Trichomonas vaginalis is a flagellate protozoan parasite and commonly infected the lower genital tract in women and men. Iron is a known nutrient for growth of various pathogens, and also reported to be involved in establishment of trichomoniasis. However, the exact mechanism was not clarified. In this study, the author investigated whether the 120 kDa protein of T. vaginalis may be involved in pathogenicity of trichomonads. Antibodies against 120 kDa protein of T. vaginalis, which was identified as pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFOR) by peptide analysis of MALDI-TOF-MS, were prepared in rabbits. Pretreatment of T. vaginalis with anti-120 kDa Ab decreased the proliferation and adherence to vaginal epithelial cells (MS74) of T. vaginalis. Subcutaneous tissue abscess in anti-120 kDa Ab-treated T. vaginalis-injected mice was smaller in size than that of untreated T. vaginalis-infected mice. Collectively, the 120 kDa protein expressed by iron may be involved in proliferation, adhesion to host cells, and abscess formation, thereby may influence on the pathogenicity of T. vaginalis.
Animals ; Antibodies/metabolism ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects ; Epithelial Cells/parasitology ; Host-Pathogen Interactions/drug effects/*physiology ; Iron/pharmacology ; Mice ; Pyruvate Synthase/*metabolism ; Rabbits ; Trace Elements/pharmacology ; Trichomonas Infections/*parasitology ; Trichomonas vaginalis/drug effects/genetics/metabolism/*pathogenicity

OBJECTIVETo explore the suppression effect of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) on megakaryocytes and their precursors and study the antiviral effect of antisense phosphorothioate deoxyoligonucleotide (ASON) against HCMV.

METHODSCD34(+) cells were induced to proliferate and differentiate committedly to megakaryocytes in a semi-solid CFU-MK culture system. Cultured cells and ASON pretreated CD34(+) cells were infected by HCMV of AD169 strain. HCMV immediate early protein (IEP) DNA and mRNA and UL36 mRNA were detected by PCR and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Cytotoxicity was evaluated by MTT assay.

RESULTSHCMV AD169 suppressed the proliferation of megakaryocytes significantly. Compared with the mock group, the CFU-MK yields were decreased by 21.6%, 33.8%, and 46.3%, respectively, in 3 different titers of virus infected groups (P < 0.05). The suppression was virus titer dependent. HCMV IEP DNA, HCMV IEP mRNA and UL36 mRNA were detected in the colony cells of viral infection group. Compared with the infected group by HCMV AD169, UL36Anti treatment at 0.08 micromol/L could recover the CFU-MK yields significantly (P < 0.05). In the infected MK, which was pretreated with UL36Anti at 0.08 micromol/L, HCMV UL36 mRNA was undetectable by RT-PCR. The oligonucleotide MM(1) containing a G-to-C substitution in UL36Anti was inactive at 0.08 micromol/L but active at 0.40 micromol/L. The concentration of UL36Anti necessary to significantly affect cell growth was 90.00 micromol/L.

CONCLUSIONSHCMV AD169 infection inhibits the proliferation and differentiation of megakaryocytes and their precursors. There are early transcriptions of HCMV IE and UL36 protein in infected CFU-MK. The specific ASON has a definite anti-HCMV activity.

Antigens, Viral ; genetics ; Antiviral Agents ; pharmacology ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytomegalovirus ; genetics ; physiology ; Fetal Blood ; cytology ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Humans ; Immediate-Early Proteins ; genetics ; Infant, Newborn ; Megakaryocyte Progenitor Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; virology ; Oligonucleotides, Antisense ; genetics ; pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo investigate the differential expression of isocitrate lyase in Penicillium marneffei phagocytized by nonstimulated and stimulated murine macrophages, and explore the role of glyoxylate pathway in pathogenesis of Penicilliosis marneffei.

METHODSPenicillium marneffei conidia and Raw264.7 cells were incubated in 16 cultures, which were divided to 4 groups for treatment with N-monomethyl-L-arginine (LNMMA, CI group), murine interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) plus lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (T group), IFN-gamma plus LPS and LNMMA (TI group), or the same volume of culture medium (C group). The transcriptional levels of isocitrate lyase were detected using real-time RT-PCR, and its expression levels detected biochemically.

RESULTSThe transcriptional levels of isocitrate lyase in C, CI, T, TI groups were 1.00, 1.42, 33.09, and 74.88 (P<0.05), while the expression levels were 0.06, 0.07, 0.18, and 0.93, respectively (P<0.05). The content of nitric oxide in T group was significantly higher than that in the other groups (P<0.01), but the CFU of T group was the lowest (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONReactive nitrogen intermediates induced by stimulated murine macrophages restrain the expression of isocitrate lyase of Penicillium marneffei and development of Penicillium marneffei, in which process the glyoxylate pathway may play an important role.

