Microbiology Commons^™

Mucosal Antibody Responses To Vaccines Targeting Siv Protease Cleavage Sites Or Fulllength Gag And Env Proteins In Mauritian Cynomolgus Macaques, Hongzhao Li, Yan Hai, So-Yon Lim, Nikki Toledo, Jose Crecente-Campo, Dane Schalk, Lin Li, Robert W. Omange, Tamara G. Dacoba, Lewis R. Liu, Mohammad Abul Kashem, Yanmin Wan, Binhua Liang, Qingsheng Li, Eva Rakasz, Nancy Schultz-Darken, Maria J. Alonso, Francis A. Plummer, James B. Whitney, Ma Luo

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

HIV mutates rapidly and infects CD4⁺ T cells, especially when they are activated. A vaccine targeting conserved, essential viral elements while limiting CD4⁺ T cell activation could be effective. Learning from natural immunity observed in a group of highly HIV-1 exposed seronegative Kenyan female sex workers, we are testing a novel candidate HIV vaccine targeting the 12 viral protease cleavage sites (PCSs) (the PCS vaccine), in comparison with a vaccine targeting full-length Gag and Env (the Gag/Env vaccine) in a Mauritian cynomolgus macaque/SIV model. In this study we evaluated these vaccines for induction of mucosal antibodies to SIV …

Sivcpz Closely Related To The Ancestral Hiv-1 Is Less Or Non-Pathogenic To Humans In A Hu-Blt Mouse Model, Zhe Yuan, Guobin Kang, Lance Daharsh, Wenjin Fan, Qingsheng Li

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The HIV-1 pandemic is a consequence of the cross-species transmission of simian immunodeficiency virus in wild chimpanzees (SIVcpz) to humans. Our previous study demonstrated SIVcpz strains that are closely related to the ancestral viruses of HIV-1 groups M (SIVcpzMB897) and N (SIVcpzEK505) and two SIVcpz lineages that are not associated with any known HIV-1 infections in humans (SIVcpzMT145 and SIVcpzBF1167), all can readily infect and robustly replicate in the humanized-BLT mouse model of humans. However, the comparative pathogenicity of different SIVcpz strains remains unknown. Herein, we compared the pathogenicity of the above four SIVcpz strains with HIV-1 using humanized-BLT mice. …

Identification Of Unequally Represented Founder Viruses Among Tissues In Very Early Siv Rectal Transmission, Jian Chen, Yanqin Ren, Lance Daharsh, Lu Liu, Guobin Kang, Qingsheng Li, Qiang Wei, Yanmin Wu, Jianqing Xu

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Characterizing the transmitted/founder (T/F) viruses of multi-variant SIV infection may shed new light on the understanding of mucosal transmission.We intrarectally inoculated six Chinese rhesus macaques with a single high dose of SIVmac251 (3.1 × 10⁴ TCID₅₀) and obtained 985 full-length env sequences from multiple tissues at 6 and 10 days post-infection by single genome amplification (SGA). All 6 monkeys were infected with a range of 2 to 8 T/F viruses and the dominant variants from the inoculum were still dominant in different tissues from each monkey. Interestingly, our data showed that a cluster of rare T/F viruses …

Analytical Performance Of A Low‐Cost Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Human Papillomavirus Genotyping Assay For Use In Sub‐Saharan Africa, Kandali Samwel, Crispin Kahesa, Julius Mwaiselage, Daniela Gonzalez, John T. West, Charles Wood, Joel Palefsky, Peter C. Angeletti

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

We have tested a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) human papillomavirus (HPV) genotyping assay to fill the need for rapid and low‐cost HPV detection in Sub‐ Saharan Africa. This method allows high throughput genotyping and simultaneous detection of 14 high‐risk and two low‐risk HPV types, by PCR amplification of HPV DNAs in a single reaction tube. In this study, we describe stepwise experiments to validate the multiplex HPV PCR assay for determination of HPV genotypes from 104 cervical brush samples from Tanzanian women. Assay performance was evaluated by determination of intra‐laboratory reproducibility, sensitivity, and specificity. Further performance was assessed by …

Discovery Of A Non-Nucleoside Rna Polymerase Inhibitor For Blocking Zika Virus Replication Through In Silico Screening, Aryamav Pattnaik, Nicholas Palermo, Bikash R. Sahoo, Zhe Yuan, Duoyi Hu, Arun S. Annamalai, Hiep L. X. Vu, Ignacio Correas, Pavan Kumar Prathipati, Christopher J. Destache, Qingsheng Li, Fernando A. Osorio, Asit K. Pattnaik, Shi-Hua Xiang

