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Query: UNIPROT:P06889 (Mol)
 630,302 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Male reproductive gland proteins (mRGPs) impact the physiology and/or behavior of mated females in a broad range of organisms. We sought to identify mRGPs of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of dengue and yellow fever viruses. Earlier studies with Ae. aegypti demonstrated that "matrone" (a partially purified male reproductive accessory gland substance) or male accessory gland fluid injected into virgin female Ae. aegypti affect female sexual refractoriness, blood feeding and digestion, flight, ovarian development, and oviposition. Using bioinformatic comparisons to Drosophila melanogaster accessory gland proteins and mass spectrometry of proteins from Ae. aegypti male accessory glands and ejaculatory ducts (AG/ED) and female reproductive tracts, we identified 63 new putative Ae. aegypti mRGPs. Twenty-one of these proteins were found in the reproductive tract of mated females but not of virgin females suggesting that they are transferred from males to females during mating. Most of the putative mRGPs fall into the same protein classes as mRGPs in other organisms, although some appear to be evolving rapidly and lack identifiable homologs in Culex pipiens, Anopheles gambiae, and D. melanogaster. Our results identify candidate male-derived molecules that may have an important influence on behavior, survival, and reproduction of female mosquitoes.
Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2008 Feb
PMID:Identity and transfer of male reproductive gland proteins of the dengue vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti: potential tools for control of female feeding and reproduction. 1820 79

Development of rapid and specific molecular diagnostics for flaviviruses remains an important global health challenge. Herein a platform technology using mass spectrometry that can be used for universal identification and genotyping of these viruses is described. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated by using it to correctly identify and serotype two strains of dengue virus. Predictive calculations show that the approach can be expected to be equally efficacious for the identification and epidemiological tracking of other flaviviruses including West Nile, Japanese encephalitis, and Yellow Fever. In the case of dengue at least, the method can also distinguish major subgroupings within each serotype. All process steps are amenable to high-throughput, automated implementation. The assay protocol is also compatible with miniature mass spectrometers currently in development, thereby allowing the assay to be brought to remote locations for rapid response to and tracking of outbreaks.
J Mol Diagn 2008 Mar
PMID:Toward universal flavivirus identification by mass cataloging. 1825 26

The monoclonal antibody 1A1D-2 has been shown to strongly neutralize dengue virus serotypes 1, 2 and 3, primarily by inhibiting attachment to host cells. A crystal structure of its antigen binding fragment (Fab) complexed with domain III of the viral envelope glycoprotein, E, showed that the epitope would be partially occluded in the known structure of the mature dengue virus. Nevertheless, antibody could bind to the virus at 37 degrees C, suggesting that the virus is in dynamic motion making hidden epitopes briefly available. A cryo-electron microscope image reconstruction of the virus:Fab complex showed large changes in the organization of the E protein that exposed the epitopes on two of the three E molecules in each of the 60 icosahedral asymmetric units of the virus. The changes in the structure of the viral surface are presumably responsible for inhibiting attachment to cells.
Nat Struct Mol Biol 2008 Mar
PMID:Binding of a neutralizing antibody to dengue virus alters the arrangement of surface glycoproteins. 1826 14

Dengue fever is one of the most widespread tropical diseases in the world. The disease is caused by a virus member of the Flaviviridae family, a group of enveloped positive sense single-stranded RNA viruses. Dengue virus infection is mediated by virus glycoprotein E, which binds to the cell surface. After uptake by endocytosis, this protein induces the fusion between viral envelope and endosomal membrane at the acidic environment of the endosomal compartment. In this work, we evaluated by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy the interaction between the peptide believed to be the dengue virus fusion peptide and large unilamellar vesicles, studying the extent of partition, fusion capacity and depth of insertion in membranes. The roles of the bilayer composition (neutral and anionic phospholipids), ionic strength and pH of the medium were also studied. Our results indicate that dengue virus fusion peptide has a high affinity to vesicles composed of anionic lipids and that the interaction is mainly electrostatic. Both partition coefficient and fusion index are enhanced by negatively charged phospholipids. The location determined by differential fluorescence quenching using lipophilic probes demonstrated that the peptide is in an intermediate depth in the hemilayers, in-between the bilayer core and its surface. Ultimately, these data provide novel insights on the interaction between dengue virus fusion peptide and its target membranes, namely, the role of oligomerization and specific types of membranes.
Mol Membr Biol 2008 Feb
PMID:Interaction between dengue virus fusion peptide and lipid bilayers depends on peptide clustering. 1830

The yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti is an important human health pest which vectors yellow fever and dengue viruses. Olfaction plays a crucial role in its attraction to hosts and although the molecular basis of this is not well understood it is likely that odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are involved in the first step of molecular recognition. Based on the OBPs of Drosophila melanogaster and Anopheles gambiae we have defined sequence motifs based on OBP conserved cysteine and developed an algorithm which has allowed us to identify 66 genes encoding putative OBPs from the genome sequence and expressed sequence tags (ESTs) of Ae. aegypti. We have also identified 11 new OBP genes for An. gambiae. We have examined all of the corresponding peptide sequences for the properties of OBPs. The predicted molecular weights fall within the expected range but the predicted isoeletric points are spread over a wider range than found previously. Comparative analyses of the 66 OBP sequences of Ae. aegypti with other dipteran species reveal some mosquito-specific genes as well as conserved homologues. The genomic organisation of Ae. aegypti OBPs suggests that a rapid expansion of OBPs has occurred, probably by gene duplication. The analyses of OBP-containing regions for microsynteny indicate a very high synteny between Ae. aegypti and An. gambiae.
Insect Mol Biol 2008 Apr
PMID:Identification of odorant-binding proteins of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti: genome annotation and comparative analyses. 1835 4

Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial in adaptive immunity because they are the only antigen-presenting cells that can present antigens to naive T lymphocytes. Plasmacytoid DCs (pDC) are also the main producers of type I Interferons in response to infection. We have shown that circulating myeloid DC (mDC) and pDC numbers are reduced in chronic as well as primary HIV infection. Data from different laboratories indicate that pDC counts, obtained by flow cytometry and rare event analysis, correlate inversely with the viral load, may be an early marker of recovery after antiretroviral treatment, and may predict better immune control of HIV replication. PDC counts may also be predictive of severe illness in dengue virus infection or of successful treatment against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. DC counts, or the "dendritogram", may therefore become useful in the clinical assessment of different infectious diseases.
Methods Mol Biol 2008
PMID:Clinical analysis of dendritic cell subsets: the dendritogram. 1837 Jan 60

Oligoadenylate synthetases (OASs) are interferon-inducible enzymes that participate in the first line of defense against a wide range of viral infection. Recent studies have determined that Oas1b, a member of the OAS gene family in the house mouse (Mus musculus), provides specific protection against flavivirus infection (e.g., West Nile virus, dengue fever virus, and yellow fever virus). We characterized the nucleotide sequence variation in coding and noncoding regions of the Oas1b gene for a large number of wild-derived strains of M. musculus and related species. Our sequence analyses determined that this gene is one of the most polymorphic genes ever described in any mammal. The level of variation in noncoding regions of Oas1b is an order of magnitude higher than the level reported for other regions of the mouse genome and is significantly different from the level of intraspecific variation expected under neutrality. Furthermore, a phylogenetic analysis of intronic sequences demonstrated that Oas1b alleles are ancient and that their divergence predates several speciation events, resulting in transspecific polymorphisms. The amino acid sequence of Oas1b is also extremely variable, with 1 out of 7 amino acid positions being polymorphic within M. musculus. Oas1b alleles are comparatively more divergent at synonymous positions than most autosomal genes and the ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution is remarkably high, suggesting that positive selection has been acting on Oas1b. The ancestry of Oas1b polymorphisms and the high level of amino acid polymorphisms strongly suggest that the allelic variation at Oas1b has been maintained in mouse populations by long-term balancing selection.
Mol Biol Evol 2008 Aug
PMID:Long-term balancing selection at the west nile virus resistance gene, Oas1b, maintains transspecific polymorphisms in the house mouse. 1846 Apr 47

Flaviviruses are a group of positive-stranded RNA viruses that cause a spectrum of severe illnesses globally in more than 50 million individuals each year. While effective vaccines exist for three members of this group (yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and tick-borne encephalitis viruses), safe and effective vaccines for several other flaviviruses of clinical importance, including West Nile and dengue viruses, remain in development. An effective humoral immune response is critical for protection against flaviviruses and an essential goal of vaccine development. The effectiveness of virus-specific antibodies in vivo reflects their capacity to inhibit virus entry and spread through several mechanisms, including the direct neutralisation of virus infection. Recent advances in our understanding of the structural biology of flaviviruses, coupled with the use of small-animal models of flavivirus infection, have promoted significant advances in our appreciation of the factors that govern antibody recognition and inhibition of flaviviruses in vitro and in vivo. In this review, we discuss the properties that define the potency of neutralising antibodies and the molecular mechanisms by which they inhibit virus infection. How recent advances in this area have the potential to improve the development of safe and effective vaccines and immunotherapeutics is also addressed.
Expert Rev Mol Med 2008 May 12
PMID:Molecular mechanisms of antibody-mediated neutralisation of flavivirus infection. 1847 42

Scorpine is an antimicrobial peptide whose structure resembles a hybrid between a defensin and a cecropin. It exhibits antibacterial activity and inhibits the sporogonic development of parasites responsible for murine malaria. In this communication we report the production of scorpine in a heterelogous system, using a specific vector containing its cloned gene. The recombinantly expressed scorpine (RScp) in (Anopheles gambie) cells showed antibacterial activity against (Bacillus subtilis) and (Klebsiella pneumoniae), at 5 and 10 microM, respectively. It also produced 98% mortality in sexual stages of (Plasmodium berghei) at 15 microM and 100% reduction in (Plasmodium falciparum) parasitemia at 5 microM. RScp also inhibited virus dengue-2 replication in C6/36 mosquito cells. In addition, we generated viable and fertile transgenic (Drosophila) that overexpresses and correctly secretes RScp into the insect hemolymph, suggesting that the generation of transgenic mosquitoes resistant to different pathogens may be viable.
Cell Mol Life Sci 2008 Oct
PMID:Recombinant scorpine: a multifunctional antimicrobial peptide with activity against different pathogens. 1872 72

Dillapiol, a phenylpropanoid isolate from essential oils of leaves of Piper aduncum (Piperaceae), has insecticidal, fungicidal and antimicrobial activities. The insecticidal activity of dillapiol was tested in vivo on the larvae and pupae of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito vector of dengue. Specifically, the effect of dillapiol on the formation of micronuclei and chromosome aberrations was analyzed. Dillapiol treatments comprised two concentrations of 200 and 400 micro dissolved in well water, and a pure well water control used to rear four generations of mosquitoes. Micronuclei occurred in mitotic diploid and tetraploid chromosomes of larvae; nuclear abnormalities also occurred in interphase, metaphase, telophase, and single nucleus cells of pupae. Mortality, oviposition, chromosome breakage, and anaphase bridges were significantly greater in the extract treatments than in controls. The genotoxic effects of dillapiol described here suggest that this natural product may be a useful alternative for the control of A. aegypti.
Genet Mol Res 2008
PMID:Potential control of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) with Piper aduncum L. (Piperaceae) extracts demonstrated by chromosomal biomarkers and toxic effects on interphase nuclei. 1876 46


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