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Biomedical subjects

Teruyuki Nakanishi

Publications and source records attributed to Teruyuki Nakanishi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Expression analysis of two Eomesodermin homologues in zebrafish lymphoid tissues and cells.

Eomesodermin (Eomes) is a T-box transcription factor that is involved in mesoderm formation in most vertebrates. Eomes is also expressed in CD8+ T cells and NK cells. No information is available on the role of Eomes in the immune system of lower vertebrates to date, although developmental studies on Eomes (Eomes1) have been performed in zebrafish. Here we report the identification of a second Eomes (Eomes2) in zebrafish and compare expression of the two Eomes genes in the immune system. Zebrafish Eomes1 and Eomes2, composed of 661 and 534 amino acids, respectively, share 49.3% amino acid identity in their coding regions and 88.7% amino acid identity in their T-box regions. Conserved synteny between regions of the human and zebrafish genomes, gene organization and phylogenetic analysis all indicate that the zebrafish Eomes2 gene is a homologue of mammalian Eomes, as previously found for zebrafish Eomes1. Eomes1 mRNA was found to be expressed in the gonad, body kidney, spleen and gill, while Eomes2 mRNA was not detected in any of these tissues. However, strong expression of both Eomes mRNAs was detected in the leukocytes from the spleen, followed by those from body kidney and peripheral blood, with expression of Eomes1 always stronger than that of Eomes2. RT-PCR analysis of body kidney cells sorted by FACS revealed that Eomes1 was expressed strongly in lymphocytes, weakly in blast cells, and was not expressed in granulocytes, while Eomes2 was expressed weakly in lymphocytes. These results suggest that both Eomes genes are involved in the zebrafish immune response, particularly in lymphocyte function as has been found in mammals.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Isolation of side population cells from ginbuna carp (Carassius auratus langsdorfii) kidney hematopoietic tissues.

Side population (SP) cells, characterized by a specific Hoechst dye efflux pattern by flow cytometry were isolated from kidney hematopoietic tissues of ginbuna carp (Carassius auratus langsdorfii). The hematopoietic activity of SP cells was evaluated by the repopulation and multilineage potential using an in vivo transplant system of ginbuna carp (donor) and ginbuna-goldfish hybrids (recipient). In a flow cytometric (FCM) analysis, a small and distinct population of ginbuna SP cells displayed efficient effluxes of Hoechst 33342 was virtually identical to the efflux observed in mammalian SP cells. The frequency of the ginbuna SP cells was 0.17+/-0.08% in the kidney hematopoietic cells. Morphologically, SP cells were composed of small lymphocyte-like cells having a thin-layered cytoplasm and a round nucleus. These characteristics of ginbuna SP cells were very similar to those of mammalian SP cells. Since cyprinid fish have two hematopoietic sites, the head (anterior) and body (posterior, trunk) kidney, the distribution of SP cells were examined in head and body kidney. The proportion of SP cells were 0.33+/-0.15% in the body kidney, but near 0% in the head kidney. After the ginbuna SP cells were injected into ginbuna-goldfish hybrids, the major types of donor-derived cells (erythrocytes, neutrophils, basophils, monocytes, thrombocytes, T and B lymphocytes) were detected in the recipient blood over a long period (9-16 months post-transplantation). In ginbuna carp, SP cells reside in the body kidney and contain primitive populations of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs).

Acridine Orange↗

Expression profiles of TCRbeta and CD8alpha mRNA correlate with virus-specific cell-mediated cytotoxic activity in ginbuna crucian carp.

Our previous studies have demonstrated that virus-specific cell-mediated cytotoxicity of sensitized leukocytes can be induced using clonal ginbuna crucian carp and their syngeneic cell lines. In the present study, we attempt to determine if virus-specific cytotoxic cell populations of fish express CD8alpha and TCRbeta genes. Leukocytes from ginbuna crucian carp were separated into four fractions by immunomagnetic separation and density gradient centrifugation: Fraction A, leukocytes with a density of 1.08 g/ml (primarily lymphocytes); Fraction B, sIg-negative leukocytes with density of 1.08 g/ml; Fraction C, sIg-positive cells (primarily B-lymphocytes); Fraction D, leukocytes with a density of 1.08-1.09 g/ml (primarily neutrophils). Leukocytes in all fractions from uninfected fish do not exhibit cytotoxic activity against virus-infected syngeneic cells and weakly express CD8alpha and TCRbeta mRNAs. In contrast, leukocytes in fractions A and B from virus-infected fish exhibit a high level of cytotoxic activity and strongly express CD8alpha and TCRbeta mRNAs. In addition, mRNA expressions of CD8alpha and TCRbeta in effector cells are upregulated by cocultivation with virus-infected target cells but not uninfected ones. The present study suggests that fish possess virus-specific cytotoxic cells with phenotype and gene expression pattern similar to those of CTLs in mammals.

