Effects of Nerve Growth Factor and Phorbol Derivative on Reactivation of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 in Cultured Cells of Latently Infected Adult Mouse Trigeminal Ganglia

Reactivation of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) occurred rapidly in cells of latently infected adult mouse trigeminal ganglia which were cultured in serum-free medium in the presence of sufficient nerve growth factor (NGF). However, HSV-1 reactivation was delayed significantly in ganglionic cultures in the absence of exogenous NGF or in cultures treated with 2-aminopurine in the presence of NGF. The delayed viral reactivation in ganglionic cultures without NGF was accelerated by treatment with phorbol myristate acetate or dibutyryl cyclic AMP. Culture conditions which affected HSV-1 reactivation did not affect replication of HSV-1 in normal ganglionic cultures.     

A medium optimization strategy for improvement of growth and methane production by Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum

Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, strain Hveragerdi, has been cultivated in a completely defined mineral salts medium, under strictly anaerobic conditions with CO₂ and H₂ as sole carbon and energy source, respectively. During optimization of the medium an iron limitation was identified that could not be overcome by the simple addition of iron—or iron complexed with nitrilotriacetate (NTA)—to the medium, due to the formation of insoluble FeS complexes. In order to define a medium optimization strategy, and to avoid laborious empirical optimization procedures, a theoretical model has been developed in order to describe the solubility of iron and other mineral species in the medium as a function of the concentration of sulfur and NTA. This model may be applied for the optimization of any medium component. With this information sulfide has been replaced by a combination of cysteine and thiosulphate in conjunction with a non-toxic reducing agent (titanium (III) citrate). Using this defined medium precipitation was avoided and an iron limitation was overcome resulting in a 5-fold improvement of the final biomass concentration from 2–3 g l⁻¹ to 11.2 g l⁻¹ together with a 2-fold increase (from 45 to almost 100%) in the conversion of CO₂ and H₂ to CH₄, even at gas flow rates as high as 6 l min⁻¹.     

Heuristic optimization of the general life history problem: A novel approach

Summary The general life history problem concerns the optimal allocation of resources to growth, survival and reproduction. We analysed this problem for a perennial model organism that decides once each year to switch from growth to reproduction. As a fitness measure we used the Malthusian parameterr, which we calculated from the Euler-Lotka equation. Trade-offs were incorporated by assuming that fecundity is size dependent, so that increased fecundity could only be gained by devoting more time to growth and less time to reproduction. To calculate numerically the optimalr for different growth dynamics and mortality regimes, we used a simplified version of the simulated annealing method. The major differences among optimal life histories resulted from different accumulation patterns of intrinsic mortalities resulting from reproductive costs. If these mortalities were accumulated throughout life, i.e. if they were senescent, a bangbang strategy was optimal, in which there was a single switch from growth to reproduction: after the age at maturity all resources were allocated to reproduction. If reproductive costs did not carry over from year to year, i.e. if they were not senescent, the optimal resource allocation resulted in a graded switch strategy and growth became indeterminate. Our numerical approach brings two major advantages for solving optimization problems in life history theory. First, its implementation is very simple, even for complex models that are analytically intractable. Such intractability emerged in our model when we introduced reproductive costs representing an intrinsic mortality. Second, it is not a backward algorithm. This means that lifespan does not have to be fixed at the begining of the computation. Instead, lifespan itself is a trait that can evolve. We suggest that heuristic algorithms are good tools for solving complex optimality problems in life history theory, in particular questions concerning the evolution of lifespan and senescence.     

Efficacy of transfer factor in treating patients with recurrent ocular herpes infections

Recurrent ocular herpes is an insoluble problem for the clinician. As cellular immunity plays an important role in controlling herpes relapses, and other studies have shown the efficacy of HSV-specific transfer factor (TF) for the treatment of herpes patients, an open clinical trial was undertaken in 134 patients (71 keratitis, 29 kerato-uveitis, 34 uveitis) suffering from recurrent ocular herpetic infections. The mean duration of the treatment was 358 days, and the entire follow-up period 189121 before, and 64062 days after TF treatment. The cell-mediated immune response to the viral antigens, evaluated by the lymphocyte stimulation test (LST) and the leucocyte migration test (LMT) (P<0.001), was significantly increased by the TF treatment. The total number of relapses was decreased significantly during/after TF treatment, dropping from 832 before, to 89 after treatment, whereas the cumulative relapse index (RI) dropped, during the same period, from 13.2 to 4.17 (P<0.0001). No side effects were observed. It is concluded that patients with relapsing ocular herpes can benefit from treatment with HSV-specific TF.     

