NS2 is a key determinant of compatibility in reassortant avian influenza virus with heterologous H7N9-derived NS segment.

Influenza A viruses are common pathogens with high prevalence worldwide and potential for pandemic spread. While influenza A infections typically elicit robust cellular innate immune responses, the non-structural protein 1 (NS1) antagonizes host anti-viral responses and is critical for efficient virus replication and virulence. The avian influenza virus (AIV) H7N9 initially emerged in China in 2013 and has since crossed the avian-human barrier, causing severe disease in humans. To investigate the influence of the H7N9 NS gene (NS079) on viral replication and innate immune response, we generated several recombinant AIVs bearing various NS079 segments on the backbone of H6N1 (strain 0702). Intriguingly, the recombinant virus bearing the heterologous NS079 gene was highly attenuated compared with virus carrying the homologous NS gene (NS0702). Furthermore, we generated a NS079-0702R virus that expresses a chimeric NS gene in which part of the NS079 effector domain was replaced with the sequence from NS0702. The NS079-0702R virus exhibited significantly enhanced viral yield, approximately 100-fold more than virus bearing NS079. The high infection rate of NS079-0702R virus was reflected by strong induction of IFN and Mx expression in human A549 cells. Intriguingly, our in vitro comparative analysis suggested that the increased NS079-0702R infection capacity was independent of the ability of NS1 to interact with cellular partners, such as PKR and CPSF30. Since partial substitution of the effector domain from NS0702 altered the coding sequence of NS2, we further generated another recombinant virus with NS2 derived from H7N9. Surprisingly, the virus with H7N9-derived NS2 exhibited growth characteristics similar to NS079. Our data demonstrate that swapping NS2 components changes infection efficiency, suggesting a key role for NS2 as a determinant of viral compatibility upon reassortment. These findings warrant further investigation into the precise mechanisms by which NS2 contributes to viral replication and host immunity.1.

Deletion of gene OV132 attenuates Orf virus more effectively than gene OV112.

Orf virus (ORFV), a Parapoxvirus in Poxviridae, infects sheep and goats resulting in contagious pustular dermatitis. ORFV is regarded as a promising viral vector candidate for vaccine development and oncolytic virotherapy. Owing to their potential clinical application, safety concerns have become increasingly important. Deletion of either the OV132 (encoding vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF) or OV112 (encoding the chemokine binding protein, CBP) genes reduced ORFV infectivity, which has been independently demonstrated in the NZ2 and NZ7 strains, respectively. This study revealed that the VEGF and CBP gene sequences of the local strain (TW/Hoping) shared a similarity of 47.01% with NZ2 and 90.56% with NZ7. Due to the high sequence divergence of these two immunoregulatory genes among orf viral strains, their contribution to the pathogenicity of Taiwanese ORFV isolates was comparatively characterized. Initially, two ORFV recombinants were generated, in which either the VEGF or CBP gene was deleted and replaced with the reporter gene EGFP. In vitro assays indicated that both the VEGF-deletion mutant ORFV-VEGFΔ-EGFP and the CBP deletion mutant ORFV-CBPΔ-EGFP were attenuated in cells. In particular, ORFV-VEGFΔ-EGFP significantly reduced plaque size and virus yield compared to ORFV-CBPΔ-EGFP and the wild-type control. Similarly, in vivo analysis revealed no virus yield in the goat skin biopsy infected by ORFV-VEGFΔ-EGFP, and significantly reduced the virus yield of ORFV-CBPΔ-EGFP relative to the wild-type control. These results confirmed the loss of virulence of both deletion mutants in the Hoping strain, whereas the VEGF-deletion mutant was more attenuated than the CBP deletion strain in both cell and goat models. KEY POINTS: • VEGF and CBP genes are crucial in ORFV pathogenesis in the TW/Hoping strain • The VEGF-deletion mutant virus was severely attenuated in both cell culture and animal models • Deletion mutant viruses are advantageous vectors for the development of vaccines and therapeutic regimens.

