Viruses utilize cellular proteins to mediate their life cycle. However, the HBV life cycle is still mysterious and remains to be elucidated. Here, we identified GRP78/BiP/HSPA5, a 78 kDa glucose‐regulated protein, as a preS2 interacting protein. Pulldown assay showed the interaction of GRP78 with both the preS2 domain‐containing Large S and Middle S proteins expressed in a human hepatocellular cell

Hepatitis C virus is a positive‐sense, single‐stranded RNA virus that causes chronic hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Cellular microRNAs directly modulate the viral infectivity and indirectly through targeting virus‐related host factors. They play an essential role in the progression of different stages of HCV infection. The roles of miR‐196 family in HCV infection and HCC progression remain

Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae (SPpn) is a relatively new species closely related to S. pneumoniae (SPn) and S. mitis (SM) belonging to the Mitis group of the genus Streptococcus (MGS). Although genes encoding various pneumococcal virulence factors have been observed in the SPpn genome, the pathogenicity of SPpn against human, including the roles of virulence factor candidates, is still unclear. The

Human parainfluenza virus (HPIV) infection is associated with every kind of respiratory tract illnesses, including the common cold, laryngotracheobronchitis (i.e. croup), tracheobronchitis, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia, in both children and adults. Although HPIVs are common respiratory pathogens, there are increasing reports about extrapulmonary manifestations of HPIVs infection. Each of the HPIVs

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is causing the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Because complete elimination of SARS‐CoV‐2 appears difficult, decreasing the risk of transmission is important. Treatment with 0.1 and 0.05 ppm ozone gas for 10 and 20 hr, respectively, decreased SARS‐CoV‐2 infectivity by about 95%. The magnitude of the effect was dependent

The appearance of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) plasma viremia is associated with progression to symptomatic disease and CD4+ T cell depletion. To locate the source of systemic viremia, this study employed a novel method to trace HIV‐1 infection in vivo. We created JRCSFξnef, a pool of infectious HIV‐1 (strain JR‐CSF) with highly mutated nef gene regions by random mutagenesis PCR and

Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) encode various immunoevasins, including viral receptors for the Fc domain of host IgG (vFcγR), to evade host immune responses. Although guinea pig CMV (GPCMV) provides a useful animal model for congenital CMV infection, the GPCMV genes encoding such receptors have not yet been characterized. In this study, we analyzed a locus that may encode gene products for the GPCMV immune

Influenza A virus (IAV) PA‐X is a critical ribonuclease protein involved in host cell shutoff but its role in modulating the host immune response to IAV infection remains to be addressed. In this study, host cellular proteins that directly interact with PA‐X were screened to investigate the biological function of PA‐X in the pathogenesis of IAV infection. The protein ankyrin repeat domain 17 (Ankrd17)

Proteins newly synthesized from messenger RNA (mRNA) undergo post‐translational modifications (PTMs) such as phosphorylation, glycosylation, methylation, and ubiquitination. These PTMs have important roles in protein stability, localization, as well as conformation and have been reported as involved in HBV propagation. Although ubiquitination plays an essential role in HBV life cycles, the involvement

Antimicrobial‐resistant bacteria and resistance determinants are of great concern to human and veterinary medicine worldwide.

To examine the cross‐talk between NK cells and DCs in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, we isolated monocytes and NK cells from 20 chronic HCV patients and 20 healthy controls. Monocytes were used to generate immature DCs which were pulsed with HCV peptides (core, NS3–NS4, and NS5). Four different cocultures were carried out: E1, both DCs and NK cells were from a chronic HCV patient; E2, NK cells

As part of a series of studies regarding the microbiota in manned space environments, we isolated the fungal strains from nasal and pharyngeal smears and saliva of 21 astronauts preflight, inflight, and postflight. On the ground, 120 strains from 43 genera of environmental fungi were isolated from the astronauts. The dominant fungal genera were Cladosporium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus. Only 18 strains

We previously isolated a symbiotic environmental amoeba, harboring an environmental chlamydia, Neochlamydia S13. Interestingly, this bacterium failed to survive outside of host cells and was immediately digested inside other amoebae, indicating bacterial distribution via cytokinesis. This may provide a model for understanding organelle development and chlamydial pathogenesis and evolution; therefore

