scholarly journals A primate model of severe malarial anaemia: a comparative pathogenesis study

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber I. Raja ◽  
Elizabeth B. Brickley ◽  
Jessica Taaffe ◽  
Timmy Ton ◽  
Zhen Zhao ◽  
...  

AbstractSevere malarial anaemia (SMA) is the most common life-threatening complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection in African children. SMA is characterised by haemolysis and inadequate erythropoiesis, and is associated with dysregulated inflammatory responses and reduced complement regulatory protein levels (including CD35). However, a deeper mechanistic understanding of the pathogenesis requires improved animal models. In this comparative study of two closely related macaque species, we interrogated potential causal factors for their differential and temporal relationships to onset of SMA. We found that rhesus macaques inoculated with blood-stage Plasmodium coatneyi developed SMA within 2 weeks, with no other severe outcomes, whereas infected cynomolgus macaques experienced only mild/ moderate anaemia. The abrupt drop in haematocrit in rhesus was accompanied by consumption of haptoglobin (haemolysis) and poor reticulocyte production. Rhesus developed a greater inflammatory response than cynomolgus macaques, and had lower baseline levels of CD35 on red blood cells (RBCs) leading to a significant reduction in the proportion of CD35+ RBCs during infection. Overall, severe anaemia in rhesus macaques infected with P. coatneyi has similar features to SMA in children. Our comparisons are consistent with an association of low baseline CD35 levels on RBCs and of early inflammatory responses with the pathogenesis of SMA.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara C. Johnston ◽  
Alexandra Jay ◽  
Jo Lynne Raymond ◽  
Franco Rossi ◽  
Xiankun Zeng ◽  
...  

AbstractAirborne transmission is predicted to be a prevalent route of human exposure with SARS-CoV-2. Aside from African green monkeys, nonhuman primate models that replicate airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 have not been investigated. A comprehensive and comparative evaluation of COVID-19 in African green monkeys, rhesus macaques, and cynomolgus macaques following airborne exposure to SARS-CoV-2 was performed to define parameters critical to disease progression and the extent to which they correlate with human COVID-19. Respiratory abnormalities and viral shedding were noted for all animals, indicating successful infection. Cynomolgus macaques developed fever, and thrombocytopenia was measured for African green monkeys and rhesus macaques. Type II pneumocyte hyperplasia and alveolar fibrosis were more frequently observed in lung tissue from cynomolgus macaques and African green monkeys. The data indicate that, in addition to African green monkeys, macaques can be successfully infected by airborne SARS-CoV-2, providing viable macaque natural transmission models for medical countermeasure evaluation.One Sentence SummaryNonhuman primates develop COVID-19 following airborne virus exposure.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246366
Author(s):  
Sara C. Johnston ◽  
Keersten M. Ricks ◽  
Alexandra Jay ◽  
Jo Lynne Raymond ◽  
Franco Rossi ◽  
...  

Airborne transmission is predicted to be a prevalent route of human exposure with SARS-CoV-2. Aside from African green monkeys, nonhuman primate models that replicate airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 have not been investigated. A comparative evaluation of COVID-19 in African green monkeys, rhesus macaques, and cynomolgus macaques following airborne exposure to SARS-CoV-2 was performed to determine critical disease parameters associated with disease progression, and establish correlations between primate and human COVID-19. Respiratory abnormalities and viral shedding were noted for all animals, indicating successful infection. Cynomolgus macaques developed fever, and thrombocytopenia was measured for African green monkeys and rhesus macaques. Type II pneumocyte hyperplasia and alveolar fibrosis were more frequently observed in lung tissue from cynomolgus macaques and African green monkeys. The data indicate that, in addition to African green monkeys, macaques can be successfully infected by airborne SARS-CoV-2, providing viable macaque natural transmission models for medical countermeasure evaluation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Runze Quan ◽  
Chaoyue Chen ◽  
Wei Yan ◽  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Xi Zhao ◽  
...  

