A Multifunctional CaII-EuIII Heterometallic Organic Framework with Sensing and Selective Adsorption in Water.

With increasing global industrialization, it is urgent and challenging to develop multifunctional species for detection and adsorption in the environment. For this purpose, a novel anionic heterometallic organic framework, [(CH3)2NH2][CaEu(CAM)2(H2O)2]·4H2O·4DMF (CaEuCAM), is hydrothermally synthesized based on chelidamic acid (H3CAM). Single crystal analysis shows that CaEuCAM features two different oxygen-rich channels along the c-axis in which one CAM3- bridges two sextuple-coordinated Ca2+ and two octuple-coordinated Eu3+ with a µ4-η1: η1: η1: η1: η1: η1 new chelating and bridging mode. The characteristic bright red emission and superior hydrostability of CaEuCAM under harsh acidic and basic conditions benefit it by acting as a highly sensitive sensor for Fe3+ and 3-nitrophenol (3-NP) with extremely low LODs through remarkable quenching. The combination of experiments and theoretical calculations for sensing mechanisms shows that the competitive absorption and interaction are responsible for Fe3+-induced selective emission quenching, while that for 3-NP is the result of the synergism of host-guest chemistry and the inner filter effect. Meanwhile, the assimilation of negative charge plus channels renders CaEuCAM a highly selective adsorbent for methylene blue (MB) due to a synergy of electrostatic affinity, ion-dipole interaction, and size matching. Of note is the reusability of CaEuCAM toward Fe3+/3-NP sensing and MB adsorption besides its fast response. These findings could be very useful in guiding the development of multifunctional Ln-MOFs for sensing and adsorption applications in water media.

Discovery of novel selective phosphodiesterase­1 inhibitors for the treatment of acute myelogenous leukemia.

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) is the most common form of acute leukemia in adults. PDE1 (Phosphodiesterase 1) is a subfamily of the PDE super-enzyme families that can hydrolyze the second messengers cAMP and cGMP simultaneously. Previous research has shown that suppressing the gene expression of PDE1 can trigger apoptosis of human leukemia cells. However, no selective PDE1 inhibitors have been used to explore whether PDE1 is a potential target for treating AML. Based on our previously reported PDE9/PDE1 dual inhibitor 11a, a series of novel pyrazolopyrimidinone derivatives were designed in this study. The lead compound 6c showed an IC50 of 7.5 nM against PDE1, excellent selectivity over other PDEs and good metabolic stability. In AML cells, compound 6c significantly inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis. Further experiments indicated that the apoptosis induced by 6c was through a mitochondria-dependent pathway by decreasing the ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and increasing the cleavage of caspase-3, 7, 9, and PARP. All these results suggested that PDE1 might be a novel target for AML.

I-scan combined with laryngovideostroboscopy for predicting malignancy in vocal fold leukoplakia.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated vocal fold leukoplakia using i-scan combined with laryngovideostroboscopy for risk assessment prediction. METHODS: A total of 141 patients with 218 lesions were enrolled in this study. Morphological characteristics of leukoplakia, assessment of the vascular pattern using i-scan, and vocal fold vibratory function were analyzed. RESULTS: The number of patients with no, mild, moderate, severe dysplasia, and invasive carcinoma were 68, 40, 17, 46 and 47, respectively. The sensitivity of morphological characteristic, vascular pattern, vibratory function and predictive model were 77.4%, 72%, 69.9%, and 82.8%, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of morphological characteristic, vascular pattern, vibratory function and predictive model were 0.771, 0.824, 0.769, and 0.923, respectively. The results of logistic regression analysis showed that rough morphological types, perpendicular vascular pattern, severe decrease and absence of mucosal waves increased the risk of malignancy (OR = 5.531, 4.973, and 16.992, respectively; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: I-scan combined with laryngovideostroboscopy can improve the differential diagnosis of low-risk and high-risk vocal fold leukoplakia.

