Temporal analysis of reassortment and molecular evolution of Cucumber mosaic virus: Extra clues from its segmented genome.

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) is a damaging pathogen of over 200 mono- and dicotyledonous crop species worldwide. It has the broadest known host range of any virus, but the timescale of its evolution is unknown. To investigate the evolutionary history of this virus, we obtained the genomic sequences of 40 CMV isolates from brassicas sampled in Iran, Turkey and Japan, and combined them with published sequences.

Synthesis of a beta-tetrapeptide analog as a mother compound for the development of matrix metalloproteinase-2-imaging agents.

Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) is an attractive target for the diagnosis of cancer and atherosclerosis in nuclear imaging. A cyclic decapeptide, cCTTHWGFTLC (cCTT), has been used as the mother compound for the development of MMP-2-imaging agents with high potency and selectivity. Most of radiolabeled derivatives of cCTT currently developed for in vivo studies of MMP-2, however, suffer from low accumulation in the target tissues, such as tumors.