B cell-activating factor (BAFF) production is increased in septic patients. However, the specific role of BAFF in sepsis remains unknown. This study was designed to investigate the expression and function of BAFF in an experimental endotoxemia model and to identify the potential mechanisms. We established an endotoxemia mouse (6–8 weeks, 20–22 g) model by administering 30 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide (LPS). BAFF levels in the circulating system and organ tissues were measured 4 and 8 h after LPS injection. Survival rates in the endotoxemia mice were monitored for 72 h after BAFF blockade. The effects of BAFF blockade on systemic and local inflammation, organ injuries, and intestinal barrier function were also evaluated 4 h after LPS treatment. BAFF production was systemically and locally elevated after LPS challenge. BAFF blockade improved the survival rate, systemic inflammation, and multi-organ injuries. Moreover, BAFF blockade attenuated both intestinal inflammation and impaired intestinal permeability. BAFF blockade upregulated ZO-1 and occludin protein levels via the NF-κB/MLCK/MLC signaling pathway. These results suggested that BAFF blockade protects against lethal endotoxemia at least partially by alleviating inflammation, multi-organ injuries, and improving intestinal barrier function and provides a novel focus for further research on sepsis and experimental evidence for clinical therapy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 241-250
Author(s):  
Zhenyu Li ◽  
Guangqian Ding ◽  
Yudi Wang ◽  
Zelong Zheng ◽  
Jianping Lv

AbstractTranscription factor EB (TFEB)-based gene therapy is a promising therapeutic strategy in treating neurodegenerative diseases by promoting autophagy/lysosome-mediated degradation and clearance of misfolded proteins that contribute to the pathogenesis of these diseases. However, recent findings have shown that TFEB has proinflammatory properties, raising the safety concerns about its clinical application. To investigate whether TFEB induces significant inflammatory responses in the brain, male C57BL/6 mice were injected with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (AAV8) vectors overexpressing mouse TFEB (pAAV8-CMV-mTFEB), or AAV8 vectors expressing green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) in the barrel cortex. The brain tissue samples were collected at 2 months after injection. Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining showed that mTFEB protein levels were significantly increased in the brain tissue samples of mice injected with mTFEB-overexpressing vectors compared with those injected with PBS or GFP-overexpressing vectors. pAAV8-CMV-mTFEB injection resulted in significant elevations in the mRNA and protein levels of lysosomal biogenesis indicators in the brain tissue samples. No significant changes were observed in the expressions of GFAP, Iba1, and proinflammation mediators in the pAAV8-CMV-mTFEB-injected brain compared with those in the control groups. Collectively, our results suggest that AAV8 successfully mediates mTFEB overexpression in the mouse brain without inducing apparent local inflammation, supporting the safety of TFEB-based gene therapy in treating neurodegenerative diseases.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashwani Kesarwani ◽  
Parul Sahu ◽  
Kshama Jain ◽  
Prakriti Sinha ◽  
K. Varsha Mohan ◽  
...  

AbstractDue to the limited utility of Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG), the only approved vaccine available for tuberculosis, there is a need to develop a more effective and safe vaccine. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of a dry powder aerosol (DPA) formulation of BCG encapsulated alginate particle (BEAP) and the conventional intradermal BCG immunization in infant rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). The infant macaques were immunized intratracheally with DPA of BEAP into the lungs. Animals were monitored for their growth, behaviour, any adverse and allergic response. The protective efficacy of BEAP was estimated by the ex-vivo H37Rv infection method. Post-immunization with BEAP, granulocytes count, weight gain, chest radiography, levels of liver secreted enzymes, cytokines associated with inflammation like TNF and IL-6 established that BEAP is non-toxic and it does not elicit an allergic response. The T cells isolated from BEAP immunized animals’ blood, upon stimulation with M.tb antigen, secreted high levels of IFN-γ, TNF, IL-6 and IL-2. The activated T cells from BEAP group, when co-cultured with M.tb infected macrophages, eliminated largest number of infected macrophages compared to the BCG and control group. This study suggests the safety and efficacy of BEAP in Non-human primate model.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Xiao ◽  
Meng Nie ◽  
Huanhuan Pang ◽  
Bohong Wang ◽  
Jieli Hu ◽  
...  

AbstractCytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a major cause of the multi-organ injury and fatal outcome induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection in severe COVID-19 patients. Metabolism can modulate the immune responses against infectious diseases, yet our understanding remains limited on how host metabolism correlates with inflammatory responses and affects cytokine release in COVID-19 patients. Here we perform both metabolomics and cytokine/chemokine profiling on serum samples from healthy controls, mild and severe COVID-19 patients, and delineate their global metabolic and immune response landscape. Correlation analyses show tight associations between metabolites and proinflammatory cytokines/chemokines, such as IL-6, M-CSF, IL-1α, IL-1β, and imply a potential regulatory crosstalk between arginine, tryptophan, purine metabolism and hyperinflammation. Importantly, we also demonstrate that targeting metabolism markedly modulates the proinflammatory cytokines release by peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from SARS-CoV-2-infected rhesus macaques ex vivo, hinting that exploiting metabolic alterations may be a potential strategy for treating fatal CRS in COVID-19.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rami Abou Zeinab ◽  
H Helena Wu ◽  
Yasser Abuetabh ◽  
Sarah Leng ◽  
Consolato Sergi ◽  
...  

