Surface display on lactic acid bacteria without genetic modification: strategies and applications

Microbial cell surface display has attracted greater attention than ever and has numerous potential applications in biotechnology. With the safety and probiotic properties, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been used widely in food and industrial applications. In order to circumvent using genetically modified microorganisms which face low public acceptance and severe regulatory scrutiny, surface-engineered LAB without genetical modification are more preferred. According to the way used to obtain the fusion protein containing the passenger molecule and anchoring domain, the genetic or chemical approaches can be used to construct these surface-engineered LAB. In addition to the viable wide-type LAB, non-living bacterial-like particles (BLP) can be attached by these fusion proteins added from outside. Compared to the living LAB, BLP have a higher binding capacity and less anticarrier response. Mucosal vaccines are the predominant application of these surface-engineered LAB with no genetical modification.     

Association of Polymorphism rs198977 in Human Kallikrein-2 Gene (KLK2) with Susceptibility of Prostate Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

ObjectivesTo assess the association of polymorphism rs198977 in the human kallikrein-2 gene (KLK2) and risk of prostate cancer (PCa).MethodsTwo investigators independently searched the PubMed, Elsevier, EMBASE, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for rs198977 and PCa were calculated in a fixed-effects model (the Mantel-Haenszel method) and a random-effects model (the DerSimonian and Laird method) when appropriate.ResultsSix studies met the inclusion criteria in this meta-analysis, which included 5859 PCa cases and 4867 controls. Overall, rs198977 was associated with the PCa risk (TT+CT vs. CC, pooled OR = 1.163, 95% CI = 1.076–1.258, P-value <0.0001). When stratified by ethnicity, significant association was observed in Caucasian samples under both allele comparison (T vs. C, pooled OR = 1.152, 95% CI = 1.079–1.229, P-value <0.0001) and dominant model (TT+CT vs. CC, pooled OR = 1.197, 95% CI = 1.104–1.297, P-value <0.0001). In the overall analysis, a comparably significant increase in the frequency of allele T for rs198977 was detected between cases and controls in Caucasian.ConclusionThis meta-analysis suggests that rs198977 of KLK2 was associated with susceptibility of PCa in Caucasian and the allele T might increase the risk of PCa in Caucasian.     

Respiratory syncytial virus: from pathogenesis to potential therapeutic strategies

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most important viral pathogens causing respiratory tract infection in infants, the elderly and people with poor immune function, which causes a huge disease burden worldwide every year. It has been more than 60 years since RSV was discovered, and the palivizumab monoclonal antibody, the only approved specific treatment, is limited to use for passive immunoprophylaxis in high-risk infants; no other intervention has been approved to date. However, in the past decade, substantial progress has been made in characterizing the structure and function of RSV components, their interactions with host surface molecules, and the host innate and adaptive immune response to infection. In addition, basic and important findings have also piqued widespread interest among researchers and pharmaceutical companies searching for effective interventions for RSV infection. A large number of promising monoclonal antibodies and inhibitors have been screened, and new vaccine candidates have been designed for clinical evaluation. In this review, we first briefly introduce the structural composition, host cell surface receptors and life cycle of RSV virions. Then, we discuss the latest findings related to the pathogenesis of RSV. We also focus on the latest clinical progress in the prevention and treatment of RSV infection through the development of monoclonal antibodies, vaccines and small-molecule inhibitors. Finally, we look forward to the prospects and challenges of future RSV research and clinical intervention.     

