Β-gal Activity Research Articles

Senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining in fish cell lines and primary cultures from several tissues and species, including rainbow trout coelomic fluid and milt.

Cell lines and primary cultures from several teleost tissues and species were stained for senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA β-Gal), revealing four general outcomes. (1) For long-standing fish cell lines that can be considered immortal, little or no SA β-Gal staining was observed, regardless of the culture conditions. (2) For a new walleye cell line from the bulbus arteriosus (WEBA), most cells stained for SA β-Gal even after 40 passages. This suggested that high SA β-Gal activity was a unique property of WEBA, perhaps reflecting their endothelial character, rather than cellular senescence. (3) For cell lines developed from the walleye caudal fin and from somatic cells in rainbow trout coelomic fluid, no SA β-Gal staining was observed in the earliest cultures to over 70 passages later. This suggested that cells from these anatomical sites do not undergo senescence in vitro. (4) By contrast, for cell lines developed from the walleye brain and from somatic cells in rainbow trout milt, most cells in the early-stage cultures stained for SA β-Gal, but as these were developed into cell lines, SA β-Gal-negative cells became dominant. This suggested that if cellular senescence occurred in vitro, this happened early in these cultures and subsequently a few SA β-Gal-negative cells went onto to form the cell line. Overall, the presence of SA β-Gal-positive cells in cultures could be interpreted in several ways, whereas their absence predicted that in these cultures, cells would proliferate indefinitely.

Probiotic Attributes of β-galactosidase Positive Dairy Yeasts

Functional foods have attracted consumers due to their therapeutic attributes and the use of probiotics in dairy is also increasing day by day. A number of bacteria are contributing as probiotics so far, but yeasts as probiotic are not well explored. Yeasts remained one of the most important industrial microbes that play different roles in enriching foods including dairy products. Additionally, β-galactosidase (β-Gal) is desirable to decrease the lactose to combat the intolerance in consumers. Therefore, present investigation was carried out for screening of β-Gal activity in probiotic dairy yeasts (Kluyveromyces). Isolates (n=112) of yeasts were obtained from different sources and from different dairy products (i.e. dahi, raw milk, lassi, butter milk, cream, etc.). Amongst, 45 isolates were β-Gal positive and when subjected to PCR based identification were found to be Kluyveromyces spp. The isolates with higher β-Gal activity (n=10) were further tested for probiotic attributes. Isolates screened at different pH (i.e. 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and 6.5) were tolerant to low pH and also exhibited tolerance to bile salts (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0%). Isolates tested for antibiotic susceptibility showed resistance to gentamycin, penicillin, vancomycin etc., but failed to reveal antimicrobial activity against Salmonella typhi, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli. None of the isolates (n=10) produced gelatinase and DNase. The observations indicate that isolates can be used for the development of yeast based probiotic foods, though it need further in vivo evaluation.

ET-70 * COMBINATION OF oHSV WITH INTEGRIN 1 NEUTRALIZING ANTIBODY (OS2966) AUGMENTS oHSV THERAPY

Oncolytic HSV (oHSV) is a biologic therapy currently being tested in patients. We have previously shown that oHSV-induced Cysteine-rich 61 protein (CCN1) binds with integrin α6β1, activating a type 1 IFN-antiviral defense response. oHSV-induced CCN1 induction also increases macrophage infiltration and activation, resulting in increased virus clearance in glioblastoma cells. Integrin β1 is cell surface molecule involved in multiple functions like cellular proliferation, invasion and inflammation. Inhibition of integrin β1 has shown anti-tumor efficacy in preclinical modles of glioma. Furthermore, incorporating the Rembrandt database of the National Cancer Institute, we found integrin β1 expression is negatively associated with glioblastoma patient survival (p value < 0.0001). Interestingly, oHSV infection strongly increased integrin β1 expression (western blot). Based on this, we hypothesized that the combination of oHSV with integrin β1neutralizing antibody (OS2966) will augment oHSV therapy. Combination treatment with OS2966 increased oHSV replication and cell killing. Increased viral replication and cell killing was more obvious in the laminin-coated cells, consistent with integrin β1 signaling pathway. OS2966 treatment strongly inhibited oHSV-induced raw246.7 macrophage cell migration towards infected glioblastoma cells as dose dependent manner (migration assay). Inhibition of integrin β1in glioma cell lines and patient derived primary GSCs significantly increased markers of sensencsence such as enhanced β-gal activity, along with induction of p21, and reduction of phosphorylation of AKT and Rb, indicating that integrin β1 activation is involved in self-renewal, and proliferation. In conclusion, oHSV-induced integrin β1 expression sensitize to OS2966 effect, resulting in enhanced viral replication and inhibition of macrophage migration. Our findings reveal how integrin β1 limits oHSV replication. Our findings also reveal how OS2966, an integrin β1 blocking antibody which has been humanized in anticipation of potential clinical trials, inhibits the innate immune response elicited upon oHSV therapy. The results will lead to the development of a novel oHSV therapeutic strategy.

