Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| chips and snps, bugs and thugs: a molecular sleuthing perspective. | recent events both here and abroad have focused attention on the need for ensuring a safe and secure food supply. although much has been written about the potential of particular select agents in bioterrorism, we must consider seriously the more mundane pathogens, especially those that have been implicated previously in foodborne outbreaks of human disease, as possible agents of bioterrorism. given their evolutionary history, the enteric pathogens are more diverse than agents such as bacillus an ... | 2005 | 15954721 |
| comparative 3-d modeling of tmrna. | trans-translation releases stalled ribosomes from truncated mrnas and tags defective proteins for proteolytic degradation using transfer-messenger rna (tmrna). this small stable rna represents a hybrid of trna- and mrna-like domains connected by a variable number of pseudoknots. comparative sequence analysis of tmrnas found in bacteria, plastids, and mitochondria provides considerable insights into their secondary structures. progress toward understanding the molecular mechanism of template swit ... | 2005 | 15958166 |
| peptidoglycan n-acetylglucosamine deacetylases from bacillus cereus, highly conserved proteins in bacillus anthracis. | the genomes of bacillus cereus and its closest relative bacillus anthracis contain 10 polysaccharide deacetylase homologues. six of these homologues have been proposed to be peptidoglycan n-acetylglucosamine deacetylases. two of these genes, namely bc1960 and bc3618, have been cloned and expressed in escherichia coli, and the recombinant enzymes have been purified to homogeneity and further characterized. both enzymes were effective in deacetylating cell wall peptidoglycan from the gram(+) bacil ... | 2005 | 15961396 |
| anthrax lethal toxin represses glucocorticoid receptor (gr) transactivation by inhibiting gr-dna binding in vivo. | anthrax lethal factor (lf) is a non-competitive repressor of glucocorticoid (gr) and progesterone receptor (pr) transactivation. this repression was shown to be specific and selective and was dependent on promoter context and receptor subtype. anthrax lethal toxin (letx) selectively repressed gr-mediated transactivation but not transrepression. the dna binding region of gr was required for repression by letx and letx prevented gr-dna binding in vivo, which had downstream consequences on polymera ... | 2005 | 15964137 |
| modified anthrax fusion proteins deliver hiv antigens through mhc class i and ii pathways. | t cell-based hiv vaccine candidates have focused on eliciting both cd4- and cd8-mediated responses. one challenge in vaccine development is the successful introduction and presentation of exogenous antigen to elicit an immune response. modified bacterial toxins have been studied extensively as intracellular delivery agents because of their unique capability to translocate antigen across the cell membrane without affecting cell viability. modified anthrax toxin lethal factor (lfn) fusion protein ... | 2005 | 15964481 |
| membrane insertion by anthrax protective antigen in cultured cells. | the enzymatic moieties of anthrax toxin enter the cytosol of mammalian cells via a pore in the endosomal membrane formed by the protective antigen (pa) moiety. pore formation involves an acidic ph-induced conformational rearrangement of a heptameric precursor (the prepore), in which the seven 2beta2-2beta3 loops interact to generate a 14-strand transmembrane beta-barrel. to investigate this model in vivo, we labeled pa with the fluorophore 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole (nbd) at cysteine residues ... | 2005 | 15964805 |
| identification of a second collagen-like glycoprotein produced by bacillus anthracis and demonstration of associated spore-specific sugars. | certain carbohydrates (rhamnose, 3-o-methyl rhamnose, and galactosamine) have been demonstrated to be present in bacillus anthracis spores but absent in vegetative cells. others have demonstrated that these spore-specific sugars are constituents of the glycoprotein bcla. in the current work, spore extracts were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. a second collagen-like glycoprotein, bclb, was identified in b. anthracis. the protein moiety of this glycoprotein ... | 2005 | 15968070 |
| bacillus anthracis sortase a (srta) anchors lpxtg motif-containing surface proteins to the cell wall envelope. | cell wall-anchored surface proteins of gram-positive pathogens play important roles during the establishment of many infectious diseases, but the contributions of surface proteins to the pathogenesis of anthrax have not yet been revealed. cell wall anchoring in staphylococcus aureus occurs by a transpeptidation mechanism requiring surface proteins with c-terminal sorting signals as well as sortase enzymes. the genome sequence of bacillus anthracis encodes three sortase genes and eleven surface p ... | 2005 | 15968076 |
| oral spore vaccine based on live attenuated nontoxinogenic bacillus anthracis expressing recombinant mutant protective antigen. | an attenuated nontoxinogenic nonencapsulated bacillus anthracis spore vaccine expressing high levels of recombinant mutant protective antigen (pa), which upon subcutaneous immunization provided protection against a lethal b. anthracis challenge, was found to have the potential to serve also as an oral vaccine. guinea pigs immunized per os with the recombinant spore vaccine were primed to b. anthracis vegetative antigens as well as to pa, yet only a fraction of the animals (30% to 50%) mounted a ... | 2005 | 15972492 |
| endocrine perturbation increases susceptibility of mice to anthrax lethal toxin. | bacillus anthracis lethal toxin (lt) causes vascular collapse and high lethality in balb/cj mice, intermediate lethality in c57bl/6j mice, and no lethality in dba/2j mice. we found that adrenalectomized (adx) mice of all three strains had increased susceptibility to lt. the increased susceptibility of adx-dba/2j mice was not accompanied by changes in their macrophage sensitivity or cytokine response to lt. dba/2j mice showed no change in serum corticosteroid levels in response to lt injection, w ... | 2005 | 15972515 |
| complement depletion renders c57bl/6 mice sensitive to the bacillus anthracis sterne strain. | concerns regarding safety and control of virulent bacillus anthracis have created substantial hurdles to the study of anthrax. the sterne strain is considered relatively safe to study, but this acapsular strain has a defect in normal mice and is often studied in a/j mice. a/j mice are highly susceptible to the sterne strain, due to a defect in the hc locus, which encodes complement factor 5 (c5). here we show that normally resistant c57bl/6 mice become highly susceptible to the sterne strain upo ... | 2005 | 15972541 |
| antimicrobial agents and resistance--fifth international symposium. antifungal agents and novel vaccines. | 2005 | 15973560 | |