Identification of Novel Quinolin-2(1H)-ones as Phosphodiesterase 1 Inhibitors for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Phosphodiesterase 1 (PDE1) is a subfamily of PDE super enzyme families that can hydrolyze cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate simultaneously. Currently, the number of PDE1 inhibitors is relatively few, significantly limiting their application. Herein, a novel series of quinolin-2(1H)-ones were designed rationally, leading to compound 10c with an IC50 of 15 nM against PDE1C, high selectivity across other PDEs, and remarkable safety properties. Furthermore, we used the lead compound 10c as a chemical tool to explore whether PDE1 could work as a novel potential target for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a disease which is a chronic, relapsing disorder of the gastrointestinal tract inflammation lacking effective treatment. Our results showed that administration of 10c exerted significant anti-IBD effects in the dextran sodium sulfate-induced mice model and alleviated the inflammatory response, indicating that PDE1 could work as a potent target for IBD.

Enhanced virulence of genetically engineered Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus owing to accelerated viral DNA replication aided by inserted ascovirus genes.

Genetic engineering technology is an ideal method to improve insecticidal efficiency by combining the advantages of different pathogenic microorganisms. Thus, six ascovirus genes were introduced into the genomic DNA of Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) to possibly transfer the intrinsically valuable insecticidal properties from ascovirus to baculovirus. The viral budded virus (BV) production and viral DNA replication ability of AcMNPV-111 and AcMNPV-165 were significantly stronger than that of AcMNPV-Egfp (used as the wild-type virus in this study), whereas AcMNPV-33 had reduced ones. AcMNPV-111 and AcMNPV-165 also exhibited excellent insecticidal efficiency in the in vivo bioassays: AcMNPV-111 showed a 24.1% decrease in the LT50 value and AcMNPV-165 exhibited a 56.3% decrease in the LD50 value compared with AcMNPV-Egfp against the 3rd instar of Spodoptera exigua larvae, respectively. Furthermore, the size of the occlusion bodies (OBs) of AcMNPV-33, AcMNPV-111, and AcMNPV-165 were significantly increased compared to that of AcMNPV-Egfp. AcMNPV-111 and AcMNPV-165 had stable virulence against the 2nd to 4th instars tested larvae and higher OB yield than AcMNPV-Egfp in the 3rd and 4th instar larvae. Correlation and regression analyses indicated that it is better to use 5 OBs/larva virus to infect the 2nd instar larvae to produce AcMNPV-111 and 50 OBs/larva virus to infect the 3rd instar larvae to produce AcMNPV-165. The results of this study obtained recombinant viruses with enhanced virulence and exhibited a diversity of ascovirus gene function based on the baculovirus platform, which provided a novel strategy for the improvement of baculovirus as a biological insecticide.

Mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo1 mediates mechanical ventilation-exacerbated ARDS-associated pulmonary fibrosis.

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary fibrosis is a major cause of the poor prognosis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). While mechanical ventilation (MV) is an indispensable life-saving intervention for ARDS, it may cause the remodeling process in lung epithelial cells to become disorganized and exacerbate ARDS-associated pulmonary fibrosis. Piezo1 is a mechanosensitive ion channel that is known to play a role in regulating diverse physiological processes, but whether Piezo1 is necessary for MV-exacerbated ARDS-associated pulmonary fibrosis remains unknown. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the role of Piezo1 in MV-exacerbated ARDS-associated pulmonary fibrosis. METHODS: Human lung epithelial cells were stimulated with hydrochloric acid (HCl) followed by mechanical stretch for 48 h. A two-hitmodel of MV afteracidaspiration-inducedlunginjuryin mice was used. Mice were sacrificed after 14 days of MV. Pharmacological inhibition and knockout of Piezo1 were used to delineate the role of Piezo1 in MV-exacerbated ARDS-associated pulmonary fibrosis. In some experiments, ATP or the ATP-hydrolyzing enzyme apyrase was administered. RESULTS: The stimulation of human lung epithelial cells to HCl resulted in phenotypes of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which were enhanced by mechanical stretching. MV exacerbated pulmonary fibrosis in mice exposed to HCl. Pharmacologicalinhibitionorknockout of Piezo1 attenuated the MV-exacerbated EMT process and lung fibrosis in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, the observed effects were mediated by Piezo1-dependent Ca2+ influx and ATP release in lung epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings identify a key role for Piezo1 in MV-exacerbated ARDS-associated pulmonary fibrosis that is mediated by increased ATP release in lung epithelial cells. Inhibiting Piezo1 may constitute a novelstrategyfor the treatment of MV-exacerbated ARDS-associated pulmonary fibrosis.

