Promoting identification of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis based on label-free plasma spectroscopy.

OBJECTIVE: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an adult-onset fatal neurodegenerative disease which lacks identified biological markers. A label-free plasma surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) method was developed to explore a simple and noninvasive test for ALS. METHODS: ALS patients were enrolled serially and plasma samples were collected at the time of diagnosis prior to the start of ALS treatment. SERS spectra were recorded using a Renishaw micro-Raman system. RESULTS: To exclude the interference by varying disease severity, we enrolled three groups of ALS patients, including ALS-1 (n = 60; ALSFRS-R ≥ 42 and time interval ≤ 12 months), ALS-2 (n = 61; ALSFRS-R < 42 and time interval ≤ 12 months), and ALS-3 (n = 61; ALSFRS-R ≥ 38 and time interval> 12 months). The SERS spectra were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA), which showed that ALS-1, ALS-2, ALS-3, and control groups were separated significantly. Then, decision tree (DT) models and receiver operating characteristic curves were employed and identified that bands at 722 and 739 cm-1 , and ratios of 635-722 cm-1 and 635-739 cm-1 were able to distinguish ALS from controls significantly. Finally, we highlighted six metabolism pathways correlated with ALS, including phenylalanine-tyrosine-tryptophan biosynthesis, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, phenylalanine metabolism, pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, and pyrimidine metabolism. INTERPRETATION: Plasma SERS could be a promising tool for the detection of ALS. The bands at 722 and 739 cm-1 , and the ratios of 635-722 cm-1 and 635-739 cm-1 could serve as potential indicator for ALS.

Correction to: Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies Two Novel Mutations in the Reticulon 4-Interacting Protein 1 Gene in a Chinese Family with Autosomal Recessive Optic Neuropathies.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained mistakes in the affiliation section.

Whole Exome Sequencing Identifies Two Novel Mutations in the Reticulon 4-Interacting Protein 1 Gene in a Chinese Family with Autosomal Recessive Optic Neuropathies.

Autosomal recessive optic neuropathies (IONs) are extremely rare disorders affecting retinal ganglion cells and the nervous system. RTN4IP1 has recently been identified as the third known gene associated with the autosomal recessive ION optic atrophy 10 (OPA10). Patients with RTN4IP1 mutations show early-onset optic neuropathy that can be followed by additional neurological symptoms such as seizures, ataxia, mental retardation, or even severe encephalopathy. Here, we report two siblings from a Chinese family who presented with early-onset optic neuropathy, epilepsy, and mild intellectual disability. Using whole exome sequencing combined with Sanger sequencing, we identified novel compound heterozygous RTN4IP1 mutations (c.646G > A, p.G216R and c.1162C > T, p.R388X) which both co-segregated with the disease phenotype and were predicted to be disease-causing by prediction software. An in vitro functional study in urine cells obtained from one of the patients revealed low expression of the RTN4IP1 protein. Our results identify novel compound heterozygous mutations in RTN4IP1 which are associated with OPA10, highlighting the frequency of RTN4IP1 mutations in human autosomal recessive IONs. To our knowledge, this is the first report of RTN4IP1 carriers from China.

Prognostic analysis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis based on clinical features and plasma surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease with a wide range of survival times. We aimed to explore prognostic factors related to short survival based on clinical features and plasma metabolic signatures using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). One hundred and thirty-eight sporadic ALS cases were enrolled serially, including 62 for the short-duration group (≤3 years) and 76 for the long-duration group (>3 years). Multivariate analysis showed that an older age of onset (>60 years; odds ratio [OR] = 3.98, 95% CI: 1.09-14.53), lower body mass index (BMI) (<18.5; OR = 6.80, 95% CI: 1.36-33.92), and lower ALSFRS-R score (<35; OR = 6.03, 95% CI: 1.42-25.63) were associated with higher odds of tracheotomy or death, while a higher uric acid (UA) level showed a protective effect (>356.36 µmol/L; OR = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.05-0.73). SERS analysis showed significant differences between the two groups, and pathway analysis highlighted five main metabolic pathways, including metabolisms of glutathione, pyrimidine, phenylalanine, galactose, and phenylalanine-tyrosine-tryptophan biosynthesis. In conclusion, age of onset, BMI, ALSFRS-R score and UA, together with dysregulation of glucose, amino acid, nucleic acid, and antioxidant metabolism contributed to disease progression, and are therefore potential therapeutic targets for ALS.

Identification of SLC20A2 deletions in patients with primary familial brain calcification.

Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is a rare neurological disorder. Mutations in five genes (SLC20A2, PDGFRB, PDGFB, XPR1, and MYORG) have been linked to PFBC. Here, we used SYBR green-based real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography analysis to detect copy number variants (CNVs) in 20 unrelated patients with PFBC, negatively sequenced for the five known genes. We identified three deletions in SLC20A2, including a large de novo full gene deletion and two exonic deletions confined to exon 2 and exon 6, respectively. Subsequent linked-read whole-genome sequencing of the patient with the large deletion showed a 1.7 Mb heterozygous deletion which removed the entire coding regions of SLC20A2 as well as 21 other genes. In the family with a deletion of exon 6, a missense variant of uncertain significance (SLC20A2: p.E267Q) also co-segregated with the disease. Functional assay showed the deletion could result in significantly impaired phosphate transport, whereas the p.E267Q variant did not. Our results confirm that deletion in SLC20A2 is a causal mechanism for PFBC and highlight the importance of functional study for classifying a rare missense variant as (likely) pathogenic.

Spectrum of SLC20A2, PDGFRB, PDGFB, and XPR1 mutations in a large cohort of patients with primary familial brain calcification.

Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder with four causative genes (SLC20A2, PDGFRB, PDGFB, and XPR1) that have been identified. Here, we aim to describe the mutational spectrum of four causative genes in a series of 226 unrelated Chinese PFBC patients. Mutations in four causative genes were detected in 16.8% (38/226) of PFBC patients. SLC20A2 mutations accounted for 14.2% (32/226) of all patients. Mutations in the other three genes were relatively rare, accounting for 0.9% (2/226) of all patients, respectively. Clinically, 44.8% of genetically confirmed patients (probands and relatives) were considered symptomatic. The most frequent symptoms were chronic headache, followed by movement disorders and vertigo. Moreover, the total calcification score was significantly higher in the symptomatic group compared to the asymptomatic group. Functionally, we observed impaired phosphate transport induced by seven novel missense mutations in SLC20A2 and two novel mutations in XPR1. The mutation p.D164Y in XPR1 might result in low protein expression through an enhanced proteasome pathway. In conclusion, our study further confirms that mutations in SLC20A2 are the major cause of PFBC and provides additional evidence for the crucial roles of phosphate transport impairment in the pathogenies of PFBC.

Biallelic Mutations in MYORG Cause Autosomal Recessive Primary Familial Brain Calcification.

Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder characterized by bilateral calcifications in the basal ganglia and other brain regions. The genetic basis of this disorder remains unknown in a significant portion of familial cases. Here, we reported a recessive causal gene, MYORG, for PFBC. Compound heterozygous or homozygous mutations of MYORG co-segregated completely with PFBC in six families, with logarithm of odds (LOD) score of 4.91 at the zero recombination fraction. In mice, Myorg mRNA was expressed specifically in S100ß-positive astrocytes, and knockout of Myorg induced the formation of brain calcification at 9 months of age. Our findings provide strong evidence that loss-of-function mutations of MYORG cause brain calcification in humans and mice.

[Comparison of plaque-forming characteristics and morphogenetic changes of Newcastle disease virus isolated from chickens and geese on host cells].

The plaque-forming characteristics of Newcastle disease viruses of chickens and geese source were compared on various cells. The result showed that there were obvious differences of plaque formation between F48E9 and NA-1 on Vero cells, chicken embryo fibroblast cells (CEF) and goose embryo fibroblast cells (GEF). The plaque-forming ability of NA-1 was higher than F48E9 on GEF, but lower than F48E9 on CEF. On Vero cells, the plaque-forming ability of NA-1 was slightly stronger than F48E9. It demonstrated that the plaque-forming characteristics were consistent with host tropism of virus. The morphogenesis of F48E9 and NA-1 on Vero cells was observed with transmission electron microscope. There were different replication processes between F48E9 and NA-1 on cells at different stages. NA-1 had stronger adaptability to host than F48E9 according to budding processes and envelope integrity.

Isolation and identification of a canine coronavirus strain from giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca).

Two giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) died of unknown causes in a Chinese zoo. The clinical disease profile suggested that the pandas may have suffered a viral infection. Therefore, a series of detection including virus isolation, electron microscopy, cytobiological assay, serum neutralization and RT-PCR were used to identify the virus. It was determined that the isolated virus was a canine coronavirus (CCV), on the basis of coronavirus, neutralization by canine anti-CCV serum, and 84.3% to 100% amino acid sequence similarity with CCV. The results suggest that the affected pandas had been infected with CCV.