| [expression, purification and characterization of the recombinant anthrax protective antigen]. | an expression plasmid carrying anthrax protective antigen (pa) gene was constructed, which has an ompa signal sequence attached to the 5' end of pa gene. the plasmid was transformed into e. coli and induced to express recombinant pa (rpa) . the recombinant protein, about 10% of the total bacterial protein in volume, was secreted to the periplasmic space of the cell. after a purification procedure including ion-exchange, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, and gel filtration, about 15 mg of 9 ... | 2004 | 15973984 |
| anthrax vaccines. | anthrax, an uncommon disease in humans, is caused by a large bacterium, bacillus anthracis. the risk of inhalation infection is the main indication for anthrax vaccination. pre-exposure vaccination is provided by an acellular vaccine (anthrax vaccine adsorbed or ava), which contains anthrax toxin elements and results in protective immunity after 3 to 6 doses. anthrax vaccine precipitated (avp) is administered at primovaccination in 3 doses with a booster dose after 6 months. to evoke and maintai ... | 2005 | 15977694 |
| functional genomics of bacterial pathogens: from post-genomics to therapeutic targets. | a wealth of new data have become available to the scientific community as a result of the sequencing of many pathogen genomes. a recent meeting devoted to functional genomics of pathogenic microorganisms confirmed the notion that bacterial genomes are not static, because large blocks of genes can be acquired or deleted. less complex environments usually result in reduction in genome size, while genome expansion is usually associated with environmental change and complexity. during the meeting, p ... | 2005 | 15978065 |
| efficient synthetic inhibitors of anthrax lethal factor. | inhalation anthrax is a deadly disease for which there is currently no effective treatment. bacillus anthracis lethal factor (lf) metalloproteinase is an integral component of the tripartite anthrax lethal toxin that is essential for the onset and progression of anthrax. we report here on a fragment-based approach that allowed us to develop inhibitors of lf. the small-molecule inhibitors we have designed, synthesized, and tested are highly potent and selective against lf in both in vitro tests a ... | 2005 | 15983377 |
| [expression and analysis of biological activity of the recombination anthrax edema factor]. | anthrax toxin consists of three separate proteins, protective antigen (pa), lethal factor (lf) and edema factor (ef). ef is bacterial adenylate cyclase which, upon activation by its eukaryotic cofactor, calmodulin, causes a rapid increase in the intracellular camp level of host cells. ef can reduce the protective ability of host animal. in order to further research the mechanism of anthrax toxin, the expression plasmid was constructed and the structural gene for anthrax edema factor (ef) was exp ... | 2005 | 15989247 |
| viral entry: a detour through multivesicular bodies. | 2005 | 15990891 | |
| analysis of bacillus anthracis spores in milk using mass spectrometry. | new approaches for identifying biological threat agents in raw milk using spectroscopy were tested using bacillus anthracis (ba) sterne strain spores seeded into unpasteurized bulk tank milk. direct filtration onto tyvek membranes provided the optimal filtration approach from raw milk, but detection limits were not ideal. when beads coated with anti-ba antibodies were mixed with spores in raw milk, the beads were capable of concentrating the spores that could be later detected and characterized ... | 2004 | 15992279 |
| strain discrimination among b. anthracis and related organisms by characterization of bcla polymorphisms using pcr coupled with agarose gel or microchannel fluidics electrophoresis. | the bcla gene codes for the protein backbone of the exosporium glycoprotein bcla of b. anthracis. bcla has a central collagen-like region formed by polymorphic gxx repeats and conserved amino- and carboxy-termini. it is noted here that the bcla gene is also present in the genome of bacillus cereus and bacillus thuringiensis. there is considerable size heterogeneity among the bcla proteins, both for species and strains, due to different numbers of gpt repeats and [gpt]5gdtgtt repeats (bcla repeat ... | 2006 | 15992950 |
| anthrax countermeasures: current status and future needs. | the u.s. government does not yet have the range of medical countermeasures needed to protect its citizens from anthrax and other potential bioweapons. in the event of an anthrax attack, treatment interventions in addition to antibiotics would be needed so that very ill patients can be treated and clean-up crews can be better protected, especially if an engineered strain is used. this article describes specific anthrax countermeasures that are in development, barriers to development, and potentia ... | 2005 | 16000041 |
| remediation of bacillus anthracis contamination in the u.s. department of justice mail facility. | the u.s. department of justice (doj) mail facility in landover, maryland, was contaminated with bacillus anthracis spores as a result of the 2001 anthrax bioterrorism attacks through the u.s. postal system. surface environmental sampling within the facility indicated that the contamination was due to receipt of mail that had come in contact with bacillus anthracis spores from the source letters at the brentwood postal facility in washington, dc. the doj adopted a two-pronged approach for remedia ... | 2005 | 16000043 |
| molecular diversity of bacillus anthracis in italy. | we used multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (mlva) to type 64 bacillus anthracis isolates from outbreaks that have occurred during the past 40 years in italy. mlva of the 64 isolates revealed 10 unique genotypes; 9 of these genotypes and the majority of isolates (63/64) belonged to the previously described genetic cluster a1.a. within the a1.a isolates, two previously described genotypes (g1 and g3), which differ by a single mutation in the px01 locus, account for the majority ... | 2005 | 16000465 |
| imaging and analysis of bacillus anthracis spore germination. | external and internal changes occurring during the process of germination of bacillus anthracis spores were observed through atomic force microscopy (afm) and transmission electron microscopy (tem), respectively. afm studies showed that in response to l-alanine (4 mm), as a germinant, the spore germinates into a vegetative cell in 3 hours. the temporal size changes occurring during the germination were gradual but the major change in size was observed between the second and third hour. tem of sp ... | 2005 | 16003786 |
| bacillus anthracis oedema toxin as a cause of tissue necrosis and cell type-specific cytotoxicity. | oedema factor (of) and protective antigen (pa) are secreted by bacillus anthracis, and their binary combination yields oedema toxin (ot). following pa-mediated delivery to the cytosol, of functions as an adenylate cyclase generating high levels of camp. to assess ot as a possible cause of tissue damage and cell death, a novel approach was developed, which utilized a developing zebrafish embryo model to study toxin activity. zebrafish embryos incubated with ot exhibited marked necrosis of the liv ... | 2005 | 16008581 |
