such as CTNNB1 and TP53 as well as several previously unrecognized recurrent disease-causing alterations that could...

Epigenetic influences of low-dose bisphenol A in primary human breast epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weng, Yu-I; Hsu, Pei-Yin; Liyanarachchi, Sandya; Liu, Joseph; Deatherage, Daniel E.; Huang Yiwen; Zuo Tao; Rodriguez, Benjamin; Lin, Ching-Hung; Cheng, Ann-Lii; Huang, Tim H.-M.

2010-01-01

Substantial evidence indicates that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during early development may increase breast cancer risk later in life. The changes may persist into puberty and adulthood, suggesting an epigenetic process being imposed in differentiated breast epithelial cells. The molecular mechanisms by which early memory of BPA exposure is imprinted in breast progenitor cells and then passed onto their epithelial progeny are not well understood. The aim of this study was to examine epigenetic changes in breast epithelial cells treated with low-dose BPA. We also investigated the effect of BPA on the ERα signaling pathway and global gene expression profiles. Compared to control cells, nuclear internalization of ERα was observed in epithelial cells preexposed to BPA. We identified 170 genes with similar expression changes in response to BPA. Functional analysis confirms that gene suppression was mediated in part through an ERα-dependent pathway. As a result of exposure to BPA or other estrogen-like chemicals, the expression of lysosomal-associated membrane protein 3 (LAMP3) became epigenetically silenced in breast epithelial cells. Furthermore, increased DNA methylation in the LAMP3 CpG island was this repressive mark preferentially occurred in ERα-positive breast tumors. These results suggest that the in vitro system developed in our laboratory is a valuable tool for exposure studies of BPA and other xenoestrogens in human cells. Individual and geographical differences may contribute to altered patterns of gene expression and DNA methylation in susceptible loci. Combination of our exposure model with epigenetic analysis and other biochemical assays can give insight into the heritable effect of low-dose BPA in human cells.

Paramyxovirus Infection Mimics In Vivo Cellular Dynamics in Three-Demensional Human Bronchio-Epithelial Tissue-Like Assemblies

Science.gov (United States)

Deatly, Anne M.; Lin, Yen-Huei; McCarthy, Maureen; Chen, Wei; Miller, Lynn Z.; Quiroz, Jorge; Nowak, Becky M.; Lerch, Robert A.; Udem, Stephen A.; Goodwin, Thomas J.

2012-01-01

Respiratory syncytial virus and parainfluenza virus cause severe respiratory disease, especially in infants, children and the elderly. An in vitro model that accurately mimics infection of the human respiratory epithelium (HRE) would facilitate vaccine development greatly. Monolayer cultures traditionally used to study these viruses do not accurately and precisely differentiate the replication efficiencies of wild type and attenuated viruses. Therefore, we engineered novel three-dimensional (3D) tissue-like assemblies (TLAs) of human broncho-epithelial (HBE) cells to produce a more physiologically relevant in vitro model of the HRE. TLAs resemble HRE structurally and by expression of differentiated epithelial cell markers. Most significantly, wild type viruses exhibited a clear growth advantage over attenuated strains in TLAs unlike monolayer cultures. In addition, the TLAs responded to virus infection by secreting pro-inflammatory mediators similar to the respiratory epithelia of infected children. These characteristics make the TLA model a valuable platform technology to develop and evaluate live, attenuated respiratory virus vaccine candidates for human use. Respiratory virus diseases, the most frequent and least preventable of all infectious diseases, range in severity from the common cold to severe bronchiolitis and pneumonia . Two paramyxoviruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza virus type 3 (PIV3), are responsible for a majority of the most severe respiratory diseases of infants and young children. RSV causes 70% of all bronchiolitis cases and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in infants. PIV3 causes 10-15% of bronchiolitis and pneumonia during infancy, second only to RSV, and 40% of croup in infants To date, licensed vaccines are not available to prevent these respiratory diseases. At present, traditional monkey kidney (Vero and LLC-MK2) and human (HEp-2) tissue culture cells and small animal models (mouse

Generation of corneal epithelial cells from induced pluripotent stem cells derived from human dermal fibroblast and corneal limbal epithelium.

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Ryuhei Hayashi

Full Text Available Induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells can be established from somatic cells. However, there is currently no established strategy to generate corneal epithelial cells from iPS cells. In this study, we investigated whether corneal epithelial cells could be differentiated from iPS cells. We tested 2 distinct sources: human adult dermal fibroblast (HDF-derived iPS cells (253G1 and human adult corneal limbal epithelial cells (HLEC-derived iPS cells (L1B41. We first established iPS cells from HLEC by introducing the Yamanaka 4 factors. Corneal epithelial cells were successfully induced from the iPS cells by the stromal cell-derived inducing activity (SDIA differentiation method, as Pax6(+/K12(+ corneal epithelial colonies were observed after prolonged differentiation culture (12 weeks or later in both the L1B41 and 253G1 iPS cells following retinal pigment epithelial and lens cell induction. Interestingly, the corneal epithelial differentiation efficiency was higher in L1B41 than in 253G1. DNA methylation analysis revealed that a small proportion of differentially methylated regions still existed between L1B41 and 253G1 iPS cells even though no significant difference in methylation status was detected in the specific corneal epithelium-related genes such as K12, K3, and Pax6. The present study is the first to demonstrate a strategy for corneal epithelial cell differentiation from human iPS cells, and further suggests that the epigenomic status is associated with the propensity of iPS cells to differentiate into corneal epithelial cells.

Augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) protects human hepatocytes against apoptosis

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Ilowski, Maren [Liver Regeneration Group, Department of Surgery, Grosshadern Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich (Germany); Kleespies, Axel [Department of Surgery, Grosshadern Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich (Germany); Toni, Enrico N. de [Department of Medicine II, Grosshadern Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich (Germany); Donabauer, Barbara [Liver Regeneration Group, Department of Surgery, Grosshadern Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich (Germany); Jauch, Karl-Walter [Department of Surgery, Grosshadern Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich (Germany); Hengstler, Jan G. [Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Technical University, Dortmund (Germany); Thasler, Wolfgang E., E-mail: wolfgang.thasler@med.uni-muenchen.de [Liver Regeneration Group, Department of Surgery, Grosshadern Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich (Germany); Department of Surgery, Grosshadern Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich (Germany)

2011-01-07

Research highlights: {yields} ALR decreases cytochrome c release from mitochondria. {yields} ALR protects hepatocytes against apoptosis induction by ethanol, TRAIL, anti-Apo, TGF-{beta} and actinomycin D. {yields} ALR exerts a liver-specific anti-apoptotic effect. {yields} A possible medical usage of ALR regarding protection of liver cells during apoptosis inducing therapies. -- Abstract: Augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) is known to support liver regeneration and to stimulate proliferation of hepatocytes. However, it is not known if ALR exerts anti-apoptotic effects in human hepatocytes and whether this protective effect is cell type specific. This is relevant, because compounds that protect the liver against apoptosis without undesired effects, such as protection of metastatic tumour cells, would be appreciated in several clinical settings. Primary human hepatocytes (phH) and organotypic cancer cell lines were exposed to different concentrations of apoptosis inducers (ethanol, TRAIL, anti-Apo, TGF-{beta}, actinomycin D) and cultured with or without recombinant human ALR (rhALR). Apoptosis was evaluated by the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and by FACS with propidium iodide (PI) staining. ALR significantly decreased apoptosis induced by ethanol, TRAIL, anti-Apo, TGF-{beta} and actinomycin D. Further, the anti-apoptotic effect of ALR was observed in primary human hepatocytes and in HepG2 cells but not in bronchial (BC1), colonic (SW480), gastric (GC1) and pancreatic (L3.6PL) cell lines. Therefore, the hepatotrophic growth factor ALR acts in a liver specific manner with regards to both its mitogenic and its anti-apoptotic effect. Unlike the growth factors HGF and EGF, rhALR acts in a liver specific manner. Therefore, ALR is a promising candidate for further evaluation as a possible hepatoprotective factor in clinical settings.

Augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) protects human hepatocytes against apoptosis

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Ilowski, Maren; Kleespies, Axel; Toni, Enrico N. de; Donabauer, Barbara; Jauch, Karl-Walter; Hengstler, Jan G.; Thasler, Wolfgang E.

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → ALR decreases cytochrome c release from mitochondria. → ALR protects hepatocytes against apoptosis induction by ethanol, TRAIL, anti-Apo, TGF-β and actinomycin D. → ALR exerts a liver-specific anti-apoptotic effect. → A possible medical usage of ALR regarding protection of liver cells during apoptosis inducing therapies. -- Abstract: Augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) is known to support liver regeneration and to stimulate proliferation of hepatocytes. However, it is not known if ALR exerts anti-apoptotic effects in human hepatocytes and whether this protective effect is cell type specific. This is relevant, because compounds that protect the liver against apoptosis without undesired effects, such as protection of metastatic tumour cells, would be appreciated in several clinical settings. Primary human hepatocytes (phH) and organotypic cancer cell lines were exposed to different concentrations of apoptosis inducers (ethanol, TRAIL, anti-Apo, TGF-β, actinomycin D) and cultured with or without recombinant human ALR (rhALR). Apoptosis was evaluated by the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and by FACS with propidium iodide (PI) staining. ALR significantly decreased apoptosis induced by ethanol, TRAIL, anti-Apo, TGF-β and actinomycin D. Further, the anti-apoptotic effect of ALR was observed in primary human hepatocytes and in HepG2 cells but not in bronchial (BC1), colonic (SW480), gastric (GC1) and pancreatic (L3.6PL) cell lines. Therefore, the hepatotrophic growth factor ALR acts in a liver specific manner with regards to both its mitogenic and its anti-apoptotic effect. Unlike the growth factors HGF and EGF, rhALR acts in a liver specific manner. Therefore, ALR is a promising candidate for further evaluation as a possible hepatoprotective factor in clinical settings.

Silencing of Kv4.1 potassium channels inhibits cell proliferation of tumorigenic human mammary epithelial cells

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Jang, Soo Hwa; Choi, Changsun; Hong, Seong-Geun; Yarishkin, Oleg V.; Bae, Young Min; Kim, Jae Gon; O'Grady, Scott M.; Yoon, Kyong-Ah; Kang, Kyung-Sun; Ryu, Pan Dong; Lee, So Yeong

2009-01-01

Potassium channel activity has been shown to facilitate cell proliferation in cancer cells. In the present study, the role of Kv4.1 channels in immortal and tumorigenic human mammary epithelial cells was investigated. Kv4.1 protein expression was positively correlated with tumorigenicity. Moreover, transfection with siRNAs targeting Kv4.1 mRNA suppressed proliferation of tumorigenic mammary epithelial cells. Experiments using mRNA isolated from human breast cancer tissues revealed that the level of Kv4.1 mRNA expression varied depending on the stage of the tumor. Kv4.1 protein expression increased during stages T2 and T3 compared to normal tissue. These results demonstrated that Kv4.1 plays a role in proliferation of tumorigenic human mammary epithelial cells. In addition, elevated Kv4.1 expression may be useful as a diagnostic marker for staging mammary tumors and selective blockers of Kv4.1 may serve to suppress tumor cell proliferation.

Interleukin-17A induces bicarbonate secretion in normal human bronchial epithelial cells

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Kreindler, James L.; Bertrand, Carol A.; Lee, Robert J.; Karasic, Thomas; Aujla, Shean; Pilewski, Joseph M.; Frizzell, Raymond A.; Kolls, Jay K.

2009-01-01

The innate immune functions of human airways include mucociliary clearance and antimicrobial peptide activity. Both functions may be affected by changes in epithelial ion transport. Interleukin-17A (IL-17A), which has a receptor at the basolateral membrane of airway epithelia, is a T cell cytokine that has been shown to increase mucus secretion and antimicrobial peptide production by human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells. Furthermore, IL-17A levels are increased in sputum from patients during pulmonary exacerbations of cystic fibrosis. Therefore, we investigated the effects of IL-17A on basal, amiloride-sensitive, and forskolin-stimulated ion transport in mature, well-differentiated HBE cells. Exposure of HBE monolayers to IL-17A for 48 h induced a novel forskolin-stimulated bicarbonate secretion in addition to forskolin-stimulated chloride secretion and resulted in alkalinization of liquid on the mucosal surface of polarized cells. IL-17A-induced bicarbonate secretion was cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-dependent, mucosal chloride-dependent, partially Na+-dependent, and sensitive to serosal, but not mucosal, stilbene inhibition. These data suggest that IL-17A modulates epithelial bicarbonate secretion and implicate a mechanism by which airway surface liquid pH changes may be abnormal in cystic fibrosis. PMID:19074559

Analysis of iron storage proteins in chicken liver and spleen tissues in comparison with human liver ferritin by Moessbauer spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oshtrakh, M.I.; Milder, O.B.; Semionkin, V.A.; Malakheeva, L.I.; Prokopenko, P.G.

2006-01-01

Characterization of iron storage proteins in liver and spleen from normal chicken and chicken with lymphoid leukemia in comparison with human liver ferritin were considered by Moessbauer spectroscopy (preliminary results). Small differences in Moessbauer hyperfine parameters for both normal and lymphoid leukemia chicken liver and spleen were observed. The value of quadrupole splitting for human liver ferritin was higher than those for chicken tissues. A decrease of iron content in lymphoid leukemia chicken tissues was also found, however, the reason of this fact (pathology or feeding) was not clear yet. (author)

AGE WISE HISTOMORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES IN HUMAN LIVER

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Tribeni

2015-11-01

Full Text Available CONTEXT: Hepato cellular carcinoma (HCC results in between 2.5 lakhs to 1million deaths globally per annum. Liver transplantation nowadays is a well accepted treatment option for end-stage liver disease and acute liver failure. AIMS: Keeping this concept in view, a study was conducted in the Guwahati Zone of Northeast India, to compare the histomorphological features of the human liver in different age groups. SETTING AND DESIGN: Apparently healthy livers were obtained from 21 subjects on whom medicolegal post-mortems had been performed. Their ages varied from newborn to 90 years. Subjects were divided into 3 groups. 7 specimens were taken from each group. (1 Pediatric (2 Adult (3 Old age. METHODS AND MATERIALS: In all the above age groups, immediately after removal of the livers, they were washed in normal saline, dried with blotting paper and weighed in an electronic weighing machine. Sections of liver were fixed, processed, cut and stained with Harris Haematoxylin and Eosin stain. RESULTS: The liver loses weight from 50 years onwards. There appears to be racial and environmental differences in the change in liver weight in old age. Autopsy studies show a diminution of nearly 46% in liver weight between the 3rd and 10th decades of life. The liver decreases in size with age. The hepatocytes are radially disposed in the liver lobule. They are piled up, forming a layer one cell thick (except in young children in a fashion similar to the bricks of a wall. These plates are directed from the periphery of the lobule to its centre and anastomose freely forming a complex labyrinthine and sponge-like structure. CONCLUSIONS: From the findings in the present study it can be concluded that: 1. Nowadays, the measurement of liver volume has gained practical use in relation to liver transplantation. 2. We have compared the histomorphology of adult liver with a child. The findings in both the groups are very similar. This feature is important, since in

Electronic cigarette liquid increases inflammation and virus infection in primary human airway epithelial cells.

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Wu, Qun; Jiang, Di; Minor, Maisha; Chu, Hong Wei

2014-01-01

The use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is rapidly increasing in the United States, especially among young people since e-cigarettes have been perceived as a safer alternative to conventional tobacco cigarettes. However, the scientific evidence regarding the human health effects of e-cigarettes on the lung is extremely limited. The major goal of our current study is to determine if e-cigarette use alters human young subject airway epithelial functions such as inflammatory response and innate immune defense against respiratory viral (i.e., human rhinovirus, HRV) infection. We examined the effects of e-cigarette liquid (e-liquid) on pro-inflammatory cytokine (e.g., IL-6) production, HRV infection and host defense molecules (e.g., short palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone 1, SPLUNC1) in primary human airway epithelial cells from young healthy non-smokers. Additionally, we examined the role of SPLUNC1 in lung defense against HRV infection using a SPLUNC1 knockout mouse model. We found that nicotine-free e-liquid promoted IL-6 production and HRV infection. Addition of nicotine into e-liquid further amplified the effects of nicotine-free e-liquid. Moreover, SPLUNC1 deficiency in mice significantly increased lung HRV loads. E-liquid inhibited SPLUNC1 expression in primary human airway epithelial cells. These findings strongly suggest the deleterious health effects of e-cigarettes in the airways of young people. Our data will guide future studies to evaluate the impact of e-cigarettes on lung health in human populations, and help inform the public about potential health risks of e-cigarettes.

Electronic cigarette liquid increases inflammation and virus infection in primary human airway epithelial cells.

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Qun Wu

Full Text Available The use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes is rapidly increasing in the United States, especially among young people since e-cigarettes have been perceived as a safer alternative to conventional tobacco cigarettes. However, the scientific evidence regarding the human health effects of e-cigarettes on the lung is extremely limited. The major goal of our current study is to determine if e-cigarette use alters human young subject airway epithelial functions such as inflammatory response and innate immune defense against respiratory viral (i.e., human rhinovirus, HRV infection.We examined the effects of e-cigarette liquid (e-liquid on pro-inflammatory cytokine (e.g., IL-6 production, HRV infection and host defense molecules (e.g., short palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone 1, SPLUNC1 in primary human airway epithelial cells from young healthy non-smokers. Additionally, we examined the role of SPLUNC1 in lung defense against HRV infection using a SPLUNC1 knockout mouse model. We found that nicotine-free e-liquid promoted IL-6 production and HRV infection. Addition of nicotine into e-liquid further amplified the effects of nicotine-free e-liquid. Moreover, SPLUNC1 deficiency in mice significantly increased lung HRV loads. E-liquid inhibited SPLUNC1 expression in primary human airway epithelial cells. These findings strongly suggest the deleterious health effects of e-cigarettes in the airways of young people. Our data will guide future studies to evaluate the impact of e-cigarettes on lung health in human populations, and help inform the public about potential health risks of e-cigarettes.

Deep RNA-Seq analysis reveals unexpected features of human prostate basal epithelial cells

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Dingxiao Zhang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among American men [1]. The prostate gland mainly contains basal and luminal cells, which are constructed as a pseudostratified epithelium. Annotation of prostate epithelial transcriptomes provides a foundation for discoveries that can impact disease understanding and treatment. Here, for the first time, we describe a whole-genome transcriptome analysis of human benign prostatic basal and luminal populations by using deep RNA sequencing (GSE67070 [2]. Combined with comprehensive molecular and biological characterizations, we show that the differential gene expression profiles account for their distinct functional phenotypes. Strikingly, in contrast to luminal cells, basal cells preferentially express gene categories associated with stem cells, neural and neuronal development, and RNA processing. Of clinical relevance, the treatment failed castration-resistant and anaplastic prostate cancers molecularly resemble a basal-like phenotype. We also identified genes associated with patient clinical outcome. Therefore, we provide a gene expression resource for understanding human prostate epithelial lineages, and link the cell-type specific gene signatures to subtypes of prostate cancer development. Keywords: Prostate epithelial cells, Basal cells, Luminal cells, RNA-seq

Establishment of three-dimensional cultures of human pancreatic duct epithelial cells

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Gutierrez-Barrera, Angelica M.; Menter, David G.; Abbruzzese, James L.; Reddy, Shrikanth A.G.

2007-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) cultures of epithelial cells offer singular advantages for studies of morphogenesis or the role of cancer genes in oncogenesis. In this study, as part of establishing a 3D culture system of pancreatic duct epithelial cells, we compared human pancreatic duct epithelial cells (HPDE-E6E7) with pancreatic cancer cell lines. Our results show, that in contrast to cancer cells, HPDE-E6E7 organized into spheroids with what appeared to be apical and basal membranes and a luminal space. Immunostaining experiments indicated that protein kinase Akt was phosphorylated (Ser473) and CTMP, a negative Akt regulator, was expressed in both HPDE-E6E7 and cancer cells. However, a nuclear pool of CTMP was detectable in HPDE-E6E7 cells that showed a dynamic concentrated expression pattern, a feature that further distinguished HPDE-E637 cells from cancer cells. Collectively, these data suggest that 3D cultures of HPDE-E6E7 cells are useful for investigating signaling and morphological abnormalities in pancreatic cancer cells

Increased Expression of Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte-Associated Protein 4 by T Cells, Induced by B7 in Sera, Reduces Adaptive Immunity in Patients With Acute Liver Failure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khamri, Wafa; Abeles, Robin D; Hou, Tie Zheng

2017-01-01

, hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells, and biliary epithelial cells from healthy or diseased liver tissues. We also measured levels of soluble B7 serum samples from patients and controls, and mice with acetaminophen-induced liver injury using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. RESULTS: Peripheral blood...... were found to have increased concentrations of soluble B7 compared to sera from controls. Necrotic human primary hepatocytes exposed to acetaminophen, but not hepatic sinusoidal endothelial cells and biliary epithelial cells from patients with ALF, secreted high levels of soluble B7. Sera from mice...... with acetaminophen-induced liver injury contained high levels of soluble B7 compared to sera from mice without liver injury. Plasma exchange reduced circulating levels of soluble B7 in patients with ALF and expression of CTLA4 on T cells. CONCLUSIONS: Peripheral CD4+T cells from patients with ALF have increased...

Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence of cDNA for human liver arginase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haraguchi, Y.; Takiguchi, M.; Amaya, Y.; Kawamoto, S.; Matsuda, I.; Mori, M.

1987-01-01

Arginase (EC3.5.3.1) catalyzes the last step of the urea cycle in the liver of ureotelic animals. Inherited deficiency of the enzyme results in argininemia, an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by hyperammonemia. To facilitate investigation of the enzyme and gene structures and to elucidate the nature of the mutation in argininemia, the authors isolated cDNA clones for human liver arginase. Oligo(dT)-primed and random primer human liver cDNA libraries in λ gt11 were screened using isolated rat arginase cDNA as a probe. Two of the positive clones, designated λ hARG6 and λ hARG109, contained an overlapping cDNA sequence with an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 322 amino acid residues (predicted M/sub r/, 34,732), a 5'-untranslated sequence of 56 base pairs, a 3'-untranslated sequence of 423 base pairs, and a poly(A) segment. Arginase activity was detected in Escherichia coli cells transformed with the plasmid carrying λ hARG6 cDNA insert. RNA gel blot analysis of human liver RNA showed a single mRNA of 1.6 kilobases. The predicted amino acid sequence of human liver arginase is 87% and 41% identical with those of the rat liver and yeast enzymes, respectively. There are several highly conserved segments among the human, rat, and yeast enzymes

Normal Human Gingival Epithelial Cells Sense C. parapsilosis by Toll-Like Receptors and Module Its Pathogenesis through Antimicrobial Peptides and Proinflammatory Cytokines

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Raouf Bahri

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This study was designed to investigate the interaction between C. parapsilosis and human epithelial cells using monolayer cultures and an engineered human oral mucosa (EHOM. C. parapsilosis was able to adhere to gingival epithelial cells and to adopt the hyphal form in the presence of serum. Interestingly, when cultured onto the engineered human oral mucosa (EHOM, C. parapsilosis formed small biofilm and invaded the connective tissue. Following contact with C. parapsilosis, normal human gingival epithelial cells expressed high levels of Toll-like receptors (TLR-2, -4, and -6, but not TLR-9 mRNA. The upregulation of TLRs was paralleled by an increase of IL-1β, TNFα, and IFNγ mRNA expression, suggesting the involvement of these cytokines in the defense against infection with C. parapsilosis. The active role of epithelial cells in the innate immunity against C. parapsilosis infection was enhanced by their capacity to express high levels of human beta-defensin-1, -2, and -3. The upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines and antimicrobial peptide expression may explain the growth inhibition of C. parapsilosis by the gingival epithelial cells. Overall results provide additional evidence of the involvement of epithelial cells in the innate immunity against C. parapsilosis infections.

Culture models of human mammary epithelial cell transformation

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Stampfer, Martha R.; Yaswen, Paul

2000-11-10

Human pre-malignant breast diseases, particularly ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)3 already display several of the aberrant phenotypes found in primary breast cancers, including chromosomal abnormalities, telomerase activity, inactivation of the p53 gene and overexpression of some oncogenes. Efforts to model early breast carcinogenesis in human cell cultures have largely involved studies in vitro transformation of normal finite lifespan human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) to immortality and malignancy. We present a model of HMEC immortal transformation consistent with the know in vivo data. This model includes a recently described, presumably epigenetic process, termed conversion, which occurs in cells that have overcome stringent replicative senescence and are thus able to maintain proliferation with critically short telomeres. The conversion process involves reactivation of telomerase activity, and acquisition of good uniform growth in the absence and presence of TFGB. We propose th at overcoming the proliferative constraints set by senescence, and undergoing conversion, represent key rate-limiting steps in human breast carcinogenesis, and occur during early stage breast cancer progression.

CITED1 Expression in Liver Development and Hepatoblastoma

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Andrew J. Murphy

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Hepatoblastoma, the most common pediatric liver cancer, consists of epithelial mixed embryonal/fetal (EMEF and pure fetal histologic subtypes, with the latter exhibiting a more favorable prognosis. Few embryonal histology markers that yield insight into the biologic basis for this prognostic discrepancy exist. CBP/P-300 interacting transactivator 1 (CITED1, a transcriptional co-activator, is expressed in the self-renewing nephron progenitor population of the developing kidney and broadly in its malignant analog, Wilms tumor (WT. In this current study, CITED1 expression is detected in mouse embryonic liver initially on post-coitum day 10.5 (e10.5, begins to taper by e14.5, and is undetectable in e18.5 and adult livers. CITED1 expression is detected in regenerating murine hepatocytes following liver injury by partial hepatectomy and 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine. Importantly, while CITED1 is undetectable in normal human adult livers, 36 of 41 (87.8% hepatoblastoma specimens express CITED1, where it is enriched in EMEF specimens compared to specimens of pure fetal histology. CITED1 overexpression in Hep293TT human hepatoblastoma cells induces cellular proliferation and upregulates the Wnt inhibitors Kringle containing transmembrane protein 1 (KREMEN1 and CXXC finger protein 4 (CXXC4. CITED1 mRNA expression correlates with expression of CXXC4 and KREMEN1 in clinical hepatoblastoma specimens. These data show that CITED1 is expressed during a defined time course of liver development and is no longer expressed in the adult liver but is upregulated in regenerating hepatocytes following liver injury. Moreover, as in WT, this embryonic marker is reexpressed in hepatoblastoma and correlates with embryonal histology. These findings identify CITED1 as a novel marker of hepatic progenitor cells that is re-expressed following liver injury and in embryonic liver tumors.

CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (C/EBPβ) isoform balance as a regulator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in mouse mammary epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miura, Yuka; Hagiwara, Natsumi; Radisky, Derek C.; Hirai, Yohei

2014-01-01

Activation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) program promotes cell invasion and metastasis, and is reversed through mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) after formation of distant metastases. Here, we show that an imbalance of gene products encoded by the transcriptional factor C/EBPβ, LAP (liver-enriched activating protein) and LIP (liver-enriched inhibitory protein), can regulate both EMT- and MET-like phenotypic changes in mouse mammary epithelial cells. By using tetracycline repressive LIP expression constructs, we found that SCp2 cells, a clonal epithelial line of COMMA1-D cells, expressed EMT markers, lost the ability to undergo alveolar-like morphogenesis in 3D Matrigel, and acquired properties of benign adenoma cells. Conversely, we found that inducible expression of LAP in SCg6 cells, a clonal fibroblastic line of COMMA1-D cells, began to express epithelial keratins with suppression of proliferation. The overexpression of the C/EBPβ gene products in these COMMA1-D derivatives was suppressed by long-term cultivation on tissue culture plastic, but gene expression was maintained in cells grown on Matrigel or exposed to proteasome inhibitors. Thus, imbalances of C/EBPβ gene products in mouse mammary epithelial cells, which are affected by contact with basement membrane, are defined as a potential regulator of metastatic potential. - Highlights: • We created a temporal imbalance of C/EBPβ gene products in the mammary model cells. • The temporal up-regulation of LIP protein induced EMT-like cell behaviors. • The temporal up-regulation of LAP protein induced MET-like cell behaviors. • Excess amount of C/EBPβ gene products were eliminated by proteasomal-degradation. • Basement membrane components attenuated proteasome-triggered protein elimination

Immunohistochemical localisation of keratin and luminal epithelial antigen in myoepithelial and luminal epithelial cells of human mammary and salivary gland tumours.

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Nathrath, W B; Wilson, P D; Trejdosiewicz, L K

1982-01-01

Rabbit antisera to human 40-63 000 MW epidermal keratin, one batch with restricted distribution of reactivity from an initial (aK1) and one with "broad spectrum" distribution of reactivity from a late bleeding (aK), and to "luminal epithelial antigen" (aLEA) were applied to formalin fixed paraffin embedded sections of human normal and neoplastic mammary and salivary glands using an indirect immunoperoxidase method. aK1 reacted with myoepithelial cells, aLEA with luminal epithelial cells and aK with both cell types in normal mammary and salivary gland. In breast carcinomas the majority of intraluminal and infiltrating carcinoma cells reacted with aLEA but not with aK1 which reacted only with surrounding myoepithelial cells. aK reacted with both myoepithelial cells and with intraluminal and infiltrating tumour cells. In the salivary gland adenomas the majority of cells reacted with aK, and those cells arranged in a tubular fashion reacted with aLEA.

Expression pattern of thymosin beta 4 in the adult human liver

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S. Nemolato

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Thymosin beta-4 (Tβ4 is a member of beta-thymosins, a family of small peptides involved in polymerization of G-actin, and in many critical biological processes including apoptosis, cell migration, angiogenesis, and fibrosis. Previous studies in the newborn liver did not reveal any significant reactivity for Tβ4 during the intrauterine life. The aim of the present study was to investigate by immunohistochemistry Tβ4 expression in the adult normal liver. Thirty-five human liver samples, including 11 needle liver biopsies and 24 liver specimens obtained at autopsy, in which no pathological change was detected at the histological examination, were immunostained utilizing an anti-Tβ4 commercial antibody. Tβ4 was detected in the hepatocytes of all adult normal livers examined. A zonation of Tβ4 expression was evident in the vast majority of cases. Immunostaining was preferentially detected in zone 3, while a minor degree of reactivity was detected in periportal hepatocytes (zone 1. At higher power, Tβ4-reactive granules appeared mainly localized at the biliary pole of hepatocytes. In cases with a strong immunostaining, even perinuclear areas and the sinusoidal pole of hepatocytes appeared interested by immunoreactivity for Tβ4. The current work first evidences a strong diffuse expression of Tβ4 in the adult human liver, and adds hepatocytes to the list of human cells able to synthesize large amounts of Tβ4 in adulthood. Moreover, Tβ4 should be added to the liver proteins characterized by a zonate expression pattern, in a descending gradient from the terminal vein to the periportal areas of the liver acinus. Identifying the intimate role played by this peptide intracellularly and extracellularly, in physiology and in different liver diseases, is a major challenge for future research focusing on Tβ4.

In vitro safety evaluation of human nasal epithelial cell monolayers exposed to carrageenan sinus wash.

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Ramezanpour, Mahnaz; Murphy, Jae; Smith, Jason L P; Vreugde, Sarah; Psaltis, Alkis James

2017-12-01

Carrageenans have shown to reduce the viral load in nasal secretions and lower the incidence of secondary infections in children with common cold. Despite the widespread use of carrageenans in topical applications, the effect of carrageenans on the sinonasal epithelial barrier has not been elucidated. We investigate the effect of different carrageenans on the sinonasal epithelial barrier and inflammatory response in vitro. Iota and Kappa carrageenan delivered in saline irrigation solutions applied to air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures of primary human nasal epithelial cells from chronic rhinosinusitis patients and controls. Epithelial barrier structure was assessed by measuring the transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and immunolocalization of F actin. Ciliary beat frequency (CBF), toxicity, and inflammatory response was studied. Kappa or Iota carrageenan in the different solutions was not toxic, did not have detrimental effects on epithelial barrier structure and CBF. Rather, application of Kappa carrageenan significantly increased TEER and suppressed interleukin 6 (IL-6) secretion in ALI cultures from CRS patients. Kappa or Iota carrageenan solution was safe and did not negatively affect epithelial barrier function. Kappa carrageenan increased TEER and decreased IL-6 production in CRS patients, indicating positive effects on epithelial barrier function in vitro. © 2017 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

Recellularization of rat liver: An in vitro model for assessing human drug metabolism and liver biology.

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Matthew J Robertson

Full Text Available Liver-like organoids that recapitulate the complex functions of the whole liver by combining cells, scaffolds, and mechanical or chemical cues are becoming important models for studying liver biology and drug metabolism. The advantages of growing cells in three-dimensional constructs include enhanced cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions and preserved cellular phenotype including, prevention of de-differentiation. In the current study, biomimetic liver constructs were made via perfusion decellularization of rat liver, with the goal of maintaining the native composition and structure of the extracellular matrix. We optimized our decellularization process to produce liver scaffolds in which immunogenic residual DNA was removed but glycosaminoglycans were maintained. When the constructs were recellularized with rat or human liver cells, the cells remained viable, capable of proliferation, and functional for 28 days. Specifically, the cells continued to express cytochrome P450 genes and maintained their ability to metabolize a model drug, midazolam. Microarray analysis showed an upregulation of genes involved in liver regeneration and fibrosis. In conclusion, these liver constructs have the potential to be used as test beds for studying liver biology and drug metabolism.

Inhibition of gap junctional Intercellular communication in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells by triphenyltin chloride through MAPK and PI3-kinase pathways

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Tsai Ming-Che

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Organotin compounds (OTCs have been widely used as stabilizers in the production of plastic, agricultural pesticides, antifoulant plaints and wood preservation. The toxicity of triphenyltin (TPT compounds was known for their embryotoxic, neurotoxic, genotoxic and immunotoxic effects in mammals. The carcinogenicity of TPT was not well understood and few studies had discussed the effects of OTCs on gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC of cells. Method In the present study, the effects of triphenyltin chloride (TPTC on GJIC in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells were evaluated, using the scrape-loading dye transfer technique. Results TPTC inhibited GJIC after a 30-min exposure in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Pre-incubation of cells with the protein kinase C (PKC inhibitor did not modify the response, but the specific MEK 1 inhibitor PD98059 and PI3K inhibitor LY294002 decreased substantially the inhibition of GJIC by TPTC. After WB-F344 cells were exposed to TPTC, phosphorylation of Cx43 increased as seen in Western blot analysis. Conclusions These results show that TPTC inhibits GJIC in WB-F344 rat liver epithelial cells by altering the Cx43 protein expression through both MAPK and PI3-kinase pathways.

Application of chimeric mice with humanized liver for study of human-specific drug metabolism.

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Bateman, Thomas J; Reddy, Vijay G B; Kakuni, Masakazu; Morikawa, Yoshio; Kumar, Sanjeev

2014-06-01

Human-specific or disproportionately abundant human metabolites of drug candidates that are not adequately formed and qualified in preclinical safety assessment species pose an important drug development challenge. Furthermore, the overall metabolic profile of drug candidates in humans is an important determinant of their drug-drug interaction susceptibility. These risks can be effectively assessed and/or mitigated if human metabolic profile of the drug candidate could reliably be determined in early development. However, currently available in vitro human models (e.g., liver microsomes, hepatocytes) are often inadequate in this regard. Furthermore, the conduct of definitive radiolabeled human ADME studies is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor that is more suited for later in development when the risk of failure has been reduced. We evaluated a recently developed chimeric mouse model with humanized liver on uPA/SCID background for its ability to predict human disposition of four model drugs (lamotrigine, diclofenac, MRK-A, and propafenone) that are known to exhibit human-specific metabolism. The results from these studies demonstrate that chimeric mice were able to reproduce the human-specific metabolite profile for lamotrigine, diclofenac, and MRK-A. In the case of propafenone, however, the human-specific metabolism was not detected as a predominant pathway, and the metabolite profiles in native and humanized mice were similar; this was attributed to the presence of residual highly active propafenone-metabolizing mouse enzymes in chimeric mice. Overall, the data indicate that the chimeric mice with humanized liver have the potential to be a useful tool for the prediction of human-specific metabolism of xenobiotics and warrant further investigation.

Hypothiocyanite produced by human and rat respiratory epithelial cells inactivates extracellular H1N2 influenza A virus.

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Gingerich, Aaron; Pang, Lan; Hanson, Jarod; Dlugolenski, Daniel; Streich, Rebecca; Lafontaine, Eric R; Nagy, Tamás; Tripp, Ralph A; Rada, Balázs

2016-01-01

Our aim was to study whether an extracellular, oxidative antimicrobial mechanism inherent to tracheal epithelial cells is capable of inactivating influenza H1N2 virus. Epithelial cells were isolated from tracheas of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Both primary human and rat tracheobronchial epithelial cells were differentiated in air-liquid interface cultures. A/swine/Illinois/02860/09 (swH1N2) influenza A virions were added to the apical side of airway cells for 1 h in the presence or absence of lactoperoxidase or thiocyanate. Characterization of rat epithelial cells (morphology, Duox expression) occurred via western blotting, PCR, hydrogen peroxide production measurement and histology. The number of viable virions was determined by plaque assays. Statistical difference of the results was analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's test. Our data show that rat tracheobronchial epithelial cells develop a differentiated, polarized monolayer with high transepithelial electrical resistance, mucin production and expression of dual oxidases. Influenza A virions are inactivated by human and rat epithelial cells via a dual oxidase-, lactoperoxidase- and thiocyanate-dependent mechanism. Differentiated air-liquid interface cultures of rat tracheal epithelial cells provide a novel model to study airway epithelium-influenza interactions. The dual oxidase/lactoperoxidase/thiocyanate extracellular oxidative system producing hypothiocyanite is a fast and potent anti-influenza mechanism inactivating H1N2 viruses prior to infection of the epithelium.

Small-Molecule Induction Promotes Corneal Epithelial Cell Differentiation from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

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Alexandra Mikhailova

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs offer unique opportunities for developing novel cell-based therapies and disease modeling. In this study, we developed a directed differentiation method for hiPSCs toward corneal epithelial progenitor cells capable of terminal differentiation toward mature corneal epithelial-like cells. In order to improve the efficiency and reproducibility of our method, we replicated signaling cues active during ocular surface ectoderm development with the help of two small-molecule inhibitors in combination with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF in serum-free and feeder-free conditions. First, small-molecule induction downregulated the expression of pluripotency markers while upregulating several transcription factors essential for normal eye development. Second, protein expression of the corneal epithelial progenitor marker p63 was greatly enhanced, with up to 95% of cells being p63 positive after 5 weeks of differentiation. Third, corneal epithelial-like cells were obtained upon further maturation.

Stanniocalcin-1 regulates re-epithelialization in human keratinocytes.

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Bonnie H Y Yeung

Full Text Available Stanniocalcin-1 (STC1, a glycoprotein hormone, is believed to be involved in various biological processes such as inflammation, oxidative responses and cell migration. Riding on these emerging evidences, we hypothesized that STC1 may participate in the re-epithelialization during wound healing. Re-epithelialization is a critical step that involves keratinocyte lamellipodia (e-lam formation, followed by cell migration. In this study, staurosporine (STS treatment induced human keratinocyte (HaCaT e-lam formation on fibronectin matrix and migration via the activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK, the surge of intracellular calcium level [Ca²⁺]i and the inactivation of Akt. In accompanied with these migratory features, a time- and dose-dependent increase in STC1 expression was detected. STC1 gene expression was found not the downstream target of FAK-signaling as illustrated by FAK inhibition using PF573228. The reduction of [Ca²⁺]i by BAPTA/AM blocked the STS-mediated keratinocyte migration and STC1 gene expression. Alternatively the increase of [Ca²⁺]i by ionomycin exerted promotional effect on STS-induced STC1 gene expression. The inhibition of Akt by SH6 and GSK3β by lithium chloride (LiCl could respectively induce and inhibit the STS-mediated e-lam formation, cell migration and STC1 gene expression. The STS-mediated e-lam formation and cell migration were notably hindered or induced respectively by STC1 knockdown or overexpression. This notion was further supported by the scratched wound assay. Collectively the findings provide the first evidence that STC1 promotes re-epithelialization in wound healing.

Stanniocalcin-1 regulates re-epithelialization in human keratinocytes.

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Yeung, Bonnie H Y; Wong, Chris K C

2011-01-01

Stanniocalcin-1 (STC1), a glycoprotein hormone, is believed to be involved in various biological processes such as inflammation, oxidative responses and cell migration. Riding on these emerging evidences, we hypothesized that STC1 may participate in the re-epithelialization during wound healing. Re-epithelialization is a critical step that involves keratinocyte lamellipodia (e-lam) formation, followed by cell migration. In this study, staurosporine (STS) treatment induced human keratinocyte (HaCaT) e-lam formation on fibronectin matrix and migration via the activation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), the surge of intracellular calcium level [Ca²⁺]i and the inactivation of Akt. In accompanied with these migratory features, a time- and dose-dependent increase in STC1 expression was detected. STC1 gene expression was found not the downstream target of FAK-signaling as illustrated by FAK inhibition using PF573228. The reduction of [Ca²⁺]i by BAPTA/AM blocked the STS-mediated keratinocyte migration and STC1 gene expression. Alternatively the increase of [Ca²⁺]i by ionomycin exerted promotional effect on STS-induced STC1 gene expression. The inhibition of Akt by SH6 and GSK3β by lithium chloride (LiCl) could respectively induce and inhibit the STS-mediated e-lam formation, cell migration and STC1 gene expression. The STS-mediated e-lam formation and cell migration were notably hindered or induced respectively by STC1 knockdown or overexpression. This notion was further supported by the scratched wound assay. Collectively the findings provide the first evidence that STC1 promotes re-epithelialization in wound healing.

Phosphorus-31 spectroscopic imaging of the human liver

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Biran, M.; Raffard, G.; Canioni, P.; Kien, P.

1993-01-01

During the last decade, progresses in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (M.R.S.), have allowed the metabolic studies of complex biological systems. Since the coming out of whole body magnets, clinical applications are possible; they utilize magnetic field gradients coupled with selective pulse sequences. Study of the phosphorylated metabolism of human liver can be performed with sequences as ISIS, FROGS or 1D-CSI. But they present some disadvantages (for instance contamination by phosphocreatine from muscle). In the present work, we have studied the human liver in vivo by 31 P spectroscopic imaging. Several spectra could be acquired with only one acquisition. This study has needed the building of radiofrequency coils (surface coils), specially designed for liver observation (15 cm diameter 31 P coil and 19 cm diameter proton coil, both transmitter and receiver coils). Preliminary studies have been done on a phantom followed by in vivo measurements on healthy subject livers. We have obtained localized 31 P N.M.R. spectra corresponding to different voxels within the hepatic tissue. The conditions of acquisition of spectra and the problems related to the saturation of phosphorylated metabolite signals (in particular phosphodiesters) are discussed. (author). 5 figs., 15 refs

Massive and Reproducible Production of Liver Buds Entirely from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

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Takanori Takebe

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Summary: Organoid technology provides a revolutionary paradigm toward therapy but has yet to be applied in humans, mainly because of reproducibility and scalability challenges. Here, we overcome these limitations by evolving a scalable organ bud production platform entirely from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC. By conducting massive “reverse” screen experiments, we identified three progenitor populations that can effectively generate liver buds in a highly reproducible manner: hepatic endoderm, endothelium, and septum mesenchyme. Furthermore, we achieved human scalability by developing an omni-well-array culture platform for mass producing homogeneous and miniaturized liver buds on a clinically relevant large scale (>108. Vascularized and functional liver tissues generated entirely from iPSCs significantly improved subsequent hepatic functionalization potentiated by stage-matched developmental progenitor interactions, enabling functional rescue against acute liver failure via transplantation. Overall, our study provides a stringent manufacturing platform for multicellular organoid supply, thus facilitating clinical and pharmaceutical applications especially for the treatment of liver diseases through multi-industrial collaborations. : With the goal of clinical translation of liver bud transplant therapy, Takebe et al. established a massive organoid production platform from endoderm, endothelial, and mesenchymal progenitor populations specified entirely from human iPSCs, reproducibly demonstrating functionality both in vitro and in vivo. Keywords: iPSC, liver bud, organoid, transplantation, self-organization, endothelial, mesenchymal, liver failure, clinical grade

Regional differences in prostaglandin E2 metabolism in human colorectal cancer liver metastases

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Young, Alastair L; Chalmers, Claire R; Hawcroft, Gillian; Perry, Sarah L; Treanor, Darren; Toogood, Giles J; Jones, Pamela F; Hull, Mark A

2013-01-01

Prostaglandin (PG) E 2 plays a critical role in colorectal cancer (CRC) progression, including epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Activity of the rate-limiting enzyme for PGE 2 catabolism (15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase [15-PGDH]) is dependent on availability of NAD+. We tested the hypothesis that there is intra-tumoral variability in PGE 2 content, as well as in levels and activity of 15-PGDH, in human CRC liver metastases (CRCLM). To understand possible underlying mechanisms, we investigated the relationship between hypoxia, 15-PGDH and PGE 2 in human CRC cells in vitro. Tissue from the periphery and centre of 20 human CRCLM was analysed for PGE 2 levels, 15-PGDH and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression, 15-PGDH activity, and NAD+/NADH levels. EMT of LIM1863 human CRC cells was induced by transforming growth factor (TGF) β. PGE 2 levels were significantly higher in the centre of CRCLM compared with peripheral tissue (P = 0.04). There were increased levels of 15-PGDH protein in the centre of CRCLM associated with reduced 15-PGDH activity and low NAD+/NADH levels. There was no significant heterogeneity in COX-2 protein expression. NAD+ availability controlled 15-PGDH activity in human CRC cells in vitro. Hypoxia induced 15-PGDH expression in human CRC cells and promoted EMT, in a similar manner to PGE 2 . Combined 15-PGDH expression and loss of membranous E-cadherin (EMT biomarker) were present in the centre of human CRCLM in vivo. There is significant intra-tumoral heterogeneity in PGE 2 content, 15-PGDH activity and NAD+ availability in human CRCLM. Tumour micro-environment (including hypoxia)-driven differences in PGE 2 metabolism should be targeted for novel treatment of advanced CRC

Detonation Nanodiamond Toxicity in Human Airway Epithelial Cells Is Modulated by Air Oxidation

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Detonational nanodiamonds (DND), a nanomaterial with an increasing range of industrial and biomedical applications, have previously been shown to induce a pro-inflammatory response in cultured human airway epithelial cells (HAEC). We now show that surface modifications induced by...

