Three-dimensional SAFT imaging for anisotropic materials using photoacoustic microscopy.

A pulsed laser illuminates a target zone that causes rapid thermoelastic expansion, generating broadband high-frequency ultrasonic wave (photoacoustic wave, PA wave). We developed a PA microscopy (PAM) with a confocal area of laser and ultrasonic wave for applications in nondestructive testing (NDT). The synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) is applied in the PAM for the three-dimensional (3D) imaging of interior flaws. Here, we report proof-of-concept experiments for the NDT of a subsurface flaw in a thin laminar material. Graphical abstract (a) shows a specimen of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) with an artificial delamination. Here, it should be noted that the group velocity varies directionally due to the strong anisotropy of the CFRP specimen (see Graphical abstract (b)). By considering the group velocity distribution in the SAFT, the shape and location of the subsurface delamination were accurately estimated as shown in Graphical abstract (c). Coating the surface of the CFRP specimen with a light-absorbent material improved the amplitude of the PA wave. This finding showed that the signal-to-noise ratio of the waves scattered from the flaws can be improved.

Enhancement of colony formation of mouse bone marrow cells by ubenimex.

Ubenimex enhanced colony formation of bone marrow cells from CDF1 mice induced by L920 cell supernatant, which shows a macrophage-colony-stimulating activity (M-CSA), and also enhanced the colony formation induced CDF1 mouse spleen cell conditioned medium, which shows a granulocyte and macrophage-colony-stimulating activity. The maximal effect was obtained at 0.01 microgram/ml. But, ubenimex showed no effect on the nature of the colonies induced by each CSA. By preincubation of the bone marrow cells with ubenimex, M-CSA-induced colony-forming and the M-CSA-binding activities of the cells were increased. These results suggest that ubenimex enhances the CSA-induced colony formation of bone marrow progenitor cells of CDF1 mouse by increasing the amount of the CSA-binding to the cells.

Expression of the ret proto-oncogene in human medullary thyroid carcinomas and pheochromocytomas of MEN 2A.

We studied the expression of the ret proto-oncogene (proto-ret) in human medullary thyroid carcinomas (MTCs) and pheochromocytomas of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN 2A) by Northern blot analysis. Expression of the normal-sized transcripts was detected in all 12 MTCs and in 6 of 8 pheochromocytomas. In situ localization of proto-ret mRNA revealed that the signal was confined to the cytoplasm of MTC cells. By Southern blot analysis neither amplification nor gross genetic changes of proto-ret were found in the tumors. Although no transcripts were detected in the normal portion of the thyroid from one MEN 2A patient, faint signals were detected in normal adrenal glands by Northern blot analysis, probably due to minor populations of C-cells and chromaffin cells in specimens from which MTC and pheochromocytoma might later develop. Proto-ret may play an important role in differentiation of a specific cell lineage from neuroectoderm, and it may be involved in development of MEN 2A tumors.

Isolation of region-specific cosmids by hybridization with microdissection clones from human chromosome 10q11.1-q21.1.

A region-specific plasmid library composed of 20,000 recombinants was constructed by microdissection of human chromosome 10 (10q11.2-q21.1) and subsequent amplification with the primer-linker method of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Hybridization with total human DNA showed that 32 of 217 microclones studied contained highly repetitive sequences. Further analysis of the remaining 185 microclones proved that 43 microclones, each having an insert longer than 200 bp, contained unique sequences of human chromosome 10 origin. Twenty-five microclones randomly selected from the 43 were used directly as probes to isolate corresponding cosmid clones, resulting in 32 cosmids corresponding to 14 microclones. Of the 25 cosmids that could be mapped by fluorescence in situ hybridization, 24 proved to originate from the microdissected or adjacent region (10p11.2-q22.3) and 1 from a rather distal region (10q24.3-q25.1). In addition, 15 of the 32 cosmids revealed restriction fragment length polymorphisms, including 1 with a variable number of tandem repeats marker. The microdissection library and the obtained cosmids are valuable resources for constructing high-resolution physical and linkage maps of the pericentromeric region of chromosome 10, where the gene predisposing to multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN2A) has been mapped.

Loss of heterozygosity on the long arm of chromosome 22 in pheochromocytoma.

