Short-term in vitro culture of field isolates of Plasmodium vivax using umbilical cord blood

Plasmodium vivax research has been hampered by the lack of technology for culturing this parasite. Culturing P. vivax is difficult because the parasite selectively invades reticulocytes. Here we describe a modified procedure to establish and maintain short-term cultures of freshly collected P. vivax parasites using reticulocyte-enriched cord blood. Using this method, parasites could be cultured for a month. Manipulation of the culture allowed procurement of synchronized stages of the parasite. This short-term culture method can be easily adapted to study various aspects of the parasite biology.     

种间竞争的一个新的数学模型—对经典的Lotka—Vol—terra竞争方程的扩充

本文根据营养动力学理论,建立了一类种间竞争的新的数学模型:它是单种群增长的Cui-Lawson模型,在种间竞争上的推广。新的种间竞争模型克服了经典的种间竞争的Lotka-Volteira方程的局限与不足,具有更广泛和复杂的行为,并在特殊条件下以Lotka-Volterra竞争方程为其特例。因此,新的种间竞争的数学模型是更一般的解释性模型,是对经典的Lotka-Voterra竞争方程的扩充。     

LncRNA882 regulates leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) by sponging miR-15b in the endometrial epithelium cells of dairy goat

Despite the fact that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play roles in almost all biological processes, little is known about their biological function in the endometrium during the formation of endometrial receptivity. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of lncRNAs in goat endometrial tissues on Day 5 (prereceptive endometrium, PE) and Day 15 (receptive endometrium, RE) of pregnancy was performed by using RNA-Seq. As a result, 668 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) were found between the PE and RE. Further study showed that lncRNA882, regulated by estrogen (E2) and progestin (P4), could act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) for miR-15b, which inhibited the expression of transforming growth factor-b-activated kinase 1 binding protein 3 (TAB3) and then indirectly regulated the level of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). This was helpful for the formation of endometrial receptivity in dairy goats. In conclusion, we elucidated the endometrium lncRNA profiles of PE and RE in dairy goats; lncRNA882 acted as a ceRNA for miR-15b and then indirectly regulated the level of LIF in goat endometrial epithelium cells. Thus, this study helped us to better understand the molecular regulation of endometrial receptivity in dairy goats.     

猪丹毒丝菌天然SpaA和重组SpaA-N免疫保护效果的评价

【目的】本试验以小鼠为动物模型,评估了猪丹毒丝菌重组表面保护性抗原A的N端保护区域(rSpaA-N)和天然SpaA的免疫保护效果。【方法】将猪丹毒丝菌C43311株SpaA-N以可溶形式表达在大肠杆菌BL21中,用GST Bind Resin纯化试剂盒纯化rSpaA-N,采用电洗脱法从猪丹毒丝菌C43311株NaOH提取抗原中纯化天然SpaA,将rSpaA-N、天然SpaA和NaOH提取抗原制成亚单位疫苗,同时设GST及生理盐水对照组,间隔2周分3次皮下免疫小鼠,第3次免疫后2周用100LD50猪丹毒丝菌C43065株进行腹腔攻毒,采用间接ELISA方法检测免疫组小鼠血清的抗体动态变化。【结果】SDS-PAGE结果显示,采用GST Bind Resin纯化试剂盒和电洗脱法纯化得到了66kDa的rSpaA-N和64kDa的天然SpaA,蛋白含量分别为1.34mg/mL和1.26mg/mL,而Western印迹结果表明rSpaA-N和纯化前后的SpaA具有良好的免疫反应性。保护试验结果表明,不同免疫剂量的rSpaA-N组、天然SpaA组和NaOH提取抗原组均能完全保护小鼠受强毒株C43065的致死性攻击,而GST组和生理盐水组小鼠攻毒后全部死亡。ELISA检测结果表明,在不同免疫剂量的rSpaA-N组、天然SpaA组和NaOH提取抗原组小鼠血清中的抗体效价之间无显著差异(P0.05)。【结论】本研究结果表明rSpaA-N具有良好的免疫保护作用,可以作为猪丹毒亚单位疫苗。     

