Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0019158 (hepatitis)
 30,205 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We have previously characterized a monoclonal antibody (SC1D7) that is directed to maltose-binding protein (MBP) of Escherichia coli and other closely related enteric bacteria. SC1D7 does not cross-react with proteins in eucaryotes and appears to be a highly specific tool in immunochemical analyses. To better map the epitope, we took advantage of an available plasmid, pMAL-c2, that encodes the E. coli MBP-coding sequence and constructed plasmids to express MBP fragments. A construct containing the N-terminal portion of MBP does not react with SC1D7, whereas a second construct expressing glutathione S-transferase fused with the C-terminal half of MBP does react with SC1D7. To precisely define the epitope, random peptides displayed on M13 were used to react with SC1D7. Sequences of reactive peptides were aligned, and a consensus sequence of XDXRIPX was deduced. This sequence matches MBP with an amino acid stretch of KDPRIAA. To consolidate the mapping result, a sequence encoding this epitope was inserted into an expression vector and the resulting recombinant protein did react with SC1D7. Thereafter, this epitope was incorporated into a eucaryotic expression plasmid containing a previously defined hepatitis delta virus epitope for protein tagging. This two-epitope-tagging vector is useful in various molecular analyses. We demonstrate its usage for localization of a bacterial virulence factor in host cells. This vector should be applicable for high-throughput characterization of new open reading frames found in genome sequencing.
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PMID:Construction of a tagging system for subcellular localization of proteins encoded by open reading frames. 1128 47

Injection of particulate hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) in mice leads to the induction of a HBsAg-specific class-I-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response. It is proposed that any protein internal to HBsAg will also be able to elicit a specific CTL response. In this study, several carboxy-terminal truncations of hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein were fused to varying lengths of amino-terminal truncated large hepatitis delta antigen (L-HDAg). These constructs were analysed for their ability to be expressed and the particles secreted in the presence of HBsAg after transfection into HuH-7 cells. The secretion efficiency of the various HCV core-HDAg chimeric proteins was generally poor. Constructs containing full length HDAg appeared to be more stable than truncated versions and the length of the inserted protein was restricted to around 40 amino acids. Thus, the use of L-HDAg as a chimera to package foreign proteins is limited. Consequently, a polyepitope (polytope) containing a B-cell epitope from human papillomavirus (HPV 16) and multiple T-cell epitopes from the HCV polyprotein was used to create the construct, L-HDAg-polyB. This chimeric protein was shown to be reliant on the co-expression of HBsAg for secretion into the cell culture fluid and was secreted more efficiently than the previous HCV core-HDAg constructs. These L-HDAg-polyB virus-like particles (VLPs) had a buoyant density of approximately 1.2 g/cm3 in caesium chloride and approximately 1.15 g/cm3 in sucrose. The VLPs were also immunoprecipitated using an anti-HBs but not an anti-HD antibody. Thus, these recombinant VLPs have similar biophysical properties to L-HDAg VLPs.
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PMID:Development and characterisation of recombinant hepatitis delta virus-like particles. 1155 8

Ring-expanded (ldauo;fat") nucleosides (RENs) described in this review are analogues of purine nucleosides containing a 5:7-fused imidazodiazepine or imidazotriazepine ring system. They are both of natural and synthetic origin, and are of chemical, biochemical, biophysical, as well as medicinal interest. The important natural RENs include coformycin, pentostatin, azepinomycin, adechlorin, and adecypenol. A majority of them are synergistic antitumor and/or antiviral antibiotics which potentiate the effects of other antitumor or antiviral compounds through inhibition of key enzymes such as adenosine deaminase or guanase which would otherwise metabolically degrade the active compounds into therapeutically less potent or totally inactive counterparts. However, despite the fact that some of the natural RENs such as coformycins are the strongest known enzyme inhibitors, they have not been proven as effective clinically as anticipated because of the extremely high toxicity associated with their use. Nevertheless, pentostatin (2'-deoxycoformycin) is a conspicuous exception as it is gaining wide attention in recent years as a clinically effective therapeutic agent against leukemias and lymphomas. Many of the recently reported synthetic RENs, by contrast, possess biological activities of their own, in particular against a wide spectrum of cancers and viruses with little toxicity to the host cells, and thus hold considerable promise as chemotherapeutic agents. The promising preliminary in vitro data concerning the effects of RENs on human cancers, in particular prostate and breast cancer cells, support their further pursuit in animal and clinical studies. RENs also carry promise against many viral infections belonging to the families of hepatitis, herpes, and respiratory infections, most notable being the hepatitis B (HBV), hepatitis C (HCV), and the West Nile (WNV) viruses.
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PMID:Ring-expanded ("Fat") nucleosides as broad-spectrum anticancer and antiviral agents. 1217 69

