Expansion of genotypic diversity and establishment of 2009 H1N1 pandemic-origin internal genes in pigs in China.

Unlabelled: Two-way transmission of influenza viruses between humans and swine has been frequently observed, and the occurrence of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza virus (pdm/09) demonstrated that swine-origin viruses could facilitate the genesis of a pandemic strain. Although multiple introductions to and reassortment in swine of the pdm/09 virus have been repeatedly reported in both Eurasia and the Americas, its long-term impact on the development of swine influenza viruses (SIVs) has not been systematically explored. Our comprehensive evolutionary studies of the complete genomes of 387 SIVs obtained from 2009 to 2012 by influenza virus surveillance in China revealed 17 reassortant genotypes with pdm/09-origin genes.

Evaluation of three commercially available influenza A type-specific blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for seroepidemiological studies of influenza A virus infection in pigs.

The reverse zoonotic transmission of the pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza virus to swine necessitates enhanced surveillance of swine for influenza virus infection. Using a well-characterized panel of naturally infected swine sera, we evaluated and optimized the performances of three commercially available competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), namely, the IDEXX Influenza A Ab test, IDEXX AI MultiS-Screen Ab test, and IDVet ID Screen influenza A antibody competition ELISA, for detecting influenza A virus-reactive antibodies in swine. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis suggests that adjustment of the manufacturer-recommended cutoff values optimizes the sensitivity and specificity of these assays, making them applicable for seroepidemiology studies of swine influenza.

Exploring neoglycoprotein assembly through native chemical ligation using neoglycopeptide thioesters prepared via N-->S acyl transfer.

Sugars and simplified oligosaccharide "mimics" can be joined with protein fragments at pre-defined sites using reliable chemical reactions such as thiol alkylation and Cu(I) catalysed azide/acetylene ligation (click chemistry). These fragments have the potential to be assembled into neoglycoprotein therapeutics using native chemical ligation.