AIM: To study the epitope distribution of hepatitis G virus (HGV) and to seek for the potential recombinant antigens for the development of HGV diagnostic reagents. METHODS: Fourteen clones encompassing HGV gene fragm...AIM: To study the epitope distribution of hepatitis G virus (HGV) and to seek for the potential recombinant antigens for the development of HGV diagnostic reagents. METHODS: Fourteen clones encompassing HGV gene fragments from core to NS3 and NS5 were constructed using prokaryotic expression vector pRSET and (or) pGEX, and expressed in E.coli. Western blotting and ELISA were used to detect the immunoreactivity of these recombinant proteins. RESULTS: One clone with HGV fragment from core to E1 (G1), one from E2 (G31), three from NS3 (G6, G61, G7), one from NS5B (G821) and one chimeric fragment from NS3 and NS5B (G61-821) could be expressed well and showed obvious immunoreactivity by Western blotting. One clone with HGV framment from NS5B (G82) was also well expressed, but could not show immunoreactivity by Western blotting. No obvious expression was found in the other six clones. All the expressed recombinant proteins were in inclusion body form, except the protein G61 which could be expressed in soluble form. Further purified recombinant proteins G1, G31, G61, G821 and G61-821 were detected in indirected ELISA as coating antigen respectively. Only recombinant G1 could still show immunoreactivity, and the other four recombinant proteins failed to react to the HGV antibody positive sera. Western blotting results indicated that the immunoactivity of these four recombinant proteins were lost during purification. CONCLUSION: Core to E1, E2, NS3 and NS5 fragment of HGV contain antigenic epitopes, which could be produced in prokaryotically expressed recombinant proteins. A high-yield recombinant protein (G1) located in HGV core to E1 could remain its epitope after purification, which showed the potential that G1 could be used as a coating antigen to develop an ELISA kit for HGV specific antibody diagnosis.展开更多
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and associated liver diseases are still challenging and represent a significant health care burden around the world. Although, the treatment strategies have been improved by the devel...Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and associated liver diseases are still challenging and represent a significant health care burden around the world. Although, the treatment strategies have been improved by the development of novel direct-acting antivirals, but such therapeutic options are still expensive and beyond the financial range of the most infected individuals in developing or even in resource replete countries. It demands an urgent need to search novel and improved alternate treatment strategies to treat the infection. The present study was aimed to develop an in vitro stable cell culture system, persistently expressing HCV genotype 1a non-structural genes and to characterize the inhibitory effects of synthetic siRNAs (short interference RNA) directed against the most conserved regions of nonstructural genes in an in vitro cell culture model. The continuous expression of nonstructural genes for more than 30 days post transfection was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot analysis in stable human hepatoma cell line (Huh-7). The gene expression studies revealed significantly reduced gene expression of HCV nonstructural genes (i.e., NS2, NS4A and NS5A) both at mRNA and protein levels when treated against genome specific synthetic siRNAs in stable cell lines (51%, 47% and 54% respectively, p < 0.05). Similarly, a vivid decrease in HCV viral titer was exhibited by synthetic siRNAs in an in vitro viral replicate cell culture model (58%, 48% and 50%, respectively, p < 0.05) determined by quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR). Our data indicate that siRNA mediated gene silencing may be considered a promising alternate treatment strategy against HCV in combination with other effective therapeutic regimens in future.展开更多
FMDV non-structural protein gene（NSPs） 3ABC, 3AB, 2C and 3D were amplified and cloned into expression plasmid pET-32a（+）. The recombinant NSPs were produced in E.coli and purified using Ni2+ affinity column. Weste...FMDV non-structural protein gene（NSPs） 3ABC, 3AB, 2C and 3D were amplified and cloned into expression plasmid pET-32a（+）. The recombinant NSPs were produced in E.coli and purified using Ni2+ affinity column. Western-blotting indicated that the NSPs were expressed correctly. Using the recombinant NSPs, indirect ELISAs have been set up to distinguish FMDV-infected pigs from vaccinated ones. Experimental results indicate that the immunogenesity of recombinant 3AB protein is strong and can be the ideal antigen for detection; the immunogenecity of 2C is weak and sensitivity of the assay is low; 3D is not an ideal antigen ,for the specificity of assay based on 3D is low.展开更多
Non-structural carbohydrates(NSCs)are critical for plant drought adaptation,but their environmental drivers under prolonged drought remains unclear.We investigated seasonal NSCs dynamics in the leaf,stem and root of P...Non-structural carbohydrates(NSCs)are critical for plant drought adaptation,but their environmental drivers under prolonged drought remains unclear.We investigated seasonal NSCs dynamics in the leaf,stem and root of Picea crass ifolia(Qinghai spruce)during the growing seasons of2021-2023 under intensifying drought at three altitudes in Qilian Mountains,Northwest China.Our results revealed synchronous seasonal patterns in soluble sugar,starch,and total non-structural carbohydrate within the same year,contrasting with marked altitudinal disparities.As drought progressed(from 2021 to 2023),soluble sugars initially increased(2022)then declined(2023),while starch showed consistent reduction(except leaves).Moreover,the altitude of peak NSCs concentrations shifted from 3200 m in 2021to 2700 m in 2023.In particular,prolonged drought alters the environmental factors affecting NSCs.NSCs demonstrated significant positive correlations with soil temperature during humid 2021,then negatively with air temperature,vapor pressure deficit,and precipitation during 2022's initial drought,whereas under 2023's persistent drought conditions,soil temperature and water content emerged as dominant drivers.Concurrently,the ratio of soluble sugar to starch transitioned from air temperature and precipitation associations(2021-2022)to soil parameter dependence in2023.These findings provide new insights into the seasonal carbon dynamics of Qinghai spruce and the environmental response mechanisms under increasing drought stress,contributing to a better understanding of tree physiological adaptations in drought stress.展开更多
Background:Excessive use of inorganic trace minerals(ITMs)in swine production leads to high fecal mineral excretion and environmental risks,while most studies on organic trace minerals(OTMs)focus on single elements,wi...Background:Excessive use of inorganic trace minerals(ITMs)in swine production leads to high fecal mineral excretion and environmental risks,while most studies on organic trace minerals(OTMs)focus on single elements,with limited data on the synergistic effects and molecular mechanisms of combined OTMs(Fe,Cu,Mn,Zn)in growing-finishing pigs.Methods:This study aimed to investigate the effects of graded levels of micromineral proteinates(combined OTMs)on growth performance,mineral metabolism,and mRNA expression of mineral regulatory proteins.A total of 360 crossbred Duroc×Landrace×Large White pigs(initial body weight 47.1±4.8 kg)were randomly assigned to 6 dietary treatments:basal diet without microminerals(CON),basal diet with ITMs at commercially recommended levels(IT),and basal diets with 15%(OT 15%),25%(OT 25%),35%(OT 35%)commercially recommended levels(CRL)of combined micromineral proteinates.After a 70-day feeding trial,samples were analyzed using ICP-OES,ELISA,and RT-qPCR.Results:Results showed