Mosaic variegated aneuploidy syndrome with tetraploid, and predisposition to male infertility triggered by mutant CEP192.

In this study, we report on mosaic variegated aneuploidy (MVA) syndrome with tetraploidy and predisposition to infertility in a family. Sequencing analysis identified that the CEP192 biallelic variants (c.1912C>T, p.His638Tyr and c.5750A>G, p.Asn1917Ser) segregated with microcephaly, short stature, limb-extremity dysplasia, and reduced testicular size, while CEP192 monoallelic variants segregated with infertility and/or reduced testicular size in the family. In 1,264 unrelated patients, variant screening for CEP192 identified a same variant (c.5750A>G, p.Asn1917Ser) and other variants significantly associated with infertility. Two lines of Cep192 mice model that are equivalent to human variants were generated. Embryos with Cep192 biallelic variants arrested at E7 because of cell apoptosis mediated by MVA/tetraploidy cell acumination. Mice with heterozygous variants replicated the predisposition to male infertility. Mouse primary embryonic fibroblasts with Cep192 biallelic variants cultured in vitro showed abnormal morphology, mitotic arresting, and disruption of spindle formation. In patient epithelial cells with biallelic variants cultured in vitro, the number of cells arrested during the prophase increased because of the failure of spindle formation. Accordingly, we present mutant CEP192, which is a link for the MVA syndrome with tetraploidy and the predisposition to male infertility.

Genetic analysis of novel pathogenic gene HROB in a family with primary ovarian insufficiency. / åŽŸå‘æ€§åµå·¢å‘è‚²ä¸å ¨ä¸€å®¶ç³»HROBè‡´ç— ç­‰ä½åŸºå› é—ä¼ å­¦åˆ†æž.

A 13-year and 6-month-old girl attended the Hunan Children's Hospital due to delayed menarche. The laboratory test results indicated increased follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, decreased anti-Mullerian hormone, and pelvic ultrasound showed a cord-like uterus and absence of bilateral ovaries. Her 11-year and 5-month-old younger sister had the same laboratory and imaging findings, and both girls were diagnosed with primary ovarian insufficiency. Whole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing confirmed that the proband and her sister carried heterozygous variants of HROB gene c.718C>T (p.Arg240*) and c.1351C>T (p.Arg451*), which were inherited from their parents respectively and consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance. Oral estradiol valerate at an initial dose of 0.125 mg/d was given to the proband, and the secondary sexual characteristics began to develop after 6 months.

Sex differences exist in adult heart group 2 innate lymphoid cells.

BACKGROUND: Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are the most dominant ILCs in heart tissue, and sex-related differences exist in mouse lung ILC2 phenotypes and functions; however, it is still unclear whether there are sex differences in heart ILC2s. RESULTS: Compared with age-matched wild-type (WT) male mice, 8-week-old but not 3-week-old WT female mice harbored an obviously greater percentage and number of heart ILC2s in homeostasis. However, the percentage of killer-cell lectin-like receptor G1 (Klrg1)- ILC2s was higher, but the Klrg1+ ILC2s were lower in female mice than in male mice in both heart tissues of 3- and 8-week-old mice. Eight-week-old Rag2-/- mice also showed sex differences similar to those of age-matched WT mice. Regarding surface marker expression, compared to age-matched male mice, WT female mice showed higher expression of CD90.2 and Ki67 and lower expression of Klrg1 and Sca-1 in heart total ILC2s. There was no sex difference in IL-4 and IL-5 secretion by male and female mouse heart ILC2s. Increased IL-33 mRNA levels within the heart tissues were also found in female mice compared with male mice. By reanalyzing published single-cell RNA sequencing data, we found 2 differentially expressed genes between female and male mouse heart ILC2s. Gene set variation analysis revealed that the glycine, serine and threonine metabolism pathway was upregulated in female heart ILC2s. Subcluster analysis revealed that one cluster of heart ILC2s with relatively lower expression of Semaphorin 4a and thioredoxin interacting protein but higher expression of hypoxia-inducible lipid droplet-associated. CONCLUSIONS: These results revealed greater numbers of ILC2s, higher expression of CD90.2, reduced Klrg1 and Sca-1 expression in the hearts of female mice than in male mice and no sex difference in IL-4 and IL-5 production in male and female mouse heart ILC2s. These sex differences in heart ILC2s might be due to the heterogeneity of IL-33 within the heart tissue.

