In recent years, viral vector based in vivo gene delivery strategies have achieved a significant success in the treatment of genetic diseases. RNA virus‐based episomal vector lacking viral glycoprotein gene (ΔG‐REVec) is a non‐transmissive gene delivery system that enables long‐term gene expression in variety of cell types in vitro , yet in vivo gene delivery has not been successful due to difficulty

In 2016, López‐Hernández et al. published an interesting article titled Killer Immunoglobulin‐like receptor repertoire analysis in a Caucasian Spanish cohort with inflammatory bowel disease (1). In this article, the authors found and reported positive associations between KIR2DL5, KIR2DS1, KIR2DS5 and KIR3DS1 with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) susceptibility, KIR2DS1 and KIR2DS5 with Crohn's Disease

Immunologic abnormalities of natural killer (NK) cells and T cells play a role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). CD161 is expressed on most of the NK cells and on some T cells. The quantities of CD161‐expressing cells and expression levels of CD161 were analyzed in T cells and NK cells from patients with SLE compared with normal controls. The expression of CD161 on NK cells

An autotransporter of Bordetella pertussis , virulence‐associated gene 8 (Vag8), binds and inactivates the complement regulator, C1 inhibitor (C1‐Inh), and plays a role in evasion of the complement system. However, the molecular interaction between Vag8 and C1‐Inh remains unclear. Here, we localized the minimum region of Vag8 required for interaction with C1‐Inh by examining the differently truncated

Vibrio vulnificus is a foodborne pathogen causing septicemia with high mortality rate. In this study, we explored how Escherichia coli , one of the commensal bacteria in human gastrointestinal tract, can interact with V. vulnificus . Our study showed that, the amount of biofilm produced by V. vulnificus was reduced in the presence of E. coli ATCC 35218, although the growth of V. vulnificus L‐180 remains

In this study, anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 activity of mycophenolic acid (MPA) and IMD‐0354 was analyzed, these compounds were chosen based on their antiviral activities against other coronaviruses. Since they also inhibit Dengue virus (DENV) infection, other anti‐DENV compounds/drugs were also assessed. Using SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected VeroE6/TMPRSS2 cells, MPA and IMD‐0354, but not other anti‐DENV compounds/drugs,

Group A rotavirus (RVA) rarely causes severe complications such as encephalitis/encephalopathy. However, the pathophysiology of this specific complication remains unclear. We used next‐generation sequence analysis to compare the entire genome sequences of RVAs detected in patients with encephalitis/encephalopathy and gastroenteritis. This study enrolled 8 patients with RVA encephalitis/encephalopathy

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal infections. Most isolates are β‐hemolytic, and their activity is considered to be pivotal for GBS pathogenicity. We report a case of a neonate with meningitis caused by nonhemolytic GBS. The patient developed meningitis 3 days after birth. We performed genotyping and identified the characteristics of the strain (GCMC97051) by whole genome sequence

Extensive rate of variations in the S1 gene (spike glycoprotein subunit gene) of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) causes challenges for clinicians in counting variants for differentiation of infected from vaccinated birds and addressing the variants of unknown significance. This study investigated the possibility of using an RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase gene (RdRp) as a target for molecular characterization

The present study was to demonstrate that the G protein coupled receptors serve as targets for the treatment of autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Rats received pristane at the base of the tail. Affected joints were counted daily. The T cell mediated autoimmune diseases such as pristine‐induced arthritis (PIA) and autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in a rat model

Streptococcus mutans is the main pathogen of dental caries and adheres to the tooth surface via soluble and insoluble glucans produced by the bacterial glucosyltransferase enzyme. Thus, the S. mutans glucosyltransferase is an important virulence factor for this cariogenic bacterium. Sulfated vizantin effectively inhibits biofilm formation by S. mutans without affecting its growth. In this study, less

Botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) is the causative agent of botulism in humans and animals. Only BoNT serotype A subtype 1 (BoNT/A1) is used clinically because of its high potency and long duration of action. BoNT/A1 and BoNT/A subtype 2 (BoNT/A2) have a high degree of amino acid sequence similarity in the light chain (LC) (96%), whereas their N‐and C‐terminal heavy chain (HN and HC) differ by 13%. The LC

A reverse genetics technology is an incredibly useful technique both for a proper understanding of different aspects of virus biology and for the generation of complementary DNA (cDNA)‐derived infectious viruses, which can act as safe and effective vaccines and viral vectors. Rotaviruses (RVAs), especially human RVAs (HuRVAs), had been very refractory to this technology until very recently. Here, we

mTOR inhibitors exert a preventive effect on cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in CMV seropositive (R+) kidney transplant recipients, but their impact during the curative treatment of CMV disease in high‐risk kidney transplant recipients has not been investigated. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of mTOR inhibitors compared with mycophenolic acid in 63 consecutive kidney transplant recipients

