重组弓形虫Peroxiredoxin蛋白诱导小鼠的免疫应答及其抗弓形虫感染的保护作用

目的观察不同剂量重组弓形虫Peroxiredoxin蛋白(rTgPrx)诱导小鼠的体液免疫、细胞免疫应答及其抗弓形虫感染的保护作用。方法BALB/c小鼠60只,随机分为5组,分别用20、40、60、80μgrTgPrx(溶于100μlPBS中)和100μlPBS皮下免疫小鼠3次,间隔2周。末次免疫后第14天,用1×104个速殖子/只灌胃攻击,逐日观察小鼠健康状况。攻击后第30天,ELISA法检测小鼠血清IgG和小肠冲洗液sIgA水平,分离并计数脾淋巴细胞和小肠上皮内淋巴细胞(IEL),分离肝、脑组织内弓形虫速殖子并计数。结果60μgrTgPrx组小鼠血清IgG水平显著高于PBS、20μg和40μgrTgPrx组,小肠冲洗液sIgA组间比较差异无统计学意义;80μgrTgPrx组小鼠脾淋巴细胞数量明显高于PBS和20μgrTgPrx组,IEL数量各组间差异无统计学意义;60μg和80μgrTgPrx组小鼠脑和肝组织虫荷均低于PBS和20μgrTgPrx组。结论60μg和80μgrTgPrx皮下免疫小鼠可诱导有效的体液免疫、细胞免疫应答,且抗弓形虫感染的保护作用效果良好。     

Induction of Hypericins and Hyperforins in Hypericum perforatum in Response to Damage by Herbivores

Plants respond to herbivore and pathogen attack by a variety of direct and indirect mechanisms that include the induction of secondary metabolites. The phytomedicinal plant Hypericum perforatum L. produces two different classes of secondary metabolites: hyperforins, a family of antimicrobial acylphloroglucinols; and hypericins, a family of phototoxic anthraquinones exhibiting antimicrobial, antiviral, and antiherbivore properties in vitro. To determine whether these compounds are part of the herbivore-specific inducible plant defense system, we used an in vitro detached assay to assess the effects of specialist and generalist herbivore damage on the levels of hypericins and hyperforin. Greenhouse-grown H. perforatum plant sections were challenged with the specialist, Chrysolina quadrigemina, or with one of the following generalist feeders: Spilosoma virginica, Spilosoma congrua, or Spodoptera exigua. Feeding by the specialist beetle or mechanical wounding caused little change in phytochemical levels in plant tissue, whereas the small amount of feeding by the generalists caused 30-100% increases in hypericins and hyperforin as compared to control levels. Although the leaf damage index of the specialist feeding was 2.7 times greater, C. quadrigemina had little effect on H. perforatum chemical defenses in response to feeding damage in comparison to generalist feeding.     

Induction of Nectriapyrone Biosynthesis in the Rice Blast Fungus Pyricularia oryzae by Disturbance of the Two-Component Signal Transduction System

Most fungal secondary metabolism genes are poorly expressed under laboratory conditions. Nectriapyrones are known as secondary metabolites produced mainly by symbiotic fungi, including endophytes and plant pathogens. Herein, we show the induction of nectriapyrone production in the rice blast fungus Pyricularia oryzae. The two-component signal transduction system was disturbed by disrupting OSM1 and PoYPD1, which encoded a HOG MAP kinase and a His-containing phosphotransfer (HPt) protein, respectively. This induced the production of two polyketide compounds: nectriapyrone and its hydroxylated analogue. The nectriapyrone biosynthetic gene cluster consists of a polyketide synthase gene (NEC1) and an O-methyltransferase gene (NEC2). Overexpression of the two genes induced overproduction of nectriapyrone and five nectriapyrone analogues, including a new derivative. Nectriapyrone production was not required for the infection of rice. The structure of nectriapyrone is similar to that of the germicidins produced by Streptomyces spp., and nectriapyrone inhibited the growth of Streptomyces griseus.     

Rapid Induction of Multiple Terpenoid Groups by Ponderosa Pine in Response to Bark Beetle-Associated Fungi

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) is a major and widely distributed component of conifer biomes in western North America and provides substantial ecological and economic benefits. This tree is exposed to several tree-killing bark beetle-microbial complexes, including the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) and the phytopathogenic fungus Grosmannia clavigera that it vectors, which are among the most important. Induced responses play a crucial role in conifer defenses, yet these have not been reported in ponderosa pine. We compared concentrations of terpenes and a phenylpropanoid, two phytochemical classes with strong effects against bark beetles and their symbionts, in constitutive phloem tissue and in tissue following mechanical wounding or simulated D. ponderosae attack (mechanical wounding plus inoculation with G. clavigera). We also tested whether potential induced responses were localized or systemic. Ponderosa pines showed pronounced induced defenses to inoculation, increasing their total phloem concentrations of monoterpenes 22.3-fold, sesquiterpenes 56.7-fold, and diterpenes 34.8-fold within 17 days. In contrast, responses to mechanical wounding alone were only 5.2, 11.3, and 7.7-fold, respectively. Likewise, the phenylpropanoid estragole (4-allyanisole) rose to 19.1-fold constitutive levels after simulated attack but only 4.4-fold after mechanical wounding. Overall, we found no evidence of systemic induction after 17 days, which spans most of this herbivore’s narrow peak attack period, as significant quantitative and compositional changes within and between terpenoid groups were localized to the wound site. Implications to the less frequent exploitation of ponderosa than lodgepole pine by D. ponderosae, and potential advantages of rapid localized over long-term systemic responses in this system, are discussed.     

