PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

First-ever observation of the native capside of a retrovirus

Uruguayan scientists make an exciting discovery by determining the 3D structure of the native capsid of a retrovirus similar to HIV

First-ever observation of the native capside of a retrovirus
2015-06-10
(Press-News.org) This news release is available in Spanish.

Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is an infectious disease that affects the immune system of cattle, causing immunodeficiency and in some cases triggering the development of leukemia or solid tumors in the form of lymphomas. This illness causes significant losses in productivity and even premature death of animals mostly in dairy farms. It also raises sanitary barriers for commerce of livestock and derived goods. As such, it has become a very prevalent veterinary issue, notably in Uruguay, which needs urgent solving. BLV is a virus highly similar to HTLV (which is the agent provoking human T cell leukemia), both also related to HIV. The latter is sadly famous for being the causative agent of AIDS. All these pathogens belong to a large group of viruses known as retroviruses. Luckily, BLV does not represent a threat for Human health, since it only infects B lymphocytes from cattle. Getting to know in detail the properties of BLV can not only help to combat the disease in animals, but also lead to a better understanding of retroviruses in general. Retroviruses share many features about their life cycles and mechanisms of infection. Their genetic material consists of two RNA molecules, protected within a large protein structure that acts as a "shell", known as the virus capsid. This capsid is formed by hundreds of copies of a single protein encoded by the viral RNA, which has the amazing capacity of self-assembling when the virus needs to build new particles. Once the retrovirus invades a cell of the infected host, the capsid disassembles, uncoating the genetic material for it to be ready to go inside the nucleus, inserting itself as DNA into the cell's chromosomes. The infectivity of the virus depends upon the ability of the capsid to assemble and disassemble at the right times. Consequently, it is key to study its structural organization in detail. The researchers at the Institut Pasteur in Montevideo, in collaboration with the Uruguayan medical School, have now revealed that the retroviral capsid is very flexible. Moreover, specific regions of the protein were observed to be determinant, playing a key role in mediating such plasticity. Thanks to this novel view, unexplored avenues open up towards the design of new antiviral medicines, which could be used in the future to cure bovine leukemia or yet other diseases caused by retroviruses. The important findings that are now being reported have been made possible thanks to the observation of the three-dimensional structure of the capsid of the BLV virus at high resolution, actually achieving near atomic detail. Using a technique called X ray diffraction, scientists were able to determine the molecular structure by accurately defining where each atom of the protein is located in 3D space. Most importantly, the capsid was studied without suffering any modification or protein engineering. A few years ago, to achieve this kind of images, scientists had to introduce several mutations in a HIV capsid to make the protein more rigid, thereby affecting the scientific observation of its natural state. X ray diffraction of biological molecules in the crystal state is one of the most powerful methods to unravel their shapes and properties, reaching unimaginable levels of detail. At the Institut Pasteur in Montevideo, the BLV virus protein was highly purified and crystallized. These crystals consist of hexagonal assemblies of the protein, resembling a honeycomb. This is exactly how the protein arranges itself in the viral particles in real life, hence the relevance of the observations. Alejandro Buschiazzo, last-author of this article, points out that "these discoveries not only contribute with a deeper understanding of the biology of retroviruses. They also represent a milestone for the science carried out at Institut Pasteur in Montevideo, within the Uruguyan scientific community as a whole." He finally emphasizes that this publication "proves how important it is to train our students in cutting edge molecular techniques, focused on relevant problems for our societies. We take this achievement as the beginning of stronger collaborations with colleagues worldwide: science is a global endeavor, to understand more about Biology, and to tackle with increasing success the health problems that affect us".

INFORMATION:

The group of scientists involved in this study includes Uruguayan students and researchers Gonzalo Obal, Felipe Trajtenberg, Federico Carrión, Lorena Tomé, Nicole Larrieux, Otto Pritsch and Alejandro Buschiazzo.


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
First-ever observation of the native capside of a retrovirus

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Coral colonies more genetically diverse than assumed

2015-06-10
Coral colonies are more genetically diverse than it has been assumed to date. This is the conclusion drawn by biologists at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, who have conducted comprehensive studies into the genetic variability in individual colonies of different reef-forming coral species. "However, this doesn't mean we should expect that this variability can compensate for corals dying worldwide due to climate change," says Maximilian Schweinsberg from the Department of Animal Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, headed by Prof Dr Ralph Tollrian. In collaboration with colleagues, ...

PCOS sufferers appear to benefit from lifestyle modification combined with metformin

2015-06-10
A systematic review publishing today in the journal Human Reproduction Update has found that women who suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) could manage some of the symptoms by combining a change in lifestyle with taking the drug metformin. PCOS is associated with a range of features including irregular cycles, infertility, obesity, diabetes, and depression. Researchers at Monash University in Australia compared the effects of change in lifestyle alone or with placebo, to lifestyle plus metformin. They found that lifestyle changes combined with taking metformin ...

New treatment hope for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

2015-06-10
A previously unknown link between the immune system and the death of motor neurons in Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, has been discovered by scientists at the CHUM Research Centre and the University of Montreal. The finding paves the way to a whole new approach for finding a drug that can cure or at least slow the progression of such neurodegenerative diseases as ALS, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. The study, published today in Nature Communications, shows that the immune system in the animal model C. elegans, ...

New study explores whether newborns delivered by c-section face higher risk of chronic health problems later in life

2015-06-10
New York, June 10 -- A new paper in the British Medical Journal by Jan Blustein, M.D., Ph.D., of New York University's Wagner School and a professor of Medicine and Population Health at NYU School of Medicine and Jianmeng Liu, M.D., Ph.D., of Peking University examines the evidence as to whether newborns delivered by Cesarean section are more likely to develop chronic diseases later in life. While the jury is still out and research is ongoing, recent studies underscore the need for health care providers to discuss with expectant parents the risk of babies born through cesarean ...

