Middle East respiratory syndrome(MERS)is a viral respiratory disease caused by a de novo coronavirus—MERS-CoV—that is associated with high mortality.However,the mechanism by which MERS-CoV infects humans remains unc...Middle East respiratory syndrome(MERS)is a viral respiratory disease caused by a de novo coronavirus—MERS-CoV—that is associated with high mortality.However,the mechanism by which MERS-CoV infects humans remains unclear.To date,there is no effective vaccine or antibody for human immunity and treatment,other than the safety and tolerability of the fully human polyclonal Immunoglobulin G(IgG)antibody(SAB-301)as a putative therapeutic agent specific for MERS.Although rapid diagnostic and public health measures are currently being implemented,new cases of MERS-CoV infection are still being reported.Therefore,various effective measures should be taken to prevent the serious impact of similar epidemics in the future.Further investigation of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of the virus,as well as the development of effective therapeutic and prophylactic anti-MERS-CoV infections,is necessary.For this purpose,detailed information on MERS-CoV proteins is needed.In this review,we describe the major structural and nonstructural proteins of MERS-CoV and summarize different potential strategies for limiting the outbreak of MERS-CoV.The combination of computational biology and virology can accelerate the advanced design and development of effective peptide therapeutics against MERS-CoV.In summary,this review provides important information about the progress of the elimination of MERS,from prevention to treatment.展开更多
Hormones control the reproductive development of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.The adult male reproductive process and mating behavior require adequate nutrients and energy.Understanding the molecular mechanism linking hor...Hormones control the reproductive development of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.The adult male reproductive process and mating behavior require adequate nutrients and energy.Understanding the molecular mechanism linking hormones,energy metabolism,and reproduction in male mosquitoes is important.In this study,we found that the size of the male accessory gland,an essential part of the male reproductive system,gradually increased after eclosion.However,it was significantly reduced in male mosquitoes deficient in methoprene-tolerant(Met),the receptor of juvenile hormone.Likewise,egg hatchability of females that mated with Met-depleted males showed the same downward trend.The mRNA level of the gene encoding accessory gland protein,l-asparaginase(ASNase),was reduced in Met dsRNA-treated males.Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR results revealed that Met was capable of binding directly to the promoter of ASNase and activated its transcription.RNA interference of ASNase in males resulted in the reduction of egg hatchability of the females with which they mated.These results showed that Met influenced the fecundity of male mosquitoes by directly upregulating the expression of the ASNase gene.Moreover,the levels of triacylglycerol and the sizes of lipid droplets were decreased by 72-78 h after eclosion in the fat body cells,whereas both of them increased in Met-depleted male mosquitoes,indicating that Met knockdown reduced lipid catabolism.These data demonstrate that Met might influence the egg hatchability of females by regulating lipid metabolism and the development of the male accessory gland in male mosquitoes.展开更多
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),the causative agent of COVID-19,encodes several accessory proteins that have been shown to play crucial roles in regulating the innate immune response.Howeve...Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),the causative agent of COVID-19,encodes several accessory proteins that have been shown to play crucial roles in regulating the innate immune response.However,their expressions in infected cells and immunogenicity in infected humans and mice are still not fully understood.This study utilized various techniques such as luciferase immunoprecipitation system(LIPS),immunofluorescence assay(IFA),and western blot(WB)to detect accessory protein-specific antibodies in sera of COVID-19 patients.Specific antibodies to proteins 3a,3b,7b,8 and 9c can be detected by LIPS,but only protein 3a antibody was detected by IFA or WB.Antibodies against proteins 3a and 7b were only detected in ICU patients,which may serve as a marker for predicting disease progression.Further,we investigated the expression of accessory proteins in SARS-CoV-2-infected cells and identified the expressions of proteins 3a,6,7a,8,and 9b.We also analyzed their ability to induce antibodies in immunized mice and found that only proteins 3a,6,7a,8,9b and 9c were able to induce measurable antibody productions,but these antibodies lacked neutralizing activities and did not protect mice from SARS-CoV-2 infection.Our findings validate the expression of SARS-CoV-2 accessory proteins and elucidate their humoral immune response,providing a basis for protein detection assays and their role in pathogenesis.展开更多
In order to investigate the neuroendocrine mechanism of the mating behavior in the adult male mandarin voles Microtus mandarinus,the radioimmunoassay(RIA)and immunohistochemistry methods were used to investigate the d...In order to investigate the neuroendocrine mechanism of the mating behavior in the adult male mandarin voles Microtus mandarinus,the radioimmunoassay(RIA)and immunohistochemistry methods were used to investigate the differences in plasma testosterone(T)concentrations and distribution of T immunoreactive neurons(T-IRs),androgen receptor immunoreactive neurons(AR-IRs)and Fos protein immunoreactive neurons(Fos-IRs)in the accessory olfactory bulb(AOB)and the main olfactory bulb(MOB)following exposure to clean hard-wood shavings(control group),soiled bedding(exposure group)or contact with an estrous female(mating group).Results showed that plasma T concentration was significantly higher in the mating group than that in the exposure group,and both the mating group and the exposure group displayed significantly higher plasma T concentration than the control group.T-IRs,AR-IRs and Fos-IRs were investigated with the immunohistochemistry method in granule cell(GC)and mitral cell(MC)of the MOB and the AOB in the three groups.There were significantly more T-IRs,AR-IRs and Fos-IRs in MC and GC of the AOB in the mating group than that in the exposure group or the control group.T-IRs,AR-IRs and Fos-IRs did not show significant differences between the exposure group and the control group.Furthermore,obvious differences in MC and GC of the MOB were not found among the three groups.The results confirm that both changes of T and AR in the AOB might be underlying mating behavior in the adult male mandarin voles.展开更多
文摘Middle East respiratory syndrome(MERS)is a viral respiratory disease caused by a de novo coronavirus—MERS-CoV—that is associated with high mortality.However,the mechanism by which MERS-CoV infects humans remains unclear.To date,there is no effective vaccine or antibody for human immunity and treatment,other than the safety and tolerability of the fully human polyclonal Immunoglobulin G(IgG)antibody(SAB-301)as a putative therapeutic agent specific for MERS.Although rapid diagnostic and public health measures are currently being implemented,new cases of MERS-CoV infection are still being reported.Therefore,various effective measures should be taken to prevent the serious impact of similar epidemics in the future.Further investigation of the epidemiology and pathogenesis of the virus,as well as the development of effective therapeutic and prophylactic anti-MERS-CoV infections,is necessary.For this purpose,detailed information on MERS-CoV proteins is needed.In this review,we describe the major structural and nonstructural proteins of MERS-CoV and summarize different potential strategies for limiting the outbreak of MERS-CoV.The combination of computational biology and virology can accelerate the advanced design and development of effective peptide therapeutics against MERS-CoV.In summary,this review provides important information about the progress of the elimination of MERS,from prevention to treatment.
基金supported by the National Key Plan for Scientific Research and Development of China(2021YFC2600100)the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDPB16)+1 种基金the key program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(KJZD-SW-L11)the National Natural ScienceFoundation of China Grant 31802013.