| anthrax toxin receptor 2 mediates bacillus anthracis killing of macrophages following spore challenge. | initiation of inhalation anthrax is believed to involve phagocytosis of bacillus anthracis spores by alveolar macrophages, followed by spore germination within the phagolysosome. in order to establish a systemic infection, it is predicted that bacilli then escape from the macrophage and replicate extracellularly. mechanisms utilized by b. anthracis to escape from the macrophage are not well characterized, but a role for anthrax toxin has been proposed. here we report the isolation of an anthrax ... | 2005 | 16008584 |
| expression and secretion of the protective antigen of bacillus anthracis in bacillus brevis. | we used the bacillus brevis-pnu212 system to develop a mass production system for the protective antigen (pa) of bacillus anthracis. a moderately efficient expression-secretion system for pa was constructed by fusing the pa gene from b. anthracis with the b. brevis cell-wall protein signal-peptide encoding region of pnu212, and by introducing the recombinant plasmid, pnu212-mpa, into b. brevis 47-5q. the clone producing pa secreted about 300 microg of recombinant pa (rpa) per ml of 5py-erythromy ... | 2005 | 16009541 |
| minimum inhibitory concentrations of herbal essential oils and monolaurin for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. | new, safe antimicrobial agents are needed to prevent and overcome severe bacterial, viral, and fungal infections. based on our previous experience and that of others, we postulated that herbal essential oils, such as those of origanum, and monolaurin offer such possibilities. we examined in vitro the cidal and/or static effects of oil of origanum, several other essential oils, and monolaurin on staphylococcus aureus, bacillus anthracis sterne, escherichia coli, klebsiella pneumoniae, helicobacte ... | 2005 | 16010969 |
| [expression and bioactive characterization of bacteriophage lysin gene of bacillus anthracis in escherichia coli]. | the lysin gene of bacillus anthracis-diagnosing bacteriophage, obtained by pcr amplification,was cloned into the escherichia coli exepression vector pet22b which has been cleaved by ecor i and nde i. the recombinant vector pet22b-gamma lysin was verified to be correctly constructed by pcr, sequencing and enzyme digestion, and highly expressed in e. coli bl21 (de3), which accounted for about 40 percent of total protein in e. coli bl21 (de3), while in the 5l fermentor the expression level reached ... | 2005 | 16013478 |
| forensic dentistry in a terrorist world. | while body identification by dental means has not changed substantially since 9/11, or even since the bombing of the murrah federal building in oklahoma city in 1995, the conditions and potential risks of a bioterrorism action to the dental personnel is new. the purpose of this article is to review general forensic dentistry disaster responses and to address the impact a bioterrorism action might have on primary, secondary and tertiary dental responders. it will also examine the triage role that ... | 2005 | 16013679 |
| chimeric influenza virus hemagglutinin proteins containing large domains of the bacillus anthracis protective antigen: protein characterization, incorporation into infectious influenza viruses, and antigenicity. | large polypeptides of the bacillus anthracis protective antigen (pa) were inserted into an influenza a virus hemagglutinin glycoprotein (ha), and the chimeric proteins were functionally characterized and incorporated into infectious influenza viruses. pa domain 1', the region responsible for binding to the other toxin components, the lethal factor and edema factor, and domain 4, the receptor binding domain (rbd), were inserted at the c-terminal flank of the ha signal peptide and incorporated int ... | 2005 | 16014960 |
| efficacy of non-toxic deletion mutants of protective antigen from bacillus anthracis. | current human anthrax vaccines available in the united states and europe consist of alum-precipitated supernatant material from cultures of a toxigenic, nonencapsulated strain of bacillus anthracis. the major component of human anthrax vaccine that confers protection is protective antigen (pa). a second-generation human vaccine using the recombinant pa (rpa) is being developed. in this study, to prevent the toxicity and the degradation of the native rpa by proteases, we constructed two pa varian ... | 2005 | 16019195 |
| addressing residual risk issues at anthrax cleanups: how clean is safe? | since the 2001 attacks in which bacillus anthracisspores were mailed to various media offices and two u.s. senators, considerable interest has focused on developing estimates of the risk of contracting inhalational anthrax from exposure to such spores. credible risk estimates would have significant utility in establishing future cleanup goals for contaminated sites. to perform a meaningful risk assessment, one needs sufficient data to identify the hazards, conduct dose-response assessment, and a ... | 2005 | 16020189 |
| anthrax at the hospital: the tip of the iceberg. | 2005 | 16021294 | |
| [multiplex amplification test system for the identification and differentiation of bacillus anthracis]. | the multiplex amplification test system for the identification of bacillus anthracis with primers to plasmid cya (px01), capc (px02) genes and chromosomal sap gene were developed. the primers to sap gene were selected by the authors and, after being tested on 72 microbial strains of the genus bacillus, proposed as more specific in comparison with the known primers to chromosomal locus ba 813. the proposed test system permitted the simultaneous identification of b. anthracis of all plasmid varian ... | 2005 | 16028518 |
| transformation of an edible crop with the paga gene of bacillus anthracis. | vaccination against anthrax is the most important strategy to combat the disease. this study describes a generation of edible transgenic crop expressing, functional protective antigen (pa). in vitro studies showed that the plant-expressed antigen is qualitatively similar to recombinant pa. immunization studies in mouse animal models indicated the generation of pa-specific neutralizing antibodies and stressed the need for improving expression levels to generate higher antibody titers. genetic eng ... | 2005 | 16030177 |
| transcriptional analysis of the bacillus anthracis capsule regulators. | the poly-d-glutamic acid capsule of bacillus anthracis is essential for virulence. control of capsule synthesis occurs at the level of transcription and involves positive regulation of the capsule biosynthetic operon capbcad by a co2/bicarbonate signal and three plasmid-borne regulators: atxa, acpa, and acpb. although the molecular mechanism for control of cap transcription is unknown, atxa affects cap expression via positive control of acpa and acpb, two genes with partial functional similarity ... | 2005 | 16030203 |
