Cortical mapping of callosal connections in healthy young adults.

The corpus callosum (CC) is the principal white matter bundle supporting communication between the two brain hemispheres. Despite its importance, a comprehensive mapping of callosal connections is still lacking. Here, we constructed the first bidirectional population-based callosal connectional atlas between the midsagittal section of the CC and the cerebral cortex of the human brain by means of diffusion-weighted imaging tractography. The estimated connectional topographic maps within this atlas have the most fine-grained spatial resolution, demonstrate histological validity, and were reproducible in two independent samples. This new resource, a complete and comprehensive atlas, will facilitate the investigation of interhemispheric communication and come with a user-friendly companion online tool (CCmapping) for easy access and visualization of the atlas.

Callosal Fiber Length Scales with Brain Size According to Functional Lateralization, Evolution, and Development.

Brain size significantly impacts the organization of white matter fibers. Fiber length scaling, the degree to which fiber length varies according to brain size, was overlooked. We investigated how fiber lengths within the corpus callosum, the most prominent white matter tract, vary according to brain size. The results showed substantial variation in length scaling among callosal fibers, replicated in two large healthy cohorts (∼2000 human subjects, including both sexes). The underscaled callosal fibers mainly connected the precentral gyrus and parietal cortices, whereas the overscaled callosal fibers mainly connected the prefrontal cortices. The variation in such length scaling was biologically meaningful: larger scaling corresponded to larger neurite density index but smaller fractional anisotropy values; cortical regions connected by the callosal fibers with larger scaling were more lateralized functionally as well as phylogenetically and ontogenetically more recent than their counterparts. These findings highlight an interaction between interhemispheric communication and organizational and adaptive principles underlying brain development and evolution.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Brain size varies across evolution, development, and individuals. Relative to small brains, the neural fiber length in large brains is inevitably increased, but the degree of such increase may differ between fiber tracts. Such a difference, if it exists, is valuable for understanding adaptive neural principles in large versus small brains during evolution and development. The present study showed a substantial difference in the length increase between the callosal fibers that connect the two hemispheres, replicated in two large healthy cohorts. Together, our study demonstrates that reorganization of interhemispheric fibers length according to brain size is intrinsically related to fiber composition, functional lateralization, cortical myelin content, and evolutionary and developmental expansion.

Novel EBV LMP-2-affibody and affitoxin in molecular imaging and targeted therapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is closely linked to several human malignancies including endemic Burkitt's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPC). Latent membrane protein 2 (LMP-2) of EBV plays a pivotal role in pathogenesis of EBV-related tumors and thus, is a potential target for diagnosis and targeted therapy of EBV LMP-2+ malignant cancers. Affibody molecules are developing as imaging probes and tumor-targeted delivery of small molecules. In this study, four EBV LMP-2-binding affibodies (ZEBV LMP-212, ZEBV LMP-2132, ZEBV LMP-2137, and ZEBV LMP-2142) were identified by screening a phage-displayed LMP-2 peptide library for molecular imaging and targeted therapy in EBV xenograft mice model. ZEBV LMP-2 affibody has high binding affinity for EBV LMP-2 and accumulates in mouse tumor derived from EBV LMP-2+ xenografts for 24 h after intravenous (IV) injection. Subsequent fusion of Pseudomonas exotoxin PE38KDEL to the ZEBV LMP-2 142 affibody led to production of Z142X affitoxin. This fused Z142X affitoxin exhibits high cytotoxicity specific for EBV+ cells in vitro and significant antitumor effect in mice bearing EBV+ tumor xenografts by IV injection. The data provide the proof of principle that EBV LMP-2-speicifc affibody molecules are useful for molecular imaging diagnosis and have potentials for targeted therapy of LMP-2-expressing EBV malignancies.

Female calls promote song learning in male juvenile zebra finches.

Social interactions promote vocal learning, but the impact of social feedback on this process and its neural circuitry is not well understood. We studied song imitation in juvenile male zebra finches raised either in the presence or absence of adult females. Juveniles learned songs more accurately with a female present, suggesting her presence improves imitation. When female calls correlated with practice, tutees' songs better resembled the tutor's, hinting toward the possibility that females provide practice-specific vocalizations. Intracellular recordings of HVC projection neurons revealed that a subset of these neurons in both juveniles and adults is sensitive to female calls during listening, suggesting a consistent neural mechanism for processing important vocalizations, regardless of age. However, call-related neural responses during singing were observed only in juveniles. These findings highlight how vocalizations, beyond those of the tutor, influence the neural circuits for vocal learning and production.

