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While chemotherapy is the most effective therapeutic approach for treating a variety of cancer patients, commonly used chemotherapeutic agents, often induce several adverse effects. Escalating evidence indicates that chemotherapeutics, particularly doxorubicin (DOX) and cyclophosphamide (CPS), induce cognitive impairment associated with central nervous system toxicity. This study was performed to determine neuroprotective effects of Oroxylum indicum extract (OIE) in regard to preventing chemotherapy induced cognitive impairment (CICI) occurring after 4 cycles of DOX (2mg/kg) and CPS (50mg/kg) combination chemotherapy in male C57BL/6J mice. OIE significantly prevented the chemotherapy impaired short-term cognitive performance, exploratory behavior associated with cognitive performance, cognitive performance, and spatial learning and memory in the Y-maze, Open-Field, Novel Object Recognition, and Morris Water Maze tests, respectively. These data suggest that OIE protects from the CICI. OIE decreased the reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxide generated by the chemotherapy treatment in the brain, while also blocking the chemotherapy-induced glutathione depletion. These results establish that OIE exhibits potent antioxidant activity in chemotherapy treated mice. Notably, OIE significantly increased the Complex-I and Complex-IV activities in the brain, indicating that OIE enhances mitochondrial function in the brain. In silico analysis of the major active chemical constituents (Oroxylin A, Baicalein and Chrysin) of OIE indicated that OIE has a favorable absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) profile. Taken together, our results are consistent with the conclusion that OIE prevents CICI by counteracting oxidative stress and perhaps by improving mitochondrial function.

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is a powerful tool getting into the field of clinical examination. Its preliminary application in pre-implantation comprehensive chromosomal screening (PCCS) of assisted reproduction (test-tube baby) has shown encouraging outcomes that improves the success rate of in vitro fertilization. However, the conventional NGS library construction is time consuming. In addition with the whole genome amplification (WGA) procedure in prior, makes the single cell NGS assay hardly be accomplished within an adequately short turnover time in supporting fresh embryo implantation. In this work, we established a concise single cell sequencing protocol, ChromInst, in which the single cell WGA and NGS library construction were integrated into a two-step PCR procedure of ~ 2.5hours reaction time. We then validated the feasibility of ChromInst for overnight PCCS assay by examining 14 voluntary donated embryo biopsy samples in a single sequencing run of Miseq with merely 13M reads production. The good compatibility of ChromInst with the restriction of Illumina sequencing technique along with the good library yield uniformity resulted superior data usage efficiency and reads distribution evenness that ensures precisely distinguish of 6 normal embryos from 8 abnormal one with variable chromosomal aneuploidy. The superior succinctness and effectiveness of this protocol permits its utilization in other time limited single cell NGS applications.

Yersinia pestis (Y. pestis) has caused an alarming number of deaths throughout recorded human history, and novel prophylactics and therapeutics are necessary given its potential as a bioweapon. Only one monoclonal antibody has been identified to date that provides complete protection against Y. pestis. Here, we describe a second novel murine monoclonal antibody (F2H5) that provided complete protection against Y. pestis 141 infection when administered prophylactically to Balb/c mice (100 μg intravenously). We humanized F2H5, characterized its ability to bind to the Y. pestis F1 protein and further characterized the neutralizing epitope using computational and experimental approaches. While Western blot results suggested a linear epitope, peptide mapping using ELISA failed to identify an epitope, suggesting a conformational epitope instead. We adopted a computational approach based on Residue Contact Frequency to predict the site of antigen-antibody interaction and defined the F2H5/F1 binding site computationally. Based on computational approach, we determined that residues G104E105N106 in F1 were critical to F2H5 binding and that CDRH2 and CDRH3 of F2H5 interacted with F1. Our results show that combining computational approach and experimental approach can effectively identify epitopes.

BACKGROUND:The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) plays an essential role in ensuring proper folding of the newly synthesized proteins. Aberrant ER homeostasis triggers ER stress and development of cardiovascular diseases. ADH is involved in catalyzing ethanol to acetaldehyde although its role in cardiovascular diseases other than ethanol metabolism still remains elusive. This study was designed to examine the impact of ADH on ER stress-induced cardiac anomalies and underlying mechanisms involved using cardiac-specific overexpression of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). METHODS:ADH and wild-type FVB mice were subjected to the ER stress inducer tunicamycin (1 mg/kg, i.p., for 48 hrs). Myocardial mechanical and intracellular Ca(2+) properties, ER stress, autophagy and associated cell signaling molecules were evaluated. RESULTS:ER stress compromised cardiac contractile function (evidenced as reduced fractional shortening, peak shortening, maximal velocity of shortening/relengthening, prolonged relengthening duration and impaired intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis), oxidative stress and upregulated autophagy (increased LC3B, Atg5, Atg7 and p62), along with dephosphorylation of PTEN, Akt and mTOR, all of which were attenuated by ADH. In vitro study revealed that ER stress-induced cardiomyocyte anomaly was abrogated by ADH overexpression or autophagy inhibition using 3-MA. Interestingly, the beneficial effect of ADH was obliterated by autophagy induction, inhibition of Akt and mTOR. ER stress also promoted phosphorylation of the stress signaling ERK and JNK, the effect of which was unaffected by ADH transgene. CONCLUSIONS:Taken together, these findings suggested that ADH protects against ER stress-induced cardiac anomalies possibly via attenuation of oxidative stress and PTEN/Akt/mTOR pathway-regulated autophagy.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063615.].

BACKGROUND: The safety and health benefits of Tai Chi mind-body exercise has been documented in a large number of clinical studies focused on specific diseases and health conditions. The objective of this systematic review is to more comprehensively summarize the evidence base of clinical studies of Tai Chi for healthcare. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We searched for all types of clinical studies on Tai chi in PubMed, the Cochrane Library and four major Chinese electronic databases from their inception to July 2013. Data were analyzed using SPSS17.0 software. A total of 507 studies published between 1958 and 2013 were identified, including 43 (8.3%) systematic reviews of clinical studies, 255 (50.3%) randomized clinical trials, 90 (17.8%) non-randomized controlled clinical studies, 115 (22.7%) case series and 4 (0.8%) case reports. The top 10 diseases/conditions was hypertension, diabetes, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis or osteopenia, breast cancer, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease, schizophrenia, and depression. Many healthy participants practiced Tai Chi for the purpose of health promotion or preservation. Yang style Tai Chi was the most popular, and Tai Chi was frequently practiced two to three 1-hour sessions per week for 12 weeks. Tai Chi was used alone in more than half of the studies (58.6%), while in other studies Tai Chi was applied in combination with other therapies including medications, health education and other physical therapies. The majority of studies (94.1%) reported positive effects of Tai Chi, 5.1% studies reported uncertain effects and 0.8% studies reported negative effects. No serious adverse events related to Tai Chi were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The quantity and evidence base of clinical studies on Tai Chi is substantial. However, there is a wide variation in Tai Chi intervention studied and the reporting of Tai Chi intervention needs to be improved. Further well-designed and reported studies are recommended to confirm the effects of Tai Chi for the frequently reported diseases/conditions.

