The genome of Brucella melitensis

The genome of Brucella melitensis strain 16M was sequenced and contained 3,294,931 bp distributed over two circular chromosomes. Chromosome I was composed of 2,117,144 bp and chromosome II has 1,177,787 bp. A total of 3198 ORFs were predicted. The origins of replication of the chromosomes are similar to each other and to those of other -proteobacteria. Housekeeping genes such as those that encode for DNA replication, protein synthesis, core metabolism, and cell-wall biosynthesis were found on both chromosomes. Genes encoding adhesins, invasins, and hemolysins were also identified.     

The pathology of brucellosis reflects the outcome of the battle between the host genome and the Brucella genome

The successful co-existence of each Brucella spp. with its preferred host is the outcome of ancient co-evolutionary relationships and selection pressures that often result in a stalemate where the pathogen has evolved to survive within the biological systems of the host, and the host has evolved innate and acquired immune systems which allow controlled survival of infection by the pathogen, ultimately supporting the survival of the host-pathogen system. In general, Brucella spp. have evolved a similar fundamental pathogenesis of facultative intracellular parasitism though the predominant route of natural exposure varies from oropharynx to genital tract, as does the preferred tissue and cellular tropism, e.g. non-professional placental trophoblasts, fetal lung, professional macrophages of reticulendothelial system, and the male and female reproductive tracts. The morphogenesis of the pyogranulomatous lesions stimulated by Brucella reflects the nature of the persistent parasitism, i.e. genome versus genome. The question is, how can this perplexing array of survival mechanisms be unraveled? Fortunately, the integration of real-time image analysis, cell biology, genome-wide analysis, proteomics and bioinformatics holds the most promise ever for the global analysis of the Brucella infectious process and the host:pathogen interface leading to a clearer understanding of the interactions of these biological systems. These discoveries will be expected to provide a frameshift in rationales for interrupting and/or controlling brucellosis at host and/or pathogen levels.     

羊种布鲁氏菌分子生物学研究进展

综述了近年来羊种布鲁氏菌的研究概况,着重介绍了羊种布鲁氏菌基因组、致病因子、致病机理以及分子生物学检测方法等方面的研究进展,并对未来的研究发展趋势提出见解,为最终使该菌所引发的相关疾病得到有效控制提供参考.     

绵羊血液中布氏杆菌DNA提取方法的比较研究

本研究旨在比较5种DNA提取方法对绵羊血液中布氏杆菌DNA的提取效果及对PCR检测的影响。将不同浓度的疫苗株布氏杆菌加入绵羊全血中,采用3种DNA提取试剂盒和酚/氯仿法以及碘化钠法等5种方法提取模拟的绵羊血液样品中的DNA,评价所获得DNA的浓度、纯度和完整性,并采用布氏杆菌特异性PCR进行检测。同时,对各提取方法所需时间及经济成本进行了比较。结果表明,各方法均能提取获得绵羊全血中布氏杆菌DNA,3种试剂盒和碘化钠法获取布氏杆菌DNA的效果相同,而酚/氯仿法获取布氏杆菌DNA的效率最低或存在PCR抑制剂而不适合用于绵羊血液中布氏杆菌的PCR检测。碘化钠法具有耗时较短、成本低、方便的优点,是从绵羊血液中提取布氏杆菌DNA的良好方法。本研究结果为临床绵羊血液中布氏杆菌DNA提取方法的选择提供了参考。     

布鲁菌免疫分子研究进展

布鲁菌病是布鲁菌引起的人兽共患传染病,包括7种21型,其中感染人的主要有牛、羊、猪布鲁菌3种,其免疫涉及体液免疫和细胞免疫.在布鲁菌的免疫过程中,先天性免疫应答主要通过补体、自然杀伤细胞、巨噬细胞、细胞因子等的参与.获得性免疫应答中,CD4 、CD8 、γβT细胞起重要作用.布鲁菌重组亚单位疫苗是近年研究的热点,而且发现的免疫分子也很多.文章围绕布鲁菌免疫机理、免疫相关分子进行探讨,为筛选疫苗候选分子奠定基础.     

