迷迭香酸抗穿透支原体脂蛋白诱导巨噬细胞凋亡的作用研究

探讨迷迭香酸对穿透支原体脂蛋白诱导巨噬细胞凋亡的保护作用。方法:以穿透支原体脂蛋白损伤RAW264．7细胞为模型,用MTT法检测细胞存活状况,DNA片断化分析观察穿透支原体脂蛋白对RAW264．7细胞DNA降解的影响,碘化丙啶染色流式细胞术检测细胞凋亡率。结果:7．5mg/L穿透支原体脂蛋白可引起RAW264．7细胞存活率降低,出现细胞凋亡特征性“DNA梯带”,流式细胞术检测细胞出现凋亡亚G1期峰,凋亡率为31．9%;100μmol/L迷迭香酸预处理1小时后可以升高RAW264．7细胞的存活率,凋亡细胞特征性的梯状梯带消失,细胞凋亡亚G1期峰消失,并使RAW264．7细胞的凋亡率下降为7．9%。结论:迷迭香酸有抗穿透支原体脂蛋白诱导RAW264．7细胞凋亡的作用。     

硝黄散外敷联合加味五虎汤口服治疗痰热闭肺型肺炎支原体肺炎患儿对肺功能和血清TNF-α、IFN-γ、IL-4水平的影响

目的:观察硝黄散外敷联合加味五虎汤口服治疗痰热闭肺型肺炎支原体肺炎(MPP)患儿对肺功能和血清肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)、γ-干扰素(IFN-γ)、白介素-4(IL-4)水平的影响。方法:研究对象为我院2019年6月~2021年1月期间收治的MPP患儿80例,采用随机数字表法将患儿分为对照组(n=40,阿奇霉素抗感染治疗)和研究组(n=40,对照组基础上加用硝黄散外敷联合加味五虎汤口服治疗),均治疗7 d。比较两组患儿临床疗效,比较两组治疗前、治疗7 d后的中医证候积分、临床症状改善情况、肺功能和血清TNF-α、IFN-γ、IL-4水平。结果:研究组治疗7 d后的临床总有效率为92.50%(37/40),高于对照组的72.50%(29/40),差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。与对照组相比,研究组的症状(咳嗽憋喘、发热、肺部干湿啰音)消失时间均更短(P<0.05)。与对照组相比,研究组治疗7 d后用力肺活量(FVC)、最高呼气峰流速(PEF)、第1秒最大呼气容积(FEV1)、FEV1/FVC均更高(P<0.05),研究组治疗7 d后的中医证候积分及血清TNF-α、IFN-γ和IL-4水平均更低(P<0.05)。结论:痰热闭肺型MPP患儿采用硝黄散外敷联合加味五虎汤口服治疗,可有效缩短患儿症状消失时间,显著改善其肺功能、血清炎症因子水平,疗效显著。     

Flow cytometric method for quantifying viable Mycoplasma agassizii,an agent of upper respiratory tract disease in the desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)

Aims: Mycoplasma agassizii can cause upper respiratory tract disease in the threatened desert tortoise of the Southwestern United States. Two technical challenges have impeded critical microbiological studies of this microorganism: (i) its small size limits the use of light microscopy for cell counting and (ii) its extremely slow growth in broth and agar cultures impedes colony counting. Our aim was to develop a rapid and sensitive flow cytometric method using a vital fluorescent dye to enumerate viable M. agassizii cells. Methods and Results: Here, we demonstrate that the nonfluorescent molecule 5‐carboxyfluorescein (5‐CF) diacetate acetoxymethyl ester penetrates M. agassizii cell membranes and it is converted in the cytoplasm to the fluorescent molecule 5‐CF by the action of intracellular esterases. Labelled mycoplasma cells can be easily detected by flow cytometry, and cultures with as few as 100 viable mycoplasma cells ml^?1 can be labelled and counted in less than 1 h. Experiments using temperature‐induced cell death demonstrated that only viable M. agassizii cells are labelled with this procedure. Conclusions: A rapid and sensitive flow cytometric technique has been developed for enumerating viable M. agassizii cells. Significance and Impact of the Study: This technique should facilitate basic immunological, biochemical and pharmacological studies of this important pathogen which may lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic methods.     

