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ross river virus transmission, infection, and disease: a cross-disciplinary review.ross river virus (rrv) is a fascinating, important arbovirus that is endemic and enzootic in australia and papua new guinea and was epidemic in the south pacific in 1979 and 1980. infection with rrv may cause disease in humans, typically presenting as peripheral polyarthralgia or arthritis, sometimes with fever and rash. rrv disease notifications in australia average 5,000 per year. the first well-described outbreak occurred in 1928. during world war ii there were more outbreaks, and the name ep ...200111585790
thioredoxin from brugia malayi: defining a 16-kilodalton class of thioredoxins from nematodes.thioredoxins are a family of small redox proteins that undergo nadph-dependent reduction by thioredoxin reductase. this results in a supply of reducing equivalents that cells use in a wide variety of biological reactions, which include maintaining reduced forms of the enzymes important for protection against damage from high-energy oxygen radicals, the regulation of transcription factor activity, and the inhibition of apoptosis. here we report on a new member of the thioredoxin family of protein ...200312819103
convergent domestication of pogo-like transposases into centromere-binding proteins in fission yeast and mammals.the mammalian centromere-associated protein b (cenp-b) shares significant sequence similarity with 3 proteins in fission yeast (abp1, cbh1, and cbh2) that also bind centromeres and have essential function for chromosome segregation and centromeric heterochromatin formation. each of these proteins displays extensive sequence similarity with pogo-like transposases, which have been previously identified in the genomes of various insects and vertebrates, in the protozoan entamoeba and in plants. bas ...200817940212
molecular evolution of cide family proteins: novel domain formation in early vertebrates and the subsequent divergence.cide family proteins including cidea, cideb and cidec/fsp27, contain an n-terminal cide-n domain that shares sequence similarity to the n-terminal cad domain (ncd) of dna fragmentation factors dffa/dff45/icad and dffb/dff40/cad, and a unique c-terminal cide-c domain. we have previously shown that cide proteins are newly emerged regulators closely associated with the development of metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and liver steatosis. they modulate many metabolic processes such as lip ...200818500987
impact of climate change and other factors on emerging arbovirus diseases.while some skeptics remain unconvinced that global climate change is a reality, there is no doubt that during the past 50 years or so, patterns of emerging arbovirus diseases have changed significantly. can this be attributed to climate change? climate is a major factor in determining: (1) the geographic and temporal distribution of arthropods; (2) characteristics of arthropod life cycles; (3) dispersal patterns of associated arboviruses; (4) the evolution of arboviruses; and (5) the efficiency ...200918799177
knockdown of proteins involved in iron metabolism limits tick reproduction and development.ticks are among the most important vectors of a wide range of human and animal diseases. during blood feeding, ticks are exposed to an enormous amount of free iron that must be appropriately used and detoxified. however, the mechanism of iron metabolism in ticks is poorly understood. here, we show that ticks possess a complex system that efficiently utilizes, stores and transports non-heme iron within the tick body. we have characterized a new secreted ferritin (fer2) and an iron regulatory prot ...200919171899
virus-host coevolution: common patterns of nucleotide motif usage in flaviviridae and their hosts.virus-host biological interaction is a continuous coevolutionary process involving both host immune system and viral escape mechanisms. flaviviridae family is composed of fast evolving rna viruses that infects vertebrate (mammals and birds) and/or invertebrate (ticks and mosquitoes) organisms. these host groups are very distinct life forms separated by a long evolutionary time, so lineage-specific anti-viral mechanisms are likely to have evolved. flaviviridae viruses which infect a single host l ...200919617912
evolution of trappin genes in mammals.trappin is a multifunctional host-defense peptide that has antiproteolytic, antiinflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. the numbers and compositions of trappin paralogs vary among mammalian species: human and sheep have a single trappin-2 gene; mouse and rat have no trappin gene; pig and cow have multiple trappin genes; and guinea pig has a trappin gene and two other derivative genes. independent duplications of trappin genes in pig and cow were observed recently after the species were separ ...201020113469