To identify the putative common deleted region on the long arm of chromosome 22 in pheochromocytoma, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed in 17 pheochromocytomas. All cases were heterozygous for at least one of the eight marker loci on 22q. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was observed in nine pheochromocytomas, of which eight were hereditary and one nonhereditary. Three pheochromocytomas had interstitial deletions that enabled us to localize the commonly deleted region as distal to D22S10 and proximal to D22S22. Hereditary pheochromocytoma frequently occurs in association with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Therefore, we also studied allelic loss on 22q in 23 hereditary MTCs. Only one of the MTCs showed LOH on 22q. Recent studies have mapped tumor suppressor loci associated with meningioma and neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) to 22q. The commonly deleted region in pheochromocytoma found by us encompasses the regions to which tumor suppressor genes associated with NF2 and meningioma have been mapped. The exact role of the pheochromocytoma tumor suppressor gene on 22q and its relationship to the suppressor genes involved in NF2 and meningioma remain unknown.

Inactivation of the p53 gene is not required for tumorigenesis of medullary thyroid carcinoma or pheochromocytoma.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-mediated RNase protection analysis was performed to detect subtle genetic alterations of p53 in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and pheochromocytoma. None of the 30 pheochromocytomas showed abnormal RNase protection patterns. Only one of 32 MTCs showed an abnormal pattern, and subsequent DNA sequencing of the PCR product revealed that it had a G to C transversion in codon 49 that resulted in a change from aspartic acid to histidine. However, this was a sporadic MTC with no specific clinicopathological characteristics. On the basis of a previous report that genes on chromosome 17p were not deleted in MTCs and were relatively infrequently deleted in pheochromocytomas, our results suggest that the p53 gene is not involved in tumorigenesis of MTC or pheochromocytoma.

p53 gene mutations associated with anaplastic transformation of human thyroid carcinomas.

Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid gland, which is one of the most aggressive, malignant tumors in humans, is considered to originate from preexisting differentiated thyroid cancer. To define the genetic alterations associated with such progression, we examined nine cases of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma for mutation in exons 4-9 of the p53 tumor suppressor gene. Preliminary screening for mutation by RNase protection analysis demonstrated that two out of nine anaplastic carcinomas contained sequence alterations in the p53 gene. Subsequent DNA sequencing identified the mutated nucleotides in these two cases; one was a nonsense mutation at codon 165, and the other was a single-base deletion at codon 176 resulting in the creation of a stop codon downstream due to frameshift. The fact that no mutations were detected in coexisting foci of papillary carcinomas from the same patients shows that these mutations of the p53 gene occurred after development of papillary carcinomas. These results suggest that p53 gene mutation triggers the progression from differentiated into anaplastic carcinoma in the human thyroid gland.

Isolation and mapping of cosmid markers on human chromosome 22, including one within the submicroscopically deleted region of DiGeorge syndrome.

A genomic cosmid library was constructed from a Chinese hamster/human hybrid cell containing human intact chromosome 22 as its only human component. Of 1000 cosmids with inserts derived from human chromosome 22, 191 were tested for restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). As a result, 64 clones detected RFLPs, including five variable number of tandem repeats systems. Of the remaining 127 cosmids, 111 detected a single copy sequence on human chromosome 22. Five somatic cell hybrids allowed us to assign all of the 64 polymorphic cosmids and 44 non-polymorphic cosmids to four different regions of human chromosome 22. In two patients with DiGeorge syndrome, one of the cosmids that had been sublocalized to 22pter-q11 detected hemizygosity. These 108 cosmid markers regionally assigned to human chromosome 22 should be useful for the construction of long-range physical maps and the identification of genetic alterations on the chromosome.

Tight linkage of the ret proto-oncogene with the multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A locus.

The ret proto-oncogene has been mapped to 10q11.2 near the MEN2A locus by in situ hybridization. We carried out a linkage study of Japanese multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A (MEN2A) families using a cosmid clone containing the ret proto-oncogene as probe. Two polymorphic alleles (A1 and A2) could be detected by digesting DNA with EcoRI: allele A1 was detected as a 10 kb fragment and A2 as 5.4 and 4.6 kb fragments. Of 11 Japanese MEN2A families analysed, four were informative, and the maximum lod score was 4.23 at a recombination fraction of 0.00. This result suggests the ret proto-oncogene to be close to the MEN2A gene and therefore possibly to be a useful DNA marker for cloning the latter.