Case Report: MYO5B Homozygous Variant c.2090+3A>T Causes Intron Retention Related to Chronic Cholestasis and Diarrhea.

Background: Biallelically mutated MYO5B is associated with microvillus inclusion disease (MVID, MIM: 251850), cholestasis, or both. This study aims at validating the splicing alteration and clinical features of an intron variant for diagnosis. Case Presentation: A homozygous variant of MYO5B, NM_001080467.2:c.2090+3A > T (NP_001073936.1:p.?) in intron 17, was identified in a patient suffering from chronic cholestasis and diarrhea. Functional validation showed that this variant caused 185 bp of intron retention in its mRNA and was predicted to present a premature translation termination site for myoVb (p.Arg697fs*47) in the head motor domain. In addition, bowel biopsy revealed decreased microvilli and local lesions of microvillus inclusion in the duodena of the patient. The patient was presented with neonatal cholestasis leading to cirrhosis, intractable diarrhea, cholelithiasis, hepatic cyst, corneal opacity, and failure to thrive. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated an intronic homozygous variant of MYO5B that affected an intron, subsequently altering splicing and leading to combined cholestasis and MVID. Our results further supported the underlying genotype-phenotype correlations and extended clinical practices toward its diagnosis and management.

Case Report: A de novo Variant of CRYGC Gene Associated With Congenital Cataract and Microphthalmia.

Background: Congenital cataract is one of the most common causes of blindness in children. A rapid and accurate genetic diagnosis benefit the patients in the pediatric department. The current study aims to identify the genetic defects in a congenital cataract patient without a family history. Case presentation: A congenital cataract patient with microphthalmia and nystagmus was recruited for this study. Trio-based whole-exome sequencing revealed a de novo variant (c.394delG, p.V132Sfs*15) in CRYGC gene. According to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) criteria, the variant could be annontated as pathogenic. Conclusion: Our findings provide new knowledge of the variant spectrum of CRYGC gene and are essential for understanding the heterogeneity of cataracts in the Chinese population.

Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation represses the early immune response against murine cytomegalovirus but enhances NK cell effector function.

BACKGROUND: Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) supplementation is beneficial for several chronic diseases; however, its effect on immune regulation is still debated. Given the prevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and because natural killer (NK) cells are a component of innate immunity critical for controlling CMV infection, the current study explored the effect of a DHA-enriched diet on susceptibility to murine (M) CMV infection and the NK cell effector response to MCMV infection. RESULTS: Male C57BL/6 mice fed a control or DHA-enriched diet for 3 weeks were infected with MCMV and sacrificed at the indicated time points postinfection. Compared with control mice, DHA-fed mice had higher liver and spleen viral loads at day 7 postinfection, but final MCMV clearance was not affected. The total numbers of NK cells and their terminal mature cell subset (KLRG1+ and Ly49H+ NK cells) were reduced compared with those in control mice at day 7 postinfection but not day 21. DHA feeding resulted in higher IFN-γ and granzyme B expression in splenic NK cells at day 7 postinfection. A mechanistic analysis showed that the splenic NK cells of DHA-fed mice had enhanced glucose uptake, increased CD71 and CD98 expression, and higher mitochondrial mass than control mice. In addition, DHA-fed mice showed reductions in the total numbers and activation levels of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that DHA supplementation represses the early response to CMV infection but preserves NK cell effector functions by improving mitochondrial activity, which may play critical roles in subsequent MCMV clearance.

Identification of nafamostat mesylate as a selective stimulator of NK cell IFN-γ production via metabolism-related compound library screening.

