Altered expression of cytokines in mice infected intranasally with two syncytial variants of Herpes simplex virus type 1

Immune evasion strategies are important for the onset and the maintenance of viral infections. Many viruses have evolved mechanisms to counteract or suppress the host immune response. We have previously characterized two syncytial (syn) variants of Herpes simplex 1 (HSV-1) strain F, syn14-1 and syn17-2, obtained by selective pressure with a natural carrageenan. These variants showed a differential pathology in vaginal and respiratory mucosa infection in comparison with parental strain. In this paper, we evaluated the modulation of immune response in respiratory mucosa by these HSV-1 variants. We observed altered levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Interleukin-6 in lungs of animals infected with the syn14-1 and syn17-2 variants compared with the parental strain. Also, we detected differences in the recruitment of immune cells to the lung in syn variants infected mice. Both variants exhibit one point mutation in the sequence of the gene of glycoprotein D detected in the ectodomain of syn14-1 and the cytoplasmic tail of syn17-2. Results obtained in the present study contribute to the characterization of HSV-1 syn variants and the participation of the cellular inflammatory response in viral pathogenesis.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; ArgentinaFil: Linero, Florencia Natalia. 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: Gazzaniga, Silvina Noemí. 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: 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: 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. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Wainstok, Rosa. 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

CAMBIOS TEMPORALES EN LA DIETA DEL PLAYERO ROJIZO (CALIDRIS CANUTUS RUFA) EN UN HUMEDAL DE PENÍNSULA VALDÉS, PATAGONIA ARGENTINA

Temporal variation in the diet of the Red Knot (Calidris canutus rufa) in a wetland from Península Valdés, Patagonia Argentina. – During their northward migration, Red Knots forage extensively in intertidal areas of Península Valdés (Patagonia, Argentina). This species has a small population and declines have been linked to reduced prey availability in migratory stopover sites. Thus, knowing the temporal variation in prey availability and diet is essential to understand population dynamics in the Red Knot. We studied temporal variation in the diet of the Red Knot at Colombo Beach (northeastern Nuevo Gulf, Península Valdés). To evaluate prey availability, we sampled benthic invertebrates in March every study year. We collected 292 feces during April in 2002, 2003, 2006, and 2007. Prey items were identified by using key hard structures. The clam Darina solenoides was the most common prey positively selected every year (Savage index), although in some years the polychaete Travisia olens was also selected. Other, less important prey items were seeds, mussels, insects, crustaceans, isopods, amphipods, ostracods, the snail Buccinanops globulosus, and the clam Tellina petitiana. Red Knots selected clams in variable size ranges depending on the year (10–18 mm in 2002, 8–22 mm in 2003, 10–20 in 2006, and 18–26 mm in 2007 mm). In the years where the contribution to biomass by the clam D. solenoids was lower, knots had a higher trophic diversity. Diet composition varied between years mainly due to differences in the intake of polychaetes

Inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway by Ly294002 does not prevent establishment of persistent Junín virus infection in Vero cells

In previous work, we demonstrated that the arenavirus Junin virus (JUNV) is able to activate Akt by means of the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) survival pathway during virus entry. This work extends our study, emphasizing the relevance of this pathway in the establishment and maintenance of persistent infection in vitro. During the course of infection, JUNV-infected Vero cells showed a typical cytopathic effect that may be ascribed to apoptotic cell death. Treatment of infected cultures with Ly294002, an inhibitor of the PI3K/Akt pathway, produced an apoptotic response similar to that observed for uninfected cells treated with the drug. This result suggests that virus-induced activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway does not deliver a strong enough anti-apoptotic signal to explain the low proportion of apoptotic cells observed during infection. Also, inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway during the acute stage of infection did not prevent the establishment of persistence. Furthermore, treatment of persistently JUNV-infected cells with Ly294002 did not alter viral protein expression. These findings indicate that despite the positive modulation of the PI3/Akt pathway during Junin virus entry, this would not play a critical role in the establishment and maintenance of JUNV persistence in Vero cells

Host Cell Factors as Antiviral Targets in Arenavirus Infection

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