An Elastin-like Polypeptide-fusion peptide targeting capsid-tegument interface as an antiviral against cytomegalovirus infection.

The tegument protein pp150 of Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is known to be essential for the final stages of virus maturation and mediates its functions by interacting with capsid proteins. Our laboratory has previously identified the critical regions in pp150 important for pp150-capsid interactions and designed peptides similar in sequence to these regions, with a goal to competitively inhibit capsid maturation. Treatment with a specific peptide (PepCR2 or P10) targeted to pp150 conserved region 2 led to a significant reduction in murine CMV (MCMV) growth in cell culture, paving the way for in vivo testing in a mouse model of CMV infection.

Modulation of social space by dopamine in but no effect on the avoidance of the stress odorant.

Appropriate response to others is necessary for social interactions. Yet little is known about how neurotransmitters regulate attractive and repulsive social cues. Using genetic and pharmacological manipulations in , we show that dopamine is contributing the response to others in a social group, specifically, social spacing, but not the avoidance of odours released by stressed flies (dSO).

Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster.

The social space assay described here can be used to quantify social interactions of Drosophila melanogaster - or other small insects - in a straightforward manner. As we previously demonstrated (1), in a two-dimensional chamber, we first force the flies to form a tight group, subsequently allowing them to take their preferred distance from each other. After the flies have settled, we measure the distance to the closest neighbor (or social space), processing a static picture with free online software (ImageJ).