Gene-based Therapeutic Tools in the Treatment of Cornea Disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Xiao Lu ◽  
Shao-Zhen Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Protein Expression ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Inflammatory Cells ◽  
Vector System ◽  
Corneal Disease ◽  
Corneal Injury ◽  
Transfer Vectors ◽  
Pathological Development ◽  
Candidate Protein ◽  
Therapeutic Tools

Background: As one of the main blinding ocular diseases, corneal blindness resulted from neovascularization that disrupts the angiogenic privilege of corneal avascularity. Following neovascularization, inflammatory cells are infiltrating into cornea to strengthen corneal injury. How to maintain corneal angiogenic privilege to treat corneal disease has been investigated for decades. Methodology: Local administration of viral and non-viral-mediated anti-angiogenic factors reduces angiogenic protein expression in situ with limited or free of off-target effects upon gene delivery. Recently, Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) have been studied to treat corneal diseases. Once MSCs are manipulated to express certain genes of interest, they could achieve superior therapeutic efficacy after transplantation. Discussion: In the text, we first introduce the pathological development of corneal disease in the aspects of neovascularization and inflammation. We summarize how MSCs become an ideal candidate in cell therapy for treating injured cornea, focusing on cell biology, property and features. We provide an updated review of gene-based therapies in animals and preclinical studies in the aspects of controlling target gene expression, safety and efficacy. Gene transfer vectors are potent to induce candidate protein expression. Delivered by vectors, MSCs are equipped with certain characters by expressing a protein of interest, which facilitates better for MSC-mediated therapeutic intervention for the treatment of corneal disease. Conclusion: As the core of this review, we discuss how MSCs could be engineered to be vector system to achieve enhanced therapeutic efficiency after injection.

A vector system for fast-forward studies of the HOPZ-ACTIVATED RESISTANCE1 (ZAR1) resistosome in the model plant Nicotiana benthamiana

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adeline Harant ◽  
Hsuan Pai ◽  
Toshiyuki Sakai ◽  
Sophien Kamoun ◽  
Hiroaki Adachi
Keyword(s):  
Nicotiana Benthamiana ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Plant Immunity ◽  
Transient Gene Expression ◽  
Coiled Coil ◽  
Experimental System ◽  
Vector System ◽  
In Planta ◽  
Functional Studies

Abstract Nicotiana benthamiana has emerged as a complementary experimental system to Arabidopsis thaliana. It enables fast-forward in vivo analyses primarily through transient gene expression and is particularly popular in the study of plant immunity. Recently, our understanding of nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) plant immune receptors has greatly advanced following the discovery of the Arabidopsis HOPZ-ACTIVATED RESISTANCE1 (ZAR1) resistosome. Here, we describe a vector system of 72 plasmids that enables functional studies of the ZAR1 resistosome in N. benthamiana. We showed that ZAR1 stands out among the coiled coil class of NLRs (CC-NLRs) for being highly conserved across distantly related dicot plant species and confirmed NbZAR1 as the N. benthamiana ortholog of Arabidopsis ZAR1. Effector-activated and autoactive NbZAR1 trigger the cell death response in N. benthamiana and this activity is dependent on a functional N-terminal α1 helix. C-terminally tagged NbZAR1 remains functional in N. benthamiana, thus enabling cell biology and biochemical studies in this plant system. We conclude that the NbZAR1 open source pZA plasmid collection forms an additional experimental system to Arabidopsis for in planta resistosome studies.

Electroacupuncture inhibits the corneal ROS/TXNIP/NLRP3 signaling pathway in a rat model of dry eye syndrome

2021 ◽  
pp. 096452842110392
Author(s):  
Yanting Yang ◽  
Dan Zhang ◽  
Lijie Wu ◽  
Ji Zhang ◽  
Danyan Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Expression ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Dry Eye ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Dry Eye Syndrome ◽  
Receptor Protein ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
Corneal Injury ◽  
Caspase 1 ◽  
Des Model