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito‐borne virus that causes arthralgic fever. Fibroblast‐like synoviocytes play a key role in joint damage in inflammatory arthritides and can additionally serve as target cells for CHIKV infection. To gain a better understanding of CHIKV‐induced arthralgia, the interaction between CHIKV and synoviocytes was investigated at the protein level. A gel‐enhanced liquid

TOLL‐interacting protein (Tollip) is a critical regulator of TLRs (toll‐like receptors) signaling pathway. It is predominantly associated with TLR2 and TLR4 during the acute inflammatory conditions and inhibits the TLR‐mediated NF‐κB activation by suppressing the auto‐phosphorylation of interleukin‐1 receptor associated kinase (IRAK1) and its kinase activity. This article describes about the Tollip

We performed RNA sequencing on Bordetella pertussis , the causative agent of whooping cough, and identified nine novel small RNAs (sRNAs) that were transcribed during the bacterial colonization of murine tracheas. Among them, four sRNAs were more strongly expressed in vivo than in vitro . Moreover, the expression of eight sRNAs was not regulated by the BvgAS two‐component system, which is the master

Non‐O1/non‐O139 nontoxigenic Vibrio cholerae associated with cholera‐like diarrhea has been reported in Kolkata, India. However, the property involved in the pathogenicity of these strains has remained unclear. The character of 25 non‐O1/non‐O139 nontoxigenic V. cholerae isolated during 8 years from 2007 to 2014 in Kolkata was examined. Determination of the serogroup showed that the serogroups O6,

HIV replication can be inhibited by CXCR5+CD8 T cells (follicular cytotoxic T cell [TFC]) which transfer into B‐cell follicles where latent HIV infection persists. However, how cytokines affect TFC remain unclear. Understanding which cytokines show the ability to affect TFC could be a key strategy toward curing HIV. Similar mechanisms could be used for the growth and transfer of TFCs and follicular

Morbilliviruses use the signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) as a receptor to infect their hosts. Seals are almost the only animal species that shows apparent infection with phocine distemper virus (PDV). Seal SLAM functioned as a PDV receptor. However, dolphin and dog SLAM molecules, but not human SLAM, were also fully functional PDV receptors. These data suggest that the host range of

Streptococcus mutans is a major cause of tooth decay due to its promotion of biofilm formation and acid production. Several plant extracts have been reported to have multiple biological activities such as anti‐inflammation and antibacterial effects. This study investigated the antibacterial activity of three plant extracts, phellodendron bark (PB), yucca, and black ginger, and found that PB had a stronger

Papillomatous digital dermatitis (PDD) is a foot disease causing lameness in dairy cattle. It is regarded as a polymicrobial infection, although its etiology is not fully understood. PDD is treated by the topical or systemic administration of antibiotics such as lincomycin (LCM); however, the milk of the cows cannot be marketed during the treatment and withdrawal period due to the residual antibiotics

Liver transplantation (LT) is a potentially curative treatment for terminal stage hepatic diseases. Bacterial infections are the main causes of mortality and morbidity in the early period after LT. Identifying the risk factors could help in minimizing their development. We prospectively investigated the incidence, characteristics, and risk factors of bacterial infections among the recipients during

Previously, it was found that the hepatitis C virus NS5A interacted with ACBD3 in a genotype‐dependent manner. However, the region in NS5A responsible for association with ACBD3 is not clear. Domain I of NS5A was identified as critical for ACBD3 binding. By comparing the differences of amino acids in domain I from different genotypes of NS5A, it was found that key amino acids potentially corresponded

Malaria is one of the most widespread human infectious diseases worldwide and a cause of mortality. It is difficult to induce immunological memory against the malarial parasite Plasmodium . The immunity to clinical malaria disease is acquired with multiple infection and treatment cycles, along with substantial reduction in parasite burden. However, the mechanism of the acquired immunity remains largely

Worldwide, many emerging porcine parvoviruses (PPVs) have been linked to porcine circovirus‐2 (PCV2) associated disease (PCVAD), which includes post‐weaning multi‐systemic wasting syndrome (PMWS), PCV2‐related reproductive failure (PCV2‐RF), as well as other syndromes. To determine the DNA prevalence of PPVs and their relationship with PMWS and PCV2‐RF in Mexico, 170 formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded

In the 1980s, I found that the chromosomal β-lactamase of Klebsiella pneumoniae LEN-1 showed a very high similarity to the R-plasmid-mediated penicillinase TEM-1 on amino acid sequence level, and this strongly suggested the TEM-1 originated from the chromosomal penicillinases of K. pneumoniae or related bacteria. Moreover, the chromosomal K1 β-lactamase (KOXY) of Klebsiella oxytoca was found to belong

