Immune Response in the Absence of Neurovirulence in Mice Infected with M Protein Mutant Vesicular Stomatitis Virus▿

Matrix (M) protein mutants of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), such as rM51R-M virus, are less virulent than wild-type (wt) VSV strains due to their inability to suppress innate immunity. Studies presented here show that when inoculated intranasally into mice, rM51R-M virus was cleared from nasal mucosa by day 2 postinfection and was attenuated for spread to the central nervous system, in contrast to wt VSV, thus accounting for its reduced virulence. However, it stimulated an antibody response similar to that in mice infected with the wt virus, indicating that it has the ability to induce adaptive immunity in vivo without causing disease. These results support the use of M protein mutants of VSV as vaccine vectors

Towards a constitutional theory of corporate governance

Matthias Benz and Bruno S. Frey critically examines the theoretical perspective that the corporations should aspire for an uniformly optimal structure of governance structure in "Towards a Constitutional Theory of Corporate Governance." They make a comparative study of the pros & cons of limited constitutional rights to shareholders under the US corporate laws with the extensive constitutional rights under the Swiss corporate laws. They advocate the democratic approach under Swiss law as a better alternative to direct approach of the US that allows shareholders to set up corporate governance according to their preferences