Establishment of an antibody specific for cancer-associated haptoglobin: a possible implication of clinical investigation

We previously found that the serum level of fucosylated haptoglobin (Fuc-Hpt) was significantly increased in pancreatic cancer patients. To delineate the mechanism underlying this increase and develop a simple detection method, we set out to generate a monoclonal antibody (mAb) specific for Fuc-Hpt. After multiple screenings by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), a 10-7G mAb was identified as being highly specific for Fuc-Hpt generated in a cell line as well as for Hpt derived from a pancreatic cancer patient. As a result from affinity chromatography with 10-7G mAb, followed by lectin blot and mass spectrometry analyses, it was found that 10-7G mAb predominantly recognized both Fuc-Hpt and prohaptoglobin (proHpt), which was also fucosylated. In immunohistochemical analyses, hepatocytes surrounding metastasized cancer cells were stained by the 10-7G mAb, but neither the original cancer cells themselves nor normal hepatocytes exhibited positive staining, suggesting that metastasized cancer cells promote Fuc-Hpt production in adjacent hepatocytes. Serum level of Fuc-Hpt determined with newly developed ELISA system using the 10-7G mAb, was increased in patients of pancreatic and colorectal cancer. Interestingly, dramatic increases in Fuc-Hpt levels were observed at the stage IV of colorectal cancer. These results indicate that the 10-7G mAb developed is a promising antibody which recognizes Fuc-Hpt and could be a useful diagnostic tool for detecting liver metastasis of cancer.This study was performed as a research program of the Project for Development of Innovative Research on Cancer Therapeutics (P-Direct), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan and was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP16H05226

Classes based on a new course of study : On teaching fruitful “discussion” considering coordination of the curriculum between elementary, junior, and senior high schools

「話し合い」は，学校生活のみならず，社会生活の様々な場面で必要とされるにもかかわらず，深い話し合いを実現することは容易なことではない。「話し合うこと」については，学習指導要領に各学年の指導事項が示され，発達段階に応じた違いも表現されているが，各学年段階における年間カリキュラムの中でどのように配置するのか，また，小，中，高の能力的な差異や学習者間の関係性をふまえての効果的な学習指導とはどういうものなのかなど，現実的な課題が少なくない。本研究は，各学校段階や各学年でどのような話し合いの力を身につけさせていくことが必要なのか，またそのための授業実践はどうあるべきかについて，小・中・高がお互いの指導実践の関連や，学習者の学びの履歴をふまえた「指導プログラム」の作成をめざすものである。３年計画の１年次である本年は，学習者・実践の実態調査，国語科教科書の実際，話し合い・言語コミュニケーション関係の先行文献，視聴覚教材等の収集分析を行い，話し合い学習指導の現状をいくつかの資料をもとにしながら，研究の立脚点を明らかにすることができた。その上で，これからの授業実践研究のためには何が必要なのかを明らかにすることを次年度以降の課題とした。When teaching “discussion,” we wonder when and what we should be showed to the students. We also have difficulty in dealing with students’ gaps in communication ability and with the human relationships between students. This study aims to create guidelines for tutoring on discussion, indicating what kinds of skills students should develop according to their ages as well as how we should instruct to help them to gain these skills. The teaching should be based on what the students have learned and practiced in each grade at elementary, junior, and senior high schools. In the first year of this three-year project, we investigated the current situation regarding discussion teaching by conducting a survey of students’ learning history, studying Japanese textbooks, reading prior studies on discussion and communication, and collecting and analyzing audiovisual equipment. Now, we have clarified what grounding is needed for the teaching discussion to school students