Primary intramedullary melanoma of lumbar spinal cord: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Primary intramedullary melanoma is a very rare tumor, most frequently occurring in the cervical and thoracic spinal cord. CASE SUMMARY: We present a rare case in which the primary intramedullary melanoma was located in the lumbar spine. A 56-year-old man complained of progressive intermittent pain in the lumbar area. Thoracic magnetic resonance imaging showed a spinal intramedullary tumor between the L3 and S1 levels. The tumor was resected entirely, and the diagnosis of malignant melanoma was confirmed by histopathology. CONCLUSION: Primary melanoma of the spinal cord, particularly intramedullary localization, has rarely been reported in the previous literature. We describe a primary malignant melanoma of the lumbar spinal cord and discuss the challenges associated with the diagnosis.

[Plasma mannan?binding lectin and MBL?associated serine protease 2 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To detect the plasma levels of mannan?binding lectin (MBL) and MBL?associated serine protease?2 (MASP-2) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore their role in the tumorigenesis and progression of HCC. METHODS: The plasma levels of MBL and MASP?2 were detected by enzyme?linked immunosorbent assay in 64 HCC patients and 30 healthy control subjects. The correlation of MBL and MASP?2 with the clinical parameters of HCC patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The plasma levels of MBL (P=0.014) and MASP?2 (P=0.002) were significantly higher in HCC patients than in the healthy controls, but the MBL?to?MASP?2 ratio did not differ significantly between the two groups. In HCC patients, plasma MBL level was positively correlated with vascular invasion (r=0.253, P=0.047) and total bilirubin level (r=0.283, P=0.024). The plasma level of MASP?2 was positively correlated with TNM stage (r=0.276, P=0.027) and negatively correlated with plasma albumin level (r=0.?0.317, P=0.015). ROC curve analysis revealed an area under curve of 0.665 for MBL (P=0.010) and 0.694 for MASP?2 (P=0.003). The sensitivities of MBL and MASP?2 were 50% and 89.1% in the diagnosis of HCC, respectively. CONCLUSION: MBL and MASP?2 are associated with the inflammatory state and disease progression in patients with HCC.

Mannan-binding lectin at supraphysiological concentrations inhibits differentiation of dendritic cells from human CD14+ monocytes.

Mannan-binding lectin (MBL), a circulating C-type lectin, is an important member of the defense collagen family. It exhibits a high potential for recognizing broad categories of pathogen-associated molecular patterns and initiating complement cascade responses. DCs are well-known specialist antigen-presenting cells that significantly trigger specific T cell-mediated immune responses. In our previous study, it was observed that high concentrations of MBL significantly attenuate LPS-induced maturation of monocyte-derived DCs (MoDCs). In the current study, it was postulated that MBL at similar supraphysiological concentrations would affect early differentiation of MoDCs in some way. CD14(+) monocytes from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and IL-4 in the presence or absence of physiological (1 µg/mL) and supraphysiological concentrations (20 µg/mL) of MBL protein, respectively. Phenotypic analysis indicated that the differentiated DCs incubated with high concentrations of MBL expressed MHC class II and costimulatory molecules (e.g., CD80 and CD40) more weakly than did control groups. The secretion of IL-10 and IL-6 increased markedly, whereas their mixed lymphocyte reaction-stimulating capacity decreased. Members of the signal transducer and activator of transcription family were also found to be differentially regulated. Thus, beyond the role of MBL as an opsonin, our data reveal a possible inhibitory effect of MBL at high concentrations in monocyte-DC transition, which probably provides one way of regulating adaptive immune responses by strict regulation of DCs, making MBL a better prospect for controlling relevant pathological events such as autoimmune diseases.

Evaluation of the effects of homologous platelet gel on healing lower extremity wounds in patients with diabetes.