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) has begun to spread globally among men who have sex with men (MSM). Hepatitis E virus (HEV) also may be transmitted through sexual contact among MSM. To assess the current status of these viruses among MSM in Japan, the seroprevalence of both viruses using 503 plasma samples collected between 2009 and 2018 from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐positive male donors who were

Because broad genetic diversity has recently been detected in Torque teno sus viruses (TTSuV1 and TTSuVk2), the viral genome detection method needs to be improved to understand the prevalence of these viruses. Here, we established single PCR‐based detection methods for the TTSuV1 and TTSuVk2a genomes with newly designed primer pairs and applied them to investigate the prevalence of TTSuV1 and TTSuVk2a

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is associated with Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), but its impact on clinical severity and outcomes in KTRs with PJP is unknown. We reviewed 1994 medical records of KTRs from January 1997 to March 2019. PJP or CMV infection was diagnosed by polymerase chain reaction or culturing using blood or respiratory specimens. We divided

Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) sometime induces lethal cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although nucleot(s)ide analogs are used as main treatment for HBV infection, the emergence of the drug‐resistant viruses has become a problem. To discover novel antivirals with low side effects and low risk of emergence of resistant viruses, screening for anti‐HBV compounds was performed with

In recent years, numerous outbreaks of multidrug‐resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been reported across the world. Once an outbreak occurs, besides routinely testing isolates for susceptibility to antimicrobials, it is required to check their virulence genotypes and clonality profiles. Replacing pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis DNA fingerprinting are faster, easier‐to‐use, and less expensive polymerase

Intranasally administered influenza vaccines could be more effective than injected vaccines, because intranasal vaccination can induce virus-specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies in the upper respiratory tract, which is the initial site of infection. In this study, immune responses elicited by an intranasal inactivated vaccine of influenza A(H5N1) virus were evaluated in healthy individuals naive

Approaches based on association studies have proven useful in identifying genetic predictors for many diseases, including susceptibility to chronic hepatitis B. In this study we were interested by the IL‐1B genetic variants that have been involved in the immune response and we analyzed their role in the susceptibility to develop chronic hepatitis B in the Tunisian population. IL‐ 1B is a potent proinflammatory

Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) recognize sialic acid linked α2,3 to galactose (SAα2,3Gal) glycans as receptors. In this study, the interactions between hemagglutinins (HAs) of AIVs and sulfated SAα2,3Gal glycans were analyzed to clarify the molecular basis of interspecies transmission of AIVs from ducks to chickens. It was revealed that E190V and N192D substitutions of the HA increased the recovery

Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), which causes encephalomyelitis in horses, shows endotheliotropism in the central nervous system of horses, and generally does not infect neurons. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying the resistance of neuron to EHV-1, due to the lack of convenient cell culture systems. In this study, we examined EHV-1 infection in immortalized Rn33B rat neuronal cells

Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) are opportunistic pathogens implicated with nosocomial infections, and high rates of morbidity and mortality, especially in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). B. cepacia are naturally resistant to different classes of antibiotics, and can subvert the host innate immune responses by producing quorum sensing (QS) controlled virulence factors and biofilms. It still

Development of a serotyping-capable dengue detection test is hampered by the absence of an identified unique marker that can detect specific dengue virus (DENV) serotype. In the current commercially available antibody-capture diagnostic methods, immobilized nonstructural 1 (NS1) antigen indiscriminately binds and detects immunoglobulin M or immunoglobulin G against any serotype, thus limiting its capability

Periodontitis is a major cause of tooth loss in adults that initially results from dental plaque. Subgingival plaque pathogenesis is affected by both community composition and plaque structures, although limited data are available concerning the latter. To bridge this knowledge gap, subgingival plaques were obtained using filter paper (the fourth layer) and curette (the first-third layers) sequentially

Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE) causes severe invasive streptococcal infections, especially in elderly people. Between 2013 and 2018, 88 streptococci were isolated from clinical blood culture in a hospital in Toyama prefecture, Japan. The collection included six Group A SDSE (ASD) strains, which are rarely isolated. Multilocus sequence typing categorized five of the six strains

Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is the predominant pathogen for severe hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in children younger than 5 years, and currently no effective drugs are available for EV71. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new drugs for the control of EV71 infection. In this study, LJ04 was extracted from Laminaria japonica using diethylaminoethyl cellulose-52 with 0.4 mol/l NaCl as the eluent

Cryptococcus neoformans is rich in polysaccharides of the cell wall and capsule. Dectin-2 recognizes high-mannose polysaccharides and plays a central role in the immune response to fungal pathogens. Previously, we demonstrated Dectin-2 was involved in the activation of dendritic cells upon stimulation with C. neoformans, suggesting the existence of a ligand recognized by Dectin-2. In the present study

