Growth-associated protein-43 and ephrin B3 induction in the brain of adult SIV-infected rhesus macaques.

Understanding the mechanisms of neuronal regeneration and repair in the adult central nervous system is a vital area of research. Using a rhesus lentiviral encephalitis model, we sought to determine whether recovery of neuronal metabolism after injury coincides with the induction of two important markers of synaptodendritic repair: growth-associated protein-43 (GAP-43) and ephrin B3. We examined whether the improvement of neuronal metabolism with combined anti-retroviral therapy (cART) after simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection in rhesus macaques involved induction of GAP-43, also known as neuromodulin, and ephrin B3, both implicated in axonal pathfinding during neurodevelopment and regulation of synapse formation, neuronal plasticity, and repair in adult brain.

Intracellular neutralization of shiga toxin 2 by an a subunit-specific human monoclonal antibody.

Infection of children with Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is the leading cause of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). Stx2, one of two toxins liberated by the bacteria, is directly linked with HUS. We have previously shown that Stx2-specific human monoclonal antibodies (HuMAbs) protect mice and piglets from fatal systemic complications of Stx2.

Alterations in expression of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 in the simian immunodeficiency virus model of disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex.

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection is the most common disseminated bacterial infection in untreated patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). We investigated the potential role of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in the pathogenesis of disseminated MAC, using the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)/macaque model of AIDS. Macaques were inoculated with SIV, followed by challenge with a pathogenic AIDS isolate of M.