The results of the current studies demonstrated that the combined use of IL - 2 and IL - 7 could augment the in vitro proliferative responses of tumor - specific T cell lines and clones to antigen stimulation, increasing stimulation induces 6 to 8 times greater than using either IL - 2 or IL - 7 alone. Antigen - driven T cells maintained in culture using this combined cytokine regimen can be induced to grow and maintained functional in large numbers and survive long-term in cultrue with each antigen restimulation cycle prolonged to six weeks. The IL-2 doses used in this combined cytokine regimen can be reduced 10 to 100 times that of cultures using IL-2 alone. Thus, the combined use of IL-2 plus IL-7 is effective for procuring large numbers of antigen - specific functional T cells in vitro.

Objective: To study the cellular immune response and the anti-tumor effects induced by intramuscular DNA immu- nization with HER2/neu extracellular domain gene. Methods: HEH2/neu oncogene extracelltilar domain gene was isolated and inserted to pCDNA3 expression vector. The cellular immune response and its anti-tumor effects were analyzed after intramuscular DNA immunization. Results: A specific cytotoxic activity by spleen cells from HER2/neu ECD gene immunized mice was found in vitro. Tumor growth was inhibited after tumor challenge in vivo in immunized mice. Conclusion: Specific cellular immune re- sponse and anti-tumor effect were elicited by HEB2/neu extracellular domain gene immunization.

Objective: To induce an immune response by intramuscular immunization with HER2/neu oncogene extracellular do- main (ECD) DNA and observe the effect in vivo by an abortion model in mice.Methods: Human and rat HEH2/neu ECD gene were cloned and inserted into expressive vector pCDNA3. The DNA immunization, expression of HER2/neu ECD, antibody de- tection and abortion in immunized mice were studied. Results: HER2/neu ECD protein expressed on muscle cells in the injected site, specific antibody to HER2/neu was induced by DNA immunization. The average of the offspring per delivery from immu- nized mice was significantly lower than that from control group, and the abortive embryos were found in uterus from immunized mice.Conclusion: The results show that both human and rat HER2/neu ECD gene can induced effective immune response by DNA immunization.

AIM: To explore the mechanism of the nitric oxide (NO) synthesis induced by human C5b-9 complex in glomerular mesangial cells(MC) of rats. METHODS: The MC of rats were cultured and stimulated with human complement C5b-9 complex to induce TNF? and IL-1?. At the same time, several parameters related to NO synthesis were measured at 3 h, 6 h and 24 h after C5b-9 stimulation. The effects of monoclonal antibodies against TNF? and IL-1? on NO synthesis were examined in this system. RESULTS: TNF? concentration in supernatant from MC in C5b-9 group was higher than that of control group at 6, 24 h after stimulation with C5b-9 complex and reversed by adding anti-TNF? McAb. C5b-9 complex didn't stimulate the release of IL-1? in same system. In addition, the expression of iNOS mRNA in MC was observed at 3 h after stimulation with C5b-9. Levels of iNOS mRNA expression and cGMP in MC and NO - 3/NO - 2 in supernatant from MC in C5b-9 group were higher than those in control group at 6, 24 h after C5b-9 stimulation, these changes were also reversed by adding monoclonal antibody against TNF?. CONCLUSION: C5b-9 complex could induce iNOS mRNA expression at 3 h after C5b-9 stimulation, and the synthesis of NO at 6, 24 h was related to TNF? released from cultured MC of rats by C5b-9 complex to a certain extent.

AIM:To study the effect of human complement C 5b～9 complex on nitric oxide(NO) synthesis of glomerular mesangial cells (MC). METHODS: First, the human complement C 5b～9 complexes were isolated and glomerular MC of rats were cultured. Second, the MC were stimulated with C 5b～9 complex and changes of metabolism products of NO(NO 3 and NO 2) in MC culture supernatant at 6,24 and 48 hours after C 5b～9 stimulating were detected. Moreover, cGMP levels in cultured MC were also measured. RESULTS: NO 3/NO 2 contents from culture supernatant and cGMP levels in MC were increased parallelly after C 5b～9 complex stimulation. Further, NO synthesis was inhibited by L-NG-nitro-arginine-methylester(L-NAME). CONCLUSION: NO synthesis of rat glomerular MC was incerased by human complement C 5b～9 stimulation.