The presence of Prevotella melaninogenica within tissue and preliminary study on its role in the pathogenesis of oral lichen planus.

OBJECTIVE: Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs in the oral mucosa with characteristic white striations lesions, recurrent erosions, and pains. The etiology and pathogenesis of OLP are still unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the bacterial community structure of buccal mucosa in patients with OLP and normal controls by high-throughput sequencing. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to detect Prevotella melaninogenica (P. melaninogenica) in 13 OLP samples and 10 controls. The amounts of P. melaninogenica in OLP buccal mucosa and the expression of inflammatory cytokines in co-culture of mouse-derived macrophages with P. melaninogenica were detected by RT-qPCR. RESULTS: The P. melaninogenica was more abundant in OLP than in healthy controls, and the differences were significant at the level of the phylum, family, genus, and species (p < .05). FISH showed that P. melaninogenica can invade the epithelium and even the lamina propria of OLP, while no invasion was found in the normal mucosa. Prevotella melaninogenica can adhere to and invade macrophages and then activate the transcription of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α in NF-κB signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Prevotella melaninogenica may be involved in the pathogenic process of OLP, and its specific mechanism deserves further study.

Gut microbiome may contribute to insulin resistance and systemic inflammation in obese rodents: a meta-analysis.

A number of studies have associated obesity with altered gut microbiota, although results are discordant regarding compositional changes in the gut microbiota of obese animals. Herein we used a meta-analysis to obtain an unbiased evaluation of structural and functional changes of the gut microbiota in diet-induced obese rodents. The raw sequencing data of nine studies generated from high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese rodent models were processed with QIIME to obtain gut microbiota compositions. Biological functions were predicted and annotated with KEGG pathways with PICRUSt. No significant difference was observed for alpha diversity and Bacteroidetes-to-Firmicutes ratio between obese and lean rodents. Bacteroidia, Clostridia, Bacilli, and Erysipelotrichi were dominant classes, but gut microbiota compositions varied among studies. Meta-analysis of the nine microbiome data sets identified 15 differential taxa and 57 differential pathways between obese and lean rodents. In obese rodents, increased abundance was observed for Dorea, Oscillospira, and Ruminococcus, known for fermenting polysaccharide into short chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Decreased Turicibacter and increased Lactococcus are consistent with elevated inflammation in the obese status. Differential functional pathways of the gut microbiome in obese rodents included enriched pyruvate metabolism, butanoate metabolism, propanoate metabolism, pentose phosphate pathway, fatty acid biosynthesis, and glycerolipid metabolism pathways. These pathways converge in the function of carbohydrate metabolism, SCFA metabolism, and biosynthesis of lipid. HFD-induced obesity results in structural and functional dysbiosis of gut microbiota. The altered gut microbiome may contribute to obesity development by promoting insulin resistance and systemic inflammation.

Clinical diagnostic value of viable Schistosoma japonicum eggs detected in host tissues.