Structural Modifications of Nimodipine Lead to Novel PDE1 Inhibitors with Anti-pulmonary Fibrosis Effects.

Our previous research demonstrated that phosphodiesterase-1 (PDE1) could work as a potential target against idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Nimodipine, a calcium antagonist commonly used to improve hypertension, was reported to have inhibition against PDE1. Herein, a series of nimodipine analogues were discovered as novel selective and potent PDE1 inhibitors after structural modifications. Compound 2g exhibited excellent inhibitory activity against PDE1C (IC50 = 10 nM), high selectivity over other PDEs except for PDE4, and weak calcium channel antagonistic activity. Administration of compound 2g exhibited remarkable therapeutic effects in a rat model of pulmonary fibrosis induced by bleomycin and prevented myofibroblast differentiation induced by TGF-ß1. The expressions of PDE1B and PDE1C were found to be increased and concentrated in the focus of fibrosis. Compound 2g increased the levels of 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in the lungs of rats with pulmonary fibrosis, supporting the fact that the anti-fibrosis effects of 2g were through the regulation of cAMP and cGMP.

PDE1 inhibitors: a review of the recent patent literature (2008-present).

INTRODUCTION: PDE1 has been demonstrated to be a potential drug target for a variety of diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular disease. In the past decades, numerous PDE1 inhibitors with structural diversities have been developed and patented by pharmaceutical companies, providing drug candidates for exploring novel disease indications of PDE1. AREA COVERED: This review aims to provide an overview of PDE1 inhibitors reported in patents from 2008 to present. EXPERT OPINION: Among current PDE1 inhibitors, only a few of them showed high selectivity over other PDEs, which might cause severe side effects in the clinic. The development of highly selective PDE1 inhibitors is still the 'top priority' in the following research. The selective recognition mechanism of PDE1 with inhibitors should be further elucidated by X-ray crystallography in order to provide evidence for the rational design of selective PDE1 inhibitors. In addition, PDE1 inhibitors should be applied to different clinical indications beyond CNS diseases.

Unexpected BrdU inhibition on astrocyte-to-neuron conversion.

5-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) is a halogenated pyrimidine that can be incorporated into newly synthesized DNA during the S phase of the cell cycle. BrdU is widely used in fate-mapping studies of embryonic and adult neurogenesis to identify newborn neurons, however side effects on neural stem cells and their progeny have been reported. In vivo astrocyte-to-neuron (AtN) conversion is a new approach for generating newborn neurons by directly converting endogenous astrocytes into neurons. The BrdU-labeling strategy has been used to trace astrocyte-converted neurons, but whether BrdU has any effect on the AtN conversion is unknown. Here, while conducting a NeuroD1-mediated AtN conversion study using BrdU to label dividing reactive astrocytes following ischemic injury, we accidentally discovered that BrdU inhibited AtN conversion. We initially found a gradual reduction in BrdU-labeled astrocytes during NeuroD1-mediated AtN conversion in the mouse cortex. Although most NeuroD1-infected astrocytes were converted into neurons, the number of BrdU-labeled neurons was surprisingly low. To exclude the possibility that this BrdU inhibition was caused by the ischemic injury, we conducted an in vitro AtN conversion study by overexpressing NeuroD1 in cultured cortical astrocytes in the presence or absence of BrdU. Surprisingly, we also found a significantly lower conversion rate and a smaller number of converted neurons in the BrdU-treated group compared with the untreated group. These results revealed an unexpected inhibitory effect of BrdU on AtN conversion, suggesting more caution is needed when using BrdU in AtN conversion studies and in data interpretation.

3H-31, A Non-structural Protein of Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h, Inhibits the Host Larval Cathepsin and Chitinase Activities.

