Dynamic expression of cathepsin L in the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) gut during Escherichia coli challenge.

The black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens, has the potential to serve as a valuable resource for waste bioconversion due to the ability of the larvae to thrive in a microbial-rich environment. Being an ecological decomposer, the survival of BSF larvae (BSFL) relies on developing an efficient defense system. Cathepsin L (CTSL) is a cysteine protease that plays roles in physiological and pathological processes.

Bioactivity of orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) cathepsin L: Proteolysis of bacteria and regulation of the innate immune response.

Cathepsin L (CTSL) is a cysteine endopeptidase involved in protein degradation mainly in lysosomes. Following activation in an acidic environment, it plays a key role in a variety of physiological, immunological, and pathological processes. The biological function of CTSL in teleost remains unclear.

Down-regulation of CD53 expression in Epinephelus coioides under LPS, poly (I:C), and cytokine stimulation.

Tetraspanins are a group of cell surface molecules involved in cell adhesion, motility, metastasis, signal transduction, and immune cell activation. Members of the tetraspanin family include CD9, CD37, CD63, CD53, and others. However, few tetraspanins have been investigated in teleosts.

The biofunction of orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) CC chemokine ligand 4 (CCL4) in innate and adaptive immunity.

CC chemokine (motif) ligand 4 (CCL4) is indispensable to the chemoattraction of macrophages, natural killer cells, and lymphocytes in mammals; however, it has only been cloned in a limited number of fish species and information related to its biofunction remains ambiguous with regard to teleosts. To explore the role of teleost CCL4, we first evaluated the mRNA expression of the Epinephelus coioides CCL4 (gCCL4) gene in various organs under LPS and poly (I:C) stimulated; secondary, we evaluated the immune-related genes expression of fish under the recombinant gCCL4 protein stimulated. Our results revealed an increase in the mRNA of gCCL4 in immune organs immediately following stimulation by poly (I:C); however, in LPS stimulated fish, the expression did not increase until nearly 24 h after induction.

Identification and characterization of an extracellular alkaline phosphatase in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum.

In phosphorus-deficient conditions, Phaeodactylum tricornutum releases an alkaline phosphatase (PtAPase) to the medium that is readily detectable by activity staining. Nucleic acid and amino acid sequence of this alkaline phosphatase (APase) was identified by performing proteomic analysis and database searches. Sequence alignment suggests that PtAPase belongs to the PhoA family, and it possesses key residues at the Escherichia coli PhoA active site.

The bioactivity of teleost IL-6: IL-6 protein in orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) induces Th2 cell differentiation pathway and antibody production.

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a protein secreted by T cells and macrophages and plays an important role in immune response. IL-6 regulates the proliferation and differentiation of T cells, and elicits immunoglobulin production in B cells. In this study, the cDNA il-6 (gil-6) sequence of the orange spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) was obtained.

The expression of two novel orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides) TNF genes in peripheral blood leukocytes, various organs, and fish larvae.

The tumour necrosis factor (TNF) super-family is a group of important cytokines involved in inflammation, apoptosis, cell proliferation, and the general stimulation of the immune system. The TNF gene has been cloned in some bony fish; however, its counterparts are still unidentified in the majority of fish species. In this study, we cloned gTNF-1 and gTNF-2 from the orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides), an economically important farmed fish.

Culturing adult human bone marrow stem cells on gelatin scaffold with pNIPAAm as transplanted grafts for skin regeneration.

Skin tissue engineering is a possible solution for the treatment of extensive skin defect. The ultimate goal of skin tissue engineering is to restore the complete functions of native skin, but until now the structures and functions of skins are only partially restored. By negative immunoselection (CD45 and glycophorin A), we isolated and cultivated adult human bone marrow stem cells (hBMSCs) that are of multilineage differentiation potential.

Enhancement of insulin-producing cell differentiation from embryonic stem cells using pax4-nucleofection method.

Aim: To enhance the differentiation of insulin producing cell (IPC) ability from embryonic stem (ES) cells in vitro.

Methods: Four-day embryoid body (EB)-formatted ES cells were dissociated as single cells for the followed plasmid DNA delivery. The use of Nucleofector electroporator (Amaxa biosystems, Germany) in combination with medium-contained G418 provided a high efficiency of gene delivery for advanced selection.

Evaluation of anti-Fas ligand-induced apoptosis and neural differentiation of PC12 cells treated with nerve growth factor using small interfering RNA method and sampling by microdialysis.

The small interfering RNA (siRNA) method is an effective technique for silencing gene expression and is a useful tool for screening the gene functions in drug discovery. Our study found that nerve growth factor (NGF) can increase the cell viability of PC12 cells and that NGF induction up-regulates the expression of Bcl-2 detected by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). To further investigate the role of Bcl-2 expression in NGF-treated PC12 cells, the plasmid of Bcl-2 siRNA was then transfected into PC12 cells.

Characterization of pancreatic stem cells derived from adult human pancreas ducts by fluorescence activated cell sorting.

Aim: To isolate putative pancreatic stem cells (PSCs) from human adult tissues of pancreas duct using serum-free, conditioned medium. The characterization of surface phenotype of these PSCs was analyzed by flow cytometry. The potential for pancreatic lineage and the capability of beta-cell differentiation in these PSCs were evaluated as well.

Monitoring the growth effect of xenotransplanted human medulloblastoma in an immunocompromised mouse model using in vitro and ex vivo green fluorescent protein imaging.

Introduction: Medulloblastoma (MB) is one of the most common malignant brain tumors in children. It is a radiosensitive tumor. At 5 years after radical surgical excision and craniospinal axis irradiation, the tumor-free survival rate is from 50 to 70% [Halperin EC, Constine LS, Tarbell NJ, Kun LE.

Increased expression of osteopontin gene in atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor of the central nervous system.

The atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor, primary to the central nervous system, is a highly malignant and aggressive neoplasm of infancy and childhood. Although having distinct biological features and clinical outcomes, it is frequently misdiagnosed as primitive neuroectodermal tumor/medulloblastoma. To further distinguish the underlying pathogenesis and to identify biological markers for clinical use, an atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor-derived cell line was established and its gene expression pattern analyzed in comparison to the human astrocyte SVG12 cell line and the human DAOY medulloblastoma cell line using a complementary DNA microarray method.