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Bisimwa PN, Ongus JR, Tonui R, Bisimwa EB, Steinaa L. Resistance to African swine fever virus among African domestic pigs appears to be associated with a distinct polymorphic signature in the RelA gene and upregulation of RelA transcription. Virol J 2024; 21:93. [PMID: 38658979 PMCID: PMC11041040 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-024-02351-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/24/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly contagious and fatal hemorrhagic disease of domestic pigs, which poses a major threat to the swine industry worldwide. Studies have shown that indigenous African pigs tolerate ASFV infection better than European pigs. The porcine v-rel avian reticuloendotheliosis viral oncogene homolog A (RelA) encoding a p65 kD protein, a major subunit of the NF-kB transcription factor, plays important roles in controlling both innate and adaptive immunity during infection with ASFV. In the present study, RelA genes from ASFV-surviving and symptomatic pigs were sequenced and found to contain polymorphisms revealing two discrete RelA amino acid sequences. One was found in the surviving pigs, and the other in symptomatic pigs. In total, 16 nonsynonymous SNPs (nsSNPs) resulting in codon changes were identified using bioinformatics software (SIFT and Polyphen v2) and web-based tools (MutPre and PredictSNP). Seven nsSNPs (P374-S, T448-S, P462-R, V464-P, Q478-H, L495-E, and P499-Q) were predicted to alter RelA protein function and stability, while 5 of these (P374-S, T448-S, P462-R, L495-E, and Q499-P) were predicted as disease-related SNPs.Additionally, the inflammatory cytokine levels of IFN-α, IL-10, and TNF-α at both the protein and the mRNA transcript levels were measured using ELISA and Real-Time PCR, respectively. The resulting data was used in correlation analysis to assess the association between cytokine levels and the RelA gene expression. Higher levels of IFN-α and detectable levels of IL-10 protein and RelA mRNA were observed in surviving pigs compared to healthy (non-infected). A positive correlation of IFN-α cytokine levels with RelA mRNA expression was also obtained. In conclusion, 7 polymorphic events in the coding region of the RelA gene may contribute to the tolerance of ASFV in pigs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick N Bisimwa
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences and Production, Université Evangélique en Afrique, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Institut Supérieur de Dévelopement Rural de Kaziba, Kaziba, Democratic Republic of Congo.
| | - Juliette R Ongus
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
- Biotechnology Laboratory, Departement of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Pan African University Institute of Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Ronald Tonui
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Espoir B Bisimwa
- Molecular Biology Laboratory, Department of Animal Sciences and Production, Université Evangélique en Afrique, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Lucilla Steinaa
- Animal and Human Health Program, International Livestock Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
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Jardou M, Brossier C, Marquet P, Picard N, Druilhe A, Lawson R. Solid organ transplantation and gut microbiota: a review of the potential immunomodulatory properties of short-chain fatty acids in graft maintenance. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1342354. [PMID: 38476165 PMCID: PMC10927761 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1342354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Transplantation is the treatment of choice for several end-stage organ defects: it considerably improves patient survival and quality of life. However, post-transplant recipients may experience episodes of rejection that can favor or ultimately lead to graft loss. Graft maintenance requires a complex and life-long immunosuppressive treatment. Different immunosuppressive drugs (i.e., calcineurin inhibitors, glucocorticoids, biological immunosuppressive agents, mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors, and antiproliferative or antimetabolic agents) are used in combination to mitigate the immune response against the allograft. Unfortunately, the use of these antirejection agents may lead to opportunistic infections, metabolic (e.g., post-transplant diabetes mellitus) or cardiovascular (e.g., arterial hypertension) disorders, cancer (e.g., non-Hodgkin lymphoma) and other adverse effects. Lately, immunosuppressive drugs have also been associated with gut microbiome alterations, known as dysbiosis, and were shown to affect gut microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) production. SCFA play a key immunomodulatory role in physiological conditions, and their impairment in transplant patients could partly counterbalance the effect of immunosuppressive drugs leading to the activation of deleterious pathways and graft rejection. In this review, we will first present an overview of the mechanisms of graft rejection that are prevented by the immunosuppressive protocol. Next, we will explain the dynamic changes of the gut microbiota during transplantation, focusing on SCFA. Finally, we will describe the known functions of SCFA in regulating immune-inflammatory reactions and discuss the impact of SCFA impairment in immunosuppressive drug treated patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Roland Lawson
- National Institute of Health and Medical Research (FRANCE) (INSERM), Univ. Limoges, Pharmacology & Transplantation, U1248, Limoges, France
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Lin Y, Song Y, Zhang Y, Shi M, Hou A, Han S. NFAT signaling dysregulation in cancer: Emerging roles in cancer stem cells. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 165:115167. [PMID: 37454598 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) was first identified as a transcriptional regulator of activated T cells. The NFAT family is involved in the development of tumors. Furthermore, recent evidence reveals that NFAT proteins regulate the development of inflammatory and immune responses. New discoveries have also been made about the mechanisms by which NFAT regulates cancer progression through cancer stem cells (CSC). Here, we discuss the role of the NFAT family in the immune system and various cancer types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yibin Lin
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China
| | - Yifu Song
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China
| | - Yaochuan Zhang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China
| | - Mengwu Shi
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China
| | - Ana Hou
- Department of Pediatrics, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
| | - Sheng Han
- Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, China.
