Immunization of BALB/c mice with Brucella abortus 2308DwbkA confers protection against wild-type infection

Zhi-qiang Li,Dan Gui,Zhi-hua Sun,Jun-bo Zhang,Wen-zhi Zhang,Hui Zhang,Fei Guo,Chuangfu Chen 대한수의학회 2015 Journal of Veterinary Science Vol.16 No.4

Brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that causes animal and human diseases. Vaccination is a major measure for prevention of brucellosis, but it is currently not possible to distinguish vaccinated animals from those that have been naturally infected. Therefore, in this study, we constructed the Brucella (B.) abortus 2380 wbkA mutant (2308DwbkA) and evaluated its virulence. The survival of 2308DwbkA was attenuated in murine macrophage (RAW 264.7) and BALB/c mice, and it induced high protective immunity in mice. The wbkA mutant elicited an anti-Brucella-specific immunoglobulin G response and induced the secretion of gamma interferon. Antibodies to 2308DwbkA could be detected in sera from mice, implying the potential for use of this protein as a diagnostic antigen. The WbkA antigen would allow serological differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals. These results suggest that 2308DwbkA is a potential attenuated vaccine against 16M. This vaccine will be further evaluated in sheep.

Deformation analyses during subway shield excavation considering stiffness influences of underground structures

Zhang, Zhi-guo,Zhao, Qi-hua,Zhang, Meng-xi Techno-Press 2016 Geomechanics & engineering Vol.11 No.1

Previous studies for soil movements induced by tunneling have primarily focused on the free soil displacements. However, the stiffness of existing structures is expected to alter tunneling-induced ground movements, the sheltering influences for underground structures should be included. Furthermore, minimal attention has been given to the settings for the shield machine's operation parameters during the process of tunnels crossing above and below existing tunnels. Based on the Shanghai railway project, the soil movements induced by an earth pressure balance (EPB) shield considering the sheltering effects of existing tunnels are presented by the simplified theoretical method, the three-dimensional finite element (3D FE) simulation method, and the in-situ monitoring method. The deformation prediction of existing tunnels during complex traversing process is also presented. In addition, the deformation controlling safety measurements are carried out simultaneously to obtain the settings for the shield propulsion parameters, including earth pressure for cutting open, synchronized grouting, propulsion speed, and cutter head torque. It appears that the sheltering effects of underground structures have a great influence on ground movements caused by tunneling. The error obtained by the previous simplified methods based on the free soil displacements cannot be dismissed when encountering many existing structures.

Treatment Efficacy and Prognostic Factors for Huge HCC Based on Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer Staging

Zhang, Zhi-Ming,Zhang, Yu-Mei,Gao, Sheng,Yuan, Wei-Ping,Zhao, Yin-Nong,Xiang, Bang-De,Wu, Fei-Xiang,Wu, Guo-Bin,Liu, Jian-Yong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.20

Objective: To explore the most appropriate treatment for patients with hepatocellular cancer (HCC) >10 cm by using the Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) classification. Materials and Methods: A total of 124 HCC patients undergoing surgery were selected. Disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS) and prognostic factors were respectively assessed. Results: This study showed that the cumulative 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates were 79.7%, 59.8% and 41.6% in BCLC-A patients, 76.2%, 9.5% and 0% in BCLC-B patients and 44.9%, 0% and 0% in BCLC-C patients, respectively. The 1-, 3-, 5-year DFS rates were 49%, 24.5% and 9.1% in BCLC-A patients, 7.5%, 0% and 0% in BCLC-B patients, respectively. No BCLC-C patients survived 1 year after surgery. Multivariate analysis indicated that hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), vascular invasion, intra-hepatic metastasis, curative resection, tumor rupture and pathologic differentiation were independent prognostic factors. Conclusions: Surgery is effective and safe for patients with HCC >10 cm with sufficient hepatic reserve.

Tax is Involved in Up-regulation of HMGB1 Expression Levels by Interaction with C/EBP

Zhang, Chen-Guang,Wang, Hui,Niu, Zhi-Guo,Zhang, Jing-Jing,Yin, Ming-Mei,Gao, Zhi-Tao,Hu, Li-Hua Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2013 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.14 No.1

The high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein is a multifunctional cytokine-like molecule that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of tumors. In this study, real-time polymerase chain reactions and Western blot assays indicated that HMGB1 transcriptional activity and protein level are increased in $Tax^+$-T cells (TaxP). To clarify the mechanisms, a series of HMGB1 deletion reporter plasmids (pHLuc1 to pHLuc6) were transfected into $Tax^-$-T cells (TaxN, Jurkat) and $Tax^+$-T cells (TaxP). We found that promoter activity in $Tax^+$-T cells to be higher than that in $Tax^-$-T cells, indicating a significant increase in pHLuc6. Bay11-7082 (NF-${\kappa}B$ inhibitor) treatment did not block the enhancing effect. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that Tax was retained on a HMGB1 promoter fragment encompassing -1163 to -975. Bioinformatics analysis showed six characteristic cis-elements for CdxA, AP-1, AML-1a, USF, v-Myb, and C/EBP in the fragment in question. Mutation of cis-elements for C/EBP reduced significant HMGB1 promoter activity induced by Tax. These findings indicate that Tax enhances the expression of HMGB1 gene at the transcriptional level, possibly by interacting with C/EBP.