Yeast Pichia pastoris is a widely used system for heterologous protein expression. However, post-translational modifications, especially glycosylation, usually impede pharmaceutical application of recombinant proteins because of unexpected alterations in protein structure and function. The aim of this study was to identify glycosylation sites on recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-BB (rhPDGF-BB) secreted by P. pastoris, and investigate possible effects of O-linked glycans on PDGF-BB functional activity. PDGF-BB secreted by P. pastoris is very heterogeneous and contains multiple isoforms. We demonstrated that PDGF-BB was O-glycosylated during the secretion process and detected putative O-glycosylation sites using glycosylation staining and immunoblotting. By site-directed mutagenesis and high-resolution LC/MS analysis, we, for the first time, identified two threonine residues at the C-terminus as the major O-glycosylation sites on rhPDGF-BB produced in P. pastoris. Although O-glycosylation resulted in heterogeneous protein expression, the removal of glycosylation sites did not affect rhPDGF-BB mitogenic activity. In addition, the unglycosylated PDGF-BBΔGly mutant exhibited the immunogenicity comparable to that of the wild-type form. Furthermore, antiserum against PDGF-BBΔGly also recognized glycosylated PDGF-BB, indicating that protein immunogenicity was unaltered by glycosylation. These findings elucidate the effect of glycosylation on PDGF-BB structure and biological activity, and can potentially contribute to the design and production of homogeneously expressed unglycosylated or human-type glycosylated PDGF-BB in P. pastoris for pharmaceutical applications.

Exercise training offers cardioprotection against ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, few essential signals have been identified to underscore the protection from injury. In the present study, we hypothesized that exercise-induced acceleration of myocardial tissue oxygenation recovery contributes to this protection. C57BL/6 mice (4 weeks old) were trained on treadmills for 45 min/day at a treading rate of 15 m/min for 8 weeks. At the end of 8-week exercise training, mice underwent 30-min left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion followed by 60-min or 24-h reperfusion. Electron paramagnetic resonance oximetry was performed to measure myocardial tissue oxygenation. Western immunoblotting analyses, gene transfection, and myography were examined. The oximetry study demonstrated that exercise markedly shortened myocardial tissue oxygenation recovery time following reperfusion. Exercise training up-regulated Kir6.1 protein expression (a subunit of ATP-sensitive K(+)channel on vascular smooth muscle cells, VSMC sarc-K(ATP)) and protected the heart from I/R injury. In vivo gene transfer of dominant negative Kir6.1AAA prolonged the recovery time and enlarged infarct size. In addition, transfection of Kir6.1AAA increased the stiffness and reduced the relaxation capacity in the vasculature. Together, our study demonstrated that exercise training up-regulated Kir6.1, improved tissue oxygenation recovery, and protected the heart against I/R injury. This exercise-induced cardioprotective mechanism may provide a potential therapeutic intervention targeting VSMC sarc-K(ATP) channels and reperfusion recovery.

ObjectiveChinese proprietary herbal medicines (CPHMs) have long history in China for the treatment of common cold, and lots of them have been listed in the 'China national essential drug list' by the Chinese Ministry of Health. The aim of this review is to provide a well-round clinical evidence assessment on the potential benefits and harms of CPHMs for common cold based on a systematic literature search to justify their clinical use and recommendation.MethodsWe searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP, China Important Conference Papers Database, China Dissertation Database, and online clinical trial registry websites from their inception to 31 March 2013 for clinical studies of CPHMs listed in the 'China national essential drug list' for common cold. There was no restriction on study design.ResultsA total of 33 CPHMs were listed in 'China national essential drug list 2012' for the treatment of common cold but only 7 had supportive clinical evidences. A total of 6 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and 7 case series (CSs) were included; no other study design was identified. All studies were conducted in China and published in Chinese between 1995 and 2012. All included studies had poor study design and methodological quality, and were graded as very low quality.ConclusionsThe use of CPHMs for common cold is not supported by robust evidence. Further rigorous well designed placebo-controlled, randomized trials are needed to substantiate the clinical claims made for CPHMs.

In abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), macrophages are detected in the proximity of aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs). We have previously demonstrated in a murine model of AAA that apoptotic SMCs attract monocytes and other leukocytes by producing MCP-1. Here we tested whether infiltrating macrophages also directly contribute to SMC apoptosis.Using a SMC/RAW264.7 macrophage co-culture system, we demonstrated that MCP-1-primed RAWs caused a significantly higher level of apoptosis in SMCs as compared to control macrophages. Next, we detected an enhanced Fas ligand (FasL) mRNA level and membrane FasL protein expression in MCP-1-primed RAWs. Neutralizing FasL blocked SMC apoptosis in the co-culture. In situ proximity ligation assay showed that SMCs exposed to primed macrophages contained higher levels of receptor interacting protein-1 (RIP1)/Caspase 8 containing cell death complexes. Silencing RIP1 conferred apoptosis resistance to SMCs. In the mouse elastase injury model of aneurysm, aneurysm induction increased the level of RIP1/Caspase 8 containing complexes in medial SMCs. Moreover, TUNEL-positive SMCs in aneurysmal tissues were frequently surrounded by CD68(+)/FasL(+) macrophages. Conversely, elastase-treated arteries from MCP-1 knockout mice display a reduction of both macrophage infiltration and FasL expression, which was accompanied by diminished apoptosis of SMCs.Our data suggest that MCP-1-primed macrophages are more cytotoxic. MCP-1 appears to modulate macrophage cytotoxicity by increasing the level of membrane bound FasL. Thus, we showed that MCP-1-primed macrophages kill SMCs through a FasL/Fas-Caspase8-RIP1 mediated mechanism.

Thousands of QTLs for meat quality traits have been identified by linkage mapping studies, but most of them lack precise position or replication between populations, which hinder their application in pig breeding programs. To localize QTLs for meat quality traits to precise genomic regions, we performed a genome-wide association (GWA) study using the Illumina PorcineSNP60K Beadchip in two swine populations: 434 Sutai pigs and 933 F2 pigs from a White Duroc×Erhualian intercross. Meat quality traits, including pH, color, drip loss, moisture content, protein content and intramuscular fat content (IMF), marbling and firmness scores in the M. longissimus (LM) and M. semimembranosus (SM) muscles, were recorded on the two populations. In total, 127 chromosome-wide significant SNPs for these traits were identified. Among them, 11 SNPs reached genome-wise significance level, including 1 on SSC3 for pH, 1 on SSC3 and 3 on SSC15 for drip loss, 3 (unmapped) for color a*, and 2 for IMF each on SSC9 and SSCX. Except for 11 unmapped SNPs, 116 significant SNPs fell into 28 genomic regions of approximately 10 Mb or less. Most of these regions corresponded to previously reported QTL regions and spanned smaller intervals than before. The loci on SSC3 and SSC7 appeared to have pleiotropic effects on several related traits. Besides them, a few QTL signals were replicated between the two populations. Further, we identified thirteen new candidate genes for IMF, marbling and firmness, on the basis of their positions, functional annotations and reported expression patterns. The findings will contribute to further identification of the causal mutation underlying these QTLs and future marker-assisted selection in pigs.

Hematological traits are important indicators of immune function and have been commonly examined as biomarkers of disease and disease severity in humans. Pig is an ideal biomedical model for human diseases due to its high degree of similarity with human physiological characteristics. Here, we conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for 18 hematological traits at three growth stages (days 18, 46 and 240) in a White Duroc × Erhualian F2 intercross. In total, we identified 38 genome-wide significant regions containing 185 genome-wide significant SNPs by single-marker GWAS or LONG-GWAS. The significant regions are distributed on pig chromosomes (SSC) 1, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17 and 18, and most of significant SNPs reside on SSC7 and SSC8. Of the 38 significant regions, 7 show constant effects on hematological traits across the whole life stages, and 6 regions have time-specific effects on the measured traits at early or late stages. The most prominent locus is the genomic region between 32.36 and 84.49 Mb on SSC8 that is associated with multiple erythroid traits. The KIT gene in this region appears to be a promising candidate gene. The findings improve our understanding of the genetic architecture of hematological traits in pigs. Further investigations are warranted to characterize the responsible gene(s) and causal variant(s) especially for the major loci on SSC7 and SSC8.

