Three-dimensional image of hepatocellular carcinoma under confocal laser scanning microscope

AIM To investigate the application of confocallaser scanning microscopy(CLSM)in tumorpathology and three-dimensional( 3-D )reconstruction by CLSM in pathologic specimensof hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).METHODS The 30μm thick sections were cutfrom the paraffin-embedded tissues of HCC,hyperplasia and normal liver,stained with DNAfluorescent probe YOYO-1 iodide and examinedby CLSM to collect optical sections of nuclei and3-D images reconstructed.RESULTS HCC displayed chaotic arrangementof carcinoma cell nuclei,marked pleomorphism,indented and irregular nuclear surface,andirregular and coarse chromatin texture.CONCLUSION The serial optical tomograms ofCLSM can be used to create 3-D reconstruction ofcancer cell nuclei.Such 3-D impressions mightbe helpful or even essential in making anaccurate diagnosis.

Metabolic enzymes link morphine withdrawal with metabolic disorder

Energy metabolism is a fundamental biological process that is vital for the survival of all species. Disorders in the metabolic system result in deficiency or redundancy of certain nutrients, including carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, etc. Abnormality of the energy metabolism system leads to a number of metabolic diseases, such as the metabolic syndrome. Broadly speaking, the term ＂metabolic diseases＂ now tends to be widened to the category that refers to all diseases with metabolism disorder. It is shown that many diseases associate with metabolic disorders. For example, most malignant tumors progress with mal-nutrition and high consumption, that is, cachexia. Many components of the energy metabolism system, such as lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）, are now widely applied in clinical examinalions as special markers for tumors and some other diseases. Opioid dependence and addiction are neurobiological diseases associated with malregulation of the metabolic system. However, how chronic drug administration induces metabolic abnormality is not understood. In a recent issue of Cell Research, research group of Jing-Gen Liu reports an interesting discovery that three metabolic enzymes are changed in mice after chronic morphine treatment, suggesting new roles of metabolic enzymes as a potential link that associates metabolic disorder with opioid dependence.

Rab1-Dependent G<i>β</i>1<i>γ</i>2 Trafficking during Muscle Mobilization

Fyn kinase-dependent cellular events were related with skeletal muscle denervation. In the present study, we used a combination of techniques to measure ER stability and the related Gβ1γ2 trafficking following muscle mobilization, and demonstrated a temporally and Fyn-dependent up-regulation of Ca2+ level in the mobilized muscle. In parallel, Fyn activity in ER was gradually decreased, which was accompanied by enhanced PTP1B activity and expressions of ER proteins (calnexin, Grp94, cyclophilin, and Hsp70). Moreover, during muscle mobilization, there was more membrane protein breakdown than protein synthesis, which probably featured robust Gβ1γ2 internalization, and Rab1-dependent transport into ER compartment;the signaling was related to disruption of PI3K-Akt signaling and decrement of muscular functions. Then, Gβ1γ2 trafficking is a key component necessary for the early recovery processes regarding muscle atrophy, which would be the therapeutic consideration for muscle repair and regeneration.

Current status of cell-mediated regenerative therapies for human spinal cord injury

During the past decade, significant advances have been made in refinements for regenerative therapies following human spinal cord injury （SCI）. Positive results have been achieved with different types of cells in various clinical studies of SCI. In this review, we summarize recently-completed clinical trials using cell- mediated regenerative therapies for human SCI, together with ongoing trials using neural stem cells. Specifically, clinical studies published in Chinese journals are included. These studies show that current transplantation therapies are relatively safe, and have provided varying degrees of neurological recovery. However, many obstacles exist, hindering the introduction of a specific clinical therapy, including complications and their causes, selection of the target population, and optimization of transplantation material. Despite these and other challenges, with the collaboration of research groups and strong support from various organizations, cell-mediated regenerative therapies will open new perspectives for SCI treatment.

Reprogramming of adult human neural stem cells into induced pluripotent stem cells

Background Since an effective method for generating induced pluripotent stem cells （iPSCs） from human neural stem cells （hNSCs） can offer us a promising tool for studying brain diseases, here we reported direct reprogramming of adult hNSCs into iPSCs by retroviral transduction of four defined factors. Methods NSCs were successfully isolated and cultured from the hippocampus tissue of epilepsy patients. When combined with four factors （OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC）, iPSCs colonies were successfully obtained. Results Morphological characterization and specific genetic expression confirmed that these hNSCs-derived iPSCs showed embryonic stem cells-like properties, which include the ability to differentiate into all three germ layers both in vitro and in vivo. Conclusion Our method would be useful for generating human iPSCs from NSCs and provide an important tool for studying neurological diseases.

MEMOIR: A Novel System for Neural Lineage Tracing

Memory by Engineered Mutagenesis with Optical In situ Readout（MEMOIR）is a novel strategy for lineage tracing that combines Cas9/g RNA and sequential multiplexed single-molecule RNA fluorescence hybridization（seqFISH）[1],which was created by Cai Long et al.at the California Institute of Technology[2].In MEMOIR,dynamic cellular event histories are recorded,then read out in single cells using seq FISH.Here,we introduce the