Implantation of undifferentiated and pre-differentiated human neural stem cells in the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease.

BACKGROUND: Cell therapy is a potential therapeutic approach for several neurodegenetative disease, including Huntington Disease (HD). To evaluate the putative efficacy of cell therapy in HD, most studies have used excitotoxic animal models with only a few studies having been conducted in genetic animal models. Genetically modified animals should provide a more accurate representation of human HD, as they emulate the genetic basis of its etiology. RESULTS: In this study, we aimed to assess the therapeutic potential of a human striatal neural stem cell line (STROC05) implanted in the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of HD. As DARPP-32 GABAergic output neurons are predominately lost in HD, STROC05 cells were also pre-differentiated using purmorphamine, a hedgehog agonist, to yield a greater number of DARPP-32 cells. A bilateral injection of 4.5x105 cells of either undifferentiated or pre-differentiated DARPP-32 cells, however, did not affect outcome compared to a vehicle control injection. Both survival and neuronal differentiation remained poor with a mean of only 161 and 81 cells surviving in the undifferentiated and differentiated conditions respectively. Only a few cells expressed the neuronal marker Fox3. CONCLUSIONS: Although the rapid brain atrophy and short life-span of the R6/2 model constitute adverse conditions to detect potentially delayed treatment effects, significant technical hurdles, such as poor cell survival and differentiation, were also sub-optimal. Further consideration of these aspects is therefore needed in more enduring transgenic HD models to provide a definite assessment of this cell line's therapeutic relevance. However, a combination of treatments is likely needed to affect outcome in transgenic models of HD.

Evolution of extra-nigral damage predicts behavioural deficits in a rat proteasome inhibitor model of Parkinson's disease.

Establishing the neurological basis of behavioural dysfunction is key to provide a better understanding of Parkinson's disease (PD) and facilitate development of effective novel therapies. For this, the relationships between longitudinal structural brain changes associated with motor behaviour were determined in a rat model of PD and validated by post-mortem immunohistochemistry. Rats bearing a nigrostriatal lesion induced by infusion of the proteasome inhibitor lactacystin into the left-medial forebrain bundle and saline-injected controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at baseline (prior to surgery) and 1, 3 and 5 weeks post-surgery with concomitant motor assessments consisting of forelimb grip strength, accelerating rotarod, and apormorphine-induced rotation. Lactacystin-injected rats developed early motor deficits alongside decreased ipsilateral cortical volumes, specifically thinning of the primary motor (M1) and somatosensory cortices and lateral ventricle hypertrophy (as determined by manual segmentation and deformation-based morphometry). Although sustained, motor dysfunction and nigrostriatal damage were maximal by 1 week post-surgery. Additional volume decreases in the ipsilateral ventral midbrain; corpus striatum and thalamus were only evident by week 3 and 5. Whilst cortical MRI volume changes best predicted the degree of motor impairment, post-mortem tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the striatum was a better predictor of motor behaviour overall, with the notable exception of performance in the accelerating rotarod, in which, M1 cortical thickness remained the best predictor. These results highlight the importance of identifying extra-nigral regions of damage that impact on behavioural dysfunction from damage to the nigrostriatal system.

