Development of implantable autologous small-calibre vascular grafts from peripheral blood samples.

INTRODUCTION: At present the generation of a small-calibre (≤5 mm) vascular replacement for artificial bypasses remains a challenge for tissue engineering. The biocompatibility of bioartificial vessel replacements is of decisive significance for function and depends on the materials used. A completely autologous vessel substitute must exhibit high biocompatibility and functionality. For this purpose we developed and optimised a technique for the engineering of an autologous bypass material from a fibrin scaffold and vascular cells isolated from the same sample of peripheral blood in a porcine model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fibrinogen, late outgrowth endothelial and smooth muscle cells were isolated from peripheral blood samples (n=14, 100 mL each). Fibroblasts were isolated from porcine aortic adventitial tissue (n=4). Tubular seeded fibrin segments were obtained using an injection moulding technique with the simultaneous incorporation of the in vitro expanded cells into the fibrin matrix. The segments were cultivated under dynamic conditions with pulsatile perfusion in a bioreactor. Morphological and functional characterization was done. RESULTS: Artificial vascular segments with a length of 150 mm were reproducibly obtained with a hierarchical arrangement of incorporated cells similar to the structure of the vascular wall. By additional seeding of fibroblasts, suturable segments with biomechanical properties suitable for implantation into the arterial system were obtained. CONCLUSIONS: Implantable bioartificial vascular grafts can be generated from blood. After cultivation under dynamic conditions the vascular segments possess a structure similar to that of the vascular wall and exhibit biomechanical properties sufficient for implantation as arterial substitutes.

Light-induced degradation of TIMELESS and entrainment of the Drosophila circadian clock.

Two genes, period (per) and timeless (tim), are required for production of circadian rhythms in Drosophila. The proteins encoded by these genes (PER and TIM) physically interact, and the timing of their association and nuclear localization is believed to promote cycles of per and tim transcription through an autoregulatory feedback loop. Here it is shown that TIM protein may also couple this molecular pacemaker to the environment, because TIM is rapidly degraded after exposure to light. TIM accumulated rhythmically in nuclei of eyes and in pacemaker cells of the brain. The phase of these rhythms was differentially advanced or delayed by light pulses delivered at different times of day, corresponding with phase shifts induced in the behavioral rhythms.

Rhythmic expression of timeless: a basis for promoting circadian cycles in period gene autoregulation.

The clock gene timeless (tim) is required for circadian rhythmicity in Drosophila. The accumulation of tim RNA followed a circadian rhythm, and the phase and period of the tim RNA rhythm were indistinguishable from those that have been reported for per. The tim RNA oscillations were found to be dependent on the presence of PER and TIM proteins, which demonstrates feedback control of tim by a mechanism previously shown to regulate per expression. The cyclic expression of tim appears to dictate the timing of PER protein accumulation and nuclear localization, suggesting that tim promotes circadian rhythms of per and tim transcription by restricting per RNA and PER protein accumulation to separate times of day.

Development and Characterization of a Porcine Mitral Valve Scaffold for Tissue Engineering.

Decellularized scaffolds represent a promising alternative for mitral valve (MV) replacement. This work developed and characterized a protocol for the decellularization of whole MVs. Porcine MVs were decellularized with 0.5% (w/v) SDS and 0.5% (w/v) SD and sterilized with 0.1% (v/v) PAA. Decellularized samples were seeded with human foreskin fibroblasts and human adipose-derived stem cells to investigate cellular repopulation and infiltration, and with human colony-forming endothelial cells to investigate collagen IV formation. Histology revealed an acellular scaffold with a generally conserved histoarchitecture, but collagen IV loss. Following decellularization, no significant changes were observed in the hydroxyproline content, but there was a significant reduction in the glycosaminoglycan content. SEM/TEM analysis confirmed cellular removal and loss of some extracellular matrix components. Collagen and elastin were generally preserved. The endothelial cells produced newly formed collagen IV on the non-cytotoxic scaffold. The protocol produced acellular scaffolds with generally preserved histoarchitecture, biochemistry, and biomechanics.

