Circulating cell-free DNA does not harbour a diagnostic benefit in cats with feline diffuse iris melanomas.

OBJECTIVES: Feline diffuse iris melanoma (FDIM) is the most common malignant primary intraocular tumour in cats, with reported metastases rates between 19% and 63%. Currently, the only available diagnostic tool for a tentative diagnosis is histopathological examination of the enucleated eye. Therefore, the veterinary ophthalmologist is often faced with the dilemma of whether to enucleate an oftentimes visual eye or to continue monitoring, with the risk of metastases developing. In the past, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) gained more attention in human medicine, especially in the field of oncology. Prior studies have shown the use of cfDNA as diagnostic or prognostic markers in canine and human cancer patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate cfDNA concentration and integrity in cats with FDIMs compared with cats with benign iris naevi and without ocular abnormalities. METHODS: cfDNA from plasma of cats with iris melanoma (n = 34), iris naevus (n = 30) and without ocular abnormalities (n = 32) were extracted. Primer and probes for feline amyloid beta precursor protein ( APP) and beta actin ( ACTB) were designed for amplicons of various lengths and quantitative PCRs of extracted cfDNA were performed to measure cfDNA concentration and integrity of the plasma samples. Differences of cfDNA concentrations and integrity levels between the three groups (iris melanoma, iris naevi and controls) were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: cfDNA concentration and integrity analysis revealed no significant differences between the cats with iris melanoma, iris naevus or the control group ( P >0.01). Cats with metastases showed similar cfDNA concentration and integrity to cats without metastases. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: cfDNA concentration and integrity seem to be insufficient as a diagnostic or prognostic marker in cats with FDIMs.

New Surfactant-based Dressing Product to Improve Wound Closure Rates of Nonhealing Wounds: A European Multicenter Study Including 1036 Patients.

OBJECTIVE: A new surfactant-based biomaterial containing the antimicrobial 1% silver sulfadiazine (SSD) was developed at the University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA) to improve outcomes for nonhealing wounds. This study's objective was to clinically test the wound care outcomes of the new surfactant-based antimicrobial wound dressing (SAWD) in a multicenter trial. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This cohort study enrolled 1036 patients with any nonhealing wound of > 3 months duration not responding to standard-of-care treatments from 10 wound care centers in 7 European countries. The SAWD was used for all wound types at all stages of complexity, healing, and severity. Data collection ranged from 6 months to 2 years and measured the percentage of patients achieving wound closure and time to complete closure. RESULTS: Of the 1036 patients, 70% achieved wound closure, 24.6% were still in treatment at data collection, and 5.4% had a therapy change. The majority (56%) of these non-healing wounds achieved wound closure within 11 weeks. Patients were treated with the SAWD for 3 weeks to more than 1 year with no complications or adverse effects from long-term SSD antimicrobial use. CONCLUSION: Ten centers concluded that the new SAWD provided positive results (improved wound closure rates, reduction of inflammation, pain, and odor), improvements in clinical application (faster and easier dressing change), and improved patient compliance.

Prevalence and risk factors of gammaherpesvirus infection in domestic cats in Central Europe.

BACKGROUND: Gammaherpesviruses (GHVs) are a large group of dsDNA viruses that can infect humans and several animal species. The two human GHVs, Epstein-Barr virus and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus are known for their oncogenic properties in individuals with immunodeficiency. Recently, the first feline GHV, Felis catus gammaherpesvirus 1 (FcaGHV1) was discovered and frequently found in domestic cats in Australia, Singapore and the USA. FcaGHV1 is more likely to be detected in cats co-infected with the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). FINDINGS: The prevalence of FcaGHV1 in pet cats from Germany and Austria was 16.2 % (95 % CI = 12.38-20.02). The odds for GHV infection were greater for FIV positive (OR = 4.5), male (OR = 13.32) and older (OR = 2.36) cats. Furthermore, FcaGHV1 viral loads were significantly higher in FIV-infected cats compared to matched controls. CONCLUSIONS: GHV infections are common in domestic cats in Central Europe. The worldwide distribution of FcaGHV1 can be assumed. A potential role as a co-factor in FIV-induced pathogeneses is supported.

Decreased expression of endogenous feline leukemia virus in cat lymphomas: a case control study.

