CTNNBIP1 downregulation is associated with tumor grade and viral infections in gastric adenocarcinoma

Gastric cancer is a life-threatening disease; resulting from interaction among genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Aberrant dysregulation and methylation changes in Wnt/β-catenin signaling downstream elements are a prevalent phenomenon encountered in gastric tumorigenesis. Also, viral infections play a role in gastric cancer development. CTNNBIP1 (β-catenin interacting protein 1) gene is an antagonist of Wnt signaling which binds to the β-catenin molecules. The CTNNBIP1 function as tumor suppressor gene or oncogene in different types of cancer is controversial. Moreover, its function and regulatory mechanisms in gastric cancer progression is unknown. In the present study, we examined CTNNBIP1 gene expression, the methylation status of the regulatory region of the gene, and their association with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Helicobacter pylori infections in human gastric adenocarcinoma tissues in comparison with their adjacent nontumoral tissues. Our data revealed a significant downregulation of CTNNBIP1 in gastric tumors. Female patients showed lower level of CTNNBIP1 than males (p < 0.05). Also, decreased expression of CTNNBIP1 was markedly associated with well-differentiated tumor grades (p < 0.05). No methylation change was observed between tumoral and nontumoral tissues. Additionally, CTNNBIP1 down regulation was significantly associated with CMV infection (p < 0.05). In the absence of EBV infection, lower expression of CTNNBIP1 was observed. There was no association between H. pylori infection and CTNNBIP1 expression. Our findings revealed the tumor suppressor role for CTNNBIP1 in gastric adenocarcinoma. Interestingly, EBV and CMV infections modulate CTNNBIP1 expression.     

病毒功能性受体的筛选新策略及其应用

病毒通过与靶细胞表面的特异性受体结合,进而吸附、入侵靶细胞,劫持细胞的复制机器完成自身的复制周期。细胞受体作为病毒入侵宿主的门户,细胞受体的结构与功能及其介导病毒入侵的机制一直是病毒学研究的热点之一。对细胞受体的研究有助于了解病毒的致病机制并为病毒性疾病的防控提供科学依据。近年来,利用功能缺失性基因组学筛选病毒功能性受体的进展极大地拓展了人类对病毒入侵机制的认识和理解。目前,应用较为广泛的病毒功能性受体筛选策略包括RNA干扰技术、利用单倍体细胞系随机插入逆转录病毒致突变技术以及基于CRISPR/Cas9系统的新型编辑技术。本文系统介绍并比较了这三种病毒功能性受体筛选新策略,同时对其应用及优缺点进行了归纳总结,可为相关研究者提供一定的参考。     

Adhesive thermosensitive gels for local delivery of viral vectors

Local delivery of viral vectors can enhance the efficacy of therapies by selectively affecting necessary tissues and reducing the required vector dose. Pluronic F127 is a thermosensitive polymer that undergoes a solution–gelation (sol–gel) transition as temperature increases and can deliver vectors without damaging them. While pluronics can be spread over large areas, such as the surface of an organ, before gelation, they lack sufficient adhesivity to remain attached to some tissues, such as the surface of the heart or mucosal surfaces. Here, we utilized blends of pluronic F127 and polycarbophil (PCB), a mucoadhesive agent, to provide the necessary adhesivity for local delivery of viral vectors to the cardiac muscle. The effects of PCB concentration on adhesive properties, sol–gel temperature transition and cytocompatibility were evaluated. Rheological studies showed that PCB decreased the sol–gel transition temperature at concentrations >1% and increased the adhesive properties of the gel. Furthermore, these gels were able to deliver viral vectors and transduce cells in vitro and in vivo in a neonatal mouse apical resection model. These gels could be a useful platform for delivering viral vectors over the surface of organs where increased adhesivity is required.     

Streptomycin-induced ribosome engineering complemented with fermentation optimization for enhanced production of 10-membered enediynes tiancimycin-A and tiancimycin-D

Tiancimycins (TNMs) are a group of 10-membered anthraquinone-fused enediynes, newly discovered from Streptomyces sp. CB03234. Among them, TNM-A and TNM-D have exhibited excellent antitumor performances and could be exploited as very promising warheads for the development of anticancer antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). However, their low titers, especially TNM-D, have severely limited following progress. Therefore, the streptomycin-induced ribosome engineering was adopted in this work for strain improvement of CB03234, and a TNMs high producer S. sp. CB03234-S with the K43N mutation at 30S ribosomal protein S12 was successfully screened out. Subsequent media optimization revealed the essential effects of iodide and copper ion on the production of TNMs, while the substitution of nitrogen source could evidently promote the accumulation of TNM-D, and the ratio of produced TNM-A and TNM-D was responsive to the change of carbon and nitrogen ratio in the medium. Further amelioration of the pH control in scaled up 25 L fermentation increased the average titers of TNM-A and TNM-D up to 13.7 ± 0.3 and 19.2 ± 0.4 mg/L, respectively. The achieved over 45-fold titer improvement of TNM-A, and 109-fold total titer improvement of TNM-A and TNM-D enabled the efficient purification of over 200 mg of each target molecule from 25 L fermentation. Our efforts have demonstrated a practical strategy for titer improvement of anthraquinone-fused enediynes and set up a solid base for the pilot scale production and preclinical studies of TNMs to expedite the future development of anticancer ADC drugs.     