Abstract Pirh2 is an E3 ligase belonging to the RING-H2 family and shown to bind, ubiquitinate and downregulate p73 tumor suppressor function without altering p73 protein levels. AIP4, an E3 ligase belonging to the HECT domain family, has been reported to be a negative regulatory protein that promotes p73 ubiquitination and degradation. Herein, we found that Pirh2 is a key regulator of AIP4 that inhibits p73 function. Pirh2 physically interacts with AIP4 and significantly downregulates AIP4 expression. This downregulation is shown to involve the ubiquitination of AIP4 by Pirh2. Importantly, we demonstrated that the ectopic expression of Pirh2 inhibits the AIP4–p73 negative regulatory pathway, which was restored when depleting endogenous Pirh2 utilizing Pirh2-siRNAs. We further observed that Pirh2 decreases AIP4-mediated p73 ubiquitination. At the translational level and specifically regarding p73 cell cycle arrest function, Pirh2 still ensures the arrest of p73-mediated G1 despite AIP4 expression. Our study reveals a novel link between two E3 ligases previously thought to be unrelated in regulating the same effector substrate, p73. These findings open a gateway to explain how E3 ligases differentiate between regulating multiple substrates that may belong to the same family of proteins, as it is the case for the p53 and p73 proteins.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey L. Ebersole ◽  
Radhakrishnan Nagarajan ◽  
Sreenatha Kirakodu ◽  
Octavio A. Gonzalez

AbstractWe used a nonhuman primate model of ligature-induced periodontitis to identify patterns of gingival transcriptomic after changes demarcating phases of periodontitis lesions (initiation, progression, resolution). A total of 18 adult Macaca mulatta (12–22 years) had ligatures placed (premolar, 1st molar teeth) in all 4 quadrants. Gingival tissue samples were obtained (baseline, 2 weeks, 1 and 3 months during periodontitis and at 5 months resolution). Gene expression was analyzed by microarray [Rhesus Gene 1.0 ST Array (Affymetrix)]. Compared to baseline, a large array of genes were significantly altered at initiation (n = 6049), early progression (n = 4893), and late progression (n = 5078) of disease, with the preponderance being up-regulated. Additionally, 1918 genes were altered in expression with disease resolution, skewed towards down-regulation. Assessment of the genes demonstrated specific profiles of epithelial, bone/connective tissue, apoptosis/autophagy, metabolism, regulatory, immune, and inflammatory responses that were related to health, stages of disease, and tissues with resolved lesions. Unique transcriptomic profiles occured during the kinetics of the periodontitis lesion exacerbation and remission. We delineated phase specific gene expression profiles of the disease lesion. Detection of these gene products in gingival crevicular fluid samples from human disease may contribute to a better understanding of the biological dynamics of the disease to improve patient management.


2017 ◽  
Vol 140 ◽  
pp. 95-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Géraldine Piorkowski ◽  
Frédéric Jacquot ◽  
Gilles Quérat ◽  
Caroline Carbonnelle ◽  
Delphine Pannetier ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hee-Soo Han ◽  
Eungyeong Jang ◽  
Ji-Sun Shin ◽  
Kyung-Soo Inn ◽  
Jang-Hoon Lee ◽  
...  

Medicinal plants have been used as alternative therapeutic tools to alleviate inflammatory diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate anti-inflammatory properties of Kyungheechunggan-tang- (KCT-) 01, KCT-02, and Injinchunggan-tang (IJCGT) as newly developed decoctions containing 3–11 herbs in LPS-induced macrophages. KCT-01 showed the most potent inhibitory effects on LPS-induced NO, PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-6 production among those three herbal formulas. In addition, KCT-01 significantly inhibited LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 at protein levels and expression of iNOS, COX-2, TNF-α, and IL-6 at mRNA levels. Molecular data revealed that KCT-01 attenuated the activation of JAK/STAT signaling cascade without affecting NF-κB or AP-1 activation. In ear inflammation induced by croton oil, KCT-01 significantly reduced edema, MPO activity, expression levels of iNOS and COX-2, and STAT3 phosphorylation in ear tissues. Taken together, our findings suggest that KCT-01 can downregulate the expression of proinflammatory genes by inhibiting JAK/STAT signaling pathway under inflammatory conditions. This study provides useful data for further exploration and application of KCT-01 as a potential anti-inflammatory medicine.


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