Mutagenesis of D80-82 and G83 residues in West Nile Virus NS2B: Effects on NS2B-NS3 activity and viral replication

Flaviviral NS2B is a required cofactor for NS3 serine protease activity and plays an important role in promoting functional NS2B-NS3 protease configuration and maintaining critical interactions with protease catalysis substrates. The residues D⁸⁰DDG in West Nile virus (WNV) NS2B are important for protease activity. To investigate the effects of D⁸⁰DDG in NS2B on protease activity and viral replication, the negatively charged region D⁸⁰DD and the conserved residue G83 of NS2B were mutated (D⁸⁰DD/E⁸⁰EE, D⁸⁰DD/K⁸⁰KK, D⁸⁰DD/A⁸⁰AA, G83F, G83S, G83D, G83K, and G83A), and NS3 D75A was designated as the negative control. The effects of the mutations on NS2B-NS3 activity, viral translation, and viral RNA replication were analyzed using kinetic analysis of site-directed enzymes and a transient replicon assay. All substitutions resulted in significantly decreased enzyme activity and blocked RNA replication. The negative charge of D⁸⁰DD is not important for maintaining NS2B function, but side chain changes in G83 have dramatic effects on protease activity and RNA replication. These results demonstrate that NS2B is important for viral replication and that D⁸⁰DD and G83 substitutions prevent replication; they will be useful for understanding the relationship between NS2B and NS3.     

Lack of CCR7 induces pulmonary hypertension involving perivascular leukocyte infiltration and inflammation

The chemokine receptor CCR7 regulates lymphocyte trafficking, and CCR7 deficiency induces infiltration of T and B cells adjacent to vessels in mouse lungs. Perivascular infiltration of T and B cells has also been found in human pulmonary arterial hypertension, and downregulation of the CCR7 receptor in circulating leukocytes of such patients has been observed. To investigate whether changes in the CCR7 system contribute to the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension, we utilized mice deficient of the CCR7 receptor. The cardiopulmonary and inflammatory responses of CCR7 depletion were evaluated in CCR7-deficient and wild-type mice. Measurements of cytokines upregulated in the animal model were also performed in patients with pulmonary hypertension and controls and in vascular smooth muscle cells. We found that mice lacking CCR7 had increased right ventricular systolic pressure, reduced pulmonary artery acceleration time, increased right ventricular/tibial length ratio, Rho kinase-mediated pulmonary vasoconstriction, and increased muscularization of distal arteries, indicating pulmonary hypertension. These mice also showed increased perivascular infiltration of leukocytes, consisting mainly of T and B cells, and increased mRNA levels of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-12 and CX3CL1 within pulmonary tissue. Increased serum levels of interleukin-12 and CX3CL1 were also observed in patients with pulmonary hypertension, particularly in those with pulmonary hypertension associated with connective tissue disorder. In smooth muscle cells, interleukin-12 induced secretion of the angiogenic cytokine interleukin-8. We conclude that these results suggest a role for CCR7 in the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension, at least in some subgroups, possibly via pulmonary infiltration of lymphocytes and secretion of interleukin-12 and CX3CL1.     

miR-194-5p negatively regulates the proliferation and differentiation of rabbit skeletal muscle satellite cells

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry - Skeletal muscle satellite cells (SMSCs), also known as a multipotential stem cell population, play a crucial role during muscle growth and regeneration. In...     

