http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/viruses/ Virology News. Read current research on the virus structure, specific viruses (H5N1 flu, West Nile virus, HIV and more) and responses. en-us Fri, 16 May 2008 16:05:01 EDT Fri, 16 May 2008 16:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/viruses/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515120804.htm T cells can initiate cellular suicide, also known as apoptosis, by a previously unrecognized pathway that starts with the destruction of a key enzyme in mitochondria, the power plant of the cell. Sat, 17 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515120804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516094452.htm A new study reveals in unprecedented detail the genetic identity of versions of HIV responsible for sexual transmission. In 80 percent of the study's newly infected patients, a single HIV variant caused transmission, according to researchers. The detail provides important clues in the ongoing search for an effective HIV/AIDS vaccine. Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080516094452.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513140127.htm Move over "Longface", "Spooktacular" and "Trickster" -- there's a new face in the pumpkin patch. Researchers recently introduced "Orange Bulldog," a new variety of the familiar fall fruit that may soon be available to consumers and wholesale pumpkin growers. Thu, 15 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080513140127.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515120750.htm Now that high school biology students can recite that genes are made of DNA, which is transcribed into messenger RNA (mRNA), which is then translated into protein, along comes a new class of molecules, sending students -- and many scientists -- scrambling for updated textbooks. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515120750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515113308.htm Researchers have sequenced the entire genetic code of 23 strains of Flavivirus, the virus that causes St. Louis encephalitis, to understand its evolutionary history. This study, published in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, found that a single mutation made the virus pathogenic to humans and that the North and South American strains divided about 116 years ago. Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515113308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080509170744.htm Researchers have discovered an anti-virulence factor in Salmonella, knowledge that could be used to design improved Salmonella vaccines. Virulence factors allow a pathogen to thrive in the host and cause disease. An anti-virulence factor controls the degree of infectiveness. Mon, 12 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080509170744.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222417.htm Researchers from the United States and Switzerland have developed mathematical and statistical tools for reconstructing viral populations using pyrosequencing, a novel and effective technique for sequencing DNA. Mon, 12 May 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222417.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508135223.htm Scientist have examined a new mechanism in the reproductive cycle of a certain species of mold. This mechanism protects the organism from genetic abnormalities by "silencing" unmatched genes during meiosis (sexual reproduction). The finding could have implications for higher organisms and may lead to precise "targeting" of unwanted genes, such as those from the HIV virus. Sun, 11 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508135223.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143310.htm Viruses are masters of deception, duping their host's cells into helping them grow and spread. A new study has found that human cytomegalovirus can mimic a common regulatory protein to hijack normal cell growth machinery, disrupting a cell's primary anti-cancer mechanism. Sat, 10 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143310.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508103623.htm For the first time, research has made possible a detailed map of how the building blocks of chromosomes, the cellular structures that contain genes, are organized in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The work identifies a critical stop sign for transcription, the first step in gene expression, and has implications for understanding how the AIDS virus regulates its genes. Fri, 09 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508103623.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506110733.htm The origin of the centrosome has been controversial for many years. The theory of symbiogenesis as a mechanism of evolution has also stirred debate since it was introduced in the 1920s and subsequently elaborated in the 1960s by Lynn Margulis of University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Today, only two cellular components -- the mitochondria and the chloroplasts -- are generally accepted by evolutionary biologists as having a symbiogenetic origin. A new paper suggests that centrosomes are another likely candidate. Wed, 07 May 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080506110733.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505094133.htm The transparent embryos of zebrafish are popular models of development, and scientists routinely tag proteins with tracers to study protein trafficking in the embryo. Sugars, which decorate 90 percent of the proteins on a cell's surface, have been harder to track. Now, UC Berkeley scientists have developed a way to attach fluorophores to sugars and follow their changing patterns throughout early development, providing a tool that could reveal the true role of cell-surface sugars. Tue, 06 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505094133.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504153820.htm One of the tactics used by influenza virus to take over the machinery of infected cells has been laid bare by structural biologists. A new high-resolution image has been published showing a key protein domain whose function is to allow the virus to multiply by hijacking the host cell protein production machinery. Tue, 06 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504153820.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424151500.htm Two genes that help insulin regulate mosquitoes' growth have been identified as key contributors to how the insects enter a dormant state to survive winter's cold. The research finding broadens the understanding of the mosquito life cycle and appears to shed some light on how other insects and invertebrate species weather the winter months. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424151500.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425065354.htm Viruses use various tricks and disguises to invade cells. Researchers have now discovered yet another strategy used by viruses: the vaccinia virus disguises itself as cell waste, triggers the formation of evaginations in cells and is suspected to enter the cell interior before the immune defense even notices. The research results have been published in Science. Mon, 28 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425065354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425082125.htm New research highlights emerging evidence that common viruses may contribute to the development of lung cancer. Experts agree that smoking is by far the most important factor that contributes to lung cancer development. But other factors can play a role in some cases. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080425082125.