Development of a tag-free plant-made interferon gamma production system with improved therapeutic efficacy against viruses.

Plants offer a promising platform for cost-effective production of biologically active therapeutic glycoproteins. In previous studies, we have developed a plant expression system based on Bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) by incorporating secretory signals and an affinity tag, which resulted in notably enhanced yields of soluble and secreted fusion glycoproteins (FGs) in Nicotiana benthamiana. However, the presence of fusion tags on recombinant glycoproteins is undesirable for biomedical applications. This study aimed to develop a refined expression system that can efficiently produce tag-free glycoproteins in plants, with enhanced efficacy of mature interferon gamma (mIFNγ) against viruses. To accommodate the specific requirement of different target proteins, three enzymatically or chemically cleavable linkers were provided in this renovated BaMV-based expression system. We demonstrated that Tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease could process the specific cleavage site (LTEV) of the fusion protein, designated as SSExtHis(SP)10LTEV-mIFNγ, with optimal efficiency under biocompatible conditions to generate tag-free mIFNγ glycoproteins. The TEV protease and secretory-affinity tag could be effectively removed from the target mIFNγ glycoproteins through Ni2+-NTA chromatography. In addition, the result of an antiviral assay showed that the tag-free mIFNγ glycoproteins exhibited enhanced biological properties against Sindbis virus, with comparable antiviral activity of the commercialized HEK293-expressed hIFNγ. Thus, the improved BaMV-based expression system developed in this study may provide an alternative strategy for producing tag-free therapeutic glycoproteins intended for biomedical applications.

Establishment of a Cell Line Stably Expressing the Growth Hormone Secretagogue Receptor to Identify Crocin as a Ghrelin Agonist.

The growth hormone secretagogue receptor-1a (GHSR1a) is the endogenous receptor for ghrelin. Activation of GHSR1a participates in many physiological processes including energy homeostasis and eating behavior. Due to its transitory half-life, the efficacy of ghrelin treatment in patients is restricted; hence the development of new adjuvant therapy is an urgent need. This study aimed to establish a cell line stably expressing GHSR1a, which could be employed to screen potential ghrelin agonists from natural compounds. First, by means of lentiviral transduction, the genome of a human HEK293T cell was modified, and a cell platform stably overexpressing GHSR1a was successfully established. In this platform, GHSR1a was expressed as a fusion protein tagged with mCherry, which allowed the monitoring of the dynamic cellular distribution of GHSR1a by fluorescent microscopy. Subsequently, the authenticity of the GHSR1a mediated signaling was further characterized by using ghrelin and teaghrelin, two molecules known to stimulate GHSR1a. The results indicated that both ghrelin and teaghrelin readily activated GHSR1a mediated signaling pathways, presumably via increasing phosphorylation levels of ERK. The specific GHSR1a signaling was further validated by using SP-analog, an antagonist of GHSR1a as well as using a cell model with the knockdown expression of GHSR1a. Molecular modeling predicted that crocin might be a potential ghrelin agonist, and this prediction was further confirmed by the established platform.

The Analysis with Quantitative Indexes for Public's Awareness of Radiation Knowledge in Taiwan.

(1) Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiation awareness level of the public in Taiwan. (2) Methods: This study designed an online survey form to investigate the radiation awareness level with six topics: basic knowledge of radiation, environmental radiation, medical radiation, radiation protection, and university/corporate social responsibility. The score of respondents were converted into knowledge and responsibility indexes for the quantitative evaluation. Logistic regression was used to assess the correlation between the knowledge index and individual factors. Paired t-test was used to assess the significant difference in knowledge index between pre-training and post-training. (3) Results: The knowledge index of each job category reflected the proportion of radiation awareness of the job. The logistic regression result indicated that radiation-related people could get higher knowledge index. The paired t-test indicated that the knowledge index before and after class had significant differences in all question topics. (4) Conclusions: The public's awareness of medical radiation was the topic that needed to be strengthened the most-the responses with high knowledge index significantly correlated with their experience in radiation education training or radiation-related jobs. It significantly increased the knowledge index of radiation if the public received radiation education training.