that reduced levels(15-35%CRL)of micromineral proteinates did not significantly affect average daily gain,average daily feed intake,or feed conversion ratio(gain-to-feed ratio)compared to IT(P>0.05),but significantly increased plasma Cu(1.73-1.83μg/mL)and Zn(1.72-1.97μg/mL)concentrations(P<0.05)and elevated activities of Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase(32.9-35.9 U/L)and manganese superoxide dismutase(20.5-24.1 U/L)compared to CON(P<0.05),with no significant differences from IT(P>0.05).Fecal excretion of Fe,Cu,Mn,and Zn was significantly reduced by 35-50%in OT 15%-OT 35%groups compared to IT(P<0.05).OT 25%group exhibited the highest apparent absorptivity of Fe(38.5%),Cu(27.8%),and Zn(42.4%)(P<0.05),which was associated with significantly regulated mRNA expression of mineral regulatory proteins:upregulated DMT1,FPN1,ZIP4,and MT1A in the duodenum,and modulated HAMP,ATP7B,ZIP14,and ZnT1 in the liver(P<0.05).Conclusion:In conclusion,dietary supplementation with 25%CRL or less of combined micromineral proteinates can fully meet the nutritional needs of growing-finishing pigs,improve mineral absorptivity,and reduce fecal mineral excretion by regulating intestinal and hepatic mineral transport and homeostatic proteins,providing a sustainable alternative to high-dose ITMs.展开更多
Spinal cord injury is a severe neurological condition with limited neuronal regeneration and functional recovery.Currently,no effective treatments exist to improve spinal cord injury prognosis.Neuronal guidance protei...Spinal cord injury is a severe neurological condition with limited neuronal regeneration and functional recovery.Currently,no effective treatments exist to improve spinal cord injury prognosis.Neuronal guidance proteins are a diverse group of molecules that play crucial roles in axon and dendrite growth during nervous system development.Increasing evidence highlights their regulatory functions in spinal cord injury.This review provides a brief overview of the modulation patterns of key neuronal guidance proteins in neuronal axon growth during nervous system formation and subsequently focuses on their roles in neuronal regeneration and functional recovery following spinal cord injury.Neuronal guidance proteins include,but are not limited to,semaphorins and their receptors,plexins;netrins and their receptors,deleted in colorectal cancer and UNC5;Eph receptors and their ligands,ephrins;Slit and its receptor,Robo;repulsive guidance molecules and their receptor,neogenin;Wnt proteins and their receptor,Frizzled;and protocadherins.Localized Netrin-1 at the injury site inhibits motor axon regeneration after adult spinal cord injury while promoting oligodendrocyte growth.Slit2 enhances synapse formation in the injured spinal cord of rats.EphA7 regulates acute apoptosis in the early pathophysiological stages of spinal cord injury,while ephrinA1 plays a role in the nervous system’s injury response,with its reduced expression leading to impaired motor function in rats.EphA3 is upregulated following spinal cord injury,promoting an inhibitory environment for axonal regeneration.After spinal cord injury,bidirectional activation of ephrinB2 and EphB2 in astrocytes and fibroblasts results in the formation of a dense astrocyte-meningeal fibroblast scar.EphB1/ephrinB1 signaling mediates pain processing in spinal cord injury by regulating calpain-1 and caspase-3 in neurons.EphB3 expression increases in white matter after spinal cord injury,further inhibiting axon regeneration.Sema3A,expressed by neurons and fibroblasts in the scar surrounding the injury,inhibits motor neuron and sensory nerve growth after spinal cord injury.Sema4D suppresses neuronal axon myelination and axon regeneration,while its inhibition significantly enhances axon regeneration and motor recovery.Sema7A is involved in glial scar formation and may influence serotonin channel remodeling,thereby affecting motor coordination.Given these findings,the local or systemic application of neuronal guidance proteins represents a promising avenue for spinal cord injury treatment.展开更多
The study of target proteins is crucial for understanding molecular interactions and developing analytical platforms,therapeutic agents and functional tools.Herein,we present a novel nanoplatform activated by near-inf...The study of target proteins is crucial for understanding molecular interactions and developing analytical platforms,therapeutic agents and functional tools.Herein,we present a novel nanoplatform activated by near-infrared(NIR) light for triple-modal proteins study,which enabling target protein labeling,enrichment and visualization.Azido-naphthalimide-coated upconversion nanoparticles(UCNPs) serve as NIR light-responsive nanoplatforms,showing promising applications in studying interactions between various bioactive molecules and proteins in living systems.Under NIR light irradiation,azido-naphthalimides are activated by ultraviolet(UV) and blue light emitted from UCNPs and the resulting amino-naphthalimides intermediate not only crosslink nearby target proteins but also enable imaging performance.We demonstrate that this nanoplatform is capable of selective protein labeling and imaging in complex protein environments,achieving specific labeling and imaging of both intracellular and extracellular proteins in mammalian cells as well as bacteria.Furthermore,in vivo protein labeling has been achieved using this novel NIR light-activatable nanoplatform.This technique will open new avenues for discoveries and mechanistic interrogation in chemical biology.展开更多
BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus genotype 3a(HCV G3a)is highly prevalent in Pakistan.Due to the elevated cost of available Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs against HCV,medicinal natural products of potent antiv...BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus genotype 3a(HCV G3a)is highly prevalent in Pakistan.Due to the elevated cost of available Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs against HCV,medicinal natural products of potent antiviral activity should be screened for the cost-effective treatment of the disease.Furthermore,from natural products,active compounds against vital HCV proteins like non-structural protein 3(NS3)protease could be identified to prevent viral proliferation in the host.AIM To develop cost-effective HCV genotype 3a NS3 protease inhibitors from citrus fruit extracts.METHODS Full-length NS3 without co-factor non-structural protein 4A(NS4A)and codon optimized NS3 protease in fusion with NS4A were expressed in Escherichia coli.The expressed protein was purified by metal ion affinity chromatography and gel filtration.Citrus fruit extracts were screened using fluorescence resonance energy transfer(FRET)assay against the protease and polyphenols were identified as potential inhibitors using electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry(MS)/MS technique.Among different polyphenols,highly potent compounds were screened using molecular modeling approaches and consequently the most active compound was further evaluated against HCV NS4A-NS3 protease domain using FRET assay.RESULTS NS4A fused with NS3 protease domain gene was overexpressed and the purified protein yield was high in comparison to the lower yield of the full-length NS3 protein.Furthermore,in enzyme kinetic studies,NS4A fused with NS3 protease proved to be functionally active compared to full-length NS3.So it was concluded that co-factor NS4A fusion is essential for the purification of functionally active protease.FRET assay was developed and validated by the half maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)values of commercially available inhibitors.Screening of citrus fruit extracts against the native purified fused NS4A-NS3 protease domain showed that the grapefruit mesocarp extract exhibits the highest percentage inhibition 91%of protease activity.Among the compounds identified by LCMS analysis,hesperidin showed strong binding affinity with the protease catalytic triad having S-score value of-10.98.CONCLUSION Fused NS4A-NS3 protease is functionally more active,which is effectively inhibited by hesperidin from the grapefruit mesocarp extract with an IC50 value of 23.32μmol/L.展开更多
