Signal Regulatory Protein α (SIRPα)+ Cells in the Adaptive Response to ESAT-6/CFP-10 Protein of Tuberculous Mycobacteria

Background

Early secretory antigenic target-6 (ESAT-6) and culture filtrate protein-10 (CFP-10) are co-secreted proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex mycobacteria (includes M. bovis, the zoonotic agent of bovine tuberculosis) involved in phagolysosome escape of the bacillus and, potentially, in the efficient induction of granulomas. Upon tuberculosis infection, multi-nucleate giant cells are elicited, likely as a response aimed at containing mycobacteria. In tissue culture models, signal regulatory protein (SIRP)α (also referred to as macrophage fusion receptor or CD172a) is essential for multi-nucleate giant cell formation.

Methodology/Principal Findings

In the present study, ESAT-6/CFP-10 complex and SIRPα interactions were evaluated with samples obtained from calves experimentally infected with M. bovis. Peripheral blood CD172a⁺ (SIRPα-expressing) cells from M. bovis-infected calves proliferated upon in vitro stimulation with ESAT-6/CFP-10 (either as a fusion protein or a peptide cocktail), but not with cells from animals receiving M. bovis strains lacking ESAT-6/CFP-10 (i.e, M. bovis BCG or M. bovis ΔRD1). Sorted CD172a⁺ cells from these cultures had a dendritic cell/macrophage morphology, bound fluorescently-tagged rESAT-6:CFP-10, bound and phagocytosed live M. bovis BCG, and co-expressed CD11c, DEC-205, CD44, MHC II, CD80/86 (a subset also co-expressed CD11b or CD8α). Intradermal administration of rESAT-6:CFP-10 into tuberculous calves elicited a delayed type hypersensitive response consisting of CD11c⁺, CD172a⁺, and CD3⁺ cells, including CD172a-expressing multi-nucleated giant cells.

Conclusions/Significance

These findings demonstrate the ability of ESAT-6/CFP-10 to specifically expand CD172a⁺ cells, bind to CD172a⁺ cells, and induce multi-nucleated giant cells expressing CD172a.     

Disruption of intestinal CD4+ T cell homeostasis is a key marker of systemic CD4+ T cell activation in HIV-infected individuals

HIV infection is associated with depletion of intestinal CD4(+) T cells, resulting in mucosal immune dysfunction, microbial translocation, chronic immune activation, and progressive immunodeficiency. In this study, we examined HIV-infected individuals with active virus replication (n = 15), treated with antiretroviral therapy (n = 13), and healthy controls (n = 11) and conducted a comparative analysis of T cells derived from blood and four gastrointestinal (GI) sites (terminal ileum, right colon, left colon, and sigmoid colon). As expected, we found that HIV infection is associated with depletion of total CD4(+) T cells as well as CD4(+)CCR5(+) T cells in all GI sites, with higher levels of these cells found in ART-treated individuals than in those with active virus replication. While the levels of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell proliferation were higher in the blood of untreated HIV-infected individuals, only CD4(+) T cell proliferation was significantly increased in the gut of the same patients. We also noted that the levels of CD4(+) T cells and the percentages of CD4(+)Ki67(+) proliferating T cells are inversely correlated in both blood and intestinal tissues, thus suggesting that CD4(+) T cell homeostasis is similarly affected by HIV infection in these distinct anatomic compartments. Importantly, the level of intestinal CD4(+) T cells (both total and Th17 cells) was inversely correlated with the percentage of circulating CD4(+)Ki67(+) T cells. Collectively, these data confirm that the GI tract is a key player in the immunopathogenesis of HIV infection, and they reveal a strong association between the destruction of intestinal CD4(+) T cell homeostasis in the gut and the level of systemic CD4(+) T cell activation.     

Functional annotation signatures of disease susceptibility loci improve SNP association analysis

Background

Genetic association studies are conducted to discover genetic loci that contribute to an inherited trait, identify the variants behind these associations and ascertain their functional role in determining the phenotype. To date, functional annotations of the genetic variants have rarely played more than an indirect role in assessing evidence for association. Here, we demonstrate how these data can be systematically integrated into an association study’s analysis plan.

Results

We developed a Bayesian statistical model for the prior probability of phenotype–genotype association that incorporates data from past association studies and publicly available functional annotation data regarding the susceptibility variants under study. The model takes the form of a binary regression of association status on a set of annotation variables whose coefficients were estimated through an analysis of associated SNPs in the GWAS Catalog (GC). The functional predictors examined included measures that have been demonstrated to correlate with the association status of SNPs in the GC and some whose utility in this regard is speculative: summaries of the UCSC Human Genome Browser ENCODE super–track data, dbSNP function class, sequence conservation summaries, proximity to genomic variants in the Database of Genomic Variants and known regulatory elements in the Open Regulatory Annotation database, PolyPhen–2 probabilities and RegulomeDB categories. Because we expected that only a fraction of the annotations would contribute to predicting association, we employed a penalized likelihood method to reduce the impact of non–informative predictors and evaluated the model’s ability to predict GC SNPs not used to construct the model. We show that the functional data alone are predictive of a SNP’s presence in the GC. Further, using data from a genome–wide study of ovarian cancer, we demonstrate that their use as prior data when testing for association is practical at the genome–wide scale and improves power to detect associations.

