2.Characteristics of immune response induced by mucosal immunization with recombinant adenovirus of Mycobacterium tuberculosis phosphodiesterase.
Ting DAI ; Yanzhi LU ; Ruihua ZHAO ; Huanhuan NING ; Jian KANG ; Leran HAO ; Jialing LI ; Yuxiao CHANG ; Yinlan BAI
Chinese Journal of Cellular and Molecular Immunology 2025;41(1):1-8
Objective The prevalence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains is exacerbating the global burden of tuberculosis (TB), highlighting the urgent need for new treatment strategies for TB. Methods The recombinant adenovirus vaccine expressing cyclic di-adenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP) phosphodiesterase B (CnpB) (rAd-CnpB), was administered to normal mice via mucosal immunization, either alone or in combination with drug therapy, to treat Mtb respiratory infections in mice.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of antibodies in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Real-time quantitative PCR was performed to assess the transcription levels of cytokines interferon γ(IFN-γ) and interleukin 10(IL-10) in mouse lungs. Flow cytometry was used to determine the proportions of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets in the lungs and spleens. ELISA was employed to measure the levels of cytokines IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-10, inflammatory factors IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) secreted by spleen cells following antigen stimulation. The bacteria loads in the lungs and spleens of Mtb-infected mice were enumerated by plate counting methods. Resluts Intranasal immunization with rAd-CnpB induced high titers of IgG in mouse serum and the production of IgG and IgA in BALF, along with alterations in T lymphocyte subsets in the lungs and spleens. Administration of rAd-CnpB, either alone or in combination with drugs, to Mtb-infected mice significantly increased serum IgG levels as well as IgA and IgG levels in BALF. rAd-CnpB immunization promoted the secretion of CnpB-specific cytokines and inflammatory factors by splenocytes in Mtb-infected mice. However, rAd-CnpB immunotherapy, either alone or combined with drugs, did not significantly affect the bacterial loads in the lungs and spleens of mice with Mtb respiratory infections. Conclusion Mucosal immunization with rAd-CnpB induced significant mucosal, humoral and cellular immune responses in mice, and significantly enhanced CnpB-specific cellular immune responses in Mtb-infected mice.
Animals
;
Adenoviridae/immunology*
;
Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genetics*
;
Mice
;
Female
;
Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases/genetics*
;
Tuberculosis Vaccines/administration & dosage*
;
Tuberculosis/prevention & control*
;
Mice, Inbred BALB C
;
Cytokines
;
Lung/microbiology*
;
Immunization
;
Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/immunology*
;
Immunity, Mucosal
3.Study on the effects of telomerase reverse transcriptase in alleviating doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity.
Qingqing GU ; Qianwe CHEN ; Yu WANG ; Dabei CAI ; Tingting XIAO ; Qingjie WANG ; Ling SUN
Chinese Critical Care Medicine 2025;37(6):583-589
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the role of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) in alleviating doxorubicin (DOX)-induced cardiotoxicity.
METHODS:
(1) Cell experiments: rat H9c2 cardiomyocytes were divided into control group (CON group), null adenovirus transfection group (NC group), TERT overexpression adenovirus transfection group (TERT group), DOX group (treated with 1 μmol/L DOX for 12 hours), DOX+NC group, and DOX+TERT group (null adenovirus or TERT overexpression adenovirus were transfected for 24 hours and then treated with 1 μmol/L DOX for 12 hours). The mRNA expression of TERT in cardiomyocytes was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The level of mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by immunofluorescence. The expression levels of intracellular Bax, Bcl-2, microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) and p62 were detected by Western blotting. (2) Animal experiments: male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into a sham operation group (Sham group), DOX group (acute cardiotoxicity model was constructed by intraperitoneal injection of DOX 15 mg/kg), DOX+NC group and DOX+TERT group (modeled after transfection with airborne adenovirus or TERT overexpression adenovirus for 7 days). After 7 days of modeling, the area of myocardial fibrosis was detected by Sirius scarlet staining, and cardiac function was detected by echocardiography.
