Feline calicivirus (FCV), a member of the Caliciviridae, produces its major structural protein as a precursor polyprotein from a subgenomic-sized mRNA. In this study, we show that the proteinase responsible for processing this precursor into the mature capsid protein is encoded by the viral genome at the 3'-terminal portion of open reading frame 1 (ORF1). Protein expression studies of either th...

1. Several commonly used preparations of human renin, including the International Reference Preparation (Renin Standard 68/356), were examined for the presence of contaminating proteinase activity by using a 14C-glycinated bovine haemoglobin substrate assay. 2. All of the human renin preparations tested cleaved haemoglobin even in the presence o di-isopropylfluorophosphate and ethylenediaminete...

Serum contains iron-binding proteins, which inhibit the growth of most pathogenic microorganisms, including fungi. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of serum on growth of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. Supplementing minimal essential medium (MEM) with up to 80% human serum or up to 80% fetal bovine serum (FBS) stimulated growth and increased th...

Three different serine proteinase inhibitors were isolated from rat serum and purified to apparent homogeneity. One of the inhibitors appears to be homologous to a1-proteinase inhibitor isolated from man and other species, but the other two, designated rat proteinase inhibitor I and rat proteinase inhibitor II, seem to have no human counterpart. ac-Proteinase inhibitor (Mr 55000) inhibits tryps...