文摘Hormones control the reproductive development of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.The adult male reproductive process and mating behavior require adequate nutrients and energy.Understanding the molecular mechanism linking hormones,energy metabolism,and reproduction in male mosquitoes is important.In this study,we found that the size of the male accessory gland,an essential part of the male reproductive system,gradually increased after eclosion.However,it was significantly reduced in male mosquitoes deficient in methoprene-tolerant(Met),the receptor of juvenile hormone.Likewise,egg hatchability of females that mated with Met-depleted males showed the same downward trend.The mRNA level of the gene encoding accessory gland protein,l-asparaginase(ASNase),was reduced in Met dsRNA-treated males.Electrophoretic mobility shift assay and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR results revealed that Met was capable of binding directly to the promoter of ASNase and activated its transcription.RNA interference of ASNase in males resulted in the reduction of egg hatchability of the females with which they mated.These results showed that Met influenced the fecundity of male mosquitoes by directly upregulating the expression of the ASNase gene.Moreover,the levels of triacylglycerol and the sizes of lipid droplets were decreased by 72-78 h after eclosion in the fat body cells,whereas both of them increased in Met-depleted male mosquitoes,indicating that Met knockdown reduced lipid catabolism.These data demonstrate that Met might influence the egg hatchability of females by regulating lipid metabolism and the development of the male accessory gland in male mosquitoes.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(82002127,81971500,82025001,82172240)National Key R&D Program of China(2021YFC2301700,2022YFC2604100)+1 种基金Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(2022B1515020059,2021B1515130005)R&D Program of Guangzhou Laboratory(EKPG21-30-2).
文摘Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2),the causative agent of COVID-19,encodes several accessory proteins that have been shown to play crucial roles in regulating the innate immune response.However,their expressions in infected cells and immunogenicity in infected humans and mice are still not fully understood.This study utilized various techniques such as luciferase immunoprecipitation system(LIPS),immunofluorescence assay(IFA),and western blot(WB)to detect accessory protein-specific antibodies in sera of COVID-19 patients.Specific antibodies to proteins 3a,3b,7b,8 and 9c can be detected by LIPS,but only protein 3a antibody was detected by IFA or WB.Antibodies against proteins 3a and 7b were only detected in ICU patients,which may serve as a marker for predicting disease progression.Further,we investigated the expression of accessory proteins in SARS-CoV-2-infected cells and identified the expressions of proteins 3a,6,7a,8,and 9b.We also analyzed their ability to induce antibodies in immunized mice and found that only proteins 3a,6,7a,8,9b and 9c were able to induce measurable antibody productions,but these antibodies lacked neutralizing activities and did not protect mice from SARS-CoV-2 infection.Our findings validate the expression of SARS-CoV-2 accessory proteins and elucidate their humoral immune response,providing a basis for protein detection assays and their role in pathogenesis.
基金funded by theNatural Science Foundation of China(30670273)Natural Science Foundation of ShaanXi(2008C269)+1 种基金Science and Technology Plan Project of Xi'an Burea of Science and Technology(YF07194)Special Science Research Fund for Xi'an University of Arts and Science(KY200520)
文摘In order to investigate the neuroendocrine mechanism of the mating behavior in the adult male mandarin voles Microtus mandarinus,the radioimmunoassay(RIA)and immunohistochemistry methods were used to investigate the differences in plasma testosterone(T)concentrations and distribution of T immunoreactive neurons(T-IRs),androgen receptor immunoreactive neurons(AR-IRs)and Fos protein immunoreactive neurons(Fos-IRs)in the accessory olfactory bulb(AOB)and the main olfactory bulb(MOB)following exposure to clean hard-wood shavings(control group),soiled bedding(exposure group)or contact with an estrous female(mating group).Results showed that plasma T concentration was significantly higher in the mating group than that in the exposure group,and both the mating group and the exposure group displayed significantly higher plasma T concentration than the control group.T-IRs,AR-IRs and Fos-IRs were investigated with the immunohistochemistry method in granule cell(GC)and mitral cell(MC)of the MOB and the AOB in the three groups.There were significantly more T-IRs,AR-IRs and Fos-IRs in MC and GC of the AOB in the mating group than that in the exposure group or the control group.T-IRs,AR-IRs and Fos-IRs did not show significant differences between the exposure group and the control group.Furthermore,obvious differences in MC and GC of the MOB were not found among the three groups.The results confirm that both changes of T and AR in the AOB might be underlying mating behavior in the adult male mandarin voles.