Human Primary Intestinal Epithelial Cells as an Improved In Vitro Model for Cryptosporidium parvum Infection

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Cabada, Miguel M.; Nichols, Joan; Gomez, Guillermo; White, A. Clinton

2013-01-01

The study of human intestinal pathogens has been limited by the lack of methods for the long-term culture of primary human intestinal epithelial cells (PECs). The development of infection models with PECs would allow a better understanding of host-parasite interactions. The objective of this study was to develop a novel method for prolonged in vitro cultivation of PECs that can be used to study Cryptosporidium infection. We isolated intact crypts from human intestines removed during weight loss surgery. The fragments of intestinal layers were cultivated with culture medium supplemented with growth factors and antiapoptotic molecules. After 7 days, the PECs formed self-regenerating cell clusters, forming villi that resemble intestinal epithelium. The PECs proliferated and remained viable for at least 60 days. The cells expressed markers for intestinal stem cells, epithelial cells, and mature enterocytes. The PECs were infected with Cryptosporidium. In contrast to older models in which parasite numbers decay, the burden of parasites increased for >120 h. In summary, we describe here a novel method for the cultivation of self-regenerating human epithelial cells from small intestinal crypts, which contain both intestinal stem cells and mature villus cells. We present data that suggest these cells support Cryptosporidium better than existing cell lines. PECs should provide an improved tool for studying host-parasite interactions involving Cryptosporidium and other intestinal pathogens. PMID:23509153

Liver Effects of Clinical Drugs Differentiated in Human Liver Slices

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Alison E. M. Vickers

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Drugs with clinical adverse effects are compared in an ex vivo 3-dimensional multi-cellular human liver slice model. Functional markers of oxidative stress and mitochondrial function, glutathione GSH and ATP levels, were affected by acetaminophen (APAP, 1 mM, diclofenac (DCF, 1 mM and etomoxir (ETM, 100 μM. Drugs targeting mitochondria more than GSH were dantrolene (DTL, 10 μM and cyclosporin A (CSA, 10 μM, while GSH was affected more than ATP by methimazole (MMI, 500 μM, terbinafine (TBF, 100 μM, and carbamazepine (CBZ 100 μM. Oxidative stress genes were affected by TBF (18%, CBZ, APAP, and ETM (12%–11%, and mitochondrial genes were altered by CBZ, APAP, MMI, and ETM (8%–6%. Apoptosis genes were affected by DCF (14%, while apoptosis plus necrosis were altered by APAP and ETM (15%. Activation of oxidative stress, mitochondrial energy, heat shock, ER stress, apoptosis, necrosis, DNA damage, immune and inflammation genes ranked CSA (75%, ETM (66%, DCF, TBF, MMI (61%–60%, APAP, CBZ (57%–56%, and DTL (48%. Gene changes in fatty acid metabolism, cholestasis, immune and inflammation were affected by DTL (51%, CBZ and ETM (44%–43%, APAP and DCF (40%–38%, MMI, TBF and CSA (37%–35%. This model advances multiple dosing in a human ex vivo model, plus functional markers and gene profile markers of drug induced human liver side-effects.

Inflammatory Cytokine Tumor Necrosis Factor α Confers Precancerous Phenotype in an Organoid Model of Normal Human Ovarian Surface Epithelial Cells

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Joseph Kwong

2009-06-01

Full Text Available In this study, we established an in vitro organoid model of normal human ovarian surface epithelial (HOSE cells. The spheroids of these normal HOSE cells resembled epithelial inclusion cysts in human ovarian cortex, which are the cells of origin of ovarian epithelial tumor. Because there are strong correlations between chronic inflammation and the incidence of ovarian cancer, we used the organoid model to test whether protumor inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α would induce malignant phenotype in normal HOSE cells. Prolonged treatment of tumor necrosis factor α induced phenotypic changes of the HOSE spheroids, which exhibited the characteristics of precancerous lesions of ovarian epithelial tumors, including reinitiation of cell proliferation, structural disorganization, epithelial stratification, loss of epithelial polarity, degradation of basement membrane, cell invasion, and overexpression of ovarian cancer markers. The result of this study provides not only an evidence supporting the link between chronic inflammation and ovarian cancer formation but also a relevant and novel in vitro model for studying of early events of ovarian cancer.

Completion of hepatitis C virus replication cycle in heterokaryons excludes dominant restrictions in human non-liver and mouse liver cell lines.

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Anne Frentzen

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Hepatitis C virus (HCV is hepatotropic and only infects humans and chimpanzees. Consequently, an immunocompetent small animal model is lacking. The restricted tropism of HCV likely reflects specific host factor requirements. We investigated if dominant restriction factors expressed in non-liver or non-human cell lines inhibit HCV propagation thus rendering these cells non-permissive. To this end we explored if HCV completes its replication cycle in heterokaryons between human liver cell lines and non-permissive cell lines from human non-liver or mouse liver origin. Despite functional viral pattern recognition pathways and responsiveness to interferon, virus production was observed in all fused cells and was only ablated when cells were treated with exogenous interferon. These results exclude that constitutive or virus-induced expression of dominant restriction factors prevents propagation of HCV in these cell types, which has important implications for HCV tissue and species tropism. In turn, these data strongly advocate transgenic approaches of crucial human HCV cofactors to establish an immunocompetent small animal model.

A method for establishing human primary gastric epithelial cell culture from fresh surgical gastric tissues.

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Aziz, Faisal; Yang, Xuesong; Wen, Qingping; Yan, Qiu

2015-08-01

At present, biopsy specimens, cancer cell lines and tissues obtained by gastric surgery are used in the study and analysis of gastric cancer, including the molecular mechanisms and proteomics. However, fibroblasts and other tissue components may interfere with these techniques. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a procedure for the isolation of viable human gastric epithelial cells from gastric surgical tissues. A method was developed to culture human gastric epithelial cells using fresh, surgically excised tissues and was evaluated using immunocytochemistry, periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining and cell viability assays. Low cell growth was observed surrounding the gastric tissue on the seventh day of tissue explant culture. Cell growth subsequently increased, and at 12 days post-explant a high number of pure epithelial cells were detected. The gastric cancer cells exhibited rapid growth with a doubling time of 13-52 h, as compared to normal cells, which had a doubling time of 20-53 h. Immunocytochemical analyses of primary gastric cells revealed positive staining for cytokeratin 18 and 19, which indicated that the culture was comprised of pure epithelial cells and contained no fibroblasts. Furthermore, PAS staining demonstrated that the cultured gastric cells produced neutral mucin. Granulin and carbohydrate antigen 724 staining confirmed the purity of gastric cancer and normal cells in culture. This method of cell culture indicated that the gastric cells in primary culture consisted of mucin-secreting gastric epithelial cells, which may be useful for the study of gastric infection with Helicobacter pylori and gastric cancer.

Differentiation and molecular profiling of human embryonic stem cell-derived corneal epithelial cells.

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Brzeszczynska, J; Samuel, K; Greenhough, S; Ramaesh, K; Dhillon, B; Hay, D C; Ross, J A

2014-06-01

It has been suggested that the isolation of scalable populations of limbal stem cells may lead to radical changes in ocular therapy. In particular, the derivation and transplantation of corneal stem cells from these populations may result in therapies providing clinical normality of the diseased or damaged cornea. Although feasible in theory, the lack of donor material in sufficient quantity and quality currently limits such a strategy. A potential scalable source of corneal cells could be derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). We developed an in vitro and serum-free corneal differentiation model which displays significant promise. Our stepwise differentiation model was designed with reference to development and gave rise to cells which displayed similarities to epithelial progenitor cells which can be specified to cells displaying a corneal epithelial phenotype. We believe our approach is novel, provides a robust model of human development and in the future, may facilitate the generation of corneal epithelial cells that are suitable for clinical use. Additionally, we demonstrate that following continued cell culture, stem cell-derived corneal epithelial cells undergo transdifferentiation and exhibit squamous metaplasia and therefore, also offer an in vitro model of disease.

[Expression of thioredoxin-2 in human lens epithelial cells with oxidative damage and its significance].

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Che, Xuanyi; Zhao, Qingxia; Li, Di

2018-03-28

To explore whether thioredoin-2 (Trx-2) is involved in the development of cataract and to study the effect of Trx-2 on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced injury in human lens epithelial cells.
 Methods: A total of 10 volunteers (removing the lens due totraumatism) and 30 patients received phacoemulsification (age more than 60 years) were selected. The expression of Trx-2 protein in lens epithelial cells from cataract patients and volunteers were detected by the immunohistochemical streptavidin-peroxidase (SP) method. SRA01/04 cells were cultured and were divided into six groups according to different treatment: a control group, H2O2-treated groups at 20, 50 or 
100 μmol/L, a negative control group (transfected with pCMV6 plasmid plus 100 μmol/L H2O2), and a Trx-2 overexpression group (transfected with pCMV6-Trx-2 plasmid plus 100 μmol/L H2O2). Methyl thiazolyltetrazolium (MTT) assay and flow cytometry was performed to measure the cell viability and apoptosis for SRA01/04 cells, respectively. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), the content of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in human lens epithelial cells were measured via chemical chromatometry. Western blot was used to measure the protein levels of Trx-2, B-cell lymphoma 2 protein (Bcl-2), Bcl-2 associated X protein (Bax) and caspase-3.
 Results: Compared with the volunteers, the expression of Trx-2 was significantly decreased in lens epithelial cells in patients with cataract (PTrx-2 protein in the 20, 50 or 100 μmol/L H2O2 groups was decreased (all PTrx-2 and Bcl-2 expression and up-regulated Bax and caspase-3 expression (all PTrx-2 overexpression group (PTrx-2 and Bcl-2 expression and down-regulated Bax and caspase-3 expression (PTrx-2 might be involved in the apoptosis of lens epithelial cells in patients with cataract. The overexpression of Trx-2 obviously attenuated H2O2-induced injury of human lens epithelial cells, which might be associated with the

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 greatly contributes to the hydrolysis of vildagliptin in human liver.

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Asakura, Mitsutoshi; Fujii, Hideaki; Atsuda, Koichiro; Itoh, Tomoo; Fujiwara, Ryoichi

2015-04-01

The major metabolic pathway of vildagliptin in mice, rats, dogs, and humans is hydrolysis at the cyano group to produce a carboxylic acid metabolite M20.7 (LAY151), whereas the major metabolic enzyme of vildagliptin has not been identified. In the present study, we determined the contribution rate of dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) to the hydrolysis of vildagliptin in the liver. We performed hydrolysis assay of the cyano group of vildagliptin using mouse, rat, and human liver samples. Additionally, DPP-4 activities in each liver sample were assessed by DPP-4 activity assay using the synthetic substrate H-glycyl-prolyl-7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (Gly-Pro-AMC). M20.7 formation rates in liver microsomes were higher than those in liver cytosol. M20.7 formation rate was significantly positively correlated with the DPP-4 activity using Gly-Pro-AMC in liver samples (r = 0.917, P vildagliptin hydrolysis in the liver. Additionally, we established stable single expression systems of human DPP-4 and its R623Q mutant, which is the nonsynonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism of human DPP-4, in human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells to investigate the effect of R623Q mutant on vildagliptin-hydrolyzing activity. M20.7 formation rate in HEK293 cells expressing human DPP-4 was significantly higher than that in control HEK293 cells. Interestingly, R623Q mutation resulted in a decrease of the vildagliptin-hydrolyzing activity. Our findings might be useful for the prediction of interindividual variability in vildagliptin pharmacokinetics. Copyright © 2015 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Repairing organs: lessons from intestine and liver.

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Gehart, Helmuth; Clevers, Hans

2015-06-01

The concept of organ regeneration has fascinated humanity from ancient mythology to modern science fiction. Recent advances offer the potential to soon bring such technology within the grasp of clinical medicine. Rapidly expanding insights into the intrinsic repair processes of the intestine and liver have uncovered significant plasticity in epithelial tissues. Harnessing this knowledge, researchers have recently created culture systems that enable the expansion of stem cells into transplantable tissue in vitro. Here we discuss how the growing tool set of stem cell biology can bring organ repair from fictitious narrative to medical practice. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Transplantation of human amniotic epithelial cells repairs brachial plexus injury:pathological and biomechanical analyses

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Qi Yang; Min Luo; Peng Li; Hai Jin

2014-01-01

A brachial plexus injury model was established in rabbits by stretching the C6 nerve root. Imme-diately after the stretching, a suspension of human amniotic epithelial cells was injected into the injured brachial plexus. The results of tensile mechanical testing of the brachial plexus showed that the tensile elastic limit strain, elastic limit stress, maximum stress, and maximum strain of the injured brachial plexuses were signiifcantly increased at 24 weeks after the injection. The treat-ment clearly improved the pathological morphology of the injured brachial plexus nerve, as seen by hematoxylin eosin staining, and the functions of the rabbit forepaw were restored. These data indicate that the injection of human amniotic epithelial cells contributed to the repair of brachial plexus injury, and that this technique may transform into current clinical treatment strategies.

Chronic inorganic arsenic exposure in vitro induces a cancer cell phenotype in human peripheral lung epithelial cells

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Person, Rachel J.; Olive Ngalame, Ntube N.; Makia, Ngome L.; Bell, Matthew W.; Waalkes, Michael P.; Tokar, Erik J., E-mail: tokare@niehs.nih.gov

2015-07-01

Inorganic arsenic is a human lung carcinogen. We studied the ability of chronic inorganic arsenic (2 μM; as sodium arsenite) exposure to induce a cancer phenotype in the immortalized, non-tumorigenic human lung peripheral epithelial cell line, HPL-1D. After 38 weeks of continuous arsenic exposure, secreted matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) activity increased to over 200% of control, levels linked to arsenic-induced cancer phenotypes in other cell lines. The invasive capacity of these chronic arsenic-treated lung epithelial (CATLE) cells increased to 320% of control and colony formation increased to 280% of control. CATLE cells showed enhanced proliferation in serum-free media indicative of autonomous growth. Compared to control cells, CATLE cells showed reduced protein expression of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN (decreased to 26% of control) and the putative tumor suppressor gene SLC38A3 (14% of control). Morphological evidence of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurred in CATLE cells together with appropriate changes in expression of the EMT markers vimentin (VIM; increased to 300% of control) and e-cadherin (CDH1; decreased to 16% of control). EMT is common in carcinogenic transformation of epithelial cells. CATLE cells showed increased KRAS (291%), ERK1/2 (274%), phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK; 152%), and phosphorylated AKT1 (p-AKT1; 170%) protein expression. Increased transcript expression of metallothioneins, MT1A and MT2A and the stress response genes HMOX1 (690%) and HIF1A (247%) occurred in CATLE cells possibly in adaptation to chronic arsenic exposure. Thus, arsenic induced multiple cancer cell characteristics in human peripheral lung epithelial cells. This model may be useful to assess mechanisms of arsenic-induced lung cancer. - Highlights: • Chronic arsenic exposure transforms a human peripheral lung epithelia cell line. • Cells acquire characteristics in common with human lung adenocarcinoma cells. • These transformed cells provide a

Human plasma metabolic profiles of benzydamine, a flavin-containing monooxygenase probe substrate, simulated with pharmacokinetic data from control and humanized-liver mice.

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Yamazaki-Nishioka, Miho; Shimizu, Makiko; Suemizu, Hiroshi; Nishiwaki, Megumi; Mitsui, Marina; Yamazaki, Hiroshi

2018-02-01

1. Benzydamine is used clinically as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug in oral rinses and is employed in preclinical research as a flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) probe substrate. In this study, plasma concentrations of benzydamine and its primary N-oxide and N-demethylated metabolites were investigated in control TK-NOG mice, in humanized-liver mice, and in mice whose liver cells had been ablated with ganciclovir. 2. Following oral administration of benzydamine (10 mg/kg) in humanized-liver TK-NOG mice, plasma concentrations of benzydamine N-oxide were slightly higher than those of demethyl benzydamine. In contrast, in control and ganciclovir-treated TK-NOG mice, concentrations of demethyl benzydamine were slightly higher than those of benzydamine N-oxide. 3. Simulations of human plasma concentrations of benzydamine and its N-oxide were achieved using simplified physiologically based pharmacokinetic models based on data from control TK-NOG mice and from reported benzydamine concentrations after low-dose administration in humans. Estimated clearance rates based on data from humanized-liver and ganciclovir-treated TK-NOG mice were two orders magnitude high. 4. The pharmacokinetic profiles of benzydamine were different for control and humanized-liver TK-NOG mice. Humanized-liver mice are generally accepted human models; however, drug oxidation in mouse kidney might need to be considered when probe substrates undergo FMO-dependent drug oxidation in mouse liver and kidney.

Three-dimensional epithelial tissues generated from human embryonic stem cells.

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Hewitt, Kyle J; Shamis, Yulia; Carlson, Mark W; Aberdam, Edith; Aberdam, Daniel; Garlick, Jonathan A

2009-11-01

The use of pluripotent human embryonic stem (hES) cells for tissue engineering may provide advantages over traditional sources of progenitor cells because of their ability to give rise to multiple cell types and their unlimited expansion potential. We derived cell populations with properties of ectodermal and mesenchymal cells in two-dimensional culture and incorporated these divergent cell populations into three-dimensional (3D) epithelial tissues. When grown in specific media and substrate conditions, two-dimensional cultures were enriched in cells (EDK1) with mesenchymal morphology and surface markers. Cells with a distinct epithelial morphology (HDE1) that expressed cytokeratin 12 and beta-catenin at cell junctions became the predominant cell type when EDK1 were grown on surfaces enriched in keratinocyte-derived extracellular matrix proteins. When these cells were incorporated into the stromal and epithelial tissue compartments of 3D tissues, they generated multilayer epithelia similar to those generated with foreskin-derived epithelium and fibroblasts. Three-dimensional tissues demonstrated stromal cells with morphologic features of mature fibroblasts, type IV collagen deposition in the basement membrane, and a stratified epithelium that expressed cytokeratin 12. By deriving two distinct cell lineages from a common hES cell source to fabricate complex tissues, it is possible to explore environmental cues that will direct hES-derived cells toward optimal tissue form and function.

Human germline hedgehog pathway mutations predispose to fatty liver.

Science.gov (United States)

Guillen-Sacoto, Maria J; Martinez, Ariel F; Abe, Yu; Kruszka, Paul; Weiss, Karin; Everson, Joshua L; Bataller, Ramon; Kleiner, David E; Ward, Jerrold M; Sulik, Kathleen K; Lipinski, Robert J; Solomon, Benjamin D; Muenke, Maximilian

2017-10-01

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common form of liver disease. Activation of hedgehog (Hh) signaling has been implicated in the progression of NAFLD and proposed as a therapeutic target; however, the effects of Hh signaling inhibition have not been studied in humans with germline mutations that affect this pathway. Patients with holoprosencephaly (HPE), a disorder associated with germline mutations disrupting Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling, were clinically evaluated for NAFLD. A combined mouse model of Hh signaling attenuation (Gli2 heterozygous null: Gli2 +/- ) and diet-induced NAFLD was used to examine aspects of NAFLD and hepatic gene expression profiles, including molecular markers of hepatic fibrosis and inflammation. Patients with HPE had a higher prevalence of liver steatosis compared to the general population, independent of obesity. Exposure of Gli2 +/- mice to fatty liver-inducing diets resulted in increased liver steatosis compared to wild-type mice. Similar to humans, this effect was independent of obesity in the mutant mice and was associated with decreased expression of pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory genes, and increased expression of PPARγ, a potent anti-fibrogenic and anti-inflammatory regulator. Interestingly, tumor suppressors p53 and p16INK4 were found to be downregulated in the Gli2 +/- mice exposed to a high-fat diet. Our results indicate that germline mutations disrupting Hh signaling promotes liver steatosis, independent of obesity, with reduced fibrosis. While Hh signaling inhibition has been associated with a better NAFLD prognosis, further studies are required to evaluate the long-term effects of mutations affecting this pathway. Lay summary: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by excess fat deposition in the liver predominantly due to high calorie intake and a sedentary lifestyle. NAFLD progression is usually accompanied by activation of the Sonic hedgehog (SHH) pathway leading to fibrous

Determining adaptive and adverse oxidative stress responses in human bronical epithelial cells exposed to zinc

Science.gov (United States)

Determining adaptive and adverse oxidative stress responses in human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to zincJenna M. Currier1,2, Wan-Yun Cheng1, Rory Conolly1, Brian N. Chorley1Zinc is a ubiquitous contaminant of ambient air that presents an oxidant challenge to the human lung...

Expression and kinetic properties of a recombinant 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid/dihydrodiol dehydrogenase isoenzyme of human liver.

Science.gov (United States)

Deyashiki, Y; Tamada, Y; Miyabe, Y; Nakanishi, M; Matsuura, K; Hara, A

1995-08-01

Human liver cytosol contains multiple forms of 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and dihydrodiol dehydrogenase with hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activity, and multiple cDNAs for the enzymes have been cloned from human liver cDNA libraries. To understand the relationship of the multiple enzyme froms to the genes, a cDNA, which has been reported to code for an isoenzyme of human liver 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid/dihydrodiol dehydrogenase, was expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme showed structural and functional properties almost identical to those of the isoenzyme purified from human liver. In addition, the recombinant isoenzyme efficiently reduced 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone and 5 beta-dihydrocortisone, the known substrates of human liver 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and chlordecone reductase previously purified, which suggests that these human liver enzymes are identical. Furthermore, the steady-state kinetic data for NADP(+)-linked (S)-1-indanol oxidation by the recombinant isoenzyme were consistent with a sequential ordered mechanism in which NADP+ binds first. Phenolphthalein inhibited this isoenzyme much more potently than it did the other human liver dihydrodiol dehydrogenases, and was a competitive inhibitor (Ki = 20 nM) that bound to the enzyme-NADP+ complex.

Entrance and Survival of Brucella pinnipedialis Hooded Seal Strain in Human Macrophages and Epithelial Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Briquemont, Benjamin; Sørensen, Karen K.; Godfroid, Jacques

2013-01-01

Marine mammal Brucella spp. have been isolated from pinnipeds (B. pinnipedialis) and cetaceans (B. ceti) from around the world. Although the zoonotic potential of marine mammal brucellae is largely unknown, reports of human disease exist. There are few studies of the mechanisms of bacterial intracellular invasion and multiplication involving the marine mammal Brucella spp. We examined the infective capacity of two genetically different B. pinnipedialis strains (reference strain; NTCT 12890 and a hooded seal isolate; B17) by measuring the ability of the bacteria to enter and replicate in cultured phagocytes and epithelial cells. Human macrophage-like cells (THP-1), two murine macrophage cell lines (RAW264.7 and J774A.1), and a human malignant epithelial cell line (HeLa S3) were challenged with bacteria in a gentamicin protection assay. Our results show that B. pinnipedialis is internalized, but is then gradually eliminated during the next 72 – 96 hours. Confocal microscopy revealed that intracellular B. pinnipedialis hooded seal strain colocalized with lysosomal compartments at 1.5 and 24 hours after infection. Intracellular presence of B. pinnipedialis hooded seal strain was verified by transmission electron microscopy. By using a cholesterol-scavenging lipid inhibitor, entrance of B. pinnipedialis hooded seal strain in human macrophages was significantly reduced by 65.8 % (± 17.3), suggesting involvement of lipid-rafts in intracellular entry. Murine macrophages invaded by B. pinnipedialis do not release nitric oxide (NO) and intracellular bacterial presence does not induce cell death. In summary, B. pinnipedialis hooded seal strain can enter human and murine macrophages, as well as human epithelial cells. Intracellular entry of B. pinnipedialis hooded seal strain involves, but seems not to be limited to, lipid-rafts in human macrophages. Brucella pinnipedialis does not multiply or survive for prolonged periods intracellulary. PMID:24376851

Human lactoferrin stimulates skin keratinocyte function and wound re-epithelialization.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, L; Wu, J J; Ma, Q; Cui, T; Andreopoulos, F M; Gil, J; Valdes, J; Davis, S C; Li, J

2010-07-01

Human lactoferrin (hLF), a member of the transferrin family, is known for its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. Recent studies on various nonskin cell lines indicate that hLF may have a stimulatory effect on cell proliferation. To study the potential role of hLF in wound re-epithelialization. The effects of hLF on cell growth, migration, attachment and survival were assessed, with a rice-derived recombinant hLF (holo-rhLF), using proliferation analysis, scratch migration assay, calcein-AM/propidium iodide staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) method, respectively. The mechanisms of hLF on cell proliferation and migration were explored using specific pathway inhibitors. The involvement of lactoferrin receptor low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) was examined with RNA interference technique. An in vivo swine second-degree burn wound model was also used to assess wound re-epithelialization. Studies revealed that holo-rhLF significantly stimulated keratinocyte proliferation which could be blocked by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase 1 inhibitor. Holo-rhLF also showed strong promoting effects on keratinocyte migration, which could be blocked by either inhibition of the MAPK, Src and Rho/ROCK pathways, or downregulation of the LRP1 receptor. With cells under starving or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate exposure, the addition of holo-rhLF was found greatly to increase cell viability and inhibit cell apoptosis. Additionally, holo-rhLF significantly increased the rate of wound re-epithelialization in swine second-degree burn wounds. Our studies demonstrate the direct effects of holo-rhLF on wound re-epithelialization including the enhancement of keratinocyte proliferation and migration as well as the protection of cells from apoptosis. The data strongly indicate its potential therapeutic applications in wound healing.

Development of Murine Cyp3a Knockout Chimeric Mice with Humanized Liver.

Science.gov (United States)

Kato, Kota; Ohbuchi, Masato; Hamamura, Satoko; Ohshita, Hiroki; Kazuki, Yasuhiro; Oshimura, Mitsuo; Sato, Koya; Nakada, Naoyuki; Kawamura, Akio; Usui, Takashi; Kamimura, Hidetaka; Tateno, Chise

2015-08-01

We developed murine CYP3A knockout ko chimeric mice with humanized liver expressing human P450S similar to those in humans and whose livers and small intestines do not express murine CYP3A this: approach may overcome effects of residual mouse metabolic enzymes like Cyp3a in conventional chimeric mice with humanized liver, such as PXB-mice [urokinase plasminogen activator/severe combined immunodeficiency (uPA/SCID) mice repopulated with over 70% human hepatocytes] to improve the prediction of drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics in humans. After human hepatocytes were transplanted into Cyp3a KO/uPA/SCID host mice, human albumin levels logarithmically increased until approximately 60 days after transplantation, findings similar to those in PXB-mice. Quantitative real-time-polymerase chain reaction analyses showed that hepatic human P450s, UGTs, SULTs, and transporters mRNA expression levels in Cyp3a KO chimeric mice were also similar to those in PXB-mice and confirmed the absence of Cyp3a11 mRNA expression in mouse liver and intestine. Findings for midazolam and triazolam metabolic activities in liver microsomes were comparable between Cyp3a KO chimeric mice and PXB-mice. In contrast, these activities in the intestine of Cyp3a KO chimeric mice were attenuated compared with PXB-mice. Owing to the knockout of murine Cyp3a, hepatic Cyp2b10 and 2c55 mRNA levels in Cyp3a KO/uPA/SCID mice (without hepatocyte transplants) were 8.4- and 61-fold upregulated compared with PXB-mice, respectively. However, human hepatocyte transplantation successfully restored Cyp2b10 level nearly fully and Cyp2c55 level partly (still 13-fold upregulated) compared with those in PXB-mice. Intestinal Cyp2b10 and 2c55 were also repressed by human hepatocyte transplantation in Cyp3a KO chimeric mice. Copyright © 2015 by The American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics.

Recovery from radiation-induced damage in primary cultures of human epithelial thyroid cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.C.; Hiraoka, Toshio; Enno, Masumi; Takeichi, Nobuo.

1985-01-01

Human thyroid epithelial tissues from 23 individuals were obtained from surgical tissue, and cultured in vitro. Dose response survival curves showed thyroid cells, when compared to mammary epithelial and skin fibroblast cells of human origin, to be only slightly more radiosensitive to X-rays. Cell survival curves from the cell strains showed wide variability in radiation sensitivity. Of the 23 cell strains tested, 21 strains displayed significant shoulders (nonzero quasi-threshold (D q ) values and extrapolation number (n) values greater than 1) at low dose exposures. The ability of human cells to recover from radiation damage was further studied by dose fractionation. Two cell strains were given a total X-ray dose of 304 cGy in two equal fractions separated by varying time intervals. Maximal cell survival was observed when the time interval exceeded two hours. When the two cell strains were exposed to 152 cGy of X-rays followed four hours later by second graded doses, cell survival was enhanced as compared to survival after single dose exposures. However, no benefit of dose splitting was observed when cells were exposed to low second doses. These results support previous studies showing that human cells are capable of repair but require relatively large doses to elicit a repair response. (author)

Recovery from radiation-induced damage in primary cultures of human epithelial thyroid cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.C.; Hiraoka, Toshio; Enno, Masumi; Takeichi, Nobuo.

1985-09-01

Human thyroid epithelial tissue from 23 individuals was obtained from surgical tissue, and cultured in vitro. Dose-response survival curves showed thyroid cells, when compared to mammary epithelial and skin fibroblast cells of human origin, to be only slightly more radiosensitive to X rays. Cell survival curves from the cell strains showed wide variability in radiation sensitivity. Of the 23 cell strains tested, 21 strains displayed significant shoulders (nonzero quasi-threshold (Dsub(q)) values and extrapolation number (n) values greater than 1)* at low dose exposures. The ability of human cells to recover from radiation damage was further studied by dose fractionation. Two cell strains were given a total X-ray dose of 304 cGy in two equal fractions separated by varying time intervals. Maximal cell survival was observed when the time interval exceeded two hours. When the two cell strains were exposed to 152 cGy of X rays followed four hours later by second graded doses, cell survival was enhanced as compared to survival after single dose exposures. However, no benefit of dose splitting was observed when cells were exposed to low second doses. These results support previous studies showing that human cells are capable of repair but require relatively large doses to elicit a repair response. (author)

Ghrelin ameliorates the human alveolar epithelial A549 cell apoptosis induced by lipopolysaccharide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Chunrong; Zheng, Haichong; He, Wanmei; Lu, Guifang; Li, Xia; Deng, Yubin; Zeng, Mian

2016-01-01

Ghrelin is a gastric acyl-peptide that plays an inhibitory role in cell apoptosis. Herein we investigate the protective effects of ghrelin in LPS-induced apoptosis of human alveolar epithelial A549 cells, along with the possible molecular mechanisms. LPS exposure impaired cell viability and increased apoptosis of A549 cells significantly in concentration- and time-dependent manners embodied in increased Bax and cleaved caspase-3 production, coupled with decreased Bcl-2 levels. Simultaneously, LPS remarkably decreased the expression of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) and extracellular signal-regulated kinas (ERK) in A549 cells. However, ghrelin'pretreatment ameliorated LPS-caused alterations in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3 expression, whereas activated the PI3K/Akt and ERK signaling. These results demonstrate that ghrelin lightens LPS-induced apoptosis of human alveolar epithelial cells partly through activating the PI3K/Akt and ERK pathway and thereby might benefit alleviating septic ALI. -- Graphical abstract: Ghrelin ameliorates the human alveolar epithelial A549 cells apoptosis induced by lipopolysaccharide partly through activating the PI3K/Akt and ERK pathway. Display Omitted -- Highlights: •It has been observed that LPS insult significantly increased apoptosis in A549 cells. •Both Akt and ERK signaling are critical adapter molecules to mediate the ghrelin-mediated proliferative effect. •Ghrelin may have a therapeutic effect in the prevention of LPS-induced apoptosis.

Ghrelin ameliorates the human alveolar epithelial A549 cell apoptosis induced by lipopolysaccharide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Chunrong; Zheng, Haichong; He, Wanmei; Lu, Guifang; Li, Xia [Department of Medical Intensive Care Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080 (China); Deng, Yubin, E-mail: dengyub@mail.sysu.edu.cn [Research Center of Translational Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080 (China); Zeng, Mian, E-mail: zengmian2004@163.com [Department of Medical Intensive Care Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510080 (China)

2016-05-20

Ghrelin is a gastric acyl-peptide that plays an inhibitory role in cell apoptosis. Herein we investigate the protective effects of ghrelin in LPS-induced apoptosis of human alveolar epithelial A549 cells, along with the possible molecular mechanisms. LPS exposure impaired cell viability and increased apoptosis of A549 cells significantly in concentration- and time-dependent manners embodied in increased Bax and cleaved caspase-3 production, coupled with decreased Bcl-2 levels. Simultaneously, LPS remarkably decreased the expression of phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) and extracellular signal-regulated kinas (ERK) in A549 cells. However, ghrelin'pretreatment ameliorated LPS-caused alterations in the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3 expression, whereas activated the PI3K/Akt and ERK signaling. These results demonstrate that ghrelin lightens LPS-induced apoptosis of human alveolar epithelial cells partly through activating the PI3K/Akt and ERK pathway and thereby might benefit alleviating septic ALI. -- Graphical abstract: Ghrelin ameliorates the human alveolar epithelial A549 cells apoptosis induced by lipopolysaccharide partly through activating the PI3K/Akt and ERK pathway. Display Omitted -- Highlights: •It has been observed that LPS insult significantly increased apoptosis in A549 cells. •Both Akt and ERK signaling are critical adapter molecules to mediate the ghrelin-mediated proliferative effect. •Ghrelin may have a therapeutic effect in the prevention of LPS-induced apoptosis.

Targeted induction of interferon-λ in humanized chimeric mouse liver abrogates hepatotropic virus infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakagawa, Shin-ichiro; Hirata, Yuichi; Kameyama, Takeshi; Tokunaga, Yuko; Nishito, Yasumasa; Hirabayashi, Kazuko; Yano, Junichi; Ochiya, Takahiro; Tateno, Chise; Tanaka, Yasuhito; Mizokami, Masashi; Tsukiyama-Kohara, Kyoko; Inoue, Kazuaki; Yoshiba, Makoto; Takaoka, Akinori; Kohara, Michinori

2013-01-01

The interferon (IFN) system plays a critical role in innate antiviral response. We presume that targeted induction of IFN in human liver shows robust antiviral effects on hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV). This study used chimeric mice harboring humanized livers and infected with HCV or HBV. This mouse model permitted simultaneous analysis of immune responses by human and mouse hepatocytes in the same liver and exploration of the mechanism of antiviral effect against these viruses. Targeted expression of IFN was induced by treating the animals with a complex comprising a hepatotropic cationic liposome and a synthetic double-stranded RNA analog, pIC (LIC-pIC). Viral replication, IFN gene expression, IFN protein production, and IFN antiviral activity were analyzed (for type I, II and III IFNs) in the livers and sera of these humanized chimeric mice. Following treatment with LIC-pIC, the humanized livers of chimeric mice exhibited increased expression (at the mRNA and protein level) of human IFN-λs, resulting in strong antiviral effect on HBV and HCV. Similar increases were not seen for human IFN-α or IFN-β in these animals. Strong induction of IFN-λs by LIC-pIC occurred only in human hepatocytes, and not in mouse hepatocytes nor in human cell lines derived from other (non-hepatic) tissues. LIC-pIC-induced IFN-λ production was mediated by the immune sensor adaptor molecules mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) and Toll/IL-1R domain-containing adaptor molecule-1 (TICAM-1), suggesting dual recognition of LIC-pIC by both sensor adaptor pathways. These findings demonstrate that the expression and function of various IFNs differ depending on the animal species and tissues under investigation. Chimeric mice harboring humanized livers demonstrate that IFN-λs play an important role in the defense against human hepatic virus infection.

Stromal-epithelial interactions in aging and cancer: Senescent fibroblasts alter epithelial cell differentiation

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Parrinello, Simona; Coppe, Jean-Philippe; Krtolica, Ana; Campisi, Judith

2004-07-14

Cellular senescence suppresses cancer by arresting cells at risk for malignant tumorigenesis. However, senescent cells also secrete molecules that can stimulate premalignant cells to proliferate and form tumors, suggesting the senescence response is antagonistically pleiotropic. We show that premalignant mammary epithelial cells exposed to senescent human fibroblasts in mice irreversibly lose differentiated properties, become invasive and undergo full malignant transformation. Moreover, using cultured mouse or human fibroblasts and non-malignant breast epithelial cells, we show that senescent fibroblasts disrupt epithelial alveolar morphogenesis, functional differentiation, and branching morphogenesis. Further, we identify MMP-3 as the major factor responsible for the effects of senescent fibroblasts on branching morphogenesis. Our findings support the idea that senescent cells contribute to age-related pathology, including cancer, and describe a new property of senescent fibroblasts--the ability to alter epithelial differentiation--that might also explain the loss of tissue function and organization that is a hallmark of aging.

Apoptosis induction of human endometriotic epithelial and stromal cells by noscapine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Rasoul Khazaei

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Objective(s: Endometriosis is a complex gynecologic disease with unknown etiology. Noscapine has been introduced as a cancer cell suppressor. Endometriosis was considered as a cancer like disorder, The aim of present study was to investigate noscapine apoptotic effect on human endometriotic epithelial and stromal cells in vitro. Materials and Methods:In this in vitro study, endometrial biopsies from endometriosis patients (n=9 were prepared and digested by an enzymatic method (collagenase I, 2 mg/ml. Stromal and epithelial cells were separated by sequential filtration through a cell strainer and ficoll layering. The cells of each sample were divided into five groups: control (0, 10, 25, 50 and 100 micromole/liter (µM concentration of noscapine and were cultured for three different periods of times; 24, 48 and 72 hr. Cell viability was assessed by colorimetric assay. Nitric oxide (NO concentration was measured by Griess reagent. Cell death was analyzed by Acridine Orange (AO–Ethidium Bromide (EB double staining and Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL assay. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. Results: Viability of endometrial epithelial and stromal cells significantly decreased in 10, 25, 50 and 100 µM noscapine concentration in 24, 48, 72 hr (P

A rapid and simple method for cryopreservation of human liver slices

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Kanter, R; Olinga, Peter; Hof, I.H; de Jager, M.H; Verwillegen, W.A; Slooff, M.JH; Meijer, D.K F; Groothuis, Geny; Koster, H

1. Precision-cut liver slices represent a suitable and convenient in vitro preparation for studying metabolism and toxicity mechanisms of drugs and toxic chemicals. Particularly in the case of human liver slices, cryopreservation would enable more efficient utilization of this scarce and irregularly

High level expression of human epithelial β-defensins (hBD-1, 2 and 3 in papillomavirus induced lesions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chong Kong T

2006-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Epithelial defensins including human β-defensins (hBDs and α-defensins (HDs are antimicrobial peptides that play important roles in the mucosal defense system. However, the role of defensins in papillomavirus induced epithelial lesions is unknown. Results Papilloma tissues were prospectively collected from 15 patients with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP and analyzed for defensins and chemokine IL-8 expression by quantitative, reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR assays. HBD-1, -2 and -3 mRNAs were detectable in papilloma samples from all RRP patients and the levels were higher than in normal oral mucosal tissues from healthy individuals. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that both hBD-1 and 2 were localized in the upper epithelial layers of papilloma tissues. Expression of hBD-2 and hBD-3 appeared to be correlated as indicated by scatter plot analysis (r = 0.837, p Conclusion Human β-defensins are upregulated in respiratory papillomas. This novel finding suggests that hBDs might contribute to innate and adaptive immune responses targeted against papillomavirus-induced epithelial lesions.

Inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase-3 and transforming growth factor-β signaling to promote epithelial transition of human adipose mesenchymal stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Setiawan, Melina; Tan, Xiao-Wei; Goh, Tze-Wei; Hin-Fai Yam, Gary; Mehta, Jodhbir S

2017-09-02

This study was aimed to investigate the epithelial differentiation of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) by inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) and transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling. STEMPRO human ADSCs at passage 2 were treated with CHIR99021 (GSK3 inhibitor), E-616452 (TGFβ1 receptor kinase inhibitor), A-83-01 (TGFβ type 1 receptor inhibitor), valproic acid (histone deacetylase inhibitor), tranylcypromine (monoamine oxidase inhibitor) and all-trans retinoic acid for 72 h. The mesenchymal-epithelial transition was shown by down-regulation of mesenchymal genes (Slug, Zinc Finger E-box Binding Homeobox 1 ZEB1, integrin α5 ITGA5 and vimentin VIM) and up-regulation of epithelial genes (E-cadherin, Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule EpCAM, Zonula Occludens-1 ZO-1, occludin, deltaN p63 δNp63, Transcription Factor 4 TCF4 and Twist Family bHLH Transcription Factor TWIST), compared to untreated ADSCs. Cell morphology and stress fiber pattern were examined and the treated cells became less migratory in scratch wound closure assay. The formation of cell junction complexes was observed under transmission electron microscopy. Global gene expression using GeneChip ® Human Genome U133 Array (Affymetrix) showed that the treatment up-regulated 540 genes (containing genes for cell cycle, cytoskeleton reorganization, chemotaxis, epithelium development and regulation of cell migration) and down-regulated 483 genes. Human ADSCs were transited to epithelial lineage by inhibiting GSK3 and TGFβ signaling. It can be an adult stem cell source for epithelial cell-based therapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alteration of canonical and non-canonical WNT-signaling by crystalline silica in human lung epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perkins, Timothy N.; Dentener, Mieke A.; Stassen, Frank R.; Rohde, Gernot G.; Mossman, Brooke T.; Wouters, Emiel F.M.; Reynaert, Niki L.

2016-01-01

Growth and development of the mature lung is a complex process orchestrated by a number of intricate developmental signaling pathways. Wingless-type MMTV-integration site (WNT) signaling plays critical roles in controlling branching morphogenesis cell differentiation, and formation of the conducting and respiratory airways. In addition, WNT pathways are often re-activated in mature lungs during repair and regeneration. WNT- signaling has been elucidated as a crucial contributor to the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis as well as other hyper-proliferative lung diseases. Silicosis, a detrimental occupational lung disease caused by excessive inhalation of crystalline silica dust, is hallmarked by repeated cycles of damaging inflammation, epithelial hyperplasia, and formation of dense, hyalinized nodules of whorled collagen. However, mechanisms of epithelial cell hyperplasia and matrix deposition are not well understood, as most research efforts have focused on the pronounced inflammatory response. Microarray data from our previous studies has revealed a number of WNT-signaling and WNT-target genes altered by crystalline silica in human lung epithelial cells. In the present study, we utilize pathway analysis to designate connections between genes altered by silica in WNT-signaling networks. Furthermore, we confirm microarray findings by QRT-PCR and demonstrate both activation of canonical (β-catenin) and down-regulation of non-canonical (WNT5A) signaling in immortalized (BEAS-2B) and primary (PBEC) human bronchial epithelial cells. These findings suggest that WNT-signaling and cross-talk with other pathways (e.g. Notch), may contribute to proliferative, fibrogenic and inflammatory responses to silica in lung epithelial cells. - Highlights: • Pathway analysis reveals silica-induced WNT-signaling in lung epithelial cells. • Silica-induced canonical WNT-signaling is mediated by autocrine/paracrine signals. • Crystalline silica decreases non-canonical WNT

Alteration of canonical and non-canonical WNT-signaling by crystalline silica in human lung epithelial cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perkins, Timothy N.; Dentener, Mieke A. [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre +, Maastricht University Maastricht (Netherlands); Stassen, Frank R. [Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre +, Maastricht University Maastricht (Netherlands); Rohde, Gernot G. [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre +, Maastricht University Maastricht (Netherlands); Mossman, Brooke T. [Department of Pathology, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT (United States); Wouters, Emiel F.M. [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre +, Maastricht University Maastricht (Netherlands); Reynaert, Niki L., E-mail: n.reynaert@maastrichtuniversity.nl [Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre +, Maastricht University Maastricht (Netherlands)

2016-06-15

Growth and development of the mature lung is a complex process orchestrated by a number of intricate developmental signaling pathways. Wingless-type MMTV-integration site (WNT) signaling plays critical roles in controlling branching morphogenesis cell differentiation, and formation of the conducting and respiratory airways. In addition, WNT pathways are often re-activated in mature lungs during repair and regeneration. WNT- signaling has been elucidated as a crucial contributor to the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis as well as other hyper-proliferative lung diseases. Silicosis, a detrimental occupational lung disease caused by excessive inhalation of crystalline silica dust, is hallmarked by repeated cycles of damaging inflammation, epithelial hyperplasia, and formation of dense, hyalinized nodules of whorled collagen. However, mechanisms of epithelial cell hyperplasia and matrix deposition are not well understood, as most research efforts have focused on the pronounced inflammatory response. Microarray data from our previous studies has revealed a number of WNT-signaling and WNT-target genes altered by crystalline silica in human lung epithelial cells. In the present study, we utilize pathway analysis to designate connections between genes altered by silica in WNT-signaling networks. Furthermore, we confirm microarray findings by QRT-PCR and demonstrate both activation of canonical (β-catenin) and down-regulation of non-canonical (WNT5A) signaling in immortalized (BEAS-2B) and primary (PBEC) human bronchial epithelial cells. These findings suggest that WNT-signaling and cross-talk with other pathways (e.g. Notch), may contribute to proliferative, fibrogenic and inflammatory responses to silica in lung epithelial cells. - Highlights: • Pathway analysis reveals silica-induced WNT-signaling in lung epithelial cells. • Silica-induced canonical WNT-signaling is mediated by autocrine/paracrine signals. • Crystalline silica decreases non-canonical WNT

In Vitro Generation of Functional Liver Organoid-Like Structures Using Adult Human Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramachandran, Sarada Devi; Schirmer, Katharina; Münst, Bernhard; Heinz, Stefan; Ghafoory, Shahrouz; Wölfl, Stefan; Simon-Keller, Katja; Marx, Alexander; Øie, Cristina Ionica; Ebert, Matthias P; Walles, Heike; Braspenning, Joris; Breitkopf-Heinlein, Katja

2015-01-01

In this study we used differentiated adult human upcyte® cells for the in vitro generation of liver organoids. Upcyte® cells are genetically engineered cell strains derived from primary human cells by lenti-viral transduction of genes or gene combinations inducing transient proliferation capacity (upcyte® process). Proliferating upcyte® cells undergo a finite number of cell divisions, i.e., 20 to 40 population doublings, but upon withdrawal of proliferation stimulating factors, they regain most of the cell specific characteristics of primary cells. When a defined mixture of differentiated human upcyte® cells (hepatocytes, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)) was cultured in vitro on a thick layer of Matrigel™, they self-organized to form liver organoid-like structures within 24 hours. When further cultured for 10 days in a bioreactor, these liver organoids show typical functional characteristics of liver parenchyma including activity of cytochromes P450, CYP3A4, CYP2B6 and CYP2C9 as well as mRNA expression of several marker genes and other enzymes. In summary, we hereby describe that 3D functional hepatic structures composed of primary human cell strains can be generated in vitro. They can be cultured for a prolonged period of time and are potentially useful ex vivo models to study liver functions.