RESULTS:
(1) Cellular experiments: the mRNA expression level of TERT was significantly higher in the TERT group compared with the CON and NC groups. Compared with the CON group, the TERT mRNA expression level of cardiomyocytes in the DOX group and the DOX+NC group were significantly lower, the level of mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly lower, the protein expressions of Bax and LC3 were significantly increased, and the protein expressions of Bcl-2 and p62 were significantly decreased. No significant differences were found between the DOX group and DOX+NC group. Compared with the DOX group and DOX+NC group, the TERT mRNA expression level was increased in the DOX+TERT group (relative expression: 1.02±0.10 vs. 0.61±0.05, 0.54±0.03, both P < 0.05), the level of mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly increased (1.14±0.05 vs. 0.96±0.01, 0.96±0.01, both P < 0.05), the protein expressions of Bax and LC3 were significantly decreased, and the protein expressions of Bcl-2 and p62 were significantly increased (Bax/β-actin: 0.88±0.01 vs. 1.31±0.02, 1.26±0.01; LC3-II/I: 2.16±0.05 vs. 2.64±0.06, 2.58±0.02; Bcl-2/β-actin: 0.65±0.01 vs. 0.40±0.01, 0.41±0.01; p62/β-actin: 0.45±0.01 vs. 0.23±0.02, 0.29±0.01; all P < 0.05). (2) Animal experiments: compared with the Sham group, the percentage of myocardial fibrosis area was significantly increased and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and fractional shortening (FS) were significantly decreased in the DOX group and DOX+NC group. Compared with the DOX group and DOX+NC group, the percentage of myocardial fibrotic area was significantly decreased in the DOX+TERT group (%: 2.33±0.06 vs. 3.76±0.07, 3.87±0.06, both P < 0.05), and the LVEF and FS were significantly increased [LVEF (%): 67.00±1.14 vs. 54.60±1.57, 53.40±2.18; FS (%): 38.60±0.51 vs. 30.60±1.10, 30.00±0.71; all P < 0.05].
CONCLUSION
Up-regulation of TERT expression can inhibit DOX-induced cardiomyocyte autophagy and apoptosis, attenuate DOX-induced myocardial fibrosis in mice, improve cardiac function, and thus alleviate DOX-induced cardiotoxicity.
Animals
;
Doxorubicin/toxicity*
;
Telomerase/metabolism*
;
Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism*
;
Rats
;
Male
;
Cardiotoxicity
;
Mice, Inbred C57BL
;
Mice
;
Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial
;
Adenoviridae
;
bcl-2-Associated X Protein/metabolism*
;
Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/metabolism*
;
Transfection
;
Apoptosis
4.Oncolytic virus-mediated base editing for targeted killing of cervical cancer cells.
Huanhuan XU ; Siwei LI ; Xi LUO ; Zuping ZHOU ; Changhao BI
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(4):1382-1394
Conventional cancer therapies, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, often damage normal cells and may induce new tumors. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) selectively target tumor cells while sparing normal cells. Most OVs used in clinical trials have been genetically engineered to enhance their ability to target tumor cells and activate immune responses. To develop a specific OV-based approach for treating cervical cancer, this study constructed an oncolytic adenovirus that delivered a base editor targeting oncogenes to achieve efficient killing of tumor cells through inhibiting tumor growth and directly lysing tumor cells. We utilized the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter to drive the expression of adenovirus early region 1A (E1A) and successfully constructed the P-hTERT-E1A-GFP vector, which was validated for its activity in cervical cancer cells. Given the critical role of the MYC oncogene in the research of oncology, identifying efficient editing sites for the MYC oncogene is a key step in this study.Three MYC-targeting gRNAs were engineered and co-delivered with ABE8e base editor plasmids into HEK293T cells. Following puromycin selection, Sanger sequencing demonstrated differential editing efficiencies: MYC-1 (43%), MYC-2 (25%), and MYC-3 (35%), identifying MYC-1 as the most efficient editing locus. By constructing the P-ABEs-hTERT-E1A-GFP and P-MYC gRNA-hTERT-E1A-GFP vectors, we successfully packaged the virus and confirmed its specificity and efficacy. The experimental results demonstrate that this novel oncolytic adenovirus effectively inhibits the growth of HeLa cells in vitro, providing new experimental evidence and potential strategies for treating cervical cancer based on the HeLa cell model.