Non-invasive evaluation of nigrostriatal neuropathology in a proteasome inhibitor rodent model of Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Predominantly, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD) have focused on alterations in T2 water 1H relaxation or 1H MR spectroscopy (MRS), whilst potential morphological changes and their relationship to histological or behavioural outcomes have not been appropriately addressed. Therefore, in this study we have utilised MRI to scan in vivo brains from rodents bearing a nigrostriatal lesion induced by intranigral injection of the proteasome inhibitor lactacystin. RESULTS: Lactacystin induced parkinsonian-like behaviour, characterised by impaired contralateral forelimb grip strength and increased contralateral circling in response to apomorphine. T2-weighted MRI, 3-weeks post-lesion, revealed significant morphological changes in PD-relevant brain areas, including the striatum and ventral midbrain in addition to a decrease in T2 water 1H relaxation in the substantia nigra (SN), but not the striatum. Post-mortem histological analyses revealed extensive dopaminergic neuronal degeneration and alpha-synuclein aggregation in the SN. However, extensive neuronal loss could also be observed in extra-nigral areas, suggesting non-specific toxicity of lactacystin. Iron accumulation could also be observed throughout the midbrain reflecting changes in T2. Importantly, morphological, but not T2 relaxivity changes, were significantly associated with both behavioural and histological outcomes in this model. CONCLUSIONS: A pattern of morphological changes in lactacystin-lesioned animals has been identified, as well as alterations in nigral T2 relaxivity. The significant relationship of morphological changes with behavioural and histological outcomes in this model raises the possibility that these may be useful non-invasive surrogate markers of nigrostriatal degeneration in vivo.

Phenotype associated with an R120X nonsense mutation in the RP2 gene in a Japanese family with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa.

We examined a Japanese family with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (RP) associated with a nonsense mutation, R120X, in the RP2 gene. The 26-year-old proband presented at the age of seven years with a two-year history of night blindness. Visual disability worsened with increasing age. At age 24, visual acuity was 0.08 in both eyes. Testing for refractive error indicated mild myopia. Visual fields showed bilateral-constriction to 10 degrees. He had central macular areolar sclerosis in both eyes. Two maternal uncles had vision of light perception to hand movement in their early forties together with dense bilateral cataracts. The ocular phenotype of this family with R120X was considered severe; reported phenotypes associated with this mutation have not been uniform.

Novel mutation in RP2 gene in two brothers with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa and mtDNA mutation of leber hereditary optic neuropathy who showed marked differences in clinical severity.

PURPOSE: To report the identification of a novel mutation of the RP2 gene in two Japanese brothers with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa of a differing clinical severity. The mother was a carrier of both retinitis pigmentosa and optic atrophy. METHODS: The older brother had a severe form of retinitis pigmentosa associated with macular degeneration and total optic atrophy, whereas the younger brother presented typical X-linked retinitis pigmentosa. RESULTS: Each patient exhibited a novel 2-bp insertion at codon 278 in exon 3 of the RP2 gene as well as a 11778 mutation in mitochondrial DNA. This suggests that the older brother may have developed Leber hereditary optic neuropathy as well as retinitis pigmentosa. CONCLUSION: Molecular testing confirmed the clinical diagnosis in each case. However, such testing did not explain the differences in the severity of the ophthalmoscopic findings between the two brothers.

Coexpression of cholesterol sulfate and cytokeratin as tumor markers in well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the human uterine cervix.

The expression of cholesterol sulfate (CS) is known to increase during squamous differentiation of keratinocytes and to activate the epsilon, eta, and zeta forms of protein kinase C as a signal transduction molecule for the subsequent expression of transglutaminase-1 (TG-1) and cytokeratins. To gain further insight into the regulation of cellular differentiation and tumorigenesis by CS, we examined the concentration and the potential for synthesis of CS in seven and four surgical specimens from human ovarian and uterine cervical cancer patients, respectively, and eight cell lines established from human uterine cervical cancer patients and compared them for the rate of expression of cytokeratin. CS was present in all of the uterine cervical cancer tissue specimens but only in the mucinous type of cystadenocarcinoma among ovarian cancer tissue specimens, and cytokeratin was highly expressed in the tissues with a high concentration of CS, which were classified as well-differentiated on the basis of morphological examination. Similarly, cells derived from a keratinizing type of well-differentiated cervical carcinoma demonstrated strong potential for synthesis of CS, stained positive with anti-cytokeratin antibody, and exhibited a higher specific activity of TG-1, whereas the cells without CS did not stain positive with anti-cytokeratin antibody and exhibited a lower specific activity of TG-1. These findings indicate that CS is coexpressed with TG-1 and cytokeratin in the well-differentiated types of squamous cell cancers as a tumor marker.

