Research progress on ebola virus glycoprotein / 病毒学报

Ebola virus (EBOV) causes outbreaks of a highly lethal hemorrhagic fever in humans and there are no effective therapeutic or prophylactic treatments available. The glycoprotein (GP) of EBOV is a transmembrane envelope protein known to play multiple functions including virus attachment and entry, cell rounding and cytotoxicity, down-regulation of host surface proteins, and enhancement of virus assembly and budding. GP is the primary target of protective immunity and the key target for developing neutralizing antibodies. In this paper, the research progress on genetic structure, pathogenesis and immunogenicity of EBOV GP in the last 5 years is reviewed.

The cytotoxic effect and injury mechanism of deoxynivalenol on articular chondrocytes in human embryo / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>This study was to explore the cytotoxic effect and the related injury mechanism of deoxynivalenol (DON) on articular chondrocytes in human embryo.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Articular cartilage cells were isolated from knees of human embryo and cultured in DMEM/F12 medium. The cells of the 4th generation were divided into five groups and incubated with varying concentrations of DON as the followings: control group and group with DON of 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 1.0 µg/ml. The effects of DON were observed 72 hours after incubation. Cell apoptosis was assayed by flow cytometry (FCM) with Annexin V-FITC/PI staining; MMP-13 and PGE2 were detected by ELISA kits; NO was measured by Griess assay with spectrophotometer. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and collagen II in cells were detected by FCM. The expression levels of iNOS, mRNA and collagen II mRNA were measured with RT-PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The rates of cell apoptosis in DON groups were 6.78% - 19.05%, which were significantly higher than that in control (1.20%, F = 174.761, P < 0.05). The levels of NO in DON groups were 20.8 - 40.7 µmol/L, which were significantly higher than that in control (10.2 µmol/L, F = 91.966, P < 0.05). The levels of MMP-13 in DON groups were 0.25 - 0.56 µmol/L, which were significantly higher than that in control (0 µmol/L, F = 78.420, P < 0.05). The levels of PGE2 in DON groups were 3.2-20.6 µmol/L, which were significantly higher than that in control (11.6 µmol/L, F = 276.453, P < 0.05). The proportions of cells with positive iNOS in DON groups were 14.8% - 56.8% which were significantly higher than that in controls (7.1%, F = 214.614, P < 0.05). The proportions of cells with positive collagen II in groups with DON of 0.4 µg/ml and 1.0 µg/ml were 56.7% and 52.7%, which were significantly lower than that in control (62.2%, F = 5.134, P < 0.05). The relative absorbance values of iNOS mRNA in DON groups were 1.07 - 1.33, which were significantly higher than that in control (0.62, F = 8.358, P < 0.05). The levels of collagen II mRNA in groups with DON of 0.4 µg/ml and 1.0 µg/ml were 0.83 and 0.82, which were significantly lower than that in control (1.14, F = 7.887, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DON could promote anabolism of NO in articular cartilage cells by which up-regulated the expression of PGE2 and MMP-13, which both promoted resolution of articular cartilage matrix such as collagen II. DON induced apoptosis in articular cartilage cells.</p>