Induction of Nickel Accumulation in Response to Zinc Deficiency in Arabidopsis thaliana

Excessive accumulation of nickel (Ni) can be toxic to plants. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the Fe²⁺ transporter, iron (Fe)-regulated transporter1 (IRT1), mediates Fe uptake and also implicates in Ni²⁺ uptake at roots; however, the underlying mechanism of Ni²⁺ uptake and accumulation remains unelucidated. In the present study, we found that zinc (Zn) deficient conditions resulted in increased accumulation of Ni in plants, particularly in roots, in A. thaliana. In order to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of Ni uptake correlating zinc condition, we traced ⁶³Ni isotope in response to Zn and found that (i) Zn deficiency induces short-term Ni²⁺ absorption and (ii) Zn²⁺ inhibits Ni²⁺ uptake, suggesting competitive uptake between Ni and Zn. Furthermore, the Zrt/Irt-like protein 3 (ZIP3)-defective mutant with an elevated Zn-deficient response exhibited higher Ni accumulation than the wild type, further supporting that the response to Zn deficiency induces Ni accumulation. Previously, expression profile study demonstrated that IRT1 expression is not inducible by Zn deficiency. In the present study, we found increased Ni accumulation in IRT1-null mutant under Zn deficiency in agar culture. These suggest that Zn deficiency induces Ni accumulation in an IRT1-independen manner. The present study revealed that Ni accumulation is inducible in response to Zn deficiency, which may be attributable to a Zn uptake transporter induced by Zn deficiency.     

GmWAK1, Novel Wall-Associated Protein Kinase,Positively Regulates Response of Soybean to Phytophthora sojae Infection

Phytophthora root rot is a destructive soybean disease worldwide, which is caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora sojae (P. sojae). Wall-associated protein kinase (WAK) genes, a family of the receptor-like protein kinase (RLK) genes, play important roles in the plant signaling pathways that regulate stress responses and pathogen resistance. In our study, we found a putative Glycine max wall-associated protein kinase, GmWAK1, which we identified by soybean GmLHP1 RNA-sequencing. The expression of GmWAK1 was significantly increased by P. sojae and salicylic acid (SA). Overexpression of GmWAK1 in soybean significantly improved resistance to P. sojae, and the levels of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), SA, and SA-biosynthesis-related genes were markedly higher than in the wild-type (WT) soybean. The activities of enzymatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) antioxidants in GmWAK1-overexpressing (OE) plants were significantly higher than those in in WT plants treated with P. sojae; reactive oxygen species (ROS) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) accumulation was considerably lower in GmWAK1-OE after P. sojae infection. GmWAK1 interacted with annexin-like protein RJ, GmANNRJ4, which improved resistance to P. sojae and increased intracellular free-calcium accumulation. In GmANNRJ4-OE transgenic soybean, the calmodulin-dependent kinase gene GmMPK6 and several pathogenesis-related (PR) genes were constitutively activated. Collectively, these results indicated that GmWAK1 interacts with GmANNRJ4, and GmWAK1 plays a positive role in soybean resistance to P. sojae via a process that might be dependent on SA and involved in alleviating damage caused by oxidative stress.     

乙型脑炎减毒活疫苗诱导小鼠的细胞免疫应答

目的探讨乙型脑炎(简称乙脑)减毒活疫苗在小鼠中诱导细胞免疫应答的能力,评价疫苗的免疫原性。方法以乙脑减毒活疫苗免疫BALB/c小鼠,制备小鼠脾淋巴细胞,在体外以重组蛋白NS3-1和NS3-2进行刺激,采用酶联斑点法(ELISPOT)检测分泌细胞因子的效应T细胞的频数。结果乙脑减毒活疫苗免疫小鼠的脾淋巴细胞在体外经重组蛋白NS3-1和NS3-2刺激后,可诱导高频数的分泌IFNγ的CD4+和CD8+T淋巴细胞及低频数的分泌IL-4的淋巴细胞;而乙脑灭活疫苗仅诱导低频数的分泌IFNγ和IL-4的T淋巴细胞。结论乙脑减毒活疫苗可在小鼠中有效地诱导NS3-1和NS3-2抗原特异性T淋巴细胞应答,且应答水平显著高于乙脑灭活疫苗。     