Staphylococcus aureus is a versatile Gram‐positive bacterium that can reside as an asymptomatic colonizer, which can cause a wide range of skin, soft‐tissue, and nosocomial infections. A vaccine against multi‐drug resistant S. aureus, therefore, is urgently needed. Subtractive proteomics and reverse vaccinology are the newly emerging techniques to design multiepitope‐based vaccines. The analysis of

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is an endemic disease in Sudan, where it has rapidly become the major complication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Thus, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of HIV among TB patients and evaluate the co‐infection rate. The association of HIV prevalence with gender, age, and duration of treatment as risk factors was

The aim was to investigate the detection rates of periodontal bacteria (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Prevotella intermedia, and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans) and herpesviruses (herpes simplex virus‐1 [HSV‐1], cytomegalovirus [CMV], and Epstein‐Barr virus [EBV]) in different forms and severity of periodontal disease, and to compare them with those in periodontally healthy

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) an arthropod‐borne Alphavirus is responsible for chikungunya fever and joint pain etc. Arthralgia is a major symptom; some patients recover early while others suffer for a very long time. Epidemiology and molecular characterization of three whole‐genome sequences of CHIKV have been carried out and assessed with phylogenetic analysis, physiological properties, antigenicity

Currently, the whole world is facing a COVID‐19 pandemic. As of now, approximately 0.15 million people around the globe are infected with the novel coronavirus. In the last decade, two strains of the coronavirus family, SARS‐CoV, MERS‐CoV also resulted in epidemics in south Asian and the Middle Eastern countries with high mortality rate. This scenario demands the development of a putative vaccine which

Abiotrophia defectiva is a species of nutritionally variant streptococci that is found in human saliva and dental plaques and that has been associated with infective endocarditis. In our previous study, it was found that A. defectiva could bind specifically to saliva‐coated hydroxyapatite beads (SHA). This study identified a cell surface component of A. defectiva that promotes adherence to SHA beads

Brucellosis is a major zoonotic disease, and Brucella melitensis is the species most often associated with human infection. Vaccination is the most efficient tool for controlling animal brucellosis, with a consequent decrease of incidence of human infections. Commercially available live attenuated vaccines provide some degree of protection, but retain residual pathogenicity to human and animals. In

An important toxin‐antitoxin (TA) system hok/sok, encoded by R1 plasmid of Escherichia coli, is involved in the post segregation killing of cells that have lost the plasmid. The lethal properties of hok protein have been utilized for the environmental containment of microbes and the development of potential vaccine candidates. This study aimed to demonstrate the potent anti‐microbial property of a

In recent years, antimicrobial‐resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains have increased in the veterinary field. Therefore, phage therapy has received significant attention as an approach for overcoming antimicrobial resistance. In this context, we isolated and characterized four Pseudomonas bacteriophages. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the isolated phages are novel Myoviridae Pbunavirus PB1‐like

Foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD) is a major viral disease in farm animals. In the present study, seven monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were produced against the FMD virus (FMDV)‐encoded RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase (3D protein) and characterized. Screening of mAb reactivity against three overlapping fragments of the 3D protein expressed in Escherichia coli revealed that the binding sites of all the mAbs were

Shiga‐toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) is a major bacterium responsible for disease resulting from foodborne infection, including bloody diarrhea and hemolytic uremic syndrome. STEC produces important virulence factors such as Shiga toxin (Stx) 1 and/or 2. In the STEC family, some locus of enterocyte effacement‐negative STEC produce two different types of cytotoxins, namely, Stx2 and subtilase cytotoxin

Human herpesvirus 6A (HHV‐6A) is a member of the genus Roseolovirus and the subfamily Betaherpesvirinae. It is similar to and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). HHV‐6A encodes a 41 kDa nuclear phosphoprotein, U27, which acts as a processivity factor in the replication of the viral DNA. HHV‐6A U27 has 43% amino acid sequence homology with HCMV UL44, which is important for DNA replication. A previous study

It has been reported that high mobility group nucleosomal binding domain 2 (HMGN2) is a nucleus‐related protein that regulates gene transcription and plays a critical role in bacterial clearance. An elevated level of HMGN2 reduced integrin α5/β1 expression of human pulmonary epithelial A549 cells was demonstrated during Klebsiella pneumoniae infection, thus weakening bacterial adhesion and invasion

We conducted a ten‐years retrospective study in 347 symptomatic individuals to assess the regional distribution of leptospirosis. 173 were diagnosed positive (49.8%): 11.5% were MAT‐positive, while 38.3% were found positive to Leptospira by microscopy analysis. The maximum peak of leptospirosis was reached in 2017 (n=32). The most common serovars were Icterohaemorragiae and Poi.

