Alkylator-Induced DNA Excision Repair in Human Leukemia CCRF-CEM Cells In Vitro, Measured Using the Single-Cell Gel Electrophoresis (Comet) Assay

The capacity to repair DNA damage is an important factor that affects the therapeutic outcome in cancer treatment. To clarify the cellular repair response, we investigated the kinetics of DNA excision repair initiated by 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU) in human leukemia CCRF-CEM cells at an exponential growth phase in vitro. Using the alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis (comet) assay, we quantitated the repair kinetics as the amount of DNA single-strand breaks that were generated from the incision and were diminished by the rejoining in the repair process. CEM cells could initiate DNA excision repair in response to BCNU by starting an incision reaction. However, the incision capacity came to a plateau at a concentration of 80 to 1003M or after an incubation time of 90 to 120 minutes. When the cells were pulsed with 403M BCNU, the maximal incision occurred at the end of the incubation period, and the repair process was completed within 4 hours.When cells were treated with 1003M BCNU, the incised DNA was not rejoined at 4 hours, suggesting that the repair was not completed. Higher concentrations might surpass the cellular capacity for repair and would be associated with increased cell death. Evaluation of the repair process may provide a clue for therapeutic strategies to improve clinical efficacy if accelerated DNA repair is responsible for the drug resistance

Tissue Gene Expression of Renin-Angiotensin System in Human Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy

OBJECTIVE—Recent studies have proved that blockade of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) retards the progression of diabetic nephropathy, whereas hyporeninemia is known as a typical state in diabetic subjects. The purpose of this study is to determine whether expression levels of RAS differ between nondiabetic and diabetic renal tissues with accurate quantitative method. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Subjects were 66 nondiabetic and 8 diabetic patients with biopsy-proven renal diseases. The eight diabetic subjects suffered from type 2 diabetes with overt proteinuria. Renal histology revealed typical diffuse or nodular lesions with linear IgG deposit on immunofluorescent staining and thickened basement membrane on electronic microscopy. Total RNA from a small part of the renal cortical biopsy specimens was reverse-transcribed, and the resultant cDNA was amplified for new major components of RAS (i.e., renin, renin receptor, angiotensinogen, ACE, ACE2, angiotensin II type 1 receptor, and angiotensin II type 2 receptor) and measured. RESULTS—Among these components, a significant upregulation was observed in the ACE gene in diabetic renal tissue. CONCLUSIONS—The results suggest that renal tissue RAS might be activated in the respect that ACE gene expression is upregulated in spite of a tendency to low renin expression in type 2 diabetic nephropathy

A case report of crystalline light chain inclusion-associated kidney disease affecting podocytes but without Fanconi syndrome

RATIONALE:Crystalline light chain inclusion-associated kidney disease affects mainly tubular epithelial cells and is often clinically manifested as Fanconi syndrome. However, only very few case reports about the crystalline deposits within the podocytes are available, and the nature of the pathogenic monoclonal light chain implicated in these cases is still unknown. We report a case of crystalline inclusion-associated kidney disease manifested as crystalline podocytopathy in which we identified the complete structure of the pathogenic monoclonal light chain as belonging to the germ-line gene of Vκ1-39.PATIENT CONCERNS:We describe a 65-year-old woman with crystalline light chain inclusion-associated kidney disease showing mild proteinuria and renal insufficiency with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance without Fanconi syndrome. She had crystalline inclusions mainly within podocytes, tubular epithelial cells and histiocytes in the kidney. Light microscopy showed vacuolation of podocytes and tubular epithelial cells, while eosin negative pale needle-like crystals were present within these cells. Electron microscopy showed accumulation of club-like crystals with high electron density in podocytes, proximal tubular epithelial cells and interstitial histiocytes. Clonal analysis revealed that a pathogenic monoclonal light chain was derived from germline gene, Vκ1-39.DIAGNOSES:The diagnosis of crystalline light chain inclusion-associated kidney disease was made.INTERVENTIONS AND OUTCOMES:Bortezomib and dexamethasone were started and her renal function improved to eGFR 36 mL/min/1.73 m after 9 courses of therapy.LESSONS:Patients with light chain crystalline podocytopathy may have a similar pathogenic monoclonal light chain derived from the same germline gene, Vκ1-39, to that of patients with light chain proximal tubulopathy

Insights into Land Plant Evolution Garnered from the Marchantia polymorpha Genome.

The evolution of land flora transformed the terrestrial environment. Land plants evolved from an ancestral charophycean alga from which they inherited developmental, biochemical, and cell biological attributes. Additional biochemical and physiological adaptations to land, and a life cycle with an alternation between multicellular haploid and diploid generations that facilitated efficient dispersal of desiccation tolerant spores, evolved in the ancestral land plant. We analyzed the genome of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, a member of a basal land plant lineage. Relative to charophycean algae, land plant genomes are characterized by genes encoding novel biochemical pathways, new phytohormone signaling pathways (notably auxin), expanded repertoires of signaling pathways, and increased diversity in some transcription factor families. Compared with other sequenced land plants, M. polymorpha exhibits low genetic redundancy in most regulatory pathways, with this portion of its genome resembling that predicted for the ancestral land plant. PAPERCLIP