Inflammasomes are innate immune mechanisms that activate caspase-1 in response to a variety of stimuli, including Salmonella infection. Active caspase-1 has a potential to induce two different types of cell death, depending on the expression of the pyroptosis mediator gasdermin D (GSDMD); following caspase-1 activation, GSDMD-sufficient and GSDMD-null/low cells undergo pyroptosis and apoptosis, respectively

The spike (S) protein of coronavirus, which binds to cellular receptors and mediates membrane fusion for cell entry, is a candidate vaccine target for blocking coronavirus infection. However, some animal studies have suggested that inadequate immunization against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) induces a lung eosinophilic immunopathology upon infection. The present study evaluated

Dysregulation of immune responses to environmental antigens by the intestine leads to the chronic inflammatory disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Recent studies have thus sought to identify a dietary component that can inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced nuclear factor-kappa beta (NF-κB) signaling to ameliorate IBD. This study assessed if the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) from kimchi, suppresses

We developed a biotin-streptavidin-based sandwich ELISA for the sensitive and specific detection of Yersinia pestis. In this assay, the F1 capsular protein and Y. pestis were captured by anti-F1 mouse monoclonal antibody followed by detection with biotinylated-anti-F1 rabbit polyclonal antibody and HRP-conjugated streptavidin. The developed F1 ELISA could detect not only the F1 protein up to 29 and

We conducted a serological survey to detect antibodies against influenza A virus (IAV) in Japanese wild boars in Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, between 2014 and 2017. Seroprevalence against a pandemic-like swine H1N1 (H1N1pdm) virus was identified in 27.1% of specimens, and 1.7% were positive for both swine H1N2 and H3N2 viruses, indicating that wild boars could play an important role in the dynamics

The pea cyv1 gene is a yet-to-be-identified recessive resistance gene that inhibits the infection of clover yellow vein virus (ClYVV). Previous studies confirmed that the cell-to-cell movement of ClYVV is inhibited in cyv1-carrying pea plants; however, the effect of cyv1 on viral replication remains unknown. In this study, we developed a new pea protoplast transfection method to investigate ClYVV propagation

The inflammasome is a multiprotein complex that mediates caspase-1 activation with subsequent maturation of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. The NLRP3 inflammasome is known to be activated by Staphylococcus aureus, one of the leading causes of bacteremia worldwide. Inflammasome activation and regulation in response to bacterial infection have been found to be of importance for a balanced

Increasing evidence has confirmed that the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects of cinnamon essential oil (CEO) contribute to protection against inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model was established to investigate the correlation between the protective effects of CEO and the regulation of intestinal microflora. The symptoms of IBD were

Diarrhea is largely caused by dysbiosis accompanying the hyperproliferation of Escherichia coli (E. coli). While current treatments can resolve the symptoms, they cannot suppress the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria in the intestine. Probiotics have numerous beneficial effects on host health, including restoring the balance of the intestinal microbiota. This study investigated the effect of the

Streptolysin O (SLO) is a bacterial pore-forming toxin that is employed to permeabilize cell membranes in some biological experiments. SLO forms various types of pores with different shapes, increasing membrane ion permeability and subsequently inducing changes in membrane potential. To characterize the pores formed by SLO, the changes in membrane potential induced by SLO in rat lymphocytes were considered

Specific tumor microenvironment signaling might prevent the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) with tolerogenic and immunosuppressive potential accounting for antigen-specific unresponsiveness in the lymphoid organs and in the periphery. In the present study, dendritic cells treated with LLC lung cancer cell or 4T1 breast cancer cell culture supernatants significantly down-regulated the expression

It is well known that the mite Leptotrombidium scutellare carries the pathogen of scrub typhus, Orientia tsutsugamushi. However, our understanding of other bacterial endosymbionts of mites is limited. This study investigated the diversity of the obligate intracellular bacteria carried by L. scutellare using 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis with next-generation sequencing. The results showed that the

An integrase-defective SIV (idSIV) vaccine delivered by a DNA prime and viral particle boost approach can suppress viral loads (VLs) during the acute infection stage after intravenous SIVmac239 challenge. This study investigated how idSIV DNA and viral particle immunization alone contributed to the suppression of VLs in Chinese rhesus macaques after SIV challenge. Two macaques were immunized with idSIV

Bordetella pertussis, B. parapertussis, and B. bronchiseptica cause respiratory infections in mammals, including humans, and are generally cultivated on Bordet-Gengou (BG) agar plates in laboratories. The medium requires animal blood as a supplement for better bacterial growth. However, using blood is problematic, as its constant supply is occasionally difficult because of the limited shelf-life. This

The diagnosis of human T -cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) infection in Japan is usually performed by serological testing, but the high rate of indeterminate results from western blotting makes it difficult to assess the infection accurately. Nucleic acid tests for HTLV-1 and/or HTLV-2 are used to confirm infection with HTLV-1 and/or HTLV-2 and are also used for the follow-up of HTLV-1 related diseases