Breaking the Silence: Regulation of HIV Transcription and Latency on the Road to a Cure.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has brought the HIV/AIDS epidemic under control, but a curative strategy for viral eradication is still needed. The cessation of ART results in rapid viral rebound from latently infected CD4+ T cells, showing that control of viral replication alone does not fully restore immune function, nor does it eradicate viral reservoirs. With a better understanding of factors and mechanisms that promote viral latency, current approaches are primarily focused on the permanent silencing of latently infected cells ("block and lock") or reactivating HIV-1 gene expression in latently infected cells, in combination with immune restoration strategies to eliminate HIV infected cells from the host ("shock and kill").

Determination of meglumine in pharmaceutical formulations using high performance liquid chromatography.

Four different approaches were followed for the development of a HPLC method for the determination of meglumine in solid dosage formulations: derivatization of meglumine prior to HPLC analysis, the use of an ion-pairing reagent in the mobile phase, the use of charged surface hybrid stationary phase and the use of a column designed for carbohydrate separations. The method using anionic pairing reagent in the mobile phase was shown to be suitable for the quantitative determination of meglumine in solid dosage forms. The HPLC separation was achieved on an Agilent Eclipse XDB-C18 column (150 mm x 4.

Hepatitis C virus soluble E2 in combination with QuilA and CpG ODN induces neutralizing antibodies in mice.

Several studies have emphasized the importance of an early, highly neutralizing antibody response in the clearance of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The envelope glycoprotein E2 is a major target for HCV neutralizing antibodies. Here, we compared antibody responses in mice immunized with native soluble E2 (sE2) from the H77 1a isolate coupled with different adjuvants or combinations of adjuvants.

Monoclonal anti-claudin 1 antibodies prevent hepatitis C virus infection of primary human hepatocytes.

Background & Aims: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a challenge to prevent and treat because of the rapid development of drug resistance and escape. Viral entry is required for initiation, spread, and maintenance of infection, making it an attractive target for antiviral strategies. The tight junction protein claudin-1 (CLDN1) has been shown to be required for entry of HCV into the cell.

Residues in a highly conserved claudin-1 motif are required for hepatitis C virus entry and mediate the formation of cell-cell contacts.

Claudin-1, a component of tight junctions between liver hepatocytes, is a hepatitis C virus (HCV) late-stage entry cofactor. To investigate the structural and functional roles of various claudin-1 domains in HCV entry, we applied a mutagenesis strategy. Putative functional intracellular claudin-1 domains were not important.