The invertebrate parvovirus Bombyx mori Densonucleosis Virus type 3 （China isolate）, named BmDNV-3, is a kind of bidensovirus. It is a new type of virus with unique replication mechanisms. To investigate the effects...The invertebrate parvovirus Bombyx mori Densonucleosis Virus type 3 （China isolate）, named BmDNV-3, is a kind of bidensovirus. It is a new type of virus with unique replication mechanisms. To investigate the effects of the NS3 gene during viral DNA replication, a pair of primers was designed for amplifying NS3 gene of Bombyx mori densovirus （China isolate）. Gene NS3 amplified was cloned into a prokaryotic expression vector pET-30a and the donor plasmid pFastBacHTe, respectively. The NS3 protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The pFastBacHTe-NS3 was transformed to E. coli DHIOBac. The recombinant bacmid baculoviruses （rBacmid-EGFP-NS3） isolated from the white colonies were transfected into BmN-4 cells using a transfection reagent. BraN-4 cells were infected with recombinant virus to express fusion proteins. The expression of fusion protein around 30 kDa in E. coli BL21 was identified by SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, and mass spectrometry. The expressed NS3 protein by B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus bacmid system was confirmed by Western blotting using an anti-NS3 polyclonal antibody. And about 45 kDa protein was found. The expressed fusion protein was smaller than the expected size of EGFP-NS3, 55 kDa. Western blotting analysis indicated that EGFP-NS3 protein was expressed in infected larvae with smaller molecular size.展开更多
Meiotic resumption in mammalian oocytes involves nuclear and organelle structural changes,notably the chromatin configuration transition from a non-surrounding nucleolus(NSN)to surrounding nucleolus(SN)in germinal ves...Meiotic resumption in mammalian oocytes involves nuclear and organelle structural changes,notably the chromatin configuration transition from a non-surrounding nucleolus(NSN)to surrounding nucleolus(SN)in germinal vesicle oocytes.In the current study,we found that nuclear speckles(NSs),a subnuclear structure mainly composed of serine-arginine(SR)proteins,changed from a diffuse spotted distribution in mouse NSN oocytes to an aggregated pattern in SN oocytes.We also found that the SR protein-specific kinase 1(SRPK1),an enzyme that phosphorylates SR proteins,co-localized with NSs at the SN stage,and that NSN oocytes failed to transition to SN oocytes after the inhibition of SRPK1 activity.Furthermore,the typical structure of the chromatin ring around the nucleolus in SN oocytes collapsed after treatment with an SRPK1 inhibitor.Mechanistically,phosphorylated SR proteins were found to be related to chromatin as shown by a salt extraction experiment,and in situ DNaseⅠassay showed that the accessibility of chromatin was enhanced in SN oocytes when SRPK1 was inhibited,accompanied by a decreased repressive modification on histone and the abnormal recurrence of a transcriptional signal.In conclusion,our results indicated that SRPK1-regulated phosphorylation of SR proteins was involved in the NSN-SN transition and played an important role in maintaining the condensed nucleus of SN oocytes via interacting with chromatin.展开更多
The non-structural protein 1 is an important molecule of the viruses in flavivirus group including to Zika virus. Recently, the NS1 of Zika virus was discovered. There is still no complete information of the molecular...The non-structural protein 1 is an important molecule of the viruses in flavivirus group including to Zika virus. Recently, the NS1 of Zika virus was discovered. There is still no complete information of the molecular interaction of NS1 of Zika virus which can be the clue for explanation for its pathogenesis and further drug search. Here the authors report the cleft analysis of NS1 of Zika virus and the result can be useful for future development of good diagnostic tool and antiviral drug finding for management of Zika virus.展开更多
Zika virus(ZIKV)evolves non-structural proteins to evade immune response and ensure efficient replication in the host cells.Cholesterol metabolic enzyme 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase(DHCR7)was recently reported to im...Zika virus(ZIKV)evolves non-structural proteins to evade immune response and ensure efficient replication in the host cells.Cholesterol metabolic enzyme 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase(DHCR7)was recently reported to impact innate immune responses in ZIKV infection.However,the vital non-structural protein and mechanisms involved in DHCR7-mediated viral evasion are not well elucidated.In this study,we demonstrated that ZIKV infection facilitated DHCR7 expression.Notably,the upregulated DHCR7 in turn facilitated ZIKV infection and blocking DHCR7 suppressed ZIKV infection.Mechanically,ZIKV non-structural protein 4B(NS4B)interacted with DHCR7 to induce DHCR7 expression.Moreover,DHCR7 inhibited TANK-binding kinase 1(TBK1)and interferon regulatory factor 3(IRF3)phosphorylation,which resulted in the reduction of interferon-beta(IFN-β)and interferon-stimulated genes(ISGs)productions.Therefore,we propose that ZIKV NS4B binds to DHCR7 to repress TBK1 and IRF3 activation,which in turn inhibits IFN-βand ISGs,and thereby facilitating ZIKV evasion.This study broadens the insights on how viral non-structural proteins antagonize innate immunity to facilitate viral infection via cholesterol metabolic enzymes and intermediates.展开更多
The gene of the non-structure protein 2 （NS2） was cloned by PCR from the genome ofBombyx mori densovirus Zhenjiang strain （BmDNV-Z）, inserted into prokaryotic expression vector pET28a to construct recombinant plas...The gene of the non-structure protein 2 （NS2） was cloned by PCR from the genome ofBombyx mori densovirus Zhenjiang strain （BmDNV-Z）, inserted into prokaryotic expression vector pET28a to construct recombinant plasmid pET28a-NS2 and then expressed in bacteria Escherichia coli BL21 （DE3）. The expressed recombinant protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. Then, the recombinant protein was purified by Ni-NTA column, renatured and tested for enzyme activities. The purified NS2 protein exhibited a helicase activity unwinding double-stranded DNA substrates into single-strand primers, and higher unwinding activity to polarity substrate. Similarly, the purified NS2 protein possessed an ATPase activity and its enzyme activity was 0.276 μmol gg^-1 h^-1 in this study. The results indicated that the non- structure protein which encoded by the gene of BmDNV-Z NS2 possesses the biological activities of helicase and ATPase, and the helicase prefers to polarity substrates. Based on these results, it is speculated that the gene of BmDNV-Z NS2 plays an important role in the viral DNA replication.展开更多
Retraction note:Khan M,Rauf W,Habib F,Rahman M,Iqbal M.Screening and identification of bioactive compounds from citrus against non-structural protein 3 protease of hepatitis C virus genotype 3a by fluorescence resonan...Retraction note:Khan M,Rauf W,Habib F,Rahman M,Iqbal M.Screening and identification of bioactive compounds from citrus against non-structural protein 3 protease of hepatitis C virus genotype 3a by fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay and mass spectrometry.World J Hepatol 2020;12(11):976-992 PMID:33312423 DOI:10.4254/wjh.v12.i11.976.The online version of the original article can be found at https://www.wjgnet.com/1948-5182/full/v12/i11/976.htm.展开更多
