First Study of Different Insect Cells to Triatoma Virus Infection

The use of viruses for biological control is a new option to be considered. The family Dicistroviridae, which affects only invertebrates, is one of the families that have been proposed for this purpose. The Triatoma virus (TrV), a member of this family, affects triatomine transmitters of Chagas disease, which is endemic in Latin America but also expanding its worldwide distribution. To this end, we attempted virus replication in Diptera, Aedes albopictus (clone C6/36) and Lepidoptera Spodoptera frugiperda (SF9, SF21) and High Five (H5) cell lines. The methodologies used were transfection process, direct inoculation (purified virus), and inoculation of purified virus with trypsin. Results were confirmed by SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, RT-PCR, electron microscopy, and immunofluorescence. According to the results obtained, further analysis of susceptibility/infection of H5 cells to TrV required to be studied.Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de VectoresFacultad de Ciencias Veterinaria

Probing the biophysical interplay between a viral genome and its capsid

The interaction between a viral capsid and its genome governs crucial steps in the life cycle of a virus, such as assembly and genome uncoating. Tuning cargo–capsid interactions is also essential for successful design and cargo delivery in engineered viral systems. Here we investigate the interplay between cargo and capsid for the picorna-like Triatoma virus using a combined native mass spectrometry and atomic force microscopy approach. We propose a topology and assembly model in which heterotrimeric pentons that consist of five copies of structural proteins VP1, VP2 and VP3 are the free principal units of assembly. The interpenton contacts are established primarily by VP2. The dual role of the genome is first to stabilize the densely packed virion and, on an increase in pH, second to trigger uncoating by relaxing the stabilizing interactions with the capsid. Uncoating occurs through a labile intermediate state of the virion that reversibly disassembles into pentons with the concomitant release of protein VP4.Fil: Snijder, J.. Netherlands Proteomics Centre; Países Bajos. Utrecht Univeristy; Países Bajos. Vrije Universiteit; Países BajosFil: Uetrecht, C.. Netherlands Proteomics Centre; Países Bajos. Utrecht Univeristy; Países BajosFil: Rose, R. J.. Netherlands Proteomics Centre; Países Bajos. Utrecht Univeristy; Países BajosFil: Sanchez Eugenia, R.. Universidad del Pais Vasco; EspañaFil: Marti, Gerardo Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Agirre, J.. Universidad del Pais Vasco; España. Fundación Biofisica Bizkaia; EspañaFil: Guérin, D. M. A.. Universidad del Pais Vasco; España. Fundación Biofisica Bizkaia; EspañaFil: Wuite, G. J. L.. Vrije Universiteit; Países BajosFil: Heck, A. Netherlands Proteomics Centre; Países Bajos. Utrecht Univeristy; Países BajosFil: Roos, W. H.. Vrije Universiteit; Países Bajo

The role of universities in the location of innovative start-ups

Start-ups increasingly find the prospect of university-industry collaborations to be a powerful driver of innovation and entrepreneurship activity. Moreover, at the geographical level, they are attracted by teaching and research institutions, either public or private. This paper focuses on the role played by universities. Our hypothesis is that geographical proximity favors the transfer of knowledge and technology from universities to industries and, consequently, represents a positive factor for regional economic development. Results show that university spillovers are positively correlated with the creation of innovative start-ups. Furthermore, the presence of human capital (graduates) exerts a significant influence on the location decisions of start-ups, being a source for competitiveness for firms close to universities. Research quality, especially in the social sciences area, attracts innovative start-ups, while third-mission activities have a weak impact on locational choice