Humans
;
Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/pathology*
;
Oncolytic Viruses/genetics*
;
Female
;
HEK293 Cells
;
Oncolytic Virotherapy/methods*
;
Adenoviridae/genetics*
;
Gene Editing/methods*
;
Telomerase/genetics*
;
Adenovirus E1A Proteins/genetics*
;
Genetic Vectors/genetics*
;
HeLa Cells
5.Quantification of viral particles in adenovirus vector-based vaccines by nano-flow cytometry.
Zhuowei SHI ; Ying ZHANG ; Qingya TIAN ; Ziqiang WANG ; Hong SHAO
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2025;41(8):3155-3164
This study aims to establish a method for counting the viral particles in adenovirus vector-based vaccines. Nano-flow cytometry was employed to analyze the viral particles in adenovirus-based vector vaccines at the single-particle level. Monodisperse silica nanoparticles with a refractive index close to that of the virus were selected as the particle size standard to calculate the viral particle size, which was then compared with the results obtained from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to determine the gating strategy. Subsequently, a particle count standard was employed to calculate the viral particle concentration. The established method demonstrated good linearity, accuracy, precision, and specificity. The results of determined viral particle concentration showed a good correlation with the infectious titer. Compared with the conventional OD260 method, nano-flow cytometry can directly measure the viral particle concentration and indicate whether the sample has been disassembled according to changes in viral particle concentration and size, thus more accurately reflecting the actual infectious potency of the sample. The novel quantification method established in this study is capable of indicating the efficacy of adenovirus vector-based vaccines and provides effective technical support for the quality control of such products.
Adenoviridae/genetics*
;
Genetic Vectors
;
Flow Cytometry/methods*
;
Virion/isolation & purification*
;
Particle Size
;
Nanoparticles
;
Viral Vaccines
6.Effect of overexpression of aldehyde dehydrogenase family member A2 on hypertrophic growth and proliferation of cardiomyocytes.
Hang LIU ; Qiqi LIU ; Zhenhua LI ; Xiao YANG ; Jian WANG
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2024;40(12):4660-4669
Retinoic acid signaling pathway plays a role in regulating vertebrate development, cell differentiation, and homeostasis. As a key enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of retinal to retinoic acid, aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A2 (Aldh1a2) is involved in cardiac development, while whether it functions in heart diseases remains to be studied. In this study, we infected primary cardiomyocytes with adenovirus overexpressing Aldh1a2 (Ad-Aldh1a2) to explore the effects of Aldh1a2 overexpression on the biological function of cardiomyocytes. The results showed that the infection with Ad-Aldh1a2 realized the overexpression of Aldh1a2 in cardiomyocytes. Compared with the control group infected with Ad-GFP, the cardiomyocytes infected with Ad-Aldh1a2 showcased significantly increased size and up-regulated expression levels of the atrial natriuretic factor gene (ANF), brain natriuretic peptide gene (BNP), and β-myosin heavy chain (β-MHC). In addition, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assay demonstrated that Aldh1a2 overexpression increased the proportion of cardiomyocytes with positive EdU signals and upregulated the expression levels of proliferation-related genes cyclin D2 (Ccnd2) and budding uninhibited by benzimidazole 1 (Bub1). The above data indicated that overexpression of Aldh1a2 induced hypertrophic growth and proliferation of cardiomyocytes. This study provides a basis for further understanding the function of Aldh1a2 in heart diseases and developing therapies for heart diseases.
Myocytes, Cardiac/cytology*
;
Animals
;
Cell Proliferation
;
Aldehyde Dehydrogenase 1 Family/metabolism*
;
Rats
;
Retinal Dehydrogenase/metabolism*
;
Adenoviridae/metabolism*
;
Cells, Cultured
;
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
;
Cardiomegaly/metabolism*
;
Up-Regulation
;
Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, Mitochondrial
7.Development and application of a rapid scheme for detection of respiratory virus nucleic acid.
