CpG联合铝佐剂对HCV免疫原体液免疫作用的影响

目的:探讨胞苷酸鸟苷寡脱氧核苷酸(CpG ODN)联合铝佐剂对丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)重组免疫原的体液免疫作用。方法:采用高交叉HCV-HVR1和E1重组蛋白与CpG ODN、铝佐剂组合,免疫BALB/c小鼠后以ELISA、酶联免疫斑点测定、流式细胞术、免疫沉淀等方法检测相关体液免疫指标和免疫血清多抗的交叉反应性。结果:CpG联合铝佐剂激发了最高的特异性抗体滴度;佐剂通过提高抗体分泌细胞数量、增加脾脏中记忆B细胞数量、增加脾淋巴细胞IL-6、IL-10分泌浓度实现体液免疫增效;CpG则能提高免疫效率,联合铝佐剂时显著提高浆细胞数量;12份HCV阳性血清中有10份可与多抗HVR1 IgG发生免疫沉淀。结论:CpG和铝佐剂联合应用具有协同作用,多抗HVR1 IgG具有较好的交叉反应性。     

Neotropical Monogenoidea 64. Cosmetocleithrum falsunilatum sp. n. (Monogenoidea,Dactylogyridae) parasite of the gills of Megalodoras uranoscopus (Siluriformes,Doradidae) from the Solimões river,near Iquitos,Peru

Systematic Parasitology - Megalodoras uranoscopus (Eigenmann & Eigenmann) (Siluriformes, Doradidae) (the giant-talking catfish or the giant-raphael catfish), from the...     

HLA-DRB1 shared epitope genotyping using the revised classification and its association with circulating autoantibodies,acute phase reactants,cytokines and clinical indices of disease activity in a cohort of South African rheumatoid arthritis patients

Introduction  

The revised shared epitope (SE) concept in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is based on the presence (S) or absence (X) of the SE RAA amino acid motif at positions 72 to 74 of the third hypervariable region of the various human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 alleles. The purpose of this study was to investigate SE subtypes on the basis of the American College of Rheumatology 1987 revised criteria for the classification of RA in a cohort of South African RA patients (n = 143) and their association with clinical and circulating biomarkers of disease activity (autoantibodies, acute phase reactants and cytokines).     

Neotropical Monogenoidea. 54. Proposal of Aetheolabes n. g. (Dactylogyrinea: Diplectanidae), with the description of A. goeldiensis n. sp. from the gills of ‘pescada’ Plagioscion sp. (Teleostei: Sciaenidae) in Brazil

Aetheolabes goeldiensis n. g., n. sp. (Diplectanidae) is described from the gills of ‘pescada’ Plagioscion sp. (Sciaenidae) collected from the Baía de Marajó, about 30 km north of Belém, Pará, Brazil. The monotypic Aetheolabes n. g. is characterised, in part, by its type-species having the haptor and haptoral sclerites modified as a clasp for attachment to the gill tissue of its host, the copulatory complex situated far posterior to the intestinal bifurcation near the mid-length of the trunk, the vaginal pore apparently within the genital atrium, the tegument lacking scales, anchors atypical for diplectanids, and by lacking peduncular spines and squamodiscs. A. goeldiensis n. sp. closely resembles Diplectanum umbrinum Tripathi, 1957 from India and China by the haptoral sclerites forming a clasp, but differs from it primarily by the orientation of the reproductive organs and absence of squamodiscs.     

Modelling the lethargic crab disease

The lethargic crab disease (LCD) is an emergent infirmity that has decimated native populations of the mangrove land crab (Ucides cordatus, Decapoda: Ocypodidae) along the Brazilian coast. Several potential etiological agents have been linked with LCD, but only in 2005 was it proved that it is caused by an ascomycete fungus. This is the first attempt to develop a mathematical model to describe the epidemiological dynamics of LCD. The model presents four possible scenarios, namely, the trivial equilibrium, the disease-free equilibrium, endemic equilibrium, and limit cycles arising from a Hopf bifurcation. The threshold values depend on the basic reproductive number of crabs and fungi, and on the infection rate. These scenarios depend on both the biological assumptions and the temporal evolution of the disease. Numerical simulations corroborate the analytical results and illustrate the different temporal dynamics of the crab and fungus populations.     