The treatment of chronic diabetic wounds remains complicated, despite new insight into the cellular and molecular basis of wound healing and cutaneous regeneration. A growing body of clinical trials has shown that platelet release has a notable effectiveness on refractory ulcer healing. However, patients with chronic diabetic ulcers usually have poor general health, and the large-volume blood absence required to produce autologous platelet-rich plasma often causes adverse effects. To overcome the limitation, the homologous platelet gel (PG) from healthy donor was used for the treatment of chronic diabetic lower extremity wound in the study. We show here that homologous derived platelets significantly enhanced EVC304 cell and HaCaT cell proliferation and homologous PG was capable of prompting cell migration. Twenty-one patients with refractory diabetic lower extremity ulcers, who had no response to conventional treatments, were treated in this study. Our data indicated that homologous PG was effective for the enhancement and acceleration of diabetic lower extremity wounds healing. We propose that homologous PG appeared to enhance vascularization and epithelialization, which might induce a quicker healing process and and encourage controlled studies in future.

Protective role of mouse MBL-C on intestinal mucosa during Shigella flexneri invasion.

Mannan-binding lectin (MBL) is a C-type serum lectin, which is believed to play an important role in the innate immunity against a variety of pathogens. MBL can bind to sugar determinants of a wide variety of microorganisms, neutralize them and inhibit infection by complement activation through the lectin pathway and opsonization by collectin receptors. Given that small intestine is a predominant site of extrahepatic expression of MBL, here we addressed the question whether MBL is involved in mucosal innate immunity. The carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) genes of mouse MBL-C (mMBL-C) were cloned and expressed in Escherichia coli. Recombinant mMBL-C-CRD binds to Shigella flexneri 2a in a calcium-dependent manner and that interaction could be blocked by the anti-mMBL-C-CRD antibody. mMBL-C-CRD protein could inhibit the adhesion of S. flexneri 2a to intestinal mucosa, while administration of anti-mMBL-C-CRD antibody caused an increased level of bacteria adhesion in vitro. Administration of recombinant mMBL-C-CRD protein reduced the secretion of IL-6 and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 from primary intestinal epithelial cells stimulated with S. flexneri 2a. Furthermore, neutralization of MBL activity by anti-MBL-C-CRD resulted in a significant increase in the number of S. flexneri 2a that colonized the intestines of BALB/c mice and attenuated the severity of inflammation seen in the areas of bacterial invasion. These findings suggest that mMBL-C may protect host intestinal mucosa by directly binding to the bacteria.

[Cloning of the intact encoding gene of human DC-SIGN and prokaryotic expression of its extracellular region].

AIM: To obtain the intact encoding gene of human DC-SIGN and express its extracellular region in E.coli. METHODS: The intact cDNA encoding human DC-SIGN was amplified from total RNA of placenta of healthy parturient by RT-PCR, and its extracellular region was inserted into prokaryotic expression vector pET-41a. The recombinant plasmid pET-41a-sDC-SIGN was transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3). The expressed product was purified by GST affinity chromatography and identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. RESULTS: The DNA fragment of about 1 300 bp was amplified by RT-PCR, and cloned into pGM-T vector to obtain the recombinant plasmid pGM-DC-SIGN. The DNA fragment encoding the extracellular region of human DC-SIGN was amplified from pGM-DC-SIGN plasmid and the recombinant expression vector pET-41a-sDC-SIGN was constructed. The component of M(r); 66 000 in the purified recombinant product was found to be recognized by anti-DC-SIGN antibody. CONCLUSION: The cDNA of human DC-SIGN is cloned and the protein of its extracellular region is obtained successfully, which lay the foundation for further research on functions of DC-SIGN.

[Prokaryotic expression of Balb/C mouse MBL-A carbohydrate recognition domain].