Molecular analysis of the interaction of LCMV with its cellular receptor [alpha]-dystroglycan

alpha-Dystroglycan (DG) has been identified as the cellular receptor for lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and Lassa fever virus (LFV). This subunit of DG is a highly versatile cell surface molecule that provides a molecular link between the extracellular matrix (ECM) and a beta-DG transmembrane component, which interacts with the actin-based cytoskeleton. In addition, DG exhibits a complex pattern of interaction with a wide variety of ECM and cellular proteins. In the present study, we characterized the binding of LCMV to alpha-DG and addressed the role of alpha-DG-associated host-derived proteins in virus infection. We found that the COOH-terminal region of alpha-DG's first globular domain and the NH2-terminal region of the mucin-related structures of alpha-DG together form the binding site for LCMV. The virus-alpha-DG binding unlike ECM alpha-DG interactions was not dependent on divalent cations. Despite such differences in binding, LCMV and laminin-1 use, in part, an overlapping binding site on alpha-DG, and the ability of an LCMV isolate to compete with laminin-1 for receptor binding is determined by its binding affinity to alpha-DG. This competition of the virus with ECM molecules for receptor binding likely explains the recently found correlation between the affinity of LCMV binding to alpha-DG, tissue tropism, and pathological potential. LCMV strains and variants with high binding affinity to alpha-DG but not low affinity binders are able to infect CD11c+ dendritic cells, which express alpha-DG at their surface. Infection followed by dysfunction of these antigen-presenting cells contributes to immunosuppression and persistent viral infection in vivo.     

Biophysical characterization of a designed TMV coat protein mutant, R46G, that elicits a moderate hypersensitivity response in Nicotiana sylvestris

The hypersensitivity resistance response directed by the N' gene in Nicotiana sylvestris is elicited by the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) coat protein R46G, but not by the U1 wild-type TMV coat protein. In this study, the structural and hydrodynamic properties of R46G and wild-type coat proteins were compared for variations that may explain N' gene elicitation. Circular dichroism spectroscopy reveals no significant secondary or tertiary structural differences between the elicitor and nonelicitor coat proteins. Analytical ultracentrifugation studies, however, do show different concentration dependencies of the weight average sedimentation coefficients at 4 degrees C. Viral reconstitution kinetics at 20 degrees C were used to determine viral assembly rates and as an initial assay of the rate of 20S formation, the obligate species for viral reconstitution. These kinetic results reveal a decreased lag time for reconstitution performed with R46G that initially lack the 20S aggregate. However, experiments performed with 20S initially present reveal no detectable differences indicating that the mechanism of viral assembly is similar for the two coat protein species. Therefore, an increased rate of 20S formation from R46G subunits may explain the differences in the viral reconstitution lag times. The inferred increase in the rate of 20S formation is verified by direct measurement of the 20S boundary as a function of time at 20 degrees C using velocity sedimentation analysis. These results are consistent with the interpretation that there may be an altered size distribution and/or lifetime of the small coat protein aggregates in elicitors that allows N. sylvestris to recognize the invading virus.     

DNA content analysis of insect cell lines by flow cytometry

The DNA content of insect cell lines (6 lepidoptera, 1 coleoptera and 1 diptera) was determined by flow cytometry. The DNA profiles of the 8 cell lines tested were different. They were characterized by the presence of several peaks (2 to 7) corresponding to different ploidy levels, by differences in the fluorescence intensity of each peak and by the proportion of cells in each peak. Two cell lines (Cf124 and BmN) were constituted of 2 distinct populations of cells. The DNA profiles of the cell lines were stable among the passages and during the length of time culture. This technique was demonstrated to be useful for the detection of mixed cell lines and nucleopolyhedrovirus cell infection, using Autographa californica MNPV. The flow cytometry gives interesting results on the cell cycle and the ploidy level; it appears as a good tool for insect cell lines characterization. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Thermal and chemical resistance of Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus paracasei bacteriophages

AIMS: The survival of two collection Lactobacillus casei and L. paracasei bacteriophages when subjected to thermal and chemical treatments was investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Thermal resistance was evaluated by heating phage suspensions at 63, 72 and 90 degrees C in three different media [Tris-magnesium gelatin (TMG) buffer: 10 mmol l(-1) Tris-Cl, 10 mmol l(-1) MgSO(4) and 0.1% w/v gelatin; Man Rogosa Sharpe (MRS) broth and reconstituted nonfat dry skim milk (RSM)]. A marked heat sensitivity was evident in both phages, as 15 min at 72 degrees C was enough to completely inactivate (6 log(10) reduction) them. No clear influence was demonstrated by the suspension media. The phages also showed similar resistance to biocides. Peracetic acid and sodium hypochlorite (800 ppm) were the most effective ones, destroying the phages within 5 min. Concentrations of 75 and 100% ethanol were not suitable to inactivate phage particles even after 45 min. Isopropanol did not show an effect on phage viability. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained in this work are important to design more effective control procedures in order to inactivate phages in dairy plants and laboratories. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This work will contribute to enhance the background knowledge about phages of probiotic bacteria.