Chronic sleep deprivation impairs retinal circadian transcriptome and visual function.

Sleep loss is common in modern society and is increasingly associated with eye diseases. However, the precise effects of sleep loss on retinal structure and function, particularly on the retinal circadian system, remain largely unexplored. This study investigates these effects using a chronic sleep deprivation (CSD) model in mice. Our investigation reveals that CSD significantly alters the retinal circadian transcriptome, leading to remarkable changes in the temporal patterns of enriched pathways. This perturbation extends to metabolic and immune-related transcriptomes, coupled with an accumulation of reactive oxygen species in the retina. Notably, CSD rhythmically affects the thickness of the ganglion cell complex, along with diurnal shifts in microglial migration and morphology within the retina. Most critically, we observe a marked decrease in both scotopic and photopic retinal function under CSD conditions. These findings underscore the broad impact of sleep deprivation on retinal health, highlighting its role in altering circadian gene expression, metabolism, immune response, and structural integrity. Our study provides new insights into the broader impact of sleep loss on retinal health.

Mechanisms of Extraorbital Lacrimal Gland Aging in Mice: An Integrative Analysis of the Temporal Transcriptome.

Purpose: This study used high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and bioinformatics analysis to investigate the altered transcriptome profile of aging lacrimal glands in mice that occurs over the course of a 24-hour cycle. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice aged 12 weeks (young) and 20 months (aging) were housed in a pathogen-free setting with a 12-hour light/12-hour dark cycle. Throughout a 24-hour cycle, mouse extraorbital lacrimal glands (ELGs) were collected at eight time points at three-hour intervals. To prepare for the high-throughput RNA-Seq, whole mRNA was extracted. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the young and aging groups were subjected to bioinformatic analysis based on diurnal patterns. Furthermore, the cell populations in which significant DEGs express and signaling pathways occur were validated at the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) level. Results: The total transcriptome composition was significantly altered in aging ELGs compared with that in young mouse ELGs at eight time points during the 24-hour cycle, with 864 upregulated and 228 downregulated DEGs, which were primarily enriched in inflammatory pathways. Further comparative analysis of the point-to-point transcriptome revealed that aging ELGs underwent alterations in the temporal transcriptome profile in several pathways, including the inflammation-related, metabolism-related, mitochondrial bioenergetic function-associated, synaptome neural activity-associated, cell processes-associated, DNA processing-associated and fibrosis-associated pathways. Most of these pathways occurred separately in distinct cell populations. Conclusions: Transcriptome profiles of aging lacrimal glands undergo considerable diurnal time-dependent changes; this finding offers a comprehensive source of information to better understand the pathophysiology of lacrimal gland aging and its underlying mechanisms.

Nine new species of black lichenicolous fungi from the genus Cladophialophora (Chaetothyriales) from two different climatic zones of China.

Lichenicolous fungi are parasites of lichens. Many of these fungi are referred to as "black fungi". A diversity of these black fungi include species that are pathogenic to humans and plants. A majority of black fungi reside in the phylum Ascomycota within the sub-classes Chaetothyriomycetidae and Dothideomycetidae. To explore the diversity of lichenicolous "black fungi" associated with lichens in China, we conducted several field surveys in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Yunnan Province between 2019 and 2020. We recovered 1,587 fungal isolates from the lichens collected during these surveys. During the preliminary identification of these isolates using the complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS), partial large subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (LSU), and small subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (SSU), we identified 15 fungal isolates from the genus Cladophialophora. However, these isolates had low sequence similarities with all known species from the genus. Therefore, we amplified additional gene regions, such as, translation elongation factor (TEF) and partial ß-tubulin gene (TUB), and constructed a multi-gene phylogeny using maximum likelihood, maximum parsimony, and Bayesian inference. In our datasets, we included type sequences where available for all Cladophialophora species. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that none of the 15 isolates belonged to any of the previously described species in the genus. Therefore, using both morphological and molecular data, we classified these 15 isolates as nine new species within the genus Cladophialophora: C. flavoparmeliae, C. guttulate, C. heterodermiae, C. holosericea, C. lichenis, C. moniliformis, C. mongoliae, C. olivacea, and C. yunnanensis. The outcome from this study shows that lichens are an important refugia for black lichenicolous fungi, such as those from Chaetothyriales.

Long-term high fructose intake promotes lacrimal gland dysfunction by inducing gut dysbiosis in mice.