BACKGROUND: Schistosomiasis, one of the neglected tropical diseases, is endemic in more than 70 countries. However, the clinical diagnosis of patients with a low degree of infection is an unsolved technical problem. In areas endemic for schistosomiasis japonica, proctoscopy detection of eggs has been one method used for clinical diagnosis. However, it is often a challenge to find typical live eggs and it is difficult to distinguish live eggs from large numbers of partially degraded and/or completely degraded eggs within colon biopsy tissue. To address this problem, we tested six different morphological and biochemical/molecular markers (ALP; morphological characteristics of egg; CalS (calcified substance); AOS (antioxidase); SDHG (succinic dehydrogenase) and SjR2 mRNA (retrotransposons 2 of S.japonicum genome mRNA)), including four new markers (CalS; AOS; SDHG and SjR2 mRNA.), to determine the viability of S. japonicum eggs deposited in human and mouse colon tissues. Our ultimate aim is to obtain a new method that is more sensitive, practical and accurate to clinically diagnose schistosomiasis. METHODS: Tissue samples were collected from mice at six different time points during S. japonicum infection with or without treatment with praziquantel (PZQ). Four new biochemical or molecular markers were used for the detection of egg viability from mouse liver and intestinal samples: CalS; AOS; SDHG and SjR2 mRNA. Subsequently, all markers were employed for the detection and analysis of eggs deposited in biopsy materials from patients with suspected schistosomiasis japonica for clinical evaluation. Microscopic examination of the egg morphology, worm burden in vivo and ALP (alkaline phosphatase) levels were used as a reference standard to evaluate the sensitivity and reliability of four new markers detecting egg viability. RESULTS: The results of the study showed that the morphology of S. japonicum eggs deposited in tissues of hosts with schistosomiasis, especially cases with chronic schistosomiasis, is complex and egg viability is difficult to judge morphologically, particularly eggs with a fuzzy structure or partially modified eggs. We found that the majority of the viable schistosome eggs determined by four new markers (CalS, AOS, SDHG and SjR2 mRNA) were morphologically difficult to identify. CONCLUSIONS: Among the markers, the most sensitive and specific method was the detection of SjR2 mRNA and the most simple, rapid and practical method was the detection of SDHG. Therefore, the detection of SDHG is the most practical for clinical application and its use could improve the accuracy in diagnosing active schistosome infection.

Two cases of eosinophilic pustular folliculitis successfully treated with abrocitinib.

Eosinophilic pustular folliculitis (EPF) is a rare, non-infectious, inflammatory disease characterized by an eosinophil-dominated infiltrate within and around pilosebaceous units. Sometimes, EPF manifests with eruptions in follicle-free areas, although it is not common, and treatment may be difficult. In this case study we report two patients with refractory EPF who presented with eruptions of both classic follicle areas and follicle-free areas. These two patients were successfully treated with abrocitinib after treatment failure with several traditional therapies, such as indomethacin, steroids, and cyclosporin. One patient achieved complete remission at week 4 and the other at week 1, with no reported adverse effects. Therefore, we believe that abrocitinib may be a viable and safe therapeutic option for refractory EPF.

[Screening and analysis of peptides specifically binding to the schistosomulum tegument of Schistosoma japonicum].

OBJECTIVE: To screen and analyze the peptides in 12 phage-display peptide library specifically binding to the schistosomulum, not cercaria, tegument of Schistosoma japonicum. METHODS: A 12 phage-display peptide library was screened with the S. japonicum schistosomula and cercariae as the target cells for biopanning by degrees, 15 positive clones were picked randomly and deduced by DNA sequencing. According the sequencing result, ELISA test, elution recovery test and immunohistochemical staining were performed to determine the specificity of the phages to the tegument. To further examine its binding properties, the positive peptide conjugated to RhB and recombinant pEGFP-C2 plasmid were similarly synthesized. RESULTS: After 3 rounds of biopanning, the phage recovery rate increased from 3.50 x 10(-5)% to 3.20 x 10(-2)%, indicating that the phage library was successfully enriched in the tegument of schistosomula. The analyzed sequences were identical with 3 peptide sequence of ZL6, ZL4 and ZL1. ELISA showed that the P/N value of MppZL4, MppZL6 and MppZL binding the schistosomulum membrane protein was 6.72, 3.65 and 2.22, while 1.58, 5.15 and 1.20 of binding the membrane protein of cercariae, respectively. Elution recovery test showed that the elution recovery rate of MppZL4 [(4.60 +/- 0.27) x 10(-2)%] was much higher than that of MppZL6 [(2.10 +/- 0.23) x 10(-3)%], MppZL1 [(1.20 +/- 0.28) x 10(-3)%] and M13KE [(1.30 +/- 0.60) x 10(-7)%] (P<0.01). Immunohistochemical staining showed that MppZL4 specifically bound to the tegument of schistosomula with a positive rate of 83.0% (83/100). Fluorescent microscopy revealed that the synthesized RhB-ZL4 bound to the tegument of schistosomula. The ZL4/pEGFP-C2 plasmid was introduced into juvenile S. japonicum and expressed in the parasite. CONCLUSION: The peptide of ZL4 specifically binds to the schistosomulum tegument but not to that of cercaria.

