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Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) is an etiological agent of enteric disease that results in high mortality rates in piglets. The economic impact of the virus is considerable, causing significant losses to the pig industry. The development of an efficacious subunit vaccine to provide promising protection against TGEV is of the utmost importance. The viral antigen, spike glycoprotein (S), is widely regarded as one of the most effective antigenic components for vaccine research. In this study, we employed immunoinformatics and molecular dynamics approaches to develop an 'ideal' multi-epitope vaccine. Firstly, the dominant, non-toxic, highly antigenic T (Th, CTL) and B cell epitopes predicted from the TGEV S protein were artificially engineered in tandem to design candidate subunit vaccines. Molecular docking and dynamic simulation results demonstrate that it exhibits robust interactions with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Of particular significance was the finding that the vaccine was capable of triggering an immune response in mammals, as evidenced by the immune simulation results. The humoral aspect is typified by elevated levels of IgG and IgM, whereas the cellular immune aspect is capable of eliciting the robust production of interleukins and cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-2). Furthermore, the adoption of E. coli expression systems for the preparation of vaccines will also result in cost savings. This study offers logical guidelines for the development of a secure and efficacious subunit vaccine against TGEV, in addition to providing a novel theoretical foundation and strategy to prevent associated CoV infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous thermal-catalytic CO2 hydrogenation to alcohols using renewable energy is a highly attractive approach for recycling greenhouse gases into high-value chemicals and fuels, thereby reducing the dependence on fossil fuels, while simultaneously mitigating the CO2 emission and environmental problems. Currently, great advances have been made on the heterogeneous catalysts, but an in-depth and more comprehensive understanding to further promote this reaction process is still lacking. Herein, we highlight the thermodynamic and kinetic analysis of CO2 hydrogenation reaction firstly. Then, various reaction pathways for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol and higher alcohols (C2+ alcohols) have been discussed in detail, respectively, by combining the experimental studies and density functional theory calculations. On this basis, the key factors influencing the reaction performance, such as metal dispersion, support modification, promoter addition and their structural optimization, are summarized on the metal-based and metal-oxide-based catalysts. In addition, the catalytic performance of CO2 hydrogenation to alcohols and the relationship between structure and properties are mainly summarized and analyzed in the past five years. To conclude, the current challenges and potential strategies in catalyst design, structural characterization and reaction mechanisms are presented for CO2 hydrogenation to alcohols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The T-2 toxin (T2) poses a major threat to the health and productivity of animals. The present study aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanism of Nrf2 derived from broilers against T2-induced oxidative damage. DF-1 cells, including those with normal characteristics, as well as those overexpressing or with a knockout of specific components, were exposed to a 24 h treatment of 50 nM T2. The primary objective was to evaluate the indicators associated with oxidative stress and the expression of downstream antioxidant factors regulated by the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway, at both the mRNA and protein levels. The findings of this study demonstrated a noteworthy relationship between the up-regulation of the Nrf2 protein and a considerable reduction in the oxidative stress levels within DF-1 cells (p < 0.05). Furthermore, this up-regulation was associated with a notable increase in the mRNA and protein levels of antioxidant factors downstream of the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway (p < 0.05). Conversely, the down-regulation of the Nrf2 protein was linked to a marked elevation in oxidative stress levels in DF-1 cells (p < 0.05). Additionally, this down-regulation resulted in a significant decrease in both the mRNA and protein expression of antioxidant factors (p < 0.05). This experiment lays a theoretical foundation for investigating the detrimental impacts of T2 on broiler chickens. It also establishes a research framework for employing the Nrf2 protein in broiler chicken production and breeding. Moreover, it introduces novel insights for the prospective management of oxidative stress-related ailments in the livestock and poultry industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, animal feeds are frequently contaminated with a range of mycotoxins, with Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and T-2 toxin (T-2) being two highly toxic mycotoxins. This study investigates the combined nephrotoxicity of AFB1 and T-2 on PK15 cells and murine renal tissues and their related oxidative stress mechanisms. PK15 cells were treated with the respective toxin concentrations for 24 h, and oxidative stress-related indicators were assessed. The results showed that the combination of AFB1 and T-2 led to more severe cellular damage and oxidative stress compared to exposure to the individual toxins (p < 0.05). In the in vivo study, pathological examination revealed that the kidney tissue of mice exposed to the combined toxins showed signs of glomerular atrophy. The contents of oxidative stress-related indicators were significantly increased in the kidney tissue (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that the combined toxins cause significant oxidative damage to mouse kidneys. The study highlights the importance of considering the combined effects of mycotoxins in animal feed, particularly AFB1 and T-2, which can lead to severe nephrotoxicity and oxidative stress in PK15 cells and mouse kidneys. The findings have important implications for animal feed safety and regulatory policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kiwifruit canker, caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae (Psa), is a destructive pathogen that globally threatens the kiwifruit industry. Understanding the molecular mechanism of plant-pathogen interaction can accelerate applying resistance breeding and controlling plant diseases. All known effectors secreted by pathogens play an important role in plant-pathogen interaction. However, the effectors in Psa and their function mechanism remain largely unclear. Here, we successfully identified a T3SS effector HopAU1 which had no virulence contribution to Psa, but could, however, induce cell death and activate a series of immune responses by agroinfiltration in Nicotiana benthamiana, including elevated transcripts of immune-related genes, accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and callose deposition. We found that HopAU1 interacted with a calcium sensing receptor in N. benthamiana (NbCaS) as well as its close homologue in kiwifruit (AcCaS). More importantly, silencing CaS by RNAi in N. benthamiana greatly attenuated HopAU1-triggered cell death, suggesting CaS is a crucial component for HopAU1 detection. Further researches showed that overexpression of NbCaS in N. benthamiana significantly enhanced plant resistance against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and Phytophthora capsici, indicating that CaS serves as a promising resistance-related gene for disease resistance breeding. We concluded that HopAU1 is an immune elicitor that targets CaS to trigger plant immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Left ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with adverse prognosis. It is becoming increasingly clear that circulating miRNAs could be promising biomarkers for various pathological processes in the heart, including myocardial infarction, myocardial remodeling and progression to heart failure. In the present study, a total of 359 consecutive patients were recruited. Plasma samples were collected on admission. Echocardiographic studies were performed during the admission and at six months follow-up after AMI. Remodeling was defined as an at least 10% increase from baseline in the left ventricular end-diastolic volume. Plasma miRNA levels were assessed for association with six months mortality or development of heart failure. Results showed that levels of plasma miR-208b and miR-34a were significantly higher in patients with remodeling than those without. Increased miRNA levels were strongly associated with increased risk of mortality or heart failure within six months for miR-208b (OR 17.91, 95% confidence interval=2.07-98.81, p=0.003), miR-34a (OR 4.18, 95% confidence interval=1.36-12.83, p=0.012) and combination of the two miRNAs (OR 18.73, 95% confidence interval=1.96-101.23, p=0.000). The two miRNA panels reclassified a significant proportion of patients with a net reclassification improvement of 11.7% (p=0.025) and an integrated discrimination improvement of 7.7% (p=0.002). These results demonstrated that circulating miR-208b and miR-34a could be useful biomarkers for predicting left ventricular remodeling after AMI, and the miRNA levels are associated with increased risk of mortality or heart failure.