Search results for "INSECT"
showing 10 items of 2033 documents
Degeneration of moulting glands in male crickets
1998
The degeneration of the prothoracic glands of the male cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus, was analyzed by using an in vitro assay for ecdysteroid release from the moulting glands in last instar nymphs as well as in adult animals, and correlated with light and transmission electron microscopy. Apoptosis was examined by the TUNEL-reaction. The ability to synthesize ecdysteroids reached a peak at the 8th day of the last larval instar, identified as the moulting peak. After adult ecdysis it decreased to barely measurable values. Prothoracic gland degeneration was initiated at the time of the moulting peak, characterized by TUNEL positive reactions, nuclear and cytoplasmatic condensation, a striking …
Eradication of Culex pipiens fatigans through Cytoplasmic Incompatibility
1967
Culex pipiens fatigans is the chief vector of filariasis in south-east Asia. Urbanization has often caused the numbers of this mosquito—and with it the danger of filariasis infection—to increase alarmingly1. The natural vigour, tolerance and fast development of resistance to insecticides of this mosquito necessitate the development of other control methods, and cytoplasmic incompatibility2 seems to be an ideal means.
Two Antigenic Peptides from Genes m123 and m164 of Murine Cytomegalovirus Quantitatively Dominate CD8 T-Cell Memory in the H-2 d Haplotype
2001
ABSTRACT The importance of CD8 T cells for the control of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has raised interest in the identification of immunogenic viral proteins as candidates for vaccination and cytoimmunotherapy. The final aim is to determine the viral “immunome” for any major histocompatibility complex class I molecule by antigenicity screening of proteome-derived peptides. For human CMV, there is a limitation to this approach: the T cells used as responder cells for peptide screening are usually memory cells that have undergone in vivo selection. On this basis, pUL83 (pp65) and pUL123 (IE1 or pp68 to -72) were classified as immunodominant proteins. It is an open question whether this li…
Control of murine cytomegalovirus in the lungs: Relative but not absolute immunodominance of the immediate-early 1 nonapeptide during the antiviral c…
1998
Effective control by the immune system is a hallmark of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Accordingly, human CMV disease is a medical problem restricted to the immunologically immature or immunocompromised host (for a review, see reference 21). Murine models have implicated natural killer (NK) cells and CD8 T cells in the control of CMV infection. While NK cells mediate early protection in genetically resistant mouse inbred strains (4, 5, 31, 51), CD8 T cells establish enduring protective memory and function as principal antiviral effectors in susceptible strains (31). Specifically, in the BALB/c strain, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-restricted antiviral CD8 T cells resolve …
The Putative Natural Killer Decoy Early Genem04(gp34) of Murine Cytomegalovirus Encodes an Antigenic Peptide Recognized by Protective Antiviral CD8 T…
2000
ABSTRACTSeveral early genes of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) encode proteins that mediate immune evasion by interference with the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) pathway of antigen presentation to cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL). Specifically, them152gene product gp37/40 causes retention of MHC-I molecules in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi intermediate compartment. Lack of MHC-I on the cell surface should activate natural killer (NK) cells recognizing the “missing self.” The retention, however, is counteracted by them04early gene product gp34, which binds to folded MHC-I molecules in the ER and directs the complex to the cell surface. It was thus speculated that gp34 mi…
Processing and Presentation of Murine Cytomegalovirus pORFm164-Derived Peptide in Fibroblasts in the Face of All Viral Immunosubversive Early Gene Fu…
2002
ABSTRACTCD8 T cells are the principal effector cells in the resolution of acute murine cytomegalovirus (mCMV) infection in host organs. This undoubted antiviral and protective in vivo function of CD8 T cells appeared to be inconsistent with immunosubversive strategies of the virus effected by early (E)-phase genesm04,m06, andm152. The so-called immune evasion proteins gp34, gp48, and gp37/40, respectively, were found to interfere with peptide presentation at different steps in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I pathway of antigen processing and presentation in fibroblasts. Accordingly, they were proposed to prevent recognition and lysis of infected fibroblasts by cytolytic T…
The Immune Evasion Paradox: Immunoevasins of Murine Cytomegalovirus Enhance Priming of CD8 T Cells by Preventing Negative Feedback Regulation▿
2008
ABSTRACTCytomegaloviruses express glycoproteins that interfere with antigen presentation to CD8 T cells. Although the molecular modes of action of these “immunoevasins” differ between cytomegalovirus species, the convergent biological outcome is an inhibition of the recognition of infected cells. In murine cytomegalovirus, m152/gp40 retains peptide-loaded major histocompatibility complex class I molecules in acis-Golgi compartment, m06/gp48 mediates their vesicular sorting for lysosomal degradation, and m04/gp34, although not an immunoevasin in its own right, appears to assist in the concerted action of all three molecules. Using the Ld-restricted IE1 epitope YPHFMPTNL in the BALB/c mouse m…
Cytomegalovirus Encodes a Positive Regulator of Antigen Presentation
2006
ABSTRACT Murine cytomegalovirus encodes three regulators of antigen presentation to antiviral CD8 T cells. According to current paradigms, all three regulators are committed to the inhibition of the presentation of antigenic peptides. Whereas m152/gp40 catalyzes the retention of peptide-loaded major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules in a cis -Golgi compartment, m06/gp48 binds stably to class I molecules and directs them into the cellular cargo-sorting pathway of lysosomal degradation. Regulator m04/gp34 also binds stably to class I molecules, but unlike m152 and m06, it does not downmodulate MHC class I cell surface expression. It has entered the literature as a direct inhi…
Tumor Control in a Model of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Acute Liver-Infiltrating B-Cell Lymphoma: an Unpredicted Novel Function of Cytomegalovirus
2002
ABSTRACTTumor relapse and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection are major concerns in the therapy of hematopoietic malignancies by bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Little attention so far has been given to a possible pathogenetic interplay between CMV and lymphomas. CMV inhibits stem cell engraftment and hematopoietic reconstitution. Thus, by causing maintenance of bone marrow aplasia and immunodeficiency, CMV could promote tumor relapse. Alternatively, CMV could aid tumor remission. One might think of cytopathogenic infection of tumor cells, induction of apoptosis or inhibitory cytokines, interference with tumor cell extravasation or tumor vascularization, or bystander stimulation of an antitu…
Variability in the cadherin gene in an Ostrinia nubilalis strain selected for Cry1Ab resistance
2008
Transgenic corn expressing Cry1Ab (a Bacillus thuringiensis toxin) is highly effective in the control of Ostrinia nubilalis. For its toxic action, Cry1Ab has to bind to specific insect midgut proteins. To date, in three Lepidoptera species resistance to a Cry1A toxin has been conferred by mutations in cadherin, a protein of the Lepidoptera midgut membrane. The implication of cadherin in the resistance of an Ostrinia nubilalis colony (Europe-R) selected with Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab protoxin was investigated. Several major mutations in the cadherin (cdh) gene were found, which introduced premature termination codons and/or large deletions (ranging from 1383 to 1701bp). The contribution …