Activin A is expressed in endocrine precursor cells of the fetal pancreatic anlage. To determine the physiological significance of activins in the pancreas, a transgenic mouse line expressing the ...truncated type II activin receptor under the control of β-actin promoter was developed. Histological analyses of the pancreas revealed that the pancreatic islets of the transgenic mouse were small in size and were located mainly along the pancreatic ducts. Immunoreactive insulin was detected in islets, some acinar cells, and in some epithelial cells in the duct. In addition, there were abnormal endocrine cells outside the islets. The shape and the size of the endocrine cells varied and some of them were larger than islets. These cells expressed immunoreactive insulin and glucagon. In the exocrine portion, there were morphologically abnormal exocrine cells, which did not form a typical acinar structure. The cells lacked spatial polarity characteristics of acinar cells but expressed immunoreactive amylase, which was distributed diffusely in the cytoplasm. Plasma glucose concentration was normal in the transgenic mouse before and after the administration of glucose. The insulin content of the pancreas in transgenic and normal mice was nearly identical. These results suggest that activins or related ligands regulate the differentiation of the pancreatic endocrine and exocrine cells.
Three strains of chicken anemia virus (CAV) were detected in 11 to 14-weeks old chickens, showing depression, wasting, and increased mortality, from three farms in eastern Japan. Another strain was ...detected in 12-weeks old chickens from one farm without clinical signs. Bacterial infections were suggested in three farms with clinical signs and its involvement in the occurrence of the diseases might be suspected. Sequence analysis of the VP1, VP2, and VP3 genes of four CAV strains revealed that the three from farms with clinical signs belonged to genotype A2, whereas that from the apparently-normal farm belonged to A3. This may be a rare case report about the diseases suspected of the involvement of the CAV infection in older birds.
: Ehrlichia canis causes persistent infection of monocytes/macrophages and causes canine monocytic ehrlichiosis. Other than antibody development, very little is known how the dog immune system ...responds to this pathogen. In the present study, we examined the temporal expression of cytokine mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from dogs inoculated with E. canis Oklahoma strain. We also examined production of interferon‐gamma (IFN‐γ) by canine PBMCs infected with E. canis in vitro.
Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE), a tick-borne zoonosis, is caused by an obligatory intragranulocytic bacterium, the HGE agent, a strain of Anaplasma phagocytophila. The equine model of HGE is ...considered valuable in understanding pathogenic and immune mechanisms of HGE. In the present study, cytokine mRNA expression by peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) in horses was examined during the course of infection by intravenous inoculation of A. phagocytophila or by allowing feeding by infected ticks. The p44 genes encoding the major outer membrane protein P44s of A. phagocytophila were detected by PCR in PBLs of all four horses from 4 to 20 days postexposure. During the 20-day infection period, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) mRNA expression was upregulated in PBLs of all four horses, and IL-8 mRNA expression was upregulated in three horses. Gamma interferon, IL-10, and IL-12 p35 mRNAs were weakly expressed in only one horse each. IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-12 p40 mRNA expression, however, could not be detected in the PBLs of any of the four horses. These results suggest that IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and IL-8 generation during A. phagocytophila infection has a primary role in HGE pathogenesis and immunomodulation.
Summary
The genus Borrelia is arthropod‐borne infectious agents in vertebrates, and is classified into Lyme disease (LD) Borrelia spp. and Relapsing fever (RF) Borrelia spp. In addition to these ...Borrelia groups, we recently reported reptile‐associated (REP) Borrelia spp. from reptiles and from hard‐bodied ticks, which probably transmitted the REP Borrelia spp. In this study, we investigated the presence of REP Borrelia sp. in moulted ticks, and found that trans‐stadial transmission of REP Borrelia sp. occurred in the midgut, while it was observed that REP Borrelia sp. entered the salivary gland during blood‐feeding. This characteristic is also found in LD Borrelia spp., which are also transmitted by hard‐bodied ticks. Although phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that REP Borrelia spp. are similar to RF Borrelia spp., the ecology of the spirochaetes within the vector ticks is different for REP Borrelia spp. and RF Borrelia spp. Elucidation of the evolutionary history of the genus Borrelia and its adaptation to ticks promises to be of great interest to researchers of vector‐borne microorganisms.
Histological analyses of the kidney were performed in transgenic mice expressing the truncated type II activin receptor. In these mice, signaling through the activin receptor was attenuated. Size and ...wet weight of the kidneys were identical to those of normal mice. Histologically, the number of glomeruli was approximately 180% of that in normal mice. The sizes and shapes of the glomeruli were variable, but many of them were smaller than those in normal mice. Morphometrically, the total glomerular area was 130% of that of the normal mice. Abnormality of the epithelia in Bowman's capsule was observed and the number of tubular epithelial cells was increased in the transgenic mice. The serum levels of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and creatinine clearance were identical to those in normal mice. These results suggest that the action of activin or related ligands is critical for determination of the nephron number.
We have previously undertaken preliminary characterization of two
Rhipicephalus appendiculutus serine protease inhibitors (RAS-1 and -2) as anti-tick vaccine candidates. In this study, to clarify ...this hypothesis, we generated and further characterized recombinant RAS-1 and -2 (rRAS-1 and -2) and tested their potency as a cocktail anti-tick vaccine in cattle. RT-PCR analysis showed that RAS-1 and -2
mRNA transcripts are expressed during all life cycle stages of ticks, independent of sex. As judged by SDS-PAGE rRAS-1 and -2 migrated as a molecular weight of around 64 and 60
kDa protein, respectively, considering that the expression vector produced a recombinant protein fused with 18–22
kDa TRX protein. RAS-1 and -2 were found not to be secreted into the bite site as determined by the reactivity of anti-tick saliva sera to rRAS-1 and -2, suggesting that both proteins are concealed antigens. Vaccination of cattle with a combination of rRAS-1 and -2 conferred significant protective immunity against ticks, resulting in 61.4% reduction in nymph engorgement rate, and in 28 and 43% increased mortality rate in adult female and male ticks, respectively. This is the first report on an anti-tick vaccine trial using a combination of two different serpins derived from
R. appendiculatus, and using cattle as a natural host.
A novel relapsing fever Borrelia sp. was found in Amblyomma geoemydae in Japan. The novel Borrelia sp. was phylogenetically related to the hard (ixodid) tick-borne relapsing fever Borrelia spp. ...Borrelia miyamotoi and B. lonestari. The novel relapsing fever Borrelia sp. was detected in 39 A. geoemydae (39/274: 14.2%), of which 14 (14/274: 5.1%) were co-infected with the novel relapsing fever Borrelia sp. and Borrelia sp. tAG, one of the reptile-associated borreliae. Transstadial transmission of the novel relapsing fever Borrelia sp. occurred in the tick midgut and the salivary glands, although Borrelia sp. tAG was only detected in the tick midgut. The difference of the borrelial niche in molted ticks might be associated with borrelial characterization.
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