Intestinal flora affects the maturation of the host immune system,serves as a biomarker and efficacy predictor in the immunotherapy of several cancers,and has an important role in the development of colorectal cancer(...Intestinal flora affects the maturation of the host immune system,serves as a biomarker and efficacy predictor in the immunotherapy of several cancers,and has an important role in the development of colorectal cancer(CRC).Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies have shown satisfactory results in MSI-H/d MMR CRC but performed poorly in patients with MSS/p MMR CRC.In recent years an increasing number of studies have shown that intestinal flora has an important impact on anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody efficacy in CRC patients.Preclinical and clinical evidence have suggested that anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody efficacy can be improved by altering the composition of the intestinal flora in CRC.Herein,we summarize the studies related to the influence of intestinal flora on anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody efficacy in CRC and discuss the potential underlying mechanism(s).We have focused on the impact of the intestinal flora on the efficacy and safety of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies in CRC and how to better utilize the intestinal flora as an adjuvant to improve the efficacy of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies.In addition,we have provided a basis for the potential of the intestinal flora as a new treatment modality and indicator for determining patient prognosis.展开更多
Fusarium graminearum is an important plant pathogenic fungus that causes disease and yield reduction in many cereal crops, such as wheat and barley. Gyp8 stimulates GTP hydrolysis on Ypt1 in yeast. However, the functi...Fusarium graminearum is an important plant pathogenic fungus that causes disease and yield reduction in many cereal crops, such as wheat and barley. Gyp8 stimulates GTP hydrolysis on Ypt1 in yeast. However, the functions of Gyp8 in plant pathogenic fungi are still unknown. In this study, we investigated the roles of Fg Gyp8 in F. graminearum by genetic and pathological analyses. Through gene knockout and phenotypic analyses, we found that Fg Gyp8 is required for vegetative growth in F. graminearum. The conidiation, conidial size and number of septa per conidium of ΔFggyp8 mutant are significantly reduced when compared to the wild type PH-1. Furthermore, Fg Gyp8 is crucial for pathogenicity on wheat coleoptiles and wheat heads. Fg Gyp8 contains a conserved TBC domain. Domain deletion analysis showed that the TBC domain, C-and N-terminal regions of Fg Gyp8 are all important for its biological functions in F. graminearum. Moreover, we showed that Fg Gyp8 catalyzes the hydrolysis of the GTP on Fg Rab1 to GDP in vitro, indicating that Fg Gyp8 is a GTPase-activating protein(GAP) for Fg Rab1. In addition, we demonstrated that Fg Gyp8 is required for Fg Snc1-mediated fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane in F. graminearum. Finally, we showed that Fg Gyp8 has functional redundancy with another Fg Rab1 GAP, Fg Gyp1, in F. graminearum. Taken together, we conclude that Fg Gyp8 is required for vegetative growth, conidiogenesis, pathogenicity and acts as a GAP for Fg Rab1 in F. graminearum.展开更多
BACKGROUND Immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)targeting programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1)and T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3(TIM-3)are beneficial to the resumption of anti-tumor immunity...BACKGROUND Immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)targeting programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1)and T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3(TIM-3)are beneficial to the resumption of anti-tumor immunity response and hold extreme potential as efficient therapies for certain malignancies.However,ICIs with a single target exhibit poor overall response rate in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)patients due to the complex pathological mechanisms of HCC.AIM To investigate the effects of combined TIM-3 and PD-1 blockade on tumor development in an HCC mouse model,aiming to identify more effective immunotherapies and provide more treatment options for HCC patients.METHODS The levels of PD-1 and TIM-3 on CD4+and CD8+T cells from tumor tissues,ascites,and matched adjacent tissues from HCC patients were determined with flow cytometry.An HCC xenograft mouse model was established and treated with anti-TIM-3 monoclonal antibody(mAb)and/or anti-PD-1 mAb.Tumor growth in each group was