Background: Electroacupuncture (EA) treatment has been found to ameliorate clinical symptoms in patients with dry eye, but its mechanisms are still not entirely clear. Objective: To study the regulation of EA on ocular surface function and the corneal reactive oxygen species (ROS)/thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP)/Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammatory signaling pathway in dry eye syndrome (DES) model rats. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into five groups: Normal, Model, Model + EA, Model + NAC (N-actetylcysteine) and Model + NS (normal saline). The DES model was developed by subcutaneous injection of scopolamine hydrobromide with exposure to an air draft in the latter four groups. After intervention, the Schirmer I test (SIT), tear film break-up time (BUT) and ROS content were measured, the histopathological changes of corneal tissues were observed, and the mRNA and protein expression levels of TXNIP, NLRP3, apoptosis-associated Speck-like protein containing CARD (ASC), caspase-1, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 were detected. Results: Compared with the Model group, the SIT and BUT increased significantly in the Model + EA group after intervention (p < 0.05), and the corneal injury was improved. Corneal ROS content declined in both Model + EA and Model + NAC groups (p < 0.05), and mRNA expression of TXNIP, NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1 also decreased (p < 0.01). Corneal protein expression of TXNIP, NLRP3, IL-1β and IL-18 decreased significantly in the Model + EA group (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Inhibiting the ROS/TXNIP/NLRP3 signaling pathway may be the mechanism underlying the role of EA in improving corneal injury in DES model rats.

scholarly journals FlexiBAC: a versatile, open-source baculovirus vector system for protein expression, secretion, and proteolytic processing

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Régis P. Lemaitre ◽  
Aliona Bogdanova ◽  
Barbara Borgonovo ◽  
Jeffrey B. Woodruff ◽  
David N. Drechsel
Keyword(s):  
Protein Expression ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Proteolytic Processing ◽  
Vector System ◽  
Baculovirus Vector

scholarly journals Vascular Endothelial Cell Biology: An Update

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (18) ◽  
pp. 4411 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krüger-Genge ◽  
Blocki ◽  
Franke ◽  
Jung
Keyword(s):  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Regional Blood Flow ◽  
Vascular Endothelial Cell ◽  
Inflammatory Cells ◽  
The Body ◽  
Arterial Tree ◽  
Foreign Materials ◽  
And Function

The vascular endothelium, a monolayer of endothelial cells (EC), constitutes the inner cellular lining of arteries, veins and capillaries and therefore is in direct contact with the components and cells of blood. The endothelium is not only a mere barrier between blood and tissues but also an endocrine organ. It actively controls the degree of vascular relaxation and constriction, and the extravasation of solutes, fluid, macromolecules and hormones, as well as that of platelets and blood cells. Through control of vascular tone, EC regulate the regional blood flow. They also direct inflammatory cells to foreign materials, areas in need of repair or defense against infections. In addition, EC are important in controlling blood fluidity, platelet adhesion and aggregation, leukocyte activation, adhesion, and transmigration. They also tightly keep the balance between coagulation and fibrinolysis and play a major role in the regulation of immune responses, inflammation and angiogenesis. To fulfill these different tasks, EC are heterogeneous and perform distinctly in the various organs and along the vascular tree. Important morphological, physiological and phenotypic differences between EC in the different parts of the arterial tree as well as between arteries and veins optimally support their specified functions in these vascular areas. This review updates the current knowledge about the morphology and function of endothelial cells, particularly their differences in different localizations around the body paying attention specifically to their different responses to physical, biochemical and environmental stimuli considering the different origins of the EC.

Effect of supplementing Moringa oleifera essential oils on milk quality and fatty acid profile in dairy sheep

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Hemamalini ◽  
S. Ezhilmathi ◽  
A. Angela Mercy
Keyword(s):  
Recombinant Protein ◽  
Protein Expression ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Genetic Manipulation ◽  
Recombinant Protein Expression ◽  
Coli Strain ◽  
Expression Vectors ◽  
Functional Domain ◽  
Post Translational Modifications ◽  
E Coli