BACKGROUND: Cats infected with exogenous feline leukemia virus (exFeLV) have a higher chance of lymphoma development than uninfected cats. Furthermore, an increased exFeLV transcription has been detected in lymphomas compared to non-malignant tissues. The possible mechanisms of lymphoma development by exFeLV are insertional mutagenesis or persistent stimulation of host immune cells by viral antigens, bringing them at risk for malignant transformation. Vaccination of cats against exFeLV has in recent years decreased the overall infection rate in most countries. Nevertheless, an increasing number of lymphomas have been diagnosed among exFeLV-negative cats. Endogenous feline leukemia virus (enFeLV) is another retrovirus for which transcription has been observed in cat lymphomas. EnFeLV provirus elements are present in the germline of various cat species and share a high sequence similarity with exFeLV but, due to mutations, are incapable of producing infectious viral particles. However, recombination between exFeLV and enFeLV could produce infectious particles. RESULTS: We examined the FeLV expression in cats that have developed malignant lymphomas and discussed the possible mechanisms that could have induced malignant transformation. For expression analysis we used next-generation RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) and for validation reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). First, we showed that there was no expression of exFeLV in all samples, which eliminates the possibility of recombination between exFeLV and enFeLV. Next, we analyzed the difference in expression of three enFeLV genes between control and lymphoma samples. Our analysis showed an average of 3.40-fold decreased viral expression for the three genes in lymphoma compared to control samples. The results were confirmed by RT-qPCR. CONCLUSIONS: There is a decreased expression of enFeLV genes in lymphomas versus control samples, which contradicts previous observations for the exFeLV. Our results suggest that a persistent stimulation of host immune cells is not an appropriate mechanism responsible for malignant transformation caused by feline endogenous retroviruses.

Dietary calcium concentration and cereals differentially affect mineral balance and tight junction proteins expression in jejunum of weaned pigs.

Ca plays an essential role in bone development; however, little is known about its effect on intestinal gene expression in juvenile animals. In the present study, thirty-two weaned pigs (9·5 (SEM 0·11) kg) were assigned to four diets that differed in Ca concentration (adequate v. high) and cereal composition (wheat-barley v. maize) to assess the jejunal and colonic gene expression of nutrient transporters, tight junction proteins, cytokines and pathogen-associated molecular patterns, nutrient digestibility, Ca balance and serum acute-phase response. To estimate the impact of mucosal bacteria on colonic gene expression, Spearman's correlations between colonic gene expression and bacterial abundance were computed. Faecal Ca excretion indicated that more Ca was available along the intestinal tract of the pigs fed high Ca diets as compared to the pigs fed adequate Ca diets (P> 0.05). High Ca diets decreased jejunal zonula occludens 1 (ZO1) and occludin (OCLN) expression, up-regulated jejunal expression of toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and down-regulated colonic GLUT2 expression as compared to the adequate Ca diets (P< 0.05). Dietary cereal composition up-regulated jejunal TLR2 expression and interacted (P= 0.021) with dietary Ca on colonic IL1B expression; high Ca concentration up-regulated IL1B expression with wheat-barley diets and down-regulated it with maize diets. Spearman's correlations (r> 0·35; P< 0·05) indicated an association between operational taxonomic units assigned to the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria and bacterial metabolites and mucosal gene expression in the colon. The present results indicate that high Ca diets have the potential to modify the jejunal and colonic mucosal gene expression response which, in turn, interacts with the composition of the basal diet and mucosa-associated bacteria in weaned pigs.

Biomechanical comparison of 3 ankle braces with and without free rotation in the sagittal plane.

CONTEXT: Various designs of braces including hinged and nonhinged models are used to provide external support of the ankle. Hinged ankle braces supposedly allow almost free dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of the foot in the sagittal plane. It is unclear, however, whether this additional degree of freedom affects the stabilizing effect of the brace in the other planes of motion. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the dynamic and passive stabilizing effects of 3 ankle braces, 2 hinged models that provide free plantar flexion-dorsiflexion in the sagittal plane and 1 ankle brace without a hinge. DESIGN: Crossover study. SETTING: University Movement Analysis Laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Seventeen healthy volunteers (5 women, 12 men; age = 25.4 ± 4.8 years; height = 180.3 ± 6.5 cm; body mass = 75.5 ± 10.4 kg). INTERVENTION(S): We dynamically induced foot inversion on a tilting platform and passively induced foot movements in 6 directions via a custom-built apparatus in 3 brace conditions and a control condition (no brace). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Maximum inversion was determined dynamically using an in-shoe electrogoniometer. Passively induced maximal joint angles were measured using a torque and angle sensor. We analyzed differences among the 4 ankle-brace conditions (3 braces, 1 control) for each of the dependent variables with Friedman and post hoc tests (P < .05). RESULTS: Each ankle brace restricted dynamic foot-inversion movements on the tilting platform as compared with the control condition, whereas only the 2 hinged ankle braces differed from each other, with greater movement restriction caused by the Ankle X model. Passive foot inversion was reduced with all ankle braces. Passive plantar flexion was greater in the hinged models as compared with the nonhinged brace. CONCLUSIONS: All ankle braces showed stabilizing effects against dynamic and passive foot inversion. Differences between the hinged braces and the nonhinged brace did not appear to be clinically relevant.