The number of vertebrae is an economically important trait that affects carcass length and meat production in pigs. A major quantitative trait locus (QTL) for thoracic vertebral number has been repeatedly identified on pig chromosome (SSC) 7. To dissect the genetic basis of the major locus, we herein genotyped a large sample of animals from 3 experimental populations of Chinese and Western origins using 60K DNA chips. Genome-wide association studies consistently identified the locus across the 3 populations and mapped the locus to a 947-Kb region on SSC7. An identical-by-descent sharing assay refined the locus to a 100-Kb segment that harbors only two genes including VRTN and SYNDIG1L. Of them, VRNT has been proposed as a strong candidate of the major locus in Western modern breeds. Further, we resequenced the VRTN gene using DNA samples of 35 parental animals with known QTL genotypes by progeny testing. Concordance tests revealed 4 candidate causal variants as their genotypes showed the perfect segregation with QTL genotypes of the tested animals. An integrative analysis of evolutional constraints and functional elements supported two VRTN variants in a complete linkage disequilibrium phase as the most likely causal mutations. The promising variants significantly affect the number of thoracic vertebrae (one vertebra) in large scale outbred animals, and are segregating at rather high frequencies in Western pigs and at relatively low frequencies in a number of Chinese breeds. Altogether, we show that VRTN variants are significantly associated with the number of thoracic vertebrae in both Chinese and Western pigs. The finding advances our understanding of the genetic architecture of the vertebral number in pigs. Furthermore, our finding is of economical importance as it provides a robust breeding tool for the improvement of vertebral number and meat production in both Chinese indigenous pigs and Western present-day commercial pigs.

Obesity-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress has been proposed as an important pathway in the development of insulin resistance. Protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) is a negative regulator of insulin signaling and is tethered to the ER-membrane. The aim of the study was to determine the mechanisms involved in the crosstalk between ER-stress and PTP1B. PTP1B whole body knockout and C57BL/6J mice were subjected to a high-fat or normal chow-diet for 20 weeks. High-fat diet feeding induced body weight gain, increased adiposity, systemic glucose intolerance, and hepatic steatosis were attenuated by PTP1B deletion. High-fat diet- fed PTP1B knockout mice also exhibited improved glucose uptake measured using [(3)H]-2-deoxy-glucose incorporation assay and Akt phosphorylation in the skeletal muscle tissue, compared to their wild-type control mice which received similar diet. High-fat diet-induced upregulation of glucose-regulated protein-78, phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase-2 were significantly attenuated in the PTP1B knockout mice. Mice lacking PTP1B showed decreased expression of the autophagy related protein p62 and the unfolded protein response adaptor protein NCK1 (non-catalytic region of tyrosine kinase). Treatment of C2C12 myotubes with the ER-stressor tunicamycin resulted in the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to the activation of protein expression of PTP1B. Furthermore, tunicamycin-induced ROS production activated nuclear translocation of NFκB p65 and was required for ER stress-mediated expression of PTP1B. Our data suggest that PTP1B is induced by ER stress via the activation of the ROS-NFκB axis which is causes unfolded protein response and mediates insulin resistance in the skeletal muscle under obese condition.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor beta/delta (PPARD) is a crucial and multifaceted determinant of diverse biological functions including lipid metabolism, embryonic development, inflammatory response, wound healing and cancer. Recently, we proposed a novel function of porcine PPARD (sPPARD) in external ear development. A missense mutation (G32E) in an evolutionary conservative domain of sPPARD remarkably increases external ear size in pigs. Here, we investigated the underlying molecular mechanism of the causal mutation at the cellular level. Using a luciferase reporter system, we showed that the G32E substitution reduced transcription activity of sPPARD in a ligand-dependent manner. By comparison of the subcellular localization of wild-type and mutated sPPARD in both PK-15 cells and pinna cartilage-derived primary chondrocytes, we found that the G32E substitution promoted CRM-1 mediated nuclear exportation of sPPARD. With the surface plasmon resonance technology, we further revealed that the G32E substitution had negligible effect on its ligand binding affinity. Finally, we used co-immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays to show that the G32E substitution greatly reduced ubiquitination level by blocking ubiquitination of the crucial A/B domain and consequently decreased transcription activity of sPPARD. Taken together, our findings strongly support that G32E is a functional variant that plays a key role in biological activity of sPPARD, which advances our understanding of the underlying mechanism of sPPARD G32E for ear size in pigs.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) has exhibited promises in the treatment of obesity, although its impact on obesity-induced cardiac dysfunction is unknown. This study examined the effect of TUDCA on cardiomyocyte function in high-fat diet-induced obesity.Adult mice were fed low or high fat diet for 5 months prior to treatment of TUDCA (300 mg/kg. i.p., for 15d). Intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (IPGTT), cardiomyocyte mechanical and intracellular Ca(2+) property, insulin signaling molecules including IRS-1, Akt, AMPK, ACC, GSK-3β, c-Jun, ERK and c-Jun N terminal kinase (JNK) as well as ER stress and intracellular Ca(2+) regulatory proteins were examined. Myocardial ultrastructure was evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM).High-fat diet depressed peak shortening (PS) and maximal velocity of shortening/relengthenin as well as prolonged relengthening duration. TUDCA reversed or overtly ameliorated high fat diet-induced cardiomyocyte dysfunction including prolongation in relengthening. TUDCA alleviated high-fat diet-induced decrease in SERCA2a and phosphorylation of phospholamban, increase in ER stress (GRP78/BiP, CHOP, phosphorylation of PERK, IRE1α and eIF2α), ultrastructural changes and mitochondrial permeation pore opening. High-fat diet feeding inhibited phosphorylation of AMPK and promoted phosphorylation of GSK-3β. TUDCA prevented high fat-induced dephosphorylation of AMPK but not GSK-3β. High fat diet promoted phosphorylation of IRS-1 (Ser(307)), JNK, and ERK without affecting c-Jun phosphorylation, the effect of which with the exception of ERK phosphorylation was attenuated by TUDCA.These data depict that TUDCA may ameliorate high fat diet feeding-induced cardiomyocyte contractile and intracellular Ca(2+) defects through mechanisms associated with mitochondrial integrity, AMPK, JNK and IRS-1 serine phosphorylation.

To investigate population structure, linkage disequilibrium (LD) pattern and selection signature at the genome level in Chinese and Western pigs, we genotyped 304 unrelated animals from 18 diverse populations using porcine 60 K SNP chips. We confirmed the divergent evolution between Chinese and Western pigs and showed distinct topological structures of the tested populations. We acquired the evidence for the introgression of Western pigs into two Chinese pig breeds. Analysis of runs of homozygosity revealed that historical inbreeding reduced genetic variability in several Chinese breeds. We found that intrapopulation LD extents are roughly comparable between Chinese and Western pigs. However, interpopulation LD is much longer in Western pigs compared with Chinese pigs with average r(2) (0.3) values of 125 kb for Western pigs and only 10.5 kb for Chinese pigs. The finding indicates that higher-density markers are required to capture LD with causal variants in genome-wide association studies and genomic selection on Chinese pigs. Further, we looked across the genome to identify candidate loci under selection using F(ST) outlier tests on two contrast samples: Tibetan pigs versus lowland pigs and belted pigs against non-belted pigs. Interestingly, we highlighted several genes including ADAMTS12, SIM1 and NOS1 that show signatures of natural selection in Tibetan pigs and are likely important for genetic adaptation to high altitude. Comparison of our findings with previous reports indicates that the underlying genetic basis for high-altitude adaptation in Tibetan pigs, Tibetan peoples and yaks is likely distinct from one another. Moreover, we identified the strongest signal of directional selection at the EDNRB loci in Chinese belted pigs, supporting EDNRB as a promising candidate gene for the white belt coat color in Chinese pigs. Altogether, our findings advance the understanding of the genome biology of Chinese and Western pigs.

