ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of circulating CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(low) regulatory T cells (Treg) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and its significance. The experiment was divided into three groups: ACS (48 patients), stable angina pectoris (SAP) (24 patients), and normal controls (24 subjects). The CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(low) Treg cell counts were tested by flow cytometry, and the levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and peripheral blood leukocytes (PWBCs) were determined in the peripheral blood of each group; comparisons were made among groups. The frequency of CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(low) to CD4(+) cell in the ACS group (3.18 ± 1.76%) was significantly lower than those observed in control (5.64 ± 1.63%) and SAP (5.60 ± 1.56%) groups (F = 25.247, P < 0.01), while the hs-CRP and PWBC levels in the ACS group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, the reduced frequency of CD4(+)CD25(+)CD127(low) to CD4(+) cells was negatively correlated with the increased hs-CRP and PWBC counts by correlation analysis, and the related coefficients (r) were -0.518 and -0.311, respectively (P < 0.01). These findings indicate that the decrease of the frequency of Treg cells in the peripheral blood of patients with ACS might destroy the balance of tolerance of the peripheral immune system and might activate inflammation, thus participating in the occurrence and development of the pathological processes of atherosclerosis.
Subject(s)
Acute Coronary Syndrome/blood , Acute Coronary Syndrome/immunology , T-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology , T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/immunology , Aged , Biomarkers , C-Reactive Protein , Female , Humans , Immunophenotyping , Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit/metabolism , Interleukin-7 Receptor alpha Subunit/metabolism , Leukocyte Count , Lymphocyte Count , Male , Middle Aged , Phenotype , T-Lymphocyte Subsets/metabolism , T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/metabolismABSTRACT
The aim of this in vivo study was to determine the existence of muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) in rat corpus cavernosum. Immunohistochemical and RT-PCR analyses were performed to determine the expression of the stem cell markers (Sca-1, Oct4, and desmin) in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats in different age groups (10 rats in each group). Sca-1 was mainly expressed in blood vessels and cavernous sinus and demonstrated primarily cytoplasmic staining. Desmin was expressed mainly in muscle tissues and staining occurred mainly in the cytoplasm but also partially in the nucleus. An extremely small amount of double-positive stained cells (Sca-1/desmin) were detected near the cavernous sinus. Expression of the markers was significantly and negatively correlated with the age of the rats (P < 0.05). The RT-PCR results showed that the expression levels of Sca-1 and desmin significantly decreased with age (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis indicated that the expression of Sca-1 and desmin were significantly and negatively correlated with the age of rats (r = -0.929, P < 0.05). The present study provides evidence for the existence of MDSCs in rat corpus cavernosum. MDSCs may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of organic erectile dysfunction.
Subject(s)
Myoblasts/cytology , Myoblasts/metabolism , Penis , Animals , Biomarkers , Cell Separation , Flow Cytometry , Gene Expression , Male , Phenotype , RatsABSTRACT
Species of the genus Aquilegia are exceptionally diverse in their floral morphology and color, commonly known as columbine. They are widely planted ornamentals and are highly attractive for hummingbirds. However, little is known about their genetic diversity. We examined the genetic diversity of the species and cultivars using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Sixteen EcoRI/MseI AFLP primer combinations produced 327 informative polymorphic bands, with a mean of 20.4 bands scored per primer. Jaccard's coefficient of similarity varied from 0.61 to 0.93, indicative of high levels of genetic variation. Cluster analysis using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean algorithm placed the 64 accessions into two main clusters, each divided into two sub-clusters. The AFLP variability was significantly associated with the geographic origins, as the Asian species and the North American species grouped into two distinct clusters. The genetic diversity found among Aquilegia demonstrated the potential value of Chinese germplasm for cultivar improvement and for widening the genetic basis of breeding programs and breeding material selection. We concluded that AFLPs are informative and can provide significant insights for genetic diversity research in columbine species.