Adsorption performance of creatinine on dialdehyde nanofibrillated cellulose derived from potato residues

Potato residue is vastly produced in the food industry but it is landfilled. This article describes the treatment of purified cellulose derived from potato residues by a high pressure homogenizer to produce nano‐fibrillated cellulose (NFC), which was then oxidized by sodium periodate to prepare dialdehyde nano‐fibrillated cellulose (DANFC). The produced NFC and DANFC were characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The orthogonal experiment was induced to obtain the maximum degree of oxidation (DO) on DANFC. The results indicated that the optimal conditions were 40°C and pH 3. Alternatively, the isotherm and kinetic studies for the adsorption of creatinine on DANFC with different DOs (70.5 and 88.8%) were investigated, and the experimental results fitted well into Freundlich isotherm model and pseudo second‐order kinetic model. The maximum adsorption capacities of DANFCs with the DO of 70.55 and 88.85% were 6.7 and 17.2 mg g^?1, respectively, which were achieved under the conditions of 37°C and initial creatinine concentration of 100 mg L^?1. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:208–214, 2016     

Comparison of Chromosome 4 gene expression profile between lung telocytes and other local cell types

Telocytes (TCs) are new cellular entities of mesenchymal origin described almost ubiquitously in human and mammalian organs ( www.telocytes.com ). Different subtypes of TCs were described, all forming networks in the interstitial space by homo‐ and heterocellular junctions. Previous studies analysed the gene expression profiles of chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 17 and 18 of murine pulmonary TCs. In this study, we analysed by bioinformatics tools the gene expression profiles of chromosome 4 for murine pulmonary TCs and compared it with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), fibroblasts (Fbs), alveolar type II cells (ATII), airway basal cells, proximal airway cells, CD8(+) T cells from bronchial lymph nodes (T‐BL) and CD8(+) T cells from lungs (T‐L). Key functional genes were identified with the aid of the reference library of the National Center for Biotechnology Information Gene Expression Omnibus database. Seventeen genes were up‐regulated and 56 genes were down‐regulated in chromosome 4 of TCs compared with other cells. Four genes (Akap2, Gpr153, Sdc3 and Tbc1d2) were up‐regulated between one and fourfold and one gene, Svep1, was overexpressed over fourfold. The main functional networks were identified and analysed, pointing out to a TCs involvement in cellular signalling, regulation of tissue inflammation and cell expansion and movement.     

白蜡虫体内杀雄菌属(Arsenophonus)共生菌的分子检测

[目的]研究白蜡虫体内杀雄菌属(Arsenophonus)共生菌的含量与白蜡虫性比之间的关系.[方法]采用16S rDNA文库的方法对白蜡虫雄虫体内的共生菌进行分析,利用杀雄菌属特异的2条16S rDNA引物以及23S rDNA引物进行PCR检测.对昭通、昆明、金口河、杭州、长春、江华6个不同地理种群白蜡虫体内的杀雄菌属共生菌进行半定量分析,并采用荧光定量PCR对昭通、昆明、金口河白蜡虫体内的杀雄菌属共生菌进行绝对定量分析.[结果]在白蜡虫体内首次发现杀雄菌属共生菌.在白蜡虫雌雄虫体内均扩增出杀雄菌属的两条不同长度的16S rDNA序列,分别为445bp和1462bp,并扩增得到长度为582bp的23S rDNA序列.杭州和江华地理种群白蜡虫的一些个体不含杀雄菌属共生菌.昭通地理群的杀雄菌属共生菌含量显著高于金口河和昆明,而昆明和金口河白蜡虫的杀雄菌属含量无显著差异.[结论]白蜡虫体内杀雄菌属共生菌的含量与白蜡虫性比无关.     

人参皂苷Rb1对油酸诱导HepG2细胞脂肪堆积的影响作用

通过建立体外肝细胞脂肪堆积模型评价人参皂苷Rb1清除肝细胞脂肪堆积的能力.方法:1 mmol· L-1油酸诱导建立HepG2细胞脂肪堆积模型,从噻唑兰染色吸光度(MTT值)、甘油三酯(TG值)、细胞内脂滴形态3方面评价人参皂苷Rb1的作用.结果:人参皂苷Rb1可明显减轻细胞内脂质堆积现象,显著降低细胞中TG含量,其中100 μg·mL-1人参皂苷Rb1对TG的清除率达37.9％.结论:人参皂苷Rb1具有良好的体外降脂活性,对脂肪肝有较好的预防效果.