Ratiometric Two-Photon Fluorescent Probe for Quantitative Detection of β-Galactosidase Activity in Senescent Cells

We reported a ratiometric two-photon fluorescent probe (SG1) for β-galactosidase (β-gal) and its application to quantitative detection of β-gal activity during cellular senescence in live cells and in aged tissues. This probe is characterized by a significant two-photon excited fluorescence, a marked blue-to-yellow emission color change in response to β-gal, easy loading, insensitivity to pH and reactive oxygen species (ROS), high photostability, and low cytotoxicity. In addition, we show that SG1 labeling is an effective tool for quantitative detection of senescence-associated β-gal activity at the subcellular level in situ. This finding demonstrates that SG1 will find useful applications in biomedical research, including studies of cell aging.

Modulation of LXR-α and the effector genes by Ascorbic acid and Statins in psoriatic keratinocytes.

Recent studies have revealed critical roles that nuclear receptors like LXR-α (Liver X Receptor- alpha) plays as a class of post-transcriptional gene regulator in skin development and diseases. Keeping in view the fact that LXR-α plays crucial role in keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, it becomes imperative to dissect the pathways and role of LXR-α genomics in the pathogenesis of psoriasis with ultimate aim to explore novel preventive/therapeutic strategies as treatment options. To explore the effects of agonists and activators of LXR-α on its own gene expression and the putative targets in psoriatic keratinocytes. Identification of promoter sequences for (vitamin D receptor) VDR and Catalase were done using in silico analysis followed by β-galactosidase (β-gal) reporter plasmid assay in keratinocytes from clinically heathy subjects. Determination of relative levels of LXR-α,VDR and catalase in control versus treated cells upon activation of LXR-α with Atorvastatin + 22R hydroxycholestrol and Ascorbic acid + 22R hydroxycholestrol was done by PCR and Cell Proliferation Assay. The cells transfected with the reporter plasmid element for VDR and catalase showed more than 5 and 4 fold increase respectively in the β-gal activity compared to the control. An increase of 55% in LXR-α gene expression at RNA level was observed in Atorvastatin + 22-R hydroxycholestrol compared to 24% in Ascorbic acid + 22-ROH cholesterol. The expression of the VDR and Catalase was significantly increased in both treated keratinocytes compared to its normal counterpart.

Study of mango endogenous pectinases as a tool to engineer mango purée consistency

The objective of this work was to evaluate the possibility of using mango endogenous pectinases to change the viscosity of mango purée. Hereto, the structure of pectic polysaccharide and the presence of sufficiently active endogenous enzymes of ripe mango were determined. Pectin of mango flesh had a high molecular weight and was highly methoxylated. Pectin methylesterase showed a negligible activity which is related to the confirmed presence of a pectin methylesterase inhibitor. Pectin contained relatively high amounts of galactose and considerable β-galactosidase (β-Gal) activity was observed. The possibility of stimulating β-Gal activity during processing (temperature/pressure, time) was investigated. β-Gal of mango was rather temperature labile but pressure stable relatively to the temperature and pressure levels used to inactivate destructive enzymes in industry. Creating processing conditions allowing endogenous β-Gal activity did not substantially change the consistency of mango purée.

Beta-galactosidase staining in the nucleus of the solitary tract of Fos-Tau-LacZ mice is unaffected by monosodium glutamate taste stimulation.