| contribution of exsfa and exsfb proteins to the localization of bcla on the spore surface and to the stability of the bacillus anthracis exosporium. | spores of bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax, and the closely related species bacillus cereus and bacillus thuringiensis, possess an exosporium, which is the outermost structure surrounding the mature spore. it consists of a paracrystalline basal layer and a hair-like outer layer. to date, the structural contribution of only one exosporium component, the collagen-like glycoprotein bcla, has been described. it is the structural component of the hair-like filaments. here, we desc ... | 2005 | 16030205 |
| orientation within the exosporium and structural stability of the collagen-like glycoprotein bcla of bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis spores, which cause anthrax, are enclosed by an exosporium consisting of a basal layer and an external hair-like nap. the filaments of the nap are composed of bcla, a glycoprotein containing distinct n-terminal (ntd) and c-terminal (ctd) domains separated by an extended collagen-like central region. in this study, we used immunogold electron microscopy to show that the ctd of bcla forms the distal end of each filament of the hair-like nap, indicating that the ntd is attached t ... | 2005 | 16030225 |
| control and eradication of animal diseases in new zealand. | new zealand is free from all the major epidemic (office international des epizooties list a) diseases of animals and other important diseases, such as rabies and the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. the once endemic conditions of sheep scab (psoroptes ovis), bovine brucellosis (brucella abortus), hydatids (echinococcus granulosus) and aujeszky's disease have been eradicated. anthrax (bacillus anthracis) is no longer considered endemic and pullorum disease (salmonella pullorum) has effe ... | 2002 | 16032229 |
| efficacious, nontoxigenic bacillus anthracis spore vaccines based on strains expressing mutant variants of lethal toxin components. | we reported previously on the development of a bacillus anthracis vaccine strain expressing high levels of recombinant protective antigen (rpa) [cohen et al., infec immun 2000;68(8):4549-58]. to further explore the potential of the b. anthracis platform, we generated several attenuated strains expressing lethal toxin components pa and lf, which are biologically inactive, yet retain their antigenic properties. a single injection of 5 x 10(7) spores of one of these strains, carrying pa mutation at ... | 2005 | 16039760 |
| inter-alpha-inhibitor proteins are endogenous furin inhibitors and provide protection against experimental anthrax intoxication. | inter-alpha-inhibitor protein (ialphaip) functions as an endogenous serine protease inhibitor in human plasma, and ialphaip levels diminish rapidly during acute inflammatory states. one potential target for ialphaip is furin, a cell-associated serine endopeptidase essential for the activation of protective antigen and the formation of anthrax lethal toxin (lt). ialphaip blocks furin activity in vitro and provides significant protection against cytotoxicity for murine peritoneal macrophages expos ... | 2005 | 16041026 |
| importance of srta and srtb for growth of bacillus anthracis in macrophages. | we examined the effect of mutation of two sortase genes of bacillus anthracis, srta and srtb, on the ability of the bacterium to grow in j774a.1 cells, a mouse macrophage-like cell line. while disruption of either srta or srtb had no effect on the ability of the bacteria to grow in rich culture media, mutations in each of these genes dramatically attenuated growth of the bacterium in j774a.1 cells. complementation of the mutation restored the ability of bacteria to grow in the cells. since the i ... | 2005 | 16041044 |
| conjugative plasmid paw63 brings new insights into the genesis of the bacillus anthracis virulence plasmid pxo2 and of the bacillus thuringiensis plasmid pbt9727. | bacillus cereus, bacillus anthracis and bacillus thuringiensis belong to the genetically close-knit bacillus cereus sensu lato group, a family of rod-shaped gram-positive bacteria. paw63 is the first conjugative plasmid from the b. cereus group to be completely sequenced. | 2005 | 16042811 |
| bacillus anthracis capd, belonging to the gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase family, is required for the covalent anchoring of capsule to peptidoglycan. | several examples of bacterial surface-structure anchoring have been described, but they do not include polyglutamate capsule. bacillus anthracis capsule, which is composed only of poly-gamma- d-glutamate, is one of the two major virulence factors of the bacterium. we analysed its anchoring. we report that the polyglutamate is anchored directly to the peptidoglycan and that the bond is covalent. we constructed a capd mutant strain, capd being the fourth gene of the capsule biosynthetic operon. th ... | 2005 | 16045616 |
| asymmetric hydrogenation of n-sulfonylated-alpha-dehydroamino acids: toward the synthesis of an anthrax lethal factor inhibitor. | a novel and highly enantioselective ru-catalyzed hydrogenation of n-sulfonylated-alpha-dehydroamino acids has been discovered and demonstrated in the synthesis of an anthrax lethal factor inhibitor (lfi). herein, this methodology is used to prepare n-sulfonylated amino acids in up to 98% ee. this unprecedented hydrogenation uses a chiral ru catalyst rather than rh as typical for acylated dehydroamino acids and esters, and this work reports the first asymmetric hydrogenation of a tetrasubstituted ... | 2005 | 16048303 |
| selection of a macaque fab with framework regions like those in humans, high affinity, and ability to neutralize the protective antigen (pa) of bacillus anthracis by binding to the segment of pa between residues 686 and 694. | human anthrax infection cannot always be treated successfully by antibiotics, as highlighted by recent bioterrorist attacks; thus, adjunct therapies are clearly needed for the future. there is a particular need to further develop adjunct therapies that can neutralize secreted toxins, such as antibodies directed towards the 83-kda protective antigen (pa(83)). in the absence of human donors, we immunized a macaque (macaca fascicularis) with pa(83) to obtain such antibodies suitable as an adjunct t ... | 2005 | 16048955 |
| microbiology. translocation of anthrax toxin: lord of the rings. | 2005 | 16051774 | |
| a phenylalanine clamp catalyzes protein translocation through the anthrax toxin pore. | the protective antigen component of anthrax toxin forms a homoheptameric pore in the endosomal membrane, creating a narrow passageway for the enzymatic components of the toxin to enter the cytosol. we found that, during conversion of the heptameric precursor to the pore, the seven phenylalanine-427 residues converged within the lumen, generating a radially symmetric heptad of solvent-exposed aromatic rings. this "phi-clamp" structure was required for protein translocation and comprised the major ... | 2005 | 16051798 |
| real-time pcr assay for the detection of tanapox virus and yaba-like disease virus. | the yatapoxvirus genus contains three members: tanapox virus (tpv), yaba-like disease virus (yldv) and yaba monkey tumor virus (ymtv), two of which (tpv and yldv) may infect humans. however, only a very small number of patients have been diagnosed with tpv outside africa. given the increased international travel and the similarity of clinical signs during the early stages of a tpv/yldv infection as compared to diseases caused by agents of potential biological warfare, such as smallpox, monkeypox ... | 2005 | 16054706 |