OBJECTIVE: To express the carbohydrate recognition domain (CRD) of Balb/C mouse mannan binding lectin A (MBL-A) in E.coli. METHODS: The target gene fragment was obtained by PCR from the plasmid pmMBL-A harboring mouse MBL-A gene. The PCR product was recombined with the prokaryotic expression vector pET-41a(+) and the resulting recombinant plasmid was identified by PCR, restriction analysis and sequencing before transformation into E.coli BL21(DE3) cell for expression of the target protein. After washing and renaturation, the protein was purified on GST-Tag purification resins and analyzed by SDS-PAGE, Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: A DNA fragment of about 450 bp was amplified by PCR and the recombinant plasmid pET41a-mMBL-A-CRD was constructed by linking the fragment with pET41a(+) vector. The result of restriction enzyme analysis and sequencing of the selected clones were consistent with those by computer analysis. The recombinant vector was expressed in E.coli BL21(DE3), and the expressed protein existed mainly as inclusion bodies, whose relative molecular mass was about 47,000 by SDS-PAGE analysis. After washing, renaturation and purification, the purity of recombinant protein was about 90%. Western blotting suggested immunoreactivity of the purified protein with anti-GST antibody, and its sugar binding activity was verified by ELISA. CONCLUSION: We have successfully obtained mouse MBL-A CRD protein, which provides the base for further functional study of the MBL-A molecule.

[Prokaryotic expression of N terminal fragment of mannan-binding lectin associated serine protease-1].

AIM: To express the N-terminal fragment of human mannan-binding lectin (MBL) associated serine proteases-1 (MASP1-N) in E.coli. METHODS: The target sequence in pGEM-MASP1 plasmid that contains human MBL-MASP1 cDNA was amplified by PCR, inserted into prokaryotic expression vector pGEX4T-1 and identified by restriction mapping and sequencing. The recombinant expression vector was transformed into E.coli BL21 (DE3) cells. The expressed product was purified by GSTrap Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography(IMAC) and identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot assay, its binding-activity with the collagen-like region of human MBL(MBL-CLR) and with recombinant human MBL was analyzed by an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assayèELISAé. RESULTS: The DNA fragment of 860 bp, which encode the N-terminal region of human MASP1, was amplified from pGEM-MASP1 plasmid and the recombinant expression vector, pGEX4T-MASP1-N, was constructed, whose restriction maps and sequence were consistent with those expected. The component of M(r) 60 000 in the purified recombinant product was found by SDS-PAGE and could be recognized by anti-GST antibody in Western blot assay. The purified recombinant product could react with human MBL-CLR and human MBL in the indirect ELISA. CONCLUSION: The prokaryotic cell strain that expresses efficiently recombinant human MASP1-N(rhMASP1-N) protein and the purified rhMASP1-N protein were successfully obtained, which provides the basis for further research of MASP1 molecule.

[Gene cloning, optimized expression and immunogenicity evaluation of tetanus toxin fragment C].

OBJECTIVE: To obtain highly purified tetanus toxin fragment C (TTC) with good immunogenicity. METHODS: The gene fragment encoding TTC was amplified from Clostridium tetani plasmid DNA by PCR, inserted into the vector pET43.1a (+) and expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3)plysS. After purification using Ni2+-chelate affinity chromatography, the expressed fusion protein was digested by thrombin and the resultant TTC protein was purified with Ni2+-chelate affinity chromatography followed by identification with SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. The purifed TTC protein was then used to immunize mice to test its immunogenecity. RESULTS: The 1373-bp gene fragment encoding TTC was obtained, and the constructed recombinant expression vector pET43.1a (+)-TTC was successfully expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3)plysS. SDS-PAGE identified a recombinant fusion protein with relative molecular mass (Mr) of 117 000, which accounted for 22% of the total bacterial protein. The TTC protein with Mr of 50 000 was obtained after purification of the thrombin digestion products of the fusion protein, with a purity reaching 95.5%. Both the fusion protein and TTC protein could be recognized by anti-tetanus toxin antibody as shown by Western blotting. The titer of the anti-serum from mice immunized with the TTC protein was 1:25 600, and the anti-serum could specifically bind to tetanus toxin. CONCLUSION: Highly purified and immunogenetic TTC protein has been successfully obtained, which provides a good model antigen for studying antigen presentation and immune responses in vivo.

