Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal-Stem-Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Reduce Skin Inflammation In Vitro.

The protective roles of extracellular vesicles derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells against oxazolone-induced damage in the immortalized human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT were investigated. The cells were pretreated with or without UCMSC-derived extracellular vesicles 24 h before oxazolone exposure. The pretreated UVMSC-EVs showed protective activity, elevating cell viability, reducing intracellular ROS, and reducing the changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential compared to the cells with a direct oxazolone treatment alone. The UCMSC-EVs exhibited anti-inflammatory activity via reducing the inflammatory cytokines IL-1ß and TNF-α. A mechanism study showed that the UCMSC-EVs increased the protein expression levels of SIRT1 and P53 and reduced P65 protein expression. It was concluded that UVMSC-EVs can induce the antioxidant defense systems of HaCaT cells and that they may have potential as functional ingredients in anti-aging cosmetics for skin care.

Helminth-induced interleukin-4 abrogates invariant natural killer T cell activation-associated clearance of bacterial infection.

Helminth infections affect 1 billion people worldwide and render these individuals susceptible to bacterial coinfection through incompletely understood mechanisms. This includes urinary tract coinfection by bacteria and Schistosoma haematobium worms, the etiologic agent of urogenital schistosomiasis. To study the mechanisms of S. haematobium-bacterial urinary tract coinfections, we combined the first tractable model of urogenital schistosomiasis with an established mouse model of bacterial urinary tract infection (UTI). A single bladder exposure to S. haematobium eggs triggers interleukin-4 (IL-4) production and makes BALB/c mice susceptible to bacterial UTI when they are otherwise resistant. Ablation of IL-4 receptor alpha (IL-4Rα) signaling restored the baseline resistance of BALB/c mice to bacterial UTI despite prior exposure to S. haematobium eggs. Interestingly, numbers of NKT cells were decreased in coexposed versus bacterially monoinfected bladders. Given that schistosome-induced, non-natural killer T (NKT) cell leukocyte infiltration may dilute NKT cell numbers in the bladders of coexposed mice without exerting a specific functional effect on these cells, we next examined NKT cell biology on a per-cell basis. Invariant NKT (iNKT) cells from coexposed mice expressed less gamma interferon (IFN-γ) per cell than did those from mice with UTI alone. Moreover, coexposure resulted in lower CD1d expression in bladder antigen-presenting cells (APC) than did bacterial UTI alone in an IL-4Rα-dependent fashion. Finally, coexposed mice were protected from prolonged bacterial infection by administration of α-galactosylceramide, an iNKT cell agonist. Our findings point to a previously unappreciated role for helminth-induced IL-4 in impairment of iNKT cell-mediated clearance of bacterial coexposure.

Sigma S-dependent antioxidant defense protects stationary-phase Escherichia coli against the bactericidal antibiotic gentamicin.

Stationary-phase bacteria are important in disease. The σ(s)-regulated general stress response helps them become resistant to disinfectants, but the role of σ(s) in bacterial antibiotic resistance has not been elucidated. Loss of σ(s) rendered stationary-phase Escherichia coli more sensitive to the bactericidal antibiotic gentamicin (Gm), and proteomic analysis suggested involvement of a weakened antioxidant defense. Use of the psfiA genetic reporter, 3'-(p-hydroxyphenyl) fluorescein (HPF) dye, and Amplex Red showed that Gm generated more reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the mutant. HPF measurements can be distorted by cell elongation, but Gm did not affect stationary-phase cell dimensions. Coadministration of the antioxidant N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) decreased drug lethality particularly in the mutant, as did Gm treatment under anaerobic conditions that prevent ROS formation. Greater oxidative stress, due to insufficient quenching of endogenous ROS and/or respiration-linked electron leakage, therefore contributed to the greater sensitivity of the mutant; infection by a uropathogenic strain in mice showed this to be the case also in vivo. Disruption of antioxidant defense by eliminating the quencher proteins, SodA/SodB and KatE/SodA, or the pentose phosphate pathway proteins, Zwf/Gnd and TalA, which provide NADPH for ROS decomposition, also generated greater oxidative stress and killing by Gm. Thus, besides its established mode of action, Gm also kills stationary-phase bacteria by generating oxidative stress, and targeting the antioxidant defense of E. coli can enhance its efficacy. Relevant aspects of the current controversy on the role of ROS in killing by bactericidal drugs of exponential-phase bacteria, which represent a different physiological state, are discussed.

IPSE, a urogenital parasite-derived immunomodulatory molecule, suppresses bladder pathogenesis and anti-microbial peptide gene expression in bacterial urinary tract infection.