Escherichia coli is the most extensively used organism in recombinant protein production. It has several advantages including a very short life cycle, ease of genetic manipulation and the well-known cell biology etc. which makes E. coli as the perfect host for recombinant protein expression. Despite many advantages, E. coli also have few disadvantages such as coupled transcription and translation and lack of eukaryotic post-translational modifications. These challenges can be overcome by adopting several strategies such as, using different E. coli expression vectors, changing the gene sequence without altering the functional domain, modified E. coli strain usage, changing the culture parameters and co-expression with a molecular chaperone. In this review, we present the level of strategies used to enhance the recombinant protein expression and its stability in E. coli.

scholarly journals Expression of Neuronal CXCL10 Induced by Rabies Virus Infection Initiates Infiltration of Inflammatory Cells, Production of Chemokines and Cytokines, and Enhancement of Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability

2014 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 870-876 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingqing Chai ◽  
Ruiping She ◽  
Ying Huang ◽  
Zhen F. Fu
Keyword(s):  
Protein Expression ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Rabies Virus ◽  
Inflammatory Cells ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
Brain Barrier Permeability ◽  
Rabies Virus Infection ◽  
Ifn Γ ◽  
Bbb Permeability

It has been shown that enhancement of blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability is modulated by the expression of chemokines/cytokines and reduction of tight junction (TJ) proteins in the brains of mice infected with rabies virus (RABV). Since CXCL10 was found to be the most highly expressed chemokine, its temporal and spatial expression were determined in the present study. The expression of the chemokine CXCL10 was initially detected in neurons as early as 3 days postinfection (p.i.) in the brains of RABV-infected mice, after which it was detected in microglia (6 days p.i.) and astrocytes (9 days p.i.). Neutralization of CXCL10 by treatment with anti-CXCL10 antibodies reduced gamma interferon (IFN-γ) production and Th17 cell infiltration, as well as restoring TJ protein expression and BBB integrity. Together, these data suggest that it is the neuronal CXCL10 that initiates the cascade that leads to the activation of microglia/astrocytes, infiltration of inflammatory cells, expression of chemokines/cytokines, reduction of TJ protein expression, and enhancement of the BBB permeability.

scholarly journals Automated Spatially Targeted Optical Micro Proteomics (AutoSTOMP) 2.0 identifies proteins enriched within inflammatory lesions in tissue sections and human clinical biopsies.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
BOCHENG YIN ◽  
Laura R Caggiano ◽  
Rung-Chi Li ◽  
Emily McGowan ◽  
Jeffery W. Holmes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Expression ◽  
Cell Biology ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Fixed Tissue ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Esophageal Tissue ◽  
Inflammatory Proteins

Tissue microenvironment properties like blood flow, extracellular matrix or proximity to immune infiltrate are important regulators of cell biology. However, methods to study regional protein expression in context of the native tissue environment are limited. To address this need we have developed a novel approach to visualize, purify and measure proteins in situ using Automated Spatially Targeted Optical Micro Proteomics (AutoSTOMP) 2.0. We previously implemented AutoSTOMP to identify proteins localized to the vacuoles of obligate intracellular microbes at the 1-2 μm scale within infected host cells1. Here we report custom codes in SikuliX to specify regions of heterogeneity in a tissue section and then biotin tag and identify proteins belonging to specific cell types or structures within those regions. To enrich biotinylated targets from fixed tissue samples we developed a biochemical protocol compatible with LC-MS. These tools were applied to a) identify inflammatory proteins expressed by CD68+ macrophages in rat cardiac infarcts and b) characterize inflammatory proteins enriched in IgG4+ lesions in esophageal tissue. These data indicate that AutoSTOMP is a flexible approach to determine regional protein expression in situ on a range of primary tissues and clinical biopsies where current tools are limited.

scholarly journals Excessive Intake of Longan Arillus Alters Gut Homeostasis and Aggravates Colitis in Mice

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huimin Huang ◽  
Mingxing Li ◽  
Yi Wang ◽  
Xiaoxiao Wu ◽  
Jing Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Expression ◽  
Elevated Serum ◽  
Inflammatory Cells ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Colon Tissue ◽  
Tnf Α ◽  
Gut Homeostasis ◽  
Gut Microbe ◽  
Microbial Analysis ◽  
Excessive Intake

