Vaccine Molecule Design Based on Phage Display and Computational Modeling against Rhabdovirus.

Rhabdoviruses with rich species lead a variety of high lethality and rapid transmission diseases to plants and animals around the globe. Vaccination is one of the most effective approaches to prevent and control virus disease. However, the key antigenic epitopes of glycoprotein being used for vaccine development are unclear. In this study, fish-derived Abs are employed for a Micropterus salmoides rhabdovirus (MSRV) vaccine design by phage display and bioinformatics analysis. We constructed an anti-MSRV phage Ab library to screen Abs for glycoprotein segment 2 (G2) (G129-266). Four M13-phage-displayed Abs (Ab-5, Ab-7, Ab-8 and Ab-30) exhibited strong specificity to target Ag, and Ab-7 had the highest affinity with MSRV. Ab-7 (300 µg/ml) significantly increased grass carp ovary cell viability to 83.40% and significantly decreased the titer of MSRV. Molecular docking results showed that the key region of Ag-Ab interaction was located in 10ESQEFTTLTSH20 of G2. G2Ser11 and G2Gln12 were replaced with alanine, respectively, and molecular docking results showed that the Ag-Ab was nonbinding (ΔG > 0). Then, the peptide vaccine KLH-G210-20 was immunized to M. salmoides via i.p. injection. ELISA result showed that the serum Ab potency level increased significantly (p < 0.01). More importantly, the challenge test demonstrated that the peptide vaccine elicited robust protection against MSRV invasion, and the relative percentage survival reached 62.07%. Overall, this study proposed an approach for screening key epitope by combining phage display technology and bioinformatics tools to provide a reliable theoretical reference for the prevention and control of viral diseases.

The HSP70 and IL-1ß of Nile tilapia as molecular adjuvants can enhance the immune protection of DNA vaccine against Streptococcus agalactiae infection.

Globally, streptococcal disease caused by Streptococcus agalactiae is known for its high mortality rate, which severely limits the development of the tilapia breeding industry. As a third-generation vaccine, DNA vaccines have shown great application prospects in the prevention and control of aquatic diseases, but their low immunogenicity limits their development. The combination of DNA vaccines and molecular adjuvants proved to be an effective method for inducing protective immunity. This study constructed recombinant plasmids encoding tilapia HSP70 and IL-1ß genes (pcHSP70 and pcIL-1ß) to verify their effectiveness as molecular adjuvants for S. agalactiae DNA vaccine (pcSIP) in the immunized tilapia model. The results revealed that serum-specific IgM production, enzyme activities, and immune-related gene expression in tilapia immunized with pcSIP plus pcHSP70 or pcIL-1ß were significantly higher than those in tilapia immunized with pcSIP alone. It is worth noting that combination with molecular adjuvants improved the immune protection of DNA vaccines, with a relative percentage survival (RPS) of 51.72% (pcSIP plus pcHSP70) and 44.83% (pcSIP plus pcIL-1ß), respectively, compared with that of pcSIP alone (24.14%). Thus, our study indicated that HSP70 and IL-1ß in tilapia are promising molecular adjuvants of the DNA vaccine in controlling S. agalactiae infection.

The recombinant subunit vaccine encapsulated by alginate-chitosan microsphere enhances the immune effect against Micropterus salmoides rhabdovirus.

The disease caused by Micropterus salmoides rhabdovirus (MSRV) has brought substantial economic losses to the largemouth bass aquaculture industry in China. Vaccination was considered as a potential way to prevent and control this disease. As a kind of sustained and controlled release system, alginate and chitosan microspheres (SA-CS) are widely used in the development of oral vaccination for fish. Here, we prepared a king of alginate-chitosan composite microsphere to encapsulate the second segment of MSRV glycoprotein (G2 protein) and then evaluated the immune effect of the microsphere vaccine on largemouth bass. Largemouth bass were vaccinated via intragastric immunization by different treatments (PBS, SA-CS, G2 and SA-CS-G2). The results showed that a stronger immune response including serum antibody levels, immune-related physiological indexes (acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, superoxide dismutase and total antioxidant capacity) and the expression of immune-related gene (IgM、IL-8、IL-1ß、CD4、TGF-ß、TNF-α) can be induced obviously with SA-CS-G2 groups compared with G2 groups when fish were vaccinated. Furthermore, fish were injected with a lethal dose of MSRV after immunization for 28 days, and the highest relative percentage survival (54.8%) was observed in SA-CS-G2 group (40 µg per fish), which is significantly higher than that of G2 group (25.8%). This study showed that alginate-chitosan microspheres as the vaccine carrier can effectively improve the immune effect of oral vaccination and induce better immune protection effect against MSRV infection.

