Cytokine response in Balb/c mice infected with Francisella tularensis LVS and the Pohang isolate

We investigated the immune response induced by the Francisella (F.) tularensis live vaccine strain (LVS) and the Pohang isolate. After the Balb/c mice were infected intradermally (i.d) with 2 × 10⁴ cfu of F. tularensis LVS and Pohang, respectively, their blood and organs were collected at different times; 0, 3, 6, 24, 72, 96, 120 and 168 h after infection. Using these samples, RT-PCR and ELISA analysis were carried out for the comparative study of the cytokines, including TNF-α, INF-γ, IL-2, IL-4, IL-10 and IL-12. In the Pohang-infected mice at 120 h, the liver showed a 53 times higher level of TNF-α and a 42 times higher level of IFN-γ than the respective levels at the early time points after infection. The levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ induced by LVS were 5 times lower than those induced by the Pohang isolate. Also, the organs from the Pohang-infected mice showed higher levels of TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-10 and IL-12 than the levels in the LVS-infected mice. The blood from the Pohang-infected mice at 120 h revealed about a 40 times increased level of IFN-γ, and IL-10 was also increased by 4 times at 96 h compared to an early infection time point, while IL-4 was not induced during the whole infection period. These results suggest that F. tularensis may induce a Th1-mediated immune response to in vivo infection and the Pohang isolate has a higher capacity than the LVS to induce an acute immune response in Blab/c mice.     

黄羽肉鸡IGF-1基因单核苷酸多态性与生长性状的相关研究

本试验将类胰岛素生长因子1(IGF-1)作为研究肉鸡生长的候选基因,以海门京海集团的第二世代黄羽肉鸡为试验材料,根据鸡IGF-1基因DNA序列设计引物,采用PCR-SSCP方法进行SNP检测和基因型分析,探讨IGF-1基因多态性与鸡生长性状之间的关系。于IGF-1基因外显子1上发现一处突变。这个突变产生的不同基因型与鸡生长性状进行的统计分析结果表明,个体的1日龄初生重、4周龄、12周龄及300日龄成年体重在不同基因型之间均存在显著差异(P<0.05)。AA基因型1日龄初生重、4周龄、8周龄及300日龄成年体重均显著高于BB基因型个体(P<0.05)。推测可以将IGF-1基因应用于鸡生长的标记辅助选择育种实践。     

A Case of Metastatic Adrenocortical Carcinoma Diagnosed with Steroidogenic Factor-1 in a Sprague-Dawley Rat

This report describes the morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics of an adrenocortical carcinoma with distant metastasis in a Sprague-Dawley rat. Macroscopically, a single large mass was observed in the adrenal gland, and multiple nodules were noted in the lung, liver and thyroid. Histologically, the adrenal tumor consisted of a solid growth of eosinophilic round cells with nuclear atypia. Vascular invasion was present, and multiple metastatic lesions were also observed in the lungs, liver, and mediastinal lymph nodes. Immunohistochemically, the nuclei of these tumor cells were positive for Steroidogenic Factor-1 (SF-1). In the thyroid, tumor cells histologically resembling adrenal cells were immunohistochemically negative for SF-1 but positive for calcitonin; thus the lesion was diagnosed as thyroid C-cell carcinoma. From these results, the present case was diagnosed as adrenocortical carcinoma with distant metastases. SF-1 could be a valuable marker for the differential diagnosis of adrenocortical tumors versus other endocrine tumors such as C-cell carcinoma.     

A novel MCT1 and MCT4 dual inhibitor reduces mitochondrial metabolism and inhibits tumour growth of feline oral squamous cell carcinoma

Monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) support tumour growth by regulating the transport of metabolites in the tumour microenvironment. High MCT1 or MCT4 expression is correlated with poor outcomes in human patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Recently, drugs targeting these transporters have been developed and may prove to be an effective treatment strategy for HNSCC. Feline oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an aggressive and treatment‐resistant malignancy resembling advanced or recurrent HNSCC. The goals of this study were to investigate the effects of a previously characterized dual MCT1 and MCT4 inhibitor, MD‐1, in OSCC as a novel treatment approach for feline oral cancer. We also sought to determine the potential of feline OSCC as a large animal model for the further development of MCT inhibitors to treat human HNSCC. In vitro, MD‐1 reduced the viability of feline OSCC and human HNSCC cell lines, altered glycolytic and mitochondrial metabolism and synergized with platinum‐based chemotherapies. While MD‐1 treatment increased lactate concentrations in an HNSCC cell line, the inhibitor failed to alter lactate levels in feline OSCC cells, suggesting an MCT‐independent activity. In vivo, MD‐1 significantly inhibited tumour growth in a subcutaneous xenograft model and prolonged overall survival in an orthotopic model of feline OSCC. Our results show that MD‐1 may be an effective therapy for the treatment of feline oral cancer. Our findings also support the further investigation of feline OSCC as a large animal model to inform the development of MCT inhibitors and future clinical studies in human HNSCC.     

Experimental studies with foot-and-mouth disease virus type Asia-1, responsible for the 2005 epidemic in China

This study was carried out to investigate the biological characteristics of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus strain Asia-1 China/2005, which is responsible for the 2005 epidemic in China. The result showed that this strain is not host restricted, and could not only cause FMD in cattle and sheep but also in pigs by either inoculation or direct contact.     