Second hand cigarette smoke is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Although a tie between smoking and cardiovascular disease is well established, the underlying mechanisms still remains elusive due to the lack of adequate animal models. This study was designed to use a mouse model of exposure to cigarette smoke, a surrogate of environmental tobacco smoke, to evaluate the impact of cardiac overexpression of heavy metal scavenger metallothionein on myocardial geometry, contractile and intracellular Ca(2+) properties and apoptosis following side-stream smoke exposure.Adult male wild-type FVB and metallothionein transgenic mice were placed in a chamber exposed to cigarette smoke for 1 hour daily for 40 days. Echocardiographic, cardiomyocyte contractile and intracellular Ca(2+) properties, fibrosis, apoptosis and mitochondrial damage were examined.Our data revealed that smoke exposure enlarged ventricular end systolic and diastolic diameters, reduced myocardial and cardiomyocyte contractile function, disrupted intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis, facilitated fibrosis, apoptosis and mitochondrial damage (cytochrome C release and aconitase activity), the effects of which were attenuated or mitigated by metallothionein. In addition, side-stream smoke expose enhanced phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3β without affecting pan protein expression in the heart, the effect of which was abolished or ameliorated by metallothionein. Cigarette smoke extract interrupted cardiomyocyte contractile function and intracellular Ca(2+) properties, the effect of which was mitigated by wortmannin and NAC.These data suggest that side-stream smoke exposure led to myocardial dysfunction, intracellular Ca(2+) mishandling, apoptosis, fibrosis and mitochondrial damage, indicating the therapeutic potential of antioxidant against in second smoking-induced cardiac defects possibly via mitochondrial damage and apoptosis.

Fatty acid composition is an important phenotypic trait in pigs as it affects nutritional, technical and sensory quality of pork. Here, we reported a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for fatty acid composition in the longissimus muscle and abdominal fat tissues of 591 White Duroc×Erhualian F2 animals and in muscle samples of 282 Chinese Sutai pigs. A total of 46 loci surpassing the suggestive significance level were identified on 15 pig chromosomes (SSC) for 12 fatty acids, revealing the complex genetic architecture of fatty acid composition in pigs. Of the 46 loci, 15 on SSC5, 7, 14 and 16 reached the genome-wide significance level. The two most significant SNPs were ss131535508 (P = 2.48×10(-25)) at 41.39 Mb on SSC16 for C20∶0 in abdominal fat and ss478935891 (P = 3.29×10(-13)) at 121.31 Mb on SSC14 for muscle C18∶0. A meta-analysis of GWAS identified 4 novel loci and enhanced the association strength at 6 loci compared to those evidenced in a single population, suggesting the presence of common underlying variants. The longissimus muscle and abdominal fat showed consistent association profiles at most of the identified loci and distinct association signals at several loci. All loci have specific effects on fatty acid composition, except for two loci on SSC4 and SSC7 affecting multiple fatness traits. Several promising candidate genes were found in the neighboring regions of the lead SNPs at the genome-wide significant loci, such as SCD for C18∶0 and C16∶1 on SSC14 and ELOVL7 for C20∶0 on SSC16. The findings provide insights into the molecular basis of fatty acid composition in pigs, and would benefit the final identification of the underlying mutations.

An Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak in China in 1999 caused 177 deaths due to hemolytic uremic syndrome. Sixteen outbreak associated isolates were found to belong to a new clone, sequence type 96 (ST96), based on multilocus sequence typing of 15 housekeeping genes. Whole genome sequencing of an outbreak isolate, Xuzhou21, showed that the isolate is phylogenetically closely related to the Japan 1996 outbreak isolate Sakai, both of which share the most recent common ancestor with the US outbreak isolate EDL933. The levels of IL-6 and IL-8 of peripheral blood mononuclear cells induced by Xuzhou21 and Sakai were significantly higher than that induced by EDL933. Xuzhou21 also induced a significantly higher level of IL-8 than Sakai while both induced similar levels of IL-6. The expression level of Shiga toxin 2 in Xuzhou21 induced by mitomycin C was 68.6 times of that under non-inducing conditions, twice of that induced in Sakai (32.7 times) and 15 times higher than that induced in EDL933 (4.5 times). Our study shows that ST96 is a novel clone and provided significant new insights into the evolution of virulence of E. coli O157:H7.

Natural antisense transcripts are endogenous transcripts that are complementary to the sense-strand of DNA. These transcripts have been identified in various eukaryotic species and are involved in a broad range of regulatory events and biological processes. However, their general biological functions, expression characteristics and regulatory mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, 497 liver and 586 muscle samples were harvested from a White Duroc×Erhualian F(2) resource population. The expression profiles of sense and antisense transcripts were determined by tag-based RNA sequencing. We identified 33.7% and 20.4% of transcripts having both sense and antisense expression, and 12.5% and 6.1% of transcripts only expressing antisense transcripts in liver and muscle, respectively. More than 32.2% of imprinting or predicted imprinting genes in the geneimprint database were detected with both sense and antisense expression. The correlations between sense and antisense expression in sense-antisense pairs were diverse in both liver and muscle, showing positive, negative or absent correlation. Antisense expression increases gene expression variability. More interestingly, compared to eQTL mapping of sense transcripts in which more than one eQTL was mapped for a transcript, only one eQTL was identified for each antisense transcript, and the percentage of cis-eQTL in antisense eQTL was higher than that in sense eQTL. This suggests that the expressions of antisense transcripts tend to be cis-regulated by a single genomic locus. To our knowledge, this study is the first systematical investigation of antisense transcription in pigs. The findings improve our understanding of the complexity of porcine transcriptome.

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F4ac is a major determinant of diarrhea and mortality in neonatal and young pigs. Susceptibility to ETEC F4ac is governed by the intestinal receptor specific for the bacterium and is inherited as a monogenic dominant trait. To identify the receptor gene (F4acR), we first mapped the locus to a 7.8-cM region on pig chromosome 13 using a genome scan with 194 microsatellite markers. A further scan with high density markers on chromosome 13 refined the locus to a 5.7-cM interval. Recombination breakpoint analysis defined the locus within a 2.3-Mb region. Further genome-wide mapping using 39,720 informative SNPs revealed that the most significant markers were proximal to the MUC13 gene in the 2.3-Mb region. Association studies in a collection of diverse outbred populations strongly supported that MUC13 is the most likely responsible gene. We characterized the porcine MUC13 gene that encodes two transcripts: MUC13A and MUC13B. Both transcripts have the characteristic PTS regions of mucins that are enriched in distinct tandem repeats. MUC13B is predicated to be heavily O-glycosylated, forming the binding site of the bacterium; while MUC13A does not have the O-glycosylation binding site. Concordantly, 127 independent pigs homozygous for MUC13A across diverse breeds are all resistant to ETEC F4ac, and all 718 susceptible animals from the broad breed panel carry at least one MUC13B allele. Altogether, we conclude that susceptibility towards ETEC F4ac is governed by the MUC13 gene in pigs. The finding has an immediate translation into breeding practice, as it allows us to establish an efficient and accurate diagnostic test for selecting against susceptible animals. Moreover, the finding improves our understanding of mucins that play crucial roles in defense against enteric pathogens. It revealed, for the first time, the direct interaction between MUC13 and enteric bacteria, which is poorly understood in mammals.

