Anticarin-β shows a promising anti-osteosarcoma effect by specifically inhibiting CCT4 to impair proteostasis

Unlike healthy, non-transformed cells, the proteostasis network of cancer cells is taxed to produce proteins involved in tumor development. Cancer cells have a higher dependency on molecular chaperones to maintain proteostasis. The chaperonin T-complex protein ring complex (TRiC) contains eight paralogous subunits (CCT1-8), and assists the folding of as many as 10% of cytosolic proteome. TRiC is essential for the progression of some cancers, but the roles of TRiC subunits in osteosarcoma remain to be explored. Here, we show that CCT4/TRiC is significantly correlated in human osteosarcoma, and plays a critical role in osteosarcoma cell survival. We identify a compound anticarin-β that can specifically bind to and inhibit CCT4. Anticarin-β shows higher selectivity in cancer cells than in normal cells. Mechanistically, anticarin-β potently impedes CCT4-mediated STAT3 maturation. Anticarin-β displays remarkable antitumor efficacy in orthotopic and patient-derived xenograft models of osteosarcoma. Collectively, our data uncover a key role of CCT4 in osteosarcoma, and propose a promising treatment strategy for osteosarcoma by disrupting CCT4 and proteostasis.

Discovery of novel KRAS‒PDEδ inhibitors with potent activity in patient-derived human pancreatic tumor xenograft models

KRAS‒PDEδ interaction is revealed as a promising target for suppressing the function of mutant KRAS. The bottleneck in clinical development of PDEδ inhibitors is the poor antitumor activity of known chemotypes. Here, we identified novel spiro-cyclic PDEδ inhibitors with potent antitumor activity both in vitro and in vivo. In particular, compound 36l (K D = 127 ± 16 nmol/L) effectively bound to PDEδ and interfered with KRAS-PDEδ interaction. It influenced the distribution of KRAS in Mia PaCa-2 cells, downregulated the phosphorylation of t-ERK and t-AKT and promoted apoptosis of the cells. The novel inhibitor 36l exhibited significant in vivo antitumor potency in pancreatic cancer patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. It represents a promising lead compound for investigating the druggability of KRAS‒PDEδ interaction.

Papel do Receptor Lgr5 no Prognóstico e na Biologia de Sarcomas de Partes Moles / Role of the Lgr5 Receptor in the Prognosis and Biology of Soft Tissue Sarcomas

