ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Background: The rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among the total of S. aureus isolates decreased to 35.3% in 2017 in China. It is unclear whether the molecular characteristics of S. aureus isolates have changed as the rate decreased. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the molecular characteristics and virulence genes profile of S. aureus isolates causing bloodstream infection and analyze the correlation between the prevalence rates of the common sequence types and MRSA. Methods: A total of 112 S. aureus strains from eight hospitals of four cities, including 32 MRSA isolates, were identified and evaluated through multilocus sequence typing, spa typing, and determination of virulence genes. Results: Twenty-five STs were identified, of which ST5 (21.4%) was the most prevalent, whereas the prevalence of ST239 correlated with the rate of MRSA among all S. aureus isolates. Forty-six spa types were identified, of which t2460 (14.3%) was the most common. clfa, hla, seb, fnbA and hlb were the prevailing virulence genes. 81.3% MRSA and 45.0% methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) isolates harbored six or more tested virulence genes. ST5-t2460, seldom noted in bloodborne S. aureus isolates in China, was the most common clone. The prevalence of harboring six or more virulence genes in ST5-t2460 and ST188-t189 were 93.8% and 8.3%, respectively. Conclusion: ST5-t2460 was the most common clone in S. aureus causing bloodstream infection followed by ST188-t189, which had never been noted in China before. Moreover, ST5-t2460 harbored more virulence genes than ST188-t189, and the prevalence of ST239 clone decreased with the proportion of MRSA among all S. aureus isolates.
Subject(s)
Humans , Staphylococcus aureus/genetics , Staphylococcus aureus/pathogenicity , Virulence/genetics , Bacteremia/virology , Phenotype , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Virulence Factors/genetics , Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/genetics , Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus/pathogenicity , Molecular Typing , Multilocus Sequence Typing , GenotypeABSTRACT
To investigate the effect of autoimmune regulator(AIRE)on phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells,a recombinant expression vector containing full-length human AIRE cDNA was transfected into 16HBE cells.After incubation with transfected 16HBE cells,engulfment of apoptotic HL-60 cells induced by camptothecin was detected by myeloperoxidase(MPO)staining.The change in the expression of Rac 1 in transfected 16HBE cells was determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting.The results showed that the phagocytosis percentage of the experimental group,the mock trans-fection group and the negative control group(non-apoptotic cells)was(25.50±3.67)%,(6.25±1.58)%and(1.0±0.67)%,respectively.Moreover,the expressions of Rac 1 mRNA and protein were up-regulated in AIRE-transfected 16HBE cells,suggesting that A1RE may function as a regulator in the phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells by promoting the expression of Rac 1.
ABSTRACT
In order to investigate peptide mimics of carbohydrate blood group A antigen, a phage display 12-met peptide library was screened with a monoclonal antibody against blood group A antigen, NaM87-1F6. The antibody-binding properties of the selected phage peptides were evaluated by phage ELISA and phage capture assay. The peptides were co-expressed as glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins. RBC agglutination inhibition assay was performed to assess the natural blood group A antigen-mimicking ability of the fusion proteins. The results showed that seven phage clones selected bound to NaM87-1F6 specifically, among which, 6 clones bore the same peptide sequence, EYWYCGMNRTGC and another harbored a different one QIWYERTLPFrF. The two peptides were successfully expressed at the N terminal of GST protein. Both of the fusion proteins inhibited the RBC agglutination mediated by anti-A serum in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggested that the fusion proteins based on the selected peptides could mimic the blood group A an- tigen and might be used as anti-A antibody-adsorbing materials when immunoabsorption was applied in ABO incompatible transplantation.
ABSTRACT
The effect of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors Cip1/Wafl (p21) on regulatory expression of survivin transcription in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell HepG2 was observed and the related mechanisms explored. Doxorubicin (DOX) was used to treat HepG2. Eukaryotic vector pEGFP-C2-p21 was transfected into HepG2 by lipofectamine and positive clones were screened out by G418. The mRNA expression of p21 and survivin was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR). Flow cytometry was used to examine the cell cycle, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to measure the levels of E2F-1 and p300. The results showed that: (1) After treatment with DOX, the expression of p21 was increased, whereas that of survivin was reduced during 24h of treatment; (2) After transfection of pEGFP-C2-p21 into HepG2, p21 level was significantly enhanced to 2100.11-folds or 980.89-folds in comparison to HepG2 or HepG2-C2 group, and survivin level was markedly down-regulated to 0.54% or 0.59% relative to the control groups; (3) Overexpressed p21 resulted in G1/G0 phase arrest (F=31.59,P<0.01), meanwhile E2F-1 mRNA and p300 mRNA were reduced as compared with those of controls (FE2F-1=125.28,P<0.05;Fp300=46.01,P<0.01). It was suggested that p21 could be a potential mediator of survivin suppression at transcription level in HepG2 cell, which might be through the block at G1/G0 phase and down-regulation of transcription factors E2F-1 and p300.