In addition, NF-kappa B was activated by rotavirus infection, confirming earlier findings by others. As NF-kappa B is important for the induction of IFN and other cytokines during viral infection, this suggests that rotavirus prevents cellular transcription APR-246 order as a means to evade host responses. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the use of this strategy by a double-stranded RNA virus.”
“Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are believed to be

critically involved in ethanol-related behaviors as well as in neurochemical responses to ethanol. However, discernment of nAChR contribution to ethanol reinforcement and consumption remains incomplete. The current studies examined the influence of the nAChR antagonist mecamylamine (MEC) on operant ethanol self-administration using a procedure that independently assessed appetitive and consumptive processes, and compared these findings to effects of MEC on sucrose self-ad ministration.

Male C57BL/6J

(136) mice were trained to respond for 30-min access to a retractable drinking tube containing either 10% v/v ethanol (10E) or 5% w/v sucrose (5S). Once trained, mice were habituated to saline injection and then treated with a series of MEC doses (0-8 mg/kg; i.p.) in a within-subject design. In a separate cohort, MEC was evaluated for its influence on locomotor activity.

MEC dose-dependently reduced 10E and 5S self-administration. The suppression in ethanol intake was attributable to a reduction in bout frequency, AZD3965 datasheet whereas the attenuation in sucrose intake was due to a decrease in bout size. Doses of MEC (6-8 mg/kg) that altered drinking patterns were also found to impair locomotor activity.

Although MEC non-selectively reduced 10E and 5S intakes in mice, there was some specificity in alterations of the underlying drinking pattern for each reinforcer.

Assessment of drinking topography within an operant self-administration procedure may provide useful insights regarding the role of nAChR function in the regulation of ethanol consumption. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) alkaline exonuclease BGLF5 has previously been recognized to contribute to immune evasion by downregulating production MycoClean Mycoplasma Removal Kit of HLA molecules during virus replication. We have constructed a BGLF5-null virus mutant to determine BGLF5′s functions during EBV viral replication. Quantification of virus production in permissive 293 cells carrying a Delta BGLF5 genome identified a 17- to 21-fold reduction relative to complemented or wild-type controls. Detailed monitoring of Delta BGLF5 replication evidenced an impaired virus nucleocapsid maturation, a reduced primary egress and a 1.4-fold reduction in total viral DNA synthesis. Delta BGLF5 single-unit-length viral genomes were not only less abundant but also migrated faster than expected in gel electrophoresis.