Low surface expression of B7-1 (CD80) is an immunoescape mechanism of colon carcinoma

Artificially enforced expression of CD80 (B7-1) and CD86 (B7-2) on tumor cells renders them more immunogenic by triggering the CD28 receptor on T cells. The enigma is that such B7s interact with much higher affinity with CTLA-4 (CD152), an inhibitory receptor expressed by activated T cells. We show that unmutated CD80 is spontaneously expressed at low levels by mouse colon carcinoma cell lines and other transplantable tumor cell lines of various tissue origins. Silencing of CD80 by interfering RNA led to loss of tumorigenicity of CT26 colon carcinoma in immunocompetent mice, but not in immunodeficient Rag-/- mice. CT26 tumor cells bind CTLA-4Ig, but much more faintly with a similar CD28Ig chimeric protein, thus providing an explanation for the dominant inhibitory effects on tumor immunity displayed by CD80 at that expression level. Interestingly, CD80-negative tumor cell lines such as MC38 colon carcinoma and B16 melanoma express CD80 at dim levels during in vivo growth in syngeneic mice. Therefore, low CD80 surface expression seems to give an advantage to cancer cells against the immune system. Our findings are similar with the inhibitory role described for the dim CD80 expression on immature dendritic cells, providing an explanation for the low levels of CD80 expression described in various human malignancies

Atividade da reductase do nitrato em milho (Zea mays L.) var. Piranão em níveis crescentes de nitrogênio.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar a atividade da reductase do nitrato em milho (Zea mays L. var. "Piranao") cultivado em solucao nutritiva e sob doses crescentes de nitrogenio, na forma de NO3. A atividade da enzima foi analisada aos 56 dias de idade, em rodelas de folhas do terco medio da folha +4, seguindo-se a metodologia proposta por MULDER et alii (15), adaptada por MALAVOLTA (13). Os resultados permitiram concluir que o aumento do teor de NO3 no meio favoreceu a atividade da reductase do nitrato ate o nivel maximo de 40,51 ug de N-NO-2/g de materia verde, correspondente a um nivel de 296,19 mg de N/litro de solucao nutritiva. Os resultados obtidos nas condicoes experimentais em que foi realizado o trabalho correspondem, provavelmente, ao maximo da capacidade genetica da variedade estudada. Os teores de N encontrados nas folhas inferiores foram mais baixos do que os das folhas superiores, em funcao da alta mobilizacao do elemento para as partes mais novas da planta. Houve tambem correlacao positiva entre a atividade da reductase do nitrato, o teor de N total da folha e a producao de materia seca.197

Low surface expression of B7-1 (CD80) is an immunoescape mechanism of colon carcinoma

Artificially enforced expression of CD80 (B7-1) and CD86 (B7-2) on tumor cells renders them more immunogenic by triggering the CD28 receptor on T cells. The enigma is that such B7s interact with much higher affinity with CTLA-4 (CD152), an inhibitory receptor expressed by activated T cells. We show that unmutated CD80 is spontaneously expressed at low levels by mouse colon carcinoma cell lines and other transplantable tumor cell lines of various tissue origins. Silencing of CD80 by interfering RNA led to loss of tumorigenicity of CT26 colon carcinoma in immunocompetent mice, but not in immunodeficient Rag-/- mice. CT26 tumor cells bind CTLA-4Ig, but much more faintly with a similar CD28Ig chimeric protein, thus providing an explanation for the dominant inhibitory effects on tumor immunity displayed by CD80 at that expression level. Interestingly, CD80-negative tumor cell lines such as MC38 colon carcinoma and B16 melanoma express CD80 at dim levels during in vivo growth in syngeneic mice. Therefore, low CD80 surface expression seems to give an advantage to cancer cells against the immune system. Our findings are similar with the inhibitory role described for the dim CD80 expression on immature dendritic cells, providing an explanation for the low levels of CD80 expression described in various human malignancies

Copper availability as related to soil copper fractions in oxisols under liming Calagem e os teores disponíveis e as frações de cobre em latossolos

The knowledge of the chemical forms of copper in soils and the relationships of these forms with soil copper availability are important for predicting the copper behavior in the soil-plant system. The present work studies the influence of liming on the available contents of copper as well as on the forms of copper fractions in six types of Oxisols. Soil samples, with and without liming, received copper at rates of 0.0, 20.0 and 40.0 mg dm-3 and remained incubated for 30 days. Then, available copper was extracted with Mehlich-1, Mehlich-3, DTPA and EDTA solutions, and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Additionally, soil samples were extracted in a sequential procedure to determine Cu in fractions of soil, as follows: exchangeable-Cu fraction, organic matter-Cu fraction, Mn oxide-Cu fraction, amorphous Fe oxide-Cu fraction, crystalline Fe oxide-Cu fraction, residual-Cu fraction, and the total Cu content in the soil. Soil samples to which Cu was added presented higher Cu retention in the organic matter fraction with a small percentage retained in the exchangeable-Cu fraction. Liming resulted in a decrease of Cu in the exchangeable and organic matter fractions and an increase in the Fe and Mn oxide fractions and in the residual fraction. Without liming, the organic matter fraction presented the highest contribution to Cu content found in the soil extracts obtained with all extractors, except EDTA. For treatments with liming, Cu contents in the organic matter fraction were better correlated to Cu contents in extracts obtained with DTPA and Mehlich-3.<br>O conhecimento das formas químicas em que se encontra o cobre em solos, e suas relações com os teores disponíveis, são importantes para a previsão do seu comportamento no sistema solo-planta. Nesse sentido, este trabalho estuda a influência da calagem sobre os teores disponíveis e sobre o fracionamento de Cu em amostras de seis Latossolos. Essas amostras, submetidas ou não a calagem, receberam o elemento nas doses de 0,0, 20,0 e 40,0 mg dm-3 e foram incubadas por 30 dias. Terminada a incubação, procedeu-se a extração de Cu utilizando-se os extratores Mehlich-1, Mehlich-3, DTPA e EDTA. As amostras foram submetidas a um fracionamento que separou o Cu nas frações trocável, matéria orgânica, óxido de manganês, óxido de ferro amorfo, óxido de ferro cristalino e residual, além dos teores totais. Com sua aplicação ao solo o Cu foi retido, principalmente, na fração matéria orgânica, com pequena porcentagem retida na fração trocável. A calagem provocou redução nas frações trocável e matéria orgânica e aumento nas frações óxido de ferro, óxido de manganês e residual. Para os solos sem calagem, a fração matéria orgânica foi a que mais contribuiu para os teores determinados pelos extratores, com exceção do EDTA. Nos solos com calagem, o Cu ligado à matéria orgânica foi melhor correlacionado com os teores obtidos pelo DTPA e Mehlich-3