Complex effects of testosterone level on ectoparasite load in a ground squirrel: an experimental test for the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis.

Background: The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis suggests that males with a higher testosterone level should be better at developing male secondary traits, but at a cost of suppressed immune performance. As a result, we should expect that males with an increased testosterone level also possess a higher parasite load. However, previous empirical studies aimed to test this prediction have generated mixed results.

The structural and functional properties of hemp protein isolate-epigallocatechin-3-gallate biopolymer covalent complex during heating.

Background: It is well known that hemp proteins have the disadvantages of poor solubility and poor emulsification. To improve these shortcomings, an alkali covalent cross-linking method was used to prepare hemp protein isolate-epigallocatechin-3-gallate biopolymer (HPI-EGCG) and the effects of different heat treatment conditions on the structure and emulsifying properties of the HPI-EGCG covalent complex were studied.

Results: The secondary and tertiary structures, solubility, and emulsification ability of the HPI-EGCG complexes were evaluated using particle size, zeta potential, circular dichroism (CD), and fluorescence spectroscopy indices.

Telomere length, oxidative stress and their links with growth and survival in a lizard facing climate warming.

Higher temperatures enhance ectothermic metabolism and development, which can reduce individual health and life expectancy, and therefore increase their vulnerability to climate warming. However, the mechanistic causes and consequences of such a temperature-driven impact remain unclear. Our study aimed to address two questions: (1) does climate warming alter early-life growth and physiology, and, if so, what are the associated carry-over effects in terms of reduced survival, increased oxidative stress and telomere shortening? (2) can oxidative stress and telomere dynamics at early life stages predict the effect of climate warming on individual survival? To answer these questions, we conducted a longitudinal experiment under semi-natural conditions where we exposed multiocellated racerunner (Eremias multiocellata) to warming conditions from juvenile to adult stages.

Combined effects of light pollution and vegetation height on behavior and body weight in a nocturnal rodent.

At a global scale, organisms are under threat due to various kinds of environmental changes, such as artificial light at night (ALAN), noise, climatic change and vegetation destruction. Usually, these changes co-vary in time and space and may take effect simultaneously. Although impacts of ALAN on biological processes have been well documented, our knowledge on the combined effects of ALAN and other environmental changes on animals remains limited.

Ecological correlates of ectoparasite load in a rodent: Complex roles of seasonality.

Understanding the mechanisms driving parasite distributions is not only important for understanding ecosystem functioning, but also crucial for disease control. Previous studies have documented the important roles of host sex, host body size, host behavioral trait (such as boldness and trappability), and seasonality in shaping parasite load. However, few studies have simultaneously assessed the roles of these factors, as well as their interactions.

A reciprocal egg-swap experiment reveals sources of variation in developmental success among populations of a desert lizard.

Identifying intrinsic and extrinsic sources of variation in life history traits among populations has been well-studied at the post-embryonic stage but rarely at the embryonic stage. To reveal these sources of variation in the developmental success of embryos, we measured the physical characteristics of nest environments and conducted reciprocal egg-swap experiments in two populations of the toad-headed agamid lizard (Phrynocephalus przewalskii), isolated from each other by a mountain range. We determined the effects of population origin and nest environment on embryonic and offspring traits related to developmental success, including incubation period, hatching success, and offspring growth and survival.

Grow fast but don't die young: Maternal effects mediate life-history trade-offs of lizards under climate warming.

As postulated by life-history theory, not all life-history traits can be maximized simultaneously. In ectothermic animals, climate warming is predicted to increase growth rates, but at a cost to overall life span. Maternal effects are expected to mediate this life-history trade-off, but such effects have not yet been explicitly elucidated.

Effects of artificial light at night on foraging behavior and vigilance in a nocturnal rodent.

Artificial light at night has greatly changed the physical environment for many organisms on a global scale. As an energy efficient light resource, light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been widely used in recent years. As LEDs often have a broad spectrum, many biological processes may be potentially affected.

[Study on adjuvant effect of oral recombinant subunit vaccine formulated with chitosan against human enterovirus 71].

To evaluate the adjuvant effect of recombinant enterovirus 71 (EV71) subunit vaccine formulated with chitosan, rabbits were orally immunized with recombinant VP1 (rVP1) or rVP1 mixed with chitosan adjuvant. Levels of virus-specific IgG and IgA antibodies in sera, mucosal wash buffer (intestine, nasal cavity, and lung), and feces were determined by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The titers of neutralizing antibodies against EV71 were determined using cytopathic effect-based neutralizing assay, and levels of cytokines (IFN-gamma and IL-4) secreted from in vitro-cultured rabbit splenic lymphocytes under antigen stimulation were also determined by ELISA.

[A double antibody sandwich ELISA based assay for titration of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus].

Objective: To develop an assay for titration of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) based on double antibody sandwich ELISA.

Methods: A double antibody sandwich ELISA was developed for detection of SFTSV based on SFTSV nucleocapsid (N) protein specific poly- and monoclonal antibodies, procedures were optimized and evaluated. This ELISA based titration assay was compared with fluorescence assasy and plaque assay based titration method.

[Subcellular localization of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus in macrophages].

Objective: To study the subcellular localization of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) in macrophages and understand the replication and assembly mechanism of SFTSV in host cells.

Methods: Using two types of human macrophage cell lines THP-1 and U937, the study analyzed the intracellular colocalization of SFTSV with Golgi apparatus and endoplasmic reticulum by immunefluorescence staining and confocal microscopy.

Results: SFTSV infected macrophage cell lines THP-1 and U937.

Structural insights into a human anti-IFN antibody exerting therapeutic potential for systemic lupus erythematosus.

Increasing evidences suggest that the type I interferon α (IFN α) plays a critical role in the etiopathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which makes it a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of the disease. By screening a large size non-immune human antibody library, we have developed a human single-chain antibody (ScFv) AIFN α 1bScFv01 and corresponding whole antibody AIFN α 1bIgG01 to human interferon α 1b (IFN α 1b) with high specificity and high affinity. The IgG antibody could down-regulate the expression of ISG15 and IFIT-1 induced by either recombinant IFN α 1b or naïve IFN α from SLE patients' sera, and reduced total serum IgG and IgM antibodies level in a pristane-primed lupus-like mouse model.

[Expression of structural and non-structural proteins of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome bunyavirus].

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome bunyavirus (SFTSV) is a novel phlebovirus, causing a life-threatening illness associated with the symptoms of severe fever and thrombocytopenia syndrome. The sequence and structure of the genome have already been illustrated in previous study. However, the characteristics and function of the structure and non-structure proteins is still unclear.

[Generation of recombinant human antibodies for EV71 virus].

Objective: To obtain recombinant human anti-EV71 antibodies from a EV71-associated hand-foot-and-mouth disease patient-derived antibody phage library.

Methods: A combinatorial human scFv library to enterovirus 71 (EV71) virus was constructed using antibody genes harvested from the blood of EV71 virus patients. The library was panned and selected by using purified VP1 protein of EV71 virus with phage display.