INTRODUÇÃO: Os sarcomas de partes moles (SPM) de alto grau são neoplasias heterogêneas, de prognóstico ruim e que apresentam poucas alternativas de tratamento. A identificação de marcadores de resposta tumoral ao tratamento, prognóstico, e até ao desenvolvimento de novas drogas, é uma busca incessante para um melhor tratamento dos sarcomas. Neste aspecto, o receptor Lgr5 tem um grande potencial em ser um novo alvo molecular, sendo um marcador de células-tronco das criptas intestinais e glândulas mamárias que também atua como um modulador negativo da sinalização da via Wnt/ß-catenina, uma das mais importantes na biologia de sarcomas emerge como um promissor candidato para estudos pré-clínicos, uma vez que já foi demonstrada sua importância em tumores do trato gastrointestinal. Para isso, os modelos de tumor de xenoenxerto derivado do paciente (PDX) representam uma plataforma valiosa para identificar novos biomarcadores e novos alvos, assim como o Lgr5 para avaliar a resposta à terapia e os mecanismos de resistência. OBJETIVO: Este estudo teve como objetivo estabelecer, caracterizar e testar a proteína Lgr5 através de ensaios in vitro e in vivo para desvendar a importância de Lgr5 na biologia de SPM e estabelecer uma estrutura integrada, convergente e translacional para o estudo deste tipo de tumor. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Para a determinação da expressão de Lgr5 foi estabelecida duas coortes de estudo, uma retrospectiva oriunda do Registro Institucional de Sarcomas e uma prospectiva, onde foram convidados pacientes operados na Instituição com o intuito de gerar Patient-derived xenografts (PDX), um modelo-pré-clínico que possui a capacidade de manter as características moleculares dos tumores dos pacientes. Para isso, foram utilizados fragmentos implantados em camundongos imunossuprimidos para gerar esses modelos tumorais derivados de pacientes, além dos estudos funcionais in vitro utilizando linhagens de SPM para análise de perfil de expressão da proteína Lgr5 através de ensaios com imunofluorescência para verificar a capacidade de expressão de Lgr5, citometria de fluxo para verificar o padrão e quantidade de proteína nas amostras analisadas e western blotting para obter um padrão de marcação da proteína Lgr5. Além dos ensaios funcionais para avaliar a participação da proteína na proliferação, se a expressão da proteína interfere no poder migratório das células e tumores de SPM e capacidade de auto renovação, bem como sua associação com os dados clínicos e dados de sobrevida. RESULTADOS: O Registro Institucional retrospectivo conta com mais de 300 pacientes, já o Registro prospectivo com 70 pacientes que derivaram a geração de 33 PDX. Foi observado que pacientes com H-score superior a 20 apresentaram sobrevida global menor em 5 anos em comparação com o H-score de pacientes com valores inferiores a 20. Agora na outra análise feita, o H-score de pacientes com valores superiores a 25 é pior em comparação com os que apresentaram valores inferiores a 25 nos dados de sobrevida livre de doença. Além disso, células que superexpressam a proteína Lgr5 tem maior capacidade migratória (p= 0.02) e uma tendência de aumento na proliferação e auto renovação. Realizamos o teste de implante dessas populações positivas e negativas de Lgr5, separadas previamente por cell sorting. Para isso foram utilizados animais Balb/c Nude. Sugerindo que a expressão da proteína transduzida pode ser modulada por mecanismos compensatórios que precisam ser explorados. CONCLUSÃO: A construção do Registro Institucional de SPM é um grande passo para o melhor compreendimento da biologia dos Sarcomas, além da possibilidade de estudar novos alvos terapêuticos desse tumor raro, uma vez que os estudos e artigos científicos ainda são muito escassos. A geração dos modelos PDX também foi uma estratégia implantada muito bem executada com a geração de 33 PDX de diversos subtipos histológicos. Além da proteína Lgr5 induzir a migração celular a sua expressão está relacionada a um pior prognóstico, uma vez que, quanto maior a expressão de Lgr5 menor é a sobrevida global do paciente.

INTRODUCTION: High-grade soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are heterogeneous neoplasms with a poor prognosis and few treatment alternatives. The identification of tumor response markers to treatment, prognosis, and even the development of new drugs, is an incessant search for a better treatment of sarcomas. In this aspect, the Lgr5 receptor has great potential to be a new molecular target, being a marker of stem cells of the intestinal crypts and mammary glands that also acts as a negative modulator of the signaling of the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, one of the most important in the biology of sarcomas emerges as a promising candidate for preclinical studies, since its importance in tumors of the gastrointestinal tract has already been demonstrated. To that end, patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumor models represent a valuable platform to identify new biomarkers and new targets, as does Lgr5 to assess therapy response and resistance mechanisms. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to establish, characterize, and test the Lgr5 protein through in vitro and in vivo assays to unravel the importance of Lgr5 in the biology of PMS and to establish an integrated, convergent and translational framework for the study of this type of tumor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To determine the expression of Lgr5, two study cohorts were established, a retrospective one from the Institutional Registry of Sarcomas and a prospective one, in which patients operated on at the Institution were invited to generate Patient-derived xenografts (PDX), a pre-model -clinical that has the ability to maintain the molecular characteristics of patients' tumors. For this, fragments implanted in immunosuppressed mice were used to generate these tumor models derived from patients, in addition to in vitro functional studies using SPM strains to analyze the expression profile of the Lgr5 protein through immunofluorescence assays to verify the ability to express Lgr5, flow cytometry to verify the pattern and amount of protein in the analyzed samples and western blotting to obtain a pattern of labeling of the Lgr5 protein. In addition to functional assays to assess the protein's participation in proliferation, whether protein expression interferes with the migratory power of SPM cells and tumors and self-renewal capacity, as well as its association with clinical data and survival data. RESULTS: The Institutional Retrospective Registry has more than 300 patients, while the Prospective Registry has 70 patients who derived the generation of 33 PDX. It was observed that patients with an H-score greater than 20 had a lower overall survival at 5 years compared to the H-score of patients with values below 20. Now in the other analysis performed, the H-score of patients with values greater than 25 it is worse compared to those who had values less than 25 in the disease-free survival data. Furthermore, cells that overexpress the Lgr5 protein have greater migratory capacity (p=0.02) and a tendency to increase proliferation and self-renewal. We performed the implant test of these positive and negative populations of Lgr5, previously separated by cell sorting. For this, Balb/c Nude animals were used. Suggesting that the expression of the transduced protein can be modulated by compensatory mechanisms that need to be explored. CONCLUSION: The construction of the Institutional Registry of PMS is a big step towards a better understanding of the biology of Sarcomas, in addition to the possibility of studying new therapeutic targets for this rare tumor, since studies and scientific articles are still very scarce. The generation of PDX models was also an implemented strategy very well executed with the generation of 33 PDX of several histological subtypes. In addition to the Lgr5 protein inducing cell migration, its expression is related to a worse prognosis, since the higher the Lgr5 expression, the lower the overall survival of the patient