The orf virus (ORFV) protein OV20.0 interacts with the microprocessor complex subunit DGCR8 to regulate miRNA biogenesis and ORFV infection.

Cellular double-stranded RNA-binding proteins (DRBPs) play important roles in the regulation of innate immune responses and microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis. The current study aimed to understand whether OV20.0, a DRBP of orf virus (ORFV), is involved in cellular RNA biogenesis via association with host DRBPs. We found that OV20.0 interacts with DiGeorge syndrome critical region 8 (DGCR8), a subunit of the miRNA processor complex, and binds to primary- and precursor-miRNA. Additionally, OV20.0 regulates DGCR8 expression in multiple ways, including through interaction with the DGCR8 protein and binding to DGCR8 mRNA. Lastly, our data show that DGCR8 plays an antiviral role against ORFV infection, whereas it is beneficial for influenza virus propagation, indicating that the underlying mechanisms could be diverse among different viruses.

K160 in the RNA-binding domain of the orf virus virulence factor OV20.0 is critical for its functions in counteracting host antiviral defense.

The OV20.0 virulence factor of orf virus antagonizes host antiviral responses. One mechanism through which it functions is by inhibiting activation of the dsRNA-activated protein kinase R (PKR) by sequestering dsRNA and by physically interacting with PKR. Sequence alignment indicated that several key residues critical for dsRNA binding were conserved in OV20.0, and their contribution to OV20.O function was investigated in this study. We found that residues F141, K160, and R164 were responsible for the dsRNA-binding ability of OV20.0. Interestingly, mutation at K160 (K160A) diminished the OV20.0-PKR interaction and further reduced the inhibitory effect of OV20.0 on PKR activation. Nevertheless, OV20.0 homodimerization was not influenced by K160A. The contribution of the dsRNA-binding domain and K160 to the suppression of RNA interference by OV20.0 was further demonstrated in plants. In summary, K160 is essential for the function of OV20.0, particularly its interaction with dsRNA and PKR that ultimately contributes to the suppression of PKR activation.

Poor health-related physical fitness performance increases the overweight and obesity risk in older adults from Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the associations between health-related physical fitness performance and overweight/obesity risk among Taiwanese healthy older adults. METHODS: A secondary dataset from the nationwide survey was applied in this study. Data from a total of 21,630 respondents aged 65-96 years were collected in this study. Demographic characteristics, life habits, perceived health status, anthropometric assessments, and health-related physical fitness measurements from this dataset were analyzed using the chi-square test, one-way analysis of variance, and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The results indicated that overweight and obesity significantly associated with health-related physical fitness performance in the Taiwanese older adult population. In particular, the upper extremity muscular endurance scores of older adults with poor activity and physical fitness scores revealed obesity as a critical indicator of health-related physical fitness performance. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies can use muscle quality or body fat classification to predict obesity in older adults, which could more precisely portray the relationship between obesity and health-related physical fitness performance.

Ubiquinone Supplementation with 300 mg on Glycemic Control and Antioxidant Status in Athletes: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

The aim of this study is to investigate the glycemic profile, oxidative stress, and antioxidant capacity in athletes after 12 weeks of ubiquinone supplementation. It was a double-blinded, randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled study. Thirty-one well-trained college athletes were randomly assigned to ubiquinone (300 mg/d, n = 17) or placebo group (n = 14). The glycemic profile [fasting glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI)], plasma and erythrocyte malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and ubiquinone status were measured. After supplementation, the plasma ubiquinone concentration was significantly increased (p < 0.05) and the level of erythrocyte MDA was significantly lower in the ubiquinone group than in the placebo group (p < 0.01). There was a significant correlation between white blood cell (WBC) ubiquinone and glycemic parameters [HbA1c, r = -0.46, p < 0.05; HOMA-IR, r = -0.67, p < 0.01; QUICKI, r = 0.67, p < 0.01]. In addition, athletes with higher WBC ubiquinone level (≥0.5 nmol/g) showed higher erythrocyte TAC and QUICKI and lower HOMA-IR. In conclusion, we demonstrated that athletes may show a better antioxidant capacity with higher ubiquinone status after 12 weeks of supplementation, which may further improve glycemic control.