Objective：To investigate the effect of hepatitis C virus non-structural protein 4B（HCV NS4B） on c-Myc, P53, ras gene expression＂ and apoptosis in hepatic cells and study the possible role that NS4B played in the c...Objective：To investigate the effect of hepatitis C virus non-structural protein 4B（HCV NS4B） on c-Myc, P53, ras gene expression＂ and apoptosis in hepatic cells and study the possible role that NS4B played in the carcinogenesis of heparoma. Methods： The recombinant plasmid（PCXN2-NS4B, PCXN2-P53） and the empty, vector were transfected or co-transfected into Chang liver cells with liposome. Screening was performed with G418. Plasmid mRNA was detected by RT-PCR. The pro rein expressions of c-Myc and ras genes were analyzed by immunocytochemistry. The expressions of wild-type P53 （wtp53） gene were detected by in situ hybridization. TUNEL（flow cytometry） was used for assessing the rate of apoptosis. Results：No expression of c-Myc gene was found in PCXN2 group. The expression of c-Myc gene in NS4B group was 21.3% ＋ 1.2%. The ex pression of ras gene in PCXN2 group was lower than that in NS4B group. Compared with PCXN2 group, the expression of P53 mRNA was not promoted or inhibited in NS4B group. But the expression of P53 mRNA in NS4B-P53 group was lower than that in P53 group. In PCXN2, NS4B, P53 and NS4B-P53 group, the rates of apoptosis were 17.02% ± 1.24%, 11.94% ± 2.24%, 25.84% ± 3.49% and 18.34% ± 1.55% respectively. Conclusion ：HCV NS4B induces the expression of c-Myc and ras gene. HCV NS4B may play a role in the inhibition of cell death through P53-dependent manner. Results from this study suggested that HCV NS4B might contribute to the viral carcinogenesis.展开更多
Objective: To study protein-protein interaction between heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H(hn RNP H) and Dengue virus(DENV) proteins. Methods: DENV proteins were screened against the host hn RNP H protein, in o...Objective: To study protein-protein interaction between heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H(hn RNP H) and Dengue virus(DENV) proteins. Methods: DENV proteins were screened against the host hn RNP H protein, in order to identify the host-viral protein-protein interactions in DENV infected THP-1 cells by co-immunoprecipitation. The co-localization of the interacting proteins was further confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy. Results: The host protein hn RNP H was found to interact with DENV nonstructural 1 protein and help the virus to multiply in the cell. Conclusions: The non-structural 1 glycoprotein is a key modulator of host immune response and is also involved in viral replication. Therefore, disruption of this key interaction between hn RNP H and DENV nonstructural 1 could be an important therapeutic strategy for management of DENV infection.展开更多
Background Post-weaning diarrhea(PWD)in piglets,often caused by F4^(+)enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(ETEC),poses significant challenges in pig production.Traditional solutions like antibiotics and zinc oxide face in...Background Post-weaning diarrhea(PWD)in piglets,often caused by F4^(+)enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(ETEC),poses significant challenges in pig production.Traditional solutions like antibiotics and zinc oxide face increasing restrictions due to growing concerns over antibiotic resistance and environmental sustainability.This study investigates the application of bivalent heavy chain variable domain(V_(H)H)constructs(BL1.2 and BL2.2)targeting ETEC virulence factors,administered in feed to mitigate ETEC-induced PWD in weaned piglets.Results The supplementation of BL1.2 and BL2.2 in both mash and pelleted feed significantly reduced the diarrhea incidence and fecal shedding of F4^(+)ETEC in challenged piglets.Pelleted feed containing V_(H)H constructs helped to preserve gut barrier integrity by maintaining levels of the tight junction protein occludin in the small intestine.Additionally,the constructs maintained blood granulocyte counts at a similar level to the non-challenged control group,including neutrophils,and ameliorated the acute phase protein response after challenge.Notably,even at low feed intake immediately after weaning,V_(H)H constructs helped maintain piglet health by mitigating ETEC-induced inflammation and the resulting diarrhea.Conclusions Our findings demonstrated that using V_(H)H constructs as feed additives could serve as an effective strategy to help manage ETEC-associated PWD,by reducing F4^(+)ETEC gut colonization and supporting gut barrier function of weaned piglets.The high stability of these V_(H)H constructs supports their incorporation into industrial feed manufacturing processes,offering a more sustainable preventive strategy compared to traditional antimicrobial interventions,which could contribute to sustainable farming practices.展开更多
The awn can contribute to photosynthesis and carbohydrates,enhancing grain yield in wheat.We mapped QAwn.sxau-5A,a major QTL for awn development in wheat(Triticum aestivum).This QTL was delimited to a 994-kb interval ...The awn can contribute to photosynthesis and carbohydrates,enhancing grain yield in wheat.We mapped QAwn.sxau-5A,a major QTL for awn development in wheat(Triticum aestivum).This QTL was delimited to a 994-kb interval at the B1 locus on chromosome 5A,which included the candidate gene encoding a zinc finger protein(TraesCS5A01G542800)as an awn length inhibitor(ALI).The Ali-A1 allele for the awnless trait showed abundant sequence differences in the promoter regions compared to the ali-A1 allele for the long-awn trait.The results of the swap experiment on the promoters from the two ALI-A1 alleles showed that the two promoters caused a difference in the protein level,indicating the gene was regulated at the transcript level.However,the ali-A1 allele contained an SNP that caused a premature stop codon in its coding region,resulting in a truncated protein compared to the functional Ali-A1 protein.The Ali-A1 protein contained two ethylene-responsive element binding factor-associated amphiphilic repression(EAR)motifs,one at the N terminus(EAR-N)and the other at the C terminus(EAR-C),and they were involved in interactions with the wheat co-repressor protein TOPLESS(TPL1).The ali-A1 protein retained the EAR-N motif but lost the EAR-C motif,resulting in the attenuated ability to interact with TPL1.The tpl1 mutant produced a longer awn compared to the wild type.Ali-A1 repressed the transcription of two downstream genes,TaLRP-A1 and TaARF-B1,involved in endogenous auxin concentrations and auxin responses in wheat.We concluded that the awn length is regulated not only by the ALI-A1 gene at transcript levels but also by Ali-A1 and TPL1 at the protein level in wheat.展开更多
Recognizing essential proteins within bacteriophages is fundamental to uncovering their replication and survival mechanisms and contributes to advances in phage-based antibacterial therapies.Despite notable progress,e...Recognizing essential proteins within bacteriophages is fundamental to uncovering their replication and survival mechanisms and contributes to advances in phage-based antibacterial therapies.Despite notable progress,existing computational techniques struggle to represent the interplay between sequence-derived and structuredependent protein features.To overcome this limitation,we introduce GLM-EP,a unified framework that fuses protein language models with equivariant graph neural networks.Bymerging semantic embeddings extracted from amino acid sequences with geometry-aware graph representations,GLM-EP enables an in-depth depiction of phage proteins and enhances essential protein identification.Evaluation on diverse benchmark datasets confirms that GLM-EP surpasses conventional sequence-based and independent deep-learning methods,yielding higher F1 and AUROC outcomes.Component-wise analysis demonstrates that GCNII,EGNN,and the gated multi-head attention mechanism function in a complementary manner to encode complex molecular attributes.In summary,GLM-EP serves as a robust and efficient tool for bacteriophage genomic analysis and provides valuable methodological perspectives for the discovery of antibiotic-resistance therapeutic targets.The corresponding code repository is available at:https://github.com/MiJia-ID/GLM-EP(accessed on 01 November 2025).展开更多