MtDNA segregation in heteroplasmic tissues is common in vivo and modulated by haplotype differences and developmental stage.

The dynamics by which mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) evolves within organisms are still poorly understood, despite the fact that inheritance and proliferation of mutated mtDNA cause fatal and incurable diseases. When two mtDNA haplotypes are present in a cell, it is usually assumed that segregation (the proliferation of one haplotype over another) is negligible. We challenge this assumption by showing that segregation depends on the genetic distance between haplotypes. We provide evidence by creating four mouse models containing mtDNA haplotype pairs of varying diversity. We find tissue-specific segregation in all models over a wide range of tissues. Key findings are segregation in postmitotic tissues (important for disease models) and segregation covering all developmental stages from prenatal to old age. We identify four dynamic regimes of mtDNA segregation. Our findings suggest potential complications for therapies in human populations: we propose "haplotype matching" as an approach to avoid these issues.

Cytokine signaling by grafted neuroectodermal stem cells rescues motoneurons destined to die.

Following an injury to their axons close to the cell body, adult motoneurons generally die. This type of injury, typically caused by avulsion of the spinal ventral root, initiates the activation of astrocytes and microglial cells and the extracellular space becomes loaded with excessive amounts of excitotoxic glutamate. We have provided evidence that, following ventral root avulsion and reimplantation, murine embryonic neuroectodermal stem cells (NE-GFP-4C) grafted into the rat spinal cord rescue the vast majority of the motoneurons that would otherwise die, and enable them to reinnervate peripheral targets. Stem cell grafts produced the modulatory cytokines IL-1-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-alpha and MIP-1-alpha, but not neurotrophic factors. The neurons and astrocytes in the ventral horn of grafted animals also produced IL-6 and MIP-1-alpha, indicating a strong interaction between the graft and the host tissue. The infusion of function-blocking antibodies against all cytokines into the grafted cords completely abolished their motoneuron-rescuing effect, while neutralization of only IL-10 suggested its strong effectivity as concerns motoneuron survival and a milder effect on reinnervation. It is suggested that, apart from the anti-inflammatory function of IL-10, the pro-inflammatory cytokines produced exert a strong modulatory function in the CNS, promoting the prevention of neuronal cell death.

Transcriptional profiling of the host cell response to feline immunodeficiency virus infection.

BACKGROUND: Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a widespread pathogen of the domestic cat and an important animal model for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) research. In contrast to HIV, only limited information is available on the transcriptional host cell response to FIV infections. This study aims to identify FIV-induced gene expression changes in feline T-cells during the early phase of the infection. Illumina RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) was used identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) at 24 h after FIV infection. RESULTS: After removal of low-quality reads, the remaining sequencing data were mapped against the cat genome and the numbers of mapping reads were counted for each gene. Regulated genes were identified through the comparison of FIV and mock-infected data sets. After statistical analysis and the removal of genes with insufficient coverage, we detected a total of 69 significantly DEGs (44 up- and 25 down-regulated genes) upon FIV infection. The results obtained by RNA-seq were validated by reverse transcription qPCR analysis for 10 genes. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Out of the most distinct DEGs identified in this study, several genes are already known to interact with HIV in humans, indicating comparable effects of both viruses on the host cell gene expression and furthermore, highlighting the importance of FIV as a model system for HIV. In addition, a set of new genes not previously linked to virus infections could be identified. The provided list of virus-induced genes may represent useful information for future studies focusing on the molecular mechanisms of virus-host interactions in FIV pathogenesis.