The lacrimal gland is essential for maintaining ocular surface health through the secretion of the aqueous layer of the tear film. It is therefore important to explore the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that affect the structure and function of the lacrimal gland and the mechanisms underlying them. With the prevalence of Westernized diets characterized by high sugar and fat content, the susceptibility to many diseases, including ocular diseases, is increased by inducing dysbiosis of the gut microbiome. Here, we found that the composition, abundance, and diversity of the gut microbiome was significantly altered in mice by drinking 15% high fructose water for one month, as determined by 16S rRNA sequencing. This was accompanied by a significant increase in lipid deposition and inflammatory cell infiltration in the extraorbital lacrimal glands (ELGs) of mice. Transcriptome analysis based on bulk RNA-sequencing revealed abnormal activation of some of several metabolic and immune-related pathways. In addition, the secretory response to stimulation with the cholinergic receptor agonist pilocarpine was significantly reduced. However, when the composition and diversity of the gut microbiome of high fructose intake (HFI)-treated mice were improved by transplanting feces from normal young healthy mice, the pathological alterations in ELG structure, inflammatory cell infiltration, secretory function and transcriptome analysis described above were significantly reversed compared to age-matched control mice. In conclusion, our data suggest that prolonged HFI may cause pathological damage to the structure and function of the ELG through the induction of gut dysbiosis. Restoration of intestinal dysbiosis in HFI-treated mice by fecal transplantation has a potential role in ameliorating these pathological impairments.

Fungal Diversity Associated with Thirty-Eight Lichen Species Revealed a New Genus of Endolichenic Fungi, Intumescentia gen. nov. (Teratosphaeriaceae).

Fungi from the Teratosphaeriaceae (Mycosphaerellales; Dothideomycetes; Ascomycota) have a wide range of lifestyles. Among these are a few species that are endolichenic fungi. However, the known diversity of endolichenic fungi from Teratosphaeriaceae is far less understood compared to other lineages of Ascomycota. We conducted five surveys from 2020 to 2021 in Yunnan Province of China, to explore the biodiversity of endolichenic fungi. During these surveys, we collected multiple samples of 38 lichen species. We recovered a total of 205 fungal isolates representing 127 species from the medullary tissues of these lichens. Most of these isolates were from Ascomycota (118 species), and the remaining were from Basidiomycota (8 species) and Mucoromycota (1 species). These endolichenic fungi represented a wide variety of guilds, including saprophytes, plant pathogens, human pathogens, as well as entomopathogenic, endolichenic, and symbiotic fungi. Morphological and molecular data indicated that 16 of the 206 fungal isolates belonged to the family Teratosphaeriaceae. Among these were six isolates that had a low sequence similarity with any of the previously described species of Teratosphaeriaceae. For these six isolates, we amplified additional gene regions and conducted phylogenetic analyses. In both single gene and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses using ITS, LSU, SSU, RPB2, TEF1, ACT, and CAL data, these six isolates emerged as a monophyletic lineage within the family Teratosphaeriaceae and sister to a clade that included fungi from the genera Acidiella and Xenopenidiella. The analyses also indicated that these six isolates represented four species. Therefore, we established a new genus, Intumescentia gen. nov., to describe these species as Intumescentia ceratinae, I. tinctorum, I. pseudolivetorum, and I. vitii. These four species are the first endolichenic fungi representing Teratosphaeriaceae from China.

Screening marker genes of type 2 diabetes mellitus in mouse lacrimal gland by LASSO regression.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by insulin resistance and a relative deficiency of insulin. This study aims to screen T2DM-related maker genes in the mouse extraorbital lacrimal gland (ELG) by LASSO regression.C57BLKS/J strain with leptin db/db homozygous mice (T2DM, n = 20) and wild-type mice (WT, n = 20) were used to collect data. The ELGs were collected for RNA sequencing. LASSO regression was conducted to screen marker genes with the training set. Five genes were selected from 689 differentially expressed genes by LASSO regression, including Synm, Elovl6, Glcci1, Tnks and Ptprt. Expression of Synm was downregulated in ELGs of T2DM mice. Elovl6, Glcci1, Tnks, and Ptprt were upregulated in T2DM mice. Area under receiver operating curve of the LASSO model was 1.000(1.000-1.000) and 0.980(0.929-1.000) in the training set and the test set, respectively. The C-index and the robust C-index of the LASSO model were 1.000 and 0.999, respectively, in the training set, and 1.000 and 0.978, respectively, in the test set. In the lacrimal gland of db/db mice, Synm, Elovl6, Glcci1, Tnks and Ptprt can be used as marker genes of T2DM. Abnormal expression of marker genes is related to lacrimal gland atrophy and dry eye in mice.