Zika virus(ZIKV) infection could disrupt neurogenesis and cause microcephaly in neonates by targeting neural progenitor cells(NPCs). The tumor suppressor p53-mediated cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death have be...Zika virus(ZIKV) infection could disrupt neurogenesis and cause microcephaly in neonates by targeting neural progenitor cells(NPCs). The tumor suppressor p53-mediated cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death have been suggested to be activated upon ZIKV infection, yet the detailed mechanism is not well understood. In the present study, we investigated the effects of ZIKV-encoded proteins in the activation of p53 signaling pathway and found that, among the ten viral proteins,the nonstructural protein 5(NS5) of ZIKV most significantly activated the transcription of p53 target genes. Using the immunoprecipitation-coupled mass spectrometry approach, we identified that ZIKV-NS5 interacted with p53 protein. The NS5-p53 interaction was further confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays. In addition, the MTase domain of NS5 and the C-terminal domain of p53 were mapped to be responsible for the interaction between these two proteins. We further showed that ZIKV-NS5 was colocalized with p53 and increased its protein level in the nuclei and able to prolong the half-life of p53. Furthermore, lentivirus-mediated expression of ZIKV-NS5 in hNPCs led to an apparent cell death phenotype. ZIKV-NS5 promoted the cleavage of PARP1 and significantly increased the cell apoptosis of h NPCs.Taken together, these findings revealed that ZIKV-NS5 is a previously undiscovered regulator of p53-mediated apoptosis in hNPCs, which may contribute to the ZIKV-caused abnormal neurodevelopment.展开更多
基金Supported by National 863 Project,No.102-07-02-079th Five-Year Sci-Tech Plan,No.96-906A-03-08
文摘AIM: To study the epitope distribution of hepatitis G virus (HGV) and to seek for the potential recombinant antigens for the development of HGV diagnostic reagents. METHODS: Fourteen clones encompassing HGV gene fragments from core to NS3 and NS5 were constructed using prokaryotic expression vector pRSET and (or) pGEX, and expressed in E.coli. Western blotting and ELISA were used to detect the immunoreactivity of these recombinant proteins. RESULTS: One clone with HGV fragment from core to E1 (G1), one from E2 (G31), three from NS3 (G6, G61, G7), one from NS5B (G821) and one chimeric fragment from NS3 and NS5B (G61-821) could be expressed well and showed obvious immunoreactivity by Western blotting. One clone with HGV framment from NS5B (G82) was also well expressed, but could not show immunoreactivity by Western blotting. No obvious expression was found in the other six clones. All the expressed recombinant proteins were in inclusion body form, except the protein G61 which could be expressed in soluble form. Further purified recombinant proteins G1, G31, G61, G821 and G61-821 were detected in indirected ELISA as coating antigen respectively. Only recombinant G1 could still show immunoreactivity, and the other four recombinant proteins failed to react to the HGV antibody positive sera. Western blotting results indicated that the immunoactivity of these four recombinant proteins were lost during purification. CONCLUSION: Core to E1, E2, NS3 and NS5 fragment of HGV contain antigenic epitopes, which could be produced in prokaryotically expressed recombinant proteins. A high-yield recombinant protein (G1) located in HGV core to E1 could remain its epitope after purification, which showed the potential that G1 could be used as a coating antigen to develop an ELISA kit for HGV specific antibody diagnosis.
文摘Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and associated liver diseases are still challenging and represent a significant health care burden around the world. Although, the treatment strategies have been improved by the development of novel direct-acting antivirals, but such therapeutic options are still expensive and beyond the financial range of the most infected individuals in developing or even in resource replete countries. It demands an urgent need to search novel and improved alternate treatment strategies to treat the infection. The present study was aimed to develop an in vitro stable cell culture system, persistently expressing HCV genotype 1a non-structural genes and to characterize the inhibitory effects of synthetic siRNAs (short interference RNA) directed against the most conserved regions of nonstructural genes in an in vitro cell culture model. The continuous expression of nonstructural genes for more than 30 days post transfection was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot analysis in stable human hepatoma cell line (Huh-7). The gene expression studies revealed significantly reduced gene expression of HCV nonstructural genes (i.e., NS2, NS4A and NS5A) both at mRNA and protein levels when treated against genome specific synthetic siRNAs in stable cell lines (51%, 47% and 54% respectively, p < 0.05). Similarly, a vivid decrease in HCV viral titer was exhibited by synthetic siRNAs in an in vitro viral replicate cell culture model (58%, 48% and 50%, respectively, p < 0.05) determined by quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR). Our data indicate that siRNA mediated gene silencing may be considered a promising alternate treatment strategy against HCV in combination with other effective therapeutic regimens in future.
文摘FMDV non-structural protein gene（NSPs） 3ABC, 3AB, 2C and 3D were amplified and cloned into expression plasmid pET-32a（+）. The recombinant NSPs were produced in E.coli and purified using Ni2+ affinity column. Western-blotting indicated that the NSPs were expressed correctly. Using the recombinant NSPs, indirect ELISAs have been set up to distinguish FMDV-infected pigs from vaccinated ones. Experimental results indicate that the immunogenesity of recombinant 3AB protein is strong and can be the ideal antigen for detection; the immunogenecity of 2C is weak and sensitivity of the assay is low; 3D is not an ideal antigen ,for the specificity of assay based on 3D is low.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.42277481,42007410,32271667,42207537)。
文摘Non-structural carbohydrates(NSCs)are critical for plant drought adaptation,but their environmental drivers under prolonged drought remains unclear.We investigated seasonal NSCs dynamics in the leaf,stem and root of Picea crass ifolia(Qinghai spruce)during the growing seasons of2021-2023 under intensifying drought at three altitudes in Qilian Mountains,Northwest China.Our results revealed synchronous seasonal patterns in soluble sugar,starch,and total non-structural carbohydrate within the same year,contrasting with marked altitudinal disparities.As drought progressed(from 2021 to 2023),soluble sugars initially increased(2022)then declined(2023),while starch showed consistent reduction(except leaves).Moreover,the altitude of peak NSCs concentrations shifted from 3200 m in 2021to 2700 m in 2023.In particular,prolonged drought alters the environmental factors affecting NSCs.NSCs demonstrated significant positive correlations with soil temperature during humid 2021,then negatively with air temperature,vapor pressure deficit,and precipitation during 2022's initial drought,whereas under 2023's persistent drought conditions,soil temperature and water content emerged as dominant drivers.Concurrently,the ratio of soluble sugar to starch transitioned from air temperature and precipitation associations(2021-2022)to soil parameter dependence in2023.These findings provide new insights into the seasonal carbon dynamics of Qinghai spruce and the environmental response mechanisms under increasing drought stress,contributing to a better understanding of tree physiological adaptations in drought stress.
基金financially supported by the Hainan Province Science and Technology Special Fund(Grant no:ZDYF2024XDNY187).