Chip-based human liver-intestine and liver-skin co-cultures--A first step toward systemic repeated dose substance testing in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Maschmeyer, Ilka; Hasenberg, Tobias; Jaenicke, Annika; Lindner, Marcus; Lorenz, Alexandra Katharina; Zech, Julie; Garbe, Leif-Alexander; Sonntag, Frank; Hayden, Patrick; Ayehunie, Seyoum; Lauster, Roland; Marx, Uwe; Materne, Eva-Maria

2015-09-01

Systemic repeated dose safety assessment and systemic efficacy evaluation of substances are currently carried out on laboratory animals and in humans due to the lack of predictive alternatives. Relevant international regulations, such as OECD and ICH guidelines, demand long-term testing and oral, dermal, inhalation, and systemic exposure routes for such evaluations. So-called "human-on-a-chip" concepts are aiming to replace respective animals and humans in substance evaluation with miniaturized functional human organisms. The major technical hurdle toward success in this field is the life-like combination of human barrier organ models, such as intestine, lung or skin, with parenchymal organ equivalents, such as liver, at the smallest biologically acceptable scale. Here, we report on a reproducible homeostatic long-term co-culture of human liver equivalents with either a reconstructed human intestinal barrier model or a human skin biopsy applying a microphysiological system. We used a multi-organ chip (MOC) platform, which provides pulsatile fluid flow within physiological ranges at low media-to-tissue ratios. The MOC supports submerse cultivation of an intact intestinal barrier model and an air-liquid interface for the skin model during their co-culture with the liver equivalents respectively at (1)/100.000 the scale of their human counterparts in vivo. To increase the degree of organismal emulation, microfluidic channels of the liver-skin co-culture could be successfully covered with human endothelial cells, thus mimicking human vasculature, for the first time. Finally, exposure routes emulating oral and systemic administration in humans have been qualified by applying a repeated dose administration of a model substance - troglitazone - to the chip-based co-cultures. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Immunohistochemical analyses of cell cycle progression and gene expression of biliary epithelial cells during liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy of the mouse.

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Fukuda, Tatsuya; Fukuchi, Tomokazu; Yagi, Shinomi; Shiojiri, Nobuyoshi

2016-05-20

The liver has a remarkable regeneration capacity, and, after surgical removal of its mass, the remaining tissue undergoes rapid regeneration through compensatory growth of its constituent cells. Although hepatocytes synchronously proliferate under the control of various signaling molecules from neighboring cells, there have been few detailed analyses on how biliary cells regenerate for their cell population after liver resection. The present study was undertaken to clarify how biliary cells regenerate after partial hepatectomy of mice through extensive analyses of their cell cycle progression and gene expression using immunohistochemical and RT-PCR techniques. When expression of PCNA, Ki67 antigen, topoisomerase IIα and phosphorylated histone H3, which are cell cycle markers, was immunohistochemically examined during liver regeneration, hepatocytes had a peak of the S phase and M phase at 48-72 h after resection. By contrast, biliary epithelial cells had much lower proliferative activity than that of hepatocytes, and their peak of the S phase was delayed. Mitotic figures were rarely detectable in biliary cells. RT-PCR analyses of gene expression of biliary markers such as Spp1 (osteopontin), Epcam and Hnf1b demonstrated that they were upregulated during liver regeneration. Periportal hepatocytes expressed some of biliary markers, including Spp1 mRNA and protein. Some periportal hepatocytes had downregulated expression of HNF4α and HNF1α. Gene expression of Notch signaling molecules responsible for cell fate decision of hepatoblasts to biliary cells during development was upregulated during liver regeneration. Notch signaling may be involved in biliary regeneration.

Detection of driver metabolites in the human liver metabolic network using structural controllability analysis

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2014-01-01

Background Abnormal states in human liver metabolism are major causes of human liver diseases ranging from hepatitis to hepatic tumor. The accumulation in relevant data makes it feasible to derive a large-scale human liver metabolic network (HLMN) and to discover important biological principles or drug-targets based on network analysis. Some studies have shown that interesting biological phenomenon and drug-targets could be discovered by applying structural controllability analysis (which is a newly prevailed concept in networks) to biological networks. The exploration on the connections between structural controllability theory and the HLMN could be used to uncover valuable information on the human liver metabolism from a fresh perspective. Results We applied structural controllability analysis to the HLMN and detected driver metabolites. The driver metabolites tend to have strong ability to influence the states of other metabolites and weak susceptibility to be influenced by the states of others. In addition, the metabolites were classified into three classes: critical, high-frequency and low-frequency driver metabolites. Among the identified 36 critical driver metabolites, 27 metabolites were found to be essential; the high-frequency driver metabolites tend to participate in different metabolic pathways, which are important in regulating the whole metabolic systems. Moreover, we explored some other possible connections between the structural controllability theory and the HLMN, and find that transport reactions and the environment play important roles in the human liver metabolism. Conclusion There are interesting connections between the structural controllability theory and the human liver metabolism: driver metabolites have essential biological functions; the crucial role of extracellular metabolites and transport reactions in controlling the HLMN highlights the importance of the environment in the health of human liver metabolism. PMID:24885538

Response of cultured human airway epithelial cells to X-rays and energetic α-particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, T.C.; Holley, W.R.; Curtis, S.B.; Gruenert, D.C.; California Univ., San Francisco, CA

1990-01-01

Radon and its progeny, which emit α-particles during decay, may play an important role in inducing human lung cancer. To gain a better understanding of the biological effects of α-particles in human lung we studied the response of cultured human airway epithelial cells to X-rays and monoenergetic helium ions. Experimental results indicated that the radiation response of primary cultures was similar to that for airway epithelial cells that were transformed with a plasmid containing an origin-defective SV40 virus. The RBE for cell inactivation determined by the ratio of D 0 for X-rays to that for 8 MeV helium ions was 1.8-2.2. The cross-section for helium ions, calculated from the D 0 value, was about 24 μm 2 for cells of the primary culture. This cross-section is significantly smaller than the average geometric nuclear area (∼ 180 μm 2 ), suggesting that an average of 7.5 α-particles (8 MeV helium ions) per cell nucleus are needed to induce a lethal lesion. (author)

Gene expression analysis uncovers novel Hedgehog interacting protein (HHIP) effects in human bronchial epithelial cells

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Zhou, Xiaobo; Qiu, Weiliang; Sathirapongsasuti, J. Fah.; Cho, Michael H.; Mancini, John D.; Lao, Taotao; Thibault, Derek M.; Litonjua, Gus; Bakke, Per S.; Gulsvik, Amund; Lomas, David A.; Beaty, Terri H.; Hersh, Craig P.; Anderson, Christopher; Geigenmuller, Ute; Raby, Benjamin A.; Rennard, Stephen I.; Perrella, Mark A.; Choi, Augustine M.K.; Quackenbush, John; Silverman, Edwin K.

2013-01-01

Hedgehog Interacting Protein (HHIP) was implicated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, it remains unclear how HHIP contributes to COPD pathogenesis. To identify genes regulated by HHIP, we performed gene expression microarray analysis in a human bronchial epithelial cell line (Beas-2B) stably infected with HHIP shRNAs. HHIP silencing led to differential expression of 296 genes; enrichment for variants nominally associated with COPD was found. Eighteen of the differentially expressed genes were validated by real-time PCR in Beas-2B cells. Seven of 11 validated genes tested in human COPD and control lung tissues demonstrated significant gene expression differences. Functional annotation indicated enrichment for extracellular matrix and cell growth genes. Network modeling demonstrated that the extracellular matrix and cell proliferation genes influenced by HHIP tended to be interconnected. Thus, we identified potential HHIP targets in human bronchial epithelial cells that may contribute to COPD pathogenesis. PMID:23459001

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection causes different levels of apoptosis and necrosis in human macrophages and alveolar epithelial cells.

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Danelishvili, Lia; McGarvey, Jeffery; Li, Yong-Jun; Bermudez, Luiz E

2003-09-01

Mycobacterium tuberculosis interacts with macrophages and epithelial cells in the alveolar space of the lung, where it is able to invade and replicate in both cell types. M. tuberculosis-associated cytotoxicity to these cells has been well documented, but the mechanisms of host cell death are not well understood. We examined the induction of apoptosis and necrosis of human macrophages (U937) and type II alveolar epithelial cells (A549) by virulent (H37Rv) and attenuated (H37Ra) M. tuberculosis strains. Apoptosis was determined by both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) assay, whereas necrosis was evaluated by the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Both virulent and attenuated M. tuberculosis induced apoptosis in macrophages; however, the attenuated strain resulted in significantly more apoptosis than the virulent strain after 5 days of infection. In contrast, cytotoxicity of alveolar cells was the result of necrosis, but not apoptosis. Although infection with M. tuberculosis strains resulted in apoptosis of 14% of the cells on the monolayer, cell death associated with necrosis was observed in 59% of alveolar epithelial cells after 5 days of infection. Infection with M. tuberculosis suppressed apoptosis of alveolar epithelial cells induced by the kinase inhibitor, staurosporine. Because our findings suggest that M. tuberculosis can modulate the apoptotic response of macrophages and epithelial cells, we carried out an apoptosis pathway-specific cDNA microarray analysis of human macrophages and alveolar epithelial cells. Whereas the inhibitors of apoptosis, bcl-2 and Rb, were upregulated over 2.5-fold in infected (48 h) alveolar epithelial cells, the proapoptotic genes, bad and bax, were downregulated. The opposite was observed when U937 macrophages were infected with M. tuberculosis. Upon infection of alveolar epithelial cells with M. tuberculosis, the generation of apoptosis, as determined by the

Long-term expansion of epithelial organoids from human colon, adenoma, adenocarcinoma, and Barrett's epithelium.

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Sato, Toshiro; Stange, Daniel E; Ferrante, Marc; Vries, Robert G J; Van Es, Johan H; Van den Brink, Stieneke; Van Houdt, Winan J; Pronk, Apollo; Van Gorp, Joost; Siersema, Peter D; Clevers, Hans

2011-11-01

We previously established long-term culture conditions under which single crypts or stem cells derived from mouse small intestine expand over long periods. The expanding crypts undergo multiple crypt fission events, simultaneously generating villus-like epithelial domains that contain all differentiated types of cells. We have adapted the culture conditions to grow similar epithelial organoids from mouse colon and human small intestine and colon. Based on the mouse small intestinal culture system, we optimized the mouse and human colon culture systems. Addition of Wnt3A to the combination of growth factors applied to mouse colon crypts allowed them to expand indefinitely. Addition of nicotinamide, along with a small molecule inhibitor of Alk and an inhibitor of p38, were required for long-term culture of human small intestine and colon tissues. The culture system also allowed growth of mouse Apc-deficient adenomas, human colorectal cancer cells, and human metaplastic epithelia from regions of Barrett's esophagus. We developed a technology that can be used to study infected, inflammatory, or neoplastic tissues from the human gastrointestinal tract. These tools might have applications in regenerative biology through ex vivo expansion of the intestinal epithelia. Studies of these cultures indicate that there is no inherent restriction in the replicative potential of adult stem cells (or a Hayflick limit) ex vivo. Copyright © 2011 AGA Institute. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Downregulation of tight junction-associated MARVEL protein marvelD3 during epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human pancreatic cancer cells.

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Kojima, Takashi; Takasawa, Akira; Kyuno, Daisuke; Ito, Tatsuya; Yamaguchi, Hiroshi; Hirata, Koichi; Tsujiwaki, Mitsuhiro; Murata, Masaki; Tanaka, Satoshi; Sawada, Norimasa

2011-10-01

The novel tight junction protein marvelD3 contains a conserved MARVEL (MAL and related proteins for vesicle trafficking and membrane link) domain like occludin and tricellulin. However, little is yet known about the detailed role and regulation of marvelD3 in normal epithelial cells and cancer cells, including pancreatic cancer. In the present study, we investigated marvelD3 expression in well and poorly differentiated human pancreatic cancer cell lines and normal pancreatic duct epithelial cells in which the hTERT gene was introduced into human pancreatic duct epithelial cells in primary culture, and the changes of marvelD3 during Snail-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) under hypoxia, TGF-β treatment and knockdown of FOXA2 in well differentiated pancreatic cancer HPAC cells. MarvelD3 was transcriptionally downregulated in poorly differentiated pancreatic cancer cells and during Snail-induced EMT of pancreatic cancer cells in which Snail was highly expressed and the fence function downregulated, whereas it was maintained in well differentiated human pancreatic cancer cells and normal pancreatic duct epithelial cells. Depletion of marvelD3 by siRNAs in HPAC cells resulted in downregulation of barrier functions indicated as a decrease in transepithelial electric resistance and an increase of permeability to fluorescent dextran tracers, whereas it did not affect fence function of tight junctions. In conclusion, marvelD3 is transcriptionally downregulated in Snail-induced EMT during the progression for the pancreatic cancer. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Heat shock protein-27 protects human bronchial epithelial cells against oxidative stress–mediated apoptosis: possible implication in asthma

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Merendino, Anna M.; Paul, Catherine; Vignola, Antonio M.; Costa, Maria A.; Melis, Mario; Chiappara, Giuseppina; Izzo, V.; Bousquet, J.; Arrigo, André-Patrick

2002-01-01

Inflammation of the human bronchial epithelium, as observed in asthmatics, is characterized by the selective death of the columnar epithelial cells, which desquamate from the basal cells. Tissue repair initiates from basal cells that resist inflammation. Here, we have evaluated the extent of apoptosis as well as the Hsp27 level of expression in epithelial cells from bronchial biopsy samples taken from normal and asthmatic subjects. Hsp27 is a chaperone whose expression protects against oxidative stress. We report that in asthmatic subjects the basal epithelium cells express a high level of Hsp27 but no apoptotic morphology. In contrast, apoptotic columnar cells are devoid of Hsp27 expression. Moreover, we observed a decreased resistance to hydrogen peroxide–induced apoptosis in human bronchial epithelial 16–HBE cells when they were genetically modified to express reduced levels of Hsp27. PMID:12482203

Differential transcriptional regulation of IL-8 expression by human airway epithelial cells exposed to diesel exhaust particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tal, Tamara L.; Simmons, Steven O.; Silbajoris, Robert; Dailey, Lisa; Cho, Seung-Hyun; Ramabhadran, Ram; Linak, William; Reed, William; Bromberg, Philip A.; Samet, James M.

2010-01-01

Exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP) induces inflammatory signaling characterized by MAP kinase-mediated activation of NFkB and AP-1 in vitro and in bronchial biopsies obtained from human subjects exposed to DEP. NFkB and AP-1 activation results in the upregulation of genes involved in promoting inflammation in airway epithelial cells, a principal target of inhaled DEP. IL-8 is a proinflammatory chemokine expressed by the airway epithelium in response to environmental pollutants. The mechanism by which DEP exposure induces IL-8 expression is not well understood. In the current study, we sought to determine whether DEP with varying organic content induces IL-8 expression in lung epithelial cells, as well as, to develop a method to rapidly evaluate the upstream mechanism(s) by which DEP induces IL-8 expression. Exposure to DEP with varying organic content differentially induced IL-8 expression and IL-8 promoter activity human airway epithelial cells. Mutational analysis of the IL-8 promoter was also performed using recombinant human cell lines expressing reporters linked to the mutated promoters. Treatment with a low organic-containing DEP stimulated IL-8 expression by a mechanism that is predominantly NFkB-dependent. In contrast, exposure to high organic-containing DEP induced IL-8 expression independently of NFkB through a mechanism that requires AP-1 activity. Our study reveals that exposure to DEP of varying organic content induces proinflammatory gene expression through multiple specific mechanisms in human airway epithelial cells. The approaches used in the present study demonstrate the utility of a promoter-reporter assay ensemble for identifying transcriptional pathways activated by pollutant exposure.

Ex vivo 2D and 3D HSV-2 infection model using human normal vaginal epithelial cells.

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Zhu, Yaqi; Yang, Yan; Guo, Juanjuan; Dai, Ying; Ye, Lina; Qiu, Jianbin; Zeng, Zhihong; Wu, Xiaoting; Xing, Yanmei; Long, Xiang; Wu, Xufeng; Ye, Lin; Wang, Shubin; Li, Hui

2017-02-28

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infects human genital mucosa and establishes life-long latent infection. It is unmet need to establish a human cell-based microphysiological system for virus biology and anti-viral drug discovery. One of barriers is lacking of culture system of normal epithelial cells in vitro over decades. In this study, we established human normal vaginal epithelial cell (HNVEC) culture using co-culture system. HNVEC cells were then propagated rapidly and stably in a defined culture condition. HNVEC cells exhibited a normal diploid karyotype and formed the well-defined and polarized spheres in matrigel three-dimension (3D) culture, while malignant cells (HeLa) formed disorganized and nonpolar solid spheres. HNVEC cells had a normal cellular response to DNA damage and had no transforming property using soft agar assays. HNVEC expressed epithelial marker cytokeratin 14 (CK14) and p63, but not cytokeratin 18 (CK18). Next, we reconstructed HNVEC-derived 3D vaginal epithelium using air-liquid interface (ALI) culture. This 3D vaginal epithelium has the basal and apical layers with expression of epithelial markers as its originated human vaginal tissue. Finally, we established an HSV-2 infection model based on the reconstructed 3D vaginal epithelium. After inoculation of HSV-2 (G strain) at apical layer of the reconstructed 3D vaginal epithelium, we observed obvious pathological effects gradually spreading from the apical layer to basal layer with expression of a viral protein. Thus, we established an ex vivo 2D and 3D HSV-2 infection model that can be used for HSV-2 virology and anti-viral drug discovery.

Staphylococcus aureus induces IL-8 expression through its lipoproteins in the human intestinal epithelial cell, Caco-2.

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Kang, Seok-Seong; Noh, Su Young; Park, Ok-Jin; Yun, Cheol-Heui; Han, Seung Hyun

2015-09-01

Staphylococcus aureus can cause the intestinal inflammatory diseases. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism of S. aureus infection in the intestine. In the present study, we investigated whether S. aureus could stimulate human intestinal epithelial cells triggering inflammation. When the human intestinal epithelial cell-line, Caco-2, and the primary colon cells were stimulated with ethanol-inactivated S. aureus, IL-8 expression was induced in a dose-dependent manner. The inactivated S. aureus preferentially stimulated Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 rather than TLR4. Lipoproteins, lipoteichoic acid (LTA), and peptidoglycan (PGN) are considered as potential TLR2 ligands of S. aureus. Interestingly, S aureus lipoproteins and Pam2CSK4 mimicking Gram-positive bacterial lipoproteins, but not LTA and PGN of S. aureus, significantly induced IL-8 expression in Caco-2 cells. Furthermore, lipoprotein-deficient S. aureus mutant strain failed to induce IL-8 production. Collectively, these results suggest that S. aureus stimulates the human intestinal epithelial cells to induce the chemokine IL-8 production through its lipoproteins, potentially contributing the development of intestinal inflammation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ agonists inhibit the replication of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in human lung epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnold, Ralf; Koenig, Wolfgang

2006-01-01

We have previously shown that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) agonists inhibited the inflammatory response of RSV-infected human lung epithelial cells. In this study, we supply evidence that specific PPARγ agonists (15d-PGJ 2 , ciglitazone, troglitazone, Fmoc-Leu) efficiently blocked the RSV-induced cytotoxicity and development of syncytia in tissue culture (A549, HEp-2). All PPARγ agonists under study markedly inhibited the cell surface expression of the viral G and F protein on RSV-infected A549 cells. This was paralleled by a reduced cellular amount of N protein-encoding mRNA determined by real-time RT-PCR. Concomitantly, a reduced release of infectious progeny virus into the cell supernatants of human lung epithelial cells (A549, normal human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE)) was observed. Similar results were obtained regardless whether PPARγ agonists were added prior to RSV infection or thereafter, suggesting that the agonists inhibited viral gene expression and not the primary adhesion or fusion process

Human papillomavirus-32-associated focal epithelial hyperplasia accompanying HPV-16-positive papilloma-like lesions in oral mucosa.

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Liu, Na; Wang, Jiayi; Lei, Lei; Li, Yanzhong; Zhou, Min; Dan, Hongxia; Zeng, Xin; Chen, Qianming

2013-05-01

Human papillomavirus infection can cause a variety of benign or malignant oral lesions, and the various genotypes can cause distinct types of lesions. To our best knowledge, there has been no report of 2 different human papillomavirus-related oral lesions in different oral sites in the same patient before. This paper reported a patient with 2 different oral lesions which were clinically and histologically in accord with focal epithelial hyperplasia and oral papilloma, respectively. Using DNA extracted from these 2 different lesions, tissue blocks were tested for presence of human papillomavirus followed by specific polymerase chain reaction testing for 6, 11, 13, 16, 18, and 32 subtypes in order to confirm the clinical diagnosis. Finally, human papillomavirus-32-positive focal epithelial hyperplasia accompanying human papillomavirus-16-positive oral papilloma-like lesions were detected in different sites of the oral mucosa. Nucleotide sequence sequencing further confirmed the results. So in our clinical work, if the simultaneous occurrences of different human papillomavirus associated lesions are suspected, the multiple biopsies from different lesions and detection of human papillomavirus genotype are needed to confirm the diagnosis.

Effects of conditioned media from human amniotic epithelial cells on corneal alkali injuries in rabbits

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Kim, Tae-Hyun; Park, Young-Woo; Ahn, Jae-Sang; Ahn, Jeong-Taek; Kim, Se-Eun; Jeong, Man-Bok; Seo, Min-Su; Kang, Kyung-Sun

2013-01-01

This study was performed to evaluate the effects of conditioned media (CM) from human amniotic epithelial cells (HAECs) on the corneal wound healing process. Eighteen rabbits (36 eyes) were used and randomly assigned to three groups according treatment: CM from HAECs (group 1), vehicle alone (group 2), and saline (group 3). Corneal alkali injuries were induced with 1 N sodium hydroxide. Each reagent used for treatment evaluation was injected into the dorsal bulbar subconjunctiva and the area of the corneal epithelial defect was measured every other day. Two animals from each group were euthanized at a time on days 3, 7, and 15, and the cornea was removed for histological examination. The sum of the epithelial defect areas measured on day 0 to day 6 as well as day 0 to day 14 in group 1 was significantly smaller than those of other groups. Histological examination revealed that the group 1 corneas had less inflammatory cell infiltration and showed more intact epithelial features compared to the other groups. These results suggest that CM from HAECs promote corneal wound healing in rabbits. PMID:23388445

Cathepsin F cysteine protease of the human liver fluke, Opisthorchis viverrini.

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Porntip Pinlaor

activate to a mature enzyme, trans-processing by Fasciola hepatica cathepsin L cleaved the prosegment of Ov-CF-1, releasing a mature cathepsin F with activity against the peptide Z-Phe-Arg-NHMec >50 times that of the zymogen. Immunocytochemistry using antibodies raised against the recombinant enzyme showed that Ov-CF-1 is expressed in the gut of the mature hermaphroditic fluke and also in the reproductive structures, including vitelline glands, egg, and testis. Ov-CF-1 was detected in bile duct epithelial cells surrounding the flukes several weeks after infection of hamsters with O. viverrini and, in addition, had accumulated in the secondary (small bile ducts where flukes cannot reach due to their large size.A cathepsin F cysteine protease of the human liver fluke O. viverrini has been characterized at the gene and protein level. Secretion of this protease may contribute to the hepatobiliary abnormalities, including cholangiocarcinogenesis, observed in individuals infected with this parasite.

Targeted induction of interferon-λ in humanized chimeric mouse liver abrogates hepatotropic virus infection.

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Shin-ichiro Nakagawa

Full Text Available BACKGROUND & AIMS: The interferon (IFN system plays a critical role in innate antiviral response. We presume that targeted induction of IFN in human liver shows robust antiviral effects on hepatitis C virus (HCV and hepatitis B virus (HBV. METHODS: This study used chimeric mice harboring humanized livers and infected with HCV or HBV. This mouse model permitted simultaneous analysis of immune responses by human and mouse hepatocytes in the same liver and exploration of the mechanism of antiviral effect against these viruses. Targeted expression of IFN was induced by treating the animals with a complex comprising a hepatotropic cationic liposome and a synthetic double-stranded RNA analog, pIC (LIC-pIC. Viral replication, IFN gene expression, IFN protein production, and IFN antiviral activity were analyzed (for type I, II and III IFNs in the livers and sera of these humanized chimeric mice. RESULTS: Following treatment with LIC-pIC, the humanized livers of chimeric mice exhibited increased expression (at the mRNA and protein level of human IFN-λs, resulting in strong antiviral effect on HBV and HCV. Similar increases were not seen for human IFN-α or IFN-β in these animals. Strong induction of IFN-λs by LIC-pIC occurred only in human hepatocytes, and not in mouse hepatocytes nor in human cell lines derived from other (non-hepatic tissues. LIC-pIC-induced IFN-λ production was mediated by the immune sensor adaptor molecules mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS and Toll/IL-1R domain-containing adaptor molecule-1 (TICAM-1, suggesting dual recognition of LIC-pIC by both sensor adaptor pathways. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that the expression and function of various IFNs differ depending on the animal species and tissues under investigation. Chimeric mice harboring humanized livers demonstrate that IFN-λs play an important role in the defense against human hepatic virus infection.

Transcriptional profiling of putative human epithelial stem cells

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Koçer Salih S

2008-07-01

may be enriched for stem cells. This study is the first comprehensive gene expression profile of putative human epithelial stem cells and their progeny that were isolated directly from neonatal foreskin tissue. Our study is important for understanding self renewal and differentiation of epidermal stem cells, and for elucidating signaling pathways involved in those processes. The generated data base may serve those working with other human epithelial tissue progenitors.

Lifespan Extension and Sustained Expression of Stem Cell Phenotype of Human Breast Epithelial Stem Cells in a Medium with Antioxidants

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Kai-Hung Wang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available We have previously reported the isolation and culture of a human breast epithelial cell type with stem cell characteristics (Type I HBEC from reduction mammoplasty using the MSU-1 medium. Subsequently, we have developed several different normal human adult stem cell types from different tissues using the K-NAC medium. In this study, we determined whether this low calcium K-NAC medium with antioxidants (N-acetyl-L-cysteine and L-ascorbic acid-2-phosphate is a better medium to grow human breast epithelial cells. The results clearly show that the K-NAC medium is a superior medium for prolonged growth (cumulative population doubling levels ranged from 30 to 40 of normal breast epithelial cells that expressed stem cell phenotypes. The characteristics of these mammary stem cells include deficiency in gap junctional intercellular communication, expression of Oct-4, and the ability to differentiate into basal epithelial cells and to form organoid showing mammary ductal and terminal end bud-like structures. Thus, this new method of growing Type I HBECs will be very useful in future studies of mammary development, breast carcinogenesis, chemoprevention, and cancer therapy.

The Bacterial Species Campylobacter jejuni Induce Diverse Innate Immune Responses in Human and Avian Intestinal Epithelial Cells

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Daniel A. John

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Campylobacter remain the major cause of human gastroenteritis in the Developed World causing a significant burden to health services. Campylobacter are pathogens in humans and chickens, although differences in mechanistic understanding are incomplete, in part because phenotypic strain diversity creates inconsistent findings. Here, we took Campylobacter jejuni isolates (n = 100 from multi-locus sequence typed collections to assess their pathogenic diversity, through their inflammatory, cytotoxicity, adhesion, invasion and signaling responses in a high-throughput model using avian and human intestinal epithelial cells. C. jejuni induced IL-8 and CXCLi1/2 in human and avian epithelial cells, respectively, in a MAP kinase-dependent manner. In contrast, IL-10 responses in both cell types were PI 3-kinase/Akt-dependent. C. jejuni strains showed diverse levels of invasion with high invasion dependent on MAP kinase signaling in both cell lines. C. jejuni induced diverse cytotoxic responses in both cell lines with cdt-positive isolates showing significantly higher toxicity. Blockade of endocytic pathways suggested that invasion by C. jejuni was clathrin- and dynamin-dependent but caveolae- independent in both cells. In contrast, IL-8 (and CXCLi1/2 production was dependent on clathrin, dynamin, and caveolae. This study is important because of its scale, and the data produced, suggesting that avian and human epithelial cells use similar innate immune pathways where the magnitude of the response is determined by the phenotypic diversity of the Campylobacter species.

Neural differentiation of choroid plexus epithelial cells: role of human traumatic cerebrospinal fluid

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Elham Hashemi

2017-01-01

Full Text Available As the key producer of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF, the choroid plexus (CP provides a unique protective system in the central nervous system. CSF components are not invariable and they can change based on the pathological conditions of the central nervous system. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of non-traumatic and traumatic CSF on the differentiation of multipotent stem-like cells of CP into the neural and/or glial cells. CP epithelial cells were isolated from adult male rats and treated with human non-traumatic and traumatic CSF. Alterations in mRNA expression of Nestin and microtubule-associated protein (MAP2, as the specific markers of neurogenesis, and astrocyte marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP in cultured CP epithelial cells were evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR. The data revealed that treatment with CSF (non-traumatic and traumatic led to increase in mRNA expression levels of MAP2 and GFAP. Moreover, the expression of Nestin decreased in CP epithelial cells treated with non-traumatic CSF, while treatment with traumatic CSF significantly increased its mRNA level compared to the cells cultured only in DMEM/F12 as control. It seems that CP epithelial cells contain multipotent stem-like cells which are inducible under pathological conditions including exposure to traumatic CSF because of its compositions.

PKC activation induces inflammatory response and cell death in human bronchial epithelial cells.

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Hyunhee Kim

Full Text Available A variety of airborne pathogens can induce inflammatory responses in airway epithelial cells, which is a crucial component of host defence. However, excessive inflammatory responses and chronic inflammation also contribute to different diseases of the respiratory system. We hypothesized that the activation of protein kinase C (PKC is one of the essential mechanisms of inflammatory response in airway epithelial cells. In the present study, we stimulated human bronchial lung epithelial (BEAS-2B cells with the phorbol ester Phorbol 12, 13-dibutyrate (PDBu, and examined gene expression profile using microarrays. Microarray analysis suggests that PKC activation induced dramatic changes in gene expression related to multiple cellular functions. The top two interaction networks generated from these changes were centered on NFκB and TNF-α, which are two commonly known pathways for cell death and inflammation. Subsequent tests confirmed the decrease in cell viability and an increase in the production of various cytokines. Interestingly, each of the increased cytokines was differentially regulated at mRNA and/or protein levels by different sub-classes of PKC isozymes. We conclude that pathological cell death and cytokine production in airway epithelial cells in various situations may be mediated through PKC related signaling pathways. These findings suggest that PKCs can be new targets for treatment of lung diseases.

Human Liver Cells Expressing Albumin and Mesenchymal Characteristics Give Rise to Insulin-Producing Cells

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Irit Meivar-Levy

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Activation of the pancreatic lineage in the liver has been suggested as a potential autologous cell replacement therapy for diabetic patients. Transcription factors-induced liver-to-pancreas reprogramming has been demonstrated in numerous species both in vivo and in vitro. However, human-derived liver cells capable of acquiring the alternate pancreatic repertoire have never been characterized. It is yet unknown whether hepatic-like stem cells or rather adult liver cells give rise to insulin-producing cells. Using an in vitro experimental system, we demonstrate that proliferating adherent human liver cells acquire mesenchymal-like characteristics and a considerable level of cellular plasticity. However, using a lineage-tracing approach, we demonstrate that insulin-producing cells are primarily generated in cells enriched for adult hepatic markers that coexpress both albumin and mesenchymal markers. Taken together, our data suggest that adult human hepatic tissue retains a substantial level of developmental plasticity, which could be exploited in regenerative medicine approaches.

Human Precision-Cut Liver Slices as an ex Vivo Model to Study Idiosyncratic Drug-Induced Liver Injury

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Hadi, Mackenzie; Westra, Inge M.; Starokozhko, Viktoriia; Dragovic, Sanja; Merema, M.T.; Groothuis, Geny M. M.

Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) is a major problem during drug development and has caused drug withdrawal and black-box warnings. Because of the low concordance of the hepatotoxicity of drugs in animals and humans, robust screening methods using human tissue are needed to predict

Niclosamide inhibits epithelial-mesenchymal transition and tumor growth in lapatinib-resistant human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer.

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Liu, Junjun; Chen, Xiaosong; Ward, Toby; Mao, Yan; Bockhorn, Jessica; Liu, Xiaofei; Wang, Gen; Pegram, Mark; Shen, Kunwei

2016-02-01

Acquired resistance to lapatinib, a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 kinase inhibitor, remains a clinical problem for women with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive advanced breast cancer, as metastasis is commonly observed in these patients. Niclosamide, an anti-helminthic agent, has recently been shown to exhibit cytotoxicity to tumor cells with stem-like characteristics. This study was designed to identify the mechanisms underlying lapatinib resistance and to determine whether niclosamide inhibits lapatinib resistance by reversing epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Here, two human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer cell lines, SKBR3 and BT474, were exposed to increasing concentrations of lapatinib to establish lapatinib-resistant cultures. Lapatinib-resistant SKBR3 and BT474 cells exhibited up-regulation of the phenotypic epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers Snail, vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin, accompanied by activation of nuclear factor-кB and Src and a concomitant increase in stem cell marker expression (CD44(high)/CD24(low)), compared to naive lapatinib-sensitive SKBR3 and BT474 cells, respectively. Interestingly, niclosamide reversed epithelial-mesenchymal transition, induced apoptosis and inhibited cell growth by perturbing aberrant signaling pathway activation in lapatinib-resistant human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive cells. The ability of niclosamide to alleviate stem-like phenotype development and invasion was confirmed. Collectively, our results demonstrate that lapatinib resistance correlates with epithelial-mesenchymal transition and that niclosamide inhibits lapatinib-resistant cell viability and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. These findings suggest a role of niclosamide or derivatives optimized for more favorable bioavailability not only in reversing lapatinib resistance but also in reducing metastatic potential during the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor

Loss of prostasin (PRSS8) in human bladder transitional cell carcinoma cell lines is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Li-Mei; Verity, Nicole J; Chai, Karl X

2009-01-01

The glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored epithelial extracellular membrane serine protease prostasin (PRSS8) is expressed abundantly in normal epithelia and essential for terminal epithelial differentiation, but down-regulated in human prostate, breast, and gastric cancers and invasive cancer cell lines. Prostasin is involved in the extracellular proteolytic modulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and is an invasion suppressor. The aim of this study was to evaluate prostasin expression states in the transitional cell carcinomas (TCC) of the human bladder and in human TCC cell lines. Normal human bladder tissues and TCC on a bladder cancer tissue microarray (TMA) were evaluated for prostasin expression by means of immunohistochemistry. A panel of 16 urothelial and TCC cell lines were evaluated for prostasin and E-cadherin expression by western blot and quantitative PCR, and for prostasin gene promoter region CpG methylation by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). Prostasin is expressed in the normal human urothelium and in a normal human urothelial cell line, but is significantly down-regulated in high-grade TCC and lost in 9 (of 15) TCC cell lines. Loss of prostasin expression in the TCC cell lines correlated with loss of or reduced E-cadherin expression, loss of epithelial morphology, and promoter DNA hypermethylation. Prostasin expression could be reactivated by demethylation or inhibition of histone deacetylase. Re-expression of prostasin or a serine protease-inactive variant resulted in transcriptional up-regulation of E-cadherin. Loss of prostasin expression in bladder transitional cell carcinomas is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and may have functional implications in tumor invasion and resistance to chemotherapy

Prevalence of human papillomavirus in epithelial ovarian cancer tissue. A meta-analysis of observational studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svahn, Malene F; Faber, Mette Tuxen; Christensen, Jane

2014-01-01

The role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer is controversial, and conflicting results have been published. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of HPV in epithelial ovarian cancer tissue....

Colon luminal content and epithelial cell morphology are markedly modified in rats fed with a high-protein diet

OpenAIRE

Andriamihaja, Mireille; Davila-Gay, Anne-Marie; Eklou, Mamy; Petit, Nathalie; Delpal, Serge; Allek, Fadhila; Blais, Anne; Delteil, Corine; Tomé, Daniel; Blachier, Francois

2010-01-01

Andriamihaja M, Davila A, Eklou-Lawson M, Petit N, Delpal S, Allek F, Blais A, Delteil C, Tome D, Blachier F. Colon luminal content and epithelial cell morphology are markedly modified in rats fed with a high-protein diet. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol 299: G1030-G1037, 2010. First published August 5, 2010; doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00149.2010.-Hyperproteic diets are used in human nutrition to obtain body weight reduction. Although increased protein ingestion results in an increased transf...

MAPK Activation Is Essential for Waddlia chondrophila Induced CXCL8 Expression in Human Epithelial Cells.

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Skye Storrie

Full Text Available Waddlia chondrophila (W. chondrophila is an emerging agent of respiratory and reproductive disease in humans and cattle. The organism is a member of the order Chlamydiales, and shares many similarities at the genome level and in growth studies with other well-characterised zoonotic chlamydial agents, such as Chlamydia abortus (C. abortus. The current study investigated the growth characteristics and innate immune responses of human and ruminant epithelial cells in response to infection with W. chondrophila.Human epithelial cells (HEp2 were infected with W. chondrophila for 24h. CXCL8 release was significantly elevated in each of the cell lines by active-infection with live W. chondrophila, but not by exposure to UV-killed organisms. Inhibition of either p38 or p42/44 MAPK significantly inhibited the stimulation of CXCL8 release in each of the cell lines. To determine the pattern recognition receptor through which CXCL8 release was stimulated, wild-type HEK293 cells which express no TLR2, TLR4, NOD2 and only negligible NOD1 were infected with live organisms. A significant increase in CXCL8 was observed.W. chondrophila actively infects and replicates within both human and ruminant epithelial cells stimulating CXCL8 release. Release of CXCL8 is significantly inhibited by inhibition of either p38 or p42/44 MAPK indicating a role for this pathway in the innate immune response to W. chondrophila infection. W. chondrophila stimulation of CXCL8 secretion in HEK293 cells indicates that TLR2, TLR4, NOD2 and NOD1 receptors are not essential to the innate immune response to infection.

Human precision-cut liver slices as an ex vivo model to study idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hadi, Mackenzie; Westra, Inge; Starokozhko, Viktoriia; Dragovic, Sanja; Merema, Maja; Groothuis, Genoveva

2013-01-01

Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) is a major problem during drug development and has caused drug withdrawal and black-box warnings. Due to the low concordance of the hepatotoxicity of drugs in animals and humans, robust screening methods using human tissue are needed to predict and to

Primary human polarized small intestinal epithelial barriers respond differently to a hazardous and an innocuous protein.

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Eaton, A D; Zimmermann, C; Delaney, B; Hurley, B P

2017-08-01

An experimental platform employing human derived intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) line monolayers grown on permeable Transwell ® filters was previously investigated to differentiate between hazardous and innocuous proteins. This approach was effective at distinguishing these types of proteins and perturbation of monolayer integrity, particularly transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER), was the most sensitive indicator. In the current report, in vitro indicators of monolayer integrity, cytotoxicity, and inflammation were evaluated using primary (non-transformed) human polarized small intestinal epithelial barriers cultured on Transwell ® filters to compare effects of a hazardous protein (Clostridium difficile Toxin A [ToxA]) and an innocuous protein (bovine serum albumin [BSA]). ToxA exerted a reproducible decrease on barrier integrity at doses comparable to those producing effects observed from cell line-derived IEC monolayers, with TEER being the most sensitive indicator. In contrast, BSA, tested at concentrations substantially higher than ToxA, did not cause changes in any of the tested variables. These results demonstrate a similarity in response to certain proteins between cell line-derived polarized IEC models and a primary human polarized small intestinal epithelial barrier model, thereby reinforcing the potential usefulness of cell line-derived polarized IECs as a valid experimental platform to differentiate between hazardous and non-hazardous proteins. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Sulfation of chlorotyrosine and nitrotyrosine by human lung endothelial and epithelial cells: Role of the human SULT1A3

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yasuda, Shin; Yasuda, Tomoko; Liu, Ming-Yih; Shetty, Sreerama; Idell, Steven; Boggaram, Vijayakumar; Suiko, Masahito; Sakakibara, Yoichi; Fu Jian; Liu, Ming-Cheh

2011-01-01

During inflammation, potent reactive oxidants formed may cause chlorination and nitration of both free and protein-bound tyrosine. In addition to serving as biomarkers of inflammation-mediated oxidative stress, elevated levels of chlorotyrosine and nitrotyrosine have been linked to the pathogenesis of lung and vascular disorders. The current study was designed to investigate whether the lung cells are equipped with mechanisms for counteracting these tyrosine derivatives. By metabolic labeling, chlorotyrosine O-[ 35 S]sulfate and nitrotyrosine O-[ 35 S]sulfate were found to be generated and released into the labeling media of human lung endothelial and epithelial cells labeled with [ 35 S]sulfate in the presence of added chlorotyrosine and nitrotyrosine. Enzymatic assays using the eleven known human cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULTs) revealed SULT1A3 as the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the sulfation of chlorotyrosine and nitrotyrosine. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis demonstrated the expression of SULT1A3 in the lung endothelial and epithelial cells used in this study. Kinetic constants of the sulfation of chlorotyrosine and nitrotyrosine by SULT1A3 were determined. Collectively, these results suggest that sulfation by SULT1A3 in lung endothelial and epithelial cells may play a role in the inactivation and/or disposal of excess chlorotyrosine and nitrotyrosine generated during inflammation.

Effects of alpha-particles on survival and chromosomal aberrations in human mammary epithelial cells

Science.gov (United States)

Durante, M.; Grossi, G. F.; Gialanella, G.; Pugliese, M.; Nappo, M.; Yang, T. C.

1995-01-01

We have studied the radiation responses of a human mammary epithelial cell line, H184B5 F5-1 M/10. This cell line was derived from primary mammary cells after treatment with chemicals and heavy ions. The F5-1 M/10 cells are immortal, density-inhibited in growth, and non-tumorigenic in athymic nude mice and represent an in vitro model of the human epithelium for radiation studies. Because epithelial cells are the target of alpha-particles emitted from radon daughters, we concentrated our studies on the efficiency of alpha-particles. Confluent cultures of M/10 cells were exposed to accelerated alpha-particles [beam energy incident at the cell monolayer = 3.85 MeV, incident linear energy transfer (LET) in cell = 109 keV/microns] and, for comparison, to 80 kVp x-rays. The following endpoints were studied: (1) survival, (2) chromosome aberrations at the first postirradiation mitosis, and (3) chromosome alterations at later passages following irradiation. The survival curve was exponential for alpha-particles (D0 = 0.73 +/- 0.04 Gy), while a shoulder was observed for x-rays (alpha/beta = 2.9 Gy; D0 = 2.5 Gy, extrapolation number 1.6). The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of high-LET alpha-particles for human epithelial cell killing was 3.3 at 37% survival. Dose-response curves for the induction of chromosome aberrations were linear for alpha-particles and linearquadratic for x-rays. The RBE for the induction of chromosome aberrations varied with the type of aberration scored and was high (about 5) for chromosome breaks and low (about 2) for chromosome exchanges.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS).

Depleted uranium induces neoplastic transformation in human lung epithelial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Hong; LaCerte, Carolyne; Thompson, W Douglas; Wise, John Pierce

2010-02-15

Depleted uranium (DU) is commonly used in military armor and munitions, and thus, exposure of soldiers and noncombatants is frequent and widespread. Previous studies have shown that DU has both chemical and radiological toxicity and that the primary route of exposure of DU to humans is through inhalation and ingestion. However, there is limited research information on the potential carcinogenicity of DU in human bronchial cells. Accordingly, we determined the neoplastic transforming ability of particulate DU to human bronchial epithelial cells (BEP2D). We observed the loss of contact inhibition and anchorage independent growth in cells exposed to DU after 24 h. We also characterized these DU-induced transformed cell lines and found that 40% of the cell lines exhibit alterations in plating efficiency and no significant changes in the cytotoxic response to DU. Cytogenetic analyses showed that 53% of the DU-transformed cell lines possess a hypodiploid phenotype. These data indicate that human bronchial cells are transformed by DU and exhibit significant chromosome instability consistent with a neoplastic phenotype.