Inhibition of GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis triggered by Trichinella spiralis intervention contributes to the alleviation of DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), is increasing worldwide. Although there is currently no completely curative treatment, helminthic therapy shows certain therapeutic potential for UC. Many studies have found that Trichinella spiralis (T.s) has a protective effect on UC, but the specific mechanism is still unclear. METHODS: Balb/c mice drank dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) to induce acute colitis and then were treated with T.s. In vitro experiments, the LPS combination with ATP was used to induce the pyroptosis model, followed by intervention with crude protein from T.s (T.s cp). Additionally, the pyroptosis agonist of NSC or the pyroptosis inhibitor vx-765 was added to intervene to explore the role of pyroptosis in DSS-induced acute colitis. The degree of pyroptosis was evaluated by western blot, qPCR and IHC, etc., in vivo and in vitro. RESULTS: T.s intervention significantly inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation and GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis by downregulating the expression of pyroptosis-related signatures in vitro (cellular inflammatory model) and in vivo (DSS-induced UC mice model). Furthermore, blockade of GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis by the caspase-1 inhibitor vx-765 has a similar therapeutic effect on DSS-induced UC mice with T.s intervention, thus indicating that T.s intervention alleviated DSS-induced UC in mice by inhibiting GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis. CONCLUSION: This study showed that T.s could alleviate the pathological severity UC via GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis, and it provides new insight into the mechanistic study and application of helminths in treating colitis.

[Preparation of agar-paraffin double-embedded longitudinal sections of Schistosoma japonicum].

Schistosoma japonicum adults are pre-embedded in a double-layer agar and made the block, then dehydrated with alcohol, isobutyl alcohol and n-butyl alcohol. Various staining procedures can be conducted after conventional sectioning and dewaxing. Complete longitudinal serial sections of the pre-embedded worms can be obtained, and the desired sections can be easily located accurately.

[Pathogen identification of 10 suspected cases of sparganosis mansoni].

OBJECTIVE: To diagnose 10 cases of clinically suspected cases of sparganosis mansoni by pathogen identification. METHODS: In the period from August 2009 to August 2011, 10 biopsy specimens were obtained from 10 patients of four hospitals to identify the pathogen. Among the 10 cases, 4 cases showed abdominal subcutaneous mass, 3 showed eyelid swelling, 1 displayed brain lesions, 1 showed pulmonary mass, and 1 showed pleural effusion. There was one parasite each from three patients with eyelid swelling, and one patient with abdominal subcutaneous mass, which were observed by naked eye and microscope morphologically and histologically. Specimens from other six cases were examined by microscope after paraffin embedding, sectioning, and HE staining. For further identification, the parasite biopsy tissue specimens were detected by immunohistochemistry with Sparganum mansoni-immunized rabbit serum as the primary antibody. RESULTS: Three intact worms, from three patients with eyelid swelling, showed typical S. mansoni morphological characteristics. One residue parasite from the abdominal subcutaneous mass showed network structures and full of calcareous corpuscles in the body under microscope same as that of S. mansoni. The histological structure in three of the six sections showed typically the body wall with folds, which was dense, thick and deeply eosine stained, part of the tegument outside was covered by micro-hairs. In the worm body there was net-like loose structure and calcareous corpuscles without cavity. The structure of the other three worm sections was atypical. The six worm sections were positive by immunohistochemical detection. CONCLUSION: The 10 clinically suspected cases are diagnosed as sparganosis mansoni.

