Diversity of Primate Lentiviruses Rebooted

Highlight: The present report reveals for the first time natural lentiviral infection of wild Indian NHPs, rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and langurs (Semnopithecus entellus) by SIVs that are phylogenetically diverse from all known SIVs, including “SIVmac”, which infects captive rhesus monkeys. The novel SIVs are intriguingly homologous to HIV-1, based on serology and partial lentiviral genomic sequence analyses. Diverse lenti-viruses infect human and nonhuman primates (NHPs). There are more than 45 different “species-specific” simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) that infect their cognate NHP hosts in natural habitats in Africa. Indian NHPs are not known to be infected by SIVs in the wild. Conventionally SIVs are named after their natural hosts, except for SIVmac, which infects captive rather than wild rhesus macaques. SIVmac is therefore a misnomer. It is a genetic variant of the African SIVsmm, which infects wild African sooty mangabey monkeys. SIVsmm is the progenitor of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-2), while SIVcpz that infects wild chimpanzees is the progenitor of HIV-1. Although natural infections cannot be easily studied in wild NHP populations, we have previously reported co-infection of wild Indian NHPs by other retroviruses: simian retroviruses (SRVs) and Simian Foamy viruses (SFV). Apart from zoonosis, transmission of pathogens from humans to animals: anthroponosis, has also been reported in literature.

Chondroitinase ABC combined with Schwann cell transplantation enhances restoration of neural connection and functional recovery following acute and chronic spinal cord injury

Schwann cell transplantation is considered one of the most promising cell-based therapy to repair injured spinal cord due to its unique growth-promoting and myelin-forming properties.A the Food and Drug Administration-approved Phase I clinical trial has been conducted to evaluate the safety of transplanted human autologous Schwann cells to treat patients with spinal cord injury.A major challenge for Schwann cell transplantation is that grafted Schwann cells are confined within the lesion cavity,and they do not migrate into the host environment due to the inhibitory barrier formed by injury-induced glial scar,thus limiting axonal reentry into the host spinal cord.Here we introduce a combinatorial strategy by suppressing the inhibitory extracellular environment with injection of lentivirus-mediated transfection of chondroitinase ABC gene at the rostral and caudal borders of the lesion site and simultaneously leveraging the repair capacity of transplanted Schwann cells in adult rats following a mid-thoracic contusive spinal cord injury.We report that when the glial scar was degraded by chondroitinase ABC at the rostral and caudal lesion borders,Schwann cells migrated for considerable distances in both rostral and caudal directions.Such Schwann cell migration led to enhanced axonal regrowth,including the serotonergic and dopaminergic axons originating from supraspinal regions,and promoted recovery of locomotor and urinary bladder functions.Importantly,the Schwann cell survival and axonal regrowth persisted up to 6 months after the injury,even when treatment was delayed for 3 months to mimic chronic spinal cord injury.These findings collectively show promising evidence for a combinatorial strategy with chondroitinase ABC and Schwann cells in promoting remodeling and recovery of function following spinal cord injury.

慢病毒介导的GFP转染对小鼠骨髓间充质干细胞表型、增殖和分化能力的影响

运用慢病毒(Lentivirus)载体构建绿色荧光蛋白(GFP)在小鼠骨髓间充质干细胞(MSCs)中的转染体系,检测转染后MSCs的表型和增殖能力,并诱导其向成肌细胞分化,检测此转染体系对MSCs细胞表型、增殖和分化能力的影响.骨髓细胞悬液破红后贴壁法培养MSCs,采用流式细胞术鉴定细胞表面标记,鉴定MSCs纯度;Lentivirus-GFP以1、10、50和100的感染复数(MOI)转染MSCs,作用48h后流式细胞术及免疫荧光法检测转染效率和表达的荧光强度;MTT法检测转染后MSCs的细胞活力.诱导MSCs-GFP向成肌细胞分化,蛋白印记法(WB)检测成肌细胞特异性蛋白desmin和α-SMA的表达.流式细胞术检测结果显示,培养的MSCs表达CD44、CD90和CD105,不表达CD34、CD45和CD188,符合干细胞特性.MOI为1、10、50和100的转染效率分别为23.45%、93.51%、95.44%和95.55%,MOI为10时,转染效率较高,且对MSCs活力无明显影响.MSCs-GFP体外经成肌细胞诱导分化后,表达特异性抗原desmin和α-SMA.表明本研究成功构建了小鼠骨髓来源MSCs的Lentivirus-GFP转染体系,有效标记了MSCs细胞,且此标记对MSCs的表型、增殖和分化能力等细胞生物学特性无明显影响.

