Deep-Sequencing Analysis of the Mouse Transcriptome Response to Infection with Brucella melitensis Strains of Differing Virulence

Brucella melitensis is an important zoonotic pathogen that causes brucellosis, a disease that affects sheep, cattle and occasionally humans. B. melitensis strain M5-90, a live attenuated vaccine cultured from B. melitensis strain M28, has been used as an effective tool in the control of brucellosis in goats and sheep in China. However, the molecular changes leading to attenuated virulence and pathogenicity in B. melitensis remain poorly understood. In this study we employed the Illumina Genome Analyzer platform to perform genome-wide digital gene expression (DGE) analysis of mouse peritoneal macrophage responses to B. melitensis infection. Many parallel changes in gene expression profiles were observed in M28- and M5-90-infected macrophages, suggesting that they employ similar survival strategies, notably the induction of anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic factors. Moreover, 1019 differentially expressed macrophage transcripts were identified 4 h after infection with the different B. melitensis strains, and these differential transcripts notably identified genes involved in the lysosome and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Further analysis employed gene ontology (GO) analysis: high-enrichment GOs identified endocytosis, inflammatory, apoptosis, and transport pathways. Path-Net and Signal-Net analysis highlighted the MAPK pathway as the key regulatory pathway. Moreover, the key differentially expressed genes of the significant pathways were apoptosis-related. These findings demonstrate previously unrecognized changes in gene transcription that are associated with B. melitensis infection of macrophages, and the central signaling pathways identified here merit further investigation. Our data provide new insights into the molecular attenuation mechanism of strain M5-90 and will facilitate the generation of new attenuated vaccine strains with enhanced efficacy

Antitumoral, Antihypertensive, Antimicrobial, and Antioxidant Effects of an Octanuclear Copper(II)-Telmisartan Complex with an Hydrophobic Nanometer Hole

A new Cu(II) complex with the antihypertensive drug telmisartan, [Cu8Tlm16].24H2O (CuTlm), was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and electronic, FTIR, Raman and EPR spectroscopy. The crystal structure (at 120 K) was solved by X-ray diffraction methods. The octanuclear complex is a hydrate of but otherwise isostructural to the previously reported [Cu8Tlm16] complex. [Cu8Tlm16].24H2O crystallizes in the tetragonal P4/ncc space group with a=b=47.335(1), c=30.894(3) Å, Z=4 molecules per unit cell giving a macro-cyclic ring with a double helical structure. The Cu(II) ions are in a distorted bi-pyramidal environment with a somewhat twisted square basis, cis-coordinated at their core N2O2 basis to two carboxylate oxygen and to two terminal benzimidazole nitrogen atoms. Cu8Tlm16 has a toroidal-like shape with a hydrophobic nanometer hole and their crystal packing defines nano-channels that extend along the crystal c-axis. Several biological activities of the complex and the parent ligand were examined in vitro. The antioxidant measurements indicate that the complex behaves as a superoxide dismutase mimics with improved superoxide scavenger power as compared with native sartan. The capacity of telmisartan and its copper complex to expand human mesangial cells (previously contracted by angiotensin II treatment) is similar to each other. The antihypertensive effect of the compounds is attributed to the strongest binding affinity to angiotensin II type 1 receptor and not to the antioxidant effects. The cytotoxic activity of the complex and that of its components was determined against lung cancer cell line A549 and three prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP, PC-3 and DU 145). The complex displays some inhibitory effect on the A549 line and a high viability decrease on the LNCaP (androgen-sensitive) line. From flow cytometric analysis it was established an apoptotic mechanism for the latter cell line. Telmisartan and CuTlm show antibacterial and antifungal activities in various strains and CuTlm displays improved activity against the Stafilococcus aureus strain as compared with unbounded copper(II).Fil: Islas, María Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; ArgentinaFil: Martínez Medina, Juan José. Universidad Nacional del Chaco Austral; ArgentinaFil: López Tévez, Libertad Leonor. Universidad Nacional del Chaco Austral; ArgentinaFil: Rojo, Teófilo. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Lezama, Luis. Universidad del País Vasco; EspañaFil: Griera Merino, Mercedes. Universidad de Alcalá; EspañaFil: Calleros, Laura. Universidad de Alcalá; EspañaFil: Cortés, María Alicia. Universidad de Alcalá; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rodriguez Puyol, Manuel. Universidad de Alcalá; EspañaFil: Echeverría, Gustavo Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Piro, Oscar Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Ferrer, Evelina Gloria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; ArgentinaFil: Williams, Patricia Ana María. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Centro de Química Inorgánica "Dr. Pedro J. Aymonino"; Argentin