The Association between Physical Fitness Performance and Subjective Happiness among Taiwanese Adults.

The purpose of the present study was to determine the association between health-related physical fitness (HRPF) performance and perceived happiness status among adults in Taiwan. A cross-sectional study was conducted, and data derived from the National Physical Fitness Survey in Taiwan 2014-2015 were reviewed. The participants included 27,930 men and 30,885 women, aged 23 to 64 years. Each participant completed a standardized, structured questionnaire and underwent anthropometric variable and HRPF measurements. The happiness outcome of an individual was obtained using the questionnaire, and the results were stratified into happy (very happy, quite happy, and fair) and unhappy (unhappy and not at all happy) groups for perceived happiness status. HRPF measurements were evaluated using cardiorespiratory endurance (3 min step test), muscle strength and endurance (1 min sit-up test), flexibility (sit-and-reach test), and body composition (body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio). To determine the existence of a dose-response relationship between HRPF component levels and happiness status, four quartiles of HRPF components were analyzed using multiple logistic regression models. Multiple logistic regression results indicated that with the worst performance level of HRPF components as a baseline, significant associations were observed for the sit-and-reach test (third level: OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.02-1.49) and BMI (second level: OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.64-0.95) among men. For women, significant associations were observed for the 1 min sit-up test (second level: OR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.03-1.60; third level: OR = 1.32, 95% CI: 1.04-1.67; fourth (the best) level: OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.12-1.95) and BMI (third level: OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.58-0.92). The current study suggested that higher values in flexibility and body composition, happiness-related factors, potentially improve the occurrence of happiness among men. Moreover, this positive effect of higher values of muscle strength, endurance, and BMI was observed for the occurrence of happiness in women. However, the relevant mechanism underlying this phenomenon must be further explored.

High-protein supplementation facilitates weight training-induced bone mineralization in baseball players.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether weight training combined with high-protein intake enhances total and regional bone mineral density (BMD) in athletes. METHODS: BMD of 27 Division 1 collegiate baseball players 18 to 22 y of age (N = 13, 2 dropouts) received either 14% protein or isocaloric 44% protein supplements and were assessed by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry before and after a 12-wk weight training program (challenging upper and lower body). RESULTS: Baseline data showed unequivocally greater humerus BMD in the dominant arm than their contralateral non-dominant arm (∼20 %) among all baseball players. Humerus BMD of the non-dominant arm was enhanced by 2.7% after weight training for both low- and high-protein groups (main effect, P = 0.008), concurrent with an unexpected small decrease in total body BMD (main effect, P = 0.014). Humerus BMD of the dominant arm with greater baseline value than the non-dominant arm was not increased unless high protein was supplemented (+2.7 %; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Bones with relatively higher BMD show blunt adaptation against training, which can be relieved by high-protein supplementation. Total BMD of athletes cannot be further elevated by weight training.

Operando characterization of chemical reactions in single living cells using SERS.

Detection of chemical reactions in living cells is critical in understanding physiological metabolic processes in the context of nanomedicine. Carbon monoxide (CO) is one of the important gaseous signaling molecules. Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based CO-releasing nanoparticles (CORN) is utilized to investigate the chemical reaction of CO delivery in live cells. Using SERS CORN, carbonyl dissociation from CORN-Ag-CpW(CO)3 to CORN-Ag-CpW(CO)2 in live cells is observed. The subsequent irreversible degradation to CO-free CORN is a consequence of oxidative stress in cells. This observation affirms the step transition of CORN-Ag-CpW(CO)3 in cellular: CORN-Ag-CpW(CO)3 first proceeds via a direct loss of one CO followed by a oxidative decomposition giving rise to CORN-Ag-WO3 and as well as the release of one equivalents of CO. Importantly, the decarbonylation process can be correlated with the level of inflammatory biomarkers. For the first time, we provide unambiguous evidence for the steps transition of CO-release mechanism in cellular.

