Meta-Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Novel RNA Viruses in Polychaetes Perinereis.

Perinereis species are essential benthonic animals in coastal ecosystems and have significant roles as live feed in aquaculture, owing to their high-protein and low-fat nutritional profile. Despite their ecological importance, the viral communities associated with these organisms need to be better understood. In this study, we generated 2.6 × 108 reads using meta-transcriptomic sequencing and de novo assembled 5.3 × 103 virus-associated contigs. We identified 12 novel RNA viruses from two species, Perinereis aibuhitensis and P. wilsoni, which were classified into four major viral groups: Picobirnaviridae, Marnaviridae, unclassified Picornavirales, and unclassified Bunyavirales. Our findings revealed the hidden diversity of viruses and genome structures in Perinereis, enriching the RNA virosphere and expanding the host range of Picobirnaviridae, Marnaviridae, and Bunyavirales. This study also highlighted the potential biosecurity risk of the novel viruses carried by Perinereis to aquaculture.

Development of a Melting Curve-Based Triple Eva Green Real-Time PCR Assay for Simultaneous Detection of Three Shrimp Pathogens.

Infections with Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP), infectious hypodermal and hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV), and Decapod iridescent virus 1 (DIV1) pose significant challenges to the shrimp industry. Here, a melting curve-based triple real-time PCR assay based on the fluorescent dye Eva Green was established for the simultaneous detection of EHP, IHHNV, and DIV1. The assay showed high specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility. A total of 190 clinical samples from Shandong, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Guangdong, and Hainan provinces in China were evaluated by the triple Eva Green real-time PCR assay. The positive rates of EHP, IHHNV, and DIV1 were 10.5%, 18.9%, and 44.2%, respectively. The samples were also evaluated by TaqMan qPCR assays for EHP, DIV1, and IHHNV, and the concordance rate was 100%. This illustrated that the newly developed triple Eva Green real-time PCR assay can provide an accurate method for the simultaneous detection of three shrimp pathogens.

Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 2 Inhibits Angiotensin II-Induced Proliferation and Inflammation in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells.

OBJECTIVES: Protein arginine methyltransferase 2 (PRMT2) protects against vascular injury-induced intimal hyperplasia; however, little is known about the role of PRMT2 in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced VSMCs proliferation and inflammation. This research aims to determine whether PRMT2 inhibits Ang II-induced proliferation and inflammation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: PRMT2 overexpression was used to elucidate the role of PRMT2 in Ang II-induced VSMCs proliferation and inflammation. Western blotting and reverse transcriptional PCR were adopted to detect protein and mRNA expression severally. Cell viability was evaluated by 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay and cell cycle distribution by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Ang II significantly reduced mRNA and protein levels of PRMT2 in VSMCs in time-dependent and dose-dependent manner. Results of PRMT2 overexpression indicated that PRMT2 inhibited proliferation of VSMCs stimulated with 100 nmol/L Ang II for 24 hours. Furthermore, overexpression of PRMT2 reduced Ang II-induced production of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß) in VSMCs. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that PRMT2 alleviates Ang II-induced VSMCs proliferation and inflammation, providing a new mechanism about how Ang II mediated VSMCs proliferation and inflammation.

Involvement of CGRP-RCP in the caveolin-1/ERK1/2 signal pathway in the static pressure-induced proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells.