Natural killer (NK) cells play important roles in controlling virus-infected and malignant cells. The identification of new molecules that can activate NK cells may effectively improve the antiviral and antitumour activities of these cells. In this study, by using a commercially available metabolism-related compound library, we initially screened the capacity of compounds to activate NK cells by determining the ratio of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ)+ NK cells by flow cytometry after the incubation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with IL-12 or IL-15 for 18 h. Our data showed that eight compounds (nafamostat mesylate (NM), loganin, fluvastatin sodium, atorvastatin calcium, lovastatin, simvastatin, rosuvastatin calcium, and pitavastatin calcium) and three compounds (NM, elesclomol, and simvastatin) increased the proportions of NK cells and CD3+ T cells that expressed IFN-γ among PBMCs cultured with IL-12 and IL-15, respectively. When incubated with enriched NK cells (purity ≥ 80.0%), only NM enhanced NK cell IFN-γ production in the presence of IL-12 or IL-15. When incubated with purified NK cells (purity ≥ 99.0%), NM promoted NK cell IFN-γ secretion in the presence or absence of IL-18. However, NM showed no effect on NK cell cytotoxicity. Collectively, our study identifies NM as a selective stimulator of IFN-γ production by NK cells, providing a new strategy for the prevention and treatment of infection or cancer in select populations.

Screening for Active Compounds Targeting Human Natural Killer Cell Activation Identifying Daphnetin as an Enhancer for IFN-γ Production and Direct Cytotoxicity.

Natural killer (NK) cells are a potent weapon against tumor and viral infection. Finding active compounds with the capacity of enhancing NK cell effector functions will be effective to develop new anti-cancer drugs. In this study, we initially screened 287 commercially available active compounds by co-culturing with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We found that five compounds, namely, Daphnetin, MK-8617, LW6, JIB-04, and IOX1, increased the IFN-γ+ NK cell ratio in the presence of IL-12. Further studies using purified human primary NK cells revealed that Daphnetin directly promoted NK cell IFN-γ production in the presence of IL-12 but not IL-15, while the other four compounds acted on NK cells indirectly. Daphnetin also improved the direct cytotoxicity of NK cells against tumor cells in the presence of IL-12. Through RNA-sequencing, we found that PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling acted as a central pathway in Daphnetin-mediated NK cell activation in the presence of IL-12. This was further confirmed by the finding that both inhibitors of PI3K-Akt and its main downstream signaling mTOR, LY294002, and rapamycin, respectively, can reverse the increase of IFN-γ production and cytotoxicity in NK cells promoted by Daphnetin. Collectively, we identify a natural product, Daphnetin, with the capacity of promoting human NK cell activation via PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling in the presence of IL-12. Our current study opens up a new potential application for Daphnetin as a complementary immunomodulator for cancer treatments.

Conditional knockout of Tsc1 in RORγt-expressing cells induces brain damage and early death in mice.

BACKGROUND: Tuberous sclerosis complex 1 (Tsc1) is known to regulate the development and function of various cell types, and RORγt is a critical transcription factor in the immune system. However, whether Tsc1 participates in regulating RORγt-expressing cells remains unknown. METHODS: We generated a mouse model in which Tsc1 was conditionally deleted from RORγt-expressing cells (Tsc1RORγt) to study the role of RORγt-expressing cells with Tsc1 deficiency in brain homeostasis. RESULTS: Type 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) in Tsc1RORγt mice displayed normal development and function, and the mice showed normal Th17 cell differentiation. However, Tsc1RORγt mice exhibited spontaneous tonic-clonic seizures and died between 4 and 6 weeks after birth. At the age of 4 weeks, mice in which Tsc1 was specifically knocked out in RORγt-expressing cells had cortical neuron defects and hippocampal structural abnormalities. Notably, over-activation of neurons and astrogliosis were observed in the cortex and hippocampus of Tsc1RORγt mice. Moreover, expression of the γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) receptor in the brains of Tsc1RORγt mice was decreased, and GABA supplementation prolonged the lifespan of the mice to some extent. Further experiments revealed the presence of a group of rare RORγt-expressing cells with high metabolic activity in the mouse brain. CONCLUSIONS: Our study verifies the critical role of previously unnoticed RORγt-expressing cells in the brain and demonstrates that the Tsc1 signaling pathway in RORγt-expressing cells is important for maintaining brain homeostasis.

Synergy between SIRT1 and SIRT6 helps recognize DNA breaks and potentiates the DNA damage response and repair in humans and mice.