Research status and prospect of basic application of islet organoid / 器官移植

Organoids are tissue structures, generated from pluripotent stem cells and cultured in vitro, which form self-organize and recapitulate tissues with similar structure and function to the original organs. Organoids have similar appearance and function to the original tissues, and have been widely applied in basic research and clinical trial. At present, the organoids of liver, kidney, islet, brain, intestine and other organs have been successfully cultivated. The use of islet organoid is a hotspot in the field of organoid research. However, islet organoid is currently applied in basic research because rejection after organ transplantation and other issues remain unresolved. In this article, the origin, development and basic application of islet organoid were reviewed, aiming to provide reference for the transformation from basic research of islet organoid into clinical application as well as the treatment of diabetes mellitus.

Establishment of a lung cancer mouse model with humanized immunity and its role in efficacy evaluation of programmed death-1 inhibitors / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

Objective:To establish a lung cancer mouse model with humanized peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) expressing programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and study the role of the model in evaluating the efficacy of programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors. Methods:Fresh biopsy tissue samples or tumor cells in malignant pleural effusion from the patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer were inoculated subcutaneously in CB17-SCID mice to establish patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. The expression of PD-L1 in PDX models was detected by immunohistochemistry. The mature human PBMC and PDX model tumor cells were mixed and then inoculated into NCG mice to establish a PDX model of lung cancer with humanized immunity, on which the efficacy of PD-1 inhibitor was verified. Results:Among the PDX models established by 16 clinical samples, 2 were strongly positive for PD-L1, 4 were positive, and the rest were negative. In the PDX model with strongly positive PD-L1, the tumor growth inhibition rate of cindilimab, an inhibitor of PD-1, was 82.6%, 21 days after the initial administration; in the PDX model with negative PD-L1, the inhibitor of PD-1 showed no antitumor activity. Conclusion:A PD-L1-expressing lung cancer mouse model with humanized immunity is successfully established and the efficacy of PD-1 inhibitor can be evaluated on the model.

Research progress of hepatocellular carcioma patient-derived human tumor xenograft models / 中国药理学通报

Patient-derived human tumor xenograft (PDX) models can maintain the histopathological, growth and metastasis characteristics of primary tumors well, and can still retain these characteristics of primary tumors in large degreeafter multiple passages. It is closely related to the tumors of primary patients with great importance in scientific research. The hepatocellular carcinoma PDX models has been used in patients'individualized drug screening, evaluation of drug efficacy, exploration of treatment direction, occurrence and development mechanism of hepatocellular carcinoma, etc. It shows excellent application prospects. This article reviews the methods, applications and tumorigenie factors of hepatocellular carcinoma PDX model.

