Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a systemic, potentially fatal viral disease. The objectives of this study were to review clinical and laboratory features and treatment of cats highly suspected of FIP in Wuhan, China. The clinical records of 127 cats highly suspected of FIP were reviewed for history, clinical signs, physical findings, and diagnostic test results. Sex, neutering status, breed, age, and month of onset of disease were compared with the characteristics of the clinic population. Age and neutering status were significantly correlated with FIP-suspicion. Sex, breed and onset month were not associated with FIP. There were many more FIP-suspected cases in cats in young cats or male intact cats. Effusion was observed in 85.8% of the FIP-suspected cats. Increased serum amyloid A (SAA) and lymphopenia were common laboratory abnormalities in the FIP cases. Furthermore, 91.7% of the cats highly suspected of FIP had an albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio < 0.6, while 85.3% had an A/G ratio < 0.5. The mortality rate for FIP-suspected cats was 67%, and six submitted cases were confirmed by FIP-specific immunohistochemistry. Of the 30 cats treated with GS-441524 and/or GC376, 29 were clinically cured. The study highlights the diverse range of clinical manifestations by clinicians in diagnosing this potentially fatal disease. A/G ratio and SAA were of higher diagnostic value. GS-441524 and GC376 were efficient for the treatment of FIP-suspected cats.

Mastitis is a common disease in dairy cows that is mostly caused by E. coli, and it brings massive losses to the dairy industry. N6-Methyladenosine (m6A), a methylation at the N6 position of RNA adenine, is a type of modification strongly associated with many diseases. However, the role of m6A in mastitis has not been investigated. In this study, we used MeRIP-seq to sequence the RNA of bovine mammary epithelial cells treated with inactivated E. coli for 24 h. In this in vitro infection model, there were 16,691 m6A peaks within 7066 mRNA transcripts in the Con group and 10,029 peaks within 4891 transcripts in the E. coli group. Compared with the Con group, 474 mRNAs were hypermethylated and 2101 mRNAs were hypomethylated in the E. coli group. Biological function analyses revealed differential m6A-modified genes mainly enriched in the MAPK, NF-κB, and TGF-β signaling pathways. In order to explore the relationship between m6A and mRNA expression, combined MeRIP-seq and mRNA-seq analyses revealed 212 genes with concomitant changes in the mRNA expression and m6A modification. This study is the first to present a map of RNA m6A modification in mastitis treated with E. coli, providing a basis for future research.

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The symptoms of mastitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in dairy cows are not obvious and difficult to identify, resulting in major economic losses. N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) modification has been reported to be closely associated with the occurrence of many diseases. However, only a few reports have described the role of m6A modification in S. aureus-induced mastitis. In this study, after 24 h of treatment with inactivated S. aureus, MAC-T cells (an immortalized bovine mammary epithelial cell line) showed increased expression levels of the inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and reactive oxygen species. We found that the mRNA levels of METLL3, METLL14, WTAP, and ALKBH5 were also upregulated. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing analysis revealed that 133 genes were m6A hypermethylated, and 711 genes were m6A hypomethylated. Biological functional analysis revealed that the differential m6A methylated genes were mainly related to oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, inflammatory response, and so on. In the present study, we also identified 62 genes with significant changes in m6A modification and mRNA expression levels. These findings elucidated the m6A modification spectrum induced by S. aureus in MAC-T cells and provide the basis for subsequent m6A research on mastitis.

N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) is the most abundant epigenetic RNA modification in eukaryotes, regulating RNA metabolism (export, stability, translation, and decay) in cells through changes in the activity of writers, erasers, and readers and ultimately affecting human life or disease processes. Inflammation is a response to infection and injury in various diseases and has therefore attracted significant attention. Currently, extensive evidence indicates that m6A plays an essential role in inflammation. In this review, we focus on the mechanisms of m6A in inflammatory autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorder, cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, cancer, and pathogen-induced inflammation, as well as its possible role as targets for clinical diagnosis and treatment.