scholarly journals Molecular characterization of the complete genome of human influenza H5N1 virus isolates from Thailand

2005 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 423-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilaipan Puthavathana ◽  
Prasert Auewarakul ◽  
Pakapak Chor Charoenying ◽  
Kantima Sangsiriwut ◽  
Phisanu Pooruk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Receptor Binding Site ◽  
Influenza Outbreak ◽  
Ha Gene ◽  
H5n1 Influenza ◽  
Chicken Isolate ◽  
Amantadine Resistance ◽  
Human Viruses

The complete genomes of three human H5N1 influenza isolates were characterized, together with the haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes from two additional human isolates and one chicken isolate. These six influenza isolates were obtained from four different provinces of Thailand during the avian influenza outbreak in Asia from late 2003 to May 2004. All six Thailand isolates contained multiple basic amino acids at the cleavage site in the HA gene. Amino acid residues at the receptor-binding site of the five human viruses were similar to those of the chicken virus and other H5N1 viruses from Hong Kong. The presence of amantadine resistance in the Thailand viruses isolated during this outbreak was suggested by a fixed mutation in M2 and confirmed by a phenotypic assay. All genomic segments of the Thailand viruses clustered with the recently described genotype Z. The Thailand viruses contained more avian-specific residues than the 1997 Hong Kong H5N1 viruses, suggesting that the virus may have adapted to allow a more efficient spread in avian species.

scholarly journals Characterization of Avian H5N1 Influenza Viruses from Poultry in Hong Kong

Virology ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 252 (2) ◽  
pp. 331-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kennedy F. Shortridge ◽  
Nan Nan Zhou ◽  
Yi Guan ◽  
Peng Gao ◽  
Toshihiro Ito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
H5n1 Influenza

scholarly journals Characterization of H9 Subtype Influenza Viruses from the Ducks of Southern China: a Candidate for the Next Influenza Pandemic in Humans?

2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (12) ◽  
pp. 6988-6994 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Li ◽  
K. M. Xu ◽  
J. S. M. Peiris ◽  
L. L. M. Poon ◽  
K. Z. Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Current View ◽  
Domestic Ducks ◽  
H5n1 Influenza ◽  
Pandemic Virus ◽  
Influenza Outbreaks

ABSTRACT A current view of the emergence of pandemic influenza viruses envisages a gene flow from the aquatic avian reservoir to humans via reassortment in pigs, the hypothetical “mixing vessel.” Understanding arising from recent H5N1 influenza outbreaks in Hong Kong since 1997 and the isolation of avian H9N2 virus from humans raises alternative options for the emergence of a new pandemic virus. Here we report that H9N2 influenza viruses established in terrestrial poultry in southern China are transmitted back to domestic ducks, in which the viruses generate multiple reassortants. These novel H9N2 viruses are double or even triple reassortants that have amino acid signatures in their hemagglutinin, indicating their potential to directly infect humans. Some of them contain gene segments that are closely related to those of A/Hong Kong/156/97 (H5N1/97, H5N1) or A/Quail/Hong Kong/G1/97 (G1-like, H9N2). More importantly, some of their internal genes are closely related to those of novel H5N1 viruses isolated during the outbreak in Hong Kong in 2001. This study reveals a two-way transmission of influenza virus between terrestrial and aquatic birds that facilitates the generation of novel reassortant H9N2 influenza viruses. Such reassortants may directly or indirectly play a role in the emergence of the next pandemic virus.

scholarly journals Characterization of human influenza A (H5N1) virus infection in mice: neuro-, pneumo- and adipotropic infection

2000 ◽  
Vol 81 (10) ◽  
pp. 2503-2510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidekazu Nishimura ◽  
Shigeyuki Itamura ◽  
Takuya Iwasaki ◽  
Takeshi Kurata ◽  
Masato Tashiro
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Degenerative Change ◽  
Lethal Dose ◽  
Virus Antigen ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Adipose Tissues ◽  
H5n1 Influenza ◽  
The Brain

