Immunogenic and Invasive Properties of Brucella melitensis 16M Outer Membrane Protein Vaccine Candidates Identified via a Reverse Vaccinology Approach

Brucella is the etiologic agent of brucellosis, one of the most common and widely distributed zoonotic diseases. Its highly infectious nature, the insidious, systemic, chronic, debilitating aspects of the disease and the lack of an approved vaccine for human use in the United States are features that make Brucella a viable threat to public health. One of the main impediments to vaccine development is identification of suitable antigens. In order to identify antigens that could potentially be used in a vaccine formulation, we describe a multi-step antigen selection approach. We initially used an algorithm (Vaxign) to predict ORF encoding outer membrane proteins with antigenic determinants. Differential gene expression during acute infection and published evidence for a role in virulence were used as criteria for down-selection of the candidate antigens that resulted from in silico prediction. This approach resulted in the identification of nine Brucella melitensis outer membrane proteins, 5 of which were recombinantly expressed and used for validation. Omp22 and Hia had the highest in silico scores for adhesin probability and also conferred invasive capacity to E. coli overexpressing recombinant proteins. With the exception of FlgK in the goat, all proteins reacted to pooled sera from exposed goats, mice, and humans. BtuB, Hia and FlgK stimulated a mixed Th1–Th2 response in splenocytes from immunized mice while BtuB and Hia elicited NO release from splenocytes of S19 immunized mice. The results support the applicability of the current approach to the identification of antigens with immunogenic and invasive properties. Studies to assess immunogenicity and protective efficacy of individual proteins in the mouse are currently underway.     

Enhancing Specific-Antibody Production to the ragB Vaccine with GITRL That Expand Tfh,IFN-γ+ T Cells and Attenuates Porphyromonas gingivalis Infection in Mice

The outer membrane protein RagB is one of the major virulence factors of the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis). In order to induce protective immune response against P. gingivalis infection, an mGITRL gene-linked ragB DNA vaccine (pIRES-ragB-mGITRL ) was constructed. Six-week-old female BALB/c mice were immunized with pIRES-ragB-mGITRL through intramuscular injection and then challenged by subcutaneous injection in the abdomen with P. gingivalis. RagB-specific antibody-forming cells were evaluated by an Enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot, and specific antibody was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In addition, the frequencies of Tfh and IFN-γ⁺ T cells in spleen were measured using flow cytometer, and the levels of IL-21 and IFN-γ mRNA or proteins were detected by real time RT-PCR or ELISA. The data showed that the mGITRL-linked ragB DNA vaccine induced higher levels of RagB-specific IgG in serum and RagB-specific antibody-forming cells in spleen. The frequencies of Tfh and IFN-γ⁺ T cells were obviously expanded in mice immunized by pIRES-ragB-mGITRL compared with other groups (pIRES or pIRES-ragB ). The levels of Tfh and IFN-γ⁺ T cells associated cytokines were also significantly increased in pIRES-ragB-mGITRL group. Therefore, the mice immunized with ragB plus mGITRL showed the stronger resistant to P. gingivalis infection and a significant reduction of the lesion size caused by P. gingivalis infection comparing with other groups. Taken together, our findings demonstrated that intramuscular injection of DNA vaccine ragB together with mGITRL induced protective immune response dramatically by increasing Tfh and IFN-γ⁺ T cells and antibody production to P. gingivalis.     

Common Oncogenic Mutations Are Infrequent in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Asian Origin

Objectives

The frequency of common oncogenic mutations and TP53 was determined in Asian oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC).

Materials and Methods

The OncoCarta^™ panel v1.0 assay was used to characterize oncogenic mutations. In addition, exons 4-11 of the TP53 gene were sequenced. Statistical analyses were conducted to identify associations between mutations and selected clinico-pathological characteristics and risk habits.

