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Full-Text Articles in Viruses

Studies Of Entry, Reverse Transcription, And Regulation Of Splicing In Retroviruses, Timothy A. Sullivan Dec 2008

Studies Of Entry, Reverse Transcription, And Regulation Of Splicing In Retroviruses, Timothy A. Sullivan

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

The study of retroviruses and their lifecycle has contributed immensely to our knowledge of the world of biology and medicine. The central dogma of the basic flow of genetic information was shattered when the discovery that retroviruses copy their RNA genome into DNA was made. The same enzyme that performs this step, reverse transcriptase (RT), also revolutionized molecular biology when it was used as a tool to generate full length cDNA clones of expressed genes. The impact of retroviruses on the medical field has been extremely exciting as the ideas of using retroviral vectors to deliver genes providing long term …


Investigation Of The Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Matrix Protein: Uncoating And Assembly, Chad E. Mire Dec 2008

Investigation Of The Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Matrix Protein: Uncoating And Assembly, Chad E. Mire

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV) is a simple, enveloped, nonsegmented negative-strand RNA virus and is the prototype rhabdovirus to study viral entry, transcription, replication, and assembly. The matrix protein (M) of VSV is a central component of the viral replication cycle. While being the smallest of the viral proteins it is multifunctional and is involved in uncoating, cytopathic effects (CPE), and assembly of the virus. M protein interactions involved in the uncoating and assembly of VSV have been examined in this dissertation.

Uncoating of VSV involves dissociation of M from the ribonucleoprotein core (RNPs) of the virus. Current models of VSV …


Manipulation Of The Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus Envelope Protein In An Effort To Develop Directly And Indirectly Targeted Retroviral Vectors For Use In Human Gene Therapy, Geneva M. Vasser Dec 2008

Manipulation Of The Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus Envelope Protein In An Effort To Develop Directly And Indirectly Targeted Retroviral Vectors For Use In Human Gene Therapy, Geneva M. Vasser

Theses and Dissertations (ETD)

Highly effective, targeted therapies against cancer would revolutionize the way people recover from this devastating illness. Gone would be the lingering side effects of the current non-specific treatments and in their place would be faster recovery times, better quality of life both during and after treatment, and less ambiguity about whether or not treatment was effective. This concept will elude modern medicine until treatments can be tailored to the patient's individual and unique disease. This concept of a transient, targeted, and tailored vehicle aimed at cancer cells lends itself to the use of replication deficient retroviral gene therapy vectors with …


Helical Peptides Derived From Lactoferrin Bind Hepatitis C Virus Envelope Protein E2, Reem Beleid, Donna Douglas, Norman Kneteman, Kamaljit Kaur Oct 2008

Helical Peptides Derived From Lactoferrin Bind Hepatitis C Virus Envelope Protein E2, Reem Beleid, Donna Douglas, Norman Kneteman, Kamaljit Kaur

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Hepatitis C virus is a major cause of chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma infecting more than 170 million people. Hepatitis C virus envelope 2 glycoprotein (E2) binds several cell‐surface molecules that act as receptor candidates mediating hepatitis C virus entry into hepatocytes. Peptides derived from human lactoferrin have been shown to bind hepatitis C virus‐E2 protein thereby preventing hepatitis C virus entry in cultured hepatocytes. In this study, starting from a 33‐residue human lactoferrin‐derived peptide, a number of biotin‐linked α‐peptides were synthesized and investigated for their E2 protein binding activity. E2 protein from hepatitis C virus genotype 1b …


Transmembrane Domain Length Of Viral K+ Channels Is A Signal For Mitochondria Targeting, Jorg Balss, Panagiotis Papatheodorou, Mario Mehmel, Dirk Baumeister, Brigitte Hertel, Nicolas Delaroque, Frank C. Chatelain, Daniel L. Minor Jr., James L. Van Etten, Joachim Rassow, Anna Moroni, Gerhard Thiel Jun 2008

Transmembrane Domain Length Of Viral K+ Channels Is A Signal For Mitochondria Targeting, Jorg Balss, Panagiotis Papatheodorou, Mario Mehmel, Dirk Baumeister, Brigitte Hertel, Nicolas Delaroque, Frank C. Chatelain, Daniel L. Minor Jr., James L. Van Etten, Joachim Rassow, Anna Moroni, Gerhard Thiel

James Van Etten Publications

K+ channels operate in the plasma membrane and in membranes of organelles including mitochondria. The mechanisms and topogenic information for their differential synthesis and targeting is unknown. This article describes 2 similar viral K+ channels that are differentially sorted; one protein (Kesv) is imported by the Tom complex into the mitochondria, the other (Kcv) to the plasma membrane. By creating chimeras we discovered that mitochondrial sorting of Kesv depends on a hierarchical combination of N- and C-terminal signals. Crucial is the length of the second transmembrane domain; extending its C terminus by >2 hydrophobic amino acids redirects Kesv …


Tetanus And Rabies Eradication In Pakistan; A Mission Not Impossible, Mohammad Wasay, Ismail A. Khatri, Naseem Salahuddin Apr 2008

Tetanus And Rabies Eradication In Pakistan; A Mission Not Impossible, Mohammad Wasay, Ismail A. Khatri, Naseem Salahuddin

Department of Medicine

No abstract provided.


Differential Role Of Nadp+ And Nadph In The Activity And Structure Of Gdp-D-Mannose 4,6-Dehydratase From Two Chlorella Viruses, Floriana Fruscione, Laura Sturla, Garry Duncan, James L. Van Etten, Paola Valbuzzi, Antonio De Flora, Eleonopra Di Zanni, Michela Tonetti Jan 2008

Differential Role Of Nadp+ And Nadph In The Activity And Structure Of Gdp-D-Mannose 4,6-Dehydratase From Two Chlorella Viruses, Floriana Fruscione, Laura Sturla, Garry Duncan, James L. Van Etten, Paola Valbuzzi, Antonio De Flora, Eleonopra Di Zanni, Michela Tonetti

James Van Etten Publications

GDP-D-mannose 4,6-dehydratase (GMD) is a key enzyme involved in the synthesis of 6-deoxyhexoses in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus-1 (PBCV-1) encodes a functional GMD, which is unique among characterized GMDs because it also has a strong stereospecific NADPH-dependent reductase activity leading to GDP-D-rhamnose formation (Tonetti, M., Zanardi, D., Gurnon, J., Fruscione, F., Armirotti, A., Damonte, G., Sturla, L., De Flora, A., and Van Etten, J.L. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 21559–21565). In the present study we characterized a recombinant GMD encoded by another chlorella virus, Acanthocystis turfacea chlorella virus 1 (ATCV-1), demonstrating that it has the expected dehydratase …