ABSTRACT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Great international efforts have been put into the development of prophylactic vaccines and neutralizing antibodies. However, the knowledge about the B cell immune response induced by the SARS-CoV-2 virus is still limited. Here, we report a comprehensive characterization of the dynamics of immunoglobin heavy chain (IGH) repertoire in COVID-19 patients. By using next-generation sequencing technology, we examined the temporal changes in the landscape of the patients immunological status, and found dramatic changes in the IGH within the patients immune system after the onset of COVID-19 symptoms. Although different patients have distinct immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection, by employing clonotype overlap, lineage expansion and clonotype network analyses, we observed a higher clonotype overlap and substantial lineage expansion of B cell clones during 2-3 weeks of illness, which is of great importance to B-cell immune responses. Meanwhile, for preferences of V gene usage during SARS-CoV-2 infection, IGHV3-74 and IGHV4-34 and IGHV4-39 in COVID-19 patients were more abundant than that of healthy controls. Overall, we present an immunological resource for SARS-CoV-2 that could promote both therapeutic development as well as mechanistic research.
ABSTRACT
This study was aimed to investigate the estrogenic effects ofCoicis Semen in order to preliminarily discuss the mechanism. Mouse uterine weight test and MCF-7 cell proliferation assay were used to evaluate the estrogenic effects ofC. Semen. Reporter gene assays were adopted to explore the action mechanism ofC. Semen. In reporter gene assay, HEK293 cells were co-transfected with pERE-TAL-luc, pβgal-Control, pCXN2-hERα, or pCXN2-hERβ. And the expression of reporter gene luc was controlled by ERE. Mouse uterine weight test showed that compared with the control group, the aqueous extracts ofC. Semen can increase the uterus index of premature female mice (P<0.01). It can significantly promote the proliferation of MCF-7 cells in the medium without estrogen (P<0.01). The reporter gene controlled by ERE technology showed thatwhen mediated by ERα or ERβ respectively, the normalized luciferase activity of aqueous extracts ofC. Semen was significantly higher than activity of the control group (P< 0.05 orP< 0.01). It was concluded that the aqueous extracts ofC.Semen can increase the uterus index of premature female mice and promote the proliferation of MCF-7 cells in the medium without estrogen. We found the estrogenic effects ofC. Semen for the first time. And the estrogenic effects ofC. Semen were mainly mediated by ERβ.