High-fat intake reshapes the circadian transcriptome profile and metabolism in murine meibomian glands.

Background: Nutritional and food components reshape the peripheral clock and metabolism. However, whether food challenges affect the circadian clock and metabolism of meibomian glands (MGs) has not been fully explored. This study was designed to analyze alterations in the rhythmic transcriptome and metabolism of MGs of murine fed a balanced diet or a high-fat diet (HFD). Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice were maintained on a 12/12 h light/dark cycle and fed ad libitum on normal chow (NC) or HFD for 4 weeks. MGs were collected from sacrificed animals at 3-h intervals throughout a 24-h circadian cycle. The circadian transcriptome of MGs was analyzed via bioinformatics approaches using high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). In addition, circadian oscillations of lipid components in MGs were analyzed. Results: Meibomian glands displayed robust transcriptome rhythmicity. HFD feeding significantly altered the circadian transcriptome profile of MGs-including composition and phase-and spatiotemporally affected the enriched signaling pathways. In addition, HFD feeding significantly altered the normal rhythmic oscillations of lipid components in MGs. Conclusion: Our data show that HFD significantly affects MGs' rhythmicity, which reveals a high sensitivity of MGs' clocks to lipid composition in food.

Sleep Loss Causes Dysfunction in Murine Extraorbital Lacrimal Glands.

Purpose: Sleep loss markedly affects the structure and function of the lacrimal gland and may cause ocular surface disease as a common public health problem. This study aims to investigate the circadian disturbance caused by sleep loss leading to dysfunction of extraorbital lacrimal glands (ELGs). Methods: A mouse sleep deprivation (SD) model for sleep loss studies was built in C57BL/6J male mice. After four weeks, the ELGs were collected at three-hour intervals during a 24-hour period. The Jonckheere-Terpstra-Kendall algorithm was used to determine the composition, phase, and rhythmicity of transcriptomic profiles in ELGs. Furthermore, we compared the non-sleep-deprived and SD-treated mouse ELG (i) reactive oxygen species (ROS) by fluorescein staining, (ii) DNA damage by immunostaining for γ-H2Ax, and (iii) circadian migration of immune cells by immunostaining for CD4, CD8, γδ-TCR, CD64, and CX3CR1. Finally, we also evaluated (i) the locomotor activity and core body temperature rhythm of mice and (ii) the mass, cell size, and tear secretion of the ELGs. Results: SD dramatically altered the composition and phase-associated functional enrichment of the circadian transcriptome, immune cell trafficking, metabolism, cell differentiation, and neural secretory activities of mouse ELGs. Additionally, SD caused the ROS accumulation and consequent DNA damage in the ELGs, and the ELG dysfunction caused by SD was irreversible. Conclusions: SD damages the structure, function, and diurnal oscillations of ELGs. These results highlight comprehensive characterization of insufficient sleep-affected ELG circadian transcriptome that may provide a new therapeutic approach to counteract the effects of SD on ELG function.

Geosmithia Species Associated With Bark Beetles From China, With the Description of Nine New Species.

Fungi of the genus Geosmithia are frequently associated with bark beetles that feed on phloem on various woody hosts. Most studies on Geosmithia were carried out in North and South America and Europe, with only two species being reported from Taiwan, China. This study aimed to investigate the diversity of Geosmithia species in China. Field surveys in Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shandong, Shanghai, and Yunnan yielded a total of 178 Geosmithia isolates from 12 beetle species. The isolates were grouped based on morphology. The internal transcribed spacer, ß-tubulin, and elongation factor 1-α gene regions of the representatives of each group were sequenced. Phylogenetic trees were constructed based on those sequences. In total, 12 species were identified, with three previously described species (Geosmithia xerotolerans, G. putterillii, and G. pallida) and nine new species which are described in this paper as G. luteobrunnea, G. radiata, G. brevistipitata, G. bombycina, G. granulata (Geosmithia sp. 20), G. subfulva, G. pulverea (G. sp. 3 and Geosmithia sp. 23), G. fusca, and G. pumila sp. nov. The dominant species obtained in this study were G. luteobrunnea and G. pulverea. This study systematically studied the Geosmithia species in China and made an important contribution to filling in the gaps in our understanding of global Geosmithia species diversity.

