CD137-mediated pathogenesis from chronic hepatitis to hepatocellular carcinoma in hepatitis B virus-transgenic mice

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by sustained liver inflammation with an influx of lymphocytes, which contributes to the development of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. The mechanisms underlying this immune-mediated hepatic pathogenesis remain ill defined. We report in this article that repetitive infusion of anti-CD137 agonist mAb in HBV-transgenic mice closely mimics this process by sequentially inducing hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and, ultimately, liver cancer. CD137 mAb initially triggers hepatic inflammatory infiltration due to activation of nonspecific CD8(+) T cells with memory phenotype. CD8(+) T cell-derived IFN-γ plays a central role in the progression of chronic liver diseases by actively recruiting hepatic macrophages to produce fibrosis-promoting cytokines and chemokines, including TNF-α, IL-6, and MCP-1. Importantly, the natural ligand of CD137 was upregulated significantly in circulating CD14(+) monocytes in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection and closely correlated with development of liver cirrhosis. Thus, sustained CD137 stimulation may be a contributing factor for liver immunopathology in chronic HBV infection. Our studies reveal a common molecular pathway that is used to defend against viral infection but also causes chronic hepatic diseases.     

Brain–gut–adipose-tissue communication pathways at a glance

One of the ‘side effects’ of our modern lifestyle is a range of metabolic diseases: the incidence of obesity, type 2 diabetes and associated cardiovascular diseases has grown to pandemic proportions. This increase, which shows no sign of reversing course, has occurred despite education and new treatment options, and is largely due to a lack of knowledge about the precise pathology and etiology of metabolic disorders. Accumulating evidence suggests that the communication pathways linking the brain, gut and adipose tissue might be promising intervention points for metabolic disorders. To maintain energy homeostasis, the brain must tightly monitor the peripheral energy state. This monitoring is also extremely important for the brain’s survival, because the brain does not store energy but depends solely on a continuous supply of nutrients from the general circulation. Two major groups of metabolic inputs inform the brain about the peripheral energy state: short-term signals produced by the gut system and long-term signals produced by adipose tissue. After central integration of these inputs, the brain generates neuronal and hormonal outputs to balance energy intake with expenditure.Miscommunication between the gut, brain and adipose tissue, or the degradation of input signals once inside the brain, lead to the brain misunderstanding the peripheral energy state. Under certain circumstances, the brain responds to this miscommunication by increasing energy intake and production, eventually causing metabolic disorders. This poster article overviews current knowledge about communication pathways between the brain, gut and adipose tissue, and discusses potential research directions that might lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying metabolic disorders.     

Genome-wide analysis of mammalian DNA segment fusion/fission

As a powerful tool for gene function prediction, gene fusion has been widely studied in prokaryotes and certain groups of eukaryotes, but it has been little applied in studies of mammalian genomes. With the first fully sequenced mammalian genomes (human, mouse, rat) now available, we defined and collected a set of fusion/fission event-linked segments (FFLS) based on structured organized genomic alignment. The statistics of the sequence features highlighted the FFLSs against their random context. We found that there are three groups of FFLSs with different component pairs (i.e. gene-gene, gene-noncoding and noncoding-noncoding) in all three mammalian genomes. The proteins encoded by the components of FFLSs in the first group shown a strong tendency to interact with each other. The segmental components in the last two groups which did not contain any protein-coding genes, were found not only to be transcribed to some level, but also more conserved than the random background. Thus, these segments are possibly carrying certain biologically functional elements. We propose that FFLS may be a potential tool for prediction and analysis of function and functional interaction of genetic elements, including both genes and noncoding elements, in mammalian genomes. The full list of the FFLSs in the genomes of the three mammals is available as supporting information at doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2005.09.016.     

Modified Long Wavelength Approximation for the Optical Response of a Graded-Index Plasmonic Nanoparticle

The optical response of graded-index spherical metallic nanoparticles is studied in the modified long wavelength approximation with electrodynamic effects accounted for to the lowest order of the inverse of the wavelength. An effective-medium approach is adopted which leads to the conclusion that the first-order dynamical effects will enter mainly via the polarizability and not the effective dielectric function of the system. Numerical studies using various graded Drude functions show that these effects are not only significant for particles of large sizes but can also be appreciable for smaller particles with varying index profile.     

扎伊尔埃博拉病毒糖蛋白基因的克隆和表达

埃博拉病毒属丝状病毒科,能引发动物和人出血热症状,人感染后病死率高达90%以上,目前还没有有效预防和治疗的药物和疫苗。近年来,这种烈性传染病病毒传入我国的可能性不断加大,给我国公共卫生应急体系带来新的挑战。本研究针对埃博拉病毒的最主要结构蛋白——糖蛋白(GP),构建了重组原核表达载体pET28a(+)-GP1(33~313aa)、pET28a(+)-GP1(190~313aa)、pET28a(+)-GP2(502~632aa)、pET28a(+)-sGP,以及重组真核表达载体pcDNA3.1(+)-edited GP、pcDNA3.1(+)-GP1、pcDNA3.1(+)-GP。结果表明,GP1(33~313aa)、GP1(190~313aa)和sGP能在大肠埃希菌BL21(DE3)中以包涵体的形式表达,GP、GP1和GP2能在HEK293T细胞中表达,但均不能在BHK21细胞中表达。本研究为进一步探索埃博拉病毒GP的结构和功能及GP抗体制备奠定了基础。