Paeoniflorin improves the in vitro maturation of benzo(a)pyrene treated porcine oocytes via effects on the sonic hedgehog pathway.

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is a toxic substance that people are often exposed to. It has serious harmful effects on the body, and has a destructive effect on oocytes and cumulus cells. Here, we found that paeoniflorin (Pae), a traditional Chinese medicine monomer with antioxidant effects, decreased BaP-induced meiotic failure by increasing the activity of the Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway and reducing the level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We found that the in vitro maturation (IVM) rate was significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the 0.1 µM Pae and BaP (co-treatment) group compared with BaP group due to reduced ROS levels and increased mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ) and ATP content. The mRNA expression levels of oocyte maturation and cumulus cell expansion-related genes were also significantly higher in the co-treatment group. To demonstrate the quality of oocytes, the development capacity of parthenogenetically activated (PA) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos from different treatment groups oocytes were determined.The blastocyst formation rate was significantly higher in PA and IVF embryos derived from oocytes in the co-treatment group than in those derived from oocytes in the BaP group. To further confirm that the SHH signaling pathway was involved in causing these effects of Pae, we treated oocytes with Pae and BaP in the presence or absence of cyclopamine (Cy), an inhibitor of this pathway. Cy abolished the effects of Pae in BaP treated porcine oocytes. In conclusion, Pae improves the IVM capacity of BaP-treated porcine oocytes by activating the SHH signaling pathway, inhibiting ROS production, and increasing ΔΨ.

Diagnosis and gI antibody dynamics of pseudorabies virus in an intensive pig farm in Hei Longjiang Province.

BACKGROUND: Pseudorabies (PR), caused by the pseudorabies virus (PRV), is an endemic disease in some regions of China. Although there are many reports on epidemiological investigations into pseudorabies, information on PRV gI antibody dynamics in one pig farm is sparse. OBJECTIVES: To diagnose PR and analyze the course of PR eradication in one pig farm. METHODS: Ten brains and 1,513 serum samples from different groups of pigs in a pig farm were collected to detect PRV gE gene and PRV gI antibody presence using real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. RESULTS: The July 2015 results indicated that almost all brain samples were PRV gE gene positive, but PRV gI antibody results in the serum samples of the same piglets were all negative. In the boar herd, from October 2015 to July 2018 three positive individuals were culled in October 2015, and the negative status of the remaining boars was maintained in the following tests. In the sow herd, the PRV gI antibody positive rate was always more than 70% from October 2015 to October 2017; however, it decreased to 27% in January 2018 but increased to 40% and 52% in April and July 2018, respectively. The PRV gI antibody positive rate in 100-day pigs markedly decreased in October 2016 and was maintained at less than 30% in the following tests. For 150-day pigs, the PRV gI antibody positive rate decreased notably to 10% in April 2017 and maintained a negative status from July 2017. The positive trend of PRV gI antibody with an increase in pig age remarkably decreased in three tests in 2018. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that serological testing is not sensitive in the early stage of a PRV infection and that gilt introduction is a risk factor for a PRV-negative pig farm. The data on PRV gI antibody dynamics can provide reference information for pig farms wanting to eradicate PR.

Identification of several key genes by microarray data analysis of bovine mammary gland epithelial cells challenged with Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

PURPOSE: This study was aimed at exploring the mechanisms and identifying the key candidate genes associated with S. aureus and E. coli mastitis. METHODS: A public microarray dataset GSE24560 was downloaded. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened in E. coli- and S. aureus-infected primary bovine mammary gland epithelial cell (pBMEC) samples, and compared with control samples at 1 h, 6 h, and 24 h. A functional enrichment analysis was performed, and construction of a gene co-expression network was performed based on genes that showed consistent changes over time, which were identified using time series expression analysis. Then, a miRNA/TF regulatory network was constructed based on the genes in the co-expression network. The genes in the miRNA/TF regulatory network were screened for involvement in related diseases. Furthermore, the expression of several selected DEGs was further validated using real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: In total, 92 and 81 DEGs showed continuous differential expression over time in the E. coli- and S. aureus-inoculated groups. DEGs in the E. coli-inoculated group were associated with the RIG-I-like receptor signaling pathway, and those in the S. aureus-inoculated group were associated with the lysosome pathway. Time series expression analysis identified two gene clusters. NFKBIZ and GRO1 in the gene co-expression network were associated with inflammatory and defense responses. Moreover, several genes such as CXADR, APP, and CXCL2 in the miRNA/TF regulatory network, were associated with infection, inflammation, or stress-related diseases. CONCLUSION: RIG-I like receptor pathway and several DEGs such as NFKBIZ, GRO1, CXCL2, and CXADR may play critical roles in the response to infection in pBMECs.

