Unraveling submicron-scale mechanical heterogeneity by three-dimensional X-ray microdiffraction.

Shear banding is a ubiquitous phenomenon of severe plastic deformation, and damage accumulation in shear bands often results in the catastrophic failure of a material. Despite extensive studies, the microscopic mechanisms of strain localization and deformation damage in shear bands remain elusive due to their spatial-temporal complexities embedded in bulk materials. Here we conducted synchrotron-based X-ray microdiffraction (µXRD) experiments to map out the 3D lattice strain field with a submicron resolution around fatigue shear bands in a stainless steel. Both in situ and postmortem µXRD results revealed large lattice strain gradients at intersections of the primary and secondary shear bands. Such strain gradients resulted in severe mechanical heterogeneities across the fatigue shear bands, leading to reduced fatigue limits in the high-cycle regime. The ability to spatially quantify the localized strain gradients with submicron resolution through µXRD opens opportunities for understanding the microscopic mechanisms of damage and failure in bulk materials.

Development of a hamster kidney cell line expressing stably T7 RNA polymerase using retroviral gene transfer technology for efficient rescue of infectious foot-and-mouth disease virus.

Reverse genetics systems, with the ability to manipulate viral genomes at the DNA molecular level, are an important platform for study of the assembly and function of viruses. Genome manipulation, such as gene recombination, mosaicism, and mutation may interfere with replication, assembly and release of viruses. An efficient, convenient and economical method of virus rescue is undoubtedly required for increasing the efficiency of rescuing recombinant viruses. To develop an efficient, helper virus-free viral recovery system (reverse genetics), a retroviral gene transfer technology was used to establish a stable BHK-21 cell line (designated as BHKT7) which expressed constitutively bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase (T7 RNAP). An improved method for rescue of infectious foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) was then developed. FMDV full-length cDNA under control of a T7 promotor, was transfected into BHKT7 of differing passages. FMDV virus was rescued efficiently from the BHKT7 cells, the passage number not having an effect on the efficiency of recovery. As a result, the cell line was stable even after multiple passages, expressing sufficient T7 RNAP to support ex vivo transcription and efficient rescue. The reverse genetics system described below is efficient, stable, and convenient. The system could provide not only the basis of gene function research into FMDV, but could also be used for reverse genetics research into other positive-strand RNA viruses, without the need for helper viruses.

Foliar extracts from transgenic tomato plants expressing the structural polyprotein, P1-2A, and protease, 3C, from foot-and-mouth disease virus elicit a protective response in guinea pigs.

The expression of recombinant antigens in transgenic plants is increasingly used as an alternative method of producing experimental immunogens. In this report, we describe the production of transgenic tomato plants that express the structural polyprotein, P1-2A, and protease, 3C, from foot-and-mouth disease (FMDV). P1-2A3C was inserted into the plant binary vector, pBin438, and transformed into tomato plants using Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain, GV3101. The presence of P1-2A3C was confirmed by PCR, transcription was verified by RT-PCR, and recombinant protein expression was confirmed by sandwich-ELISA and Western blot analyses. Guinea pigs immunized intramuscularly with foliar extracts from P1-2A3C-transgenic tomato plants were found to develop a virus-specific antibody response against FMDV. Vaccinated guinea pigs were fully protected against a challenge infection, while guinea pigs injected with untransformed plant extracts failed to elicit an antibody response and were not protected against challenge. These results demonstrate that transgenic tomato plants expressing the FMDV structural polyprotein, P1-2A, and the protease, 3C, can be used as a source of recombinant antigen for vaccine production.

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.

Development and validation of a 3ABC indirect ELISA for differentiation of foot-and-mouth disease virus infected from vaccinated animals.

Non-structural protein (NSP) 3ABC antibody is considered to be the most reliable indicator of present or past infection with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in vaccinated animals. An indirect ELISA was established, using purified His-tagged 3ABC fusion protein as antigen, for detection of the antibody response to FMDV NSP 3ABC in different animal species. The method was validated by simultaneous detection of the early antibody responses to NSP and structural protein (SP) in FMDV Asia 1 infected animals. The performance of the method was also validated by detection of antibody in reference sera from the FMD World Reference Laboratory (WRL) in Pirbright, UK, and comparison with two commercial NSP ELISA kits. The results showed that the antibody response to SP developed more quickly than that to NSP 3ABC in FMDV infected animals. In contact-infected cattle, the antibody response to NSP 3ABC was significantly delayed compared with that to SP antibody. The early antibody responses to SP and NSP 3ABC in FMDV inoculated cattle and contact-infected or inoculated sheep and pigs were generally consistent. In pigs, 3ABC antibody was linked to the presence of clinical signs; however, in sheep, subclinical infection was detected by the development of 3ABC antibodies. Therefore, the antibody responses to 3ABC varied between host species. Eight out of 10 positive serum samples from FMD WRL were tested to be positive at cutoff value of 0.2. The rate of agreement with the ceditest FMDV-NS and the UBI NSP ELISA were 98.05% (302/308) and 93.2% (287/308), respectively. The prevalence of 3ABC antibodies reached 71.4% in some diseased cattle herds. The further work is required to evaluation the performance of this method in different animal species and different field situations.