Fos-Tau-LacZ (FTL) transgenic mice are used to visualize the anatomical connectivity of neurons that express c-Fos, an immediate early gene, in response to activation. In contrast to typical c-Fos protein expression, which is localized to the nucleus of stimulated neurons, activation of the c-Fos gene results in beta galactosidase (β-gal) expression throughout the entire cytoplasm of activated cells in FTL mice; thereby making it possible to discern the morphology of c-Fos expressing cells. This can be an especially important tool in brain areas in which function may be related to cell morphology, such as the primary taste/viscerosensory brainstem nucleus of the solitary tract (nTS). Thus, to further characterize FTL activity in the brain, the current study quantified both β-gal enzymatic activity as well as c-Fos protein expression in the nTS under a variety of experimental conditions (no stimulation, no stimulation with prior overnight food and water restriction, monosodium glutamate taste stimulation, and monosodium glutamate taste stimulation with perfusion 5 h post stimulation). Contrary to previous research, we found that β-gal activity (both labeled cell bodies and overall number of labeled pixels) was unchanged across all experimental conditions. However, traditional c-Fos protein activity (both cell bodies and number of activated pixels) varied significantly across experimental conditions, with the greatest amount of c-Fos protein label found in the group that received monosodium glutamate taste stimulation. Interestingly, although many c-Fos positive cells were also β-gal positive in the taste stimulated group, some c-Fos protein labeled cells were not co-labeled with β-gal. Together, these data suggest that β-gal staining within the nTS reflects a stable population of β-gal- positive neurons whose pattern of expression is unaffected by experimental condition.

Protein Nanoparticles for Intracellular Delivery of Therapeutic Enzymes

The use of enzymes as therapeutics is very promising because of their catalytic activity and specificity. However, intracellular delivery of active enzymes is challenging due to their low stability and large size. The production of protein-enzyme nanoparticles was investigated with the goal of developing a protein carrier for active enzyme delivery. β-Galactosidase (β-gal), an enzyme whose deficiency is the cause of some lysosomal storage disorders, was incorporated into enhanced green fluorescent protein nanoparticles prepared via desolvation. Particle size was found to be sensitive to the type of cross-linker, cross-linking time, and the presence of imidazole. The results indicate that β-gal activity is highly retained (>70%) after particle fabrication and >85% of protein is incorporated in the particles. Protein-enzyme nanoparticles exhibited higher internalization in multiple cell lines in vitro, compared with the soluble enzyme. Importantly, β-gal retained its activity following intracellular delivery. These data demonstrate that protein nanoparticles are a biocompatible, high-efficiency alternative for intracellular delivery of active enzyme therapeutics.

Cell wall-degrading enzymes of Didymella bryoniae in relation to fungal growth and virulence in cantaloupe fruit.

Didymella bryoniae is an important pathogen of cucurbits worldwide. Virulence factors of D. bryoniae were investigated in regard to fungal growth and the production of cell wall-degrading enzymes, polygalacturonase (PG), pectate lyase (PL), pectin lyase (PNL), β-galactosidase (β-Gal) and cellulase (Cx). Virulence levels of five D. bryoniae isolates were determined by the severity of inoculated cantaloupe fruit decay. The highly virulent isolates had more mycelial growth than the moderately virulent isolates in different media. PG activities produced by the highly virulent isolates in shake cultures and in decayed fruit were greater than those of the moderately virulent isolates. PNL, but not PL, in decayed fruit was higher with the highly virulent isolates compared to the moderately virulent ones. The highly virulent isolates showed higher Cx activity than the moderately virulent ones in decayed fruit and in fruit tissue shake culture. β-Gal activities of the highly virulent isolates in pectin shake culture and in decayed fruit were greater than those of the two moderately virulent isolates although fruit also produced β-Gal. Protein analysis showed two fungal β-Gal isozymes in decayed fruit compared to those of healthy fruit. Correlation analysis indicated that the activities of PG, PNL, β-Gal and Cx in cultures and in decayed fruit positively correlated with fungal growth and fruit decay severity. The results of this study suggest that PG, PNL, β-Gal, and Cx appear to be virulence factors of D. bryoniae in cantaloupe decay with PG and β-Gal as the most predominant fruit decay enzymes.

