Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1)-induced rearrangements of actin filaments in productively infected primary murine neurons

Equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) causes respiratory disease, abortion and neurological disorders in horses. In the present study, we investigated reorganization of the cytoskeleton in neurons infected with two EHV-1 strains: Jan-E (wild-type strain) and Rac-H (attenuated strain). The studies were performed on primary murine neurons, which are an excellent model for studying neurotropism and neurovirulence of EHV-1. We have demonstrated for the first time that EHV-1 infection causes rearrangements in the actin network of neurons that are dependent on the virus strain and its adaptation to cell culture in vitro. Immunofluorescent labeling and confocal microscopy revealed the formation of long, thin projections in neurons infected with the Jan-E strain, which was probably associated with enhanced intracellular spread of the virus. The EHV-1 Rac-H strain caused disruption of the microfilaments system and general depolymerization of actin, but treatment of neurons with cytochalasin D or latrunculin A resulted in limitation of viral replication. It can therefore be assumed that actin filaments are required only at the early stages of infection. Our results allow us to suggest that the actin cytoskeleton participates in EHV-1 infection of primary murine neurons but is not essential, and that other components of the cytoskeleton and/or cellular mechanisms may be also involved during EHV-1 infection

Castanheira Bertholletia excelsa H.&B.

A castanheira é muito valiosa porque oferece alimento e remédio para as pessoas. Existe uma lei nacional determinando que ninguém pode derrubar as castanheiras - é a lei federal nº 4.771. A castanheira e o piquiá são as árvores com os troncos mais grossos de todas as espécies da Amazônia. No Pará, há uma castanheira com mais de 15 metros de rodo. No Brasil, a castanheira só ocorre na Amazônia, em áreas altas de terra firme. No Acre, ocorre apenas na parte leste do Estado, mas tem uma importância enorme para a população local. Também há castanheiras nos outros países amazônicos, principalmente na Bolívia e no Peru

Adjuvanticity of Tannic Acid-Modified Nanoparticles Improves Effectiveness of the Antiviral Response

Martyna Janicka,1,2,* Marcin Chodkowski,1,* Aleksandra Osinska,1 Klaudia Bylinska,3,4 Oliwia Obuch-Woszczatyńska,3,4 Magdalena Patrycy,1 Grzegorz Chodaczek,5 Katarzyna Ranoszek-Soliwoda,6 Emilia Tomaszewska,6 Grzegorz Celichowski,6 Jaroslaw Grobelny,6 Joanna Cymerys,2 Małgorzata Krzyżowska1 1Division of Medical and Environmental Microbiology, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw, Poland; 2Division of Microbiology, Department of Preclinical Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland; 3Laboratory of Parasitology, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw, Poland; 4Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Preclinical Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland; 5Łukasiewicz Research Network – PORT Polish Center for Technology Development, Life Sciences and Biotechnology Center, Wroclaw, Poland; 6University of Lodz, Faculty of Chemistry, Department of Materials Technology and Chemistry, Lodz, Poland*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Małgorzata Krzyżowska, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Kozielska 4, 01-163, Warsaw, Poland, Email [email protected]: Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) causes recurrent infections of skin and mucosal tissues with high global prevalence. HSV-1 also invades the nervous system where it establishes a lifelong latency-making infection poorly treatable We previously showed that both tannic acid-modified silver and gold nanoparticles (TA-Ag/AuNPs) inhibit HSV-1 infection in vitro.Methods: We used an in vitro and in vivo model of HSV-1 infection to study how metal type, size and tannic acid modification of nanoparticles can influence development of the early innate response and the mounting of specific anti-HSV-1 response upon treatment of the nasal mucosa.Results: We found that tannic acid is necessary for binding with HSV-1, with smaller sizes independent of the NPs composition, whereas for larger NPs, only TA-AgNPs can inhibit HSV-1 infection. Intranasal treatment of HSV-1 infection with TA-Ag/AuNPs results in lower viral titers and a better antiviral response, followed by increased IFN-α, CXCL9, and CXCL10 levels as well as infiltration of T cells and NK cells in the infected sites. We also found that the application of TA-NPs to the nasal cavities of infected mice induced infiltration of both monocytes and Langerhans cells (LCs), which lasted longer compared to the application of unmodified NPs. Furthermore, TA-NPs activated monocytes and microglia to produce antiviral cytokines and chemokines better than unmodified NPs, except for the large TA-AuNPs.Discussion: Treatment of the mucosal tissues at the early stage of HSV-1 infection helps to modulate specific and effective antiviral immune response by attracting cytotoxic lymphocytes and inducing the production of antiviral cytokines and chemokines. Furthermore, tannic acid modification is helpful for the removal of nanoparticles from the respiratory tract, which increases the safety of nanoparticle applications to treat infections.Keywords: HSV-1, AgNPs, AuNPs, tannic acid, microgli

The interface of timber and non-timber resources: declining resources for subsistance livelihoods - a southern case study from Brazilian Amazonia

Given the importance of non-timber forest resources to subsistence livelihoods, the increased rate of logging in Amazonia, and the pronounced overlap of timber and non-timber species, it is important to evaluate the altered composition and abundance of NTFPs. In this changing landscape, it is vital to understand which species are widely utilized for their non-timber value, which NTFPs species are extracted for timber and what their comparative timber and non-timber value is. To answer these questions, quantitative and qualitative results of a seven-year study are provided on the use of plant and animal forest resources by 30 households residing in an area of terra firme (upland dry) forest undergoing selective logging