Animals↗

Demonstration of hematopoietic stem cells in ginbuna carp (Carassius auratus langsdorfii) kidney.

A model system of ginbuna carp (clonal triploid fish, Carassius auratus langsdorfii) and ginbuna-goldfish hybrids (tetraploid fish, having three sets of chromosomes from a triploid clone and a haploid set of chromosomes from goldfish) was employed to demonstrate the presence of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in kidney hematopoietic tissues. Kidney hematopoietic cells were obtained from ginbuna carp (S3n, donor) and injected into a ginbuna-gold fish hybrid (S4n, recipient) via the caudal sinus. The percentage of S3n cells in the S4n blood was measured by flow cytometry by the difference of DNA content from 3 to 18 months after the injection. Donor-derived major types of blood cells including erythrocytes, thrombocytes, neutrophils, basophils, monocytes, T and B lymphocytes were detected in the recipient blood over a long period (9-18 month posttransplantation). Moreover, recipient lympho-hematopoietic organs such as head kidney, body kidney, spleen, and thymus were reconstituted by donor cells. These results indicate that long-term multipotent repopulating HSCs reside in the donor kidney.

Acridine Orange↗

Cytotoxic activities of fish leucocytes.

Like mammalian leucocytes, white blood cells of fish are able to kill altered (e.g. virus-infected) and foreign (allogeneic or xenogeneic) cells. The existence of natural killer (NK)-like and specific cytotoxic cells in fish was first shown using allogeneic and xenogeneic effector/target cell systems. In addition to in vivo and ex vivo studies, very important contributions were made by in vitro analysis using a number of different long-term cytotoxic cell lines established from channel catfish. In mammals, specific cell-mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) as part of the adaptive immune response requires a number of key molecules expressed on effector leucocytes and target cells. CD8+ T lymphocytes kill infected cells only, if their antigen receptor (TCR) matches the MHC class I with bound peptide of the target cell. Expression patterns of the fish gene homologues for TCR, CD8 and MHC class I, as well as related genes, are in agreement with similar function. Convenient systems for the analysis of specific CMC have only recently become available for fish with the combination of clonal fish with syngeneic or allogeneic but MHC class I matching cell lines. It was demonstrated that both, NK- and cytotoxic T (Tc) cells are involved in the killing of virus infected MHC class I matching and mismatching target cells. Analysis of these lymphocyte subsets is only starting for fish. There is also evidence that the different viral proteins trigger different subsets of killer cells. This review further discusses findings on fish CMC with regard to temperature/seasons and ontogeny.

Animals↗

Characteristics of NADPH oxidase genes (Nox2, p22, p47, and p67) and Nox4 gene expressed in blood cells of juvenile Ciona intestinalis.

To illuminate the origins of NADPH oxidase (Nox), we identified cDNA clones encoding Nox2, Nox4, p22 phagocyte oxidase (phox), p47phox, and p67phox in a chordate phylogenetically distant to the vertebrates, the sea squirt Ciona intestinalis. We also examined the spatiotemporal expression of these genes in embryos and juveniles. The sequences of the Nox2, Nox4, p22phox, p47phox, and p67phox cDNAs contained open reading frames encoding 581, 811, 175, 461, and 515 amino acids, respectively. The level of identities between the deduced Nox2, Nox4, p22phox, p47phox, and p67phox amino acid sequences and their corresponding human components were 54.0, 31.0, 44.4, 36.0, and 26.2%, respectively. Despite these low identities, the functional domains of the C. intestinalis and human NADPH oxidase and Nox4 are highly conserved. The genomic organizations of the components of the NADPH oxidase gene except for p67phox (a single exon gene) and the Nox4 gene in C. intestinalis are highly similar to those of the corresponding human NADPH oxidase genes. Further, the analyzed part of the C. intestinalis genome and EST database do not seem to present p40phox and Nox5. The Nox2, p22phox, p47phox, and p67phox genes were specifically expressed in the blood cells of juveniles. The Nox4 gene was expressed in blood cells and endostyle of juveniles. These results suggest that C. intestinalis NADPH oxidase components possess potential functional activities similar to those of human, but the manner in which cytosolic phox proteins in C. intestinalis interact is different from that in human.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Comparison of respiratory burst activity of inflammatory neutrophils in ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) and carp (Cyprinus carpio).

