論文

骨髄腫細胞はCD138を強発現すると考えられてきたが，一部の症例で骨髄腫細胞中のCD138+細胞比率の低下が確認される。本研究は，診断時CD138+細胞比率が50%以上を占めていた患者において，治療経過中にCD138+細胞比率が低下した群（12名）とCD138+細胞比率が維持していた群（105名）に分類し，CD138+細胞比率が低下することの臨床的意義を検討した。この2群間で全生存期間に有意差はなく，低下群において観察期間中に死亡した9名(75%)のCD138+細胞比率の低下確認後の生存期間は中央値25ヶ月と比較的短期間であり，すべてが腫瘍死であった。死亡例の内，7例はCD138+細胞比率が低下した状態で死亡していた。一方，生存例3例の内，2例で治療後CD138+細胞比率の再上昇が見られた。低下群においてCD138+細胞比率の低下後に，一部の症例では髄外病変や予後不良な細胞遺伝学的異常［del(17p), t(4;14), c-MYCの増幅］が検出された。以上より，CD138+細胞比率の低下は骨髄腫細胞の更なる悪性形質の獲得と関係があることが示唆された。CD138+細胞比率の低下が予後や薬剤耐性に寄与する因子であるかは不明だが，治療で比率の改善が見られない場合には予後は短期間となる可能性がある。

Alternatives of treatments for multiple myeloma (MM) have become increasingly available with the advent of new drugs such as proteasome inhibitors, thalidomide derivatives, histone deacetylase inhibitors, and antibody drugs. However, high-risk MM cases that are refractory to novel drugs remain, and further optimization of chemotherapeutics is urgently needed. We had achieved asymmetric total synthesis of komaroviquinone, which is a natural product from the plant Dracocephalum komarovi. Similar to several leading antitumor agents that have been developed from natural compounds, we describe the antitumor activity and cytotoxicity of komaroviquinone and related compounds in bone marrow cells. Our data suggested that komaroviquinone-related agents have potential as starting compounds for anticancer drug development. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

© 2019 Elsevier Inc. Type 1 diabetes is largely caused by β-cell destruction through anti-islet autoimmunity. Reportedly, interferon (IFN)-γ-secreting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) specific to four insulin B-chain amino acid 9–23-related peptides (B:9–23rPep) were increased in type 1 diabetes participants. This study aimed to investigate the PBMC frequencies in subtypes of type 1 diabetes using enzyme-linked immunospot assay. In this cross-sectional study, peripheral blood samples were obtained from 148 participants including 72 with acute-onset type 1 diabetes (AT1D), 51 with slowly progressive insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (SPIDDM), and 25 with type 2 diabetes. The frequency of B:9–23rPep-specific IFN-γ-producing PBMCs was significantly higher in AT1D participants than in SPIDDM and type 2 diabetes participants. Meanwhile, a significant inverse correlation was observed between the PMBC frequencies and insulin secretion capacity in SPIDDM participants. These findings suggest that the increased peripheral B:9–23rPep-specific IFN-γ immunoreactivity reflects decreased functional β-cell mass and greater disease activity of type 1 diabetes.

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. There is strong demand for cell separation methods that do not decrease cell activity or modify cell surfaces. Here, new temperature-modulated cell-separation columns not requiring cell-surface premodification are described. The columns were packed with temperature-responsive cationic polymer hydrogel-modified silica beads. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-n-butyl methacrylate-co-N,N-dimethylaminopropyl acrylamide) hydrogels with various cationic moieties were attached to silica-bead surfaces by radical polymerization using N,Nʹ-methylenebisacrylamide as a crosslinking agent. The beads were packed into solid-phase extraction columns, and temperature-dependent cell elution from the columns was found using HL-60 and Jurkat cells. The retention HL-60 and Jurkat cells in columns containing cationic beads at 37 °C was 95.3% to 99.6% and 95.0% to 98.8%, respectively. By contrast, beads without cationic properties exhibited low cell retention (20.6% for HL-60 and 32.5% for Jurkat cells). The cells were mainly retained through both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The retained HL-60 (4.9%) and Jurkat cells (40%) were eluted at 4 °C from the column with a low composition of cationic monomer (DMAPAAm, 1 mol% in copolymer), because the temperature-responsive hydrogels on the beads became hydrophilic, decreasing the hydrophobic interactions between the cells and the beads. A higher number of Jurkat cells than HL-60 cells were eluted because of differences in their electrostatic properties (Jurkat cells: −2.53 mV; HL-60 cells: −20.7 mV). The results indicated that cell retention by the hydrogel-coated beads packed in a solid phase extraction column could be modulated simply by changing the temperature.

Cell therapy using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is used as effective regenerative treatment. Cell therapy requires effective cell separation without cell modification and cellular activity reduction. In this study, we developed a temperature-modulated mesenchymal stem cell separation column. A temperature-responsive cationic block copolymer, poly(N,N-dimethylaminopropylacrylamide)-b-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(PDMAPAAm-b-PNIPAAm) brush with various cationic copolymer compositions, was grafted onto silica beads via two-step atom transfer radical polymerization. Using the packed beads, the elution behavior of the MSCs was observed. At 37 °C, the MSCs were adsorbed onto the column via both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions with the PNIPAAm and PDMAPAAm segments of the copolymer brush, respectively. By reducing the temperature to 4 °C, the adsorbed MSCs were eluted from the column by reducing the hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions attributed to the hydration and extension of the PNIPAAm segment of the block copolymer brush. From the temperature-modulated adsorption and elution behavior of MSCs, a suitable DMAPAAm composition of the block copolymer brush was determined. Using the column, a mixture of MSC and BM-CD34+ cells was separated by simply changing the column temperature. The column was used to purify the MSCs, with purities of 78.2%, via a temperature change from 37 °C to 4 °C. Additionally, the cellular activity of the MSCs was retained throughout the column separation step. Overall, the obtained results show that the developed column is useful for MSC separation without cell modification and cellular activity reduction. This journal is

K-sam, also designated fibroblast growth factor receptor 2/BEK, was originally cloned from a stomach cancer cell line KATO-III. The gene is amplified and overexpressed preferentially in poorly differentiated types of stomach cancers. The major K-sam transcript in KATO-III cells encodes a receptor protein with a truncated carboxyl terminus and with a high-affinity binding site for keratinocyte growth factor. This truncated type is produced by an alternative splicing mechanism, and in normal tissues, the truncated type is far less prevalent than the untruncated form. The variant K-sam complementary DNA lacks tyrosine 769, which is a putative phospholipase C gamma 1 association site, and showed a higher transforming activity to NIH3T3 cells than the untruncated form, which is identical with the keratinocyte growth factor receptor.