measured.Hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining were used to evaluate T cell infiltration in tumors.The percentage of CD4+and CD8+T cells in tissue samples from mice was tested with flow cytometry.The percentages of PD-1+CD8+,TIM-3+CD8+,and PD-1+TIM-3+CD8+T cells was accessed by flow cytometry.The levels of the cytokines including tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α),interferon-γ(IFN-γ),interleukin(IL)-6,and IL-10 in tumor tissues were gauged with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.RESULTS We confirmed that PD-1 and TIM-3 expression was substantially upregulated in CD4+and CD8+T cells isolated from tumor tissues and ascites of HCC patients.TIM-3 mAb and PD-1 mAb treatment both reduced tumor volume and weight,while combined blockade had more substantial anti-tumor effects than individual treatment.Then we showed that combined therapy increased T cell infiltration into tumor tissues,and downregulated PD-1 and TIM-3 expression on CD8+T cells in tumor tissues.Moreover,combined treatment facilitated the production of T cell effector cytokines TNF-α and IFN-γ,and reduced the production of immunosuppressive cytokines IL-10 and IL-6 in tumor tissues.Thus,we implicated that combined blockade could ameliorate T cell exhaustion in HCC mouse model.CONCLUSION Combined TIM-3 and PD-1 blockade restrains HCC development by facilitating CD4+ and CD8+T cell-mediated antitumor immune responses.展开更多
BACKGROUND Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis is a genetic disorder with recurrent cholestatic jaundice due to ATP8B1 and ABCB11 gene mutations encoding for hepato-canalicular transporters.Herein,we firstly pro...BACKGROUND Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis is a genetic disorder with recurrent cholestatic jaundice due to ATP8B1 and ABCB11 gene mutations encoding for hepato-canalicular transporters.Herein,we firstly provide the evidence that a nonsense variant of ATP8B1 gene(c.1558A>T)in heterozygous form is involved in BRIC pathogenesis.CASE SUMMARY A 29-year-old male showed severe jaundice and laboratory tests consistent with intrahepatic cholestasis despite normal gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase.Acute and chronic liver diseases with viral,metabolic and autoimmune etiology were excluded.Normal intra/extra-hepatic bile ducts were demonstrated by magnetic resonance.Liver biopsy showed:Cholestasis in the centrilobular and intermediate zones with bile plugs and intra-hepatocyte pigment,Kupffer’s cell activation/hyperplasia and preserved biliary ducts.Being satisfied benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis diagnostic criteria,ATP8B1 and ABCB11 gene analysis was performed.Surprisingly,we found a novel nonsense variant of ATP8B1 gene(c.1558A>T)in heterozygosis.The variant was confirmed by Sanger sequencing following a standard protocol and tested for familial segregation,showing a maternal inheritance.Immunohistochemistry confirmed a significant reduction of mutated gene related protein(familial intrahepatic cholestasis 1).The patient was treated with ursodeoxycholic acid 15 mg/kg per day and colestyramine 8 g daily with total bilirubin decrease and normalization at the 6th and 12th mo.CONCLUSION A genetic abnormality,different from those already known,could be involved in familial intrahepatic cholestatic disorders and/or pro-cholestatic genetic predisposition,thus encouraging further mutation detection in this field.展开更多
A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SA RS)-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), has been identified as the causal agent of SARS. Spike (S) protein is a major structural glycoprotein of the SARS virus...A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SA RS)-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), has been identified as the causal agent of SARS. Spike (S) protein is a major structural glycoprotein of the SARS virus and a potential target for SARS-specific cell-mediated immune responses. A pa nel of S protein-derived peptides was tested for their binding affinity to HLA -A *0201 molecules. Peptides with high affinity for HLA-A *0201 were then as se ssed for their capacity to elicit specific immune responses mediated by cytotoxi c T lymphocytes (CTLs) both in vivo, in HLA-A2.1/K b transgenic mice, a nd in vitro, from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) harvested from healthy HLA-A 2.1 + donors. SARS-CoV protein-derived peptide-1 (SSp-1 RLNEVAKNL), induced pepti de-specific CTLs both in vivo (transgenic mice) and in vitro (human PBL s), which specifically released interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) upon stimulation with SSp-1-pulsed autologous dendritic cells (DCs) or T2 cells. SSp-1-specif ic CTLs also lysed major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-matched tumor cell lines engineered to express S proteins. HLA-A *0201-SSp-1 tetramer staining re vealed the presence of significant populations of SSp-1-specific CTLs in SSp- 1-induced CD8 + T cells. We propose that the newly identified epitope SSp-1 w ill help in the characterization of virus control mechanisms and immunopathology in SARS-CoV infection, and may be relevant to the development of immunotherape utic approaches for SARS.展开更多
