Interleukin-12 receptor ß2 from grass carp: Molecular characterization and its involvement in Aeromonas hydrophila-induced intestinal inflammation.

Interleukin-12 receptor ß2 (IL-12Rß2) is a signaling subunit of heterodimeric receptors for IL-12 and IL-35. It plays important regulatory functions in the development of Th1 cells and in the expression of inflammatory cytokines in mammals and other higher vertebrates. However, little is known about IL-12Rß2 in teleost fish. In this work, we have cloned and characterized IL-12Rß2 from grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). The full-length cDNA of grass carp IL-12Rß2 is 2875 bp, which encodes a mature protein with 741 amino acids. This mature protein contains three fibronectin type III domains, a transmembrane helix, and CXW and WSXWS-like motifs that are characteristic of the type I cytokine receptor family. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that cyprinid fish IL-12Rß2 formed a single branch, clearly separated from those of other vertebrates. We expressed and purified a recombinant grass carp IL-12Rß2 protein containing major antigenic regions, which was used to raise a polyclonal antibody. The specificity of the antibody was assessed by Western blotting analysis of whole cell lysates from Escherichia coli cells expressing the recombinant IL-12Rß2, grass carp intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes, and cultured C. idella kidney cells. To explore the potential regulatory role of IL-12Rß2 in inflammation, we generated an intestinal inflammation model by anal intubation of fish with Aeromonas hydrophila. Immunohistochemical staining of the inflamed intestines revealed that IL-12Rß2 expression is consistent with inflammatory cell recruitment during intestinal inflammation. Real-time quantitative PCR revealed that IL-12Rß2 is widely expressed in normal tissues and is up-regulated in most tissues after infecting with A. hydrophila. We found that IL-12Rß2, IL-12p35, and interferon-γ were expressed in similar patterns in the intestines during inflammation. Taken together, our results suggest that IL-12Rß2 is involved in the regulation of intestinal inflammation.

Characterization of interleukin-1ß as a proinflammatory cytokine in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella).

Interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) is a well-characterized cytokine that plays key roles in cellular responses to infection, inflammation, and immunological challenges in mammals. In this study, we identified and analyzed a grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) ortholog of IL-1ß (gcIL-1ß), examined its expression patterns in various tissues in both healthy and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated specimens, and evaluated its proinflammatory activities. The gcIL-1ß gene consists of seven exons and six introns. The full-length cDNA sequence contains an open reading frame of 813 nucleotides. The deduced amino acid sequence exhibits a characteristic IL-1 signature but lacks the typical IL-1ß converting enzyme cleavage site that is conserved in mammals. In the phylogenetic tree, IL-1ßs from grass carp and other members of the Cyprinidae family clustered into a single group. Expression pattern analysis revealed that gcIL-1ß is constitutively expressed in all 11 tissues examined, and LPS stimulation leads to significant up-regulation in muscle, liver, intestine, skin, trunk kidney, head kidney, and gill. Recombinant grass carp IL-1ß (rgcIL-1ß) was generated prokaryotically as a fusion protein of Trx-rgcIL-1ß. An anti-rgcIL-1ß polyclonal antibody (rgcIL-1ß pAb) was raised in mice against the purified Trx-rgcIL-1ß. Western blot analysis confirmed that rgcIL-1ß pAb reacted specifically with gcIL-1ß in C. idella kidney (CIK) cells. Quantitative real-time PCR data indicated that intestinal mRNA expression levels of endogenous IL-1ß, IL-1R2, and TNF-α were significantly up-regulated following Trx-rgcIL-1ß exposure. The inhibitory activities of rgcIL-1ß pAb against the inflammatory response were confirmed in a model of Aeromonas hydrophila-induced intestinal inflammation. Our immunohistochemical study revealed that the degree and intensity of inflammatory cell infiltration are fully consistent with the observed mRNA expression patterns of these key inflammatory genes. Taken together, these data suggest that gcIL-1ß plays a critical role in the proinflammatory response in the grass carp intestine.

Molecular characterization, expression analysis, and biological effects of interleukin-8 in grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idellus.

