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Full-Text Articles in Immunology of Infectious Disease
Designing A Novel Hiv-1 Candidate Vaccine, Rahul Pawa
Designing A Novel Hiv-1 Candidate Vaccine, Rahul Pawa
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Currently no vaccine has been developed that can prevent the spread of HIV-1. During sexual transmission, a single viral variant called the Transmitted/Founder (T/F) purportedly with unique physical properties, establishes infection in 70-80% of individuals. Unlike previous studies that have tried to identify T/F viruses based on their structure glycan composition and amino acid sequence, we have analyzed the RNA sequences of HIV-1 to help identify T/F variants. Using a combination of both in silico data analysis and in vitro assays, we have identified that T/F viruses have higher numbers of immunostimulatory motifs than HIV virions that fail to infect. …
Role Of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Transporters In Staphylococcus Aureus Virulence, Sameha Omer
Role Of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Transporters In Staphylococcus Aureus Virulence, Sameha Omer
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) act as effector molecules that signal a global transcriptional regulator, CodY, to regulate virulence factors in nutrient depleted environments. Staphylococcus aureus contains three putative BCAA transporters (BrnQ1, BrnQ2, BrnQ3) whose role in BCAA uptake is unknown. We hypothesize that BrnQ transporters are involved in BCAA uptake and contribute to virulence in S. aureus by modulating CodY activity. Results from radioactive uptake assays indicate that BrnQ1 is the predominant BrnQ transporter of isoleucine, valine and leucine. Meanwhile, BrnQ2 is more specific for isoleucine. Furthermore, only the lack of BrnQ1 hinders growth of S. aureus in chemically-defined media …