Role of NAD(P)H oxidase in angiotensin II-induced JAK/STAT signaling and cytokine induction.

Inflammatory processes involve both synthesis of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), and the activation of their distinct signaling pathways, eg, the janus kinases (JAKs) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT). Superoxide (O(2)(-)) anions activate this signaling cascade, and the vasoconstrictor angiotensin II (Ang II) enhances the formation of O(2)(-) anions via the NAD(P)H oxidase system in rat aortic smooth muscle cells. Ang II activates the JAK/STAT cascade via its type 1 (AT(1)) receptor and induces synthesis and release of IL-6. Therefore, we investigated the role of O(2)(-) anions generated by the NAD(P)H oxidase system on the Ang II activation of the JAK/STAT cascade and its impact on IL-6 synthesis. Ang II stimulation of rat aortic smooth muscle cells induced a rapid increase in O(2)(-) anions determined by laser fluoroscopy, which can be abolished by DPI, a flavoprotein inhibitor. Ang II-induced phosphorylation of JAK2, STAT1alpha/ss, STAT3, and IL-6-synthesis can be abolished by DPI, as determined by immunoprecipitations and Northern blot analysis. Electroporation of neutralizing antisera targeted against p47(phox), a NAD(P)H oxidase subunit, abolished Ang II-induced JAK/STAT activation and IL-6 synthesis. Inhibition of JAK2 by its inhibitor AG490 (10 micromol/L) blocked not only JAK2 activation but also IL-6 synthesis. These results suggest that stimulation of the JAK/STAT cascade by Ang II requires O(2)(-) anions generated by the NAD(P)H oxidase system, and O(2)(-) anion-dependent activation of the JAK/STAT cascade seems to be additionally involved in Ang II-induced IL-6 synthesis. Thus, Ang II-induced inflammatory effects seem to require O(2)(-) anions generated by the NAD(P)H oxidase system.

Expression of angiotensin II and interleukin 6 in human coronary atherosclerotic plaques: potential implications for inflammation and plaque instability.

BACKGROUND: Patients with an activated renin-angiotensin system (RAS) or genetic alterations of the RAS are at increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI). Administration of ACE inhibitors reduces the risk of MI, and acute coronary syndromes are associated with increased interleukin 6 (IL-6) serum levels. Accordingly, the present study evaluated the expression of angiotensin II (Ang II) in human coronary atherosclerotic plaques and its influence on IL-6 expression in patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: Immunohistochemical colocalization of Ang II, ACE, Ang II type 1 (AT(1)) receptor, and IL-6 was examined in coronary arteries from patients with ischemic or dilated cardiomyopathy undergoing heart transplantation (n=12), in atherectomy samples from patients with unstable angina (culprit lesion; n=8), and in ruptured coronary arteries from patients who died of MI (n=13). Synthesis and release of IL-6 was investigated in smooth muscle cells and macrophages after Ang II stimulation. Colocalization of ACE, Ang II, AT(1) receptor, and IL-6 with CD68-positive macrophages was observed at the shoulder region of coronary atherosclerotic plaques and in atherectomy tissue of patients with unstable angina. Ang II was identified in close proximity to the presumed rupture site of human coronary arteries in acute MI. Ang II induced synthesis and release of IL-6 shortly after stimulation in vitro in macrophages and rat smooth muscle cells. CONCLUSIONS: Ang II, AT(1) receptor, and ACE are expressed at strategic sites of human atherosclerotic coronary arteries, suggesting that Ang II is produced primarily by ACE within coronary plaques. The observation that Ang II induces IL-6 and their colocalization with the AT(1) receptor and ACE is consistent with the notion that the RAS may contribute to inflammatory processes within the vascular wall and to the development of acute coronary syndromes.

Developmental analysis of two sex-determining genes, M and F, in the housefly, Musca domestica.