Selection of human ovarian carcinoma cells with high dissemination potential by repeated passage of the cells in vivo into nude mice, and involvement of Le(x)-determinant in the dissemination potential.

Cells of the human tumor cell line RMG-1, derived from a clear-cell adenocarcinoma of the ovary, were injected intraperitoneally into nude mice, and the cells obtained from the tumor nodules in the mesenterium were found to form a larger number of, and larger-sized, tumor nodules than the original RMG-1 cells. The RMG-1-h cells, transferred into culture from the tumor nodules after a 4th in vivo passage, showed a dissemination potential as high as that of cells disseminating directly from the tissues, and exceedingly higher than that of RMG-1 cells. To assess the molecular bases of the different biological properties of RMG-1 and RMG-1-h cells, we compared the content and expression of various carbohydrate antigens in both cells. The chromosomal profile of RMG-1-h cells revealed their human origin and was identical to that of the original RMG-1 cells. In contrast to the broad histogram for the Le(x)-bearing cells among RMG-1 cells in flow cytometry, the weakly and moderately positive cells toward anti-Le(x) antibody were found to be eliminated from the histogram for the RMG-1-h cells, resulting in the enrichment of cells strongly expressing Le(x), which may account for the high dissemination potential. In addition, the adhesion of RMG-1 cells to mesothelial cells was found to be significantly inhibited by pretreatment of the cells with anti-Le(x) antibody, indicating Le(x)-mediated cell-to-cell interaction between ovarian cancer cells and mesothelial cells. By TLC-immunostaining, two Le(x)-glycolipids, III3Fuc alpha-nLc4Cer and V3Fuc alpha-nLc6Cer were detected in both RMG-1 and RMG-1-h cells, and their total concentrations were not significantly different from each other. However, the hydrophobic moieties of Le(x)-glycolipids in RMG-1-h cells were different from those in RMG-1 cells, suggesting that a difference in the structure of the hydrophobic moieties of Le(x) is partly involved in the enhanced reactivity of RMG-1-h cells toward anti-Le(x) antibody. Thus, the high dissemination potential of ovarian cancer cells was shown to be mediated by the Le(x)-determinant and the Le(x)-bearing cells are enriched by repeated in vivo passage of the cells into nude mice.

Establishment and characterization of melanoma cell line derived from malignant melanoma of human uterine cervix.

A cell line designated HOMM (human Okuno Malignant Melanoma) was established from the uterine cervical malignant melanoma of a 65-year-old Japanese woman. The cell line has grown well and serial passages were successively carried out 32 times within 19 months. The monolayer cultured cells revealed anaplastic and pleomorphic features, and grew in multilayers. They had long cell protrusions and many dark brown pigments. Immunocytochemical stain revealed that S-100 protein existed in the cytoplasm. Electron micrographs also revealed that they had a number of pre-melanosomes and melanosomes in the cytoplasm. All cultured cells were triploid, the modal chromosome number was 68 and the marker chromosomes were presented. The cells were transplanted into an immune-suppressed hamster's cheek pouch and produced a malignant melanoma resembled original tumor.

A novel homozygous Ile535Asn mutation in the rod cGMP phosphodiesterase beta-subunit gene in two brothers of a Japanese family with autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa.

