Publications by authors named "M Agbandje-McKenna"

Article Synopsis
  • AAV serotypes from primates are being utilized as gene therapy vectors in humans, but their evolutionary mechanics, particularly genetic recombination, are not well understood.
  • Natural AAV capsid genes were analyzed to identify positively selected sites that are significant to their structure and function.
  • The study found that while one site on the AAV2 capsid showed no correlation with human immune response, another site was crucial for the virus's ability to evade human antibodies, enhancing understanding of AAV evolution and potential for gene therapy applications.
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Introduction: Parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a human pathogen, and the minor capsid protein of B19V possesses a unique N terminus called VP1u that plays a crucial role in the life cycle of the virus.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to develop a method for domain segmentation of B19 VP1u using intein technology, particularly its receptor binding domain (RBD) and phospholipase A2 (PLA) domain.

Methods: RBD and PLA domains of VP1u were each fused to the DnaE split inteins derived from the .

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Structural biology efforts using cryogenic electron microscopy are frequently stifled by specimens adopting "preferred orientations" on grids, leading to anisotropic map resolution and impeding structure determination. Tilting the specimen stage during data collection is a generalizable solution but has historically led to substantial resolution attenuation. Here, we develop updated data collection and image processing workflows and demonstrate, using multiple specimens, that resolution attenuation is negligible or significantly reduced across tilt angles.

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Structural biology efforts using cryogenic electron microscopy are frequently stifled by specimens adopting "preferred orientations" on grids, leading to anisotropic map resolution and impeding structure determination. Tilting the specimen stage during data collection is a generalizable solution but has historically led to substantial resolution attenuation. Here, we develop updated data collection and image processing workflows and demonstrate, using multiple specimens, that resolution attenuation is negligible or significantly reduced across tilt angles.

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Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a nonenveloped single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) icosahedral T=1 virus being developed as a vector for clinical gene delivery systems. Currently, there are approximately 160 AAV clinical trials, with AAV2 being the most widely studied serotype. To further understand the AAV gene delivery system, this study investigates the role of viral protein (VP) symmetry interactions on capsid assembly, genome packaging, stability, and infectivity.

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