Infective viruses produced from full-length complementary DNA of swine vesicular disease viruses HK/70 strain.

The full-length cDNA clone of swine vesicular disease virus HK/70 strain named pSVOK12 was constructed in order to study the antigenicity, replication, maturation and pathogenicity of swine vesicular disease virus. In vitro transcription RNA from pSVOK12 transfected IBRS-2 cells and the recovered virus RNA were isolated and sequenced, then indirect hemagglutination test, indirect immunofluorescence assays, eleectron microscope test, 50% tissue culture infecting dose (TCID50) assays and mouse virulence studies were performed to study the antigenicity and virulence of the recovered virus. The result showed that the infectious clones we obtained and the virus derived from pSVOK12 had the same biological properties as the parental strain HK/70. The full-length infectious cDNA clone, pSVOK12, will be very useful in studies of the antigenicity, virulence, pathogenesis, maturation and replication of SVDV.

[Protective immune response of guinea pigs against challenge with foot and mouth disease virus by immunization with foliar extracts from transgenic tomato plants expressing the FMDV structural protein VP1].

The plant constitutive expression vector pBin438/VP1 for VP1 gene of foot-and-mouth disease virus strain O/ China/99 was constructed. Mediated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens GV3101 harboring pBin438/VP1, VP1 gene was transferred into cotyledons of tomato. After selected by Kanamysin, sixty resistant lines were obtained. The integration and transcription of the VP1 gene in transformed plants was detected by PCR and RT-PCR. After being detected by sandwich-ELISA assays, about 40% transformed plants confirmed to express the recombinant protein. The leave extracts of two positive lines were respectively emulsified in Freund's adjuvant and guinea pigs were intramuscular inoculation at days 0, 15 and 30d. According to the sera antibody levels and the protection of the vaccinated guinea pigs against challenge with 100ID50 FMDV, probed into the immunogenicity of the target protein expressed in transgenic plants. Experimental results showed that the plant expression vector was successfully constructed. PCR and RT-PCR analyses confirmed VP1 gene was transformed into tomato plants and got expression at the transcription levels. The expressed VP1 protein of FMDV, which was identified by ELISA and Western blot, can be specifically recognized by polyclonal antibodies against FMDV. Indirect-ELISA antibody titers reached 1:64 twenty-one days after the third inoculation. In the challenge test, the protection against FMDV challenge in two groups was 80% and 40% respectively. The immunization test in guinea pigs indicated that the expression product of transgenic tomato plants had immunogenicity and could effectively induce the specific antibodies against FMDV.

DNA prime followed by protein boost enhances neutralization and Th1 type immunity against FMDV.

Prime-boost strategy has been exhibited its potency to enhance immune responses, which would be important to the success to develop a vaccine against the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). An eukaryotic expression construct encoding the FMDV capsid VP1 protein with a recombinant VP1 protein or a commercial FMDV vaccine were tested in the prime-boost strategy in mice and cattle trials. The levels of induced specific antibodies, T cell proliferations, and DTH activities were significantly higher in the prime-boost groups than in those vaccinated with DNA, protein or FMDV vaccine alone. More importantly, the levels of neutralizing antibodies in the former groups were significantly higher than others and could last for at least four months in cattle trials. This study suggests that the prime-boost strategy significantly improves the effective immunity and may provide a longer protection against FMDV infection.

Generation of an infectious cDNA clone of an FMDV strain isolated from swine.

A full-length cDNA clone of a foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) isolated from swine was assembled in, the plasmid vector pBluescript II SK+ downstream of a T7 promoter. RNA synthesized in vitro using T7 polymerase lead to the production of infectious particles upon transfection of BHK-21 cells, as shown by cytopathic effects. The rescued virus was also found to be highly pathogenic for mice by intradermal injection producing a fatal disease indistinguishable from that of wild-type virus. The availability of this cDNA clone will allow examination of the molecular mechanisms behind FMDV virulence and attenuation, which might in turn allow the production of second-generation, genetically engineered FMDV vaccines.