Arsenic exposure through drinking water leads to senescence and alteration of telomere length in humans: A case-control study in West Bengal, India

Arsenic (As) induces pre-malignant and malignant dermatological lesions, non-dermatological health effects and cancers in humans. Senescence involves telomere length changes and acquisition of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), which promotes carcinogenesis. Though in vitro studies have shown that As induces senescence, population based studies are lacking. We investigated the arsenic-induced senescence, telomere length alteration and its contribution towards development of As-induced skin cancer. The study participants included 60 each of As-exposed individuals with skin lesion (WSL), without skin lesions (WOSL) and 60 unexposed controls. Exposure assessment of drinking water and urine was done. SA β-gal activity, ELISA, and quantification of senescence proteins, alternative lengthening of telomere (ALT) associated proteins and telomerase activity were performed. Relative telomere length (RTL) was determined by qPCR. A significantly higher number of senescent cells, over-expression of p53 and p21 were observed in the As-exposed individuals when compared to unexposed. SASP markers, MMP-1/MMP-3 were significantly higher in the WSL but not IL-6/IL-8. A significant increase of RTL was observed in the WSL group, which was telomerase-independent but exhibited an over-expression of ALT associated proteins TRF-1 and TRF-2 with higher increase in TRF-2. An increased risk for developing As-induced skin lesions was found for individuals having RTL greater than 0.827 (odds ratio, 13.75; 95% CI: 5.66-33.41; P < 0.0001). Arsenic induces senescence in vivo, but the SASP markers are not strictly over-expressed in the As-induced skin lesion group, whereas telomerase-independent elongation of telomere length might be useful for predicting the risk of development of As-induced skin lesions.

X-gal staining of canine skin tissues: A technique with multiple possible applications.

Background:Estimation of β-galactosidase (βgal) activity in human cells and tissues indicate its possible use as a marker of senescence.Objectives:This study was done to detect senescence-associated βgal (SA-βgal) activity in canine skin tissue by using its substrate 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl β-D-galactosidase (X-gal).Materials and Methods:Skin samples were collected through rapid necropsy process. The X-gal staining was done by altering different factors of the staining procedure like pH of the reagents and incubation time. Further, effect of tissue preservation procedure was also evaluated.Results:Typical X-gal staining was detected in old dogs’ skin samples and it was detectable both at pH 6 and pH 7.3. The cells present in the inner lining of the hair follicles and sebaceous glands are the major cells that have high SA-βgal activity. The X-gal staining intensity was more prominent in tissues preserved in liquid nitrogen at -196°C than in -80°C freezer. Prolonged incubation period increased the intensity of staining.Conclusions:This study indicates possibility of X-gal staining in canine tissues and opens an avenue for further in-depth studies that might be useful for different research and clinical studies like determination of dog's approximate age.

Generation of a Tenascin-C-CreER2 Knockin Mouse Line for Conditional DNA Recombination in Renal Medullary Interstitial Cells

Renal medullary interstitial cells (RMIC) are specialized fibroblast-like cells that exert important functions in maintaining body fluid homeostasis and systemic blood pressure. Here, we generated a RMIC specific tenascin-C promoter driven inducible CreER2 knockin mouse line with an EGFP reporter. Similar as endogenous tenascin-C expression, the reporter EGFP expression in the tenascin-C-CreER2+/− mice was observed in the inner medulla of the kidney, and co-localized with COX2 but not with AQP2 or AQP1, suggesting selective expression in RMICs. After recombination (tenascin-C-CreER2+/−/ROSA26-lacZ+/− mice + tamoxifen), β-gal activity was restricted to the cells in the inner medulla of the kidney, and didn't co-localize with AQP2, consistent with selective Cre recombinase activity in RMICs. Cre activity was not obvious in other major organs or without tamoxifen treatment. This inducible RMIC specific Cre mouse line should therefore provide a novel tool to manipulate genes of interest in RMICs.