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Zika virus (ZIKV), an emerging arbovirus, has become a major human health concern globally due to its association with congenital abnormalities and neurological diseases. Licensed vaccines or antivirals against ZIKV are currently unavailable. Here, by employing a structure-based approach targeting the ZIKV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), we conducted in silico screening of a library of 100,000 small molecules and tested the top ten lead compounds for their ability to inhibit the virus replication in cell-based in vitro assays. One compound, 3-chloro-N-[({4-[4-(2-thienylcarbonyl)-1-piperazinyl]phenyl}amino)carbonothioyl]-1-benzothiophene-2-carboxamide (TPB), potently inhibited ZIKV replication at submicromolar concentrations. Molecular docking analysis suggests that …

Expression And Function Of Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 4 Isoforms In Transformed Endometriotic And Malignant Ovarian Cells, Stephanie Rockfield, Idhaliz Flores, Meera Nanjundan

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Iron is proposed to contribute to the transition from endometriosis to specific subtypes of ovarian cancers (OVCAs). Regulation of intracellular iron occurs via a ferritinophagic process involving NCOA4 (Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 4), represented by two major isoforms (NCOA4α and NCOA4β), whose contribution to ovarian cancer biology remains uninvestigated. We thus generated transformed endometriotic cells (via HRAS^V12A, c-MYC^T58A, and p53 inactivation) whose migratory potential was increased in response to conditioned media from senescent endometriotic cells. We identified elevated NCOA4 mRNA in transformed endometriotic cells (relative to non-transformed). Knockdown of NCOA4 increased ferritin heavy chain (FTH1) and p21 …

Mbd2-Cp2c Loop Drives Adult-Type Globin Gene Expression And Definitive Erythropoiesis, Min Young Kim, Ji Sook Kim, Seung Han Son, Chang Su Lim, Hea Young Eum, Dae Hyun Ha, Mi Ae Park, Eun Jung Baek, Buom-Yong Ryu, Ho Chul Kang, Vladimir N. Uversky, Chul Geun Kim

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

During hematopoiesis, red blood cells originate from the hematopoietic stem cell reservoir. Although the regulation of erythropoiesis and globin expression has been intensively investigated, the underlining mechanisms are not fully understood, including the interplay between transcription factors and epigenetic factors. Here, we uncover that the Mbd2-free NuRD chromatin remodeling complex potentiates erythroid differentiation of proerythroblasts via managing functions of the CP2c complexes. We found that both Mbd2 and Mbd3 expression is downregulated during differentiation of MEL cells in vitro and in normal erythropoiesis in mouse bone marrow, and Mbd2 downregulation is crucial for erythropoiesis. In uninduced MEL cells, the Mbd2-NuRD …

Yeast Lifespan Variation Correlates With Cell Growth And Sir2 Expression, Jessica T. Smith, Jill W. White, Huzefa Dungrawala, Hui Hua, Brandt L. Schneider

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Isogenic wild type yeast cells raised in controlled environments display a significant range of lifespan variation. Recent microfluidic studies suggest that differential growth or gene expression patterns may explain some of the heterogeneity of aging assays. Herein, we sought to complement this work by similarly examining a large set of replicative lifespan data from traditional plate assays. In so doing, we reproduced the finding that short-lived cells tend to arrest at senescence with a budded morphology. Further, we found that wild type cells born unusually small did not have an extended lifespan. However, large birth size and/or high inter-generational growth …

Radx Modulates Rad51 Activity To Control Replication Fork Protection, Kamakoti P. Bhat, Archana Krishnamoorthy, Huzefa Dungrawala, Edwige B. Garcin, Mauro Modesti, David Cortez

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

RAD51 promotes homologous recombination repair (HR) of double-strand breaks and acts during DNA replication to facilitate fork reversal and protect nascent DNA strands from nuclease digestion. Several additional HR proteins regulate fork protection by promoting RAD51 filament formation. Here, we show that RADX modulates stalled fork protection by antagonizing RAD51. Consequently, silencing RADX restores fork protection in cells deficient for BRCA1, BRCA2, FANCA, FANCD2, or BOD1L. Inactivating RADX prevents both MRE11- and DNA2-dependent fork degradation. Furthermore, RADX overexpression causes fork degradation that is dependent on these nucleases and fork reversal. The amount of RAD51 determines the fate of stalled replication …

