Multi-omics reveals aging-related pathway in natural aging mouse liver.

Aging is associated with gradual changes in liver structure, altered metabolites and other physiological/pathological functions in hepatic cells. However, its characterized phenotypes based on altered metabolites and the underlying biological mechanism are unclear. Advancements in high-throughput omics technology provide new opportunities to understand the pathological process of aging. Here, in our present study, both metabolomics and phosphoproteomics were applied to identify the altered metabolites and phosphorylated proteins in liver of young (the WTY group) and naturally aged (the WTA group) mice, to find novel biomarkers and pathways, and uncover the biological mechanism. Analysis showed that the body weights, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) increased in the WTA group. The grips decreased with age, while the triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol (TC) did not change significantly. The increase of fibrosis, accumulation of inflammatory cells, hepatocytes degeneration, the deposition of lipid droplets and glycogen, the damaged mitochondria, and deduction of endoplasmic reticulum were observed in the aging liver under optical and electron microscopes. In addition, a network of metabolites and phosphorylated proteomes of the aging liver was established. Metabolomics detected 970 metabolites in the positive ion mode and 778 metabolites in the negative ion mode. A total of 150 pathways were pooled. Phosphoproteomics identified 2618 proteins which contained 16621 phosphosites. A total of 164 pathways were detected. 65 common pathways were detected in two omics. Phosphorylated protein heat shock protein HSP 90-alpha (HSP90A) and v-raf murine viral oncogene homolog B1(BRAF), related to cancer pathway, were significantly upregulated in aged mice liver. Western blot verified that protein expression of MEK and ERK, downstream of BRAF pathway were elevated in the liver of aging mice. However, the protein expression of BRAF was not a significant difference. Overall, these findings revealed a close link between aging and cancer and contributed to our understanding of the multi-omics changes in natural aging.

Single machine scheduling and due date assignment with past-sequence-dependent setup time and position-dependent processing time.

This paper considers single machine scheduling and due date assignment with setup time. The setup time is proportional to the length of the already processed jobs; that is, the setup time is past-sequence-dependent (p-s-d). It is assumed that a job's processing time depends on its position in a sequence. The objective functions include total earliness, the weighted number of tardy jobs, and the cost of due date assignment. We analyze these problems with two different due date assignment methods. We first consider the model with job-dependent position effects. For each case, by converting the problem to a series of assignment problems, we proved that the problems can be solved in O(n(4)) time. For the model with job-independent position effects, we proved that the problems can be solved in O(n(3)) time by providing a dynamic programming algorithm.

Histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in KM3 cells via downregulating VEGF receptor.

The expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1(VEGFR-1) in human multiple myeloma KM3 cells in vitro, effects of valproic acid (VPA), as a histone deacetylase inhibitor, on cell proliferation and apoptosis and the underlying molecular mechanism were investigated. The effects of VPA on the growth of KM3 cells were studied by MTT assay. The apoptosis rate was determined with flow cytometry. The mRNA level of VEGFR was determined by RT-PCR; and immunocytochemistry was used to detect the protein level of ac-H4 and VEGFR. VPA inhibited proliferation of KM3 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Treatment with VPA (4, 2, 1 and 0.5 mmol/L) for 48h, the apoptosis rates of KM3 cells were (13.27+/-3.54)%, (22.13+/-1.20)%, (24.41+/-2.23)% and(40.62+/-4.28)% respectively. The expression of VEGFR-1 in KM3 cells were decreased in VPA-treated group by the immunochemistry and RT-PCR, whereas the acetylated histone H4(ac-H4) accumulated. It suggested VPA could decrease the expression of VEGFR-1 in KM3 cells, and it might play an important role in regulating the proliferation and apoptosis of multiple myeloma cell line KM3 cells. These results provide the framework for clinical trials.