Characterization of two novel γ-gliadin genes encoded by K genome of Crithopsis delileana and evolution analysis with those from Triticeae

Zhi-Fu Guo,Li-Jun Zhang,Ming Zhong,Yu-Ming Wei,Li Zhang,Hui Ma,Hao-Ge Li,Li-Jing Chen,Jing-Wei Lin,You-Liang Zheng 한국유전학회 2010 Genes & Genomics Vol.32 No.3

By acid polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (A-PAGE) analysis,it was indicated that the electrophoresis mobility of gliadins from Crithopsis delileana (Schult) Roshev (2n=2x=14,KK) had obvious difference with those from common wheat in α, γ and ω region. Using homologous primers, two γ-gliadin genes (gli-Kr1 and gli-Kr2) were isolated from C. delileana,which had been deposited in the GenBank under accession numbers EU283818 and EU283821, respectively. Two γ-gliadin genes of C. delileana had the similar primary structures to the corresponding gene sequences from other wheat related species. The differences were mainly resulted from substitutions,insertions and deletions involving single amino acid residues or motifs of γ-gliadins. The repetitive domains of gli-Kr1 and gli-Kr2 from C. delileana are shorter than most of other sequences. By the alignment of γ-gliadin genes from A, B, D, Am, Au, S, Sl, Ssh, Ss and Sb genomes of Triticum and Aegilops, R genome of Secale (γ-secalin), Ee genome of Lophopyrum and K genome of Crithopsis in Triticeae, phylogenetic analysis indicated that two γ-gliadin genes of C. delileana could be clustered together with a γ-gliadin genefrom Ssh genome of Aegilops by an interior paralleled branch. It was the first time that the γ-gliadin genes encoded by K genome of C. delileana were characterized. These could offer precious information for better understanding the qualities associated with gliadins, the response in coeliac disease and studying the evolutionary relationship of gliadins in Triticeae.

Overexpression of NDRG2 Can Inhibit Neuroblastoma Cell Proliferation through Negative Regulation by CYR61

Zhang, Zhi-Guo,Li, Gang,Feng, Da-Yun,Zhang, Jian,Zhang, Jing,Qin, Huai-Zhou,Ma, Lian-Ting,Gao, Guo-Dong,Wu, Lin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.1

Several recent studies have showed that the n-myc downstream regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) is a new tumor suppressor gene, and that it plays an important role in tumor suppression in several cancers or cancer cell lines. However, few studies focused on its function in neuroblastoma cells. In the present investigation, we demonstrated that NDRG2 overexpression inhibited their proliferation. Using a cDNA microarray, we found that overexpression of NDRG2 inhibited the expression of cysteine-rich protein 61 (CYR61), a proliferation related gene. From our research, CYR61 may partially hinder NDRG2-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation. Overexpression of NDRG2 resulted in accumulation of cells in the G1 phase, which was accompanied by upregulation of p21 and p27 and downregulation of CDK4 and cyclin D1. Taken together, these data indicate that NDRG2 inhibits the proliferation of neuroblastoma cells partially through suppression of CYR61. Our findings offer novel insights into the physiological roles of NDRG2 in neuroblastoma cell proliferation, and NDRG2 may prove to be effective candidate for the treatment of children with neuroblastoma.

New Formula ZD4IgS_Q Applied to Solving Future Nonlinear Systems of Equations with Abundant Numerical Experiment Verification

Yunong Zhang,Jinjin Guo,Binbin Qiu,Yang Shi,Zhi Yang 제어로봇시스템학회 2017 제어로봇시스템학회 국제학술대회 논문집 Vol.2017 No.10

In this paper, a new formula called Zhang discretization 4-instant g-square with subtype Q (i.e., ZD4IgS_Q) is proposed, which is used for discretizing continuous-time zeroing neurodynamics (CTZN) model. Besides, in order to solve future nonlinear systems of equations (FNSoE), also termed discrete time-varying nonlinear systems of equations, a ZD4IgS_Q-type discrete-time zeroing neurodynamics (DTZN) model with O(g³) steady-state residual error pattern is acquired by adopting the formula ZD4IgS_Q. For comparison purposes, an Euler-type DTZN model with O(g²) steadystate residual error pattern is also presented. Abundant numerical experimental results show that, compared with Eulertype DTZN model, the ZD4IgS_Q-type DTZN model has better computational performance in terms of solving FNSoE.

