Ex vivo expanded cord blood CD4 T lymphocytes exhibit a distinct expression profile of cytokine-related genes from those of peripheral blood origin.

With an increase in the importance of umbilical cord blood (CB) as an alternative source of haematopoietic progenitors for allogenic transplantation, donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) with donor CB-derived activated CD4(+) T cells in the unrelated CB transplantation setting is expected to be of increased usefulness as a direct approach for improving post-transplant immune function. To clarify the characteristics of activated CD4(+) T cells derived from CB, we investigated their mRNA expression profiles and compared them with those of peripheral blood (PB)-derived activated CD4(+) T cells. Based on the results of a DNA microarray analysis and quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), a relatively high level of forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3) gene expression and a relatively low level of interleukin (IL)-17 gene expression were revealed to be significant features of the gene expression profile of CB-derived activated CD4(+) T cells.

Kinetics and effect of integrin expression on human CD34(+) cells during murine leukemia virus-derived retroviral transduction with recombinant fibronectin for stem cell gene therapy.

The CH-296 recombinant fragment of human fibronectin is essential for murine leukemia virus (MLV)-derived retroviral transduction of CD34(+) cells for the purpose of stem cell gene therapy. Although the major effect of CH-296 is colocalization of the MLV-derived retrovirus and target cells at specific adhesion domains of CH-296 mediated by integrins expressed on CD34(+) cells, the precise roles of the integrins are unclear. We examined the kinetics of integrin expression on CD34(+) cells during the course of MLV-derived retrovirus-mediated gene transduction with CH-296.

B-cell-activating factor inhibits CD20-mediated and B-cell receptor-mediated apoptosis in human B cells.

B-cell-activating factor (BAFF) is a survival and maturation factor for B cells belonging to the tumour necrosis factor superfamily. Among three identified functional receptors, the BAFF receptor (BAFF-R) is thought to be responsible for the effect of BAFF on B cells though details of how remain unclear. We determined that a hairy-cell leukaemia line, MLMA, expressed a relatively high level of BAFF-R and was susceptible to apoptosis mediated by either CD20 or B-cell antigen receptor (BCR).

Preferential localization of SSEA-4 in interfaces between blastomeres of mouse preimplantaion embryos.

The monoclonal antibody 6E2 raised against the embryonal carcinoma cell line NCR-G3 had been shown to also react with human germ cells. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) immunostaining revealed that 6E2 specifically reacts with sialosylglobopenta osylceramide (sialylGb5), which carries an epitope of stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 (SSEA-4), known as an important cell surface marker of embryogenesis. The immunostaining of mouse preimplantation embryos without fixation showed that the binding of 6E2 caused the clustering and consequent accumulation of sialylGb5 at the interface between blastomeres.

Importin-beta and the small guanosine triphosphatase Ran mediate chromosome loading of the human chromokinesin Kid.

Nucleocytoplasmic transport factors mediate various cellular processes, including nuclear transport, spindle assembly, and nuclear envelope/pore formation. In this paper, we identify the chromokinesin human kinesin-like DNA binding protein (hKid) as an import cargo of the importin-alpha/beta transport pathway and determine its nuclear localization signals (NLSs). Upon the loss of its functional NLSs, hKid exhibited reduced interactions with the mitotic chromosomes of living cells.

Inducible expression of chimeric EWS/ETS proteins confers Ewing's family tumor-like phenotypes to human mesenchymal progenitor cells.

Ewing's family tumor (EFT) is a rare pediatric tumor of unclear origin that occurs in bone and soft tissue. Specific chromosomal translocations found in EFT cause EWS to fuse to a subset of ets transcription factor genes (ETS), generating chimeric EWS/ETS proteins. These proteins are believed to play a crucial role in the onset and progression of EFT.

The detergent-insoluble microdomains, rafts, can be used as an effective immunogen.

Detergent-insoluble microdomains, or rafts, act as a platform to transduce signals from the extracellular space into the cytoplasm. In the process of developing monoclonal antibodies against raft molecules for the purpose of studying the molecular mechanism of raft-mediated signaling, we observed the uniqueness and certain advantages of immunization with rafts. Simple subcutaneous injection of mice with a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) suspension of rafts without mixing with Freund's adjuvant made it possible to increase the titer of antiserum reacting with raft components.