3h-31 of Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h (HvAV-3h) is a highly conserved gene of ascoviruses. As an early gene of HvAV-3h, 3h-31 codes for a non-structural protein (3H-31) of HvAV-3h. In the study, 3h-31 was initially transcribed and expressed at 3 h post-infection (hpi) in the infected Spodoptera exigua fat body cells (SeFB). 3h-31 was further inserted into the bacmid of Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) to generate an infectious baculovirus (AcMNPV-31). In vivo experiments showed that budded virus production and viral DNA replication decreased with the expression of 3H-31, and lucent tubular structures were found around the virogenic stroma in the AcMNPV-31-infected SeFB cells. In vivo, both LD50 and LD90 values of AcMNPV-31 were significantly higher than those of the wild-type AcMNPV (AcMNPV-wt) in third instar S. exigua larvae. An interesting finding was that the liquefaction of the larvae killed by the infection of AcMNPV-31 was delayed. Chitinase and cathepsin activities of AcMNPV-31-infected larvae were significantly lower than those of AcMNPV-wt-infected larvae. The possible regulatory function of the chitinase and cathepsin for 3H-31 was further confirmed by RNAi, which showed that larval cathepsin activity was significantly upregulated, but chitinase activity was not significantly changed due to the RNAi of 3h-31. Based on the obtained results, we assumed that the function of 3H-31 was associated with the inhibition of host larval chitinase and cathepsin activities, so as to restrain the hosts in their larval stages.

Regulation of Chitinase in Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) During Infection by Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h (HvAV-3h).

Insect chitinases play essential roles in the molting and metamorphosis of insects. The virus Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h (HvAV-3h) can prolong the total duration of the larval stage in its host larvae. In this study, the molecular character and function of chitinase and chitin-binding domain (CBD) were analyzed in larvae of Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). In detecting the chitinase activity of mock-infected and HvAV-3h-infected larval whole bodies and four different larval tissues, the results showed that larval chitinase activity was significantly decreased at 48 h post infection (hpi) and that the chitinase activity of HvAV-3h-infected larval fat body and cuticle was notably decreased at 144 and 168 hpi. The transcription level of S. exigua chitinase 7 (SeCHIT7) was down-regulated at the 6, 9, 12, 48, 72, and 96 hpi sample times, the S. exigua chitinase 11 (SeCHIT11) was down-regulated at 3-96 hpi, while both S. exigua chitinases (SeCHITs) were up-regulated at 120-168 hpi. Further tissue-specific detection of SeCHIT7 and SeCHIT11 transcription showed that SeCHIT7 was down-regulated at 144 and 168 hpi in the fat body and cuticle. SeCHIT11 was down-regulated at 168 hpi in the fat body, midgut, and cuticle. Additionally, the transcription and expression of S. exigua chitin-binding domain (SeCBD) could not be detected in HvAV-3h-infected larvae. The in vitro analyses of SeCHIT7N, SeCHIT11, and SeCBD showed that SeCHIT7N and SeCHIT11 were typical chitinases. Conversely, no chitinase activity was detected with SeCBD. SeCBD, however, could significantly increase the activity of SeCHIT7N and SeCHIT11. In conclusion, HvAV-3h not only interfered with the transcription and expression of SeCHITs but also affected the normal transcription and expression of SeCBD and, in doing so, influenced the host larval chitinase activity. These results will aid in providing a foundation for further studies on the pathogenesis of HvAV-3h.

NecroX-5 alleviate lipopolysaccharide-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome by inhibiting TXNIP/NLRP3 and NF-κB.

The activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB pathway, associating with oxidativestress, have been implicated in the development of acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). NecroX-5 has been reported to exhibit theeffectsofanti-oxidation and anti-stress in various diseases. However, the role of NecroX-5 in ALI has not been explicitly demonstrated. The aim of this study was to explore the therapeutic effects and potential mechanism action of NecroX-5 on ALI. Here, we found that NecroX-5 pretreatment dramatically diminished the levels of IL-1ß, IL-18 and ROS in in RAW264.7 cells challenged with LPS and ATP. Furthermore, NecroX-5 suppressed the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB signalpathway. In addition, NecroX-5 also inhibited the thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) expression. In vivo, NecroX-5 reduced the LPS-induced lung histopathological injury, the number of TUNEL-positive cells, lung wet/dry (W/D) ratio, levels of total protein and inflammatory cytokines in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) in mice. Additionally, LPS-induced upregulation of myeloperoxidase (MPO), ROS production and malondialdehyde (MDA) were inhibited by NecroX-5 administration. Thus, our results demonstrate that NecroX-5 protects against LPS-induced ALI by inhibiting TXNIP/NLRP3 and NF-κB.