| phylogenetic analysis of pasteuria penetrans by use of multiple genetic loci. | pasteuria penetrans is a gram-positive, endospore-forming eubacterium that apparently is a member of the bacillus-clostridium clade. it is an obligate parasite of root knot nematodes (meloidogyne spp.) and preferentially grows on the developing ovaries, inhibiting reproduction. root knot nematodes are devastating root pests of economically important crop plants and are difficult to control. consequently, p. penetrans has long been recognized as a potential biocontrol agent for root knot nematode ... | 2005 | 16077116 |
| comparison of the bacterial enhancin-like proteins from yersinia and bacillus spp. with a baculovirus enhancin. | enhancins are a class of metalloproteases found in some baculoviruses that enhance viral infection by degrading the peritrophic membrane (pm) of the insect midgut. however, sequencing has revealed enhancin-like genes with 24-25% homology to viral enhancins, in the genomes of yersinia pestis and bacillus anthracis. acmnpv does not encode enhancin therefore recombinant acmnpv budded viruses (bvs) and polyhedra inclusion bodies (pibs) were generated expressing the bacterial enhancins. bacterial enh ... | 2005 | 16081094 |
| concerns of capitol hill staff workers after bioterrorism: focus group discussions of authorities' response. | systematic studies of mental health effects of bioterrorism on exposed populations have not been carried out. exploratory focus groups were conducted with an exposed population to provide qualitative data and inform empirical research. five focus groups of 28 political worker volunteers were conducted 3 months after the october 15, 2001, anthrax attack on capitol hill. more than 2000 transcribed focus group passages were categorized using qualitative software. the category with the most items wa ... | 2005 | 16082296 |
| gateways to clinical trials. | gateways to clinical trials is a guide to the most recent clinical trials in current literature and congresses. the data in the following tables have been retrieved from the clinical trials knowledge area of prous science integrity, the drug discovery and development portal, http://integrity.prous.com. this issue focuses on the following selection of drugs: 3-ap, adalimumab, adefovir dipivoxil, aerodose albuterol inhaler, agalsidase alfa, alemtuzumab, aminolevulinic acid methyl ester, anidulafun ... | 2005 | 16082427 |
| molecular characterization of korean bacillus anthracis isolates by amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis and multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis. | we analyzed the genetic relationships and molecular characteristics of 34 bacillus anthracis isolates from soil and clinical samples in various regions of korea and 17 related bacillus species, using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (aflp) and multilocus variable-number tandem repeat (mlva) approaches. triplicate aflp profiles of these strains showed high reproducibility and identified 376 polymorphisms. aflp phylogenetic analysis of b. anthracis isolates showed a high level of similar ... | 2005 | 16085861 |
| [efficient killing of anthrax spores using aqueous and alcoholic peracetic acid solutions]. | we analysed the sporicidal effect of different concentrations of aqueous and alcoholic peracetic acid (paa) solutions on anthrax spores in suspension and germ carrier tests. in activation of anthrax spores in suspension assays was achieved in less than 2 min using 1% paa solution and in less than 3 min using 0.5% paa solution, respectively. in contrast, in germ carrier as says, a test under practical conditions, spores on 38% of the germ carriers survived treatment with 1% paa solution for 15 mi ... | 2005 | 16086206 |
| anthrax biosensor, protective antigen ion channel asymmetric blockade. | the significant threat posed by biological agents (e.g. anthrax, tetanus, botulinum, and diphtheria toxins) (inglesby, t. v., o'toole, t., henderson, d. a., bartlett, j. g., ascher, m. s., eitzen, e., friedlander, a. m., gerberding, j., hauer, j., hughes, j., mcdade, j., osterholm, m. t., parker, g., perl, t. m., russell, p. k., and tonat, k. (2002) j. am. med. assoc. 287, 2236-2252) requires innovative technologies and approaches to understand the mechanisms of toxin action and to develop bette ... | 2005 | 16087661 |
| anthrax lethal toxin paralyzes neutrophil actin-based motility. | bacillus anthracis causes high-level bacteremia, strongly suggesting paralysis of the innate immune system. we have examined the effects of anthrax lethal toxin (lt) on human neutrophil chemotaxis, a process that requires actin filament assembly. polymorphonuclear neutrophils (pmns) treated with a sublethal concentration of lt (50 ng/ml) for 2 h demonstrated insignificant apoptosis or necrosis. however, this same concentration slowed human pmn formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (fmlp)-stimulated ... | 2005 | 16088833 |
| functional antibody immobilization on 3-dimensional polymeric surfaces generated by reactive ion etching. | reactive ion etching (rie) was used to pattern antibodies onto the surfaces of polymer substrates. a low pressure, inductively coupled oxygen plasma was used to anisotropically etch 25-30 mum deep features into poly(methyl methacrylate) (pmma), zeonex, and polycarbonate (pc). scanning electron microscopy and contact angle measurements show that the resulting surfaces exhibit significant microroughness and enhanced hydrophilicity. fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggests that, in addition ... | 2005 | 16089360 |
| analysis of epidermal entry in experimental cutaneous bacillus anthracis infections in mice. | cutaneous infection is the most common form of human anthrax, but little is known of bacillus anthracis-epidermal interactions. to study the latter, we used experimental inoculations of b. anthracis sterne spores onto mouse flank skin. in dba/2 mice (a sensitive strain) 10(7) spores injected intradermally or applied under occlusive dressings to abraded skin produced ipsilateral inguinal edema and rapid death. epicutaneous application to shaved-only skin produced edema and death in most animals, ... | 2005 | 16099239 |
| anthrax edema factor potency depends on mode of cell entry. | anthrax edema factor (ef) is a highly active calmodulin-dependent adenylyl cyclase toxin that can potently raise intracellular camp levels causing a broad range of tissue damage. ef needs anthrax protective antigen (pa) to enter into the host cell and together they form edema toxin. here, we examine factors that are critical for edema toxin cell entry and potency. in y1, 293t and mouse embryonic fibroblast cells, ef causes cell rounding, aggregation, and sometimes detachment via protein kinase a ... | 2005 | 16099427 |
