Analysis of properties and proinflammatory functions of cockroach allergens Per a 1.01s

Cockroaches have been identified as one of the major indoor allergens inducing perennial rhinitis and asthma. Per a 1s are a group of the major allergens from American cockroach. Although Per a 1s are major allergens from American cockroach, factors contributing to the allergenicity of Per a 1s are still poorly defined. To investigate the effects of Per a 1s on the expression of PARs and the release of proinflammatory cytokines from mast cells. Per a 1.0101 and Per a 1.0104 were cloned from American cockroach and then expressed in Eschericia coli. The purified allergens were used to stimulate P815 mast cells, and the expression of protease-activated receptors (PARs) was determined by real-time RT-PCR and flow cytometry. The levels of IL-4 and IL-13 in culture media were detected with ELISA. Sera from 80 and 77.3% of cockroach allergy patients reacted to recombinant Per a (rPer a) 1.0101 and rPer a 1.0104, confirming they are major allergens. Both rPer a 1.0101 and rPer a 1.0104 had no enzymatic activity, but rPer a 1.0101 upregulated the expression of PAR-1 and PAR-2, and rPer a 1.0104 enhanced the expression of PAR-1 and PAR-4 proteins. Both recombinant allergens were able to increase the release of IL-4 and IL-13 from P815 mast cells. This is the first study aiming to investigate functions of group 1 allergens of American cockroach. rPer a 1.0101 and rPer a 1.0104 have the capacity to upregulate the expression of PARs and to enhance Th2 cytokine production in mast cells.

Left-lateralized N170 response to unpronounceable pseudo but not false Chinese characters-the key role of orthography

A negative event-related potential (ERP) component, known as N170, can be readily recorded over the posterior left brain region when skilled readers are presented with visual words. This left-lateralized word-related N170 has been attributed either to linguistic processes, particularly phonological processing, or to the role of orthographic regularity, emphasizing a perceptual origin. This debate, however, is difficult to resolve in the context of alphabetic scripts because of the tight relations between orthography and phonology. In contrast, Chinese characters have arbitrary mappings between orthographic and sound forms, making it possible to tease apart these two properties of visual words. We therefore addressed this issue by examining ERP responses to Chinese characters and three types of structurally matched but unpronounceable stimuli: pseudo-characters, false-characters, and stroke combinations. A content-irrelevant color matching task was adopted to minimize potentially different top-down modulations across stimulus types. Results show that, relative to false-characters and stroke combinations, real- and pseudo-characters evoked greater N170 in the left posterior brain region. Critically, despite being unpronounceable, pseudo-characters produced the same amplitude and left-lateralized N170, just as real-characters. These results provide strong evidence that orthography rather than phonology serves as the main driver for the enhanced and left-lateralized N170 to visual words.

Development of an image-based model for capillary vasculature of retina

The paper presents a method of development of a detailed network model to represent retinal capillary vasculature. The capillary model is a circular mesh consisting of concentric rings with an increasing diameter. Each of the rings has uniformly distributed bifurcation nodes to represent capillary vessels. The model is customized using the data that has been measured from confocal microscopic images of a mouse retina. The capillary model developed can be connected to networks of larger vessels of the vasculature such as arterial and venous networks to form a complete model of the retinal network. A method to automate such interface connections between capillary and other vascular networks using connecting vessels (i.e., pre-capillary and post-capillary) is also presented in the paper. Such a detailed image-based capillary model together with the arterial and venular networks can be used for various circulation simulations to obtain accurate information on hemodynamic quantities such as the spatial distribution of pressure and flow in the vasculature for both physiological and pathological conditions. The method presented for the development of the capillary model can also be adopted for vasculatures of other organs.

CD14+ cell-derived IL-29 modulates proinflammatory cytokine production in patients with allergic airway inflammation

BACKGROUND

  Interleukin (IL)-29 is a newly described cytokine that has anti-viral activity, induces tumor cell death and regulates immune function. Whether it plays a role in immune disorders is unclear. This study aims to examine the role of IL-29 in the modulation of immune response under allergic environment.

METHODS

  A group of patients with allergic asthma or/and allergic rhinitis was recruited to this study. Serum samples were collected from the patients in both in-season and out-season; the serum levels of IL-29 were determined by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Cell types of IL-29-producing cells in upper airway mucosa were identified with immune staining and examined by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry.

RESULTS

  High serum levels of IL-29 were detected in patients with allergic asthma in in-season, but not in out-season. The majority of IL-29(+) cells in upper airway tissue were CD14(+) cells. Exposure to specific antigens triggered the release of IL-4 from antigen-specific CD4(+) T cells; the released IL-4 activated CD14(+) cells to release IL-29; the released IL-29 further triggered the release of IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor from CD4(+) T cells.

CONCLUSIONS

  Interleukin-29 is involved in the pathogenesis of allergic inflammation via modulating immune cells' function to release proinflammatory cytokines.

Maturation of neurotransmission in the developing rat cochlea: immunohistochemical evidence from differential expression of synaptophysin and synaptobrevin 2

Synaptophysin and synaptobrevin 2 associate closely with packaging and storage of synaptic vesicles and transmitter release, and both play important roles in the development of rat cochlea. We examined the differential expression of synaptophysin and synaptobrevin 2 in the developing Sprague-Dawley rat cochlea, and investigated the relationship between their expression and auditory development. The expression of synaptophysin and synaptobrevin 2 was not observed in Kolliker's and Corti's organ at postnatal 1 day (P1) and P5, and the top turn of the cochlea at P10. Expression was detected in the outer spiral bundle (OSB), the inner spiral bundle (ISB), and the medial wall of the Deiters' cell of the cochlea at P14, and P28, and in the middle or the basal turn of Corti's organ at P10. Synaptobrevin 2 was expressed in the top of the inner hair cells (IHCs) in Corti's organ of both P14 and P28 rats. All spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) were stained at all ages examined. The localization of synaptophysin and synaptobrevin 2 in the cochlea was closely associated with the distribution of nerve fibers and neural activity (the docking and release of synaptic vesicles). Synaptophysin and synaptobrevin 2 were expressed in a dynamic manner during the development of rat cochlea. Their expression differences during the development were in favor of the configuration course constructed between nerve endings and target cells. It also played a key role in the formation of the correct coding of auditory information during auditory system development.