Biotyping of IRE/CTVM19 tick cell line infected by tick-borne encephalitis virus.

Ticks, being vectors for a variety of pathogens such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), have developed defense mechanisms and pathways against infections, allowing them to control the virus at a level that does not hinder their fitness and development. At the present moment, only a few studies focused on interactions between ticks and TBEV on a molecular level have been published. Here, a possible application of MALDI-TOF MS as a research tool for the investigation of tick-virus interactions was shown. Mass spectrometry (MS) profiles of TBEV-infected and non-infected IRE/CTVM19 tick cell line were compared using principal component analysis. MS spectra were clustered based on the cultivation time of cells, but not their infection status. Nevertheless, the analysis of loading plots revealed different factors (peaks) being involved in the clustering of infected and non-infected cells. Out of them, nine were assigned with proteins: five and four for non-infected and infected cells, respectively. Peak with m/z 8565 was found to be of interest because it was suppressed upon TBEV infection and assigned to proteasome subunit alpha type (B7QE67).

Transferrin Identification in Sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) Reproductive System.

Transferrins are a superfamily of iron-binding proteins and are recognized as multifunctional proteins. In the present study, transcriptomic and proteomic methods were used to identify transferrins in the reproductive organs and sperm of out-of-spawning and spermiating sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus) males. The results showed that seven transferrin transcripts were identified in the transcriptome of sterlet, and these transcripts were qualified as two different transferrin genes, serotransferrin and melanotransferrin, with several isoforms present for serotransferrin. The relative abundance of serotransferrin isoforms was higher in the kidneys and Wolffian ducts in the spermiating males compared to out-of-spawning males. In addition, transferrin was immunodetected in sterlet seminal plasma, but not in sterlet spermatozoa extract. Mass spectrometry identification of transferrin in seminal plasma but not in spermatozoa corroborates immunodetection. The identification of transferrin in the reproductive organs and seminal plasma of sterlet in this study provides the potential function of transferrin during sturgeon male reproduction.

Tissue-specific signatures in tick cell line MS profiles.

BACKGROUND: The availability of tick in vitro cell culture systems has facilitated many aspects of tick research, including proteomics. However, certain cell lines have shown a tissue-specific response to infection. Thus, a more thorough characterization of tick cell lines is necessary. Proteomic comparative studies of various tick cell lines will contribute to more efficient application of tick cell lines as model systems for investigation of host-vector-pathogen interactions. RESULTS: Three cell lines obtained from a hard tick, Ixodes ricinus, and two from I. scapularis were investigated. A cell mass spectrometry approach (MALDI-TOF MS) was applied, as well as classical proteomic workflows. Using PCA, tick cell line MS profiles were grouped into three clusters comprising IRE/CTVM19 and ISE18, IRE11 and IRE/CTVM20, and ISE6 cell lines. Two other approaches confirmed the results of PCA: in-solution digestion followed by nanoLC-ESI-Q-TOF MS/MS and 2D electrophoresis. The comparison of MS spectra of the cell lines and I. ricinus tick organs revealed 29 shared peaks. Of these, five were specific for ovaries, three each for gut and salivary glands, and one for Malpighian tubules. For the first time, characteristic peaks in MS profiles of tick cell lines were assigned to proteins identified in acidic extracts of corresponding cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: Several organ-specific MS signals were revealed in the profiles of tick cell lines.

Biodistribution of intact fluorescent CdSe/CdS/ZnS quantum dots coated by mercaptopropionic acid after intravenous injection into mice.

Semiconductor quantum dots (QD) have been widely used for fluorescent bioimaging. However their biosafety has attracted increasing attention, since the data about their in vivo behavior in biological systems are still limited. In this paper we have investigated the short- and long-term biodistribution of intact fluorescent CdSe/CdS/ZnS QD coated by 3-mercaptopropionic acid in mice. The results showed that intravenously injected QD accumulated mainly in the lungs, liver and spleen and were retained in these tissues for over 22 days. QD caused signs of acute toxicity in mice including death. The investigated QD possibly caused vascular thrombosis. The results of a toxicological assay indicated that some histopathological changes occurred in the lung tissue after the injection of QD. Our study highlights the need for careful evaluation of QD safety before their use in biological applications.