口蹄疫病毒P1+2A基因在BHK-21细胞中的表达

本研究将已构建好的、包含口蹄疫病毒P1+2A基因的重组表达质粒pQE-Tri/P1+2A经质脂体2000转染哺乳动物细胞BHK-21,转染后一定时间进行检测.通过SDS-PAGE、Western-blotting、荧光抗体染色、ELISA等检测方法表明,FMDV P1+2A基因片段在BHK-21细胞中成功表达,表达的蛋白能被口蹄疫阳性血清所识别而且具有良好的生物学活性.这一结果的取得,为进一步研制新型口蹄疫基因工疫苗及其配套诊断试剂奠定了基础.     

Partitioning and inactivation of viruses by the caprylic acid precipitation followed by a terminal pasteurization in the manufacturing process of horse immunoglobulins

Caprylic acid (octanoic acid), has been used for over 50 years as a stabilizer of human albumin during pasteurization. In addition caprylic acid is of great interest, by providing the advantage of purifying mammalian immunoglobulins and clearing viruses infectivity in a single step. Exploiting these two properties, we sequentially used the caprylic acid precipitation and the pasteurization to purify horse hyperimmune globulins used in the manufacturing of Sérocytol. To evaluate the effectiveness of the process for the removal/inactivation of viruses, spiking studies were carried out for each dedicated step. Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV), pseudorabies virus (PRV), encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) and minute virus of mice (MVM) were used for the virological validation. Our data show that the treatment with caprylic acid 5% (v/v) can effectively be used as well to purify or to ensure viral safety of immunoglobulins. Caprylic acid precipitation was very efficient in removing and/or inactivating enveloped viruses (PRV, BVDV) and moderately efficient against non-enveloped viruses (MVM, ECMV). However the combination with the pasteurization ensured an efficient protection against both enveloped and non-enveloped viruses. So that viruses surviving to the caprylic acid precipitation will be neutralized by pasteurization. Significant log reduction were achieved > or =9 log(10) for enveloped viruses and 4 log(10) for non-enveloped viruses, providing the evidence of a margin of viral safety achieved by our manufacturing process. Its a simple and non-expensive manufacturing process of immunoglobulins easily validated that we have adapted to a large production scale with a programmable operating system.     

Seroprevalence study of Tick-borne encephalitis, Borrelia burgdorferi, Dengue and Toscana virus in Turin Province

Tick borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is present in some European countries and it is transmitted by a tick bite. Ixodes ricinus is the main vector of the infection in Italy, where fortunately clinical neurological manifestations, typical of the more serious phase of the disease, are very rarely observed. This behaviour is different from other endemic Euroasiatic areas where numerous cases of encephalitis are described. However TBE transmission has not been widely investigated in Italy and available epidemiological data have been obtained only by studies performed in Central and Northern Regions of the country. In addition seroepidemiological researches were made prevalently on subjects at high risk of tick bite, such as hunters or forest guards from Trentin and Central Italy. No precise information about TBE virus diffusion was available in the Piedmont before our investigations. We found that hunters and wild boar breeders seem to be particularly exposed to the risk of TBE virus infection in Turin Province and in particular in the Susa valley, although no neurological involvement was observed in our population. In particular a seroprevalence of about 5% was detected by the use of purified antigens ELISA test, amongst the subjects at high risk of tick bite. Moreover low risk individuals showed a seroprevalence of below 2%. In addition a parallel seroepidemiological study was performed in Turin Province for Borrelia burgdorferi, the aetiological agent of Lyme disease, also transmitted by tick bite (e.g. Ixodes ricinus), for Dengue and Toscana (TOS) arboviruses, respectively transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and phlebotomes. Data reported here demonstrate only a sporadic presence in our population of antibodies against Borrelia and Dengue infection. Moreover using an ELISA test performed with viral purified nucleoprotein, we reported a total percentage of about 3% of subjects positive for TOSV.     

