No abstract

Chlamydia trachomatis genome is predicted to encode a type III secretion system consisting of more than forty open reading frames (ORFs). To test whether these ORFs are expressed and immunogenic during chlamydial infection in humans, we expressed 55 chlamydial ORFs covering all putative type III secretion components plus control molecules as fusion proteins and measured the reactivity of these fusion proteins with antibodies from patients infected with C. trachomatis in the urogenital tract (24 antisera) or in the ocular tissue (8 antisera). Forty-five of the 55 proteins were recognized by at least one of the 32 human antisera, suggesting that these proteins are both expressed and immunogenic during chlamydial infection in humans. Tarp, a putative type III secretion effector protein, was identified as a novel immunodominant antigen due to its reactivity with the human antisera at high frequency and titer. The expression and immunogenicity of Tarp were confirmed in cell culture and mouse systems. Tarp was mainly associated with the infectious form of chlamydial organisms and became undetectable between 13 and 24 hours during the infection cycle in cell culture. Mice intravaginally infected with C. muridarum developed Tarp-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. More importantly, immunization of mice with Tarp induced Th1-dominant immunity that significantly reduced the shedding of live organisms from the lower genital tract and attenuated inflammatory pathologies in the fallopian tube tissues. These observations have demonstrated that Tarp, an immunodominant antigen identified by human antisera, can induce protective immunity against chlamydial infection and pathology in mice.

Hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) is one of the cellular stresses in pathological conditions, such as myocardial infarction, stroke and organ transplantation. Oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a crucial element of H/R injury in vascular endothelial cells (ECs). Xanthine oxidase (XO) has been recognized to contribute to H/R injury. Of note, xanthine oxidoreductase is synthesized as xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH) and needs to be converted to XO to become a source of superoxide. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has been found to protect ECs against H/R injury. The relation, however, between HGF and XO in ECs under H/R conditions remains to be determined. Primary cultured rat cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMECs) were exposed to 4 h of hypoxia and followed by 1 h of reoxygenation. Generation of ROS and cytosolic Ca2+ concentration was measured by flow cytometry qualification of DCFHDA and fluo-3 AM staining cells, respectively. XDH mRNA was qualified by qRT-PCR analysis. XO activity was determined by colorimetric assay and XO protein levels were determined by Western blot. Cell apoptosis was assessed by caspase-3 activity and Annexin V/PI staining. After H/R, cellular ROS production significantly increased. Both XO activity and XO protein increased after H/R. Cellular ROS elevation was inhibited by allopurinol (a potent XO inhibitor), indicting XO accounting for the generation of ROS after H/R. In addition, XDH mRNA increased after H/R, indicating a de novo XDH synthesis, which needs to be converted to XO to become a source of superoxide. Pretreatment of HGF inhibited the elevation of XO activity and XO protein level after H/R; however, HGF has no effect on the increase of XDH mRNA. We also find an increase of the cytosolic Ca2+ in CMECs after H/R. BAPTA-AM, a cell-permeable Ca2+ chelator, prevented the increase of XO activity and XO protein levels, implicating the elevated cytosolic Ca2+ concentration involvement in XO conversion and XO activation. HGF inhibited the elevation of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in CMECs after H/R. Furthermore, HGF ameliorated H/R-induced CMECs apoptosis. These findings suggest a novel mechanism whereby HGF inhibited XO-generated ROS production after H/R treatment. H/R induces a de novo synthesis of XDH, the XO precursor. In addition, H/R increases cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and promotes a Ca2+ -involved XO conversion and XO activation. HGF has no effect on the increase of XDH mRNA; however, HGF inhibited the elevation of XO protein level and XO activity after H/R in the post-transcriptional level primarily by inhibiting the increase of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. HGF protects CMECs from H/R-induced apoptosis by inhibiting the elevation of XO protein level and XO activity.

Background Reendothelialisation is the natural pathway that inhibits neointimal hyperplasia and in-stent restenosis. Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) derived from bone marrow (BM) might contribute to endothelial repair. However, the temporal and spatial distributions of reendothelialisation and neointimal hyperplasia after EPC transplantation in injured arteries are currently unclear. Methods A carotid balloon injury (BI) model was established in Sprague-Dawley rats, and PKH26-labelled BM-derived EPCs were transplanted after BI. The carotid arteries were harvested on the first, fourth, seventh, and 14th day post-injury and analysed via light-sheet fluorescence microscopy and pathological staining (n = 3). EPC and human umbilical vein endothelial cell culture supernatants were collected, and blood samples were collected before and after transplantation. The paracrine effects of VEGF, IGF-1, and TGF-β1 in cell culture supernatants and serum were analysed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (n = 4). Results Transplanted EPCs labelled with PKH26 were attached to the injured luminal surface the first day after BI. In the sham operation group, the transplanted EPCs did not adhere to the luminal surface. From the fourth day after BI, the mean fluorescence intensity of PKH26 decreased significantly. However, reendothelialisation and inhibition of neointimal hyperplasia were significantly promoted by transplanted EPCs. The degree of reendothelialisation of the EPC7d and EPC14d groups was higher than that of the BI7d and BI14d groups, and the difference in neointimal hyperplasia was observed between the EPC14d and BI14d groups. The number of endothelial cells on the luminal surface of the EPC14d group was higher than that of the BI14d group. The number of infiltrated macrophages in the injured artery decreased in the EPC transplanted groups. Conclusions Transplanted EPCs had chemotactic enrichment and attached to the injured arterial luminal surface. Although decreasing significantly after the fourth day at the site of injury after transplantation, transplanted EPCs could still promote reendothelialisation and inhibit neointimal hyperplasia. The underlying mechanism is through paracrine cytokines and not differentiation into mature endothelial cells.

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption is a pivotal pathophysiological process in ischemic stroke. Although temporal changes in BBB permeability during the acute phase have been widely studied, little is known about the chronic phase of cerebrovascular changes that may have a large impact on the long-term outcome. Therefore, this study was aimed to measure cerebral vascular abnormalities using CT perfusion in nine rhesus monkeys subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) for ≥1 year (MCAO-1Y+). The level of cerebral perfusion demonstrated by mean transit time was significantly higher in the ipsilateral caudate nucleus, white matter, thalamus, hippocampus, and contralateral thalamus in MCAO-1Y+ compared with the other nine age-matched control monkeys. The increase in BBB permeability measured through the permeability surface was found in the same ten regions of interest ipsilaterally and contralaterally. We also found decreased levels of Aβ 42/40 ratio in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), suggesting a potential link between post-MCAO cognitive decline and Aβ metabolism. Overall, we demonstrated significant cerebral hypoperfusion, BBB disruption, and CSF Aβ decrease during the rehabilitation stage of ischemic stroke in a non-human primate model. Future studies are needed to elucidate the cause-effect relationship between cerebrovascular disruptions and long-term neurological deficits.