Effect of Zuoguiwan on Serum Related Indexes and Pancreatic PDX-1 Expression in GDM RatsWANG Chao-qun1，2, WANG Yong-hui2, LIU Tao2, XU Kai-xia2, ZHAO Le2, ZHOU Ran2*（1.HuBei University of Traditional Chinese Medicine（TCM），Wuhan 430065，China；2.Shanxi University of TCM，Taiyuan 030024，China） / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of maternal intervention of Zuoguiwan on the improvement of serum and pancreatic index in rats of gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM). Method:The GDM pregnant rats were replicated by monogamous cage and introneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). The pregnant rats were randomly divided into normal group, model group, insulin group (20 U·kg-1), and low, medium and high-dose Zuoguiwan groups (2.5，5.0，10.0 g·kg-1). The insulin group was given hypodermic injection of portal winter insulin, all drug groups were respectively administrated with corrsponding drugs for 2 weeks, once a day. Meanwhile, control group and model group were given physiological saline by gavage. After that, the levels of serum insulin, fasting plasma glucose（FBG）, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), protein and gene expression levels of Pancreas-duodenal homologous box factor-1 (PDX-1) were respectively detected by Western blot and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）. Result:Compared with normal group, FBG, TNF-α and IL-6 levels of pregnant rats in model group increased significantly (P<0.01), the level of IL-8 increased uniformly (P<0.05), and serum insulin level, protein and gene expression levels of PDX-1 decreased significantly (P<0.01). Compared with model group, FBG and serum IL-8 levels of pregnant rats in insulin group were significantly lower (P<0.01), while serum insulin level, protein and gene expression levels of PDX-1 increased significantly(P<0.01). FBG, IL-8, IL-6 and TNF-α levels in serum of pregnant rats in medium-dose Zuoguiwan group decreased obviously, meanwhile serum insulin level, protein and gene expression levels of PDX-1 increased significantly (P<0.01). Conclusion:Zuoguiwan may promote the secretion of insulin by reducing the serum inflammatory factors in GDM rats, and at the same time up-regulate the expression of PDX-1 protein and gene, so as to restrain insulin resistance, reduce the damage of pancreatic cells and improve the blood glucose of rats.

Mechanism of lncRNA-PLUTO on promoting insulin biosynthesis and secretion / 中国药科大学学报

@#The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of long non-coding RNA PLUTO on β cell function and its underlying mechanism. Islet cells of db/db, ob/ob and HFD mice were isolated and extracted by enzymatic method to detect the expression of PLUTO in islet cells of different obesity model mice. Glucolipid toxicity was used to stimulate islet primary cells and Min6 cells, and the expression of PLUTO was detected to elucidate the reasons of PLUTO down-regulation induced by obesity factors. RT-qPCR and ELISA were performed to analyze the function of PLUTO on β cells; Western blot and rescue experiments were carried out to elucidate the regulatory mechanism of β cells by PLUTO. The results showed that the expression levels of PLUTO were significantly decreased in obesity model mice compared with control mice; over-expression PLUTO in primary islets and Min6 cells could improve insulin biosynthesis and secretion; Western blot analysis showed that PLUTO promoted insulin secretion and synthesis by up-regulating the transcription and translation of Pdx1, which is the adjacent gene of PLUTO.

Research progress on osteosarcoma treatment in the precision medicine era / 中国肿瘤临床

With the rapid development of omics and big data technology, there have been multiple achievements with the use of pre-cision medicine for cancer treatment. Osteosarcoma, the most common primary malignant tumor of the skeletal system, primarily oc-curs in children and adolescents. Since the 1970s, surgical resection and chemotherapy have been the main treatments for osteosarco-ma; however, the survival rate for this type of cancer has been stagnant due to high genetic heterogeneity. Precision medicine can pro-vide a precise diagnosis and tailored treatments based on the patients’biological characteristics using techniques such as omics. Therefore, application of precision medicine is promising for studying osteosarcoma and improving patient survival rates. This study aims to systematically review the progress of precision medicine in advancing osteosarcoma treatment. In addition, it discusses the prospects and future direction of osteosarcoma precision treatment.

Lupin gamma conglutin protein: effect on Slc2a2, Gck and Pdx-1 gene expression and GLUT2 levels in diabetic rats

ABSTRACT Recently, lupin seed (Lupinus albus L., Fabaceae) products have emerged as a functional food due to their nutritional and health benefits. Numerous reports have demonstrated the hypoglycemic effects of lupin's gamma conglutin protein; nonetheless, its mechanism of action remains elusive. To understand the role of this protein on glucose metabolism, we evaluated the effect of administering L. albus' gamma conglutin on Slc2a2, Gck, and Pdx-1 gene expression as well as GLUT2 protein tissue levels in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. While consuming their regular diet, animals received a daily gamma conglutin dose (120 mg/kg per body weight) for seven consecutive days. Serum glucose levels were measured at the beginning and at the end of the experimental period. At the end of the trial, we quantified gene expression in pancreatic and hepatic tissues as well as GLUT2 immunopositivity in Langerhans islets. Gamma conglutin administration lowered serum glucose concentration by 17.7%, slightly increased Slc2a2 and Pdx-1 mRNA levels in pancreas, up-regulated Slc2a2 expression in the liver, but it had no effect on hepatic Gck expression. After gamma conglutin administration, GLUT2 immunopositivity in Langerhans islets of diabetic animals resembled that of healthy rats. In conclusion, our results indicate that gamma conglutin up-regulates Slc2a2 gene expression in liver and normalizes GLUT2 protein content in pancreas of streptozotocin-induced rats.

