Effects of biologically delivered NGF, BDNF and bFGF on striatal excitotoxic lesions.

Immortalized rat fibroblasts, genetically altered to secrete NGF, BDNF, and bFGF, were implanted in rat brain near the striatum 7 days before striatal infusion of excitotoxic quantities of an NMDA-receptor agonist. Analysis of striatal damage 7 days after lesioning revealed that implantation of NGF-secreting cells reduced the size of the excitotoxic lesions by more than 80% when compared with control cells, while implanting of bFGF-secreting cells caused a 30% decrease in excitotoxic lesion size. BDNF-secreting fibroblasts caused no protective sparing in the striatum in this lesion model.

Autocrine differentiation of PC12 cells mediated by retroviral vectors.

Rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells have been modified genetically by the use of replication-defective retroviral vectors containing either the bacterial gene for beta-galactosidase (lac Z) or cDNAs for mouse beta-nerve growth factor (NGF) and the bacterial gene for neomycin resistance. Using the lac Z vector, clonal lines of PC12 cells were obtained in which almost 100% of cells stably expressed this histochemical marker. Infection of PC12 cells or the derived subclone PC12-BAG, which expresses beta-galactosidase, with the NGF vectors resulted in autocrine differentiation as assessed by extensive neurite formation, which occurred within hours after infection and was maintained for weeks in culture.

Construction of an Escherichia coli vector containing the major DNA adduct of activated benzo[a]pyrene at a defined site.

The mutagenic and carcinogenic substance benzo[a]pyrene reacts with DNA following activation to its corresponding 7,8-diol 9,10-epoxide (BPDE), and the major DNA adduct (BP-N2-Gua) is formed when the C(10)-position of BPDE reacts with the N2-position of guanine. It is unknown if this adduct is a premutagenic lesion in vivo. Herein, the construction and characterization of an M13mp19-based, E.