Transcriptional landscape of human neuroblastoma cells in response to SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is highly contagious, and the neurological symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection have already been reported. However, the mechanisms underlying the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on patients with central nervous system injuries remain unclear.

Methods: The high-throughput RNA sequencing was applied to analyze the transcriptomic changes in SK-N-SH cells after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

SARS-CoV-2 productively infects human brain microvascular endothelial cells.

Background: The emergence of the novel, pathogenic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global health emergency. SARS-CoV-2 is highly contagious and has a high mortality rate in severe patients. However, there is very limited information on the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

Interleukin-17A Contributes to Bacterial Clearance in a Mouse Model of Streptococcal Toxic Shock-Like Syndrome.

, an emerging zoonotic pathogen, can cause streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome (STSLS) in humans with high mortality. STSLS is characterized by high bacterial burden, an inflammatory cytokine storm, multi-organ dysfunction, and ultimately acute host death. Although it has been found that a significantly high level of IL-17A was induced in an NLRP3-dependent manner during STSLS development, the role of IL-17A on STSLS remains to be elucidated.

Influenza infection elicits an expansion of gut population of endogenous Bifidobacterium animalis which protects mice against infection.

Background: Influenza is a severe respiratory illness that continually threatens global health. It has been widely known that gut microbiota modulates the host response to protect against influenza infection, but mechanistic details remain largely unknown. Here, we took advantage of the phenomenon of lethal dose 50 (LD) and metagenomic sequencing analysis to identify specific anti-influenza gut microbes and analyze the underlying mechanism.

The Role of Porcine Monocyte Derived Dendritic Cells (MoDC) in the Inflammation Storm Caused by Streptococcus suis Serotype 2 Infection.

Background: Streptococcus suis is an important swine pathogen and zoonotic agent. Infection with this highly pathogenic strain can cause streptococcal toxic shock-like syndrome (STSLS), characterized by a Th-1 inflammatory cytokine storm, and a high mortality rate. Monocyte derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) are known to stimulate Th-1 cell differentiation, but the role of MoDCs in STSLS remains to be elucidated.

Development of latex agglutination test with nucleoprotein as antigen for detection of antibodies to swine influenza virus.

As pigs are susceptible to infection with both avian and human influenza A viruses, they have been proposed to be an intermediate host for the generation of pandemic virus through reassortment. The broad susceptibility of pigs to influenza viruses emphasizes the importance of surveillance of swine influenza virus. Thus, A latex agglutination test (LAT) was developed for rapid detection of antibodies to swine influenza virus.

Molecular mechanism by which surface antigen HP0197 mediates host cell attachment in the pathogenic bacteria Streptococcus suis.

Streptococcus suis, one of the most important and prevalent pathogens in swine, presents a major challenge to global public health. HP0197 is an S. suis surface antigen that was previously identified by immunoproteomics and can bind to the host cell surface.

Analysis of cellular proteome alterations in porcine alveolar macrophage cells infected with 2009 (H1N1) and classical swine H1N1 influenza viruses.

The H1N1/2009 influenza virus has the potential to cause a human pandemic, and sporadic cases of human-to-pig transmission have been reported. In this study, two influenza viruses were isolated from pigs. A phylogenetic analysis showed that the A/swine/NanChang/F9/2010(H1N1) (F9/10) strain shared a high degree of homology with the pandemic H1N1/2009 virus, and A/swine/GuangDong/34/2006 (H1N1) (34/06) strains was a classical swine influenza virus.

Effect of human activated NRAS on replication of delNS1 H5N1 influenza virus in MDCK cells.

Background: RAS, coded by ras proto-oncogenes, played an important role in signal transmission to regulate cell growth and differentiation. Host activation of RAS was significant for IFN-sensitive vaccinia virus (delE3L) or attenuate influenza virus in unallowable cells.

Results: Huamn NRAS gene was activated by mutating in codon 61.

Assessment of the cell-mediated immunity induced by alphavirus replicon-vectored DNA vaccines against classical swine fever in a mouse model.

We have previously shown that an alphavirus replicon-vectored DNA vaccine (pSFV1CS-E2) encoding the E2 glycoprotein of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) completely protected the immunized pigs from lethal challenge. These animals developed only low or moderate level viral-specific antibody titers before challenge, implying that cell-mediated immunity (CMI) probably played an important role in the protective immunity against CSFV conferred by the DNA vaccine. In this study, the CMI induced by pSFV1CS-E2 and its derivative pSFV1CS-E2-UL49 encoding a fusion protein of CSFV E2 and pseudorabies virus (PRV) VP22 was evaluated in a mouse model by lymphoproliferation assays based on CFSE or WST-8, intracellular cytokine staining, and cytokine ELISA.

Does chemotherapy augment anti-tumor immunotherapy by preferential impairment of regulatory T cells?

Chemotherapy, the treatment modality of choice for advanced cancers, is considered immunosuppressive due to its depletion of immune cells. Hence, chemotherapy is traditionally thought to adversely affect anti-tumor immune responses and antagonistic to tumor immunotherapy. Contrary to conventional belief, recent studies have shown that combining chemotherapy with immunotherapy resulted in enhanced anti-tumor immunity and improved therapeutic outcome.