A review of the establishment of patient-derived prostate cancer xenograft( PDX) model and screening of therapeutic drugs / 中国实验动物学报

The high-fidelity prostate tumor patient-derived xenograft ( PDX) model is the basis for studies of biology and pharmacotherapy of prostate cancer. However, the development and application of prostate tumor has been hampered by a low success rate of transplanted primary tumors in mice as most prostate cancers are highly relevant to hormones. The high-fidelity PDX model of prostate cancer better maintains the histopathology and molecular heterogeneity of the original tumor. Here, we review the improved method of establishing PDX model of prostate cancer, including the testosterone supplementation, the quality of the original tumor tissue as well as the stromal niche, and the application of commonly used therapeutic drugs, and to provide a theoretical basis for clinical studies of prostate tumor. These attempts are very important for development of new agents and research on mechanisms of prostate cancer. It will further promote the individualized treatment of prostate cancer.

Chemoterapeutic drug screening based on patient?derived pancreatic cancer xenograft(PDX)models / 中国实验动物学报

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of chemotherapeutic drugs on pancreatic carcinoma based on patient-derived xenograft(PDX)models,and to screen an individualized treatment strategy. Methods Fresh human pancreatic carcinoma tissues were subcutaneously transplanted into nude mice to establish PDX models which could be stab-ly passaged. The traceability of PDX models was determined by STR analysis. The PDX models were treated with three dif-ferent clinical chemotherapeutic drugs oxaliplatin, gemcitabine and irinotecan, respectively, and the tumor volumes were measured at different times. The therapeutic effect of those drugs was assessed by TGD mathematical model and plasma CA19-9 test. Results The traceability of patient-derived xenograft samples was up to 99.99%. Compared with the con-trol group,the treatment with irinotecan and gemcitabine inhibited tumor growth significantly(P=0.001), and gemcit-abine had even better result. The minimum toxic effect in the mice was induced by irinotecan treatment,followed by gem-citabine treatment. Conclusions Pancreatic carcinoma PDX models are successfully established and can be stably pas-saged. Gemcitabine shows the most inhibitory effect on tumor growth based on TGD mathematical model assessment, and deserves to be recommended as the preferred drug for individual treatment of pancreatic carcinoma.

Establishment and application of a patient derived xenograft mouse model of liver cancer / 中国比较医学杂志

Objective To establish a patient-derived xenografts (PDX) mouse model of liver cancer (LC) and to explore its role in precision medicine.Methods PDX model was established by subcutaneous implantation of tumor tissues in NCG mice.The morphological structure of tumor tissue was exaimed using HE staining.Fifteen BALB/c nude mice were subcutaneously inoculated with tumor cell suspension from the PDX models.The xenograft mice were randomly divided into 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) group, sorafenib group and negative control group.The tumor volume and body weight of the tumor-bearing mice were measured regularly, the tumor inhibition rate was calculated and the curative effect was evaluated.Results The success rate was 33.3% (6/18) in the establishment of liver cancer PDX mouse model, and the model well retained the characteristics of the primary tumor.In one case of PDX mouse model, the tumor inhibition rates of 5-FU and sorafenib group were 63.7% and 29.6%, with a statistically significant differece between them (P< 0.05), and there was no significant difference between the sorafenib group and negative control group, consistent with clinical observation.Conclusions The PDX mouse model of liver cancer can maintain the histological structure of primary tumor, and can be applied to precision medicine for patients with liver cancer.