The ischemia‐reperfusion‐induced damage in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) is associated with disruption of the blood–brain barrier. CXC chemokine ligand 5 (CXCL5) is reported to be up‐regulated in ischemic stroke. However, the detailed function of CXCL5 in this pathological process remains largely unclear. To further analyze the function of CXCL5 in ischemic stroke, an oxygen–glucose

Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a major global health problem, can cause chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinomas in chronically infected patients. However, before HBV infection can be adequately controlled, many mysteries about the HBV life cycle must be solved. In this study, TIMM29, an inner mitochondrial membrane protein, was identified as an interaction partner of the preS1 region

JC polyomavirus (JCPyV) is a common human pathogen that results in a chronic asymptomatic infection in healthy adults. Under conditions of immunosuppression, JCPyV spreads to the central nervous system and can cause the fatal demyelinating disease progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a disease for which there are no vaccines or antiviral therapies. Retro‐2 is a previously identified small

The use of non‐human animal models for infection experiments is important for investigating the infectious processes of human pathogenic bacteria at the molecular level. Mammals, such as mice and rabbits, are also utilized as animal infection models, but large numbers of animals are needed for these experiments, which is costly, and fraught with ethical issues. Various non‐mammalian animal infection

In recent years, viral vector based in vivo gene delivery strategies have achieved a significant success in the treatment of genetic diseases. RNA virus‐based episomal vector lacking viral glycoprotein gene (ΔG‐REVec) is a nontransmissive gene delivery system that enables long‐term gene expression in a variety of cell types in vitro, yet in vivo gene delivery has not been successful due to the difficulty

Type I IFNs are a range of host‐derived molecules with adjuvant potential; they have been used for many years in the treatment of cancer and viral hepatitis. Therefore, the safety of IFNs for human use has been established. In this study, we evaluated the mucosal adjuvanticity of IFN‐β administered intranasally to mice with diphtheria toxoid, and suggested a method to improve its adjuvanticity. When

The thymic microenvironment plays an important role in the development of T cells. A decrease of thymic epithelial cells is the main cause of age‐related thymic atrophy or degeneration. Resveratrol (RSV), a phytoalexin produced from plants, has been shown to inhibit the adverse effects of dietary obesity on the structure and function of the thymus. D‐Galactose (D‐gal) can induce accelerated aging in

The human herpesvirus 6B (HHV‐6B) U79/80 gene belongs to the early gene class and appears as early as 3 hr postinfection. It is one of the most abundantly expressed transcripts and a useful diagnostic marker for viral reactivation. However, the expression mechanisms of the U79/80 gene remain unclear. To identify the viral factor(s) that activates the U79/80 promoter along with other HHV‐6B core early

After eradication and containment of wild poliovirus (PV) and cessation of oral polio vaccinations, it is critical to minimize the risk of reintroducing PV into PV‐free communities via facilities that handle the virus. The potential risk of unintentional PV propagation through unidentified contaminated materials is a serious issue. This study reports the generation of HeLa and RD‐A cells deficient

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The treatment of HCV infection has become more complicated due to various genotypes and subtypes of HCV. The treatment of HCV has made significant advances with direct‐acting antivirals. However, for the choice of medicine or the combination of drugs for hepatitis C, it is imperative to detect and discriminate the crucial HCV genotypes

The Gram‐negative bacterial pathogen Yersinia delivers six effector proteins into the host cells to block the host innate immune response. One of the effectors, YopT, is a potent cysteine protease that causes the disruption of the actin cytoskeleton to inhibit phagocytosis of the pathogen; however, its molecular mechanism and relevance to pathogenesis need further investigation. In this report, we

Pili or fimbriae, which are filamentous structures present on the surface of bacteria, were purified from a periodontal pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis, in 1980s. The protein component of pili (stalk pilin), which is its major component, was named FimA; it has a molecular weight of approximately 41 kDa. Because the molecular weight of the pilin from P. gingivalis is twice that of pilins from other