Mice (ddY strain, 4 weeks old) were infected intranasally with the H5N1 influenza viruses A/Hong Kong/156/97 (HK156) and A/Hong Kong/483/97 (HK483) isolated from humans. HK156 and HK483 required 200 and 5 p.f.u. of virus, respectively, to give a 50% lethal dose to the mice when the volume of inoculum was set at 10 μl. Both viruses caused encephalitis and severe bronchopneumonia in infected mice. The severity of lung lesions caused by the viruses was essentially similar, whereas HK483 caused more extensive lesions in the brain than did HK156. This was supported by the results of virus titration of organ homogenates, which showed that the virus titres in brains of HK483-infected mice were more than 100-fold higher than those of HK156-infected mice, while those in lungs were almost equivalent. Both viruses were detected in homogenates of the heart, liver, spleen and kidney and blood of the infected mice. Virus antigen was detected by immunohistology in the heart and liver, albeit sporadically, but caused no degenerative change in these organs. The antigen was not detected in the thymus, spleen, pancreas, kidney or gastrointestinal tract. In contrast, virus antigen was found frequently in adipose tissues attached to those organs. The adipose tissues showed severe degenerative change and the virus titres in the tissues were high and comparable to those in lungs. Thus, infection of HK156 and HK483 in our mouse model was pneumo-, neuro- and adipotropic, but not pantropic. Furthermore, HK483 showed higher neurotropism than HK156, which may account for its higher lethality.

scholarly journals Characterization of H5N1 Influenza Viruses That Continue To Circulate in Geese in Southeastern China

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert G. Webster ◽  
Yi Guan ◽  
Malik Peiris ◽  
David Walker ◽  
Scott Krauss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
H5n1 Influenza ◽  
Oral Inoculation ◽  
Live Poultry ◽  
High Doses ◽  
High Virus ◽  
High Degree

ABSTRACT The H5N1 influenza virus, which killed humans and poultry in 1997, was a reassortant that possibly arose in one type of domestic poultry present in the live-poultry markets of Hong Kong. Given that all the precursors of H5N1/97 are still circulating in poultry in southern China, the reassortment event that generated H5N1 could be repeated. Because A/goose/Guangdong/1/96-like (H5N1; Go/Gd) viruses are the proposed donors of the hemagglutinin gene of the H5N1 virus, we investigated the continued circulation, host range, and transmissibility of Go/Gd-like viruses in poultry. The Go/Gd-like viruses caused weight loss and death in some mice inoculated with high virus doses. Transmission of Go/Gd-like H5N1 viruses to geese by contact with infected geese resulted in infection of all birds but limited signs of overt disease. In contrast, oral inoculation with high doses of Go/Gd-like viruses resulted in the deaths of up to 50% of infected geese. Transmission from infected geese to chickens occurred only by fecal contact, whereas transmission to quail occurred by either aerosol or fecal spread. This difference is probably explained by the higher susceptibility of quail to Go/Gd-like virus. The high degree of susceptibility of quail to Go/Gd (H5N1)-like viruses and the continued circulation of H6N1 and H9N2 viruses in quail support the hypothesis that quail were the host of origin of the H5N1/97 virus. The ease of transmission of Go/Gd (H5N1)-like viruses to land-based birds, especially quail, supports the wisdom of separating aquatic and land-based poultry in the markets in Hong Kong and the need for continued surveillance in the field and live-bird markets in which different types of poultry are in contact with one another.

scholarly journals Identification and characterization of amphibian SLC26A5 using RNA-Seq

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongying Wang ◽  
Qixuan Wang ◽  
Hao Wu ◽  
Zhiwu Huang
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Inner Ear ◽  
Hair Cells ◽  
Rana Catesbeiana ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
American Bullfrog ◽  
Frog Species

