Chimpanzee Fab fragments and a derived humanized immunoglobulin G1 antibody
that efficiently cross-neutralize dengue type 1 and type 2 viruses.
AuthorsGoncalvez AP, Men R, Wernly C, Purcell RH, Lai CJ,
JournalJ Virol
PubMed ID15542643
Passive immunization with monoclonal antibodies from humans or nonhuman
primates represents an attractive alternative to vaccines for prevention of illness caused by dengue
viruses (DENV) and other flaviviruses, including the West Nile virus. In a previous study, repertoire
cloning to recover Fab fragments from bone marrow mRNA of chimpanzees infected with all four ... More
Viral genetic determinants for thrips transmission of Tomato spotted wilt virus.
AuthorsSin SH, McNulty BC, Kennedy GG, Moyer JW,
JournalProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
PubMed ID15753307
'Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) is transmitted exclusively by thrips in nature. A reassortment-based viral genetic system was used to map transmissibility by thrips to the medium (M) RNA of TSWV. To locate determinants of thrips transmission in the M RNA, 30 single-lesion isolates (SLIs) were generated from a single ... More
New thermophilic and thermostable esterase with sequence similarity to the hormone-sensitive lipase family, cloned from a metagenomic library.
AuthorsRhee JK, Ahn DG, Kim YG, Oh JW,
JournalAppl Environ Microbiol
PubMed ID15691936
'A gene coding for a thermostable esterase was isolated by functional screening of Escherichia coli cells that had been transformed with fosmid environmental DNA libraries constructed with metagenomes from thermal environmental samples. The gene conferring esterase activity on E. coli grown on tributyrin agar was composed of 936 bp, corresponding ... More
Cross GTPase-activating protein (CrossGAP)/Vilse links the Roundabout receptor to Rac to regulate midline repulsion.
AuthorsHu H, Li M, Labrador JP, McEwen J, Lai EC, Goodman CS, Bashaw GJ,
JournalProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
PubMed ID15755809
The regulators of the Rho-family GTPases, GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) and guanine exchange factors (GEFs), play important roles in axon guidance. By means of a functional genomic study of the Rho-family GEFs and GAPs in Drosophila, we have identified a Rho-family GAP, CrossGAP (CrGAP), which is involved in Roundabout (Robo) receptor-mediated ... More
Molecular cloning, expression and pharmacological characterization of the canine cholecystokinin 1 receptor.
AuthorsMorton MF, Pyati J, Dai H, Li L, Moreno V, Shankley NP,
JournalBr J Pharmacol
PubMed ID15765098
1 The full-length, canine cholecystokinin 1 (CCK1) receptor was cloned from gallbladder tissue using RT-PCR with a combination of primers designed to interact with conserved regions of the human and rat CCK1 receptor, which also shared homology with the canine genomic sequence. 2 Analysis of the sequence of the canine ... More
The ovalbumin serpins revisited: perspective from the chicken genome of clade B serpin evolution in vertebrates.
AuthorsBenarafa C, Remold-O'Donnell E,
JournalProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
PubMed ID16055559
Serpin superfamily proteins, most of which are serine protease inhibitors, share an unusual mechanism rooted in their conserved metastable tertiary structure. Although serpins have been identified in isolated members of archea, bacteria, and plants, a remarkable expansion is found in vertebrates. The chicken protein ovalbumin, a storage protein from egg ... More
Rubrerythrin from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus is a rubredoxin-dependent, iron-containing peroxidase.
AuthorsWeinberg MV, Jenney FE, Cui X, Adams MW,
JournalJ Bacteriol
PubMed ID15547260
Rubrerythrin was purified by multistep chromatography under anaerobic, reducing conditions from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus furiosus. It is a homodimer with a molecular mass of 39.2 kDa and contains 2.9 +/- 0.2 iron atoms per subunit. The purified protein had peroxidase activity at 85 degrees C using hydrogen peroxide with ... More
A TRPM7 variant shows altered sensitivity to magnesium that may contribute to the pathogenesis of two Guamanian neurodegenerative disorders.
Guamanian amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS-G) and parkinsonism dementia (PD-G) have been epidemiologically linked to an environment severely deficient in calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+). Transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7) is a bifunctional protein containing both channel and kinase domains that has been proposed to be involved in the homeostatic ... More
Isolation and functional expression of an animal geranyl diphosphate synthase and its role in bark beetle pheromone biosynthesis.
Geranyl diphosphate synthase (GPPS) catalyzes the condensation of dimethylallyl diphosphate and isopentenyl diphosphate to form geranyl diphosphate. Geranyl diphosphate is the precursor of monoterpenes, a large family of natural occurring C(10) compounds predominantly found in plants. Similar to plants but unique to animals, some bark beetle genera (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) produce ... More
A real-time semi-quantitative RT-PCR assay demonstrates that the pilE sequence dictates the frequency and characteristics of pilin antigenic variation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
AuthorsRohrer MS, Lazio MP, Seifert HS,
JournalNucleic Acids Res
PubMed ID15947134
A semi-quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay was designed to measure gonococcal pilin antigenic variation (SQ-PCR Av assay). This assay employs 17 hybridization probe sets that quantitate subpopulations of pilin transcripts carrying different silent pilin copy sequences and one set that detects total pilE transcript levels. Mixtures of a DNA standard carrying ... More