Immobilization of enzymes to silver island films for enhanced enzymatic activity

HypothesisThe performance of the enzyme-based biosensors depends on the enzymatic activity and the use of an appropriate technique for immobilization of enzymes. The incorporation of silver island films (SIFs) into the enzyme-based biosensors is expected to enhance the enzymatic activity and to increase the detectability of analytes of interest. ExperimentsTwo enzymes, β-galactosidase (β-Gal) and alkaline phosphatase (AP) were immobilized onto SIFs using the interactions of avidin-modified enzymes with (i) a monolayer of biotinylated bovine serum albumin (b-BSA) and/or (ii) a monolayer of biotinylated poly(ethylene-glycol)-amine (BEA molecular weight: 550–10,000Da). To confirm the effect of SIFs on enzymatic activity, two control surfaces (no silver) were also employed. FindingsNo enhancement in enzymatic activity for β-Gal on all SIFs was observed, which was attributed to the inhibition of β-Gal activity due to direct interactions of β-Gal with SIFs. The AP activity on SIFs with BEA was significantly larger than that observed on SIFs with b-BSA, where a 300% increase in AP activity was observed as compared to control surfaces. These observations suggest that SIFs can significantly enhance AP activity, which could help improve the detection limits of ELISAs and immunoassays that employ AP.

Davallialactone from Mushroom Reduced Premature Senescence and Inflammation on Glucose Oxidative Stress in Human Diploid Fibroblast Cells

Mushrooms are both food and a source of natural compounds of biopharmaceutical interest. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether davallialactone from mushroom extract affected the pathogenesis of hyperglycemia oxidative stress and the aging process in human diploid fibroblast (HDF) cells. The high-glucose state with glucose oxidase resulted in glucose oxidative stress, induction of inflammatory molecules, dysfunction of antioxidant molecules, and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) and its downstream signaling in old HDF cells. The exposure of glucose oxidative stress in middle-stage cells led to stress-induced premature senescence (SIPS) via senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA β-gal) activity and displayed replicative senescence phenomena. However, davallialactone reduces the pathogenesis of glucose oxidative stress and the aging process through down-regulation of SA β-gal activity. These results strongly suggest that natural compounds, especially mushroom extract davallialactone, improve the pathogenesis of glucose oxidative stress and the aging process. Hence, davallialactone has potential in the treatment of diabetes mellitus or age-related disease complications.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from scleroderma patients (SSc) preserve their immunomodulatory properties although senescent and normally induce T regulatory cells (Tregs) with a functional phenotype: implications for cellular-based therapy

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic disease, with early activation of the immune system. The aim of our work was to address how SSc-mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), although senescent, might preserve specific immunomodulatory abilities during SSc. MSCs were obtained from 10 SSc patients and 10 healthy controls (HC). Senescence was evaluated by assessing cell cycle, β-galactosidase (β-Gal) activity, p21 and p53 expression; doxorubicin was used as acute senescence stimulus to evaluate their ability to react in stressed conditions. Immunomodulatory abilities were studied co-culturing MSCs with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and CD4(+) cells, in order to establish both their ability to block proliferation in mixed lymphocyte reaction and in regulatory T cells (Tregs) induction. SSc-MSC showed an increase of senescence biomarkers. Eighty per cent of MSCs were in G0-G1 phase, without significant differences between SSc and HC. SSc-MSCs showed an increased positive β-Gal staining and higher p21 transcript level compared to HC cells. After doxorubicin, β-Gal staining increased significantly in SSc-MSCs. On the contrary, doxorubicin abolished p21 activation and elicited p53 induction both in SSc- and HC-MSCs. Interleukin (IL)-6 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β-related transcripts and their protein levels were significantly higher in SSc-MSCs. The latter maintained their immunosuppressive effect on lymphocyte proliferation and induced a functionally regulatory phenotype on T cells, increasing surface expression of CD69 and restoring the regulatory function which is impaired in SSc. Increased activation of the IL-6 pathway observed in our cells might represent an adaptive mechanism to senescence, but preserving some specific cellular functions, including immunosuppression.