Transcriptional program of ciliated epithelial cells reveals new cilium and centrosome components and links to human disease.

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Ramona A Hoh

Full Text Available Defects in the centrosome and cilium are associated with a set of human diseases having diverse phenotypes. To further characterize the components that define the function of these organelles we determined the transcriptional profile of multiciliated tracheal epithelial cells. Cultures of mouse tracheal epithelial cells undergoing differentiation in vitro were derived from mice expressing GFP from the ciliated-cell specific FOXJ1 promoter (FOXJ1:GFP. The transcriptional profile of ciliating GFP+ cells from these cultures was defined at an early and a late time point during differentiation and was refined by subtraction of the profile of the non-ciliated GFP- cells. We identified 649 genes upregulated early, when most cells were forming basal bodies, and 73 genes genes upregulated late, when most cells were fully ciliated. Most, but not all, of known centrosome proteins are transcriptionally upregulated early, particularly Plk4, a master regulator of centriole formation. We found that three genes associated with human disease states, Mdm1, Mlf1, and Dyx1c1, are upregulated during ciliogenesis and localize to centrioles and cilia. This transcriptome for mammalian multiciliated epithelial cells identifies new candidate centrosome and cilia proteins, highlights similarities between components of motile and primary cilia, and identifies new links between cilia proteins and human disease.

Mice with humanized liver endothelium

NARCIS (Netherlands)

el Filali, E.

2014-01-01

The only curative treatment option for a large proportion of patients suffering from a liver disorder is liver transplantation. The use of ex vivo genetically modified autologous liver cells instead of whole liver transplantation could overcome the problem of donor scarcity. Even though clinical

Chimeric mice with humanized liver: Application in drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics studies for drug discovery.

Science.gov (United States)

Naritomi, Yoichi; Sanoh, Seigo; Ohta, Shigeru

2018-02-01

Predicting human drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (PK) is key to drug discovery. In particular, it is important to predict human PK, metabolite profiles and drug-drug interactions (DDIs). Various methods have been used for such predictions, including in vitro metabolic studies using human biological samples, such as hepatic microsomes and hepatocytes, and in vivo studies using experimental animals. However, prediction studies using these methods are often inconclusive due to discrepancies between in vitro and in vivo results, and interspecies differences in drug metabolism. Further, the prediction methods have changed from qualitative to quantitative to solve these issues. Chimeric mice with humanized liver have been developed, in which mouse liver cells are mostly replaced with human hepatocytes. Since human drug metabolizing enzymes are expressed in the liver of these mice, they are regarded as suitable models for mimicking the drug metabolism and PK observed in humans; therefore, these mice are useful for predicting human drug metabolism and PK. In this review, we discuss the current state, issues, and future directions of predicting human drug metabolism and PK using chimeric mice with humanized liver in drug discovery. Copyright © 2017 The Japanese Society for the Study of Xenobiotics. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The V protein of canine distemper virus is required for virus replication in human epithelial cells.

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Noriyuki Otsuki

Full Text Available Canine distemper virus (CDV becomes able to use human receptors through a single amino acid substitution in the H protein. In addition, CDV strains possessing an intact C protein replicate well in human epithelial H358 cells. The present study showed that CDV strain 007Lm, which was isolated from lymph node tissue of a dog with distemper, failed to replicate in H358 cells, although it possessed an intact C protein. Sequence analyses suggested that a cysteine-to-tyrosine substitution at position 267 of the V protein caused this growth defect. Analyses using H358 cells constitutively expressing the CDV V protein showed that the V protein with a cysteine, but not that with a tyrosine, at this position effectively blocked the interferon-stimulated signal transduction pathway, and supported virus replication of 007Lm in H358 cells. Thus, the V protein as well as the C protein appears to be functional and essential for CDV replication in human epithelial cells.

Antigen presentation and MHC class II expression by human esophageal epithelial cells: role in eosinophilic esophagitis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulder, Daniel J; Pooni, Aman; Mak, Nanette; Hurlbut, David J; Basta, Sameh; Justinich, Christopher J

2011-02-01

Professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) play a crucial role in initiating immune responses. Under pathological conditions, epithelial cells at mucosal surfaces act as nonprofessional APCs, thereby regulating immune responses at the site of exposure. Epithelial cells in the esophagus may contribute to the pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) by presenting antigens on the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II. Our goal was to demonstrate the ability of esophageal epithelial cells to process and present antigens on the MHC class II system and to investigate the contribution of epithelial cell antigen presentation to EoE. Immunohistochemistry detected HLA-DR, CD80, and CD86 expression and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detected interferon-γ (IFNγ) in esophageal biopsies. Antigen presentation was studied using the human esophageal epithelial cell line HET-1A by reverse transcriptase-PCR, flow cytometry, and confocal microscopy. T helper cell lymphocyte proliferation was assessed by flow cytometry and IL-2 secretion. IFNγ and MHC class II were increased in mucosa of patients with EoE. IFNγ increased mRNA of HLA-DP, HLA-DQ, HLA-DR, and CIITA in HET-1A cells. HET-1A engulfed cell debris and processed ovalbumin. HET-1A cells expressed HLA-DR after IFNγ treatment. HET-1A stimulated T helper cell activation. In this study, we demonstrated the ability of esophageal epithelial cells to act as nonprofessional APCs in the presence of IFNγ. Esophageal epithelial cell antigen presentation may contribute to the pathophysiology of eosinophilic esophagitis. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Proteomic profiling in incubation medium of mouse, rat and human precision-cut liver slices for biomarker detection regarding acute drug-induced liver injury

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Swelm, Rachel P L; Hadi, Mackenzie; Laarakkers, Coby M M; Masereeuw, R.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/155644033; Groothuis, Geny M M; Russel, Frans G M

Drug-induced liver injury is one of the leading causes of drug withdrawal from the market. In this study, we investigated the applicability of protein profiling of the incubation medium of human, mouse and rat precision-cut liver slices (PCLS) exposed to liver injury-inducing drugs for biomarker

Loss of prostasin (PRSS8 in human bladder transitional cell carcinoma cell lines is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chai Karl X

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI-anchored epithelial extracellular membrane serine protease prostasin (PRSS8 is expressed abundantly in normal epithelia and essential for terminal epithelial differentiation, but down-regulated in human prostate, breast, and gastric cancers and invasive cancer cell lines. Prostasin is involved in the extracellular proteolytic modulation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR and is an invasion suppressor. The aim of this study was to evaluate prostasin expression states in the transitional cell carcinomas (TCC of the human bladder and in human TCC cell lines. Methods Normal human bladder tissues and TCC on a bladder cancer tissue microarray (TMA were evaluated for prostasin expression by means of immunohistochemistry. A panel of 16 urothelial and TCC cell lines were evaluated for prostasin and E-cadherin expression by western blot and quantitative PCR, and for prostasin gene promoter region CpG methylation by methylation-specific PCR (MSP. Results Prostasin is expressed in the normal human urothelium and in a normal human urothelial cell line, but is significantly down-regulated in high-grade TCC and lost in 9 (of 15 TCC cell lines. Loss of prostasin expression in the TCC cell lines correlated with loss of or reduced E-cadherin expression, loss of epithelial morphology, and promoter DNA hypermethylation. Prostasin expression could be reactivated by demethylation or inhibition of histone deacetylase. Re-expression of prostasin or a serine protease-inactive variant resulted in transcriptional up-regulation of E-cadherin. Conclusion Loss of prostasin expression in bladder transitional cell carcinomas is associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT, and may have functional implications in tumor invasion and resistance to chemotherapy.

IL-13 regulates human nasal epithelial cell differentiation via H3K4me3 modification

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Yu L

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Lei Yu,1 Na Li,1 Jisheng Zhang,2 Yan Jiang1 1Department of Otorhinolaryngology, 2Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, China Introduction: Epigenetic regulation has been shown to play an important role in the development of inflammatory diseases, including chronic rhinosinusitis and nasal polyps. The latter are characterized by epithelial mis-differentiation and infiltration of inflammatory cytokines. H3K4me3 has been shown to be involved in regulating lineage commitment. However, the underlying mechanisms, especially in human nasal epithelial cells (HNEpC, remain underexplored. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of H3K4me3 in HNEpC differentiation treated with the Th2 cytokine IL-13. Patients and methods: The expression levels of mRNA and proteins were investigated using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR assays and Western blot in nasal polyp tissues and human nasal epithelial cells respectively. We measured these levels of H3K4me3, MLL1 and targeted genes compared with control subjects.Results: We demonstrate that expression of H3K4me3 and its methyltransferase MLL1 was significantly upregulated in IL-13-treated HNEpC. This elevation was also observed in nasal polyps. Expression of cilia-related transcription factors FOXJ1 and DNAI2 decreased, while goblet cell-derived genes CLCA1 and MUC5a increased upon IL-13 treatment. Mechanistically, knockdown of MLL1 restored expression of these four genes induced by IL-13. Conclusion: These findings suggest that H3K4me3 is a critical regulator in control of nasal epithelial cell differentiation. MLL1 may be a potential therapeutic target for nasal inflammatory diseases. Keywords: IL-13, H3K4me3 modification, nasal epithelial cell, differentiation 

FoxO3a Serves as a Biomarker of Oxidative Stress in Human Lens Epithelial Cells under Conditions of Hyperglycemia.

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Ilangovan Raju

Full Text Available Forkhead box 'O' transcription factors (FoxOs are implicated in the pathogenesis of type2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Abnormal activity of FoxOs was reported in the glucose and insulin metabolism. Expression of FoxO proteins was reported in ocular tissues; however their function under hyperglycemic conditions was not examined.Human lens epithelial cell line was used to study the function of FoxO proteins. Immunofluorescence, flow cytometry and Western blotting were employed to detect the FoxO proteins under the conditions of hyperglycemia.In this study we examined the role of FoxO3a in hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress in human lens epithelial cells. FoxO3a protein expression was elevated in a dose- and time-dependent fashion after high glucose treatment. Anti-oxidant defense mechanisms of the lens epithelial cells were diminished as evidenced from loss of mitochondrial membrane integrity and lowered MnSOD after 72 h treatment with high glucose. Taken together, FoxO3a acts as a sensitive indicator of oxidative stress and cell homeostasis in human lens epithelial cells during diabetic conditions.FoxO3a is an early stress response protein to glucose toxicity in diabetic conditions.

Expression of nestin, mesothelin and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) in developing and adult human meninges and meningiomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Petricevic, Josko; Forempoher, Gea; Ostojic, Ljerka; Mardesic-Brakus, Snjezana; Andjelinovic, Simun; Vukojevic, Katarina; Saraga-Babic, Mirna

2011-11-01

The spatial and temporal pattern of appearance of nestin, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and mesothelin proteins was immunohistochemically determined in the cells of normal developing and adult human meninges and meningiomas. Human meninges developed as two mesenchymal condensations in the head region. The simple squamous epithelium on the surface of leptomeninges developed during mesenchymal to epithelial transformation. Nestin appeared for the first time in week 7, EMA in week 8, while mesothelin appeared in week 22 of development. In the late fetal period and after birth, nestin expression decreased, whereas expression of EMA and mesothelin increased. EMA appeared in all surface epithelial cells and nodules, while mesothelin was found only in some of them. In adult meninges, all three proteins were predominantly localized in the surface epithelium and meningeal nodules. In meningothelial meningiomas (WHO grade I), EMA was detected in all tumor cells except in the endothelial cells, mesothelin characterized nests of tumor cells, while nestin was found predominantly in the walls of blood vessels. The distribution pattern of those proteins in normal meningeal and tumor cells indicates that nestin might characterize immature cells, while EMA and mesothelin appeared in maturing epithelial cells. Neoplastic transformation of these specific cell lineages contributes to the cell population in meningiomas. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Protocol for Isolation of Primary Human Hepatocytes and Corresponding Major Populations of Non-parenchymal Liver Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Pfeiffer, Elisa; Zeilinger, Katrin; Seehofer, Daniel; Damm, Georg

2016-01-01

Beside parenchymal hepatocytes, the liver consists of non-parenchymal cells (NPC) namely Kupffer cells (KC), liver endothelial cells (LEC) and hepatic Stellate cells (HSC). Two-dimensional (2D) culture of primary human hepatocyte (PHH) is still considered as the "gold standard" for in vitro testing of drug metabolism and hepatotoxicity. It is well-known that the 2D monoculture of PHH suffers from dedifferentiation and loss of function. Recently it was shown that hepatic NPC play a central role in liver (patho-) physiology and the maintenance of PHH functions. Current research focuses on the reconstruction of in vivo tissue architecture by 3D- and co-culture models to overcome the limitations of 2D monocultures. Previously we published a method to isolate human liver cells and investigated the suitability of these cells for their use in cell cultures in Experimental Biology and Medicine1. Based on the broad interest in this technique the aim of this article was to provide a more detailed protocol for the liver cell isolation process including a video, which will allow an easy reproduction of this technique. Human liver cells were isolated from human liver tissue samples of surgical interventions by a two-step EGTA/collagenase P perfusion technique. PHH were separated from the NPC by an initial centrifugation at 50 x g. Density gradient centrifugation steps were used for removal of dead cells. Individual liver cell populations were isolated from the enriched NPC fraction using specific cell properties and cell sorting procedures. Beside the PHH isolation we were able to separate KC, LEC and HSC for further cultivation. Taken together, the presented protocol allows the isolation of PHH and NPC in high quality and quantity from one donor tissue sample. The access to purified liver cell populations could allow the creation of in vivo like human liver models. PMID:27077489

Human adipose tissue from normal and tumoral breast regulates the behavior of mammary epithelial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Pistone Creydt, Virginia; Fletcher, Sabrina Johanna; Giudice, Jimena; Bruzzone, Ariana; Chasseing, Norma Alejandra; Gonzalez, Eduardo Gustavo; Sacca, Paula Alejandra; Calvo, Juan Carlos

2013-02-01

Stromal-epithelial interactions mediate both breast development and breast cancer progression. In the present work, we evaluated the effects of conditioned media (CMs) of human adipose tissue explants from normal (hATN) and tumor (hATT) breast on proliferation, adhesion, migration and metalloproteases activity on tumor (MCF-7 and IBH-7) and non-tumor (MCF-10A) human breast epithelial cell lines. Human adipose tissues were obtained from patients and the conditioned medium from hATN and hATT collected after 24 h of incubation. MCF-10A, MCF-7 and IBH-7 cells were grown and incubated with CMs and proliferation and adhesion, as well as migration ability and metalloprotease activity, of epithelial cells after exposing cell cultures to hATN- or hATT-CMs were quantified. The statistical significance between different experimental conditions was evaluated by one-way ANOVA. Tukey's post hoc tests were performed. Tumor and non-tumor breast epithelial cells significantly increased their proliferation activity after 24 h of treatment with hATT-CMs compared to control-CMs. Furthermore, cellular adhesion of these two tumor cell lines was significantly lower with hATT-CMs than with hATN-CMs. Therefore, hATT-CMs seem to induce significantly lower expression or less activity of the components involved in cellular adhesion than hATN-CMs. In addition, hATT-CMs induced pro-MMP-9 and MMP-9 activity and increased the migration of MCF-7 and IBH-7 cells compared to hATN-CMs. We conclude that the microenvironment of the tumor interacts in a dynamic way with the mutated epithelium. This evidence leads to the possibility to modify the tumor behavior/phenotype through the regulation or modification of its microenvironment. We developed a model in which we obtained CMs from adipose tissue explants completely, either from normal or tumor breast. In this way, we studied the contribution of soluble factors independently of the possible effects of direct cell contact.

Fialuridine induces acute liver failure in chimeric TK-NOG mice: a model for detecting hepatic drug toxicity prior to human testing.

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Dan Xu

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Seven of 15 clinical trial participants treated with a nucleoside analogue (fialuridine [FIAU] developed acute liver failure. Five treated participants died, and two required a liver transplant. Preclinical toxicology studies in mice, rats, dogs, and primates did not provide any indication that FIAU would be hepatotoxic in humans. Therefore, we investigated whether FIAU-induced liver toxicity could be detected in chimeric TK-NOG mice with humanized livers.Control and chimeric TK-NOG mice with humanized livers were treated orally with FIAU 400, 100, 25, or 2.5 mg/kg/d. The response to drug treatment was evaluated by measuring plasma lactate and liver enzymes, by assessing liver histology, and by electron microscopy. After treatment with FIAU 400 mg/kg/d for 4 d, chimeric mice developed clinical and serologic evidence of liver failure and lactic acidosis. Analysis of liver tissue revealed steatosis in regions with human, but not mouse, hepatocytes. Electron micrographs revealed lipid and mitochondrial abnormalities in the human hepatocytes in FIAU-treated chimeric mice. Dose-dependent liver toxicity was detected in chimeric mice treated with FIAU 100, 25, or 2.5 mg/kg/d for 14 d. Liver toxicity did not develop in control mice that were treated with the same FIAU doses for 14 d. In contrast, treatment with another nucleotide analogue (sofosbuvir 440 or 44 mg/kg/d po for 14 d, which did not cause liver toxicity in human trial participants, did not cause liver toxicity in mice with humanized livers.FIAU-induced liver toxicity could be readily detected using chimeric TK-NOG mice with humanized livers, even when the mice were treated with a FIAU dose that was only 10-fold above the dose used in human participants. The clinical features, laboratory abnormalities, liver histology, and ultra-structural changes observed in FIAU-treated chimeric mice mirrored those of FIAU-treated human participants. The use of chimeric mice in preclinical toxicology

Fialuridine induces acute liver failure in chimeric TK-NOG mice: a model for detecting hepatic drug toxicity prior to human testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Dan; Nishimura, Toshi; Nishimura, Sachiko; Zhang, Haili; Zheng, Ming; Guo, Ying-Ying; Masek, Marylin; Michie, Sara A; Glenn, Jeffrey; Peltz, Gary

2014-04-01

Seven of 15 clinical trial participants treated with a nucleoside analogue (fialuridine [FIAU]) developed acute liver failure. Five treated participants died, and two required a liver transplant. Preclinical toxicology studies in mice, rats, dogs, and primates did not provide any indication that FIAU would be hepatotoxic in humans. Therefore, we investigated whether FIAU-induced liver toxicity could be detected in chimeric TK-NOG mice with humanized livers. Control and chimeric TK-NOG mice with humanized livers were treated orally with FIAU 400, 100, 25, or 2.5 mg/kg/d. The response to drug treatment was evaluated by measuring plasma lactate and liver enzymes, by assessing liver histology, and by electron microscopy. After treatment with FIAU 400 mg/kg/d for 4 d, chimeric mice developed clinical and serologic evidence of liver failure and lactic acidosis. Analysis of liver tissue revealed steatosis in regions with human, but not mouse, hepatocytes. Electron micrographs revealed lipid and mitochondrial abnormalities in the human hepatocytes in FIAU-treated chimeric mice. Dose-dependent liver toxicity was detected in chimeric mice treated with FIAU 100, 25, or 2.5 mg/kg/d for 14 d. Liver toxicity did not develop in control mice that were treated with the same FIAU doses for 14 d. In contrast, treatment with another nucleotide analogue (sofosbuvir 440 or 44 mg/kg/d po) for 14 d, which did not cause liver toxicity in human trial participants, did not cause liver toxicity in mice with humanized livers. FIAU-induced liver toxicity could be readily detected using chimeric TK-NOG mice with humanized livers, even when the mice were treated with a FIAU dose that was only 10-fold above the dose used in human participants. The clinical features, laboratory abnormalities, liver histology, and ultra-structural changes observed in FIAU-treated chimeric mice mirrored those of FIAU-treated human participants. The use of chimeric mice in preclinical toxicology studies could improve

Medullary Thymic Epithelial Cells and Central Tolerance in Autoimmune Hepatitis Development: Novel Perspective from a New Mouse Model

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Konstantina Alexandropoulos

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH is an immune-mediated disorder that affects the liver parenchyma. Diagnosis usually occurs at the later stages of the disease, complicating efforts towards understanding the causes of disease development. While animal models are useful for studying the etiology of autoimmune disorders, most of the existing animal models of AIH do not recapitulate the chronic course of the human condition. In addition, approaches to mimic AIH-associated liver inflammation have instead led to liver tolerance, consistent with the high tolerogenic capacity of the liver. Recently, we described a new mouse model that exhibited spontaneous and chronic liver inflammation that recapitulated the known histopathological and immunological parameters of AIH. The approach involved liver-extrinsic genetic engineering that interfered with the induction of T-cell tolerance in the thymus, the very process thought to inhibit AIH induction by liver-specific expression of exogenous antigens. The mutation led to depletion of specialized thymic epithelial cells that present self-antigens and eliminate autoreactive T-cells before they exit the thymus. Based on our findings, which are summarized below, we believe that this mouse model represents a relevant experimental tool towards elucidating the cellular and molecular aspects of AIH development and developing novel therapeutic strategies for treating this disease.

Characterization of primary human mammary epithelial cells isolated and propagated by conditional reprogrammed cell culture.

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Jin, Liting; Qu, Ying; Gomez, Liliana J; Chung, Stacey; Han, Bingchen; Gao, Bowen; Yue, Yong; Gong, Yiping; Liu, Xuefeng; Amersi, Farin; Dang, Catherine; Giuliano, Armando E; Cui, Xiaojiang

2018-02-20

Conditional reprogramming methods allow for the inexhaustible in vitro proliferation of primary epithelial cells from human tissue specimens. This methodology has the potential to enhance the utility of primary cell culture as a model for mammary gland research. However, few studies have systematically characterized this method in generating in vitro normal human mammary epithelial cell models. We show that cells derived from fresh normal breast tissues can be propagated and exhibit heterogeneous morphologic features. The cultures are composed of CK18, desmoglein 3, and CK19-positive luminal cells and vimentin, p63, and CK14-positive myoepithelial cells, suggesting the maintenance of in vivo heterogeneity. In addition, the cultures contain subpopulations with different CD49f and EpCAM expression profiles. When grown in 3D conditions, cells self-organize into distinct structures that express either luminal or basal cell markers. Among these structures, CK8-positive cells enclosing a lumen are capable of differentiation into milk-producing cells in the presence of lactogenic stimulus. Furthermore, our short-term cultures retain the expression of ERα, as well as its ability to respond to estrogen stimulation. We have investigated conditionally reprogrammed normal epithelial cells in terms of cell type heterogeneity, cellular marker expression, and structural arrangement in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) systems. The conditional reprogramming methodology allows generation of a heterogeneous culture from normal human mammary tissue in vitro . We believe that this cell culture model will provide a valuable tool to study mammary cell function and malignant transformation.

Modulation of Kingella kingae adherence to human epithelial cells by type IV Pili, capsule, and a novel trimeric autotransporter.

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Porsch, Eric A; Kehl-Fie, Thomas E; St Geme, Joseph W

2012-10-23

Kingella kingae is an emerging bacterial pathogen that is being recognized increasingly as an important etiology of septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, and bacteremia, especially in young children. Colonization of the posterior pharynx is a key step in the pathogenesis of K. kingae disease. Previous work established that type IV pili are necessary for K. kingae adherence to the respiratory epithelium. In this study, we set out to identify additional factors that influence K. kingae interactions with human epithelial cells. We found that genetic disruption of the gene encoding a predicted trimeric autotransporter protein called Knh (Kingella NhhA homolog) resulted in reduced adherence to human epithelial cells. In addition, we established that K. kingae elaborates a surface-associated polysaccharide capsule that requires a predicted ABC-type transporter export operon called ctrABCD for surface presentation. Furthermore, we discovered that the presence of a surface capsule interferes with Knh-mediated adherence to human epithelial cells by nonpiliated organisms and that maximal adherence in the presence of a capsule requires the predicted type IV pilus retraction machinery, PilT/PilU. On the basis of the data presented here, we propose a novel adherence mechanism that allows K. kingae to adhere efficiently to human epithelial cells while remaining encapsulated and more resistant to immune clearance. Kingella kingae is a Gram-negative bacterium that is being recognized increasingly as a cause of joint and bone infections in young children. The pathogenesis of disease due to K. kingae begins with bacterial colonization of the upper respiratory tract, and previous work established that surface hair-like fibers called type IV pili are necessary for K. kingae adherence to respiratory epithelial cells. In this study, we set out to identify additional factors that influence K. kingae interactions with respiratory epithelial cells. We discovered a novel surface protein called

Radiation-induced transformation of SV40-immortalized human thyroid epithelial cells by single and fractionated exposure to γ-irradiation in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riches, A.C.; Herceg, Z.; Bryant, P.E.; Wynford-Thomas, D.

1994-01-01

Radiation-induced transformation of a human thyroid epithelial cell line (HTori-3) has been investigated following exposure to single and fractionated doses of γ-irradiation. The human epithelial cells were irradiated in vitro and following passaging, transplanted to the athymic nude mouse. Following a single exposure to γ-irradiation in the range 0.5-4Gy, 22 tumours were observed in 45 recipients and following three equal fractions in the range 0.5-4Gy per fraction, 18 tumours were observed in 31 recipients. Tumours were undifferentiated carcinomas and were observed from 7 to 20 weeks after transplantation. They occurred after similar radiation doses to those received by the children in the Belarus region of Ukraine, who developed thyroid tumours. The number of tumours observed, in each group receiving cells irradiated with a single dose of γ-irradiation in the range 0.5-4 Gy, was similar. Cell lines were established from some tumours and the tumorigenicity confirmed by retransplantation. These tumour cell lines were more radiosensitive than the human thyroid epithelial cell line they were derived from. This indicates that transformed cells were not being selected from a subpopulation within the parent cell line but that radiation-induced transformants were being induced de novo. The human origin of the tumours was established by karyotyping, immunocytochemical demonstration of human epithelial cytokeratins and p53 analysis. DNA fingerprinting confirmed that the tumours were derived from the original cell line. (author)

Lung fibroblasts accelerate wound closure in human alveolar epithelial cells through hepatocyte growth factor/c-Met signaling.

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Ito, Yoko; Correll, Kelly; Schiel, John A; Finigan, Jay H; Prekeris, Rytis; Mason, Robert J

2014-07-01

There are 190,600 cases of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) each year in the United States, and the incidence and mortality of ALI/ARDS increase dramatically with age. Patients with ALI/ARDS have alveolar epithelial injury, which may be worsened by high-pressure mechanical ventilation. Alveolar type II (ATII) cells are the progenitor cells for the alveolar epithelium and are required to reestablish the alveolar epithelium during the recovery process from ALI/ARDS. Lung fibroblasts (FBs) migrate and proliferate early after lung injury and likely are an important source of growth factors for epithelial repair. However, how lung FBs affect epithelial wound healing in the human adult lung has not been investigated in detail. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is known to be released mainly from FBs and to stimulate both migration and proliferation of primary rat ATII cells. HGF is also increased in lung tissue, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and serum in patients with ALI/ARDS. Therefore, we hypothesized that HGF secreted by FBs would enhance wound closure in alveolar epithelial cells (AECs). Wound closure was measured using a scratch wound-healing assay in primary human AEC monolayers and in a coculture system with FBs. We found that wound closure was accelerated by FBs mainly through HGF/c-Met signaling. HGF also restored impaired wound healing in AECs from the elderly subjects and after exposure to cyclic stretch. We conclude that HGF is the critical factor released from FBs to close wounds in human AEC monolayers and suggest that HGF is a potential strategy for hastening alveolar repair in patients with ALI/ARDS. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

IL-29 Enhances CXCL10 Production in TNF-α-stimulated Human Oral Epithelial Cells.

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Hosokawa, Yoshitaka; Hosokawa, Ikuko; Shindo, Satoru; Ozaki, Kazumi; Matsuo, Takashi

2017-08-01

Interleukin-29 (IL-29) is a cytokine belonging to the Type III interferon family. It was recently detected in the gingival crevicular fluid of periodontitis patients. However, the role of IL-29 in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease remains unknown. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of IL-29 on C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) production in human oral epithelial cells. We measured CXCL10 production in TR146 cells, which is a human oral epithelial cell line, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We used a Western blot analysis to detect IL-29 receptor expression and the phosphorylation levels of signal transduction molecules, including p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), and nuclear factor (NF)- κB p65, in the TR146 cells. The TR146 cells expressed the IL-29 receptor. IL-29 induced CXCL10 production in the TR146 cells. IL-29 significantly enhanced CXCL10 production in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-stimulated TR146 cells. The p38 MAPK, STAT3, and NF-κB pathways were found to be related to the IL-29-induced enhancement of CXCL10 production in TNF-α-stimulated TR146 cells. IL-29 promotes T helper 1-cell accumulation in periodontal lesions by inducing CXCL10 production in oral epithelial cells.

MicroRNA-mediated suppression of oncolytic adenovirus replication in human liver.

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Erkko Ylösmäki

Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRNAs are important and ubiquitous regulators of gene expression that can suppress their target genes by translational inhibition as well as mRNA destruction. Cell type-specific miRNA expression patterns have been successfully exploited for targeting the expression of experimental and therapeutic gene constructs, for example to reduce pathogenic effects of cancer virotherapy in normal tissues. In order to avoid liver damage associated with systemic or intrahepatic delivery of oncolytic adenoviruses we have introduced the concept of suppressing adenovirus replication in hepatic cells by inserting target elements for the liver-specific miR122 into the viral genome. Here we show using ex vivo cultured tissue specimens that six perfectly complementary miR122 target sites in the 3' untranslated region of the viral E1A gene are sufficient in the absence of any other genetic modifications to prevent productive replication of serotype 5 adenovirus (Ad5 in normal human liver. This modification did not compromise the replicative capacity of the modified virus in cancer tissue derived from a colon carcinoma liver metastasis or its oncolytic potency in a human lung cancer xenograft mouse model. Unlike wild-type Ad5, the modified virus did not result in increased serum levels of liver enzymes in infected mice. These results provide a strong preclinical proof of concept for the use of miR122 target sites for reducing the risk of liver damage caused by oncolytic adenoviruses, and suggest that ectopic miR122 target elements should be considered as an additional safety measure included in any therapeutic virus or viral vector posing potential hazard to the liver.

Flavanones from Sedum sarmentosum Bunge Alleviate CCl4-Induced Liver Fibrosis in Rats by Targeting TGF-β1/TβR/Smad Pathway In Turn Inhibiting Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition

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Yuancan Lin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. The aim of the study is to evaluate the therapeutic effects of flavanones from Sedum sarmentosum Bunge (FSSB on CCl4-induced liver fibrosis in rats and the underlying mechanisms of action. Methods. An experimental model of liver fibrosis was established by subcutaneous injection of rats with CCl4 (40% v/v, 3 ml/kg twice per week for six weeks. FSSB (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg was intragastrically administered once per day consecutively for five weeks. Results. Our results showed that FSSB significantly attenuated CCl4-induced liver fibrosis as evidenced by reducing the elevated levels of serum biochemical indexes and improving the histological changes, including decreasing the elevation in serum alanine transaminase (ALT, aspartate transaminase (AST, hyaluronic acid (HA, and laminin (LN level, reducing infiltration of inflammatory cells and collagen fibers in liver tissue. In addition, compared to the model group, FSSB markedly downregulated the protein and mRNA expression of TGF-β1, TGF-β1 receptors I and II (TβRI and TβRII, Smad2, Smad3, and Vimentin in liver tissue, at the mean time upregulating the expression of Smad7 and E-cadherin. Conclusions. The results suggest that FSSB alleviated CCl4-induced liver fibrosis probably through inhibition of TGF-β/TβR/Smad pathway in turn inhibiting epithelial mesenchymal transition.

Anti-liver-kidney microsome antibody type 1 recognizes human cytochrome P450 db1.

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Gueguen, M; Yamamoto, A M; Bernard, O; Alvarez, F

1989-03-15

Anti-liver-kidney microsome antibody type 1 (LKM1), present in the sera of a group of children with autoimmune hepatitis, was recently shown to recognize a 50 kDa protein identified as rat liver cytochromes P450 db1 and db2. High homology between these two members of the rat P450 IID subfamily and human P450 db1 suggested that anti-LKM1 antibody is directed against this human protein. To test this hypothesis, a human liver cDNA expression library in phage lambda GT-11 was screened using rat P450 db1 cDNA as a probe. Two human cDNA clones were found to be identical to human P450 db1 by restriction mapping. Immunoblot analysis using as antigen, the purified fusion protein from one of the human cDNA clones showed that only anti-LKM1 with anti-50 kDa reactivity recognized the fusion protein. This fusion protein was further used to develop an ELISA test that was shown to be specific for sera of children with this disease. These results: 1) identify the human liver antigen recognized by anti-LKM1 auto-antibodies as cytochrome P450 db1, 2) allow to speculate that mutation on the human P450 db1 gene could alter its expression in the hepatocyte and make it auto-antigenic, 3) provide a simple and specific diagnostic test for this disease.

Macrophage phenotypic subtypes diametrically regulate epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in breast cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Min; Ma, Bo; Shao, Hanshuang; Clark, Amanda M.; Wells, Alan

2016-01-01

Metastatic progression of breast cancer involves phenotypic plasticity of the carcinoma cells moving between epithelial and mesenchymal behaviors. During metastatic seeding and dormancy, even highly aggressive carcinoma cells take on an E-cadherin-positive epithelial phenotype that is absent from the emergent, lethal metastatic outgrowths. These phenotypes are linked to the metastatic microenvironment, though the specific cells and induction signals are still to be deciphered. Recent evidence suggests that macrophages impact tumor progression, and may alter the balance between cancer cell EMT and MErT in the metastatic microenvironment. Here we explore the role of M1/M2 macrophages in epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity of breast cancer cells by coculturing epithelial and mesenchymal cells lines with macrophages. We found that after polarizing the THP-1 human monocyte cell line, the M1 and M2-types were stable and maintained when co-cultured with breast cancer cells. Surprisingly, M2 macrophages may conferred a growth advantage to the epithelial MCF-7 cells, with these cells being driven to a partial mesenchymal phenotypic as indicated by spindle morphology. Notably, E-cadherin protein expression is significantly decreased in MCF-7 cells co-cultured with M2 macrophages. M0 and M1 macrophages had no effect on the MCF-7 epithelial phenotype. However, the M1 macrophages impacted the highly aggressive mesenchymal-like MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells to take on a quiescent, epithelial phenotype with re-expression of E-cadherin. The M2 macrophages if anything exacerbated the mesenchymal phenotype of the MDA-MB-231 cells. Our findings demonstrate M2 macrophages might impart outgrowth and M1 macrophages may contribute to dormancy behaviors in metastatic breast cancer cells. Thus EMT and MErT are regulated by selected macrophage phenotype in the liver metastatic microenvironment. These results indicate macrophage could be a potential therapeutic target for limiting death due

A microscale human liver platform that supports the hepatic stages of Plasmodium falciparum and vivax.

Science.gov (United States)

March, Sandra; Ng, Shengyong; Velmurugan, Soundarapandian; Galstian, Ani; Shan, Jing; Logan, David J; Carpenter, Anne E; Thomas, David; Sim, B Kim Lee; Mota, Maria M; Hoffman, Stephen L; Bhatia, Sangeeta N

2013-07-17

The Plasmodium liver stage is an attractive target for the development of antimalarial drugs and vaccines, as it provides an opportunity to interrupt the life cycle of the parasite at a critical early stage. However, targeting the liver stage has been difficult. Undoubtedly, a major barrier has been the lack of robust, reliable, and reproducible in vitro liver-stage cultures. Here, we establish the liver stages for both Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax in a microscale human liver platform composed of cryopreserved, micropatterned human primary hepatocytes surrounded by supportive stromal cells. Using this system, we have successfully recapitulated the full liver stage of P. falciparum, including the release of infected merozoites and infection of overlaid erythrocytes, as well as the establishment of small forms in late liver stages of P. vivax. Finally, we validate the potential of this platform as a tool for medium-throughput antimalarial drug screening and vaccine development. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Andrographolide suppresses epithelial mesenchymal transition by ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) of lens epithelial cells (LECs) may contribute to the development of posterior capsular opacification (PCO), which leads to visual impairment. Andrographolide has been shown to have therapeutic potential against various cancers. However, its effect on human LECs is still unknown.

Liver Progenitor Cell Line HepaRG Differentiated in a Bioartificial Liver Effectively Supplies Liver Support to Rats with Acute Liver Failure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nibourg, Geert A. A.; Chamuleau, Robert A. F. M.; van der Hoeven, Tessa V.; Maas, Martinus A. W.; Ruiter, An F. C.; Lamers, Wouter H.; Oude Elferink, Ronald P. J.; van Gulik, Thomas M.; Hoekstra, Ruurdtje

2012-01-01

A major roadblock to the application of bioartificial livers is the need for a human liver cell line that displays a high and broad level of hepatic functionality. The human bipotent liver progenitor cell line HepaRG is a promising candidate in this respect, for its potential to differentiate into

Emodin suppresses TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in alveolar epithelial cells through Notch signaling pathway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Rundi; Chen, Ruilin; Cao, Yu; Wang, Yuan; Song, Kang; Zhang, Ya; Yang, Junchao

2017-01-01

Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by the destruction of lung tissue architecture and the formation of fibrous foci, currently has no satisfactory treatment. Emodin is a component of Chinese herb that has been reported to be medicament on pancreatic fibrosis and liver fibrosis. However, its role in pulmonary fibrosis has not been established yet. In the present study, we investigated the hypothesis that Emodin plays an inhibitory role in TGF-β1 induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of alveolar epithelial cell, and Emodin exerts its effect through the Notch signaling pathway. Emodin inhibits the proliferation of Rat alveolar type II epithelial cells RLE-6TN in a concentration-dependent manner; reduces the expression of Collagen I, α-SMA and Vimentin, promotes the expression of E-cadherin. Moreover, Emodin could regulate the expression patterns of the Notch signaling pathway-related factors and reduce the Notch-1 nucleus translocation. Knockdown of Notch-1 enhances the inhibitory effect of Emodin on TGF-β1-induced EMT in RLE-6TN cells. In conclusion, the data of the present study suggests that Emodin suppresses TGF-β1-induced EMT in alveolar epithelial cells through Notch signaling pathway and shows the potential to be effective in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. - Highlights: • Emodin inhibits TGF-β1-induced EMT in alveolar epithelial cells. • Emodin regulates the expression patterns of the Notch signaling pathway-related factors. • Emodin inhibits TGF-β1-induced Notch-1 nucleus translocation and activation.

Emodin suppresses TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in alveolar epithelial cells through Notch signaling pathway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gao, Rundi; Chen, Ruilin; Cao, Yu [Department of Respiration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medicine University, NO. 56, Youdian Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310006 (China); Wang, Yuan [Department of Pulmonary Function, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medicine University, NO. 56, Youdian Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310006 (China); Song, Kang [Department of Respiration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medicine University, NO. 56, Youdian Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310006 (China); Zhang, Ya [Zhejiang Chinese Medicine University, No. 548, Binwen Road, Binjiang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310006 (China); Yang, Junchao, E-mail: yangjunchaozj@zcmu.edu.cn [Department of Respiration, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medicine University, NO. 56, Youdian Road, Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province 310006 (China)

2017-03-01

Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by the destruction of lung tissue architecture and the formation of fibrous foci, currently has no satisfactory treatment. Emodin is a component of Chinese herb that has been reported to be medicament on pancreatic fibrosis and liver fibrosis. However, its role in pulmonary fibrosis has not been established yet. In the present study, we investigated the hypothesis that Emodin plays an inhibitory role in TGF-β1 induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of alveolar epithelial cell, and Emodin exerts its effect through the Notch signaling pathway. Emodin inhibits the proliferation of Rat alveolar type II epithelial cells RLE-6TN in a concentration-dependent manner; reduces the expression of Collagen I, α-SMA and Vimentin, promotes the expression of E-cadherin. Moreover, Emodin could regulate the expression patterns of the Notch signaling pathway-related factors and reduce the Notch-1 nucleus translocation. Knockdown of Notch-1 enhances the inhibitory effect of Emodin on TGF-β1-induced EMT in RLE-6TN cells. In conclusion, the data of the present study suggests that Emodin suppresses TGF-β1-induced EMT in alveolar epithelial cells through Notch signaling pathway and shows the potential to be effective in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis. - Highlights: • Emodin inhibits TGF-β1-induced EMT in alveolar epithelial cells. • Emodin regulates the expression patterns of the Notch signaling pathway-related factors. • Emodin inhibits TGF-β1-induced Notch-1 nucleus translocation and activation.

Chlorobenzene induces oxidative stress in human lung epithelial cells in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feltens, Ralph; Moegel, Iljana; Roeder-Stolinski, Carmen; Simon, Jan-Christoph; Herberth, Gunda; Lehmann, Irina

2010-01-01

Chlorobenzene is a volatile organic compound (VOC) that is widely used as a solvent, degreasing agent and chemical intermediate in many industrial settings. Occupational studies have shown that acute and chronic exposure to chlorobenzene can cause irritation of the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract and eyes. Using in vitro assays, we have shown in a previous study that human bronchial epithelial cells release inflammatory mediators such as the cytokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in response to chlorobenzene. This response is mediated through the NF-κB signaling pathway. Here, we investigated the effects of monochlorobenzene on human lung cells, with emphasis on potential alterations of the redox equilibrium to clarify whether the chlorobenzene-induced inflammatory response in lung epithelial cells is caused via an oxidative stress-dependent mechanism. We found that expression of cellular markers for oxidative stress, such as heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), glutathione S-transferase π1 (GSTP1), superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) and dual specificity phosphatase 1 (DUSP1), were elevated in the presence of monochlorobenzene. Likewise, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were increased in response to exposure. However, in the presence of the antioxidants N-(2-mercaptopropionyl)-glycine (MPG) or bucillamine, chlorobenzene-induced upregulation of marker proteins and release of the inflammatory mediator MCP-1 are suppressed. These results complement our previous findings and point to an oxidative stress-mediated inflammatory response following chlorobenzene exposure.

Production of factor VIII by human liver sinusoidal endothelial cells transplanted in immunodeficient uPA mice.

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Marina E Fomin

Full Text Available Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs form a semi-permeable barrier between parenchymal hepatocytes and the blood. LSECs participate in liver metabolism, clearance of pathological agents, immunological responses, architectural maintenance of the liver and synthesis of growth factors and cytokines. LSECs also play an important role in coagulation through the synthesis of Factor VIII (FVIII. Herein, we phenotypically define human LSECs isolated from fetal liver using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence microscopy. Isolated LSECs were cultured and shown to express endothelial markers and markers specific for the LSEC lineage. LSECs were also shown to engraft the liver when human fetal liver cells were transplanted into immunodeficient mice with liver specific expression of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA transgene (uPA-NOG mice. Engrafted cells expressed human Factor VIII at levels approaching those found in human plasma. We also demonstrate engraftment of adult LSECs, as well as hepatocytes, transplanted into uPA-NOG mice. We propose that overexpression of uPA provides beneficial conditions for LSEC engraftment due to elevated expression of the angiogenic cytokine, vascular endothelial growth factor. This work provides a detailed characterization of human midgestation LSECs, thereby providing the means for their purification and culture based on their expression of CD14 and CD32 as well as a lack of CD45 expression. The uPA-NOG mouse is shown to be a permissive host for human LSECs and adult hepatocytes, but not fetal hepatoblasts. Thus, these mice provide a useful model system to study these cell types in vivo. Demonstration of human FVIII production by transplanted LSECs encourages further pursuit of LSEC transplantation as a cellular therapy for the treatment of hemophilia A.

Epigenetic Reprogramming of Lineage-Committed Human Mammary Epithelial Cells Requires DNMT3A and Loss of DOT1L

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Jerrica L. Breindel

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Organogenesis and tissue development occur through sequential stepwise processes leading to increased lineage restriction and loss of pluripotency. An exception to this appears in the adult human breast, where rare variant epithelial cells exhibit pluripotency and multilineage differentiation potential when removed from the signals of their native microenvironment. This phenomenon provides a unique opportunity to study mechanisms that lead to cellular reprogramming and lineage plasticity in real time. Here, we show that primary human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs lose expression of differentiated mammary epithelial markers in a manner dependent on paracrine factors and epigenetic regulation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that HMEC reprogramming is dependent on gene silencing by the DNA methyltransferase DNMT3A and loss of histone transcriptional marks following downregulation of the methyltransferase DOT1L. These results demonstrate that lineage commitment in adult tissues is context dependent and highlight the plasticity of somatic cells when removed from their native tissue microenvironment.