Viral transcriptome analysis of feline immunodeficiency virus infected cells using second generation sequencing technology.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a widespread pathogen causing immunodeficiency in domestic cats and related wild cat species. The virus genome includes the main structural genes common to all retroviruses as well as accessory genes displaying essential functions during the viral life cycle. Expression of viral genes involves transcription of provirus genomes into full-length transcripts, which are partially processed into several spliced mRNA variants for the translation of particular proteins. Among several FIV isolates derived from domestic cats, notable differences in pathogenicity could be observed leading to identification of low and high pathogenic virus isolates. This study investigates the viral transcriptome of two differentially virulent FIV strains using second generation sequencing (SGS) technology. The expression levels of viral genes as detected by SGS were additionally determined by reverse transcription quantitative PCR analysis in order to compare two methods of mRNA quantification. The different properties of both methods, especially regarding normalization between samples, had to be considered when comparing the resulting data. SGS turned out to be a suitable technique for comparing mRNA transcription between both FIV infected cell lines and the identification of spliced viral transcripts. In contrast to this, the quantification of these spliced isoforms using SGS data was impeded by the short length of sequencing reads. In summary, SGS analysis revealed very consistent mRNA levels for the majority of viral genes between the low pathogenic Petaluma and the more highly pathogenic Glasgow 8 isolate. Notable differences among the two FIV strains could be observed in the viral mRNA splicing where Glasgow 8 displays similarities to the transcription pattern seen in the early stages of natural lentivirus infections. Thus, divergences in the regulation of post-transcriptional RNA processing might represent an additional contributor to the diverse pathogenic effects of individual FIV isolates. Taken together, this study aims to investigate the viral transcriptome as one part of the complex network of virus-host interactions, which will contribute to gaining deeper insights into FIV pathogenesis.

Gene expression profile of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors in various cell types of the canine lymph node using laser capture microdissection (LCM).

The role of VEGF and its receptors has extensively been studied in tumours. In contrast, the presence and function of VEGF in normal tissues like the lymph node has not been given much attention until now. To study the expression of VEGF, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3 in the heterogenous cell population of the canine lymph node, laser capture microdissection was used to isolate pure cell fractions of macrophages, lymphocytes, endothelial cells, and capsule cells of the canine lymph node. To clarify if macrophages take up VEGF from the environment or express VEGF, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2 or VEGFR-3 themselves, the mRNA expression was studied by real-time RT-PCR. After RNA isolation and subsequent analysis with the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer only RNA samples with appropriate RNA integrity were used for real-time PCR. For the accurate relative quantification of mRNA expression levels several reference genes were evaluated. It was shown that the reference genes HPRT1 and B2M serve as reliable reference genes for gene expression studies in the canine lymph node. Expression data analysis revealed no significant difference in VEGF expression levels between endothelial cells and the other investigated cells. VEGFR-1 expression was significantly lower in lymphocytes. Also macrophages showed a highly significant lower expression of VEGFR-1 compared to endothelial cells. In addition, the VEGFR-2 expression in lymphocytes and macrophages was significantly lower in comparison to endothelial cells. We were not able to detect VEGFR-3 mRNA in the lymphocyte cell population, in macrophages and cells of the lymph node capsule VEGFR-3 was expressed at very low levels. It was shown that laser capture microdissection in combination with quantitative real-time PCR is a valuable tool for studying the expression patterns of specific cells in their microenvironment. Our results support the hypothesis that VEGF and its receptors have other biological roles besides stimulating angiogenesis in the normal lymph node. These biological functions need to be clarified in further studies.

Effects of the Twin Shoe (Darco) to compensate height differences in normal gait.

BACKGROUND: After foot surgery or in diseases such as diabetes, orthopaedic shoes with an elevated sole construction are used to off-load the affected foot. The height difference between the shoes results in a leg length discrepancy and an abnormal gait pattern arises which can cause long-term discomfort in the joints of the lower extremity and the lower back. To compensate for this discrepancy and to ensure a symmetrical gait pattern a Twin Shoe (Darco) has been designed. AIM: To investigate the effect of wearing orthopaedic shoes in combination with the Twin Shoe on normal gait biomechanics. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study in a laboratory setting. METHODS: Normal gait was recorded in 15 healthy subjects with a gait analysis system. Four different shoe conditions were measured. Selected biomechanical parameters were calculated and compared between the shoe conditions. RESULTS: Walking in orthopaedic shoes with an elevated sole without compensation on the contralateral side leads to significant asymmetrical joint movements and higher loads in feet, knees, hips and the lower back during gait. By using the Twin Shoe these abnormal patterns were improved but not entirely compensated. CONCLUSIONS: Using the Twin Shoe as a partner to orthopaedic shoes with an elevated sole construction improves gait asymmetry and increased loading of joints induced by functional leg length discrepancy.

Objective assessment of brace wear times and physical activities in two patients with scoliosis.

