Synthetic peptide vaccines provide the advantages of safety, stability and low cost. The success of this approach is highly dependent on efficient epitope identification and synthetic strategies for efficacious delivery. In malaria, the Merozoite Surface Protein-9 of Plasmodium vivax (PvMSP9) has been considered a vaccine candidate based on the evidence that specific antibodies were able to inhibit merozoite invasion and recombinant proteins were highly immunogenic in mice and humans. However the identities of linear B-cell epitopes within PvMSP9 as targets of functional antibodies remain undefined. We used several publicly-available algorithms for in silico analyses and prediction of relevant B cell epitopes within PMSP9. We show that the tandem repeat sequence EAAPENAEPVHENA (PvMSP9E795-A808) present at the C-terminal region is a promising target for antibodies, given its high combined score to be a linear epitope and located in a putative intrinsically unstructured region of the native protein. To confirm the predictive value of the computational approach, plasma samples from 545 naturally exposed individuals were screened for IgG reactivity against the recombinant PvMSP9-RIRII729-972 and a synthetic peptide representing the predicted B cell epitope PvMSP9E795-A808. 316 individuals (58%) were responders to the full repetitive region PvMSP9-RIRII, of which 177 (56%) also presented total IgG reactivity against the synthetic peptide, confirming it validity as a B cell epitope. The reactivity indexes of anti-PvMSP9-RIRII and anti-PvMSP9E795-A808 antibodies were correlated. Interestingly, a potential role in the acquisition of protective immunity was associated with the linear epitope, since the IgG1 subclass against PvMSP9E795-A808 was the prevalent subclass and this directly correlated with time elapsed since the last malaria episode; however this was not observed in the antibody responses against the full PvMSP9-RIRII. In conclusion, our findings identified and experimentally confirmed the potential of PvMSP9E795-A808 as an immunogenic linear B cell epitope within the P. vivax malaria vaccine candidate PvMSP9 and support its inclusion in future subunit vaccines. 相似文献
Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (EBCR) is part of the management of patients who have suffered an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Patients with a reduced ejection fraction (EF) comprise a higher-risk subgroup and are referred less often for these programmes. This study aimed at assessing the impact of the baseline EF on the functional benefits, as assessed by peak oxygen uptake (pVO2) and exercise duration, of an EBCR programme in AMI survivors.
Methods
Observational, retrospective cohort study including all patients admitted to a tertiary centre due to an AMI who completed a phase II EBCR programme after discharge, between November 2012 and April 2017. Functional parameters were assessed by a symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise test.
Results
A total of 379 patients were included [40.9% with reduced EF (<50%) at discharge]. After the programme, pVO2 and exercise duration increased significantly (p < 0.001). Patients with a reduced EF had a lower pVO2 and completed a shorter duration of exercise at the beginning and end of the programme. This group presented a higher increase in pVO2 (p = 0.001) and exercise duration (p = 0.007). This was maintained after adjusting for age, gender, history of coronary artery disease, number of sessions, Killip classification, arterial hypertension, dyslipidaemia, diabetes mellitus, smoking status and baseline pVO2.
Conclusion
A phase II EBCR programme was associated with significant improvements in pVO2 and exercise duration among AMI survivors, irrespective of baseline EF classification. Those with a reduced baseline EF derived an even greater improvement, highlighting the importance of EBCR in this subgroup of patients.
Kluyveromyces marxianus CCT 7735 has been used to produce ethanol, aromatic compounds, enzymes and heterologous proteins besides assimilates lactose as carbon source. Its genome has 10.7 Mb and encodes 4787 genes distributed in 8 nuclear chromosomes and one mitochondrial. Contrary to Kluyveromyces lactis, which has a unique LAC12 gene (encodes lactose permease), K. marxianus possesses four. The presence of degenerated copies and Solo-LTRs related to retrotransposon TKM close to the LAC12 genes in K. marxianus indicates ectopic recombinations. The Lac12 permeases of K. marxianus and K. lactis are conserved, however the conservation is higher between the copy of the left side of the chromosome three and the unique copy of K. lactis, indicating that this copy is the ancestor. The expression of the four LAC12 genes occurred in aerobiosis and hypoxia. Notably, the high lactose consumption in hypoxia seems to be related to the high expression of the LAC12 genes. 相似文献
Objective Dental granulomas (DGs) and radicular cysts (RCs) are chronic periapical lesions frequently involving the jaws. Langerhans
cells (LCs) are dendritic cells responsible for the presentation of antigens to T lymphocytes. This study examined the expression
of LCs in DG and RCs by immunohistochemical staining.