| comparative genome analysis of bacillus cereus group genomes with bacillus subtilis. | genome features of the bacillus cereus group genomes (representative strains of bacillus cereus, bacillus anthracis and bacillus thuringiensis sub spp. israelensis) were analyzed and compared with the bacillus subtilis genome. a core set of 1381 protein families among the four bacillus genomes, with an additional set of 933 families common to the b. cereus group, was identified. differences in signal transduction pathways, membrane transporters, cell surface structures, cell wall, and s-layer pr ... | 2005 | 16099605 |
| dna assays for detection, identification, and individualization of select agent microorganisms. | the purpose of this article is to review the status of dna assays used for the detection, identification, and individualization of bacillus anthracis, yersinia pestis, francisella tularensis, burkholderia mallei, and brucella abortus. these select agent microorganisms are historically significant as they have either been used or experimented with as a bioweapon or as a terrorist agent and are the subject of intense research in the areas of biodefense and bioforensics. if the presence of a biolog ... | 2005 | 16100754 |
| staphylococcus aureus sortase transpeptidase srta: insight into the kinetic mechanism and evidence for a reverse protonation catalytic mechanism. | the staphylococcus aureus transpeptidase srta catalyzes the covalent attachment of lpxtg-containing virulence and colonization-associated proteins to cell-wall peptidoglycan in gram-positive bacteria. recent structural characterizations of staphylococcal srta, and related transpeptidases srtb from s. aureus and bacillus anthracis, provide many details regarding the active site environment, yet raise questions with regard to the nature of catalysis and active site cysteine thiol activation. here ... | 2005 | 16101303 |
| structure and lytic activity of a bacillus anthracis prophage endolysin. | we report a structural and functional analysis of the lambda prophage ba02 endolysin (plyl) encoded by the bacillus anthracis genome. we show that plyl comprises two autonomously folded domains, an n-terminal catalytic domain and a c-terminal cell wall-binding domain. we determined the crystal structure of the catalytic domain; its three-dimensional fold is related to that of the cell wall amidase, t7 lysozyme, and contains a conserved zinc coordination site and other components of the catalytic ... | 2005 | 16103125 |
| terrorism and the pregnant woman. | pregnant women and their infants are vulnerable, during and following a terrorist event. the threat poses a dual challenge: assessment and treatment of the trauma patient, and assessment and treatment of the pregnant woman. some injuries in the pregnant woman are obvious; some injuries may not be easily observable. obtaining an obstetric history coupled with careful nursing assessments ensure prompt and appropriate emergency treatment. obstetricians, certified nurse midwives, nurse practitioners ... | 2005 | 16106230 |
| a soluble receptor decoy protects rats against anthrax lethal toxin challenge. | successful postexposure treatment for inhalation anthrax is thought to include neutralization of anthrax toxin. the soluble anthrax toxin receptor/tumor endothelial marker 8 and capillary morphogenesis protein 2 (satr/tem8 and scmg2, respectively) receptor decoys bind to anthrax toxin protective antigen (pa) and compete with cellular receptors for binding. here, we show that, in a tissue-culture model of intoxication, scmg2 is a 11.4-fold more potent antitoxin than satr/tem8 and that this increa ... | 2005 | 16107958 |
| bacillus anthracis, a story of nature subverted by man. | bacillus anthracis is a pathogen of animals which rarely infects humans. its use as a bioweapon has stimulated efforts to develop genetic typing methods and therapeutics to respond to an attack. of particular concern is the transfer of virulence genes from b. anthracis to other closely related strains of bacillus. | 2005 | 16108911 |
| characterization of the exosporium basal layer protein bxpb of bacillus anthracis. | bacillus anthracis spores, the cause of anthrax, are enclosed by a prominent loose-fitting structure called the exosporium. the exosporium is composed of a basal layer and an external hair-like nap. the filaments of the hair-like nap are apparently formed by a single collagen-like glycoprotein called bcla, whereas several different proteins form or are tightly associated with the basal layer. in this study, we used immunogold electron microscopy to demonstrate that bxpb (also called exsf) is a c ... | 2005 | 16109927 |
| [expression and characterization of the recombination anthrax lethal factor]. | the gene encoding anthrax lehtal factor (lf) was cloned into a secretory expression plasmid and then expressed in periplasmic space of e. coli. the recombinant lf (rlf) expressed was about 4% of the total proteins in e. coli. about 3 mg electrophoresis purity rlf could be obtained after the purification of 1 liter culure using ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. the result of sequencing assay showed that the n-terminal amino acid sequence of rlf was identical to the n-terminal sequen ... | 2004 | 16110953 |
| identification of a new family of enzymes with potential o-acetylpeptidoglycan esterase activity in both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. | the metabolism of the rigid bacterial cell wall heteropolymer peptidoglycan is a dynamic process requiring continuous biosynthesis and maintenance involving the coordination of both lytic and synthetic enzymes. the o-acetylation of peptidoglycan has been proposed to provide one level of control on these activities as this modification inhibits the action of the major endogenous lytic enzymes, the lytic transglycosylases. the o-acetylation of peptidoglycan also inhibits the activity of the lysozy ... | 2005 | 16111493 |
| 100th anniversary of robert koch's nobel prize for the discovery of the tubercle bacillus. | the year 2005 marks the 100th anniversary of robert koch's nobel prize. here, we describe the scientific career of robert koch, the discoverer of the etiologic agent of tuberculosis but also of those of anthrax, cholera and wound infections. equally important, koch developed the methodologies and concepts that made medical microbiology a scientific discipline. despite great efforts, however, koch failed to conquer tuberculosis, which still causes enormous health problems worldwide 100 years afte ... | 2005 | 16112578 |
| identification of a protein subset of the anthrax spore immunome in humans immunized with the anthrax vaccine adsorbed preparation. | we identified spore targets of anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava)-induced immunity in humans by screening recombinant clones of a previously generated, limited genomic bacillus anthracis sterne (pxo1(+), pxo2(-)) expression library of putative spore surface (spore-associated [sa]) proteins with pooled sera from human adults immunized with ava (immune sera), the anthrax vaccine currently approved for use by humans in the united states. we identified 69 clones that reacted specifically with pooled imm ... | 2005 | 16113286 |
