Secretoglobin and Transferrin Expression in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid of Horses with Chronic Respiratory Disease

Background

Lower expression of secretoglobin and transferrin has been found in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of a small number of horses with experimentally induced signs of recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) compared to healthy controls.

Hypothesis/Objectives

Secretoglobin and transferrin BALF expression will be similarly decreased in horses with naturally occurring clinical signs of RAO and in horses with experimentally induced clinical signs of RAO as compared to healthy controls and intermediate in horses with inflammatory airway disease (IAD).

Animals

Recurrent airway obstruction‐affected and control horses were subjected to an experimental hay exposure trial to induce signs of RAO. Client‐owned horses with a presumptive diagnosis of RAO and controls from the same stable environments were recruited.

Methods

Pulmonary function and BALF were evaluated from control and RAO‐affected research horses during an experimental hay exposure trial (n = 5 in each group) and from client‐owned horses (RAO‐affected horses, n = 17; IAD‐affected horses, n = 19; healthy controls, n = 5). The concentrations of secretoglobin and transferrin in BALF were assessed using Western blots.

Results

Naturally occurring and experimentally induced RAO horses had similar decreases in BALF transferrin expression, but secretoglobin expression was most decreased in naturally occurring RAO. Secretoglobin and transferrin expression were both lower in BALF of RAO‐affected horses than in IAD‐affected and control horses.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Secretoglobin and transferrin expression is decreased in BALF of RAO‐affected horses after both experimental and natural exposure. Secretoglobin and transferrin likely play clinically relevant roles in the pathophysiology of RAO, and may thus be used as biomarkers of the disease.     

Production of polyclonal antiserum against recombinant VP28 protein and its application for the detection of white spot syndrome virus in crustaceans

The VP28 gene of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) was cloned into pRSET B expression vector. The VP28 protein was expressed as a protein with a 6-histidine taq in Escherichia coli GJ1158 with NaCl induction. Antiserum was raised against this recombinant-VP28 protein in rabbits and it recognized VP28 protein in naturally and experimentally WSSV-infected shrimp, marine crabs, freshwater prawns and freshwater crabs. The antiserum did not recognize any of the other known WSSV structural proteins. Various organs such as eyestalks, head muscle, gill tissue, heart tissue, haemolymph, tail tissue and appendages were found to be good materials for detection of WSSV using the antiserum and detection of WSSV was successful in experimentally infected Penaeus monodon and P. indicus at 12 and 24 h post-infection (p.i.), respectively. The antiserum was capable of detecting WSSV in 5 ng of total haemolymph protein from WSSV-infected shrimp.     

显微注射生长激素基因导入中国对虾（Penaeus chinensis）受精卵的研究

本实验采用显微微量注射方法，交羊生长激素基因导入中轻地虾受精卵，受精卵发育到蚤状幼体第三期后采样检测。ＰＣＲ检测结果表明：７个样品共９３尾幼体，有３个样品呈出阳性信号，基因转移比率至少在３％以上。同时斑点杂交结果也证明有两个明显阳性斑点。     

Comparison of dot blot and PCR diagnostic techniques for detection of white spot syndrome virus in different tissues of Penaeus monodon

Comparison of PCR and dot blot diagnostic techniques for detection of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) was made on different tissues of infected Penaeus monodon including eye stalk, eye stalk with eye, gills, cuticle, pleopod, periopods, uropods and telson. Dot blots of crude DNA extracted from infected tissue samples showed positive reactions with all the samples; however, the sensitivity of the dot blot was reduced with the purification of DNA samples extracted from pleopod, telson and uropod. PCR was found to be more sensitive when compared to dot blot. Both crude DNA and purified DNA samples extracted from all the tissues except for eye stalk with eye showed single step nested PCR positive reaction. The amplification of all or either of the three bands of 941 bp, 525 bp and 204 bp size varied with the tissues analysed. The severity of infection assessed by PCR amplification was found to be maximum in cuticle and telson followed by gill. Other tissues such as eye stalk, pleopod, periopods and uropod were observed to have mild infection. The maximum intensity of the PCR product was for the smallest amplified product of 204 bp followed by 525 bp and the weakest intensity was observed for the 941 bp size. The limitation of PCR due to inhibiting factors present in tissues could be overcome with the use of dot blot which gave positive reaction from the DNA extracted from eye stalk including the eye but yielded no amplification by PCR.     

Identification of Mycobacterium spp. isolated from snakehead, Channa striata (Fowler), and Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens (Regan), using polymerase chain reaction–reverse cross blot hybridization (PCR–RCBH)

A variety of methods have been used to identify Mycobacterium spp. isolated from snakehead and Siamese fighting fish, including biochemistry, mycolic acid profiles and antibody-based methods. However, these methods are unable to differentiate between different species of Mycobacterium . Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by reverse cross blot hybridization (RCBH) was adapted in this study to speciate aquatic mycobacteria. The method was highly specific for Mycobacterium spp. and identified the bacteria to species level with a detection limit of 100 fg DNA, equivalent to 20 mycobacteria. Twenty-nine isolates previously collected and cultured from Siamese fighting fish (10 isolates) and snakehead (19 isolates) during outbreaks of mycobacteriosis were analysed using PCR–RCBH. Six of the Siamese fighting fish isolates and nine of the snakehead isolates were identified as Mycobacterium fortuitum , while the remainder were classified as M. marinum . Notably, two isolates recovered from snakehead and Siamese fighting fish, previously identified as M. poriferae and M. piscicida , respectively, were confirmed to be M. fortuitum .     