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O’Day DH. Alzheimer's Disease beyond Calcium Dysregulation: The Complex Interplay between Calmodulin, Calmodulin-Binding Proteins and Amyloid Beta from Disease Onset through Progression. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2023; 45:6246-6261. [PMID: 37623212 PMCID: PMC10453589 DOI: 10.3390/cimb45080393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A multifactorial syndrome, Alzheimer's disease is the main cause of dementia, but there is no existing therapy to prevent it or stop its progression. One of the earliest events of Alzheimer's disease is the disruption of calcium homeostasis but that is just a prelude to the disease's devastating impact. Calcium does not work alone but must interact with downstream cellular components of which the small regulatory protein calmodulin is central, if not primary. This review supports the idea that, due to calcium dyshomeostasis, calmodulin is a dominant regulatory protein that functions in all stages of Alzheimer's disease, and these regulatory events are impacted by amyloid beta. Amyloid beta not only binds to and regulates calmodulin but also multiple calmodulin-binding proteins involved in Alzheimer's. Together, they act on the regulation of calcium dyshomeostasis, neuroinflammation, amyloidogenesis, memory formation, neuronal plasticity and more. The complex interactions between calmodulin, its binding proteins and amyloid beta may explain why many therapies have failed or are doomed to failure unless they are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danton H. O’Day
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON L5L 1C6, Canada;
- Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, Canada
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Funneling modulatory peptide design with generative models: Discovery and characterization of disruptors of calcineurin protein-protein interactions. PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010874. [PMID: 36730443 PMCID: PMC9928118 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Design of peptide binders is an attractive strategy for targeting "undruggable" protein-protein interfaces. Current design protocols rely on the extraction of an initial sequence from one known protein interactor of the target protein, followed by in-silico or in-vitro mutagenesis-based optimization of its binding affinity. Wet lab protocols can explore only a minor portion of the vast sequence space and cannot efficiently screen for other desirable properties such as high specificity and low toxicity, while in-silico design requires intensive computational resources and often relies on simplified binding models. Yet, for a multivalent protein target, dozens to hundreds of natural protein partners already exist in the cellular environment. Here, we describe a peptide design protocol that harnesses this diversity via a machine learning generative model. After identifying putative natural binding fragments by literature and homology search, a compositional Restricted Boltzmann Machine is trained and sampled to yield hundreds of diverse candidate peptides. The latter are further filtered via flexible molecular docking and an in-vitro microchip-based binding assay. We validate and test our protocol on calcineurin, a calcium-dependent protein phosphatase involved in various cellular pathways in health and disease. In a single screening round, we identified multiple 16-length peptides with up to six mutations from their closest natural sequence that successfully interfere with the binding of calcineurin to its substrates. In summary, integrating protein interaction and sequence databases, generative modeling, molecular docking and interaction assays enables the discovery of novel protein-protein interaction modulators.
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Co-Deletion of A238L and EP402R Genes from a Genotype IX African Swine Fever Virus Results in Partial Attenuation and Protection in Swine. Viruses 2022; 14:v14092024. [PMID: 36146830 PMCID: PMC9501025 DOI: 10.3390/v14092024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the causative agent of African swine fever (ASF), resulting in up to 100% mortality in pigs. Although endemic in most sub-Saharan African countries, where all known ASFV genotypes have been reported, the disease has caused pandemics of significant economic impact in Eurasia, and no vaccines or therapeutics are available to date. In endeavors to develop live-attenuated vaccines against ASF, deletions of several of the ~170 ASFV genes have shown contrasting results depending on the genotype of the investigated ASFV. Here, we report the in vivo outcome of a single deletion of the A238L (5EL) gene and double deletions of A238L (5EL) and EP402R (CD2v) genes from the genome of a highly virulent genotype IX ASFV isolate. Domestic pigs were intramuscularly inoculated with (i) ASFV-Ke-ΔA238L to assess the safety of A238L deletion and (ii) ASFV-Ke-ΔEP402RΔA238L to investigate protection against challenge with the virulent wildtype ASFV-Ke virus. While A238L (5EL) gene deletion did not yield complete attenuation, co-deletion of A238L (5EL) and EP402R (CD2v) improved the safety profile of the single deletions, eliciting both humoral and cellular immune responses and conferred partial protection against challenge with the virulent wildtype ASFV-Ke virus.
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Murine RAW Macrophages Are a Suitable Model to Study the CD3 Signaling in Myeloid Cells. Cells 2022; 11:cells11101635. [PMID: 35626672 PMCID: PMC9139304 DOI: 10.3390/cells11101635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, a growing body of evidence has shown the presence of a subpopulation of macrophages that express CD3, especially in the context of mycobacterial infections. Despite these findings, the function of these cells has been poorly understood. Furthermore, the low frequency of CD3+ macrophages in humans limits the study of this subpopulation. This work aimed to evaluate the expression of CD3 in a murine macrophage cell line and its potential for the study of CD3 signaling. The murine macrophage cell line RAW was used to evaluate CD3 expression at the transcriptional and protein levels and the effect of in vitro infection with the Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) on these. Our data showed that RAW macrophages express CD3, both the ε and ζ chains, and it is further increased at the transcriptional level after BCG infection. Furthermore, our data suggest that CD3 can be found on the cell surface and intracellularly. However, this molecule is internalized constantly, mainly after activation with anti-CD3 stimulus, but interestingly, it is stably maintained at the transcriptional level. Finally, signaling proteins such as NFAT1, c-Jun, and IKK-α are highly expressed in RAW macrophages. They may play a role in the CD3-controlled signaling pathway to deliver inflammatory cytokines such as TNF and IL-6. Our study provides evidence to support that RAW cells are a suitable model to study the function and signaling of the CD3 complex in myeloid cells.
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