Protection of Mice against Lethal Coxsackievirus B3 Infection by Using DNA Immunization

Vaccination with DNA and recombinant vaccinia viruses (rec.VV) has been studied with the coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) model system. Plasmids encoding all structural proteins of CVB3, when injected intramuscularly, induced only low levels of virus-specific antibodies. However, DNA vaccination with the major structural protein VP1 protected 72.2% of mice from lethal challenge, whereas VP1 expressed by rec.VV was much less efficient.     

Mefluidide-chlorsulfuron-2,4-D surfactant combinations for roadside vegetation management

Using a combination of a primary growth retardant, mefluidide, a synergistic additive, chlorsulfuron, a detergent to enhance penetration (X-77), and a herbicide, 2,4-D, to provide for control of broadleaf weeds, full-season management of bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.)—tall fescue (Festuca arundinaceae Schreb.) mixtures along roadsides has been achieved. A single spray application is made in the spring, and no additional herbicide applications or mechanical mowing are needed. The treatment is effective with greater than 90% control of fescue seed heads. Those few seed heads that do form remain short. It is economical. The costs of materials and application are equal to or less than the cost of a single mowing cycle. The treatment is environmentally safe when applied in early spring before most agricultural crops have been planted. The effectiveness and low cost of the combination derive from laboratory and greenhouse observations that various materials, herein referred to as additives, often only weakly effective as growth retardants themselves, will interact synergistically with mefluidide to provide overall treatment effectiveness at application rates that are economical. Using this principle, a combination suitable for roadside vegetation management was devised, field-tested for 2 years under actual use conditions, and found to be effective for full-season vegetation management of mixed bluegrass—tall fescue turf to permit considerable cost savings when compared to three-cycle mechanical mowing.     

Identification of the coding region for the putidaredoxin reductase gene from the plasmid of Pseudomonas putida

The first 12 NH₂-terminal amino acids of the Pseudomonas putida putidaredoxin reductase were shown to be Met-Asn-Ala-Asn-Asp-Asn-Val-Val-Ile-Val-Gly-Thr. Comparison of these data with the DNA sequence of the BamHI-HindIII 197-base fragment derived from the PstI 2.2-kb fragment obtained from the P. putida plasmid showed that the putidaredoxin reductase gene was downstream from the cytochrome P-450 gene and the intergenic region had the 24-nucleotide sequence TAAACACATGGGAGTGCGTGCTAA. The Shine-Dalgarno sequence GGAG was detected in this region. The initiating triplet for the reductase gene was GTG, which normally codes for valine, but in the initiating codon position codes for methionine. From the amino acid sequence and X-ray data comparisons with other flavoproteins, what appears to be the AMP binding region of the FAD can be recognized in the NH₂-terminal portion of the reductase involving residues 5–35.This article was presented during the proceedings of the International Conference on Macromolecular Structure and Function, held at the National Defence Medical College, Tokorozawa, Japan, December 1985.