Effect of Lactobacillus johnsonii Strain SQ0048 on the TLRs-MyD88/NF-κB Signaling Pathway in Bovine Vaginal Epithelial Cells.

Vaginal inflammation is a common disease of the dairy cows' reproductive tract. Lactic acid bacteria can combat purulent inflammation caused by pathogenic bacteria and regulate the NF-κB signaling pathway mediated by toll-like receptors (TLRs) in the inflammatory response. We studied the effect of Lactobacillus johnsonii SQ0048, an isolate with antibacterial activity, on the NF-κB signaling pathway in cow vaginal epithelial cells. The expression levels of serial effectors related to the TLRs-MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway (TLR2, TLR4, MyD88, IKK, NF-κB, IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10) were measured with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), ELISA, and Western blot analyses. TLR2 and TLR4 were activated by SQ0048 cells, as noted by increased mRNA expression levels of TLR2 and TLR4 in SQ0048-treated bovine vaginal epithelial cells relative to control cells (P <0.01). SQ0048 treatment also significantly increased MyD88 and IKK expression, and activated NF-κB in vaginal epithelial cells (P <0.01). In addition, SQ0048 treatment also significantly increased mRNA expression levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α, but decreased IL-10 mRNA expression levels (P <0.01). These data indicate that strain SQ0048 presence can improve the immune functions of cow vaginal epithelial cells by activating TLRs-MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathways. However, further in vivo studies are required to confirm these findings.

Transcriptome Profiling Analysis of Bovine Vaginal Epithelial Cell Response to an Isolated Lactobacillus Strain.

Lactobacillus strain SQ0048 isolated from bovine vagina has been shown to exhibit specific adherence to the epithelium and to produce inhibitory substances; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We cultured and identified primary bovine vaginal epithelial cells treated with SQ0048 to investigate the pathways involved in host cell responses using transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). Transcription profiling showed 296 significantly altered differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 170 were upregulated and 126 downregulated. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of the DEGs revealed significant enrichment of 424 GO terms throughout the differentiation process (P < 0.05). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that the DEGs were successfully annotated as members of 171 pathways, with 23 significantly enriched KEGG pathways (P < 0.05). A relatively high number of genes were enriched for the endoplasmic reticulum protein processing and interleukin-17 (IL-17) signaling pathways and for antigen processing and presentation. DEGs were verified by quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR) and determination of which were most enriched for endoplasmic reticulum protein processing pathways, the activation of which might be a major factor underlying Lactobacillus adhesion to cells and pathogenic inhibition.IMPORTANCE Bovine bacterial vaginitis causes infertility, abortion, and postpartum uterine diseases, causing serious economic loss to the dairy industry. The large-scale use of antibiotics destroys normal genital tract flora and hinders the defense mechanisms of the host. Recent research suggests that lactobacilli present in the vaginal microflora of healthy cows constitute the primary microbiological barrier to infection by genital pathogens, exerting a protective role on the reproductive tract via specific adherence to the epithelium and the production of inhibitory substances. Our research identified the mechanisms for Lactobacillus adhesion and pathogenic inhibition, providing valuable information for the development of new probiotics and the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for the prevention of infections in dairy cows.

Sleep disorder status of nurses in general hospitals and its influencing factors.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the current sleep disorder status of nurses in general hospitals and analyze its influencing factors. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 2,033 nurses who have worked for 6 months in 3 general hospitals, namely, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, and The Third Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, were selected by random sampling from April 2015 to November 2015 and investigated. The Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (ERI) and Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) were applied to evaluate occupational stress. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to evaluate the sleep disorder status of the research subjects. Logistic regression analysis was adopted to determine the influencing factors of nurses' sleep disorders. RESULTS: The average PSQI score of 2,003 research subjects is 7.26±3.56, including 860 subjects with PSQI ≥8, accounting for 42.9%. The female research subjects in the department of gynecology and obstetrics, emergency department, and ICU show high risks of sleep disorders (i.e., many years of working; job title: registered nurse; many times of night shift per month; no frequent exercise; many efforts and few rewards; high decision-making autonomy). Educational background and marital status did not exhibit statistical relevance with sleep disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The sleep disorder status of nurses in general hospitals is closely related to occupational stress. As such, nurse managers should focus more attention to the influencing factors of nurses' sleep disorders and relieve their occupational stress to reduce the occurrence rate of sleep disorders.

SHOEBOX Modulates Root Meristem Size in Rice through Dose-Dependent Effects of Gibberellins on Cell Elongation and Proliferation.

Little is known about how the size of meristem cells is regulated and whether it participates in the control of meristem size in plants. Here, we report our findings on shoebox (shb), a mild gibberellin (GA) deficient rice mutant that has a short root meristem size. Quantitative analysis of cortical cell length and number indicates that shb has shorter, rather than fewer, cells in the root meristem until around the fifth day after sowing, from which the number of cortical cells is also reduced. These defects can be either corrected by exogenous application of bioactive GA or induced in wild-type roots by a dose-dependent inhibitory effect of paclobutrazol on GA biosynthesis, suggesting that GA deficiency is the primary cause of shb mutant phenotypes. SHB encodes an AP2/ERF transcription factor that directly activates transcription of the GA biosynthesis gene KS1. Thus, root meristem size in rice is modulated by SHB-mediated GA biosynthesis that regulates the elongation and proliferation of meristem cells in a developmental stage-specific manner.

Origin and development of the root cap in rice.

The tip of the root is covered by a thimble-shaped root cap that is the site of perception and transduction for many environmental stimuli. Until now, little was known about how the root cap of rice (Oryza sativa) develops and functions to regulate the adaptive behavior of the root. To address this, we examined the formation of the rice root cap during embryogenesis and characterized the anatomy and structure of the rice radicle root cap. We further investigated the role of the quiescent center in the de novo origin of the root cap. At the molecular level, we found that shoot-derived auxin was absolutely needed to trigger root cap regeneration when the quiescent center was removed. Our time-course analysis of transcriptomic dynamics during the early phases of root cap regeneration indicated that changes in auxin signaling and appropriate levels of cytokinin are critical for root cap regeneration after the removal of the root cap. Moreover, we identified 152 genes that produce root cap-specific transcripts in the rice root tip. These findings together offer, to our knowledge, new mechanistic insights into the cellular and molecular events inherent in the formation and development of the root cap in rice and provide a basis for future research on the developmental and physiological function of the root cap of monocot crops.