Classification and Prognosis Analysis of Pancreatic Cancer Based on DNA Methylation Profile and Clinical Information.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) has a poor prognosis with high individual variation in the treatment response among patients; however, there is no standard molecular typing method for PAAD prognosis in clinical practice. We analyzed DNA methylation data from The Cancer Genome Atlas database, which identified 1235 differentially methylated DNA genes between PAAD and adjacent tissue samples. Among these, 78 methylation markers independently affecting PAAD prognosis were identified after adjusting for significant clinical factors. Based on these genes, two subtypes of PAAD were identified through consistent clustering. Fourteen specifically methylated genes were further identified to be associated with survival. Further analyses of the transcriptome data identified 301 differentially expressed cancer driver genes between the two PAAD subtypes and the degree of immune cell infiltration differed significantly between the subtypes. The 14 specific genes characterizing the unique methylation patterns of the subtypes were used to construct a Bayesian network-based prognostic prediction model for typing that showed good predictive value (area under the curve value of 0.937). This study provides new insight into the heterogeneity of pancreatic tumors from an epigenetic perspective, offering new strategies and targets for personalized treatment plan evaluation and precision medicine for patients with PAAD.

Metagenomic analysis of the salivary microbiota in patients with caries, periodontitis and comorbid diseases.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Previous studies have suggested that there is a mutual antagonism between caries and periodontitis. This research aimed to investigate the ecological connection and bacterial interaction of these two diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We profiled and analyzed the salivary microbiota from 124 individuals (including 38 caries patients, 34 periodontitis patients, 15 comorbid diseases patients, and 37 healthy controls) by using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing and bioinformatics approaches, and also quantified their salivary bacteria loads via quantitative real-time PCR. The putative biological functions of the salivary microbiome of the different groups were predicted by PICRUSt. RESULTS: We observed that both the total bacteria loads and the overall microbial richness in the saliva of the periodontitis group were higher than that in the healthy group. The principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) showed that the caries, periodontitis and healthy groups were separated from each other, and that the samples from comorbid diseases were located at the overlap of caries and periodontitis groups. Using LEfSe analysis, 20 differentially abundant genera were identified as potential biomarkers. These genera also performed complicated interactions among the four groups. Additionally, the PICRUSt analysis indicated caries-related and periodontitis-related functions (e.g., carbohydrate metabolism and bacteria proliferation) respectively. CONCLUSION: We disclosed the significant differences in the salivary bacterial community under caries, periodontitis and comorbid diseases. The periodontitis group was marked by the increased complexity of the salivary microbiota. The result may have vital clinical significance to the screening and early treatment of caries-active and periodontitis-active individuals.

[Screening and characterization of peptides specifically binding to the schistosomulum tegument of Schistosoma japonicum].

OBJECTIVE: To screen and analyze the peptides in 12 phage-display peptide library specifically binding to the schistosomulum tegument of Schistosoma japonicum. METHODS: A 12 phage-display peptide library was screened with the S. japonicum schistosomula as the target cells for biopanning by degrees, positive clones picked randomly were deduced by DNA sequencing. According the sequence seeing result, immunohistochemical staining was performed to determine the specificity of the phages to the tegument. To test their targeting efficacy, the interested phage clones were infused back to the mice infected with S. japonicum, mice were sacrificed 2.5 hours later, and the phage distribution in the liver and the tegument of schistosomula was appraised, respectively. RESULTS: After 3 rounds of biopanning, the phage recovery rate increased from 0.77 x 10(-8) to 0.75 x 10(-5), indicating that the phage library was successfully enriched in the tegument of schistosomula. Seventy-five percent (15/20) of the analyzed sequences were identical with a sequence of QHPRIRKOOOOO. The immunohistochemical stainings showed this sequence specifically binding to the tegument. In vivo titering displayed that this sequence selectively targeted the tegument. CONCLUSION: The peptide of QHPRIRKOOOOO specifically binds to the schistosomulum tegument.