Mycoplasma arthritidis superantigen (MAM)-induced macrophage nitric oxide release is MHC class II restricted,interferongamma dependent,and toll-like receptor 4 independent

Mycoplasma arthritidis causes arthritis in rodents that resembles human rheumatoid arthritis. It produces a superantigen (MAM) that stimulates production of cytokines by making a bridge between lymphocyte T-cell receptor with the appropriate Vbeta chain, and H-2 1-Ealpha MHC class II molecules. Here we studied MAM-induced nitric oxide (NO) production in mouse peritoneal macrophages and found that it was: (1) time and concentration dependent, (2) possibly derived from inducible NOS synthase since it was reduced significantly by amino guanidine pretreatment, (3) restricted to H-2(K) (C3H/HePas and C3H/HeJ) and H-2(d) strains (BALB/c), (4) independent of TLR4 signaling since the coisogenic strains C3H/HePas and C3H/HeJ (TLR4 deficient) produced similar levels of NO following MAM stimulation, (5) potentiated by lipopolysaccharide, and (6) dependent on the presence of nonadherent peritoneal cells. Neutralization of interferon-gamma (IFNgamma in the peritoneal cell cultures with monoclonal antibodies abolished MAM-induced NO production. Addition of rIFNgamma to the adherent cells substituted the nonadherent cells for MAM-induced NO production. A macrophage cell line, J774A.1 (H-2(d)), also produced NO upon MAM stimulation but only when BALB/c spleen lymphocytes were added. Thus, in murine macrophages, MAM induces NO production that is dependent on signaling through MHC class II molecules and IFNgamma but independent of TLR4 expression.     

Crystal structure of a stress inducible protein from Mycoplasma pneumoniae at 2.85 Å resolution

Journal of Structural and Functional Genomics -     

A chromosomal region of Mycoplasma agalactiae containing vsp-related genes undergoes in vivo rearrangement in naturally infected animals

A Mycoplasma agalactiae genomic fragment carrying four vsp-related genes (designated avg: agalactiae variable genes) was cloned, sequenced and compared to the vspA gene of Mycoplasma bovis. The following features were revealed: (i) the presence of a highly conserved vsp 5' upstream region; (ii) a highly homologous vsp N-terminal end encoding a putative lipoprotein signal sequence; (iii) sequence divergence of the rest of the mature proteins. By using avg specific probes in Southern blot analysis of genomic DNAs of M. agalactiae strains as well as of isolates from infected animals, marked DNA polymorphism of avg fragments was demonstrated. In addition, the avg genomic fingerprints were monitored for a period of 7 months, in isolates of M. agalactiae from an individual chronically infected animal. The results provided evidence that a chromosomal region of M. agalactiae, carrying vsp-related genes, undergoes rearrangements in vivo in the natural animal host during the course of infection.     

Validation of ATP luminometry for rapid and accurate titration of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in Friis medium and a comparison with the color changing units assay

Limited reports are available on the growth response of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in Friis medium and the routinely used color changing units (CCU) assay has not yet been profoundly compared with other titration methods. Firstly, growth kinetics of 7 diverse M. hyopneumoniae isolates were followed by ATP luminometry in five Friis medium batches. Secondly, results of the CCU and ATP assays were compared hereby evaluating the methods.Growth curves of all isolates had log, stationary and senescence phases, and reached similar maximal titres when cultured in the same batch of Friis medium. Doubling times (Tds) of the isolates grown in slowly shaken cultures varied between 4.8 and 7.8 h. Maximal titres, Tds, growth phase in which the phenol red indicator turned from red to yellow due to acidification by mycoplasmal metabolism, and the length of the stationary phase varied depending on the Friis medium batch. The effect of static vs. shaking culture conditions on the Td depended on the isolate. ATP and CCU assays obtained similar growth curves, but when maximal levels were reached the CCU titre dropped earlier than the ATP titre. During log phase, CCU and ATP titres were strongly linearly linked. We developed a model enabling transformation of ATP into CCU titres or vice versa. The calculated amount of ATP per CCU (1.77 amol ATP/ml) indicated that the CCU assay likely underestimates the actual cell concentration. When titres were determined as means of 3 measurements, the ATP assay was 7 times more accurate and had 11-fold lower outliers than the CCU assay. Unlike the CCU assay, luminometry only requires one measurement to obtain sufficient accuracy.It was concluded that the ATP assay constitutes a valuable robust alternative for reproducible real-time titre assessment of freshly grown M. hyopneumoniae cultures. It is faster, more accurate and time, work and cost efficient compared to the CCU assay. The assay is preferred to better standardise and describe M. hyopneumoniae cultures used in various experiments.     

