Oligodendrocytes in the ganglion cell layer, the myelinating cells in the chicken retina, were investigated morphologically and quantitatively. Oligodendroblasts divided in the inner retinal layer around the 14th day of incubation and differentiated into oligodendrocytes. The oligodendrocytes started sheathing an axon in the nerve fiber layer at the 14th day of incubation. The number of myelin lamellae increased rapidly during the first week after chicks had hatched. An immunological reaction of anti-myelin basic protein was observed on the myelin sheaths in the nerve fiber layer and on the oligodendrocytes in the ganglion cell layer. These results suggest that the oligodendrocytes form the myelinated nerve fiber layer of the chicken and that they act independently of the Müller cells during myelination.

No abstract

Peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) alpha and gamma are ligand-dependent transcription factors that are key regulators of lipid and carbohydrate homoeostasis. Fatty acids bind to the ligand-binding domains (LBDs) of PPARalpha and PPARgamma and activate these receptors. To clarify whether fatty-acyl-CoAs interact directly with the LBDs of PPARalpha and PPARgamma, we performed a competition binding assay with radiolabelled KRP-297, a known dual agonist for these receptors. We show here that fatty-acyl-CoAs bind directly to PPARalpha and PPARgamma. Interestingly, fatty-acyl-CoAs, unlike fatty acids, failed to recruit steroid receptor co-activator 1 (SRC-1), on the basis of conformational changes in the LBDs of PPARalpha and PPARgamma. Moreover, fatty-acyl-CoAs also markedly inhibited agonist-induced recruitment of SRC-1. These findings demonstrate that fatty-acyl-CoAs have a novel function in the signalling pathways of PPARalpha and PPARgamma.

Serum magnesium concentration increased significantly, but not critically, after daily treatment with magnesium oxide in constipated children with normal renal function.

No abstract

Endoscopy is a central tool for diagnosing and evaluating paediatric inflammatory bowel diseases (PIBD), but is too invasive to be frequently repeated in young children. Furthermore, it is challenging to distinguish Crohn’s disease (CD) from ulcerative colitis (UC) endoscopically. This study aimed to determine biomarkers useful for the diagnosis of PIBD. Cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors were quantified in the sera of 15 patients with CD or UC, at disease onset prior to treatment, and 26 age-matched controls. Correlation of cytokine levels with the paediatric CD activity index (PCDAI) and the paediatric UC activity index (PUCAI) was analysed. Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-13, IL-7, and vascular endothelial growth factor were higher in the CD group than in the UC group. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that IL-7 was a putative biomarker for distinguishing CD from UC (area under the curve: 0.94). Granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor was associated with PCDAI, and an IL-1 receptor antagonist, IL-6, and macrophage inflammatory protein-1β were associated with PUCAI. These findings indicate significant differences in cytokine signatures among patients with new-onset PIBD, which may improve accuracy in diagnosing PIBD.

No abstract

A stroma-dependent B lymphoid cell line (B31-1) has been established by coculturing sorted stem cells on a novel bone marrow stromal cell line (TBR31-1). B31-1 cells express B220, but do not express other B lymphoid differentiation markers including CD43, heat stable antigen (HSA), or surface immunoglobulin (Ig) M (sIgM), and their Ig heavy chain (IgH) gene loci are germ-line in configuration. The addition of interleukin (IL)-7 or coculture with another stromal cell line, ST2, induces D-J rearrangement of the IgH gene and B lymphocyte differentiation markers. B31-1 cells restore an in vivo repopulation activity to lethally irradiated mice, and the repopulated cells differentiate to HSA+ pre-B cells.Continuous coculture results in two distinct populations, B220(-) c-Kit+ cells and B220(+) c-Kit+ cells; B220(-) c-Kit+ cells are self-renewed and differentiate to B220(+) c-Kit+ cells, while B220(+) c-Kit+ cells produce only B220(+) c-Kit+ cells. Both B220(-) and B220(+) cells similarly express the IgH germ-line transcript (Imu), mRNAs for recombinase (TdT, Rag-1, and Rag-2), and lymphoid-specific transcription factors (Pax-5, EBF, E12/E47, Oct-2, and Ikaros), but the DNA binding activity of Pax-5, EBF, Oct-2, and E2A are low in B220(-) cells and while high in B220(+) cells. These results suggest the existence of at least two active states in the IgH locus before the induction of IgH gene rearrangement during B lymphopoietic development.