Influenza H5N1 virus infection of polarized human alveolar epithelial cells and lung microvascular endothelial cells

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Yuen Kit M

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI H5N1 virus is entrenched in poultry in Asia and Africa and continues to infect humans zoonotically causing acute respiratory disease syndrome and death. There is evidence that the virus may sometimes spread beyond respiratory tract to cause disseminated infection. The primary target cell for HPAI H5N1 virus in human lung is the alveolar epithelial cell. Alveolar epithelium and its adjacent lung microvascular endothelium form host barriers to the initiation of infection and dissemination of influenza H5N1 infection in humans. These are polarized cells and the polarity of influenza virus entry and egress as well as the secretion of cytokines and chemokines from the virus infected cells are likely to be central to the pathogenesis of human H5N1 disease. Aim To study influenza A (H5N1 virus replication and host innate immune responses in polarized primary human alveolar epithelial cells and lung microvascular endothelial cells and its relevance to the pathogenesis of human H5N1 disease. Methods We use an in vitro model of polarized primary human alveolar epithelial cells and lung microvascular endothelial cells grown in transwell culture inserts to compare infection with influenza A subtype H1N1 and H5N1 viruses via the apical or basolateral surfaces. Results We demonstrate that both influenza H1N1 and H5N1 viruses efficiently infect alveolar epithelial cells from both apical and basolateral surface of the epithelium but release of newly formed virus is mainly from the apical side of the epithelium. In contrast, influenza H5N1 virus, but not H1N1 virus, efficiently infected polarized microvascular endothelial cells from both apical and basolateral aspects. This provides a mechanistic explanation for how H5N1 virus may infect the lung from systemic circulation. Epidemiological evidence has implicated ingestion of virus-contaminated foods as the source of infection in some instances and our

Overexpression of Notch3 and pS6 Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Human Ovarian Epithelial Cancer

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Zhaoxia Liu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Notch3 and pS6 play important roles in tumor angiogenesis. To assess the expression of Notch3 and pS6 in Chinese ovarian epithelial cancer patients, a ten-year follow-up study was performed in ovarian epithelial cancer tissues from 120 specimens of human ovarian epithelial cancer, 30 specimens from benign ovarian tumors, and 30 samples from healthy ovaries by immunohistochemistry. The results indicate that the expression of Notch3 and pS6 was higher in ovarian epithelial cancer than in normal ovary tissues and in benign ovarian tumor tissues (p0.05 but positively associated with clinical stage, pathological grading, histologic type, lymph node metastasis, and ascites (p<0.05 or p<0.01. A follow-up survey of 64 patients with ovarian epithelial cancer showed that patients with high Notch3 and pS6 expression had a shorter survival time (p<0.01, in which the clinical stage (p<0.05 and Notch3 expression (p<0.01 played important roles. In conclusion, Notch3 and pS6 are significantly related to ovarian epithelial cancer development and prognosis, and their combination represents a potential biomarker and therapeutic target in ovarian tumor angiogenesis.

Phototoxicity and cytotoxicity of fullerol in human lens epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, Joan E.; Wielgus, Albert R.; Boyes, William K.; Andley, Usha; Chignell, Colin F.

2008-01-01

The water-soluble, hydroxylated fullerene [fullerol, nano-C 60 (OH) 22-26 ] has several clinical applications including use as a drug carrier to bypass the blood ocular barriers. We have assessed fullerol's potential ocular toxicity by measuring its cytotoxicity and phototoxicity induced by UVA and visible light in vitro with human lens epithelial cells (HLE B-3). Accumulation of nano-C 60 (OH) 22-26 in the cells was confirmed spectrophotometrically at 405 nm and cell viability estimated using MTS and LDH assays. Fullerol was cytotoxic to HLE B-3 cells maintained in the dark at concentrations higher than 20 μM. Exposure to either UVA or visible light in the presence of > 5 μM fullerol-induced phototoxic damage. When cells were pretreated with non-toxic antioxidants: 20 μM lutein, 1 mM N-acetyl cysteine, or 1 mM L-ascorbic acid prior to irradiation, only the singlet oxygen quencher-lutein significantly protected against fullerol photodamage. Apoptosis was observed in lens cells treated with fullerol whether or not the cells were irradiated, in the order UVA > visible light > dark. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) showed that in the presence of the endogenous lens protein α-crystallin, large aggregates of fullerol were reduced. In conclusion, fullerol is both cytotoxic and phototoxic to human lens epithelial cells. Although the acute toxicity of water-soluble nano-C 60 (OH) 22-26 is low, these compounds are retained in the body for long periods, raising concern for their chronic toxic effect. Before fullerols are used to deliver drugs to the eye, they should be tested for photo- and cytotoxicity in vivo

Using organotypic (raft) epithelial tissue cultures for the biosynthesis and isolation of infectious human papillomaviruses.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozbun, Michelle A; Patterson, Nicole A

2014-08-01

Papillomaviruses have a strict tropism for epithelial cells, and they are fully reliant on cellular differentiation for completion of their life cycles, resulting in the production of progeny virions. Thus, a permissive environment for full viral replication in vitro-wherein virion morphogenesis occurs under cooperative viral and cellular cues-requires the cultivation of epithelium. Presented in the first section of this unit is a protocol to grow differentiating epithelial tissues that mimic many important morphological and biochemical aspects of normal skin. The technique involves growing epidermal cells atop a dermal equivalent consisting of live fibroblasts and a collagen lattice. Epithelial stratification and differentiation ensues when the keratinocyte-dermal equivalent is placed at the air-liquid interface. The apparent floating nature of the cell-matrix in this method led to the nickname "raft" cultures. The general technique can be applied to normal low passage keratinocytes, to cells stably transfected with papillomavirus genes or genomes, or keratinocytes established from neoplastic lesions. However, infectious papillomavirus particles have only been isolated from organotypic epithelial cultures initiated with cells that maintain oncogenic human papillomavirus genomes in an extrachomosomal replicative form. The second section of this unit is dedicated to a virion isolation method that minimizes aerosol and skin exposure to these human carcinogens. Although the focus of the protocols is on the growth of tissues that yields infectious papillomavirus progeny, this culture system facilitates the investigation of these fastidious viruses during their complex replicative cycles, and raft tissues can be manipulated and harvested at any point during the process. Importantly, a single-step virus growth cycle is achieved in this process, as it is unlikely that progeny virions are released to initiate subsequent rounds of infection. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley

Evaluation of existing and development of new human epithelial cell transformation systems and determination of their potential in radiation protection studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seymour, C.B.; Riches, A.C.; Pertusa, J.

1993-01-01

The aims of the project are to collaborate on a systematic study of radiation induced oncogenic transformation using different human epithelial cell lines and to study initiation of carcinogenesis by radiation by examining changes which occur in molecular, genetic and morphological features of normal human cells after exposure to radiation. This more longterm aim is at present being approached at a mainly qualitative level. This approach provides the next logical step in developing a full understanding of radiation-induced transformation of human epithelial cells. Objectives and results of five contributions to the project for the reporting period are presented. (R.P.) 20 refs., 4 figs

Human amniotic epithelial cell transplantation for the repair of injured brachial plexus nerve: evaluation of nerve viscoelastic properties

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Hua Jin

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The transplantation of embryonic stem cells can effectively improve the creeping strength of nerves near an injury site in animals. Amniotic epithelial cells have similar biological properties as embryonic stem cells; therefore, we hypothesized that transplantation of amniotic epithelial cells can repair peripheral nerve injury and recover the creeping strength of the brachial plexus nerve. In the present study, a brachial plexus injury model was established in rabbits using the C 6 root avulsion method. A suspension of human amniotic epithelial cells was repeatedly injected over an area 4.0 mm lateral to the cephal and caudal ends of the C 6 brachial plexus injury site (1 × 10 6 cells/mL, 3 μL/injection, 25 injections immediately after the injury. The results showed that the decrease in stress and increase in strain at 7,200 seconds in the injured rabbit C 6 brachial plexus nerve were mitigated by the cell transplantation, restoring the viscoelastic stress relaxation and creep properties of the brachial plexus nerve. The forepaw functions were also significantly improved at 26 weeks after injury. These data indicate that transplantation of human amniotic epithelial cells can effectively restore the mechanical properties of the brachial plexus nerve after injury in rabbits and that viscoelasticity may be an important index for the evaluation of brachial plexus injury in animals.

Regulation of potassium transport in human lens epithelial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lauf, Peter K; Warwar, Ronald; Brown, Thomas L; Adragna, Norma C

2006-01-01

The major K influx pathways and their response to thiol modification by N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) and protein kinase and phosphatase inhibitors were characterized in human lens epithelial B3 (HLE-B3) cells with Rb as K congener. Ouabain (0.1 mM) and bumetanide (5 microM) discriminated between the Na/K pump ( approximately 35% of total Rb influx) and Na-K-2Cl cotransport (NKCC) ( approximately 50%). Cl-replacement with nitrate or sulfamate revealed 100 microM, activated the Na/K pump and abolished NKCC but did not affect KCC. The data suggest at least partial inverse regulation of KCC and NKCC in HLE-B3 cells by signaling cascades involving serine, threonine and tyrosine phosphorylation/dephosphorylation equilibria.

Superoxide production and expression of NAD(P)H oxidases by transformed and primary human colonic epithelial cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perner, A; Andresen, Lars; Pedersen, G

2003-01-01

Superoxide (O(2)(-)) generation through the activity of reduced nicotinamide dinucleotide (NADH) or reduced nicotinamide dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases has been demonstrated in a variety of cell types, but not in human colonic epithelial cells....

Bile acids deoxycholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid differentially regulate human β-defensin-1 and -2 secretion by colonic epithelial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Lajczak, Natalia K; Saint-Criq, Vinciane; O'Dwyer, Aoife M; Perino, Alessia; Adorini, Luciano; Schoonjans, Kristina; Keely, Stephen J

2017-09-01

Bile acids and epithelial-derived human β-defensins (HβDs) are known to be important factors in the regulation of colonic mucosal barrier function and inflammation. We hypothesized that bile acids regulate colonic HβD expression and aimed to test this by investigating the effects of deoxycholic acid (DCA) and ursodeoxycholic acid on the expression and release of HβD1 and HβD2 from colonic epithelial cells and mucosal tissues. DCA (10-150 µM) stimulated the release of both HβD1 and HβD2 from epithelial cell monolayers and human colonic mucosal tissue in vitro In contrast, ursodeoxycholic acid (50-200 µM) inhibited both basal and DCA-induced defensin release. Effects of DCA were mimicked by the Takeda GPCR 5 agonist, INT-777 (50 μM), but not by the farnesoid X receptor agonist, GW4064 (10 μM). INT-777 also stimulated colonic HβD1 and HβD2 release from wild-type, but not Takeda GPCR 5 -/- , mice. DCA stimulated phosphorylation of the p65 subunit of NF-κB, an effect that was attenuated by ursodeoxycholic acid, whereas an NF-κB inhibitor, BMS-345541 (25 μM), inhibited DCA-induced HβD2, but not HβD1, release. We conclude that bile acids can differentially regulate colonic epithelial HβD expression and secretion and discuss the implications of our findings for intestinal health and disease.-Lajczak, N. K., Saint-Criq, V., O'Dwyer, A. M., Perino, A., Adorini, L., Schoonjans, K., Keely, S. J. Bile acids deoxycholic acid and ursodeoxycholic acid differentially regulate human β-defensin-1 and -2 secretion by colonic epithelial cells. © FASEB.

Tungsten-induced carcinogenesis in human bronchial epithelial cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laulicht, Freda; Brocato, Jason; Cartularo, Laura; Vaughan, Joshua; Wu, Feng; Kluz, Thomas; Sun, Hong [Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center, Tuxedo, NY 10987 (United States); Oksuz, Betul Akgol [Genome Technology Center, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016 (United States); Shen, Steven [Center for Health Informatics and Bioinformatics, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY 10016 (United States); Peana, Massimiliano; Medici, Serenella; Zoroddu, Maria Antonietta [Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Sassari, Sassari (Italy); Costa, Max, E-mail: Max.Costa@nyumc.org [Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University Langone Medical Center, Tuxedo, NY 10987 (United States)

2015-10-01

Metals such as arsenic, cadmium, beryllium, and nickel are known human carcinogens; however, other transition metals, such as tungsten (W), remain relatively uninvestigated with regard to their potential carcinogenic activity. Tungsten production for industrial and military applications has almost doubled over the past decade and continues to increase. Here, for the first time, we demonstrate tungsten's ability to induce carcinogenic related endpoints including cell transformation, increased migration, xenograft growth in nude mice, and the activation of multiple cancer-related pathways in transformed clones as determined by RNA sequencing. Human bronchial epithelial cell line (Beas-2B) exposed to tungsten developed carcinogenic properties. In a soft agar assay, tungsten-treated cells formed more colonies than controls and the tungsten-transformed clones formed tumors in nude mice. RNA-sequencing data revealed that the tungsten-transformed clones altered the expression of many cancer-associated genes when compared to control clones. Genes involved in lung cancer, leukemia, and general cancer genes were deregulated by tungsten. Taken together, our data show the carcinogenic potential of tungsten. Further tests are needed, including in vivo and human studies, in order to validate tungsten as a carcinogen to humans. - Highlights: • Tungsten (W) induces cell transformation and increases migration in vitro. • W increases xenograft growth in nude mice. • W altered the expression of cancer-related genes such as those involved in leukemia. • Some of the dysregulated leukemia genes include, CD74, CTGF, MST4, and HOXB5. • For the first time, data is presented that demonstrates tungsten's carcinogenic potential.

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV-associated epithelial and non-epithelial lesions of the oral cavity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kentaro Kikuchi

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Epstein–Barr virus (EBV is known to be associated with the development of malignant lymphoma and lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs in immunocompromised patients. EBV, a B-lymphotropic gamma-herpesvirus, causes infectious mononucleosis and oral hairy leukoplakia, as well as various pathological types of lymphoid malignancy. Furthermore, EBV is associated with epithelial malignancies such as nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC, salivary gland tumor, gastric carcinoma and breast carcinoma. In terms of oral disease, there have been several reports of EBV-related oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC worldwide. However, the role of EBV in tumorigenesis of human oral epithelial or lymphoid tissue is unclear. This review summarizes EBV-related epithelial and non-epithelial tumors or tumor-like lesions of the oral cavity. In addition, we describe EBV latent genes and their expression in normal epithelium, inflamed gingiva, epithelial dysplasia and SCC, as well as considering LPDs (MTX- and age-related and DLBCLs of the oral cavity.

Protection against radiation-induced oxidative stress in cultured human epithelial cells by treatment with antioxidant agents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan, X. Steven; Ware, Jeffrey H.; Zhou, Zhaozong; Donahue, Jeremiah J.; Guan, Jun; Kennedy, Ann R.

2006-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the protective effects of antioxidant agents against space radiation-induced oxidative stress in cultured human epithelial cells. Methods and Materials: The effects of selected concentrations of N-acetylcysteine, ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate, co-enzyme Q10, α-lipoic acid, L-selenomethionine, and vitamin E succinate on radiation-induced oxidative stress were evaluated in MCF10 human breast epithelial cells exposed to radiation with X-rays, γ-rays, protons, or high mass, high atomic number, and high energy particles using a dichlorofluorescein assay. Results: The results demonstrated that these antioxidants are effective in protecting against radiation-induced oxidative stress and complete or nearly complete protection was achieved by treating the cells with a combination of these agents before and during the radiation exposure. Conclusion: The combination of antioxidants evaluated in this study is likely be a promising countermeasure for protection against space radiation-induced adverse biologic effects

A method for high purity intestinal epithelial cell culture from adult human and murine tissues for the investigation of innate immune function.

Science.gov (United States)

Graves, Christina L; Harden, Scott W; LaPato, Melissa; Nelson, Michael; Amador, Byron; Sorenson, Heather; Frazier, Charles J; Wallet, Shannon M

2014-12-01

Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) serve as an important physiologic barrier between environmental antigens and the host intestinal immune system. Thus, IECs serve as a first line of defense and may act as sentinel cells during inflammatory insults. Despite recent renewed interest in IEC contributions to host immune function, the study of primary IEC has been hindered by lack of a robust culture technique, particularly for small intestinal and adult tissues. Here, a novel adaptation for culture of primary IEC is described for human duodenal organ donor tissue as well as duodenum and colon of adult mice. These epithelial cell cultures display characteristic phenotypes and are of high purity. In addition, the innate immune function of human primary IEC, specifically with regard to Toll-like receptor (TLR) expression and microbial ligand responsiveness, is contrasted with a commonly used intestinal epithelial cell line (HT-29). Specifically, TLR expression at the mRNA level and production of cytokine (IFNγ and TNFα) in response to TLR agonist stimulation is assessed. Differential expression of TLRs as well as innate immune responses to ligand stimulation is observed in human-derived cultures compared to that of HT-29. Thus, use of this adapted method to culture primary epithelial cells from adult human donors and from adult mice will allow for more appropriate studies of IECs as innate immune effectors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The draft genome of the carcinogenic human liver fluke Clonorchis sinensis

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Clonorchis sinensis is a carcinogenic human liver fluke that is widespread in Asian countries. Increasing infection rates of this neglected tropical disease are leading to negative economic and public health consequences in affected regions. Experimental and epidemiological studies have shown a strong association between the incidence of cholangiocarcinoma and the infection rate of C. sinensis. To aid research into this organism, we have sequenced its genome. Results We combined de novo sequencing with computational techniques to provide new information about the biology of this liver fluke. The assembled genome has a total size of 516 Mb with a scaffold N50 length of 42 kb. Approximately 16,000 reliable protein-coding gene models were predicted. Genes for the complete pathways for glycolysis, the Krebs cycle and fatty acid metabolism were found, but key genes involved in fatty acid biosynthesis are missing from the genome, reflecting the parasitic lifestyle of a liver fluke that receives lipids from the bile of its host. We also identified pathogenic molecules that may contribute to liver fluke-induced hepatobiliary diseases. Large proteins such as multifunctional secreted proteases and tegumental proteins were identified as potential targets for the development of drugs and vaccines. Conclusions This study provides valuable genomic information about the human liver fluke C. sinensis and adds to our knowledge on the biology of the parasite. The draft genome will serve as a platform to develop new strategies for parasite control. PMID:22023798

Comparative Metabolism Study of Five Protoberberine Alkaloids in Liver Microsomes from Rat, Rhesus Monkey, and Human.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yan; Zhou, Yanyan; Si, Nan; Han, Lingyu; Ren, Wei; Xin, Shaokun; Wang, Hongjie; Zuo, Ran; Wei, Xiaolu; Yang, Jian; Zhao, Haiyu; Bian, Baolin

2017-11-01

Protoberberine alkaloids including berberine, palmatine, jatrorrhizine, coptisine, and epiberberine are major components in many medicinal plants. They have been widely used for the treatment of cancer, inflammation, diabetes, depression, hypertension, and various infectious areas. However, the metabolism of five protoberberine alkaloids among different species has not been clarified previously. In order to elaborate on the in vitro metabolism of them, a comparative analysis of their metabolic profile in rat, rhesus monkey, and human liver microsomes was carried out using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a high-resolution linear trap quadrupole-Orbitrap mass spectrometer (UHPLC-electrospray ionization-Orbitrap MS) for the first time. Each metabolite was identified and semiquantified by its accurate mass data and peak area. Fifteen metabolites were characterized based on accurate MS/MS spectra and the proposed MS/MS fragmentation pathways including demethylation, hydroxylation, and methyl reduction. Among them, the content of berberine metabolites in human liver microsomes was similar with those in rhesus monkey liver microsomes, whereas berberine in rat liver microsomes showed no demethylation metabolites and the content of metabolites showed significant differences with that in human liver microsomes. On the contrary, the metabolism of palmatine in rat liver microsomes resembled that in human liver microsomes. The content of jatrorrhizine metabolites presented obvious differences in all species. The HR-ESI-MS/MS fragmentation behavior of protoberberine alkaloids and their metabolic profile in rat, rhesus monkey, and human liver microsomes were investigated for the first time. The results demonstrated that the biotransformation characteristics of protoberberine alkaloids among different species had similarities as well differences that would be beneficial for us to better understand the pharmacological activities of protoberberine alkaloids

Radionuclide imaging of the liver in human fascioliasis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rivera, J.V.; Bermudez, R.H.

1984-01-01

The clinical, laboratory, and scintigraphic findings in four cases of human fascioliasis are described. Acute onset of fever, abdominal pain, and weight loss in a person who has ingested watercress constitutes the clinical syndrome often seen. Eosinophilia and alteration in liver function tests, particularly alkaline phosphatase are frequent. Tc-99m sulfur colloid images showed hepatomegaly in four patients, focal defects in two, splenomegaly in three, and increased splenic uptake in two. Gallium citrate (Ga 67) images show increased uptake in the focal lesions in two of two. Sonographic imaging showed focal lucent abnormality in one of three. Liver biopsy findings were nonspecific. The differential diagnosis from other invasive parasitic diseases is discussed. A possible role of hepatic imaging in the evaluation of fascioliasis is suggested

Liver lipase and high-density lipoprotein. Lipoprotein changes after incubation of human serum with rat liver lipase.

Science.gov (United States)

Groot, P H; Scheek, L M; Jansen, H

1983-05-16

Human sera were incubated with rat liver lipase after inactivation of lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase, and the changes in serum lipoprotein composition were measured. In the presence of liver lipase serum triacylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine were hydrolyzed. The main changes in the concentrations of these lipids were found in the high-density lipoprotein fraction. Subfractionation of high-density lipoprotein by rate-zonal ultracentrifugation showed a prominent decrease in all constituents of high-density lipoprotein2, a smaller decrease in the 'light' high-density lipoprotein3 and an increase in the 'heavy' high-density lipoprotein3. These data support a concept in which liver lipase is involved in high-density lipoprotein2 phospholipid and triacylglycerol catabolism and suggest that as a result of this action high-density lipoprotein2 is converted into high-density lipoprotein3.

Human airway epithelial cells investigated by atomic force microscopy: A hint to cystic fibrosis epithelial pathology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lasalvia, Maria [Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, Bari (Italy); Castellani, Stefano [Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia (Italy); D’Antonio, Palma [Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia (Italy); Perna, Giuseppe [Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, Bari (Italy); Carbone, Annalucia [Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia (Italy); Colia, Anna Laura; Maffione, Angela Bruna [Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia (Italy); Capozzi, Vito [Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Bari, Bari (Italy); Conese, Massimo, E-mail: massimo.conese@unifg.it [Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Foggia (Italy)

2016-10-15

The pathophysiology of cystic fibrosis (CF) airway disease stems from mutations in the CF Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene, leading to a chronic respiratory disease. Actin cytoskeleton is disorganized in CF airway epithelial cells, likely contributing to the CF-associated basic defects, i.e. defective chloride secretion and sodium/fluid hypersorption. In this work, we aimed to find whether this alteration could be pointed out by means of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) investigation, as roughness and Young's elastic module. Moreover, we also sought to determine whether disorganization of actin cytoskeleton is linked to hypersoption of apical fluid. Not only CFBE41o- (CFBE) cells, immortalized airway epithelial cells homozygous for the F508del CFTR allele, showed a different morphology in comparison with 16HBE14o- (16HBE) epithelial cells, wild-type for CFTR, but also they displayed a lack of stress fibers, suggestive of a disorganized actin cytoskeleton. AFM measurements showed that CFBE cells presented a higher membrane roughness and decreased rigidity as compared with 16HBE cells. CFBE overexpressing wtCFTR became more elongated than the parental CFBE cell line and presented actin stress fibers. CFBE cells absorbed more fluid from the apical compartment. Study of fluid absorption with the F-actin-depolymerizing agent Latrunculin B demonstrated that actin cytoskeletal disorganization increased fluid absorption, an effect observed at higher magnitude in 16HBE than in CFBE cells. For the first time, we demonstrate that actin cytoskeleton disorganization is reflected by AFM parameters in CF airway epithelial cells. Our data also strongly suggest that the lack of stress fibers is involved in at least one of the early step in CF pathophysiology at the levels of the airways, i.e. fluid hypersorption. - Highlights: • CF bronchial epithelial (CFBE) cells show a disorganized actin cytoskeleton. • CFBE cells present high roughness and low rigidity in

Human airway epithelial cells investigated by atomic force microscopy: A hint to cystic fibrosis epithelial pathology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lasalvia, Maria; Castellani, Stefano; D’Antonio, Palma; Perna, Giuseppe; Carbone, Annalucia; Colia, Anna Laura; Maffione, Angela Bruna; Capozzi, Vito; Conese, Massimo

2016-01-01

The pathophysiology of cystic fibrosis (CF) airway disease stems from mutations in the CF Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene, leading to a chronic respiratory disease. Actin cytoskeleton is disorganized in CF airway epithelial cells, likely contributing to the CF-associated basic defects, i.e. defective chloride secretion and sodium/fluid hypersorption. In this work, we aimed to find whether this alteration could be pointed out by means of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) investigation, as roughness and Young's elastic module. Moreover, we also sought to determine whether disorganization of actin cytoskeleton is linked to hypersoption of apical fluid. Not only CFBE41o- (CFBE) cells, immortalized airway epithelial cells homozygous for the F508del CFTR allele, showed a different morphology in comparison with 16HBE14o- (16HBE) epithelial cells, wild-type for CFTR, but also they displayed a lack of stress fibers, suggestive of a disorganized actin cytoskeleton. AFM measurements showed that CFBE cells presented a higher membrane roughness and decreased rigidity as compared with 16HBE cells. CFBE overexpressing wtCFTR became more elongated than the parental CFBE cell line and presented actin stress fibers. CFBE cells absorbed more fluid from the apical compartment. Study of fluid absorption with the F-actin-depolymerizing agent Latrunculin B demonstrated that actin cytoskeletal disorganization increased fluid absorption, an effect observed at higher magnitude in 16HBE than in CFBE cells. For the first time, we demonstrate that actin cytoskeleton disorganization is reflected by AFM parameters in CF airway epithelial cells. Our data also strongly suggest that the lack of stress fibers is involved in at least one of the early step in CF pathophysiology at the levels of the airways, i.e. fluid hypersorption. - Highlights: • CF bronchial epithelial (CFBE) cells show a disorganized actin cytoskeleton. • CFBE cells present high roughness and low rigidity in the

Mechanical compression attenuates normal human bronchial epithelial wound healing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malavia Nikita

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Airway narrowing associated with chronic asthma results in the transmission of injurious compressive forces to the bronchial epithelium and promotes the release of pro-inflammatory mediators and the denudation of the bronchial epithelium. While the individual effects of compression or denudation are well characterized, there is no data to elucidate how these cells respond to the application of mechanical compression in the presence of a compromised epithelial layer. Methods Accordingly, differentiated normal human bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to one of four conditions: 1 unperturbed control cells, 2 single scrape wound only, 3 static compression (6 hours of 30 cmH2O, and 4 6 hours of static compression after a scrape wound. Following treatment, wound closure rate was recorded, media was assayed for mediator content and the cytoskeletal network was fluorescently labeled. Results We found that mechanical compression and scrape injury increase TGF-β2 and endothelin-1 secretion, while EGF content in the media is attenuated with both injury modes. The application of compression after a pre-existing scrape wound augmented these observations, and also decreased PGE2 media content. Compression stimulated depolymerization of the actin cytoskeleton and significantly attenuated wound healing. Closure rate was partially restored with the addition of exogenous PGE2, but not EGF. Conclusion Our results suggest that mechanical compression reduces the capacity of the bronchial epithelium to close wounds, and is, in part, mediated by PGE2 and a compromised cytoskeleton.

Gremlin Activates the Smad Pathway Linked to Epithelial Mesenchymal Transdifferentiation in Cultured Tubular Epithelial Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Raquel Rodrigues-Diez

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Gremlin is a developmental gene upregulated in human chronic kidney disease and in renal cells in response to transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β. Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT is one process involved in renal fibrosis. In tubular epithelial cells we have recently described that Gremlin induces EMT and acts as a downstream TGF-β mediator. Our aim was to investigate whether Gremlin participates in EMT by the regulation of the Smad pathway. Stimulation of human tubular epithelial cells (HK2 with Gremlin caused an early activation of the Smad signaling pathway (Smad 2/3 phosphorylation, nuclear translocation, and Smad-dependent gene transcription. The blockade of TGF-β, by a neutralizing antibody against active TGF-β, did not modify Gremlin-induced early Smad activation. These data show that Gremlin directly, by a TGF-β independent process, activates the Smad pathway. In tubular epithelial cells long-term incubation with Gremlin increased TGF-β production and caused a sustained Smad activation and a phenotype conversion into myofibroblasts-like cells. Smad 7 overexpression, which blocks Smad 2/3 activation, diminished EMT changes observed in Gremlin-transfected tubuloepithelial cells. TGF-β neutralization also diminished Gremlin-induced EMT changes. In conclusion, we propose that Gremlin could participate in renal fibrosis by inducing EMT in tubular epithelial cells through activation of Smad pathway and induction of TGF-β.

Morphology and some biomechanical properties of human liver and spleen

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Stingl, J.; Bača, V.; Čech, V.; Kovanda, J.; Kovandová, H.; Mandys, Václav; Rejmontová, J.; Sosna, B.

2002-01-01

Roč. 24, - (2002), s. 285-289 ISSN 0930-1038 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5039906 Keywords : Human liver and spleen Subject RIV: FE - Other Internal Medicine Disciplines Impact factor: 0.252, year: 2002

Human Skin Is the Largest Epithelial Surface for Interaction with Microbes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gallo, Richard L

2017-06-01

Human skin contains an abundant and diverse population of microbial organisms. Many of these microbes inhabit follicular structures of the skin. Furthermore, numerous studies have shown that the interaction of some members of the skin microbiome with host cells will result in changes in cell function. However, estimates of the potential for the microbiome to influence human health through skin have ignored the inner follicular surface, and therefore vastly underestimated the potential of the skin microbiome to have a systemic effect on the human body. By calculating the surface area of follicular and the interfollicular epithelial surface it is shown that skin provides a vast interface for interactions with the microbiome. Copyright © 2017 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparative proteome analysis of human epithelial ovarian cancer

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Gagné Jean-Philippe

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Epithelial ovarian cancer is a devastating disease associated with low survival prognosis mainly because of the lack of early detection markers and the asymptomatic nature of the cancer until late stage. Using two complementary proteomics approaches, a differential protein expression profile was carried out between low and highly transformed epithelial ovarian cancer cell lines which realistically mimic the phenotypic changes observed during evolution of a tumour metastasis. This investigation was aimed at a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying differentiation, proliferation and neoplastic progression of ovarian cancer. Results The quantitative profiling of epithelial ovarian cancer model cell lines TOV-81D and TOV-112D generated using iTRAQ analysis and two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled to liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry revealed some proteins with altered expression levels. Several of these proteins have been the object of interest in cancer research but others were unrecognized as differentially expressed in a context of ovarian cancer. Among these, series of proteins involved in transcriptional activity, cellular metabolism, cell adhesion or motility and cytoskeleton organization were identified, suggesting their possible role in the emergence of oncogenic pathways leading to aggressive cellular behavior. Conclusion The differential protein expression profile generated by the two proteomics approaches combined to complementary characterizations studies will open the way to more exhaustive and systematic representation of the disease and will provide valuable information that may be helpful to uncover the molecular mechanisms related to epithelial ovarian cancer.

Scavenger receptors in human airway epithelial cells: role in response to double-stranded RNA.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Audrey Dieudonné

Full Text Available Scavenger receptors and Toll-like receptors (TLRs cooperate in response to danger signals to adjust the host immune response. The TLR3 agonist double stranded (dsRNA is an efficient activator of innate signalling in bronchial epithelial cells. In this study, we aimed at defining the role played by scavenger receptors expressed by bronchial epithelial cells in the control of the innate response to dsRNA both in vitro and in vivo. Expression of several scavenger receptor involved in pathogen recognition was first evaluated in human bronchial epithelial cells in steady-state and inflammatory conditions. Their implication in the uptake of dsRNA and the subsequent cell activation was evaluated in vitro by competition with ligand of scavenger receptors including maleylated ovalbumin and by RNA silencing. The capacity of maleylated ovalbumin to modulate lung inflammation induced by dsRNA was also investigated in mice. Exposure to tumor necrosis factor-α increased expression of the scavenger receptors LOX-1 and CXCL16 and the capacity to internalize maleylated ovalbumin, whereas activation by TLR ligands did not. In contrast, the expression of SR-B1 was not modulated in these conditions. Interestingly, supplementation with maleylated ovalbumin limited dsRNA uptake and inhibited subsequent activation of bronchial epithelial cells. RNA silencing of LOX-1 and SR-B1 strongly blocked the dsRNA-induced cytokine production. Finally, administration of maleylated ovalbumin in mice inhibited the dsRNA-induced infiltration and activation of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar spaces and lung draining lymph nodes. Together, our data characterize the function of SR-B1 and LOX-1 in bronchial epithelial cells and their implication in dsRNA-induced responses, a finding that might be relevant during respiratory viral infections.

In vitro effects of three blood derivatives on human corneal epithelial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Freire, Vanesa; Andollo, Noelia; Etxebarria, Jaime; Durán, Juan A; Morales, María-Celia

2012-08-15

We compared the effects of three blood derivatives, autologous serum (AS), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and serum derived from plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF), on a human corneal epithelial (HCE) cell line to evaluate their potential as an effective treatment for corneal epithelial disorders. The concentrations of epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and fibronectin were quantified by ELISA. The proliferation and viability of HCE cells were measured by an 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay. Cell morphology was assessed by phase-contrast microscopy. The patterns of expression of several connexin, involucrin, and integrin α6 genes were analyzed by real-time RT-PCR. We found significantly higher levels of EGF in PRGF compared to AS and PRP. However, AS and PRGF induced robust proliferation of HCE cells. In addition, PRGF cultured cells grew as heterogeneous colonies, exhibiting differentiated and non-differentiated cell phenotypes, whereas AS- and PRP-treated cultures exhibited quite homogeneous colonies. Finally, PRGF upregulated the expression of several genes associated with communication and cell differentiation, in comparison to AS or PRP. PRGF promotes biological processes required for corneal epithelialization, such as proliferation and differentiation. Since PRGF effects are similar to those associated with routinely used blood derivatives, the present findings warrant further research on PRGF as a novel alternative treatment for ocular surface diseases.

A Nonhuman Primate Model of Human Radiation-Induced Venocclusive Liver Disease and Hepatocyte Injury

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Yannam, Govardhana Rao [Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska (United States); Han, Bing [Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an, Shaanxi (China); Setoyama, Kentaro [Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); Yamamoto, Toshiyuki [Department of Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska (United States); Ito, Ryotaro; Brooks, Jenna M. [Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); Guzman-Lepe, Jorge [Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); Department of Pathology, Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); Galambos, Csaba [Department of Pathology, Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); Fong, Jason V. [Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); Deutsch, Melvin; Quader, Mubina A. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); Yamanouchi, Kosho [Department of Radiation Oncology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York (United States); Marion Bessin Liver Research Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York (United States); Kabarriti, Rafi; Mehta, Keyur [Department of Radiation Oncology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York (United States); Soto-Gutierrez, Alejandro [Department of Pathology, Children' s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (United States); and others

2014-02-01

Background: Human liver has an unusual sensitivity to radiation that limits its use in cancer therapy or in preconditioning for hepatocyte transplantation. Because the characteristic veno-occlusive lesions of radiation-induced liver disease do not occur in rodents, there has been no experimental model to investigate the limits of safe radiation therapy or explore the pathogenesis of hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Methods and Materials: We performed a dose-escalation study in a primate, the cynomolgus monkey, using hypofractionated stereotactic body radiotherapy in 13 animals. Results: At doses ≥40 Gy, animals developed a systemic syndrome resembling human radiation-induced liver disease, consisting of decreased albumin, elevated alkaline phosphatase, loss of appetite, ascites, and normal bilirubin. Higher radiation doses were lethal, causing severe disease that required euthanasia approximately 10 weeks after radiation. Even at lower doses in which radiation-induced liver disease was mild or nonexistent, latent and significant injury to hepatocytes was demonstrated by asialoglycoprotein-mediated functional imaging. These monkeys developed hepatic failure with encephalopathy when they received parenteral nutrition containing high concentrations of glucose. Histologically, livers showed central obstruction via an unusual intimal swelling that progressed to central fibrosis. Conclusions: The cynomolgus monkey, as the first animal model of human veno-occlusive radiation-induced liver disease, provides a resource for characterizing the early changes and pathogenesis of venocclusion, for establishing nonlethal therapeutic dosages, and for examining experimental therapies to minimize radiation injury.

A Nonhuman Primate Model of Human Radiation-Induced Venocclusive Liver Disease and Hepatocyte Injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yannam, Govardhana Rao; Han, Bing; Setoyama, Kentaro; Yamamoto, Toshiyuki; Ito, Ryotaro; Brooks, Jenna M.; Guzman-Lepe, Jorge; Galambos, Csaba; Fong, Jason V.; Deutsch, Melvin; Quader, Mubina A.; Yamanouchi, Kosho; Kabarriti, Rafi; Mehta, Keyur; Soto-Gutierrez, Alejandro

2014-01-01

Background: Human liver has an unusual sensitivity to radiation that limits its use in cancer therapy or in preconditioning for hepatocyte transplantation. Because the characteristic veno-occlusive lesions of radiation-induced liver disease do not occur in rodents, there has been no experimental model to investigate the limits of safe radiation therapy or explore the pathogenesis of hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Methods and Materials: We performed a dose-escalation study in a primate, the cynomolgus monkey, using hypofractionated stereotactic body radiotherapy in 13 animals. Results: At doses ≥40 Gy, animals developed a systemic syndrome resembling human radiation-induced liver disease, consisting of decreased albumin, elevated alkaline phosphatase, loss of appetite, ascites, and normal bilirubin. Higher radiation doses were lethal, causing severe disease that required euthanasia approximately 10 weeks after radiation. Even at lower doses in which radiation-induced liver disease was mild or nonexistent, latent and significant injury to hepatocytes was demonstrated by asialoglycoprotein-mediated functional imaging. These monkeys developed hepatic failure with encephalopathy when they received parenteral nutrition containing high concentrations of glucose. Histologically, livers showed central obstruction via an unusual intimal swelling that progressed to central fibrosis. Conclusions: The cynomolgus monkey, as the first animal model of human veno-occlusive radiation-induced liver disease, provides a resource for characterizing the early changes and pathogenesis of venocclusion, for establishing nonlethal therapeutic dosages, and for examining experimental therapies to minimize radiation injury

Three-Dimensional Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Derived Hepatic Endoderm and Its Role in Bioartificial Liver Construction

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Ruchi Sharma

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The liver carries out a range of functions essential for bodily homeostasis. The impairment of liver functions has serious implications and is responsible for high rates of patient morbidity and mortality. Presently, liver transplantation remains the only effective treatment, but donor availability is a major limitation. Therefore, artificial and bioartificial liver devices have been developed to bridge patients to liver transplantation. Existing support devices improve hepatic encephalopathy to a certain extent; however their usage is associated with side effects. The major hindrance in the development of bioartificial liver devices and cellular therapies is the limited availability of human hepatocytes. Moreover, primary hepatocytes are difficult to maintain and lose hepatic identity and function over time even with sophisticated tissue culture media. To overcome this limitation, renewable cell sources are being explored. Human embryonic stem cells are one such cellular resource and have been shown to generate a reliable and reproducible supply of human hepatic endoderm. Therefore, the use of human embryonic stem cell-derived hepatic endoderm in combination with tissue engineering has the potential to pave the way for the development of novel bioartificial liver devices and predictive drug toxicity assays.

Human Ocular Epithelial Cells Endogenously Expressing SOX2 and OCT4 Yield High Efficiency of Pluripotency Reprogramming.

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Ming-Wai Poon

Full Text Available A variety of pluripotency reprogramming frequencies from different somatic cells has been observed, indicating cell origin is a critical contributor for efficiency of pluripotency reprogramming. Identifying the cell sources for efficient induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs generation, and defining its advantages or disadvantages on reprogramming, is therefore important. Human ocular tissue-derived conjunctival epithelial cells (OECs exhibited endogenous expression of reprogramming factors OCT4A (the specific OCT 4 isoform on pluripotency reprogramming and SOX2. We therefore determined whether OECs could be used for high efficiency of iPSCs generation. We compared the endogenous expression levels of four pluripotency factors and the pluripotency reprograming efficiency of human OECs with that of ocular stromal cells (OSCs. Real-time PCR, microarray analysis, Western blotting and immunostaining assays were employed to compare OECiPSCs with OSCiPSCs on molecular bases of reprogramming efficiency and preferred lineage-differentiation potential. Using the traditional KMOS (KLF4, C-MYC, OCT4 and SOX2 reprogramming protocol, we confirmed that OECs, endogenously expressing reprogramming factors OCT4A and SOX2, yield very high efficiency of iPSCs generation (~1.5%. Furthermore, higher efficiency of retinal pigmented epithelial differentiation (RPE cells was observed in OECiPSCs compared to OSCiPSCs or skin fibroblast iMR90iPSCs. The findings in this study suggest that conjunctival-derived epithelial (OECs cells can be easier converted to iPSCs than conjunctival-derived stromal cells (OSCs. This cell type may also have advantages in retinal pigmented epithelial differentiation.

Human Ocular Epithelial Cells Endogenously Expressing SOX2 and OCT4 Yield High Efficiency of Pluripotency Reprogramming.

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Poon, Ming-Wai; He, Jia; Fang, Xiaowei; Zhang, Zhao; Wang, Weixin; Wang, Junwen; Qiu, Fangfang; Tse, Hung-Fat; Li, Wei; Liu, Zuguo; Lian, Qizhou

2015-01-01

A variety of pluripotency reprogramming frequencies from different somatic cells has been observed, indicating cell origin is a critical contributor for efficiency of pluripotency reprogramming. Identifying the cell sources for efficient induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generation, and defining its advantages or disadvantages on reprogramming, is therefore important. Human ocular tissue-derived conjunctival epithelial cells (OECs) exhibited endogenous expression of reprogramming factors OCT4A (the specific OCT 4 isoform on pluripotency reprogramming) and SOX2. We therefore determined whether OECs could be used for high efficiency of iPSCs generation. We compared the endogenous expression levels of four pluripotency factors and the pluripotency reprograming efficiency of human OECs with that of ocular stromal cells (OSCs). Real-time PCR, microarray analysis, Western blotting and immunostaining assays were employed to compare OECiPSCs with OSCiPSCs on molecular bases of reprogramming efficiency and preferred lineage-differentiation potential. Using the traditional KMOS (KLF4, C-MYC, OCT4 and SOX2) reprogramming protocol, we confirmed that OECs, endogenously expressing reprogramming factors OCT4A and SOX2, yield very high efficiency of iPSCs generation (~1.5%). Furthermore, higher efficiency of retinal pigmented epithelial differentiation (RPE cells) was observed in OECiPSCs compared to OSCiPSCs or skin fibroblast iMR90iPSCs. The findings in this study suggest that conjunctival-derived epithelial (OECs) cells can be easier converted to iPSCs than conjunctival-derived stromal cells (OSCs). This cell type may also have advantages in retinal pigmented epithelial differentiation.

INHIBITION OF PROTEIN TYROSINE PHOSPHATASE ACTIVITY MEDIATES EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTOR SIGNALING IN HUMAN AIRWAY EPITHELIAL CELLS

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Epidemiological studies have implicated zinc in the toxicity of ambient particulate matter (PM) inhalation. We previously showed that exposure to metal-laden PM inhibits protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) activity in human primary bronchial epithelial cells (HAEC) and leads t...

Construction of predictive promoter models on the example of antibacterial response of human epithelial cells

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Wingender Edgar

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Binding of a bacteria to a eukaryotic cell triggers a complex network of interactions in and between both cells. P. aeruginosa is a pathogen that causes acute and chronic lung infections by interacting with the pulmonary epithelial cells. We use this example for examining the ways of triggering the response of the eukaryotic cell(s, leading us to a better understanding of the details of the inflammatory process in general. Results Considering a set of genes co-expressed during the antibacterial response of human lung epithelial cells, we constructed a promoter model for the search of additional target genes potentially involved in the same cell response. The model construction is based on the consideration of pair-wise combinations of transcription factor binding sites (TFBS. It has been shown that the antibacterial response of human epithelial cells is triggered by at least two distinct pathways. We therefore supposed that there are two subsets of promoters activated by each of them. Optimally, they should be "complementary" in the sense of appearing in complementary subsets of the (+-training set. We developed the concept of complementary pairs, i.e., two mutually exclusive pairs of TFBS, each of which should be found in one of the two complementary subsets. Conclusions We suggest a simple, but exhaustive method for searching for TFBS pairs which characterize the whole (+-training set, as well as for complementary pairs. Applying this method, we came up with a promoter model of antibacterial response genes that consists of one TFBS pair which should be found in the whole training set and four complementary pairs. We applied this model to screening of 13,000 upstream regions of human genes and identified 430 new target genes which are potentially involved in antibacterial defense mechanisms.

In vitro expansion of human gastric epithelial stem cells and their responses to bacterial infection

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bartfeld, Sina; Bayram, Tülay; van de Wetering, Marc; Huch, Meritxell; Begthel, Harry; Kujala, Pekka; Vries, Robert; Peters, Peter J; Clevers, Hans

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We previously established long-term, 3-dimensional culture of organoids from mouse tissues (intestine, stomach, pancreas, and liver) and human intestine and pancreas. Here we describe conditions required for long-term 3-dimensional culture of human gastric stem cells. The

Quantitative changes in human epithelial cancers and osteogenesis imperfecta disease detected using nonlinear multicontrast microscopy

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Adur, Javier; Pelegati, Vitor B.; de Thomaz, Andre A.; D'Souza-Li, Lilia; Assunção, Maria do Carmo; Bottcher-Luiz, Fátima; Andrade, Liliana A. L. A.; Cesar, Carlos L.

2012-08-01

We show that combined multimodal nonlinear optical (NLO) microscopies, including two-photon excitation fluorescence, second-harmonic generation (SHG), third harmonic generation, and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) can be used to detect morphological and metabolic changes associated with stroma and epithelial transformation during the progression of cancer and osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) disease. NLO microscopes provide complementary information about tissue microstructure, showing distinctive patterns for different types of human breast cancer, mucinous ovarian tumors, and skin dermis of patients with OI. Using a set of scoring methods (anisotropy, correlation, uniformity, entropy, and lifetime components), we found significant differences in the content, distribution and organization of collagen fibrils in the stroma of breast and ovary as well as in the dermis of skin. We suggest that our results provide a framework for using NLO techniques as a clinical diagnostic tool for human cancer and OI. We further suggest that the SHG and FLIM metrics described could be applied to other connective or epithelial tissue disorders that are characterized by abnormal cells proliferation and collagen assembly.

Metabolism of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to 2-oxo-3-hydroxy LSD (O-H-LSD) in human liver microsomes and cryopreserved human hepatocytes.

