Synthesis of fibronectin in normal and osteoarthritic articular cartilage

The content and the biosynthesis of fibronectin was examined in disease-free articular cartilage and in articular cartilage from osteoarthritic canine joints. Fibronectin content was increased in extracts of cartilage from osteoarthritic joints. Incubation of cartilage in vitro with [³H]phenylalanine and subsequent isolation of [³H]fibronectin from a gelatin affinity column and characterization by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and by immunoprecipitation indicated that disease-free and osteoarthritic cartilage explants synthesized fibronectin. About 50% of the [³H]fibronectin was recovered in the incubation medium. The osteoarthritic cartilage synthesized and accumulated up to 5-fold more [³H]fibronectin than disease-free cartilage.     

A tooth at the border of two morphogenetic fields

A tooth at the border between two morphogenetic fields (mandibular canine and honing premolar) may become morphologically similar to and/or functionally incorporated with the teeth of either field. In light of this, observations of the morphology and occlusion of female anthropoid C1s from 58 extant species are presented to assess whether and to what extent they exhibit incisor-like form and function. Female C1s in 74% of the taxa observed exhibit well developed incisor-like traits which may reflect field border phenomena. In another 9%, incisor traits are present but they are not examples of field border phenomena. Interspecies variation in female C1 morphology is related to behavior, function, natural selection and phyletic inertia. A selection model, derived from the data, is used to explain C1 sexual dimorphism and the evolution of male and female human canines. The data's relevance to the field vs clone theory debate is also discussed.     

Dog-DAT: a direct agglutination test using stabilized, freeze-dried antigen for the serodiagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis

Abstract We have evaluated the use of an improved direct agglutination test (DAT) based on stable, freeze-dried antigen for the detection of anti- Leishmania antibodies in canine serum samples. With a cut-off value of 1:640, the sensitivity of the DAT was shown to be 100% and the specificity of the test was 98.8%.     

Matrix Metalloproteinases in Dog Brains Exhibiting Alzheimer-Like Characteristics

Abstract: We have previously reported that the amount of the neuronal matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) MMP-9, capable of cleaving β-amyloid_1–40 predominantly at Leu³⁴-Met³⁵, is increased in a latent form in hippocampal specimens from AD patients and have suggested that the lack of activation of this enzyme may contribute to the deposition of β-amyloid in plaques. The current study addresses whether similar matrix proteinases are detectable in amyloid-positive and -negative brain specimens of aged beagles. Using quantitative zymography, three major neutral proteinases with molecular masses of 60, 95, and 280 kDa were readily detected. These enzymes have the characteristics of MMPs because they were inhibited by EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline, and their activities were restored by addition of both Ca²⁺ and Zn²⁺. The 95- and 280-kDa proteinases cross-reacted with specific monoclonal antibodies to human MMP-9 (gelatinase B; EC 3.4.24.35). Canine MMP-9 was latent because activation by organomercurial treatment resulted in a characteristic decrease in molecular mass. Statistical analysis revealed no difference in the 60-kDa proteinase activity in amyloid-positive and -negative brain specimens. However, significantly increased amounts of latent MMP-9 were observed in amyloid-positive brain specimens ( p ≤ 0.05) compared with amyloid-negative brain specimens. The observations document that changes in MMP-9 expression in amyloid-positive beagle brains are similar to those reported in the human Alzheimer's disease hippocampus and suggest the possibility that insufficient activation of MMP-9 may contribute to β-amyloid accumulation, a hypothesis that needs to be further investigated.     