phylogenomics of ligand-gated ion channels predicts monepantel effect.the recently launched veterinary anthelmintic drench for sheep (novartis animal health inc., switzerland) containing the nematocide monepantel represents a new class of anthelmintics: the amino-acetonitrile derivatives (aads), much needed in view of widespread resistance to the classical drugs. recently, it was shown that the acr-23 protein in caenorhabditis elegans and a homologous protein, mptl-1 in haemonchus contortus, are potential targets for aad action. both proteins belong to the deg-3 s ...201020838602
bioenergetic cost of making an adenosine triphosphate molecule in animal mitochondria.the catalytic domain of the f-atpase in mitochondria protrudes into the matrix of the organelle, and is attached to the membrane domain by central and peripheral stalks. energy for the synthesis of atp from adp and phosphate is provided by the transmembrane proton-motive-force across the inner membrane, generated by respiration. the proton-motive force is coupled mechanically to atp synthesis by the rotation at about 100 times per second of the central stalk and an attached ring of c-subunits in ...201020847295
saliva proteins of vector culicoides modify structure and infectivity of bluetongue virus particles.bluetongue virus (btv) and epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (ehdv) are related orbiviruses, transmitted between their ruminant hosts primarily by certain haematophagous midge vectors (culicoides spp.). the larger of the btv outer-capsid proteins, 'vp2', can be cleaved by proteases (including trypsin or chymotrypsin), forming infectious subviral particles (isvp) which have enhanced infectivity for adult culicoides, or kc cells (a cell-line derived from c. sonorensis). we demonstrate that vp2 ...201121423801
structure-function analysis of diacylglycerol acyltransferase sequences from 70 organisms.abstract: background: diacylglycerol acyltransferase families (dgats) catalyze the final and rate-limiting step of triacylglycerol (tag) biosynthesis in eukaryotic organisms. understanding the roles of dgats will help to create transgenic plants with value-added properties and provide clues for therapeutic intervention for obesity and related diseases. the objective of this analysis was to identify conserved sequence motifs and amino acid residues for better understanding of the structure-functi ...201121777418
structure and functional diversity of gcn5-related n-acetyltransferases (gnat).general control non-repressible 5 (gcn5)-related n-acetyltransferases (gnat) catalyze the transfer of an acyl moiety from acyl coenzyme a (acyl-coa) to a diverse group of substrates and are widely distributed in all domains of life. this review of the currently available data acquired on gnat enzymes by a combination of structural, mutagenesis and kinetic methods summarizes the key similarities and differences between several distinctly different families within the gnat superfamily, with an emp ...201627367672
predicting the mosquito species and vertebrate species involved in the theoretical transmission of rift valley fever virus in the united states.rift valley fever virus (rvfv) is a mosquito-borne virus in the family bunyaviridiae that has spread throughout continental africa to madagascar and the arabian peninsula. the establishment of rvfv in north america would have serious consequences for human and animal health in addition to a significant economic impact on the livestock industry. published and unpublished data on rvfv vector competence, vertebrate host competence, and mosquito feeding patterns from the united states were combined ...201425211133
animals in the zika virus life cycle: what to expect from megadiverse latin american countries.zika virus (zikv) was first isolated in 1947 in primates in uganda, west africa. the virus remained confined to the equatorial regions of africa and asia, cycling between infecting monkeys, arboreal mosquitoes, and occasionally humans. the zikv asiatic strain was probably introduced into brazil in or around late 2013. presently, zikv is in contact with the rich biodiversity in all brazilian biomes, bordering on other latin american countries. infections in brazilian primates have been reported r ...201628005902
evolution of insect arylalkylamine n-acetyltransferases: structural evidence from the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti.arylalkylamine n-acetyltransferase (aanat) catalyzes the transacetylation from acetyl-coa to arylalkylamines. aanats are involved in sclerotization and neurotransmitter inactivation in insects. phyletic distribution analysis confirms three clusters of aanat-like sequences in insects: typical insect aanat, polyamine nat-like aanat, and mosquito unique putative aanat (paanat). here we studied three proteins: aanat2, aanat5b, and paanat7, each from a different cluster. aanat2, a protein from the ty ...201222753468
mosquito host choices on livestock amplifiers of rift valley fever virus in kenya.animal hosts may vary in their attraction and acceptability as components of the host location process for assessing preference, and biting rates of vectors and risk of exposure to pathogens. however, these parameters remain poorly understood for mosquito vectors of the rift valley fever (rvf), an arboviral disease, and for a community of mosquitoes.201627036889