Ophiostomatoid species associated with pine trees (Pinus spp.) infested by Cryphaluspiceae from eastern China, including five new species.

Cryphaluspiceae attacks various economically important conifers. Similar to other bark beetles, Cr.piceae plays a role as a vector for an assortment of fungi and nematodes. Previously, several ophiostomatoid fungi were isolated from Cr.piceae in Poland and Japan. In the present study, we explored the diversity of ophiostomatoid fungi associated with Cr.piceae infesting pines in the Shandong Province of China. We isolated ophiostomatoid fungi from both galleries and beetles collected from our study sites. These fungal isolates were identified using both molecular and morphological data. In this study, we recovered 175 isolates of ophiostomatoid fungi representing seven species. Ophiostomaips was the most frequently isolated species. Molecular and morphological data indicated that five ophiostomatoid fungal species recovered were previously undescribed. Thus, we proposed these five novel species as Ceratocystiopsisyantaiensis, C.weihaiensis, Graphilbumtranslucens, Gr.niveum, and Sporothrixvillosa. These new ophiostomatoid fungi add to the increasing number of fungi known from China, and this evidence suggests that numerous novel taxa are awaiting discovery in other forests of China.

[Lung and gut microbiota and their interaction with the carcinogenesis and development of lung cancer: a review].

Lung microbiota and gut microbiota are closely related to lung cancer. Studies have shown that the dysbiosis, i.e., the significantly altered composition and structure of gut and lung microbiota, usually occurs in patients with lung cancer. With the introduction of "Gut-Lung Axis", an increasing attention has been paid to the close relationship between the lung and gut microbiota in human body. A deeper insight into this relationship would facilitate understanding the mechanisms behind the carcinogenesis and development of lung cancer. This article summarizes the composition of lung and gut microbiota in patients with lung cancer and the possible interaction mechanisms, highlighting the importance of the immune system in the Gut-Lung Axis. The effects of lung and gut microbiota on the clinical treatment of lung cancer were summarized, based on which the authors propose that the lung and gut microbiota can be used as novel targets for early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.

Phylogenetic and morphological analyses of Coniochaeta isolates recovered from Inner Mongolia and Yunnan revealed three new endolichenic fungal species.

Lichens are the result of a symbiotic interaction between fungi (mycobionts) and algae (phycobionts). Aside from mycobionts, lichen thalli can also contain non-lichenised fungal species, such as lichenicolous and endolichenic fungi. For this study, three surveys were conducted in China's Yunnan Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region between 2017 and 2020. Several samples of four lichen species were collected during these surveys: Candelariafibrosa, Flavoparmeliacaperata, Flavopuncteliaflaventior and Ramalinasinensis. Six isolates of Coniochaeta were recovered from these four lichen species. The phylogenetic and morphological analyses revealed that two of these isolates were previously identified species, Coniochaetavelutinosa and C.acaciae. Those remaining were from potentially unknown species. We used molecular and morphological data to describe these previously-unknown species as Coniochaetafibrosae sp. nov., C.mongoliae sp. nov. and C.sinensis sp. nov. The findings of this study significantly improve our understanding of the variety and habitat preferences of Coniochaeta in China and globally.

Clinical Characteristics of Patients With Dizziness/Vertigo Accompanied by Posterior Semicircular Canal Hypofunction.

