白介素18启动子区基因多态性与儿童EV71感染相关性研究

目的:研究白介素18基因启动子多态性与儿童EV71感染遗传易感性的关系.方法:收集EV71感染患儿177例,单纯HFMD组127例,HFMD并脑炎组50例,提取外周血DNA,用序列特异性引物-聚合酶链反应(SSP-PCR)技术及基因测序法检测IL-18启动子区-137G/C、-607A/C位点的基因多态性.结果:EV71感染患儿与健康儿童IL-18-607基因型以CA为主,AA、CC次之,EV71感染患儿AA基因型、A等位基因分布频率显著高于健康儿童.EV71感染HFMD并脑炎组患儿AA基因型分布显著高于单纯HFMD组患儿,差异有统计学意义.EV71感染患儿与健康儿童IL-18-137基因型以CC为主,CG次之,GG占少数.该位点基因型及等位基因在EV71感染组与健康儿童、单纯HFMD与HFMD并脑炎组的分布无显著差异.结论:IL-18基因多态性与EV71感染相关,IL-18-607AA基因型、A等位基因携带儿童更易感染EV71病毒,且AA基因型患儿易并发脑炎,-607AA基因型可能为EV71感染的易感基因型.-137C/G位点基因多态性与EV71感染无相关性.     

肠道病毒71型感染小鼠心肌损害与CXCL12/CXCR4通路激活的关系

重症手足口病患儿中心肌损害常见,肠道病毒71型(Enterovirus 71,EV71)是引起手足口病的主要病原体之一,EV71感染小鼠可以出现心肌炎的病理改变,但EV71引起心肌损害的机制尚不明确。为了阐明EV71引起心肌损害的机制,本实验观察了EV71感染小鼠心肌损害与CXC趋化因子配体12(CXC chemokine ligand 12,CXCL12)/CXC趋化因子受体4(CXC chemokine receptor 4,CXCR4)通路激活的关系。BALB/c乳鼠随机分为对照组、EV71组、EV71+AMD3100组、AMD3100组,对照组、AMD3100组给予生理盐水腹腔注射,EV71组、EV71+AMD3100组给予EV71病毒液腹腔注射;而后EV71+AMD3100组、AMD3100组给予CXCR4抑制剂AMD3100腹腔注射、连续7d。比较四组间血清中CXCL12、磷酸肌酸激酶同工酶(CreatineKinase-MB,CK-MB)、乳酸脱氢酶(Lactate dehydrogenase,LDH)含量、心肌病理改变及细胞凋亡率、心肌中CXCR4、含半胱氨酸的天冬氨酸蛋白水解酶-3(caspase-3)表达及肿瘤坏死因子-α(Tumor necrosis factor,TNF-α)、白介素-6(Interleukin-6,IL-6)含量的差异。与对照组比较,EV71组血清中CXCL12、CK-MB、LDH的含量明显增加,心肌出现了典型的心肌炎病理改变且细胞凋亡率、CXCR4及caspase-3表达水平、TNF-α及IL-6含量明显增加;与EV71组比较,EV71+AMD3100组血清中CXCL12、CK-MB、LDH的含量明显降低,心肌的病理改变改善且细胞凋亡率、CXCR4及caspase-3表达水平、TNF-α及IL-6含量明显降低。以上结果表明EV71感染小鼠心肌中CXCL12/CXCR4通路过度激活,该通路的激活介导了心肌细胞凋亡及炎症反应。本研究创新点为阐明了CXCL12/CXCR4通路在EV71病毒感染引起心肌损害中的作用,CXCL12/CXCR4通路激活能够激活EV71感染小鼠心肌的炎症反应及细胞凋亡,这为今后研究手足口病发病过程中心肌损害的机制提供了依据。     

肠道病毒71型安徽、河南株的分离与VP1序列进化分析

旨在研究手足口病患者中肠道病毒71型分离株的病毒基因型特征。采集手足口病患者的粪便标本,进行病毒分离和逆转录-聚合酶链式反应(RT-PCR)特异性扩增进行鉴定,同时选取其中9株EV71分离株,对其抗原决定簇部位VP1区进行核酸序列测定,并参考EV71 A、B、C各基因型的参考株和以往中国EV71的分离株进行同源分析和构建系统发生树。结果显示,所分析的9株病毒株均为C4亚型,3株安徽株H7、H8和H9的VP1序列相似度很高(≥98.8%,其中H7、H9的相似度为100.0%),4株河南株H3、H4、H5和H6相似度较高(≥98.4%,H3、H4和H5≥99.6%,其中H3、H4的相似度为100.0%),它们同河南株H1、H5的相似度也较高(≥97.2%),河南株H2虽然与其他河南株具有较高的序列相似度,但进化分析表明,其与安徽株同源性较高。结果表明,安徽株H7、H8和H9株变异速率明显加快,这可能导致了手足口病在安徽省的率先爆发与大流行,河南株H2最初可能由安徽传入河南。     