文摘Background:Excessive use of inorganic trace minerals(ITMs)in swine production leads to high fecal mineral excretion and environmental risks,while most studies on organic trace minerals(OTMs)focus on single elements,with limited data on the synergistic effects and molecular mechanisms of combined OTMs(Fe,Cu,Mn,Zn)in growing-finishing pigs.Methods:This study aimed to investigate the effects of graded levels of micromineral proteinates(combined OTMs)on growth performance,mineral metabolism,and mRNA expression of mineral regulatory proteins.A total of 360 crossbred Duroc×Landrace×Large White pigs(initial body weight 47.1±4.8 kg)were randomly assigned to 6 dietary treatments:basal diet without microminerals(CON),basal diet with ITMs at commercially recommended levels(IT),and basal diets with 15%(OT 15%),25%(OT 25%),35%(OT 35%)commercially recommended levels(CRL)of combined micromineral proteinates.After a 70-day feeding trial,samples were analyzed using ICP-OES,ELISA,and RT-qPCR.Results:Results showed that reduced levels(15-35%CRL)of micromineral proteinates did not significantly affect average daily gain,average daily feed intake,or feed conversion ratio(gain-to-feed ratio)compared to IT(P>0.05),but significantly increased plasma Cu(1.73-1.83μg/mL)and Zn(1.72-1.97μg/mL)concentrations(P<0.05)and elevated activities of Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase(32.9-35.9 U/L)and manganese superoxide dismutase(20.5-24.1 U/L)compared to CON(P<0.05),with no significant differences from IT(P>0.05).Fecal excretion of Fe,Cu,Mn,and Zn was significantly reduced by 35-50%in OT 15%-OT 35%groups compared to IT(P<0.05).OT 25%group exhibited the highest apparent absorptivity of Fe(38.5%),Cu(27.8%),and Zn(42.4%)(P<0.05),which was associated with significantly regulated mRNA expression of mineral regulatory proteins:upregulated DMT1,FPN1,ZIP4,and MT1A in the duodenum,and modulated HAMP,ATP7B,ZIP14,and ZnT1 in the liver(P<0.05).Conclusion:In conclusion,dietary supplementation with 25%CRL or less of combined micromineral proteinates can fully meet the nutritional needs of growing-finishing pigs,improve mineral absorptivity,and reduce fecal mineral excretion by regulating intestinal and hepatic mineral transport and homeostatic proteins,providing a sustainable alternative to high-dose ITMs.
基金supported by Shenzhen University General Hospital Scientific Research Project,No.SUGH2019QD002Shenzhen Science and Technology Development Foundation,No.20220810173216001(both to ZS).
文摘Spinal cord injury is a severe neurological condition with limited neuronal regeneration and functional recovery.Currently,no effective treatments exist to improve spinal cord injury prognosis.Neuronal guidance proteins are a diverse group of molecules that play crucial roles in axon and dendrite growth during nervous system development.Increasing evidence highlights their regulatory functions in spinal cord injury.This review provides a brief overview of the modulation patterns of key neuronal guidance proteins in neuronal axon growth during nervous system formation and subsequently focuses on their roles in neuronal regeneration and functional recovery following spinal cord injury.Neuronal guidance proteins include,but are not limited to,semaphorins and their receptors,plexins;netrins and their receptors,deleted in colorectal cancer and UNC5;Eph receptors and their ligands,ephrins;Slit and its receptor,Robo;repulsive guidance molecules and their receptor,neogenin;Wnt proteins and their receptor,Frizzled;and protocadherins.Localized Netrin-1 at the injury site inhibits motor axon regeneration after adult spinal cord injury while promoting oligodendrocyte growth.Slit2 enhances synapse formation in the injured spinal cord of rats.EphA7 regulates acute apoptosis in the early pathophysiological stages of spinal cord injury,while ephrinA1 plays a role in the nervous system’s injury response,with its reduced expression leading to impaired motor function in rats.EphA3 is upregulated following spinal cord injury,promoting an inhibitory environment for axonal regeneration.After spinal cord injury,bidirectional activation of ephrinB2 and EphB2 in astrocytes and fibroblasts results in the formation of a dense astrocyte-meningeal fibroblast scar.EphB1/ephrinB1 signaling mediates pain processing in spinal cord injury by regulating calpain-1 and caspase-3 in neurons.EphB3 expression increases in white matter after spinal cord injury,further inhibiting axon regeneration.Sema3A,expressed by neurons and fibroblasts in the scar surrounding the injury,inhibits motor neuron and sensory nerve growth after spinal cord injury.Sema4D suppresses neuronal axon myelination and axon regeneration,while its inhibition significantly enhances axon regeneration and motor recovery.Sema7A is involved in glial scar formation and may influence serotonin channel remodeling,thereby affecting motor coordination.Given these findings,the local or systemic application of neuronal guidance proteins represents a promising avenue for spinal cord injury treatment.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.22007008)the LiaoNing Revitalization Talents Program (No.XLYC1907021)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Nos.DUT23YG120,DUT19RC(3)009)。
文摘The study of target proteins is crucial for understanding molecular interactions and developing analytical platforms,therapeutic agents and functional tools.Herein,we present a novel nanoplatform activated by near-infrared(NIR) light for triple-modal proteins study,which enabling target protein labeling,enrichment and visualization.Azido-naphthalimide-coated upconversion nanoparticles(UCNPs) serve as NIR light-responsive nanoplatforms,showing promising applications in studying interactions between various bioactive molecules and proteins in living systems.Under NIR light irradiation,azido-naphthalimides are activated by ultraviolet(UV) and blue light emitted from UCNPs and the resulting amino-naphthalimides intermediate not only crosslink nearby target proteins but also enable imaging performance.We demonstrate that this nanoplatform is capable of selective protein labeling and imaging in complex protein environments,achieving specific labeling and imaging of both intracellular and extracellular proteins in mammalian cells as well as bacteria.Furthermore,in vivo protein labeling has been achieved using this novel NIR light-activatable nanoplatform.This technique will open new avenues for discoveries and mechanistic interrogation in chemical biology.
文摘BACKGROUND Hepatitis C virus genotype 3a(HCV G3a)is highly prevalent in Pakistan.Due to the elevated cost of available Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs against HCV,medicinal natural products of potent antiviral activity should be screened for the cost-effective treatment of the disease.Furthermore,from natural products,active compounds against vital HCV proteins like non-structural protein 3(NS3)protease could be identified to prevent viral proliferation in the host.AIM To develop cost-effective HCV genotype 3a NS3 protease inhibitors from citrus fruit extracts.METHODS Full-length NS3 without co-factor non-structural protein 4A(NS4A)and codon optimized NS3 protease in fusion with NS4A were expressed in Escherichia coli.The expressed protein was purified by metal ion affinity chromatography and gel filtration.Citrus fruit extracts were screened using fluorescence resonance energy transfer(FRET)assay against the protease and polyphenols were identified as potential inhibitors using electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry(MS)/MS technique.Among different polyphenols,highly potent compounds were screened using molecular modeling approaches and consequently the most active compound was further evaluated against HCV NS4A-NS3 protease domain using FRET assay.RESULTS NS4A fused with NS3 protease domain gene was overexpressed and the purified protein yield was high in comparison to the lower yield of the full-length NS3 protein.Furthermore,in enzyme kinetic studies,NS4A fused with NS3 protease proved to be functionally active compared to full-length NS3.So it was concluded that co-factor NS4A fusion is essential for the purification of functionally active protease.FRET assay was developed and validated by the half maximal inhibitory concentration(IC50)values of commercially available inhibitors.Screening of citrus fruit extracts against the native purified fused NS4A-NS3 protease domain showed that the grapefruit mesocarp extract exhibits the highest percentage inhibition 91%of protease activity.Among the compounds identified by LCMS analysis,hesperidin showed strong binding affinity with the protease catalytic triad having S-score value of-10.98.CONCLUSION Fused NS4A-NS3 protease is functionally more active,which is effectively inhibited by hesperidin from the grapefruit mesocarp extract with an IC50 value of 23.32μmol/L.