橡胶树肌动蛋白解聚因子原核表达及纯化

本研究根据HbADF序列设计引物扩增基因的编码区,并将其插入到原核表达载体pET28a上,成功构建重组质粒pET28a-HbADF。将重组质粒转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)宿主菌,经1 mmol/L IPTG诱导,获得相对分子量为20 ku的融合蛋白。表达蛋白以可溶和包涵体两种形式存在,通过亲和层析方法纯化可溶蛋白并获得HbADF融合蛋白,用抗HIS标签的单抗对纯化蛋白进行了Western blot鉴定。该结果为进一步研究HbADF蛋白特性及功能奠定基础。     

中华蜜蜂囊状幼虫病病毒非结构蛋白抗体的制备及其应用

应用Gateway重组技术构建CSBV非结构蛋白,RNA依赖的RNA聚合酶(RNA-dependent RNA polymerase,RdRp)的原核表达载体,将重组表达载体转化大肠杆菌Rosetta,经异丙基硫代-β-D-半乳糖苷(Isopropylβ-D-1-Thiogalactopyranoside,IPTG)诱导获得RdRp基因原核表达蛋白.以重组蛋白为抗原免疫新西兰兔制备相应的多克隆抗体,Western blot检测表明,该抗体能与RdRp重组蛋白和感病中华蜜蜂幼虫蛋白特异性结合,说明获得的抗体特异性高.利用制备的抗体进行免疫荧光标记,发现其能特异地定位在感病中华蜜蜂血淋巴细胞内.     

Production and related variables in bovine leukaemia virus-infected cows

A newly developed milk dot blot test was used to detect anti-bovine leukaemia virus (BLV) antibody in milk samples from 2079 lactating adult cows from among 61 herds. The milk dot blot test was highly repeatable; the concordance rate, compared with the agar gel immunodiffusion test performed on serum, was 83.5%. All herds contained BLV-positive cows; the prevalence rate was 36%. BLV-positive cows tended to come from larger herds and were older and more often later in lactation. Fourteen production and related variables (herd size, age, days open, days in milk, milk somatic cell count, milk, fat, and protein produced in the current lactation, projected production of milk, fat, and protein, and breed class average deviations for milk, fat, and protein) were compared between BLV-positive and BLV-negative cows. Although somatic cell count, milk produced, and projected production of milk and protein were related significantly to BLV status using simple tests of association, once the variables herd size, age and days in milk were controlled, these differences were removed. Further analyses using logistic (outcome: individual cow BLV status) and least-squares regression (outcome:herd proportion of BLV-positive cows) failed to show an association between any of the measured production or related variables and BLV-positivity. We concluded that the effect of BLV on production and related variables in dairy cows was below the sensitivity of our analytical techniques or was non-existent.Abbreviations ABCA herd average breed class average for milk, fat, and protein production - AVGAGE average age of the herd - ADIM herd average for days in milk - AGID agar gel immunodiffusion - AVGSCC herd average milk somatic cell count - BCA breed class average, a milk, fat and protein production index calculated by comparing a cow's actual 305-day lactation production to the corresponding BCA standard for the same breed, age, and month of calving - BLV bovine leukaemia virus - CALVINT calving interval - COWAGE cow age - DBCA breed class average deviation for milk, fat, and protein production, the difference between an individual cow's BCA and the herd average - DIM days in milk - HS herd size corresponding to the number of lactating cows in a herd - LACT actual amount of milk, fat, and protein produced in a cow's lactation - ODHIC Ontario Dairy Herd Improvement Corporation - PCTPOS percentage of herd that is BLV-positive - PROJ projected 305-day production for milk, fat, and protein by fitting to a standard lactation curve adjusted for days in milk and age at calving - RHBCA rolling herd average for breed class average for milk, fat, and protein production, the average for all cows that completed a lactation (cows must have completed a 305-day lactation) during the previous 12 months - SCC milk somatic cell count     

兔防御素cDNA表达质粒的构建及其表达

将兔防御素（MCP－1）cDNA插入真核表达载体pcDNA3的EcorRⅠ和XbaⅠ酶切位点之间，构建了兔MCP－1cDNA的真核表达质粒pcDEF。通过脂质体转染，使兔MCP－1 cDNA在COS－7细胞中表达，在转染60、84、108h后，提取总RNA。采用RT－PCR，在288bp的位置扩增出1条特异性带；RNA斑点印迹杂交表明，兔MCP－1 cDNA在60、84、108h均有表达。     

PRRSV重组N蛋白的抗原性分析及其特异性抗体制备

利用大肠杆菌表达技术和亲和层析法纯化出重组PRRSV N蛋白 ,用间接ELISA法和Western blot分析 ,证明其具有较好的抗原性。将该纯化蛋白采用大剂量长程免疫法免疫家兔 ,制备了兔抗重组N蛋白抗体 ,用Western blot分析和竞争抑制试验证明其具有很高的特异性 ,ELISA效价达 1∶32 0 0以上。