Enhancement of CTLs induced by DCs loaded with ubiquitinated hepatitis B virus core antigen

AIM： To investigate whether hepatitis B virus （HBV） could induce a hepatitis B virus core antigen （HBcAg）specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte （CTL） response in vitro by dendritic cells （DCs） transduced with lentiviral vector-encoding ubiquitinated hepatitis B virus core antigen （LV-Ub-HBcAg）.METHODS： Recombinant LV-Ub-HBcAg were transfected into highly susceptible 293 T cells to obtain high virus titres, Bone marrow-derived DCs isolated from BALB/c mice were cultured with recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and recombinant interleukin （IL）-4. LV-Ub-HBcAg, lentiviral vector-encoding hepatitis B virus core antigen （LV-HBcAg）, lentiviral vector （LV） or lipopolysaccharide were added to induce DC maturation, and the DC phenotypes were analyzed by flow cytometry. The level of IL-12 in the supernatant was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. T lymphocytes were proliferated using Cell Counting Kit-8. DCs were cultured and induced to mature using different LVs, and co-cultured with allogeneic T cells to detect the secretion levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-10and interferon-γ in the supernatants of T cells by ELISA. Intracellular cytokines of proliferative T cells were analyzed by flow cytometry, and specific CTL activity was measured by a lactate dehydrogenase release assay.RESULTS： LV-Ub-HBcAg-induced DCs secreted more IL-12 and upregulated the expression of CD80, CD86 and major histocompatibility class ]I, DCs sensitised by different LVs effectively promoted cytokine secretion; the levels of IL-2 and interferon-y induced by LV-Ub- HBcAg were higher than those induced by LV-HBcAg, Compared with LV-HBcAg-transduced DCs, LV-Ub- HBcAg-transduced DCs more efficiently stimulated the proliferation of T lymphocytes and generated HBcAgspecific cytotoxic T lymphocytes.CONCLUSION： LV-Ub-HBcAg effectively induced DC maturation. The mature DCs efficiently induced T cell polarisation to Thl and generated HBcAg-specific CTLs.

Overexpression of lentivirus-mediated glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in bone marrow stromal cells and its neuroprotection for the PC12 cells damaged by lactacystin

Objective To construct recombinant lentiviral vectors for gene delivery of the glial cell line-derived neurotropnic factor （GDNF）, and evaluate the neuroprotective effect of GDNF on lactacystin-damaged PC12 cells by transfecting it into bone marrow stromal cells （BMSCs）. Methods pLenti6/V5-GDNF plasmid was set up by double restriction enzyme digestion and ligation, and then the plasmid was transformed into Top10 cells. Purified pLenti6/V5-GDNF plasmids from the positive clones and the packaging mixture were cotransfected to the 293FT packaging cell line by Lipofectamine2000 to produce lentivirus, then the concentrated virus was transduced to BMSCs. Overexpression of GDNF in BMSCs was tested by RT-PCR, ELISA and immunocytochemistry, and its neuroprotection for lactacystin-damaged PC12 cells was evaluated by MTT assay. Results Virus stock of GDNF was harvested with the titer of 5.6×10^5 TU/mL. After tmnsduction, GDNF-BMSCs successfully secreted GDNF to supematant with nigher concentration （800 pg/mL） than BMSCs did （less than 100 pg/mL）. The supematant of GDNF-BMSCs could significantly alleviate the damage of PC12 cells induced by lactacystin （10 μmol/L）. Conclusion Overexpression of lentivirus-mediated GDNF in the BMSCs cells can effectively protect PC12 cells from the injury by the proteasome inhibitor.