Further Insights into the Roles of GTP and the C Terminus of the Hepatitis C Virus Polymerase in the Initiation of RNA Synthesis

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5b protein is an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase essential for replication of the viral RNA genome. In vitro and presumably in vivo, NS5b initiates RNA synthesis by a de novo mechanism. Different structural elements of NS5b have been reported to participate in RNA synthesis, especially a so-called “β-flap” and a C-terminal segment (designated “linker”) that connects the catalytic core of NS5b to a transmembrane anchor. High concentrations of GTP have also been shown to stimulate de novo RNA synthesis by HCV NS5b. Here we describe a combined structural and functional analysis of genotype 1 HCV-NS5b of strains H77 (subtype 1a), for which no structure has been previously reported, and J4 (subtype 1b). Our results highlight the linker as directly involved in lifting the first boundary to processive RNA synthesis, the formation of the first dinucleotide primer. The transition from this first dinucleotide primer state to processive RNA synthesis requires removal of the linker and of the β-flap with which it is shown to strongly interact in crystal structures of HCV NS5b. We find that GTP specifically stimulates this transition irrespective of its incorporation in neosynthesized RNA.     

A PCR-RFLP for KIT associated with tobiano spotting pattern in horses

An MspI polymorphism was identified in intron 13 of the equine homologue of proto-oncogene c-kit (KIT) by comparing DNA sequences from horses with solid coat colour and horses homozygous for the tobiano spotting (To) gene. The allele associated with solid coat colour was designated KM0, while the allele associated with the tobiano pattern created an additional MspI restriction site and was designated KM1. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) studies using DNA from hair follicles demonstrated that all 129 of 129 tobiano patterned horses possessed the KM1 allele. However, three of 104 solid-coloured thoroughbred horses also possessed the KM1 allele. Therefore, while KM1 is strongly associated with the gene for To, the association is not absolute. However, this test appears more efficacious to identify putative homozygotes for To than current biochemical testing methods using albumin (Alb) and vitamin D binding protein (Gc) haplotypes.     

用巢式RT-PCR检测精神分裂症患者血液标本中博尔纳病病毒p24基因

目的：检测精神分裂症患者外周血单个核细胞(peripheral blood mononuclear cells,PBMCs)标本中博尔纳病病毒(Borna Disease Virus,BDV)p24基因,探讨BDV感染与精神分裂症的关系。方法：用巢式RT—PCR方法检测黑龙江省精神分裂症患者及正常人PBMCs中BDV—p24基因片段,同时扩增β—肌动蛋白(β-actin)作为内参照。结果：66例精神分裂症患者中,BDV—p24基因的阳性检出率为28．8％(19／66);47例正常人中,BDV—p24基因的阳性检出率为6．3％(3／47),经比较两者间阳性率差异有显著性(P＜0．05)结论：证实中国存在BDV感染,黑龙江省精神分裂症的发生可能与BDV感染有关。     

Potential effects of HMGB1 on viral replication and virus infection-induced inflammatory responses: A promising therapeutic target for virus infection-induced inflammatory diseases

Inflammatory responses, characterized by the overproduction of numerous proinflammatory mediators by immune cells, is essential to protect the host against invading pathogens. Excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines is a key pathogenic factor accounting for severe tissue injury and disease progression during the infection of multiple viruses, which are therefore termed as “cytokine storm”. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a ubiquitous DNA-binding protein released either over virus-infected cells or activated immune cells, may act as a proinflammatory cytokine with a robust capacity to potentiate inflammatory response and disease severity. Moreover, HMGB1 is a host factor that potentially participates in the regulation of viral replication cycles with complicated mechanisms. Currently, HMGB1 is regarded as a promising therapeutic target against virus infection. Here, we provide an overview of the updated studies on how HMGB1 is differentially manipulated by distinct viruses to regulate viral diseases.     

