Publications by authors named "Facai Li"

Approximately half of the adult population is suffering from periodontal disease, and conventional periodontal treatment strategies can only slow the progression of the disease. As a kind of tissue engineering, periodontal regeneration brings hope for the treatment of periodontal disease. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is a form of ultrasound with a frequency of 1-3 MHz and a much lower intensity (< 1W/cm) than traditional ultrasound energy and output.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates the effects of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) on the reproductive performance of sows and the growth and health of their weaned piglets, focusing on both maternal and piglet dietary supplementation of FOS. !* -
  • Using a split-plot design, the researchers analyzed 52 multiparous sows and their piglets, measuring factors like stillbirth rates, insulin sensitivity, and gastrointestinal health over a 28-day period post-weaning. !* -
  • Results indicated that feeding sows a diet with FOS improved reproductive outcomes and reduced the diarrhea rates in piglets, suggesting that FOS supplementation benefits both sow health and piglet growth. !*
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Canine vector-borne diseases are widely distributed around the world. They are transmitted by arthropods, and many seriously threaten the health of animals and humans. In China, our knowledge of , , and species circulating in dogs is still poorly understood.

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is a tick-borne apicomplexan protozoan causing canine babesiosis. This parasite has diploid sexual reproduction in ticks, during which genetic exchanges can occur leading to increased genetic diversity, which is an important factor in adapting to environmental changes. Exploring the genetic variation of population can provide a foundation for understanding the patterns of disease transmission and developing babesiosis control strategies.

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As there are few studies of spp. infection in cats in China, or anywhere in the world, the aim of this study was to explore the epidemic features of babesiosis in pet cats in China. In total, 429 blood samples were randomly collected in four different geographical regions.

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Lysine crotonylation (Kcr) is an evolutionally conserved post-translational modification (PTM) on histone proteins. However, information about Kcr and its involvement in the biology and metabolism of Toxoplasma gondii is limited. In the present study, a global Kcr proteome analysis using LC-MS/MS in combination with immune-affinity method was performed.

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Lysine 2-hydroxyisobutyrylation (K) is a recently discovered and evolutionarily conserved form of protein post-translational modification (PTM) found in mammalian and yeast cells. Previous studies have shown that K plays roles in the activity of gene transcription and K-containing proteins are closely related to the cellular metabolism. In this study, a global K-containing analysis using the latest databases (ToxoDB 46, 8322 sequences, downloaded on April 16, 2020) and sensitive immune-affinity enrichment coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was performed.

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Individuals with inhibited immunity may develop lethal toxoplasmosis; thus, a safe and effective vaccine is urged to be developed. Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) α-amylase (α-AMY) is one of the enzymes responsible for starch digestion.

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Lysine malonylation (Kmal) is a new post-translational modification (PTM), which has been reported in several prokaryotic and eukaryotic species. Although Kmal can regulate many and diverse biological processes in various organisms, knowledge about this important PTM in the apicomplexan parasite is limited. In this study, we performed the first global profiling of malonylated proteins in tachyzoites using affinity enrichment and Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis.

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Here we investigated the gene of a transforming growth factor (TGF)-β type I receptor-like molecule in Haemonchus contortus, a highly pathogenic and economically important parasitic nematode of small ruminants. Designated Hc-tgfbr1, this gene is transcribed in all developmental stages of H. contortus, and the encoded protein has glycine-serine rich and kinase domains characteristic of a TGF-β family type I receptor.

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Enterocytozoon bieneusi is one of the most important causative agents of microsporidiosis, causing diarrhoea the symptoms of enteric disease in humans and animals. Although there is some information on the prevalence and genotypes of E. bieneusi in China, there is still a lack of data in pigs in southern China.

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Growth and replication of the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii within host cell entail the production of several effector proteins, which the parasite exploits for counteracting the host's immune response. Despite considerable research to define the host signaling pathways manipulated by T. gondii and their effectors, there has been limited progress into understanding how individual members of the dense granule proteins (GRAs) modulate gene expression within host cells.