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Klette, K L; Anderson, C J; Poch, G K; Nimrod, A C; ElSohly, M A

2000-10-01

The metabolism of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to 2-oxo-3-hydroxy lysergic acid diethylamide (O-H-LSD) was investigated in liver microsomes and cyropreserved hepatocytes from humans. Previous studies have demonstrated that O-H-LSD is present in human urine at concentrations 16-43 times greater than LSD, the parent compound. Additionally, these studies have determined that O-H-LSD is not generated during the specimen extraction and analytical processes or due to parent compound degradation in aqueous urine samples. However, these studies have not been conclusive in demonstrating that O-H-LSD is uniquely produced during in vivo metabolism. Phase I drug metabolism was investigated by incubating human liver microsomes and cryopreserved human hepatocytes with LSD. The reaction was quenched at various time points, and the aliquots were extracted using liquid partitioning and analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. O-H-LSD was positively identified in all human liver microsomal and human hepatocyte fractions incubated with LSD. In addition, O-H-LSD was not detected in any microsomal or hepatocyte fraction not treated with LSD nor in LSD specimens devoid of microsomes or hepatocytes. This study provides definitive evidence that O-H-LSD is produced as a metabolic product following incubation of human liver microsomes and hepatocytes with LSD.

Human airway epithelial cell cultures for modeling respiratory syncytial virus infection.

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Pickles, Raymond J

2013-01-01

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important human respiratory pathogen with narrow species tropism. Limited availability of human pathologic specimens during early RSV-induced lung disease and ethical restrictions for RSV challenge studies in the lower airways of human volunteers has slowed our understanding of how RSV causes airway disease and greatly limited the development of therapeutic strategies for reducing RSV disease burden. Our current knowledge of RSV infection and pathology is largely based on in vitro studies using nonpolarized epithelial cell-lines grown on plastic or in vivo studies using animal models semipermissive for RSV infection. Although these models have revealed important aspects of RSV infection, replication, and associated inflammatory responses, these models do not broadly recapitulate the early interactions and potential consequences of RSV infection of the human columnar airway epithelium in vivo. In this chapter, the pro et contra of in vitro models of human columnar airway epithelium and their usefulness in respiratory virus pathogenesis and vaccine development studies will be discussed. The use of such culture models to predict characteristics of RSV infection and the correlation of these findings to the human in vivo situation will likely accelerate our understanding of RSV pathogenesis potentially identifying novel strategies for limiting the severity of RSV-associated airway disease.

Extended normothermic extracorporeal perfusion of isolated human liver after warm ischaemia: a preliminary report.

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Bellomo, Rinaldo; Marino, Bruno; Starkey, Graeme; Fink, Michael; Wang, Bao Zhong; Eastwood, Glenn M; Peck, Leah; Young, Helen; Houston, Shane; Skene, Alison; Opdam, Helen; Jones, Robert

2014-09-01

Donation after circulatory death (DCD) livers are at markedly increased risk of primary graft dysfunction and biliary tract ischaemia. Normothermic extracorporeal liver perfusion (NELP) may increase the ability to transplant DCD livers and may allow their use for artificial extracorporeal liver support of patients with fulminant liver failure. We conducted two proof-of-concept experiments using human livers after DCD to assess the feasibility and functional efficacy of NELP over an extended period. We applied extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, parenteral nutrition, separate hepatic artery and portal vein perfusion and physiological perfusion pressures to two livers obtained after DCD. We achieved NELP and evidence of liver function (bile production, paracetamol removal and maintenance of normal lactate levels) in both livers; one for 24 hours and the other for 43 hours. Histological examination showed areas of patchy ischaemia but preserved biliary ducts and canaliculi. Our experiments justify further investigations of the feasibility and efficacy of extended DCD liver preservation by ex-vivo perfusion.

Mesenchymal precursor cells maintain the differentiation and proliferation potentials of breast epithelial cells

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2014-01-01

Introduction Stromal-epithelial interactions play a fundamental role in tissue homeostasis, controlling cell proliferation and differentiation. Not surprisingly, aberrant stromal-epithelial interactions contribute to malignancies. Studies of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these interactions require ex vivo experimental model systems that recapitulate the complexity of human tissue without compromising the differentiation and proliferation potentials of human primary cells. Methods We isolated and characterized human breast epithelial and mesenchymal precursors from reduction mammoplasty tissue and tagged them with lentiviral vectors. We assembled heterotypic co-cultures and compared mesenchymal and epithelial cells to cells in corresponding monocultures by analyzing growth, differentiation potentials, and gene expression profiles. Results We show that heterotypic culture of non-immortalized human primary breast epithelial and mesenchymal precursors maintains their proliferation and differentiation potentials and constrains their growth. We further describe the gene expression profiles of stromal and epithelial cells in co-cultures and monocultures and show increased expression of the tumor growth factor beta (TGFβ) family member inhibin beta A (INHBA) in mesenchymal cells grown as co-cultures compared with monocultures. Notably, overexpression of INHBA in mesenchymal cells increases colony formation potential of epithelial cells, suggesting that it contributes to the dynamic reciprocity between breast mesenchymal and epithelial cells. Conclusions The described heterotypic co-culture system will prove useful for further characterization of the molecular mechanisms mediating interactions between human normal or neoplastic breast epithelial cells and the stroma, and will provide a framework to test the relevance of the ever-increasing number of oncogenomic alterations identified in human breast cancer. PMID:24916766

Mechanism of cigarette smoke condensate-induced acute inflammatory response in human bronchial epithelial cells

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Mohapatra Shyam S

2002-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background To demonstrate the involvement of tobacco smoking in the pathophysiology of lung disease, the responses of pulmonary epithelial cells to cigarette smoke condensate (CSC — the particulate fraction of tobacco smoke — were examined. Methods The human alveolar epithelial cell line A549 and normal human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBEs were exposed to 0.4 μg/ml CSC, a concentration that resulted in >90% cell survival and Results NHBEs exposed to CSC showed increased expression of the inflammatory mediators sICAM-1, IL-1β, IL-8 and GM-CSF, as determined by RT-PCR. CSC-induced IL-1β expression was reduced by PD98059, a blocker of mitogen-actived protein kinase (MAPK kinase (MEK, and by PDTC, a NFκB inhibitor. Analysis of intracellular signaling pathways, using antibodies specific for phosphorylated MAPKs (extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK]-1/2, demonstrated an increased level of phosphorylated ERK1/2 with increasing CSC concentration. Nuclear localization of phosphorylated ERK1/2 was seen within 30 min of CSC exposure and was inhibited by PD98059. Increased phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of IκB was also seen after CSC exposure. A549 cells transfected with a luciferase reporter plasmid containing a NFκB-inducible promoter sequence and exposed to CSC (0.4 μg/ml or TNF-α (50 ng/ml had an increased reporter activity of approximately 2-fold for CSC and 3.5-fold for TNF-α relative to untreated controls. Conclusion The acute phase response of NHBEs to cigarette smoke involves activation of both MAPK and NFκB.

Zyxin regulates migration of renal epithelial cells through activation of hepatocyte nuclear factor-1β.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Yun-Hee; McNally, Brian T; Igarashi, Peter

2013-07-01

Hepatocyte nuclear factor-1β (HNF-1β) is an epithelial tissue-specific transcription factor that regulates gene expression in the kidney, liver, pancreas, intestine, and other organs. Mutations of HNF-1β in humans produce renal cysts and congenital kidney anomalies. Here, we identify the LIM-domain protein zyxin as a novel binding partner of HNF-1β in renal epithelial cells. Zyxin shuttles to the nucleus where it colocalizes with HNF-1β. Immunoprecipitation of zyxin in leptomycin B-treated cells results in coprecipitation of HNF-1β. The protein interaction requires the second LIM domain of zyxin and two distinct domains of HNF-1β. Overexpression of zyxin stimulates the transcriptional activity of HNF-1β, whereas small interfering RNA silencing of zyxin inhibits HNF-1β-dependent transcription. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) induces translocation of zyxin into the nucleus and stimulates HNF-1β-dependent promoter activity. The EGF-mediated nuclear translocation of zyxin requires activation of Akt. Expression of dominant-negative mutant HNF-1β, knockdown of zyxin, or inhibition of Akt inhibits EGF-stimulated cell migration. These findings reveal a novel pathway by which extracellular signals are transmitted to the nucleus to regulate the activity of a transcription factor that is essential for renal epithelial differentiation.

Identification of H-Ras-Specific Motif for the Activation of Invasive Signaling Program in Human Breast Epithelial Cells

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Hae-Young Yong

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Increased expression and/or activation of H-Ras are often associated with tumor aggressiveness in breast cancer. Previously, we showed that H-Ras, but not N-Ras, induces MCF10A human breast epithelial cell invasion and migration, whereas both H-Ras and N-Ras induce cell proliferation and phenotypic transformation. In an attempt to determine the sequence requirement directing the divergent phenotype induced by H-Ras and N-Ras with a focus on the induction of human breast cell invasion, we investigated the structural and functional relationships between H-Ras and N-Ras using domain-swap and site-directed mutagenesis approaches. Here, we report that the hypervariable region (HVR, consisting of amino acids 166 to 189 in H-Ras, determines the invasive/migratory signaling program as shown by the exchange of invasive phenotype by swapping HVR sequences between H-Ras and N-Ras. We also demonstrate that the H-Ras-specific additional palmitoylation site at Cys184 is not responsible for the signaling events that distinguish between H-Ras and N-Ras. Importantly, this work identifies the C-terminal HVR, especially the flexible linker domain with two consecutive proline residues Pro173 and Pro174, as a critical domain that contributes to activation of H-Ras and its invasive potential in human breast epithelial cells. The present study sheds light on the structural basis for the Ras isoform-specific invasive program of breast epithelial cells, providing information for the development of agents that specifically target invasion-related H-Ras pathways in human cancer.

Transcriptional regulation of the human Na+/H+ exchanger NHE3 by serotonin in intestinal epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amin, Md Ruhul; Ghannad, Leda; Othman, Ahmad; Gill, Ravinder K.; Dudeja, Pradeep K.; Ramaswamy, Krishnamurthy; Malakooti, Jaleh

2009-01-01

Serotonin (5-HT) decreases NHE2 and NHE3 activities under acute conditions in human intestinal epithelial cells. Here, we have investigated the effects of 5-HT on expression of the human NHE3 gene and the mechanisms underlying its transcriptional regulation in differentiated C2BBe1 cells. Treatment of the human intestinal epithelial cell line, C2BBe1, with 5-HT (20 μM) resulted in a significant decrease in NHE3 mRNA and protein expression. In transient transfection studies, 5-HT repressed the NHE3 promoter activity by ∼55%. The repression of the NHE3 promoter activity in response to 5-HT was accompanied by reduced DNA-binding activity of transcription factors Sp1 and Sp3 to the NHE3 promoter without alteration in their nuclear levels. Pharmacological inhibitors of protein kinase C reversed the inhibitory effect of 5-HT on the promoter activity. Our data indicate that 5-HT suppresses the transcriptional activity of the NHE3 promoter and this effect may be mediated by PKCα and modulation of DNA-binding affinities of Sp1 and Sp3.

Pentose pathway in human liver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magnusson, I.; Chandramouli, V.; Schumann, W.C.; Kumaran, K.; Wahren, J.; Landau, B.R.

1988-01-01

[1- 14 C]Ribose and [1- 14 C]glucose were given to normal subjects along with glucose loads (1 g per kg of body weight) after administration of diflunisal and acetaminophen, drugs that are excreted in urine as glucuronides. Distributions of 14 C were determined in the carbons of the excreted glucoronides and in the glucose from blood samples drawn from hepatic veins before and after glucagon administration. Eighty percent or more of the 14 C from [1- 14 C]ribose incorporated into the glucuronic acid moiety of the glucuronides was in carbons 1 and 3, with less than 8% in carbon 2. In glucuronic acid from glucuronide excreted when [2- 14 C]glucose was given, 3.5-8.1% of the 14 C was in carbon 1, 2.5-4.3% in carbon 3, and more than 70% in carbon 2. These distributions are in accord with the glucuronides sampling the glucose unit of the glucose 6-phosphate pool that is a component of the pentose pathway and is intermediate in glycogen formation. It is concluded that the glucuronic acid conjugates of the drugs can serve as a noninvasive means of sampling hepatic glucose 6-phosphate. In human liver, as in animal liver, the classical pentose pathway functions, not the L-type pathway, and only a small percentage of the glucose is metabolized via the pathway

Effect of resveratrol and zinc on intracellular zinc status in normal human prostate epithelial cells

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To evaluate the influence of resveratrol on cellular zinc status, normal human prostate epithelial (NHPrE) cells were treated with 6 levels of resveratrol (0, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5 and 10 microM) and 4 levels of zinc [0, 4, 16, and 32 microM for zinc-deficient (ZD), zinc-normal (ZN), zinc-adequate (ZA), an...

Therapeutic efficacy of human hepatocyte transplantation in a SCID/uPA mouse model with inducible liver disease.

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Donna N Douglas

2010-02-01

Full Text Available Severe Combined Immune Deficient (SCID/Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator (uPA mice undergo liver failure and are useful hosts for the propagation of transplanted human hepatocytes (HH which must compete with recipient-derived hepatocytes for replacement of the diseased liver parenchyma. While partial replacement by HH has proven useful for studies with Hepatitis C virus, complete replacement of SCID/uPA mouse liver by HH has never been achieved and limits the broader application of these mice for other areas of biomedical research. The herpes simplex virus type-1 thymidine kinase (HSVtk/ganciclovir (GCV system is a powerful tool for cell-specific ablation in transgenic animals. The aim of this study was to selectively eliminate murine-derived parenchymal liver cells from humanized SCID/uPA mouse liver in order to achieve mice with completely humanized liver parenchyma. Thus, we reproduced the HSVtk (vTK/GCV system of hepatic failure in SCID/uPA mice.In vitro experiments demonstrated efficient killing of vTK expressing hepatoma cells after GCV treatment. For in vivo experiments, expression of vTK was targeted to the livers of FVB/N and SCID/uPA mice. Hepatic sensitivity to GCV was first established in FVB/N mice since these mice do not undergo liver failure inherent to SCID/uPA mice. Hepatic vTK expression was found to be an integral component of GCV-induced pathologic and biochemical alterations and caused death due to liver dysfunction in vTK transgenic FVB/N and non-transplanted SCID/uPA mice. In SCID/uPA mice with humanized liver, vTK/GCV caused death despite extensive replacement of the mouse liver parenchyma with HH (ranging from 32-87%. Surprisingly, vTK/GCV-dependent apoptosis and mitochondrial aberrations were also localized to bystander vTK-negative HH.Extensive replacement of mouse liver parenchyma by HH does not provide a secure therapeutic advantage against vTK/GCV-induced cytotoxicity targeted to residual mouse hepatocytes

Anti-Cytotoxic and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of the Macrolide Antibiotic Roxithromycin in Sulfur Mustard-Exposed Human Airway Epithelial Cells

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gao1, Radharaman Ray2, Yan Xiao3, Peter E. Barker3 and Prab, Xiugong

2006-01-01

.... In this study, the anti-cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory effects of a representative macrolide antibiotic, roxithromycin, were tested in vitro using SM-exposed normal human small airway epithelial (SAE...

Toxic response of nickel nanoparticles in human lung epithelial A549 cells.

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Ahamed, Maqusood

2011-06-01

Nickel nanoparticle (Ni NP) is increasingly used in modern industries such as catalysts, sensors and electronic applications. Due to wide-spread industrial applications the inhalation is the primary source of exposure to Ni NPs. However, data demonstrating the effect of Ni NPs on the pulmonary system remain scarce. The present study was designed to examine the toxic effect of human lung epithelial A549 cells treated with well characterized Ni NPs at the concentrations of 0, 1, 2, 5, 10 and 25 μg/ml for 24 and 48 h. Mitochondrial function (MTT assay), membrane leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH assay), reduced glutathione (GSH), reactive oxygen species (ROS), membrane lipid peroxidation (LPO) and caspase-3 activity were assessed as toxicity end points. Results showed that Ni NPs reduced mitochondrial function and induced the leakage of LDH in dose and time-dependent manner. Ni NPs were also found to induce oxidative stress in dose and time-dependent manner indicated by depletion of GSH and induction of ROS and LPO. Further, activity of caspase-3 enzyme, marker of apoptosis was significantly higher in treated cells with time and Ni NPs dosage. The results exhibited significant toxicity of Ni NPs in human lung epithelial A549 cells which is likely to be mediated through oxidative stress. This study warrants more careful assessment of Ni NPs before their industrial applications. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rapid increase of bile salt secretion is associated with bile duct injury after human liver transplantation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geuken, Erwin; Visser, Dorien; Kuipers, Folkert; Blokzijl, Hans; Leuvenink, Henri G. D.; de Jong, Koert P.; Peeters, Paul M. J. G.; Jansen, Peter L. M.; Slooff, Maarten J. H.; Gouw, Annette S. H.; Porte, Robert J.

2004-01-01

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Biliary strictures are a serious cause of morbidity after liver transplantation. We have studied the role of altered bile composition as a mechanism of bile duct injury after human liver transplantation. METHODS: In 28 liver transplant recipients, bile samples were collected daily

Rapid increase of bile salt secretion is associated with bile duct injury after human liver transplantation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geuken, E; Visser, D; Kuipers, F; Blokzijl, H; Leuvenink, HGD; de Jong, KP; Peeters, PMJG; Jansen, PLM; Slooff, MJH; Gouw, ASH; Porte, RJ

2004-01-01

Background/Aims: Biliary strictures are a serious cause of morbidity after liver transplantation. We have studied the role of altered bile composition as a mechanism of bile duct injury after human liver transplantation. Methods: In 28 liver transplant recipients, bile samples were collected daily

Hydrogen peroxide stimulates cell motile activity through LPA receptor-3 in liver epithelial WB-F344 cells

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Shibata, Ayano; Tanabe, Eriko; Inoue, Serina; Kitayoshi, Misaho; Okimoto, Souta; Hirane, Miku; Araki, Mutsumi [Division of Cancer Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kinki University, 3-4-1, Kowakae, Higashiosaka, Osaka 577-8502 (Japan); Fukushima, Nobuyuki [Division of Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kinki University, 3-4-1, Kowakae, Higashiosaka, Osaka 577-8502 (Japan); Tsujiuchi, Toshifumi, E-mail: ttujiuch@life.kindai.ac.jp [Division of Cancer Biology and Bioinformatics, Department of Life Science, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kinki University, 3-4-1, Kowakae, Higashiosaka, Osaka 577-8502 (Japan)

2013-04-12

Highlights: •Hydrogen peroxide stimulates cell motility of WB-F344 cells. •LPA{sub 3} is induced by hydrogen peroxide in WB-F344 cells. •Cell motility by hydrogen peroxide is inhibited in LPA{sub 3} knockdown cells. •LPA signaling is involved in cell migration by hydrogen peroxide. -- Abstract: Hydrogen peroxide which is one of reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediates a variety of biological responses, including cell proliferation and migration. In the present study, we investigated whether lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) signaling is involved in cell motile activity stimulated by hydrogen peroxide. The rat liver epithelial WB-F344 cells were treated with hydrogen peroxide at 0.1 or 1 μM for 48 h. In cell motility assays, hydrogen peroxide treated cells showed significantly high cell motile activity, compared with untreated cells. To measure the expression levels of LPA receptor genes, quantitative real time RT-PCR analysis was performed. The expressions of LPA receptor-3 (Lpar3) in hydrogen peroxide treated cells were significantly higher than those in control cells, but not Lpar1 and Lpar2 genes. Next, to assess the effect of LPA{sub 3} on cell motile activity, the Lpar3 knockdown cells from WB-F344 cells were also treated with hydrogen peroxide. The cell motile activity of the knockdown cells was not stimulated by hydrogen peroxide. Moreover, in liver cancer cells, hydrogen peroxide significantly activated cell motility of Lpar3-expressing cells, but not Lpar3-unexpressing cells. These results suggest that LPA signaling via LPA{sub 3} may be mainly involved in cell motile activity of WB-F344 cells stimulated by hydrogen peroxide.

Portal Vein Tumor Thrombus of Liver Metastasis from Lung Cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryoko Ogawa

2009-01-01

Full Text Available We report a case of liver metastasis of lung carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT. Although the primary lesion of lung tumor remained unchanged, the patient rapidly developed wide-spread metastases and formed PVTT of liver metastasis. The primary lesion showed features of mixed Clara and bronchial surface epithelial cell component type adenocarcinoma with small foci of micropapillary pattern. Micropapillary pattern was observed in the metastatic lesions in the liver and PVTT. Micropapillary pattern lung adenocarcinoma may develop rapid metastases and cause PVTT associated with liver metastasis. We should perform a detailed examination to establish correct diagnosis.

Interferon-gamma increased epithelial barrier function via upregulating claudin-7 expression in human submandibular gland duct epithelium.

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Abe, Ayumi; Takano, Kenichi; Kojima, Takashi; Nomura, Kazuaki; Kakuki, Takuya; Kaneko, Yakuto; Yamamoto, Motohisa; Takahashi, Hiroki; Himi, Tetsuo

2016-06-01

Tight junctions (TJs) are necessary for salivary gland function and may serve as indicators of salivary gland epithelial dysfunction. IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a newly recognized fibro-inflammatory condition which disrupts the TJ associated epithelial barrier. The salivary glands are one of the most frequently involved organs in IgG4-RD, however, changes of the TJ associated epithelial barrier in salivary gland duct epithelium is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the regulation and function of TJs in human submandibular gland ductal epithelial cells (HSDECs) in normal and IgG4-RD. We examined submandibular gland (SMG) tissue from eight control individuals and 22 patients with IgG4-RD and established an HSDEC culture system. Immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry, western blotting, and measurement of transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) were performed. Claudin-4, claudin-7, occludin, and JAM-A were expressed at the apical side of the duct epithelium in submandibular gland (SMG) tissue and at the cell borders in HSDECs of normal and IgG4-RD. The expression and distribution of TJs in SMG tissue were not different in control individuals and patients with IgG4-RD in vivo and in vitro. Although interferon-gamma (IFNγ) generally disrupts the integrity and function of TJs, as manifested by decreased epithelial barrier function, IFNγ markedly increased the epithelial barrier function of HSDECs via upregulation of claudin-7 expression in HSDECs from patients with IgG4-RD. This is the first report showing an IFNγ-dependent increase in epithelial barrier function in the salivary gland duct epithelium. Our results provide insights into the functional significance of TJs in salivary gland duct epithelium in physiological and pathological conditions, including IgG4-RD.

Differential behavioral outcomes following neonatal versus fetal human retinal pigment epithelial cell striatal implants in parkinsonian rats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Russ, Kaspar; Flores, Joseph; Brudek, Tomasz

2017-01-01

Following the failure of a Phase II clinical study evaluating human retinal pigment epithelial (hRPE) cell implants as a potential treatment option for Parkinson's disease, speculation has centered on implant function and survival as possible contributors to the therapeutic outcomes. We recently ...

Cytogenetic characterization and H-ras associated transformation of immortalized human mammary epithelial cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Larivee Siobhan

2006-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Immortalization is a key step in malignant transformation, but immortalization alone is insufficient for transformation. Human mammary epithelial cell (HMEC transformation is a complex process that requires additional genetic changes beyond immortalization and can be accomplished in vitro by accumulation of genetic changes and expression of H-ras. Methods HMEC were immortalized by serial passaging and transduction with the catalytic subunit of the human telomerase gene (hTERT. The immortalized cells were passaged in vitro and studied by a combination of G- banding and Spectral Karyotyping (SKY. H-ras transduced, hTERT immortalized cells were cloned in soft agar and injected into nude mice. Extensive analysis was performed on the tumors that developed in nude mice, including immunohistochemistry and western blotting. Results Immortal HMEC alone were not tumorigenic in γ-irradiated nude mice and could not grow in soft agar. Late passage hTERT immortalized HMEC from a donor transduced with a retroviral vector containing the mutant, autoactive, human H-ras61L gene acquired anchorage independent growth properties and the capacity for tumorigenic growth in vivo. The tumors that developed in the nude mice were poorly differentiated epithelial carcinomas that continued to overexpress ras. These cells were resistant to doxorubicin mediated G1/S phase arrest but were sensitive to treatment with a farnesyltransferase inhibitor. Conclusion Some of the cytogenetic changes are similar to what is observed in premalignant and malignant breast lesions. Despite these changes, late passage immortal HMEC are not tumorigenic and could only be transformed with overexpression of a mutant H-ras oncogene.

Andrographolide suppresses epithelial mesenchymal transition by inhibition of MAPK signalling pathway in lens epithelial cells.

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Kayastha, Forum; Johar, Kaid; Gajjar, Devarshi; Arora, Anshul; Madhu, Hardik; Ganatra, Darshini; Vasavada, Abhay

2015-06-01

Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) of lens epithelial cells (LECs) may contribute to the development of posterior capsular opacification (PCO), which leads to visual impairment. Andrographolide has been shown to have therapeutic potential against various cancers. However, its effect on human LECs is still unknown. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of andrographolide on EMT induced by growth factors in the fetal human lens epithelial cell line (FHL 124). Initially the LECs were treated with growth factors (TGF-beta 2 and bFGF) to induce EMT. Subsequently these EMT-induced cells were treated with andrographolide at 100 and 500 nM concentrations for 24 h. Our results showed that FHL 124 cells treated with growth factors had a significant decrease in protein and m-RNA levels of epithelial markers pax6 and E-Cadherin. After administering andrographolide, these levels significantly increased. It was noticed that EMT markers alpha-SMA, fibronectin and collagen IV significantly decreased after treatment with andrographolide when compared to the other group. Treatment with andrographolide significantly inhibited phosphorylation of ERK and JNK. Cell cycle analysis showed that andrographolide did not arrest cells at G0/G1 or G2/M at tested concentrations. Our findings suggest that andrographolide helps sustain epithelial characteristics by modulating EMT markers and inhibiting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway in LECs. Hence it can prove to be useful in curbing EMT-mediated PCO.

In vivo time-harmonic multifrequency elastography of the human liver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tzschätzsch, Heiko; Guo, Jing; Streitberger, Kaspar-Josche; Fischer, Thomas; Sack, Ingolf; Ipek-Ugay, Selcan; Braun, Jürgen; Gentz, Enno; Klaua, Robert; Schultz, Michael

2014-01-01

Elastography is capable of noninvasively detecting hepatic fibrosis by imposing mechanical stress and measuring the viscoelastic response in the liver. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) relies on time-harmonic vibrations, while most dynamic ultrasound elastography methods employ transient stimulation methods. This study attempts to benefit from the advantages of time-harmonic tissue stimulation, i.e. relative insensitivity to obesity and ascites and mechanical approachability of the entire liver, and the advantages of ultrasound, i.e. time efficiency, low costs, and wide availability, by introducing in vivo time-harmonic elastography (THE) of the human liver using ultrasound and a broad range of harmonic stimulation frequencies. THE employs continuous harmonic shear vibrations at 7 frequencies from 30 to 60 Hz in a single examination and determines the elasticity and the viscosity of the liver from the dispersion of the shear wave speed within the applied frequency range. The feasibility of the method is demonstrated in the livers of eight healthy volunteers and a patient with cirrhosis. Multifrequency MRE at the same drive frequencies was used as elastographic reference method. Similar values of shear modulus and shear viscosity according the Kelvin–Voigt model were obtained by MRE and THE, indicating that the new method is suitable for in vivo quantification of the shear viscoelastic properties of the liver, however, in real-time and at a fraction of the costs of MRE. In conclusion, THE may provide a useful tool for fast assessment of the viscoelastic properties of the liver at low costs and without limitations in obesity, ascites or hemochromatosis. (paper)

Metabolism of styrene in the human liver in vitro: interindividual variation and enantioselectivity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wenker, M. A.; Kezić, S.; Monster, A. C.; de Wolff, F. A.

2001-01-01

1. The interindividual variation and enantioselectivity of the in vitro styrene oxidation by cytochrome P450 have been investigated in 20 human microsomal liver samples. Liver samples were genotyped for the CYP2E1*6 and CYP2E1*5B alleles. 2. Kinetic analysis indicated the presence of at least two

Susceptibility of Primary Human Choroid Plexus Epithelial Cells and Meningeal Cells to Infection by JC Virus.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Hara, Bethany A; Gee, Gretchen V; Atwood, Walter J; Haley, Sheila A

2018-04-15

JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) establishes a lifelong persistence in roughly half the human population worldwide. The cells and tissues that harbor persistent virus in vivo are not known, but renal tubules and other urogenital epithelial cells are likely candidates as virus is shed in the urine of healthy individuals. In an immunosuppressed host, JCPyV can become reactivated and cause progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a fatal demyelinating disease of the central nervous system. Recent observations indicate that JCPyV may productively interact with cells in the choroid plexus and leptomeninges. To further study JCPyV infection in these cells, primary human choroid plexus epithelial cells and meningeal cells were challenged with virus, and their susceptibility to infection was compared to the human glial cell line, SVG-A. We found that JCPyV productively infects both choroid plexus epithelial cells and meningeal cells in vitro Competition with the soluble receptor fragment LSTc reduced virus infection in these cells. Treatment of cells with neuraminidase also inhibited both viral infection and binding. Treatment with the serotonin receptor antagonist, ritanserin, reduced infection in SVG-A and meningeal cells. We also compared the ability of wild-type and sialic acid-binding mutant pseudoviruses to transduce these cells. Wild-type pseudovirus readily transduced all three cell types, but pseudoviruses harboring mutations in the sialic acid-binding pocket of the virus failed to transduce the cells. These data establish a novel role for choroid plexus and meninges in harboring virus that likely contributes not only to meningoencephalopathies but also to PML. IMPORTANCE JCPyV infects greater than half the human population worldwide and causes central nervous system disease in patients with weakened immune systems. Several recent reports have found JCPyV in the choroid plexus and leptomeninges of patients with encephalitis. Due to their role in forming the blood

The epithelial sodium channel γ-subunit is processed proteolytically in human kidney

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langkilde, Rikke Zachar; Skjødt, Karsten; Marcussen, Niels

2015-01-01

The epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) of the kidney is necessary for extracellular volume homeostasis and normal arterial BP. Activity of ENaC is enhanced by proteolytic cleavage of the gamma-subunit and putative release of a 43-amino acid inhibitory tract from the gamma-subunit ectodomain. We......ENaC was detected consistently only in tissue from patients with proteinuria and observed in collecting ducts. In conclusion, human kidney gammaENaC is subject to proteolytic cleavage, yielding fragments compatible with furin cleavage, and proteinuria is associated with cleavage at the putative prostasin...

Potential genotoxic and cytotoxicity of emamectin benzoate in human normal liver cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhijie; Zhao, Xinyu; Qin, Xiaosong

2017-10-10

Pesticide residue inducing cancer-related health problems draw people more attention recently. Emamectin benzoate (EMB) has been widely used in agriculture around the world based on its specificity targets. Although potential risk and the molecular mechanism of EMB toxicity to human liver has not been well-characterized. Unlike well-reported toxicity upon central nervous system, potential genotoxic and cytotoxicity of EMB in human liver cell was ignored and very limited. In this study, we identify genotoxicity and cytotoxicity of EMB to human normal liver cells (QSG7701 cell line) in vitro . We demonstrate that EMB inhibited the viability of QSG7701 cells and induced the DNA damage. Established assays of cytotoxicity were performed to characterize the mechanism of EMB toxicity on QSG7701 cells. Typical chromatin condensation and DNA fragmentation indicated the apoptosis of QSG7701 cells induced by EMB. And the intracellular biochemical results demonstrated that EMB-enhanced apoptosis of QSG7701 cells concurrent with generated ROS, a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, the cytochrome-c release, up regulate the Bax/Bcl-2 and the activation of caspase-9/-3. Our results of EMB induces the death of QSG7701 cells maybe via mitochondrial-mediated intrinsic apoptotic pathways would contribute to promote the awareness of EMB as an extensive used pesticide to human being effects and reveal the underlying mechanisms of potential genotoxic.

Down-regulation of a calmodulin-related gene during transformation of human mammary epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yaswen, P.; Smoll, A.; Stampfer, M.R.; Peehl, D.M.; Trask, D.K.; Sager, R.

1990-01-01

A human cDNA library obtained from cultured normal mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) was searched by subtractive hybridization for genes whose decrease in expression might be relevant to epithelial transformation. One clone identified by this procedure corresponded to a 1.4 kilobase mRNA, designated NB-1, whose expression was decreased >50-fold in HMECs tumorigenically transformed in vitro after exposure to benzo[α]pyrene and Kirsten sarcoma virus. Sequence analysis of NB-1 cDNA revealed an open reading frame with a high degree of homology to calmodulin. NB-1 expression could be demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction amplification in normal breast, prostate, cervix, and epidermal tissues. The presence of NB-1 transcripts was variable in primary breast carcinoma tissues and undetectable in tumor-derived cell lines of breast, prostate, or other origins. NB-1 mRNA expression could be down-regulated in cultured HMECs by exposure to reconstituted extracellular matrix material, while exposure to transforming growth factor type β increased its relative abundance. The protein encoded by NB-1 may have Ca 2 plus binding properties and perform functions similar to those of authentic calmodulin. Its possible roles in differentiation and/or suppression of tumorigenicity in epithelial tissues remain to be examined

Interaction of rocuronium with human liver cytochromes P450.

Science.gov (United States)

Anzenbacherova, Eva; Spicakova, Alena; Jourova, Lenka; Ulrichova, Jitka; Adamus, Milan; Bachleda, Petr; Anzenbacher, Pavel

2015-02-01

Rocuronium is a neuromuscular blocking agent acting as a competitive antagonist of acetylcholine. Results of an inhibition of eight individual liver microsomal cytochromes P450 (CYP) are presented. As the patients are routinely premedicated with diazepam, possible interaction of diazepam with rocuronium has been also studied. Results indicated that rocuronium interacts with human liver microsomal CYPs by binding to the substrate site. Next, concentration dependent inhibition of liver microsomal CYP3A4 down to 42% (at rocuronium concentration 189 μM) was found. This effect has been confirmed with two CYP3A4 substrates, testosterone (formation of 6β-hydroxytestosterone) and diazepam (temazepam formation). CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 activities were inhibited down to 75-80% (at the same rocuronium concentration). Activities of other microsomal CYPs have not been inhibited by rocuronium. To prove the possibility of rocuronium interaction with other drugs (diazepam), the effect of rocuronium on formation of main diazepam metabolites, temazepam (by CYP3A4) and desmethyldiazepam, (also known as nordiazepam; formed by CYP2C19) in primary culture of human hepatocytes has been examined. Rocuronium has caused inhibition of both reactions by 20 and 15%, respectively. The results open a possibility that interactions of rocuronium with drugs metabolized by CYP3A4 (and possibly also CYP2C19) may be observed. Copyright © 2014 Japanese Pharmacological Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genetic modification of adeno-associated viral vector type 2 capsid enhances gene transfer efficiency in polarized human airway epithelial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

White, April F; Mazur, Marina; Sorscher, Eric J; Zinn, Kurt R; Ponnazhagan, Selvarangan

2008-12-01

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a common genetic disease characterized by defects in the expression of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. Gene therapy offers better hope for the treatment of CF. Adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors are capable of stable expression with low immunogenicity. Despite their potential in CF gene therapy, gene transfer efficiency by AAV is limited because of pathophysiological barriers in these patients. Although a few AAV serotypes have shown better transduction compared with the AAV2-based vectors, gene transfer efficiency in human airway epithelium has still not reached therapeutic levels. To engineer better AAV vectors for enhanced gene delivery in human airway epithelium, we developed and characterized mutant AAV vectors by genetic capsid modification, modeling the well-characterized AAV2 serotype. We genetically incorporated putative high-affinity peptide ligands to human airway epithelium on the GH loop region of AAV2 capsid protein. Six independent mutant AAV were constructed, containing peptide ligands previously reported to bind with high affinity for known and unknown receptors on human airway epithelial cells. The vectors were tested on nonairway cells and nonpolarized and polarized human airway epithelial cells for enhanced infectivity. One of the mutant vectors, with the peptide sequence THALWHT, not only showed the highest transduction in undifferentiated human airway epithelial cells but also indicated significant transduction in polarized cells. Interestingly, this modified vector was also able to infect cells independently of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan receptor. Incorporation of this ligand on other AAV serotypes, which have shown improved gene transfer efficiency in the human airway epithelium, may enhance the application of AAV vectors in CF gene therapy.

Decreased hepatotoxic bile acid composition and altered synthesis in progressive human nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lake, April D.; Novak, Petr; Shipkova, Petia; Aranibar, Nelly; Robertson, Donald; Reily, Michael D.; Lu, Zhenqiang; Lehman-McKeeman, Lois D.; Cherrington, Nathan J.

2013-01-01

Bile acids (BAs) have many physiological roles and exhibit both toxic and protective influences within the liver. Alterations in the BA profile may be the result of disease induced liver injury. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent form of chronic liver disease characterized by the pathophysiological progression from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The hypothesis of this study is that the ‘classical’ (neutral) and ‘alternative’ (acidic) BA synthesis pathways are altered together with hepatic BA composition during progression of human NAFLD. This study employed the use of transcriptomic and metabolomic assays to study the hepatic toxicologic BA profile in progressive human NAFLD. Individual human liver samples diagnosed as normal, steatosis, and NASH were utilized in the assays. The transcriptomic analysis of 70 BA genes revealed an enrichment of downregulated BA metabolism and transcription factor/receptor genes in livers diagnosed as NASH. Increased mRNA expression of BAAT and CYP7B1 was observed in contrast to decreased CYP8B1 expression in NASH samples. The BA metabolomic profile of NASH livers exhibited an increase in taurine together with elevated levels of conjugated BA species, taurocholic acid (TCA) and taurodeoxycholic acid (TDCA). Conversely, cholic acid (CA) and glycodeoxycholic acid (GDCA) were decreased in NASH liver. These findings reveal a potential shift toward the alternative pathway of BA synthesis during NASH, mediated by increased mRNA and protein expression of CYP7B1. Overall, the transcriptomic changes of BA synthesis pathway enzymes together with altered hepatic BA composition signify an attempt by the liver to reduce hepatotoxicity during disease progression to NASH. - Highlights: ► Altered hepatic bile acid composition is observed in progressive NAFLD. ► Bile acid synthesis enzymes are transcriptionally altered in NASH livers. ► Increased levels of taurine and conjugated bile acids

Decreased hepatotoxic bile acid composition and altered synthesis in progressive human nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lake, April D. [University of Arizona, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Novak, Petr [Biology Centre ASCR, Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Ceske Budejovice 37001 (Czech Republic); Shipkova, Petia; Aranibar, Nelly; Robertson, Donald; Reily, Michael D. [Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Princeton, NJ 08543 (United States); Lu, Zhenqiang [The Arizona Statistical Consulting Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States); Lehman-McKeeman, Lois D. [Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Princeton, NJ 08543 (United States); Cherrington, Nathan J., E-mail: cherrington@pharmacy.arizona.edu [University of Arizona, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Tucson, AZ 85721 (United States)

2013-04-15

Bile acids (BAs) have many physiological roles and exhibit both toxic and protective influences within the liver. Alterations in the BA profile may be the result of disease induced liver injury. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent form of chronic liver disease characterized by the pathophysiological progression from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The hypothesis of this study is that the ‘classical’ (neutral) and ‘alternative’ (acidic) BA synthesis pathways are altered together with hepatic BA composition during progression of human NAFLD. This study employed the use of transcriptomic and metabolomic assays to study the hepatic toxicologic BA profile in progressive human NAFLD. Individual human liver samples diagnosed as normal, steatosis, and NASH were utilized in the assays. The transcriptomic analysis of 70 BA genes revealed an enrichment of downregulated BA metabolism and transcription factor/receptor genes in livers diagnosed as NASH. Increased mRNA expression of BAAT and CYP7B1 was observed in contrast to decreased CYP8B1 expression in NASH samples. The BA metabolomic profile of NASH livers exhibited an increase in taurine together with elevated levels of conjugated BA species, taurocholic acid (TCA) and taurodeoxycholic acid (TDCA). Conversely, cholic acid (CA) and glycodeoxycholic acid (GDCA) were decreased in NASH liver. These findings reveal a potential shift toward the alternative pathway of BA synthesis during NASH, mediated by increased mRNA and protein expression of CYP7B1. Overall, the transcriptomic changes of BA synthesis pathway enzymes together with altered hepatic BA composition signify an attempt by the liver to reduce hepatotoxicity during disease progression to NASH. - Highlights: ► Altered hepatic bile acid composition is observed in progressive NAFLD. ► Bile acid synthesis enzymes are transcriptionally altered in NASH livers. ► Increased levels of taurine and conjugated bile acids

Establishment and characterization of novel epithelial-like cell lines derived from human periodontal ligament tissue in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Tansriratanawong, Kallapat; Ishikawa, Hiroshi; Toyomura, Junko; Sato, Soh

2017-10-01

In this study, novel human-derived epithelial-like cells (hEPLCs) lines were established from periodontal ligament (PDL) tissues, which were composed of a variety of cell types and exhibited complex cellular activities. To elucidate the putative features distinguishing these from epithelial rest of Malassez (ERM), we characterized hEPLCs based on cell lineage markers and tight junction protein expression. The aim of this study was, therefore, to establish and characterize hEPLCs lines from PDL tissues. The hEPLCs were isolated from PDL of third molar teeth. Cellular morphology and cell organelles were observed thoroughly. The characteristics of epithelial-endothelial-mesenchymal-like cells were compared in several markers by gene expression and immunofluorescence, to ERM and human umbilical-vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The resistance between cellular junctions was assessed by transepithelial electron resistance, and inflammatory cytokines were detected by ELISA after infecting hEPLCs with periodontopathic bacteria. The hEPLCs developed into small epithelial-like cells in pavement appearance similar to ERM. However, gene expression patterns and immunofluorescence results were different from ERM and HUVECs, especially in tight junction markers (Claudin, ZO-1, and Occludins), and endothelial markers (vWF, CD34). The transepithelial electron resistance indicated higher resistance in hEPLCs, as compared to ERM. Periodontopathic bacteria were phagocytosed with upregulation of inflammatory cytokine secretion within 24 h. In conclusion, hEPLCs that were derived using the single cell isolation method formed tight multilayers colonies, as well as strongly expressed tight junction markers in gene expression and immunofluorescence. Novel hEPLCs lines exhibited differently from ERM, which might provide some specific functions such as metabolic exchange and defense mechanism against bacterial invasion in periodontal tissue.

Phototoxicity and cytotoxicity of fullerol in human retinal pigment epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wielgus, Albert R.; Zhao, Baozhong; Chignell, Colin F.; Hu, Dan-Ning; Roberts, Joan E.

2010-01-01

The water-soluble nanoparticle hydroxylated fullerene [fullerol, nano-C 60 (OH) 22-26 ] has several clinical applications including use as a drug carrier to bypass the blood ocular barriers. We have previously found that fullerol is both cytotoxic and phototoxic to human lens epithelial cells (HLE B-3) and that the endogenous antioxidant lutein blocked some of this phototoxicity. In the present study we have found that fullerol induces cytotoxic and phototoxic damage to human retinal pigment epithelial cells. Accumulation of nano-C 60 (OH) 22-26 in the cells was confirmed spectrophotometrically at 405 nm, and cell viability, cell metabolism and membrane permeability were estimated using trypan blue, MTS and LDH assays, respectively. Fullerol was cytotoxic toward hRPE cells maintained in the dark at concentrations higher than 10 μM. Exposure to an 8.5 J.cm -2 dose of visible light in the presence of > 5 μM fullerol induced TBARS formation and early apoptosis, indicating phototoxic damage in the form of lipid peroxidation. Pretreatment with 10 and 20 μM lutein offered some protection against fullerol photodamage. Using time resolved photophysical techniques, we have now confirmed that fullerol produces singlet oxygen with a quantum yield of Φ = 0.05 in D 2 O and with a range of 0.002-0.139 in various solvents. As our previous studies have shown that fullerol also produces superoxide in the presence of light, retinal phototoxic damage may occur through both type I (free radical) and type II (singlet oxygen) mechanisms. In conclusion, ocular exposure to fullerol, particularly in the presence of sunlight, may lead to retinal damage.

Interaction of Mycobacterium leprae with human airway epithelial cells: adherence, entry, survival, and identification of potential adhesins by surface proteome analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Carlos A M; Danelishvili, Lia; McNamara, Michael; Berredo-Pinho, Márcia; Bildfell, Robert; Biet, Franck; Rodrigues, Luciana S; Oliveira, Albanita V; Bermudez, Luiz E; Pessolani, Maria C V

2013-07-01

This study examined the in vitro interaction between Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, and human alveolar and nasal epithelial cells, demonstrating that M. leprae can enter both cell types and that both are capable of sustaining bacterial survival. Moreover, delivery of M. leprae to the nasal septum of mice resulted in macrophage and epithelial cell infection in the lung tissue, sustaining the idea that the airways constitute an important M. leprae entry route into the human body. Since critical aspects in understanding the mechanisms of infection are the identification and characterization of the adhesins involved in pathogen-host cell interaction, the nude mouse-derived M. leprae cell surface-exposed proteome was studied to uncover potentially relevant adhesin candidates. A total of 279 cell surface-exposed proteins were identified based on selective biotinylation, streptavidin-affinity purification, and shotgun mass spectrometry; 11 of those proteins have been previously described as potential adhesins. In vitro assays with the recombinant forms of the histone-like protein (Hlp) and the heparin-binding hemagglutinin (HBHA), considered to be major mycobacterial adhesins, confirmed their capacity to promote bacterial attachment to epithelial cells. Taking our data together, they suggest that the airway epithelium may act as a reservoir and/or portal of entry for M. leprae in humans. Moreover, our report sheds light on the potentially critical adhesins involved in M. leprae-epithelial cell interaction that may be useful in designing more effective tools for leprosy control.

