Publications by authors named "Xi Mei Zhan"

Objective: To identify the protein interaction site of Toxoplasma gondii microneme protein 6 (MIC6) and aldolase by using site-directed mutagenesis.

Methods: Based on Toxoplasma gondii MIC6 gene sequence (GenBank Accession No. AF110270), the specific primers were designed.

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Genetic diversity of Pneumocystis jirovecii isolates based on internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of the nuclear rRNA locus has previously been reported. The information about ITS genotype and epidemiology of this organism in Chinese human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients has not been available. In this study, 12 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid specimens obtained from HIV-infected patients were analyzed by PCR followed by cloning, sequencing and typing.

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Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a class of zinc-binding endopeptidases mainly responsible for degrading extracellular matrix constituent components, which also serve as effectors of leukocyte recruitment, cytotoxicity, cytokine and chemokine processing, and defensin activation involved in multiple mechanisms of immunomodulation. MMPs are a conserved proteolytic enzyme family participating in normal physiological function. In the present study, we have cloned a gene named CEMMP62 from Caenorhabditis elegans, the putative 62-kDa protein that contained 579 residues with MMP-conserved catalytic domain known as ZnMc_MMP and showed high identities with MMPs from other nematodes, and demonstrated that the recombinant CEMMP62 (rCEMMP62) expressed and purified from Escherichia coli could have weak proteolytic activity on swine gelatin; Western blot analysis revealed that sera from BALB/c mice immunized by recombinant protein could recognize excretory-secretary antigens from Angiostrongylus cantonensis third-stage larvae (L3).

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Objective: To identify the protein-protein interaction between aldolase and actin of Toxoplasma gondii by GST pull-down.

Methods: The aldolase and actin genes were obtained from cDNA library by PCR amplification, and subcloned respectively into pGEX-4T-1 and pET30a. The fusion protein GST-Aldolase and Actin-His6 were expressed in E.

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Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a rat lungworm, can cause eosinophilic meningitis and angiostrongyliasis in humans following ingestion of contaminated foods or intermediate/paratenic hosts with infective larvae. The snail Achatina fulica is one of the important intermediate hosts of A. cantonensis and is commonly eaten by humans in some countries.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cystatins are important protein inhibitors in mammals and serve various functions; a new cystatin molecule (AcCystatin) was isolated from Angiostrongylus cantonensis larvae.
  • AcCystatin is a 14-kDa protein with conserved motifs that interact with cysteine peptidases and shows similar characteristics to cystatins found in other nematodes.
  • The study indicates that AcCystatin could play a role in immune regulation during A. cantonensis infections, as it inhibits cathepsin B and boosts nitric oxide production in macrophages, with varying detection in different host species.
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Objective: To make an epidemiological survey on Angiostrongylus cantonensis in Jiangmen City of Guangdong Province.

Methods: From October 2006 to November 2007, the characteristics of A. cantonensis infection were investigated in Jiangmen district in various hosts, including the third stage larva infection in the snails Achatina fulica and Pomacea canaliculata by digestion method, and the adult A.

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Objective: To observe the pathological change in the brain of Angiostrongylus cantonensis-infected mouse.

Methods: Forty-eight mice were orally infected each with 40 third stage larvae of A. cantonensis, 3 mice were sacrificed at 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28 days postinfection respectively for worm recovery, and another 3 mice were for observing the histopathological change in tissue sections of the brain.

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Pneumocystis jirovecii dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) gene mutations are associated with failure of sulfur prophylaxis of Pneumocystis pneumonia. Here the P. jirovecii DHPS gene was amplified from bronchoalveolar fluid of 10 AIDS patients in China.

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Objective: To construct the life cycle of Angiostrongylus cantonensis (A.cantonensis) in laboratory condition.

Methods: SD rats were infected orally with the third-stage larvae of A.

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Objective: To identify the type of the intermediate filament (IF) protein of Angiostrongylus cantonensis and analyze its tissue localization.

Methods: Recombinant pET-IF of antigen IF was expressed in E.coli with IPTG induction, and the expression products were purified by His.

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Objective: To analyze the difference of GRA7 gene of Toxoplasma gondii different isolated strains and express GRA7 in Escherichia coli.

Methods: The GRA7 gene was amplified from genomes of T. gondii isolates by PCR and was cloned into pGEX-4T-1.

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Background: A monoclonal antibody would be an effective tool for the detection of circulating antigens in the serum of patients with schistosomiasis, but the traditional way of producing monoclonal antibodies is not cost-effective. The objective of this study was to find a new method for the large-scale production of monoclonal antibodies against Schistosoma japonicum (Sj).

Methods: A phage display antibody library for Sj was constructed.

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Objective: To express the proteinase cathepsin L1 gene of Schistosoma japonicum (SjCL1) in Escherichia coli JM109 cells.

Methods: The SjCL1 gene was amplified from the recombinant plasmid pcDNA3-SjCL1 by PCR. The gene was cloned into a prokaryotic expression vector pGEX4T-1 to construct a recombinant plasmid pGEX-SjCL1.

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Objective: To obtain single chain variable fragment(ScFv) against the circulating antigen(CAg) from Schistosoma japonicum(Sj).

Methods: Metabolic antigen of adult worm of Sj (Sj-MAg) was used in the panning of phage library against Schistosoma japonicum. The activity of Sj-MAg-binding phage clones was assayed by ELISA.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigates the presence of a specific receptor for human LDL (low-density lipoprotein) in Schistosoma japonicum, a parasite that can cause disease in humans.
  • - Researchers extracted and purified proteins from the parasite's membrane, using methods like HPLC and radioautography to identify a protein that binds to human LDL, showing a molecular weight in the range of 60-65 kDa.
  • - The findings suggest that this LDL binding protein, which likely helps the parasite acquire cholesterol from its host, is present on the surface of both male and female adult Schistosoma japonicum.
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