Identification and sex expression profiles of olfactory-related genes in Mythimna loreyi based on antennal transcriptome analysis

Zhang Yun-Ying,Guo Jin-Meng,Wei Zhi-Qiang,Zhang Xiao-Tong,Liu Si-Ruo,Guo Hui-Fang,Dong Shuanglin 한국응용곤충학회 2022 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.25 No.2

To better understand the olfactory mechanism of Mythimna loreyi, a worldwide migratory pest, we for the first time conducted a large scale identification of olfactory-related genes and investigation of their sex expression profiles by transcriptomic analysis. A total of 42,832 unigenes were obtained by transcriptome sequencing, as sembly and annotation, with an average length of 1,229 bp and N50 of 2,086 bp. In particular, 138 olfactoryrelated genes were identified by homologous blasting, including 33 odorant binding proteins (OBPs), 16 che mosensory proteins (CSPs), 63 odorant receptors (ORs), 24 ionotropic receptors (IRs) and two sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). Further, by using differential gene expression (DGE) and fragments per kilobase per million fragments (FPKM) values to compare the transcript levels between female and male antennae, we found that 22 olfactory-related genes (9 OBPs, one CSP and 12 ORs) were sex biased, with 10 genes being male biased and 12 genes female biased. In addition, sex and tissue expression profiles determined by qPCR of 15 selected genes confirmed the reliability of sex expression profiles obtained by the transcriptomic analysis, and demonstrated that most olfactory-related genes were specifically or primarily expressed in antennae, suggesting their roles in olfaction, while a few genes were highly expressed in other tissues, implying their non-olfaction functions. This study provides an important basis for further functional study of olfactory genes in M. loreyi.

Identification and sex expression profiles of olfactory-related genes in Mythimna loreyi based on antennal transcriptome analysis

Zhang Yun-Ying,Guo Jin-Meng,Wei Zhi-Qiang,Zhang Xiao-Tong,Liu Si-Ruo,Guo Hui-Fang,Dong Shuanglin 한국응용곤충학회 2022 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.25 No.3

To better understand the olfactory mechanism of Mythimna loreyi, a worldwide migratory pest, we for the first time conducted a large scale identification of olfactory-related genes and investigation of their sex expression profiles by transcriptomic analysis. A total of 42,832 unigenes were obtained by transcriptome sequencing, as sembly and annotation, with an average length of 1,229 bp and N50 of 2,086 bp. In particular, 138 olfactoryrelated genes were identified by homologous blasting, including 33 odorant binding proteins (OBPs), 16 che mosensory proteins (CSPs), 63 odorant receptors (ORs), 24 ionotropic receptors (IRs) and two sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs). Further, by using differential gene expression (DGE) and fragments per kilobase per million fragments (FPKM) values to compare the transcript levels between female and male antennae, we found that 22 olfactory-related genes (9 OBPs, one CSP and 12 ORs) were sex biased, with 10 genes being male biased and 12 genes female biased. In addition, sex and tissue expression profiles determined by qPCR of 15 selected genes confirmed the reliability of sex expression profiles obtained by the transcriptomic analysis, and demonstrated that most olfactory-related genes were specifically or primarily expressed in antennae, suggesting their roles in olfaction, while a few genes were highly expressed in other tissues, implying their non-olfaction functions. This study provides an important basis for further functional study of olfactory genes in M. loreyi.

Characteristics Comparison before and after Lyophilization of Transferrin Modified Procationic-Liposome-Protamine-DNA Complexes (Tf-PLPD)

Zhi-Rong Zhong,Zhi-rong Zhang,Ji Liu,Yong Deng,Hong-wei Zhang,Yao Fu,Qing-guo Song,Qin He 대한약학회 2007 Archives of Pharmacal Research Vol.30 No.1

A novel non-viral gene delivery system, Procationic-Liposome-Protamine-DNA complexes (PLPD) which could further adsorb transferrin on the surface as a targeting ligand to form Tf- PLPD, was prepared and characterized before and after lyophilization. The size distribution of Tf-PLPD was in the range of 240 ± 12 nm and the zeta potential was -24.10 ± 2.5 mV. The transfection efficiencies of PLPD and Tf-PLPD were 12.18 ± 3.8 and 24.26 ± 2.6 mU β-galactosidase/ mg protein respectively. The lyophilization and the presence of serum didn’t affect the tansfectivities of PLPD or Tf-PLPD. Compared to LipofectamineTM 2000 (Invitrogen, U.S.A.), the procationic liposomes had less cytotoxicity to cells. In summary the procationic lipoplex described here, combining the condensing effect of protamine and the targeting capability of Tf, was a perspective non-viral vector for gene delivery system.