BACKGROUND: Parasitic infections can increase susceptibility to bacterial co-infections. This may be true for urogenital schistosomiasis and bacterial urinary tract co-infections (UTI). We previously reported that this co-infection is facilitated by S. haematobium eggs triggering interleukin-4 (IL-4) production and sought to dissect the underlying mechanisms. The interleukin-4-inducing principle from Schistosoma mansoni eggs (IPSE) is one of the most abundant schistosome egg-secreted proteins and binds to IgE on the surface of basophils and mast cells to trigger IL-4 release. IPSE can also translocate into host nuclei using a nuclear localization sequence (NLS) to modulate host transcription. We hypothesized that IPSE is the factor responsible for the ability of S. haematobium eggs to worsen UTI pathogenesis. METHODS: Mice were intravenously administered a single 25 µg dose of recombinant S. haematobium-derived IPSE, an NLS mutant of IPSE or PBS. Following IPSE exposure, mice were serially weighed and organs analyzed by histology to assess for toxicity. Twenty-four hours after IPSE administration, mice were challenged with the uropathogenic E. coli strain UTI89 by urethral catheterization. Bacterial CFU were measured using urine. Bladders were examined histologically for UTI-triggered pathogenesis and by PCR for antimicrobial peptide and pattern recognition receptor expression. RESULTS: Unexpectedly, IPSE administration did not result in significant differences in urine bacterial CFU. However, IPSE administration did lead to a significant reduction in UTI-induced bladder pathogenesis and the expression of anti-microbial peptides in the bladder. Despite the profound effect of IPSE on UTI-triggered bladder pathogenesis and anti-microbial peptide production, mice did not demonstrate systemic ill effects from IPSE exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that IPSE may play a major role in S. haematobium-associated urinary tract co-infection, albeit in an unexpected fashion. These findings also indicate that IPSE either works in concert with other IL-4-inducing factors to increase susceptibility of S. haematobium-infected hosts to bacterial co-infection or does not contribute to enhancing vulnerability to this co-infection.

Designer aminoglycosides prevent cochlear hair cell loss and hearing loss.

Bacterial infections represent a rapidly growing challenge to human health. Aminoglycosides are widely used broad-spectrum antibiotics, but they inflict permanent hearing loss in up to ~50% of patients by causing selective sensory hair cell loss. Here, we hypothesized that reducing aminoglycoside entry into hair cells via mechanotransducer channels would reduce ototoxicity, and therefore we synthesized 9 aminoglycosides with modifications based on biophysical properties of the hair cell mechanotransducer channel and interactions between aminoglycosides and the bacterial ribosome. Compared with the parent aminoglycoside sisomicin, all 9 derivatives displayed no or reduced ototoxicity, with the lead compound N1MS 17 times less ototoxic and with reduced penetration of hair cell mechanotransducer channels in rat cochlear cultures. Both N1MS and sisomicin suppressed growth of E. coli and K. pneumoniae, with N1MS exhibiting superior activity against extended spectrum ß lactamase producers, despite diminished activity against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus. Moreover, systemic sisomicin treatment of mice resulted in 75% to 85% hair cell loss and profound hearing loss, whereas N1MS treatment preserved both hair cells and hearing. Finally, in mice with E. coli-infected bladders, systemic N1MS treatment eliminated bacteria from urinary tract tissues and serially collected urine samples, without compromising auditory and kidney functions. Together, our findings establish N1MS as a nonototoxic aminoglycoside and support targeted modification as a promising approach to generating nonototoxic antibiotics.

Miniaturized sequencing gel system for quick analysis of DNA by hydroxyl radical cleavage.

We described a simple and quick miniaturized sequencing gel system for DNA analysis. Two major modifications were made to the previously reported miniaturized DNA sequencing gel system to achieve high-resolution hydroxyl radical cleavage analysis: including formamide in the miniaturized gel and providing uniform heating during electrophoresis. Our method enables one to reduce the cost for chemicals and to significantly reduce electrophoresis time. Furthermore, minimal gel handling simplifies the entire process. We show that the resolution of DNA fragments obtained by hydroxyl radical cleavage for the miniaturized gel is similar to that of a large conventional sequencing gel.

A new mouse model for female genital schistosomiasis.