The Association between Physical Fitness Performance and Abdominal Obesity Risk among Taiwanese Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The present study aims to investigate the associations between physical fitness performance and abdominal obesity risk among Taiwanese adults. We conducted a cross-sectional study and reviewed the data derived from the National Physical Fitness Survey in Taiwan (HPFSIT). Data from a total of 62,486 respondents aged 23-64 years were collected in this study. The participants completed a standardized structural questionnaire and a series of anthropometric characteristics (body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio) and physical fitness (3-min step tests, 1-min sit-up tests, and sit-and-reach tests) assessments. Waist circumference was used to define abdominal obesity status. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted. Our results presented almost entirely significant associations (except for women) on the 3-min step test. Moreover, the results suggest that muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility may be effective predictors of abdominal obesity among men and women, whereas cardiorespiratory fitness predicted abdominal obesity only in men. According to the results of this study, the fitness-abdominal obesity associations are minor based on a mixed population analysis. However, dose-response relationships have been observed. The present study provides a new perspective by using different types of fitness performance to predict abdominal obesity.

Cross-Sectional Associations of Physical Fitness Performance Level and Sleep Duration among Older Adults: Results from the National Physical Fitness Survey in Taiwan.

Research on relationships between physical fitness and sleep duration among older adults is scarce, especially in Taiwanese representative samples of elderly people who undergo physical fitness measurements. This study aimed to determine the associations between physical fitness and short and long sleep durations among older adults in Taiwan. We conducted a cross-sectional study and reviewed data derived from the National Physical Fitness Survey in Taiwan. A total of 24,125 Taiwanese adults aged 65 years and older participated in this study between October 2014 and March 2015. Each individual's sleep duration was recorded with a standard questionnaire method. Sleep duration data were stratified into short (≤5 h), normal (6-7 h), and long (≥8 h) sleep duration groups. Physical fitness was assessed by five components: aerobic endurance (2 min step test), muscle strength and endurance (30 s arm curl and 30 s chair stand tests), flexibility (back scratch and chair sit-and-reach tests), body composition (body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)), and balance (one-leg stance with eye open and 8-foot up-and-go tests). To understand whether a dose-response relationship exists between physical fitness and short or long sleep duration, we analyzed four levels of performance on the basis of quartiles of physical fitness measurements by using logistic regression. The first quartile of physical fitness performance was the baseline level. The odds ratio (OR) for short sleep duration for the third quartile of BMI was 0.8031 times (95% CI, 0.7119-0.9061) lower than the baseline. For the fourth quartile of BMI, the OR was 0.8660 times (95% CI, 0.7653-0.9800) lower than the baseline. The adjusted OR for long sleep duration significantly decreased in the second, third, and fourth quartiles of the 30 s chair stand, back scratch, chair sit-and-reach test, one-leg stance with one eye open, and BMI. The adjusted OR was increased in the third and fourth quartiles of the 8-foot up-and-go and WHR. The results of the current study suggest that physical fitness performance may influence sleep duration as an associated factor, and the relationship is much stronger for long sleep duration than for short sleep duration.

Coenzyme Q10 status, glucose parameters, and antioxidative capacity in college athletes.