Results

Oncogenic mutations were detected in PIK3CA (5.7%) and HRAS (2.4%). Mutations in TP53 were observed in 27.7% (31/112) of the OSCC specimens. Oncogenic mutations were found more frequently in non-smokers (p = 0.049) and TP53 truncating mutations were more common in patients with no risk habits (p = 0.019). Patients with mutations had worse overall survival compared to those with absence of mutations; and patients who harbored DNA binding domain (DBD) and L2/L3/LSH mutations showed a worse survival probability compared to those patients with wild type TP53. The majority of the oncogenic and TP53 mutations were G:C > A:T and A:T > G:C base transitions, regardless of the different risk habits.

Conclusion

Hotspot oncogenic mutations which are frequently present in common solid tumors are exceedingly rare in OSCC. Despite differences in risk habit exposure, the mutation frequency of PIK3CA and HRAS in Asian OSCC were similar to that reported in OSCC among Caucasians, whereas TP53 mutations rates were significantly lower. The lack of actionable hotspot mutations argue strongly for the need to comprehensively characterize gene mutations associated with OSCC for the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools.     

Very Long-Chain Acyl-CoA Synthetase 3: Overexpression and Growth Dependence in Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. In the United States, only one in six lung cancer patients survives five years after diagnosis. These statistics may improve if new therapeutic targets are identified. We previously reported that an enzyme of fatty acid metabolism, very long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 3 (ACSVL3), is overexpressed in malignant glioma, and that depleting glioblastoma cells of ACSVL3 diminishes their malignant properties. To determine whether ACSVL3 expression was also increased in lung cancer, we studied tumor histologic sections and lung cancer cell lines. Immunohistochemical analysis of normal human lung showed moderate ACSVL3 expression only in bronchial epithelial cells. In contrast, all of 69 different lung tumors tested, including adeno-, squamous cell, large cell, and small cell carcinomas, had robustly elevated ACSVL3 levels. Western blot analysis of lung cancer cell lines derived from these tumor types also had significantly increased ACSVL3 protein compared to normal bronchial epithelial cells. Decreasing the growth rate of lung cancer cell lines did not change ACSVL3 expression. However, knocking down ACSVL3 expression by RNA interference reduced cell growth rates in culture by 65–76%, and the ability of tumor cells to form colonies in soft agar suspension by 65–80%. We also conducted studies to gain a better understanding of the biochemical properties of human ACSVL3. ACSVL3 mRNA was detected in many human tissues, but the expression pattern differed somewhat from that of the mouse. The enzyme activated long- and very long-chain saturated fatty acid substrates, as well as long-chain mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids to their respective coenzyme A derivatives. Endogenous human ACSVL3 protein was found in a punctate subcellular compartment that partially colocalized with mitochondria as determined by immunofluorescence microscopy and subcellular fractionation. From these studies, we conclude that ACSVL3 is a promising new therapeutic target in lung cancer.     

Absence of autophagy promotes apoptosis by modulating the ROS-dependent RLR signaling pathway in classical swine fever virus-infected cells

A growing number of studies have demonstrated that both macroautophagy/autophagy and apoptosis are important inner mechanisms of cell to maintain homeostasis and participate in the host response to pathogens. We have previously reported that a functional autophagy pathway is trigged by infection of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and is required for viral replication and release in host cells. However, the interplay of autophagy and apoptosis in CSFV-infected cells has not been clarified. In the present study, we demonstrated that autophagy induction with rapamycin facilitates cellular proliferation after CSFV infection, and that autophagy inhibition by knockdown of essential autophagic proteins BECN1/Beclin 1 or MAP1LC3/LC3 (microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3) promotes apoptosis via fully activating both intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms in CSFV-infected cells. We also found that RIG-I-like receptor (RLR) signaling was amplified in autophagy-deficient cells during CSFV infection, which was closely linked to the activation of the intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Moreover, we discovered that virus infection of autophagy-impaired cells results in an increase in copy number of mitochondrial DNA and in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which plays a significant role in enhanced RLR signaling and the activated extrinsic apoptosis pathway in cultured cells. Collectively, these data indicate that CSFV-induced autophagy delays apoptosis by downregulating ROS-dependent RLR signaling and thus contributes to virus persistent infection in host cells.     