Neutrophils of ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) were previously shown to have unusually high respiratory burst activity (RBA). To understand this unique character of ayu neutrophils, the RBAs of resting and inflammatory neutrophils of ayu and carp (Cyprinus carpio) were compared. Inflammation was induced in the peritoneal cavity by injecting killed-bacteria. The RBA of peritoneal-exudate (inflammatory) neutrophils was measured after stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Resting neutrophils were obtained from kidney and blood of non-injected fish. In carp, the RBA of inflammatory neutrophils was much higher than that of resting neutrophils. On the other hand, in ayu no significant difference was observed. The RBA of neutrophils was already high in the kidney stock. The process of inflammation did not further enhance RBA. In addition to PMA, other stimulants (zymosan, opsonized-zymosan, and zymosan-treated serum) were used to measure RBA. Even with these stimulants, the RBA of inflammatory neutrophils was always higher than that of kidney neutrophils in carp. On the other hand in ayu, the RBA of kidney neutrophils was already high in the kidney stock, and no significant difference was observed between peritoneal and kidney neutrophils in ayu. These results indicate ayu neutrophils have spontaneously activated characteristics with the respect to the ROS generation in the kidney hematopoietic-stock.

Animals↗

Molecular cloning and characterization of two types of CD8alpha from ginbuna crucian carp, Carassius auratus langsdorfii.

We cloned and sequenced full-length cDNAs for two types of CD8alpha from the S3n strain of ginbuna crucian carp (Carassius auratus langsdorfii) and quantified the expression of CD8alpha genes after sensitization by scale grafting, employing a model system of clonal triploid ginbuna and tetraploid ginbuna-goldfish hybrids. RT-PCR yielded four different fragments of CD8alpha homologue from the S3n strain of ginbuna and these sequences were classified into two groups. The two types of ginbuna CD8alpha (gbCD8alpha) were also found in other strains of triploid ginbuna and goldfish, which are a subspecies of ginbuna. The gbCD8alpha chains consisted of a signal peptide, Ig superfamily (IgSf) V-like domain, hinge, transmembrane domain, and cytoplasmic domain similar to other known CD8alpha. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that both types of gbCD8alpha are closely related to CD8alpha from other vertebrates. Expression of both types of gbCD8alpha mRNA was detected in the gill, thymus, head kidney, posterior kidney, spleen, intestine and peripheral blood leucocytes. In addition, quantitative real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that copy numbers of both gbCD8alpha gene products in kidney cells increased significantly following grafting with allogeneic but not isogeneic scales, and that regulation of expression correlated with that of TCRbeta. Expression of both gbCD8alpha genes after second scale allografting was elevated compared to that after the first set of grafting. These results suggest that expression analysis of these two gbCD8alpha sequences provides a useful tool to address the involvement of cytotoxic T-lymphocytes during the cell-meditated immune response in fish.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

p,p'-DDE depresses the immune competence of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) leukocytes.

p,p'-DDE, the main metabolite of DDT, is still detected in aquatic environments throughout the world. Here, the effects and mechanisms by which p,p'-DDE exposure might affect the immune system of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) was studied. Isolated salmon splenic and pronephric leukocytes were incubated with different concentrations of p,p'-DDE, and cell viability, induction of apoptosis, and mitogenic responses were measured by flow cytometry and Alamar Blue assay. p,p'-DDE significantly reduced cell viability and proliferation and increased apoptosis. The effect of p,p'-DDE on pronephric leukocytes was more severe than on splenic leukocytes, likely because pronephric leukocytes had a higher proportion of granulocytes, cells that appear more sensitive to p,p'-DDE. The effect of p,p'-DDE on leukocytes appeared to vary between developmental stages or seasonal differences. The mitogenic response of leukocytes of chinook salmon exposed to p,p'-DDE in vivo exhibited a biphasic dose-response relationship. Only leukocytes isolated from salmon treated with 59 ppm p,p'-DDE had a significantly lower percentage of Ig+ blasting cells than controls, although the response was biphasic. These results support the theory that exposure to chemical contaminants could lead to an increase in disease susceptibility and mortality of fish due to immune suppression.

Analysis of Variance↗

Molecular cloning and expression analysis of a macrophage-colony stimulating factor receptor-like gene from rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.

