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Squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) is expressed in normal squamous epithelia and malignant squamous cell tissues. The serum level of SCCA has been used to evaluate treatment efficacy, clinical course of disease, and recurrence. SCCA is produced by at least two genes (SCCA1 and SCCA2); both of them have been located on chromosome 18q21.3. It has been difficult to examine the expression levels of SCCA1 and SCCA2 mRNAs separately because of their high homology at nucleotide level. In the present study, asymmetric semi-nested reverse transcription PCR, based on the principle of fluorescence energy transfer, enabled to quantitate the copy numbers of both SCCA1 and SCCA2 mRNAs. Using this method, the expression levels of these mRNAs were evaluated in normal and malignant squamous tissues. The copy number of SCCA2 mRNA was higher in malignant tissues than in normal tissues, while those of SCCA1 mRNA did not significantly differ between normal and malignant tissues. These data indicate that specific quantitation of the expression level of SCCA2 mRNA may be useful for the diagnosis and management of patients with squamous cell carcinoma.

DNA vaccination can be applied to the treatment of various infectious diseases and cancers; however, technical difficulties have hindered the development of an effective delivery method. The efficacy of a DNA vaccine depends on optimal antigen expression by the injected plasmid DNA. The pyro-drive jet injector (PJI) is a novel system that allows for adjustment of injection depth and may, thus, provide a targeted delivery approach for various therapeutic or preventative compounds. Herein, we investigated its potential for use in delivering DNA vaccines. This study evaluated the optimal ignition powder dosage, as well as its delivery effectiveness in both rat and mouse models, while comparing the results of the PJI with that of a needle syringe delivery system. We found that the PJI effectively delivered plasmid DNA to intradermal regions in both rats and mice. Further, it efficiently transfected plasmid DNA directly into the nuclei, resulting in higher protein expression than that achieved via needle syringe injection. Moreover, results from animal ovalbumin (OVA) antigen induction models revealed that animals receiving OVA expression plasmids (pOVA) via PJI exhibited dose-dependent (10 μg, 60 μg, and 120 μg) production of anti-OVA antibodies; while only low titers (< 1/100) of OVA antibodies were detected when 120 μg of pOVA was injected via needle syringe. Thus, PJI is an effective, novel method for delivery of plasmid DNA into epidermal and dermal cells suggesting its promise as a tool for DNA vaccination.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1208/s12249-019-1564-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

A divalent thiaruthenacycle complex, cis-Ru[SC 6 H 3 (2-CH 2 )(6-Me)-κ 2 S,C](PMe 3 ) 4 (3), is prepared by the treatment of Ru(η 4 -1,5-COD)(η 6 -1,3,5-COT) (1) with 2,6-dimethylbenzenethiol in the presence of PMe 3 via Ru(η 5 -cyclooctadienyl)(SC 6 H 3 Me 2 -2,6)(PMe 3 ) 2 (2). Exposure of 3 in benzene to H 2 (0.1 MPa) leads to the quantitative formation of cis-RuH(SC 6 H 3 Me 2 -2,6)-(PMe 3 ) 4 (4), which readily turns to 3 at room temperature on evacuation, indicating the reversibility of the reaction. Both forward and backward reactions of this equilibrium are retarded by addition of PMe 3 , suggesting prerequisite prior dissociation of PMe 3 for both reactions. Complex 3 catalyzes selective and facile deuteration of the ortho-methyl and the mercapto groups in 2,6-dimethylbenzenethiol under D 2 .

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