The plant hormone abscisic acid （ABA） regulates many important physiological and developmental processes in plants. The objective of this study was to clone the ABA 8′-hydroxylase gene in common wheat. In the prese...The plant hormone abscisic acid （ABA） regulates many important physiological and developmental processes in plants. The objective of this study was to clone the ABA 8′-hydroxylase gene in common wheat. In the present study, we used the eDNA sequence of barley HvCYP707A1 gene （GenBank accession no. AB239299） as a probe for BLAST search against the common wheat （Triticum aestivum L.） EST database in GenBank. All wheat ESTs sharing high similarity with the reference gene were subjected to contig assembly. Primers were designed based on the constructed contigs to clone the wheat CYP707A1 gene, designated as TaCYP707A1. The genomic DNA sequence of TaCYPTO7A1 gene comprised five exons and four introns, with a size of 2225 bp. The corresponding cDNA sequence of TaCYP707A1 was 1737 bp, containing an open reading frame （ORF） of 1431 bp, a 42-bp 5′-untranslated region （UTR） and a 264-bp 3′UTR, with 94.9% of identical sequences to HvCYP707A1 gene （AB239299）. The neighbor joining tree indicated that the deduced amino acid sequences of TaCYP707A1 gene was highly similar to those of barley and rice. The TaCYP707A1 gene was located on chromosome 6BL using a set of Chinese Spring nullisomic-tetrasomic lines and ditelosomic line 6BS. These results will be of high importance in understanding of molecular mechanism of ABA catabolism.展开更多
BACKGROUND： Studies of several animal models of central nervous system diseases have shown that neural progenitor cells （NPCs） can migrate to injured tissues. Stromal cell-derived factor 1 alpha （SDF-la）, and its...BACKGROUND： Studies of several animal models of central nervous system diseases have shown that neural progenitor cells （NPCs） can migrate to injured tissues. Stromal cell-derived factor 1 alpha （SDF-la）, and its primary physiological receptor CXCR4, have been shown to contribute to this process. OBJECTIVE： To investigate migration efficacy of human NPCs toward a SDF-1α gradient, and the regulatory roles of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-8 （IL-8） in SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis-induced migration of NPCs. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： An in vitro, randomized, controlled, cellular and molecular biology study was performed at the Laboratory of Department of Cell Biology, Medical College of Soochow University between October 2005 and November 2007. MATERIALS： SDF-1α and mouse anti-human CXCR4 fusion antibody were purchased from R＆D Systems, USA. TNF-αwas purchased from Biomyx Technology, USA and IL-8 was kindly provided by the Biotechnology Research Institute of Soochow University. METHODS： NPCs isolated from forebrain tissue of 9 to 10-week-old human fetuses were cultured in vitro. The cells were incubated with 0, 20, and 40 ng/mL TNF-α, or 0, 20, and 40 ng/mL IL-8, for 48 hours prior to migration assay. For antibody-blocking experiments, cells were further pretreated with 0, 20, and 40 μg/mL mouse anti-human CXCR4 fusion antibody for 2 hours. Subsequently, the transwell assay and CXCR4 blockade experiments were performed to evaluate migration of human NPCs toward a SDF-1α gradient. Serum-free culture medium without SDF-1α served as the negative control. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The transwell assay was performed to evaluate migration of human NPCs toward a SDF-1α gradient, which was blocked by fusion antibody against CXCR4. In addition, CXCR4 expression in human NPCs stimulated by TNF-α and IL-8 was measured by flow cytometry. RESULTS： Results from the transwell assay demonstrated that SDF-1α was a strong chemoattractant for human NPCs （P 〈 0.01）, and 20 ng/mL produced the highest levels of migration. Anti-human CXCR4 fusion antibody significantly blocked the chemotactic effect （P 〈 0.05）. Flow cytometry results showed that treatment with TNF-α and IL-8 resulted in increased CXCR4 expression and greater chemotaxis efficiency of NPCs towards SDF-1α（P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： These results demonstrated that SDF-la significantly attracted NPCs in vitro, and neutralizing anti-CXCR4 antibody could block part of this chemotactic function. TNF-α and IL-8 increased chemotaxis efficiency of NPCs towards the SDF-1αgradient by upregulating CXCR4 expression in NPCs.展开更多