Demonstration of Hepatitis C Virus RNA with In Situ Hybridization Employing a Locked Nucleic Acid Probe in Humanized Liver of Infected Chimeric Mice and in Needle-Biopsied Human Liver

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazuya Shiogama

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background. In situ hybridization (ISH with high sensitivity has been requested to demonstrate hepatitis C virus (HCV RNA in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE sections of the liver. Methods. ISH employing a locked-nucleic-acid- (LNA-modified oligonucleotide probe and biotin-free catalyzed signal amplification system (CSAII was applied to HCV-RNA detection in the liver tissue. Nested reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR was performed for HCV genotyping using total RNA extracted from FFPE sections. The target tissues included FFPE tissue sections of humanized livers in HCV-infected chimeric mice (HCV genotypes 1a, 1b, and 2a and noninfected and of needle-biopsied livers from HCV-infected patients. Results. HCV-RNA was demonstrated with the ISH technique in HCV-infected liver tissues from both chimeric mice and 9 (82% of 11 patients with HCV infection. The HCV signals were sensitive to RNase. Nested RT-PCR confirmed the genotype in 8 (73% of 11 livers (type 1b: 6 lesions and type 2a: 2 lesions. HCV-RNA was not identified in chronic hepatitis B lesions, fatty liver, autoimmune hepatitis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Conclusion. ISH using the LNA-modified oligonucleotide probe and CSAII was applicable to detecting HCV-RNA in routinely prepared FFPE liver specimens.

Penta- and octa-bromodiphenyl ethers promote proinflammatory protein expression in human bronchial epithelial cells in vitro.

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Koike, Eiko; Yanagisawa, Rie; Takigami, Hidetaka; Takano, Hirohisa

2014-03-01

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are widely used as flame retardants in consumer products. Humans can be exposed to PBDEs mainly through the inhalation of air or dust. Thus, PBDEs can affect respiratory and immune systems. In the present study, we investigated whether PBDEs stimulate bronchial epithelial cells. We examined commercial penta-BDE (DE-71), octa-BDE (DE-79), and deca-BDE (DE-83R). Human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) were exposed to each PBDE for 24h. Subsequently, the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and proinflammatory cytokines were investigated. DE-71 and DE-79, but not DE-83R, significantly increased the expression of ICAM-1, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-8 in BEAS-2B. Because these remarkable effects were observed with DE-71, we further investigated the underlying intracellular mechanisms. DE-71 promoted epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) phosphorylation. Inhibitors of EGFR-selective tyrosine kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase effectively blocked the increase of IL-6 and IL-8. Furthermore, antagonists of thyroid hormone receptor and aryl hydrocarbon receptor significantly suppressed the increase in IL-6 and/or IL-8 production. In conclusion, penta- and octa-BDE, but not deca-BDE, might promote the expression of proinflammatory proteins in bronchial epithelial cells possibly by activating protein kinases and/or stimulating nuclear receptors related to subsequent activation of transcriptional factors. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lack of liver X receptors leads to cell proliferation in a model of mouse dorsal prostate epithelial cell.

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Julie Dufour

Full Text Available Recent studies underline the implication of Liver X Receptors (LXRs in several prostate diseases such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH and prostate cancer. In order to understand the molecular mechanisms involved, we derived epithelial cells from dorsal prostate (MPECs of wild type (WT or Lxrαβ-/- mice. In the WT MPECs, our results show that LXR activation reduces proliferation and correlates with the modification of the AKT-survival pathway. Moreover, LXRs regulate lipid homeostasis with the regulation of Abca1, Abcg1 and Idol, and, in a lesser extent, Srebp1, Fas and Acc. Conversely cells derived from Lxrαβ-/- mice show a higher basal phosphorylation and consequently activation of the survival/proliferation transduction pathways AKT and MAPK. Altogether, our data point out that the cell model we developed allows deciphering the molecular mechanisms inducing the cell cycle arrest. Besides, we show that activated LXRs regulate AKT and MAPK transduction pathways and demonstrate that LXRs could be good pharmacological targets in prostate disease such as cancer.

Methods of measuring metabolism during surgery in humans: focus on the liver-brain relationship.

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Battezzati, Alberto; Bertoli, Simona

2004-09-01

The purpose of this work is to review recent advances in setting methods and models for measuring metabolism during surgery in humans. Surgery, especially solid organ transplantation, may offer unique experimental models in which it is ethically acceptable to gain information on difficult problems of amino acid and protein metabolism. Two areas are reviewed: the metabolic study of the anhepatic phase during liver transplantation and brain microdialysis during cerebral surgery. The first model offers an innovative approach to understand the relative role of liver and extrahepatic organs in gluconeogenesis, and to evaluate whether other organs can perform functions believed to be exclusively or almost exclusively performed by the liver. The second model offers an insight to intracerebral metabolism that is closely bound to that of the liver. The recent advances in metabolic research during surgery provide knowledge immediately useful for perioperative patient management and for a better control of surgical stress. The studies during the anhepatic phase of liver transplantation have showed that gluconeogenesis and glutamine metabolism are very active processes outside the liver. One of the critical organs for extrahepatic glutamine metabolism is the brain. Microdialysis studies helped to prove that in humans there is an intense trafficking of glutamine, glutamate and alanine among neurons and astrocytes. This delicate network is influenced by systemic amino acid metabolism. The metabolic dialogue between the liver and the brain is beginning to be understood in this light in order to explain the metabolic events of brain damage during liver failure.

Synergy between type 1 fimbriae expression and C3 opsonisation increases internalisation of E. coli by human tubular epithelial cells.

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Li, Ke; Zhou, Wuding; Hong, Yuzhi; Sacks, Steven H; Sheerin, Neil S

2009-03-31

Bacterial infection of the urinary tract is a common clinical problem with E. coli being the most common urinary pathogen. Bacterial uptake into epithelial cells is increasingly recognised as an important feature of infection. Bacterial virulence factors, especially fimbrial adhesins, have been conclusively shown to promote host cell invasion. Our recent study reported that C3 opsonisation markedly increases the ability of E. coli strain J96 to internalise into human proximal tubular epithelial cells via CD46, a complement regulatory protein expressed on host cell membrane. In this study, we further assessed whether C3-dependent internalisation by human tubular epithelial cells is a general feature of uropathogenic E. coli and investigated features of the bacterial phenotype that may account for any heterogeneity. In 31 clinical isolates of E. coli tested, C3-dependent internalisation was evident in 10 isolates. Type 1 fimbriae mediated-binding is essential for C3-dependent internalisation as shown by phenotypic association, type 1 fimbrial blockade with soluble ligand (mannose) and by assessment of a type 1 fimbrial mutant. we propose that efficient internalisation of uropathogenic E. coli by the human urinary tract depends on co-operation between type 1 fimbriae-mediated adhesion and C3 receptor -ligand interaction.

Arsenic compromises conducting airway epithelial barrier properties in primary mouse and immortalized human cell cultures.

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Cara L Sherwood

Full Text Available Arsenic is a lung toxicant that can lead to respiratory illness through inhalation and ingestion, although the most common exposure is through contaminated drinking water. Lung effects reported from arsenic exposure include lung cancer and obstructive lung disease, as well as reductions in lung function and immune response. As part of their role in innate immune function, airway epithelial cells provide a barrier that protects underlying tissue from inhaled particulates, pathogens, and toxicants frequently found in inspired air. We evaluated the effects of a five-day exposure to environmentally relevant levels of arsenic {<4μM [~300 μg/L (ppb] as NaAsO2} on airway epithelial barrier function and structure. In a primary mouse tracheal epithelial (MTE cell model we found that both micromolar (3.9 μM and submicromolar (0.8 μM arsenic concentrations reduced transepithelial resistance, a measure of barrier function. Immunofluorescent staining of arsenic-treated MTE cells showed altered patterns of localization of the transmembrane tight junction proteins claudin (Cl Cl-1, Cl-4, Cl-7 and occludin at cell-cell contacts when compared with untreated controls. To better quantify arsenic-induced changes in tight junction transmembrane proteins we conducted arsenic exposure experiments with an immortalized human bronchial epithelial cell line (16HBE14o-. We found that arsenic exposure significantly increased the protein expression of Cl-4 and occludin as well as the mRNA levels of Cl-4 and Cl-7 in these cells. Additionally, arsenic exposure resulted in altered phosphorylation of occludin. In summary, exposure to environmentally relevant levels of arsenic can alter both the function and structure of airway epithelial barrier constituents. These changes likely contribute to the observed arsenic-induced loss in basic innate immune defense and increased infection in the airway.

Focal epithelial hyperplasia in a human immuno-deficiency virus patient treated with laser surgery.

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Galanakis, Alexandros; Palaia, Gaspare; Tenore, Gianluca; Vecchio, Alessandro Del; Romeo, Umberto

2014-07-16

Focal epithelial hyperplasia (FEH), or Heck's disease, is a rare disease of the oral mucosa; it is mostly found in children or young adults who are immunosuppressed and who live in regions with low socioeconomic status. It is characterized by asymptomatic papules on the oral mucosa, gingiva, tongue, and lips. Healing can be spontaneous, and treatment is indicated if there are aesthetic or functional complications. Human papillomavirus, especially genotypes 13 and 32, has been associated with FEH and is detected in the majority of lesions. Histopathologically, FEH is characterized by parakeratosis, epithelial hyperplasia, focal acanthosis, and fusion and horizontal outgrowth of epithelial ridges. A 37-year-old male patient was referred to the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences at the Sapienza University of Rome, complaining of numerous exophytic lesions in his mouth. He stated that the lesions were not painful but he had experienced occasional bleeding after incidental masticatory trauma. He had received no previous treatment for the oral lesions. His medical history revealed that he was human immuno-deficiency virus positive and was a smoker with numerous, asymptomatic oral papules clinically and histologically corresponding to FEH. The labial and buccal mucosa were especially affected by lesions. Surgical treatment was performed using a 532-nm potassium titanyl phosphate laser (SmartLite, Deka, Florence, Italy) in continuous mode with a 300 μm fiber and power of 1.4 W (power density 1980.22 W/cm(2)). After anesthesia without vasoconstrictors, the lesions were tractioned with sutures or an Allis clamp and then completely excised. The lesions were preserved in 10% formalin for histological examination, which confirmed the clinical diagnosis of FEH. In this case, the laser allowed excellent control of bleeding, without postoperative sutures, and optimal wound healing.

Molecular cloning of cDNAs of human liver and placenta NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase

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Yubisui, T.; Naitoh, Y.; Zenno, S.; Tamura, M.; Takeshita, M.; Sakaki, Y.

1987-01-01

A cDNA coding for human liver NADH-cytochrome b 5 reductase was cloned from a human liver cDNA library constructed in phage λgt11. The library was screened by using an affinity-purified rabbit antibody against NADH-cytochrome b 5 reductase of human erythrocytes. A cDNA about 1.3 kilobase pairs long was isolated. By using the cDNA as a probe, another cDNA (pb 5 R141) of 1817 base pairs was isolated that hybridized with a synthetic oligonucleotide encoding Pro-Asp-Ile-Lys-Tyr-Pro, derived from the amino acid sequence at the amino-terminal region of the enzyme from human erythrocytes. Furthermore, by using the pb 5 R141 as a probe, cDNA clones having more 5' sequence were isolated from a human placenta cDNA library. The amino acid sequences deduced from the nucleotide sequences of these cDNA clones overlapped each other and consisted of a sequence that completely coincides with that of human erythrocytes and a sequence of 19 amino acid residues extended at the amino-terminal side. The latter sequence closely resembles that of the membrane-binding domain of steer liver microsomal enzyme

Differential replication of avian influenza H9N2 viruses in human alveolar epithelial A549 cells

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Peiris Malik

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Avian influenza virus H9N2 isolates cause a mild influenza-like illness in humans. However, the pathogenesis of the H9N2 subtypes in human remains to be investigated. Using a human alveolar epithelial cell line A549 as host, we found that A/Quail/Hong Kong/G1/97 (H9N2/G1, which shares 6 viral "internal genes" with the lethal A/Hong Kong/156/97 (H5N1/97 virus, replicates efficiently whereas other H9N2 viruses, A/Duck/Hong Kong/Y280/97 (H9N2/Y280 and A/Chicken/Hong Kong/G9/97 (H9N2/G9, replicate poorly. Interestingly, we found that there is a difference in the translation of viral protein but not in the infectivity or transcription of viral genes of these H9N2 viruses in the infected cells. This difference may possibly be explained by H9N2/G1 being more efficient on viral protein production in specific cell types. These findings suggest that the H9N2/G1 virus like its counterpart H5N1/97 may be better adapted to the human host and replicates efficiently in human alveolar epithelial cells.

Synergistic effect of interleukin 1 alpha on nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae-induced up-regulation of human beta-defensin 2 in middle ear epithelial cells

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Park Raekil

2006-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background We recently showed that beta-defensins have antimicrobial activity against nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi and that interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1 alpha up-regulates the transcription of beta-defensin 2 (DEFB4 according to new nomenclature of the Human Genome Organization in human middle ear epithelial cells via a Src-dependent Raf-MEK1/2-ERK signaling pathway. Based on these observations, we investigated if human middle ear epithelial cells could release IL-1 alpha upon exposure to a lysate of NTHi and if this cytokine could have a synergistic effect on beta-defensin 2 up-regulation by the bacterial components. Methods The studies described herein were carried out using epithelial cell lines as well as a murine model of acute otitis media (OM. Human cytokine macroarray analysis was performed to detect the released cytokines in response to NTHi exposure. Real time quantitative PCR was done to compare the induction of IL-1 alpha or beta-defensin 2 mRNAs and to identify the signaling pathways involved. Direct activation of the beta-defensin 2 promoter was monitored using a beta-defensin 2 promoter-Luciferase construct. An IL-1 alpha blocking antibody was used to demonstrate the direct involvement of this cytokine on DEFB4 induction. Results Middle ear epithelial cells released IL-1 alpha when stimulated by NTHi components and this cytokine acted in an autocrine/paracrine synergistic manner with NTHi to up-regulate beta-defensin 2. This synergistic effect of IL-1 alpha on NTHi-induced beta-defensin 2 up-regulation appeared to be mediated by the p38 MAP kinase pathway. Conclusion We demonstrate that IL-1 alpha is secreted by middle ear epithelial cells upon exposure to NTHi components and that it can synergistically act with certain of these molecules to up-regulate beta-defensin 2 via the p38 MAP kinase pathway.

MSH3-deficiency initiates EMAST without oncogenic transformation of human colon epithelial cells.

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Christoph Campregher

Full Text Available BACKGROUND/AIM: Elevated microsatellite instability at selected tetranucleotide repeats (EMAST is a genetic signature in certain cases of sporadic colorectal cancer and has been linked to MSH3-deficiency. It is currently controversial whether EMAST is associated with oncogenic properties in humans, specifically as cancer development in Msh3-deficient mice is not enhanced. However, a mutator phenotype is different between species as the genetic positions of repetitive sequences are not conserved. Here we studied the molecular effects of human MSH3-deficiency. METHODS: HCT116 and HCT116+chr3 (both MSH3-deficient and primary human colon epithelial cells (HCEC, MSH3-wildtype were stably transfected with an EGFP-based reporter plasmid for the detection of frameshift mutations within an [AAAG]17 repeat. MSH3 was silenced by shRNA and changes in protein expression were analyzed by shotgun proteomics. Colony forming assay was used to determine oncogenic transformation and double strand breaks (DSBs were assessed by Comet assay. RESULTS: Despite differential MLH1 expression, both HCT116 and HCT116+chr3 cells displayed comparable high mutation rates (about 4×10(-4 at [AAAG]17 repeats. Silencing of MSH3 in HCECs leads to a remarkable increased frameshift mutations in [AAAG]17 repeats whereas [CA]13 repeats were less affected. Upon MSH3-silencing, significant changes in the expression of 202 proteins were detected. Pathway analysis revealed overexpression of proteins involved in double strand break repair (MRE11 and RAD50, apoptosis, L1 recycling, and repression of proteins involved in metabolism, tRNA aminoacylation, and gene expression. MSH3-silencing did not induce oncogenic transformation and DSBs increased 2-fold. CONCLUSIONS: MSH3-deficiency in human colon epithelial cells results in EMAST, formation of DSBs and significant changes of the proteome but lacks oncogenic transformation. Thus, MSH3-deficiency alone is unlikely to drive human colon

Bioartificial liver and liver transplantation: new modalities for the treatment of liver failure

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DING Yitao

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The main features of liver failure are extensive necrosis of hepatocytes, rapid disease progression, and poor prognosis, and at present, there are no effective drugs and methods for the treatment of liver failure. This article summarizes four treatment methods for liver failure, i.e., medical treatment, cell transplantation, liver transplantation, and artificial liver support therapy, and elaborates on the existing treatment methods. The current medical treatment regimen should be optimized; cell transplantation has not been used in clinical practice; liver transplantation is the most effective method, but it is limited by donor liver shortage and high costs; artificial liver can effectively remove toxic substances in human body. Therefore, this article puts forward artificial liver as a transition for liver transplantation; artificial liver can buy time for liver regeneration or liver transplantation and prolong patients′ survival time and thus has a promising future. The new treatment modality of bioartificial liver combined with liver transplantation may bring good news to patients with liver failure.

Scaffold-free 3D bio-printed human liver tissue stably maintains metabolic functions useful for drug discovery.

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Kizawa, Hideki; Nagao, Eri; Shimamura, Mitsuru; Zhang, Guangyuan; Torii, Hitoshi

2017-07-01

The liver plays a central role in metabolism. Although many studies have described in vitro liver models for drug discovery, to date, no model has been described that can stably maintain liver function. Here, we used a unique, scaffold-free 3D bio-printing technology to construct a small portion of liver tissue that could stably maintain drug, glucose, and lipid metabolism, in addition to bile acid secretion. This bio-printed normal human liver tissue maintained expression of several kinds of hepatic drug transporters and metabolic enzymes that functioned for several weeks. The bio-printed liver tissue displayed glucose production via cAMP/protein kinase A signaling, which could be suppressed with insulin. Bile acid secretion was also observed from the printed liver tissue, and it accumulated in the culture medium over time. We observed both bile duct and sinusoid-like structures in the bio-printed liver tissue, which suggested that bile acid secretion occurred via a sinusoid-hepatocyte-bile duct route. These results demonstrated that our bio-printed liver tissue was unique, because it exerted diverse liver metabolic functions for several weeks. In future, we expect our bio-printed liver tissue to be applied to developing new models that can be used to improve preclinical predictions of long-term toxicity in humans, generate novel targets for metabolic liver disease, and evaluate biliary excretion in drug development.

MicroRNA-193a Regulates the Transdifferentiation of Human Parietal Epithelial Cells toward a Podocyte Phenotype.

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Kietzmann, Leonie; Guhr, Sebastian S O; Meyer, Tobias N; Ni, Lan; Sachs, Marlies; Panzer, Ulf; Stahl, Rolf A K; Saleem, Moin A; Kerjaschki, Dontscho; Gebeshuber, Christoph A; Meyer-Schwesinger, Catherine

2015-06-01

Parietal epithelial cells have been identified as potential progenitor cells in glomerular regeneration, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are not fully defined. Here, we established an immortalized polyclonal human parietal epithelial cell (hPEC) line from naive human Bowman's capsule cells isolated by mechanical microdissection. These hPECs expressed high levels of PEC-specific proteins and microRNA-193a (miR-193a), a suppressor of podocyte differentiation through downregulation of Wilms' tumor 1 in mice. We then investigated the function of miR-193a in the establishment of podocyte and PEC identity and determined whether inhibition of miR-193a influences the behavior of PECs in glomerular disease. After stable knockdown of miR-193a, hPECs adopted a podocyte-like morphology and marker expression, with decreased expression levels of PEC markers. In mice, inhibition of miR-193a by complementary locked nucleic acids resulted in an upregulation of the podocyte proteins synaptopodin and Wilms' tumor 1. Conversely, overexpression of miR-193a in vivo resulted in the upregulation of PEC markers and the loss of podocyte markers in isolated glomeruli. Inhibition of miR-193a in a mouse model of nephrotoxic nephritis resulted in reduced crescent formation and decreased proteinuria. Together, these results show the establishment of a human PEC line and suggest that miR-193a functions as a master switch, such that glomerular epithelial cells with high levels of miR-193a adopt a PEC phenotype and cells with low levels of miR-193a adopt a podocyte phenotype. miR-193a-mediated maintenance of PECs in an undifferentiated reactive state might be a prerequisite for PEC proliferation and migration in crescent formation. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Nephrology.

Targeting the vascular and perivascular niches as a regenerative therapy for lung and liver fibrosis.

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Cao, Zhongwei; Ye, Tinghong; Sun, Yue; Ji, Gaili; Shido, Koji; Chen, Yutian; Luo, Lin; Na, Feifei; Li, Xiaoyan; Huang, Zhen; Ko, Jane L; Mittal, Vivek; Qiao, Lina; Chen, Chong; Martinez, Fernando J; Rafii, Shahin; Ding, Bi-Sen

2017-08-30

The regenerative capacity of lung and liver is sometimes impaired by chronic or overwhelming injury. Orthotopic transplantation of parenchymal stem cells to damaged organs might reinstate their self-repair ability. However, parenchymal cell engraftment is frequently hampered by the microenvironment in diseased recipient organs. We show that targeting both the vascular niche and perivascular fibroblasts establishes "hospitable soil" to foster the incorporation of "seed," in this case, the engraftment of parenchymal cells in injured organs. Specifically, ectopic induction of endothelial cell (EC)-expressed paracrine/angiocrine hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and inhibition of perivascular NOX4 [NADPH (reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) oxidase 4] synergistically enabled reconstitution of mouse and human parenchymal cells in damaged organs. Reciprocally, genetic knockout of Hgf in mouse ECs ( Hgf iΔEC/iΔEC ) aberrantly up-regulated perivascular NOX4 during liver and lung regeneration. Dysregulated HGF and NOX4 pathways subverted the function of vascular and perivascular cells from an epithelially inductive niche to a microenvironment that inhibited parenchymal reconstitution. Perivascular NOX4 induction in Hgf iΔEC/iΔEC mice recapitulated the phenotype of human and mouse liver and lung fibrosis. Consequently, EC-directed HGF and NOX4 inhibitor GKT137831 stimulated regenerative integration of mouse and human parenchymal cells in chronically injured lung and liver. Our data suggest that targeting dysfunctional perivascular and vascular cells in diseased organs can bypass fibrosis and enable reparative cell engraftment to reinstate lung and liver regeneration. Copyright © 2017 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

AMC-Bio-Artificial Liver culturing enhances mitochondrial biogenesis in human liver cell lines: The role of oxygen, medium perfusion and 3D configuration

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Adam, Aziza A. A.; van Wenum, Martien; van der Mark, Vincent A.; Jongejan, Aldo; Moerland, Perry D.; Houtkooper, Riekelt H.; Wanders, Ronald J. A.; Oude Elferink, Ronald P.; Chamuleau, Robert A. F. M.; Hoekstra, Ruurdtje

2017-01-01

Human liver cell lines, like HepaRG and C3A, acquire higher functionality when cultured in the AMC-Bio-Artificial Liver (AMC-BAL). The three main differences between BAL and monolayer culture are the oxygenation (40% vs 20%O2), dynamic vs absent medium perfusion and 3D vs 2D configuration. Here, we

Differential genomic effects of six different TiO2 nanomaterials on human liver HepG2 cells

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Engineered nanoparticles are reported to cause liver toxicity in vivo. To better assess the mechanism of the in vivo liver toxicity, we used the human hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2) as a model system. Human HepG2 cells were exposed to 6 TiO2 nanomaterials (with dry primary partic...

Increased diacylglycerols characterize hepatic lipid changes in progression of human nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; comparison to a murine model.

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Gorden, D Lee; Ivanova, Pavlina T; Myers, David S; McIntyre, J Oliver; VanSaun, Michael N; Wright, J Kelly; Matrisian, Lynn M; Brown, H Alex

2011-01-01

The spectrum of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) includes steatosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and progression to cirrhosis. While differences in liver lipids between disease states have been reported, precise composition of phospholipids and diacylglycerols (DAG) at a lipid species level has not been previously described. The goal of this study was to characterize changes in lipid species through progression of human NAFLD using advanced lipidomic technology and compare this with a murine model of early and advanced NAFLD. Utilizing mass spectrometry lipidomics, over 250 phospholipid and diacylglycerol species (DAGs) were identified in normal and diseased human and murine liver extracts. Significant differences between phospholipid composition of normal and diseased livers were demonstrated, notably among DAG species, consistent with previous reports that DAG transferases are involved in the progression of NAFLD and liver fibrosis. In addition, a novel phospholipid species (ether linked phosphatidylinositol) was identified in human cirrhotic liver extracts. Using parallel lipidomics analysis of murine and human liver tissues it was determined that mice maintained on a high-fat diet provide a reproducible model of NAFLD in regards to specificity of lipid species in the liver. These studies demonstrated that novel lipid species may serve as markers of advanced liver disease and importantly, marked increases in DAG species are a hallmark of NAFLD. Elevated DAGs may contribute to altered triglyceride, phosphatidylcholine (PC), and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) levels characteristic of the disease and specific DAG species might be important lipid signaling molecules in the progression of NAFLD.

In vitro biotransformation of tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) in human liver and serum

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Van den Eede, Nele, E-mail: nele.vandeneede@uantwerpen.be [Toxicological Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp (Belgium); Erratico, Claudio [Toxicological Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp (Belgium); Exarchou, Vassiliki [Natural Products & Food Research and Analysis (NatuRA), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp (Belgium); Maho, Walid; Neels, Hugo [Toxicological Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp (Belgium); Covaci, Adrian, E-mail: adrian.covaci@uantwerpen.be [Toxicological Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Antwerp (Belgium)

2015-04-15

Tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP) is a plasticizer present in indoor dust, reaching levels of several micrograms per gram. Such levels could lead to significant daily exposure of adults and children. Currently, no toxicokinetic data are available to estimate TBOEP clearance in humans after uptake and therefore, one objective of this study was to investigate intrinsic clearance of TBOEP by human liver microsome (HLM) and serum enzymes. Another objective was to generate information to identify and prioritize several metabolites of TBOEP for investigation of human exposure by biomonitoring. 1D and 2D-NMR methodologies were successfully applied on a mixture of the metabolites to confirm the structure of 3-HO-TBOEP (bis(2-butoxyethyl) 3-hydroxyl-2-butoxyethyl phosphate) and to tentatively assign structures to 1-HO-TBOEP and 2-HO-TBOEP. HO-TBOEP isomers and bis(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (BBOEP), bis(2-butoxyethyl) hydroxyethyl phosphate (BBOEHEP) were further monitored by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Rates of formation of BBOEHEP and HO-TBOEP metabolites by liver enzymes were best described by the Michaelis–Menten model. Apparent K{sub m} values for BBOEHEP, 3-HO-TBOEP, and sum of 1- and 2-HO-TBOEP isomer formation were 152, 197 and 148 μM, respectively. Apparent V{sub max} values for the formation of BBOEHEP, 3-HO-TBOEP, and the sum of 1- and 2-HO-TBOEP isomers were 2560, 643, and 254 pmol/min/mg protein, respectively. No detectable formation of BBOEP occurred with liver or serum enzymes. Our findings indicate that intrinsic clearance of TBOEP is mainly catalyzed by oxidative enzymes in the liver and that its major in vitro metabolite is BBOEHEP. These findings can be applied in human biomonitoring studies and risk assessment. - Highlights: • First steps in the elucidation of TBOEP toxicokinetics • Quantification of TBOEP metabolites in human serum and liver microsomes • No detectable formation of BBOEP occurred with liver or serum

Human epithelial hair follicle stem cells and their progeny: current state of knowledge, the widening gap in translational research and future challenges.

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Purba, Talveen S; Haslam, Iain S; Poblet, Enrique; Jiménez, Francisco; Gandarillas, Alberto; Izeta, Ander; Paus, Ralf

2014-05-01

Epithelial hair follicle stem cells (eHFSCs) are required to generate, maintain and renew the continuously cycling hair follicle (HF), supply cells that produce the keratinized hair shaft and aid in the reepithelialization of injured skin. Therefore, their study is biologically and clinically important, from alopecia to carcinogenesis and regenerative medicine. However, human eHFSCs remain ill defined compared to their murine counterparts, and it is unclear which murine eHFSC markers really apply to the human HF. We address this by reviewing current concepts on human eHFSC biology, their immediate progeny and their molecular markers, focusing on Keratin 15 and 19, CD200, CD34, PHLDA1, and EpCAM/Ber-EP4. After delineating how human eHFSCs may be selectively targeted experimentally, we close by defining as yet unmet key challenges in human eHFSC research. The ultimate goal is to transfer emerging concepts from murine epithelial stem cell biology to human HF physiology and pathology. © 2014 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

Spexin peptide is expressed in human endocrine and epithelial tissues and reduced after glucose load in type 2 diabetes.

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Gu, Liping; Ma, Yuhang; Gu, Mingyu; Zhang, Ying; Yan, Shuai; Li, Na; Wang, Yufan; Ding, Xiaoying; Yin, Jiajing; Fan, Nengguang; Peng, Yongde

2015-09-01

Spexin mRNA and protein are widely expressed in rat tissues and associate with weight loss in rodents of diet-induced obesity. Its location in endocrine and epithelial cells has also been suggested. Spexin is a novel peptide that involves weight loss in rodents of diet-induced obesity. Therefore, we aimed to examine its expression in human tissues and test whether spexin could have a role in glucose and lipid metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The expression of the spexin gene and immunoreactivity in the adrenal gland, skin, stomach, small intestine, liver, thyroid, pancreatic islets, visceral fat, lung, colon, and kidney was higher than that in the muscle and connective tissue. Immunoreactive serum spexin levels were reduced in T2DM patients and correlated with fasting blood glucose (FBG, r=-0.686, Pepithelial tissues, indicating that spexin may be involved in physiological functions of endocrine and in several other tissues. Circulating spexin levels are low in T2DM patients and negatively related to blood glucose and lipids suggesting that the peptide may play a role in glucose and lipid metabolism in T2DM. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Commensal Streptococcus salivarius Modulates PPARγ Transcriptional Activity in Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells.

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Benoît Couvigny

Full Text Available The impact of commensal bacteria in eukaryotic transcriptional regulation has increasingly been demonstrated over the last decades. A multitude of studies have shown direct effects of commensal bacteria from local transcriptional activity to systemic impact. The commensal bacterium Streptococcus salivarius is one of the early bacteria colonizing the oral and gut mucosal surfaces. It has been shown to down-regulate nuclear transcription factor (NF-кB in human intestinal cells, a central regulator of the host mucosal immune system response to the microbiota. In order to evaluate its impact on a further important transcription factor shown to link metabolism and inflammation in the intestine, namely PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor, we used human intestinal epithelial cell-lines engineered to monitor PPARγ transcriptional activity in response to a wide range of S. salivarius strains. We demonstrated that different strains from this bacterial group share the property to inhibit PPARγ activation independently of the ligand used. First attempts to identify the nature of the active compounds showed that it is a low-molecular-weight, DNase-, proteases- and heat-resistant metabolite secreted by S. salivarius strains. Among PPARγ-targeted metabolic genes, I-FABP and Angptl4 expression levels were dramatically reduced in intestinal epithelial cells exposed to S. salivarius supernatant. Both gene products modulate lipid accumulation in cells and down-regulating their expression might consequently affect host health. Our study shows that species belonging to the salivarius group of streptococci impact both host inflammatory and metabolic regulation suggesting a possible role in the host homeostasis and health.

Recovery of aging-related size increase of skin epithelial cells: in vivo mouse and in vitro human study.

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Igor Sokolov

Full Text Available The size increase of skin epithelial cells during aging is well-known. Here we demonstrate that treatment of aging cells with cytochalasin B substantially decreases cell size. This decrease was demonstrated on a mouse model and on human skin cells in vitro. Six nude mice were treated by topical application of cytochalasin B on skin of the dorsal left midsection for 140 days (the right side served as control for placebo treatment. An average decrease in cell size of 56±16% resulted. A reduction of cell size was also observed on primary human skin epithelial cells of different in vitro age (passages from 1 to 8. A cell strain obtained from a pool of 6 human subjects was treated with cytochalasin B in vitro for 12 hours. We observed a decrease in cell size that became statistically significant and reached 20-40% for cells of older passage (6-8 passages whereas no substantial change was observed for younger cells. These results may be important for understanding the aging processes, and for cosmetic treatment of aging skin.

Foxa1 reduces lipid accumulation in human hepatocytes and is down-regulated in nonalcoholic fatty liver.

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Marta Moya

Full Text Available Triglyceride accumulation in nonalcoholic fatty liver (NAFL results from unbalanced lipid metabolism which, in the liver, is controlled by several transcription factors. The Foxa subfamily of winged helix/forkhead box (Fox transcription factors comprises three members which play important roles in controlling both metabolism and homeostasis through the regulation of multiple target genes in the liver, pancreas and adipose tissue. In the mouse liver, Foxa2 is repressed by insulin and mediates fasting responses. Unlike Foxa2 however, the role of Foxa1 in the liver has not yet been investigated in detail. In this study, we evaluate the role of Foxa1 in two human liver cell models, primary cultured hepatocytes and HepG2 cells, by adenoviral infection. Moreover, human and rat livers were analyzed to determine Foxa1 regulation in NAFL. Results demonstrate that Foxa1 is a potent inhibitor of hepatic triglyceride synthesis, accumulation and secretion by repressing the expression of multiple target genes of these pathways (e.g., GPAM, DGAT2, MTP, APOB. Moreover, Foxa1 represses the fatty acid transporter protein FATP2 and lowers fatty acid uptake. Foxa1 also increases the breakdown of fatty acids by inducing peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation and ketone body synthesis. Finally, Foxa1 is able to largely up-regulate UCP1, thereby dissipating energy and consistently decreasing the mitochondria membrane potential. We also report that human and rat NAFL have a reduced Foxa1 expression, possibly through a protein kinase C-dependent pathway. We conclude that Foxa1 is an antisteatotic factor that coordinately tunes several lipid metabolic pathways to block triglyceride accumulation in hepatocytes. However, Foxa1 is down-regulated in human and rat NAFL and, therefore, increasing Foxa1 levels could protect from steatosis. Altogether, we suggest that Foxa1 could be a novel therapeutic target for NAFL disease and insulin resistance.

E-Cigarette Vapor Induces an Apoptotic Response in Human Gingival Epithelial Cells Through the Caspase-3 Pathway.

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Rouabhia, Mahmoud; Park, Hyun Jin; Semlali, Abdelhabib; Zakrzewski, Andrew; Chmielewski, Witold; Chakir, Jamila

2017-06-01

Electronic cigarettes represent an increasingly significant proportion of today's consumable tobacco products. E-cigarettes contain several chemicals which may promote oral diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of e-cigarette vapor on human gingival epithelial cells. Results show that e-cigarette vapor altered the morphology of cells from small cuboidal form to large undefined shapes. Both single and multiple exposures to e-cigarette vapor led to a bulky morphology with large faint nuclei and an enlarged cytoplasm. E-cigarette vapor also increased L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the targeted cells. This activity was greater with repeated exposures. Furthermore, e-cigarette vapor increased apoptotic/necrotic epithelial cell percentages compared to that observed in the control. Epithelial cell apoptosis was confirmed by TUNEL assay showing that exposure to e-cigarette vapor increased apoptotic cell numbers, particularly after two and three exposures. This negative effect involved the caspase-3 pathway, the activity of which was greater with repeated exposure and which decreased following the use of caspase-3 inhibitor. The adverse effects of e-cigarette vapor on gingival epithelial cells may lead to dysregulated gingival cell function and result in oral disease. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 1539-1547, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Microsomal UDP-glucuronyltransferase-catalyzed bilirubin diglucuronide formation in human liver

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Peters, W. H.; Jansen, P. L.

1986-01-01

Human liver microsomal bilirubin UDP-glucuronyltransferase catalyzes formation of bilirubin mono- and diglucuronide. KmUDPGA and Vmax of the enzyme are 0.6 mM and 1.69 nmol/mg protein X min. In vitro, bilirubin readily dissolves in the microsomal lipid phase. Taking this into account a Kmbilirubin

Sildenafil Effect on Nitric Oxide Secretion by Normal Human Endometrial Epithelial Cells Cultured In vitro

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Farzaneh Chobsaz

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Sildenafil is a selective inhibitor of cyclic-guanosine monphosphat-specificphosphodiesterase type 5. It increases intracellular nitric oxide (NO production in some cells.There are reports on its positive effect on uterine circulation, endometrial thickness, and infertilityimprovement. Endometrial epithelial cells (EEC play an important role in embryo attachment andimplantation. The present work investigates the effect of sildenafil on human EEC and their NOsecretion in vitro.Materials and Methods: In this experimental in vitro study, endometrial biopsies (n=10 werewashed in a phosphate buffered solution (PBS and digested with collagenase I (2 mg/ml in DMEM/F12 medium at 37°C for 90 minutes. Epithelial glands were collected by sequential filtrationthrough nylon meshes (70 and 40 μm pores, respectively. Epithelial glands were then treated withtrypsin to obtain individual cells. The cells were counted and divided into four groups: control and1, 10, and 20 μM sildenafil concentrations. Cells were cultured for 15 days at 37ºC and 5% CO2; themedia were changed every 3 days, and their supernatants were collected for the NO assay. NO wasmeasured by standard Greiss methods. Data were analyzed by one way ANOVA.Results: There was no significant difference between groups in cell count and NO secretion, but thelevel of NO increased slightly in the experimental groups. The 10 μM dose showed the highest cellcount. EEC morphology changed into long spindle cells in the case groups.Conclusion: Sildenafil (1, 10, and 20 μM showed a mild proliferative effect on human EECnumbers, but no significant change was seen in NO production.

Human liver phosphatase 2A: cDNA and amino acid sequence of two catalytic subunit isotypes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arino, J.; Woon, Chee Wai; Brautigan, D.L.; Miller, T.B. Jr.; Johnson, G.L.

1988-01-01

Two cDNA clones were isolated from a human liver library that encode two phosphatase 2A catalytic subunits. The two cDNAs differed in eight amino acids (97% identity) with three nonconservative substitutions. All of the amino acid substitutions were clustered in the amino-terminal domain of the protein. Amino acid sequence of one human liver clone (HL-14) was identical to the rabbit skeletal muscle phosphatase 2A cDNA (with 97% nucleotide identity). The second human liver clone (HL-1) is encoded by a separate gene, and RNA gel blot analysis indicates that both mRNAs are expressed similarly in several human clonal cell lines. Sequence comparison with phosphatase 1 and 2A indicates highly divergent amino acid sequences at the amino and carboxyl termini of the proteins and identifies six highly conserved regions between the two proteins that are predicted to be important for phosphatase enzymatic activity

Proton MR spectroscopic features of the human liver: in-vivo application to the normal condition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Soon Gu; Kim, Mi Young; Kim, Young Soo; Choi, Won; Shin, Seok Hwan; Ok, Chul Soo; Suh, Chang Hae

1999-01-01

To determine the feasibility of MR spectroscopy in the living human liver, and to evaluate the corresponding proton MR spectroscopic features. In fifteen normal volunteers with neither previous nor present liver disease, the proton MR spectroscopic findings were reviewed. Twelve subjects were male and three were female ; they were aged between 28 and 32 (mean, 30) years. MR spectroscopy involved the use of a 1.5T GE Signa Horizon system with body coil(GE Medical System, Milwaukee, U.S.A). We used STEAM (Stimulated Echo-Acquisition Mode) with 3000/30 msec of TR/TE for signal acquisition, and the prone position without respiratory interruption. Mean and standard deviation of the ratios of glutamate+glutamine/lipids, phosphomonoesters/lipids, and glycogen+glucose/lipids were calculated from the area of their peaks. The proton MR spectroscopic findings of normal human livers showed four distinctive peaks, i.e. lipids, glutamate and glutamine complex, phosphomonoesters, and glycogen and glucose complex. The mean and standard deviation of the ratios of glutamate+glutamine/lipids, phosphomonoesters/lipids, and glycogen+glucose/lipids were 0.02±0.01, 0.01±0.01, and 0.04±0.03, respectively. In living normal human livers, MR spectroscopy can be successfully applied. When applied to a liver whose condition is pathologic, the findings can be used as a standard

Multipotent Basal Stem Cells, Maintained in Localized Proximal Niches, Support Directed Long-Ranging Epithelial Flows in Human Prostates

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Mohammad Moad

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Sporadic mitochondrial DNA mutations serve as clonal marks providing access to the identity and lineage potential of stem cells within human tissues. By combining quantitative clonal mapping with 3D reconstruction of adult human prostates, we show that multipotent basal stem cells, confined to discrete niches in juxta-urethral ducts, generate bipotent basal progenitors in directed epithelial migration streams. Basal progenitors are then dispersed throughout the entire glandular network, dividing and differentiating to replenish the loss of apoptotic luminal cells. Rare lineage-restricted luminal stem cells, and their progeny, are confined to proximal ducts and provide only minor contribution to epithelial homeostasis. In situ cell capture from clonal maps identified delta homolog 1 (DLK1 enrichment of basal stem cells, which was validated in functional spheroid assays. This study establishes significant insights into niche organization and function of prostate stem and progenitor cells, with implications for disease.

Specific locus mutagenesis of human mammary epithelial cells by ultraviolet radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eldridge, S.R.; Gould, M.N.

1991-01-01

Tissue and locus specificity of mutation induction was studied in human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC). Primary HMEC from normal tissue, and immortalized HMEC (184B5) derived from normal HMEC, were cultured under identical conditions and exposed to 10J/m 2 ultraviolet (UV) radiation (254 nm peak wavelength), which produced approximately 50% mean survival in all cell strains and lines tested. UV radiation was found to induce mutations at the Na + -K + ATPase locus as determined by ouabain-resistance in both normal and immortalized HMEC. Mutation frequencies measured in these cells following UV exposure were similar to those reported for human diploid fibroblasts. Mutation induction was investigated at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) locus in normal and immortalized HMEC. Induced mutations at the HPRT locus as determined by 6-thioguanine resistance in normal primary HMEC were not observed following UV radiation. Mutation induction was observed at this locus UV-exposed immortalized HMEC. (author)

Cdx2 modulates proliferation in normal human intestinal epithelial crypt cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Escaffit, Fabrice; Pare, Frederic; Gauthier, Remy; Rivard, Nathalie; Boudreau, Francois; Beaulieu, Jean-Francois

2006-01-01

The homeobox gene Cdx2 is involved in the regulation of the expression of intestine specific markers such as sucrase-isomaltase and lactase-phlorizin hydrolase. Previous studies performed with immortalized or transformed intestinal cell lines have provided evidence that Cdx2 can promote morphological and functional differentiation in these experimental models. However, no data exist concerning the implication of this factor in normal human intestinal cell physiology. In the present work, we have investigated the role of Cdx2 in normal human intestinal epithelial crypt (HIEC) cells that lack this transcription factor. The establishment of HIEC cells expressing Cdx2 in an inducible manner shows that forced expression of Cdx2 significantly alters the proliferation of intestinal crypt cells and stimulates dipeptidylpeptidase IV expression but is not sufficient to trigger intestinal terminal differentiation. These observations suggest that Cdx2 requires additional factors to activate the enterocyte differentiation program in normal undifferentiated cells

Live or Let Die: Epithelial Flap Vitality and Keratocyte Proliferation Following LASEK and Epi-LASIK in Human Donor and Porcine Eyes.

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Angunawela, Romesh I; Winkler von Mohrenfels, Christoph; Kumar, Anupma; O'Brart, David P S; Marshall, John

2011-02-01

To determine the relationship between epithelial flap vitality and stromal keratocyte proliferation following two epithelial refractive techniques: epi-LASIK and laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK). Human corneas were maintained in organ culture and underwent standard -6.00-diopter ablation. Rates of stromal keratocyte proliferation were detected 1 week postoperative using a Ki67 antibody specific to proliferating cells. Images were captured with a laser scanning confocal microscope and analyzed by a masked observer. Epithelial flap vitality was determined with propidium iodide using fresh porcine corneas. Epithelial flaps were created with Gebauer Epikeratome epi-LASIK or alcohol-assisted LASEK method. Flaps treated with 100% alcohol and uninjured corneas were used as controls. The number of proliferating keratocytes was greatest at 1 week in the epi-LASIK corneas (Pvitality was greatest in the epi-LASIK flaps and declined in the LASEK and 100% alcohol flaps (Plive cells. There is also a greater number of proliferating stromal cells following epi-LASIK at 1 week. Based on these in vitro observations, epi-LASIK may result in greater levels of haze compared to LASEK. Copyright 2011, SLACK Incorporated.