Yuanyuan HUANG ; Yu WANG ; Chengxing ZHOU ; Zhichao ZHOU ; Bingliang ZHOU ; Wenkuan LIU ; Rong ZHOU ; Hong CAO
Chinese Journal of Biotechnology 2023;39(9):3838-3848
This study aimed to develop a portable, accurate and easy-to-operate scheme for rapid detection of respiratory virus nucleic acid. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to verify the effect of extraction-free respiratory virus treatment reagent (RTU) on viral nucleic acid treatment and the effect of ultra-fast fluorescence quantitative PCR instrument (FQ-8A) on nucleic acid amplification, respectively. RTU and FQ-8A were combined to develop a rapid detection scheme for respiratory virus nucleic acid, and the positive detection rate was judged by Ct value using a fluorescence quantitative PCR instrument, and the accuracy of the scheme in clinical samples detection was investigated. The results showed that RTU had comparable sensitivity to the automatic nucleic acid extraction instrument, its extraction efficiency was comparable to the other 3 extraction methods when extracting samples of different virus types, but the extraction time of RTU was less than 5 min. FQ-8A had good consistency in detection respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and adenovirus (ADV) compared with the control instrument ABI-7500, with kappa coefficients of 0.938 (P < 0.001) and 0.887 (P < 0.001), respectively, but the amplification time was only about 0.5 h. The RTU and FQ-8A combined rapid detection scheme had a highly consistent detection rate with the conventional detection scheme, with a sensitivity of 91.70% and specificity of 100%, and a kappa coefficient was 0.944 (P < 0.001). In conclusion, by combining RTU with FQ-8A, a rapid respiratory virus nucleic acid detection scheme was developed, the whole process could be completed in 35 min. The scheme is accurate and easy-to-operate, and can provide important support for the rapid diagnosis and treatment of respiratory virus.
Humans
;
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections/diagnosis*
;
Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human/genetics*
;
Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques
;
Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
;
Adenoviridae
;
Sensitivity and Specificity
8.Diagnosis and treatment of 26 cases of adenovirus infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Fei ZHOU ; Su Ning CHEN ; De Pei WU ; Xue Feng HE
Chinese Journal of Hematology 2023;44(4):302-307
Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of adenovirus infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Methods: A total of 26 patients with adenovirus infection admitted to the posttransplant ward of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from 2018 to 2022 were enrolled. Their data on baseline and clinical characteristics, treatment, and follow-up were analyzed. Results: The median patient age was 30 (22, 44) years. Twenty-two patients received related haploid stem cell transplantation, three received unrelated stem cell transplantation, and one received umbilical cord stem cell transplantation. Antithymocyte globulin was included in the conditioning regimen in 25 patients. The median time of adenovirus infection was +95 (+44, +152) days. The median peripheral blood lymphocyte count was 0.30 (0.11, 0.69) × 10(9)/L. Twelve patients had acute graft-versus-host disease. Twenty-four patients received antirejection therapies at diagnosis. Sixteen cases had combined infection with other pathogens with adenovirus infection. Eight cases were diagnosed as asymptomatic infection, and 18 were diagnosed as adenovirus disease, including pneumonia (38.89% ) , gastrointestinal disease (38.89% ) , encephalitis (33.33% ) , hepatitis (5.56% ) , and urinary tract inflammation (5.56% ) . The age of >30 years was a risk factor for adenovirus disease (P=0.03) . Eighteen patients received tapering of immunosuppression, and all 26 patients received at least one antiviral drug. Other treatments included high-dose gamma globulin and donor lymphocyte infusion. Adenovirus infection improved in 10 cases and progressed in 16 cases. The median follow-up time was 30 (7, 237) days. Twenty-two patients died. The all-cause mortality rate was (88.5±7.1) % , and the attributable mortality rate was 45.5% . There was no significant difference in the 100 d survival rate between asymptomatic infected patients and patients diagnosed with adenovirus disease (37.5% vs 22.2% , HR=1.83, 95% CI 0.66-5.04, P=0.24) . Conclusion: The age of >30 years was a risk factor for adenovirus disease. Mortality was high in patients with adenovirus infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Humans
;
Adult
;
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects*
;
Graft vs Host Disease/etiology*
;
Antilymphocyte Serum/therapeutic use*
;
Transplantation, Homologous/adverse effects*
;
Adenoviridae Infections/therapy*
;
Transplantation Conditioning/adverse effects*
;
Retrospective Studies
9.Research and application of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine based on adenovirus vector technology platform.