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424152249.htm Regulatory T cells are thought to call a halt to immune responses as the fight against infection draws to a close. Researchers have evidence that these cells also help coordinate the early stages of the fight against viral infections. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424152249.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420113317.htm Agricultural scientists have made recommendations to help growers deal with several whitefly-transmitted viruses that threaten cucurbits and other crops in that state. In recent years, the number of whitefly-transmitted viruses in cucurbit fields, home to crops like cucumbers, squashes, pumpkins, melons and watermelons, has increased to almost epidemic proportions in Florida. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080420113317.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423131624.htm Researchers have produced a first draft of the papaya genome. This draft sheds new light on the evolution of flowering plants. And because it involves a genetically modified plant, the newly sequenced papaya genome offers the most detailed picture yet of the genetic changes that make the plant resistant to the papaya ringspot virus. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080423131624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421151804.htm Recent research that links specific pieces of RNA to an infectious organism's duplication and spread could lead the way to the prevention of viroids, pathogens that can kill or damage food crops and other plants. The findings could also have applications in the study of how certain viruses spread in humans because the pathogens have some similar characteristics. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421151804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422115008.htm Red colobus monkeys in western Uganda have been exposed to an unknown orthopoxvirus, a pathogen related to the viruses that cause smallpox, monkeypox and cowpox. Most of the monkeys screened harbor antibodies to a virus that is similar – but not identical – to known orthopoxviruses. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422115008.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417130539.htm Multiple lethal pathogens such as H5N1 avian flu trigger acute lung injury with a high death rate. Scares of an epidemic have led to an increasing interest in understanding the molecular mechanisms that lead to this condition. Scientists have now identified oxidative stress and innate immunity as a common pathway that controls the severity of ARDS. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417130539.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417152027.htm A new vaccine under development may provide protection against highly pathogenic bird flu and its evolving forms, according to researchers who discovered the new preventative drug and have tested it in mice. Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417152027.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416140948.htm Each winter, strains of influenza A virus infect North Americans, causing an average of 36,000 deaths. Now, researchers say the virus comes from a viral reservoir somewhere in the tropics, settling a key debate on the source of each season's infection. "We now know where the influenza A virus comes from every year," said a biologist involved with the research. "And because we now know how the virus evolves, we have a much better chance of controlling it." Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416140948.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416141011.htm Seasonal influenza strains constantly evolve in overlapping epidemics in Asia and sweep the rest of the world each year, an international research team has found. These findings suggest that by focusing surveillance efforts on East and Southeast Asia, researchers may be able to extend their forecast of the flu strains most likely to cause epidemics, which may in turn help experts decide which strains should go in the flu vaccine each year. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416141011.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414174851.htm Scientists have created the first comprehensive monoclonal antibody libraries against avian influenza using samples from survivors of the 2005/2006 "bird flu" outbreak in Turkey. These antibody libraries hold the promise for developing a therapy that could stop a pandemic in its tracks and provide treatment to those infected, as well as potentially pointing the way towards the development of a universal flu vaccine. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414174851.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414213816.htm Scientists have provided evidence of a protein that inhibits the hepatitis C virus at an early stage of its infective cycle. This research suggests possible new perspectives for the development of therapies to block the virus before it enters a cell. Hepatitis C is a major public health problem that affects some 130 million people throughout the world. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080414213816.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410115420.htm Migratory birds make mistakes in terms of direction, but not distance. Scientists assessed several thousand reports of Asian birds from the leaf-warbler and thrush families that had strayed to Europe. Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410115420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410124650.htm Researchers have identified a mating mechanism that possibly could be adapted to prevent female mosquitoes from spreading the viruses that cause dengue fever, second only to malaria as the most virulent mosquito-borne disease in the tropical world. Specifically, they have discovered 63 proteins that male mosquitoes transfer to mosquito females during mating and are thought briefly to change the females' physiology and behavior, in particular suppressing the female's appetite for mammalian blood. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410124650.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411083006.htm Following an outbreak or a bioterrorist attack, standard DNA sequencing and analysis of a pathogen genome for rapid identification of genetic changes or manipulations is time-intensive and likely impractical during an emergency. Researchers have now developed a comparative genomics strategy to drastically reduce the time needed to accurately identify unique genetic properties of a potential outbreak strain. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080411083006.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408112101.htm A range of new technologies including genetic modification and RNA Interference are being deployed to improve the health of farm animals in a series of European and global initiatives. New technologies under the banner of GM have the potential to provide disease resistance with huge benefits for human health, animal welfare, and the agricultural sector, but only if public confidence can be restored. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408112101.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407190606.htm Geneticists discover that insecticide resistance genes work together in mosquitoes, increasing their survival rate with important consequences for pest management. Mosquitoes harboring two insecticide-resistance genes have been found to survive unexpectedly well in an insecticide-free environment where carrying such genes would normally expected to be a burden. This results from the genes interacting with one another to the advantage of the host and to the detriment of pest management strategies affecting human health. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407190606.