Tiantai No.1, a Chinese medicine predominantly composed of powdered Rhizoma Gastrodiae, Radix Ginseng, and Ginkgo leaf at a ratio of 2：1：2 and dissolved in pure water, is neuroprotective in animal models of various ...Tiantai No.1, a Chinese medicine predominantly composed of powdered Rhizoma Gastrodiae, Radix Ginseng, and Ginkgo leaf at a ratio of 2：1：2 and dissolved in pure water, is neuroprotective in animal models of various cognitive disorders, but its molecular mechanism remains unclear. We administered Tiantai No.1 intragastrically to senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8（SAMP8） mice（a model of Alzheimer＇s disease） at doses of 50, 100 or 150 mg/kg per day for 8 weeks and evaluated their behavior in the Morris water maze and expression of Alzheimer＇s disease-related proteins in the brain. Tiantai No.1 shortened the escape latency in the water maze training trials, and increased swimming time in the target quadrant during the spatial probe test, indicating that Tiantai No.1 improved learning and memory in SAMP8 mice. Immunohistochemistry revealed that Tiantai No.1 restored the proliferation potential of Ki67-positive cells in the hippocampus. In addition, mice that had received Tiantai No.1 had fewer astrocytes, and less accumulation of amyloid-beta and phosphorylated tau. These results suggest that Tiantai No.1 is neuroprotective in the SAMP8 mouse model of Alzheimer＇s disease and acts by restoring neuronal number and proliferation potential in the hippocampus, decreasing astrocyte infiltration, and reducing the accumulation of amyloid-beta and phosphorylated tau.展开更多
A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), has been identified as the causal agent of SARS. Spike (S) protein is a major structural glycoprotein of the SARS virus ...A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), has been identified as the causal agent of SARS. Spike (S) protein is a major structural glycoprotein of the SARS virus and a potential target for SARS-specific cell-mediated immune responses. A panel of S protein-derived peptides was tested for their binding affinity to HLA-A*0201 molecules. Peptides with high affinity for HLA-A*0201 were then assessed for their capacity to elicit specific immune responses mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) both in vivo, in HLA-A2.1/K b transgenic mice, and in vitro, from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) harvested from healthy HLA-A2.1(+) donors. SARS-CoV protein-derived peptide-1 (SSp-1 RLNEVAKNL), induced peptide-specific CTLs both in vivo (transgenic mice) and in vitro (human PBLs), which specifically released interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) upon stimulation with SSp-1-pulsed autologous dendritic cells (DCs) or T2 cells. SSp-1-specific CTLs also lysed major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-matched tumor cell lines engineered to express S proteins. HLA-A*0201-SSp-1 tetramer staining revealed the presence of significant populations of SSp-1-specific CTLs in SSp-1-induced CD8+ T cells. We propose that the newly identified epitope SSp-1 will help in the characterization of virus control mechanisms and immunopathology in SARS-CoV infection, and may be relevant to the development of immunotherapeutic approaches for SARS.展开更多
AIM: To study the relationship between MCP-1-2518A/ G, IL-8-251A/T polymorphism and acute pancreatitis (AP) in the Han population of Suzhou, China. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted to compare the distributi...AIM: To study the relationship between MCP-1-2518A/ G, IL-8-251A/T polymorphism and acute pancreatitis (AP) in the Han population of Suzhou, China. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted to compare the distribution of genotype and genetic frequency of MCP-1-2518A/G, IL-8-251A/T gene polymorphism among AP (n = 101), including mild AP (n = 78) and severe AP (n = 23) and control healthy individuals (n = 120) with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing, and analyze the relationship between the MCP-1-2518A/G, IL-8-251A/T gene polymorphism and the susceptibility to AP. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in the distribution of genotype of MCP-1-2518A/G between the healthy control group and mild AP group (χ2 = 32.015, P < 0.001), the same was evident between the healthy control group and severe AP group (χ2 = 12.932, P < 0.05) in Suzhou. However, no difference of genotypic distribution was noted between MAP and SAP (χ2 = 0.006, P = 0.997). The genetic frequencies of G allele in mild AP were 72.4% (113/156) and 76.1% (35/46) in severe AP, both were higher than the controls, 47.1% (113/240) (χ2 = 24.804; P < 0.001, and χ2 = 13.005; P < 0.001), but no difference was found between severe AP and mild AP (χ2 = 0.242; P = 0.623). No difference was found in the distribution of genotype of IL-8-251A/T between the healthy control group and AP group neither in the frequency of A and T allele. CONCLUSION: The MCP-1-2518 AA genotype of the population in Suzhou may be a protective genotype of AP, while one with higher frequency of G allele is more likely to suffer from pancreatitis. But the genotype of AA and the frequency of G allele could not predict the risk of severe AP. No correlation is found between the IL-8-251 polymorphism and the liability of AP.展开更多
基金supported by grants from National Cancer Center Climbing Fund(Grant No.NCC201916B03)Provincial-ministerial Co-construction Project of Henan Province Science and Technology Key Point Tackling Plan(Grant No.SBGJ202102064)Henan Provincial Scientific and Technological Project(Grant Nos.222102310363 and 222102310677)。
文摘Intestinal flora affects the maturation of the host immune system,serves as a biomarker and efficacy predictor in the immunotherapy of several cancers,and has an important role in the development of colorectal cancer(CRC).Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies have shown satisfactory results in MSI-H/d MMR CRC but performed poorly in patients with MSS/p MMR CRC.In recent years an increasing number of studies have shown that intestinal flora has an important impact on anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody efficacy in CRC patients.Preclinical and clinical evidence have suggested that anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody efficacy can be improved by altering the composition of the intestinal flora in CRC.Herein,we summarize the studies related to the influence of intestinal flora on anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibody efficacy in CRC and discuss the potential underlying mechanism(s).We have focused on the impact of the intestinal flora on the efficacy and safety of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies in CRC and how to better utilize the intestinal flora as an adjuvant to improve the efficacy of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 antibodies.In addition,we have provided a basis for the potential of the intestinal flora as a new treatment modality and indicator for determining patient prognosis.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China (31970141)the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province, China (2020J06047)+1 种基金the Foundation of Minjiang University, China (MJY19019)the Foundation of Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, China (KFb22050XA)。
文摘Fusarium graminearum is an important plant pathogenic fungus that causes disease and yield reduction in many cereal crops, such as wheat and barley. Gyp8 stimulates GTP hydrolysis on Ypt1 in yeast. However, the functions of Gyp8 in plant pathogenic fungi are still unknown. In this study, we investigated the roles of Fg Gyp8 in F. graminearum by genetic and pathological analyses. Through gene knockout and phenotypic analyses, we found that Fg Gyp8 is required for vegetative growth in F. graminearum. The conidiation, conidial size and number of septa per conidium of ΔFggyp8 mutant are significantly reduced when compared to the wild type PH-1. Furthermore, Fg Gyp8 is crucial for pathogenicity on wheat coleoptiles and wheat heads. Fg Gyp8 contains a conserved TBC domain. Domain deletion analysis showed that the TBC domain, C-and N-terminal regions of Fg Gyp8 are all important for its biological functions in F. graminearum. Moreover, we showed that Fg Gyp8 catalyzes the hydrolysis of the GTP on Fg Rab1 to GDP in vitro, indicating that Fg Gyp8 is a GTPase-activating protein(GAP) for Fg Rab1. In addition, we demonstrated that Fg Gyp8 is required for Fg Snc1-mediated fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane in F. graminearum. Finally, we showed that Fg Gyp8 has functional redundancy with another Fg Rab1 GAP, Fg Gyp1, in F. graminearum. Taken together, we conclude that Fg Gyp8 is required for vegetative growth, conidiogenesis, pathogenicity and acts as a GAP for Fg Rab1 in F. graminearum.
基金Supported by the First-Class Discipline Construction Founded Project of Ningxia Medical University and the School of Clinical Medicine,No.2020008.