Sequencing and analysis for the full-length genome RNA of foot-and-mouth disease virus China/99.

The complete nucleotide sequence of genomic RNA of foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) strain China/99 from infected bovine tongue epithelium is presented. The nucleotide sequence extending from the 5' end of the genomic RNA to the 5' end of poly (A) tail contains 8173 nucleotides (nt). Its open reading frame, which encodes a single polypeptide of 2332 amino acids, encompasses 6999 nt starting from the initiation codon AUG and terminating at the UAA codon 93 bases upstream from the 5' end of poly (A) tract. The 5' untranslated region (UTR) is composed of 1081 nt. The consensus of the 1d gene of FMDV strain China/99 compared with that of UKG/6/2001, UKG/12/2001, China/99HN4 and China/3/Tibet is over 97%. The result showed the stains belong to the members of the Pan-Asia family. There is a remarkable differentiation in the function-unknown (FUR), p2 and p3 regions between FMDV isolates from infected cattle and swine, especially in 3a gene. No deletion was found in genes I, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2c, 3b, and 3d. These genes might be indispensable to the surviving of FMDV. The secondary structures of small (S) fragments, FUR and an internal ribosome entry site can be classified into three types, and the S fragment and 3' UTR of the positive-sense RNA fold into stem-loop structures similar to the shape of clover.

[Codon optimization and expression in Pichia pastoris of E2 gene of classical swine fever virus].

Codon bias was one of the important parameter which influence heterogenous gene expression, optimizing codon sequence could improve expression level of heterogenous gene. In the preview study, wildtype E2 gene was expressed poorly in Pichia pastoris, in order to improve the expression level of E2 gene in Pichia pastoris, the low usage codons of E2 gene were mutated into high usage codons in Pichia pastoris by directed-mutagenesis based on PCR. The result showed that, compared with the results reported in preview study, the expression level of E2 gene in Pichia pastoris was improved observably by substituting 24 low usage codons of E2 gene for the high usage synonymous codons. It suggested the stragety to improve the expression of E2 gene in Pichia pastoris by codon optimization was successful.

[Expression of antigenic region of VP1 gene of swine vesicular disease in Escherichia coli].

The antigenic region of VP1 gene of swine vesicular disease virus was amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR). After the amplified fragment was cloned into the expression vector pProEX-HTb. The insert position,the size and the reading frame of the insertion were identified by PCR, restriction digestion and sequence analysis of the recombinant plasmids. SDS-PAGE and Western blot indicated that the transformed BL21(DE3) by the recombinant plasmids and induced by IPTG could express the antigen region of VP1 of swine vesicular disease virus, the expressed antigen protein could be recognized by the positive serum of SVDV.

Expression of the major epitope regions of 2C integrated with the 3AB non-structural protein of foot-and-mouth disease virus and its potential for differentiating infected from vaccinated animals.

In recent years, the potential value of the non-structural proteins (NSP) 2C and 3ABC has been well documented for differentiation of animals infected with foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) from vaccinated animals (DIVA). In order to develop a more sensitive approach to detect animals infected naturally in herds of FMDV-vaccinated animals, a 47.6kD fusion protein named 2C3AB was expressed in bacteria which incorporated two major B-cell epitope regions of 2C and the whole 3AB within the NSP of FMDV. The product reacted specifically with sera from animals infected with FMDV, but did not react with sera from non-vaccinated and healthy animals. The performance of 2C3AB was compared further with the 3ABC fusion protein as the antigen in an indirect ELISA format for DIVA. The results showed that the 2C3AB-ELISA had an even stronger signal reaction in the indirect ELISA and showed higher sensitivity than the 3ABC-ELISA for DIVA purposes and for detection of early virus infection in animals. Therefore, it is expected that the recombinant protein 2C3AB could be a good candidate protein with which to develop more sensitive methods for DIVA and for surveillance of herds infected subclinically under conditions of vaccination. This study indicates that the 2C3AB-ELISA can be used to confirm the results of the 3ABC-ELISA to improve the performance of the 3ABC-ELISA DIVA test.

[Prokaryotic expression, protein purification and reactivity analysis of the VP1 and its C terminus of a South African isolate of FMDV serotype SAT2].