Gut microbiota contributes to the distinction between two traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is considered to be closely associated with alteration of intestinal microorganisms. According to the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) theory, UC can be divided into two disease syndromes called Pi-Xu-Shi-Yun (PXSY) and Da-Chang-Shi-Re (DCSR). The relationships among gut microbiota, TCM syndromes, and UC pathogenesis have not been well investigated. AIM: To investigate the role of gut microbiota in UC and the distinction of microbiota dysbiosis between PXSY and DCSR syndromes. METHODS: From May 2015 to February 2016, UC patients presenting to LongHua Hospital who met the established inclusion and exclusion criteria were enrolled in this retrospective study. Fresh stool specimens of UC patients with PXSY or DCSR were collected. The feces of the control group came from the health examination population of Longhua Hospital. The composition of gut bacterial communities in stool samples was determined by the pyrosequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA. The high-throughput sequencing reads were processed with QIIME, and biological functions were predicted using Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States. RESULTS: The composition of gut bacterial communities in 93 stool samples (30 healthy controls, 32 patients with PXSY syndrome, and 31 patients with DCSR syndrome) was determined by the pyrosequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA. Beta diversity showed that the composition of the microbiota was different among the three groups. At the family level, Porphyromonadaceae, Rikeneliaceae, and Lachnospiraceae significantly decreased while Enterococcus, Streptococcus, and other potential pathogens significantly increased in UC patients compared to healthy subjects. At the genus level, Parabacteroides, Dorea, and Ruminococcus decreased while Faeca-libacterium showed increased abundance in UC compared to healthy controls. Five differential taxa were identified between PXSY and DCSR syndromes. At the genus level, a significantly increased abundance of Streptococcus was observed in DCSR patients, while Lachnoclostridium increased in PXSY patients. The differential functional pathways of the gut microbiome between the PXSY and DCSR groups mainly included lipid metabolism, immunity, and the metabolism of polypeptides. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that the gut microbiota contributes to the distinction between the two TCM syndromes of UC.

Schistosoma japonicum: protective immunity induced by schistosomulum-derived cells in a mouse model.

We previously reported that immunization with intact live cells from schistosomula of Schistosoma japonicum (S.j) partially protected the Kunming strain of mice from challenge infection. In the present work, 2 immune protective experiments were designed to further validate the protective effect induced by this type of vaccine and to optimize the immunization protocol, including the number of inoculations and parasite stages from which immunogenic cells were derived. Three antigens derived from 18-day-old postinfection live (LLC) and dead (DLC) larval worm cells and from dead 42-day-old postinfection adult worm cells (DAC) were used as immunogens. Our results demonstrate that live cells from 18-day-old worms are capable of inducing significant protection in mice using a murine-Sj challenge model as shown by reduction rates of worm recoveries and egg burdens. The development of adult worms was stunted. A Th1-biased immune response was reflected in the protected groups as evidenced by the ratio of IgG2a/IgG1. A 38-kDa polypeptide was recognized by sera from LLC immunized animals. We demonstrate that live parasite cells are a source of novel protective antigens that can be exploited for vaccine development.

Immunization of mice with cells from juvenile worms of Schistosoma japonicum provides immunoprotection against schistosomiasis.

To validate the protective efficacy against schistosomiasis by immunization with cells from juvenile Schistosoma japonicum in a murine model and to analyze possible factors related to protection, in this study, two independent repeated vaccination trials were performed. After three subcutaneous vaccinations, in trial one, in the absence of adjuvant, primary juvenile worm cells (pJCs) from S. japonicum induced remarkable average reductions in worm burden (54.3%), liver eggs per gram (LEPG) load (59.8%) as well as egg granulomas size (66.5%) compared to PBS control group (P<0.01), which were significantly higher than those elicited by fractions of juvenile worm cells (JCFs) or fractions of juvenile worms (JWFs) (P<0.05). Non-cell components of worms (WNCs) showed no significant protection. In trial two, compared to PBS control group, significant protective effect was also observed for cultured juvenile worm cells (cJCs) from S. japonicum with 58.4% worm reduction and 68.1% LEPG reduction (P<0.01). However, cultured adult worms cells (cACs) showed significantly higher worm burden (P<0.05) and egg burden (P<0.01) when compared to cJCs. Immunological analysis of trial two revealed that cJCs engendered a Th1-biased mixed Th1/Th2 type of immune response while cACs elicited a Th2-type response. Our data indicated that immunization with both primary and cultured cells from S. japonicum juvenile worms provided high immunoprotection, for which the physical character of immunogens, stage-specific parasite and the type of immune response induced might be responsible, suggesting that vaccination with whole cells from S. japonicum larvae is a promising approach to produce protective immunity against schistosomiasis.