Septal Secretion Of Protein A In Staphylococcus Aureus Requires Seca And Lipoteichoic Acid Synthesis, Wenqi Yu, Dominique Missiakas, Olaf Schneewind

Molecular Biosciences Faculty Publications

Surface proteins of Staphylococcus aureus are secreted across septal membranes for assembly into the bacterial cross-wall. This localized secretion requires the YSIRK/GXXS motif signal peptide, however the mechanisms supporting precursor trafficking are not known. We show here that the signal peptide of staphylococcal protein A (SpA) is cleaved at the YSIRK/GXXS motif. A SpA signal peptide mutant defective for YSIRK/GXXS cleavage is also impaired for septal secretion and co-purifies with SecA, SecDF and LtaS. SecA depletion blocks precursor targeting to septal membranes, whereas deletion of secDF diminishes SpA secretion into the cross-wall. Depletion of LtaS blocks lipoteichoic acid synthesis and …

Coordination Of Different Ligands To Copper(Ii) And Cobalt(Iii) Metal Centers Enhances Zika Virus And Dengue Virus Loads In Both Arthropod Cells And Human Keratinocytes, Shovan Dutta, Michael J. Celestine, Supreet Khanal, Alexis Huddleston, Colin Simms, Jessa Faye Arca, Amlam Mitra, Loree Heller, Piotr Kraj, Michael Ledizet, John F. Anderson, Girish Neelakanta, Alvin A. Holder, Hameeda Sultana

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Trace elements such as copper and cobalt have been associated with virus-host interactions. However, studies to show the effect of conjugation of copper(II) or cobalt(III) metal centers to thiosemicarbazone ligand(s) derived from either food additives or mosquito repellent such as 2-acetylethiazole or citral, respectively, on Zika virus (ZIKV) or dengue virus (serotype 2; DENV2) infections have not been explored. In this study, we show that four compounds comprising of thiosemicarbazone ligand derived from 2-acetylethiazole viz., (E)-N-ethyl-2-[1-(thiazol-2-yl)ethylidene]hydrazinecarbothioamide (acetylethTSC) (compound 1), a copper(II) complex with acetylethTSC as a ligand (compound 2), a thiosemicarbazone ligand-derived from citral (compound 3) and a cobalt(III) complex …

Non-Naturally Occurring Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) And Methods Of Using, Hiep Lai Xuan Vu, Fernando Osorio, William W. Laegreid, Asit K. Pattnaik, Fangrui Ma

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

A non-naturally occurring porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is provided herein, and methods of making and using the non-naturally occurring PRRSV also are provided.

Prospective Study Of The Feasibility Of Point-Of-Care Testing Strategy For Carbapenem-Resistant Organism Detection, Rahul Pannala, Bruce Baldwin, Vijay Aluru, Thomas E. Grys, Jordan Holmes, Laurence J. Miller, M. Edwyn Harrison, Cuong C. Nguyen, Fred C. Tenover, David Persing, Douglas O. Faigel

Biology Faculty Publications

Background/aims: In an investigator-initiated, prospective study, we evaluated the feasibility of a five-gene sequence point-of-care (POC) testing strategy (Xpert CARBA-R Assay, Cepheid Inc., Sunnyvale, CA, USA), compared to reference laboratory PCR (48 – 72 hours turnaround time, two gene sequences), in patients undergoing endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and in a hospital outbreak investigation.

Methods: After informed consent, patients undergoing ERCP (September 2015 – April 2016, n = 191) at Mayo Clinic and potential hospital contacts (n = 9) of an index carbapenem-resistant organism (CRO)-positive inpatient were included. Two rectal swabs, one each for reference and POC assays were obtained. The …

Range Expansion And The Origin Of Usa300 North American Epidemic Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, Lavanya Challagundla, Isabella A. Tickler, Xavier Didelot, David C. Coleman, Anna C. Shore, Geoffrey W. Coombs, Daniel O. Sordelli, Eric L. Brown, Robert Skov, Anders Rhod Larsen, Jinnethe Reyes, Iraida E. Robledo, Guillermo J. Vazquez, Paul Rivera, Paul D. Fey, Kurt Stevenson, Shu-Hua Wang, Barry N. Kreiswirth, Jose R. Mediavilla, Cesar A. Arias, Paul J. Planet, Rathel L. Nolan, Fred C. Tenover, Richard V. Goering, D. Ashley Robinson