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a CXC chemokine that plays key regulatory roles in the immune and inflammatory responses implicated in many human diseases. In this study, we identified and characterized an IL-8 homologue from the grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idellus. A sequence alignment of the full-length cDNA and genomic DNA showed that the exon/intron organization of grass carp IL-8 (gcIL-8) is identical to those of other known CXC chemokine genes. A multiple alignment analysis showed that gcIL-8 is an ELR(-)CXC chemokine, and its deduced amino acid sequence shares 81% and 36% identity with common carp IL-8s L1 (GenBank ID: ABE47600) and L2 (GenBank ID: AB470924), respectively, suggesting that it belongs to the lineage 1 group of fish IL-8 proteins. On a phylogenetic tree, gcIL-8 clustered with other teleost IL-8 proteins to form a fish-specific clade, clearly distinct from those of bird, mammal, and amphibian proteins. Real-time quantitative PCR analysis indicated that gcIL-8 is differentially expressed in various tissues under normal conditions and that the expression of gcIL-8 mRNA in immune-related tissues is clearly upregulated by Aeromonas hydrophila infection. To explore the biological effects of gcIL-8, we produced a recombinant protein, rgcIL-8, in a prokaryotic expression system. Purified rgcIL-8 was confirmed to be chemoattractive for head kidney neutrophils and mononuclear leukocytes in vitro. Our histopathological study also revealed that rgcIL-8 exerts proinflammatory effects by inducing neutrophil infiltration and erythrocyte extravasation. Overall, these results suggest that IL-8 is crucially involved in the inflammatory responses of fish.

[Multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of prostaglandin E1 cream for female sexual arousal disorder].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of alprostadil cream in management of female sexual arouse disorder (FSAD), and its appropriate dose for clinical prescription. METHODS: The volunteers were assigned randomly to four groups which received alprostadil cream in different dosage (500 µg, 700 µg and 900 µg) or placebo cream, respectively. The cream was applied to the clitoris and G-spot before coitus. The efficacy was assessed by comparing the satisfactory rate of sexual arousal, the score of female sexual function index (FSFI) and female sex disorder scale (FSDS) and the general appraised question (GAQ) before and after the treatment. The safety was evaluated by the adverse effects that appeared including symptoms, physical and biochemical examination. RESULTS: Totally, 400 women enrolled in this study with 374 assigned to the group for efficacy evaluation and 387 cases to the group for safety analysis. No significant difference was found among the four groups in the demographic characters and sexual baseline. The increase of satisfactory percentage of sexual arousal in the four groups (placebo, 500 µg, 700 µg and 900 µg) was 22.63%, 36.67%, 34.01%, and 44.29%, respectively (P<0.05), and the increase was statistically higher in the 900 µg group than in the placebo group (P<0.0167). The elevated FSFI score above the baseline in the treatment groups (900 µg 22.89, 700 µg 21.69, and 500 µg 20.71) were higher than that in the placebo group (14.68, P<0.05), while the reduced FSDS score below the baseline (900 µg 25.97, 700 µg 21.98, and 500 µg 20.27) were higher than that of the placebo (17.60, P<0.05). No significant difference was found in the four groups in GAQ (P=0.054). The main common adverse effect was topical stimulation. No adverse effect was reported in physical and biochemical examination, electrocardiogram (ECG) or Thinprep cytologic test (TCT). CONCLUSION: Alprostadil cream can treat female sexual arousal disorder effectively with the maximum effect at the dose of 900 µg and without significant adverse effect except for mild topical stimulation.

[Clinical significance of atypical squamous cells and low grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in cervical smear].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical significance of atypical squamous cells (ASCUS) and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL). METHODS: A total of 800 patients cytologically diagnosed with ASCUS and LSIL were referred for colposcopy. The histopathology diagnosis undergoing colposcopic biopsy, endocervical curettage (ECC), cervical loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) were analyzed. Using pathology as gold criterion, the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of colposcopy to detect cervical lesions and cervical cancer were measured. The follow-up results were recorded. RESULTS: (1) Among the 405 patients with ASCUS, the percentage with chronic cervicitis was 57.04%, LSIL was 34.81%, HSIL was 3.95%, otherwise 2 cases (0.49%) of microinvasive cervical cancer and 15 cases (3.70%) of vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) were found respectively. Among the 395 patients with LSIL, the percentage with chronic cervicitis was 34.18%, LSIL was 50.89%, HSIL was 10.38%, 2 cases (0.51%) of microinvasive cervical cancer, 1 case (0.25%) of vulva squamous cancer and 15 cases (3.80%) of VIN was identified respectively. (2) The impression undergoing colposcopy was consistent with the histologically diagnosis in 637 of 800 cases (79.63%). The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value was 96.17%, 58.41% and 73.34% respectively. (3) All patients with HSIL or above regressed to normal after 1 year of follow-up. 501 of 738 patients with chronic cervicitis, LSIL and VIN were followed up more than 1 year. CONCLUSION: ASCUS and LSIL does not represent a single biologic entity; it subsumes changes that are unrelated to neoplasia as well as findings that suggest the possible presence of underlying Cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and rarely carcinoma. Thorough evaluation using colposcopy will detect early not only the histological cervical HSIL and cervical cancer, but also VIN and vulvar squamous cancer. Colposcopy is a viable option in management patients with ASCUS/LSIL.