布鲁菌进化和分类学研究进展

布鲁菌属革兰氏阴性兼性胞内寄生菌,能感染多种宿主动物和人。该属可分为6个典型种,包括羊种、牛种、猪种、沙林鼠种、绵羊附睾种以及犬种布鲁菌等。此分类是基于其致病性以及宿主偏好性的差异划分。尽管6个种通过传统表型试验能区分,但布鲁菌种内采用DNA-DNA杂交证明DNA同源性高度一致（相似性大于90%）。因此有人提议布鲁菌由单一种组成,即布鲁菌属中只有羊种布鲁菌,其他种都是羊种菌的生物亚型之一。然而基于其他分子技术的基因分型表明其DNA多态性表现明显,说明目前对这个种的分型还是比较准确。而最近分离的海洋种布鲁氏菌分离株（鳍型和鲸型）采用传统分型标准和一些特异的分子标记也证明这种分型比较正确。本文对目前布鲁菌种属进化和分类学进行综述,希望对研究其进化和分类有所帮助。     

布鲁氏菌诊断学研究进展

布鲁氏菌病是一种人兽共患传染性疾病,分布广泛,严重威胁公共卫生事业和畜牧业的发展,布鲁氏菌的诊断是防控该疫病的关键。本文对细菌学、常规免疫学、酶联免疫吸附（ELISA）、免疫胶体金层析法（GICA）、荧光偏振法（FPA）、聚合酶链式反应（PCR）和基因探针等布鲁氏菌检测技术及其优缺点和应用现状进行综述,并对诊断技术的发展前景进行了展望。     

Regulation of Brucella virulence by the two-component system BvrR/BvrS

The Brucella BvrR/BvrS two-component regulatory system is highly similar to the regulatory and sensory proteins of Sinorhizobium and Agrobacterium necessary for endosymbiosis and pathogenicity in plants, and very similar to a putative system present in the animal pathogen Bartonella. Mutations in the bvrR or bvrS genes hamper the penetration of B. abortus in non-phagocytic cells and impairs intracellular trafficking and virulence. In contrast to virulent Brucella, BvrR/BvrS mutants do not recruit small GTPases of the Rho subfamily required for actin polymerization and penetration to cells. Dysfunction of the BvrR/BvrS system alters the outer membrane permeability, the expression of several group 3 outer membrane proteins and the pattern of lipid A acylation. Constructs of virulent B. abortus chimeras containing heterologous LPS from the bvrS⁻ mutant demonstrated an altered permeability to cationic peptides similar to that of the BvrR/BvrS mutants. We hypothesize that the Brucella BvrR/BvrS is a system devoted to the homeostasis of the outer membrane and, therefore in the interface for cell invasion and mounting the required structures for intracellular parasitism.     

The intramacrophagic environment of Brucella suis and bacterial response

Phagocytes have developed various antimicrobial defense mechanisms to eliminate pathogens. They comprise the oxidative burst, acidification of phagosomes, or fusion of phagosomes with lysosomes. Facultative intracellular bacteria, in return, have developed strategies counteracting the host cell defense, resulting in intramacrophagic survival. Until lately, only very little was known about the phagosomal compartment containing Brucella spp., the environmental conditions the bacteria encounter, and the pathogen's stress response. Recently, we have determined that the phagosomes acidify rapidly to a pH of 4.0-4.5 following infection, but this early acidification is crucial for intracellular replication as neutralization results in bacterial elimination. A vacuolar proton-ATPase is responsible for this phenomenon that is not linked to phagosome-lysosome fusion. On the contrary, in vitro reconstitution assays revealed association only between phagosomes containing killed B. suis and lysosomes, describing the absence of phagolysosome fusion due to specific recognition inhibition for live bacteria. Further evidence for the necessity of an intact, acidic phagosome as a predominant niche of brucellae in macrophages was obtained with a strain of B. suis secreting listeriolysin. It partially disrupts the phagosomal membranes and fails to multiply intracellularly. How does B. suis adapt to this environment? We have identified and studied a series of genes that are involved in this process of adaptation. The bacterial heat shock protein and chaperone DnaK is induced in phagocytes and it is essential for intracellular multiplication. A low-level, constitutive expression of dnaK following promoter exchange does not restore intramacrophagic survival. Another chaperone and heat shock protein, ClpB, belonging to the family of ClpATPases, is important for the resistance of B. suis to several in vitro stresses, but does not contribute to intramacrophagic survival of the pathogen. Additional bacterial genes specifically induced within the phagocyte were identified by an intramacrophagic screen of random promoter fusions to the reporter gene gfp. A large majority of these genes are encoding proteins involved in transport of nutrients (sugars, amino acids), or cofactors, such as nickel. Analysis of the intracellular gene activation reveals that low oxygen tension is encountered by B. suis. Altogether, these results suggest three major stress conditions encountered by brucellae in the phagosome: acid stress, starvation and low oxygen tension.     

