The tubular gland of the chicken oviduct is an attractive system for protein expression as large quantities of proteins are deposited in the egg, the production of eggs is easily scalable and good manufacturing practices for therapeutics from eggs have been established. Here we examined the ability of upstream and downstream DNA sequences of ovalbumin, a protein produced exclusively in very high quantities in chicken egg white, to drive tissue-specific expression of human mAb in chicken eggs. To accommodate these large regulatory regions, we established and transfected lines of chicken embryonic stem (cES) cells and formed chimeras that express mAb from cES cell-derived tubular gland cells. Eggs from high-grade chimeras contained up to 3 mg of mAb that possesses enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), nonantigenic glycosylation, acceptable half-life, excellent antigen recognition and good rates of internalization.

Background The recent epidemic of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) associated with human papilloma virus (HPV) has not addressed its association with lymphoid tissue in the oropharynx or the potential role of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)/HPV co-infection. Methods The prevalence of HPV and EBV infection/co-infection and CD21 mRNA expression were determined in normal and cancerous tissues from the oropharynx using in situ hybridization (ISH), p16 and quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR). The effects of co-infection on tumorigenicity were evaluated using proliferation and invasion assays. Results Normal oropharynx, tonsil, non-cancer base of tongue (BOT) and BOT from sleep apnea patients, demonstrated EBV positivity ranging from 7-36% depending on the site and methods of detection used (qRT-PCR or ISH). Among non-malignant BOT samples HPV positivity was noted only in 20%. The percent of tonsil and BOT cancers positive for HPV (up to 63% and 80%, respectively) or co-infected with HPV/EBV (up to 25% and 70%, respectively) were both significantly associated with cancer status. Notably HPV/EBV co-infection was observed only in malignant tissue originating in lymphoid-rich oropharynx sites (tonsil, BOT). CD21 mRNA (the major EBV attachment receptor) was detected in tonsil and BOT epithelium, but not in soft palate epithelium. Co-infected cell lines showed a significant increase in invasiveness (p<0.01). Conclusions There is a high prevalence of HPV/EBV infection and co-infection in BOT and tonsil cancers, possibly reflecting their origins in lymphoid-rich tissue. In vitro, cells modeling co-infection have an increased invasive potential.

ObjectiveMultiple clinical similarities exist between IgG4-related sclerosing cholangitis (IgG4-SC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and while gut dysbiosis has been extensively studied in PSC, the role of the gut microbiota in IgG4-SC remains unknown. Herein, we aimed to evaluate alterations of the gut microbiome and metabolome in IgG4-SC and PSC.DesignWe performed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of faecal samples from 135 subjects with IgG4-SC (n=34), PSC (n=37) and healthy controls (n=64). A subset of the samples (31 IgG4-SC, 37 PSC and 45 controls) also underwent untargeted metabolomic profiling.ResultsCompared with controls, reduced alpha-diversity and shifted microbial community were observed in IgG4-SC and PSC. These changes were accompanied by differences in stool metabolomes. Importantly, despite some common variations in the microbiota composition and metabolic activity, integrative analyses identified distinct host–microbe associations in IgG4-SC and PSC. The disease-associated genera and metabolites tended to associate with the transaminases in IgG4-SC. Notable depletion of Blautia and elevated succinic acid may underlie hepatic inflammation in IgG4-SC. In comparison, potential links between the microbial or metabolic signatures and cholestatic parameters were detected in PSC. Particularly, concordant decrease of Eubacterium and microbiota-derived metabolites, including secondary bile acids, implicated novel host–microbial metabolic pathways involving cholestasis of PSC. Interestingly, the predictive models based on metabolites were more effective in discriminating disease status than those based on microbes.ConclusionsOur data reveal that IgG4-SC and PSC possess divergent host–microbe interplays that may be involved in disease pathogenesis. These data emphasise the uniqueness of IgG4-SC.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a known tumor virus associated with an increasing array of malignancies; however, the association of the virus with certain malignancies is often erratic. To determine EBV’s contributions to tumorigenesis in a setting of incomplete association, a transient model of infection was established where a clonal CCL185 carcinoma cell line infected with recombinant EBV was allowed to lose viral genomes by withdrawal of selection pressure. Global gene expression comparing EBV-negative, transiently infected clones to uninfected controls identified expression changes in over 1000 genes. Among downregulated genes, several genes known to be DNA methylated in cancer were identified including E-cadherin and PYCARD. A cadherin switch, increased motility and enhanced cellular invasiveness present in EBV-positive cells were retained following viral loss indicating an epigenetic effect. Repression of PYCARD expression was due to increased promoter CpG methylation, whereas loss of E-cadherin expression after transient EBV infection did not correlate with increased DNA methylation of the E-cadherin promoter. Rather, repression of E-cadherin was consistent with formation of a repressive chromatin state. Decreased histone 3 or 4 acetylation at the promoter and 5’ end of the E-cadherin gene was observed in an EBV-negative, transiently infected clone relative to the uninfected controls. These results suggest that EBV can stably alter gene expression in a heritable fashion in formerly infected cells, while its own contribution to the oncogenic process is masked.