The DNA damage response (DDR) is a highly orchestrated process but how double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) are initially recognized is unclear. Here, we show that polymerized SIRT6 deacetylase recognizes DSBs and potentiates the DDR in human and mouse cells. First, SIRT1 deacetylates SIRT6 at residue K33, which is important for SIRT6 polymerization and mobilization toward DSBs. Then, K33-deacetylated SIRT6 anchors to γH2AX, allowing its retention on and subsequent remodeling of local chromatin. We show that a K33R mutation that mimics hypoacetylated SIRT6 can rescue defective DNA repair as a result of SIRT1 deficiency in cultured cells. These data highlight the synergistic action between SIRTs in the spatiotemporal regulation of the DDR and DNA repair in humans and mice.

IRF1 association with tumor immune microenvironment and use as a diagnostic biomarker for colorectal cancer recurrence.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is considered to be one of the most lethal cancer types globally, and its recurrence is a major treatment challenge. Identifying the factors involved when determining the risk of CRC recurrence is required to improve personalized therapy for patients with CRC. Based on the GSE39582 dataset, the present study demonstrated that a higher ratio of M1 macrophages and activated memory CD4+ T cells indicated a better recurrence-free survival (RFS) time for CRC, using CIBERSORT and Pearson's correlation analysis. Through weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA), an immune-associated module was identified that was significantly positively correlated with the ratio of M1 macrophages and activated memory CD4+ T cells. In this module, using WGCNA and a protein-protein interaction network, interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1), chemokine ligand 5, ubiquitin/ISG15-conjugating enzyme E2 L6, guanylate binding protein 1 and interleukin 2 receptor subunit beta were identified as hub genes. Among these genes, univariate Cox and multivariate Cox analysis revealed that IRF1 may be a potential diagnostic biomarker for RFS in patients with CRC. This was further validated using The Cancer Genome Atlas data. Gene set enrichment analysis demonstrated that IRF1 influenced the genes and pathways that are associated with immune cell recruitment and activation. Additionally, the DNA methylation of cg27587780 and cg15375424 CpG sites in the IRF1 gene region was indicated to be negatively correlated with IRF1 mRNA expression and positively correlated with the recurrence of CRC. Collectively, the results of the present study demonstrated that IRF1 may be a potential diagnostic biomarker for RFS in patients with CRC.

Vascular endothelium-targeted Sirt7 gene therapy rejuvenates blood vessels and extends life span in a Hutchinson-Gilford progeria model.

Vascular dysfunction is a typical characteristic of aging, but its contributing roles to systemic aging and the therapeutic potential are lacking experimental evidence. Here, we generated a knock-in mouse model with the causative Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) LmnaG609G mutation, called progerin. The Lmnaf/f ;TC mice with progerin expression induced by Tie2-Cre exhibit defective microvasculature and neovascularization, accelerated aging, and shortened life span. Single-cell transcriptomic analysis of murine lung endothelial cells revealed a substantial up-regulation of inflammatory response. Molecularly, progerin interacts and destabilizes deacylase Sirt7; ectopic expression of Sirt7 alleviates the inflammatory response caused by progerin in endothelial cells. Vascular endothelium-targeted Sirt7 gene therapy, driven by an ICAM2 promoter, improves neovascularization, ameliorates aging features, and extends life span in Lmnaf/f ;TC mice. These data support endothelial dysfunction as a primary trigger of systemic aging and highlight gene therapy as a potential strategy for the clinical treatment of HGPS and age-related vascular dysfunction.

Capillary Malformation-Arteriovenous Malformation Combined Alagille Syndrome in a Patient With Double Gene Variations of RASA1 and NOTCH2.