BACKGROUND: Glycemia is related to energy production during exercise. Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant that participates in adenosine triphosphate synthesis in mitochondria. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of coenzyme Q10, glucose parameters, and antioxidant capacity in athletes. METHODS: This study was designed as a cross-sectional study. Well-trained college athletes (n = 43) and age-gender matched healthy subjects (n = 25) were recruited from a college. The levels of glucose parameters, oxidative stress, antioxidant enzymes activity, Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TAC), and coenzyme Q10 status were measured in the present study. RESULTS: The athletes had a significantly lower level of white blood cells (WBC) coenzyme Q10 than the healthy subjects (0.34 ± 0.24 vs. 0.65 ± 0.43 nmol/g, p < 0.01); however, no significant difference was detected in plasma coenzyme Q10 between the two groups. Regarding the glucose parameters, the athletes had significantly higher values for HbA1c (5.5 ± 0.3 vs. 5.3 ± 0.3%, p < 0.05) and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI, 0.37 ± 0.03 vs. 0.34 ± 0.03, p < 0.05), and lower homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, 1.5 ± 0.8 vs. 2.9 ± 3.8, p < 0.05) than the healthy subjects. A higher level of TAC was found in the athletes (serum, 5.7 ± 0.3 vs. 5.4 ± 0.2 mM Trolox; erythrocyte, 10.5 ± 0.6 vs. 10.0 ± 0.5 mM Trolox, p < 0.05). In addition, WBC coenzyme Q10 status was significantly correlated with catalase activity (r = 0.56, p < 0.01), GPx activity (r = 0.56, p < 0.01), serum TAC (r = 0.54, p < 0.01), fasting glucose (ß = - 1.10, p < 0.01), HbA1c (ß = - 0.82, p < 0.01), HOMA-IR (ß = - 1.81, p < 0.01), and QUICK (ß = 0.08, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Athletes may suffer from a marginal coenzyme Q10 deficiency, and the level was related to glycemic control and antioxidant capacity. Further interventional studies are needed to clarify an adequate dose of coenzyme Q10 supplementation in athletes to optimize their coenzyme Q10 status and athletic performance or recovery during exercise.

Reversible detection of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation by tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy using a cyclopentadienyl ruthenium nanotag functionalized tip.

The detection of cancer invasion is crucial for diagnosis. In this report, we employed a TERS tip and SERS nanotags to create a cell signaling based nano-sensing system. This system is capable of creating a reversible phosphorylation/de-phosphorylation cycle for TERS measurement. The reversible TERS sensing is then paired with a downstream binding domain, Src homology region 2 (SH2), which is associated with the cell signaling for cancer cell invasion. Such a system offers the advantages of convenient detection of nanotags and high sensitivity as validated in a cell model.

Establishment and characterization of transformed goat primary cells by expression of simian virus 40 large T antigen for orf virus propagations.

Due to the limited host range of orf virus (ORFV), primary cells derived from its natural hosts, such as goats and sheep, are recommended for isolation and propagation of wild type ORFV. This situation limits the option for the study of virus-host interaction during ORFV infection since primary cells only support a few numbers of passages. SV40 T antigen is a viral oncoprotein that can abrogate replicative senescence, leading to an extended life span of cells. In this study, the transformation of two goat primary cells, fibroblast (FB) and testis (GT) cells, were achieved by stably expressing SV40 T antigen using the lentiviral technique. The presence of the gene encoding SV40 T antigen was validated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blot analyses. As evidenced by immunofluorescent microscopy, the two types of cells expressing SV40 T antigen (namely, FBT and GTT) were purified to homogeneity. Moreover, faster growth kinetics and a lower serum dependency were noticed in FBT and GTT, as compared with their counterpart parental cells. FBT and GTT remain permissive and can form plaque of ORFV, despite with different profiles; generally speaking, with SV40 T expression, ORFV forms plaques with smaller size and distinct margin. Most importantly, the prolonged life span of goat FBT and GTT serves as an ideal cell culture resource for ORFV isolation from the field, studies of ORFV pathogenesis and efficient vaccine development.

Adenosine Deaminase Acting on RNA 1 Associates with Orf Virus OV20.0 and Enhances Viral Replication.

