scholarly journals Refinement and Neutralization Evaluation of the F(ab’)2 Type of Antivenom against the Deadly Jellyfish Nemopilema nomurai Toxins

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (23) ◽  
pp. 12672
Author(s):  
Rongfeng Li ◽  
Huahua Yu ◽  
Aoyu Li ◽  
Chunlin Yu ◽  
Pengcheng Li

Jellyfish stings threaten people’s health and even life in coastal areas worldwide. Nemopilema nomurai is one of the most dangerous jellyfish in the East Asian Marginal Seas, which not only stings hundreds of thousands of people every year but also is assumed to be responsible for most deaths by jellyfish stings in China. However, there is no effective first-aid drug, such as antivenoms, for the treatment of severe stings by N. nomurai to date. In this study, we prepared a N. nomurai antiserum from rabbits using inactivated N. nomurai toxins (NnTXs) and isolated the IgG type of antivenom (IgG-AntiNnTXs) from the antiserum. Subsequently, IgG-AntiNnTXs were refined with multiple optimizations to remove Fc fragments. Finally, the F(ab’)2 type of antivenom (F(ab’)2-AntiNnTXs) was purified using Superdex 200 and protein A columns. The neutralization efficacy of both types of antivenom was analyzed in vitro and in vivo, and the results showed that both IgG and F(ab’)2 types of antivenom have some neutralization effect on the metalloproteinase activity of NnTXs in vitro and could also decrease the mortality of mice in the first 4 h after injection. This study provides some useful information for the development of an effective antivenom for N. nomurai stings in the future.

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Yang Yue ◽  
Huahua Yu ◽  
Rongfeng Li ◽  
Pengcheng Li

Scyphozoan envenomation is featured as severe cutaneous damages due to the toxic effects of venom components released by the stinging nematocysts of a scyphozoan. However, the oedematogenic property and mechanism of scyphozoan venoms remain uninvestigated. Here, we present the oedematogenic properties of the nematocyst venom from Nemopilema nomurai (NnNV), a giant stinging scyphozoan in China, for the first time, using in vivo and in vitro models with class-specific inhibitors. NnNV was able to induce remarkable oedematogenic effects, including induction of significant oedema in the footpad and thigh of mouse, and increase in vascular permeability in the dorsal skin and kidney. Moreover, batimastat, a specific metalloproteinase inhibitor, could significantly reduce the Evan’s blue leakage in the damaged organs and attenuate paw oedema after 12 h, but exerted no influence on NnNV-induced thigh oedema. These observations suggested a considerable contribution of NnNV metalloproteinase-like components to the increased vasopermeability, and the participation was strongly suggested to be mediated by destroying the integrity of the vascular basement membrane. Moreover, partial isolation combined LC-MS/MS profiling led to identification of the protein species Nn65 with remarkable metalloproteinase activity. This study contributes to the understanding of the effector components underlying the cutaneous damages induced by scyphozoan stings.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Olanrewaju Ayodeji Durojaye ◽  
Nkwachukwu Oziamara Okoro ◽  
Arome Solomon Odiba

Abstract Background The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is currently a global threat to health and economies. Therapeutics and vaccines are in rapid development; however, none of these therapeutics are considered as absolute cure, and the potential to mutate makes it necessary to find therapeutics that target a highly conserved regions of the viral structure. Results In this study, we characterized an essential but poorly understood coronavirus accessory X4 protein, a core and stable component of the SARS-CoV family. Sequence analysis shows a conserved ~ 90% identity between the SARS-CoV-2 and previously characterized X4 protein in the database. QMEAN Z score of the model protein shows a value of around 0.5, within the acceptable range 0–1. A MolProbity score of 2.96 was obtained for the model protein and indicates a good quality model. The model has Ramachandran values of φ = − 57o and ψ = − 47o for α-helices and values of φ = − 130o and ψ = + 140o for twisted sheets. Conclusions The protein data obtained from this study provides robust information for further in vitro and in vivo experiment, targeted at devising therapeutics against the virus. Phylogenetic analysis further supports previous evidence that the SARS-CoV-2 is positioned with the SL-CoVZC45, BtRs-BetaCoV/YN2018B and the RS4231 Bat SARS-like corona viruses.


Genetics ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 159 (2) ◽  
pp. 515-525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison P Davis ◽  
Lorraine S Symington

Abstract The yeast RAD52 gene is essential for homology-dependent repair of DNA double-strand breaks. In vitro, Rad52 binds to single- and double-stranded DNA and promotes annealing of complementary single-stranded DNA. Genetic studies indicate that the Rad52 and Rad59 proteins act in the same recombination pathway either as a complex or through overlapping functions. Here we demonstrate physical interaction between Rad52 and Rad59 using the yeast two-hybrid system and co-immunoprecipitation from yeast extracts. Purified Rad59 efficiently anneals complementary oligonucleotides and is able to overcome the inhibition to annealing imposed by replication protein A (RPA). Although Rad59 has strand-annealing activity by itself in vitro, this activity is insufficient to promote strand annealing in vivo in the absence of Rad52. The rfa1-D288Y allele partially suppresses the in vivo strand-annealing defect of rad52 mutants, but this is independent of RAD59. These results suggest that in vivo Rad59 is unable to compete with RPA for single-stranded DNA and therefore is unable to promote single-strand annealing. Instead, Rad59 appears to augment the activity of Rad52 in strand annealing.