Narnavirus 23S RNA is a persistent positive-stranded RNA virus found in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The viral genome (2.9 kb) only encodes its RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, p104. Here we report the generation of 23S RNA virus, with high frequency, from a vector containing the entire viral cDNA sequence. When the conserved GDD (Gly-Asp-Asp) motif of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase was modified, the vector failed to generate the virus, indicating that an active p104 is essential for replication. Successful launching required transcripts having the proper viral 3' terminus generated in vivo. This was accomplished through in vivo processing of the primary transcripts by the hepatitis delta virus antigenomic ribozyme directly fused to the 3' terminus of the 23S RNA genome. Although the primary transcripts also contained extra nucleotides at their 5' ends derived from the vector, the launched virus possessed the authentic 5' terminus of the viral genome without these extra nucleotides. Modifications of the genome sequence at the 5' and 3' termini abolished viral generation, indicating that the viral genome has cis-acting signals for replication at both termini. The great ease to generate the virus will facilitate the identification of these cis-acting signals. Furthermore, the virus, once generated, can be transmitted to daughter cells indefinitely without the vector or any selection, which makes the 23S RNA virus-launching system particularly useful for investigating the basis for RNA virus persistence.
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PMID:Launching the yeast 23S RNA Narnavirus shows 5' and 3' cis-acting signals for replication. 1259 48

The Bcl-2 family of proteins regulates apoptosis chiefly by controlling mitochondrial membrane permeability. It has previously been shown that the BH4 domain of Bcl-2/Bcl-xL is essential for the prevention of apoptotic mitochondrial changes, including the release of cytochrome c and apoptotic cell death. We have previously reported that BH4 peptide fused to the protein transduction domain of HIV-1 TAT protein (TAT-BH4) significantly inhibits etoposide-induced apoptosis in a cell line. This time, we investigated whether TAT-BH4 peptide was cytoprotective in ex vivo and in vivo rodent models. Intraperitoneal injection of TAT-BH4 peptide greatly inhibited X-ray-induced apoptosis in the small intestine of mice and partially suppressed Fas-induced fulminant hepatitis. In addition, this peptide markedly suppressed heart failure after ischemia-reperfusion injury in isolated rat heart, probably by preventing mitochondrial dysfunction. These findings demonstrate that TAT-BH4 peptide exerts anti-apoptotic activity both in vivo and ex vivo, and imply that it may be a useful therapeutic agent for diseases involving mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis.
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PMID:BH4-domain peptide from Bcl-xL exerts anti-apoptotic activity in vivo. 1462 84

Viral O-acetylesterases were first identified in several viruses, including influenza C viruses and coronaviruses. These enzymes are capable of removing cellular receptors from the surface of target cells. Hence they are also known as "receptor destroying" enzymes. We have cloned and expressed several recombinant viral O-acetylesterases. These enzymes were secreted from Sf9 insect cells as chimeric proteins fused to eGFP. A purification scheme to isolate the recombinant O-acetylesterase of influenza C virus was developed. The recombinant enzymes derived from influenza C viruses specifically hydrolyze 9-O-acetylated sialic acids, while that of sialodacryoadenitis virus, a rat coronavirus related to mouse hepatitis virus, is specific for 4-O-acetylated sialic acid. The recombinant esterases were shown to specifically de-O-acetylate sialic acids on glycoconjugates. We have also expressed esterase knockout proteins of the influenza C virus hemagglutinin-esterase. The recombinant viral proteins can be used to unambiguously identify O-acetylated acids in a variety of assays.
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PMID:Recombinant viral sialate-O-acetylesterases. 1545 94

