BackgroundSchistosomiasis is one of the most common parasitic diseases affecting millions of humans and animals worldwide. Understanding the signal transduction pathways and the molecular basis of reproductive regulation in schistosomes is critically important for developing new strategies for preventing and treating these infections. Syk kinases regulate the proliferation, differentiation, morphogenesis, and survival of various types of cells and have been identified in invertebrates. Tyrosine kinase 4 (TK4), a member of the Syk kinase family, plays a pivotal role in gametogenesis in S. mansoni, affecting the development of the testis and ovaries in this parasite. The role of TK4, however, in the reproduction of S. japonicum is poorly understood. MethodsHere, the complete coding sequence of TK4 gene in S. japonicum (SjTK4) was cloned and characterized. The expression of SjTK4 was analyzed at different life-cycle stages and in various tissues of S. japonicum by qPCR. Piceatannol, a Syk kinase inhibitor, was applied to S. japonicum in vitro. The piceatannol-induced morphological changes of the parasites were observed using confocal laser scanning microscopy and the alterations in important egg-shell synthesis-related genes were examined using qPCR analyses.Results SjTK4 mRNA was differentially expressed throughout the life-cycle of S. japonicum. SjTK4 mRNA was highly expressed in the ovary and testis of S. japonicum, with the level of gene expression significantly higher in males than in females. The expression levels of some important egg-shell synthesis related genes were higher in the piceatannol-treated groups than in the vehicle-treated control group and the number of eggs and germ cells also decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. Importantly, large pore-like structures can be found in the testis and ovaries of males and females after treating with piceatannol.ConclusionThe results suggest that SjTK4 may play an important role in regulating gametogenesis of S. japonicum. The findings may help better understand the fundamental biology of S. japonicum. Moreover, the effect of S. japonicum treatment by piceatannol provides us with a new idea that inhibition of SjTK4 signaling pathway can effectively retard the development of the testis and ovaries.
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most prominent manifestation of diabetic microangiopathy and is a serious complication of diabetes. Despite extensive researches focusing on DR, treatment options for DR are still limited. Carvedilol (CAR) has vasodilatory, antioxidant stress and anti-inflammatory effects and poses a vital role in addressing the issue of diabetic complications. This paper attempts to explore this property of CAR and investigate into its effects on DR. First, ARPE-19 cells were treated with different concentrations of CAR and cells were induced with 30 mM high glucose (HG) to establish a DR cell model. Cell viability was assayed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) with or without HG induction. Cellular inflammation and oxidative stress were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and corresponding kits. The measurement of apoptosis levels was conducted by Terminal dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) and Western blotting. The protein levels related to Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway were assessed by Western blotting. Finally, cellular inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis in ARPE-19 cells pretreated with Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 were tested again by the same methods. Results showed that under HG induction, CAR effectively improved ARPE-19 cell viability, inhibited cellular inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. Moreover, CAR activated Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, which further suppressed cellular inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. Overall, CAR inhibited HG-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in retinal pigment epithelial cells by activating Nrf2/ARE pathway.
Numerous research results have suggested that the events occurred in a selected cell target and the fates of the cells are spatiotemporally regulated. It has been paying much attention to study the cell events with spatiotemporal proposal designation and analysis. We have been tracking and thinking the new scientific area for many years. Spatiotemporal cell biology and its schematic frame, triple W (when, where, which), are systemically introduced in this study. The triple W under pathological conditions is also discussed.J. Cell. Physiol. 227: 1787-1790, 2012. ß 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Recent research results suggested that the events occurred in a selected cell and the fate of the cell must be regulated spatiotemporally. We named this new scientific area as ''Spatiotemporal Cell Biology,'' and concluded a schematic frame, triple W, to describe it [Hou et al., 2011]. Numerous research results indicate that an event of cell(s) in a selected cell community must be exactly forwarded to be initiated or inhibited at a correct time point in a right development stage.Understanding from a macro view, the cell community in that the target cell resides must be selected first. Some research articles about the spatiotemporal regulation in cell biology were published together with an introduction in November 2009 [Hurtley, 2009]. Triple W includes When, Where, and Which, and means that an organ, a cell community, a cell, a event must be targeted to be initiated, promoted, inhibited, or stopped at right time and in right place. The events include cell proliferation, differentiation, death, isoform replacement, gene expression, molecular interaction, and others. Under physiological conditions, triple W determines the livelong process for a body from its formation to death (Fig. 1).When will an individual target be selected, changed, or regulated? ''When'' means the different stages and the different time points in a stage that is controlled by the community/body in that the target resides. ''When'' is the first selection that any event in spatiotemporal cell biology must follow with, and numerous reported results have indicated its importance for any event occurrence in any type of tissue or cell at any step of gene expressing, signaling, or cell acting. Diffley et al. [1994] observed the yeast replication origins existed in two chromatin states during the cell cycle, and found that the integration of chromosomal DNA replication into the eukaryotic cell cycle might involve temporal regulation of interactions between cellular factors and replication origins. Both extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins' modulation on their resident cells' biology to match the needs of body and the signals' interaction with their intracellular targets take place at the right time and in the right place [Hynes, 2009;Scott1 and Pawson, 2009]. Such a precise time-scale can be observed in each cell cycle step, even in many types of molecular interaction. A putative spindle matrix can be assembled by spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) proteins and ...
Nanos is a necessary factor in the differentiation and migration of primordial germ cells. It is closely associated with the development of genitalia in a wide range of species. We questioned whether Nanos was involved in the reproductive organ development of Schistosoma japonicum. Firstly, by in situ hybridization, S. japonicum Nanos1 (SjNanos1) gene was expressed mainly in reproductive organs of S. japonicum. Then, the paired schistosome of 28 days post-infection (dpi) was transfected with SjNanos1 small interfering RNA three times and cultured in vitro for 10 days. SjNanos1 expression suppression in the mRNA and protein levels were confirmed compared to that of the controls. The morphological changes in reproductive organs and egg production were observed after SjNanos1 gene knockdown. The results observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy showed significant changes in the morphology of reproductive organs of parasites, especially the female ovaries, vitellarium, and the male testes, after RNAi. In addition, SjNanos1 silencing also induced the reduction of eggs, and affected the changes of reproduction-related genes, like Pumilio, CNOT6L, and Fs800. Therefore, our findings demonstrate that the SjNanos1 gene is essential in the development of reproductive organs and the egg production of S. japonicum.
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