Coenzyme Q-10 improves preservation of mitochondrial functionality and actin structure of cryopreserved stallion sperm

Coenzyme Q-10 (CoQ-10) is a cofactor for mitochondrial electron transport chain and may be an alternative to improve sperm quality of cryopreserved equine semen. This work aimed to improve stallion semen quality after freezing by adding CoQ-10 to the cryopreservation protocol. Seven saddle stallions were utilized. Each animal was submitted to five semen collections and freezing procedures. For cryopreservation, each ejaculate was divided in three treatments: 1) Botucrio® diluent (control); 2) 50 μmol CoQ-10 added to Botucrio® diluent; 3) 1 mmol CoQ-10 added to Botucrio® diluent. Semen batches were analyzed for sperm motility characteristics (CASA), plasma and acrosomal membranes integrity and mitochondrial membrane potential (by fluorescence probes propidium iodide, Hoechst 33342, FITC-PSA and JC-1, respectively), alterations in cytoskeletal actin (phalloidin-FITC) and mitochondrial function (diaminobenzidine; DAB). The 1 mmol CoQ-10 treatment presented higher (P<0.05) amount (66.8%) of sperm cells with fully stained midpiece (indicating high mitochondrial activity) and higher (P<0.05) amount (81.6%) of cells without actin reorganization to the post-acrosomal region compared to control group (60.8% and 76.0%, respectively). It was concluded that the addition of 1 mmol CoQ-10 to the freezing diluent was more effective in preserving mitochondria functionality and cytoskeleton of sperm cells submitted to cryopreservation process.     

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 carboxyl-terminal third of capsid sequence in Gag-Pol is essential but not sufficient for efficient incorporation of Pr160<Superscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">gag-pol</Emphasis></Superscript> into virus particles

To elucidate the role of the C-terminal portion of Gag in the incorporation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag-Pol into virus particles, a series of HIV-1 Gag-Pol mutants with deletions in the C-terminalgag sequence was constructed and viral incorporation of the Gag-Pol deletion mutants was analyzed using cotransfecting 293T cells with a Pr55 ^gag expression plasmid. The biological function of the incorporated HIV-1pol gene product was tested using an infectivity assay of the released virus particles which were pseudotyped with the murine leukemia virus Env. Analysis indicated that Gag-Pol deletion mutants, with a removal of the matrix (MA) and/or nucleocapsid (NC) or of the N-terminal two thirds of thegag coding sequence, could be incorporated efficiently into virus particles and produce significant amounts of infectious virions when assayed in a single-cycle infection assay. In contrast, mutations involving a deletion of the major homology region and the adjacent C-terminal capsid sequence significantly affected Gag-Pol incorporation. However, incorporation into virus particles of a Gag-Pol deletion mutant retaining both the major homology region and the adjacent C-terminal capsid intact was still severely impaired. This suggests that the capsid major homology region and the adjacent C-terminal capsid sequence in Gag-Pol are necessary but not sufficient for the incorporation of HIV-1 Pr160 ^gag-pol into virus particles.     

马传染性贫血病毒强、弱毒株dUTPase结构与酶活性比较

为研究尿嘧啶脱氧核糖核苷三磷酸酶(dUTPase)在马传染性贫血病毒(equine infectous anemia virus,EIAV)致弱过程中的作用,探索dUTPase结构与功能的关系,分别对EIAV强、弱毒株dUTPase的编码基因进行了结构分析,并在大肠杆菌中进行了表达.经镍-次氮基三乙酸(Ni-NTA)金属亲合层析方法对表达产物纯化后,用3H标记底物的方法测定了重组强、弱毒株dUTPase的活性.证明所表达的两种重组dUTPase均具有水解dUTP的功能,但重组弱毒株dUTPase的活性显著高于重组强毒株dUTPase的活性.结果提示,由于EIAV疫苗株在驴白细胞上连续传代培养,使病毒dUTPase的活性增强和复制能力提高,而决定酶活性改变的分子基础是dUTPase编码基因中的两个氨基酸发生了突变.此结果对其它慢病毒病的免疫预防具有重要参考价值.