[Construction of the expression vector pET32a/His MBL-CLR and its expression in E.coli].

AIM: To construct pET32a/His MBL-CLR recombinant prokaryotic expression plasmid and to express mannan-binding lectin-CLR (MBL-CLR) protein in E.coli METHODS: The human MBL-CLR gene was amplified by PCR from pGEM-MBL plasmid, and was inserted into prokaryotic expression vector pET32a. After identified by restriction mapping and sequencing, the recombinant plasmid pET32a/His MBL-CLR was transformed into E.coli BL21 (DE3) cells. The expressed product was purified by Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC) and identified by SDS-PAGE, Western blot and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using the antibody from BALB/c mice immunized with the recombinant human MBL protein. RESULTS: The cDNA fragment of 180 bp was amplified from pGEM-MBL plasmid and the recombinant expression vector pET32/His MBL-CLR was constructed. The recombinant plasmid was consistent with those expected by restriction maps and sequence. Three components of relative molecular mass 30,000, 60,000 and 120,000 in the purified recombinant product were detected by SDS-PAGE and all the components could be recognized by anti-6His antibody in Western blot assay. The three components were correspondingly with the band of the monomer and oligomer of the fusion protein. The purified recombinant product could react with the antibody against the recombinant human MBL protein in the indirect ELISA. CONCLUSION: The prokaryotic expression strains that efficiently express recombinant human MBL-CLR and the recombinant human MBL-CLR-Trx fusion protein were obtained successfully, which will help the further structure-function research of MBL molecule.

[Cloning and prokaryotic expression of the gene encoding PGRP domain of mouse long peptidoglycan recognition protein].

OBJECTIVE: To clone the gene coding for the peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRP) domain (PGRPd) of mouse long PGRP (mPGRP-L) and express the protein in E. coli. METHODS: The cDNA fragment encoding PGRPd of mPGRP-L was obtained by RT-PCR from the total RNA of Balb/C mouse liver cells and cloned into pUCm-T vector. The recombinant plasmid were identified by PCR, restriction endonucleases and sequence analysis. The PGRPd gene fragment was amplified by PCR from the recombinant plasmid, inserted into pQE-30 vector and transformed into E. coli strain M15, and the expressed PGRPd protein was purified. RESULTS: A cDNA fragment of about 500 bp was amplified by RT-PCR and the recombinant plasmid, pmPGRPd, was constructed by linking the fragment to pUCm-T vector. The results of restriction mapping of the recombinant vector were consistent with those of computer analyses. Sequence analysis showed that the cloned gene fragment (518 bp) had identical sequence with the gene encoding PGRPd of mPGRP-L gene in GenBank. The recombinant expression vector pQE-PGRPd was constructed and expressed in E. coli M15. SDS-PAGE showed that the expressed product existed mainly in the lysate supernatant as a soluble protein with relative molecular mass of 29 kD. CONCLUSION: The PGRPd cDNA of mPGRP-L has been successfully cloned and expressed in E. coli, which provides the basis for further study of PGRP molecule.

[Expressions and role of endogenetic matrix metalloproteinases-9 and transforming growth factor-beta during wound healing of blast injury].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of endogenetic matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) and transforming growth factor-beta(TGF-beta) and their role in the wound healing of blast injury. METHODS: Rat models of blast injury under a humid and hot environment were established and the effusion from the wound surface was collected at 4, 24, 48 h and 5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after injury, respectively. The contents of MMP-9 and TGF-beta in the effusion of the wound were measured by zymography and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. RESULTS: During the wound healing of blast injury, MMP-9 and TGF-beta exhibited changes that followed a regular pattern, both reaching the peak value at 48 h after the injury. TGF-beta content reached the another peak on day 7. TGF-beta value and MMP-9 contents decreased in the second week after injury and their reduction was no longer parallel. Administration of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) in the early phase of injury showed no obvious effect, but during the 2 weeks after the injury, its administration caused decrease in MMP-9 content and increase in TGF-beta content in the effusion. CONCLUSIONS: In the early phase of wound healing, the elevation of MMP-9 and TGF-beta accelerated cell migration to promote the clearance of the inflammatory necrosis tissues, which might be one of the wound healing mechanisms. But overexpression of MMP-9 in the wound may hinder wound healing, and appropriate use of TIMP can accelerate the delayed wound healing.