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Toxoplasma gondii deploys many effector proteins in order to hijack and manipulate host cell signaling pathways, allowing parasite colonization, subversion of immune responses, and disease progression. T. gondii effector protein 14-3-3 (Tg14-3-3) promotes parasite dissemination inside the body, by enhancing the migratory ability of infected microglia and dendritic cells.

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Although microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in liver homeostasis, the extent to which they can be altered by Toxoplasma gondii infection is unknown. Here, we utilized small RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses to characterize miRNA expression profiles in the liver of domestic cats at 7 days after oral infection with T. gondii (Type II) strain.

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is an important zoonotic parasite. It can infect virtually all animal species and has a global distribution. However, the prevalence of in donkeys () has only been reported in Algeria and Spain, and no information is available concerning genotypes of in donkeys worldwide.

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Toxoplasma gondii microneme proteins (TgMICs), secreted by micronemes upon contact with host cells, are reported to play important roles in multiple stages of the T. gondii life cycle, including parasite motility, invasion, intracellular survival, and egress from host cells. Meanwhile, during these processes, TgMICs participate in many protein-protein and protein-carbohydrate interactions, such as undergoing proteolytic maturation, binding to aldolase, engaging the host cell receptors and forming the moving junction (MJ), relying on different types of ectodomains, transmembrane (TM) domains and cytoplasmic domains (CDs).

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Background: Giardia intestinalis is one of the most important zoonotic enteric parasites. As no information regarding prevalence and genotype of G. intestinalis in donkeys (Equus asinus) in China is available, 181 faecal samples from 48 donkeys from Jilin Province, from 104 from Shandong Province and from 29 from Liaoning Province were examined between May and December 2015.

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Background: Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, possesses the remarkable ability to co-opt host cell machinery in order to maintain its intracellular survival. This parasite can modulate signaling pathways of its host through the secretion of polymorphic effector proteins localized in the rhoptry and dense granule organelles. One of such effectors is T.

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Background: Studying genetic variation within and among Haemonchus contortus populations can inform some aspects of this parasite's population genetics and epidemiology. However, almost nothing is known about such variation in China.

Methods: Adult males of H.

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Toxoplasma gondii is a worldwide prevalent parasite, affecting a wide range of mammals and human beings. Little information is available about the distribution of genetic diversity of T. gondii infection in minks (Neovison vison).

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Toxoplasmosis is a globally spread zoonosis. The pathogen Toxoplasma gondii can hijack cellular organelles of host for replication. Although a number of important cellular life events are controlled by cell organelles, very little is known of the transcriptional changes of host cellular organelles after infection with T.

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[Research Progress on Genetic Diversity in Animal Parasitic Nematodes].

Zhongguo Ji Sheng Chong Xue Yu Ji Sheng Chong Bing Za Zhi

October 2015

The development of molecular genetic markers for parasitic nematodes has significant implications in fundamental and applied research in Veterinary Parasitology. Knowledge on genetic diversity of nematodes would not only provide a theoretical basis for understanding the spread of drug-resistance alleles, but also have implications in the development of nematode control strategies. This review discusses the applications of molecular genetic markers (RFLP, RAPD, PCR-SSCP, AFLP, SSR and mitochondrial DNA) in research on the genetic diversity of parasitic nematodes.

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Background: Phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK-1), which functions downstream of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (AGE-1) and activates protein kinases of the AGC family, plays critical roles in regulating biology processes, such as metabolism, growth, development and survival. In the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, PDK-1 is a key component of the insulin-like signalling pathway, regulating the entry into and exit from dauer (arrested development). Although it is proposed that similar molecular mechanisms control the transition from the free-living to the parasitic stages of nematodes, nothing is known about PDK-1 in Haemonchus contortus, a socioeconomically important gastric nematode of ruminants.

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Background: Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are relatively conserved and important intracellular lipid kinases involved in signalling and other biological pathways. In the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the heterodimeric form of PI3K consists of catalytic (AGE-1) and regulatory (AAP-1) subunits. These subunits are key components of the insulin-like signalling pathway and play roles in the regulation of the entry into and exit from dauer.

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