Evaluation of the antiviral activity of naringenin, a major constituent of Typha angustifolia, against white spot syndrome virus in crayfish Procambarus clarkii.

White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a serious pathogen threatening global crustacean aquaculture with no commercially available drugs. Herbal medicines widely used in antiviral research offer a rich reserve for drug discovery. Here, we investigated the inhibitory activity of 13 herbal medicines against WSSV in crayfish Procambarus clarkii and discovered that naringenin (NAR) has potent anti-WSSV activity. In the preliminary screening, the extracts of Typha angustifolia displayed the highest inhibitory activity on WSSV replication (84.62%, 100 mg/kg). Further, NAR, the main active compound of T. angustifolia, showed a much higher inhibition rate (92.85%, 50 mg/kg). NAR repressed WSSV proliferation followed a dose-dependent manner and significantly improved the survival of WSSV-challenged crayfish. Moreover, pre- or post-treatment of NAR displayed a comparable inhibition on the viral loads. NAR decreased the transcriptional levels of vital genes in viral life cycle, particularly for the immediately early-stage gene ie1. Further results showed that NAR could decrease the STAT gene expression to block ie1 transcription. Besides, NAR modulated immune-related gene Hsp70, antioxidant (cMnSOD, mMnSOD, CAT, GST), anti-inflammatory (COX-1, COX-2) and pro-apoptosis-related factors (Bax and BI-1) to inhibit WSSV replication. Overall, these results suggest that NAR may have the potential to be developed as preventive or therapeutic agent against WSSV.

Quantitative computer tomography analysis of post-operative subdural fluid volume predicts recurrence of chronic subdural haematoma.

BACKGROUND: Post-operative volume of subdural fluid is considered to correlate with recurrence in chronic subdural haematoma (CSDH). Information on the applications of computer-assisted volumetric analysis in patients with CSDHs is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between haematoma recurrence and longitudinal changes in subdural fluid volume using CT volumetric analysis. METHODS: Fifty-four patients harbouring 64 CSDHs were studied prospectively. The association between recurrence rate and CT findings were investigated. RESULTS: Eleven patients (20.4%) experienced post-operative recurrence. Higher pre-operative (over 120 ml) and/or pre-discharge subdural fluid volumes (over 22 ml) were significantly associated with recurrence; the probability of non-recurrence for values below these thresholds were 92.7% and 95.2%, respectively. CSDHs with larger pre-operative (over 15.1 mm) and/or residual (over 11.7 mm) widths also had significantly increased recurrence rates. Bilateral CSDHs were not found to be more likely to recur in this series. On receiver-operating characteristic curve, the areas under curve for the magnitude of changes in subdural fluid volume were greater than a single time-point measure of either width or volume of the subdural fluid cavity. CONCLUSIONS: Close imaging follow-up is important for CSDH patients for recurrence prediction. Using quantitative CT volumetric analysis, strong evidence was provided that changes in the residual fluid volume during the 'self-resolution' period can be used as significantly radiological predictors of recurrence.

Effects of progesterone vs. dexamethasone on brain oedema and inflammatory responses following experimental brain resection.

BACKGROUND: Dexamethasone (DEXA) is commonly used to reduce brain swelling during neurosurgical procedures. DEXA, however, has many side-effects that can increase the risks of post-operative complications. In contrast, progesterone (PRO) has fewer side-effects and has been found to be neuroprotective on traumatic brain injury (TBI). Whether PRO may be used as an alternative to DEXA during routine procedures has not been fully explored. OBJECT: To compare the effects of DEXA and PRO on surgical brain injury (SBI). METHODS: Seventy-five adult male Sprague Dawley rats were randomized into five groups: (1) SBI + drug vehicle (peanut oil, 1 ml kg(-1)); (2) SBI + DEXA (1 mg kg(-1)); (3) SBI + low-dose PRO (10 mg kg(-1)); (4) SBI + high-dose PRO (20 mg kg(-1)); and (5) sham SBI + drug vehicle. Magnetic resonance imaging study and assessments of brain water content (BWC), blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability, cellular inflammatory responses and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) expression were conducted. RESULTS: This model consistently resulted in increased BWC and BBB disruption. PRO reduced astrocyte and microglia responses and attenuated brain oedema with preservation of BBB. A significant down-regulation of MMP-9 expression occurred in the PRO 20 group. CONCLUSIONS: PRO is as effective as DEXA in reducing brain oedema and inflammation following SBI; 10 mg kg(-1) of PRO was demonstrated to be more effective in relieving acute cellular inflammatory responses.