Altering of host larval (Spodoptera exigua) calcineurin activity in response to ascovirus infection.

BACKGROUND: Calcineurin (CaN) is involved in numerous cellular processes and Ca2+ -dependent signal transduction pathways. According to our previous transcriptome studies, thousands of host larval (Spodoptera exigua) transcripts were downregulated after the infection of Heliothis virescent ascovirus 3h (HvAV-3h), while the Spodoptera exigua calcineurin genes (SeCaNs) were significantly upregulated. To understand the regulation of SeCaNs in S. exigua larvae during the infection of HvAV-3h, the functions of CaN subunit A (SeCaN-SubA) and CaN binding protein (SeCaN-BP) were analysed. RESULTS: The in vitro assays indicated that the bacterial expressed SeCaN-SubA is an acid phosphatase, but no phosphatase activity was detected with the purified SeCaN-BP. The transcription level of SeCaN-SubA was upregulated after HvAV-3h infection and the CaN activity was significantly increased after HvAV-3h infection in S. exigua larvae. Interestingly, the SeCaN-BP transcripts were only detectable in the HvAV-3h infected larvae. Further immunoblotting results consistently agree with those obtained by qPCR, indicating that the infection of HvAV-3h causes the upregulated expression of SeCaN-SubA and the appearance of SeCaN-BP. An interaction between the cleaved SeCaN-SubA and SeCaN-BP was detected by co-immunoprecipitation assays, and the expression of SeCaN-BP in Spodoptera frugiperda-9 (Sf9) cells can help to increase the CaN activity of SeCaN-SubA. Further investigations with CaN inhibitors suggested that HvAV-3h. Further investigations with CaN inhibitors suggested that the inhibition on host larval CaN activity can also inhibit the viral replication of HvAV-3h. CONCLUSION: The increase in CaN activity caused by HvAV-3h infection might be due to the upregulation of SeCaN-SubA and the induced expression of SeCaN-BP, and increased CaN activity is essential for ascoviral replication. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Identification of four caspase genes from Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and their regulations toward different apoptotic stimulations.

Apoptosis plays critical roles in multiple biological processes in multicellular organisms. Caspases are known as important participators and regulators of apoptosis. Here, four novel caspase genes of Spodoptera exigua were cloned and characterized, which were designated as SeCasp-1, SeCasp-6, SeCasp-7 and SeCasp-8. Analysis of the putative encoded protein sequences of these SeCasps indicated that SeCasp-1 and SeCasp-7 were possible homologs of executor caspases; SeCasp-8 was a possible homolog of initiator caspases; and SeCasp-6 was a unique caspase of S. exigua that shares low similarity with all the identified insect caspases. Based on baculovirus expression system analyses, SeCasp-1 exhibited similar caspase activity to human caspase-1, -3, -4, -6, -8 and -9; SeCasp-6 presented similar caspase activity to human caspase-2, -3, -4, -6, -8 and -9; SeCasp-7 exhibited similar caspase activity to human caspase-2, -3 and -6; and SeCasp-8 presented similar caspase activity only to human caspase-8. Induction with different chemicals revealed that SeCasp-1 showed extreme upregulation after 24 h in the treated fat body cell line (IOZCAS-Spex-II) of S. exigua. Developmental expression analysis revealed that SeCasp-1 was highly transcribed in the larval stages, while SeCasp-6, SeCasp-7, SeCasp-8 were down-regulated. The in vivo detection of the relative expression levels of SeCasps in S. eixgua larvae inoculated with different pathogens suggested that SeCasp-1 was sensitive to Bacillus thuringiensis infection and that SeCasp-6 was sensitive to baculovirus infection. SeCasp-7 and SeCasp-8 showed slight changes under either in vitro chemical apoptosis induction or in vivo pathogen infection.

Trichostatin A modulates the macrophage phenotype by enhancing autophagy to reduce inflammation during polymicrobial sepsis.