Adenosine, a catabolite of ATP, displays a wide variety of effects in the heart including regulation of cardiac response to myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury. Nonetheless, the precise mechanism of adenosine-induced cardioprotection is still elusive. Isolated Sprague-Dawley rat hearts underwent 30 min global ischemia and 120 min reperfusion using a Langendorff apparatus. Both adenosine and acetylcholine treatment recovered the post-reperfusion cardiac function associated with adenosine and muscarinic receptors activation. Simultaneous administration of adenosine and acetylcholine failed to exert any additive protective effect, suggesting a shared mechanism between the two. Our data further revealed a cross-talk between the adenosine and acetylcholine receptor signaling in reperfused rat hearts. Interestingly, the selective M(2) muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist methoctramine significantly attenuated the cardioprotective effect of adenosine. In addition, treatment with adenosine upregulated the expression and the maximal binding capacity of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor, which were inhibited by the selective A(1) adenosine receptor antagonist 8-Cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (DPCPX) and the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(ω)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). These data suggested a possible functional coupling between the adenosine and muscarinic receptors behind the observed cardioprotection. Furthermore, nitric oxide was found involved in triggering the response to each of the two receptor agonist. In summary, there may be a cross-talk between the adenosine and muscarinic receptors in ischemic/reperfused myocardium with nitric oxide synthase might serve as the distal converging point. In addition, adenosine contributes to the invigorating effect of adenosine on muscarinic receptor thereby prompting to regulation of cardiac function. These findings argue for a potentially novel mechanism behind the adenosine-mediated cardioprotection.

Binge alcohol drinking often triggers myocardial contractile dysfunction although the underlying mechanism is not fully clear. This study was designed to examine the impact of cardiac-specific overexpression of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) on ethanol-induced change in cardiac contractile function, intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis, insulin and AMP-dependent kinase (AMPK) signaling.ADH transgenic and wild-type FVB mice were acutely challenged with ethanol (3 g/kg/d, i.p.) for 3 days. Oral glucose tolerance test, cardiac AMP/ATP levels, cardiac contractile function, intracellular Ca(2+) handling and AMPK signaling (including ACC and LKB1) were examined.Ethanol exposure led to glucose intolerance, elevated plasma insulin, compromised cardiac contractile and intracellular Ca(2+) properties, downregulated protein phosphatase PP2A subunit and PPAR-gamma, as well as phosphorylation of AMPK, ACC and LKB1, all of which except plasma insulin were overtly accentuated by ADH transgene. Interestingly, myocardium from ethanol-treated FVB mice displayed enhanced expression of PP2Calpha and PGC-1alpha, decreased insulin receptor expression as well as unchanged expression of Glut4, the response of which was unaffected by ADH. Cardiac AMP-to-ATP ratio was significantly enhanced by ethanol exposure with a more pronounced increase in ADH mice. In addition, the AMPK inhibitor compound C (10 microM) abrogated acute ethanol exposure-elicited cardiomyocyte mechanical dysfunction.In summary, these data suggest that the ADH transgene exacerbated acute ethanol toxicity-induced myocardial contractile dysfunction, intracellular Ca(2+) mishandling and glucose intolerance, indicating a role of ADH in acute ethanol toxicity-induced cardiac dysfunction possibly related to altered cellular fuel AMPK signaling cascade.

This study was designed to evaluate the interaction between aging and obesity on cardiac contractile and intracellular Ca2+ properties.Cardiomyocytes from young (4-mo) and aging (12- and 18-mo) male lean and the leptin deficient ob/ob obese mice were treated with leptin (0.5, 1.0 and 50 nM) for 4 hrs in vitro. High fat diet (45% calorie from fat) and the leptin receptor mutant db/db obesity models at young and older age were used for comparison. Cardiomyocyte contractile and intracellular Ca2+ properties were evaluated including peak shortening (PS), maximal velocity of shortening/relengthening (+/- dL/dt), time-to-PS (TPS), time-to-90% relengthening (TR(90)), intracellular Ca2+ levels and decay. O2(-) levels were measured by dihydroethidium fluorescence.Our results revealed reduced survival in ob/ob mice. Aging and obesity reduced PS, +/- dL/dt, intracellular Ca2+ rise, prolonged TR(90) and intracellular Ca2+ decay, enhanced O2(-) production and p(47phox) expression without an additive effect of the two, with the exception of intracellular Ca2+ rise. Western blot analysis exhibited reduced Ob-R expression and STAT-3 phosphorylation in both young and aging ob/ob mice, which was restored by leptin. Aging and obesity reduced phosphorylation of Akt, eNOS and p38 while promoting pJNK and pIkappaB. Low levels of leptin reconciled contractile, intracellular Ca2+ and cell signaling defects as well as O2(-) production and p(47phox) upregulation in young but not aging ob/ob mice. High level of leptin (50 nM) compromised contractile and intracellular Ca2+ response as well as O2(-) production and stress signaling in all groups. High fat diet-induced and db/db obesity displayed somewhat comparable aging-induced mechanical but not leptin response.Taken together, our data suggest that aging and obesity compromise cardiac contractile function possibly via phosphorylation of Akt, eNOS and stress signaling-associated O2(-) release.

OBJECTIVES: Anthrax infection is associated with devastating cardiovascular sequelae, suggesting unfavorable cardiovascular effects of toxins originated from Bacillus anthracis namely lethal and edema toxins. This study was designed to examine the direct effect of lethal toxins on cardiomyocyte contractile and intracellular Ca(2+) properties. METHODS: Murine cardiomyocyte contractile function and intracellular Ca(2+) handling were evaluated including peak shortening (PS), maximal velocity of shortening/ relengthening (± dL/dt), time-to-PS (TPS), time-to-90% relengthening (TR(90)), intracellular Ca(2+) rise measured as fura-2 fluorescent intensity (ΔFFI), and intracellular Ca(2+) decay rate. Stress signaling and Ca(2+) regulatory proteins were assessed using Western blot analysis. RESULTS: In vitro exposure to a lethal toxin (0.05-50 nM) elicited a concentration-dependent depression on cardiomyocyte contractile and intracellular Ca(2+) properties (PS, ± dL/dt, ΔFFI), along with prolonged duration of contraction and intracellular Ca(2+) decay, the effects of which were nullified by the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin. The lethal toxin significantly enhanced superoxide production and cell death, which were reversed by apocynin. In vivo lethal toxin exposure exerted similar time-dependent cardiomyocyte mechanical and intracellular Ca(2+) responses. Stress signaling cascades including MEK1/2, p38, ERK and JNK were unaffected by in vitro lethal toxins whereas they were significantly altered by in vivo lethal toxins. Ca(2+) regulatory proteins SERCA2a and phospholamban were also differentially regulated by in vitro and in vivo lethal toxins. Autophagy was drastically triggered although ER stress was minimally affected following lethal toxin exposure. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that lethal toxins directly compromised murine cardiomyocyte contractile function and intracellular Ca(2+) through a NADPH oxidase-dependent mechanism.