Abstract Background Prestin (SLC26A5) is responsible for acute sensitivity and frequency selectivity in the vertebrate auditory system. Limited knowledge of prestin is from experiments using site-directed mutagenesis or domain-swapping techniques after the amino acid residues were identified by comparing the sequence of prestin to those of its paralogs and orthologs. Frog prestin is the only representative in amphibian lineage and the studies of it were quite rare with only one species identified. Results Here we report a new coding sequence of SLC26A5 for a frog species, Rana catesbeiana (the American bullfrog). In our study, the SLC26A5 gene of Rana has been mapped, sequenced and cloned successively using RNA-Seq. We measured the nonlinear capacitance (NLC) of prestin both in the hair cells of Rana’s inner ear and HEK293T cells transfected with this new coding gene. HEK293T cells expressing Rana prestin showed electrophysiological features similar to that of hair cells from its inner ear. Comparative studies of zebrafish, chick, Rana and an ancient frog species showed that chick and zebrafish prestin lacked NLC. Ancient frog’s prestin was functionally different from Rana. Conclusions We mapped and sequenced the SLC26A5 of the Rana catesbeiana from its inner ear cDNA using RNA-Seq. The Rana SLC26A5 cDNA was 2292 bp long, encoding a polypeptide of 763 amino acid residues, with 40% identity to mammals. This new coding gene could encode a functionally active protein conferring NLC to both frog HCs and the mammalian cell line. While comparing to its orthologs, the amphibian prestin has been evolutionarily changing its function and becomes more advanced than avian and teleost prestin.

Characterization of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in cleaning reagents and air fresheners in Hong Kong

2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (34) ◽  
pp. 6191-6196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Huang ◽  
Steven Sai Hang Ho ◽  
Kin Fai Ho ◽  
Shun Cheng Lee ◽  
Yuan Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Volatile Organic

Characterization of dicarboxylic acids in PM2.5 in Hong Kong

2004 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 963-970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Yao ◽  
Ming Fang ◽  
Chak K. Chan ◽  
K.F. Ho ◽  
S.C. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Dicarboxylic Acids

Chemical and bioanalytical characterization of dioxins in indoor dust in Hong Kong

2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (4) ◽  
pp. 947-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan Kang ◽  
Kwai Chung Cheung ◽  
Zong Wei Cai ◽  
Ming H. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Indoor Dust

scholarly journals Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Bifidobacterium bifidum 1,2-α-l-Fucosidase (AfcA), a Novel Inverting Glycosidase (Glycoside Hydrolase Family 95)

2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (15) ◽  
pp. 4885-4893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takane Katayama ◽  
Akiko Sakuma ◽  
Takatoshi Kimura ◽  
Yutaka Makimura ◽  
Jun Hiratake ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Genomic Library ◽  
Bifidobacterium Bifidum ◽  
Glycoside Hydrolases ◽  
Glycoside Hydrolase Family ◽  
Amino Acid Residues ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Sugar Chain ◽  
Hydrolysis Of

ABSTRACT A genomic library of Bifidobacterium bifidum constructed in Escherichia coli was screened for the ability to hydrolyze the α-(1→2) linkage of 2′-fucosyllactose, and a gene encoding 1,2-α-l-fucosidase (AfcA) was isolated. The afcA gene was found to comprise 1,959 amino acid residues with a predicted molecular mass of 205 kDa and containing a signal peptide and a membrane anchor at the N and C termini, respectively. A domain responsible for fucosidase activity (the Fuc domain; amino acid residues 577 to 1474) was localized by deletion analysis and then purified as a hexahistidine-tagged protein. The recombinant Fuc domain specifically hydrolyzed the terminal α-(1→2)-fucosidic linkages of various oligosaccharides and a sugar chain of a glycoprotein. The stereochemical course of the hydrolysis of 2′-fucosyllactose was determined to be inversion by using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance. The primary structure of the Fuc domain exhibited no similarity to those of any glycoside hydrolases (GHs) but showed high similarity to those of several hypothetical proteins in a database. Thus, it was revealed that the AfcA protein constitutes a novel inverting GH family (GH family 95).

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