Evolutionary characterization of influenza virus A/duck/Hubei/W1/2004 (H9N2) isolated from central China.

Full-length eight gene segments of avian influenza virus A/duck/Hubei/W1/2004(H9N2) (Dk/Hub/W1/04) were amplified by RT-PCR and completely sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Dk/Hub/W1/04 was derived from A/Duck/HongKong/Y280/97, not displaying direct evolutional relationship with A/Quail/HongKong/G1/97 or Hubei H5N1 viruses. Meanwhile, Dk/Hub/W1/04 was found highly related to recent three chicken isolates.

[Expression of GST-3B fusion protein of Escherichia coli of Ee strain producing SLT-IIe toxin and study on its biological activities and immunogenicity].

Three copies of DNA fragment encoding the truncated SLT-IIeB of Ee strain which was responsible for the edema disease in piglets in Hubei province were fused to the downstream of glutathione S-transferase (GST) of pGEX-KG expression vector, resulting in the fusion expression plasmid pK3 B. After transformed into E. coli BL21 (DE3) and induced by IPTG, the results of SDS-PAGE showed that the GST-3B fusion protein was expressed in high level.

[Cloning, prokaryotic expression of chicken interferon-alpha gene and study on antiviral effect of recombinant chicken interferon-alpha].

The full length of chicken interferon alpha (ChIFN-alpha) gene was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from total liver genome of Sanhuang meat-chicken and sequenced. The amplified gene was about 582bp. The coding region for mature protein (489bp) was subcloned into pET-28a(+).

[Preparation and partial characterization of monoclonal antibodies specific for nuclear protein of avian influenza virus].

Aim: To prepare the monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for nuclear protein (NP) of avian influenza virus (AIV) and identify their biological properties.

Methods: BALB/c mice were immunized with AIV (formaldehyde-inactivated AIV H9N2, Triton X-100-lysed H9N2 and AIV NP expressed in E.coli, respectively).

[A latex agglutination test for detection of hemagglutinin serum antibodies to H5 avian influenza virus in chicken].

A Latex Agglutination Test (LAT) was developed for quick detection of hemagglutinin serum antibodies of H5 Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) in chicken. Recombinant hemagglutinin protein of H5 AIV were obtained and purified, then HA protein were covalently linked to carboxylated polyethylene latex beads by EDAC. The sensitisation condition such as ionic strength of the diluting mixture pH, concentration, antigen, the times of linking were optimized.

[Expression of hemagglutinin of avian influenza virus (AIV) and its application in diagnosis of AIV H9 subtype].

In order to differently diagnose avian influenza virus (AIV) subtypes, the HA gene of AIV H9 subtype was cloned, expressed and utilized in an enzyme-linked immunoad sorbent assay (ELISA). HA gene (1683bp) of H9N2 AIV was amplified by RT-PCR from a strain of field isolated H9N2 AIV, and its identity was confirmed by sequencing. The HA gene was subcloned into prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-KG with its secretion signal sequence removed.

An approach to a FMD vaccine based on genetic engineered attenuated pseudorabies virus: one experiment using VP1 gene alone generates an antibody responds on FMD and pseudorabies in swine.

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and pseudorabies (PR) are two important infectious diseases in swine. An attenuated pseudorabies virus (PRV) has been successfully used as a gene delivery vector for the development of live-viral vaccines. In this study, a recombinant PRV-VP1 virus was constructed by fusioning the VP1 gene of FMD virus in frame to the N-terminal sequence of the gG gene of PRV.

Nuclear matrix protein expressions in hepatocytes of normal and cirrhotic rat livers under normal and regenerating conditions.

We explored the feasibility of studying nuclear matrix protein (NMP) expressions of the hepatocytes in normal and cirrhotic rat livers with liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy. Sixteen Wistar healthy rats were studied with experimental liver regeneration and/or liver cirrhosis. Two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis was used to generate these NMP compositions from these rat liver samples.

Nucleophosmin/B23 is a proliferate shuttle protein associated with nuclear matrix.

It has become obvious that a better understanding and potential elucidation of the nucleolar phosphoprotein B23 involving in functional interrelationship between nuclear organization and gene expression. In present study, protein B23 expression were investigated in the regenerative hepatocytes at different periods (at days 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 7) during liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy on the rats with immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Another experiment was done with immunolabeling methods and two-dimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis for identification of B23 in the regenerating hepatocytes and HepG2 cells (hepatoblastoma cell line) after sequential extraction with detergents, nuclease, and salt.

[Induction or inhibition of apoptosis by pseudorabies virus ea strain in suckling piglets].

To study induction or inhibition of apoptosis by pseudorabies virus (PrV) Ea strain in suckling piglets, Aujeszky s disease was replicated by artificially inoculating 15 day-old piglets with PrV-Ea strain. Various tissue sections, such as lymphoid tissues and nervous tissues were collected. Transmission electron microscopy, DNA fragmentation assay, and in situ terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) staining were carried to analyze apoptotic cells.