犬瘟热与野生动物

犬瘟热是一种犬瘟热病毒引起的多种动物共患传染病,在世界范围内的家犬和野生动物中多次爆发。犬瘟热的跨种间传播对多种野生动物如东北虎、非洲狮、雪豹、大熊猫等野生动物的种群安全造成严重威胁,并且感染的宿主范围仍在扩大。近年来的研究表明,犬瘟热病毒的不断变异和野生动物栖息地内流浪犬只的增多使我国野生动物尤其是野外种群正在面临犬瘟热的严重威胁。为了更好地应对犬瘟热对野生动物的危害,本文综述了犬瘟热的病原特征和在野生动物中的流行病学、致病机制、诊断与治疗以及疫苗免疫方面的研究进展,在此基础上提出了针对传染源、传播途径、易感动物三方面的控制措施来减少野生动物犬瘟热的传播风险。目前,由于国内自然保护区科研技术力量欠缺以及防控意识薄弱,对于野生动物犬瘟热的监测处于空白状态,这无疑加大了野生动物犬瘟热的防控难度。因此,为了保障我国野生动物种群安全,我们需要加强在野生动物犬瘟热监测与流行病学方面的研究工作,建立有效的监测防控体系将犬瘟热阻挡在野生动物种群之外。     

A global assessment of Echinococcus multilocularis infections in domestic dogs: proposing a framework to overcome past methodological heterogeneity

Echinococcus multilocularis, the aetiological agent of human Alveolar Echinococcosis, is transmitted between small mammals and wild or domestic canids. Dogs infected with E. multilocularis as dead-end hosts. Whereas E. multilocularis infections in wild hosts and humans have been well-studied in recent decades, infections in domestic dogs are sparsely reported. This literature review and meta-analysis highlighted gaps in the available data and provided a re-assessment of the global distribution of domestic dog E. multilocularis infections. We found 46 published articles documenting the prevalence of E. multilocularis in domestic dogs from 21 countries across Europe, Asia and North America. Apparent prevalence estimates ranged from 0.00% (0.00–0.33%) in Germany to 55.50% (26.67–81.12%) in China. Most studies were conducted in areas of high human Alveolar Echinococcosis. By accounting for reassessed diagnostic sensitivity and specificity, we estimated true prevalence in a subset of studies, which varied between 0.00% (0.00–12.42%) and 41.09% (21.12–65.81%), as these true prevalence estimates were seldom reported in the articles themselves. Articles also showed a heavy emphasis on rural dogs, dismissing urban ones, which is concerning due to the role urbanisation plays in the transmission of zoonotic diseases, especially those utilising pets as definitive hosts. Lastly, population studies on canine Alveolar Echinococcosis were absent, highlighting the relative focus on human rather than animal health. We thus developed a framework for investigating domestic dog E. multilocularis infections and performing risk assessment of dog-associated transmission to fill the gaps found in the literature.     

Immunohistochemical determination of estrogen receptor-α in canine vaginal biopsies throughout proestrus,estrus, and early diestrus

The aim of this study was to describe the presence of estrogen receptor-α (ERα) in several vaginal histological compartments in healthy adult bitches throughout three estrous cycle stages (proestrus, estrus, and early diestrus) and to relate ERα presence with serum progesterone and estradiol-17β concentrations. For this purpose, serial blood samples and vaginal biopsies were taken from five bitches every 48 hours, starting at the clinical onset of proestrus, marked by the beginning of serosanguineous vaginal secretion. Serum progesterone and estradiol-17β concentrations were determined by RIA, whereas detection of steroid receptors was carried out through immunohistochemistry. Subjective image analysis was conducted by two independent observers in the following histological compartments: superficial, intermediate, and deep epithelia and superficial (loose) and deep (dense) stroma (connective tissue). Nuclear ERα immunoreactivity was detected in every histological compartment and estrous cycle stage studied. ERα expression varied among histological compartments and during stages of the cycle. Receptor expression was associated with estradiol-17β and progesterone serum profiles. Most relevant cyclic changes were detected in the superficial and deep epithelia and in the dense connective tissue. The highest ERα expression was detected during diestrus, although each compartment had a different pattern throughout the other cycle stages. Thus, vaginal ERα expression in the bitch varied throughout proestrus, estrus, and early diestrus according to the histological compartment involved.     