Insulin producing cells established using non-integrated lentiviral vector harboring PDX1 gene

AIM: To investigate reprogramming of human adipose tissue derived stem cells into insulin producing cells using non-integrated lentivirus harboring PDX1 gene.METHODS: In this study, human adipose tissue derived stem cells(hADSCs) were obtained from abdominal adipose tissues by liposuction, selected by plastic adhesion, and characterized by flow cytometric analysis.Human ADSCs were differentiated into adipocytes and osteocytes using differentiating medium to confirm their multipotency. Non-integrated lentiviruses harboring PDX1(Non-integrated LV-PDX1) were constructed using specific plasmids(pLV-HELP, pMD2G, LV-105-PDX1-1).Then, hADSCs were transduced with non-integrated LVPDX1. After transduction, ADSCsPDX1+were cultured in high glucose DMEM medium supplement by B27, nicotinamide and βFGF for 21 d. Expressions of PDX1 andinsulin were detected at protein level by immunofluorescence analysis. Expressions of PDX1, neurogenin3(Ngn3), glucagon, glucose transporter2(Glut2) and somatostatin as specific marker genes were investigated at mRNA level by quantitative RT-PCR. Insulin secretion of hADSCsPDX1+in the high-glucose medium was detected by electrochemiluminescence test. Human ADSCsPDX1+were implanted into hyperglycemic rats.RESULTS: Human ADSCs exhibited their fibroblast-like morphology and made colonies after 7-10 d of culture.Determination of hADSCs identified by FACS analysis showed that hADSCs were positive for mesenchymal cell markers and negative for hematopoietic cell markers that guaranteed the lack of hematopoietic contamination. In vitro differentiation of hADSCs into osteocytes and adipocytes were detected by Alizarin red and Oil red O staining and confirmed their multilineage differentiation ability. Transduced hADSCs+PDX1became round and clusters in the differentiation medium. The appropriate expression of PDX1 and insulin proteins was confirmed using immunocytochemistry analysis.Significant expressions of PDX1, Ngn3, glucagon, Glut2and somatostatin were detected by quantitative RTPCR. hADSCsPDX1+revealed the glucose sensing ability by expressing Glut2 when they were cultured in the medium containing high glucose concentration. The insulin secretion of hADSCsPDX1+in the high glucose medium was 2.32 μU/mL. hADSCsPDX1+implantation into hyperglycemic rats cured it two days after injection by reducing blood glucose levels from 485 mg/dL to the normal level.CONCLUSION: Human ADSCs can differentiate into IPCs by non-integrated LV-PDX1 transduction and have the potential to be used as a resource in type 1 diabetes cell therapy.

Lentivirus介导表达多基因的人胚基因工程神经干细胞的实验研究

目的:探索以Lentivirus为载体,构建同时携带并表达多基因的基因工程人胚神经干细胞(hum an neu鄄ral stem cell,hNSC)的可行性,为脊髓损伤治疗的研究提供材料。方法:培养和鉴定hNSC;用携带绿色荧光蛋白(green fluorescence protein,GFP)和神经营养因子-3(neurotrophic factor-3,NT-3)的Lentivirus转染hNSC;用荧光显微镜观察、鼠胚背根神经结培养(dorsal root ganglion,DRG)和Slot blot等方法检测基因工程hNSC的多基因表达情况。结果:培养获得了大量的hNSC;荧光显微镜观察到几乎100%的hNSC表达GFP;基因工程hNSC的培养液能促使大鼠DRG旺盛生长;Slot blot检测到基因工程hNSC能高效分泌NT-3蛋白。结论:以Lentivirus为载体能构建同时携带并稳定表达多基因的基因工程hNSC,为脊髓损伤治疗的基础研究及进一步临床应用提供了有价值的细胞资源。