Binge drinking and alcohol toxicity are often associated with myocardial dysfunction possibly due to accumulation of the ethanol metabolite acetaldehyde although the underlying mechanism is unknown. This study was designed to examine the impact of accelerated ethanol metabolism on myocardial contractility, mitochondrial function and apoptosis using a murine model of cardiac-specific overexpression of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH).ADH and wild-type FVB mice were acutely challenged with ethanol (3 g/kg/d, i.p.) for 3 days. Myocardial contractility, mitochondrial damage and apoptosis (death receptor and mitochondrial pathways) were examined.Ethanol led to reduced cardiac contractility, enlarged cardiomyocyte, mitochondrial damage and apoptosis, the effects of which were exaggerated by ADH transgene. In particular, ADH exacerbated mitochondrial dysfunction manifested as decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and accumulation of mitochondrial O(2) (*-). Myocardium from ethanol-treated mice displayed enhanced Bax, Caspase-3 and decreased Bcl-2 expression, the effect of which with the exception of Caspase-3 was augmented by ADH. ADH accentuated ethanol-induced increase in the mitochondrial death domain components pro-caspase-9 and cytochrome C in the cytoplasm. Neither ethanol nor ADH affected the expression of ANP, total pro-caspase-9, cytosolic and total pro-caspase-8, TNF-alpha, Fas receptor, Fas L and cytosolic AIF.Taken together, these data suggest that enhanced acetaldehyde production through ADH overexpression following acute ethanol exposure exacerbated ethanol-induced myocardial contractile dysfunction, cardiomyocyte enlargement, mitochondrial damage and apoptosis, indicating a pivotal role of ADH in ethanol-induced cardiac dysfunction possibly through mitochondrial death pathway of apoptosis.

Ample clinical and experimental evidence indicated that patients with Alzheimer's disease display a high incidence of cardiovascular events. This study was designed to examine myocardial histology, cardiomyocyte shortening, intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis and regulatory proteins, electrocardiogram, adrenergic response, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and protein carbonyl formation in C57 wild-type (WT) mice and an APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic (APP/PS1) model for Alzheimer's disease.Cardiomyocyte mechanical properties were evaluated including peak shortening (PS), time-to-PS (TPS), time-to-relengthening (TR), maximal velocity of shortening and relengthening (+/-dL/dt), intracellular Ca(2+) transient rise and decay.Little histological changes were observed in APP/PS1 myocardium. Cardiomyocytes from APP/PS1 but not APP or PS1 single mutation mice exhibited depressed PS, reduced+/-dL/dt, normal TPS and TR compared with WT mice(.) Rise in intracellular Ca(2+) was lower accompanied by unchanged resting/peak intracellular Ca(2+) levels and intracellular Ca(2+) decay in APP/PS1 mice. Cardiomyocytes from APP/PS1 mice exhibited a steeper decline in PS at high frequencies. The responsiveness to adrenergic agonists was dampened although beta(1)-adrenergic receptor expression was unchanged in APP/PS1 hearts. Expression of the Ca(2+) regulatory protein phospholamban and protein carbonyl formation were downregulated and elevated, respectively, associated with unchanged SERCA2a, Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger and ER stress markers in APP/PS1 hearts. Our further study revealed that antioxidant N-acetylcysteine attenuated the contractile dysfunction in APP/PS1 mice.Our results depicted overt cardiomyocyte mechanical dysfunction in the APP/PS1 Alzheimer's disease model, possibly due to oxidative stress.

