A low-fouling electrochemical biosensor based on BSA hydrogel doped with carbon black for the detection of cortisol in human serum.

Electrochemical biosensors with high sensitivity can detect low concentrations of biomarkers, but their practical detection applications in complex biological environments such as human serum and sweat are severely limited by the biofouling. Herein, a conductive hydrogel based on bovine serum albumin (BSA) and conductive carbon black (CCB) was prepared for the construction of an antifouling biosensor. The BSA hydrogel (BSAG) was doped with CCB, and the prepared composite hydrogel exhibited good conductivity originated from the CCB and antifouling capability owing to the BSA hydrogel. An antifouling biosensor for the sensitive detection of cortisol was fabricated by drop-coating the conductive hydrogel onto a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) modified electrode and further immobilizing the cortisol aptamer. The constructed biosensor showed a linear range of 100 pg mL-1 - 10 µg mL-1 and a limit of detection of 26.0 pg mL-1 for the detection of cortisol, and it was capable of assaying cortisol accurately in complex human serum. This strategy of preparing antifouling and conductive hydrogels provides an effective way to develop robust electrochemical biosensors for biomarker detection in complex biological media.

Expression and immunogenicity of glycoprotein H of pseudorabies virus in mammalian cells / 中国生物制品学杂志

@#Objective To express glycoprotein H(gH)of pseudorabies virus(PRV)in mammalian cells and detect its immunogenicity.Methods The gH gene fragment of PRV-XiangA strain was amplified by PCR and inserted into mammalian cell expression vector pIRES-neo3 to construct recombinant expression plasmid pIRES-gH,which was transfected to HEK-293F cells and cultured in suspension for 5 d. The cell culture supernatant was identified by Western blot and purified by nickel ion chromatography column. The purified gH was emulsified with ISA 201 VG adjuvant to immunize 8 female ICR mice,and 8 mice in control group were immunized with the same amount of adjuvant,which was strengthened at 5 and 8weeks after the first dose respectively. The blood samples were collected at 4,7 and 10 weeks after the first dose and detected for the titer of specific antibody and neutralizing antibody in serum of mice;The mice were challenged with PRVXiangA strain(1. 5 × 104TCID50)by nasal drops 2 d after the third blood collection,and observed for the morbidity and mortality daily.Results The recombinant expression plasmid pIRES-gH was constructed correctly as identified by sequencing. The gH protein was successfully expressed and modified by glycosylation in mammalian cells with good reactivity,and about 625 μg purified protein was obtained under 100 mL culture volume. After three times of immunization,mice produced high level of specific antibody and showed the effect of neutralizing PRV,and the titer of neutralizing antibody reached 1∶256. In the challenge test,all the mice in control group became ill and died,while half of the mice in gH immunized group did not get sick with a survival rate of 50%.Conclusion PRV gH was successfully expressed in mammalian cells,and its immune protection was confirmed for the first time,which provided experimental basis for the further research and application of gH,and also provided a new idea for the development of PRV subunit vaccine.

A gut-isolated Enterococcus strain (HcM7) triggers the expression of antimicrobial peptides that aid resistance to nucleopolyhedrovirus infection of Hyphantria cunea larvae.

BACKGROUND: Commensal microorganisms are widely distributed in insect gut tissues and play important roles in host nutrition, metabolism, reproductive regulation, and especially immune functioning and tolerance to pathogens. Consequently, gut microbiota represent a promising resource for the development of microbial-based products for pest control and management. However, the interactions among host immunity, entomopathogen infections, and gut microbiota remain poorly understood for many arthropod pests. RESULTS: We previously isolated an Enterococcus strain (HcM7) from Hyphantria cunea larvae guts that increased the survival rates of larvae challenged with nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV). Here, we further investigated whether this Enterococcus strain stimulates a protective immune response against NPV proliferation. Infection bioassays demonstrated that re-introduction of the HcM7 strain to germfree larvae preactivated the expression of several antimicrobial peptides (particularly H. cunea gloverin 1, HcGlv1), resulting in the significant repression of virus replication in host guts and hemolymph, and consequently improved host survivorship after NPV infection. Furthermore, silencing of the HcGlv1 gene by RNA interference markedly enhanced the deleterious effects of NPV infection, revealing a role of this gut symbiont-induced gene in host defenses against pathogenic infections. CONCLUSION: These results show that some gut microorganisms can stimulate host immune systems, thereby contributing to resistance to entomopathogens. Furthermore, HcM7, as a functional symbiotic bacteria of H. cunea larvae, may be a potential target for increasing the effectiveness of biocontrol agents against this devastating pest. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effects of midgut bacteria in Hyphantria cunea (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) on nuclear polyhedrosis virus and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bacillales: Bacillaceae).

