Effect of natural or vaccine-induced porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) immunity on fetal infection after artificial insemination with PCV2 spiked semen

The objectives of this study were to determine if vaccination against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) or previous PCV2 infection of the dam are sufficient to prevent fetal infection when dams are artificially inseminated with PCV2-spiked semen. Nine sows (Sus domestica) were allocated into three groups of three dams each: The PCV2 naïve negative control Group 1 was artificially inseminated with extended PCV2 DNA negative semen during estrus, whereas the extended semen used in the vaccinated Group 2 (PCV2 vaccine was given 8 wk before insemination) and PCV2-exposed Group 3 (infected with PCV2 12 wk before insemination) was spiked with 5 mL of PCV2 inoculum with a titer of 10^4.2 tissue culture infectious dose (TCID₅₀) per milliliter at each breeding. The dams in the vaccinated and PCV2-exposed groups were positive for PCV2 antibody but negative for PCV2 DNA in serum at the time of insemination. Three negative control dams, two vaccinated dams, and three dams with previous PCV2 exposure became pregnant and maintained pregnancy to term. After artificial insemination, viremia was detected in one of three vaccinated dams and in two of three dams with previous PCV2 exposure. At farrowing, PCV2 infection was not detected in any piglets or fetuses expelled from the negative control dams or from dams with previous PCV2 exposure. In litters of the vaccinated dams, 15 of 24 live-born piglets were PCV2 viremic at birth, with 6 of 26 fetuses having detectable PCV2 antigen in tissues. In conclusion, vaccine-induced immunity did not prevent fetal infection in this sow model using semen spiked with PCV2.     

Alteration of Toll-like receptor 4 activation by 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal mediated by the suppression of receptor homodimerization

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) detect invading microbial pathogens and initiate immune responses as part of host defense mechanisms. They also respond to host-derived substances released from injured cells and tissues to ensure wound healing and tissue homeostasis. Dysregulation of TLRs increases the risk of chronic inflammatory diseases and immune disorders. Inflammatory events are often accompanied by oxidative stress, which generates lipid peroxidation products such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE). Therefore, we investigated if 4-HNE affects TLR activation. We found that 4-HNE blocked LPS (a TLR4 agonist)-induced activation of NFκB and IRF3 as well as expression of IFNβ, IP-10, RANTES, and TNFα. To investigate the mechanism of inhibition by 4-HNE, we examined its effects on TLR4 dimerization, one of the initial steps in TLR4 activation. 4-HNE suppressed both ligand-induced and ligand-independent receptor dimerization. The thiol donors, DTT and NAC, prevented the inhibitory effects of 4-HNE on TLR4 dimerization, and LC–MS/MS analysis showed that 4-HNE formed adducts with cysteine residues of synthetic peptides derived from TLR4. These observations suggest that the reactivity of 4-HNE with sulfhydryl moieties is implicated in the inhibition of TLR4 activation. Furthermore, inhibition of TLR4 activation by 4-HNE resulted in down-regulation of the phagocytic activity of macrophages. Collectively, these results demonstrate that 4-HNE blocks TLR4-mediated macrophage activation, gene expression, and phagocytic functions, at least partly by suppressing receptor dimerization. They further suggest that 4-HNE influences innate immune responses at sites of infection and inflammation by inhibiting TLR4 activation.     

红色诺卡氏菌的生物活性

为了考察红色诺卡氏菌菌体(NC)的生物活性, 通过一定浓度的NC对小鼠灌胃给药, 检测其毒性及对免疫器官、巨噬细胞(MΦ)吞噬功能的影响和对肉瘤S180抑制作用。结果表明小鼠口服NC, LD50>10 g/kg; NC明显增加小鼠胸腺脾脏重量、提升白细胞数量和提高小鼠MΦ的吞噬活性; 对小鼠腹腔MΦ具有明显的激活作用, 激活了的MΦ能增强抑杀白色念珠菌作用, 正常的小鼠MΦ也有一定的杀菌作用, 两者差异显著; 对小鼠S180腹水型转实体瘤具有明显的抑制作用。由此得出的结论是, NC毒性低, 能显著增强机体     

BALB/c突变无毛小鼠特异性免疫功能的研究

目的　BALB c突变无毛小鼠的皮肤和被毛结构的突变是否影响机体的免疫功能 ,为此研究其免疫功能。方法　通过流式细胞仪和ELISA方法。对特异性免疫指标CD4+ 、CD3+ 、CD8+ 、CD19+ 、IgG进行检测。结果　各项指标雌雄之间差异不显著 ,无毛小鼠的各项指标均低于其他表型的指标。各组之间方差分析结果 :CD8+ 差异显著 ,其他指标差异不显著。IgG抗体的吸光度的结果 ,三种表型之间差异不显著。结论　该小鼠的皮肤和被毛突变对免疫功能有一定的影响。     

Interleukin-6 is required for parasite specific response and host resistance to Trypanosoma cruzi.

Infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas' disease, results in elevated levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum and infected tissues. However, it remains unknown whether IL-6 plays a role in host defence against T. cruzi. To determine whether IL-6 underlies disease progression, we followed the time course of T. cruzi-infected mice bearing IL-6 +/+ and minus sign/minus sign genotypes, respectively. We found that IL-6 minus sign/minus sign mice were more susceptible to T. cruzi infection as they exhibited about 3-fold higher parasitaemia and died earlier than wild-type animals. Unlike what might be expected, T. cruzi-infected IL-6 minus sign/minus sign mice did not show at peak infection a decrease in the secretion of IFN-gamma, a Th1 cytokine crucial for controlling the parasite. Instead, they exhibited a much reduced splenocyte recall response to T. cruzi antigens. Our results suggest that IL-6 mediates anti-parasite protective responses against T. cruzi.     

肺炎克雷伯菌表面成分对小鼠细菌感染的保护作用

观察肺炎克雷伯菌 (Klebsiellapneumoniae,Kp)表面成分在小鼠体内对细菌感染的保护作用。经肺炎克雷伯菌培养液经溶菌酶、NP40溶菌后 ,再经去脂、去蛋白和有机溶剂沉淀 ,干燥获取Kp表面成分干粉。用不同剂量的Kp表面成分免疫小鼠 ,分别用大肠埃希菌和金黄色葡萄球菌攻击小鼠 ,记录小鼠死亡情况 ,并测定循环抗体效价。结果 :Kp表面成分低剂量组 (30 μg/g体重 )和高剂量组 (40 μg/g体重 )对大肠埃希菌和金黄色葡萄球菌感染有显著保护作用 ,能降低感染小鼠的死亡率。免疫后小鼠的抗体效价明显高于对照组小鼠 (P <0 0 1 )。应用Kp表面成分的小鼠对细菌感染有一定的保护作用。     

The cytochrome P450 genes of channel catfish: Their involvement in disease defense responses as revealed by meta-analysis of RNA-Seq data sets

Background

Cytochrome P450s (CYPs) encode one of the most diverse enzyme superfamily in nature. They catalyze oxidative reactions of endogenous molecules and exogenous chemicals.

Methods

We identified CYPs genes through in silico analysis using EST, RNA-Seq and genome databases of channel catfish. Phylogenetic analyses and conserved syntenic analyses were conducted to determine their identities and orthologies. Meta-analysis of RNA-Seq databases was conducted to analyze expression profile of CYP genes following bacterial infection.

Results

A full set of 61 CYP genes was identified and characterized in channel catfish. Phylogenetic tree and conserved synteny provided strong evidence of their identities and orthorlogy. Lineage-specific gene duplication was evident in a number of clans in channel catfish. CYP46A1 is missing in the catfish genome as observed with syntenic analysis and RT-PCR analysis. Thirty CYPs were found up- or down-regulated in liver, while seven and eight CYPs were observed regulated in intestine and gill following bacterial infection.

Conclusion

We systematically identified and characterized a full set of 61 CYP genes in channel catfish and studied their expression profiles after bacterial infection. While bacterial challenge altered the expression of large numbers of CYP genes, the mechanisms and significance of these changes are not known.

General significance

This work provides an example to systematically study CYP genes in non-model species. Moreover, it provides a basis for further toxicological and physiological studies in channel catfish.     

Image-based Flow Cytometry Technique to Evaluate Changes in Granulocyte Function In Vitro

Granulocytes play a key role in the body’s innate immune response to bacterial and viral infections. While methods exist to measure granulocyte function, in general these are limited in terms of the information they can provide. For example, most existing assays merely provide a percentage of how many granulocytes are activated following a single, fixed length incubation. Complicating matters, most assays focus on only one aspect of function due to limitations in detection technology. This report demonstrates a technique for simultaneous measurement of granulocyte phagocytosis of bacteria and oxidative burst. By measuring both of these functions at the same time, three unique phenotypes of activated granulocytes were identified: 1) Low Activation (minimal phagocytosis, no oxidative burst), 2) Moderate Activation (moderate phagocytosis, some oxidative burst, but no co-localization of the two functional events), and 3) High Activation (high phagocytosis, high oxidative burst, co-localization of phagocytosis and oxidative burst). A fourth population that consisted of inactivated granulocytes was also identified. Using assay incubations of 10, 20, and 40-min the effect of assay incubation duration on the redistribution of activated granulocyte phenotypes was assessed. A fourth incubation was completed on ice as a control. By using serial time incubations, the assay may be able to able to detect how a treatment spatially affects granulocyte function. All samples were measured using an image-based flow cytometer equipped with a quantitative imaging (QI) option, autosampler, and multiple lasers (488, 642, and 785 nm).     

耻垢分枝杆菌在感染与免疫研究中的应用

耻垢分枝杆菌属革兰阳性腐生菌,具有快速生长,无致病性,与结核分枝杆菌基因高度同源、细胞结构相似等特点,较多应用于分枝杆菌感染及相关免疫学研究,是一种相对理想的实验模型。同时,其在非分枝杆菌感染及其他相关免疫研究中也有拓展性的应用。本文就耻垢分枝杆菌在感染与免疫研究中的应用现状进行综述。