文摘BACKGROUND Immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)targeting programmed cell death protein 1(PD-1)and T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3(TIM-3)are beneficial to the resumption of anti-tumor immunity response and hold extreme potential as efficient therapies for certain malignancies.However,ICIs with a single target exhibit poor overall response rate in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)patients due to the complex pathological mechanisms of HCC.AIM To investigate the effects of combined TIM-3 and PD-1 blockade on tumor development in an HCC mouse model,aiming to identify more effective immunotherapies and provide more treatment options for HCC patients.METHODS The levels of PD-1 and TIM-3 on CD4+and CD8+T cells from tumor tissues,ascites,and matched adjacent tissues from HCC patients were determined with flow cytometry.An HCC xenograft mouse model was established and treated with anti-TIM-3 monoclonal antibody(mAb)and/or anti-PD-1 mAb.Tumor growth in each group was measured.Hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical staining were used to evaluate T cell infiltration in tumors.The percentage of CD4+and CD8+T cells in tissue samples from mice was tested with flow cytometry.The percentages of PD-1+CD8+,TIM-3+CD8+,and PD-1+TIM-3+CD8+T cells was accessed by flow cytometry.The levels of the cytokines including tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α),interferon-γ(IFN-γ),interleukin(IL)-6,and IL-10 in tumor tissues were gauged with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits.RESULTS We confirmed that PD-1 and TIM-3 expression was substantially upregulated in CD4+and CD8+T cells isolated from tumor tissues and ascites of HCC patients.TIM-3 mAb and PD-1 mAb treatment both reduced tumor volume and weight,while combined blockade had more substantial anti-tumor effects than individual treatment.Then we showed that combined therapy increased T cell infiltration into tumor tissues,and downregulated PD-1 and TIM-3 expression on CD8+T cells in tumor tissues.Moreover,combined treatment facilitated the production of T cell effector cytokines TNF-α and IFN-γ,and reduced the production of immunosuppressive cytokines IL-10 and IL-6 in tumor tissues.Thus,we implicated that combined blockade could ameliorate T cell exhaustion in HCC mouse model.CONCLUSION Combined TIM-3 and PD-1 blockade restrains HCC development by facilitating CD4+ and CD8+T cell-mediated antitumor immune responses.
文摘BACKGROUND Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis is a genetic disorder with recurrent cholestatic jaundice due to ATP8B1 and ABCB11 gene mutations encoding for hepato-canalicular transporters.Herein,we firstly provide the evidence that a nonsense variant of ATP8B1 gene(c.1558A>T)in heterozygous form is involved in BRIC pathogenesis.CASE SUMMARY A 29-year-old male showed severe jaundice and laboratory tests consistent with intrahepatic cholestasis despite normal gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase.Acute and chronic liver diseases with viral,metabolic and autoimmune etiology were excluded.Normal intra/extra-hepatic bile ducts were demonstrated by magnetic resonance.Liver biopsy showed:Cholestasis in the centrilobular and intermediate zones with bile plugs and intra-hepatocyte pigment,Kupffer’s cell activation/hyperplasia and preserved biliary ducts.Being satisfied benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis diagnostic criteria,ATP8B1 and ABCB11 gene analysis was performed.Surprisingly,we found a novel nonsense variant of ATP8B1 gene(c.1558A>T)in heterozygosis.The variant was confirmed by Sanger sequencing following a standard protocol and tested for familial segregation,showing a maternal inheritance.Immunohistochemistry confirmed a significant reduction of mutated gene related protein(familial intrahepatic cholestasis 1).The patient was treated with ursodeoxycholic acid 15 mg/kg per day and colestyramine 8 g daily with total bilirubin decrease and normalization at the 6th and 12th mo.CONCLUSION A genetic abnormality,different from those already known,could be involved in familial intrahepatic cholestatic disorders and/or pro-cholestatic genetic predisposition,thus encouraging further mutation detection in this field.