重叠延伸PCR法合成EV71 VP1-LTB融合基因及其原核表达

目的用重叠延伸PCR（overlap extension PCR）法获得人肠道病毒71型vp1与大肠埃希菌不耐热肠毒素B亚单位（ltb）的融合基因,构建EV71 VP1-LTB融合表达质粒并在原核系统表达。方法设计14对引物通过重叠延伸PCR技术合成vp1基因,以ETEC（44815）质粒DNA为模板,PCR扩增ltb基因,将vp1基因与ltb基因连接并测序,连接产物插入原核表达质粒pBEX,构建重组质粒pBEX-VP1-LTB,转化E.coliB1221（DE3）进行表达,SDS-PAGE及W estern blotting分析其表达。电转法将重组质粒转入双歧杆菌。结果合成的vp1基因全长891 bp,测序结果与预期相符,重组表达质粒pBEX-VP1-LTB经PCR及双酶切鉴定,表明构建正确;目的蛋白在E.coliBL21（DE3）中获得了表达,Western bloting分析结果表明该蛋白具有与EV71 VP1抗体的反应原性;电转法成功将重组质粒转入双歧杆菌。结论应用重叠延伸PCR技术成功构建了EV71 VP1-LTB融合表达质粒,并在E.coliBL21（DE3）中获得有生物学功能的VP1表达产物,重组质粒双歧杆菌转化及VP1-LTB融合蛋白的表达研究,为研制EV71分子内佐剂疫苗打下了基础。     

Hand foot and mouth disease due to enterovirus 71 in Malaysia

Hand foot and mouth disease is a febrile sickness complex characterized by cutaneous eruption (exanthem) on the palms and soles with simultaneous occurrence of muco-cutanous vesiculo-ulcerative lesions (enanthem) affecting the mouth.The illness is caused by a number of enteroviruses with coxsackievirus A16 and enterovirus 71 as the main causative agents.Human enterovirus 71 (EV71) belongs to the species Human enterovirus A under the genus Enterovirus within the family Picornaviridae.EV71 has been associated with an array of clinical diseases including hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD),aseptic meningitis,encephalitis and poliomyelitis-like acute flaccid paralysis.A large outbreak of HFMD due to highly neurovirulent EV71 emerged in Malaysia in 1997,and caused 41deaths amongst young children.In late 2000,a recurrence of an outbreak of HFMD occurred in Malaysia with S fatalities in peninsular Malaysia.Outbreak of HFMD due to EV71 recurred in 2003 with an unknown number of cases and mortalities.A similar outbreak of HFMD with 2 recorded deaths in young children occurred in peninsular Malaysia in late 2005 and this was followed by a larger outbreak in Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo) with 6 reported fatalities in the early part of 2006.The current on-going outbreak of HFMD started in peninsular Malaysia in epidemiological week 12 of 2010.As with other HFMD outbreaks in Malaysia,both EV71 and CA16 were the main aetiological viruses isolated.In similarity with the HFMD outbreak in 2005,the isolation of CA16 preceded the appearance of EV71.Based on the VP 1 gene nucleotide sequences,4 sub-genogroups of EV71 (C1,C2,B3 and B4) co-circulated and caused the outbreak of hand,foot and mouth disease in peninsular Malaysia in 1997.Two sub-genogroups (C1 and B4) were noted to cause the outbreak in 2000 in both peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.EV71 of sub-genogroup B5 with smaller contribution from sub-genogroup C1 caused the outbreak in 2003.In the 2005 outbreak,besides the EV71 strains of sub-genogroup C1,EV71 strains belonging to sub-genogroup B5 were isolated but formed a cluster which was distinct from the EV71 strains from the sub-genogroup B5 isolated in 2003.The four EV71 strains isolated from clinical specimens of patients with hand,foot and mouth disease in the Sarawak outbreak in early 2006 also belonged to sub-genogroup B5.Phylogenetic analysis of the VP1 gene suggests that the EV71 strains causing the outbreak in Sarawak could have originated from peninsular Malaysia.Epidemiological and molecular data since 1997 show the recurrence of HFMD due to EV71 in Malaysia every 2 to 4 years.In each of the past outbreaks,more than one sub-genogroup of the virus co-circulate.     