Ying ZHANG ; Wen Zhou YU ; Zun Dong YIN ; Tong Zhan WANG ; Xiao Dong SUN ; Ai Qiang XU
Chinese Journal of Preventive Medicine 2023;57(7):1082-1095
During the global efforts to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic, extensive research and development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines using various technical approaches have taken place. Among these, vaccines based on adenovirus vector have gained substantial knowledge and experience in effectively combating potential emerging infectious diseases, while also providing novel ideas and methodologies for vaccine research and development (R&D). This comprehensive review focuses on the adenovirus vector technology platform in vaccine R&D, emphasizing the importance of mucosal immunity induced by adenoviral vector-based vaccine for COVID-19 prevention. Furthermore, it analyzes the key technical challenges and obstacles encountered in the development of vaccines based on the adenovirus vector technology platform, with the aim of providing valuable insights and references for researchers and professionals in related fields.
Humans
;
COVID-19 Vaccines
;
Pandemics/prevention & control*
;
COVID-19/prevention & control*
;
SARS-CoV-2/genetics*
;
Viral Vaccines/genetics*
;
Adenoviridae/genetics*
;
Technology
10.Establishment of a risk model for severe adenovirus pneumonia and prospective study of the timing of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in children.
Sha CAI ; Chun-Hui ZHU ; Fang-Gen CHEN ; Fei LIU ; Mei-Ling GAO ; Yan XIONG
Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics 2023;25(6):619-625
OBJECTIVES:
To develop a risk prediction model for severe adenovirus pneumonia (AVP) in children, and to explore the appropriate timing for intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy for severe AVP.
METHODS:
Medical data of 1 046 children with AVP were retrospectively analyzed, and a risk prediction model for severe AVP was established using multivariate logistic regression. The model was validated with 102 children with AVP. Then, 75 children aged ≤14 years who were considered at risk of developing severe AVP by the model were prospectively enrolled and divided into three groups (A, B and C) in order of visit, with 25 children in each group. Group A received symptomatic supportive therapy only. With the exception of symptomatic supportive therapy, group B received IVIG treatment at a dose of 1g/(kg·d) for 2 consecutive days, before progressing to severe AVP. With the exception of symptomatic supportive therapy, group C received IVIG treatment at a dose of 1 g/(kg·d) for 2 consecutive days after progressing to severe AVP. Efficacy and related laboratory indicators were compared among the three groups after treatment.
RESULTS:
Age<18.5 months, underlying diseases, fever duration >6.5 days, hemoglobin level <84.5 g/L, alanine transaminase level >113.5 U/L, and co-infection with bacteria were the six variables that entered into the risk prediction model for severe AVP. The model had an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.862, sensitivity of 0.878, and specificity of 0.848. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good consistency between the predicted values and the actual observations (P>0.05). After treatment, group B had the shortest fever duration and hospital stay, the lowest hospitalization costs, the highest effective rate of treatment, the lowest incidence of complications, the lowest white blood cell count and interleukin (IL)-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 levels, and the highest level of tumor necrosis factor alpha (P<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
The risk model for severe AVP established in this study has good value in predicting the development of severe AVP. IVIG therapy before progression to severe AVP is more effective in treating AVP in children.
Child
;
Humans
;
Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/therapeutic use*
;
Prospective Studies
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Adenoviridae Infections/drug therapy*
;
Pneumonia, Viral/drug therapy*
;
Adenoviridae

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