文摘A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SA RS)-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), has been identified as the causal agent of SARS. Spike (S) protein is a major structural glycoprotein of the SARS virus and a potential target for SARS-specific cell-mediated immune responses. A pa nel of S protein-derived peptides was tested for their binding affinity to HLA -A *0201 molecules. Peptides with high affinity for HLA-A *0201 were then as se ssed for their capacity to elicit specific immune responses mediated by cytotoxi c T lymphocytes (CTLs) both in vivo, in HLA-A2.1/K b transgenic mice, a nd in vitro, from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) harvested from healthy HLA-A 2.1 + donors. SARS-CoV protein-derived peptide-1 (SSp-1 RLNEVAKNL), induced pepti de-specific CTLs both in vivo (transgenic mice) and in vitro (human PBL s), which specifically released interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) upon stimulation with SSp-1-pulsed autologous dendritic cells (DCs) or T2 cells. SSp-1-specif ic CTLs also lysed major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-matched tumor cell lines engineered to express S proteins. HLA-A *0201-SSp-1 tetramer staining re vealed the presence of significant populations of SSp-1-specific CTLs in SSp- 1-induced CD8 + T cells. We propose that the newly identified epitope SSp-1 w ill help in the characterization of virus control mechanisms and immunopathology in SARS-CoV infection, and may be relevant to the development of immunotherape utic approaches for SARS.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(2009CB118300)the National 863 Program of China(2006AA10Z1A7and2006AA100102)the International Collaboration Project from the Ministry of Agriculture of China(2006-G2)
文摘The plant hormone abscisic acid （ABA） regulates many important physiological and developmental processes in plants. The objective of this study was to clone the ABA 8′-hydroxylase gene in common wheat. In the present study, we used the eDNA sequence of barley HvCYP707A1 gene （GenBank accession no. AB239299） as a probe for BLAST search against the common wheat （Triticum aestivum L.） EST database in GenBank. All wheat ESTs sharing high similarity with the reference gene were subjected to contig assembly. Primers were designed based on the constructed contigs to clone the wheat CYP707A1 gene, designated as TaCYP707A1. The genomic DNA sequence of TaCYPTO7A1 gene comprised five exons and four introns, with a size of 2225 bp. The corresponding cDNA sequence of TaCYP707A1 was 1737 bp, containing an open reading frame （ORF） of 1431 bp, a 42-bp 5′-untranslated region （UTR） and a 264-bp 3′UTR, with 94.9% of identical sequences to HvCYP707A1 gene （AB239299）. The neighbor joining tree indicated that the deduced amino acid sequences of TaCYP707A1 gene was highly similar to those of barley and rice. The TaCYP707A1 gene was located on chromosome 6BL using a set of Chinese Spring nullisomic-tetrasomic lines and ditelosomic line 6BS. These results will be of high importance in understanding of molecular mechanism of ABA catabolism.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.30671041the National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program),No. 2005CB623902
文摘BACKGROUND： Studies of several animal models of central nervous system diseases have shown that neural progenitor cells （NPCs） can migrate to injured tissues. Stromal cell-derived factor 1 alpha （SDF-la）, and its primary physiological receptor CXCR4, have been shown to contribute to this process. OBJECTIVE： To investigate migration efficacy of human NPCs toward a SDF-1α gradient, and the regulatory roles of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-8 （IL-8） in SDF-1α/CXCR4 axis-induced migration of NPCs. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： An in vitro, randomized, controlled, cellular and molecular biology study was performed at the Laboratory of Department of Cell Biology, Medical College of Soochow University between October 2005 and November 2007. MATERIALS： SDF-1α and mouse anti-human CXCR4 fusion antibody were purchased from R＆D Systems, USA. TNF-αwas purchased from Biomyx Technology, USA and IL-8 was kindly provided by the Biotechnology Research Institute of Soochow University. METHODS： NPCs isolated from forebrain tissue of 9 to 10-week-old human fetuses were cultured in vitro. The cells were incubated with 0, 20, and 40 ng/mL TNF-α, or 0, 20, and 40 ng/mL IL-8, for 48 hours prior to migration assay. For antibody-blocking experiments, cells were further pretreated with 0, 20, and 40 μg/mL mouse anti-human CXCR4 fusion antibody for 2 hours. Subsequently, the transwell assay and CXCR4 blockade experiments were performed to evaluate migration of human NPCs toward a SDF-1α gradient. Serum-free culture medium without SDF-1α served as the negative control. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： The transwell assay was performed to evaluate migration of human NPCs toward a SDF-1α gradient, which was blocked by fusion antibody against CXCR4. In addition, CXCR4 expression in human NPCs stimulated by TNF-α and IL-8 was measured by flow cytometry. RESULTS： Results from the transwell assay demonstrated that SDF-1α was a strong chemoattractant for human NPCs （P 〈 0.01）, and 20 ng/mL produced the highest levels of migration. Anti-human CXCR4 fusion antibody significantly blocked the chemotactic effect （P 〈 0.05）. Flow cytometry results showed that treatment with TNF-α and IL-8 resulted in increased CXCR4 expression and greater chemotaxis efficiency of NPCs towards SDF-1α（P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： These results demonstrated that SDF-la significantly attracted NPCs in vitro, and neutralizing anti-CXCR4 antibody could block part of this chemotactic function. TNF-α and IL-8 increased chemotaxis efficiency of NPCs towards the SDF-1αgradient by upregulating CXCR4 expression in NPCs.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81473742the Guangdong Science and Technology Foundation,No.2013B021800101the Shenzhen Major Project of Science and Technology Planning,No.JCYJ20130401115231337