In the housefly, Musca domestica, a single dominant factor, M, determines maleness. Animals hemi-or heterozygous for M are males, whereas those without M develop as females. In certain strains, however, both sexes are homozygous for M, and an epistatic dominant factor, FD, dictates female development. The requirement for these factors was analyzed by producing, with mitotic recombination, mosaic animals consisting of genetically male and female cells. Removal of FD from an M/M;FD/+ cell at any time of larval development, even in the last larval instar, resulted in sex-reversal, i.e., in the development of a male clone in an otherwise female fly. In contrast, when M was removed from M/+ cells, the resulting clones remained male despite their female genotype, even when the removal of M happened at embryonic stages. The occurrence of spontaneous gynandromorphs, however, shows that the loss of M in individual nuclei prior to blastoderm formation causes the affected cells to adopt the female pathway. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that M is the primary sex-determining signal which sets the state of activity of the key gene F at around the blastoderm stage. Parallels and differences to the sex-determining system of Drosophila are discussed.

Dosage compensation in Drosophila: the X chromosome binding of MSL-1 and MSL-2 in female embryos is prevented by the early expression of the Sxl gene.

In wildtype males, binding of the MSL-1 gene product to the X chromosome is first seen at the cellular blastoderm stage (stage 5). MSL-2 is associated with the X chromosome in male embryos at a later stage, but the difference in apparent binding time between these two proteins is probably due to a difference in the sensitivity of their respective antisera. Early binding of MSL-1 is never seen in wildtype female embryos, and we have determined that this inhibition is mediated by the SXL product made by the activation of the early Sxl promoter. Once it is allowed to occur, the early X chromosome association of the MSLs is relatively stable, persisting in some cases through the first larval instar in spite of the presence of SXL levels concordant with normal female development. The results of these experiments are discussed in light of their relevance to the established observations that (1) the SXL made by the early promoter inhibits the hypertranscription of run at the blastoderm stage, and (2) severe disturbances in SXL function (loss in XX individuals and gain in haplo-X individuals) result in lethality during embryogenesis while loss of msl function kills males much later.

[Prefabrication of heart valves]. / Präfabrikation von Herzklappen.

BACKGROUND: Commonly used heart valve prostheses have specific drawbacks and limitations. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS: Optimization of conventional methods and techniques for heart valve replacement by application of tissue engineering principles. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Recent studies have impressively shown that allogeneic decellularized matrices have the potential to overcome limitations of conventional prostheses and to provide all the characteristics of an ideal graft for heart valve replacement.

virilizer regulates Sex-lethal in the germline of Drosophila melanogaster.

In Drosophila, the gene Sex-lethal (Sxl) is required for female development. It controls sexual differentiation in the soma, dosage compensation and oogenesis. The continuous production of SXL proteins in XX animals is maintained by autoregulation and depends on virilizer (vir). This gene is required in somatic cells for the female-specific splicing of Sxl primary transcripts and for an unknown vital process in both sexes. In the soma, clones of XX cells lacking Sxl or vir are sexually transformed and form male structures; in the germline, XX cells mutant for Sxl extensively proliferate, but are unable to differentiate. We now studied the role of vir in the germline by generating germline chimeras. We found that XX germ cells mutant for vir, in contrast to cells mutant for Sxl, perform oogenesis. We show that the early production of SXL in undifferentiated germ cells is independent of vir while, later in oogenesis, expression of Sxl becomes dependent on vir. We conclude that the early SXL proteins are sufficient for the production of eggs whereas the later SXL proteins are dispensable for this process. However, vir must be active in the female germline to allow normal embryonic development because maternal products of vir are required for the early post-transcriptional regulation of Sxl in XX embryos and for a vital process in embryos of both sexes.

Identification of new X-chromosomal genes required for Drosophila oogenesis and novel roles for fs(1)Yb, brainiac and dunce.

