Expression Profile of Tumor Endothelial Marker 7 and a Putative Ligand in the Rat Spinal Cord and Dorsal Root Ganglion

STUDY DESIGN: To analyze the expression profile of tumor endothelial marker 7 (TEM7) in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglion (DRG). PURPOSE: To investigate the expression profile of TEM7 in the spinal cord and DRG of adult and developing rats. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Tumor endothelial marker 7 (TEM7) is a putative transmembrane protein that is highly expressed in the tumor endothelium and in cerebellar neurons. METHODS: In the present study, the expression profile of TEM7 in the spinal cord and DRG of the rat was investigated using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical analysis. In addition, the secreted recombinant ectodomain of TEM7 was employed to label the expression of a putative ligand of TEM7 in the spinal cord and DRG. RESULTS: Specific TEM7 mRNA localization was observed in the motor neurons of the spinal cord and sensory neurons of the DRG. Glial cells and vascular endothelial cells did not show hybridization signals. Immunohistochemical analysis with a specific polyclonal antibody revealed a similar localization profile for TEM7 mRNA expression. In the spinal cord, weak labeling was observed in the gray matter. The TEM7 ectodomain localized the expression of a putative ligand of TEM7 in the neurilemmal structures and perineurium of the spinal nerve roots. In the DRG, ligand labeling was observed in the endoneurium and perineurium of the spinal nerves, and extracellular matrix around the sensory neurons. A developmental study has shown that TEM7 mRNA expression in the motor neurons of the spinal cord and DRG increased with age during postnatal development. Conclusion: These findings indicate that TEM7 plays a role as a transmembrane receptor in neuronal populations of the spinal cord and DRG.

Postnatal Developmental Expression of TEM7 mRNA and its Putative Ligand in the Rat Cerebellum / 대한해부학회지

Tumor endothelial marker 7 (TEM7) is a putative transmembrane protein that is highly expressed in the tumor endothelium and cerebellar neurons. In the present study, the expression profile of TEM7 mRNA and its putative ligand in the developing cerebellum of the rat was investigated using in situ hybridization and ligand binding assay. The secreted recombinant ectodomain of TEM7 was employed to label the expression of putative ligand of TEM7 in the cerebellum. The expression of a putative ligand of TEM7 demonstrated by using TEM7 ectodomain was found in the molecular layer of the cerebellum, where the dendritic trees of Purkinje cells are present. A developmental study has shown that TEM7 mRNA expression in the Purkinje neurons was increased with age during postnatal development, whereas the putative ligand labeling in the molecular layer was observed throughout the developmental period. These findings indicate that TEM7-ligand interaction plays a role in the differentiation of Purkinje cells during postnatal development.

Prognostic Factors Associated with Revision Operation of Spine (Second Review) / 대한척추외과학회지

STUDY DESIGN: Patients who had had a revision operation were classified according to their outcome OBJECTIVE: To review a consecutive series of patients who had had a revision operation on the lumbar spine and to determine which factors contributed to a successful outcome. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: The long-term failure rates after the primary surgery on the spine have been reported to be as high as 30 %. MATERALS AND METHODS: This study analyzed 57 patients who had had a revision operation on the lumbar spine between Sep-tember 1995 and December 2001, and had been followed for a minimum of two years and were available for analysis. All the patients had had a decompression and instrumented fusion except for two patients who had just undergone a bone graft. These patients were followed for an average of 39 months. There were 37 men and 20 women. The patients had undergone one or more surgical procedures and an average of 54 months had elapsed since the most recent operation. The average age at the time of the revision was 52 years. The outcome was considered to be successful if the patient had met the all three criteria (Ed note: What were the 3 criteria?). Several factors were evaluated using multiple regression (level of significance, P<0.05) to be determine which were related to a successful outcome. RESULTS: Statistical analysis revealed that the factors associated with a successful outcome were a younger age (p<0.02), fewer spinal levels of revision surgery (p<0.05), pain-free interval after a previous operation (p<0.01). No significant relationship was observed between the outcome and gender, the number of prior procedures, the spinal level operated on, the presence of preoperative neurological signs and the intervals between the previous surgery and the revision. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the prognostic factors are useful for evaluating the successful outcome of revision surgery of the spine.

Immunohistochemical Study on the Distribution of Tumor Endothelial Marker 7 in the Rat Forebrain / 대한해부학회지

Tumor endothelial marker 7 (TEM7) is a putative transmembrane protein that is highly expressed in the tumor endothelium. In the present study, the expression profile of TEM7 in the rat forebrain was investigated using immunohistochemistry with a specific polyclonal antibody against the extracellular region of TEM7. The immunohistochemical research revealed that TEM7 expressions were localized to specific neuronal areas such as cerebral cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamic magnocellular nuclei. The TEM7 protein was mainly present in the dendrite and cell body of the projection neurons. However, glial cells, vascular endothelial cells and meningeal cells did not show the expression of TEM7, indicating the specific roles of TEM7 in the neuronal cells in the vertebrate nervous system.