A single point mutation in the hyaC gene affects Pasteurella multocida serovar A capsule production and virulence.

Pasteurella multocida (P. multocida) is a Gram-negative bacterium which causes diseases in poultry, livestock, and humans, resulting in huge economic losses. P. multocida serovar A CQ6 (PmCQ6) is a naturally occurring attenuated strain with a thin capsule. Thus, we aimed to explore why this strain is less virulent and produces less capsule compared with P. multocida serovar A strain CQ2 (PmCQ2). Analysis of capsular polysaccharide synthesis genes in PmCQ6 revealed that, compared with PmCQ2, there was only a single point mutation in the initiation codon sequence of the hyaC gene. To test whether this point mutation caused capsular deficiency and reduced virulence, we rescued this hyaC mutation and observed a restoration of capsule production and higher virulence. Transcriptome analysis showed that the hyaC point mutation led to a downregulation of capsule synthesis and/or iron utilization related-genes. Taken together, the results indicate that the start codon mutation of hyaC is an important factor affecting the capsule synthesis and virulence of PmCQ6.

Dose-effect relationship and molecular mechanism by which BMSC-derived exosomes promote peripheral nerve regeneration after crush injury.

BACKGROUND: The development of new treatment strategies to improve peripheral nerve repair after injury, especially those that accelerate axonal nerve regeneration, is very important. The aim of this study is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of how bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC)-derived exosomes (EXOs) participate in peripheral nerve regeneration and whether the regenerative effect of EXOs is correlated with dose. METHOD: BMSCs were transfected with or without an siRNA targeting Ago2 (SiAgo2). EXOs extracted from the BMSCs were administered to dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons in vitro. After 48 h of culture, the neurite length was measured. Moreover, EXOs at four different doses were injected into the gastrocnemius muscles of rats with sciatic nerve crush injury. The sciatic nerve functional index (SFI) and latency of thermal pain (LTP) of the hind leg sciatic nerve were measured before the operation and at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after the operation. Then, the number and diameter of the regenerated fibers in the injured distal sciatic nerve were quantified. Seven genes associated with nerve regeneration were investigated by qRT-PCR in DRG neurons extracted from rats 7 days after the sciatic nerve crush. RESULTS: We showed that after 48 h of culture, the mean number of neurites and the length of cultured DRG neurons in the SiAgo2-BMSC-EXO and SiAgo2-BMSC groups were smaller than that in the untreated and siRNA control groups. The average number and diameter of regenerated axons, LTP, and SFI in the group with 0.9 × 1010 particles/ml EXOs were better than those in other groups, while the group that received a minimum EXO dose (0.4 × 1010 particles/ml) was not significantly different from the PBS group. The expression of PMP22, VEGFA, NGFr, and S100b in DRGs from the EXO-treated group was significantly higher than that in the PBS control group. No significant difference was observed in the expression of HGF and Akt1 among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that BMSC-derived EXOs can promote the regeneration of peripheral nerves and that the mechanism may involve miRNA-mediated regulation of regeneration-related genes, such as VEGFA. Finally, a dose-effect relationship between EXO treatment and nerve regeneration was shown.

Silver-loaded In2S3-CdIn2S4@X(X=Ag, Ag3PO4, AgI) ternary heterostructure nanotubes treated by electron beam irradiation with enhanced photocatalytic activity.

Ternary heterostructure nanotubes of In2S3-CdIn2S4@X(X = Ag, Ag3PO4, AgI) were synthesized with enhanced photocatalytic activity for efficiently degrading pollutants. Electron beam irradiation was employed to artificially introduce interface defects to the heterostructure nanotubes. The experimental results for degrading carmine and Cr6+ under visible light irradiation showed that the photocatalytic efficiency of In2S3-CdIn2S4 was improved to some extent by the introduction of silver compounds. DRS results confirmed that the band gaps of In2S3-CdIn2S4 were reduced to 1.62 eV and 1.58 eV by introducing Ag3PO4 and AgI, respectively. Interestingly, the band gap of In2S3-CdIn2S4@AgI after electron beam irradiation was further reduced to 1.56 eV, resulting in that the degradation time of both Cr6+ and carmine by In2S3-CdIn2S4@AgI after high-energy electron beam irradiation was shortened to only 5 min. The XRD spectra of the photocatalysts after five cycles could maintain the original crystal form to a large extent. The OH stretching vibration peaks of In2S3-CdIn2S4@AgI after electron beam irradiation at 3387 cm-1 became wider and sharper, thus indicating that the number of free hydroxyl groups on the heterostructure surface significantly increased. PL results showed that electron beam irradiation could significantly reduce the PL emission peak and enhance the utilization of photogenerated charge carriers. EIS results further confirmed that In2S3-CdIn2S4@AgI processed by electron beam irradiation had higher photogenerated electron-hole separation efficiency. Based on the experimental results, a feasible reaction pathway and photocatalytic mechanism for the degradation of carmine was investigated. ESR results showed that the main active groups in the whole photocatalytic system were •O2- and h+.

Poly[diaqua(µ(2)-oxalato-κO,O:O,O)(µ(2)-pyrazine-2-carboxyl-ato-κN,O:O')cerium(III)].

In the hydro-thermally synthesized title compound, [Ce(C(5)H(3)N(2)O(2))(C(2)O(4))(H(2)O)(2)](n), the Ce(III) ion is coordinated by four O atoms from two different oxalate ligands, three O atoms from two symmetry-related pyrazine-2-carboxyl-ate ligands, two O atoms from two water melecules and one N atom from a pyrazine-2-carboxyl-ate ligand in a distorted bicapped square-anti-prismatic coordination geometry. The oxalate and pyrazine-2-carboxyl-ate ligands bridge the Ce(III) ions, forming a two-dimensional structure. In addition, inter-molecular O-H⋯O and O-H⋯N hydrogen bonds connect the two-dimensional structure into a three-dimensional network.