| immunogenicity of recombinant protective antigen and efficacy against aerosol challenge with anthrax. | immunization with a recombinant form of the protective antigen (rpa) from bacillus anthracis has been carried out with rhesus macaques. rhesus macaques immunized with 25 mug or more of b. subtilis-expressed rpa bound to alhydrogel had a significantly increased immunoglobulin g (igg) response to rpa compared with macaques receiving the existing licensed vaccine from the united kingdom (anthrax vaccine precipitated [avp]), although the isotype profile was unchanged, with bias towards the igg1 and ... | 2005 | 16113318 |
| rational design of p53, an intrinsically unstructured protein, for the fabrication of novel molecular sensors. | the dominant paradigm of protein engineering is structure-based site-directed mutagenesis. this rational approach is generally more effective for the engineering of local properties, such as substrate specificity, than global ones such as allostery. previous workers have modified normally unregulated reporter enzymes, including beta-galactosidase, alkaline phosphatase, and beta-lactamase, so that the engineered versions are activated (up to 4-fold) by monoclonal antibodies. a reporter that could ... | 2005 | 16118206 |
| community-acquired pneumonia in the age of bio-terrorism. | the post september 11th anthrax attacks demonstrated just how vulnerable we are to biologic attack. in the first days of the attack, there was confusion and miscommunication. patients presented to emergency rooms and to their primary care physicians with severe pneumonia. days passed and a person died before the cause of pneumonia was recognized as bacillus anthracis. in a biologic attack, the prompt recognition of the biologic agent is key to the outcome for both individual patients and potenti ... | 2005 | 16119032 |
| the extracellular and cytoplasmic proteomes of the non-virulent bacillus anthracis strain um23c1-2. | the recently published genome sequence of bacillus anthracis ames has facilitated the prediction of proteins associated with the virulence of this bacterium. the aim of this study was to define reference maps for the extracellular and cytoplasmic proteomes of the avirulent b. anthracis strain um23c1-2 that are useful for physiological studies and the development of improved vaccines. using 2-de and subsequent maldi-tof-tof ms, 64 proteins were identified in the extracellular proteome, only 29 of ... | 2005 | 16121336 |
| protection from anthrax toxin-mediated killing of macrophages by the combined effects of furin inhibitors and chloroquine. | cell surface proteolytic processing of anthrax protective antigen by furin or other furin-related proteases is required for its oligomerization, endocytosis, and function as a translocon for anthrax lethal and edema factors. countering toxin lethality is essential to developing effective chemotherapies for anthrax infections that have proceeded beyond the stage at which antibiotics are effective. the primary target for toxin is the macrophage, which can be killed by lethal factor via both necrot ... | 2005 | 16127065 |
| anthrax vaccines: a development update. | the current human anthrax vaccines licensed in the us and uk consist of aluminum hydroxide-adsorbed or alum-precipitated culture supernatant material from fermentor cultures of toxigenic noncapsulated strains of bacillus anthracis. the threat of b. anthracis being used as a biowarfare agent has led to a wider usage of these vaccines, which has heightened concerns regarding the need for frequent boosters and the occasional local reactogenicity associated with vaccination. these concerns have prov ... | 2005 | 16128606 |
| rational monoclonal antibody development to emerging pathogens, biothreat agents and agents of foreign animal disease: the antigen scale. | many factors influence the choice of methods used to develop antibody to infectious agents. in this paper, we review the current status of the main technologies used to produce monoclonal antibodies (mabs) from the b cells of antigen-sensitized animals. while companies are adopting advanced high-throughput methods, the major technologies used by veterinary and medical research laboratories are classical hybridoma fusion and recombinant library selection techniques. these methods have inherent ad ... | 2005 | 16129340 |
| structural basis for the interaction of bordetella pertussis adenylyl cyclase toxin with calmodulin. | cyaa is crucial for colonization by bordetella pertussis, the etiologic agent of whooping cough. here we report crystal structures of the adenylyl cyclase domain (acd) of cyaa with the c-terminal domain of calmodulin. four discrete regions of cyaa bind calcium-loaded calmodulin with a large buried contact surface. of those, a tryptophan residue (w242) at an alpha-helix of cyaa makes extensive contacts with the calcium-induced, hydrophobic pocket of calmodulin. mutagenic analyses show that all fo ... | 2005 | 16138079 |
| crystal structure of pure (ba0288) from bacillus anthracis at 1.8 a resolution. | 2005 | 16138311 | |
| biodefense. microbiologist resigns after pitch for antianthrax product. | 2005 | 16141039 | |
| receptor-specific requirements for anthrax toxin delivery into cells. | the three proteins that constitute anthrax toxin self-assemble into toxic complexes after one of these proteins, protective antigen (pa), binds to tumor endothelial marker 8 (tem8) or capillary morphogenesis protein 2 (cmg2) cellular receptors. the toxin receptor complexes are internalized, and acidic endosomal ph triggers pore formation by pa and translocation of the catalytic subunits into the cytosol. in this study we show that the ph threshold for conversion of the pa prepore to the pore and ... | 2005 | 16141341 |
| no evidence of a mild form of inhalational bacillus anthracis infection during a bioterrorism-related inhalational anthrax outbreak in washington, d.c., in 2001. | the mail-related dispersal of bacillus anthracis spores in the washington, d.c., area during october 2001 resulted in 5 confirmed cases of inhalational anthrax. we identified an additional 144 ill persons who were potentially exposed to aerosolized spores and whose symptoms were compatible with early inhalational anthrax but whose clinical course and nonserologic laboratory evaluation revealed no evidence for b. anthracis infection. we hypothesized that early antibiotic use could have decreased ... | 2005 | 16142664 |
| cutaneous anthrax. | 2005 | 16143204 | |
| maternal treatment with a high dose of cpg odn during gestation alters fetal craniofacial and distal limb development in c57bl/6 mice. | synthetic oligodeoxynucleotides (odn) containing cpg motifs, characteristic of bacterial dna, are currently being evaluated as vaccine adjuvants for inducing protective immunity. recently, there is increasing pressure to vaccinate pregnant women against maternally transmitted diseases including aids and tetanus, as well as against potential bio-weapons such as anthrax. cpg vaccines are effective because they trigger transient increases in t(h)1 cytokine production. recent literature suggests, ho ... | 2006 | 16143434 |
