Characterization of the DMAE-modified juvenile excretory-secretory protein Juv-p120 of Litomosoides sigmodontis.

Juv-p120 is an excretory-secretory 160 kDa glycoprotein of juvenile female Litomosoides sigmodontis and exhibits features typical for mucins. 50% of its molecular mass is attributed to posttranslational modifications with the unusual substituent dimethylaminoethanol (DMAE). By that Juv-p120 corresponds to the surface proteins of the microfilarial sheath, Shp3 and Shp3a.

Avian polyomavirus expression patterns of bicistronic late mRNAs.

Avian polyomavirus (APV, previously called budgerigar fledgling disease virus, BFDV-1) differs from other polyoma viruses by a complex arrangement within its late genes: p(L1)-promoted agno-genes 1a and 1b overlap p(L2)-promoted agno-genes 2a and 2b in different reading frames, and are located upstream of standard late VP genes. As a minimal set, agno-gene 1a plus VP1, VP2, VP3 support effective viral propagation in cell culture, together with the origin-region and T-antigen section. All viral late mRNAs are (at least) bicistronic, and have an agno-gene located upstream of VP2/VP3 or VP1.

Active NF-kappaB signalling is a prerequisite for influenza virus infection.

Influenza virus still poses a major threat to human health. Despite widespread vaccination programmes and the development of drugs targeting essential viral proteins, the extremely high mutation rate of influenza virus still leads to the emergence of new pathogenic virus strains. Therefore, it has been suggested that cellular cofactors that are essential for influenza virus infection might be better targets for antiviral therapy.

Efficient generation and expansion of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells by recombinant influenza viruses.

Adoptive transfer of in vitro generated antigen-specific T cells has been successfully used to treat viral infections in immunodeficient patients. Therefore, methods for the rapid in vitro expansion of antigen-specific T cells are needed. Influenza virus efficiently infects dendritic cells, and peptides derived from viral proteins are processed and presented to CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells.

Cloning and expression analysis of two mucin-like genes encoding microfilarial sheath surface proteins of the parasitic nematodes Brugia and Litomosoides.

In several filarial genera the first stage larvae (microfilariae) are enclosed by an eggshell-derived sheath that provides a major interface between the parasite and the host immune system. Analysis of the polypeptide constituents of the microfilarial sheath from the cotton rat filaria Litomosoides sigmodontis identified two abundant surface glycoproteins: Shp3a and Shp3. The corresponding genes and the orthologues of the human parasite Brugia malayi and the rodent filaria Brugia pahangi were cloned and sequenced.

Interaction of influenza virus polymerase with viral RNA in the 'corkscrew' conformation.

The influenza virus RNA (vRNA) promoter structure is known to consist of the 5'- and 3'-terminal sequences of the RNA, within very narrow boundaries of 16 and 15 nucleotides, respectively. A complete set of single nucleotide substitutions led to the previously proposed model of a binary hooked or 'corkscrew' conformation for the vRNA promoter when it interacts with the viral polymerase. This functional structure is confirmed here with a complete set of complementary double substitutions, of both the regular A:U and G:C type and also the G:U type of base-pair exchanges.