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Volume 34 (2001)
- Issue 6 Pages 391-
- Issue 5 Pages 305-
- Issue 4 Pages 219-
- Issue 3 Pages 147-
- Issue 2 Pages 85-
- Issue 1 Pages 1-
Volume 34, Issue 4
Displaying 1-8 of 8 articles from this issue
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REVIEW
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Shigeko Torihashi, Masatoshi Hori, Hiroshi OzakiArticle type:
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2001 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 219-222
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: October 03, 2001
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe morphology and function of resident macrophages in the muscle layer and in the subserosa of the gastrointestinal tract are described. FITC-dextran injected via the tail vein of a mouse or rat demonstrated a regular arrangement of macrophages on a whole mount preparation of the muscle layer. Electron microscopy revealed inactive phagocytosis under normal conditions. After a 4-8 hr incubation of rat ileal muscle with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to investigate its effect on muscle contraction, macrophages began to express inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and released nitric oxide. This macrophage response was accompanied by the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) immunoreactivity and the production of prostaglandins. The muscarinic agonist-induced contraction was greatly inhibited by LPS treatment, and this inhibition was reversed by either iNOS or COX-2 inhibitors. We concluded that one of the functions of muscular macrophages was the modulation of smooth muscle contraction under pathological conditions. The mechanism of iNOS upregulation indicated by our experiment is discussed.
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REGULAR ARTICLE
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Masanori Murakoshi, Rie Ikeda, Norio Fukui, Takaharu NakayamaArticle type:
Subject area:
2001 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 223-228
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: October 03, 2001
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe effect of a synthetic steroidal antiandrogen, chlormadinone acetate (CMA), on spontaneous benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in dogs was investigated. Male beagle dogs (5-8 years old) were divided into four experimental groups. Group 1 consisted of untreated controls. Groups 2 to 4 received CMA 0.03, 0.1, and 0.3 mg/kg/day, p.o., respectively, for 6 months. In group 1, glandular hyperplasia of the prostate was clearly detected. In groups 2 to 4, CMA produced marked atrophy of the glandular epithelium. The interacinar fibro-muscular stroma was prominent. To evaluate the frequency of apoptosis, we counted the positive cells stained by the nick end labeling method. In group 1, the apoptotic index was 0.76±0.03%. In groups 2 to 4, apoptotic indices were 15.41±1.26%, 2.63±0.98% and 1.45±0.85%, respectively. Apoptotic cell death was mainly observed in the glandular epithelial cells. Based on our data, regression of BPH after treatment with CMA may be apoptotic cell death.
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Hiroya Kitano, Taizo Takeda, Setsuko Takeda, Mikio Suzuki, Tsuyoshi Ki ...Article type:
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2001 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 229-233
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: October 03, 2001
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe anti-diuretic hormone, vasopressin, has been shown to be important in regulating inner ear fluid. We report on the involvement between Meniere's disease and vasopressin. We designed an experiment to determine whether vasopressin directly affects the fluid level. We chronically infused this hormone in rats and examined them for morphological signs of endolymphatic hydrops. Vasopressin infusion significantly increased the scala media area by 5.9±7.1% (P<0.01), and the length of Reissner's membrane by 5.9±3.2% (P<0.001). The results suggest that high plasma levels of vasopressin may be a principal causal factor of endolymphatic hydrops in Meniere's disease, perhaps due to down-regulating the number of vasopressin receptors.
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Hiroko Matsushita, Yoshihiro Takeuchi, Mitsuhiro Kawata, Tadashi Sawad ...Article type:
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2001 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 235-257
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: October 03, 2001
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe distribution of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d) enzyme-containing neurons in the mouse brain was studied and a schematic map of the entire mouse brain was obtained. NADPH-d-positive cell bodies and fibers were detected in almost all brain regions, while the neurons varied in form and staining pattern, and the fibers in density, shape and staining pattern. Significant differences in the localization of NADPH-d-positive neurons were detected and compared to the results of previous studies in rats, in such areas as the lateral globus pallidus, the red nucleus, the locus coeruleus and the principal sensory trigeminal nucleus. Possible causes for the differences between NADPH-d staining in rat and mouse are discussed. Similar to serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) fibers, as NADPH-d-positive neurons were found in almost all areas of the brain suggesting the existence of some interaction between NADPH-d-positive neurons and 5-HT neurons. Therefore, the distributions of NADPH-d-positive neurons and 5-HT neurons were compared. To elucidate the relationship between NADPH-d-positive neurons and 5-HT neurons, we analyzed histochemical changes in NADPH-d-positive neurons after injection of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT), a 5-HT neurotoxin, into the lateral ventricle of the mouse brain. Changes in NADPH-d-positive neurons were found in the medial septal nucleus, the diagonal band of Broca, and the dorsal raphe nucleus after injection. The observations suggest a potential relationship between NADPH-d-positive neurons and 5-HT neurons.