Background: Capillary malformation-arteriovenous malformation (CM-AVM) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by CMs, often in association with fast-flow vascular malformations. Alagille syndrome is an autosomal dominant multisystem disorder, usually involving hepatic, cardiac, ophthalmic, skeletal, or renal dysplasia. The combination of CM-AVM and Alagille syndrome in a patient presenting serious vascular malformations in the liver and heart has never been reported. Here, we report the case of a 20-month-old infant presenting these two diseases. Case presentation: The patient manifested port-wine stains, congenital heart disease, cholestasis with abnormal morphology, and vascular anomalies. Color Doppler (B-mode) ultrasonography, and radiological imaging including computed tomography (CT) with enhanced three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction and angiography, revealed a type II Abernethy malformation in the hepatic portal vein. The left hepatic lobe was enlarged showing dilation of the portal vein and the left artery. Whole exome sequencing (WES) identified a paternally inherited RASA1 heterozygous pathogenic variant p.(Ser219Ter) causing CM-AVM and a de novo NOTCH2 heterozygous variant p.(Met2042Thr) associated with Alagille syndrome. Conclusion: This is the first case of combined CM-AVM and Alagille syndrome presenting serious liver and heart abnormalities diagnosed using imaging technology and WES. The patient harbored variants in two genes: RASA1 and NOTCH2, which rarely contribute to aberrant vascular development. This report highlights the value of accurately diagnosing similar diseases and guiding therapy using genetic testing combined with careful clinical examinations.

SIRT7 couples light-driven body temperature cues to hepatic circadian phase coherence and gluconeogenesis.

The central pacemaker in the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) synchronizes peripheral oscillators to coordinate physiological and behavioural activities throughout the body. How circadian phase coherence between the SCN and the periphery is controlled is not well understood. Here, we identify hepatic SIRT7 as an early responsive element to light that ensures circadian phase coherence in the mouse liver. The SCN-driven body temperature (BT) oscillation induces rhythmic expression of HSP70, which promotes SIRT7 ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Acute temperature challenge dampens the BT oscillation and causes an advanced liver circadian phase. Further, hepatic SIRT7 deacetylates CRY1, promotes its FBXL3-mediated degradation and regulates the hepatic clock and glucose homeostasis. Loss of Sirt7 in mice leads to an advanced liver circadian phase and rapid entrainment of the hepatic clock upon daytime-restricted feeding. These data identify a BT-HSP70-SIRT7-CRY1 axis that couples the mouse hepatic clock to the central pacemaker and ensures circadian phase coherence and glucose homeostasis.

Circadian clock components RORα and Bmal1 mediate the anti-proliferative effect of MLN4924 in osteosarcoma cells.

The anticancer small molecule MLN4924, a Nedd8-activating enzyme (NAE) inhibitor, triggers cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, and senescence in cancer cells. In this study, we demonstrate that MLN4924 suppresses osteosarcoma cell proliferation by inducing G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Our results indicate that MLN4924 stabilizes the retinoid orphan nuclear receptor alpha (RORα) by decreasing its ubiquitination. RNA interference of RORα attenuates the anti-proliferative effect of MLN4924 in U2OS osteosarcoma cells. MLN4924 up-regulates the expression of p21 and Bmal1, two transcriptional targets of RORα. However, p21 plays a minimal role in the anti-proliferative effect of MLN4924 in U2OS osteosarcoma cells. In contrast, Bmal1 suppression by siRNA attenuates the anti-proliferative effect of MLN4924 in U2OS osteosarcoma cells, indicating that the MLN4924-mediated cell growth inhibition is mediated by Bmal1. These results show MLN4924 to be a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of osteosarcoma and suggest that MLN4924-induced tumor growth inhibition is mediated by the circadian clock components RORα and Bmal1.

Genetic and functional analysis of a Li Fraumeni syndrome family in China.

Li Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a rare familial cancer predisposition syndrome with autosomal-dominant inheritance, occurring as frequently as one in 5,000-20,000 individuals. However, no LFS case has been reported from mainland China although it constitutes one quarter of population on earth. In this study, we identified, to our best knowledge, the first Li Fraumeni syndrome family in China. Six family members were affected with various tumors. A TP53 mutation (c.730G > A; p.G244S) co-segregated with the tumor phenotype within this family. Functional analysis indicated that G244S mutation disrupted the transactivity, DNA-binding and cell growth inhibition activity of p53 protein. Two available tumor samples (medulloblastoma and choroid plexus papilloma) underwent large rearrangement in the chromosomes and loss of wild-type TP53. Our data warranted further studies on the prevalence of germline TP53 mutation in various tumor patients in China.

Schistosoma japonicum scFv-IL18 fusion DNA ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in schistosomiasis-infected mice via improving local concentration of IL-18 in liver.

