No abstract

bDetection of Toxoplasma gondii infection with sensitive and specific methods is a key step in the prevention and treatment of toxoplasmosis. Among the available diagnostic tests, serology is commonly used. Although serological tests give satisfactory results, the production of reliable reagents remains laborious and expensive. There is therefore a real need to acquire specific and effective recombinant antigens for the serodiagnosis of T. gondii infection. In this study, a multiepitope peptide was designed and successfully expressed in Escherichia coli, and then IgG and IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were developed and evaluated. Our results showed that the new multiepitope antigen is one of the most promising recombinant antigens which could be used in routine screening of human toxoplasmosis.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) of tumor cells is a serious obstacle encountered in cancer treatment. In the current study a multiple drug‑resistant HepG2/adriamycin (HepG2/ADR) cell line was established and its MDR was characterized. Icaritin, an active ingredient isolated from the medical plant Herba Epimedium, was observed to reverse MDR in the present model. Icaritin significantly increased the intracellular accumulation of ADR and decreased the expression of the MDR1 gene in HepG2/ADR cells compared with drug‑sensitive HepG2 cells. In addition, the present results showed that icaritin may significantly downregulate the expression of P‑glycoprotein. These results indicate that icaritin is a novel and potent MDR reversal agent and may be a promising drug for tumor chemotherapy.

It is known that beta-adrenoceptor (AR) in the basolateral nucleus of amygdala (BLA) plays an essential role in fear memory formation. However, the cellular and subcellular distributions of beta1- and beta2-ARs in the BLA and their roles in fear memory formation are poorly understood. Here, we report that both beta1- and beta2-ARs are predominantly expressed in BLA neurons but not in astrocytes. beta1-AR is distributed in the cell membrane and cytoplasm of neurons, whereas beta2-AR is localized not only in the cell membrane and cytoplasm but also in the nucleus. Intra-BLA infusion of the beta1-AR antagonist metoprolol and atenolol or the beta2-AR antagonist ICI118551 and butoxamine produces a severe deficit in 24-h auditory fear memory, leaving 1-h memory intact. Western-blot analysis reveals that the protein level of cytoplasmic beta1-AR significantly increases 2- and 4-h postconditioning, whereas that of cytoplasmic or nuclear beta2-AR is unchanged. The present results indicate that beta1- and beta2-ARs in the BLA have differential subcellular localizations and both are required for the consolidation of auditory fear memory.