Variably protease-sensitive prionopathy (VPSPr), a recently described human sporadic prion disease, features a protease-resistant, disease-related prion protein (resPrP
) displaying 5 fragments ...reminiscent of Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease. Experimental VPSPr transmission to human PrP-expressing transgenic mice, although replication of the VPSPr resPrP
profile succeeded, has been incomplete because of second passage failure. We bioassayed VPSPr in bank voles, which are susceptible to human prion strains. Transmission was complete; first-passage attack rates were 5%-35%, and second-passage rates reached 100% and survival times were 50% shorter. We observed 3 distinct phenotypes and resPrP
profiles; 2 imitated sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease resPrP
, and 1 resembled Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease resPrPD. The first 2 phenotypes may be related to the presence of minor PrP
components in VPSPr. Full VPSPr transmission confirms permissiveness of bank voles to human prions and suggests that bank vole PrP may efficiently reveal an underrepresented native strain but does not replicate the complex VPSPr PrP
profile.
•Hantaan virus infects BVK168 cells derived from PUUV host M. glareolus.•Integrin β3 is not expressed in BVK168 cells.•PSI domains of integrin β3 do not differ in PUUV-infected and non-infected bank ...voles.•Receptor usage of hantaviruses in rodent cells differs from entry in human cells.
Host reservoir specificity of pathogens is complex and may depend on receptor variability. For pathogenic orthohantaviruses, integrin β3 had been previously identified as entry receptor and the presence of aspartic acid residue at position 39 (D39) in human integrin β3 was described to be a prerequisite for infection of primate cells with Hantaan virus (HTNV). However, the role of integrin β3 in orthohantavirus infection of host animals is not completely understood. Therefore, we analyzed the nucleotide sequence of the integrin β3 gene of Myodes glareolus and Apodemus agrarius, the hosts of Puumala virus (PUUV) and HTNV, respectively. Sequence analysis in tissue samples demonstrated that the amino acid residue D39 is not present in integrin β3 of these natural orthohantavirus hosts. Furthermore, we analyzed the transcription and protein expression levels of integrin β3 in the renal cell line BVK168 generated from the PUUV host, bank vole. Transcription level of integrin β3 was 100-fold lower in BVK168 cells than in Vero E6 cells and integrin β3 expression was not detectable in BVK168 cells. However, despite the absence of amino acid residue D39 and no detectable integrin β3 expression, BVK168 cells are susceptible to infection with both PUUV and HTNV. These results indicate that the mechanism of orthohantaviral entry in rodent species does not correspond to the requirements that were described for the entry in primate cells in vitro.
Haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is the most widespread natural-focal human disease in the Russian Federation. In this study, we report virological assessment of a fatal case of ...HFRS-PUUV (Puumala virus) in the Kursk Region. The infection caused severe multiorgan failure and the maximum viral load was detected in the tissue of the spleen.
Viral sequences were obtained from the patient's autopsy material and lung tissues of bank voles captured in the region. These sequences formed a new clade in the PUUV phylogenetic tree, an outgroup to all known Russian (RUS) lineage sequences. On the other hand viruses collected in the Kursk Region grouped with the RUS lineage and are separated from all other PUUV linages. We propose to nominate this novel group as W-RUS as the identified viruses were collected near the western Russian boundary. The recombination signals between their ancestors and RUS lineage representatives from the Volga region were revealed. The strain Samara_94/CG/2005 suggestively emerged as the result of reassortment between the ancestors of W-RUS and DTK-Ufa-97.
•The fatal human case of HFRS-PUUV with multiorgan failure was registred.•Maximal viral load was found in the spleen.•We have discovered new PUUV clade designated as W-RUS.•The recombination event between the ancestors of viruses from this study and RUS lineage representatives was suggested.
The environmental burden of organic micropollutants has been shown in aquatic ecosystems, while trophic fate of many compounds in terrestrial food chains remains highly elusive. We therefore studied ...concentrations of 108 organic micropollutants in a common European mammal, the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), and 82 of the compounds in a specialized predator, Tengmalm's owl (Aegolius funereus) relying to >90 % on voles as its prey. We studied compounds in whole voles (n = 19), pools of 4–8 bank voles (npools = 4), owl blood (n = 10) and in owl eggs (n = 10) in two regions in Sweden. For comparison, we also included previously published data on 23 PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) in bank vole liver (npools = 4) from the same regions. In voles, concentrations of the organic micropollutants caffeine (maxIndividual 220 ng/g ww) and DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) (maxPool 150 ng/g ww) were 2–200 times higher in voles relative to owl blood and eggs. Conversely, concentrations of nicotine, oxazepam, salicylic acid, and tributyl citrate acetate were 1.3–440 times higher in owls. Several PFAS showed biomagnification in owls as revealed by maximum biomagnification factors (BMFs); PFNA (perfluorononanoate) BMF = 5.6, PFTeDA (perfluorotetradecanoic acid) BMF = 5.9, and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) BMF = 6.1. Concentrations of organic micropollutants, alongside calculated BMFs, and Tengmalm's owl's heavy reliance on bank vole as staple food, suggest, despite small sample size and potential spatio-temporal mismatch, accumulation of PFAS (especially PFNA, PFTeDA, and PFOS) in owls and biomagnification along the food chain. Concentrations of PFAS in owl eggs (e.g., 21 ng/g ww PFOS) highlight the likely pivotal role of maternal transfer in contaminant exposure for avian embryos. These concentrations are also of concern considering that certain predators frequently consume owl eggs, potentially leading to additional biomagnification of PFAS with yet undetermined consequences for ecosystem health.