The M-CSF and its receptor (M-CSFR, CSF-1R or c-fms proto-oncogene) system were initially implicated as essential in mammals for normal monocyte development as well as for pregnancy. To allow a comparison with the M-CSF and M-CSFR system of an oviparous animal, we cloned a M-CSFR-like gene from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The gene was cloned from a cDNA library of head kidney. It contained an open reading frame encoding 967 amino acids with a predicted size of 109 kDa. The putative amino acid sequence of rainbow trout M-CSFR showed 54% amino acid identity to fugu (Takifugu rubripes) M-CSFR, 52% to zebrafish (Danio rerio) M-CSFR and 40% to mouse (Mus musculus) and human (Homo sapiens) M-CSFR. The M-CSFR-like gene was constitutively expressed in head kidney, kidney, intestine, spleen and blood. The gene was detected especially in the ovary of immature female rainbow trout. These results suggest that a M-CSFR-like receptor may be involved in female reproductive tracts even in an oviparous animal like fish.

Animals↗

Counting absolute number of lymphocytes in quail whole blood by flow cytometry.

In a previous study, we reported a new method for counting quail blood cells. After quail blood cells were stained with fluorescent lipophilic dye (DiOC6(3)), absolute counts of erythrocytes, granulocytes, and monocytes were obtained by means of flow cytometry (FC). The FC method has the potential for application to avian blood cells count; however, the method was unable to distinguish between lymphocytes and thrombocytes. In the present study, we improved the FC method to obtain separate counts of lymphocytes using DiOC5(3). After quail blood cells were stained with DiOC5(3), the cells were measured with FC. Each blood cell type was distinguished by means of their typical FL-1 (green fluorescence) and SSC (side scatter). Absolute numbers of erythrocytes, granulocytes, monocytes and lymphocytes in whole blood were obtained. The improved FC analysis worked equally well with chicken (Gallus gallus) and goose (Anser cygnoides) blood.

Animals↗

Molecular cloning and preliminary expression analysis of banded dogfish (Triakis scyllia) CC chemokine cDNAs by use of suppression subtractive hybridization.

Suppression subtractive hybridization was carried out by using cDNAs of peripheral white blood cells (PWBCs) of banded dogfish (Triakis scyllia) after phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) stimulation. The Trsc-SCYA107, MIP3alpha1 and MIP3alpha2 clones contained an open reading frame encoding 97, 99 and 97 amino acids, respectively. Comparison of the deduced amino acids showed that the banded dogfish MIP3alpha1 and MIP3alpha2 sequences shared 42.3% and 40.0% identity with human SCYA20, respectively, while the Trsc-SCYA107 sequence shared 50.6, 44.2 and 42.0% identity with the catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) Scca-SCYA107, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) CK4A and CK4B, respectively. The genomic sequences of banded dogfish Trsc-SCYA107, MIP3alpha1 and MIP3alpha2 contain four exons and three introns, and MIP3alpha1 and MIP3alpha2 shared the same intron/exon organization with that of human. The MIP3alpha1 and MIP3alpha2 genes of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-unstimulated banded dogfish were expressed in gill, kidney and liver, while Trsc-SCYA107 mRNA was detected in various tissues except for brain. However, the constitutive expression of MIP3alpha2 gene was much lower than the Trsc-SCYA107 and MIP3alpha1 genes. RT-PCR analysis of the Trsc-SCYA107 expression in tissues of LPS-stimulated fish showed enhanced expression at 24 h poststimulation in the gill, heart, leydig, spleen and testes, while the expression of MIP3alpha1 and MIP3alpha2 was not influenced by LPS-stimulation in vivo. Furthermore, a relative increase in the expression of the Trsc-SCYA107 and MIP3alpha2 genes in PWBCs was observed at 1-12 h poststimulation with PMA and LPS, with maximal expression observed at 3 h, while MIP3alpha1 expression was observed at 3-12 h poststimulation only with PMA.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cell culture of clonal ginbuna crucian carp hematopoietic cells: differentiation of cultured cells into erythrocytes in vivo.

We cultivated kidney hematopoietic cells from clonal triploid ginbuna crucian carp, Carassius auratus langsdorfii. Proliferating cells from hematopoietic cell cultures were harvested and injected into tetraploid hybrids (clonal triploid ginbuna and goldfish hybrid) which possess three sets of chromosomes from a triploid clone and a haploid set of chromosomes from goldfish (Carassius auratus). After injection of cultured triploid cells (donor cells), blood samples were obtained from tetraploid hybrids (recipients) every other week. Blood cells stained with acridine orange were measured by flow cytometry to trace the injected donor cells by means of differences in DNA content. Although erythrocytes were not produced in donor cell cultures, such cultures maintained precursor cells capable of differentiation into erythrocytes in vivo. After 4-12 weeks of transplantation, mature erythrocytes derived from the donors were observed in the blood circulation of the recipient fish. These results indicated that the ginbuna hematopoietic cell culture system is an in vivo situation suitable for the study of hematopoietic control mechanisms.

Animals↗

Molecular cloning and sequencing of Japanese pufferfish (Takifugu rubripes) NADPH oxidase cDNAs.