The pathogenesis of chronic schistosomiasis is caused by irritation of the schistosome eggs trapped in liver that induce delayed hypersensitive reactions from the surrounding tissues, leading to the formation of inflammatory granuloma and subsequent fibrosis. A Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) single-chain fragment variable (SjscFv) which specifically binds to the S. japonicum soluble immature egg antigen (SIEA) can be used as a target to deliver specific cytokine towards the site of hepatic fibrosis. To test this hypothesis, a novel recombinant plasmid, pVAX1/SjscFv-IL18, was constructed by fusing SjscFv to IL-18 gene with a 45bp glycine-rich linker. Furthermore, experiments on mice showed that pVAX1/SjscFv-IL18 could effectively express IL-18 in the liver and in serum. Hepatic contents of IL-2 and IFN-γ (Th1-type) in S. japonicum-infected mice vaccinated with pVAX1/SjscFv-IL18 increased significantly but those of their IL-4 and IL-10 (Th2-type) decreased as compared to the analyzed results of 4 cytokines in the liver cells of control mice vccinated with pVAX1/IL18. Consistent with the levels of Th1 and Th2 cytokines, mice vaccinated with pVAX1/SjscFv-IL18 developed much less hepatic fibrosis 20weeks after infection, which was evaluated by average volumn of granuloma and collagen contents. These data suggested that the linkage of IL-18 to the target-specific SjscFv molecule appears to be a potentially promising trial route of therapy, the hepatic fibrosis in S. japonicum-infected mice may be ameliorated through effective expression of IL18 in liver.

Novel printed electrode immunosensors for Schistosoma japonicum.

OBJECTIVE: To improve the sensitivity and the linear range of electrochemical immunosensor to detect Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) antibody. METHODS: Carbon inks and silver/silver chloride inks were printed on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) board to make a two-electrode test strip, where carbon was the working electrode and S. japonicum soluble egg antigen (SEA) was fixed at one end of working electrode by different methods; silver/ silver chloride electrode was used as control. We tested the valency of the antibody by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) in an electrochemistry workstation, and conducted comparison with the results of ELISA. Two new immunosensing electrodes have been developed, based on glutaraldehyde cross-linked (GA) or chitosan-glutaraldehyde cross-linked (Chit-GA) transducer fixing S. japonicum antigen. We tested the titer of the antibody by means of CV and DPV. RESULTS: Our experimental S. japonicum antigen (50 µg/L) is the optimal test concentration for the GA sensor, and 10 µg/L for Chit-GA sensors. The immune reaction time of both electrodes is all essentially complete in 1 minute. The linear range for S. japonicum antibody in human positive serum sample detection by the glutaraldehyde cross-linked immunosensor is 1:1000 to 1:400, and by the chitosan-glutaraldehyde cross-linked immunosensor is 1:1000 to 1:500. As the concentration of dilution ratio of S. japonicum antibody in human positive serum sample increased, the test value of DPV increased proportionally. CONCLUSION: GA sensor and Chit-GA cross-linked S. japonicum sensors have high sensitivity and broad linear range response, and both exhibited a good linear relationship between the DPV signal and the test antibody titer.

Characterization and vaccination of two novel Schistosoma japonicum genes screened from a cercaria cDNA library.

Two novel genes, SJCWL05 and SJCWL06, were harvested from screening of Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) cercaria cDNA library by using pig sera vaccinated (VPS) with S. japonicum immature egg ws-vaccine (S. japonicum iEw). Prokaryotic recombinant plasmids pGEX-4T-1/SJCWL05 and pGEX-4T-1/SJCWL06 were constructed to analyze their immunogenicity, which was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Two eukaryotic recombinant plasmids, pcDNA3/SJCWL05 and pcDNA3/SJCWL06, were constructed, and their ability to protect mice against challenge of S. japonicum was evaluated. All mice vaccinated with pcDNA3/SJCWL05 or pcDNA3/SJCWL06 developed ELISA-specific anti-S. japonicum SIEA (S. japonicum soluble immature egg antigens) antibody. Immunoprotection experiments showed that worms and liver eggs reduced 34.64% and 39.14% in the pcDNA3/SJCWL05 group and those reduced 27.17% and 27.95% in the pcDNA3/SJCWL06 group, respectively. The reduction rates of intestine and uterine eggs in female worms of both groups reached 39.45% and 38.5% as well as 30.02% and 28.7%, respectively. Results of our study suggest that novel genes, SJCWL05 and SJCWL06, are potential vaccine candidates against schistosomiasis japonica.