insights into the evolution of the erbb receptor family and their ligands from sequence analysis.in the time since we presented the first molecular evolutionary study of the erbb family of receptors and the egf family of ligands, there has been a dramatic increase in genomic sequences available. we have utilized this greatly expanded data set in this study of the erbb family of receptors and their ligands.200617026767
genetic analysis of loop sequences in the let-7 gene family reveal a relationship between loop evolution and multiple isomirs.while mature mirnas have been widely studied, the terminal loop sequences are rarely examined despite regulating both primary and mature mirna functions. herein, we attempted to understand the evolutionary pattern of loop sequences by analyzing loops in the let-7 gene family. compared to the stable mirna length distributions seen in most metazoans, higher metazoan species exhibit a longer length distribution. examination of these loop sequence length distributions, in addition to phylogenetic tr ...201425397967
evolutionary history of the vertebrate mitogen activated protein kinases family.the mitogen activated protein kinases (mapk) family pathway is implicated in diverse cellular processes and pathways essential to most organisms. its evolution is conserved throughout the eukaryotic kingdoms. however, the detailed evolutionary history of the vertebrate mapk family is largely unclear.201122046431
soluble proteins of chemical communication: an overview across arthropods.detection of chemical signals both in insects and in vertebrates is mediated by soluble proteins, highly concentrated in olfactory organs, which bind semiochemicals and activate, with still largely unknown mechanisms, specific chemoreceptors. the same proteins are often found in structures where pheromones are synthesized and released, where they likely perform a second role in solubilizing and delivering chemical messengers in the environment. a single class of soluble polypeptides, called odor ...201425221516
outlining eicosanoid biosynthesis in the crustacean daphnia.eicosanoids are biologically active, oxygenated metabolites of three c20 polyunsaturated fatty acids. they act as signalling molecules within the autocrine or paracrine system in both vertebrates and invertebrates mainly functioning as important mediators in reproduction, the immune system and ion transport. the biosynthesis of eicosanoids has been intensively studied in mammals and it is known that they are synthesised from the fatty acid, arachidonic acid, through either the cyclooxygenase (co ...200818625039
fundamental issues related to the origin of melatonin and melatonin isomers during evolution: relation to their biological functions.melatonin and melatonin isomers exist and/or coexist in living organisms including yeasts, bacteria and plants. the levels of melatonin isomers are significantly higher than that of melatonin in some plants and in several fermented products such as in wine and bread. currently, there are no reports documenting the presence of melatonin isomers in vertebrates. from an evolutionary point of view, it is unlikely that melatonin isomers do not exist in vertebrates. on the other hand, large quantities ...201425207599
cgdb: a database of circadian genes in eukaryotes.we report a database of circadian genes in eukaryotes (cgdb, http://cgdb.biocuckoo.org), containing ∼73 000 circadian-related genes in 68 animals, 39 plants and 41 fungi. circadian rhythm is ∼24 h rhythm in behavioral and physiological processes that exists in almost all organisms on the earth. defects in the circadian system are highly associated with a number of diseases such as cancers. although several databases have been established for rhythmically expressed genes, a comprehensive database ...201627789706
an integrin from shrimp litopenaeus vannamei mediated microbial agglutination and cell proliferation.integrins are a family of adhesion receptors which regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, leukocyte migration, and complement receptor-dependent phagocytosis. in invertebrates, as a cell adhesion receptor, β integrins play an important role for the balanced activation of immune defense responses especially during the encounter of infections. the present study attempts to characterize the immune functions of shrimp integrin (lvintegrin) to have better understanding on the immune system and ...201222792387
molecular characterization of an adiponectin receptor homolog in the white leg shrimp, litopenaeus vannamei.adiponectin (adipoq) and its receptors (adipors) are strongly related to growth and development of skeletal muscle, as well as glucose and lipid metabolism in vertebrates. herein we report the identification of the first full-length cdna encoding an adipor homolog (liv-adipor) from the decapod crustacean litopenaeus vannamei using a combination of next generation sequencing (ngs) technology and bioinformatics analysis. the full-length liv-adipor (1,245 bp) encoded a protein that exhibited the ca ...201627478708
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