Publications by authors named "Zhixin Guan"

African swine fever (ASF) is an acute, highly contagious, and deadly infectious disease caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV) and has a huge impact on the pig industry. A lack of vaccines and effective therapeutic drugs has brought great challenges to the prevention and control of ASF. In this study, insect baculovirus expression system was used to express ASFV B602L protein (B602L) alone and the IgG FC-fused B602L protein (B602L-Fc), and evaluate the immune effect of B602L-Fc in mice model.

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() is a bacterial pathogen of pigs that has a major animal health and economic impact on the pig industry. Bovine herpesvirus-4 (BoHV-4) is a new virus-based vaccine vector that has been used for the immunogenic delivery of antigens from a variety of pathogens. In the present study, two recombinant BoHV-4-based vectors were evaluated for their ability to induce immunity and protection against in a rabbit model.

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(Gps), Gram-negative bacteria, are a universal respiratory-disease-causing pathogen in swine that colonize the upper respiratory tract. Highly Pathogenic Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (HP-PRRSV2HP-PRRSV2) and Gps coinfections are epidemics in China, but little is known about the influence of concurrent coinfection on disease severity and inflammatory responses. Herein, we studied the effects of secondary HP-PRRS infection on clinical symptoms, pathological changes, pathogen load, and inflammatory response of Gps coinfection in the upper respiratory tract of piglets.

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Article Synopsis
  • Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a significant disease affecting pigs, leading to reproductive issues in sows and respiratory problems in piglets, primarily caused by the PRRS virus (PRRSV).
  • A study conducted from 2017 to 2022 collected 231 samples from pig farms in Eastern China, finding a 24% positive rate for PRRSV and identifying the isolates as mostly belonging to genotype 2, with some notable genetic mutations.
  • The research highlights an increase in NADC30-like and NADC34-like strains of PRRSV, contributing valuable epidemiological data for future vaccine development and management strategies in the region.
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  • Japanese encephalitis virus genotype V (GV) emerged in 2009 in China and has spread, raising concerns about its pathogenicity and the effectiveness of existing vaccines against different JEV genotypes.* -
  • Researchers created a recombinant chimeric JEV strain by replacing structural proteins from a less virulent strain with those from the more virulent GV strain, finding that the structural proteins significantly influenced virulence and neuroinvasiveness in mice.* -
  • While vaccination with the recombinant strain provided complete protection against its progenitor, it offered only partial cross-protection against other genotypes, highlighting the need for new vaccines targeting the newly emergent GV strain.*
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(GETV), in the genus and the family , has been detected throughout the world. GETV causes high morbidity and mortality in newborn piglets, entailing serious economic losses. Therefore, the experimental work on GETV detection is necessary.

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  • African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and deadly disease in pigs with up to 100% mortality and poses a major threat to the swine industry due to the absence of vaccines and effective treatments.
  • Researchers developed a new detection method for ASF by using a soluble protein called pB602L, which is highly immunogenic and can be expressed in bacteria.
  • The new indirect ELISA method demonstrated excellent specificity, sensitivity, and repeatability, making it a promising tool for monitoring and controlling ASF outbreaks in pig populations.*
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The detection dogs are well-known for their excellent capabilities to sense different kinds of smells, which can play an important role in completing various searching and rescuing missions. The recent studies have demonstrated that the excellent olfactory function of detection dogs might be related with the gut microbes the bidirectional communications between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain. In this study, the gut microbial communities of three types of breeds of detection dogs (Springer Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, and German Shepherd) were studied and compared.

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Both JEV (Japanese encephalitis virus) and GETV (Getah virus) pose huge threats to the safety of animals and public health. Pigs and mosquitoes play a primary role in JEV and GETV transmission. However, there is no way to quickly distinguish between JEV and GETV.

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Background: The development and progression of prostate cancer requires the transformation of normal zinc-accumulating epithelial cells to malignant cells that have lost the ability to accumulate zinc. This metabolic transformation is essential so that the tumor suppressive effects of zinc can be eliminated and the malignant process can proceed. One of the major effects of zinc is its prevention of prostate cell growth by its induction of apoptosis.

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Although the total zinc content of cells generally approximates 0.2 mM, the cytosolic free zinc ion concentration is negligible (subnanomolar concentrations). However, all reported studies of effects of zinc on cellular respiration and terminal oxidation involved microM-mM levels of free zinc ions.

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In mammalian cells the cytosolic concentration of free Zn(2+) ions is extremely low (nM-fM range) and unlikely to provide an adequate pool for the uptake and accumulation of zinc in mitochondria. We previously identified a mitochondrial uptake transport process that effectively transports zinc directly from low molecular weight zinc ligands independent of and in the absence of available free Zn(2+) ions. Since metallothionein (MT) is an important ligand form of cellular zinc, we determined if Zn(7)-MT was an effective chaperone and donor for delivery and uptake of zinc by prostate and liver mitochondria.

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Prostate cells accumulate high cellular and mitochondrial concentrations of zinc, generally 3-10-fold higher than other mammalian cells. However, the mechanism of mitochondrial import and accumulation of zinc from cytosolic sources of zinc has not been established for these cells or for any mammalian cells. Since the cytosolic concentration of free Zn(2+) ions is negligible (estimates vary from 10(-9) to 10(-15) M), we postulated that loosely bound zinc-ligand complexes (Zn-Ligands) serve as zinc donor sources for mitochondrial import.

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Background: Prostate epithelial cells uniquely accumulate significantly higher levels of zinc than other mammalian cells. We previously showed that the accumulation of high intracellular zinc levels in specific prostate cells results in the induction of apoptosis and the inhibition of cell growth. The apoptotic effect is due to zinc induction of mitochondrial apoptogenesis.

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