A bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) defective in glycoprotein E (gE) was constructed from a Brazilian genital BoHV-1 isolate, by replacing the full gE coding region with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene for selection. Upon co-transfection of MDBK cells with genomic viral DNA plus the GFP-bearing gE-deletion plasmid, three fluorescent recombinant clones were obtained out of approximately 500...

IQGAP1 has been implicated as a regulator of cell motility because its overexpression or underexpression stimulates or inhibits cell migration, respectively, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we present evidence that IQGAP1 stimulates branched actin filament assembly, which provides the force for lamellipodial protrusion, and that this function of IQGAP1 is regulated ...

Previous work has shown that cultured keratinocytes do not form desmosomes at low [Ca2+] (less than 0.1 mM) but may be induced to do so by raising [Ca2+] to physiological levels (1.8-2 mM). Here, fluorescent antibody staining with specific anti-desmosomal antibodies and electron microscopy have been used to determine whether Ca2+-induced desmosome formation also occurs in simple epithelial cell...

Persistent infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic hepatitis in humans. In chronic carriers, the viral infection induces liver damage that predisposes the patient for cirrhosis and can lead to hepatocellular carcinoma. Current chemotherapies are limited to alpha interferon (IFN-alpha) used either alone or in combination with ribavirin (RBV). In addition to its limited...

Vaccines developed from viruses grown in mammalian cell cultures are of major importance in both human and animal health. The economic and sociological losses due to viral infections in human populations and the animal-production industry are significant, and necessitate the use of large-scale vaccination programs. Therefore, efforts are continually underway to improve cell culture systems that...