Biology Faculty Publications

The USA300 North American epidemic (USA300-NAE) clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has caused a wave of severe skin and soft tissue infections in the United States since it emerged in the early 2000s, but its geographic origin is obscure. Here we use the population genomic signatures expected from the serial founder effects of a geographic range expansion to infer the origin of USA300-NAE and identify polymorphisms associated with its spread. Genome sequences from 357 isolates from 22 U.S. states and territories and seven other countries are compared. We observe two significant signatures of range expansion, including decreases in genetic diversity …

Brain Is A Potential Sanctuary For Subtype C Hiv-1 Irrespective Of Art Treatment Outcome, For Yue Tso, Guobin Kang, Eun Hee Kwon, Peter Julius, Qingsheng Li, John T. West, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Subtype C HIV-1 is responsible for the largest proportion of people living with HIV-1 infection. However, there is limited information about the roles of the brain and its cell types as a potential sanctuary for this subtype and how the sanctuary may be affected by the administration of anti-retroviral therapy (ART). To address this issue, we collected postmortem brain tissues from ART treated HIV-1 infected Zambian individuals who experienced complete viral suppression and those who did not. Tissues from various brain compartments were collected from each individual as frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin embedded brain specimens, for detection and quantification of …

Brain Is A Potential Sanctuary For Subtype C Hiv-1 Irrespective Of Art Treatment Outcome, For Yue Tso, Guobin Kang, Peter Julius, Qingsheng Li, John T. West, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Subtype C HIV-1 is responsible for the largest proportion of people living with HIV-1 infection. However, there is limited information about the roles of the brain and its cell types as a potential sanctuary for this subtype and how the sanctuary may be affected by the administration of anti-retroviral therapy (ART). To address this issue, we collected postmortem brain tissues from ART treated HIV-1 infected Zambian individuals who experienced complete viral suppression and those who did not. Tissues from various brain compartments were collected from each individual as frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin embedded brain specimens, for detection and quantification of …

Contribution Of The Gp120 V3 Loop To Envelope Glycoprotein Trimer Stability In Primate Immunodeficiency Viruses, Dane Bowder, Haley Hollingsead, Kate Durst, Duoyi Hu, Wenzhong Wei, Joshua Wiggins, Halima Medjahed, Andrés Finzi, Joseph Sodroski, Shi-Hua Xiang

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The V3 loop of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) gp120 exterior envelope glycoprotein (Env) becomes exposed after CD4 binding and contacts the coreceptor to mediate viral entry. Prior to CD4 engagement, a hydrophobic patch located at the tip of the V3 loop stabilizes the non-covalent association of gp120 with the Env trimer of HIV-1 subtype B strains. Here, we show that this conserved hydrophobic patch (amino acid residues 307, 309 and 317) contributes to gp120-trimer association in HIV-1 subtype C, HIV-2 and SIV. Changes that reduced the hydrophobicity of these V3 residues resulted in increased gp120 shedding and …

Ultrastructure Of Meelsvirus: A Nuclear Virus Of Arrow Worms (Phylum Chaetognatha) Producing Giant "Tailed" Virions, George L. Shinn, Brianna L. Bullard

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Most known giant viruses, i.e., viruses producing giant virions, parasitize amoebae and other unicellular eukaryotes. Although they vary in the level of dependence on host nuclear functions, their virions self-assemble in the host cell's cytoplasm. Here we report the discovery of a new prototype of giant virus infecting epidermal cells of the marine arrow worm Adhesisagitta hispida. Its 1.25 μm-long virions self-assemble and accumulate in the host cell's nucleus. Conventional transmission electron microscopy reveals that the virions have a unique bipartite structure. An ovoid nucleocapsid, situated in a broad "head" end of the virion is surrounded by a thin …

Non-Canonicaly Recruited Tcrαβcd8Αα Iels Recognize Microbial Antigens, Lukasz Wojciech, Edyta Szurek, Michal Kuczma, Anna Cebula, Wessam R. Elhefnawy, Maciej Pietrzak, Grzegorz Rempala, Leszek Ignatowicz