Lentivirus载体对许旺细胞的转染效率

背景:近年来研究较多的LV载体,因其强大的转染能力以及较高的转染效率等特点,在基因转染的实验中应用越来越广泛。目的:进一步验证Lentivirus载体在体外对原代许旺细胞的转染效率。方法:以Lentivirus三质粒系统构建病毒载体,在体外分别以MOI值为1,5,10,20,40对原代大鼠许旺细胞进行转染,转染后第1,3,5,7,9天在荧光显微镜下观察Lentivirus携带的荧光表达情况,并在显微镜的计数方格内计算细胞的转染情况。发出绿色荧光的为转染成功的许旺细胞,否则认为没有转染病毒载体的,从而算出转染效率。结果与结论:在病毒转染3 d后,在各不同MOI值的培养孔中,均能观察到极少量的荧光反应,在第5天时,荧光数量较前明显增多。第7天时达到高峰,第9天的荧光数量与第7天变化不明显。从细胞转染效率来看,不同的MOI值明显不同,MOI值为1时的转染效率约为45%,MOI值为5时为80%,MOI值为10时为90%,MOI值为20时为78%,MOI值为40时转染效率为70%。

Overexpression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the hippocampus protects against post-stroke depression

Post-stroke depression is associated with reduced expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF）. In this study, we evaluated whether BDNF overexpression affects depression-like behavior in a rat model of post-stroke depression. The middle cerebral artery was occluded to produce a model of focal cerebral ischemia. These rats were then subjected to isolation-housing combined with chronic unpredictable mild stress to generate a model of post-stroke depression. A BDNF gene lentiviral vector was injected into the hippocampus. At 7 days after injection, western blot assay and real-time quantitative PCR revealed that BDNF expression in the hippo- campus was increased in depressive rats injected with BDNF lentivirus compared with depressive rats injected with control vector. Furthermore, sucrose solution consumption was higher, and horizontal and vertical movement scores were increased in the open field test in these rats as well. These findings suggest that BDNF overexpression in the hippocampus of post-stroke depressive rats alleviates depression-like behaviors.

Lentivirus-mediated shRNA interference targeting STAT3 inhibits human pancreatic cancer cell invasion

AIM： To investigate RNA interference targeting signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 （STAT3） on invasion of human pancreatic cancer cells.METHODS： We constructed three plasmids of RNA interference targeting the STAT3 gene. After LV （lentivirus）-STAT3siRNA （STAT3 small interfering RNA） the vector was transfected into the human pancreatic cell line, SW1990 and cell proliferation was measured by the MTT assay. Flow cytometry was used to assess cell cycle. Vascular endothelial growth favor （VEGF） and matrix metalloproteinase-2 （MMP-2） mRNA and protein expression were examined by quantitative PCR and western blotting, respectively. The invasion ability of SW1990 cells was determined by cell invasion assay.RESULTS： We successfully constructed the LVSTAT3siRNA lentivirus vector and proved that it can suppress expression of STAT3 gene in SW1990 cells. RNA interference of STAT3 by the LV-STAT3siRNA construct significantly inhibited the growth of SW1990 cells, in addition to significantly decreasing both VEGF and MMP-2 mRNA and protein expression. Moreover, suppression of STAT3 by LV-STAT3siRNA decreased the invasion ability of SW1990 cells.CONCLUSION： The STAT3 signaling pathway may provide a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of pancreatic cancer since it inhibits the invasion ability of pancreatic cancer cells.

Survival of transplanted neurotrophin-3 expressing human neural stem cells and motor function in a rat model of spinal cord injury