AIM: To induce the expression of structure protein VP1 and its C terminus of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype SAT2 in E.coli and analyze their reactivities with FMDV positive antiserum. METHODS: The plasmid pGEM-SAT2P1 carrying the VP1 coding region of FMDV serotype SAT2 isolated from South African was used as template for RT-PCR to get the coding fragment of VP1 and its C terminus. The fragments were then cloned into expression vector pET-30a(+) to get recombinant plasmids pET-SAT2VP1 and pET-SAT2VP1C. The recombinant plasmids were transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3)pLysS and induced by IPTG to express VP1 and its C terminus protein. The expressed VP1 and its C terminus were then purified by Ni-NTA His Bind Resin affinity chromatography and analyzed by Western blot. New Zealand rabbits were immunized to prepare polyclonal antibodies against VP1 and VP1C. The antisera were obtained and polyclonal antibody was characterized by ELISA. RESULTS: SDS-PAGE demonstrated that VP1and its C terminus expressed in the E.coli transformants had a molecular weight of 33000 and 19000 and contained in the inclusion body. Purified VP1 and its C terminus was obtained by Ni-NTA His Bind Resin affinity chromatography and a single clear band appeared in the SDS-PAGE gel. Western blot analysis showed that the purified VP1 and VP1 C terminus could react with bovine antiserum against the same serotype FMDV without cross-reactivity with the negative bovine serum. CONCLUSION: Rabbit polyclonal antibodies against VP1 and VP1C were successfully prepared, the titers of which were above 1:12800 and had obvious specificity.

B cell epitopes within VP1 of type O foot-and-mouth disease virus for detection of viral antibodies.

In this study, the coding region of type O FMDV capsid protein VP1 and a series of codon optimized DNA sequences coding for VP1 amino acid residues 141-160 (epitope1), tandem repeat 200-213 (epitope2 (+2)) and the combination of two epitopes (epitope1-2) was genetically cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pP(RO)ExHTb and pGEX4T-1, respectively. VP1 and the fused epitopes GST-E1, GST-E2 (+2) and GST-E1-2 were successfully solubly expressed in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli and Western blot analysis demonstrated they retained antigenicity. Indirect VP1-ELISA and epitope ELISAs were subsequently developed to screen a panel of 80 field pig sera using LPB-ELISA as a standard test. For VP1-ELISA and all the epitope ELISAs, there were clear distinctions between the FMDV-positive and the FMDV-negative samples. Cross-reactions with pig sera positive to the viruses of swine vesicular disease virus that produce clinically indistinguishable syndromes in pigs or guinea pig antisera to FMDV strains of type A, C and Asia1 did not occur. The relative sensitivity and specificity for the GST-E1 ELISA, GST-E2 (+2), GST-E1-2 ELISA and VP1-ELISA in comparison with LPB-ELISA were 93.3% and 85.0%, 95.0% and 90%, 100% and 81.8%, 96.6% and 80.9% respectively. This study shows the potential use of the aforementioned epitopes as alternatives to the complex antigens used in current detection for antibody to FMDV structural proteins.

Simple method of monoclonal antibody production against mammalian cellular prion protein.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against prion protein (PrP) are powerful tools for diagnosis and research in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Ten MAbs to recombinant/native cellular PrP (PrPc) in mammals were prepared with a simple method and identified in detail. Normal BALB/c mice were immunized with the recombinant bovine mature PrP (rbomPrP) and PrP27-30 (rboPrP27-30) expressed in Escherichia coli. The immunized splenocytes were fused with SP2/0 mouse myeloma cells, and positive hybridomas were selected by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The characterizations of these MAbs, such as Ig, Ig subclass, titer, affinity index, specificity, epitopes recognized, and binding to recombinant/native PrPc of cattle, sheep, or human beings, were evaluated by Western blotting and indirect or sandwich ELISA. Ten MAbs could be divided into five groups depending on the results of indirect ELISA additivity test and their reaction to E. coli-expressed truncated-PrPs. Isotyping of the MAbs revealed that they belong to IgG1, IgG2a, and IgG2b subclass. Their indirect ELISA titers were between 10(3) and 10(6). Affinity constants were between 10(9) and 10(12) M(-1). Ten MAbs specifically reacted with the rbomPrP, without binding to prion-like protein Doppel and the lysates of E. coli. These MAbs could also respond to the recombinant mature PrP (rmPrP) of sheep and human beings. Also of interest was the ability of the MAbs to bind with dimer of rmPrP and PrP extracted from the brain tissue of cattle or sheep. We conclude that anti-PrP MAbs successfully prepared with a simple method could potentially be useful in mammalian prion research.

The efficacy of FMD vaccine reduced non-structural proteins with a mAb against 3B protein.

