Peste des petits ruminants virus non-structural C protein inhibits the induction of interferon-ß by potentially interacting with MAVS and RIG-I.

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) causes an acute and highly contagious disease in domestic and wild small ruminants throughout the world, mainly by invoking immunosuppression in its natural hosts. It has been suggested that the non-structural C protein of PPRV helps in evading host responses but the molecular mechanisms by which it antagonizes the host responses have not been fully characterized. Here, we report the antagonistic effect of PPRV C protein on the expression of interferon-ß (IFN-ß) through both MAVS and RIG-I mediated pathways in vitro. Dual luciferase reporter assay and direct expression of IFN-ß mRNA analysis indicated that PPRV C significantly down regulates IFN-ß via its potential interaction with MAVS and RIG-I signaling molecules. Results further indicated that PPRV C protein significantly suppresses endogenous and exogenous IFN-ß-induced anti-viral effects in PPRV, EMCV and SVS infections in vitro. Moreover, PPRV C protein not only down regulates IFN-ß but also the downstream cytokines of interferon stimulated genes 56 (ISG56), ISG15, C-X-C motif chemokine (CXCL10) and RIG-I mediated activation of IFN promoter elements of ISRE and NF-κB. Further, this study deciphers that PPRV C protein could significantly inhibit the phosphorylation of STAT1 and interferes with the signal transmission in JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Collectively, this study indicates that PPRV C protein is important for innate immune evasion and disease progression.

Comparative study of three different methods in the determination of length of gross target volume for esophageal cancer radiotherapy / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective Compared with chest CT,endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) can more accurately determine the upper and lower margins of esophageal cancer,and marking the upper and lower margins of the esophageal cancer with titanium clip contributes to the delineation of target area of esophageal cancer during radiotherapy.To compare the effects of esophageal X-ray,chest computed tomography (CT)scan and EUS-assisted placement of marker clip in the determination of the length of gross target volume (GTV),aiming to provide reference for the determination of GTV during esophageal cancer radiotherapy.Methods Thirty patients who were initially diagnosed with thoracic esophageal cancer by histological and cytological examinations and scheduled to receive radiotherapy were recruited in this investigation.All patients received esophageal X-ray,CT scan,and EUS-assisted placement of marker clip.The length of GTV was quantitatively measured and statistically compared among three different methods.Results The length of GTV was (6.1 ± 1.4) cm,(6.8± 1.9) cm and (6.3± 1.9) cm determined by esophageal X-ray,CT scan and EUS-assisted placement of marker clip,respectively.Compared with CT scan,the length of GTV determined by EUS-assisted placement of marker clip did not significantly differ (P=0.11).The length of GTV determined by esophageal X-ray was significantly shorter than that by CT scan (P =0.03).Among all patients,the length of GTV determined by EUS-assisted placement of marker clip was longer compared with that by chest CT scan in 22.2％ of patients.The length of GTV determined by EUS-assisted placement of marker clip was the same as that by chest CT scan in 11.1％ of patients.The length of GTV determined by EUS-assisted placement of marker clip was shorter compared with that by chest CT scan in 66.7％ of patients.Conclusions EUS-assisted placement of marker clip differs from esophageal X-ray and CT scan in determining the length of GTV,which acts as one of the effective methods in the determination of the length of GTV during esophageal cancer radiotherapy.