Proteinase-activated receptor 4 stimulation-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in alveolar epithelial cells

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Araki Hiromasa

2007-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Proteinase-activated receptors (PARs; PAR1–4 that can be activated by serine proteinases such as thrombin and neutrophil catepsin G are known to contribute to the pathogenesis of various pulmonary diseases including fibrosis. Among these PARs, especially PAR4, a newly identified subtype, is highly expressed in the lung. Here, we examined whether PAR4 stimulation plays a role in the formation of fibrotic response in the lung, through alveolar epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT which contributes to the increase in myofibroblast population. Methods EMT was assessed by measuring the changes in each specific cell markers, E-cadherin for epithelial cell, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA for myofibroblast, using primary cultured mouse alveolar epithelial cells and human lung carcinoma-derived alveolar epithelial cell line (A549 cells. Results Stimulation of PAR with thrombin (1 U/ml or a synthetic PAR4 agonist peptide (AYPGKF-NH2, 100 μM for 72 h induced morphological changes from cobblestone-like structure to elongated shape in primary cultured alveolar epithelial cells and A549 cells. In immunocytochemical analyses of these cells, such PAR4 stimulation decreased E-cadherin-like immunoreactivity and increased α-SMA-like immunoreactivity, as observed with a typical EMT-inducer, tumor growth factor-β (TGF-β. Western blot analyses of PAR4-stimulated A549 cells also showed similar changes in expression of these EMT-related marker proteins. Such PAR4-mediated changes were attenuated by inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR kinase and Src. PAR4-mediated morphological changes in primary cultured alveolar epithelial cells were reduced in the presence of these inhibitors. PAR4 stimulation increased tyrosine phosphorylated EGFR or tyrosine phosphorylated Src level in A549 cells, and the former response being inhibited by Src inhibitor. Conclusion PAR4 stimulation of alveolar epithelial cells induced epithelial

Patterning bacterial communities on epithelial cells.

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Mohammed Dwidar

Full Text Available Micropatterning of bacteria using aqueous two phase system (ATPS enables the localized culture and formation of physically separated bacterial communities on human epithelial cell sheets. This method was used to compare the effects of Escherichia coli strain MG1655 and an isogenic invasive counterpart that expresses the invasin (inv gene from Yersinia pseudotuberculosis on the underlying epithelial cell layer. Large portions of the cell layer beneath the invasive strain were killed or detached while the non-invasive E. coli had no apparent effect on the epithelial cell layer over a 24 h observation period. In addition, simultaneous testing of the localized effects of three different bacterial species; E. coli MG1655, Shigella boydii KACC 10792 and Pseudomonas sp DSM 50906 on an epithelial cell layer is also demonstrated. The paper further shows the ability to use a bacterial predator, Bdellovibriobacteriovorus HD 100, to selectively remove the E. coli, S. boydii and P. sp communities from this bacteria-patterned epithelial cell layer. Importantly, predation and removal of the P. Sp was critical for maintaining viability of the underlying epithelial cells. Although this paper focuses on a few specific cell types, the technique should be broadly applicable to understand a variety of bacteria-epithelial cell interactions.

A human cytochrome P-450 is recognized by anti-liver/kidney microsome antibodies in autoimmune chronic hepatitis.

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Kiffel, L; Loeper, J; Homberg, J C; Leroux, J P

1989-02-28

1- Anti-liver/kidney microsome autoantibodies type 1 (anti-LKM1), observed in some children with chronic active hepatitis, were used to isolate their antigen in human liver microsomes. A protein, called P-LKM1 was thus purified. This protein was recognized by a rabbit antiserum directed against the related human cytochromes P-450 bufI and P-450 bufII. 2- A human liver microsomal protein immunoprecipitated with anti-LKM1 sera was also recognized by anti cytochromes P-450 bufI/II antibodies. 3- Anti-LKM1 antibodies potently inhibited microsomal bufuralol 1'-hydroxylation. These results displayed the possible identity between cytochrome P-450 bufI/II and LKM1 antigen.

Staphylococcus aureus α-Toxin Induces Actin Filament Remodeling in Human Airway Epithelial Model Cells.

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Ziesemer, Sabine; Eiffler, Ina; Schönberg, Alfrun; Müller, Christian; Hochgräfe, Falko; Beule, Achim G; Hildebrandt, Jan-Peter

2018-04-01

Exposure of cultured human airway epithelial model cells (16HBE14o-, S9) to Staphylococcus aureus α-toxin (hemolysin A, Hla) induces changes in cell morphology and cell layer integrity that are due to the inability of the cells to maintain stable cell-cell or focal contacts and to properly organize their actin cytoskeletons. The aim of this study was to identify Hla-activated signaling pathways involved in regulating the phosphorylation level of the actin-depolymerizing factor cofilin. We used recombinant wild-type hemolysin A (rHla) and a variant of Hla (rHla-H35L) that is unable to form functional transmembrane pores to treat immortalized human airway epithelial cells (16HBE14o-, S9) as well as freshly isolated human nasal tissue. Our results indicate that rHla-mediated changes in cofilin phosphorylation require the formation of functional Hla pores in the host cell membrane. Formation of functional transmembrane pores induced hypophosphorylation of cofilin at Ser3, which was mediated by rHla-induced attenuation of p21-activated protein kinase and LIM kinase activities. Because dephosphorylation of pSer3-cofilin results in activation of this actin-depolymerizing factor, treatment of cells with rHla resulted in loss of actin stress fibers from the cells and destabilization of cell shape followed by the appearance of paracellular gaps in the cell layers. Activation of protein kinase A or activation of small GTPases (Rho, Rac, Cdc42) do not seem to be involved in this response.

Detection of genomic instability in normal human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to 238Pu

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, C.H.; Fukushima, N.H.; Neft, R.E.; Lechner, J.F.

1994-01-01

Alpha particle-emitting radon daughters constitute a risk for development of lung cancer in humans. The development of this disease involves multiple genetic alterations. These changes and the time course they follow are not yet defined despite numerous in vitro endeavors to transform human lung cells with various physical or chemical agents. However, genomic instability, characterized both by structural and numerical chromosomal aberrations and by elevated rates of point mutations, is a common feature of tumor cells. Further, both types of genomic instability have been reported in the noncancerous progeny of normal murine hemopoietic cells exposed in vitro to α-particles. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if genomic instability is also a prominent feature of normal human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to α-particle irradiation from the decay of inhaled radon daughters

Poly(trimethylene carbonate) as an elastic biodegradable film for human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sorkio, Anni; Haimi, Suvi; Verdoold, Vincent; Juuti-Uusitalo, Kati; Grijpma, Dirk; Skottman, Heli

2017-01-01

Human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial (hESC-RPE) cell therapies show tremendous potential for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases. A tissue engineering approach, where cells are delivered to the subretinal space on a biodegradable carrier as a sheet, shows great

The human periodontal membrane: focusing on the spatial interrelation between the epithelial layer of Malassez, fibers, and innervation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjaer, Inger; Nolting, Dorrit

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to map the spatial interrelation of fibers, peripheral nerves, and epithelial layer of Malassez in human periodontal membrane in areas close to the root surfaces. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Four healthy permanent teeth extracted from four patients during...

Characterization of connective tissue growth factor expression in primary cultures of human tubular epithelial cells: modulation by hypoxia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kroening, Sven; Neubauer, Emily; Wullich, Bernd; Aten, Jan; Goppelt-Struebe, Margarete

2010-01-01

Kroening S, Neubauer E, Wullich B, Aten J, Goppelt-Struebe M. Characterization of connective tissue growth factor expression in primary cultures of human tubular epithelial cells: modulation by hypoxia. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 298:F796-F806, 2010. First published December 23, 2009;

Poly(trimethylene carbonate) as an elastic biodegradable film for human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sorkio, Anni; Haimi, Suvi; Verdoold, Vincent; Juuti-Uusitalo, Kati; Grijpma, Dirk; Skottman, Heli

Human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial (hESC-RPE) cell therapies show tremendous potential for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases. A tissue engineering approach, where cells are delivered to the subretinal space on a biodegradable carrier as a sheet, shows great

Dynamic PET of human liver inflammation: impact of kinetic modeling with optimization-derived dual-blood input function.

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Wang, Guobao; Corwin, Michael T; Olson, Kristin A; Badawi, Ramsey D; Sarkar, Souvik

2018-05-30

The hallmark of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is hepatocellular inflammation and injury in the setting of hepatic steatosis. Recent work has indicated that dynamic 18F-FDG PET with kinetic modeling has the potential to assess hepatic inflammation noninvasively, while static FDG-PET did not show a promise. Because the liver has dual blood supplies, kinetic modeling of dynamic liver PET data is challenging in human studies. The objective of this study is to evaluate and identify a dual-input kinetic modeling approach for dynamic FDG-PET of human liver inflammation. Fourteen human patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease were included in the study. Each patient underwent one-hour dynamic FDG-PET/CT scan and had liver biopsy within six weeks. Three models were tested for kinetic analysis: traditional two-tissue compartmental model with an image-derived single-blood input function (SBIF), model with population-based dual-blood input function (DBIF), and modified model with optimization-derived DBIF through a joint estimation framework. The three models were compared using Akaike information criterion (AIC), F test and histopathologic inflammation reference. The results showed that the optimization-derived DBIF model improved the fitting of liver time activity curves and achieved lower AIC values and higher F values than the SBIF and population-based DBIF models in all patients. The optimization-derived model significantly increased FDG K1 estimates by 101% and 27% as compared with traditional SBIF and population-based DBIF. K1 by the optimization-derived model was significantly associated with histopathologic grades of liver inflammation while the other two models did not provide a statistical significance. In conclusion, modeling of DBIF is critical for kinetic analysis of dynamic liver FDG-PET data in human studies. The optimization-derived DBIF model is more appropriate than SBIF and population-based DBIF for dynamic FDG-PET of liver inflammation. © 2018

Purification and characterization of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase from porcine and human liver

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lenich, A.C.

1985-01-01

Glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase (GCDH) was purified from porcine liver mitochondria by pH and ammonium sulfate fractionations followed by a series of column chromatographies. The purified porcine enzyme was found by sodium dodecyl-sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to have a subunit molecular weight of 47,800 and by gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) to have a native molecular weight of approximately 186,000. The product of the GCDH reaction with its primary substrate, glutaryl-CoA, was investigated by radio-gas chromatography and found to be crotonyl-CoA. Alternate substrates as well as crotonyl-CoA, the glutaryl-CoA reaction end product, demonstrated competitive inhibition when incubated with (1,5- 14 C)-glutaryl-CoA in the presence of porcine GCDH. Kinetic parameters for the interaction of both ETF and glutaryl-CoA with porcine GCDH were determined. Purified porcine GCDH was used to produce an antiserum which cross-reacted with human liver GCDH with a reaction of partial identity, but proved too insensitive to detect GCDH in control human fibroblasts. As a result of these negative findings, GCDH was purified by a series of column chromatographies from human liver. The purified human enzyme was found by SDS-PAGE and gel filtration to have subunit and native molecular weights of 58,800 and 256,000 respectively

[Detection of human parvovirus B19, human bocavirus and human parvovirus 4 infections in blood samples among 95 patients with liver disease in Nanjing by nested PCR].

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Rui; Zhou, Wei-Min; Liu, Xi-Jun; Wang, Yue; Lou, Yong-Liang; Tan, Wen-Jie

2013-04-01

To analyze the infection of human parvovirus B19, human bocavirus (HBoV) and human parvovirus 4 (PARV4) in blood samples among patients with liver disease in Nanjing by molecular detection. Nested PCR assays were designed and validated to detect B19, HBoV and PARV4, respectively. The assays were used to screen three parvoviruses in blood samples from 95 patients with different liver disease in Nanjing. The parvovirus infection was analyzed statistically. The detection limits were 10 copies of genomic DNA equivalents per reaction for each assays and the good specificity were observed. The frequency of B19 and HBoV were 2/95 (2.1%) and 9/95 (9.5%) in blood samples respectively. No PARV4 was detected. HBoV was detected in 3/5 patients with drug-induced hepatitis. Both B19 and HBoV infection were detected in blood from patients with liver disease.

Cytotoxicity of Different Excipients on RPMI 2650 Human Nasal Epithelial Cells

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Tamás Horváth

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The nasal route receives a great deal of attention as a non-invasive method for the systemic administration of drugs. For nasal delivery, specific formulations containing excipients are used. Because of the sensitive respiratory mucosa, not only the active ingredients, but also additives need to be tested in appropriate models for toxicity. The aim of the study was to measure the cytotoxicity of six pharmaceutical excipients, which could help to reach larger residence time, better permeability, and increased solubility dissolution rate. The following excipients were investigated on RPMI 2650 human nasal septum tumor epithelial cells: β-d-mannitol, sodium hyaluronate, α and β-cyclodextrin, polyvinyl alcohol and methylcellulose. 3-(4,5-dimethyltiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT dye conversion assay and real-time impedance analysis were used to investigate cytotoxicity. No excipient showed toxicity at 0.3% (w/v concentration or below while 1% concentration a significantly reduced metabolic activity was measured by MTT assay for methylcellulose and cyclodextrins. Using impedance measurements, only β-cyclodextrin (1% was toxic to cells. Mannitol at 1% concentration had a barrier opening effect on epithelial cells, but caused no cellular damage. Based on the results, all additives at 0.3%, sodium hyaluronate and polyvinyl alcohol at 1% concentrations can be safely used for nasal formulations.

Human mammary epithelial cells exhibit a bimodal correlated random walk pattern.

Science.gov (United States)

Potdar, Alka A; Jeon, Junhwan; Weaver, Alissa M; Quaranta, Vito; Cummings, Peter T

2010-03-10

Organisms, at scales ranging from unicellular to mammals, have been known to exhibit foraging behavior described by random walks whose segments confirm to Lévy or exponential distributions. For the first time, we present evidence that single cells (mammary epithelial cells) that exist in multi-cellular organisms (humans) follow a bimodal correlated random walk (BCRW). Cellular tracks of MCF-10A pBabe, neuN and neuT random migration on 2-D plastic substrates, analyzed using bimodal analysis, were found to reveal the BCRW pattern. We find two types of exponentially distributed correlated flights (corresponding to what we refer to as the directional and re-orientation phases) each having its own correlation between move step-lengths within flights. The exponential distribution of flight lengths was confirmed using different analysis methods (logarithmic binning with normalization, survival frequency plots and maximum likelihood estimation). Because of the presence of non-uniform turn angle distribution of move step-lengths within a flight and two different types of flights, we propose that the epithelial random walk is a BCRW comprising of two alternating modes with varying degree of correlations, rather than a simple persistent random walk. A BCRW model rather than a simple persistent random walk correctly matches the super-diffusivity in the cell migration paths as indicated by simulations based on the BCRW model.

Human mammary epithelial cells exhibit a bimodal correlated random walk pattern.

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Alka A Potdar

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Organisms, at scales ranging from unicellular to mammals, have been known to exhibit foraging behavior described by random walks whose segments confirm to Lévy or exponential distributions. For the first time, we present evidence that single cells (mammary epithelial cells that exist in multi-cellular organisms (humans follow a bimodal correlated random walk (BCRW.Cellular tracks of MCF-10A pBabe, neuN and neuT random migration on 2-D plastic substrates, analyzed using bimodal analysis, were found to reveal the BCRW pattern. We find two types of exponentially distributed correlated flights (corresponding to what we refer to as the directional and re-orientation phases each having its own correlation between move step-lengths within flights. The exponential distribution of flight lengths was confirmed using different analysis methods (logarithmic binning with normalization, survival frequency plots and maximum likelihood estimation.Because of the presence of non-uniform turn angle distribution of move step-lengths within a flight and two different types of flights, we propose that the epithelial random walk is a BCRW comprising of two alternating modes with varying degree of correlations, rather than a simple persistent random walk. A BCRW model rather than a simple persistent random walk correctly matches the super-diffusivity in the cell migration paths as indicated by simulations based on the BCRW model.

Hypo-responsiveness of interleukin-8 production in human embryonic epithelial intestine 407 cells independent of NF-κB pathway: New lessons from endotoxin and ribotoxic deoxynivalenol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moon, Yuseok; Yang, Hyun; Park, Seung-Hwan

2008-01-01

Mucosal epithelium senses external toxic insults and transmits the danger signals into the epithelial cells in order to activate a broad range of inflammatory responses. However, pre-exposure to the commensal endotoxins can induce inflammatory tolerance and maintain the homeostasis without excessive immune responses. We recently reported that ribotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) and its derivatives elicited the pro-inflammatory response as the mucosal insults in human epithelial cells. Taking the knowledge into consideration, we tested the hypothesis that endotoxin pre-exposure can attenuate ribotoxin-induced epithelial interleukin-8 (IL-8) production via a tolerance mechanism. Pre-exposure to endotoxin repressed IL-8 release and its gene expression. However, inflammatory tolerance was not mediated by the attenuated NF-κB activation which has been generally recognized as the major mediator of LPS-mediated toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway. Instead, pre-exposure to endotoxin was observed to trigger the delayed induction of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) which contributed to the diminished IL-8 production in the human epithelial cells. Moreover, endogenous PPAR-γ agonist suppressed toxicant-mediated interleukin-8 production and IL-8 mRNA stability. Taken together, endotoxin induced hypo-production of pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8 in the human epithelial cells, which was associated with the delayed activation of PPAR-γ expression by pre-existing endotoxin

Identification and characterization of metabolites of ASP015K, a novel oral Janus kinase inhibitor, in rats, chimeric mice with humanized liver, and humans.

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Nakada, Naoyuki; Oda, Kazuo

2015-01-01

1. Here, we elucidated the structure of metabolites of novel oral Janus kinase inhibitor ASP015K in rats and humans and evaluated the predictability of human metabolites using chimeric mice with humanized liver (PXB mice). 2. Rat biological samples collected after oral dosing of (14)C-labelled ASP015K were examined using a liquid chromatography-radiometric detector and mass spectrometer (LC-RAD/MS). The molecular weight of metabolites in human and the liver chimeric mouse biological samples collected after oral dosing of non-labelled ASP015K was also investigated via LC-MS. Metabolites were also isolated from rat bile samples and analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance. 3. Metabolic pathways of ASP015K in rats and humans were found to be glucuronide conjugation, methyl conjugation, sulfate conjugation, glutathione conjugation, hydroxylation of the adamantane ring and N-oxidation of the 1H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridine ring. The main metabolite of ASP015K in rats was the glucuronide conjugate, while the main metabolite in humans was the sulfate conjugate. Given that human metabolites were produced by human hepatocytes in chimeric mice with humanized liver, this human model mouse was believed to be useful in predicting the human metabolic profile of various drug candidates.

Control of oxygen tension recapitulates zone-specific functions in human liver microphysiology systems.

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Lee-Montiel, Felipe T; George, Subin M; Gough, Albert H; Sharma, Anup D; Wu, Juanfang; DeBiasio, Richard; Vernetti, Lawrence A; Taylor, D Lansing

2017-10-01

This article describes our next generation human Liver Acinus MicroPhysiology System (LAMPS). The key demonstration of this study was that Zone 1 and Zone 3 microenvironments can be established by controlling the oxygen tension in individual devices over the range of ca. 3 to 13%. The oxygen tension was computationally modeled using input on the microfluidic device dimensions, numbers of cells, oxygen consumption rates of hepatocytes, the diffusion coefficients of oxygen in different materials and the flow rate of media in the MicroPhysiology System (MPS). In addition, the oxygen tension was measured using a ratiometric imaging method with the oxygen sensitive dye, Tris(2,2'-bipyridyl) dichlororuthenium(II) hexahydrate (RTDP) and the oxygen insensitive dye, Alexa 488. The Zone 1 biased functions of oxidative phosphorylation, albumin and urea secretion and Zone 3 biased functions of glycolysis, α1AT secretion, Cyp2E1 expression and acetaminophen toxicity were demonstrated in the respective Zone 1 and Zone 3 MicroPhysiology System. Further improvements in the Liver Acinus MicroPhysiology System included improved performance of selected nonparenchymal cells, the inclusion of a porcine liver extracellular matrix to model the Space of Disse, as well as an improved media to support both hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells. In its current form, the Liver Acinus MicroPhysiology System is most amenable to low to medium throughput, acute through chronic studies, including liver disease models, prioritizing compounds for preclinical studies, optimizing chemistry in structure activity relationship (SAR) projects, as well as in rising dose studies for initial dose ranging. Impact statement Oxygen zonation is a critical aspect of liver functions. A human microphysiology system is needed to investigate the impact of zonation on a wide range of liver functions that can be experimentally manipulated. Because oxygen zonation has such diverse physiological effects in the liver, we

Renal sympathetic nerve, blood flow, and epithelial transport responses to thermal stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Thad E

2017-05-01

Thermal stress is a profound sympathetic stress in humans; kidney responses involve altered renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), renal blood flow, and renal epithelial transport. During mild cold stress, RSNA spectral power but not total activity is altered, renal blood flow is maintained or decreased, and epithelial transport is altered consistent with a sympathetic stress coupled with central volume loaded state. Hypothermia decreases RSNA, renal blood flow, and epithelial transport. During mild heat stress, RSNA is increased, renal blood flow is decreased, and epithelial transport is increased consistent with a sympathetic stress coupled with a central volume unloaded state. Hyperthermia extends these directional changes, until heat illness results. Because kidney responses are very difficult to study in humans in vivo, this review describes and qualitatively evaluates an in vivo human skin model of sympathetically regulated epithelial tissue compared to that of the nephron. This model utilizes skin responses to thermal stress, involving 1) increased skin sympathetic nerve activity (SSNA), decreased skin blood flow, and suppressed eccrine epithelial transport during cold stress; and 2) increased SSNA, skin blood flow, and eccrine epithelial transport during heat stress. This model appears to mimic aspects of the renal responses. Investigations of skin responses, which parallel certain renal responses, may aid understanding of epithelial-sympathetic nervous system interactions during cold and heat stress. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Subretinal Implantation of Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells Derived From Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Improved Survival When Implanted as a Monolayer

Science.gov (United States)

Diniz, Bruno; Thomas, Padmaja; Thomas, Biju; Ribeiro, Ramiro; Hu, Yuntao; Brant, Rodrigo; Ahuja, Ashish; Zhu, Danhong; Liu, Laura; Koss, Michael; Maia, Mauricio; Chader, Gerald; Hinton, David R.; Humayun, Mark S.

2013-01-01

Purpose. To evaluate cell survival and tumorigenicity of human embryonic stem cell–derived retinal pigment epithelium (hESC-RPE) transplantation in immunocompromised nude rats. Cells were transplanted as a cell suspension (CS) or as a polarized monolayer plated on a parylene membrane (PM). Methods. Sixty-nine rats (38 male, 31 female) were surgically implanted with CS (n = 33) or PM (n = 36). Cohort subsets were killed at 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery. Both ocular tissues and systemic organs (brain, liver, kidneys, spleen, heart, and lungs) were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, embedded in paraffin, and sectioned. Every fifth section was stained with hematoxylin and eosin and analyzed histologically. Adjacent sections were processed for immunohistochemical analysis (as needed) using the following antibodies: anti-RPE65 (RPE-specific marker), anti-TRA-1-85 (human cell marker), anti-Ki67 (proliferation marker), anti-CD68 (macrophage), and anti-cytokeratin (epithelial marker). Results. The implanted cells were immunopositive for the RPE65 and TRA-1-85. Cell survival (P = 0.006) and the presence of a monolayer (P < 0.001) of hESC-RPE were significantly higher in eyes that received the PM. Gross morphological and histological analysis of the eye and the systemic organs after the surgery revealed no evidence of tumor or ectopic tissue formation in either group. Conclusions. hESC-RPE can survive for at least 12 months in an immunocompromised animal model. Polarized monolayers of hESC-RPE show improved survival compared to cell suspensions. The lack of teratoma or any ectopic tissue formation in the implanted rats bodes well for similar results with respect to safety in human subjects. PMID:23833067

Human Adipose Tissue Derived Stem Cells Promote Liver Regeneration in a Rat Model of Toxic Injury

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva Koellensperger

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In the light of the persisting lack of donor organs and the risks of allotransplantations, the possibility of liver regeneration with autologous stem cells from adipose tissue (ADSC is an intriguing alternative. Using a model of a toxic liver damage in Sprague Dawley rats, generated by repetitive intraperitoneal application of retrorsine and allyl alcohol, the ability of human ADSC to support the restoration of liver function was investigated. A two-thirds hepatectomy was performed, and human ADSC were injected into one remaining liver lobe in group 1 (n = 20. Injection of cell culture medium performed in group 2 (n = 20 served as control. Cyclosporine was applied to achieve immunotolerance. Blood samples were drawn weekly after surgery to determine liver-correlated blood values. Six and twelve weeks after surgery, animals were sacrificed and histological sections were analyzed. ADSC significantly raised postoperative albumin (P < 0.017, total protein (P < 0.031, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (P < 0.001, and lactate dehydrogenase (P < 0.04 levels compared to injection of cell culture medium alone. Transplanted cells could be found up to twelve weeks after surgery in histological sections. This study points towards ADSC being a promising alternative to hepatocyte or liver organ transplantation in patients with severe liver failure.

DA-6034 Induces [Ca(2+)]i Increase in Epithelial Cells.

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Yang, Yu-Mi; Park, Soonhong; Ji, Hyewon; Kim, Tae-Im; Kim, Eung Kweon; Kang, Kyung Koo; Shin, Dong Min

2014-04-01

DA-6034, a eupatilin derivative of flavonoid, has shown potent effects on the protection of gastric mucosa and induced the increases in fluid and glycoprotein secretion in human and rat corneal and conjunctival cells, suggesting that it might be considered as a drug for the treatment of dry eye. However, whether DA-6034 induces Ca(2+) signaling and its underlying mechanism in epithelial cells are not known. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism for actions of DA-6034 in Ca(2+) signaling pathways of the epithelial cells (conjunctival and corneal cells) from human donor eyes and mouse salivary gland epithelial cells. DA-6034 activated Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) channels (CaCCs) and increased intracellular calcium concentrations ([Ca(2+)]i) in primary cultured human conjunctival cells. DA-6034 also increased [Ca(2+)]i in mouse salivary gland cells and human corneal epithelial cells. [Ca(2+)]i increase of DA-6034 was dependent on the Ca(2+) entry from extracellular and Ca(2+) release from internal Ca(2+) stores. Interestingly, these effects of DA-6034 were related to ryanodine receptors (RyRs) but not phospholipase C/inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP3) pathway and lysosomal Ca(2+) stores. These results suggest that DA-6034 induces Ca(2+) signaling via extracellular Ca(2+) entry and RyRs-sensitive Ca(2+) release from internal Ca(2+) stores in epithelial cells.

Alloxan-Induced Diabetes Causes Morphological and Ultrastructural Changes in Rat Liver that Resemble the Natural History of Chronic Fatty Liver Disease in Humans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda Natália Lucchesi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose. This study evaluated the long-term effects of alloxan-induced diabetes in rat liver. Methods. Thirty nondiabetic control rats (NC and 30 untreated diabetic (UD rats were divided into three subgroups sacrificed after 6, 14, or 26 weeks. Clinical and laboratory parameters were assessed. Fresh liver weight and its relationship with body weight were obtained, and liver tissue was analyzed. Results. UD rats showed sustained hyperglycemia, high glycosylated hemoglobin, and low plasma insulin. High serum levels of AST and ALT were observed in UD rats after 2 weeks, but only ALT remained elevated throughout the experiment. Fresh liver weight was equal between NC and UD rats, but the fresh liver weight/body weight ratio was significantly higher in UD rats after 14 and 26 weeks. UD rats showed liver morphological changes characterized by hepatic sinusoidal enlargement and micro- and macrovesicular hepatocyte fatty degeneration with progressive liver structure loss, steatohepatitis, and periportal fibrosis. Ultrastructural changes of hepatocytes, such as a decrease in the number of intracytoplasmic organelles and degeneration of mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum, and nuclei, were also observed. Conclusion. Alloxan-induced diabetes triggered liver morphological and ultrastructural changes that closely resembled human disease, ranging from steatosis to steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis.

Effect of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection on the adherence of pathogenic bacteria to human epithelial cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faden, H.; Hong, J.J.; Ogra, P.L.

1986-01-01

The effect of RSV infection on the adherence of Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP), Haemophilus influenzae (HI) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA) to human epithelial cells was determined. RSV-infected Hep-2 cell cultures at different stages of expression of surface viral antigens and bacteria labeled with 3 H-thymidine were employed to examine the kinetics of bacterial adherence to virus-infected cells. RSV infection did not alter the magnitude of adherence of HI or SA to HEp-2 cells. However, adherence of SP to HEp-2 cells was significantly (P 0 C. Heat-inactivation of SP did not alter adherence characteristics. These data suggest that RSV infection increases adherence of SP to the surface of epithelial cells in vitro. Since attachment of bacteria to mucosal surfaces is the first step in many infections, it is suggested that viral infections of epithelial cells render them more susceptible to bacterial adherence. Thus, RSV infection in vivo may predispose children to SP infections, such as in otitis media, by increasing colonization with SP

Ozone exposure increases respiratory epithelial permeability in humans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kehrl, H.R.; Vincent, L.M.; Kowalsky, R.J.; Horstman, D.H.; O'Neil, J.J.; McCartney, W.H.; Bromberg, P.A.

1987-01-01

Ozone is a respiratory irritant that has been shown to cause an increase in the permeability of the respiratory epithelium in animals. We used inhaled aerosolized /sup 99m/Tc-labeled diethylene triamine pentacetic acid (/sup 99m/Tc-DTPA) to investigate whether human respiratory epithelial permeability is similarly affected by exposure to ozone. In a randomized, crossover double-blinded study, 8 healthy, nonsmoking young men were exposed for 2 h to purified air and 0.4 ppm ozone while performing intermittent high intensity treadmill exercise (minute ventilation = 66.8 L/min). SRaw and FVC were measured before and at the end of exposures. Seventy-five minutes after the exposures, the pulmonary clearance of /sup 99m/Tc-DTPA was measured by sequential posterior lung imaging with a computer-assisted gamma camera. Ozone exposure caused respiratory symptoms in all 8 subjects and was associated with a 14 +/- 2.8% (mean +/- SEM) decrement in FVC (p less than 0.001) and a 71 +/- 22% increase in SRaw (p = 0.04). Compared with the air exposure day, 7 of the 8 subjects showed increased /sup 99m/Tc-DTPA clearance after the ozone exposure, with the mean value increasing from 0.59 +/- 0.08 to 1.75 +/- 0.43%/min (p = 0.03). These data show that ozone exposure sufficient to produce decrements in the pulmonary function of human subjects also causes an increase in /sup 99m/Tc-DTPA clearance

Effects of organophosphorus flame retardant TDCPP on normal human corneal epithelial cells: Implications for human health.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiang, Ping; Liu, Rong-Yan; Li, Chao; Gao, Peng; Cui, Xin-Yi; Ma, Lena Q

2017-11-01

Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) is one of the most detected organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) in the environment, especially in indoor dust. Continuous daily exposure to TDCPP-containing dust may adversely impact human cornea. However, its detrimental effects on human corneal epithelium are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the cell apoptosis in normal human corneal epithelial cells (HCECs) after TDCPP exposure and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms. Our data indicated a dose-dependent decrease of cell viability after TDCPP exposure with LC 50 at 202 μg/mL. A concentration-dependent apoptotic sign was observed in HCECs after exposing to ≥2 μg/mL TDCPP. Endoplasmic reticulum stress induction was evidenced by up-regulation of its biomarker genes (ATF-4, CHOP, BiP, and XBP1). Furthermore, alternation of Bcl-2/Bax expression, mitochondrial membrane potential loss, cellular ATP content decrease, and caspase-3 and -9 activity increase were observed after exposing to 2 or 20 μg/mL TDCPP. Taken together, the data implicated the involvement of endoplasmic reticulum stress in TDCPP-induced HCEC apoptosis, probably mediated by mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. Our findings showed TDCPP exposure induced toxicity to human cornea. Due to TDCPP's presence at high levels in indoor dust, further study is warranted to evaluate its health risk on human corneas. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A computer-simulated liver phantom (virtual liver phantom) for multidetector computed tomography evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Funama, Yoshinori [Kumamoto University, Department of Radiological Sciences, School of Health Sciences, Kumamoto (Japan); Awai, Kazuo; Nakayama, Yoshiharu; Liu, Da; Yamashita, Yasuyuki [Kumamoto University, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto (Japan); Miyazaki, Osamu; Goto, Taiga [Hitachi Medical Corporation, Tokyo (Japan); Hori, Shinichi [Gate Tower Institute of Image Guided Therapy, Osaka (Japan)

2006-04-15

The purpose of study was to develop a computer-simulated liver phantom for hepatic CT studies. A computer-simulated liver phantom was mathematically constructed on a computer workstation. The computer-simulated phantom was calibrated using real CT images acquired by an actual four-detector CT. We added an inhomogeneous texture to the simulated liver by referring to CT images of chronically damaged human livers. The mean CT number of the simulated liver was 60 HU and we added numerous 5-to 10-mm structures with 60{+-}10 HU/mm. To mimic liver tumors we added nodules measuring 8, 10, and 12 mm in diameter with CT numbers of 60{+-}10, 60{+-}15, and 60{+-}20 HU. Five radiologists visually evaluated similarity of the texture of the computer-simulated liver phantom and a real human liver to confirm the appropriateness of the virtual liver images using a five-point scale. The total score was 44 in two radiologists, and 42, 41, and 39 in one radiologist each. They evaluated that the textures of virtual liver were comparable to those of human liver. Our computer-simulated liver phantom is a promising tool for the evaluation of the image quality and diagnostic performance of hepatic CT imaging. (orig.)

ADAM28 is expressed by epithelial cells in human normal tissues and protects from C1q-induced cell death.

Science.gov (United States)

Miyamae, Yuka; Mochizuki, Satsuki; Shimoda, Masayuki; Ohara, Kentaro; Abe, Hitoshi; Yamashita, Shuji; Kazuno, Saiko; Ohtsuka, Takashi; Ochiai, Hiroki; Kitagawa, Yuko; Okada, Yasunori

2016-05-01

ADAM28 (disintegrin and metalloproteinase 28), which was originally reported to be lymphocyte-specific, is over-expressed by carcinoma cells and plays a key role in cell proliferation and progression in human lung and breast carcinomas. We studied ADAM28 expression in human normal tissues and examined its biological function. By using antibodies specific to ADAM28, ADAM28 was immunolocalized mainly to epithelial cells in several tissues, including epididymis, bronchus and stomach, whereas lymphocytes in lymph nodes and spleen were negligibly immunostained. RT-PCR, immunoblotting and ELISA analyses confirmed the expression in these tissues, and low or negligible expression by lymphocytes was found in the lymph node and spleen. C1q was identified as a candidate ADAM28-binding protein from a human lung cDNA library by yeast two-hybrid system, and specific binding was demonstrated by binding assays, immunoprecipitation and surface plasmon resonance. C1q treatment of normal bronchial epithelial BEAS-2B and NHBE cells, both of which showed low-level expression of ADAM28, caused apoptosis through activation of p38 and caspase-3, and cell death with autophagy through accumulation of LC3-II and autophagosomes, respectively. C1q-induced cell death was attenuated by treatment of the cells with antibodies against the C1q receptor gC1qR/p33 or cC1qR/calreticulin. Treatment of C1q with recombinant ADAM28 prior to addition to culture media reduced C1q-induced cell death, and knockdown of ADAM28 using siRNAs increased cell death. These data demonstrate that ADAM28 is expressed by epithelial cells of several normal organs, and suggest that ADAM28 plays a role in cell survival by suppression of C1q-induced cytotoxicity in bronchial epithelial cells. © 2016 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Augmenter of liver regeneration inhibits TGF-β1-induced renal tubular epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition via suppressing TβR II expression in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao, Xiao-hui; Zhang, Ling; Chen, Guo-tao; Yan, Ru-yu; Sun, Hang; Guo, Hui; Liu, Qi

2014-01-01

Tubular epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a crucial role in the progression of renal tubular interstitial fibrosis (TIF), which subsequently leads to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and eventually, end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We propose that augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR), a member of the newly discovered ALR/Erv1 protein family shown to ameliorate hepatic fibrosis, plays a similar protective role in renal tubular cells and has potential as a new treatment option for CKD. Here, we showed that recombinant human ALR (rhALR) inhibits EMT in renal tubular cells by antagonizing activation of the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signaling pathway. Further investigation revealed that rhALR suppresses the expression of TGF-β receptor type II (TβR II) and significantly alleviates TGF-β1-induced phosphorylation of Smad2 and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). No apparent adverse effects were observed upon the addition of rhALR alone to cells. These findings collectively suggest that ALR plays a role in inhibiting progression of renal tubular EMT, supporting its potential utility as an effective antifibrotic strategy to reverse TIF in CKD. - Highlights: • ALR is involved in the pathological progression of renal EMT in NRK-52E cells. • ALR suppresses the expression of TβRII and the phosphorylation of Smad2 and NF-κB. • ALR plays a role in inhibiting progression of renal tubular EMT

Augmenter of liver regeneration inhibits TGF-β1-induced renal tubular epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition via suppressing TβR II expression in vitro

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liao, Xiao-hui [Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400010 (China); Zhang, Ling, E-mail: lindazhang8508@hotmail.com [Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400010 (China); Chen, Guo-tao; Yan, Ru-yu [Department of Nephrology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400010 (China); Sun, Hang; Guo, Hui [Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400010 (China); Liu, Qi, E-mail: txzzliuqi@163.com [Institute for Viral Hepatitis, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Infectious Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400010 (China)

2014-10-01

Tubular epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a crucial role in the progression of renal tubular interstitial fibrosis (TIF), which subsequently leads to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and eventually, end-stage renal disease (ESRD). We propose that augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR), a member of the newly discovered ALR/Erv1 protein family shown to ameliorate hepatic fibrosis, plays a similar protective role in renal tubular cells and has potential as a new treatment option for CKD. Here, we showed that recombinant human ALR (rhALR) inhibits EMT in renal tubular cells by antagonizing activation of the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signaling pathway. Further investigation revealed that rhALR suppresses the expression of TGF-β receptor type II (TβR II) and significantly alleviates TGF-β1-induced phosphorylation of Smad2 and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). No apparent adverse effects were observed upon the addition of rhALR alone to cells. These findings collectively suggest that ALR plays a role in inhibiting progression of renal tubular EMT, supporting its potential utility as an effective antifibrotic strategy to reverse TIF in CKD. - Highlights: • ALR is involved in the pathological progression of renal EMT in NRK-52E cells. • ALR suppresses the expression of TβRII and the phosphorylation of Smad2 and NF-κB. • ALR plays a role in inhibiting progression of renal tubular EMT.

Estimation of risks to humans following intake of plutonium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dolphin, G.W.

1979-01-01

The lung cancer in humans induced by plutonium intake usually starts in bronchial epithelium. The main types of lung cancer are epidermoid or squamous cell carcinoma, small cell anaplastic carcinoma, carcinoid types and bronchio-loalveolar cell carcinoma. The data on cancer in the patients given intravascular injections of Thorotrast are the only source of data from which risk estimates can be made for liver cancer. In the beagles injected with plutonium citrate, the only type of liver tumors observed in cholangiosarcoma, and if this were the case for humans, then the appropriate risk estimate is 3 times lower in human patients. Bone sarcoma and the cancer of the epithelial surfaces close to bones have been reported extensively in workers and patients exposed to radium-226 and radium-224. In the case of plutonium, it is assumed for the purpose of risk estimates that the cancer of the epithelial surfaces near bones does not occur. Plutonium passes through guts following ingestion or following the clearance of particles initially deposited in respiratory tracts. In the case of all long-lived radionuclides, lower large intestines are the region which receive the greatest dose from the activity passing through guts. It is assumed that plutonium accumulates in bone marrows through the action of macrophages engulfing the plutonium resorbed from bone surfaces. The main uncertainty in estimating the annual limit of intake probably lies in the metabolic and dosimetric models, and to a lesser extent, in the estimate of risk. (Yamashita, S.)

Phosphatase of Regenerating Liver-3 Promotes Motility and Metastasis of Mouse Melanoma Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xiaopeng; Zeng, Hu; Zhang, Xianming; Zhao, Ying; Sha, Haibo; Ge, Xiaomei; Zhang, Minyue; Gao, Xiang; Xu, Qiang

2004-01-01

Recent reports suggested that phosphatase of regenerating liver (PRL)-3 might be involved in colorectal carcinoma metastasis with an unknown mechanism. Here we demonstrated that PRL-3 expression was up-regulated in human liver carcinoma compared with normal liver. PRL-3 was also highly expressed in metastatic melanoma B16-BL6 cells but not in its lowly metastatic parental cell line, B16 cells. B16 cells transfected with PRL-3 cDNA displayed morphological transformation from epithelial-like shape to fibroblast-like shape. PRL-3-overexpressed cells showed much higher migratory ability, which could be reversed by specific anti-sense oligodeoxynucleotide and the phosphatase inhibitors sodium orthovanadate or potassium bisperoxo oxovanadate V. Meanwhile, the expression of the catalytically inactive PRL-3 mutations (D72A or C104S) significantly reduced the cell migratory capability. In addition, PRL-3 transfectants demonstrated altered extracellular matrix adhesive property and up-regulated integrin-mediated cell spreading efficiency. Furthermore, we confirmed that PRL-3 could facilitate lung and liver metastasis of B16 cells in an experimental metastasis model in mice, consistent with accelerated proliferation and growth rate both in vitro and in vivo. Together, these observations provide convincing evidence that PRL-3 truly plays a causal role in tumor metastasis. PMID:15161639

Determination of cobalt in human liver by atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caldas, E.D.; Gine-Rosias, M.F.; Dorea, J.G.

1991-01-01

A detailed study of the use of electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of cobalt in human liver is described. Comparisons of sample digestion using nitric acid or nitric acid plus perchloric acid, atomization procedures and the application of palladium and magnesium nitrate chemical modifiers were studied using NBS SRM 1577a Bovine Liver. The best results were achieved with sample decomposition in nitric acid, atomization from the tube wall and no chemical modifier. Cobalt was determined in 90 samples of livers from foetuses and deceased newborns using the standard addition method with an average recovery of 99.8%. (author). 30 refs.; 4 figs.; 2 tabs

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.

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.

Liver-related deaths in persons infected with the human immunodeficiency virus: the D:A:D study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weber, Rainer; Sabin, Caroline A.; Friis-Møller, Nina; Reiss, Peter; El-Sadr, Wafaa M.; Kirk, Ole; Dabis, Francois; Law, Matthew G.; Pradier, Christian; de Wit, Stephane; Akerlund, Börje; Calvo, Gonzalo; D'Arminio Monforte, Antonella; Rickenbach, Martin; Ledergerber, Bruno; Phillips, Andrew N.; Lundgren, Jens D.

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND: An increasing proportion of deaths among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected persons with access to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) are due to complications of liver diseases. METHODS: We investigated the frequency of and risk factors associated with liver-related

Aldose reductase regulates acrolein-induced cytotoxicity in human small airway epithelial cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, Umesh C S; Ramana, K V; Srivastava, Satish K

2013-12-01

Aldose reductase (AR), a glucose-metabolizing enzyme, reduces lipid aldehydes and their glutathione conjugates with more than 1000-fold efficiency (Km aldehydes 5-30 µM) relative to glucose. Acrolein, a major endogenous lipid peroxidation product as well as a component of environmental pollutants and cigarette smoke, is known to be involved in various pathologies including atherosclerosis, airway inflammation, COPD, and age-related disorders, but the mechanism of acrolein-induced cytotoxicity is not clearly understood. We have investigated the role of AR in acrolein-induced cytotoxicity in primary human small airway epithelial cells (SAECs). Exposure of SAECs to varying concentrations of acrolein caused cell death in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. AR inhibition by fidarestat prevented the low-dose (5-10 µM) but not the high-dose (>10 µM) acrolein-induced SAEC death. AR inhibition protected SAECs from low-dose (5 µM) acrolein-induced cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Inhibition of acrolein-induced apoptosis by fidarestat was confirmed by decreased condensation of nuclear chromatin, DNA fragmentation, comet tail moment, and annexin V fluorescence. Further, fidarestat inhibited acrolein-induced translocation of the proapoptotic proteins Bax and Bad from the cytosol to the mitochondria and that of Bcl2 and BclXL from the mitochondria to the cytosol. Acrolein-induced cytochrome c release from mitochondria was also prevented by AR inhibition. The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), such as extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2, stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase, and p38MAPK, and c-Jun were transiently activated in airway epithelial cells by acrolein in a concentration- and time-dependent fashion, which was significantly prevented by AR inhibition. These results suggest that AR inhibitors could prevent acrolein-induced cytotoxicity in the lung epithelial cells. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights

Aldose reductase regulates acrolein-induced cytotoxicity in human small airway epithelial cells

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, Umesh CS; Ramana, KV; Srivastava, SK

2013-01-01

Aldose reductase (AR), a glucose metabolizing enzyme, reduces lipid aldehydes and their glutathione conjugates with more than 1000-fold efficiency (Km aldehydes 5-30μM) than glucose. Acrolein, a major endogenous lipid peroxidation product as well as component of environmental pollutant and cigarette smoke, is known to be involved in various pathologies including atherosclerosis, airway inflammation, COPD, and age-related disorders but the mechanism of acrolein-induced cytotoxicity is not clearly understood. We have investigated the role of AR in acrolein-induced cytotoxicity in primary human small airway epithelial cells SAECs. Exposure of SAECs to varying concentrations of acrolein caused cell-death in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. AR inhibition by fidarestat prevented the low (5 to 10 μM) but not high (>10 μM) concentrations of acrolein-induced SAECs cell death. AR inhibition protected SAECs from low dose (5 μM) acrolein-induced cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Inhibition of acrolein-induced apoptosis by fidarestat was confirmed by decreased condensation of nuclear chromatin, DNA fragmentation, comet tail-moment, and annexin-V fluorescence. Further, fidarestat inhibited acrolein-induced translocation of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bad from cytosol to the mitochondria, and that of Bcl2 and BclXL from mitochondria to cytosol. Acrolein-induced cytochrome c release from mitochondria was also prevented by AR inhibition. The mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) such as extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2), stress-activated protein kinases/c-jun NH2-terminal kinases (SAPK/JNK) and p38MAPK, and c-jun were transiently activated in airway epithelial cells by acrolein in a concentration and time-dependent fashion, which were significantly prevented by AR inhibition. These results suggest that AR inhibitors could prevent acrolein-induced cytotoxicity in the lung epithelial cells. PMID:23770200