[Biological identification on sub-cultivation cells of Schistosoma japonicum adult worms in vitro].

Cultivation of cells from 30-day old Schistosoma japonicum (S.j) adult worms showed that the growth features of the cells were semi-floating and accumulative. The survival rate of the primary cells, passage cells prior to the 5th generation and recovered cells was all up to 90%. Phases of cell division were observed during cultivation. Chromosome karyotype of the 5th generation cells possessed diploid feature of the blood-flukes (2n=8 in number). Ultrastructure of the 5th generation cells showed that four types of cells in normal morphology and three types of cells in abnormal morphology were both viewed. It is suggested that some of the cells from S.j adult worms were subcultured successfuly in the 1640-40 defined medium.

[Immunological screening of Toxoplasma tachyzoite cDNA expression libraries with serum from infected rats].

OBJECTIVE: To screen and identify the potential candidates for the development of toxoplasmosis vaccine. METHODS: Rats were infected with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) RH strain and their sera were used as a probe to screen T. gondii tachyzoite cDNA expression libraries. The positive clones were analyzed by PCR amplification and DNA sequencing. RESULTS: Thirteen positive clones were obtained from about 4 x 10(5) phage plagues after three rounds of screening. The size of the inserts ranged from 0.45 kb to 2.4 kb. A BLAST search of all available sequence databases using the partial sequences from four positive clones (L1, L2, L4, L5) showed that the sequence of L2 clone was identical with T. gondii P24 major antigen gene (TgP24). Clone L4 had a high homology with Saccharum officinarum pyruvate orthophosphate dikinase. There is no significant hit of any sequences to clone L1, suggesting that L1 could be a novel gene(GenBank accession number AY180109), named T.g-R1, which encodes a non-transmembrane protein with 134 amino acid open reading frame. PROSCAN analysis of the T.g-R1 amino acid sequence showed that this gene product contains two protein kinase C phosphorylation site, two casein kinase II phosphorylation site, one N-myristoylation site and one microbodies C-terminal targeting signal. Clone L5 was a small partial fragment. CONCLUSION: The identification of positive clones provides a possible way for the development of toxoplasmosis vaccine.

Anti-CTGF single-chain variable fragment dimers inhibit human airway smooth muscle (ASM) cell proliferation by down-regulating p-Akt and p-mTOR levels.

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) contributes to airway smooth muscle (ASM) cell hyperplasia in asthma. Humanized single-chain variable fragment antibody (scFv) was well characterized as a CTGF antagonist in the differentiation of fibroblast into myofibroblast and pulmonary fibrosis in our previous studies. To further improve the bioactivity of scFv, we constructed a plasmid to express scFv-linker-matrilin-6×His fusion proteins that could self-assemble into the scFv dimers by disulfide bonds in matrilin under non-reducing conditions. An immunoreactivity assay demonstrated that the scFv dimer could highly bind to CTGF in a concentration-dependent manner. The MTT and EdU assay results revealed that CTGF (≥10 ng/mL) promoted the proliferation of ASM cells, and this effect was inhibited when the cells were treated with anti-CTGF scFv dimer. The western blot analysis results showed that increased phosphorylation of Akt and mTOR induced by CTGF could be suppressed by this scFv dimer. Based on these findings, anti-CTGF scFv dimer may be a potential agent for the prevention of airway remodeling in asthma.