Orf virus (ORFV) infects sheep and goats and is also an important zoonotic pathogen. The viral protein OV20.0 has been shown to suppress innate immunity by targeting the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-activated protein kinase (PKR) by multiple mechanisms. These mechanisms include a direct interaction with PKR and binding with two PKR activators, dsRNA and the cellular PKR activator (PACT), which ultimately leads to the inhibition of PKR activation. In the present study, we identified a novel association between OV20.0 and adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1). OV20.0 bound directly to the dsRNA binding domains (RBDs) of ADAR1 in the absence of dsRNA. Additionally, OV20.0 preferentially interacted with RBD1 of ADAR1, which was essential for its dsRNA binding ability and for the homodimerization that is critical for intact adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I)-editing activity. Finally, the association with OV20.0 suppressed the A-to-I-editing ability of ADAR1, while ADAR1 played a proviral role during ORFV infection by inhibiting PKR phosphorylation. These observations revealed a new strategy used by OV20.0 to evade antiviral responses via PKR.IMPORTANCE Viruses evolve specific strategies to counteract host innate immunity. ORFV, an important zoonotic pathogen, encodes OV20.0 to suppress PKR activation via multiple mechanisms, including interactions with PKR and two PKR activators. In this study, we demonstrated that OV20.0 interacts with ADAR1, a cellular enzyme responsible for converting adenosine (A) to inosine (I) in RNA. The RNA binding domains, but not the catalytic domain, of ADAR1 are required for this interaction. The OV20.0-ADAR1 association affects the functions of both proteins; OV20.0 suppressed the A-to-I editing of ADAR1, while ADAR1 elevated OV20.0 expression. The proviral role of ADAR1 is likely due to the inhibition of PKR phosphorylation. As RNA editing by ADAR1 contributes to the stability of the genetic code and the structure of RNA, these observations suggest that in addition to serving as a PKR inhibitor, OV20.0 might modulate ADAR1-dependent gene expression to combat antiviral responses or achieve efficient viral infection.

A dual signal amplification nanosensor based on SERS technology for detection of tumor-related DNA.

A dual signal amplification method based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is developed by photo-triggered release of SERS probes from mesoporous silica-coated Au nanorods (SiO2@Au) and the use of a specially-designed SERS substrate with an internal reference. Two metal carbonyl (metal-CO) labels (Os-SCO and Re-SCO) are proposed here as novel interference-free labels. Results demonstrate that tumor-related DNA can be quantitatively detected by this reliable and ultra-sensitive SERS platform.

Does ovulation affect performance in tennis players?

BACKGROUND: Scientific data on the performance of collegiate female tennis players during the menstrual phases are scarce. TRIAL DESIGN: Double-blind, counter-balanced, crossover trials were conducted to examine whether tennis performance was affected during menstruation, with and without dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) supplementation. METHODS: Ten Division 1 collegiate tennis players (aged 18-22 years) were evenly assigned into placebo-supplemented and DHEA-supplemented (25 mg/day) trials. Treatments were exchanged among the participants after a 28-day washout. Tennis serve performance was assessed on the first day of menstrual bleeding (day 0/28) and on days 7, 14 and 21. RESULTS: Mood state was unaltered during the menstrual cycles in both trials. The lowest tennis serve performance score (speed times accuracy) occurred on day 14 (P=0.06 vs day 0; P=0.01 vs day 21) in both placebo and DHEA trials. Decreased performance on day 14 was explained by decreased accuracy (P=0.03 vs day 0/28; P=0.01 vs day 21), but not velocity itself. Isometric hip strength, but not quadriceps strength, was moderately lower on day 14 (P=0.08). Increasing plasma DHEA-S (by ~65%) during the DHEA-supplemented trial had no effects on mood state, sleep quality or tennis serve performance. CONCLUSION: We have shown that menses does not affect serve performance of collegiate tennis players. However, the observed decrement in the accuracy of serve speed near ovulation warrants further investigation.