A monoclonal antibody, 3BIgG, against the prokaryotically expressed foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) non-structural protein (NSP) 3B was obtained. The 3BIgG-sepharose conjugant (3BmAb-6BFF) was prepared by adding the purified 3BIgG into epoxy-activated sepharose 6BFF, incubating with the inactivated FMDV, and then removing the sepharose by centrifugation. The vaccine was made from the supernatant emulsified with oil-adjuvant ISA206. Ten guinea pigs, 26 pigs and six cattle were vaccinated, and a vaccination control group was included without treatment with 3BmAb-6BFF. After 28 days, 9/10 pigs challenged with FMDV were protected, this result was the same as the control group, indicating that the vaccine potency was not reduced after treatment with 3BmAb-6BFF. The other animals were vaccinated weekly for nine weeks, and serum samples were collected to detect 3ABC-antibody titers. The results showed that 3ABC-antibody production was delayed and the positive antibody rates were lower when vaccination was carried out using vaccines treated with 3BmAb-6BFF compared with untreated vaccines. The findings of this study suggest that it is possible to reduce NSPs using a mAb-sepharose conjugant in FMD vaccines without reducing their efficacy.

[Prokaryotic expression and bioreactivity analysis of a major epitope region of 2C with 3AB within non-structural protein of foot-and-mouth disease virus].

In recent years, the potential value of nonstructural protein (NSP) 2C was well documented for distinguishing foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in infected animals and vaccinated animals. In order to develop a more sensitive approach to detect natural infected FMDV while there is no interact with vaccinated FMDV, we incorporated a major epitope region of 2C with whole 3AB coding region within NSP and expressed in Escherichia coli. We got a 47.6 kD fusion protein named 2C'3AB. The product showed a specific reactivity with FMDV from serum of infected animal by using Western blotting analysis. This suggests that this protein could be applied to distinguish infected FMDV and vaccinated FMDV. We further compared 2C'3AB protein with 3ABC fusion protein, another available protein used for detecting infected FMDV, using indirect ELISA assay. The results showed that 2C'3AB-ELISA had higher sensitivity than that of 3ABC-ELISA for distinguishing infected FMDV and vaccinated FMDV of sera from epidemic region. Therefore, this recombinant protein 2C'3AB is a good candidate protein to develop more sensitive method to differentiate infected FMDV and vaccinated FMDV from vaccinated animals. This finding will increase our capability to check the infectious virus carrier and finally improve FMDV infection control.

[Establishment of colloidal gold-immunochromatography assay strip for detection of type Asia1 foot-and-mouth disease virus].

To establish a sensitive, rapid and simple gold immunochromatography assay (GICA) for detecting Asia1 type of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) from the field samples. The purified anti-FMDV type Asia1 monoclonal antibody labeled with colloidal gold and the goat anti-Guinea pig IgG were wrapped onto nitrocellulose membrane as the test line (T line) and the control line (C line), respectively. The strip was then further optimized. A total of 87 field samples were detected. The results indicated a correct rate of 98.8% for detecting FMDV Asia1 type. No cross reaction was found with swine vesicular disease (SVD) and FMDV O, A and C type antigen. The sensitivity of the strip can reach to 10(-4) (TCID50 6.25). It had the same results for positive and negative specimens tested in three times. This strip could be stored at 4 degrees C for three months. In this study, the established gold immunochromatographic strip test kit is simple, rapid, sensitive and specific for detecting FMDV type Asial, and is potentially useful for the for pen-side diagnosis.

[Construction of recombinant retroviral vector carrying Lab gene of foot-and-mouth disease virus and its expression in bovine kidney (MDBK) cells].

In this study, foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) strain OA/58 RNAs were used as templates for RT-PCR. By the molecular cloning, the Lab gene encoding leader protease called Lpro were cloned in retroviral vector pBPSTR1 to obtain reconstruction retroviral vector termed pBPSTR1-Lab. At different concentrations of puromycin and tetracycline respectively in the cell culture mediums, the growth of bovine kidney cells (MDBK) showed that the optimal puromycin resistant selection concentration was 3 microg/mL and tetracycline regulatory concentration was 1 microg/mL. Pseudotyped retroviral virus particles were produced by transiently co-tansfecting GP2-293 cells with a retroviral vector DNA and VSV-G plasmid. Then MDBK cells were infected by pseudotyped retroviral virus and were continually seeded in the medium at the optimal tetracycline regulatory concentration and puromycin selection concentration for 12 days to obtain puromycin resistant colonies whose genomes contained the Lab gene. After tetracycline removal, synthesis of Lpro induced severe morphological changes in the puromycin resistant MDBK cells. PCR and Western blotting proved that a stable MDBK cell line inducibly expressing the Lab gene under the control of tetracycline was obtained. The experiment might provide a basis for studying that Lpro of FMDV plays an important role in MDBK cell pathogenesis.