PURPOSE: Recently, mutations in several genes have been identified as being responsible for the pathogenesis of autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP). These genes include rhodopsin, beta-subunit of rod cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDEB), alpha-subunit of rod cGMP phosphodiesterase (PDEA), and alpha-subunit of rod cGMP-gated channel. We here attempted to identify a novel mutation in the PDEB gene in Japanese arRP patients. METHODS: Using the PCR-SSCP method, sequencing analysis, and restriction endonuclease digestion assay, we analyzed the PDEB gene in 17 Japanese families with non-dominant retinitis pigmentosa. RESULTS: A novel Ile535Asn mutation was identified in two patients in a single family and the mutation cosegregated with RP in this family. Among 90 unrelated healthy individuals, no one was identified as homozygous for this mutation, except for one individual who was found to be heterozygous. CONCLUSIONS: Isoleucine at codon 535 in the PDEB gene is conserved among various mammals. Missense mutations of the PDEB gene causing arRP have been reported in a limited region (codon 527-codon 699) in which codon 535 is located. Thus, the Ile535Asn mutation is an additional missense mutation which is responsible for the pathogenesis of arRP.

Visual function in retinitis pigmentosa related to a codon 15 rhodopsin gene mutation.

To determine the phenotype of a Japanese family in which retinitis pigmentosa cosegregates with a rhodopsin gene mutation, i.e. an asparagine-to-serine change at codon 15 (Asn-15-Ser), 5 affected and 5 unaffected members of one pedigree underwent several ophthalmic examinations as well as Ganzfeld electroretinography (ERG) and multifocal ERG. Genomic DNA samples were analyzed by PCR amplification, sequencing and restriction enzyme digestion. A codon 15 rhodopsin gene mutation (Asn-15-Ser) was found in all affected members. The region of pigmentary degeneration was localized in the lower hemiretina, and visual field defects corresponded to the retinal pigmentary changes. Scotopic ERG amplitudes, rather than photopic ERG amplitudes, were reduced. Multifocal ERG revealed a low magnitude of response density, even for the upper hemiretina, which showed no bony corpuscle pigmentation. Visual function in sectorial retinitis pigmentosa associated with rhodopsin gene codon 15 mutation is on the basis of the rod-cone dystrophy, regardless of differences in phenotypic expression.

Progression of visual field loss in patients with retinitis pigmentosa of sporadic and autosomal recessive types.

PURPOSE: We examined the natural course of patients with retinitis pigmentosa of the eight sporadic and five autosomal recessive forms over 5 years. METHODS: We measured the areas of the visual fields by Goldmann perimetry using a digitizer and a computer software. RESULTS: The visual field of V-4 isopters in 4 sporadic cases was approximately 200 cm2 during 30 years after the initial examination, but decreased down to 40 cm2 in the next 10 years. The visual field was reduced to half the normal field in 3 autosomal recessive cases early below the age of 25 years. In 4 sporadic and 2 autosomal recessive cases, the inferior temporal visual field was the widest at the onset of the disease, but exhibited the most severe loss. The superior nasal area was the narrowest initially, and showed the mildest progression. CONCLUSIONS: The visual field in retinitis pigmentosa is constricted age-dependently with severe loss of the inferior temporal visual area and mild damage to the superior nasal area.

A patient-like orthotopic implantation nude mouse model of highly metastatic human ovarian cancer.

Clinically relevant animal models of human cancer are important for studies of cancer biology, invasion and metastasis, and for investigating new forms of prognostic diagnosis and therapy. An ovarian tumor line (RMG-1: human clear cell carcinoma of the ovary) previously grown subcutaneously was implanted orthotopically as intact tissue into the ovarian capsule of 22 nude mice. The tumors showed progressive growth at the orthotopic site in all animals. Tumor-associated serum galactosyltransferase (GAT) tended to be positive in all nude -mice. The tumors invaded or metastasized to the contralateral ovary, retroperitoneum, mesentery and peritoneum, and omentum, and metastasized to the subcutaneous tissue, lymph nodes and distant organs including the liver, kidney, pancreas, and diaphragm. In striking contrast, subcutaneous transplantation of this tumor resulted in growth in only 2 of 5 animals with local lymph node and kidney involvement but no retroperitoneal or peritoneal involvement. These findings suggest that orthotopic implantation provides a suitable micro-environment in which ovarian cancer can express its intrinsic clinically-relevant properties. This approach is relevant to the clinical features of ovarian cancer and is thought to be a useful model for studies of therapy for this cancer.