Stretchable Lithium‐Ion Batteries Enabled by Device‐Scaled Wavy Structure and Elastic‐Sticky Separator

Fast developments and substantial achievements have been shaping the field of wearable electronic devices, resulting in the persistent requirement for stretchable lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). Despite recent progress in stretchable electrodes, stretching full batteries, including electrodes, separator, and sealing material, remains a great challenge. Here, a simple design concept for stretchable LIBs via a wavy structure at the full battery device scale is reported. All components including the package are capable of being reversibly stretched by folding the entire pouch cell into a wavy shape with polydimethylsiloxane filled in each valley region. In addition, the stretchable, sticky, and porous polyurethane/poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane is adopted as a separator for the first time, which can maintain intimate contact between electrodes and separator to continuously secure ion pathway under dynamic state. Commercial cathode, anode, and package can be utilized in this rationally designed wavy battery to enable stretchability. The results indicate good electrochemical performances and long‐term stability at repeatable release–stretch cycles. A high areal capacity of 3.6 mA h cm^?2 and energy density of up to 172 W h L^?1 can be achieved for the wavy battery. The promising results of the cost‐effective wavy battery with high stretchability shed light on the development of stretchable energy storages.     

Association of a novel point mutation in MSH2 gene with familial multiple primary cancers

Background

Multiple primary cancers (MPC) have been identified as two or more cancers without any subordinate relationship that occur either simultaneously or metachronously in the same or different organs of an individual. Lynch syndrome is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that increases the risk of many types of cancers. Lynch syndrome patients who suffer more than two cancers can also be considered as MPC; patients of this kind provide unique resources to learn how genetic mutation causes MPC in different tissues.

Methods

We performed a whole genome sequencing on blood cells and two tumor samples of a Lynch syndrome patient who was diagnosed with five primary cancers. The mutational landscape of the tumors, including somatic point mutations and copy number alternations, was characterized. We also compared Lynch syndrome with sporadic cancers and proposed a model to illustrate the mutational process by which Lynch syndrome progresses to MPC.

Results

We revealed a novel pathologic mutation on the MSH2 gene (G504 splicing) that associates with Lynch syndrome. Systematical comparison of the mutation landscape revealed that multiple cancers in the proband were evolutionarily independent. Integrative analysis showed that truncating mutations of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes were significantly enriched in the patient. A mutation progress model that included germline mutations of MMR genes, double hits of MMR system, mutations in tissue-specific driver genes, and rapid accumulation of additional passenger mutations was proposed to illustrate how MPC occurs in Lynch syndrome patients.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrate that both germline and somatic alterations are driving forces of carcinogenesis, which may resolve the carcinogenic theory of Lynch syndrome.

     

Multiple membrane-cytoplasmic domain contacts in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mediate regulation of channel gating

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a unique ATP-binding cassette (ABC) ion channel mutated in patients with cystic fibrosis. The most common mutation, deletion of phenylalanine 508 (DeltaF508) and many other disease-associated mutations occur in the nucleotide binding domains (NBD) and the cytoplasmic loops (CL) of the membrane-spanning domains (MSD). A recently constructed computational model of the CFTR three-dimensional structure, supported by experimental data (Serohijos, A. W., Hegedus, T., Aleksandrov, A. A., He, L., Cui, L., Dokholyan, N. V., and Riordan, J. R. (2008) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 105, 3256-3261) revealed that several of these mutations including DeltaF508 disrupted interfaces between these domains. Here we have used cysteine cross-linking experiments to verify all NBD/CL interfaces predicted by the structural model and observed that their cross-linking has a variety of different effects on channel gating. The interdomain contacts comprise aromatic clusters important for stabilization of the interfaces and also involve the Q-loops and X-loops that are in close proximity to the ATP binding sites. Cross-linking of all domain-swapping contacts between NBDs and MSD cytoplasmic loops in opposite halves of the protein rapidly and reversibly arrest single channel gating while those in the same halves have lesser impact. These results reinforce the idea that mediation of regulatory signals between cytoplasmic- and membrane-integrated domains of the CFTR channel apparently relies on an array of precise but highly dynamic interdomain structural joints.