RESUMO
All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is a highly effective treatment for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a cytogenetically distinct subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, ATRA-based treatment is not effective in other subtypes of AML. In non-APL AML, ATRA signaling pathway is impaired or downmodulated, and consequently fails to respond to pharmacological doses of ATRA. Therefore, complementary treatment strategies are needed to improve ATRA responsiveness in non-APL AML. In this study, we investigated the combined effect of ATRA and bromodomain inhibitor JQ1, proven to have potent anti-cancer activity mainly through inhibition of c-Myc. We showed that the combination of ATRA with JQ1 synergistically inhibited proliferation of AML cells. The synergistic growth inhibition was resulted from differentiation or apoptosis depending on the kind of AML cells. Concomitantly, the combined treatment of ATRA and JQ1 caused greater depletion of c-Myc and hTERT expression than each agent alone in AML cells. Taken together, these findings support the rationale for the use of the combination of ATRA and JQ1 as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of AML.
RESUMO
Francisella tularensis (FT), a highly infectious pathogen, is considered to be a potential biological weapon owing to the current lack of a human vaccine against it. Tul4 and FopA, both outer membrane proteins of FT, play an important role in the bacterium's immunogenicity. In the present study, we evaluated the immune response of mice-humanized with human CD34+ cells (hu-mice)-to a cocktail of recombinant Tul4 and FopA (rTul4 and rFopA), which were codon-optimized and expressed in Escherichia coli. Not only did the cocktail-immunized hu-mice produce a significant human immunoglobulin response, they also exhibited prolonged survival against an attenuated live vaccine strain as well as human T cells in the spleen. These results suggest that the cocktail of rTul4 and rFopA had successfully induced an immune response in the hu-mice, demonstrating the potential of this mouse model for use in the evaluation of FT vaccine candidates.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Antibacterianos/sangue , Vacinas Bacterianas/imunologia , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Avaliação Pré-Clínica de Medicamentos/métodos , Francisella tularensis/imunologia , Tularemia/prevenção & controle , Animais , Proteínas da Membrana Bacteriana Externa/genética , Proteínas da Membrana Bacteriana Externa/imunologia , Proteínas de Bactérias/genética , Proteínas de Bactérias/imunologia , Vacinas Bacterianas/administração & dosagem , Escherichia coli/genética , Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Humanos , Imunoglobulina G/sangue , Lipoproteínas/genética , Lipoproteínas/imunologia , Camundongos , Proteínas Recombinantes/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes/metabolismo , Análise de Sobrevida , Linfócitos T/imunologia , Vacinas de Subunidades Antigênicas/administração & dosagem , Vacinas de Subunidades Antigênicas/imunologia , Vacinas Sintéticas/administração & dosagem , Vacinas Sintéticas/imunologiaRESUMO
Cephalosomatic anastomosis has been carried out in both monkeys and mice with preservation of brain function. Nonetheless the spinal cord was not reconstructed, leaving the animals unable to move voluntarily. Here we review the details of the GEMINI spinal cord fusion protocol, which aims at restoring electrophysiologic conduction across an acutely transected spinal cord. The existence of the cortico-truncoreticulo-propriospinal pathway, a little-known anatomic entity, is described, and its importance concerning spinal cord fusion emphasized. The use of fusogens and electrical stimulation as adjuvants for nerve fusion is addressed. The possibility of achieving cephalosomatic anastomosis in humans has become reality in principle.