The myth of Brucella L-forms and possible involvement of Brucella penicillin binding proteins (PBPs) in pathogenicity

Brucella spp. L-forms have been proposed to be stationary phase organisms in the evolution of new variants and enduring entities in the host in complicated cases of brucellosis and during latent brucellosis. In vitro formation of Brucella L-forms has been achieved by treating the cells with sub-lethal doses of penicillin. Interestingly, Brucella spp. have classified during the evolution into two groups, penicillin susceptible or penicillin resistant, yet both types grow on 20 μg/ml of methicillin. Strains proven susceptible to penicillin grew in the presence of methicillin as L-forms as demonstrated by light and electron microscopy. In addition, the B. melitensis vaccine strain Rev.1, a penicillin susceptible organism, responded to sheep serum by development of L-form-like structures unlike wild type, strain 16M. The two strains grew normally in sheep macrophages. We propose, for the first time, a model that associates Brucella pathogenicity with the structure and activity of two of their penicillin binding proteins (PBPs). According to the model, PBP1 has evolved as the major cell wall synthesizing enzyme of the genus, capable of responding to host serum growth factor(s) necessary for Brucella survival in the host. This property is associated with high avidity to β-lactam antibiotics. PBP2 complements the activity of PBP1. New β-lactam antibiotics and improved vaccines might be developed based on this property.     

The porcine genome initiative: Implications for digestive physiology

Completion of the pig genome sequencing will celebrate the Chinese Year of the Pig in 2007. The International Swine Genome Sequencing Consortium has established an integrated approach to create genome sequences, chromosomal contigs, whole-genome libraries, full-length cDNA libraries and to generate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). The project is being conducted in collaboration with The Wellcome Trust Sange Institute. Project information as well as monitoring progress of the project can be viewed at http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Projects/S_scrofa/. During the next year, numerous physical maps and functional genomics analyses will be published. These advances will have significant implications for studying digestive physiology. Examples illustrating as to how effective genomic approaches for addressing critical questions in digestive physiology are presented. This includes approaches showing how genomics can be used to monitor the process of GI colonization and the effects of various nutrients are explored. The development of comparative genome maps also permits the incorporation of experimental studies in other species (mice and humans) to identify new hypotheses for testing in the pig. This comparative genomics approach further supports the use of the pig in biomedical research studies for human clinical studies. As this new genomic information becomes available, the necessity to create interactive databases, that provide portals for using genomic information to create gene based hypotheses will become rate limiting. Thus, the digestive physiology community contributions towards building web-based interfaces are essential.     

粗糙型布鲁菌M111菌壳的安全性和免疫原性

以粗糙型布鲁菌M111株和重组裂解质粒制备出布鲁菌菌壳,利用小鼠模型对布鲁菌菌壳、布鲁菌M111活菌和福尔马林灭活菌的安全性和免疫原性进行比较研究。结果显示,与布鲁菌弱毒菌株M111比较而言,布鲁菌菌壳具有更好的安全性,免疫小鼠后能产生与弱毒菌株相似的血清抗体水平、脾CD3+和CD4+T淋巴细胞反应,甚至产生更高水平的IFN-γ。这些结果表明,布鲁菌菌壳具有与弱毒菌株相似的体液免疫和细胞免疫能力,将来可能作为预防布鲁菌感染的新型候选疫苗,但布鲁菌菌壳疫苗的有效性和特异性免疫机制还有待深入研究。     

奶牛布鲁氏菌的监测与分离鉴定

本试验采用SAT方法对乌鲁木齐地区某牛场进行了布鲁氏菌病监测,对阳性奶牛的乳汁进行细菌分离培养,用VirB8-PcR方法对分离株VirB8基因进行扩增鉴定。结果表明,2个分离株均为布鲁氏菌,布鲁氏菌分子分型PCR的鉴定结果显示该牛场感染的自然菌株为布鲁氏菌牛种（3b,5,6,9型）。     

布鲁菌外膜蛋白及毒力因子研究进展

布鲁菌细胞膜的基本结构包括脂多糖和外膜蛋白,与细菌的毒力及免疫原性相关。文章描述了布鲁菌外膜蛋白分子结构的最新进展。该菌的外膜蛋白由第一组、第二组和第三组外膜蛋白构成。第一组外膜蛋白对维持布鲁菌外膜蛋白的结构起重要作用;第二组包括36 ku~38 ku外膜蛋白,为膜孔蛋白,由Omp2a和Omp2b基因编码,其中38 ku蛋白基因可能是一个与毒力相关的基因;第三组外膜蛋白包括31 ku和25 ku两个相关的蛋白,具有重要的免疫功能。31 ku蛋白属膜孔蛋白,25 ku蛋白还与毒力有关。文章也介绍了布鲁菌毒力因子研究的最新进展。     