Research progress of patient-derived xenografts in precision cancer medicine / 中国比较医学杂志

Cancer is a group of heterogeneous disease caused by diverse genomic alterations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes .Despite recent advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies and development of targeted therapies, novel cancer drug development is limited due to the high attrition rate from clinical studies .Patient-derived xenografts ( PDX) models are generated by implanting sectioned patient tumor fragments into immunodeficient mice .PDX models retain many of the key characteristics of patients ' tumors including histology , genomic signature , cellular heterogeneity , and drug responsiveness .These models cannot only serve as a platform for co-clinical trials by enabling the integration of clinical data , genomic profiles , and drug responsiveness data to determine precisely targeted therapies , but also be applied to the development of biomarkers for drug responsiveness and personalized drug selection .This review summarizes our current knowledge of this field , including methodologic aspects , applications in drug development , challenges and limitations , and utilization for precision cancer medicine .

Problems and strategies in the research of patient-derived gastric cancer xenograft models / 中国实验动物学报

In this paper, we summarize the major problems existing in establishing gastric cancer patient-derived xenograft ( PDX) models and its solutions, and introduce its advantages on screening targeted drugs. As many previous re?search emphasized on individual characteristics too much, we argue that we should pay more attention to the generality of what we are studying in order to analyze the genotype of PDX models before taking a targeted therapy.

Induction of Nestin Early Expression as a Hallmark for Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expression of PDX-1 as a Pre-disposing Factor for Their Conversion into Insulin Producing Cells

Diabetes constitutes a worldwide epidemic that affects all ethnic groups. Cell therapy is one of the best alternatives of treatment, by providing an effective way to regenerate insulin-producing cells lost during the course of the disease, but many issues remain to be solved. Several groups have been working in the development of a protocol capable of differentiating Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) into physiologically sound Insulin Producing Cells (IPCs). In order to obtain a simple, fast and direct method, we propose in this manuscript the induction of MSCs to express NESTIN in a short time period (2 h), proceeded by incubation in a low glucose induced medium (24 h) and lastly by incubation in a high glucose medium. Samples from cell cultures incubated in high glucose medium from 12 to 168 h were obtained to detect the expression of INSULIN-1, INSULIN -2, PDX-1 and GLUT-2 genes. Induced cells were exposed to a glucose challenge, in order to assess the production of insulin. This method allowed us to obtain cells expressing PDX-1, which resembles a progenitor insulin-producing cell.

Protective effect of salvianolic acid B on pancreatic islet cells in diabetic rats with fluctuating blood glucose / 中草药

Objective: To observe the protective effect of salvianolic acid B (Sal B) on pancreatic islet cells in diabetic rats with fluctuating blood glucose and the possible mechanisms implicated. Methods: Diabetes model in rats was established by feeding with high-sugar and high-fat diets combined with ip injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Then the rats were subjected to ip injection of insulin and/or ig administration of glucose at indicated time for 6 weeks to induce blood glucose fluctuation, with those in Sal B groups ig supplemented with Sal B 160 or 80 mg/kg. The contents of fasting blood glucose (FBG), fasting serum insulin (FINS), and glycosylated hemoglobin (GHb) and the levels of total anti-oxidant capacity (TAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) in both serum and pancreatic tissues were determined with commercially available kits. Pathological changes and cell apoptosis in pancreatic islets were evaluated by HE staining and TUNEL staining, respectively. Protein levels of PDX-1 in pancreatic tissues were examined by Western blotting analysis. Results: Compared with the control group, the contents of FBG, GHb, and MDA in diabetic rats were increased significantly, while the levels of FINS, TAC, and SOD activity were decreased markedly (P < 0.01). Pancreatic islets in diabetic rats became decreased in size and number, while cell apoptosis in islets increased notably (P < 0.01). Protein level of PDX-1 was significantly decreased in pancreas of diabetic rats (P < 0.01). Supplementation with Sal B resulted in a significant decrease in FBG, GHb, and MDA contents and increase in FINS, TAC, and SOD activity in diabetic rats (P < 0.05, 0.01). Sal B significantly attenuated pathological changes and reduced cell apoptosis in pancreatic islets of diabetic rats, with the expression of PDX-1 protein up-regulated evidently (P < 0.05 or 0.01). Conclusion: Sal B can significantly ameliorate pancreatic pathological changes and improve pancreatic islet function in diabetic rats with fluctuating blood glucose, which might be attributed to attenuation of oxidative stress, up-regulation of PDX-1 expression, and suppression of islet cell apoptosis.