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407074556.htm Despite their reputation for deadly attacks on humans and pets, alligators are wiggling their way toward a new role as potential lifesavers in medicine. Scientists report that proteins in gator blood may provide powerful new antibiotics to help fight infections associated with diabetic ulcers, severe burns and "superbugs" that are resistant to conventional medication. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407074556.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402194413.htm Nipah virus is a new and deadly brain and lung disease that emerged from Singapore and Malaysia ten years ago. It is now spreading into rural India and Bangladesh killing up to three-quarters of the people who become infected in some outbreaks. Sun, 06 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402194413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401200449.htm Some of the oxygen we breathe today is being produced because of viruses infecting micro-organisms in the world's oceans according to scientists. About half the world's oxygen is being produced by tiny photosynthesising creatures called phytoplankton in the major oceans. Sun, 06 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401200449.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402194403.htm Mosquitoes responsible for spreading disease are increasingly becoming resistant to synthetic insecticides. Now research published in Complementary and Alternative Medicine suggests that the berries of a weed common to India, Solanum villosum, have potential for keeping mosquitoes at bay. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402194403.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331223840.htm AIDS, a fatal disease in humans, may partly be the consequence of an evolutionary accident. Previous studies have established that one of the key differences between the way HIV-1 behaves in humans and closely related SIVs behave in monkeys is that when humans are infected with HIV-1 the immune system becomes highly stimulated. This means critical defense cells called helper T cells are continuously activated and die more quickly than usual. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331223840.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403104357.htm New HIV/AIDS vaccine aims to overcome the widespread problem of preexisting immunity. The vaccine consists of a replication-incompetent, recombinant adenovirus serotype 26 (rAd26) vector encoding an HIV-1 envelope gene. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403104357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331223838.htm Researchers have discovered how Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which causes AIDS, can hide itself in our cells and dodge the attention of our normal defenses. When a normal virus such as the common cold infects people we develop an immune response and produce defense cells which can quickly get rid of the virus. But when HIV infects us it can last for our whole life. HIV does this by successfully hiding from our immune cells, which are seeking to identify and destroy the virus, fooling them into thinking that it is part of the normal trash in a cell rather than being clearly visible on the cell surface. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331223838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331222526.htm A new study provides compelling evidence that two genes are linchpins in defining the course of immune restoration in HIV-positive individuals undergoing virus-suppressing therapy. The findings explain why some subjects' immune systems fail to have a sustained immune comeback, despite suppression of HIV-1 replication by highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), while others' immune systems roar back. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080331222526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330203401.htm A new finding may account for why the flu virus is more infectious in cold winter temperatures than during the warmer months. At winter temperatures, the virus's outer covering, or envelope, hardens to a rubbery gel that could shield the virus as it passes from person to person, the researchers have found. At warmer temperatures, however, the protective gel melts to a liquid phase. But this liquid phase apparently isn't tough enough to protect the virus against the elements, and so the virus loses its ability to spread from person to person. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330203401.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401081956.htm Researchers studied the genetic and epidemic characteristics of influenza A viruses circulated in humans in Fujian Province, south of China from 1996 to 2004. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out for hemagglutinin1 gene. The study revealed that the mutations of HA1 genes were limited to some key codons at or near antibody binding sites. The mutations at the antibody binding site B or A or sialic acid receptor binding site 226 were critical for antigenic drift. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401081956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330200630.htm One of the world's deadliest diseases, caused by the Ebola virus, may finally be preventable thanks to US and Canadian researchers, who have successfully tested several Ebola vaccines in primates and are now looking to adapt them for human use. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330200630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330200647.htm Some of the worst threats to farm workers and farm animals such as bird flu, foot-and-mouth disease and other emerging viruses could soon be quickly identified by using a newly developed simple screening chip. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080330200647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172348.htm Biologists have determined why dengue virus particles undergo structural changes as they mature in host cells and how the changes are critical for enabling the virus to infect new host cells. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172348.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326181733.htm Manipulating a previously identified protein may be the key to developing an effective H5N1 influenza A virus vaccine. Since its emergence in 1997, the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) has affected wild birds and poultry in more than 10 Asian countries as well as Europe and Africa. A total of 321 confirmed human cases have occurred since late 2003 resulting in 194 deaths and a fatality rate of approximately 60%. Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326181733.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328070116.htm An increase in the CD163+/CD16+ monocyte subset, which correlates with the amount of HIV virus have in their blood, could serve as a biomarker for the progression of HIV disease. Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328070116.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326203449.htm Scientists have devised a method that could lead to the development of vaccines against some of the most troubling infectious diseases we face --- diseases that have so far been difficult or impossible to vaccinate against. The new method allows researchers to rapidly screen large numbers of pathogen proteins, called antigens, for their ability to prompt an immune response in a host. Proteins with that ability are good candidates for use in vaccines. The method will be especially valuable in the quest for vaccines against persistent diseases such as malaria, sleeping sickness and syphilis. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326203449.htm