Quantitative determination of heteroplasmy in Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy by single-strand conformation polymorphism.

PURPOSE: The maternal inheritance of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is caused by defects in the genes of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The most prevalent mtDNA mutation, present in 40% to 90% of families with this disease, is a G to A substitution at nucleotide position 11778. The rapid and accurate quantification of heteroplasmy of this mutation will help determine the relative risk for disease expression. METHODS: The authors conducted screening tests for heteroplasmy in 44 visually affected patients with the 11778 mutation and 34 unaffected members of 36 Japanese families with LHON using the single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis. This method can detect even a single base difference between the sequences of wild type and mutant DNA strands. The percentage of mutant mtDNA was calculated using an image analyzer. RESULTS: Single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis allowed the detection of heteroplasmy ranging from 5% to 95%. Five (14%) of the 36 families showed heteroplasmy, and 14 (18%) of the 78 persons tested had heteroplasmy ranging from 10% to 94%. Seven patients with heteroplasmy with visual loss had mutant mtDNA ranging from 62% to 94%. CONCLUSIONS: Single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis is rapid, efficient, and accurate for detecting point mutations and quantifying heteroplasmy in mtDNA. Individuals with heteroplasmy with less than 60% of mutant mtDNA in circulating leukocytes are probably at lesser risk for developing optic atrophy.

[Molecular genetic analysis of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy with the 3460 mutation in Japanese pedigrees].

We have identified a point mutation at nucleotide position 3460 in the ND1 gene of complex I in a Japanese pedigree with Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy by sequencing the ND genes in mitochondrial DNA. None of the 60 healthy Japanese had the 3460 mutation. The proband and his mother also had the 7444 mutation in the COI gene of complex IV and became nearly blind at age 19 with visual acuities of 0.02 OD and 0.04 OS We screened 30 patients with bilateral optic atrophy for the 3460 mutation, and identified one male patient who had the 3460 mutation in heteroplasmic fashion without carrying the 7444 mutation. He lost his sight at age 14 but it recovered to 1.2 OD and 0.7 OS about two years and half after the onset. The difference in final visual acuity between these two patients may reflect the degree of reduction in mitochondrial energy production.

Risk of false-positive molecular genetic diagnosis of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy.

PURPOSE/METHODS: The most common pathogenic mitochondrial mutation at nucleotide 11778 in Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy is usually detected by the loss of an SfaNI restriction site. To evaluate a false-positive diagnostic error in this molecular genetic assay, we investigated SfaNI polymorphism in 120 patients with bilateral optic atrophy. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The ratio of false-positive to true-positive results was 1:36. Mitochondrial DNA polymorphism at nucleotide 11779 reflects a false-positive genetic error.

Autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. A mutation in codon 181 (Glu-->Lys) of the rhodopsin gene in a Japanese family.

The PCR/restriction endonuclease digestion (RE) assay and PCR/SSCP analysis of the rhodopsin gene in 13 Japanese families with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (ad RP) revealed a G-A substitution of the first nucleotide of codon 181, replacing Glu (GAG) with Lys (AAG), in one family. The proband showed an early onset of symptoms in childhood with a diffuse loss of rod and cone function and a relatively good preservation of cone function, corresponding to the type with relatively rapid progression to blindness (type I category of ad RP).

Calcium concentration and fertilization by subzonal insemination of a single spermatozoon in mouse oocytes.