Background: We present the first comprehensive analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates circulating in southern Taiwan. In this 9-year population-based study, the TB situation in the Kaohsiung region was characterized by genotypic analysis of 421 MTB isolates. Methods: All 421 isolates of MTB were analyzed by spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTR typing. Drug-resistance patterns were also analyzed. Results: The percentage of EAI (East African-Indian) strains increased across sampling years (2000–2008) in southern Taiwan, whereas the proportion of Beijing lineages remained unchanged. Clustering was more frequent with EAI genotype infections (odds ratio = 3.6, p<0.0001) when compared to Beijing genotypes. Notably, MTB resistance to streptomycin (STR) had significantly increased over time, but resistance to other antibiotics, including multidrug resistance, had not. Three major genes (gidB, rpsL and rrs) implicated in STR resistance were sequenced and specific mutations identified. Conclusions: This study revealed that EAI strains were highly transmissible and that STR resistance has increased between 2000 and 2008 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tuberculosis incidence among aborigines is significantly higher than for Han Chinese in Taiwan, but the extent to which Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strain characteristics contribute to this difference is not well understood. MTB isolates from aborigines and Han Chinese living in eastern and southern Taiwan, the major regions of aborigines, were analyzed by spoligotyping and 24-loci MIRU-VNTR. In eastern Taiwan, 60% of aboriginal patients were ≤20 years old, significantly younger than the non-aboriginal patients there; aborigines were more likely to have clustered MTB isolates than Han Chinese (odds ratio (OR) = 5.98, p<0.0001). MTB lineages with high clustering were EAI (54.9%) among southern people, and Beijing (62.5%) and Haarlem (52.9%) among eastern aborigines. Resistance to first-line drugs and multidrug resistance (MDR) were significantly higher among eastern aborigines (≥15%) than in any other geographic and ethnic group (p<0.05); MDR was detected in 5 of 28 eastern aboriginal patients ≤20 years old. Among patients from the eastern region, clustered strains (p = 0.01) and aboriginal ethnicity (p = 0.04) were independent risk factors for MDR. The lifestyles of aborigines in eastern Taiwan may explain why the percentage of infected aborigines is much higher than for their Han Chinese counterparts. The significantly higher percentage of the MDR-MTB strains in the aboriginal population warrants close attention to control policy and vaccination strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is unclear to what extent the host-responses elicited by Beijing versus non-Beijing strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) contribute to the predominance of modern Beijing strains in Taiwan and some other Asian countries. The purpose of this study was to compare the expression profiles of virulence-related genes in human monocyte-derived macrophages infected in vitro with Beijing (ancient and modern strains) and non-Beijing strains (EAI strains) of MTB that are epidemic in Taiwan. We found that modern Beijing strains induced lower levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, whereas EAI strains induced higher levels. Notably, the most prevalent modern Beijing sub-lineage, possessing intact RD150 and RD142 chromosomal regions, induced very low levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, especially interleukin-1β. Moreover, in an intracellular growth assay, the survival of the same modern Beijing strain in human monocyte-derived macrophages was significantly higher than that of an ancient Beijing strain and an EAI strain. Taken together, these results may explain why modern Beijing strains of MTB predominate in Taiwan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of a liquid culture system such as MGIT broth has greatly improved the sensitivity of isolating mycobacteria in clinical laboratories. Microscopic visualization of acid fast bacilli (AFB) in the culture positive MGIT broth remains the first routine step for rapidly indicating the presence of mycobacteria. We modified an ultraviolet (UV) light fixation process to increase AFB cells adherence to the slide. The retained haze proportion of a 1-cm circle marked area on the smear slide was quantified after the staining procedure indicating the adherence degree of AFB cells. More AFB cells were preserved on the slide after exposure to UV light of either germicidal lamp or UV crosslinker in a time-dependent manner. We demonstrated both the bovine serum albumin (BSA) in MGIT media and UV light exposure were required for enhancing fixation of AFB cells. While applying to AFB stains for 302 AFB positive MGIT broths in clinics, more AFB cells were retained and observed on smear slides prepared by the modified fixation procedure rather than by the conventional method. The modified fixation procedure was thus recommended for improving the sensitivity of microscopic diagnosis of AFB cells in culture positive MGIT broth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This updated meta-analysis was conducted to assess the association between coffee consumption and breast cancer risk. Methods: We conducted a systematic search updated July 2012 to identify observational studies providing quantitative estimates for breast cancer risk in relation to coffee consumption. Pooled relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model, and generalized least square trend estimation was used to assess dose-response relationships. Results: A total of 26 studies (16 cohort and 10 case-control studies) on coffee intake with 49497 breast cancer cases were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled RR showed a borderline significant influence of highest coffee consumption (RR = 0.96; 95% CI 0.93-1.00), low-to moderate coffee consumption (RR = 0.99; 95% CI 0.95-1.04), or an increment of 2 cups/day of coffee consumption (RR = 0.98; 95% CI 0.97-1.00) on the risk of breast cancer. In stratified analysis, a significant inverse association was observed in ER-negative subgroup. However, no significant association was noted in the others. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that increased coffee intake is not associated with a significantly reduced risk of breast cancer, but we observe an inverse association in ER-negative subgroup analysis. More large studies are needed to determine subgroups to obtain more valuable data on coffee drinking and breast cancer risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over-expression of AdeABC efflux pump stimulated continuously by the mutated AdeRS two component system has been found to result in antimicrobial resistance, even tigecycline (TGC) resistance, in multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MRAB). Although the insertion sequence, ISAba1, contributes to one of the AdeRS mutations, the detail mechanism remains unclear. In the present study we collected 130 TGC-resistant isolates from 317 carbapenem resistant MRAB (MRAB-C) isolates, and 38 of them were characterized with ISAba1 insertion in the adeS gene. The relationship between the expression of AdeABC efflux pump and TGC resistant was verified indirectly by successfully reducing TGC resistance with NMP, an efflux pump inhibitor. Further analysis showed that the remaining gene following the ISAba1 insertion was still transcribed to generate a truncated AdeS protein by the Pout promoter on ISAba1 instead of frame shift or pre-termination. Through introducing a series of recombinant adeRS constructs into a adeRS knockout strain, we demonstrated the truncated AdeS protein was constitutively produced and stimulating the expression of AdeABC efflux pump via interaction with AdeR. Our findings suggest a mechanism of antimicrobial resistance induced by an aberrant cytoplasmic sensor derived from an insertion element. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) F4ac is a major determinant of diarrhea and mortality in neonatal and young pigs. Susceptibility to ETEC F4ac is governed by the intestinal receptor specific for the bacterium and is inherited as a monogenic dominant trait. To identify the receptor gene (F4acR), we first mapped the locus to a 7.8-cM region on pig chromosome 13 using a genome scan with 194 microsatellite markers. A further scan with high density markers on chromosome 13 refined the locus to a 5.7-cM interval. Recombination breakpoint analysis defined the locus within a 2.3-Mb region. Further genomewide mapping using 39,720 informative SNPs revealed that the most significant markers were proximal to the MUC13 gene in the 2.3-Mb region. Association studies in a collection of diverse outbred populations strongly supported that MUC13 is the most likely responsible gene. We characterized the porcine MUC13 gene that encodes two transcripts: MUC13A and MUC13B. Both transcripts have the characteristic PTS regions of mucins that are enriched in distinct tandem repeats. MUC13B is predicated to be heavily O-glycosylated, forming the binding site of the bacterium; while MUC13A does not have the O-glycosylation binding site. Concordantly, 127 independent pigs homozygous for MUC13A across diverse breeds are all resistant to ETEC F4ac, and all 718 susceptible animals from the broad breed panel carry at least one MUC13B allele. Altogether, we conclude that susceptibility towards ETEC F4ac is governed by the MUC13 gene in pigs. The finding has an immediate translation into breeding practice, as it allows us to establish an efficient and accurate diagnostic test for selecting against susceptible animals. Moreover, the finding improves our understanding of mucins that play crucial roles in defense against enteric pathogens. It revealed, for the first time, the direct interaction between MUC13 and enteric bacteria, which is poorly understood in mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the first comprehensive analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates circulating in the Kaohsiung region of southern Taiwan. The major spoligotypes found in the 224 isolates studied were Beijing lineages (n = 97; 43.3%), EAI lineages (n = 72; 32.1%) and Haarlem lineages (n = 18; 8.0%). By 24 MIRU-VNTR typing, 174 patterns were identified, including 24 clusters of 74 isolates and 150 unique patterns. The combination of spoligotyping and 12-MIRU- VNTR revealed that 129 (57.6%) of the 224 isolates were clustered in 18 genotypes. Moreover, 63.6% (7/11) of infected persons younger than 30 years had a Beijing strain, which could suggest recent spread among younger persons by this family of TB strains in Kaohsiung. Among the 94 Beijing family (SIT1, SIT250 and SIT1674) isolates further analyzed for SNPs by mass spectrometry, the most frequent strain found was ST10 (n = 49; 52%), followed by ST22 (n = 17; 18%) and ST19 (n = 11; 12%). Among the EAI-Manila family isolates analyzed by region deletion-based subtyping, the most frequent strain found was RD type 1 (n = 63; 87.5%), followed by RD type 2 (n = 9; 12.5%). In our previous study, the proportion of modern Beijing strains (52.5%) in northern Taiwan was significantly higher than the proportion of EAI strains (11%). In contrast, in the present study, EAI strains comprised up to 32% of Beijing strains in southern Taiwan. In conclusion, both 'modern' (Beijing) and 'ancient' (EAI) M. tuberculosis