The superoxide-producing NADPH oxidase complex of phagocytes plays a crucial role in host defenses against microbial infection. NADPH oxidase consists of a membrane heterodimeric protein, composed of gp91phox and p22phox, and cytosolic proteins, p40phox, p47phox and p67phox. In the present study, cDNAs of all the components of NADPH oxidase were cloned from peripheral white blood cells of the Japanese pufferfish utilizing the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The sequences of these cDNAs showed that the pufferfish gp91phox, p22phox, p40phox, p47phox and p67phox clones contained open reading frames encoding 565, 186, 348, 423 and 495 amino acids, respectively. Comparison of the deduced amino acid sequences showed that the pufferfish gp91phox, p22phox, p40phox, p47phox and p67phox sequences shared 68.0, 61.8, 53.8, 54.7 and 41.9% identity with those of human components, respectively. gp91phox has three potential N-linked glycosylation sites. gp91phox and p22phox have six and three hydrophobic regions, respectively, that are predicted to be transmembrane regions. p47phox and p67phox have two potential Src homology 3 domains and p40phox has one. The functional domains are highly conserved in many animals, though the sequence of the components of the pufferfish showed low homology with that of mammals. The Fugu NADPH oxidase genes were expressed in various tissues of unstimulated fish. The level of gp91phox, p47phox and p67phox expression were high only in the blood and kidney, while p22phox and p40phox were constitutively expressed in a wide range of tissues. These results suggest that Japanese pufferfish NADPH oxidase components possess functional activities similar to those of human.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification and characterization of Fugu orthologues of mammalian interleukin-12 subunits.

We have isolated and characterized cDNAs and genes for pufferfish, Fugu rubripes, (Fugu) orthologues of mammalian interleukin (IL)-12 subunits (IL-12 p35 and IL-12 p40). The deduced amino acid sequences of the Fugu IL-12 subunits showed homology with mammalian IL-12 subunits (p35: 50.4-58.0% similarity; p40: 51.2-55.4% similarity). Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that Fugu IL-12 p35 and p40 genes cluster with their mammalian counterpart lineages. The genomic organization of each of the Fugu IL-12 subunit genes is similar to that of the corresponding mouse IL-12 subunit genes, although the Fugu genes are very compact due to small intron size. Comparative genomic analysis showed conserved syntenies within the IL-12 p35 and p40 regions between Fugu and human, indicating that the Fugu IL-12 p35 and p40 genes are orthologues for mammalian IL-12 p35 and p40 encoding genes, respectively. Expression of IL-12 p35 mRNA was observed in lymphoid tissues and several non-lymphoid tissues, while expression of IL-12 p40 mRNA was constitutive and nearly ubiquitous. In the spleen and head kidney, expression of IL-12 p35 was induced by polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid [poly(I:C)] and not by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), while expression of IL-12 p40 was constitutive and unresponsive to both poly(I:C) and LPS. These results indicate that IL-12 levels are regulated by production of IL-12 p35 mRNA and suggest that IL-12 in fish may be involved in antiviral defense. This is the first report of the identification and characterization of IL-12 subunit cDNAs and genes in a non-mammalian vertebrate.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The rainbow trout classical MHC class I molecule Onmy-UBA*501 is expressed in similar cell types as mammalian classical MHC class I molecules.

Onmy-UBA is a polymorphic classical major histocompatibility (MHC) class I locus in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). A common allomorph is Onmy-UBA*501, which has been detected in several wildtype strains, in the clonal homozygous rainbow trout C25 and, in the current study, in the rainbow trout gonad cell line RTG-2. The extracellular domain of this allomorph was expressed in E. coli and a murine monoclonal antibody designated H9 was generated against the recombinant protein. In Western blot analysis Mab H9 specifically recognised an n-glycosylated protein of 45 kDa in leucocytes and erythrocytes of C25 fish and in RTG-2 cells. The level of Onmy-UBA*501 expression in erythrocytes was very low. Immunocytochemistry of isolated cells indicated expression in lymphocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, erythrocytes, RTG-2 cells and Onmy-UBA *501 transfected CHO cells, but not in untransfected CHO cells. Immunohistochemistry using frozen sections of C25 fish indicated that Onmy-UBA*501 expression is strong in the lymphoid organs (thymus, head kidney and spleen) and in the epithelia and endothelia of several organs. No significant expression was observed in muscle fibres, hepatocytes or neurons. These observations demonstrate that in jawed fish, the lowest phylogenetic group possessing an MHC system, the classical MHC class I molecules are expressed in similar cell types as in higher vertebrates.

Amino Acid Sequence↗