Enterovirus 71 inhibits cytoplasmic stress granule formation during the late stage of infection.

Stress granules (SGs) are host translationally silent ribonucleo-proteins formed in cells in response to multiple types of environmental stress, including viral infection. We previously showed that the nuclear protein, 68-kDa Src-associated in mitosis protein (Sam68), is recruited to cytoplasm and form the Sam68-positive SGs at 6 hpi, but the Sam68-positive SGs disassembled beyond 12 hpi, suggesting that the SGs might be inhibited during the late stage of Enterovirus 71 (EV71) infection. However, the mechanism and function of this process remains poorly understood. Thus in this study, we demonstrated that EV71 initially induced SGs formation at the early stage of EV71 infection, and confirmed that 2Apro of EV71 was the key viral component that triggered SG formation. In contrast, SGs were diminished as EV71 infection proceeding. At the same time, arsenite-induced SGs were also blocked at the late stage of EV71 infection. This disruption of SGs was caused by viral protease 3Cpro-mediated G3BP1 cleavage. Furthermore, we demonstrated that over-expression of G3BP1-SGs negatively impacted viral replication at the cytopathic effect (CPE), protein, RNA, and viral titer levels. Our novel finding may not only help us to better understand the mechanism how EV71 interacts with the SG response, but also provide mechanistic linkage between cellular stress responses and innate immune activation during EV71 infection.

In vivo and in vitro effects of PTH1-34 on osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells through regulating microRNA-155.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of parathyroid hormone (PTH1-34) on osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of hBMSCs by the regulation of miR-155. A total of 36 adult volunteers were selected in this study. Effects of PTH1-34 on the proliferation of hBMSCs and miR-155 expression were investigated using a MTT assay. The hBMSCs were divided into blank, PTH1-34, miR-155 mimic, miR-155 mimic negative control (NC), miR-155 inhibitor, miR-155 inhibitor NC, PTH1-34 + miR-155 mimic, PTH1-34 + miR-155 inhibitor, and NPS R-568 groups. Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) mouse models were established by ovariectomy (OVX) and divided into ten groups. The RT-qPCR and Western blotting assay were carried out to detect the expression of osteogenesis/adipogenic-related genes and miR-155, and osteogenesis/adipogenic-related proteins. PTH1-34 could promote hBMSCs proliferation and inhibit miR-155 expression in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the blank control group, expressions of Runx2, and BSP was up-regulated in the PTH1-34 and miR-155 inhibitor groups, while expressions of miR-155, PPAR-γ, lipoprotein lipase (LPL), fatty acid binding protein 4 (Fabp4), adiponectin, and CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα) were down-regulated. In the in vivo experiment, compared with the OVX group, the BMD and expressions of Runx2 and BSP was up-regulated in the PTH1-34, miR-155 inhibitor, and PTH1-34 + miR-155 inhibitor groups, while expressions of PPAR-γ, LPL, Fabp4, adiponectin, and C/EBPα were down-regulated. The miR-155 mimic and NPS R-568 groups followed opposite trends. PTH1-34 could promote the osteogenic differentiation and inhibits adipogenic differentiation of hBMSCs through down-regulating miR-155 in PMOP mice.

Comparative characterization analysis of synonymous codon usage bias in classical swine fever virus.

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is responsible for the highly contagious viral disease of swine, and causes great economic loss in the swine-raising industry. Considering the significance of CSFV, a systemic analysis was performed to study its codon usage patterns. In this study, using the complete genome sequences of 76 CSFV representing three genotypes, we firstly analyzed the relative nucleotide composition, effective number of codon (ENC) and synonymous codon usage in CSFV genomes. The results showed that CSFV is GC-moderate genome and the third-ended codons are not preferentially used. Every ENC values in CSFV genomes are >50, indicating that the codon usage bias is comparatively slight. Subsequently, we performed the correspondence analysis (COA) to investigate synonymous codon usage variation among all of the CSFV genomes. We found that codon usage bias in these CSFV genomes is greatly influenced by G + C mutation, which suggests that mutational pressure may be the main factor determining the codon usage biases. Moreover, most of the codon usage bias among different CSFV ORFs is directly related to the nucleotide composition. Other factors, such as hydrophobicity and aromaticity, also influence the codon usage variation among CSFV genomes. Our study represents the most comprehensive analysis of codon usage patterns in CSFV genome and provides a basic understanding of the mechanisms for its codon usage bias.