Previous study suggested that the receptor component protein (RCP), one of the components of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor, plays a multiple role in the cellular signal transduction. The study was designed to investigate whether or not the RCP involved in the regulation of caveolin-1/extracellular signal-regulated kinases-1 and -2 (ERK1/2) signal pathway in the vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) proliferation induced by static pressure. Mouse-derived VSMCs line A10 (A10 VSMCs) was served as project in this experiment. Results showed that the A10 VSMCs viability and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression which were increased by static pressure were inhibited by pretreatment of CGRP. In like manner, the expressions of the decreased-caveolin-1 and the increased-phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) induced by static pressure were significantly reversed by pretreatment of CGRP, respectively. Meanwhile, the expression of RCP was up-regulated by the static pressure. Silence of RCP gene with the small interrupt RNA (siRNA) not only significantly increased A10 VSMC proliferation but also increased the expression of p-ERK1/2 in response to static pressure. When treatment of A10 VSMCs with 120-mmHg static pressure for different time, however, the protein band of caveolin-1 and RCP was the least at time point of 10 min, but the p-ERK1/2 expression was the most maximum. In conclusion, RCP maybe involved in the static pressure-induced A10 VSMCs proliferation by regulation of caveolin-1/ERK1/2 signal pathway.

The Warburg effect: A new story in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare yet fatal condition that is characterized by a continuous and notable elevation of pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), resulting in right heart failure and death. Pulmonary arterial remodelling does not result from abnormal proliferation of pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) but from pulmonary arterial endothelial cell (PAEC) dysfunction. However, the pathological mechanism of these two types of vascular cells in pulmonary artery remodelling is unclear. The Warburg effect describes aerobic glycolysis wherein cells commonly reprogram their energy metabolism to preferentially utilize glycolysis over oxidative phosphorylation for ATP production. Recent research has demonstrated that the Warburg effect plays a significant role in the development of PAH, which involves the abnormal proliferation of PASMCs and endothelial dysfunction. This review attempts to illustrate the functions of the Warburg effect in PAH, which may provide a new therapeutic target for PAH treatment.

[Involvement of the receptor component protein in the regulation of vascular peroxidase-1 expression induced by calcitonin gene-related peptide and angiotensin II in vascular smooth muscle cell].

Angiotensin II (Ang II) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) play important roles in vascular injury and protection. In order to determine the role of CGRP receptor component protein (RCP) in signal transduction whereby CGRP and Ang II mediate the expression of vascular peroxidase-1 (VPO1) in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC), mouse derived A10 vascular smooth muscle cell line (A10VSMC) was cultured with CGRP or/and Ang II in vitro. RCP-specific small interference RNA (siRNA-RCP) was used to silence oligonucleotide sequence. Western blot and RT-PCR were used to determine the protein and mRNA expressions of RCP and VPO1, respectively. The results showed that the expressions of RCP and VPO1 were increased in the presence of CGRP or Ang II in the quiescent A10VSMC. But the protein expressions of RCP and VPO1 induced by Ang II were decreased by pretreatment of CGRP (P < 0.05). The expressions of VPO1 were decreased in all the groups treated with siRNA-RCP, compared with those of wide-type counterparts. Meanwhile, the expression of VPO1 was significantly induced by CGRP but not Ang II in the siRNA-RCP treated A10VSMCs. Ang II in combination with CGRP increased the protein expression of VPO1 in the siRNA-RCP-transfected cells, compared with Ang II alone, and this effect could be abolished by catalase. The results suggest that RCP may play an important role in the integration of signal transduction whereby CGRP and Ang II receptors jointly regulate VPO1 expression in VSMC.

Hierarchicality of trade flow networks reveals complexity of products.

With globalization, countries are more connected than before by trading flows, which amounts to at least 36 trillion dollars today. Interestingly, around 30-60 percents of exports consist of intermediate products in global. Therefore, the trade flow network of particular product with high added values can be regarded as value chains. The problem is weather we can discriminate between these products from their unique flow network structure? This paper applies the flow analysis method developed in ecology to 638 trading flow networks of different products. We claim that the allometric scaling exponent η can be used to characterize the degree of hierarchicality of a flow network, i.e., whether the trading products flow on long hierarchical chains. Then, it is pointed out that the flow networks of products with higher added values and complexity like machinary, transport equipment etc. have larger exponents, meaning that their trade flow networks are more hierarchical. As a result, without the extra data like global input-output table, we can identify the product categories with higher complexity, and the relative importance of a country in the global value chain by the trading network solely.