[Expression of human CGT52TGT MBL mutant in CHO cells and analysis of the expression product].

AIM: To explore preliminarily the mechanisms of immunodeficiency resulted from the CGT52TGT point mutation of mannan-binding lectin(MBL) gene. METHODS: The MBL gene containing CGT52TGT point mutation was amplified from the plasmid pMBLm52 by PCR, and then inserted into the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA4/HisMax C. After confirmed by DNA sequencing, the recombinant expression vector was transfected into Chinese-hamster ovary(CHO) cells by electroporation. Zeocin of 800 mg/L had been used for 30 days to select electroporated CHO cells, and then 200 mg/L for another 30 days to obtain stable transfectant. The expression of mRNA was analyzed by RT-PCR, the recombinant protein was purified from the culture supernatant by Ni-NTA agarose chromatography and analyzed by SDS-PAGE under nonreducing condition and Western blot. RESULTS: The cDNA fragment amplified from pMBLm52 plasmid by PCR was about 750 bp and the recombinant plasmid pcDNA4/HisMax C-MBLm52 was constructed and transfected into CHO cells. The expression product purified from the culture supernatant appeared mainly at the site of M(r) 60,000, indicating a much lower oligomerization level than that of the recombinant human wild MBL and human plasma-derived MBL. CONCLUSION: The CGT52TGT point mutation of MBL gene does not affect the secretion of its product, but a Cys introduced by the mutation could form another disulfide bond which may disrupt the structure of MBL molecule as well as its function.

[In vitro effect on the differentiation and maturation of monocyte-derived dendritic cells by mannan-binding lectin].

AIM: To explore the effect of mannan-binding lectin (MBL) on the differentiation and maturation of human peripheral blood monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs). METHODS: After MoDCs was stimulated with human natural MBL, MoDC's morphology was observed under inverted microscope and the expressions of CD1a, CD83, CD40, CD80, CD86 and HLA-DR on MoDCs were analyzed by FACS. The ability of MoDCs to stimulate the proliferation of allogenic T cells was detected by (3)H-TdR incorporation. The ability of MoDCs to up-take antigens was evaluated by zymosan granule phagocytosis test. The levels of IL-12 and TNF-alpha in the culture supernatant of MoDCs were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: The expressions of CD1a, CD83, CD40, CD80, CD86 and HLA-DR on the MoDCs were up-regulated by MBL. The ability of MoDCs to up-take zymosan granules decreased and the proliferation of native T cells induced by MoDCs was enhanced. MBL stimulated the production of IL-12 by MoDCs, but had no such effect on TNF-alpha secretion. CONCLUSION: MBL can induce differentiation and maturation of DCs in vitro, suggesting that MBL possibly participate in the adaptive immune response through modulation of functions of DCs.

Molecular cloning and characterization of mannan binding lectin C gene from Balb/c mice.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain full-length cDNA encoding mouse mannan-binding lectin C(MBL-C) polypeptide. METHODS: The cDNA encoding mouse MBL-C was isolated from Balb/c mouse liver cells by reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR and inserted into pUC-T vector, and the encoding region structure of the DNA was analyzed to understand its evolutionary relationship with single human MBL homologues. RESULTS: The amplified mouse MBL-C cDNA, which was 735 bp in length, encoded 245 amino acid residues, and its structural analysis showed 100% homology with published mouse MBL-C gene sequence and 71.4% homology with MBL gene of Chinese human. CONCLUSION: The gene encoding Balb/c mouse MBL-C has been successfully isolated, which may facilitate further study of the innate immune functions of MBL molecule in vivo.