Computer Science Faculty Publications

In the gut, various subsets of intraepithelial T cells (IELs) respond to self or non-self-antigens derived from the body, diet, commensal and pathogenic microbiota. Dominant subset of IELs in the small intestine are TCRαβCD8αα⁺ cells, which are derived from immature thymocytes that express self-reactive TCRs. Although most of TCRαβCD8αα⁺ IELs are thymus-derived, their repertoire adapts to microbial flora. Here, using high throughput TCR sequencing we examined how clonal diversity of TCRαβCD8αα⁺ IELs changes upon exposure to commensal-derived antigens. We found that fraction of CD8αα⁺ IELs and CD4⁺ T cells express identical …

Modification Of The Ribosome As Part Of The Adaptive Response To Oxidative Stress In Yeast, Jessica A Zinskie, Daniel Shedlovskiy, Ethan Gardner, Dimitri G Pestov, Natalia Shcherbik

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Living organisms are constantly exposed to a variety of environmental and internal stressors tha tare detrimental to their cellular physiology and viability. One such condition, oxidativestress, is caused by abnormal amounts of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) that can lead to damage to proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. Although the mechanisms to neutralize ROS have been widely studied, the understanding of ROS‐mediated signaling for these mechanisms is rather incomplete and sparse. We have uncovered a previously undescribed phenomenon of yeast ribosomes to respond to elevated levels of ROS through a specific endonucleolytic cleavage of the 25S rRNA in the c‐loop of …

The Role Of Mapk And Scf In The Destruction Of Med13 In Cyclin C Mediated Cell Death, David C Stieg, Stephen D Willis, Joseph Scuorzo, Mia Song, Vidyaramanan Ganesan, Randy Strich, Katrina F Cooper

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

In response to stress, the yeast¹ and mammalian² cyclin C translocate from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, where it associates with the GTPase Drp1/Dnm1 to drive mitochondrial fragmentation and apoptosis. Therefore, the decision to release cyclin C represents a key life or death decision. In unstressed cells, the cyclin C‐Cdk8 kinase regulates transcription by associating with the Mediator of RNA polymerase II. We previously reported that the Mediator component Med13 anchors cyclin C in the nucleus³. Loss of Med13 function leads to constitutive cytoplasmic localization of cyclin C, resulting in fragmented mitochondria, hypersensitivity to stress and …

Translocation Of Cyclin C During Oxidative Stress Is Regulated By Interactions With Multiple Trafficking Proteins, Daniel G J Smethurst, Katrina F Cooper, Randy Strich

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

Eukaryotic cells take cues from their environment and interpret them to enact a response. External stresses can produce a decision between adjusting to behaviors which promote surviving the stress, or enacting a cell death program. The decision to undergo programmed cell death (PCD) is controlled by a complex interaction between nuclear and mitochondrial signals. The mitochondria are highly dynamic organelles that constantly undergo fission and fusion. However, a dramatic shift in mitochondrial morphology toward fission occurs early in the PCD process. We have identified the transcription factor cyclin C as the biochemical trigger for stress‐induced mitochondrial hyper‐fragmentation in yeast (Cooper …

Effects Of Adenovirus Infection On The Localization Of Cellular Protein Pat1b, Emilee Friedman, Kasey A. Karen

Georgia Journal of Science

Adenoviruses are a diverse family of nonenveloped, double-stranded DNA viruses with a variety of vertebrate hosts including humans. Over 50 serotypes of human adenovirus have been identified, and cause a number of illnesses, including conjunctivitis, gastroenteritis, and respiratory infections. The life cycle of adenovirus is divided into immediate early, early, and late phases, with immediate early proteins controlling transcription and the cell cycle, early proteins being largely regulatory, and late proteins being structural. Early proteins such as E4 11k have been demonstrated to relocalize key cellular proteins, including proteins found within mRNA processing bodies (p-bodies). It is hypothesized that E4 …

Fluorescence-Reported Allelic Exchange Mutagenesis Reveals A Role For Chlamydia Trachomatis Tmea In Invasion That Is Independent Of Host Ahnak, M. J. Mckuen, Konrad E. Mueller, Y. S. Bae, Kenneth A. Fields

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Development of approaches to genetically manipulate Chlamydia is fostering important advances in understanding pathogenesis. Fluorescence-reported allelic exchange mutagenesis (FRAEM) now enables the complete deletion of specific genes in C. trachomatis L2. We have leveraged this technology to delete the coding sequences for a known type III effector. The evidence provided here indicates that CT694/CTL0063 is a virulence protein involved in chlamydial invasion. Based on our findings, we designate the gene product corresponding to ct694-ctl0063 translocated membrane-associated effector A (TmeA). Deletion of tmeA did not impact development of intracellular chlamydiae. However, the absence of TmeA manifested as a decrease in infectivity …