The effect of calcium concentration in culture medium on the fertilization of subzonally microinseminated mouse oocytes was examined. Oocytes were injected with a single spermatozoon so that the sperm head was forced to adhere onto the ooplasmic membrane with a micromanipulation technique. For the inseminations, epididymal spermatozoa preincubated in culture medium and those treated with ionophore A23187 were used. Inseminated oocytes were cultured using media with three different calcium concentrations of 1.71, 3.42, and 5.13 mM; 40.0%, 71.6%, and 47.9% of oocytes microinjected with preincubated sperm were fertilized after incubation with those media, respectively. When the oocytes inseminated with ionophore-treated sperm were incubated in media containing 1.71 and 3.42 mM calcium, their fertilization rates were 58.2% and 87.5%. Thus fertility of subzonally microinseminated oocytes was obviously enhanced when cultured in medium with 3.42 mM of calcium, irrespective of being inseminated with preincubated sperm (P < 0.01) or with ionophore-treated sperm (P < 0.005). Some of the microinseminations with preincubated sperm were performed without sperm adhered to the oolemma. In these cases, the incidence of fertilization was not improved by incubating the inseminated oocytes in medium containing 3.42 mM calcium (32.6%) as compared to those incubated in medium with 1.71 mM calcium (28.3%). These results suggest that the concentration of extracelluar calcium exerts an important effect on the progress of fertilization events subsequent to sperm adherence onto the ooplasmic membrane. Almost 80% of the zygotes fertilized via incubation in medium with 3.42 mM of calcium developed into blastocysts after culturing in vitro.

A novel Cys-214-Ser mutation in the peripherin/RDS gene in a Japanese family with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa.

We have screened for possible disease-causing mutations in the peripherin/retinal degeneration slow (RDS) gene in 13 Japanese families with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (ADRP). Using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism analysis, a novel mutation at codon 214 was found in which the highly conserved cysteine was replaced with a serine in one family. The mutation at codon 214 was found in all three affected siblings of this family, but none of the 40 normal control individuals had this mutation. These results strongly suggest that the mutation is pathogenic for RP in this family. The clinical phenotype for this family is a late-onset form of ADRP.

[Molecular cloning of the genes in genetic chorioretinal diseases--positional cloning and the candidate gene approach].

Two different molecular biological approaches to the disease-causing genes of genetic eye diseases are described. In gyrate atrophy of the chroid and retina where the biochemical defect was identified as inactivation of ornithine aminotransferase, the gene was cloned by using antibody for the enzyme. In most genetic eye diseases, however, the biochemical defects are unknown. Positional cloning and/or the candidate gene approach are used to identify the disease-causing genes for these diseases. The genes of chroideremia and Norrie disease were cloned by positional cloning. Several genes expressed in the photoreceptor cells have been identified recently and may be the genes causing progressive degeneration of the retina and choroid. Rhodopsin, peripherin (RDS), rom-1, and beta subunit-cGMP phosphodiesterase are identified as the disease-causing genes for retinitis pigmentosa by the candidate gene approach.

Subzonal insemination of a single mouse spermatozoon with a personal computer-controlled micromanipulation system.

A personal computer-controlled micromanipulation system was developed for automatic injection of spermatozoa into the perivitelline space of mouse ova. A pair of three-dimensional hydraulic micromanipulators driven by pulse motors was used for this automatic system. The pulse signals that regulate the motors are initiated by the computer program, and these signals cause the micromanipulator to move the microtool precisely. The computer program was designed to perform the most effective movements of the sperm injection needle used during manual micromanipulation. Prior to the manipulation, the computer locates the tip of the injection needle and the end of the egg-holding pipette in the microscope field using image processing. The trajectory of the injection needle is determined according to these initial positions. Using this robotic system, subzonal insemination with a single mouse spermatozoon was attempted in a total of 143 ova. The sperm insertion was successfully completed in all cases without damaging any of the ova. Spermatozoa treated with ionophore A23187 and those without the treatment were used. The fertilization rate (68.8%) of the ova inseminated with treated sperm was significantly higher than that (37.5%) obtained with the nontreated sperm (P less than 0.05). These findings suggest the feasibility and potential for further applications of a robotic microinsemination system and, in addition, that a higher fertility rate in the subzonal insemination of mouse ova can be achieved with the ionophore treatment of spermatozoa.