| development of a multi-pathogen oligonucleotide microarray for detection of bacillus anthracis. | an oligonucleotide microarray system has been specifically designed to detect and differentiate bacillus anthracis from other bacterial species present in clinical samples. the pilot-scale microarray initially incorporated probes to detect six common species of bacteria, which were fully evaluated. the microarray comprised long oligonucleotides (50--70-mer) designed to hybridise with the variable regions of the 16s rrna genes. probes which hybridised to virulence genes were also incorporated; fo ... | 2005 | 16144753 |
| use of two selective media and a broth motility test can aid in identification or exclusion of bacillus anthracis. | during the anthrax attack of 2001, the florida department of health (fdoh) bureau of laboratories in tampa received hundreds of isolates suspected of being bacillus anthracis. none were confirmed to be b. anthracis since most isolates were motile and not even in the bacillus cereus group. although the sentinel laboratories now send fewer isolates to fdoh laboratories, should another attack occur the number of isolates submitted would likely increase dramatically, and this upsurge would seriously ... | 2005 | 16145074 |
| validation of a pxo2-a pcr assay to explore diversity among italian isolates of bacillus anthracis strains closely related to the live, attenuated carbosap vaccine. | several circulating bacillus anthracis strains isolated in italy and belonging to the a1.a cluster, genotype 3 (a1.a-3) are genotypically indistinguishable from carbosap, a live attenuated vaccine strain, containing both pxo1 and pxo2 plasmids. the genotype was assessed by using eight-locus multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis. we describe here the use of a ninth locus able to explore variability among strains that have the same genotype. it is important to be able to genotype the w ... | 2005 | 16145138 |
| production and validation of the use of gamma phage for identification of bacillus anthracis. | gamma phage specifically lyses vegetative cells of bacillus anthracis and serves as part of the basis for identification of isolates from agar cultures. we report our study to standardize gamma phage production and preparation and to validate the assay for routine use. unstable phage preparations were largely reduced through propagation of phage on blood agar cultures of the avirulent b. anthracis strain cdc684 and were adequately stable for extended storage beyond 1 to 2 years at 4 degrees c, p ... | 2005 | 16145141 |
| histopathology and immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of bioterrorism agents. | from october to november 2001, the inhalational and cutaneous anthrax cases that occurred in the u.s. underscored the importance of recognizing the clinical and pathological features of infectious agents that can be used in acts of terrorism. early confirmation of bio-terrorist acts can only be performed by making organism-specific diagnosis of cases with clinical and pathologic syndromes that could be caused by possible bioterrorism weapons. recognition and diagnosis of these cases is central t ... | 2006 | 16148309 |
| cloning, expression, and characterization of recombinant nitric oxide synthase-like protein from bacillus anthracis. | nitric oxide synthase (nos) is amongst a family of evolutionarily conserved enzymes, involved in a multi-turnover process that results in no as a product. the significant role of no in various pathological and physiological processes has created an interest in this enzyme from several perspectives. this study describes for the first time, cloning and expression of a nos-like protein, banos, from bacillus anthracis, a pathogenic bacterium responsible for causing anthrax. banos was expressed in es ... | 2005 | 16150307 |
| inactivation of spores of bacillus anthracis sterne, bacillus cereus, and bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis by chlorination. | three species of bacillus were evaluated as potential surrogates for bacillus anthracis for determining the sporicidal activity of chlorination as commonly used in drinking water treatment. spores of bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis were found to be an appropriate surrogate for spores of b. anthracis for use in chlorine inactivation studies. | 2005 | 16151153 |
| dna vaccination against anthrax in mice-combination of anti-spore and anti-toxin components. | the predominant antigen in human anthrax vaccines is the protective antigen (pa) of bacillus anthracis. to address the question whether immune responses against b. anthracis spores can improve the protectivity of a pa-based dna vaccine against anthrax, we designed a eucaryotic expression plasmid encoding the exosporium antigen bcla, which is a collagen-like surface protein. this plasmid, psectag bcla, carries a secretion signal for the recombinant antigen. using nmri mice we compared the effects ... | 2006 | 16157424 |
| n-fragment of edema factor as a candidate antigen for immunization against anthrax. | the nontoxic n-terminal fragment of bacillus anthracis edema factor (ef) was evaluated as a candidate antigen in an anthrax vaccine using a replication-incompetent adenoviral vector. an e1/e3 deleted adenovirus (ad/efn) encoding the n-terminal region 1-254 amino acids of the edema factor (efn) was constructed using the native dna sequence of efn. intramuscular immunization three times with 10(8) plaque forming units (pfu)/dose of ad/efn in a/j mice resulted in 37% and 57% protection against a su ... | 2006 | 16157430 |
| multiplexed hybridization detection with multicolor colocalization of quantum dot nanoprobes. | we demonstrate a hybridization detection method using multicolor oligonucleotide-functionalized quantum dots as nanoprobes. in the presence of various target sequences, combinatorial self-assembly of the nanoprobes via independent hybridization reactions leads to the generation of discernible sequence-specific spectral codings. detection of single-molecule hybridization is achieved by measuring colocalization of individual nanoprobes. genetic analysis for anthrax pathogenicity through simultaneo ... | 2005 | 16159207 |
| [biological weapons and biological defence in denmark]. | biological weapons have been known for centuries, and since world war ii, offensive programs have accelerated the development of these weapons considerably. the anthrax attacks in the fall 2001 and speculations regarding the research and development of iraqi bioweapons have been causes for concern. the effect of biological weapons may be overwhelming, in particular when one is dealing with a contagious agent. the national centre for biological defence provides a preparedness capability through e ... | 2005 | 16159486 |
| [evaluation of anthrax vaccination in denmark]. | the aim of this short review is to present the danish experience with the u.k. anthrax vaccine as compared with international reviews regarding the immunological response, efficiency, safety and adverse reactions of the u.k. and u.s. anthrax vaccines. | 2005 | 16159489 |
| [adverse reactions to anthrax vaccination in danish military personnel deployed to iraq]. | on denmark's decision to join the war in iraq, it was decided to immunise all personnel to be deployed there with anthrax vaccine. this paper describes the types and frequency of adverse reactions to the vaccine. | 2005 | 16159490 |