Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.7.6 (RNA polymerase)
 34,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cytokines, in particular IFN-gamma and IL-12, are important in host protection against infection with Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite is a major cause of congenital infection and morbidity in immunosuppressed persons, especially those with AIDS. IL-7, a monomeric protein produced by bone marrow stromal cells and fetal thymus, is able to induce the proliferation of pro-B cells and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and to enhance cytotoxicity of CTL and NK cells. Inbred mice were infected with a lethal dose of T. gondii and given IL-7 twice daily. Mice treated with IL-7 beginning at the time of infection survived, whereas mice either treated after infection or not treated died. Phenotypic analysis of splenocytes identified an expansion of NK (asialo GM1+) cells and CD8+ T cell populations. In vivo depletion of NK (asialo GM1+) and CD8+ T cells showed that cells expressing these phenotypes were important for maintaining protection against the parasite. IFN-gamma depletion resulted in complete reversal of the protective effect of IL-7 administration. In vivo depletion of endogenous IL-7 enhanced susceptibility to infection. Cytokine analysis by semiquantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR showed that IL-7 enhances the IFN-gamma response and furthermore reverses the parasite-mediated down-regulatory response on IL-2. These observations indicate that exogenous administration of human rIL-7 is able to protect mice against acute parasite challenge by stimulating IFN-gamma production and augmenting the CD8+ T cell-mediated CTL response.
 ...
PMID:IL-7 stimulates protective immunity in mice against the intracellular pathogen, Toxoplasma gondii. 759 82

Development of a vaccine against congenital infection with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a major public health priority. A potential vaccine target receiving considerable recent attention is the pentameric complex (PC) of HCMV proteins consisting of gL, gH, UL128, UL130, and UL131, since some antibodies against these target proteins are capable of potently neutralizing virus at epithelial and endothelial cell surfaces. Recently, homologous proteins have been described for guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV), consisting of gH, gL, and the GPCMV proteins GP129, GP131, and GP133. To investigate these proteins as potential vaccine targets, expression of GP129-GP133 transcripts was confirmed by reverse-transcriptase PCR. Mass spectrometry combined with western blot assays demonstrated the presence of GP129, GP131, and GP133 proteins in virus particles. Recombinant proteins corresponding to these PC proteins were generated in baculovirus, and as GST fusion proteins. Recombinant proteins were noted to be immunoreactive with convalescent sera from infected animals, suggesting that these proteins are recognized in the humoral immune response to GPCMV infection. These analyses support the study of PC-based recombinant vaccines in the GPCMV congenital infection model.
...
PMID:Identification by mass spectrometry and immune response analysis of guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) pentameric complex proteins GP129, 131 and 133. 2453 33