(Press-News.org) A research team led by University of Liège scientists has published a groundbreaking study on malignant catarrhal fever (MCF). This disease is caused by the alcelaphine gammaherpesvirus 1 (AlHV-1), which infects its natural host, the wildebeest. This study sheds light on the mechanisms by which this virus, which is asymptomatic and latent in the wildebeest, causes an oligoclonal expansion of CD8+ T lymphocytes in cattle, leading to the development of MCF.
In 2013, the research team had already demonstrated (1) that malignant catarrhal fever (MCF), which is fatal in cattle, only develops if the AlHV-1 virus can maintain a latent state replicating its viral genome in CD8+ T lymphocytes without producing viral particles.
In this new study, we used high-throughput sequencing approaches on CD8+ T lymphocytes from sick cattle, compared with healthy animals," explains Benjamin Dewals, a researcher and lecturer at the University of Liège. We were able to characterise the T lymphocyte repertoire (TCR sequencing) as well as the expression of cellular and viral genes specifically regulated during infection".
Discovery of a crucial viral gene
Thanks to these analyses, the team identified a viral gene coding for a protein, called A10, potentially involved in the intracellular signalling of infected cells. This protein turned out to be essential for the development of the disease without affecting viral replication in cell culture", explains Meijiao Gong, PhD student at ULiège and first author of the article published in PNAS (2). In addition, we have shown that phosphorylation of A10 alters the phenotype of T lymphocytes, causing their proliferation and the development of MCF".
The results obtained provide an in-depth description of the reprogramming of CD8+ T cells during infection with AlHV-1 and identify A10 as a key element in the development of MCF. This discovery opens up new perspectives for understanding the mechanisms of malignant lymphoproliferation induced by herpesviruses and provides a promising basis for the development of an effective vaccine against this bovine disease.
"This study represents a significant step forward in our understanding of malignant catarrhal fever and offers hope for the development of a vaccine capable of protecting cattle against this devastating disease," concludes Benjamin Dewals.
(1) Palmeira et al., An essential role for gamma-herpesvirus latency-associated nuclear antigen homolog in an acute lymphoproliferative disease of cattle, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 2013.
END
New progress in research into malignant catarrhal fever in cattle
A new study offers hope for the development of a vaccine capable of protecting cattle against this devastating disease
2024-07-29
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Words like ‘this’ and ‘that’ act as attention tools across languages
2024-07-29
All languages have words like ‘this’ and ‘that’ to distinguish between referents that are ‘near’ and ‘far’. Languages like English or Hebrew have two of these ‘demonstratives’. Languages like Spanish or Japanese use a three-word system. For instance, in Spanish, ‘este’ signals something close to the speaker, ‘ese’ signals something far from the speaker but close to the listener, and ‘aquel’ signals something far from both.
“The reason why we were interested in demonstratives is because of their ...
Local food production saves costs and carbon
2024-07-29
Local foods are critical to the food security and health of Indigenous peoples around the world, but local "informal" economies are often invisible in official economic statistics. Consequently, these economies may be overlooked in the policies designed to combat climate change. For instance, Indigenous communities in the North American Arctic are characterized by mixed economies featuring hunting, fishing, gathering and trapping activities, alongside the formal wage economy. The region is also undergoing a rapid transformation due to social, economic and climatic changes. In Canada, the introduction ...
Bold moves needed for California agriculture to adapt to climate change
2024-07-29
California should take urgent and bold measures to adapt its $59 billion agriculture sector to climate change as the amount of water available for crops declines, according to a collaborative report by University of California faculty from four campuses.
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the report provides a roadmap for more water capture, storage, and distribution systems that are in harmony with climate projections and ecosystems. It further considers how runoff and groundwater can be used repeatedly ...
To get drivers to put down their phones, make it a game
2024-07-29
If you’re trying to keep drivers from picking up their phones, make it a game, according to a new Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) study led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. When drivers could earn points for making reductions in handheld phone use and had the chance to compete in a weekly leaderboard of others like them, researchers saw as much as a 28 percent reduction in handheld phone use while driving, a habit that stuck once the intervention—and the games—ended.