文摘The invertebrate parvovirus Bombyx mori Densonucleosis Virus type 3 （China isolate）, named BmDNV-3, is a kind of bidensovirus. It is a new type of virus with unique replication mechanisms. To investigate the effects of the NS3 gene during viral DNA replication, a pair of primers was designed for amplifying NS3 gene of Bombyx mori densovirus （China isolate）. Gene NS3 amplified was cloned into a prokaryotic expression vector pET-30a and the donor plasmid pFastBacHTe, respectively. The NS3 protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21. The pFastBacHTe-NS3 was transformed to E. coli DHIOBac. The recombinant bacmid baculoviruses （rBacmid-EGFP-NS3） isolated from the white colonies were transfected into BmN-4 cells using a transfection reagent. BraN-4 cells were infected with recombinant virus to express fusion proteins. The expression of fusion protein around 30 kDa in E. coli BL21 was identified by SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, and mass spectrometry. The expressed NS3 protein by B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus bacmid system was confirmed by Western blotting using an anti-NS3 polyclonal antibody. And about 45 kDa protein was found. The expressed fusion protein was smaller than the expected size of EGFP-NS3, 55 kDa. Western blotting analysis indicated that EGFP-NS3 protein was expressed in infected larvae with smaller molecular size.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.32070838 and 82301874)Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine,Nanjing Medical University(Grant No.SKLRM K202102)。
文摘Meiotic resumption in mammalian oocytes involves nuclear and organelle structural changes,notably the chromatin configuration transition from a non-surrounding nucleolus(NSN)to surrounding nucleolus(SN)in germinal vesicle oocytes.In the current study,we found that nuclear speckles(NSs),a subnuclear structure mainly composed of serine-arginine(SR)proteins,changed from a diffuse spotted distribution in mouse NSN oocytes to an aggregated pattern in SN oocytes.We also found that the SR protein-specific kinase 1(SRPK1),an enzyme that phosphorylates SR proteins,co-localized with NSs at the SN stage,and that NSN oocytes failed to transition to SN oocytes after the inhibition of SRPK1 activity.Furthermore,the typical structure of the chromatin ring around the nucleolus in SN oocytes collapsed after treatment with an SRPK1 inhibitor.Mechanistically,phosphorylated SR proteins were found to be related to chromatin as shown by a salt extraction experiment,and in situ DNaseⅠassay showed that the accessibility of chromatin was enhanced in SN oocytes when SRPK1 was inhibited,accompanied by a decreased repressive modification on histone and the abnormal recurrence of a transcriptional signal.In conclusion,our results indicated that SRPK1-regulated phosphorylation of SR proteins was involved in the NSN-SN transition and played an important role in maintaining the condensed nucleus of SN oocytes via interacting with chromatin.
文摘The non-structural protein 1 is an important molecule of the viruses in flavivirus group including to Zika virus. Recently, the NS1 of Zika virus was discovered. There is still no complete information of the molecular interaction of NS1 of Zika virus which can be the clue for explanation for its pathogenesis and further drug search. Here the authors report the cleft analysis of NS1 of Zika virus and the result can be useful for future development of good diagnostic tool and antiviral drug finding for management of Zika virus.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81730061,81802008)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(2021A1515011272).
文摘Zika virus(ZIKV)evolves non-structural proteins to evade immune response and ensure efficient replication in the host cells.Cholesterol metabolic enzyme 7-dehydrocholesterol reductase(DHCR7)was recently reported to impact innate immune responses in ZIKV infection.However,the vital non-structural protein and mechanisms involved in DHCR7-mediated viral evasion are not well elucidated.In this study,we demonstrated that ZIKV infection facilitated DHCR7 expression.Notably,the upregulated DHCR7 in turn facilitated ZIKV infection and blocking DHCR7 suppressed ZIKV infection.Mechanically,ZIKV non-structural protein 4B(NS4B)interacted with DHCR7 to induce DHCR7 expression.Moreover,DHCR7 inhibited TANK-binding kinase 1(TBK1)and interferon regulatory factor 3(IRF3)phosphorylation,which resulted in the reduction of interferon-beta(IFN-β)and interferon-stimulated genes(ISGs)productions.Therefore,we propose that ZIKV NS4B binds to DHCR7 to repress TBK1 and IRF3 activation,which in turn inhibits IFN-βand ISGs,and thereby facilitating ZIKV evasion.This study broadens the insights on how viral non-structural proteins antagonize innate immunity to facilitate viral infection via cholesterol metabolic enzymes and intermediates.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2005CB121004)
文摘The gene of the non-structure protein 2 （NS2） was cloned by PCR from the genome ofBombyx mori densovirus Zhenjiang strain （BmDNV-Z）, inserted into prokaryotic expression vector pET28a to construct recombinant plasmid pET28a-NS2 and then expressed in bacteria Escherichia coli BL21 （DE3）. The expressed recombinant protein was identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. Then, the recombinant protein was purified by Ni-NTA column, renatured and tested for enzyme activities. The purified NS2 protein exhibited a helicase activity unwinding double-stranded DNA substrates into single-strand primers, and higher unwinding activity to polarity substrate. Similarly, the purified NS2 protein possessed an ATPase activity and its enzyme activity was 0.276 μmol gg^-1 h^-1 in this study. The results indicated that the non- structure protein which encoded by the gene of BmDNV-Z NS2 possesses the biological activities of helicase and ATPase, and the helicase prefers to polarity substrates. Based on these results, it is speculated that the gene of BmDNV-Z NS2 plays an important role in the viral DNA replication.
文摘Retraction note:Khan M,Rauf W,Habib F,Rahman M,Iqbal M.Screening and identification of bioactive compounds from citrus against non-structural protein 3 protease of hepatitis C virus genotype 3a by fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay and mass spectrometry.World J Hepatol 2020;12(11):976-992 PMID:33312423 DOI:10.4254/wjh.v12.i11.976.The online version of the original article can be found at https://www.wjgnet.com/1948-5182/full/v12/i11/976.htm.
基金Scientific Research Fund of Sichuan Provincial Education Department(20003531)
文摘Objective：To investigate the effect of hepatitis C virus non-structural protein 4B（HCV NS4B） on c-Myc, P53, ras gene expression＂ and apoptosis in hepatic cells and study the possible role that NS4B played in the carcinogenesis of heparoma. Methods： The recombinant plasmid（PCXN2-NS4B, PCXN2-P53） and the empty, vector were transfected or co-transfected into Chang liver cells with liposome. Screening was performed with G418. Plasmid mRNA was detected by RT-PCR. The pro rein expressions of c-Myc and ras genes were analyzed by immunocytochemistry. The expressions of wild-type P53 （wtp53） gene were detected by in situ hybridization. TUNEL（flow cytometry） was used for assessing the rate of apoptosis. Results：No expression of c-Myc gene was found in PCXN2 group. The expression of c-Myc gene in NS4B group was 21.3% ＋ 1.2%. The ex pression of ras gene in PCXN2 group was lower than that in NS4B group. Compared with PCXN2 group, the expression of P53 mRNA was not promoted or inhibited in NS4B group. But the expression of P53 mRNA in NS4B-P53 group was lower than that in P53 group. In PCXN2, NS4B, P53 and NS4B-P53 group, the rates of apoptosis were 17.02% ± 1.24%, 11.94% ± 2.24%, 25.84% ± 3.49% and 18.34% ± 1.55% respectively. Conclusion ：HCV NS4B induces the expression of c-Myc and ras gene. HCV NS4B may play a role in the inhibition of cell death through P53-dependent manner. Results from this study suggested that HCV NS4B might contribute to the viral carcinogenesis.
