Treatment of Parkinson's Disease by Genetically Modified Immortalized Fibroblasts.

Primary rat fibroblast cells were immortalized by genetic modification of SV40 large T antigen (LT(Ag)) gene and called RFLT. This cell line was non-tumorigenic after grafting into nud-mouse and rat. The LT(Ag)gene stopped expression when the cells were transplanted in rat striatum, but it resumed the expression ability after the transplanted cells were recovered from striatum and cultured in vitro.

Interleukin-2 gene has superior antinociceptive effects when delivered intrathecally.

The antinociceptive effect of interleukin-2 gene on rat carrageenan-induced pain was explored using different delivery methods. Intrathecal (i.t.

Human interleukin 10 gene therapy decreases the severity and mortality of lethal pancreatitis in rats.

Background: Studies have proven the validity of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the treatment of experimental pancreatitis. Prophylactic human IL-10 (hIL-10) gene treatment attenuated the severity in cerulein models. Our research aims to study whether the therapeutic hIL-10 gene could decrease both severity and mortality in a lethal pancreatic model.

Blocking HSF1 by dominant-negative mutant to sensitize tumor cells to hyperthermia.

Heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), an antiapoptotic chaperon protein, is highly expressed in human breast tumors and renders them resistant to such therapy as hyperthermia. In the present study, we inhibited the expression of HSP70 by blocking the heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) function with its dominant-negative mutant (mHSF1) in Bcap37 cells, a thermotolerant breast cancer cell line. Here we report that retrovirus-mediated transfer of mHSF1 led to massive cell death of Bcap37 after hyperthermia.

Expression of Cytosine Deaminase Gene in Human Colon Carcinoma Cells by Recombinant Retroviral Vector.

The recombinant retroviral vector pLCDSN containing E. coli cytosine deaminase gene was constructed. After packaging with PA317 cell line, the infectious particles were used to infect human colon carcinoma cell line LoVo.

The Influence of Amino Acid Substitutions on the Function of Interleukin-2.

The effects of some residues in IL-2 on its activity have been studied by site-directed mutagenesis. After changing 39 Met or 43 Lys to Pro, neither the CD spectra (s) nor the biological activities of these mutants were changed, implying that the 39 Met and 43 Lys were not involved in the reported alpha-helical structure. However after changing 52 Glu, 53 Leu or 54 Lys to Pro respectively the CD spectra were markedly changed and the activities were decreased significantly, showing that these three amino acids in IL-2 were integrated in the alpha-helix structure and very important for their biological functions.

Studies on the PEGylation of Protein at a Specific Site: Sulfhydryl-PEGylation of 97Cys-IFN-gamma.

Human recombinant interferon-gamma(IFN-gamma) is not glycosylated at site 25 Asn or 97 Asn, but its bioactivity is the same as the native one. So we suppose that mutants 25/97Cys-IFN-gamma and PEG-25/97-Cys-IFN-gamma have the same bioactivity as native. By site-directed mutagenesis, the 97Cys-IFN-gamma was obtained and modified with a new PEGylation reagent which was prepared by us with a very simple method.

A New Computer-imitated Model of Spatial Interaction between Interleukin-2 and Interleukin-2 Receptor Complex.

It is very meaningful to construct the spatial model of ligand-receptor interaction between interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) complex for the further studies in the structure-function relationship of IL-2 or IL-2R. In our study of the IL-2 molecule, we have found that Glu62 residue takes part in the binding to IL-2R alpha subunit and have confirmed that Glu126 residue in the residue bound to the IL-2R gamma subunit. In consideration with these discoveries and the progress in IL-2R subunits study, we have suggested a new model of the spatial interaction between IL-2 and IL-2R.