Prehendorastrus n. g. (Poecilostomatoida,Ergasilidae) with descriptions of two new species from the gill rakers of Hypophthalmus spp. (Teleostei,Siluriformes) from the Brazilian Amazon

Prehendorastrus n.g. (Poecilostomatoida, Ergasilidae) is proposed for two new species (P. bidentatus and P. monodontus) collected from the gill rakers of the catfishes Hypophthalmus edentatus Spix, 1829 and H. fimbriatus Kner, 1857, from the Furo do Catalão, near Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. Species of the new genus are principally characterised by having antennae modified to individually grasp the gill rakers and latch, and second antennal segment with one or two prominent teeth. Prehendorastrus spp. are the first species of the Ergasilidae reported from the gill rakers of fish.     

Substructural specificity and polyvalent carbohydrate recognition by the Entamoeba histolytica and rat hepatic N- acetylgalactosamine/galactose lectins

Both the Entamoeba histolytica lectin, a virulence factor for the causative agent of amebiasis, and the mammalian hepatic lectin bind to N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) and galactose (Gal) nonreducing termini on oligosaccharides, with preference for GalNAc. Polyvalent GalNAc- derivatized neoglycoproteins have >1000-fold enhanced binding affinity for both lectins (Adler,P., Wood,S.J., Lee,Y.C., Lee,R.T., Petri,W.A.,Jr. and Schnaar,R.L.,1995, J. Biol. Chem ., 270, 5164-5171). Substructural specificity studies revealed that the 3-OH and 4-OH groups of GalNAc were required for binding to both lectins, whereas only the E.histolytica lectin required the 6-OH group. Whereas GalNAc binds with 4-fold lower affinity to the E.histolytica lectin than to the mammalian hepatic lectin, galactosamine and N-benzoyl galactosamine bind with higher affinity to the E. histolytica lectin. Therefore, a synthetic scheme for converting polyamine carriers to poly-N-acyl galactosamine derivatives (linked through the galactosamine primary amino group) was developed to test whether such ligands would bind the E.histolytica lectin with high specificity and high affinity. Contrary to expectations, polyvalent derivatives including GalN6lys5, GalN4desmosine, GalN4StarburstTMdendrimer, and GalN8StarburstTMdendrimer demonstrated highly enhanced binding to the mammalian hepatic lectin but little or no enhancement of binding to the E.histolytica lectin. We propose that the mammalian hepatic lectin binds with greatest affinity to GalNAc "miniclusters," which mimic branched termini of N-linked oligosaccharides, whereas the E.histolytica lectin binds most effectively to "maxiclusters," which may mimic more widely spaced GalNAc residues on intestinal mucins.      

Aryldiones incorporating a [1,4,5]oxadiazepane ring. Part I: Discovery of the novel cereal herbicide pinoxaden

Derivatives of the new class of 3-hydroxy-4-phenyl-5-oxo-pyrazolines were optimized towards both herbicidal activity on key annual grass weed species and selectivity in small grain cereal crops. The generic structure can be separated into three parts for the analysis of the structure–activity relationships, namely the aryl, the dione with its prodrug forms and the hydrazine moiety. Each area appears to play distinct and different roles in overall expression of biological performance which is further beneficially influenced by adjuvant response and safener action. Pinoxaden 6, a novel graminicide for use in wheat and barley incorporating a [1,4,5]oxadiazepane ring, eventually emerged as a development candidate from the discovery and optimization process.     

Comparative anatomy of the vegetative organs in Pleiochiton A. Gray (Melastomataceae), with emphasis on adaptations to epiphytism

We present a comparative analysis on the anatomy of roots, shoots, and leaves of three epiphytic Pleiochiton species and a species of the closely related Clidemia. The four species share similar anatomical characters, suggesting adaptations toward water storage in all the structures and, consequently, to the water-limited epiphytic habitat. All four species present succulent roots with up to 75% of its volume with cells that store water. The leaves have about 50% of the volume formed by a hypodermis that also stores water. They are very similar to leaves of epiphytic Peperomia and Gesneriaceae, suggesting evolutionary convergence. Leaf cells in all species have large vacuoles and compact mesophyll, with little intercellular spaces; all these traits are usually related to CAM photosynthesis. The anatomical features found in all four species agree with previous phylogenetic analyses that show Clidemia blepharodes, Pleiochiton ebracteatum and Pleiochiton micranthum as members of a same clade.