The process of host factor-mediated nucleocytoplasmic transport is critical for diverse cellular events in eukaryotes and the life cycle of viruses. We have previously identified a chromosome region maintenance 1-independent nuclear export signal (NES) at the C terminus of the large form of hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg), designated NES(HDAg-L) that is required for the assembly of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) (C.-H. Lee et al., J. Biol. Chem. 276:8142-8148, 2001). To look for interacting proteins of the NES(HDAg-L), yeast two-hybrid screening was applied using the GAL4-binding domain fused to the NES(HDAg-L) as bait. Among the positive clones, one encodes a protein, designated NESI [NES(HDAg-L) interacting protein] that specifically interacted with the wild-type NES(HDAg-L) but not with the export/package-defective HDAg-L mutant, NES*(HDAg-L), in which Pro-205 has been replaced by Ala. Northern blot analysis revealed NESI as the gene product of a 1.9-kb endogenous mRNA transcript that is present predominantly in human liver tissue. NESI consists of 467 amino acid residues and bears a putative actin-binding site and a bipartite nuclear localization signal. Specific interaction between HDAg-L and NESI was further confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence staining. Overexpression of antisense NESI RNAs inhibited the expression of NESI and abolished HDAg-L-mediated nuclear export and assembly of HDV genomic RNA. These data indicate a critical role of NESI in the assembly of HDV through interaction with HDAg-L.
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PMID:Novel nuclear export signal-interacting protein, NESI, critical for the assembly of hepatitis delta virus. 1595 56

20 S RNA virus is a persistent positive strand RNA virus found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The viral genome encodes only its RNA polymerase, p91, and resides in the cytoplasm in the form of a ribonucleoprotein complex with p91. We succeeded in generating 20 S RNA virus in vivo by expressing, from a vector, genomic strands fused at the 3'-ends to the hepatitis delta virus antigenomic ribozyme. Using this launching system, we analyzed 3'-cis-signals present in the genomic strand for replication. The viral genome has five-nucleotide inverted repeats at both termini (5'-GGGGC... GCCCC-OH). The fifth G from the 3'-end was dispensable for replication, whereas the third and fourth Cs were essential. The 3'-terminal and penultimate Cs could be eliminated or modified to other nucleotides; however, the generated viruses recovered these terminal Cs. Furthermore, extra nucleotides added at the viral 3'-end were eliminated in the launched viruses. Therefore, 20 S RNA virus has a mechanism(s) to maintain the correct size and sequence of the viral 3'-end. This may contribute to its persistent infection in yeast. We also succeeded in generating 20 S RNA virus similarly from antigenomic strands provided active p91 was supplied from a second vector in trans. Again, a cluster of four Cs at the 3'-end in the antigenomic strand was essential for replication. In this work, we also present the first conclusive evidence that 20 S and 23 S RNA viruses are independent replicons.
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PMID:Launching of the yeast 20 s RNA narnavirus by expressing the genomic or antigenomic viral RNA in vivo. 1604

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is believed to assemble by budding into membranes of the early secretory pathway, consistent with the membrane location where the viral envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2 accumulate when expressed. Coronavirus assembly also takes place at pre-Golgi membranes. Here, we generated coronavirus-like particles carrying in their envelope chimeric HCV glycoproteins composed of the ectodomains of E1 and E2, each fused to the transmembrane plus endodomain of the mouse hepatitis coronavirus spike glycoprotein. The chimeric particle system will enable structural and functional studies of the HCV glycoproteins.
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PMID:Assembly of HCV E1 and E2 glycoproteins into coronavirus VLPs. 1664 62

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a small RNA virus that contains one 1.7-kb single-stranded circular RNA of negative polarity. The HDV particle also contains two isoforms of hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg), small (SHDAg) and large HDAg. SHDAg is required for the replication of HDV, which is presumably carried out by host RNA-dependent RNA polymerases. The localization and the HDAg and host RNA polymerase responsible for HDV replication remain important issues to be addressed. In this study, using recombinant SHDAg fused with a heterologous nucleolar localization sequence (NoLS) to confine its subcellular localization in nucleoli, we aimed to study the effect of SHDAg subcellular localization on HDV RNA replication. The initiation of genomic RNA synthesis from antigenomic template was hardly detectable when SHDAg was fused with the NoLS motif and localized mainly in nucleoli. In contrast, the initiation of antigenomic RNA synthesis was not affected. Drug treatment to release a SHDAg-NoLS mutant from nucleoli could partially restore the replication of HDV genomic RNA from antigenomic RNA. This also recovered the cointeraction between SHDAg and RNA polymerase II. These data strongly suggest that nuclear polymerase (RNA polymerase II) is involved in the synthesis of genomic RNA and that the synthesis of antigenomic RNA can occur in nucleoli. Our results support the idea that the replication of HDV genomic RNA or antigenomic RNA is likely to be carried out by different machineries in different subcellular localizations.
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PMID:Nucleolar targeting of hepatitis delta antigen abolishes its ability to initiate viral antigenomic RNA replication. 1798 82


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