IVS8-5T Allele of CFTR is the Risk Factor in Chronic Pancreatitis, Especially in Idiopathic Chronic Pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND: Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator IVS8-5T gene variation appears to be associated with a higher risk of chronic pancreatitis (CP); however, there is inconsistency between previous reported studies. Here, we performed a meta-analysis to investigate this relationship. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PubMed and WANFANG databases were searched for the case-control studies that contained Patients with CP with IVS8-5T variation. Odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to assess the relevance of IVS8-5T gene variation and CP. RESULTS: Analysis showed that the frequency of the 5T allele was significantly higher in CP subjects than that in control subjects (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.13-1.81, I2 = 1.2%). Based on the subgroup analysis stratified by etiology, the 5T allele was associated with a higher risk of idiopathic chronic pancreatitis (ICP) (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.18-2.76, I2 = 0.0%) and not alcoholic CP (OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 0.98-4.66, I2 = 0.0%). Further study indicated that the 5T allele was related to higher ICP prevalence in the European population (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.06-3.03, I2 = 0.0%). In contrast, there was no significant difference between ICP subjects and healthy controls within the Asian population (OR = 1.84, 95% CI: 0.91-3.72, I2 = 38.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator IVS8-5T is a risk factor in patients with CP. IVS8-5T variation may play a significant role in the occurrence of ICP, especially in the European population.

Nonspecific immunoglobulin G is effective in preventing and treating cancer in mice.

BACKGROUND: Previous accidental findings showed that administration of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in treating autoimmune diseases was able to inhibit cancers that happened to grow in these patients. However, such treatment has not been used to treat cancer patients clinically. The mechanism and optimal dosages of this treatment have not been established. Subsequent animal experiments confirmed this effect, but all previous studies in animal models used human IgG which was heterogeneous to the animal hosts and therefore could adversely interfere with the results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We tested different dosages of mouse IgG in treating and preventing three syngeneic cancer types (melanoma, colon cancer, and breast cancer) in three immune potent mouse models. The expression of Ki67, CD34, VEGF, MMPs, and cytokines in tumor tissues were examined with immunohistochemistry or quantitative real-time PCR to evaluate tumor proliferation, vascularization, metastasis, and proinflammatory response in the tumor microenvironment. RESULTS: We found that low-dose IgG could effectively inhibit cancer progression, regulate tumor vessel normalization, and prolong survival. Administration of IgG before cancer cell inoculation could also prevent the development of cancer. In addition, IgG caused changes in a number of cytokines and skewed macrophage polarization toward M1-like phenotype, characterized by proinflammatory activity and inhibition of proliferation of cancer cells. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that nonspecific IgG at low dosages could be a promising candidate for cancer prevention and treatment.

Fractionation of Fab glycosylated immunoglobulin G with concanavalin A chromatography unveils new structural properties of the molecule.

Concanavalin A (ConA) chromatography has been extensively used to separate asymmetric Immunoglobulin G (IgG), which possesses oligosaccharide attached to one of the two F(ab')2 arms, from symmetric IgG with no glycan attached to Fab fragments. In this study, applying affinity chromatography, silver stain, Western blot and lectin stain techniques, N- linked oligosaccharide attached to Fab fragment was demonstrated to be exposed on the surface of the protein and be accessible by ConA. In contrast, N- linked oligosaccharide attached to asparagine (Asn) 297 of IgG Fc was located in the inside of the natural protein and was inaccessible by ConA. In addition to asymmetric IgG, there are also detectable level of IgG with both F(ab')2 arms glycosylated that has not been reported previously. The discoveries of new basic molecular structure of IgG would have implications in understanding the function and properties of this important immune molecule with clinical applications.

Sialylated immunoglobulin G can neutralize influenza virus infection through receptor mimicry.