[Emergency prophylactic effects of the avian influenza virus immunized serum on the infected mice].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate emergency prophylactic effects of the avian influenza virus immunized serum on experimentally infected mice. METHODS: Serum HI antibody titers of 30 mice were detected at day 1 to 19 after being inoculated with 0.2 ml immune serum to estimate half life of immune serum. Ten mice clinical symptom was recorded to estimate the serum security after mice injected 1.5 ml immune serum. Seventy mice were randomly divided into 7 groups according to random number table and inoculated with 0.2 ml, 0.1 ml and 0.05 ml immune serum respectively via intraperitoneal injection on day 8, 4 and 1 prior to challenged with 10 LD(50) influenza virus intranasal. Mice were observed continually for 14 days to calculate the morbidity, mortality, average survival days and compare the lung index and viral titers in lung. RESULTS: Serum HI antibody titers of mice which inoculated with 0.2 ml immune serum maintained 2(6) in 15 days after injection, but drawdown after day 17, the mice injected 1.5 ml immune serum were all alive and none onset. The survival rate of mice which injected 0.2 ml serum on the day 8, 4, 1 before challenge was 80%, 100% and 100%, and the average survival period was 13.1 days, 14.0 days and 14.0 days respectively. The survival rate of mice which injected 0.1 ml and 0.05 ml serum on day 1 before challenge was 100% and 50%, and the average survival days were 14.0 days and 11.7 days respectively. The mice lung index of experimental groups (0.0096 +/- 0.0033 - 0.0145 +/- 0.0060) was smaller than that of viral control group (0.0199 +/- 0.0025), with a statistical significance (P value 0.0022 - 0.0470, < 0.05). The viral titers in lung were significantly decreased by 2 titer as compared to the viral controls. CONCLUSION: The avian influenza virus immunized serum might contain the emergency prophylactic effects and could be developed as an agent for possible human-avian influenza pandemic.

[Study on the histopathology of cats inoculated with H5N1 subtype high pathogenic avian influenza virus originated from tigers].

In this study, the HPAIV A/Tiger/Harbin/01/2002 (H5N1) used was originated from tigers and propagated in SPF embryonated hen eggs. TCID5, of the virus was 10(-7.36)/0. 05mL on MDCK cell. The cats were inoculated through bronchus route and then, the cats of dead and control were collected for histopathological and immunohistochemistry examination. Meanwhile, the emulsion supernatant fluid of organs and the pharyngeal swab samples of the dead cats were collected for RT-PCR, survived cats and the control cats were tested for the presence of HI antibody by standard method. The results indicated that the damage of lungs from the dead cats were most obvious, the wide range of red consolidation focus emerged on the lobus pulmonis, the fused focus of infection caused injury of lungs. Histology under the microscope revealed diffuse alveolar damage, confluence phlegmasia pathology, infiltration of lymphomonocytes, sackful of infiltration of macrophages and manipulus protein-like effusion in the alveolar. By immunohistochemistry, the positively stained virus particles were found on the epithelial cells of bronchus and alveolus, and also in the endochylema of lymphomonocytes. The specific electophoretic band of 464bp amplified by RT-PCR from samples of pharyngeal swabs, lungs, kidneys, hearts and brains was as same as the theory value. HI antibody titers of the survived cat were 1:32.

[Selection of recombinant fowlpox virus coexpressing HIV-1 gag-gp120 and IL-6].

OBJECTIVE: To construct the recombinant fowlpox virus (rFPV) coexpressing HIV-1 gag-gp120 and hIL-6. METHODS: The recombinant expressing plasmid pUTA-GE-IL6 was successfully constructed by inserting gag-gp120 gene and hIL-6 gene into the downstream of the combined promoter ATI-p7.5 and p7.5 tandem promoter respectively. After transfecting the plasmid into chicken embryonic fibroblast (CEF) cells preinfected with FPV 282E4 strain and selecting the recombinant virus under the pressure of BUdR. The recombinant virus was analyzed by nucleic acid probe hybridization and immunoblotting. In addition, the formation of virus-like particle and the expression of interested proteins in the recombinant virus-infected p815 cells were observed, and the immunogenicity of the recombinant virus was also analyzed. RESULTS: There was colorable dot for the positive recombinant virus, immunoblotting analysis showed that the recombinant virus could expressed both gag-gp120 and IL-6. Virus-like particles (VLP) were formed in virus-infected cells, and the interested proteins could be expressed in mammalian cells infected by the recombinant virus. The immunity index from the immunized mice showed that the recombinant virus had good immunogenicity. CONCLUSION: The recombinant fowlpox virus coexpressing gag-gp120 and IL-6 was successfully constructed, which may provide basis for the preparation of live vector genetic engineering vaccine and macromolecule particle vaccine against HIV-1.