Search results for "viruses"
showing 10 items of 1182 documents
Variability and host-dependency of RNA virus mutation rates
2015
Los virus de ARN pueden infectar todo tipo de organismos, desde los procariotas a los eucariotas superiores, y estos agentes infecciosos parecen particularmente propensos a causar enfermedades emergentes tanto en humanos, animales, como en plantas. Su habilidad para escapar del sistema inmunitario, evadir estrategias antivirales o infectar a nuevas especies son aspecto más de su rápida evolución. Por lo tanto, comprender los procesos básicos del la evolución de los virus de ARN podría ayudar en el diseño de nuevas estrategias antivirales. Una de las principales características de los virus de ARN es su tasa de mutación extremadamente alta. De hecho, la alta diversidad genética de las poblac…
Investigation of superspreading COVID-19 outbreak events in meat and poultry processing plants in Germany: A cross-sectional study.
2020
Since May 2020, several COVID-19 outbreaks have occurred in the German meat industry despite various protective measures, and temperature and ventilation conditions were considered as possible high-risk factors. This cross-sectional study examined meat and poultry plants to examine possible risk factors. Companies completed a self-administered questionnaire on the work environment and protective measures taken to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection. Multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for the possibility to distance at least 1.5 meters, break rules, and employment status was performed to identify risk factors associated with COVID-19 cases. Twenty-two meat and poultry plants with 1…
Evolutionary plasticity of SH3 domain binding by Nef proteins of the HIV-1/SIVcpz lentiviral lineage
2021
The accessory protein Nef of human and simian immunodeficiency viruses (HIV and SIV) is an important pathogenicity factor known to interact with cellular protein kinases and other signaling proteins. A canonical SH3 domain binding motif in Nef is required for most of these interactions. For example, HIV-1 Nef activates the tyrosine kinase Hck by tightly binding to its SH3 domain. An archetypal contact between a negatively charged SH3 residue and a highly conserved arginine in Nef (Arg77) plays a key role here. Combining structural analyses with functional assays, we here show that Nef proteins have also developed a distinct structural strategy—termed the "R-clamp”—that favors the formation …
Arabinose nucleoside triphosphates are no inhibitors for DNA-dependent RNA polymerases.
1976
1-Beta-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine-5' -triphosphate and 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenosine-5' -triphosphate were found to have no inhibitory potency for both mammalian DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II and E. coli DNA-dependent RNA polymerase.
Rev protein suppression of complex formation between nuclear proteins and rev-responsive element-containing RNA of human immunodeficiency virus-1
1995
The Rev protein from human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is known to bind Rev responsive element (RRE) sequence of HIV-1 mRNA. This interaction is thought to enhance expression of viral structural proteins but the mechanism for this effect is uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate (i) whether other cellular proteins also bind to the RRE sequence and (ii) whether binding of cellular proteins to RRE RNA is influenced by Rev protein. Our results revealed that a variety of RNA-protein complexes are formed when in vitro transcribed RRE-containing RNA is incubated with proteins present in HeLa nuclear extracts. The molecular masses of the most prominent bands in RNase protect…
Exogenous introduction of an immunodominant peptide from the non-structural IE1 protein of human cytomegalovirus into the MHC class I presentation pa…
2008
Exogenous introduction of particle-associated proteins of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) into the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I presentation pathway by subviral dense bodies (DB) is an effective way to sensitize cells against CD8 T-cell (CTL) recognition and killing. Consequently, these particles have been proposed as a platform for vaccine development. We have developed a strategy to refine the antigenic composition of DB. For proof of principle, an HCMV recombinant (RV-VM3) was generated that encoded the immunodominant CTL determinant IE1TMY from the IE1 protein in fusion with the major constituent of DB, the tegument protein pp65. To generate RV-VM3, a bacterial artificial…
Expression and trafficking of fluorescent viral membrane proteins in baculovirus-transduced BHK cells
2004
Baculovirus vectors show promise as a novel tool for gene delivery into mammalian cells and gene transfer with wild-type baculovirus has been demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. To study expression and intracellular trafficking of foreign viral membrane proteins in baculovirus-transduced mammalian cells, the envelope proteins, E1 and E2, of rubella virus (RV) were chosen as a model. The enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and a red fluorescent protein (RFP) were fused to the C-terminus of E1 and E2, respectively. The proteins were cloned under a cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter and expressed as fluorescent fusion proteins in baculovirus-transduced baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells. Ex…
Specific Binding of Baculoviruses Displaying gp64 Fusion Proteins to Mammalian Cells
2001
Viral vectors displaying specific ligand binding moieties have raised an increasing interest in the area of targeted gene therapy. In this report, we describe baculovirus vectors displaying either a functional single chain antibody fragment (scFv) specific for the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) or the synthetic IgG binding domains (ZZ) derived from protein A of Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, the vectors were engineered to incorporate a reporter gene encoding the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the transcriptional regulation of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) IE promoter. Display of the targeting moieties on the viral surface was achieved through fusion to the N-terminus of gp…
The Tobacco mosaic virus movement protein associates with but does not integrate into biological membranes
2014
Plant positive-strand RNA viruses require association with plant cell endomembranes for viral translation and replication, as well as for intra- and intercellular movement of the viral progeny. The membrane association and RNA binding of the Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) movement protein (MP) are vital for orchestrating the macromolecular network required for virus movement. A previously proposed topological model suggests that TMV MP is an integral membrane protein with two putative -helical transmembrane (TM) segments. Here we tested this model using an experimental system that measured the efficiency with which natural polypeptide segments were inserted into the ER membrane under conditions…
Comparative cytogenetics of human chromosome 3q21.3 reveals a hot spot for ectopic recombination in hominoid evolution
2004
Fluorescence in situ hybridization mapping of fully integrated human BAC clones to primate chromosomes, combined with precise breakpoint localization by PCR analysis of flow-sorted chromosomes, was used to analyze the evolutionary rearrangements of the human 3q21.3-syntenic region in orangutan, siamang gibbon, and silvered-leaf monkey. Three independent evolutionary breakpoints were localized within a 230-kb segment contained in BACs RP11-93K22 and RP11-77P16. Approximately 200 kb of the human 3q21.3 sequence was not present on the homologous orangutan, siamang, and Old World monkey chromosomes, suggesting a genomic DNA insertion into the breakpoint region in the lineage leading to humans a…