Search results for " Vectors"
showing 10 items of 286 documents
Solution NMR structure of Borrelia burgdorferi outer surface lipoprotein BBP28, a member of the mlp protein family.
2020
Lyme disease is the most widespread vector‐transmitted disease in North America and Europe, caused by infection with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex spirochetes. We report the solution NMR structure of the B. burgdorferi outer surface lipoprotein BBP28, a member of the multicopy lipoprotein (mlp) family. The structure comprises a tether peptide, five α‐helices and an extended C‐terminal loop. The fold is similar to that of Borrelia tunicate outer surface protein BTA121, which is known to bind lipids. These results contribute to the understanding of Lyme disease pathogenesis by revealing the molecular structure of a protein from the widely found mlp family. This article is protected …
Genetic variability and geographical diversity of the main Chagas' disease vector Panstrongylus megistus (Hemiptera: Triatominae) in Brazil based on …
2014
Studies were made on the ribosomal DNA intergenic region, comprising complete internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-1, 5.8S, and ITS-2 sequences, of populations of the triatomine Panstrongylus megistus, the most important vector of Chagas' disease in Brazil since Triatoma infestans eradication. Specimens were from 26 localities of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Sergipe states. In total, 21 ITS-1 and 12 ITS-2 haplotypes were found. Nucleotide differences were higher in ITS-1 (3.00%) than in ITS-2 (1.33%). The intergenic region was 1,513-1,522-bp-long (mean 1,516.9 bp), providing 26 combined haplotypes. The combination of microsatellites found in bo…
A bicistronic vector backbone for rapid seamless cloning and chimerization of αβT-cell receptor sequences.
2020
To facilitate preclinical testing of T-cell receptors (TCRs) derived from tumor-reactive T-cell clones it is necessary to develop convenient and rapid cloning strategies for the generation of TCR expression constructs. Herein, we describe a pDONR™221 vector backbone allowing to generate Gateway™ compatible entry clones encoding optimized bicistronic αβTCR constructs. It harbors P2A-linked TCR constant regions and head-to-head-oriented recognition sites of the Type IIS restriction enzymes BsmBI and BsaI for seamless cloning of the TCRα and TCRβ V(D)J regions, respectively. Additional well-established TCR optimizations were incorporated to enhance TCR functionality. This included replacing of…
Glial Promoter Selectivity following AAV-Delivery to the Immature Brain
2013
Recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are versatile tools for gene transfer to the central nervous system (CNS) and proof-of-concept studies in adult rodents have shown that the use of cell type-specific promoters is sufficient to target AAV-mediated transgene expression to glia. However, neurological disorders caused by glial pathology usually have an early onset. Therefore, modelling and treatment of these conditions require expanding the concept of targeted glial transgene expression by promoter selectivity for gene delivery to the immature CNS. Here, we have investigated the AAV-mediated green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression driven by the myelin basic protein (MBP) or gl…
Adenoviral RB2/p130 gene transfer inhibits smooth muscle cell proliferation and prevents restenosis after angioplasty.
1999
Abstract —Smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation that results in neointima formation is implicated in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic plaques and accounts for the high rates of restenosis that occur after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, a widespread treatment for coronary artery disease. Endothelial lesions trigger intense proliferative signals to the SMCs of the subintima, stimulating their reentry into the cell cycle from a resting G 0 state, resulting in neointima formation and vascular occlusion. Cellular proliferation is negatively controlled by growth-regulatory or tumor-suppressor genes, or both, such as the retinoblastoma gene family members ( RB/p105, p107, RB2…
Prevalence of tick-borne pathogens in ticks collected from migratory birds in Latvia.
2014
Migratory birds act as hosts and long-distance vectors for several tick-borne infectious agents. Here, feeding Ixodes ticks were collected from migratory birds during the autumn migration period in Latvia and screened for the presence of epidemiologically important non-viral pathogens. A total of 93 DNA samples of ticks (37 larvae and 56 nymphs) removed from 41 birds (order Passeriformes, 9 species) was tested for Lyme borreliosis spirochaetes, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Rickettsia spp., and Babesia spp. Borrelia burgdorferi DNA was detected in 18% of the tick samples, and a majority of infected ticks were from thrush (Turdus spp.) birds. Among the infected ticks, Borrelia valaisiana was de…
Adenovirus-mediated wild-type p53 gene transfer in patients receiving chemotherapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: results of a multicenter …
2001
PURPOSE: To study the additional benefit from adenoviral p53 gene therapy in patients undergoing first-line chemotherapy for advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-five patients with nonresectable NSCLC were enrolled in an open-label, multicenter phase II study of three cycles of regimen A, carboplatin (area under the curve, 6; day 1) plus paclitaxel (175 mg/m2, day 1), or regimen B, cisplatin (100 mg/m2, day 1) plus vinorelbine (25 mg/m2, days 1, 8, 15, and 22) in combination with intratumoral injection of 7.5 × 1012 particles of SCH 58500 (rAd/p53, day 1). Responses of individual tumor lesions were assessed after each cycle, and gene transfer was examin…
Gold Nanoparticle-Assisted Virus Formation by Means of the Delivery of an Oncolytic Adenovirus Genome
2020
[EN] Oncolytic adenoviruses are a therapeutic alternative to treat cancer based on their ability to replicate selectively in tumor cells. However, their use is limited mainly by the neutralizing antibody (Nab) immune response that prevents repeated dosing. An alternative to facilitate the DNA access to the tumor even in the presence of anti-viral Nabs could be gold nanoparticles able to transfer DNA molecules. However, the ability of these nanoparticles to carry large DNA molecules, such as an oncolytic adenovirus genome, has not been studied. In this work, gold nanoparticles were functionalized with different amounts of polyethylenimine to transfer in a safe and efficient manner a large on…
Identification and expression of the 11β‐steroid hydroxylase from Cochliobolus lunatus in Corynebacterium glutamicum
2019
Hydroxylation of steroids has acquired special relevance for the pharmaceutical industries. Particularly, the 11β-hydroxylation of steroids is a reaction of biotechnological importance currently carried out at industrial scale by the fungus Cochliobolus lunatus. In this work, we have identified the genes encoding the cytochrome CYP103168 and the reductase CPR64795 of C. lunatus responsible for the 11β-hydroxylase activity in this fungus, which is the key step for the preparative synthesis of cortisol in industry. A recombinant Corynebacterium glutamicum strain harbouring a plasmid expressing both genes forming a synthetic bacterial operon was able to 11β-hydroxylate several steroids as subs…
New chimaeric hepatitis B virus core particles carrying hantavirus (serotype Puumala) epitopes: immunogenicity and protection against virus challenge
1999
Virus-like particles generated by the heterologous expression of virus structural proteins are able to potentiate the immunogenicity of foreign epitopes presented on their surface. In recent years epitopes of various origin have been inserted into the core antigen of hepatitis B virus (HBV) allowing the formation of chimaeric HBV core particles. Chimaeric core particles carrying the 45 N-terminal amino acids of the Puumala hantavirus nucleocapsid protein induced protective immunity in bank voles, the natural host of this hantavirus. Particles applied in the absence of adjuvant are still immunogenic and partially protective in bank voles. Although a C-terminally truncated core antigen of HBV…