Macrophages represent the first line of defense against invading Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). In order to enhance intracellular survival, Mtb targets various components of the host signaling pathways to limit macrophage functions. The outcome of Mtb infection depends on various factors derived from both host and pathogen. A detailed understanding of such factors operating during interaction of

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium [STM]) is a leading cause of nontyphoidal salmonellosis (NTS) worldwide. The pathogenesis of NTS has been studied extensively using a streptomycin‐pretreated mouse colitis model with the limited numbers of laboratory STM strains. However, the pathogenicity of the clinically isolated STM (STMC) strains endemic in Thailand in mice has not been explored

Antigen‐specific CD8+ T‐lymphocytes (cytotoxic T‐lymphocytes: CTL), as well as CD4+ T‐lymphocytes (helper T‐lymphocytes: Th), simultaneously play an important role in the elimination of intracellular bacteria such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Listeria monocytogenes. Administration of T‐cell epitope short peptide needs large numbers of peptides for effective vaccination due to its easily degradable

Group A rotavirus (RVA) rarely causes severe complications such as encephalitis/encephalopathy. However, the pathophysiology of this specific complication remains unclear. Next‐generation sequence analysis was used to compare the entire genome sequences of RVAs detected in patients with encephalitis/encephalopathy and gastroenteritis. This study enrolled eight patients with RVA encephalitis/encephalopathy

To clarify the persistence of extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase (ESBL) producers, 13 plasmids from two broiler farms were analyzed. On the farm not using antimicrobials, one plasmid from Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from a day‐old chick was similar to that from Escherichia coli isolated a year later, with the deletion of two transposons. On the farm using antimicrobials, most circulating plasmids (eight

In 2016, López‐Hernández et al. published an interesting article titled Killer Immunoglobulin‐like receptor repertoire analysis in a Caucasian Spanish cohort with inflammatory bowel disease (1). In this article, the authors found and reported positive associations between KIR2DL5, KIR2DS1, KIR2DS5 and KIR3DS1 with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) susceptibility, KIR2DS1 and KIR2DS5 with Crohn's Disease

Immunologic abnormalities of natural killer (NK) cells and T cells play a role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). CD161 is expressed on most of the NK cells and on some T cells. The quantities of CD161‐expressing cells and expression levels of CD161 were analyzed in T cells and NK cells from patients with SLE compared with normal controls. The expression of CD161 on NK cells

Vibrio vulnificus is a foodborne pathogen causing septicemia with high mortality rate. In this study, we explored how Escherichia coli, one of the commensal bacteria in the human gastrointestinal tract, can interact with V. vulnificus. Our study results show that the amount of biofilm produced by V. vulnificus was reduced in the presence of E. coli ATCC 35218, although the growth of V. vulnificus L‐180

In this study, the anti–severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2) activity of mycophenolic acid (MPA) and IMD‐0354 was analyzed. These compounds were chosen based on their antiviral activities against other coronaviruses. Because they also inhibit dengue virus (DENV) infection, other anti‐DENV compounds/drugs were also assessed. On SARS‐CoV‐2‐infected VeroE6/TMPRSS2 monolayers

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a leading cause of neonatal infections. Most isolates are β‐hemolytic, and their activity is considered to be pivotal for GBS pathogenicity. We report a case of a neonate with meningitis caused by nonhemolytic GBS. The patient developed meningitis 3 days after birth. Genotyping was performed and the characteristics of the strain (GCMC97051) identified by whole genome

Extensive rate of variations in the S1 gene (spike glycoprotein subunit gene) of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) causes challenges for clinicians in counting variants for differentiation of infected from vaccinated birds and addressing the variants of unknown significance. This study investigated the possibility of using an RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase gene (RdRp) as a target for molecular characterization

The present study was to demonstrate that the G protein coupled receptors serve as targets for the treatment of autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Rats received pristane at the base of the tail. Affected joints were counted daily. The T cell mediated autoimmune diseases such as pristine‐induced arthritis (PIA) and autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in a rat model

An autotransporter of Bordetella pertussis , virulence‐associated gene 8 (Vag8), binds and inactivates the complement regulator, C1 inhibitor (C1‐Inh), and plays a role in evasion of the complement system. However, the molecular interaction between Vag8 and C1‐Inh remains unclear. Here, we localized the minimum region of Vag8 required for interaction with C1‐Inh by examining the differently truncated