Hyphantria cunea Drury (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) is a quarantine pest in China that can cause damage to hundreds of plants. As biological control agents, Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus (NPV) and Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bacillales: Bacillaceae) (Bt) are commonly used to inhibit the prevalence of H. cunea. To investigate the role of midgut bacteria in the infection of NPV and Bt in H. cunea, we performed a series of tests, including isolating the dominant culturable bacteria in the midgut, eliminating intestinal bacteria, and respectively inoculating the dominant strains with NPV and Bt for bioassay. Two dominant bacteria, Klebsiella oxytoca Lautrop (Enterobacterales: Enterobacteriaceae) and Enterococcus mundtii Collins (Lactobacillales: Enterococcaceae), in the midgut of H. cunea were identified, and a strain of H. cunea larvae without intestinal bacteria was successfully established. In the bioassays of entomopathogen infection, K. oxytoca showed significant synergistic effects with both NPV and Bt on the death of H. cunea. In contrast, E. mundtii played antagonistic effects. This phenomenon may be attributed to the differences in the physico-chemical properties of the two gut bacteria and the alkaline environment required for NPV and Bt to infect the host. It is worth noting that the enhanced insecticidal activity of K. oxytoca on NPV and Bt provides a reference for future biological control of H. cunea by intestinal bacteria.

Identification and characterization of circular RNAs in the A549 cells following Influenza A virus infection.

Influenza A virus (IAV) is one of the most dominant zoonotic-pathogen that causes annually recurring epidemic disease. The detailed molecular mechanism underlying IAV infection is still not fully understood. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are generated from RNA back-splicing and involved in diverse biological processes. Here, we employed high-throughput circRNA microarray technology to profile circRNA expression in A549 cells in response to IAV infection. The analysis data revealed that 178 circRNAs expression were significantly upregulated while 137 downregulated, respectively, compared to the mock (P＜0.05, Fold Change＞2). Subsequently, Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were also conducted. Moreover dysregulated circRNAs were characterized, and of which nine were verified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). We further confirmed that circRNA_0082633 expression was increased following IAV infection. Overexpression of circRNA_0082633 suppressed IAV infection while depletion of circRNA_0082633 promoted viral proliferation. Interestingly, the activation of Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling was involved in IAV-induced circ_0082633 expression. More importantly, we demonstrated that circ_0082633 expression enhanced type I interferon (IFN) signaling by IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE) promoter activity and Ifnb1 mRNA levels. These data firstly provided the expression profile of circRNAs in PR8-infected A549 cells and shed new light on the pathogenesis research of IAV infection. Our findings also suggest that circRNA_0082633 served an important function in IAV infection.

Study on a High-Boron-Content Stainless Steel Composite for Nuclear Radiation.

In this research, a high-boron-content composite material with both neutron and γ rays shielding properties was developed by an optimized design and manufacture. It consists of 304 stainless steel as the matrix and spherical boron carbide (B4C) particles as the functional particles. The content of B4C is 24.68 wt%, and the particles' radius is 1.53 mm. The density of the newly designed material is 5.17 g·cm-3, about 68.02% of that of traditional borated stainless steel containing 1.7 wt% boron, while its neutrons shielding performance is much better. Firstly, focusing on shielding properties and material density, the content and the size of B4C were optimized by the Genetic Algorithm (GA) program combined with the MCNP program. Then, some samples of the material were manufactured by the infiltration casting technique according to the optimized results. The actual density of the samples was 5.21 g cm-3. In addition, the neutron and γ rays shielding performance of the samples and borated stainless steel containing 1.7 wt% boron was tested by using an 241Am-Be neutron source and 60Co and 137Cs γ rays sources, respectively, and the results were compared. It can be concluded that the new designed material could be used as a material for nuclear power plants or spent-fuel storage and transportation containers with high requirements for mobility.

A novel combined vaccine against classical swine fever and porcine epidemic diarrhea viruses elicits a significant Th2-favored humoral response in mice.

Many Chinese breeding pigs are repeatedly vaccinated against classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), which cause fatal, highly contagious diseases. To reduce their high frequency vaccination-induced immune stress, we constructed a combined vaccine based on the E2 protein of CSFV and the S1 spike protein subunit of PEDV (named E2-S1). In mice, the E2-S1 vaccine elicited higher neutralizing antibody titers and IgG1/IgG2a ratios against CSFV and PEDV than those induced by individual E2 or S1 vaccines. Moreover, it elicited high IL-4 expression, but no IFN-γ expression. The results suggest that good compatibility exists between E2 and S1 antigens, and the E2-S1 vaccine can elicit a strong Th2-type cell-mediated humoral immune response. The E2-S1 recombinant fusion protein provides a novel vaccine candidate against both CSFV and PEDV, laying the foundation for future combination vaccines against swine diseases.