Multiplex real-time PCR for RRM1, XRCC1, TUBB3 and TS mRNA for prediction of response of non-small cell lung cancer to chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: This study was aimed to establish a novel method to simultaneously detect expression of four genes, ribonucleotide reductase subunit M1(RRM1), X-ray repair cross-complementing gene 1 (XRCC1), thymidylate synthase (TS) and class III ß-tubulin (TUBB3), and to assess their application in the clinic for prediction of response of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to chemoradiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have designed four gene molecular beacon (MB) probes for multiplex quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions to examine RRM1, XRCC1, TUBB3 and TS mRNA expression in paraffin-embedded specimens from 50 patients with advanced or metastatic carcinomas. Twenty one NSCLC patients receiving cisplatin- based first-line treatment were analyzed. RESULTS: These molecular beacon probes could specially bind to their target genes in homogeneous solutions. Patients with low RRM1 and XRCC1 mRNA levels were found to have apparently higher response rates to chemoradiotherapy compared with those with high levels of RRM1 and XRCC1 expression (p<0.05). The TS gene expression level was not significantly associated with chemotherapy response (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A method of simultaneously detecting four molecular markers was successfully established and applied for evaluation of chemoradiotherapy response. It may be a useful tool in personalized cancer therapy.

Identification of phage display peptides with affinity for the tegument of Schistosoma japonicum schistosomula.

Peptides, bound to the tegument of live Schistosoma japonicum schistosomula, were differentially screened by phage display in vitro using three rounds of reverse absorption and bio-panning. Three M13 phage peptides were isolated and identified by determination of their recovery rate, immunohistochemical localization, immunoblot analysis, and their anti-schistosomal effects in vivo and in vitro. Of the three, M13 phage peptide ZL4 (MppZL4, YSGLQDSSLRLR, 1.4kDa, pI 8.8) bound to the tegument of mechanically transformed schistosomula and to other developmental stages of S. japonicum from the mammalian host. By contrast, MppZL4 did not bind to the surface of cercariae. To further examine its binding properties, MppZL4 was conjugated to Rhodamine B (RhB-YSGLQDSSLRLR, RhB-ZL4) and a peptide control (RhB-AIPYFSGILQWR, RhB-12P) was similarly synthesized. The binding capacities of RhB-ZL4 to the surface membrane of S. japonicum schistosomula in vitro and of S. japonicum adult worms in vivo were examined and revealed specificity for binding. When examined for anti-parasite activity, both MppZL4 and RhB-ZL4 exhibited a potent schistosomicidal effect in vitro. Further MppZL4 also affected the growth and development of schistosomula in vivo. These findings extend previous studies showing that phage display techniques can recover polypeptides that bind specifically to living schistosomes and, moreover, that these bound peptides have the potential to inhibit key physiological processes in these parasites. Our findings suggest further that ectogenic polypeptides, which can bind to the tegument of S. japonicum, might be adapted as vectors to deliver experimental probes and/or pharmacologically relevant compounds to the schistosome tegument, including drugs and immunological mediators.

Transduction of Schistosoma japonicum schistosomules with vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein pseudotyped murine leukemia retrovirus and expression of reporter human telomerase reverse transcriptase in the transgenic schistosomes.

Although draft genome sequences of two of the major human schistosomes, Schistosoma japonicum and Schistosoma mansoni are available, the structures and characteristics of most genes and the influence of exogenous genes on the metabolism of schistosomes remain uncharacterized. Furthermore, which functional genomics approaches will be tractable for schistosomes are not yet apparent. Here, the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSVG)-pseudotyped pantropic retroviral vector pBABE-puro was modified to incorporate the human telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (hTERT) as a reporter, under the control of the retroviral long terminal repeat (LTR). Pseudotyped virions were employed to transduce S. japonicum to investigate the utility of retrovirus-mediated transgenesis of S. japonicum and the activity of human telomerase reverse transcriptase as a reporter transgene in schistosomes. Schistosomules perfused from experimentally infected rabbits were cultured for 6 days after exposure to the virions after which genomic DNAs from virus exposed and control worms were extracted. Analysis of RNA from transduced parasites and immunohistochemistry of thin parasite sections revealed expression of hTERT in the transduced worms. Expression of hTERT was also confirmed by immunoblot analysis. These findings indicated that S. japonicum could be effectively transduced by VSVG-pseudotyped retrovirus carrying the hTERT gene. Given the potential of hTERT to aid in derivation of immortalized cells, these findings suggest that this pantropic retroviral approach can be employed to transduce cells from specific tissues and organs of schistosomes to investigate the influence of transgene hTERT on growth and proliferation of schistosome cells.