基金supported by the Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied SciencesDefence Research and Development Organization+1 种基金Ministry of DefenceIndia in the form of TASK-177
文摘Objective: To study protein-protein interaction between heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein H(hn RNP H) and Dengue virus(DENV) proteins. Methods: DENV proteins were screened against the host hn RNP H protein, in order to identify the host-viral protein-protein interactions in DENV infected THP-1 cells by co-immunoprecipitation. The co-localization of the interacting proteins was further confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy. Results: The host protein hn RNP H was found to interact with DENV nonstructural 1 protein and help the virus to multiply in the cell. Conclusions: The non-structural 1 glycoprotein is a key modulator of host immune response and is also involved in viral replication. Therefore, disruption of this key interaction between hn RNP H and DENV nonstructural 1 could be an important therapeutic strategy for management of DENV infection.
基金financially supported by the Green Development and Demonstration Programme(GUDP)(case number 34009-19-1585)。
文摘Background Post-weaning diarrhea(PWD)in piglets,often caused by F4^(+)enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli(ETEC),poses significant challenges in pig production.Traditional solutions like antibiotics and zinc oxide face increasing restrictions due to growing concerns over antibiotic resistance and environmental sustainability.This study investigates the application of bivalent heavy chain variable domain(V_(H)H)constructs(BL1.2 and BL2.2)targeting ETEC virulence factors,administered in feed to mitigate ETEC-induced PWD in weaned piglets.Results The supplementation of BL1.2 and BL2.2 in both mash and pelleted feed significantly reduced the diarrhea incidence and fecal shedding of F4^(+)ETEC in challenged piglets.Pelleted feed containing V_(H)H constructs helped to preserve gut barrier integrity by maintaining levels of the tight junction protein occludin in the small intestine.Additionally,the constructs maintained blood granulocyte counts at a similar level to the non-challenged control group,including neutrophils,and ameliorated the acute phase protein response after challenge.Notably,even at low feed intake immediately after weaning,V_(H)H constructs helped maintain piglet health by mitigating ETEC-induced inflammation and the resulting diarrhea.Conclusions Our findings demonstrated that using V_(H)H constructs as feed additives could serve as an effective strategy to help manage ETEC-associated PWD,by reducing F4^(+)ETEC gut colonization and supporting gut barrier function of weaned piglets.The high stability of these V_(H)H constructs supports their incorporation into industrial feed manufacturing processes,offering a more sustainable preventive strategy compared to traditional antimicrobial interventions,which could contribute to sustainable farming practices.
基金supported by the Grand Science and Technology Special Project in Shanxi Province(202201140601025-2)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32201749)supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant 2022-68013-36439(WheatCAP)from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
文摘The awn can contribute to photosynthesis and carbohydrates,enhancing grain yield in wheat.We mapped QAwn.sxau-5A,a major QTL for awn development in wheat(Triticum aestivum).This QTL was delimited to a 994-kb interval at the B1 locus on chromosome 5A,which included the candidate gene encoding a zinc finger protein(TraesCS5A01G542800)as an awn length inhibitor(ALI).The Ali-A1 allele for the awnless trait showed abundant sequence differences in the promoter regions compared to the ali-A1 allele for the long-awn trait.The results of the swap experiment on the promoters from the two ALI-A1 alleles showed that the two promoters caused a difference in the protein level,indicating the gene was regulated at the transcript level.However,the ali-A1 allele contained an SNP that caused a premature stop codon in its coding region,resulting in a truncated protein compared to the functional Ali-A1 protein.The Ali-A1 protein contained two ethylene-responsive element binding factor-associated amphiphilic repression(EAR)motifs,one at the N terminus(EAR-N)and the other at the C terminus(EAR-C),and they were involved in interactions with the wheat co-repressor protein TOPLESS(TPL1).The ali-A1 protein retained the EAR-N motif but lost the EAR-C motif,resulting in the attenuated ability to interact with TPL1.The tpl1 mutant produced a longer awn compared to the wild type.Ali-A1 repressed the transcription of two downstream genes,TaLRP-A1 and TaARF-B1,involved in endogenous auxin concentrations and auxin responses in wheat.We concluded that the awn length is regulated not only by the ALI-A1 gene at transcript levels but also by Ali-A1 and TPL1 at the protein level in wheat.
基金supported in part by funds from the Ministry of Science and Technology(2022FY101104).
文摘Recognizing essential proteins within bacteriophages is fundamental to uncovering their replication and survival mechanisms and contributes to advances in phage-based antibacterial therapies.Despite notable progress,existing computational techniques struggle to represent the interplay between sequence-derived and structuredependent protein features.To overcome this limitation,we introduce GLM-EP,a unified framework that fuses protein language models with equivariant graph neural networks.Bymerging semantic embeddings extracted from amino acid sequences with geometry-aware graph representations,GLM-EP enables an in-depth depiction of phage proteins and enhances essential protein identification.Evaluation on diverse benchmark datasets confirms that GLM-EP surpasses conventional sequence-based and independent deep-learning methods,yielding higher F1 and AUROC outcomes.Component-wise analysis demonstrates that GCNII,EGNN,and the gated multi-head attention mechanism function in a complementary manner to encode complex molecular attributes.In summary,GLM-EP serves as a robust and efficient tool for bacteriophage genomic analysis and provides valuable methodological perspectives for the discovery of antibiotic-resistance therapeutic targets.The corresponding code repository is available at:https://github.com/MiJia-ID/GLM-EP(accessed on 01 November 2025).
基金The work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China[NSFC Grant#81620108020 and#32041002,to D.G.,Grant#31800151,to J.W.]Guangdong Zhujiang Talents Program(to D.G.)+2 种基金Shenzhen Science and Technology Program[Grant#KQTD20180411143323605 and#JSGG20200225150431472 to D.G.]National Ten-thousand Talents Program(to D.G.)Guangdong Province “Pearl River Talent Plan” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Team Project(Grant #2019ZT08Y464 to Li,C.M)。
文摘Zika virus(ZIKV) infection could disrupt neurogenesis and cause microcephaly in neonates by targeting neural progenitor cells(NPCs). The tumor suppressor p53-mediated cell cycle arrest and apoptotic cell death have been suggested to be activated upon ZIKV infection, yet the detailed mechanism is not well understood. In the present study, we investigated the effects of ZIKV-encoded proteins in the activation of p53 signaling pathway and found that, among the ten viral proteins,the nonstructural protein 5(NS5) of ZIKV most significantly activated the transcription of p53 target genes. Using the immunoprecipitation-coupled mass spectrometry approach, we identified that ZIKV-NS5 interacted with p53 protein. The NS5-p53 interaction was further confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays. In addition, the MTase domain of NS5 and the C-terminal domain of p53 were mapped to be responsible for the interaction between these two proteins. We further showed that ZIKV-NS5 was colocalized with p53 and increased its protein level in the nuclei and able to prolong the half-life of p53. Furthermore, lentivirus-mediated expression of ZIKV-NS5 in hNPCs led to an apparent cell death phenotype. ZIKV-NS5 promoted the cleavage of PARP1 and significantly increased the cell apoptosis of h NPCs.Taken together, these findings revealed that ZIKV-NS5 is a previously undiscovered regulator of p53-mediated apoptosis in hNPCs, which may contribute to the ZIKV-caused abnormal neurodevelopment.