文摘Tiantai No.1, a Chinese medicine predominantly composed of powdered Rhizoma Gastrodiae, Radix Ginseng, and Ginkgo leaf at a ratio of 2：1：2 and dissolved in pure water, is neuroprotective in animal models of various cognitive disorders, but its molecular mechanism remains unclear. We administered Tiantai No.1 intragastrically to senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8（SAMP8） mice（a model of Alzheimer＇s disease） at doses of 50, 100 or 150 mg/kg per day for 8 weeks and evaluated their behavior in the Morris water maze and expression of Alzheimer＇s disease-related proteins in the brain. Tiantai No.1 shortened the escape latency in the water maze training trials, and increased swimming time in the target quadrant during the spatial probe test, indicating that Tiantai No.1 improved learning and memory in SAMP8 mice. Immunohistochemistry revealed that Tiantai No.1 restored the proliferation potential of Ki67-positive cells in the hippocampus. In addition, mice that had received Tiantai No.1 had fewer astrocytes, and less accumulation of amyloid-beta and phosphorylated tau. These results suggest that Tiantai No.1 is neuroprotective in the SAMP8 mouse model of Alzheimer＇s disease and acts by restoring neuronal number and proliferation potential in the hippocampus, decreasing astrocyte infiltration, and reducing the accumulation of amyloid-beta and phosphorylated tau.
文摘A novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), has been identified as the causal agent of SARS. Spike (S) protein is a major structural glycoprotein of the SARS virus and a potential target for SARS-specific cell-mediated immune responses. A panel of S protein-derived peptides was tested for their binding affinity to HLA-A*0201 molecules. Peptides with high affinity for HLA-A*0201 were then assessed for their capacity to elicit specific immune responses mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) both in vivo, in HLA-A2.1/K b transgenic mice, and in vitro, from peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) harvested from healthy HLA-A2.1(+) donors. SARS-CoV protein-derived peptide-1 (SSp-1 RLNEVAKNL), induced peptide-specific CTLs both in vivo (transgenic mice) and in vitro (human PBLs), which specifically released interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) upon stimulation with SSp-1-pulsed autologous dendritic cells (DCs) or T2 cells. SSp-1-specific CTLs also lysed major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-matched tumor cell lines engineered to express S proteins. HLA-A*0201-SSp-1 tetramer staining revealed the presence of significant populations of SSp-1-specific CTLs in SSp-1-induced CD8+ T cells. We propose that the newly identified epitope SSp-1 will help in the characterization of virus control mechanisms and immunopathology in SARS-CoV infection, and may be relevant to the development of immunotherapeutic approaches for SARS.
文摘AIM: To study the relationship between MCP-1-2518A/ G, IL-8-251A/T polymorphism and acute pancreatitis (AP) in the Han population of Suzhou, China. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted to compare the distribution of genotype and genetic frequency of MCP-1-2518A/G, IL-8-251A/T gene polymorphism among AP (n = 101), including mild AP (n = 78) and severe AP (n = 23) and control healthy individuals (n = 120) with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and DNA sequencing, and analyze the relationship between the MCP-1-2518A/G, IL-8-251A/T gene polymorphism and the susceptibility to AP. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in the distribution of genotype of MCP-1-2518A/G between the healthy control group and mild AP group (χ2 = 32.015, P < 0.001), the same was evident between the healthy control group and severe AP group (χ2 = 12.932, P < 0.05) in Suzhou. However, no difference of genotypic distribution was noted between MAP and SAP (χ2 = 0.006, P = 0.997). The genetic frequencies of G allele in mild AP were 72.4% (113/156) and 76.1% (35/46) in severe AP, both were higher than the controls, 47.1% (113/240) (χ2 = 24.804; P < 0.001, and χ2 = 13.005; P < 0.001), but no difference was found between severe AP and mild AP (χ2 = 0.242; P = 0.623). No difference was found in the distribution of genotype of IL-8-251A/T between the healthy control group and AP group neither in the frequency of A and T allele. CONCLUSION: The MCP-1-2518 AA genotype of the population in Suzhou may be a protective genotype of AP, while one with higher frequency of G allele is more likely to suffer from pancreatitis. But the genotype of AA and the frequency of G allele could not predict the risk of severe AP. No correlation is found between the IL-8-251 polymorphism and the liability of AP.