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of patients with dizziness/vertigo accompanied by loss of the posterior canal(s) (LPC). Methods: Clinical data of 23 patients with LPC were collected. We determined video-head-impulse test (vHIT) gains of all six semicircular canals and correlated vHIT findings with other vestibulo-cochlear tests, including caloric test, ocular and cervical vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (oVEMP, cVEMP), pure tone audiometry (PTA), and analyzed the differences in clinical manifestations of patients with LPC with different etiologies. Results: LPC was identified in 23 patients. At the time of disease onset, most patients presented with dizziness (47.8%) and vertigo (30.4%) only, and some patients (21.7%) complained of unsteadiness. Among these 23 patients with LPC, there were 14 (60.9%) patients of isolated LPC (ILPC), 21 (91.3%) patients of unilateral LPC (ULPC), and 2 (8.7%) patients of bilateral LPC (BLPC). (1) Among 14 patients with ILPC, 13 (92.9%) patients had unilateral ILPC, the rate of ipsilesional impairment on caloric test, or oVEMP/cVEMP test or PTA ipsilesionally was 53.8% (7/13) in patients with unilateral ILPC. The causes of unilateral ILPC were vertigo/dizziness of unclear origin (38.5%), labyrinthine infarction (15.4%), vestibular migraine (15.4%), and other diseases (30.8%); (2) among 21 patients with ULPC, 7 patients (33.3%) were accompanied with horizontal semicircular canal hypofunction ipsilesionally, the abnormal rate of caloric test, or oVEMP/cVEMP tests or PTA ipsilesionally was 57.1%. The causes of ULPC were vertigo/dizziness of unclear origin (33.3%), autoimmune inner ear disease (14.3%), labyrinthine infarction (14.3%), vestibular neuritis (9.5%), vestibular migraine (9.5%), and other diseases (19.0%); (3) among two patients with BLPC, one patient presented with unsteadiness, the causes of BLPC were vestibular paroxysmia and autoimmune inner ear disease. Conclusion: vHIT is a fast and effective method for assessing LPC, which can be used to detect isolated PC dysfunction. The causes of ILPC were peripheral origin or central origin. Patients with ILPC and ULPC mostly presented with dizziness/vertigo, and ULPC was often accompanied by ipsilateral vestibulo-cochlear impairment.

Biodegradation of malachite green by an endophytic bacterium Klebsiella aerogenes S27 involving a novel oxidoreductase.

Endophytic microorganisms can metabolize organic contaminants and assist in plant growth, thus facilitating the phytoremediation of polluted environments. An endophytic bacterium capable of decoloring malachite green (MG) was isolated from the leaves of the wetland plant Suaeda salsa and was identified as Klebsiella aerogenes S27. Complete decolorization of MG (100 mg/l) was achieved in 8 h at 30 °C and pH 7.0. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy analyses indicated the degradation of MG by the isolate. The enzymic assays of the strain showed the triphenylmethane reductase (TMR) activity. A gene encoding putative TMR-like protein (named as KaTMR) was cloned and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. KaTMR showed only 42.6-43.3% identities in amino acids compared with well-studied TMRs, and it phylogenetically formed a new branch in the family of TMRs. The degraded metabolites by recombinant KaTMR were detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, showing differences from the products of reported TMRs. The biotransformation pathway of MG was proposed. Phytotoxicity studies revealed the less-toxic nature of the degraded metabolites compared to the dye. This study presented the first report of an endophyte on the degradation and detoxification of triphenylmethane dye via a novel oxidoreductase, thus facilitating the study of the plant-endophyte symbiosis in the bioremediation processes.

Subtercola lobariae sp. nov., an actinobacterium of the family Microbacteriaceae isolated from the lichen Lobaria retigera.

An actinobacterium, designated strain 9583bT, was isolated from the lichen Lobaria retigera collected from Jiaozi Snow Mountain, Yunnan Province, China. Cells of strain 9583bT were Gram-stain-positive, aerobic, catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. The strain have a short rod-shaped, irregular morphology, and could grow at the temperature range of 4 to 28 °C. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain 9583bT belonged to the genus Subtercola in the family Microbacteriaceae, and shared highest sequence similarity with the type strains of Subtercola frigoramans and Subtercola boreus (96.8 and 95.6 %, respectively). The peptidoglycan type was B2γ, with diaminobutyric acid as the diagnostic diamino acid. The polar lipids comprised of phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, five unidentified glycolipids and three unidentified phospholipids. The respiratory quinone was determined to be MK-10. While the major fatty acids (>5 %) of strain 9583bT were anteiso-C15 : 0, C14 : 0 2-OH and iso-C16 : 0, the 1,1-dimethoxy-alkanes included a-15 : 0 DMA, i-16 : 0 DMA, a-17 : 0 DMA and i-15 : 0 DMA. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain 9583bT was 66.8 mol%. On the basis of the phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data in this study, strain 9583bT represents a novel species of the genus Subtercola, for which the name Subtercola lobariae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 9583bT (=CGMCC 1.12976T=DSM 103962T).

Inefficient export of viral late mRNA contributes to fastidiousness of human adenovirus type 41 (HAdV-41) in 293 cells.