2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1199-1213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory G. Oakley ◽  
Lisa I. Loberg ◽  
Jiaqin Yao ◽  
Mary A. Risinger ◽  
Remy L. Yunker ◽  
...  

Exposure to DNA-damaging agents triggers signal transduction pathways that are thought to play a role in maintenance of genomic stability. A key protein in the cellular processes of nucleotide excision repair, DNA recombination, and DNA double-strand break repair is the single-stranded DNA binding protein, RPA. We showed previously that the p34 subunit of RPA becomes hyperphosphorylated as a delayed response (4–8 h) to UV radiation (10–30 J/m2). Here we show that UV-induced RPA-p34 hyperphosphorylation depends on expression of ATM, the product of the gene mutated in the human genetic disorder ataxia telangiectasia (A-T). UV-induced RPA-p34 hyperphosphorylation was not observed in A-T cells, but this response was restored by ATM expression. Furthermore, purified ATM kinase phosphorylates the p34 subunit of RPA complex in vitro at many of the same sites that are phosphorylated in vivo after UV radiation. Induction of this DNA damage response was also dependent on DNA replication; inhibition of DNA replication by aphidicolin prevented induction of RPA-p34 hyperphosphorylation by UV radiation. We postulate that this pathway is triggered by the accumulation of aberrant DNA replication intermediates, resulting from DNA replication fork blockage by UV photoproducts. Further, we suggest that RPA-p34 is hyperphosphorylated as a participant in the recombinational postreplication repair of these replication products. Successful resolution of these replication intermediates reduces the accumulation of chromosomal aberrations that would otherwise occur as a consequence of UV radiation.


Genetics ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 148 (3) ◽  
pp. 989-1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiko Umezu ◽  
Neal Sugawara ◽  
Clark Chen ◽  
James E Haber ◽  
Richard D Kolodner

Abstract Replication protein A (RPA) is a single-stranded DNA-binding protein identified as an essential factor for SV40 DNA replication in vitro. To understand the in vivo functions of RPA, we mutagenized the Saccharomyces cerevisiae RFA1 gene and identified 19 ultraviolet light (UV) irradiation- and methyl methane sulfonate (MMS)-sensitive mutants and 5 temperature-sensitive mutants. The UV- and MMS-sensitive mutants showed up to 104 to 105 times increased sensitivity to these agents. Some of the UV- and MMS-sensitive mutants were killed by an HO-induced double-strand break at MAT. Physical analysis of recombination in one UV- and MMS-sensitive rfa1 mutant demonstrated that it was defective for mating type switching and single-strand annealing recombination. Two temperature-sensitive mutants were characterized in detail, and at the restrictive temperature were found to have an arrest phenotype and DNA content indicative of incomplete DNA replication. DNA sequence analysis indicated that most of the mutations altered amino acids that were conserved between yeast, human, and Xenopus RPA1. Taken together, we conclude that RPA1 has multiple roles in vivo and functions in DNA replication, repair, and recombination, like the single-stranded DNA-binding proteins of bacteria and phages.


1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (3) ◽  
pp. L479-L485 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ikegami ◽  
T. R. Korfhagen ◽  
M. D. Bruno ◽  
J. A. Whitsett ◽  
A. H. Jobe

In the present study we asked if surfactant metabolism was altered in surfactant protein (SP) A-deficient mice in vivo. Although previous studies in vitro demonstrated that SP-A modulates surfactant secretion and reuptake by type II cells, mice made SP-A deficient by homologous recombination grow and reproduce normally and have normal lung function. Alveolar and lung tissue saturated phophatidylcholine (Sat PC) pools were 50 and 26% larger, respectively, in SP-A(-/-) mice than in SP-A(+/+) mice. Radiolabeled choline and palmitate incorporation into lung Sat PC was similar both in vivo and for lung tissue slices in vitro from SP-A(+/+) and SP-A(-/-) mice. Percent secretion of radiolabeled Sat PC was unchanged from 3 to 15 h, although SP-A(-/-) mice retained more labeled Sat PC in the alveolar lavages at 48 h (consistent with the increased surfactant pool sizes). Clearance of radiolabeled dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and SP-B from the air spaces after intratracheal injection was similar in SP-A(-/-) and SP-A(+/+) mice. Lack of SP-A had minimal effects on the overall metabolism of Sat PC or SP-B in mice.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document