乙型肝炎表面抗原联合rmIL-12诱导的小鼠细胞免疫应答

目的探讨乙型肝炎表面抗原(HBsAg)联合重组鼠白介素-12(rmIL-12)对免疫小鼠诱导细胞免疫应答的影响。方法以不同给药方式、不同剂量的HBsAg联合rmIL-12免疫C57BL/6J小鼠,ELISA法检测小鼠血清及脾淋巴细胞中IFNγ及IL-4的水平。结果HBsAg+rmIL-12高剂量组免疫的C57BL/6J小鼠,其脾淋巴细胞IFNγ水平明显高于BALB/c小鼠;3种不同给药方式均可诱导C57BL/6J小鼠血清和脾细胞IFNγ水平明显升高,三者之间差异无统计学意义;HBsAg+rmIL-12高、中、低剂量组免疫C57BL/6J小鼠血清可诱导IFNγ水平明显升高,且呈剂量依赖性,脾细胞IFNγ水平在中、低剂量组均未产生效应,高剂量组明显升高,而对IL-4无明显影响。结论rmIL-12可显著增强HBsAg诱导的细胞免疫应答,并使免疫应答转向Th1型,对于发展治疗性乙肝疫苗具有潜在的应用价值。     

Evaluation of the Skin Peptide Defenses of the Oregon Spotted Frog Rana pretiosa Against Infection by the Chytrid Fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Population declines due to amphibian chytridiomycosis among selected species of ranid frogs from western North America have been severe, but there is evidence that the Oregon spotted frog, Rana pretiosa Baird and Girard, 1853, displays resistance to the disease. Norepinephrine-stimulated skin secretions were collected from a non-declining population of R. pretiosa that had been exposed to the causative agent Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. Peptidomic analysis led to identification and isolation, in pure form, of a total of 18 host-defense peptides that were characterized structurally. Brevinin-1PRa, -1PRb, -1PRc, and -1PRd, esculentin-2PRa and -PRb, ranatuerin-2PRa, -2PRb, -2PRc, and -2PRe, temporin-PRb and -PRc were identified in an earlier study of skin secretions of frogs from a different population of R. pretiosa known to be declining. Ranatuerin-2PRf, -2PRg, -2PRh, temporin-PRd, -PRe, and -PRf were not identified in skin secretions from frogs from the declining population, whereas temporin-PRa and ranatuerin-2PRd, present in skin secretions from the declining population, were not detected in the current study. All purified peptides inhibited the growth of B. dendrobatidis zoospores. Peptides of the brevinin-1 and esculentin-2 families displayed the highest potency (minimum inhibitory concentration = 6.25–12.5 μM). The study provides support for the hypothesis that the multiplicity and diversity of the antimicrobial peptide repertoire in R. pretiosa and the high growth-inhibitory potency of certain peptides against B. dendrobatidis are important in conferring a measure of resistance to fatal chytridiomycosis.     

Differences in Defensive Volatiles of the Forked Fungus Beetle, Bolitotherus cornutus, Living on Two Species of Fungus

Forked fungus beetles, Bolitotherus cornutus, feed, mate, and live on the brackets of several species of shelf fungus that grow on decaying logs. In response to the specific threat stimulus of mammalian breath, B. cornutus beetles produce a volatile defensive secretion. We tested beetles collected from different host fungi to determine whether defensive secretion blends varied with host type. Using solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, we detected large amounts of the alkylated benzoquinones, methyl-p-benzoquinone (toluquinone) and ethyl-p-benzoquinone, and smaller quantities of p-benzoquinone, 3-methylphenol (m-cresol), 3-ethylphenol, 2-methylhydroquinone, and 2-ethylhydroquinone in secretions. Volatile composition did not differ between male and female beetles. Secretions did differ between beetles collected from two species of fungus, Ganoderma applanatum and Fomes fomentarius, with the relative amount of p-benzoquinone secreted being the most important factor. Other relationships among the volatile components are discussed.     

Colonization and Infection of the Skin by S. aureus: Immune System Evasion and the Response to Cationic Antimicrobial Peptides

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a widespread cutaneous pathogen responsible for the great majority of bacterial skin infections in humans. The incidence of skin infections by S. aureus reflects in part the competition between host cutaneous immune defenses and S. aureus virulence factors. As part of the innate immune system in the skin, cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) such as the β-defensins and cathelicidin contribute to host cutaneous defense, which prevents harmful microorganisms, like S. aureus, from crossing epithelial barriers. Conversely, S. aureus utilizes evasive mechanisms against host defenses to promote its colonization and infection of the skin. In this review, we focus on host-pathogen interactions during colonization and infection of the skin by S. aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). We will discuss the peptides (defensins, cathelicidins, RNase7, dermcidin) and other mediators (toll-like receptor, IL-1 and IL-17) that comprise the host defense against S. aureus skin infection, as well as the various mechanisms by which S. aureus evades host defenses. It is anticipated that greater understanding of these mechanisms will enable development of more sustainable antimicrobial compounds and new therapeutic approaches to the treatment of S. aureus skin infection and colonization.