Conclusions

We show how diverse functional annotations can be efficiently combined to create ‘functional signatures’ that predict the a priori odds of a variant’s association to a trait and how these signatures can be integrated into a standard genome–wide–scale association analysis, resulting in improved power to detect truly associated variants.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2164-15-398) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Tomato is a highly effective vehicle for expression and oral immunization with Norwalk virus capsid protein

Norwalk virus (NV) is an important agent of epidemic gastroenteritis, and an oral subunit vaccine shows potential for protection. Recombinant Norwalk virus (rNV) capsid protein expressed in plants assembles virus-like particles (VLPs) that are orally immunogenic in mice and humans. In this article we examine rNV expression in tomato and potato using a plant-optimized gene, and test the immunogenicity of dried tomato fruit and potato tuber fed to mice. The synthetic gene increased rNV expression fourfold in tomato and potato plants, which assembled VLP. Four doses of 0.4 g freeze-dried tomato fruit containing 64 µg rNV (40 µg VLPs) induced NV-specific serum IgG and mucosal IgA in ≥ 80% of mice, while doses of 0.8 g elicited systemic and mucosal antibody responses in all mice. Feedings of 1 g freeze-dried potato tuber containing 120 µg rNV (90 µg VLPs) were required to produce 100% responsiveness. Oxidation of phenolic compounds upon rehydration of dried tuber caused significant VLP instability, thus decreasing immunogenicity. Air-dried tomato fruit stimulated stronger immune responses than freeze-dried fruit of the same mass, perhaps by limiting the destruction of plant cell matrix and membrane systems that occurs with freeze-drying. Thus, rNV in dried transgenic tomato fruit was a more potent immunogen than that in dried potato tubers, based on the total VLPs ingested. These findings support the use of stabilized, dried tomato fruit for oral delivery of subunit vaccines.     

MAGE-A1,A2,A3,A4在膀胱移行细胞癌组织及细胞株中基因表达的研究

目的研究膀胱移行细胞癌(TCC)中黑色素瘤抗原(MAGE)基因表达。方法逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)技术检测20例膀胱TCC患者癌组织和3株膀胱TCC细胞株T24、EJ、BIU87中MAGE-A1、A2、A3、A4基因mRNA表达。结果20例膀胱TCC癌组织中19例(95%)至少表达一种MAGE-A基因,12例MAGE-A1阳性(60%),16例MAGE-A2阳性(80%),11例MAGE-A3阳性(55%),18例MAGE-A4阳性(90%),MAGE-A1-4均阳性8例(40%)。膀胱TCC细胞株T24中MAGE-A1-4基因均表达,EJ中MAGE-A3、A4基因表达,BIU87中MAGE-A2、A3、A4基因表达。结论MAGE基因在膀胱TCC中有较高表达,可望成为膀胱TCC免疫治疗的靶基因。     

蜂毒肽抑杀病原菌的超微结构观察

本研究比较了蜂毒肽对4种不同病原菌生长的影响及其抑杀菌作用的差异,并利用电子显微镜观察了蜂毒肽抑杀菌过程中超微结构的变化.结果表明,蜂毒肽对白菜软腐病菌的杀菌作用最强,而且速效;对酵母菌和番茄叶霉病菌孢子同样具有很强的杀灭作用,但作用时间延长;对金黄葡萄球菌为低浓度抑菌,高浓度杀菌作用.实验中观察到,蜂毒肽在抑杀菌过程中超微结构的变化有3种方式致死细胞：一是膜孔洞式,即蜂毒肽作用后在细胞膜区形成小空泡,随之由内向外扩展穿透细胞壁形成孔洞,引起菌体内容物泄漏死亡,显示了膜孔洞的形成过程;二是质壁分离式,小空泡以横向扩展使细胞产生类似质壁分离样空腔,最后细胞裂解死亡;三是细胞质空腔式,蜂毒肽进入细胞后与细胞质中的类膜系统的膜结合引起解体,细胞质固缩,出现空腔,细胞死亡.值得注意的是蜂毒肽抑杀菌作用的强弱及速效性与其不同杀菌方式相关.综上结果,蜂毒肽各种抑杀菌方式的共同点是蜂毒肽与膜磷脂分子结合相互作用所致.     

The rotavirus nonstructural glycoprotein NSP4 mobilizes Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum.

