Noninvasive monitoring of mouse renal allograft rejection using micro-CT

PURPOSE: Acute renal graft rejection can only be definitively diagnosed by renal biopsy. However, biopsies carry a risk of renal transplant injury and loss. Micro-CT is widely used in preclinical studies of small animals. Here, we propose micro-CT could noninvasively monitor and evaluate renal location and function in a mouse kidney transplant model. METHODS: Orthotopic kidney transplantation was performed in a BALB/c -to- C57BL/6j or C57BL/6j-to- C57BL/6j mouse model. After optimizing imaging techniques, five mice were imaged with micro-CT and the findings were verified histologically. RESULTS: Micro-CT can monitor and evaluate renal location and function after orthotopic kidney transplantation. There were no mice deaths while renal transplants were failure. CONCLUSION: We propose that graft micro-CT imaging is a new option that is noninvasive and specific, and can aid in early detection and follow-up of acute renal rejection. This method is potentially useful to improve posttransplant rejection monitoring.

Cloning and analysis of full-length genes of a H9N2 subtype avian influenza virus isolated from Guangdong / 病毒学报

Eight full-length genes of an avian influenza virus Chinese isolate of H9N2 subtype, A/Chicken/Guangdong/HL/2006 (H9N2) (abbreviated as Ck/GD/HL/06), were amplified by RT-PCR, including the 5' and 3' non-coding region. All the genes were cloned and sequenced. The phylogenetic analysis results showed the HA gene of Ck/GD/HL/06 was located in the same phylogenetic clade as Dk/HK/Y280/97 (H9N2), while the Dk/HK/Y280/97-like viruses had been predominately isolated from chickens in mainland China. After the analysis of glycosylation sites and receptor-binding sites in the HA, it was shown that the HA of Ck/GD/HL/06 exhibited the common feature of H9 subtype avian influenza virus isolated from China, but the leucine (Leu) residue at the amino acid position 226 indicated the potential of binding with SA alpha,2-6 receptor. The three internal genes of Ck/GD/HL/06 (PB1, PA and NP) had the highest nucleotide identity with A/Viet Nam/1203/2004 (abbreviated A/VN/1203/04) isolate, which was shown to be transmitted from chickens to human and caused lethal infection in human. No analogous H9N2 strains was reported in previous studies. Based on the high similarity of Ck/GD/HL/06 three genes to A/VN/1203/04, it was suggested that the possibility of generating new highly pathogenic H5N1 AIVs by recombination was worthy of our attention. Further studies should be needed for molecular epidemiologic surveillance of H9N2 AIV in the south China for a long time.