Sterol chemical configuration influences the thermotropic phase behaviour of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine bilayers containing 5α-cholestan-3β- and 3α-ol

It is commonly believed that all membrane sterols are rigid all-trans ring systems with a fully extended alkyl side-chain and that they similarly influence phospholipid bilayer physical properties. Here, we report the sterol concentration-dependent, thermotropic phase behaviour of binary dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC)/sterol mixtures containing two similar 5α-H sterols with different functional group orientations (3α-OH or 3β-OH), which adopt an ideal all-trans planar ring conformation but lack the deformed ring B conformation of cholesterol (Chol) and epicholesterol (Echol), using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Our deconvolution of the DSC main phase transition endotherms show differences in the proportions of sterol-poor (sharp) and sterol-rich (broad) domains in the DPPC bilayer with increasing sterol concentration, which delineate gel/liquid-crystalline (P_β′/L_α) and disordered gel (L_β)/liquid-ordered (l_o) phase regions. There are similarities in the DPPC main phase transition temperature, cooperativity and enthalpy for each 3β-ol and 3α-ol pair with increasing sterol concentration and differences in the parameters obtained for both the sterol-poor and sterol-rich regions. The sterol-poor domain persists over a greater concentration range in both 3α-ol/DPPC mixtures, suggesting that either those domains are more stable in the 3α-ols or that those sterols are less miscible in the sterol-rich domain. Corresponding parameters for the sterol-rich domain show that at sterol concentrations up to 20 mol%, the 5α-H,3β-ol is more effective at reducing the phase transition enthalpy of the broad component () than Chol, but is less effective at higher concentrations. Although mixtures containing Echol and 5α-cholestan-3α-ol have similar positive slopes below 7 mol% sterol, suggesting that they abolish the L_β/l_o phase transition equally effectively at low concentrations, Echol is more effective than the saturated 3α-ol at higher sterol concentrations. A comparison of obtained for the saturated and unsaturated pairs suggests that the latter sterols stabilize the l_o phase and broaden and abolish the DPPC main phase transition more effectively than the saturated sterols at physiologically relevant concentrations, supporting the idea that the double bond of Chol and Echol promotes greater sterol miscibility and the formation of l_o phase lipid bilayers relative to corresponding saturated sterols in biological membranes.     

Super-resolution Imaging of the Bacterial Division Machinery

Bacterial cell division requires the coordinated assembly of more than ten essential proteins at midcell^1,2. Central to this process is the formation of a ring-like suprastructure (Z-ring) by the FtsZ protein at the division plan^3,4. The Z-ring consists of multiple single-stranded FtsZ protofilaments, and understanding the arrangement of the protofilaments inside the Z-ring will provide insight into the mechanism of Z-ring assembly and its function as a force generator^5,6. This information has remained elusive due to current limitations in conventional fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy. Conventional fluorescence microscopy is unable to provide a high-resolution image of the Z-ring due to the diffraction limit of light (~200 nm). Electron cryotomographic imaging has detected scattered FtsZ protofilaments in small C. crescentus cells⁷, but is difficult to apply to larger cells such as E. coli or B. subtilis. Here we describe the application of a super-resolution fluorescence microscopy method, Photoactivated Localization Microscopy (PALM), to quantitatively characterize the structural organization of the E. coli Z-ring⁸.PALM imaging offers both high spatial resolution (~35 nm) and specific labeling to enable unambiguous identification of target proteins. We labeled FtsZ with the photoactivatable fluorescent protein mEos2, which switches from green fluorescence (excitation = 488 nm) to red fluorescence (excitation = 561 nm) upon activation at 405 nm⁹. During a PALM experiment, single FtsZ-mEos2 molecules are stochastically activated and the corresponding centroid positions of the single molecules are determined with <20 nm precision. A super-resolution image of the Z-ring is then reconstructed by superimposing the centroid positions of all detected FtsZ-mEos2 molecules.Using this method, we found that the Z-ring has a fixed width of ~100 nm and is composed of a loose bundle of FtsZ protofilaments that overlap with each other in three dimensions. These data provide a springboard for further investigations of the cell cycle dependent changes of the Z-ring¹⁰ and can be applied to other proteins of interest.     

Antigens Protected Functional Red Blood Cells By The Membrane Grafting Of Compact Hyperbranched Polyglycerols

Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is vital for the treatment of a number of acute and chronic medical problems such as thalassemia major and sickle cell anemia ^1-3. Due to the presence of multitude of antigens on the RBC surface (~308 known antigens ⁴), patients in the chronic blood transfusion therapy develop alloantibodies due to the miss match of minor antigens on transfused RBCs ^{4, 5}. Grafting of hydrophilic polymers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) and hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG) forms an exclusion layer on RBC membrane that prevents the interaction of antibodies with surface antigens without affecting the passage of small molecules such as oxygen ,glucose, and ions³. At present no method is available for the generation of universal red blood donor cells in part because of the daunting challenge presented by the presence of large number of antigens (protein and carbohydrate based) on the RBC surface and the development of such methods will significantly improve transfusion safety, and dramatically improve the availability and use of RBCs. In this report, the experiments that are used to develop antigen protected functional RBCs by the membrane grafting of HPG and their characterization are presented. HPGs are highly biocompatible compact polymers ^{6, 7}, and are expected to be located within the cell glycocalyx that surrounds the lipid membrane ^{8, 9} and mask RBC surface antigens^{10, 11}.