[Dendritic cells present particulate E7 protein of human papillomavirus and induce strong immunity].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of using dendritic cell (DC)-beads-antigen (Ag) as novel cancer vaccine form with E7 as the target antigen. METHODS: C57BL/6 mouse was killed and the femora were taken out. Marrow cells were isolated and cultured with IL-3 and granulocyte-macrophage growth stimulating factor (GM-CSF) so as to prepare DCs. Flow cytometry was conducted to analyze the phenotype. FITC-labeled polystyrene beads-ovalbumin (OVA) or polystyrene beads-human papillomavirus (HPV) E7 protein were added into the culture fluid to be co-cultured with the DCs for 3 hours. Flow cytometry was conducted to analyze the up-taking rates of polystyrene beads-OVA and of polystyrene beads-HPV E7 protein by the DCs and B3Z T cell hybridoma cells were co-cultured and then beads-OVA or beads-SIIFEKL polypeptide was added into the culture fluid. The absorbance was read. Twelve mice were injected with DC-beads-OVA, DC-beads-E7, DC-OVA antigen epitope (SIIFEKL), or DC-E7 epitope (RAHYNIVTF) into the plantae and killed in 36 hours to take out the iliac lymph nodes. Flow cytometry was conducted to analyze the phenotypes of the bead-positive cells. Mice were killed 10 days after immunization and their heart blood was collected. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the levels of antibodies. Immunized and non-immunized mice were killed and their spleens were taken out. ELISPOT was used to detect the number of cells secreting interferon (IFN)gamma. RESULTS: DCs were seen in the culture fluid of mice marrow cells 5 days after culture with IL-3 and GM-CSF. The bead-positive rates of bead-E7 and bead-OVA were 64% +/- 18% and 58% +/- 16% respectively (P > 0.05) in the IL-3DCs. The CD40 expression rate in the bead-positive cells in the graining iliac lymph nodes was significantly higher after feeding by beads-E7 in comparison with that before the feeding (P < 0.05), the NLDC145, and MHC-II expression rates were increased to a certain degree, however the F4/80 expression rate was decreased. The DCs fed with bead-OVA or with OVA antigen epitope SIIFEKL, especially the former, significantly activated the B3Z cells. The serum IgG level in the mice immunized by beads-E7 was significantly increases, the IgM level was increased slightly, however, the IgA level almost remained unchanged. The numbers of IFNgamma SFU in the splenic cells of the mice immunized by DC-bead-OVA and DC-bead-E7 were significantly higher than that in the unimmunized mice, especially those immunized by DC-bead-OVA. CONCLUSION: DCs fed with beads-E7 can migrate to the draining lymph nodes and induce high level humeral and cellular immunity. DC-beads-Ag seems better than DC-epitope according to the strength of induced immunity. DC-beads-Ag may be an ideal vaccine form and can be used to develop other cancer vaccine.

[Study on the T lymphocytes early activation and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor in patients with aplastic anemia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of T cell early activation marker (CD(69)) on peripheral CD(4)(+) and CD(8)(+) lymphocytes and serum levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 and 2 (sTNF-R1 and sTNF-R2) in serum and bone marrow in patients with aplastic anemia (AA) and their pathophysiological significance. METHODS: In vitro activation of T lymphocytes was carried out by whole blood cell culture containing PHA (20 micro g/ml). The CD(69) expressions on CD(4)(+) and CD(8)(+) lymphocytes at 0 h and 4 h after PHA exposure were analyzed by two-color flow cytometry. The levels of sTNF-R1 and sTNF-R2 in serum and bone marrow were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: The CD(69) expression rates of CD(4)(+) and of CD(8)(+) cells in SAA patients were (8.96 +/- 7.23)% and (10.67 +/- 7.58)%, respectively, and that of CD(8)(+) cells in CAA patients was (7.36 +/- 5.49)% before PHA stimulation. The CD(69) expression rates of CD(4)(+) and of CD(8)(+) cells in SAA patients were (71.73 +/- 11.91)% and (61.74 +/- 13.44)% and in CAA (59.35 +/- 10.15)% and (48.78 +/- 8.25)% respectively, and were significantly elevated after PHA stimulation. CD(69) expression on CD(4)(+) cells was much higher than that on CD(8)(+) cells after stimulation. The levels of the two sTNF-R (sTNF-R1 and sTNF-R2) in peripheral blood and bone marrow of SAA patients were elevated and in the bone marrow of CAA patients were also increased. The serum levels of sTNF-R2 were positively related to the CD(69) expression rates of CD(8)(+) cells before PHA stimulation. CONCLUSION: Increased early activation and activated potentials of T lymphocytes, along with abnormally elevated immunologically active molecules might play a major role in the pathogenesis of AA.

[Special morphological changes of pathologic cells in two cases of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia].

Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) is one of malignant hematological disease on account of abnormal proliferation of B lymphocyte clone and the pathologic cells of WM possess ability to secrete monoclonal immunoglobulin M. In this study, the diagnosis and morphological characteristics of 2 patients with WM were analyzed. The results showed that a special kind of "foam cells" were found by cytochemical staining examinations in both cases, which displayed characteristics of lymphocytes, but neither monocyte-macrophage nor fatty cells. The periodic acid-Shiff's reaction (PAS) demonstrated strong positive, especially on the inclusion bodies in pathologic cell plasma while the acid phosphatase, and alpha-butanoic acetate esterase stainings, resulted both in negative. In conclusion, the cells found in the two cases reported may be described as gemmy ring-like lymphocyte in morphology, a special subtype of ring-like lymphocyte.