“Distracted driving ...
Study identifies protein that affects health of gut microbiota and response to bacterial infection
2024-07-29
A study reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) shows how the presence of a specific protein called IL-22BP affects the composition of the gut microbiota and the body’s response to bacterial infection.
“We discovered that mice that don’t produce this protein are more protected against intestinal infections by bacteria like Clostridioides difficile and Citrobacter rodentium,” Marco Aurélio Ramirez Vinolo, a co-author of the article, told. He is a professor at the State University of Campinas’s Institute of Biology (IB-UNICAMP) in Brazil and head of its Immunoinflammation Laboratory.
IL-22BP ...
Fetal brain impacted when mom fights severe flu: New mouse study explains how
2024-07-29
URBANA, Ill. -- A bad case of the flu during pregnancy can increase the risk for fetal neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. But it’s not the virus itself doing the damage; it’s the mother’s immune response.
New University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign research using live mouse-adapted influenza virus improves upon previous mouse experiments to explain the process on a cellular and molecular level. It also indicates fetal brain changes are more likely once the severity of the mother’s infection meets a specific threshold.
“Our data provide really compelling evidence for an infection severity ...
A camera trap for the invisible
2024-07-29
DURHAM, N.C. -- It sounds fantastical, but it’s a reality for the scientists who work at the world’s largest particle collider:
In an underground tunnel some 350 feet beneath the France–Switzerland border, a huge device called the Large Hadron Collider sends beams of protons smashing into each other at nearly the speed of light, creating tiny eruptions that mimic the conditions that existed immediately after the Big Bang.
Scientists like Duke physicist Ashutosh Kotwal think the subatomic debris of these collisions could contain hints ...
Neurodivergent children are twice as likely to experience chronic disabling fatigue in adolescence
2024-07-29
The research, led by Dr Lisa Quadt, Research Fellow in Psychiatry at BSMS and Dr Jessica Eccles, Reader in Brain-Body Medicine at BSMS, highlights a significant link between neurodivergence and chronic fatigue. The study found that increased inflammation in childhood, often resulting from heightened stress levels, may be a contributing factor. This supports previous findings that suggest chronic fatigue can be rooted in inflammatory processes.
“These results show the importance of trans-diagnostic screening for children and the need for better support for neurodivergent children” says Dr Quadt. “Children with neurodivergent ...
Engineers use data to manage grid transformers, boosting reliability to homes, farms
2024-07-29
AMES, Iowa – Pay attention the next time you drive near your home, farm or business. You’ll notice small, green utility boxes all over the place. They’re distribution transformers. If they’re not working properly, electricity won’t flow to your lights and appliances.
Those boxes take kilovolts of electricity (that’s high voltage, measured in 1,000s of volts) from transmission lines and step it down to the safer, practical 120 or 240 volts that power our daily lives.
“Utilities have plenty of them,” said Zhaoyu Wang, an Iowa State University professor of electrical and computer engineering. “Most of them only ...
PSU awarded $1.9M NOAA grant to address microplastic pollution in coastal communities
2024-07-29
Portland State University (PSU) has been awarded $1,976,806 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Sea Grant Marine Debris Challenge Award Program to lead an innovative and collaborative three-year project to address microplastic pollution on the Oregon coast.
This grant is part of a $27 million project between the U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA. Portland State will host one of 11 projects that received a total of $25 million in funding across Alabama, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin. These projects ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Underserved youth less likely to visit emergency department for concussion in Ontario, study finds
‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger
Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂
Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work
Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients
Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala
Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death
Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks
Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period
‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths
Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care
Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system
Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement
Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated
The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought
New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly
Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025
NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification
Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success
New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows
Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being
Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon
Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool
Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later
Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles
Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans
New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’
Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants
Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths
Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change
[Press-News.org] New progress in research into malignant catarrhal fever in cattleA new study offers hope for the development of a vaccine capable of protecting cattle against this devastating disease