Anti-proliferative effects of recombinant iron superoxide dismutase on HepG2 cells via a redox-dependent PI3k/Akt pathway.

The coding sequence for an iron superoxide dismutase (fe-sod) was amplified from the Nostoc commune genome. Recombinant Fe-SOD was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, accounting for approximately 76% of total bacterial protein. Fe-SOD was purified from bacterial lysate by Ni-NTA column chromatography and used to generate an anti-SOD antibody. The purified Fe-SOD was encapsulated in liposomes and delivered to HepG2 liver tumor cells to eliminate cellular superoxide anions. The SOD-loaded cells exhibited lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and higher reduced glutathione (GSH) levels. In Fe-SOD-treated cells, the cell cycle was delayed in the G(1) phase, and HepG2 cell growth slowed in association with dephosphorylation of the serine-threonine kinase Akt. Low-dose H(2)O(2) stimulated Akt phosphorylation, implying that Akt activation in HepG2 cells is redox-sensitive. Akt phosphorylation was abrogated by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors, suggesting that PI3K is an upstream mediator of Akt activation in HepG2 cells. This study provides insight into recombinant Fe-SOD-induced signaling mechanisms in liver tumor cells and suggests the feasibility of using Fe-SOD as an antitumor agent.

Nitric oxide inducing function and intracellular movement of chicken interleukin-18 in cultured cells.

To evaluate the characteristics of chicken interleukin-18 (ChIL-18) in different forms in vitro, the ChIL-18 full-length gene (ChIL-18-F) and the ChIL-18 presumed mature protein gene (ChIL-18-M) were cloned and inserted into the eukaryotic expression vector pCI, to construct recombinant pCI-ChIL-18-F and pCI-ChIL-18-M. The recombinant plasmids were then transferred into chicken splenic lymphocytes (CSLs). Western blot showed that ChIL-18-F, with a molecular weight of 23.0 kDa, was produced in CSLs transfected by pCI-ChIL-18-F; ChIL-18-M, with a molecular weight of 19.5 kDa, was produced in CSLs transfected by pCI-ChIL-18-M. The nitric oxide (NO) level in the transfected CSLs and the culture medium at different time points was further examined under confocal microscopy using 4,5-diaminofluorescein staining. The results showed that both pCI-ChIL-18-F and pCI-ChIL-18-M groups showed significant increase in intracellular and extracellular NO production compared with pCI transfected control cells. These results suggest that both ChIL-18-F and ChIL-18-M could stimulate NO secretion in CSLs. To characterize the intracellular distribution of ChIL-18, ChIL-18-F and ChIL-18-M were each fused to the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene, and expressed in Vero cells. The results showed that the ChIL-18-F tended to the membranous region in Vero cells, while ChIL-18-M did not. This indicates that the N-terminal 27 amino acid peptide helped ChIL-18 target to Vero cell membranes.

Intracellular-free calcium dynamics and F-actin alteration in the formation of macrophage foam cells.

The formation of macrophage foam cells, which is the key event in atherosclerosis, occurs by the uptake of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) via the scavenger receptor (CD36) pathway. Ca(2+) plays an important role in atherosclerosis. However, in the spatiotemporal view, the correlation between kinetic changes of intracellular-free calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) and the cellular dysfunctions in the formation of macrophage foam cells has not yet been studied in detail. By the use of confocal laser scanning microscope and flow cytometer, we have detected Ca(2+) dynamics, the assembly of F-actin, and the expression of CD36 under the exposure of U937-derived macrophages to Ox-LDL. The uptake of Ox-LDL significantly increased [Ca(2+)](i) in U937-derived macrophages in both acute and chronic treatments (P<0.01). In particular, the increases of the induced [Ca(2+)](i) were different in the presence or absence of extracellular Ca(2+) under acute exposure. A time-dependent rise in F-actin assembly and CD36 expression at 12 and 24h was induced, respectively, by Ox-LDL. The spatiotemporal increases of [Ca(2+)](i) induced by Ox-LDL probably have the key effect on the early phrase in the formation of macrophage foam cells.