We performed a screen for female sterile mutations on the X chromosome of Drosophila melanogaster and identified new loci required for developmental events in oogenesis as well as new alleles of previously described genes. We present mapping and phenotypic characterization data for many of these genes and discuss their significance in understanding fundamental developmental and cell biological processes. Our screen has identified genes that are involved in cell cycle control, intracellular transport, cell migration, maintenance of cell membranes, epithelial monolayer integrity and cell survival or apoptosis. We also describe new roles for the genes dunce (dnc), brainiac (brn) and fs(1)Yb, and we identify new alleles of Sex lethal (Sxl), ovarian tumor (otu), sans filles (snf), fs(1)K10, singed (sn), and defective chorion-1 (dec-1).

Genetic control of sex determination in the germ line and soma of the housefly, Musca domestica.

In Musca domestica, sex in the soma is cell autonomously determined by the male-determiner M, or by the female-determiner FD. Transplanted pole cells (precursors of the germ line) show that sex determination of germ cells is non-autonomous genotypically male pole cells form functional eggs in female hosts, and genotypically female pole cells form functional sperm in male hosts. When M/+ cells undergo oogenesis, a male-determining maternal effect predetermines offspring without M, i.e. of female genotype, to develop as fertile males. FD is epistatic to M in the female germ line, as it is in the soma, overruling the masculinizing effect of M. The results suggest that maternal F product is needed for activation of the zygotic F gene.

mof, a putative acetyl transferase gene related to the Tip60 and MOZ human genes and to the SAS genes of yeast, is required for dosage compensation in Drosophila.

Dosage compensation is a regulatory process that insures that males and females have equal amounts of X-chromosome gene products. In Drosophila, this is achieved by a 2-fold enhancement of X-linked gene transcription in males, relative to females. The enhancement of transcription is mediated by the activity of a group of regulatory genes characterized by the male-specific lethality of their loss-of-function alleles. The products of these genes form a complex that is preferentially associated with numerous sites on the X chromosome in somatic cells of males but not of females. Binding of the dosage compensation complex is correlated with a significant increase in the presence of a specific histone isoform, histone 4 acetylated at Lys16, on this chromosome. Experimental results and sequence analysis suggest that an additional gene, males-absent on the first (mof), encodes a putative acetyl transferase that plays a direct role in the specific histone acetylation associated with dosage compensation. The predicted amino acid sequence of MOF exhibits a significant level of similarity to several other proteins, including the human HIV-1 Tat interactive protein Tip60, the human monocytic leukemia zinc finger protein MOZ and the yeast silencing proteins SAS3 and SAS2.

The gene virilizer is required for female-specific splicing controlled by Sxl, the master gene for sexual development in Drosophila.

The gene virilizer (vir) is needed for dosage compensation and sex determination in females and for an unknown vital function in both sexes. In genetic mosaics, XX somatic cells mutant for vir differentiate male structures. One allele, vir2f, is lethal for XX, but not for XY animals. This female-specific lethality can be rescued by constitutive expression of Sxl or by mutations in msl (male-specific lethal) genes. Rescued animals develop as strongly masculinized intersexes or pseudomales. They have male-specifically spliced mRNA of tra, and when rescued by msl, also of Sxl. Our data indicate that vir is a positive regulator of female-specific splicing of Sxl and of tra pre-mRNA.

Dosage compensation in Drosophila: the X-chromosomal binding of MSL-1 and MLE is dependent on Sxl activity.

In Drosophila, dosage compensation, i.e. the equalization of levels of X-linked gene products in the two sexes, is achieved by the hypertranscription of most X-linked genes in males relative to females. The products of at least four genes, collectively termed male-specific lethal (msl) genes, are required for this process and, at least in the case of three of them, mediate this function through an association with the X chromosome in males. We have studied some of the parameters that affect the association of the msl-1 gene product and found that its presence is dependent on the wild-type function of the other three genes, leading to the conclusion that these gene products contribute to the formation of a multi-subunit complex. Furthermore, the X-chromosomal association of the msl-1 and mle gene products is negatively correlated with the level of function of the master regulatory gene Sxl and can assume either a mosaic or a uniform distribution in the tissues of mutant XX individuals. Surprisingly, we also found that the association of these two msl gene products with the two X chromosomes in females of certain mutant genotypes does not result in the hypertranscription of X-linked genes or in any apparent reduction in viability.