Artificial preparation, indoor passage, and nature breed of Oncomelania hupensis infected with Schistosoma Japonicum.

OBJECTIVE: To prepare the infected Oncomelania hupensis by artificial method for the research on the activity, vaccine, and genetic variation of Schistosoma Japonicum (S. Japonicum). METHODS: The mature eggs of S. Japonicum were collected by Nylon silk method and the miracidia were incubated under appropriate conditions. Negative snails were infected with miracidia in different proportion by means of individual or collective infection to seek the best method and proportion of infection between miracidia and snails. Infected snails were divided into 12 groups in total. I-VI groups were for individual infection and VII-XII groups were for collective infection. There were 200 snails in each group. The infection ratios between snails and miracidia in Group I-VI or VII-XII were 1:0,1:5,1:10,1:15,1:20,1:25, respectively. The infected snails were screened, numbered, and reared singly. The amount of cercariae was calculated once every 10 days until the infected snails died. Then cercariae shedding quantity, infection quantity, and mortality of infected snails in every group were compared to find the best infection method and the best infection proportion between miracidia and snails. The cercariae were collected from the first generation of infected snails and were used to infect experimental animals. The mature eggs of S. Japonicum were saved from the infected experimental animals and incubated to get miracidia. The snails were artificially infected by miracidium to get the second generation of infected snails. The developmental rates of adult worms, the egg density in fecal and liver were compared between artificially and naturally infected snails. Results In individual infection Group I-VI,the average infection value of snails were 0 ± 0,22.7 ± 4.2,31.7 ± 4.5,53.0 ± 5.3,39.3 ± 5.9,32.7 ± 4.7,the average fatality of snails were 21.7 ± 3.1,25.0 ± 3.6,31.3 ± 4.9,44.7 ± 6.5,78.3 ± 9.5,89.7 ± 13.6, and the average value of cercariae shedding from infected snails were 0.0 ± 0.0,308.0 ± 96.6,428.1 ± 146.2,527.0 ± 171.1,571.4 ± 148.9,602.9 ± 356.3, respectively. In collective infection Group VII-XII,the average infection value of snails were 0 ± 0,12.3 ± 2.5,18.7 ± 4.7,28.3 ± 4.2,33.3 ± 4.7,29.3 ± 5.5,and the average fatality of snails were 22.7 ± 3.8,23.7 ± 4.5,28.3 ± 5.5,47.0 ± 9.5,75.7 ± 8.5,86.3 ± 12.2, and the average value of cercariae shedding from infected snails were 0 ± 0,244.5 ± 57.3,292.3 ± 74.8,347.1 ± 100.8,477.2 ± 142.1,447.3 ± 161.4, respectively. The second generation of artificially infected snails was obtained successfully. The average infection rate and fatality rate for the second generation of artificially infected snails were 24.65% and 24.50%, both of which were not obviously different from that of the first generation of artificially infected snails (P>0.05). In the animal experiment, the worm growth rate for the naturally infected snails, the first or second generation of artificially infected snails were 68.50%,73.50% or 71.00%. There was no obvious difference among them (P>0.05). The fecal (or liver) eggs per gram for the naturally infected snails, the first or the second generation of artificially infected snails were 1 503 ± 269,1 683 ± 233, or 1 541 ± 117 (or 6 641 ± 1 819,6 272 ± 1 419, or 7 263 ± 1 643). There was no significant difference among the 3 groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Infected snails can be obtained through the artificial method by using S. Japonicum miracidia to infect snails. Individual infection has the advantage over collective infection. The optimal proportion of infection between snails and miracidia is 1:15. There was no significant difference between the first and the second generation of artificially infected snails in the average of cercariae shedding, infection, and fatality average of snails. There was no significant difference between artificially and naturally infected snails in the developmental rate of adult worms, fecal and liver eggs per gram.