We previously reported that expression of rotavirus nonstructural glycoprotein NSP4 is responsible for an increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cells (P. Tian, Y. Hu, W. P. Schilling, D. A. Lindsay, J. Eiden, and M. K. Estes, J. Virol. 68:251-257, 1994). The purpose of the present study was to determine the mechanism by which NSP4 causes an increase in [Ca2+]i by measuring the permeability of the cytoplasmic and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes in recombinant-baculovirus-infected Sf9 cells. No obvious change in plasmalemma permeability to divalent cations was observed in cells expressing NSP4 compared with that in cells expressing another rotaviral glycoprotein (VP7) when the influx of Ba2+, a Ca2+ surrogate, was monitored. The basal Ca2+ permeability of the internal Ca2+ store was evaluated by measuring the release of Ca2+ induced by ionomycin, a Ca2+ ionophore, or thapsigargin, an inhibitor of the ER Ca(2+)-ATPase pump, following suspension of the cells in Ca(2+)-free extracellular buffer. Releasable Ca2+ decreased with time to a greater extent in cells expressing NSP4 compared with that in cells expressing VP7, suggesting that NSP4 increases the basal Ca2+ permeability of the ER membrane. To determine the possible mechanism by which NSP4 increases ER permeability, purified NSP4 protein or a 22-amino-acid synthetic peptide consisting of residues 114 to 135 (NSP4(114-135) was added exogenously to noninfected Sf9 cells during measurement of [Ca2+]i. Both NSP4 and the NSP4(114-135 peptide produced a time-dependent increase in [Ca2+]i that was attenuated by prior inhibition of phospholipase C with U-73122. Pretreatment of the cells with thapsigargin completely blocked the increase in [Ca2+]i produced by NSP4(114-135, but the peptide only partially reduced the change in [Ca2+]i produced by thapsigargin. No changes in [Ca2+]i were seen in cells treated with control peptides. These results suggest that (i) exogenous NSP4 increases [Ca2+]i through the activation of phospholipase C, (ii) Ca2+ release by exogenous NSP4 is from a store that is a subset of the thapsigargin-sensitive compartment, and (iii) amino acid residues 114 to 135 of NSP4 are sufficient for this activity. In contrast to exogenous NSP4, the mechanism by which endogenously expressed NSP4 increases [Ca2+]1 appears to be unrelated to phospholipase C, since no effect of U-73122 was seen on the elevated [Ca2+]1 in cells expressing NSP4 and exogenously applied NSP4(114-135) caused a further increase in [Ca2+]1 in cells expressing NSP4 protein.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

蓖麻籽提取液对福寿螺毒杀效果及作用机制

采用生物浸泡法,以草本植物蓖麻籽提取液制备植物源毒杀剂,研究不同提取液浓度(0、0.5、1.5、3.0、4.5、6.0 g/L)对福寿螺毒(Pomacea canaliculata Lam)杀作用效果,并通过福寿螺在亚致死浓度1.58(LC25)、3.82(LC50)和6.05 g/L(LC75)处理条件下的肝脏组织生...     

干旱胁迫对茉莉3个品种叶片光合特性和超微结构的影响

以茉莉3品种为试材,分析干旱胁迫对光合作用相关生理指标和叶肉细胞超微结构的影响。结果表明,在轻度干旱胁迫下, 单瓣茉莉和多瓣茉莉净光合速率（Pn）、蒸腾速率（Tr）、气孔导度（Gs）和胞间 CO2浓度（Ci）呈下降趋势,但叶肉细胞超微结构仅受轻微影响。在中度干旱胁迫下,多瓣茉莉Pn、Tr、Gs持续降低,而Ci 随干旱胁迫的增加反而上升,单瓣茉莉Pn、Tr、Gs和Ci继续呈下降趋势,两品种叶绿体超微结构发生明显变化并出现伤害症状。在重度干旱胁迫下,Pn、Tr、Gs降幅明显,与对照组相比达极显著差异(P<0.01),Ci 持续上升,叶绿体超微结构发生巨大变化,特别是叶绿体发生严重损伤。双瓣茉莉Pn、Tr、Gs、Ci随干旱胁迫的加重也呈现逐渐下降的趋势,但降幅较小,叶肉细胞超微结构无明显变化。因此,与单瓣茉莉和多瓣茉莉相比较,双瓣茉莉对干旱胁迫的耐受力较强。     

Follicular dendritic cell-mediated up-regulation of CXCR4 expression on CD4 T cells and HIV pathogenesis

Follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) represent a major reservoir of HIV, and active infection occurs surrounding these cells, suggesting that this microenvironment is highly conducive to virus transmission. Because CD4 T cells around FDCs in germinal centers express the HIV coreceptor, CXCR4, whereas CD4 lymphocytes in many other sites do not, it prompted the hypothesis that FDCs may increase CXCR4 expression on CD4 T cells, thereby facilitating infection. To test this, HIV receptor/coreceptor expression was determined on CD4 T cells cultured with or without FDCs, and its consequence to infection was assessed by measuring virus binding and entry. FDCs had little effect on CCR5 or CD4 expression but increased CXCR4 expression on CD4 T cells. FDC-mediated up-regulation of CXCR4 on CD4 T cells occurred by 24 h and was sustained for at least 96 h in vitro, and FDC-CD4 T cell contact was necessary. Importantly, increased CXCR4 expression directly correlated with increased binding and entry of HIV-1 X4 isolates. Furthermore, CD4(+)CD57(+) germinal center T cells expressed high levels of CXCR4 and supported enhanced entry of X4 HIV compared with other CD4 T cells from the same tissue. Thus, in addition to serving as a reservoir of infectious virus, FDCs render surrounding germinal center T cells highly susceptible to infection with X4 isolates of HIV-1.