Population Dynamics and Behavior of Bighorn Sheep with Infectious Keratoconjunctivitis

ABSTRACT Introduced disease is a major mortality factor in some populations of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis). Epizootics of infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) and contagious ecthyma occurred in bighorn sheep in the Silver Bell Mountains of south-central Arizona, USA, from 1 December 2003 to 31 March 2004. Our objectives were to 1) investigate the influence of the epizootic on abundance and demographics and 2) examine how IKC affected the mortality, behavior, and movements of clinically affected animals. Morbidity was 39%, and all sex and age classes were affected. The population declined 23%, with most mortality in the adult female (1 M, 11 F) segment of the population. Of the diseased animals that were marked (n = 27), 44% recovered and 44% died. Predation (50%) and starvation (33%) were the primary causes of mortality of diseased bighorn sheep. Bighorn sheep that were infected spent less time feeding and moved less than noninfected animals during the epizootic. Managers might be able to minimize losses of infected animals through predator control. To minimize losses to starvation, managers should refrain from any activity that disturbs infected animals (including treatment) because disturbances increase energy expenditures and expose infected animals to injury.     

生殖支原体脂质相关膜蛋白激活核因子κB诱导人单核细胞表达前炎症细胞因子及凋亡

为了解生殖支原体(Mg)潜在的致病性及其脂质相关膜蛋白(LAMPs)诱导人单核细胞(THP-1)凋亡及表达前炎症细胞因子(CKs)的分子机制,用Mg提取的LAMPs刺激THP-1细胞,以ELISA法和RT-PCR方法分析CKs产生和其mRNA的表达。不同试实验组的细胞经AnnexinV联合PI染色后通过流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡。采用EMSA方法检测LAMPs处理的THP-1细胞中核转录因子kappaB(NF-κB)的激活,并分析NF-κB抑制剂二硫代氨基甲酸吡咯烷(pyrrolidine dithiocoarbamate,PDTC)对LAMPs处理的THP-1细胞产生CKs的量和其mRNA表达及细胞凋亡的影响。LAMPs能以时间和剂量依赖方式刺激THP-1细胞产生TNF-α、IL-1β和IL-6,且能激活NF-κB诱导THP-1细胞表达CKs的mRNA及发生凋亡,PDTC能显著抑制CKs的mRNA表达水平和细胞凋亡。由于LAMPs能激活NF-κB诱导THP-1细胞表达CKs及产生细胞凋亡,因而可能是一个重要的致病因素。     

Effect of storage conditions on detection of mycoplasma in biopharmaceutical products

Mycoplasma contamination affects many different aspects of cell culturing, resulting in unreliable experimental results and potentially harmful biological products. Therefore, the specificity, sensitivity, and reliability of detecting mycoplasma contamination are important aspects of quality control in biotechnological products. In this study, Mycoplasma hyorhinis was adopted as a model strain to evaluate the effects of storage on the viability of Mycoplasma species in cell culture samples. Medium X was compared with conventional media 243 and 988 for the ability to detect M. hyorhinis. The 10¹ CFU/ml of M. hyorhinis was inoculated into medium X prepared using the same lots of components and preserved for 7 d, 1 mo, and 2 mo. M. hyorhinis grew readily and typically on agar plates prepared within 1 mo. The viable mycoplasmas in samples containing different initial titers (10¹ and 10⁶ CFU/ml) after storage at 4° C and −30° C were analyzed. During storage, viable organisms were found with little or no reduction in titers after storage for 8 wk at −30° C under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. A reduction in titers of 3 log10 occurred after 4 wk storage for high-dose cultures (10⁶ CFU/ml) at 4° C. The titers of viable organisms were diminished over 8 wk at 4° C under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.