Comparison of the infectivity and stability of Asian versus African lineage Zika virus in glial cells / 中国人兽共患病学报

Infection of pregnant women by Asian lineage Zika virus(ZIKV)is more likely to cause microcephaly in infants than African lineage ZIKV.To further clarify the differences in infectivity and stability between Asian and African lineage ZIKV,we selected Asian lineage SZ01 and African lineage MR766 strains for study in glial cells.First,we examined the differ-ence in infectivity between SZ01 and MR766 on U251 and U87 astrocytes,and T98G glioblastoma cells,by using CCK8 assays.Subsequently,we examined the tolerance of SZ01 and MR766 to 37 ℃ and 40 ℃ in the free and infected cell states,by using qRT-PCR or viral plaque assays.Finally,we examined the effect of repeated freezing and thawing on the stability of SZ01 and MR766 with viral plaque assays.ZIKV had higher infectivity in U251 and U87 than T98G,and SZ01 was more infectious to as-trocytes than MR766.SZ01 tolerated 40 ℃ better than MR766 in the free state.SZ01 proliferated faster than MR766 in glial cells at 40 ℃.The tolerance of SZ01 to repeated freezing and thawing was higher than that of MR766.The above findings sug-gest that the infectivity and stability of Asian lineage ZIKV are significantly higher than those of African lineage ZIKV,possi-bly because of its persistent infection and pathogenicity.

Increased expression of stathmin in eutopic endometrium of patients with endometriosis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Stathmin was identified as an endometriosis-related protein by comparative proteomics in our previous study. As a microtubule-destabilizing factor, stathmin was shown to participate in the relay and integration of diverse intracellular signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and many other cellular activities. To investigate whether stathmin is involved in the pathogenesis of endometriosis, we examined the expression of stathmin in eutopic endometrium of women with or without endometriosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eutopic endometrium samples were collected from thirty-six patients who were diagnosed as endometriosis and the nineteen age-matched patients who were confirmed to be free of endometriosis surgically and histologically. The expression of stathmin mRNA was detected by real-time PCR, and its protein was detected by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Stathmin was overexpressed in eutopic endometrium of women with endometriosis detected by real-time PCR in mRNA levels and by Western blotting in protein levels, without significant difference between proliferative and secretory phase. Immunohistochemistry showed that stathmin protein was localized in both endometrial glandular and stromal cells throughout the menstrual cycle.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Stathmin is overexpressed in endometrium of patients with endometriosis and may play a role in the pathogenesis of endometriosis.</p>