Cattle Mammary Bioreactor Generated by a Novel Procedure of Transgenic Cloning for Large-Scale Production of Functional Human Lactoferrin

Large-scale production of biopharmaceuticals by current bioreactor techniques is limited by low transgenic efficiency and low expression of foreign proteins. In general, a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) harboring most regulatory elements is capable of overcoming the limitations, but transferring BAC into donor cells is difficult. We describe here the use of cattle mammary bioreactor to produce functional recombinant human lactoferrin (rhLF) by a novel procedure of transgenic cloning, which employs microinjection to generate transgenic somatic cells as donor cells. Bovine fibroblast cells were co-microinjected for the first time with a 150-kb BAC carrying the human lactoferrin gene and a marker gene. The resulting transfection efficiency of up to 15.79×10−2 percent was notably higher than that of electroporation and lipofection. Following somatic cell nuclear transfer, we obtained two transgenic cows that secreted rhLF at high levels, 2.5 g/l and 3.4 g/l, respectively. The rhLF had a similar pattern of glycosylation and proteolytic susceptibility as the natural human counterpart. Biochemical analysis revealed that the iron-binding and releasing properties of rhLF were identical to that of native hLF. Importantly, an antibacterial experiment further demonstrated that rhLF was functional. Our results indicate that co-microinjection with a BAC and a marker gene into donor cells for somatic cell cloning indeed improves transgenic efficiency. Moreover, the cattle mammary bioreactors generated with this novel procedure produce functional rhLF on an industrial scale

Text Message Copy in Print Ads: A Shrewd Communicative Strategy?

Although text messaging as a communication tool in society is rampant, research on its effects within print advertisements is lacking. To help fill this void, we employ three between-subject experiments (i.e., Study 1: text message vs. no text message; Studies 2 and 3: text message vs. traditional language). We posit that using text message copy in print ads is a unique (as grounded in distinctiveness theory) and fitting (as grounded in communication trust theory) approach to commune with targeted viewers and, therefore, should lead to favorable advertising outcomes. The experimental results confirm this notion. For example, responses concerning ad novelty, attention toward the ad, attitude toward the ad, purchase intention, and perceived brand trust are more favorable toward the text message condition ads. Implications and directions for future text message-related research are discussed

Radiation treatment effects on the proteome of the tumour microenvironment.

Exposure of tumourous tissue to ionizing radiation initiates a wound-healing response involving remodelling of the extracellular microenvironment. The initial reaction involves direct damage to the matrix proteins and the secretion and activation of proteolytic enzymes that lead to local destruction of the extracellular matrix. Subsequently the wounded area may undergo complete repair, may enter a prolonged period of heightened proteolysis, or may overproduce matrix proteins leading to fibrosis. The source of matrix degrading enzymatic activity may be the tumour cells and the tumour stroma. Additional complexity is provided by proteolytic activity released from tissue macrophages, mast cells and by invading inflammatory cells. The local production of growth factors, including VEGF and TGF-β play a key role in coordinating the response. It is anticipated that the application of modern proteomic technologies will reveal hitherto unrecognised levels of complexity in these processes. Hopefully this will lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies to prevent long-term health implications of radiation exposure