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A capsid is the protein shell of a virus, enclosing its genetic material. It consists of several oligomeric (repeating) structural subunits made of protein called protomers. The observable 3-dimensional morphological subunits, which may or may not correspond to individual proteins, are called capsomeres. The proteins making up the capsid are called capsid proteins or viral coat proteins (VCP). The capsid and inner genome is called the nucleocapsid.
Virusoids are circular single-stranded RNA(s) dependent on viruses for replication and encapsidation. The genome of virusoids consists of several hundred (200–400) nucleotides and does not code for any proteins.
An expression vector, otherwise known as an expression construct, is usually a plasmid or virus designed for gene expression in cells. The vector is used to introduce a specific gene into a target cell, and can commandeer the cell's mechanism for protein synthesis to produce the protein encoded by the gene. Expression vectors are the basic tools in biotechnology for the production of proteins.
Adeno-associated viruses (AAV) are small viruses that infect humans and some other primate species. They belong to the genus Dependoparvovirus, which in turn belongs to the family Parvoviridae. They are small replication-defective, nonenveloped viruses and have linear single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) genome of approximately 4.8 kilobases (kb).
Polydnaviriformidae ( PDV) is a family of insect viriforms; members are known as polydnaviruses. There are two genera in the family: Bracoform and Ichnoviriform. Polydnaviruses form a symbiotic relationship with parasitoid wasps. Ichnoviriforms (IV) occur in Ichneumonid wasps and Bracoviriforms (BV) in Braconid wasps. The larvae of wasps in both of those groups are themselves parasitic on Lepidoptera, and the polydnaviruses are important in circumventing the immune response of their parasitized hosts. Little or no sequence homology exists between BV and IV, suggesting that the two genera have been evolving independently for a long time.
Baculoviridae is a family of viruses. Arthropods, among the most studied being Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera, serve as natural hosts. Currently, 85 species are placed in this family, assigned to four genera.
Importin subunit alpha-1 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the KPNA2 gene.
Importin subunit alpha-3, also known as karyopherin subunit alpha-4, is a protein that in humans is encoded by the KPNA4 gene.
Importin-5 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the IPO5 gene. The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the importin beta family. Structurally, the protein adopts the shape of a right hand solenoid and is composed of 24 HEAT repeats.
Nucleoporin 214 (Nup2014) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the NUP214 gene.
Neutral alpha-glucosidase C is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the GANC gene.
Alpha-mannosidase 2 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the MAN2A1 gene.
Baculovirus gene transfer into Mammalian cells, known from scientific research articles as BacMam, is the use of baculovirus to deliver genes to mammalian cells. Baculoviruses are insect viruses that can be modified to express proteins in mammalian cells. The unmodified baculovirus is able to enter those cells; however, its genes are not expressed unless a mammalian recognizable promoter is incorporated upstream of a gene of interest. Both unmodified baculovirus and its modified counterpart are unable to replicate in humans and are thus non-infectious.
Peter Palese is a United States microbiologist, researcher, inventor and the Horace W. Goldsmith Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, and an expert in the field of RNA viruses.
The PiggyBac (PB) transposon is a mobile genetic element that efficiently transposes between vectors and chromosomes via a "cut and paste" mechanism. During transposition, the PB transposase recognizes transposon-specific inverted terminal repeat sequences (ITRs) located on both ends of the transposon vector and efficiently moves the contents from the original sites and integrates them into TTAA chromosomal sites. The powerful activity of the PiggyBac transposon system enables genes of interest between the two ITRs in the PB vector to be easily mobilized into target genomes. The TTAA-specific transposon piggyBac is rapidly becoming a highly useful transposon for genetic engineering of a wide variety of species, particularly insects. They were discovered in 1989 by Malcolm Fraser at the University of Notre Dame.
David Mahan Knipe is the Higgins Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the Department of Microbiology at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts and co-chief editor of the reference book Fields Virology. He returned to the Chair of the Program in Virology at Harvard Medical School in 2019, having previously held the position from 2004 through 2016 and served as interim Co-Chair of the Microbiology and Immunobiology Department from 2016 through 2018.
Tristromaviridae is a family of viruses. Archaea of the genera Thermoproteus and Pyrobaculum serve as natural hosts. Tristromaviridae is the sole family in the order Primavirales. There are two genera and three species in the family.
Flock House virus (FHV) is in the Alphanodavirus genus of the Nodaviridae family of viruses. Flock House virus was isolated from a grass grub at the Flock House research station in Bulls, New Zealand. FHV is an extensively studied virus and is considered a model system for the study of other non-enveloped RNA viruses owing to its small size and genetic tractability, particularly to study the role of the transiently exposed hydrophobic gamma peptide and the metastability of the viral capsid. FHV can be engineered in insect cell culture allowing for the tailored production of native or mutant authentic virions or virus-like-particles. FHV is a platform for nanotechnology and nanomedicine, for example, for epitope display and vaccine development. Viral entry into host cells occurs via receptor-mediated endocytosis. Receptor binding initiates a sequence of events during which the virus exploits the host environment in order to deliver the viral cargo in to the host cytosol. Receptor binding prompts the meta-stability of the capsid–proteins, the coordinated rearrangements of which are crucial for subsequent steps in the infection pathway. In addition, the transient exposure of a covalently-independent hydrophobic γ-peptide is responsible for breaching cellular membranes and is thus essential for the viral entry of FHV into host cells.
Helicoverpa zea nudivirus 2 is an enveloped, rod-shaped, nonoccluded, double stranded DNA (dsDNA) sexually transmitted virus whose natural host is the corn earworm moth. At about 440 by 90 nm, it is the causative agent of the only sexually transmitted viral disease of any insect. It was originally identified in a colony of corn earworm moths established and maintained in Stoneville, Mississippi, U.S. and was found to be responsible for the sterility of those infected.
Peter Maxwell Howley is an American pathologist, virologist, and professor at Harvard Medical School. He has been president of the American Society for Virology and the American Society for Investigative Pathology and a co-editor of the Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease.
References
- 1 2 3 4 Williams, Rob (January 26, 2017). "Dr. Max Summers Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award". Department of Entomology, Texas A&M.
- 1 2 "Patents by Inventor Max D. Summers". Justia Patents.
- 1 2 "Max D. Summers". National Academy of Sciences (nasonline.org).
- ↑ "Novavax, Inc. Appoints Gale E. Smith, Ph.D. as Vice President, Vaccine Development". January 13, 2004.
- 1 2 3 "Dr. Max Summers (PhD '68) Receives 'Father of Baculovirus Expression Technology' Award". Department of Entomology, Purdue University. February 19, 2009.
- ↑ "Historic Fellows Listing". American Association for the Advancement of Science.
- ↑ "American Society for Virology Presidents".
- ↑ "Summers Receives 'Inventor of the Year Award' from Lawyers' Group". AgriLife Today. Texas A&M. May 5, 1999.
- ↑ Latefi, Nazlie (2009). "Bye-bye WilBio". Nature Biotechnology. 27 (8): 682. doi: 10.1038/nbt0809-682a . ISSN 1087-0156. S2CID 10341822.