Endoplasmic reticulum chaperone prolyl 4-hydroxylase, beta polypeptide (P4HB) promotes malignant phenotypes in glioma via MAPK signaling.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone Prolyl 4-hydroxylase, beta polypeptide (P4HB) has previously been identified as a novel target for chemoresistance in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Yet its functional roles in glioma carcinogenesis remain elusive. In clinical analysis using human glioma specimens and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) profiles, we found that aberrant expression of P4HB was correlated with high-grade malignancy and an angiogenic phenotype in glioma. Furthermore, P4HB upregulation conferred malignant characteristics including proliferation, invasion, migration and angiogenesis in vitro, and increased tumor growth in vivo via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Pathway analysis suggested genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of P4HB suppressed MAPK expression and its downstream targets were involved in angiogenesis and invasion. This is the first study that demonstrates the oncogenic roles of P4HB and its underlying mechanism in glioma. Since tumor invasion and Vascularisation are typical hallmarks in malignant glioma, our findings uncover a promising anti-glioma mechanism through P4HB-mediated retardation of MAPK signal transduction.

Comparison between self-assembling peptide nanofiber scaffold (SAPNS) and fibrin sealant in neurosurgical hemostasis.

RADA16-I is a synthetic type I self-assembling peptide nanofiber scaffold (SAPNS) which may serve as a novel biocompatible hemostatic agent. Its application in neurosurgical hemostasis, however, has not been explored. Although RADA16-I is nontoxic and nonimmunogenic, its intrinsic acidity may potentially provoke inflammation in the surgically injured brain. We conducted an animal study to compare RADA16-I with fibrin sealant, a commonly used agent, with the hypothesis that the former would be a comparable alternative. Using a standardized surgical brain injury model, 30 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into three treatment groups: RADA16-I, fibrin sealant or gelatin sponge (control). Animals were sacrificed on day 3 and 42. Astrocytic and microglial infiltrations within the cerebral parenchyma adjacent to the operative site were significantly lower in the RADA16-I and fibrin sealant groups than control. RADA16-I did not cause more cellular inflammatory response despite its acidity when compared with fibrin sealant. Immunohistochemical studies showed infiltration by astrocytes and microglia into the fibrin sealant and RADA16-I grafts, suggesting their potential uses as tissue scaffolds. RADA16-I is a promising candidate for further translational and clinical studies that focus on its applications as a safe and effective hemostat, proregenerative nanofiber scaffold as well as drug and cell carrier.

Hyperoxia resensitizes chemoresistant glioblastoma cells to temozolomide through unfolded protein response.

BACKGROUND: Intratumoural hypoxia is associated with chemoresistance in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a highly malignant brain tumour. Adaptive response to endoplasmic reticulum stress induced by temozolomide is a major obstacle in recurrent GBM. We investigated whether hyperoxia resensitizes temozolomide-resistant GBM cells to temozolomide by abrogating the hypoxia-induced, unfolded protein response (UPR)-related protective mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined changes to key UPR modulators in temozolomide-sensitive and -resistant human GBM cells (D54 and U87) treated with/without temozolomide at different oxygen concentrations using western blotting, and cytotoxic benefits of overexpressing key chaperone, P4HB, in GBM cells (U87 and U251) under normoxia and hyperoxia. RESULTS: Hyperoxia, alone or synergistically with temozolomide, activated the UPR in sensitive and resistant D54 and U87 cell lines. Hyperoxia also reduced survival benefit of U87 and U251 cells with P4HB overexpression through the UPR. CONCLUSION: Hyperoxia enhanced GBM cell sensitivity to temozolomide, likely through UPR, highlighting an important treatment modality targeting chemosensitive and -resistant GBM.