Sepsis is a syndrome of life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by dysregulated host responses to infection. Macrophage polarization is a key process involved in the pathogenesis of sepsis. Recent evidence has demonstrated that autophagy participates in the regulation of macrophage polarization in different phases of inflammation. Here, we investigated whether trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, promotes the macrophage M2 phenotype by enhancing autophagy to counteract excessive inflammation in a cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) mouse model. TSA stimulation increased the proportions of M2 marker (CD206, CD124 and CD23)-labeled RAW264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, with increasing TSA doses, autophagy was enhanced gradually. Interestingly, the autophagy activator rapamycin (Rap), also known as an mTOR inhibitor, unexpectedly decreased the proportions of M2 marker-labeled macrophages. However, TSA treatment reversed the Rap-induced decreases in CD206-labeled macrophages. Next, we stimulated different groups of RAW264.7 cells with the autophagy inhibitors MHY1485 or 3-methyladenine (3-MA). Inhibition of autophagy at any stage in the process suppressed TSA-induced macrophage M2 polarization, but the effect was not associated with mTOR activity. In vivo, TSA administration promoted peritoneal macrophage M2 polarization, increased LC3 II expression, attenuated sepsis-induced organ (lung, liver and kidney) injury, and altered systemic inflammatory cytokine secretion. However, 3-MA abolished the protective effects of TSA in CLP mice and decreased the number of M2 peritoneal macrophages. Therefore, TSA promotes the macrophage M2 phenotype by enhancing autophagy to reduce systemic inflammation and ultimately improves the survival of mice with polymicrobial sepsis.

In Vitro Infectious Risk Assessment of Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3j (HvAV-3j) toward Non-target Vertebrate Cells.

As specific pathogens of noctuid pests, including Spodoptera exigua, S. litura, Helicoverpa armigera, and Mythimna separata, ascoviruses are suitable for the development of bioinsecticides. In this study, the infectivity of Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3j (HvAV-3j) on insect and mammalian cells was evaluated. HvAV-3j infection induced drastic morphological changes in Sf9, HzAM1, SeFB, and HaFB cells, including swelling and detachment. Notably, the latter phenomena did not occur in HvAV-3j-inoculated mammalian cells (HEK293, 7402, HePG2, PK15, ST, and TM3). MTT assays indicated that HvAV-3j inhibited the growth of host insect cells from the 6th hpi, but no effects were detected in the HvAV-3j-inoculated mammalian cells. Furthermore, viral DNA replication, gene transcription, and protein expression were investigated, and the results consistently suggested that HvAV-3j viruses were not able to replicate their genomic DNA, transcribe, or express their proteins in the non-target vertebrate cells. The HvAV-3j genes were only transcribed and expressed in the four insect cell lines. These results indicated that HvAV-3j was infectious to cells derived from S. frugiperda, S. exigua, H. armigera, and H. zea but not to cells derived from human, pig, and mouse, suggesting that ascoviruses are safe to non-target vertebrate cells.

Activation of death-associated protein kinase 1 promotes neutrophil apoptosis to accelerate inflammatory resolution in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a uniform progression of overwhelming inflammation in lung tissue with extensive infiltration of inflammatory cells. Neutrophil apoptosis is thought to be a significant process in the control of the resolution phase of inflammation. It has been proved that 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (Aza) can inhibit cancer by activating death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) to promote apoptosis. However, the effect of DAPK1 on neutrophil apoptosis is unclear, and research on the role of Aza in inflammation is lacking. Here, we investigated whether Aza can regulate DAPK1 expression to influence the fate of neutrophils in ARDS. In vitro, we stimulated neutrophil-like HL-60 (dHL-60) cells with different concentrations of Aza for different durations and used RNA interference to up- or downregulate DAPK1 expression. We observed that culturing dHL-60 cells with Aza increased apoptosis by inhibiting NF-κB activation to modulate the expression of Bcl-2 family proteins, which was closely related to the levels of DAPK1. In vivo, ARDS was evoked by intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 3 mg/kg). One hour after LPS administration, mice were treated with Aza (1 mg/kg, i.p.). To inhibit DAPK1 expression, mice were intraperitoneally injected with a DAPK1 inhibitor. Aza treatment accelerated inflammatory resolution in LPS-induced ARDS by suppressing pulmonary edema, alleviating lung injury and decreasing the infiltration of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Moreover, Aza reduced the production of proinflammatory cytokines. However, administration of the DAPK1 inhibitor attenuated the protective effects of Aza. Similarly, the proapoptotic function of Aza was prevented when DAPK1 was inhibited either in vivo or in vitro. In summary, Aza promotes neutrophil apoptosis by activating DAPK1 to accelerate inflammatory resolution in LPS-induced ARDS. This study provides the first evidence that Aza prevents LPS-induced neutrophil survival by modulating DAPK1 expression.

