Status Presens of Antiviral Drugs And Strategies: Part I: DNA Viruses and Retroviruses

Antiviral drugs

Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin ◽

10.1136/dtb.12.4.13 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 13-15

Keyword(s):

Drug Therapy ◽

Herpes Simplex ◽

Nucleic Acid ◽

Specific Treatment ◽

Clinical Importance ◽

Antiviral Drugs ◽

Molluscum Contagiosum ◽

Dna Viruses ◽

Varicella Zoster

Viruses are divided into two classes according to whether their nucleic acid is DNA or RNA. DNA viruses of clinical importance include herpes simplex, varicella zoster, adenoviruses, variola, vaccinia, verruca and molluscum contagiosum. Drugs available for the specific treatment of some of the diseases caused by these agents are shown in the table. Many viruses of clinical importance, for example, colds, influenza and enteroviruses, are in the RNA group, but with one exception, the use of amantadine for certain forms of influenza, these are not so far amenable to drug therapy.

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Electron microscopy of endocardial cell populations

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100083291 ◽

1978 ◽

Vol 36 (2) ◽

pp. 486-487

Author(s):

T. G. Sarphie ◽

C. R. Comer ◽

D. J. Allen

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Plasma Membrane ◽

Cellular Transformation ◽

Cell Populations ◽

Cell Surfaces ◽

Kb Cells ◽

Dna Viruses ◽

Cell Cycles ◽

Ultrastructural Studies ◽

Endocardial Cell

Previous ultrastructural studies have characterized surface morphology during norma cell cycles in an attempt to associate specific changes with specific metabolic processes occurring within the cell. It is now known that during the synthetic ("S") stage of the cycle, when DNA and other nuclear components are synthesized, a cel undergoes a doubling in volume that is accompanied by an increase in surface area whereby its plasma membrane is elaborated into a variety of processes originally referred to as microvilli. In addition, changes in the normal distribution of glycoproteins and polysaccharides derived from cell surfaces have been reported as depreciating after cellular transformation by RNA or DNA viruses and have been associated with the state of growth, irregardless of the rate of proliferation. More specifically, examination of the surface carbohydrate content of synchronous KB cells were shown to be markedly reduced as the cell population approached division Comparison of hamster kidney fibroblasts inhibited by vinblastin sulfate while in metaphase with those not in metaphase demonstrated an appreciable decrease in surface carbohydrate in the former.

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Oncogenesis and the Lucké Virus

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100100743 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 26 ◽

pp. 200-201

Author(s):

A. E. Vatter ◽

J. Zambernard

Keyword(s):

Rna Viruses ◽

Vegetative State ◽

Temperature Sensitive ◽

Structural Level ◽

Oncogenic Viruses ◽

Dna Viruses ◽

Leopard Frogs ◽

Renal Adenocarcinoma ◽

Induced Tumors ◽

Northern Leopard Frogs

Oncogenic viruses, like viruses in general, can be divided into two classes, those that contain deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and those that contain ribonucleic acid (RNA). The RNA viruses have been recovered readily from the tumors which they cause whereas, the DNA-virus induced tumors have not yielded the virus. Since DNA viruses cannot be recovered, the bulk of present day investigations have been concerned with RNA viruses.The Lucké renal adenocarcinoma is a spontaneous tumor which occurs in northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) and has received increased attention in recent years because of its probable viral etiology. This hypothesis was first advanced by Lucké after he observed intranuclear inclusions in some of the tumor cells. Tumors with inclusions were examined at the fine structural level by Fawcett who showed that they contained immature and mature virus˗like particles.The use of this system in the study of oncogenic tumors offers several unique features, the virus has been shown to contain DNA and it can be recovered from the tumor, also, it is temperature sensitive. This latter feature is of importance because the virus can be transformed from a latent to a vegetative state by lowering or elevating the environmental temperature.

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