Study Design Eighteen cases of DGs and 26 cases of RCs were analyzed using anti-CD1a marker.
Results CD1a-labeled LCs were observed in 11.1% of DGs and in 69.2% of RCs, showing a significant correlation (P < 0.0001; Fisher’s test). In DGs, LCs were only observed in granulation tissue, showing discrete immunostaining density.
In RCs, LCs exhibited both a round and a dendritic shape in all epithelial layers. Although a correlation was observed between
immunostaining density and epithelial thickness, as well as between immunostaining and inflammatory intensity, the differences
were not significant in radicular cysts.
Conclusion Langerhans cells provide important insight into the immunopathogenesis of chronic periapical lesions. 相似文献
The genetic analysis of Brachyplatystoma platynemum individuals sampled from the lower Madeira River reinforces the existence of two structured populations in the Amazon Basin (Madeira and Amazon populations). However, the recapture of an individual from the Amazon population in the Solimões River, which was telemetry-tagged in the Madeira River after the damming, indicates that fish from the Amazon population move between the two river systems. This has not yet been observed, however, in the Madeira River population, which is currently divided and isolated in the lower and upper Madeira River by the construction of two dams. 相似文献
The owlet moths (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Anicla infecta (Ochsenheimer 1816), Elaphria agrotina (Guenée 1852) and Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith 1797) occur in the entire American continent. These polyphagous moths have a preference for grasses, and have different biological habits. In this study, the populations of these three species were evaluated monthly with light traps in the Brazilian Savannah, ranging a span of four crop seasons (from July, 2013 to June, 2017). The population data were analyzed and correlated with the meteorological variables: maximum temperature, minimum temperature, relative humidity and precipitation. A total of 4719 individuals were collected in the following percentages: A. infecta (n = 459; 9.73%), E. agrotina (n = 1809; 38.33%) and S. frugiperda (n = 2451; (51.94%). The abundance of all species went down from the first crop season (2013/2014) to the third (2015/2016). In the fourth crop season (2016/2017), the populations of A. infecta and E. agrotina stabilized, but the abundance of S. frugiperda experienced further decrease. The numbers of individuals of three species declined when precipitation was much above (crop season 2014/2015) and below (crop season 2015/2016) than expected by the climatological normal. There were significant, but different degrees of correlation, between the meteorological factors and the ONI index (Oceanic Niño Index - indicator for monitoring El Niño-Southern Oscillation or “ENSO”) with respect to monthly population variations. The results are discussed in accordance with principles of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in mind, given the continental distribution and agricultural importance of the three owlet moth species studied. 相似文献
Auxin modulates a range of plant developmental processes including embryogenesis, organogenesis, and shoot and root development. Recent studies have shown that plant hormones also strongly influence metabolic networks, which results in altered growth phenotypes. Modulating auxin signalling pathways may therefore provide an opportunity to alter crop performance. Here, we performed a detailed physiological and metabolic characterization of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) mutants with either increased (entire) or reduced (diageotropica—dgt) auxin signalling to investigate the consequences of altered auxin signalling on photosynthesis, water use, and primary metabolism. We show that reduced auxin sensitivity in dgt led to anatomical and physiological modifications, including altered stomatal distribution along the leaf blade and reduced stomatal conductance, resulting in clear reductions in both photosynthesis and water loss in detached leaves. By contrast, plants with higher auxin sensitivity (entire) increased the photosynthetic capacity, as deduced by higher Vcmax and Jmax coupled with reduced stomatal limitation. Remarkably, our results demonstrate that auxin‐sensitive mutants (dgt) are characterized by impairments in the usage of starch that led to lower growth, most likely associated with decreased respiration. Collectively, our findings suggest that mutations in different components of the auxin signalling pathway specifically modulate photosynthetic and respiratory processes. 相似文献