Development Of A Broadly Protective Modified-Live Virus Vaccine Candidate Against Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus, Haiyan Sun, Aspen Workman, Fernando A. Osorio, David J. Steffen, Hiep L.X. Vu

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Modified-live virus (MLV) vaccines are widely used to protect pigs against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). However, current MLV vaccines do not confer adequate levels of heterologous protection, presumably due to the substantial genetic diversity of PRRSV isolates circulating in the field. To overcome this genetic variation challenge, we recently generated a synthetic PRRSV strain containing a consensus genomic sequence of PRRSV-2. We demonstrated that our synthetic PRRSV strain confers unprecedented levels of heterologous protection. However, the synthetic PRRSV strain at passage 1 (hereafter designated CON-P1) is highly virulent and therefore, is not suitable to be used as …

About Logan Weihe And Beloved Microcosm, Logan M. Weihe

Steeplechase: An ORCA Student Journal

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of An Adenoviral Vectored Multivalent Centralized Influenza Vaccine, Amy Lingel, Brianna L. Bullard, Eric A. Weaver

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Mice were immunized with Adenovirus expressing the H1-con, H2-con, H3-con and H5-con HA consensus genes in combination (multivalent) and compared to mice immunized with the traditional 2010–2011 FluZone and FluMist seasonal vaccines. Immunized mice were challenged with 10–100 MLD50 of H1N1, H3N1, H3N2 and H5N1 influenza viruses. The traditional vaccines induced robust levels of HA inhibition (HI) titers, but failed to protect against five different heterologous lethal influenza challenges. Conversely, the multivalent consensus vaccine (1 × 1010 virus particles (vp)/mouse) induced protective HI titers of ≥40 against 8 of 10 influenza viruses that represent a wide degree of divergence within …

The Molecular Mechanism Of N-Acetylglucosamine Side-Chain Attachment To The Lancefield Group A Carbohydrate In Streptococcus Pyogenes, Jeffrey Rush, Rebecca J. Edgar, Pan Deng, Jing Chen, Haining Zhu, Nina M. Van Sorge, Andrew J. Morris, Konstantin V. Korotkov, Natalia Korotkova

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

In many Lactobacillales species (i.e. lactic acid bacteria), peptidoglycan is decorated by polyrhamnose polysaccharides that are critical for cell envelope integrity and cell shape and also represent key antigenic determinants. Despite the biological importance of these polysaccharides, their biosynthetic pathways have received limited attention. The important human pathogen, Streptococcus pyogenes, synthesizes a key antigenic surface polymer, the Lancefield group A carbohydrate (GAC). GAC is covalently attached to peptidoglycan and consists of a polyrhamnose polymer, with N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) side chains, which is an essential virulence determinant. The molecular details of the mechanism of polyrhamnose modification with GlcNAc are …

Characterization Of Different Molecular Markers For Identification Of Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhi In Pakistani Population, Faizan Muttiullah, Fida Muhammad Khan, Fakhar-I- Abbas, Sabiha Shamim

Journal of Bioresource Management

Typhoid is caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi that is usually diagnosed by using serologic and immuno-chromatographic techniques in developing counties including Pakistan, which is thought to be an unreliable diagnostic method. For accurate diagnosis we used molecular techniques to amplify 204 bp StyR-36 and 498 bp flagellin gene for the identification of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. This study was done on 58 individuals diagnosed positive of typhoid via serologic tests and 50 healthy individuals as a control group. Success rate of amplification for flagellin gene was 77.58% while that for StyR-36 gene was 68.97% showing that flagellin gene primer …

Prevalence Of Kaposi’S Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus In Uygur And Han Populations From The Urumqi And Kashgar Regions Of Xinjiang, China, Jun Zheng, Yang Yang, Meng Cui, Zhan-Jun Shu, Li-Li Han, Zhen-Qiu Liu, Charles Wood, Tiejun Zhang, Yan Zeng

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the infectious etiologic agent associated with Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS), primary effusion lymphoma, and multicentric Castleman disease. It has been shown that high KSHV prevalence and high incidence of both classic KS and AIDSassociated KS are found mostly among people of Uygur ethnicity in Xinjiang, while people of Han ethnicity in Xinjiang have a higher KSHV seroprevalence than those of other Han populations in mainland China. However, it is still unclear why there is such geographical and population variation in KSHV distribution in China. In this work, we focused on the populations in the Kashgar region …