Identification of novel antiviral of fungus-derived brefeldin A against dengue viruses

Microbial natural products possess a wide range of biological and biochemical potential. Among them, fungal secondary metabolites are one of the most important sources for discovering new drugs or lead compounds. In the present study, we explored substances produced by the strain Penicillium sp. FKI-7127 for its antiviral activity. We identified brefeldin A as a novel antiviral agent against dengue viruses. The inhibitory effect of brefeldin A was confirmed by virus titer and immunofluorescence assay. Brefeldin A inhibited dengue viruses regardless of serotypes and other related viruses including Zika virus and Japanese encephalitis virus. Time-of-addition study showed that brefeldin A exerts its antiviral effect at an early stage of the dengue virus (DENV) life cycle. These studies demonstrate that (i) brefeldin A could be used as a lead compound for drug development of anti-DENV and other related viruses and (ii) fungal metabolites are a potential and valuable source for dengue virus drug discovery

Calculation of coherent synchrotron radiation using mesh

We develop a new method to simulate coherent synchrotron radiation numerically. It is based on the mesh calculation of the electromagnetic field in the frequency domain. We make an approximation in the Maxwell equation which allows a mesh size much larger than the relevant wavelength so that the computing time is tolerable. Using the equation, we can perform a mesh calculation of coherent synchrotron radiation in transient states with shielding effects by the vacuum chamber. The simulation results obtained by this method are compared with analytic solutions. Though, for the comparison with theories, we adopt simplifications such as longitudinal Gaussian distribution, zero-width transverse distribution, horizontal uniform bend, and a vacuum chamber with rectangular cross section, the method is applicable to general cases