BACKGROUND： Many methods have been attempted to repair nerves following spinal cord injury, including peripheral nerve transplantation, Schwann cell transplantation, olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation, and embryonic neural tissue transplantation. However, there is a need for improved outcomes. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the repair feasibility for rat spinal cord injury using human neural stem cells （hNSCs） genetically modified by lentivirus to express neurotrophin-3. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： In vitro cell biological experiment and in vivo randomized, controlled genetic engineering experiment were performed at the Third Military Medical University of Chinese PLA and First People＇s Hospital of Yibin, China from March 2006 to December 2007. MATERIALS： A total of 64 adult, female, Wistar rats were used for the in vivo study. Of them, 48 rats were used to establish models of spinal cord hemisection, and were subsequently equally and randomly assigned to model, genetically modified hNSC, and normal hNSC groups. The remaining 16 rats served as normal controls. METHODS： hNSCs were in vitro genetically modified by lentivirus to secrete both green fluorescence protein and neurotrophin-3. Neurotrophin-3 expression was measured by Western blot. Genetically modified hNSC or normal hNSC suspension （5 × 10^5） was injected into the rat spinal cord following T10 spinal cord hemisection. A total of 5μL Dulbecco＇s-modified Eagle＇s medium was infused into the rat spinal cord in the model grop. Transgene expression and survival of transplanted hNSCs were determined by immunohistochemistry. Motor function was evaluated using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan （BBB） scale. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The following parameters were measured： expression of neurotrophin-3 produced by genetically modified hNSCs, transgene expression and survival of hNSCs in rats, motor function in rats. RESULTS： hNSCs were successfully genetically modified by lentivirus to stably express neurotrophin-3. The transplanted hNSCs primarily gathered at, or around, the injection site two weeks following transplantation, and gradually migrated towards the surrounding tissue. Transplanted hNSCs were observed 7.0-8.0 mm away from the injection site. In addition, hNSCs were observed 10 weeks after transplantation. At week 4, BBB locomotor scores were significantly greater in the genetically modified hNSC and normal hNSC groups, compared with the model group （P 〈 0.05）, and scores were significantly greater in the genetically modified hNSC group compared with the normal hNSC group （P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： hNSCs were genetically modified with lentivirus to stably secrete neurotrophin-3. hNSCs improved motor function recovery in rats following spinal cord injury.

miRNA-338-3p suppresses cell growth of human colorectal carcinoma by targeting smoothened

AIM:To investigate the regulative effect of miRNA-3383p(miR-338-3p) on cell growth in colorectal carcinoma(CRC).METHODS:The lentiviral vector pLV-THM-miR-338-3p and pLV-THM-miR-338-3p-inhibitor were constructed.The recombinant viral vector encoding the pre-miR338-3p or miR-338-3p-inhibitor and the two packaging plasmids psPAX2 and pMD2.G were cotransfected into human embryonic kidney 293T cells to package lentivirus.The supernatant containing the lentivirus particles was harvested to determine the viral titer,and this supernatant was then used to transduce CRCderived cell line,SW-620.Flow cytometry was utilized for sorting the green fluorescent protein(GFP) + cells to establish the SW-620 cell line stably expressing premiR-338-3p or miR-338-3p-inhibitor.Moreover,the expression of miR-338-3p was determined by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction,andWestern blotting was used to detect the expression of the smoothened(SMO,the possible target of miR-3383p) protein in SW-620 cells.Furthermore,the status of CRC cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2 thiazoyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide assay and flow cytometry,respectively.RESULTS:Restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing demonstrated that the lentiviral vector pLVTHM-miR-338-3p and pLV-THM-miR-338-3p-inhibitor were constructed successfully.GFP was expressed after the SW-620 cells were transduced by the lentivirus.Expression of miR-338-3p in SW-620 cells transduced with the lentivirus pLV-THM-miR-338-3p was significantly increased(relative expression 3.91 ± 0.51 vs 2.36 ± 0.44,P < 0.01).Furthermore,overexpression of miR-338-3p inhibited the expression of SMO protein in SW-620 cells,which showed obviously suppressed proliferation ability [cellular proliferation inhibition rate(CPIR) 61.9% ± 5.2% vs 41.6% ± 4.8%,P < 0.01].Expression of miR-338-3p in SW-620 cells transduced with the lentivirus pLV-THM-miR-338-3p-inhibitor was significantly decreased(relative expression 0.92 ± 0.29 vs 2.36 ± 0.44,P < 0.01).Moreover,the downregulated expression of miR-338-3p caused upregulated expression of the SMO protein in SW-620 cells,which showed significantly enhanced proliferation ability(CPIR 19.2% ± 3.8% vs 41.6% ± 4.8%,P < 0.01).However,anti-SMO-siRNA largely,but not completely,reversed the effects induced by blockage of miR-338-3p,suggesting that the regulative effect of miR-338-3p on CRC cell growth was indeed mediated by SMO.CONCLUSION:miR-338-3p could suppress CRC growth by inhibiting SMO protein expression.