Grape Exosome-like Nanoparticles Induce Intestinal Stem Cells and Protect Mice From DSS-Induced Colitis

Food-derived exosome-like nanoparticles pass through the intestinal tract throughout our lives, but little is known about their impact or function. Here, as a proof of concept, we show that the cells targeted by grape exosome-like nanoparticles (GELNs) are intestinal stem cells whose responses underlie the GELN-mediated intestinal tissue remodeling and protection against dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. This finding is further supported by the fact that coculturing of crypt or sorted Lgr5⁺ stem cells with GELNs markedly improved organoid formation. GELN lipids play a role in induction of Lgr5⁺ stem cells, and the liposome-like nanoparticles (LLNs) assembled with lipids from GELNs are required for in vivo targeting of intestinal stem cells. Blocking β-catenin-mediated signaling pathways of GELN recipient cells attenuates the production of Lgr5⁺ stem cells. Thus, GELNs not only modulate intestinal tissue renewal processes, but can participate in the remodeling of it in response to pathological triggers.

Brucella BioR Regulator Defines a Complex Regulatory Mechanism for Bacterial Biotin Metabolism

The enzyme cofactor biotin (vitamin H or B7) is an energetically expensive molecule whose de novo biosynthesis requires 20 ATP equivalents. It seems quite likely that diverse mechanisms have evolved to tightly regulate its biosynthesis. Unlike the model regulator BirA, a bifunctional biotin protein ligase with the capability of repressing the biotin biosynthetic pathway, BioR has been recently reported by us as an alternative machinery and a new type of GntR family transcriptional factor that can repress the expression of the bioBFDAZ operon in the plant pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens. However, quite unusually, a closely related human pathogen, Brucella melitensis, has four putative BioR-binding sites (both bioR and bioY possess one site in the promoter region, whereas the bioBFDAZ [bio] operon contains two tandem BioR boxes). This raised the question of whether BioR mediates the complex regulatory network of biotin metabolism. Here, we report that this is the case. The B. melitensis BioR ortholog was overexpressed and purified to homogeneity, and its solution structure was found to be dimeric. Functional complementation in a bioR isogenic mutant of A. tumefaciens elucidated that Brucella BioR is a functional repressor. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays demonstrated that the four predicted BioR sites of Brucella plus the BioR site of A. tumefaciens can all interact with the Brucella BioR protein. In a reporter strain that we developed on the basis of a double mutant of A. tumefaciens (the ΔbioR ΔbioBFDA mutant), the β-galactosidase (β-Gal) activity of three plasmid-borne transcriptional fusions (bioBbme-lacZ, bioYbme-lacZ, and bioRbme-lacZ) was dramatically decreased upon overexpression of Brucella bioR. Real-time quantitative PCR analyses showed that the expression of bioBFDA and bioY is significantly elevated upon removal of bioR from B. melitensis. Together, we conclude that Brucella BioR is not only a negative autoregulator but also a repressor of expression of bioY and bio operons that separately function in biotin transport and the biosynthesis pathway.

Commonly used mesenchymal stem cell markers and tracking labels: Limitations and challenges.

Early observations that cultured mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could be induced to exhibit certain characteristics of osteocytes and chondrocytes led to the proposal that they could be transplanted for tissue repair through cellular differentiation. Therefore, many subsequent preclinical studies with transplanted MSCs have strived to demonstrate that cellular differentiation was the underlying mechanism for the therapeutic effect. These studies generally followed the minimal criteria set by The International Society for Cellular Therapy in assuring MSC identity by using CD70, CD90, and CD105 as positive markers and CD34 as a negative marker. However, the three positive markers are co-expressed in a wide variety of cells, and therefore, even when used in combination, they are certainly incapable of identifying MSCs in vivo. Another frequently used MSC marker, Stro-1, has been shown to be an endothelial antigen and whether it can identify MSCs in vivo remains unknown. On the other hand, the proposed negative marker CD34 has increasingly been shown to be expressed in native MSCs, such as in the adipose tissue. It has also helped establish that MSCs are likely vascular stem cells (VSCs) that reside in the capillaries and in the adventitia of larger blood vessels. These cells do not express CD31, CD104b, or α-SMA, and therefore are designated as CD34+CD31-CD140b-SMA-. Many preclinical MSC transplantation studies have also attempted to demonstrate cellular differentiation by using labeled MSCs. However, all commonly used labels have shortcomings that often complicate data interpretation. The β-gal (LacZ) gene as a label is problematic because many mammalian tissues have endogenous β-gal activities. The GFP gene is similarly problematic because many mammalian tissues are endogenously fluorescent. The cell membrane label DiI can be adsorbed by host cells, and nuclear stains Hoechst dyes and DAPI can be transferred to host cells. Thymidine analog BrdU is associated with loss of cellular protein antigenicity due to harsh histological conditions. Newer thymidine analog EdU is easier to detect by chemical reaction to azide-conjugated Alexa fluors, but certain bone marrow cells are reactive to these fluors in the absence of EdU. These caveats need to be taken into consideration when designing or interpreting MSC transplantation experiments.