Parasitism of Two Spodoptera spp. by Microplitis prodeniae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

Early instar larvae of the tobacco cutworm Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and the beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) are recognized hosts of the parasitic wasp Microplitis prodeniae Rao and Kurian (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), although M. prodeniae has previously been regarded as monophagous. In this study, we found the immature period and longevity of M. prodeniae developing in S. exigua was similar to that in S. litura. It was shown that the development time of M. prodeniae in S. exigua was 15.1 ± 0.3 d, not significantly different from 15.0 ± 0.2 d in S. litura. The parasitism rate of M. prodeniae attacking S. exigua was significantly lower than on S. litura (65.48 ± 2.29 and 43.83 ± 2.20%, respectively), whilst the female ratio of the wasp's offspring was not significantly different when developing on the two species. M. prodeniae females prefer to oviposit on the second- and third-instar host larvae of S. exigua, rather than other instars. The effects of development of M. prodeniae on two important lepidopterous pests are discussed.

Response analysis of host Spodoptera exigua larvae to infection by Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h (HvAV-3h) via transcriptome.

Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3 h (HvAV-3h), a dsDNA insect virus, belonging to the family Ascoviridae, can infect caterpillars of several Noctuidae species by ovipositing parasitoid wasps. In order to provide a comprehensive overview of the interactive responses of host larvae after infection by the ascovirus, a transcriptome analysis of Spodoptera exigua to HvAV-3h was conducted from 6 to 168 hours post infection (hpi). Approximately 101.64 Gb of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data obtained from infected and uninfected S. exigua larvae were used to perform a de novo transcriptome assembly, which generated approximately 62,258 S. exigua unigenes. Using differential gene expression analysis, it was determined that the majority of host transcripts were down-regulated beginning at 6 hpi and continuing throughout the infection period, although there was an increase in up-regulated unigene number during the 12 to 72 hpi stage. It is noteworthy that the most abundantly enriched pathways in KEGG annotation were Metabolism terms, indicating that the host larval metabolic mechanisms were highly influenced post HvAV-3h infection. In addition, the host cuticle protein encoding unigenes were highly down-regulated in most of the situations, suggesting that the host larval cuticle synthesis were inhibited by the viral infection.

An ultrasound study of altered hydration behaviour of proteoglycan-degraded articular cartilage.

BACKGROUND: Articular cartilage is a solid-fluid biphasic material covering the bony ends of articulating joints. Hydration of articular cartilage is important to joint lubrication and weight-wearing. The aims of this study are to measure the altered hydration behaviour of the proteoglycan-degraded articular cartilage using high-frequency ultrasound and then to investigate the effect of proteoglycan (PG) degradation on cartilage hydration. METHODS: Twelve porcine patellae with smooth cartilage surface were prepared and evenly divided into two groups: normal group without any enzyme treatment and trypsin group treated with 0.25% trypsin solution for 4 h to digest PG in the tissue. After 40-minute exposure to air at room temperature, the specimens were immerged into the physiological saline solution. The dehydration induced hydration behaviour of the specimen was monitored by the high-frequency (25 MHz) ultrasound pulser/receiver (P/R) system. Dynamic strain and equilibrium strain were extracted to quantitatively evaluate the hydration behaviour of the dehydrated cartilage tissues. RESULTS: The hydration progress of the dehydrated cartilage tissue was observed in M-mode ultrasound image indicating that the hydration behaviour of the PG-degraded specimens decreased. The percentage value of the equilibrium strain (1.84 ± 0.21%) of the PG-degraded cartilage significantly (p < 0.01) decreased in comparison with healthy cartilage (3.46 ± 0.49%). The histological sections demonstrated that almost PG content in the entire cartilage layer was digested by trypsin. CONCLUSION: Using high-frequency ultrasound, this study found a reduction in the hydration behaviour of the PG-degraded cartilage. The results indicated that the degradation of PG decreased the hydration capability of the dehydrated tissue. This study may provide useful information for further study on changes in the biomechanical property of articular cartilage in osteoarthritis.