Overexpression of microRNA-124 promotes the neuronal differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells

microRNAs （miRNAs） play an important regulatory role in the self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells. In this study, we examined the effects of miRNA-124 （miR-124） overexpression in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. In particular, we focused on the effect of overexpression on the differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into neurons. First, we used GeneChip technology to analyze the expression of miRNAs in bone marrow-derived mesen- chymal stem cells, neural stem cells and neurons, miR-124 expression was substantially reduced in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells compared with the other cell types. We con- structed a lentiviral vector overexpressing miR-124 and transfected it into bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Intracellular expression levels of the neuronal early markers [3-III tu- bulin and microtubule-associated protein-2 were significantly increased, and apoptosis induced by oxygen and glucose deprivation was reduced in transfected cells. After miR-124-transfected bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells were transplanted into the injured rat spinal cord, a large number of cells positive for the neuronal marker neurofilament-200 were observed in the transplanted region. The Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan locomotion scores showed that the motor function of the hind limb of rats with spinal cord injury was substantially improved. These re- sults suggest that miR-124 plays an important role in the differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into neurons. Our findings should facilitate the development of novel strategies for enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for spinal cord injury.

Lentivirus carrying the Atoh1 gene infects normal rat cochlea

Lentivirus carrying the Atohl gene can infect Corti＇s organ and express a hair-like cell surface marker in the supporting cell area. However, expression of the gene carried by adenovirus is instantaneous, which undoubtedly limits its clinical application. Lentivirus acts as a carrier that can stably and continuously express genes. In this study, the cochlear structure and hearing level were not affected, and Atohl gene carried by lentivirus promoted the production of hair-like cells in the cochlear supporting cell area. This led to expression of the hair-like cell surface marker myosin 7a 30 days after lentivirus carrying Atohl was microinjected into the cochlear round window of rats.

GENETIC ENGINEERING NEURAL STEM CELL MODIFIED BY LENTIVIRUS FOR REPAIR OF SPINAL CORD INJURY IN RATS

Objective To explore the feasibility for therapy of spinal cord injury （SCI） by genetic engineering neural stem cell （NSC） modified by lentiviral vector. Methods Following the construction of the genetic engineering NSC modified by lentivirus to secrete both neurotrophic factor-3 （NT-3） and green fluorescence protein （GFP）, hemisection of spinal cord at the level of T10 was performed in 56 adult Wistar rats that were randomly divided into 4 groups （ n = 14 ）, namely 3 therapeutic groups and 1 control group. The therapeutic groups were dealed with NSC, genetic engineering NSC, and concentrated lentiviral supematant which carries both GFP and NT-3, respectively. Then used fluorescence microscope to detect the transgenic expression in vitro and in vivo, migration of the grafted cells in vivo, and used the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan （BBB） open-field locomotor test to assess the recovery of function. Results The transplanted cells could survive for long time in vivo and migrate for long distance. The stable transgenie expression could be detected in vivo. The hindlimb function of the injured rats in 3 therapeutic groups, especially those dealed with genetic engineering NSC, improved obviously. Concision It is feasible to combine NSC with lentivirus for the repair of SCI. NSC modified by lentivirus to deliver NT-3, acting as a source of neurotrophic factors and function cell in vivo, has the potential to participate in spinal cord repair.

Inhibition of choroidal neovascularization by lentivirusmediated PEDF gene transfer in rats

AIM: To evaluate the effects of lentivirus-mediated pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) gene transfer performed in treatment of rats with established choroidal neovascularization (CNV), and investigates the mechanism by which PEDF inhibits CNV in rats. METHODS: Brown Norway (BN) rats (n=204) were induced by exposure to a laser, and then randomly assigned to 3 groups: no treatment; treatments with intravitreal injection of lentivirus-PEDF-green fluorescent protein (GFP) or lentivirus-control GFP (free fluorescent protein). Following induction and treatment, the CNV tissue was assessed for form, size and vessel leakage by fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA), optical coherence tomography (OCT), histopathology, and examination of choroidal flat mounts. VEGF, Flk-1, and PEDF expression were evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot. RESULTS: A stable laser-induced rat model of CNV was successfully established, and used to demonstrate lentivirus-mediated REDO gene transfer by intravitreal injection. Expression of green fluorescence labelled PEDF was observed in the retina up to 28d after injection. An intravitreal injection of lentivirus-PEDF-GFP at 7d led to a significant reduction in the size, thickness and area of CNV showed by FFA, OCT and choroidal flat mounts. PEDF was up-regulated while VEGF and Flk-1 were down-regulated in the lentivirus-PEDF-GFP group. The differences in VEGF and Flk-1 expression in the control and lentivirus-PEDF groups at 7, 14, 21 and 28d after laser induction were all statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Lentivirus-mediated PEDF gene transfer is effective for use in treatment of laser-induced CNV, and PEDF exerts its therapeutic effects by inhibiting expression of VEGF and Flk-1.