Animals ; Cell Line ; Fungal Proteins ; genetics ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ; drug effects ; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal ; drug effects ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Interferon-gamma ; pharmacology ; Isocitrate Lyase ; genetics ; Lipopolysaccharides ; pharmacology ; Macrophages ; drug effects ; immunology ; microbiology ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide ; immunology ; Penicillium ; genetics ; immunology ; physiology ; Phagocytosis ; immunology ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; omega-N-Methylarginine ; pharmacology

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes high fever, cough, acute respiratory tract infection and multiorgan dysfunction that may eventually lead to the death of the infected individuals. MERS-CoV is thought to be transmitted to humans through dromedary camels. The occurrence of the virus was first reported in the Middle East and it subsequently spread to several parts of the world. Since 2012, about 1368 infections, including ~487 deaths, have been reported worldwide. Notably, the recent human-to-human \'superspreading' of MERS-CoV in hospitals in South Korea has raised a major global health concern. The fatality rate in MERS-CoV infection is four times higher compared with that of the closely related severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection. Currently, no drug has been clinically approved to control MERS-CoV infection. In this study, we highlight the potential drug targets that can be used to develop anti-MERS-CoV therapeutics.
Animals ; Antiviral Agents/*pharmacology ; Cell Line ; Coronavirus Infections/drug therapy/*epidemiology/metabolism/*transmission ; Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4/metabolism ; Disease Outbreaks ; Drug Discovery ; Host-Pathogen Interactions/drug effects ; Humans ; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus/drug effects/*physiology ; Molecular Targeted Therapy ; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of Nocardia rubra cell wall skeleton (Nr-CWS) on the HeLa cell line, one of the cell lines of human cervical cancer, infected with HPV.

METHODSHPV-infected HeLa (HPV 18-positive cells) cultured in vitro were divided into two groups: the experiment group and control group. Nr-CWS was added to the experiment group and PBS to the control. The growth and proliferation of HeLa cells were detected with MTT and flow cytometry technology. Inhibitive effect of HeLa transplanted tumor was investigated in Scid mice.

RESULTSThe growth of HeLa cells in the experimental group was apparently decreased compared with that of the control. The results of flow cytometry demonstrated that more HeLa cells were transferred into quiescent phase in the experimental group than that in the control. While less in the proliferative phase, both of the volume and weight of HeLa transplanted tumor with drug-added group were less than those of control group.

CONCLUSIONThe Nocardia rubra cell wall skeleton is a potiental growth inhibitor and inducer of apoptosis of cervical cancer cells in vitro and may provide a new way in prevention or supplementary management of anti-human papilloma virus.

Animals ; Cell Growth Processes ; drug effects ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Cell Wall Skeleton ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; HeLa Cells ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, SCID ; Nocardia ; metabolism ; Papillomaviridae ; physiology ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; pathology ; prevention & control ; virology ; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Legionella bacterium, an intracellular pathogen of mononuclear phagocytes, causes acute fatal pneumonia, especially in patients with impaired cellular immune responses. Until recently, however, the toll-like receptor (TLR) engagement of bacterial proteins derived from Legionella is uncertain. We previously showed that a 19-kDa highly conserved peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein (PAL) of Legionella pneumophila induced the PAL-specific B cell and T cell responses in mice. In this study, we observed that the rPAL antigen of L. pneumophila, as an effector molecule, activated murine macrophages via TLR2 and produced proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-6 and TNF-alpha. In both BALB/c and TLR4-deficient C3H/HeJ mice, pretreatment of macrophages with anti-TLR2 mAb showed severely impaired cytokine production in response to the rPAL. In addition, in vitro the rPAL treatment increased the cell surface expression of CD40, CD80, CD86 and MHC I/II molecules. We further showed that the synthetic CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODN) coadministered with the rPAL enhanced IL-12 and IL-6 production and expression of CD40, CD80 and MHC II compared to the rPAL treatment alone. In conclusions, these results indicate that Legionella PAL might activate macrophages via a TLR2-dependent mechanism which thus induce cytokine production and expression of costimulatory and MHC molecules.
Animals ; Antigens, CD/immunology/metabolism ; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins/*pharmacology ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Histocompatibility Antigens Class II/immunology/metabolism ; Host-Pathogen Interactions ; Interleukin-12/biosynthesis ; Interleukin-6/biosynthesis ; Legionella pneumophila/*immunology/metabolism ; Legionnaires' Disease/immunology/metabolism ; Lipoproteins/*pharmacology ; Macrophage Activation/drug effects/immunology ; Macrophages, Peritoneal/drug effects/immunology/*metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C3H ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Toll-Like Receptor 2/*metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/biosynthesis