Influenza viruses possess a great threat to human health, but there is still no effective drug to deal with the outbreak of possible new influenza subtypes. In this study, we first fractionated sialylated immunoglobulin G (IgG), mainly Fab sialylated fraction, with sambucus nigra agglutinin affinity chromatography. We then demonstrated that sialylated IgG possessed more effective neutralizing activity against 2009 A (H1N1) subtype than that of IgG mixture, and sialosides on the Fab is crucial in this neutralization reaction as when such residues were removed with neuraminidase A digestion the blocking effect was significantly reduced. It appears that sialic acid residues attached to Fab could serve as binding moieties to receptor binding site of influenza virus. These findings indicate that sialylated IgG probably is an effective anti-influenza broad-spectrum drug utilizing its receptor mimicry to competitively inhibit the attachment of influenza viruses with sialic acid receptors on target cells. This property would be particularly useful if it can be applied to prevent newly emerged influenza virus strain infections in future epidemics.

Inhibition of avian leukosis virus subgroup J replication by miRNA targeted against env.

No effective vaccine has been developed against the subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV-J). The genetic diversity of ALV-J might be related to the env gene, therefore, we selected conserved sequences of the env gene and designed interference sequence. In this study, microRNAs (miRNAs) were designed and synthesized, corresponding to conserved regions of the env gene. These miRNAs were cloned into the linearized eukaryotic expression vector. The recombinant plasmids were transfected into DF-1 cells. After transfection, the cells were inoculated with ALV-J. In reporter assays, the transfection efficiency is 80% by indirect immunofluorescence (IFA). Expression of the virus envelope glycoprotein was measured by IFA and western blotting assays. The relative expression of env gene was determined using quantitative PCR. Our results show that the mi-env 231 and mi-env 1384 could effectively suppress the replication of ALV-J with an efficiency of 68.7-75.2%. These data suggest that the miRNAs targeting the env can inhibit replication of ALV-J efficiently. This finding provides evidence that miRNAs could be used as a potential tool against ALV infection.

Quantitative analysis of oleic acid and three types of polyethers according to the number of hydroxy end groups in Polysorbate 80 by hydrophilic interaction chromatography at critical conditions.

A quantitative characterization of Polysorbate 80 is crucial for its many applications. In this paper we report a quick RP-HPLC method for the quantitative determination of Polysorbate 80. The hydrolysis of Polysorbate 80 to release oleic acid and three types of polyethers was first carried out. A chromatographic method based on liquid chromatography at critical conditions (LCCC) was then developed for an endgroup-based separation of low-molecular-mass polyether. With this method the polyether, irrespective of its molecular-mass, is separated according to endgroups (functionality) due to interactions of the polar endgroups with the hydrophilic stationary phase. The different types of polyethers and oleic acid were identified using on-line electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and quantified by evaporative light scattering detection.

Enhanced inhibition of Avian leukosis virus subgroup J replication by multi-target miRNAs.

BACKGROUND: Avian leukosis virus (ALV) is a major infectious disease that impacts the poultry industry worldwide. Despite intensive efforts, no effective vaccine has been developed against ALV because of mutations that lead to resistant forms. Therefore, there is a dire need to develop antiviral agents for the treatment of ALV infections and RNA interference (RNAi) is considered an effective antiviral strategy. RESULTS: In this study, the avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) proviral genome, including the gag genes, were treated as targets for RNAi. Four pairs of miRNA sequences were designed and synthesized that targeted different regions of the gag gene. The screened target (i.e., the gag genes) was shown to effectively suppress the replication of ALV-J by 19.0-77.3%. To avoid the generation of escape variants during virus infection, expression vectors of multi-target miRNAs were constructed using the multi-target serial strategy (against different regions of the gag, pol, and env genes). Multi-target miRNAs were shown to play a synergistic role in the inhibition of ALV-J replication, with an inhibition efficiency of viral replication ranging from 85.0-91.2%. CONCLUSION: The strategy of multi-target miRNAs might be an effective method for inhibiting ALV replication and the acquisition of resistant mutations.