Relative contribution of dengue prM- and E-specific polyclonal antibodies to neutralization and enhancement.

Viral surface proteins, premembrane protein (prM) and envelope (E) protein have been shown to induce a production of antibodies that are involved in both enhancement and neutralization. To explore the feasibility of modifying the relative immune responses to prM and E proteins, four DNA constructs were created and administered into groups of Balb/c mice; pPW01 contains prM and E genes of DENV1, pPW02 contains prM and E genes of DENV2, pPW03 contains DENV1 prM and DENV2 E, and pPW04 contains DENV2 prM and DENV1 E. Exchange of either prM or E from a heterologous serotype does not appear to have an effect on the immunogenicity of the proteins.

Viral evolution and transmission effectiveness.

Different viruses transmit among hosts with different degrees of efficiency. A basic reproductive number (R0) indicates an average number of cases getting infected from a single infected case. R0 can vary widely from a little over 1 to more than 10.

Positive selection sites in the surface genes of dengue virus: phylogenetic analysis of the interserotypic branches of the four serotypes.

The existence of four dengue serotypes is associated with a phenomenon called "Antibody-Dependent Enhancement" that has been suggested to cause a severe form of dengue hemorrhagic fever and shock syndrome. To study the evolutionary event that drove the serotype separation, we employed the maximum likelihood approach by focusing on the Premembrane (prM) and Envelop (E) genes. We showed that the separation of dengue serotypes had been dominantly under purifying selection.

Nodulation gene mutants of Mesorhizobium loti R7A-nodZ and nolL mutants have host-specific phenotypes on Lotus spp.

Rhizobial Nod factors induce plant responses and facilitate bacterial infection, leading to the development of nitrogen-fixing root nodules on host legumes. Nodule initiation is highly dependent on Nod-factor structure and, hence, on at least some of the nodulation genes that encode Nod-factor production. Here, we report the effects of mutations in Mesorhizobium loti R7A nodulation genes on nodulation of four Lotus spp.