Search results for "NUCLEOCAPSID PROTEIN"
showing 10 items of 10 documents
SARS-CoV2 vertical transmission with adverse effects on the newborn revealed through integrated immunohistochemical, electron microscopy and molecula…
2020
Background: The occurrence of trans-placental transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remains highly debated. Placental positivity for SARS-CoV-2 has been reported in selected cases, but infection or virus-associated disease of fetal tissues or newborns remains to be demonstrated. Methods: We screened for SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein expression placentas from 101 women who delivered between February 7 and May 15 2020, including 15 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, 34 tested negative, and 52 not evaluated as they did not meet testing criteria (32), or delivered before COVID-19 pandemic declaration (20). Immunostain for SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid…
Serological Follow-Up Study Indicates High Seasonal Coronavirus Infection and Reinfection Rates in Early Childhood
2022
Seasonal human coronaviruses (HCoVs) cause respiratory infections, especially in children. Currently, the knowledge on early childhood seasonal coronavirus infections and the duration of antibody levels following the first infections is limited. Here we analyzed serological follow-up samples to estimate the rate of primary infection and reinfection(s) caused by seasonal coronaviruses in early childhood. Serum specimens were collected from 140 children at ages of 13, 24, and 36 months (1, 2, and 3 years), and IgG antibody levels against recombinant HCoV nucleoproteins (N) were measured by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Altogether, 84% (118/140) of the children were seropositive for at least one s…
SARS‐CoV‐2 N‐antigenemia in critically ill adult COVID‐19 patients: Frequency and association with inflammatory and tissue‐damage biomarkers
2021
Abstract The current study aimed at characterizing the dynamics of SARS‐CoV‐2 nucleocapsid (N) antigenemia in a cohort of critically ill adult COVID‐19 patients and assessing its potential association with plasma levels of biomarkers of clinical severity and mortality. Seventy‐three consecutive critically ill COVID‐19 patients (median age, 65 years) were recruited. Serial plasma (n = 340) specimens were collected. A lateral flow immunochromatography assay and reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) were used for SARS‐CoV‐2 N protein detection and RNA quantitation and in plasma, respectively. Serum levels of inflammatory and tissue‐damage biomarkers in paired specimens were …
Stop codon insertion restores the particle formation ability of hepatitis B virus core-hantavirus nucleocapsid protein fusions.
2003
In recent years, epitopes of various origin have been inserted into the core protein of hepatitis B virus (HBc), allowing the formation of chimeric HBc particles. Although the C-terminus of a C-terminally truncated HBc (HBcΔ) tolerates the insertion of extended foreign sequences, the insertion capacity is still a limiting factor for the construction of multivalent vaccines. Previously, we described a new system to generate HBcΔ mosaic particles based on a read-through mechanism in an <i>Escherichia coli</i> suppressor strain [J Gen Virol 1997;78:2049–2053]. Those mosaic particles allowed the insertion of a 114-amino acid (aa)-long segment of a Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) nucleocap…
Relationship between within-host fitness and virulence in the vesicular stomatitis virus: correlation with partial decoupling.
2012
ABSTRACT Given the parasitic nature of viruses, it is sometimes assumed that rates of viral replication and dissemination within hosts (within-host fitness) correlate with virulence. However, there is currently little empirical evidence supporting this principle. To test this, we quantified the fitness and virulence of 21 single- or double-nucleotide mutants of the vesicular stomatitis virus in baby hamster kidney cells (BHK-21). We found that, overall, these two traits correlated positively, but significant outliers were identified. Particularly, a single mutation in the conserved C terminus of the N nucleocapsid (U1323A) had a strongly deleterious fitness effect but did not alter or even …
Generation of monoclonal antibodies of desired specificity using chimeric polyomavirus-derived virus-like particles.
2005
Foreign protein sequences presented on hamster polyomavirus (HaPyV) major capsid protein VP1-derived virus-like particles (VLPs) have been demonstrated to be highly immunogenic. The current study was aimed to evaluate VP1-derived chimeric VLPs as tools for hybridoma technology to generate monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) of desired specificity. Chimeric VLPs containing inserts of different size and origin were used as immunogens. Chimeric VLPs carrying a 9 amino acid (aa)-long cytotoxic T-cell epitope (STAPPVHNV) of human mucin 1 (MUC1) elicited a strong epitope-specific humoral immune response in mice and promoted the production of MUC1-specific mAbs. From a total of seven mAbs of IgG isotype …
Development of novel immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgA, and IgM enzyme immunoassays based on recombinant Puumala and Dobrava hantavirus nucleocapsid protei…
2006
ABSTRACT Human infections with Asian and European hantaviruses can result in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndromes of differing severities characterized by renal dysfunction and sometimes by pulmonary symptoms. For the serological detection of human infections by hantaviruses relevant for Europe, we developed monoclonal antibody capture immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on yeast-expressed nucleocapsid proteins of Puumala and Dobrava hantaviruses. Moreover, for diagnosis of acute infections, μ-capture IgM ELISAs were established with nucleocapsid proteins expressed in Drosophila melanogaster Schneider S2 cells. The cutoff values of the ELISAs w…
An amino-terminal segment of hantavirus nucleocapsid protein presented on hepatitis B virus core particles induces a strong and highly cross-reactive…
2004
AbstractPreviously, we have demonstrated that hepatitis B virus (HBV) core particles tolerate the insertion of the amino-terminal 120 amino acids (aa) of the Puumala hantavirus nucleocapsid (N) protein. Here, we demonstrate that the insertion of 120 amino-terminal aa of N proteins from highly virulent Dobrava and Hantaan hantaviruses allows the formation of chimeric core particles. These particles expose the inserted foreign protein segments, at least in part, on their surface. Analysis by electron cryomicroscopy of chimeric particles harbouring the Puumala virus (PUUV) N segment revealed 90% T = 3 and 10% T = 4 shells. A map computed from T = 3 shells shows additional density splaying out …
A hantavirus nucleocapsid protein segment exposed on hepatitis B virus core particles is highly immunogenic in mice when applied without adjuvants or…
2005
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) core particles carrying the amino-terminal 120 amino acids (aa) of the nucleocapsid (N) protein of the hantaviruses Dobrava, Hantaan or Puumala have been demonstrated to be highly immunogenic in mice when complexed with adjuvants. Here we demonstrate that even without adjuvant, these chimeric particles induced high-titered, and strongly cross-reactive N-specific antibody responses in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. The induced N-specific antibodies represented all IgG subclasses. Pre-existing core-specific antibodies did not abrogate the induction of an N-specific immune response by a hantavirus N insert presented on core particles. Therefore, chimeric core particles should…
Dendritic cell aggresome-like-induced structure formation and delayed antigen presentation coincide in influenza virus-infected dendritic cells.
2005
Abstract Influenza virus infection induces maturation of murine dendritic cells (DCs), which is most important for the initiation of an immune response. However, in contrast to EL-4 and MC57 cells, DCs present viral CTL epitopes with a delay of up to 10 h. This delay in Ag presentation coincides with the up-regulation of MHC class I molecules as well as costimulatory molecules on the cell surface and the accumulation of newly synthesized ubiquitinated proteins in large cytosolic structures, called DC aggresome-like-induced structures (DALIS). These structures were observed previously after LPS-induced maturation of DCs, and it was speculated that they play a role in the regulation of MHC cl…