A Retrospective Study of Preferable Alternative Route to Right Internal Jugular Vein for Placing Tunneled Dialysis Catheters: Right External Jugular Vein versus Left Internal Jugular Vein

Background

Right internal jugular vein (IJV) is a preferred access route for tunneled (cuffed) dialysis catheters (TDCs), and both right external jugular vein (EJV) and left IJV are alternative routes for patients in case the right IJV isn’t available for TDC placement. This retrospective study aimed to determine if a disparity exists between the two alternative routes in hemodialysis patients in terms of outcomes of TDCs.

Methods

49 hemodialysis patients who required TDCs through right EJV (n = 21) or left IJV (n = 28) as long-term vascular access were included in this study. The primary end point was cumulative catheter patency. Secondary end points include primary catheter patency, proportion of patients that never required urokinase and incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CRBSI).

Results

A total of 20,870 catheter-days were evaluated and the median was 384 (interquartile range, 262–605) catheter-days. Fewer catheters were removed in the right EJV group than in the left IJV group (P = 0.007). Mean cumulative catheter patency was higher in the right EJV group compared with the left IJV group (P = 0.031). There was no significant difference between the two groups in the incidence of CRBSI, primary catheter patency or proportion of patients that never required urokinase use. Total indwell time of antecedent catheters was identified as an independent risk factor for cumulative catheter patency by Cox regression hazards test with an HR of 2.212 (95% CI, 1.363–3.588; p = 0.001).

Conclusions

Right EJV might be superior to left IJV as an alternative insertion route for TDC placement in hemodialysis patients whose right IJVs are unavailable.     

Integrated Intercalation‐Based and Interfacial Sodium Storage in Graphene‐Wrapped Porous Li4Ti5O12 Nanofibers Composite Aerogel

Sodium storage in both solid–liquid and solid–solid interfaces is expected to extend the horizon of sodium‐ion batteries, leading to a new strategy for developing high‐performance energy‐storage materials. Here, a novel composite aerogel with porous Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ (PLTO) nanofibers confined in a highly conductive 3D‐interconnected graphene framework (G‐PLTO) is designed and fabricated for Na storage. A high capacity of 195 mA h g^?1 at 0.2 C and super‐long cycle life up to 12 000 cycles are attained. Electrochemical analysis shows that the intercalation‐based and interfacial Na storage behaviors take effect simultaneously in the G‐PLTO composite aerogel. An integrated Na storage mechanism is proposed. This study ascribes the excellent performance to the unique structure, which not only offers short pathways for Na⁺ diffusion and conductive networks for electron transport, but also guarantees plenty of PLTO–electrolyte and PLTO–graphene interfacial sites for Na⁺ adsorption.     

Skin aging caused by intrinsic or extrinsic processes characterized with functional proteomics

The skin provides protection against environmental stress. However, intrinsic and extrinsic aging causes significant alteration to skin structure and components, which subsequently impairs molecular characteristics and biochemical processes. Here, we have conducted an immunohistological investigation and established the proteome profiles on nude mice skin to verify the specific responses during aging caused by different factors. Our results showed that UVB‐elicited aging results in upregulation of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and strong oxidative damage in DNA, whereas chronological aging abolished epidermal cell growth and increased the expression of caspase‐14, as well as protein carbonylation. Network analysis indicated that the programmed skin aging activated the ubiquitin system and triggered obvious downregulation of 14‐3‐3 sigma, which might accelerate the loss of cell growth capacity. On the other hand, UVB stimulation enhanced inflammation and the risk of skin carcinogenesis. Collectively, functional proteomics could provide large‐scale investigation of the potent proteins and molecules that play important roles in skin subjected to both intrinsic and extrinsic aging.