Comparative study of the transfection efficiency of commonly used viral vectors in rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) brains

Viral vector transfection systems are among the simplest of biological agents with the ability to transfer genes into the central nervous system. In brain research, a series of powerful and novel gene editing technologies are based on these systems. Although many viral vectors are used in rodents, their full application has been limited in non-human primates. To identify viral vectors that can stably and effectively express exogenous genes within non- human primates, eleven commonly used recombinant adeno-associated viral and lentiviral vectors, each carrying a gene to express green or red fluorescence, were injected into the parietal cortex of four rhesus monkeys. The expression of fluorescent cells was used to quantify transfection efficiency. Histological results revealed that recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors, especially the serotype 2/9 coupled with the cytomegalovirus, human synapsin I, or Ca2~/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II promoters, and lentiviral vector coupled with the human ubiquitin C promoter, induced higher expression of fluorescent cells, representing high transfection efficiency. This is the first comparison of transfection efficiencies of different viral vectors carrying different promoters and serotypes in non-human primates （NHPs）. These results can be used as an aid to select optimal vectors to transfer exogenous genes into the central nervous system of non-human primates.

NT4(Si)-p53(N15)-antennapedia induces cell death in a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line

AIM： To construct the recombinant lentivirus expression plasmid, pLenti6/V5-NT4 p53（N 15）-antennapedia （Ant）, and study its effect on HepG2 cells. METHODS： Plasmid pLenti6/V5-NT4 p53（N15）-Ant was constructed incorporating the following functional regions, including signal peptide sequence and proregion of neurotrophin 4, N-terminal residues 12-26 of p53 and 17 amino acid drosophila carrier protein, Ant. Hepatocellular carcinoma （HepG2） cells were used for transfection. 3-[4,5-climethyl-thiazol-2yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide （MI-I） assay, lactate dehydrogenase （LDH） release assay, transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and flow cytometric analysis （FCM） were employed to investigate the effects of LV-NT4（Si）- p53（N15）-Ant in vitro on HepG2 cells. In vivo experiment was also performed to investigate the inhibitory effect of LV-NT4（Si）-p53（N15）-Ant on tumor growth in nude mice.RESULTS： LV-NT4（Si）-p53（N15）-Ant significantly suppressed the growth of HepG2 cells. MTT assay showed that the growth of HepG2 cells was mucj more significantly inhibited by LV-NT4（Si）-p53（N15）-Ant than by LV-EGFP. The inhibition rate for HepG2 cell growth in the two groups was 46.9% and 94.5%, respectively, 48 h after infection with LV-NT4（Si）-p53（N15）-Ant, and was 33.9% and 95.8%, respectively, 72 h after infection with LV-NT4（Si）-p53（N15）-Ant （P 〈 0.01）. Light microscopy and TEM showed morphological changes in HepG2 cells infected with LV-NT4（Si）-p53（N15）-Ant, but no significant changes in HepG2 cells infected with LV-EGFR Changes were observed in ultra-structure of HepG2 cells infected with LV-NT4（Si）-p53（N15）-Ant, with degraded membranes, resulting in necrosis. LDH release from HepG2 cells was analyzed at 24, 48, 72 and 96 h after infection with LV-NT4（Si）-p53（N15）-Ant and LV-EGFP, which showed that LDH release was significantly higher in LV-NT4（Si）-p53（N15）-Ant treatment group （682 IU/L） than in control group （45 IU/L, P 〈 0.01）. The longer the time was after infection, the bigger the difference was in LDH release. FCM analysis showed that LV-NT4（Si）- p53（N15）-Ant could induce two different kinds of cell death： necrosis and apoptosis, with apoptosis being the minor type and necrosis being the main type, suggesting that LV-NT4（Si）-p53（N15）-Ant exerts its anticancer effect on HepG2 cells by inducing necrosis. The in vivo study showed that LV-NT4（Si）-p53（N15）-Ant significantly inhibited tumor growth with an inhibition rate of 66.14% in terms of tumor size and weight. CONCLUSION： LV-NT4（Si）-p53（N15）-Ant is a novel recombinant lentivirus expression plasmid and can be used in gene therapy for cancer.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1 protects PC12 cells from amyloid beta-induced neurotoxicity