Cu/Zn SOD蛋白在布鲁菌S19疫苗株中的过表达及鉴定

以Cu/Zn SOD为目的基因,通过基因工程技术分别构建了组成型过表达系统pBBR-trc-sod和诱导型过表达系统pBBR-lacPtrc-sod,在布鲁菌S19疫苗株中进行了Cu/Zn SOD的过表达。同时,以大肠杆菌为宿主表达纯化的重组Cu/Zn SOD蛋白免疫家兔制备多克隆抗体,对2种过表达系统中Cu/Zn SOD蛋白的表达量进行分析。结果显示,诱导型Cu/Zn SOD过表达系统的表达量更高,且能与所制备的多抗发生特异性反应。结果表明,构建的过表达系统能够实现Cu/Zn SOD蛋白在布鲁菌S19疫苗株中过表达;同时,该试验也提示我们这种表达系统可应用于布鲁菌S19疫苗的抗原改造。     

布鲁菌外膜蛋白OMP10表达及其抗原性的研究

设计1对特异性引物对羊布鲁菌16M总DNA进行外膜蛋白omp10的PCR扩增,得到了一个大小为330 bp的目的基因片段(去掉17个氨基酸编码的信号肽),测序证实它与国外报道的羊布鲁菌omp10基因完全一致.将其克隆到表达载体PET-30a中,经酶切、PCR扩增和测序分析,表明重组表达载体构建成功.将此重组质粒转化入大肠埃希菌BL21(DE3)中,IPTG诱导表达,该基因以包涵体的形式在大肠埃希菌中表达,经过包涵体的变性、复性和亲和层析纯化,成功获得大小为14.2 ku的融合蛋白,与理论推测的蛋白分子质量一致;Western blot和间接ELISA试验证明,纯化之后的OMP10重组蛋白可以被布鲁菌阳性血清识别.     

基于VNTR技术对布鲁菌的基因多态性研究

应用15个VNTR位点对我国保存的19株布鲁菌标准株和4株减毒活疫苗以及松源地区10株临床分离株进行基因多态性研究。采用15个VNTR位点对33株布鲁菌进行PCR扩增,产物进行琼脂糖电泳,根据产物大小计算序列重复数,据此分析菌株的遗传多态性。建立了15个VNTR位点的琼脂糖凝胶电泳及拷贝数计算分析方法,应用该技术分析了33株布鲁菌的遗传多态性。结果表明这15个位点能较好地区分不同种型或亚型以及减毒活疫苗株,同时也为临床株的分型提供了依据。     

3株非典型羊源布鲁菌的基因分型研究

[目的]探讨采用基因分型方法对非典型布鲁菌鉴定的实用性,为非典型菌株的鉴别提供参考。[方法]采用常规鉴定方法和VITEK 2.0全自动细菌鉴定分析系统对菌株进行初步鉴定,利用AMOS-PCR进行种型鉴定,应用多位点可变数目串联重复序列分析方法(MLVA)确定菌株的基因型。[结果]常规鉴定结果显示试验菌株为疑似布鲁菌;VITEK 2.0全自动细菌鉴定系统显示3株试验菌株均为布鲁菌;AMOS-PCR扩增表明试验菌株均为羊种菌,MLVA聚类分析表明试验菌株与羊种2型布鲁菌紧密地聚为一类,属东地中海基因型,并在Panel 2B中发现了新的基因型(4-4-3-7-5),命名为CN2B-45。[结论]MLVA基因分型方法对非典型布鲁菌具有极高的分辨力,是非典型布鲁菌分型鉴别的最佳策略。     

布氏杆菌微滴数字PCR方法的建立

为建立一种布氏杆菌微滴数字PCR qPCR方法,对布氏杆菌病的定量诊断提供技术支持,在实时荧光PCR (qPCR)检测方法(T/CVMA 20-2020)的基础上,建立了布氏杆菌微滴数字PCR方法,并对方法的反应条件进行了优化,同时对其敏感性、特异性、重复性进行了评估.结果 显示:本方法的最低检测下限为2.6 copi...