The Nonstructural Proteins of Nipah Virus Play a Key Role in Pathogenicity in Experimentally Infected Animals

Nipah virus (NiV) P gene encodes P protein and three accessory proteins (V, C and W). It has been reported that all four P gene products have IFN antagonist activity when the proteins were transiently expressed. However, the role of those accessory proteins in natural infection with NiV remains unknown. We generated recombinant NiVs lacking V, C or W protein, rNiV(V−), rNiV(C−), and rNiV(W−), respectively, to analyze the functions of these proteins in infected cells and the implications in in vivo pathogenicity. All the recombinants grew well in cell culture, although the maximum titers of rNiV(V−) and rNiV(C−) were lower than the other recombinants. The rNiV(V−), rNiV(C−) and rNiV(W−) suppressed the IFN response as well as the parental rNiV, thereby indicating that the lack of each accessory protein does not significantly affect the inhibition of IFN signaling in infected cells. In experimentally infected golden hamsters, rNiV(V−) and rNiV(C−) but not the rNiV(W−) virus showed a significant reduction in virulence. These results suggest that V and C proteins play key roles in NiV pathogenicity, and the roles are independent of their IFN-antagonist activity. This is the first report that identifies the molecular determinants of NiV in pathogenicity in vivo

A biochronologic tie-point for the base of the tortonian stage in european terrestrial settings: Magnetostratigraphy of the topmost upper freshwater molasse sediments of the north alpine foreland basin in bavaria (Germany)

Chronostratigraphic correlation and dating of terrestrial, especially mammal bearing, sediments of the European Neogene are still problematic and highly debated. In particular, absolute ages for important vertebrate assemblages are often not available making correlation during the continental Miocene across Europe so ambiguous. Here we present a detailed magnetostratigraphic study on a paleontological key section of the Middle to Late Miocene transition in the North Alpine Foreland Basin (NAFB) in Bavaria (Hammerschmiede) and a neighboring drill core, which has a total length of 150.4 m and includes, stratigraphically, the fossil site. We identify three complete normal polarity intervals, which have been correlated based on biochronologic constraints to chrons C5An.1n, C5r.2n and C5r.2r-1n. At least two major hiatuses probably occurred within the interjacent reversed chrons, for which geological indications are present and might be relatable to isochronic features in the Vienna basin. Inferred upper limits of the accumulation rate vary between 10 and 30 cm/kyr. This correlation determines the age of the Hammerschmiede vertebrate level HAM 5 to be about 11.62 Ma, making it an ideal biochronologic tie-point for the base of the Tortonian and Pannonian stages in terrestrial settings. Additionally, we date the youngest freshwater molasse lithostratigraphic unit of the Bavarian part of the NAFB, the Obere Serie, to between 13.8 and 11.1 Ma. Following our correlation, the lack of hipparion horses in the Bavarian part of the NAFB has stratigraphic rather than ecologic reasons and the 'Hipparion datum' seems to be a single bio-event at 11.1 Ma in Western Eurasia