Melatonin through blockade of Hif-1α signaling mediates the anti-fibrosis under hypoxia in canine Sertoli cells

The hypoxic microenvironment of cryptorchidism is an important factor in the impairment and fibrosis of Sertoli cells which result in blood-testis barrier (BTB) destruction and spermatogenesis loss. Recent studies have shown that melatonin, a well-known pineal hormone exerts beneficial effects against pathological fibrosis in a various of organs. However, it is still unknown whether melatonin can regulate hypoxia-induced fibrosis of Sertoli cells. In this study we evaluate melatonin levels, and its synthesizing enzymes, AANAT and HIOMT expression patterns in canine cryptorchidism and contralateral normal testis. Results show abdominal testes presented low melatonin levels and AANAT and HIOMT expression compared with testes located in the scrotum. Moreover, we established a hypoxia-induced fibrosis model in canine Sertoli cells induced by cobalt chloride (CoCl₂) and found that melatonin inhibited the EMT markers expression and ECM production as well as Hif-1α expression of Sertoli cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, use of Lificiguat (synonyms YC-1, Hif-1α inhibitor) to interfere with the Hif-1α pathway showed a similar effect with melatonin suppression of the fibrosis in Sertoli cells. The results indicate that melatonin supplementation can alleviate the fibrosis process of Sertoli cells caused by hypoxia, which is associated with regulating the inhibition of Hif-1α signaling.     

Emergence,evolution, and vaccine production approaches of SARS-CoV-2 virus: Benefits of getting vaccinated and common questions

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Wuhan city, China at the end of 2019 made it urgent to identify the origin of the causal pathogen and its molecular evolution, to appropriately design an effective vaccine. This study analyzes the evolutionary background of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-2) in accordance with its close relative SARS-CoV (SARS-1), which was emerged in 2002. A comparative genomic and proteomic study was conducted on SARS-2, SARS-1, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), which was emerged in 2012. In silico analysis inferred the genetic variability among the tested viruses. The SARS-1 genome harbored 11 genes encoding 12 proteins, while SARS-2 genome contained only 10 genes encoding for 10 proteins. MERS genome contained 11 genes encoding 11 proteins. The analysis also revealed a slight variation in the whole genome size of SARS-2 comparing to its siblings resulting from sequential insertions and deletions (indels) throughout the viral genome particularly ORF1AB, spike, ORF10 and ORF8. The effective indels were observed in the gene encoding the spike protein that is responsible for viral attachment to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) cell receptor and initiating infection. These indels are responsible for the newly emerging COVID-19 variants αCoV, βCoV, γCoV and δCoV. Nowadays, few effective COVID-19 vaccines developed based on spike (S) glycoprotein were approved and become available worldwide. Currently available vaccines can relatively prevent the spread of COVID-19 and suppress the disease. The traditional (killed or attenuated virus vaccine and antibody-based vaccine) and innovated vaccine production technologies (RNA- and DNA-based vaccines and viral vectors) are summarized in this review. We finally highlight the most common questions related to COVID-19 disease and the benefits of getting vaccinated.     

Detailed four-way comparative mapping and gene order analysis of the canine ctvm locus reveals evolutionary chromosome rearrangements

Canine tricuspid valve malformation (CTVM) maps to canine chromosome 9 (CFA9), in a region syntenic with gene-dense human chromosome 17q. To define synteny blocks, we analyzed 148 markers on CFA9 using radiation hybrid mapping and established a four-way comparative map for human, mouse, rat, and dog. We identified a large number of rearrangements, allowing us to reconstruct the evolutionary history of individual synteny blocks and large chromosomal segments. A most parsimonious rearrangement scenario for all four species reveals that human chromosome 17q differs from CFA9 and the syntenic rodent chromosomes through two macroreversals of 9.2 and 23 Mb. Compared to a recovered ancestral gene order, CFA9 has undergone 11 reversals of <3 Mb and 2 reversals of >3 Mb. Interspecies reuse of breakpoints for micro- and macrorearrangements was observed. Gene order and content of the ctvm interval are best extrapolated from murine data, showing that multispecies genome rearrangement scenarios contribute to identifying gene content in canine mapping studies.