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•Several OMPs biomagnify from bank voles to Tengmalm's owls.•PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) showed max biomagnification factor of 6.1.•Maternal transfer likely important in contaminant exposure for avian embryos.•Unknown fitness consequences for egg predators.
Do bank voles De Pelsmaeker, Nicolas; Korslund, Lars; Steifetten, Øyvind ...
PloS one,
09/2020, Letnik:
15, Številka:
9
Journal Article
Recenzirano
In studies assessing tick abundance, the use of live traps to capture and euthanize rodent hosts is a commonly used method to determine their burden. However, captive animals can experience ...debilitating or fatal capture stress as a result prior to collection. An alternative method is the use of lethal traps, but this can potentially lead to tick drop-off between the time of capture and collection. In this study, in order to determine whether subjecting animals to capture stress is inevitable, we tested the difference in sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus) larval burdens between bank voles (Myodes glareolus) captured alive and euthanized, and lethally trapped bank voles. During 2017 and 2018, 1318 bank voles were captured using live (Ugglan Special no. 2) and lethal (Rapp2 Mousetrap) traps during two consecutive years over three seasons in two locations in Norway. Voles captured alive would remain captive until euthanized, while lethally trapped voles were killed instantly upon capture. Log-linear models, accounting for overdispersion, were used to determine whether trap type was influencing observed tick burden. Bank voles captured in lethal traps carried 5.7% more larvae compared to euthanized voles captured in live traps, but this difference was not significant (p = 0.420). Males were overall captured 2.7 times more frequently than females, and the sex ratio was equal in both trap types. This study shows that the use of lethal traps to determine tick burden of rodents is sufficiently reliable, without having to subject animals to potentially lethal stress, hereby reducing some ethical concerns of animal suffering and the results thereof, without compromising accuracy. Lethal trapping is also often more economical and practical, further favoring this collection method.
•Telocytes are present in the bank vole testis.•Photoperiod regulates teleocyte distribution.•Telocytes are implicated in lipid metabolism.•GPER signaling not effect teleocyte ultrastructure but ...lipid metabolism.•GPER signaling effect teleocyte marker CD34 protein.
We aim to explore the presence of a novel cell type, telocytes (TCs), in the bank vole testis interstitium following G-coupled membrane estrogen receptor (GPER) signaling withdrawal. In addition, the involvement of interstitial cells in lipid homeostasis was investigated.
Bank voles (actively reproducing or regressed) were administered with GPER antagonist (G-15; 50 μg/kg bw) injections. To examine TC distribution, ultrastructure, function, and their connotation in the interstitial tissue lipid balance, electron microscopic observations were implemented. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot for the TC marker, CD34, and lipid balance molecules: leptin, adiponectin, and perilipin were performed. Photoperiod-regulated testis steroidogenic function was estimated via serum melatonin level and intratesticular cholesterol concentrations in immunoenzymatic assays.
We demonstrate the presence of TCs in bank vole testis interstitium. Distinctive TC morphology: small cell bodies with very long, slender prolongations, constituting a three-dimensional network around the interstitial cells was seen. Ultrastructurally, scarce mitochondria, a few cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum, and lipid droplets indicated possible TC implications in lipid homeostasis. Changes in CD34 expression in TCs were seen in relation to GPER disturbances. In GPER-blocked testis, single TCs were present in the LD interstitium when in SD ones they were occasionally absent. Moreover, in TCs of SD voles, a lack of lipid droplets was revealed, likely reflecting attenuated TC function during regression. However, melatonin levels decreased in GPER-blocked LD and SD. Concomitantly, leptin, adiponectin, and perilipin expressions together with cholesterol content varied after blockage.
Based on our results we suggest TCs are an important component of the bank vole testis interstitium as they are implicated in ultramorphology maintenance, protein interactions, and lipid homeostasis.
Telocytes represent a relatively recently discovered population of interstitial cells with a unique morphological structure that distinguishes them from other neighboring cells. Through their long ...protrusions extending from the cell body, telocytes create microenvironments via tissue compartmentalization and create homo- and hetero-cellular junctions. These establish a three-dimensional network enabling the maintenance of interstitial compartment homeostasis through regulation of extracellular matrix organization and activity, structural support, paracrine and juxtracrine communication, immunomodulation, immune surveillance, cell survival, and apoptosis. The presence of telocytes has also been confirmed in testicular interstitial tissue of many species of animals. The objective of this review is to summarize recent findings on telocytes in the male gonad, on which conclusions have been deduced that indicate the involvement of telocytes in maintaining the cytoarchitecture of the testicular interstitial tissue, in the processes of spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis, and photoperiod-mediated changes in the testes in seasonally reproductive animals.
•Possible interactions of telocytes with other cells of the male gonad.•Maintaining the cytoarchitecture of interstitial tissue.•Importance of telocytes in steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis.•Meaning telocytes in seasonal reproduction.
Methods for dose estimation of 137Cs in mouse-like rodents, specifically bank voles (Myodes glareolus), commonly found within the research sites in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, are being proposed. ...The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends using the specially developed "BiotaDC" software, but it needs to be adapted to solve specific applied issues. It is shown that the "BiotaDC" approach adequately describes dose accumulation of 137Cs for external exposure inside nest chambers if the mean integral value of soil activity concentration at a depth of 0.5 m is used, for external exposure above soil – if the mean integral value of soil activity concentration at a depth of 0.2 m is used. However, the authors propose a method considering the age of animals at the time of capture and the age-related dynamics of changes in such parameters as excretion and accumulation of radioisotopes for internal dose estimation using the "BiotaDC" software. A detailed dose estimation algorithm is being proposed. Dose estimates for internal irradiation according to the authors' method and the method of the International Commission on Radiological Protection are being compared.
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