Novel ELISA for serodiagnosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on a B cell epitope of Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein 2.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is widespread and is associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Serological detection of EBV is commonly used for screening, diagnosis and epidemiological surveys of NPC. In the present study, a novel B cell multi-epitope peptide fusion protein (EBV-LMP2-3B), which is composed of three B cell linear epitopes (RIEDPPFNSLL, TLNLT and KSLSSTEFIPN) of EBV latent membrane protein 2 (LMP2), was expressed in a prokaryotic expression system and purified using Ni2+-nitrilotriacetate-Sepharose. The immunogenicity and binding specificity of EBV-LMP2-3B were evaluated on the basis of antibody responses in immunized BALB/c mice, western blotting and indirect immunofluorescence assay. Evaluation of EBV-LMP2-3B as a serological diagnostic reagent was performed using an indirect ELISA in 198 patients with NPC and 102 healthy adults. These results revealed that EBV-LMP2-3B was able to eliminate the high-titer serum antibody response in BALB/c mice. Western blot analysis and indirect immunofluorescence assay confirmed that the mouse immune sera recognized the native LMP2. Compared with healthy adults, patients with NPC demonstrated significantly greater reactivity to EBV-LMP2-3B (P<0.05). Furthermore, it was possible to effectively detect specific IgG in sera from patients with NPC, with a sensitivity of 91.91% and specificity of 93.14%, representing an improvement over the traditional viral capsid antigen-IgA-based detection method with 59.59% sensitivity and 75.49% specificity. In conclusion, the EBV-LMP2-3B protein may be used as a serological diagnostic reagent to screen for and diagnose NPC.

DNA plasmid vaccine carrying Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) major outer membrane and human papillomavirus 16L2 proteins for anti-Ct infection.

Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is one of the most frequently encountered sexual infection all over the world, yielding tremendous reproductive problems (e.g. infertility and ectopic pregnancy) in the women. This work described the design of a plasmid vaccine that protect mice from Ct infection, and reduce productive tract damage by generating effective antibody and cytotoxic T cell immunity. The vaccine, s was composed of MOMP multi-epitope and HPV16L2 genes carried in pcDNA plasmid (i.e. pcDNA3.1/MOMP/HPV16L). In transfection, the vaccine expressed the chimeric genes (i.e. MOMP and HPV16L2), as demonstrated via western blot, RT-PCR and fluorescence imaging. In vitro, the vaccine transfected COS-7 cells and expressed the proteins corresponding to the genes carried in the vaccine. Through intramuscular immunization in BALB/c mice, the vaccine induced higher levels of anti-Ct IgG titer, anti-HPV16L2 IgG titer in serum and IgA titer in local mucosal secretions, compared to plasmid vaccines that carry only Ct MOMP multi-epitope or HPV16L2 chimeric component only. In mice intravaginally challenged with Ct, the vaccines pcDNA3.1/MOMP/HPV16L2 generated a higher level of genital protection compared to other vaccine formulations. Additionally, histochemical staining indicated that pcDNA3.1/MOMP/HPV16L2 eliminated mouse genital tract tissue pathologies induced by Ct infection. This work demonstrated that pcDNA/MOMP/HPV16L2 vaccine can protect against Ct infection by regulating antibody production, cytotoxic T cell killing functions and reducing pathological damage in mice genital tract. This work can potentially offer us a new vaccine platform against Ct infection.

Generation of affibody molecules specific for HPV16 E7 recognition.

Cervical cancer caused by infection with high-risk human papillomavirus remains to be the most deadly gynecologic malignancy worldwide. It is well documented that persistent expression of two oncogenes (E6/E7) plays the key roles in cervical cancer. Thus, in vivo detection of the oncoproteins is very important for the diagnosis of the cancer. Recently, affibody molecules have been demonstrated to be a powerful targeting probe for tumor-targeted imaging and diagnosis. In this study, four HPV16 E7-binding affibody molecules (Z HPV16 E7127, Z HPV16E7301, Z HPV16E7384 and Z HPV16E7745) were screened from a phage-displayed peptide library and used for molecular imaging in tumor-bearing mice. Biosensor binding analyses showed first that the four affibody molecules bound to HPV16 E7 with very high affinity and specificity. They co-localized with E7 protein only in two HPV16-positive cancer cells (SiHa and CaSki). Furthermore, affibody ZHPV16E7384 was conjugated with Dylight755 and used for in vivo tumor-imaging. Strongly high-contrast tumor retention of this affibody only occurred in HPV16-derived tumors of mice as early as 30 min post-injection, not in HPV-negative and HPV18-derived tumors. The accumulation of Dylight755-conjugated ZHPV16E7384 in tumor was achieved over a longer time period (24 h). The data here provide strong evidence that E7-specific affibody molecules have great potential used for molecular imaging and diagnosis of HPV-induced cancers.

Hepatitis B virus core antigen as a carrier for Chlamydia trachomatis MOMP multi-epitope peptide enhances protection against genital chlamydial infection.

Chlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is the leading cause of sexually transmitted diseases worldwide. There is no safe and effective vaccine to control the spread of Ct. In development of Ct vaccine, selection of appropriate candidate antigens and an effective delivery system may be the main challenges. Multi-epitope of major outer membrane protein (MOMPm) is the most suitable candidate for a Ct vaccine, while hepatitis B virus core antigen (HBcAg) has unique advantages as vaccine delivery system. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity and protective immune response of a novel candidate vaccine in a murine model of chlamydial genital infection. This candidate vaccine comprises MOMPm peptide delivered with HBcAg. Our results of Ct-specific serum IgG and secretory IgA assay, cytokine assay, and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte assay revealed that immunogenicity of the candidate vaccine was much better than that of the corresponding synthetic MOMPm peptide. Furthermore, the protective effect of the candidate vaccine was also shown much better than that of the synthetic peptide by calculating the isolation of Chlamydia from vaginal swabs and histopathological analysis. Taken together, our results indicate that HBcAg carrying Ct MOMPm could be an effective immune prophylactic for chlamydial infection.