Cellular and Molecular Factors in Flexor Tendon Repair and Adhesions: A Histological and Gene Expression Analysis

Flexor tendon healing is mediated by cell proliferation, migration, and extracellular matrix synthesis that contribute to the formation of scar tissue and adhesion. The biological mechanisms of flexor tendon adhesion formation have been linked to transforming growth factor β (TGF-β). To elucidate the cellular and molecular events in this pathology, we implanted live flexor digitorum longus grafts from the reporter mouse Rosa26LacZ/+ in wild-type recipients, and used histological β-galactosidase (β-gal) staining to evaluate the intrinsic versus extrinsic cellular origins of scar, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to measure gene expression of TGF-β and its receptors, extracellular matrix proteins, and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their regulators. Over the course of healing, graft cellularity and β-gal activity progressively increased, and β-gal-positive cells migrated out of the Rosa26LacZ/+ graft. In addition, there was an evidence of influx of host cells (β-gal-negative) into the gliding space and the graft, suggesting that both graft and host cells contribute to adhesions. Interestingly, we observed a biphasic pattern in which Tgfb1 expression was the highest in the early phases of healing and gradually decreased thereafter, whereas Tgfb3 increased and remained upregulated later. The expression of TGF-β receptors was also upregulated throughout the healing phases. In addition, type III collagen and fibronectin were upregulated during the proliferative phase of healing, confirming that murine flexor tendon heals by scar tissue. Furthermore, gene expression of MMPs showed a differential pattern in which inflammatory MMPs were the highest early and matrix MMPs increased over time. These findings offer important insights into the complex cellular and molecular factors during flexor tendon healing.

Reduced host cell reactivation of oxidatively damaged DNA in ageing human fibroblasts

Many reports have linked oxidative damage to DNA and the associated avoidance and/or repair processes to carcinogenesis, ageing and neurodegeneration. Cancer incidence increases with age and there is evidence that oxidative stress plays a role in human ageing and neurodegeneration. Several reports have suggested that the accumulation of unrepaired DNA lesions plays a causal role in mammalian ageing. Since base excision repair (BER) is the main pathway for the repair of oxidative DNA lesions, the relationship of BER to human ageing and carcinogenesis is of considerable interest. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between donor age and increasing time of cells in tissue culture and the repair of oxidative DNA damage in primary human skin fibroblasts. Methylene blue (MB) acts as a photosensitizer and after excitation by visible light (VL) produces reactive oxygen species that result in oxidative damage to DNA. MB+VL produce predominantly 8-hydroxyguanine as well as other single base modifications in DNA that are repaired by BER. We used host cell reactivation (HCR) of a non-replicating recombinant human adenovirus, Ad5CMVlacZ, which expresses the β-galactosidase (β-gal) reporter gene, to measure BER of MB+VL-damaged DNA. HCR of β-gal activity for the MB+VL-treated reporter gene was examined in 10 fibroblast strains from normal donors of ages 2 to 82. The effect of cell passage number on HCR was also examined in human skin fibroblasts from 2 normal donors. We found a significant reduction in HCR with increasing cell passage number, indicating that BER decreases with increasing time of cells grown in tissue culture. We also found a significant correlation of donor age with HCR of the MB+VL-treated reporter gene for high passage number, but not for low passage number fibroblasts. The present study provides evidence that a decrease in BER of oxidatively damaged DNA may play a role in carcinogenesis, ageing and neurodegeneration.