0000000000066745
AUTHOR
Reetta Riikonen
RGD motifs on the surface of baculovirus enhance transduction of human lung carcinoma cells.
Baculovirus vectors have been shown to enter a variety of mammalian cell lines and gene transfer with wild-type baculovirus (WT) has been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. Different protein motifs have been displayed on the viral surface to serve as ligands for cell-specific receptor molecules. We have generated recombinant baculovirus vectors displaying an RGD-motif, recognized by alphaV integrin, on the viral surface. The RGD motifs within the C-terminus of coxsackie virus A9 and human parechovirus 1 VP1 proteins were fused to the N-terminus of the major envelope glycoprotein, gp64, of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus. The recombinant RGD-presenting viruses bound…
Integrin alpha(2)I domain recognizes type I and type IV collagens by different mechanisms.
The collagens are recognized by the alphaI domains of the collagen receptor integrins. A common structural feature in the collagen-binding alphaI domains is the presence of an extra helix, named helix alphaC. However, its participation in collagen binding has not been shown. Here, we have deleted the helix alphaC in the alpha(2)I domain and tested the function of the resultant recombinant protein (DeltaalphaCalpha(2)I) by using a real-time biosensor. The DeltaalphaCalpha(2)I domain had reduced affinity for type I collagen (430 +/- 90 nM) when compared with wild-type alpha(2)I domain (90 +/- 30 nM), indicating both the importance of helix alphaC in type I collagen binding and that the collag…
Young People and the Dark Side of Social Media: Possible Threats to National Security
Social media is increasingly becoming a forum for criminality, misuse, and hate speech, as there are no filters or other controlling mechanisms to filter user-generated content.Furthermore, disinformation and propaganda are becoming more sophisticated and harder to track. Hence, this dark side of social media can pose a viable threat to national security. Future generations will be born into an environment of polluted and polarised online information networks. Consequently, young people, many of whom use social media on a daily basis, will have to find ways to survive in these circumstances,often without the help, knowledge, or experience of earlier generations. Thus, young people are at ri…
Functional display of an alpha2 integrin-specific motif (RKK) on the surface of baculovirus particles.
The use of baculovirus vectors shows promise as a tool for gene delivery into mammalian cells. These insect viruses have been shown to transduce a variety of mammalian cell lines, and gene transfer has also been demonstrated in vivo. In this study, we generated two recombinant baculovirus vectors displaying an integrin-specific motif, RKK, as a part of two different loops of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) fused with the major envelope protein gp64 of Autographa californica M nucleopolyhedrovirus. By enzyme linked immunosorbent assays, these viruses were shown to bind a peptide representing the receptor binding site of an α2 integrin, the α2I-domain. However, the interaction was not st…