天然植物制剂“开口健”对小鼠淋巴细胞功能及营养生长因子的影响

目的：探讨口服＂开口健＂对小鼠淋巴细胞功能以及营养生长因子的影响。方法：36只ICR小鼠随机分为4组,即生理盐水组＂,开口健＂低、中、高剂量组。给小鼠连续灌胃10 d后,用MTT法检测淋巴细胞刺激指数,RT-PCR方法检测ConA刺激后淋巴细胞产生的IL-4、IL-10、IL-12和INF-γmRNA水平,ELISA方法检测小鼠血清胰岛素样生长因子（IGF-1）和生长激素释放肽（Ghrelin）水平。结果：口服＂开口健＂小鼠脾脏淋巴细胞SI显著高于对照组（P〈0.01）,并随＂开口健＂剂量的增加而升高;口服＂开口健＂小鼠脾脏淋巴细胞产生IL-4、IL-10、IL-12和IFN-γmRNA水平显著高于对照组（P〈0.05）。口服＂开口健＂显著提高了小鼠血清的IGF-1和Ghrelin水平（P〈0.05）,且与＂开口健＂剂量呈正相关性。结论：口服＂开口健＂可增强小鼠淋巴细胞功能并提高血清营养生长因子水平。     

线虫fat-1基因密码子优化设计

本研究旨在优化线虫fat-1基因,使其在牛肌肉组织中高效表达,为进一步生产fat-1转基因肉牛提供目的基因。试验在不改变fat-1基因编码氨基酸序列的基础上,参考了11个牛肌肉蛋白相关基因的密码子使用频率,对fat-1基因进行了密码子优化。结果发现,共改变了65个碱基,涉及65个密码子、7个氨基酸,约占fat-1基因总碱基数的5.38%,G+C含量从45.08%上升到50.04%,且分布均匀利于基因的表达。结构预测结果显示,该优化后的基因能够在牛肌肉中高效表达。     

Porcine CD18 mediates Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ApxIII species-specific toxicity

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, produces Apx toxins that are recognized as major virulence factors. Recently, we showed that ApxIIIA-cytotoxic activity specifically targets Sus scrofa leukocytes. Since both LtxA from Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (aggressive periodontitis in humans) and LktA from Mannheimia haemolytica (pneumonia in ruminants) share this characteristic, respectively towards human and ruminant leukocytes, and because both use the CD18 subunit to interact with their respective LFA-1, we hypothesized that ApxIIIA was likely to bind porcine CD18 to exercise its deleterious effects on pig leukocytes. A β ₂−integrin-deficient ApxIIIA-resistant human erythroleukemic cell line was transfected either with homologous or heterologous CD11a/CD18 heterodimers using a set of plasmids coding for human (ApxIIIA-resistant), bovine (-resistant) and porcine (-susceptible) CD11a and CD18 subunits. Cell preparations that switched from ApxIIIA-resistance to -susceptibility were then sought to identify the LFA-1 subunit involved. The results showed that the ApxIIIA-resistant recipient cell line was rendered susceptible only if the CD18 partner within the LFA-1 heterodimer was that of the pig. It is concluded that porcine CD18 is necessary to mediate A. pleuropneumoniae ApxIIIA toxin-induced leukolysis.     

Characteristics of 18F-FDG and 18F-FDOPA PET in an 8-year-old neutered male Yorkshire Terrier dog with glioma: long-term chemotherapy using hydroxyurea plus imatinib with prednisolone and immunoreactivity for PDGFR-β and LAT1

An 8-year-old neutered male Yorkshire Terrier dog presented with head pressing, vestibular ataxia, neck tenderness, and no oculocephalic reflex. A demarcated lesion in the pons was identified on MRI. The patient was tentatively diagnosed with a glioma and was treated with hydroxyurea plus imatinib and prednisolone. After 30 days of therapeutic treatment, the patient showed a clear improvement in neurological signs, which lasted for 1117 days. On day 569 after the initiation of treatment, ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) was performed with no significant findings on visual analysis. The average and maximal standardized uptake values (SUVs) were 1.92 and 2.29, respectively. The tumor-to-normal-tissue (T/N) ratio was 0.97. The first evidence of clinical deterioration was noticed on day 1147. On day 1155, 3,4-dihydroxy-6-[¹⁸F]-fluoro-l-phenylalanine (¹⁸F-FDOPA)-PET was performed. High uptake of ¹⁸F-FDOPA was observed in the intracranial lesion. The mean and maximal SUVs of the tumor were 1.59 and 2.29, respectively. The T/N ratio was 2.22. The patient was euthanized on day 1155 and histopathologic evaluations confirmed glioma (astrocytoma). This case shows that chemotherapy with hydroxyurea plus imatinib may be considered in the treatment of canine glioma. Furthermore, this is the first case describing the application of ¹⁸F-FDG and ¹⁸F-FDOPA in a dog with glioma.     

过表达NR4A1促进山羊皮下脂肪细胞分化

旨在克隆山羊N R4A1基因的CDS区序列,明确其组织和细胞表达模式,以及探究过表达N R4A1基因对山羊皮下脂肪细胞分化的影响.本试验利用双酶切法构建山羊过表达载体pcDNA3.1-NR4A1.以1周岁简州大耳羊(n=5)为试验动物.利用RT-PCR方法和实时荧光定量PCR(real-time quantitativ...