A virocentric perspective: The essential is invisible to the eye

A lo largo de los años transcurridos desde el descubrimiento de los virus, y en repetidas ocasiones, los expertos han cambiado de opinión acerca de su identidad. Al principio fueron considerados venenos, luego partículas con una forma de vida peculiar y más tarde sustancias bioquímicas. Los virus ocupan hoy, en el pensamiento biológico, una zona gris entre lo vivo y lo inerte: incapaces de autorreplicarse, lo cual consiguen, sin embargo, en el interior de una célula viva. De esta manera, condicionan de forma determinante el comportamiento de tal hospedador. Durante buena parte de la era moderna de la biología, la inclusión de los virus en el mundo inerte trajo consigo una consecuencia negativa, dado que se prescindió de ellos en el estudio de la evolución. Para nuestra fortuna, hoy la ciencia comienza a valorar el papel decisivo de los virus en la historia de la vida.Over the years since the discovery of the virus, and in many occasions, experts have changed their minds about their identity. At first they were considered poisons, then particles with a peculiar life style and later biochemical substances. Viruses occupy today, in biological thought, a gray area between the living and the nonliving: unable to self-replicate, but achieving it, however, within a living cell. This, decisively determines the behavior of such host. For many years along modern biology, the inclusion of viruses in the inert world brought a negative consequence, since they were omitted in the study of evolution. Fortunately for us, science now begins to appreciate the critical role of viruses in the history of life.Fil: Carlucci, Maria Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentin

The omnipresent power of the invisible: From viruses to being conscious

According to Mayan cosmology, the law of time is represented as the energy factored by time equals to art. Time is a form of biological information. Time in-forms life, in such a way that life forms processes time as information and externalize it specific forms into the three-dimensional world, then time is the principle ordering of life. Indeed, everything in the natural order of the cosmos is beauty and harmony. All life forms on planet earth have their phases of morphological development, this is real even in the social structure of communities of living beings that also may have an aesthetic or artistic quality. This form and measurements of all things constitutes the entire or holistic order of the universe. So, if life is it nothing more than better-informed matter, where does this information come from? Socrates and Platon held that nothing in nature and in the world can be explained by random or chance, as Democritus would have argued, that nature creations occur because they have a Purpose. According to Platon, the natural world is a designer?s result demiurge or a universal consciousness that sets everything in the best possible place. So, if there is a start point where intelligence creates order, where there is order, there is purpose so; what is the purpose then? This work tends to give an answer and show a different perspective of living, studying and understanding (micro)biological phenomena in order to become conscious and assume that Nature is infinitely more powerful than us, the Whole is more than the sum of parts, we are part of it.Fil: Castañeda Cataña, Mayra Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Sepúlveda, Claudia Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Carlucci, Maria Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentin

In Times of Global Planetary Challenges: Metanoia

We grow up in a perspective of an existence, which we call reality. We identify our-selves with this reality as something absolute and we reject the experiences that do not belong to it. Each reality is valid only within certain limits (such as family’s traditions, religious beliefs, culture etc). So, “this is how our own state of consciousness perceives reality and we can never explore reality without exploring ourselves the reality that we explore” reminds us of Ram Dass. Therefore, the numerous crises that arise in our time, ecological, humanitarian, economic, religious, political, show us how we perceive our-selves: mostly as indifferent and without being aware of nature. This work leads us to deeply think about the fact, that as we are living in the Anthropocene era we can prac-tice a different committed science that helps us clarify and manifest proposals, that will help us to deal with this planetary crisis, from new perspectives or metanoia (from Greek μετανοιεν, metanoien a change of mind or direction, new mind).Fil: Castañeda Cataña, Mayra Alejandra. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; ArgentinaFil: Sepúlveda, Claudia Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; ArgentinaFil: Carlucci, Maria Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; Argentin

Viral Musicality in Harmony with Nature

In this manuscript we describe a biological system that deals with herpes simplex virus in the context of an invitro infection in the presence of carrageenan, from a novel point of view by comparing our system to the Ligeti´ssymphonic poem of 100 metronomes. Metronomes (from ancient Greek μέτρον-métron, "measure" and νέμω-némo,"I manage", "I lead"), as a measuring instrument of ?tempo? links us with the viral replication cycle to define, throughsound, a metaphorical construction of life (as vibration and movement, impermanence and constant change). Thechanges detected in viral populations, in time and space, in a similar way to the artistically experienced in Ligeti´ssymphonic poem enable us a trans disciplinary view, creating networks of cooperation that favor the renewal of theconceptual bases of biology enriching our perception and understanding of the biology and evolution of viruses.Fil: Theaux, Clara. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; ArgentinaFil: Scolaro, Luis Alberto. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Carlucci, Maria Josefina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentin

Herpes simplex virus type 1 variants arising after selection with an antiviral carrageenan: Lack of correlation between drug susceptibility and syn phenotype

Natural carrageenans of diverse structural types isolated from the red seaweed Gigartina skottsbergii have been recently identified as potent and selective inhibitors of herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2. The m/n carrageenan 1C3  was tested in vitro for its ability to select resistant variants. After serial passages of HSV-1 strain F in Vero cells in the presence of increasing concentrations of 1C3, there emerged viruses which were approximately 2-10 fold more resistant to 1C3 inhibition than parental virus and formed large plaques with an altered syncytial phenotype (1C3-syn). Plaque-purified syncytial variants isolated from passages 13 and 14 have shown variable levels of resistance to 1C3 as well as to the other antiviral carrageenans isolated from G. skottsbergii, and to other sulfated polysaccharides with known antiviral activity, such as heparin and dextran sulfate 8000, but all the clones were susceptible to acyclovir. The syn phenotype was not related to polysaccharide-resistance. All the 1C3-syn variants formed large syncytia in Vero and CV-1 cells, but did not induce fusion in other cell types. The growth efficiency in Vero cells as well as the virulence for mice by intracerebral or intraperitoneal inoculation of 1C3-syn variants showed no significative alterations in comparison to the parental virus. The syncytial properties were not affected by cyclosporin A or melittin, suggesting that an alteration on glycoprotein gB could be responsible of the syn phenotype induced by 1C3.Fil: Carlucci, Maria Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; ArgentinaFil: Scolaro, Luis Alberto. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Damonte, Elsa Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; Argentin

Virus driven evolution: A probable explanation for "Similia Similibus Curantur" philosophy

Despite the advances in biomedical knowledge, there remain many challenging and significant unsolved problems among which are included viral pathogenesis and antiviral therapy, as main topics in human health. On this respect, for instance, our knowledge about human immunodeficiency virus and AIDS is still insufficient to deal with problems of immense significance, such as the possible " natural cure" for a chronic infection or the induction of protective immunity against this agent. At the same time, new viral diseases of humans and animals continue to emerge or re-emerge, due to changes in host susceptibility and/or in virus virulence as well as to re-introduction of a virus that had disappeared from a defined population. These changes, at least in part, may appear as a consequence of antiviral therapies and lead to the selection of viral mutants. Moreover, taking into account that viruses have been studied as causative agents of conspicuous diseases a broad spectrum of uncertainty is still present when unapparent persistent infections are considered. Based on Hippocrates (460-357 b.C.E) natural philosophy, " Natura Morborum Medicatrix" which represents the natural healing force, i.e.: " Nature cures diseases" ; and " Similia Similibus Curantur" which means " like cure like" , we propose the use of natural compounds with chemical structures similar to cellular membrane components. On this approach, sulfated polysaccharides obtained from marine algae may act as a driving force for the emergence of attenuated viruses, enabling this way a practical approach for preventive therapies for herpes simplex virus infection. At the same time, viruses would be creative tools and their contribution by adding new genetic identity to their host are set points of genesis in the growth of the tree of life.Fil: Carlucci, Maria Josefina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Damonte, Elsa Beatriz. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Scolaro, Luis Alberto. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

In vitro and in vivo immunomodulatory activity of sulfated polysaccharides from red seaweed Nemalion helminthoides

Water-soluble sulfated polysaccharides from the red seaweed Nemalion helminthoides: two xylomannan fractions (N3 and N4) and a mannan fraction (N6), were investigated to determine their in vitro and in vivo immunomodulatory activities. N3 and N4 induced in vitro proliferation of macrophages of the murine cell line RAW 264.7 and significantly stimulated the production of nitric oxide (NO) and cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-a) in the same cells, whereas this response was not observed with the mannan N6. The cytokine production was also stimulated by sulfated xylomannans in vivo in BALB/c mice inoculated intravenously with these polysaccharides. Remarkably, when mice were treated with N3 and N4 one hour before being infected with Herpes simplex virus type 2, they remained asymptomatic with no signs of disease. The in vitro and in vivo results suggest that sulfated xylomannans could be strong immunomodulators.Fil: Perez Recalde, Maria Mercedes. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Matulewicz, Maria Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones En Hidratos de Carbono; ArgentinaFil: Pujol, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Carlucci, Maria Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentin

Topical microbicides for the prevention of genital herpes infection

Genital herpes is one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections worldwide and is the most common cause of genital ulcers. Despite increased public awareness and the initiation of efforts to prevent transmission, the prevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 continues to increase. What makes HSV so difficult to control is that most sexual and perinatal transmission occurs during unrecognized or asymptomatic shedding. The impact of genital herpes as a public health threat is amplified because of its epidemiological synergy with HIV/AIDS. Thus, there is an urgent need for novel prophylactic methods, such as topical microbicides designed for genital application, to prevent both HSV and HIV transmission. Several candidate microbicides are being advanced to clinical trials based on in vitro activity and animal studies. These include compounds that inactivate virus directly, those that enhance innate immunity, and drugs that block viral binding and entry. A more vigorous evaluation of the safety of these and other candidate topical microbicides in development should include assessment of the impact of repeated application on innate host defences in the genital tract.Fil: Keller, Marla J.. Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Tuyama, Ana. Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Estados UnidosFil: Carlucci, Maria Josefina. Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Estados Unidos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Herold, Betsy C.. Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Estados Unido

Viruses: As mediators in “Élan vital” of the “creative” evolution

The understanding of the processes occurring in Nature has been a continuing concern throughout the history of mankind. Intellectual tools employed towards this goal were specific for each period and have been largely based on the prevailing paradigms that reigned in the past. In this work we present evidence that supports the idea of viruses as key agents mediating natural processes linked to the evolution of organisms, particularly those involved in the flux of genes in the environment. This point of view tinges our perception of Nature and prompts us to include “viral” creativity and plasticity among the tools we employ to analyze those processes far beyond actual paradigms. Experimental data to support this proposal arose during the study of the interaction of the human pathogen, herpes simplex virus (HSV) with sulfated polysaccharides during multiplication of the virus in vitro. Sulfated polysaccharides are the main chemical structures found in carrageenans (CGNs) that are natural products obtained from seaweeds, which proved to be strong inhibitors for the virus. Here we describe the interaction between virus and CGNs as a suitable scenario for the emergence of viral variants which proved to be markedly attenuated for mice. A striking feature of these variants is that they showed changes at the level of conserved regions of the genome such as the DNA polymerase and thymidine kinase genes. In view of these findings, the importance of HSV evolution towards attenuated variants by the action of polysaccharides is also discussed. Attenuation may be considered part of a natural evolutionary process enabling the virus to contribute with valuable information for the host.Fil: Artuso, María Carolina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; ArgentinaFil: Roldan, Julieta Suyay. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; ArgentinaFil: Scolaro, Luis Alberto. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; ArgentinaFil: Carlucci, Maria Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; Argentin

Sulfated mannans from the red seaweed Nemalion helminthoides of the South Atlantic

Nemalion helminthoides, collected in the Argentine South Atlantic coast, was extracted with hot water and the crude product fractionated using cetrimide. The complexed material was subjected to fractional solubilization in solutions of increasing sodium chloride concentration and seven fractions were separated and analyzed. Structural analysis of the main fractions, those soluble in 3.0 and 4.0 M NaCl (yields 21.0% and 13.8%, respectively) and those insoluble in 4.0 M NaCl (yield 20.0%), indicated that this seaweed biosynthesizes (1 → 3)-linked α-d-mannans that are sulfated at positions 4 and 6. Three mannan fractions comprising considerable amounts of xylose were also isolated in very low total yield (2.0%). The fractions that were soluble in 3.0 and 4.0 M NaCl showed low antiherpetic activity whereas this activity was considerable for the fraction solubilized in 2.0 M NaCl (yield 0.5%) which contained single stubs of β-d-xylose. A xylan, soluble in cetrimide solution, containing (1 → 3, 1 → 4)-linked β-d-xylose residues, was also isolated in minor amount. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Fil: Perez Recalde, Maria Mercedes. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono; ArgentinaFil: Noseda, Miguel D.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Pujol, Carlos Alberto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; ArgentinaFil: Carlucci, Maria Josefina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica. Laboratorio de Virología; ArgentinaFil: Matulewicz, Maria Cristina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Centro de Investigaciones en Hidratos de Carbono; Argentin