The mitogen-activated protein kinase（MAPK） signaling pathway plays an important role in the regulation of cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, transformation and death. Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1（MKP1） has an inhibitory effect on the p38 MAPK and JNK pathways, but it is unknown whether it plays a role in Aβ-induced oxidative stress and neuronal inflammation. In this study, PC12 cells were infected with MKP1 sh RNA, MKP1 lentivirus or control lentivirus for 12 hours, and then treated with 0.1, 1, 10 or 100 μM amyloid beta 42（Aβ42）. The cell survival rate was measured using the cell counting kit-8 assay. MKP1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha（TNF-α） and interleukin-1β（IL-1β） m RNA expression levels were analyzed using quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction. MKP1 and phospho-c-Jun N-terminal kinase（JNK） expression levels were assessed using western blot assay. Reactive oxygen species（ROS） levels were detected using 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate. Mitochondrial membrane potential was measured using flow cytometry. Superoxide dismutase activity and malondialdehyde levels were evaluated using the colorimetric method. Lactate dehydrogenase activity was measured using a microplate reader. Caspase-3 expression levels were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Apoptosis was evaluated using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase d UTP nick end labeling method. MKP1 overexpression inhibited Aβ-induced JNK phosphorylation and the increase in ROS levels. It also suppressed the Aβ-induced increase in TNF-α and IL-1β levels as well as apoptosis in PC12 cells. In contrast, MKP1 knockdown by RNA interference aggravated Aβ-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and cell damage in PC12 cells. Furthermore, the JNK-specific inhibitor SP600125 abolished this effect of MKP1 knockdown on Aβ-induced neurotoxicity. Collectively, these results show that MKP1 mitigates Aβ-induced apoptosis, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation by inhibiting the JNK signaling pathway, thereby playing a neuroprotective role.

The effects of microRNA-34a regulating Notch-1/NF-κB signaling pathway on lipopolysaccharide-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells

BACKGROUND: Notch-1/NF-κB signaling plays a key role in the cecal ligation and puncture(CLP)-induced sepsis. This study aims to investigate the intervention effects of microRNA-34a(miR-34a) lentivirus regulating Notch-1/NF-κB signaling pathway on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVEC).METHODS: HUVEC were divided into four groups as the following: they were infected with negative control lentivirus(NC group) or miR-34a lentivirus(OE group); LPS(1 g/mL) was added on the third day on the basis of NC group and OE group for 24 hours(NC+LPS group or OE+LPS group). The levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 in the cell supernatants, and the mRNA and protein expression of Notch-1 and NF-κB in the HUVEC were evaluated.RESULTS: After 24 hours, the levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 in the cell supernatants and the protein expression of NF-κB from NC+LPS group were significantly higher than those of NC group, but IL-10 level and the protein expression of Notch-1 in NC+LPS group were the opposite. After intervention of miR-34a lentivirus, the cell supernatants TNF-α and the protein expression of NF-κB in OE+LPS group after 24 hours markedly decreased compared to NC+LPS group. While the cell supernatants IL-1β and IL-6 and the mRNA expression of NF-κB slightly decreased in OE+LPS group, IL-10 and the mRNA and protein expression of Notch-1 were the opposite.CONCLUSION: miR-34a regulating Notch-1/NF-κB signaling pathway can reduce the HUVEC damage caused by LPS stimulation.