Virology Commons^™

Interactions Among Murine Cytomegalovirus Us22 Family Gene Products That Influence Viral Pathogenesis, Zaruhi Karabekian

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a complex, ubiquitous herpesvirus that is characterized by acute, chronic, and latent infections. Monocytes-macrophages are the key target cell type involved in pathogenesis, which is most effectively studied using the murine model of CMV infection. Previously three murine CMV (MCMV) genes (M139, M140, and M141) were identified to regulate viral expression in cultured macrophages and in mice. These genes are members of the US22 gene family with respect to HCMV homology. There is no function assigned to the proteins encoded by these genes. However, deletion of M139, M140, and M141 significantly curtails growth of MCMV in macrophages …

A Study On The Effects Of The N-Terminal Amino Acid Sequence On The Activation Of Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Protease, Hidayah Muhammad Kendall

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTL V-1) is dependent upon the enzymatic activity of its protease for maturation. Maturation of the protease is facilitated by cleavage of specific amino acid residues, followed by dimerization. The effects of the amino acid sequence located N-terminally to the cleavage site on the ability of the protease to become active were the focus of the current study. These amino acid sequences were contributed by the plasmid vector into which the protease gene was inserted.

Surface probability analyses (SPAs) of the vectors, as well as for native sequences which produce the mature protease and …

The Kinetic Characterization Of Mutant L289p Of Recombinant Hiv-1 Reverse Transcriptase, Tryn Thomas Stimart

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus, type 1 (HIV-1) is the causative agent of the Acquired immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Currently, AIDS is the leading cause of death amongst young people in the United States. The large increase of HIV-1 infections over the past decade has spawned considerable research in fighting the spread of this disease. One area of intense HIV-1 research has focused on the enzyme Reverse Transcriptase (RT) which is an essential enzyme involved in the replication and life cycle of HIV-1. HIV-1 RT is composed of p66 and p51 subunits and is only active as a heterodimer in vivo. …

Structural Characterization Of A Novel Inhibitor Of Hiv Reverse Transcriptase (Hiv Rt), Greggory Jon Woitte

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections have become a leading cause of death among young people in the United States today. As the number of HIV infections increases, so too does the cost of treatment. Together, these numbers have prompted an increase in the development of pharmaceutical interventions. HIV reverse transcriptase (HIV RT) has become a suitable target for drug therapy because it is the sole enzyme responsible for HIV replication.

Fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide isolated from the brown algae Fucus vesiculosus, has been shown to block a variety of cell adhesion related events including metastasis. In addition, fucoidan has also …

Characterization Of An Antiviral Agent Based On Nonionic Surfactants And It's Effects On Human Dermal Fibroblasts, Ji Young Li

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The AIDS ·pandemic has directed various research endeavors towards finding an appropriate method for eliminating all potentially infectious material within bone allografts before implantation into a recipient. To that effect, Panavirocide was conceived by Medicine and Applied Science·s, Inc. This compound, in which three nonionic surfactants serve as the active agents, has been shown to inactivate HIV-1 particles within blood and blood products. Because Panavirocide has never been used with allografts, the purpose of the present research was to characterize the nonionic surfactants for the putative alteration of the formulation by determining the critical micelle concentration values and to determine …

Kinetic Characterization Of A Recombinant C-Terminal Mutant Of Reverse Transcriptase From The Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Thomas S. Heard

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) reverse transcriptase (RT) (EC 2.7.7.49) is the central replication enzyme for HIV. In general, the kinetic mechanism for this and all other polymerases involves the ordered binding of two substrates: a primer-template (PT) followed by a deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (dNTP). Previous investigations prompted this research when it was discovered that the substrate dNTP, in absence of PT, could protect a recombinant c-terminal mutant HIV-1 RT from inhibition by pyridoxal-5'-monophosphate (PLP), an active-site dNTP inhibitor. In contrast, the non-mutant recombinant HIV-1 RT required both substrates for protection from PLP inhibition. This investigation sought to determine if this …

Isolation And Enumeration Of Enteric Viruses From Primary Wastewater Sludge, Michael Wayne Nath

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The presence of large numbers of enteric viruses in wastewaters has resulted in concern regarding their significance and consequences for humans. Assessments of relative significance or consequences may most accurately be made following precise measurements of the range of virus types and amounts in wastewaters and sludges and after epidemiological considerations. In this study, results are presented pertaining to enteric virus isolation, concentration, and enumeration from primary wastewater sludges.

As an integral part of a comparison of isolation procedures, several anionic surfactants were examined for extraction of enteric viruses from primary wastewater sludges. Plaquing efficiencies for poliovirus type 2 and …