Deletion of the vaccinia virus growth factor gene reduces virus virulence

Growth inhibition by vaccinia virus growth factor.

Vaccinia virus growth factor (VGF), a highly glycosylated 77-residue epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like polypeptide encoded in vaccinia poxvirus, is reported to play an important role in stimulating growth of uninfected cells to facilitate virus infection. We have chemically synthesized the unglycosylated forms of VGF and VGF19-69, a shortened VGF analog consisting of 51 residues and comprising...

Inhibition of IκB Kinase by Vaccinia Virus Virulence Factor B14

The IkappaB kinase (IKK) complex is a key regulator of signal transduction pathways leading to the induction of NF-kappaB-dependent gene expression and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. It therefore represents a major target for the development of anti-inflammatory therapeutic drugs and may be targeted by pathogens seeking to diminish the host response to infection. Previously, the vacc...

Vaccinia Virus Reduces Virus Virulence and A Soluble Chemokine-Binding Protein from

VACCINIA VIRUS O1L VIRULENCE GENE AND PROTEIN LOCALIZATION by

Smallpox killed an estimated 500 million people in the twentieth century alone. Although this fatal disease was eradicated from the world over thirty years ago, its potential use as a bioterrorism agent remains a concern. In addition, monkeypox continues to cause human outbreaks in Africa, and in the US in 2003. Vaccinia virus, the live virus vaccine for smallpox and monkeypox, is dangerous for...

Deletion of C7L and K1L Genes Leads to Significantly Decreased Virulence of Recombinant Vaccinia Virus TianTan

The vaccinia virus TianTan (VTT) has been modified as an HIV vaccine vector in China and has shown excellent performance in immunogenicity and safety. However, its adverse effects in immunosuppressed individuals warrant the search for a safer vector in the following clinic trails. In this study, we deleted the C7L and K1L genes of VTT and constructed six recombinant vaccinia strains VTT△C7L, VT...