strains are prevalent in the Kaohsiung region, perhaps suggesting that both strains are somehow more adapted to southern Taiwan. It will be interesting to investigate the dynamics of the lineage composition by different selection pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) Beijing strain is highly virulent, drug resistant, and endemic over Asia. To explore the genetic diversity of this family in several different regions of eastern Asia, 338 Beijing strains collected in Taiwan (Republic of China) were analyzed by mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) typing and compared with published MIRU-VNTR profiles and by the Hunter-Gaston diversity index (HGDI) of Beijing strains from Japan and South Korea. The results revealed that VNTR2163b (HGDI.0.6) and five other loci (VNTR424, VNTR4052, VNTR1955, VNTR4156 and VNTR 2996; HGDI.0.3) could be used to discriminate the Beijing strains in a given geographic region. Analysis based on the number of VNTR repeats showed three VNTRs (VNTR424, 3192, and 1955) to be phylogenetically informative loci. In addition, to determine the geographic variation of sequence types in MTB populations, we also compared sequence type (ST) data of our strains with published ST profiles of Beijing strains from Japan and Thailand. ST10, ST22, and ST19 were found to be prevalent in Taiwan (82%) and Thailand (92%). Furthermore, classification of Beijing sublineages as ancient or modern in Taiwan was found to depend on the repeat number of VNTR424. Finally, phylogenetic relationships of MTB isolates in Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan were revealed by a minimum spanning tree based on MIRUVNTR genotyping. In this topology, the MIRU-VNTR genotypes of the respective clusters were tightly correlated to other genotypic characters. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that clonal evolution of these MTB lineages has occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Cadmium (Cd) is classified as a human carcinogen probably associated with epigenetic changes. DNA methylation is one of epigenetic mechanisms by which cells control gene expression. Therefore, the present study genome-widely screened the methylation-altered genes in the liver of rats previously exposed to low-dose Cd. Methodology Principal Findings Rats were exposed to Cd at 20 nmol/kg every other day for 4 weeks and gene methylation was analyzed at the 48th week with methylated DNA immunoprecipitation-CpG island microarray. Among the 1629 altered genes, there were 675 genes whose promoter CpG islands (CGIs) were hypermethylated, 899 genes whose promoter CGIs were hypomethylated, and 55 genes whose promoter CGIs were mixed with hyper- and hypo-methylation. Caspase-8 gene promoter CGIs and TNF gene promoter CGIs were hypermethylated and hypomethylated, respectively, along with a low apoptosis rate in Cd-treated rat livers. To link the aberrant methylation of caspase-8 and TNF genes to the low apoptosis induced by low-dose Cd, mice were given chronic exposure to low-dose Cd with and without methylation inhibitor (5-aza-2'-deoxyctidene, 5-aza). At the 48th week after Cd exposure, livers from Cd-treated mice displayed the increased caspase-8 CGI methylation and decreased caspase-8 protein expression, along with significant increases in cell proliferation and overexpression of TGF-β1 and cytokeratin 8/18 (the latter is a new marker of mouse liver preneoplastic lesions), all which were prevented by 5-aza treatment. Conclusion/Significance These results suggest that Cd-induced global gene hypermethylation, most likely caspase-8 gene promoter hypermethylation that down-regulated its expression, leading to the decreased hepatic apoptosis and increased preneoplastic lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Staphylococcus aureus causes a variety of severe infections such as bacteremia and sepsis. At present, 60-80% of S. aureus isolates from Taiwan are methicillin resistant (MRSA). It has been shown that certain MRSA clones circulate worldwide. The goals of this study were to identify MRSA clones in Taiwan and to correlate the molecular types of isolates with their phenotypes. Methods: A total of 157 MRSA isolates from bacteremic patients were collected from nine medical centers. They were typed based on polymorphisms in agr, SCCmec, MLST, spa, and dru. Phenotypes characterized included Panton-Valentine leucocidin (pvl), inducible macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B resistance (MLSBi), vancomycin (VA) and daptomycin (DAP) minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC), and superantigenic toxin gene profiles. Difference between two consecutive samples was determined by Mann-Whitney-U test, and difference between two categorical variables was determined by Fisher's exact test. Results: Four major MRSA clone complexes CC1, CC5, CC8, and CC59 were found, including 4 CC1, 9 CC5, 111 CC8, and 28 CC59 isolates. These clones had the following molecular types: CC1: SCCmecIV and ST573; CC5: SCCmecII and ST5; CC8: SCCmecIII, ST239, and ST241, and CC59: SCCmecIV, SCCmecVT, ST59, and ST338. The toxin gene profiles of these clones were CC1: sec-seg-(sei)-sell-selm-(seln)-selo; CC5: sec-seg-sei-sell-selm-(seln)-selp-tst1; CC8: sea-selk-selq, and CC59: seb-selk-selq. Most isolates with, ST59, spat437, and dru11 types were pvl+ (13 isolates), while multidrug resistance (≥4 antimicrobials) were associated with SCCmecIII, ST239, spa t037, agrI, and dru14 (119 isolates) (p<0.001). One hundred and twenty four isolates with the following molecular types had higher VA MIC: SCCmecII and SCCmecIII; ST5, ST239, and ST241; spa t002, t037, and t421; dru4, dru10, dru12, dru13, and dru14 (p<0.05). No particular molecular types were found to be associated with MLSBi phenotype. Conclusions: Four major MRSA clone complexes were found in Taiwan. Further studies are needed to delineate the evolution of MRSA isolates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been known for many years that Trichinella spiralis initiates infection by penetrating the columnar epithelium of the small intestine; however, the mechanisms used by the parasite in the establishment of its intramulticellular niche in the intestine are unknown. Although the previous observations indicated that invasion also occurs in vitro when the infective larvae are inoculated onto cultures of intestinal epithelial cells (e.g., human colonic carcinoma cell line Caco-2, HCT-8), a normal readily manipulated in vitro model has not been established because of difficulties in the culture of primary intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). In this study, we described a normal intestinal epithelial model in which T. spiralis infective larvae were shown to invade the monolayers of normal mouse IECs in vitro. The IECs derived from intestinal crypts of fetal mouse small intestine had the ability to proliferate continuously and express specific cytokeratins as well as intestinal functional cell markers. Furthermore, they were susceptible to invasion by T. spiralis. When inoculated onto the IEC monolayer, infective larvae penetrated cells and migrated through them, leaving trails of damaged cells heavily loaded with T. spiralis larval excretory-secretory (ES) antigens which were recognized by rabbit immune sera on immunofluorescence test. The normal intestinal epithelial model of invasion mimicking the natural environment in vivo will help us to further investigate the process as well as the mechanisms by which T. spiralis establishes its intestinal niche. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Anthrax infection is associated with devastating cardiovascular sequelae, suggesting unfavorable cardiovascular effects of toxins originated from Bacillus anthracis namely lethal and edema toxins. This study was designed to examine the direct effect of lethal toxins on cardiomyocyte contractile and intracellular Ca2+ properties. Methods: Murine cardiomyocyte contractile function and intracellular Ca2+ handling were evaluated including peak shortening (PS), maximal velocity of shortening/ relengthening (± dL/dt), time-to-PS (TPS), time-to-90% relengthening (TR90), intracellular Ca2+ rise measured as fura-2 fluorescent intensity (ΔFFI), and intracellular Ca2+ decay rate. Stress signaling and Ca2+ regulatory proteins were assessed using Western blot analysis. Results: In vitro exposure to a lethal toxin (0.05 - 50 nM) elicited a concentration-dependent depression on cardiomyocyte contractile and intracellular Ca2+ properties (PS, ± dL/dt, ΔFFI), along with prolonged duration of contraction and intracellular Ca2+ decay, the effects of which were nullified by the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin. The lethal toxin significantly enhanced superoxide production and cell death, which were reversed by apocynin. In vivo lethal toxin exposure exerted similar time-dependent cardiomyocyte mechanical and intracellular Ca2+ responses. Stress signaling cascades including MEK1/ 2, p38, ERK and JNK were unaffected by in vitro lethal toxins whereas they were significantly altered by in vivo lethal toxins. Ca2+ regulatory proteins SERCA2a and phospholamban were also differentially regulated by in vitro and in vivo lethal toxins. Autophagy was drastically triggered although ER stress was minimally affected following lethal toxin exposure. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that lethal toxins directly compromised murine cardiomyocyte contractile function and intracellular Ca2+ through a NADPH oxidase-dependent mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Ample clinical and experimental evidence indicated that patients with Alzheimer's disease display a high incidence of cardiovascular events. This study was designed to examine myocardial histology, cardiomyocyte shortening, intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and regulatory proteins, electrocardiogram, adrenergic response, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and protein carbonyl formation in C57 wild-type (WT) mice and an APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic (APP/PS1) model for Alzheimer's disease. Methods: Cardiomyocyte mechanical properties were evaluated including peak shortening (PS), time-to-PS (TPS), time-torelengthening (TR), maximal velocity of shortening and relengthening (±dL/dt), intracellular Ca2+ transient rise and decay. Results: Little histological changes were observed in APP/PS1 myocardium. Cardiomyocytes from APP/PS1 but not APP or PS1 single mutation mice exhibited depressed PS, reduced±dL/dt, normal TPS and TR compared with WT mice. Rise in intracellular Ca2+ was lower accompanied by unchanged resting/peak intracellular Ca2+ levels and intracellular Ca2+ decay in APP/PS1 mice. Cardiomyocytes from APP/PS1 mice exhibited a steeper decline in PS at high frequencies. The responsiveness to adrenergic agonists was dampened although β1-adrenergic receptor expression was unchanged in APP/PS1 hearts. Expression of the Ca2+ regulatory protein phospholamban and protein carbonyl formation were downregulated and elevated, respectively, associated with unchanged SERCA2a, Na+-Ca2+ exchanger and ER stress markers in APP/PS1 hearts. Our further study revealed that antioxidant N-acetylcysteine attenuated the contractile dysfunction in APP/PS1 mice. Conclusions: Our results depicted overt cardiomyocyte mechanical dysfunction in the APP/PS1 Alzheimer's disease model, possibly due to oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]