Companies are making cybersecurity a greater priority

2015-06-10
Companies are spending increasing amounts on cybersecurity tools, but aren't convinced their data is truly secure and many chief information security officers believe that attackers are gaining on their defenses, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Charting the future of cybersecurity is difficult because so much is shrouded in secrecy, no one is entirely certain of all the methods malicious hackers use to infiltrate systems and businesses do not want to disclose their safety measures, according to the report. While worldwide spending on cybersecurity is close ...

More women turning to CAM for menopause without medical guidance

2015-06-10
CLEVELAND, June 10 -- The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasing for the treatment of menopausal symptoms but often without the guidance of a clinician. That's according to a new study reported online today in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). As a result, the authors suggest that healthcare providers -- in particular family medicine practitioners -- need to be more aware of the various CAM therapies and take a more active role in guiding patients through their options to more safely and effectively coordinate ...

Stillbirth and neonatal death rate report identifies areas for improvement in NHS services

2015-06-10
Almost one in every 150 babies born in the UK is stillborn or dies soon after birth. A research team led from the University of Leicester has identified large differences across the UK in the numbers and rates of babies who die, even after taking account of known factors that influence the rate of death such as poverty, mother's age and ethnicity. A new report by MBRRACE-UK*, a team of academics, clinicians and charity representatives (commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership** as part of the Maternal, Newborn and Infant Clinical Outcome Review Programme), ...

Cuckoos mimic 'harmless' species as a disguise to infiltrate host nests

Cuckoos mimic harmless species as a disguise to infiltrate host nests
2015-06-10
Brood parasites are reproductive cheats that evolve ways of duping other birds into raising their young. Examples such as mimicry of host eggs, chicks and fledglings by brood parasitic eggs, chicks and fledglings are amongst the most iconic examples of animal deception in nature. New research shows that adult brood parasitic female cuckoo finches have evolved plumage colours and patterns to mimic a harmless and abundant species, such as southern red bishops, to deceive possible host birds and reduce the risk of being attacked when approaching host nests to lay their eggs. ...

First live birth after transplantation of ovarian tissue frozen during childhood

First live birth after transplantation of ovarian tissue frozen during childhood
2015-06-10
A young woman has become the first in the world to give birth to a healthy child after doctors restored her fertility by transplanting ovarian tissue that had been removed and frozen while she was a child. A report of the case is published today in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world's leading reproductive medicine journals. While there have been reports of successful pregnancies after ovarian transplantation using tissue that had been removed from patients when they were adults, there have been none using tissue taken from girls before puberty and the ability of ...

Scientists downsize the giant 'Dreadnoughtus' dinosaur

2015-06-10
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have shown that the most complete giant sauropod dinosaur, Dreadnoughtus, discovered by palaeontologists in South America in 2014, was not as large as previously thought. Found in Patagonia, the huge fossil had almost all of the major bones intact, allowing scientists to confidently estimate its overall size - measuring in at 26 metres long. Preserved in rock, it is thought that the animal was close to maturity but not fully grown when it died, and may have grown to be even larger. The long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur was ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Plastic in the soil, but not as we know it: Biodegradable microplastics rewire carbon storage in farm fields

Yeast proteins reveal the secrets of drought resistance

Psychiatry, primary care, and OB/GYN subspecialties hit hardest by physician attrition

New Canadian study reveals where HIV hides in different parts of the body

Lidocaine poisonings rise despite overall drop in local anesthetic toxicity

Politics follow you on the road

Scientists blaze new path to fighting viral diseases

The mouse eye as a window to spotting systemic disease

AI and the Future of Cancer Research and Cancer Care to headline October 24 gathering of global oncology leaders at the National Press Club: NFCR Global Summit to feature top scientists, entrepreneurs

FDA clears UCLA heart tissue regeneration drug AD-NP1 for clinical trials

Exploring the therapeutic potential of cannabidiol for Alzheimer's

We need a solar sail probe to detect space tornadoes earlier, more accurately, U-M researchers say

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML): Disease risk but not remission status determines transplant outcomes – new ASAP long-term results

Sperm microRNAs: Key regulators of the paternal transmission of exercise capacity

Seeing double: Clever images open doors for brain research

Inhaler-related greenhouse gas emissions in the US

UCLA Health study finds inhalers for asthma and COPD drive significant greenhouse gas emissions

A surgical handover system for patient physiology and safety

Cardiovascular health changes in young adults and risk of later-life cardiovascular disease

Nurse workload and missed nursing care in neonatal intensive care units

How to solve the remote work stalemate – dissertation offers tools for successful hybrid work

Chip-based phonon splitter brings hybrid quantum networks closer to reality

Texas Children’s researchers create groundbreaking tool to improve accuracy of genetic testing

Milken Institute, Ann Theodore Foundation announce more than $2.5 million in new funding for sarcoidosis research and launch new call for proposals

Boston University professor to receive 2025 Eugene Braunwald Academic Mentorship Award

Pusan National University researchers reveal how forest soil properties influence arsenic mobility and toxicity in soil organisms

Korea University researchers find sweet taste cells resist nerve damage through c-Kit protein

HealthFORCE, AAPA, and West Health release “Aging Well with AI” – first in a two part series on AI and the healthcare workforce

The real reasons Endurance sank — study finds Shackleton knew of ship’s shortcomings

Marine heatwaves have hidden impacts on ocean food webs and carbon cycling

[Press-News.org] First-ever observation of the native capside of a retrovirus
Uruguayan scientists make an exciting discovery by determining the 3D structure of the native capsid of a retrovirus similar to HIV