利用mtCOI PCR-RFLP技术鉴定中国境内九个烟粉虱隐种

烟粉虱Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius)是一个物种复合体, 包括31个以上形态上无法区分的隐种, 其中少数隐种是世界性入侵害虫。目前, 在中国境内分布有2个入侵隐种和13个土著隐种。快速、 高效的鉴别方法对掌握烟粉虱田间发生规律及制定相关防控策略具有重要意义。然而到目前为止, 除了mtCOI基因测序比对外, 尚未有一种简便的方法可以有效地区分多个烟粉虱隐种。本研究采用mtCOI PCR-RFLP技术, 单独或组合使用TaqI, VspI, Van91I, NcoI和FokI这5种限制性内切酶, 酶切烟粉虱mtCOI的PCR扩增片段, 鉴别分布在中国境内的9个烟粉虱隐种。结果表明, 单独使用TaqI酶切, 可鉴别出MEAM1和China 1两个隐种, 使用TaqI+NcoI分步酶切可鉴定出MED和Asia 1两个隐种, 使用TaqI+Van91I分步酶切可鉴定出Asia II 3和Asia II 9两个隐种, 使用TaqI+VspI+FokI分步酶切可鉴定出Asia II 1, Asia II 6和Asia II 7 3个隐种。本研究为高效鉴别中国境内的多个烟粉虱隐种提供了方法。     

Expression and epigenetic regulation of angiogenesis-related factors during dormancy and recurrent growth of ovarian carcinoma

The initiation of angiogenesis can mark the transition from tumor dormancy to active growth and recurrence. Mechanisms that regulate recurrence in human cancers are poorly understood, in part because of the absence of relevant models. The induction of ARHI (DIRAS3) induces dormancy and autophagy in human ovarian cancer xenografts but produces autophagic cell death in culture. The addition of VEGF to cultures maintains the viability of dormant autophagic cancer cells, thereby permitting active growth when ARHI is downregulated, which mimics the “recurrence” of growth in xenografts. Two inducible ovarian cancer cell lines, SKOv3-ARHI and Hey-ARHI, were used. The expression level of angiogenesis factors was evaluated by real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry and western blot; their epigenetic regulation was measured by bisulfite sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation. Six of the 15 angiogenesis factors were upregulated in dormant cancer cells (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-3, TIMP3; thrombospondin-1, TSP1; angiopoietin-1; angiopoietin-2; angiopoietin-4; E-cadherin, CDH1). We found that TIMP3 and CDH1 expression was regulated epigenetically and was related inversely to the DNA methylation of their promoters in cell cultures and in xenografts. Increased H3K9 acetylation was associated with higher TIMP3 expression in dormant SKOv3-ARHI cells, while decreased H3K27me3 resulted in the upregulation of TIMP3 in dormant Hey-ARHI cells. Elevated CDH1 expression during dormancy was associated with an increase in both H3K4me3 and H3K9Ac in two cell lines. CpG demethylating agents and/or histone deacetylase inhibitors inhibited the re-growth of dormant cancer cells, which was associated with the re-expression of anti-angiogenic genes. The expression of the anti-angiogenic genes TIMP3 and CDH1 is elevated during dormancy and is reduced during the transition to active growth by changes in DNA methylation and histone modification.     

猪PEG1基因多态性及其遗传印记

PEG1基因影响动物胚胎生长及母性行为,多数动物PEG1为父方表达的遗传印记特征,但出生后猪的PEG1印记表达尚不清楚。因此,文章选取长白、大白和蓝塘3个品种共166头纯种猪,在猪的PEG1基因外显子12区域内寻找SNP,采用PCR-SSCP方法对其多态性进行检测和基因频率分析;取带有PEG1基因该位点SNP为杂合的仔猪3头,对其胃、胸腺、胰、脾、肺、肌肉、肝、舌、肾、脑、膀胱、心脏等组织器官和胎盘的mRNA产物分别进行RT-PCR-SSCP分析,结果表明:PEG1基因外显子12存在一个由G突变为A的单核苷酸多态性位点;PEG1的外显子12在3头仔猪的主要组织器官仅表达父亲来源的等位基因,表明猪的PEG1基因呈母方印记、父方表达的遗传特征。     

大球盖菇硒多糖体内抗氧化能力检测

采用液体发酵的方法对大球盖菇菌丝进行富硒培养,提取硒多糖进行抗氧化能力测定.结果表明,大球盖菇硒多糖能明显提高小鼠血中SOD、GSH-Px的含量,能在一定程度上显著降低血中MDA的含量,具有显著的抗氧化功能.