抗原捕获聚合酶链式反应（AC－PCR）直接分型检测单纯疱疹病毒

用抗单纯疱疹病毒（ＨＳＶ）型共同性ｇＣ和ｇＤ羊克隆抗体（ＭｃＡｂ）,包被即Ｅｐｐｅｎｄｏｒｆ管,捕捉ＨＳＶ,同时加入３个引物：一个是ＨＳＶ─１／ＨＳＶ─２型共同性上游引物,另两个分别是ＨＳＶ─１和ＨＳＶ─２型特异性下游引物。借此建立了能直接分型检测ＨＳＶ的抗原捕获聚合酶链式反应（ＡＣ─ＰＣＲ）。ＨＳＶ─１的扩增产物为４７７ｂｐ,ＨＳＶ─２的为３９９ｂｐ两型病毒经ＡＣ─ＰＣＲ扩增后产生分子量不同的ＤＮＡ片段,致使ＡＣ─ＰＣＲ能直接分型检测ＨＳＶ。ＨＳＶ─１和ＨＳＶ─２扩增产物的克隆和序列分析表明,本方法特异性好。用本法检测Ｂａｌｂ／ｃ幼鼠中枢神经系统ＨＳＶ感染的脑标本,进一步证实本方法不仅敏感、特异,而且分型准确。     

表达HSV－2 gD基因的重组痘苗病毒保护小鼠对抗致死量HSV病霉攻击

利用ＰＣＲ方法对单纯疱疹病毒Ⅱ型糖蛋白Ｄ（ＨＳＶ－２ｇＤ）基因进行了修饰,在其５＇端删去约５００ｂｐ的非编码区,仅保留ＡＴＧ上游７个ｂｐ。将修饰后的ＨＳＶ－２ｇＤ基因插入到带有痘苗病毒天坛株ＴＫ基因区段的痘苗表达质粒ｐＪＳＡ１１７５,置于痘苗病毒Ｐ７．５ｋ早／晚期启动子控制下。将此重组质粒用脂质体Ｌｉｐｏｆｅｃｔｉｎ方法转染已受野型ＴＫ￣＋痘苗病毒天坛株感染的ＴＫ￣－１４３细胞,通过同源重组机制和标志基因ＬａｃＺ产物的蓝斑显色作用,以及ＢｕｄＲ试剂对ＴＫ表型的选择压力,筛选出整合有ＨＳＶ－２ｇＤ基因的重组痘苗病毒。Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｍ杂交表明,ＨＳＶ－２ｇＤ基因已正确地插入痘苗病毒ＴＫ基因区内;间接免疫荧光检测显示,ＨＳＶ－２ｇＤ蛋白已得到有效表达,且主要分布于细胞膜。重组病毒免疫家兔可产生明显的抗ＨＳＶ－２ｇＤ中和抗体。用重组病毒免疫小鼠,３周后可使９４％（１７／１８）的小鼠对抗ＨＳＶ－２的致死量攻击,表明重组病毒具有明显的免疫保护作用。     

Modeling approach to control of carbohydrate metabolism during citric acid accumulation by Aspergillus niger: II. Sensitivity analysis

Steady state sensitivity analysis of a model of carbohydrate metabolism and anaplerotic synthesis of oxalacetate were, in Aspergillus niger under conditions of citric acid accumulation, carried out. The flux and metabolite concentration control structure of the system obtained shows that the hexokinase/substrate transport step is the main controlling step of the pathway. The quantitative contribution of the other enzyme catalyzed or transport steps are also discussed. These results allow the design of a proper strategy of biotechnological manipulation aimed at improvement of the process. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Predictions for oxygen supply control to enhance population stability of engineered production strains

The simultaneous growth and product formation in a microbial culture is an important feature of several laboratory, industrial, and environmental bioprocesses. Metabolic burden associated with product formation in these bioprocesses may lead to growth advantage of a nonproducing mutant leading to a loss of the producing population over time. A simple population dynamics model demonstrates the extreme sensitivity of population stability to the engineered productivity of a strain. Here we use flux balance analysis to estimate the effects of the metabolic burden associated with product secretion on optimal growth rates. Comparing the optimal growth rates of the producing and nonproducing strains under a given processing condition allows us to predict the population stability. In order to increase stability of an engineered strain, we determine processing conditions that simultaneously maximize the growth rate of the producing population while minimizing the growth rate of a nonproducing population. Using valine, tryptophan, and lysine production as specific examples, we demonstrate that although an appropriate choice of oxygenation may increase culture longevity more than twofold, total production as governed by economic criterion can be increased by several orders of magnitude. Choice of optimal nutrient and oxygen supply rates to enhance stability is important both for strain screening as well as for culture of engineered strains. Appropriate design of the culture environment can thus be used to enhance the productivity of bioprocesses that use engineered production strains. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Herpes Simplex Virus-Induced Expression of 70 kDa Heat Shock Protein (HSP70) Requires Early Protein Synthesis But Not Viral DNA Replication

The major 70 kDa heat shock protein (HSP70), which is scarcely expressed in unstressed rodent cells, was apparently induced by infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV). Infection with HSV types 1 and 2 elevated HSP70 mRNA levels within 4 hr post-infection. HSP70 synthesis and accumulation increased in HSV-infected cells. Irradiation of HSV with UV-light abolished the ability to induce HSP70 mRNA. Inhibitors of viral DNA synthesis did not affect the induction of HSP70 in infected cells. Protein synthesis within 2 hr after infection was necessary for HSP70 induction.