OBJECTIVETo investigate the phenotypes and functions of peripheral blood monocyte derived dendritic cells (DC) of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with different HBV DNA loads.

METHODSTwenty-eight CHB patients were included in this study. All patients were treated with nucleoside analogues (lamivudine or LdT or adefovir) for 24 weeks. Peripheral blood HBV DNA loads and liver biopsies were assessed before and after the treatment. The patients were divided into two groups according to their peripheral blood HBV DNA loads: a high-load group with HBV DNA loads higher than 10(5) copies/ml, and a low-load group with HBV DNA loads lower than 10(3) copies/ml. Ten healthy people were included as controls. Peripheral blood DC of each subject was enriched. The phenotypes of DC were subjected to flow cytometric analysis. The lymphocyte allo-stimulatory capacity of DC was evaluated through MTT assay. IL-10 and IL-12 production were quantified by ELISA.

RESULTSDC proliferated successfully when stimulated by cytokines in vitro; however, DC of the CHB patients proliferated much slower than those of the healthy controls. The expression of DC surface molecules such as HLA-DR, CD86, CD80 and CD83 had a positive rate of over 80% in the normal population. However in our CHB patients they showed lower than normal expressions, especially the HLA-DR, CD86, CD80 and CD83, but the differences were not significant between the two groups with different virus loads. The stimulatory capacity of the DC in mixed lymphocyte reaction showed no difference between the two groups of patients, but both were lower than that of the healthy controls. The production of IL-12 and IL-10 also decreased significantly in the patients.

CONCLUSIONSPeripheral DC of CHB patients have some defects in their phenotypes and their stimulatory capacity. The changes in phenotypes and down-regulation of the functions are not relevant to peripheral HBV DNA loads of the patients.

Adult ; Dendritic Cells ; immunology ; metabolism ; Female ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; blood ; immunology ; virology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phenotype ; Viral Load ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVEHereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is one of the most common hereditary colon cancer syndromes accounting for 1%-5% of all colorectal cancer cases. Germline mutations in at least five genes coding for DNA mismatch repair (MMR) proteins are associated with the clinical phenotype of HNPCC. More than 400 MMR mutations have been identified in HNPCC patients, and about 40% of mutations affect MSH2 gene including nucleotide substitutions, deletions, and insertions. Only a few mutations have been reported in Chinese families.

METHODSA Chinese family with HNPCC was collected and peripheral blood of individuals from the family was obtained. Mutation analysis was performed on genomic DNA.

RESULTSThe family fulfilled Amsterdam criteria I, and 17 people out of 31 were diagnosed as malignant tumor for 21 times. Twelve people (70.6%) had rectal cancer, and the onset age was young with an average of 42.9 years old. Right side colon cancer was common in the family. A novel duplication mutation of four nucleotides in exon 7 MSH2 (MSH2: c.1215_1218dupCCGA) was found, which result in a premature stop 10 codons downstream in MSH2 (p.L407fsX417) in the family. Site-specific PCR was applied to the pre-symptomatic diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONThis novel genomic mutation MSH2 was confirmed to be pathogenic, and polymerase chain reaction with modified primer was successfully applied to the pre-symptomatic diagnosis. These data expand the spectrum MSH2 mutations causing HNPCC.

Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Base Sequence ; China ; Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis ; ethnology ; genetics ; DNA Mismatch Repair ; genetics ; Family Health ; Female ; Germ-Line Mutation ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; MutS Homolog 2 Protein ; genetics ; Pedigree ; Polymerase Chain Reaction