BACKGROUND: Over 112 million people worldwide are infected with Schistosoma haematobium, one of the most prevalent schistosome species affecting humans. Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) occurs when S. haematobium eggs are deposited into the female reproductive tract by adult worms, which can lead to pelvic pain, vaginal bleeding, genital disfigurement and infertility. Recent evidence suggests co-infection with S. haematobium increases the risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. The associated mechanisms remain unclear due to the lack of a tractable animal model. We sought to create a mouse model conducive to the study of immune modulation and genitourinary changes that occur with FGS. METHODS: To model FGS in mice, we injected S. haematobium eggs into the posterior vaginal walls of 30 female BALB/c mice. A control group of 20 female BALB/c mice were injected with uninfected LVG hamster tissue extract. Histology, flow cytometry and serum cytokine levels were assessed at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks post egg injection. Voiding studies were performed at 1 week post egg injection. RESULTS: Vaginal wall injection with S. haematobium eggs resulted in synchronous vaginal granuloma development within 2 weeks post-egg injection that persisted for at least 6 additional weeks. Flow cytometric analysis of vaginal granulomata revealed infiltration by CD4+ T cells with variable expression of the HIV co-receptors CXCR4 and CCR5. Granulomata also contained CD11b+F4/80+ cells (macrophages and eosinophils) as well as CXCR4+MerTK+ macrophages. Strikingly, vaginal wall-injected mice featured significant urinary frequency despite the posterior vagina being anatomically distant from the bladder. This may represent a previously unrecognized overactive bladder response to deposition of schistosome eggs in the vagina. CONCLUSION: We have established a new mouse model that could potentially enable novel studies of genital schistosomiasis in females. Ongoing studies will further explore the mechanisms by which HIV target cells may be drawn into FGS-associated vaginal granulomata.

Development of a system for discovery of genetic interactions for essential genes in Escherichia coli K-12.

Genetic interaction networks are especially useful for functional assignment of genes and gaining new insights into the systems-level organization of the cell. While studying interactions of nonessential genes can be relatively straight-forward via use of deletion mutants, different approaches must be used to reveal interactions of essential genes due to their indispensability. One method shown to be useful for revealing interactions of essential genes requires tagging the query protein. However, this approach can be complicated by mutational effects of potential hypomorphic alleles. Here, we describe a pilot study for a new scheme of systematically studying the interactions of essential genes. Our method uses a low-copy, F-based, complementing plasmid, pFE604T, from which the essential gene is conditionally expressed. The essential gene is expressed at lower levels, producing a moderate growth defect in a query host. Secondary mutations are introduced into the query host by conjugation and the resultant exconjugants are scored for growth by imaging them over time. We report results from studying five essential query genes: dnaN, ftsW, trmD, yrfF and yjgP, showing (on average) interactions with nearly 80 nonessential genes. This system should prove useful for genome-wide analyses of other essential genes in E. coli K-12.

Global regulation by the seven-component Pi signaling system.

This review concerns how Escherichia coli detects environmental inorganic orthophosphate (P(i)) to regulate genes of the phosphate (Pho) regulon by the PhoR/PhoB two-component system (TCS). P(i) control by the PhoR/PhoB TCS is a paradigm of a bacterial signal transduction pathway in which occupancy of a cell surface receptor(s) controls gene expression in the cytoplasm. The P(i) signaling pathway requires seven proteins, all of which probably interact in a membrane-associated signaling complex. Our latest studies show that P(i) signaling involves three distinct processes, which appear to correspond to different states of the sensory histidine kinase PhoR: an inhibition state, an activation state, and a deactivation state. We describe a revised model for P(i) signal transduction of the E. coli Pho regulon.

The Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS): translation and psychometric evaluation of a Chinese (Taiwanese) version.

PURPOSE: Chinese language instruments for measuring the impact of assistive technology are needed. This article reports on the development and preliminary evaluation of a Chinese (Taiwanese) translation of the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale. METHOD: The language translation process followed standard procedures for cross-cultural adaptation, including: two versions of forward and backward translations, committee review, and pilot testing with bilingual participants. Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and concurrent validity of the Chinese PIADS (C-PIADS) were evaluated with 60 participants from Taiwan who wear eyeglasses or contact lenses. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha values for internal consistency ranged from 0.72 to 0.93 for the C-PIADS total scale and three subscales. Test-retest reliability was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficient analysis, which produced values ranging from 0.79 to 0.88 for the overall C-PIADS score and three sub-scales. Overall C-PIADS scores were not statistically different from data obtained from a similar device user population in the original PIADS validation study. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our preliminary psychometric assessment support continued development of the C-PIADS. Future research should focus on three things: additional data collection from a similar participant population, data collection from people with disabilities using assistive technology in Taiwan; and modification of the C-PIADS for use in other Mandarin-speaking regions, e.g., China and Hong Kong.