Community screening for hepatitis C virus infection in a low-prevalence population.

Background: Age cohort screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) might be an effective strategy if the majority of undiagnosed cases are concentrated in a particular age group. The objective of this study was to determine HCV prevalence in different age cohorts of the general population in the Central European part of Russia and second, to assess feasibility of HCV antigen testing for community screening programs.

Methods: Sera from 2027 volunteers were tested for anti-HCV (Architect Anti-HCV, Abbott Laboratories).

Purine bases at position 37 of tRNA stabilize codon-anticodon interaction in the ribosomal A site by stacking and Mg2+-dependent interactions.

The anticodon loop of tRNA contains a number of conserved or semiconserved nucleotides. In most tRNAs, a highly modified purine is found at position 37 immediately 3' to the anticodon. Here, we examined the role of the base at position 37 for tRNA(Phe) binding to the A site of Escherichia coli ribosomes.

Ribosomal localization of translation initiation factor IF2.

Bacterial translation initiation factor IF2 is a GTP-binding protein that catalyzes binding of initiator fMet-tRNA in the ribosomal P site. The topographical localization of IF2 on the ribosomal subunits, a prerequisite for understanding the mechanism of initiation complex formation, has remained elusive. Here, we present a model for the positioning of IF2 in the 70S initiation complex as determined by cleavage of rRNA by the chemical nucleases Cu(II):1,10-orthophenanthroline and Fe(II):EDTA tethered to cysteine residues introduced into IF2.