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Motoko Shibanuma, Keiko Ishino, Nobuko Sakamoto, Kiyoshi NoseArticle type:
Subject area:
2001 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 259-264
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: October 03, 2001
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSReactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced in cultured cells upon stimulation with cytokines and tumor promoters, and participate in signal transduction pathways leading to gene expression. The hic-5 gene was isolated as a hydrogen peroxide-inducible clone by differential screening, and was shown to encode a paxillin-related protein localized in the focal adhesion plaques. In mouse osteoblastic and fibroblastic cells treated with low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, Hic-5 protein was found to be reversibly localized to the nucleus within 30 min. Hic-5 was also translocated to the nucleus in cells treated with leptomycin B, an inhibitor of nuclear export of proteins. Hic-5 protein with mutations in the nuclear export signal and the LIM-3 domain accumulated in the nucleus. These results indicated that Hic-5 shuttles between the cytoplasm and the nucleus, and may participate both in surface signals and in gene expression.
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Yoshiaki Ohmori, Toshiko Yoshida, Motonori Okabe, Kenichi Takaya, Fumi ...Article type:
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2001 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 265-273
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: October 03, 2001
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSFollicular dendritic cells (FDC) play a pivotal role in the regulation of humoral immunity, yet the regulatory mechanism of FDC remains largely unknown. Repeated antigen stimulation of 20 injections of HRP reduces the exchange of extant for newly arrived antigen on FDCs. This phenomenon might be related to the feedback regulation of FDC under extensive antigen stimuli. In the present study, for better understanding of the phenomenon, we observed the localization of fluorescence-labeled HRP injected after HRP stimuli of up to 40 injections with HRP under a fluorescent microscope, and examined antigen exchange on FDCs. Further, we also investigated the expression of marker proteins on FDCs in popliteal lymph nodes after repeated injections of HRP into the rat footpad. The decreased accumulation of fluorescent material in the germinal center (GMC) of lymph nodes indicated suppressed antigen exchange on FDCs after 20 and 40 antigen stimulations. S-100 protein reactions remained unchanged throughout the study, suggesting that the FDC population was preserved in GMC. On the other hand, ED5 positivity peaked and the reaction area was largest after 20 antigen injections, but weakened after 40 injections. MRC OX-2 reactions in GMC were decreased in 4 of 6 animals given 40 injections, but were positive in other animals. Decreased antigen exchange on FDC and its altered phenotype may play a role in the regulation of FDC function after repeated antigen stimuli.
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Kyoko Itoh, Akira MatsumotoArticle type:
Subject area:
2001 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 275-283
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: October 03, 2001
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe processing of β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) is considered critical for understanding the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). To elucidate the significance of APP processing enzyme, we studied immunohistochemically the distribution of APP-processing protease (human carboxypeptidase B: HBCPB) in the normal control brains and AD brains, using anti-C14 antibody which recognizes C-terminal 14 amino acids of HBCPB. In the control brains, intense and diffuse C14-immunoreactivity was observed in the cytoplasm of pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus. Moderate immunoreactivity was found in the cortical and subcortical neurons. In AD brains, C14-immunoreactivity was markedly decreased in the brain regions examined except for the brain stem and cerebellum. However, HBCPB was shown to be colocalized with β-amyloid protein (Aβ) in neuritic plaques. In addition, neuritic plaques included C14-immunoreactive microglia/macrophages. Our present studies indicate that the expression of a novel APP-processing protease is impaired in AD brains and may suggest the possible role of HBCPB in the pathogenesis of AD.
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TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENT
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Johbu Itoh, Akira Matsuno, Yukito Yamamoto, Kenji Kawai, Akihiko Seriz ...Article type:
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2001 Volume 34 Issue 4 Pages 285-297
Published: 2001
Released on J-STAGE: October 03, 2001
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) was employed to visualize highly contrasted images of histochemically stained subcellular organelles. In early studies, only fluorescent signals were detectable by CLSM, however, recent innovations have enabled the visualization of non-fluorescent probes such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-diaminobenzidine (DAB). The non-fluorescent signals are permanently preserved and allow repeated or retrospective examinations. We applied CLSM to specimens prepared for light microscopy, and visualized subcellular organelles and pituitary hormone mRNA. The images were comparable to those obtained by electron microscopy (EM). We also applied this technique to the observation of tumor angiogenesis and the microvessel environment of hormone-secreting cells. Both the visualization of subcellular organelles, mRNA and protein products, and 3D images of the microvessel environment of hormone-secreting cells are discussed in this review.
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