The human adenovirus (HAdV) early protein E1B55K interacts with E4orf6 to form an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, which plays key roles in virus replication. To illustrate the reason for the fastidiousness of HAdV-41 in 293 cells, interaction between heterotypic E1B55K and E4orf6 proteins was investigated. HAdV-5 E1B55K could interact with HAdV-41 E4orf6, and vice versa. To form E1B55K/E4orf6 E3 ubiquitin ligase, HAdV-41 E4orf6 recruited Cul2 while HAdV-5 E4orf6 interacted with Cul5. The ligase complex formed by HAdV-5 E1B55K and HAdV-41 E4orf6 could cause the degradation of p53 and Mre11. However, in E1-deleted HAdV-41-infected 293TE7 cells, which expressed HAdV-41 E1B55K, viral late mRNAs were exported from nucleus more efficiently and accumulated to a higher concentration in cytoplasm when compared with that in infected 293 cells. These results suggested that interaction between homotypic E1B55K and E4orf6 was indispensable for efficient export of viral late mRNAs.

Vaccination influences the evolution of classical swine fever virus.

Classical swine fever is a serious, economically damaging disease caused by classical swine fever virus (CSFV). The CSFV is composed of two clades, according to phylogenetic estimates. Attenuated live vaccine such as HCLV, has been widely used to protect pigs from CSFV, but the influence of vaccination on the evolution of CSFV has not been studied. We conducted a systemic analysis of the impact of vaccination on the evolution of CSFV by comparing vaccine-related and non-vaccine-related CSFV groups. We found that vaccination may affect strain diversity and immune escape through recombination and point mutation. We also found that vaccination may influence the population dynamics, evolutionary rate and adaptive evolution of classical swine fever virus. Our evidence suggests that the vaccination might also change host adaptation through influencing codon usage of the virus in swine. These findings suggest that it is necessary to avoid excessive use of CSFV attenuated vaccines.

Identification of three H1N1 influenza virus groups with natural recombinant genes circulating from 1918 to 2009.

In this study, we identify a recombinant pb1 gene, a recombinant MP segment and a recombinant PA segment. The pb1 gene is recombined from two Eurasia swine H1N1 influenza virus lineages. It belongs to a H1N1 swine clade circulating in Europe and Asia from 1999 to 2009. The mosaic MP segment descends from H7 avian and H1N1 human virus lineages and pertains to a large human H1N1 virus family circulating in Asia, Europe and America from 1918 to 2007. The recombinant PA segment originated from two swine H1N1 lineages is found in a swine H1N1 group prevailing in Asia and Europe from 1999 to 2003. These results collectively falsify the hypothesis that influenza virus do not evolve by homologous recombination. Since recombination not only leads to virus genome diversity but also can alter its host adaptation and pathogenecity; the genetic mechanism should not be neglected in influenza virus surveillance.

Identification of a natural human serotype 3 parainfluenza virus.

Parainfluenza virus is an important pathogen threatening the health of animals and human, which brings human many kinds of disease, especially lower respiratory tract infection involving infants and young children. In order to control the virus, it is necessary to fully understand the molecular basis resulting in the genetic diversity of the virus. Homologous recombination is one of mechanisms for the rapid change of genetic diversity. However, as a negative-strand virus, it is unknown whether the recombination can naturally take place in human PIV. In this study, we isolated and identified a mosaic serotype 3 human PIV (HPIV3) from in China, and also provided several putative PIV mosaics from previous reports to reveal that the recombination can naturally occur in the virus. In addition, two swine PIV3 isolates transferred from cattle to pigs were found to have mosaic genomes. These results suggest that homologous recombination can promote the genetic diversity and potentially bring some novel biologic characteristics of HPIV.

A recombinant adenovirus prime-virus-like particle boost regimen elicits effective and specific immunities against norovirus in mice.

Prime-boost vaccination using recombinant viral vectors and proteins has emerged as a highly effective strategy for protecting against viral pathogens. However, the ability of such regimens to provide immunity against norovirus (NV), an important cause of acute epidemic gastroenteritis worldwide, has never been assessed. In this study, we analyzed NV-specific humoral, mucosal, and cellular immune responses following intranasal immunization with the recombinant adenovirus expressing the NV GGII4 capsid protein (rAd) prime-NV virus-like particle (VLP) boost, VLP prime-rAd boost, or repeated NV VLP regimens. Our results show that mice primed with rAd and boosted with VLP had stronger humoral, mucosal, and interferon-gamma responses than those immunized with VLP prime-rAd boost or VLP alone. These results demonstrate that adenovirus prime-VLP boost vaccination is an effective strategy for induction of immune responses against NV and is a promising strategy to improve current VLP-based NV vaccine development.