Application of near infrared fluorescent dye in the study of patient-derived gastric cancer xenograft nude mouse models / 中国实验动物学报

Objective To establish a patient-derived gastric cancer xenograft( PDX) model in nude mice and to in-vestigate the application of near infrared fluorescent ( NIRF) dye IR-783 in in vivo imaging of gastric cancer xenograft mod-els.Methods Fresh human gastric cancer tissue was taken and transplanted into the subrenal capsule of nude mice to es-tablish the xenograft model.When the transplanted tumors grew,took part of the tumor tissue to do HE staining and compare the structural characteristics with the primary tumor.Another portion of the tumor was xenografted into nude mice subcutane-ously.Twenty days later,the tumor-bearing mice were injected intraperitoneally with IR-783 dye (10μM) in a dose of 100 mg/20 g.The intensity of the tumor image was monitored by optical NIRF imaging.The correction between tumor volume and fluorescence intensity was analyzed.Finally,the expression of OATP1B3 and HIF1αin the xenografted tumor tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry.Results We successfully established three patient-derived xenograft ( PDH) models of human gastric cancer.The transplanted tumor tissues maintained the histological characteristics of the primary tumor well.NIRF signal can be detec ted in subrenal capsule of the xenografted nude mice.The correlation between tumor size and fluorescence intensity in the PDX models reached higher than 98%.Strong positive expressions of HIF1αand OATP1B3 in the tumor tissues were detected.Conclusions NIRF dye IR-783 can be specifically accumulated at the tumor site,therefore, can be used to detect PDX in vivo early.The tumor targeting property may be related to the expression of OATP1B3 and HIF1α.

Expression of pancreatic and duodenal homeobox1 (PDX1) protein in the interior and exterior regions of the intestine, revealed by development and analysis of Pdx1 knockout mice / 한국실험동물학회지

We developed pancreatic and duodenal homeobox1 (Pdx1) knockout mice to improve a compensatory hyperinsulinemia, which was induced by hyperplasia in the beta cells or Langerhans' islands, as the diabetic model mice. For targeting of Pdx1 gene by homologous recombination, ES cells derived from a 129(+Ter)/SvJclxC57BL/6JJcl hybrid mouse were electroporated and subjected to positive-negative selection with hygromycin B and ganciclovir. As these results, one of the three chimeric mice succeeded to produce the next or F1 generation. Then, the mouse fetuses were extracted from the mother's uterus and analyzed immunohistologically for the existence of a pancreas. The fetuses were analyzed at embryonic day 14.5 (E14.5) because Pdx1 knockout could not alive after birth in this study. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that 10 fetuses out of 26 did not have any PDX1 positive primordium of the pancreas and that the PDX1 expresses in both the interior and exterior regions of intestine. In particular, one the exterior of the intestine PDX1 was expressed in glands that would be expected to form the pancreas. The result of PCR genotyping with extracted DNA from the paraffin sections showed existence of 10 Pdx1-knockout mice and corresponded to results of immunostaining. Thus, we succeeded to establish a Pdx1-knockout (Pdx1-/-) mice.

Expression of PDX1 in human umblical cord mesenchymal stem cells mediated by adenovirus vector / 中华内分泌外科杂志

ObjectiveTo construct recombinant adenovirus vector containing human pancreatic and duodenal homeobox factor 1 (PDX1) and detect its expression in human umblical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUCMSCs). MethodsPDX1 obtained by BgⅢ/XhoI enzyme digestion from pUC57-PDX1 was ligated into the recombinant shuttle vector pShuttle-GFP-CMV to obtain the recombinant shuttle plasmid pShuttle-GFP-CMVPDX1. pShuttle-GFP-CMV- PDX1 was shifted to pAdxsi vector to obtain pAdxsi-GFP-PDX1 virus plasmid. The recombinant plasmid was packaged and amplified in 293 cells. The expression of PDX1 gene and protein in HUCMSCs was detected by fluorescence microscopy, RT-PCB, immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and Western Blot. ResultsPDX1 gene was inserted correctly into shuttle plasmid and the recombinant adenovirus vector was successfully constructed according to the results of sequence and enzyme digestion identification. The adenovirus was effectively transfected into HUCMSCs. RT-PCR verified that PDX1 mRNA was positively expressed in HUCMSCs. Expression of PDX1 protein in the nuclear of HUCMSCs was found by immunofluorescence assay, immunohistochemistry and Western Blot. ConclusionThe adenovirus vector containing PDX1 gene is successfully constructed and effectively expressed in HUCMSCs.