Abstract BackgroundLongan is the fruit of Dimocarpus longan Lour. and the longan arillus has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years possessing various health benefits. However, the excessive intake of longan is found in daily life to cause “shanghuo” syndrome. Shanghuo has been linked to increased disease susceptibility. The present study thus aimed to investigate the toxicological outcomes after excess longan treatment.MethodsLongan extract at a normal dosage of 4 g/kg and two excess dosages of 8 and 16 g/kg was orally administered to normal C57BL/6J mice for 2 weeks. Another set of study used C57BL/6J mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis by giving mice drinking water containing 3.5% DSS for 5 consecutive days. Mouse feces were collected at the end of experiments for microbial analysis by 16S rRNA sequencing. After mice were sacrificed, colonic contents were collected for measurement of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) contents. Colon tissue was used for histopathological observation after H&E staining, detection of ZO-1 protein expression by western blot, analysis of TNF-α and IL-6 gene expression, and detection of apoptotic cells by TUNEL assay. Serum was collected for analysis of LPS, TNF-α and IL-6 by ELISA method.ResultsIn normal mice, repeated longan intake at excess doses, but not the normal dose, increased infiltration of inflammatory cells, elevated serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 and reduced production of SCFAs. In DSS-induced colitic mice, longan intake at 4 g/kg did not promoted colitis in mice, while excess longan (8 or 16 g/kg) enhanced colitis in mice, showing increased inflammation (shorter colon length, upregulated IL-1β and TNF-α), more serious histological abnormalities, increased gut permeability (decreased ZO-1 protein expression), and increased epithelia injury (increased TUNEL-positive cells) when compared to DSS alone. Excess longan induced a significant reduction of microbial diversity in colitic mice, accompanied with aggravated alterations of DSS-associated bacteria including the increase of Proteobacteria phylum and genera of Bacteroides, Akkermansia, Turicibacter and Escherchia-Shigella, and the decrease of norank_f__Muribaculaceae. The changed microbial compositions were accompanied with decreased SCFAs when longan was supplemented with DSS. The altered microbial communities and SCFAs were tightly correlated with aggravated colon injury in mice.ConclusionsExcess longan intake disturbs gut homeostasis and aggravates colitis via promoting inflammation and altering gut microbe compositions and associated metabolism in mice. Our findings warrant rational longan arillus consumption as a dietary supplement among general population and suggest contraindications such as inflammatory bowel disease of using longan as an herbal medicine.

scholarly journals Effects of caffeoylxanthiazonoside on airway inflammation in an allergic asthma mice model

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 761-766
Author(s):  
Qian Wu ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
Xiaowen Che ◽  
Wei Wang
Keyword(s):  
Protein Expression ◽  
Western Blot ◽  
Airway Inflammation ◽  
Allergic Asthma ◽  
Inflammatory Cells ◽  
Lavage Fluid ◽  
The Body ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Mice Model ◽  
Ifn Γ

Purpose: To investigate the inhibitory effects of caffeoylxanthiazonoside (CYT) on airway inflammation in mice and its mechanism of action. Methods: An allergic asthma mice model was established by intraperitoneal injection and aerosol nebulization with ovalbumin (OVA). After treatment with CYT, the blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were collected from the mice. The leukocytes were classified and counted with Giemsa solution. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the serum levels of IgE, and IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and IFN-γ in the BALF of mice. Lung tissues were obtained from the mice and MUC5AC protein expression was measured by western blot. Results: CYT significantly decreased the serum level of IgE in asthmatic mice. Inflammatory cells in BALF of mice were markedly reduced (p < 0.05) by CYT treatment at varying doses (10, 20, and 40 mg/kg). Treatment with CYT also significantly suppressed the cytokines of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 and increased the IFN-γ in the BLAF of OVA-induced allergic asthma mice (p < 0.05). Western blot results indicate that CYT treatment significantly decreased the expression of MUC5AC protein in the lung tissues of asthmatic mice. In addition, no significant effects on the body weight of the mice were found after CYT treatment. Conclusion: Caffeoylxanthiazonoside inhibits airway inflammation in allergic asthma mice by altering Th1/Th2 via re-balancing of related cytokines and downregulation of lung MUC5AC protein expression. Therefore, this compound can potentially be developed for the therapeutic management of inflammation in allergic asthma.

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