Conservative treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis consists of therapeutic exercise and the application of braces. The effectiveness of bracing mainly depends on patient compliance, which can be determined by means of temperature sensors. This methodological paper describes the feasibility of objectively determining compliance and daily physical activities before and during conservative scoliosis treatment, being a relevant indicator for quality of life in children and adolescents. One patient with low compliance (61.4±24.9%) reduced her activity level during bracing by 50.1%, whereas another patient with a satisfactory compliance (85.7±19.5%) increased her daily activity level by 33.7% during conservative treatment.

Feline immunodeficiency virus env gene evolution in experimentally infected cats.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), an immunosuppressive lentivirus found in cats worldwide, is studied to illuminate mechanisms of lentiviral pathogenesis and to identify key components of protective immunity. During replication, lentiviruses accumulate errors of nucleotide mis-incorporation due to the low-fidelity of reverse transcriptase and recombination between viral variants, resulting in the emergence of a complex viral "quasispecies". In patients infected with HIV-1, env sequences may vary by up to 10% and the detection of quasispecies with greater heterogeneity is associated with higher viral loads and reduced CD4+ T cell numbers [1], indicating that transmission of more complex quasispecies may lead to disease progression. However, little is known about how FIV evolves as disease progresses, or why some cats develop AIDS rapidly while disease progression is slow in others. The aim of this study was to determine whether disease progression may be governed by viral evolution and to examine the diversity of viral variants emerging following infection with an infectious molecular clone. The FIV env gene encoding the envelope glycoprotein (Env) was examined at early (12 weeks) and late (322 weeks) stages of FIV infection in two groups of cats infected experimentally with the FIV-GL8 molecular clone. Viral variants were detected within quasispecies in cats in the late stages of FIV infection that contained differing amino acid compositions in several variable loops of Env, some of which were identified as determinants of receptor usage and resistance to neutralization. Therefore these results indicate that the FIV env gene evolves during the course of infection, giving rise to variants that resist neutralization and likely lead to disease progression.

Phylogenetic analysis suggests independent introduction of feline immunodeficiency virus clades A and B to Central Europe and identifies diverse variants of clade B.

Phylogenetic analysis of European feline immunodeficiency virus sequences confirms a highly distinct pattern in the occurrence of FIV-subtypes within Germany and Austria, indicating little mixing and at least two independent introductions of FIV. There is also evidence for a North to South gradient of FIV subtype distribution in Europe, with subtype A being more common in the North, while subtype B is prevalent in the South of Europe. In addition, among Austrian subtype B sequences, considerable differences from classical subtype B sequences were detected by bootscanning, which either suggests recombination with so far unrecognized subtypes, or a long period of independent evolution.

Influence of vector design and host cell on the mechanism of recombination and emergence of mutant subpopulations of replicating retroviral vectors.

BACKGROUND: The recent advent of murine leukaemia virus (MLV)-based replication-competent retroviral (RCR) vector technology has provided exciting new tools for gene delivery, albeit the advances in vector efficiency which have been realized are also accompanied by a set of fresh challenges. The expression of additional transgene sequences, for example, increases the length of the viral genome, which can lead to reductions in replication efficiency and in turn to vector genome instability. This necessitates efforts to analyse the rate and mechanism of recombinant emergence during the replication of such vectors to provide data which should contribute to improvements in RCR vector design. RESULTS: In this study, we have performed detailed molecular analyses on packaged vector genomes and proviral DNA following propagation of MLV-based RCR vectors both in cell culture and in pre-formed subcutaneous tumours in vivo. The effects of strain of MLV, transgene position and host cell type on the rate of emergence of vector recombinants were quantitatively analysed by applying real-time PCR and real-time RT-PCR assays. Individual mutants were further characterized by PCR, and nucleotide sequence and structural motifs associated with these mutants were determined by sequencing. Our data indicate that virus strain, vector design and host cell influence the rate of emergence of predominating vector mutants, but not the underlying recombination mechanisms in vitro. In contrast, however, differences in the RNA secondary structural motifs associated with sequenced mutants emerging in cell culture and in solid tumours in vivo were observed. CONCLUSION: Our data provide further evidence that MLV-based RCR vectors based on the Moloney strain of MLV and containing the transgene cassette in the 3' UTR region are superior to those based on Akv-MLV and/or containing the transgene cassette in the U3 region of the LTR. The observed discrepancies between the data obtained in solid tumours in vivo and our own and previously published data from infected cells in vitro demonstrates the importance of evaluating vectors designed for use in cancer gene therapy in vivo as well as in vitro.

Gag-specific immune enhancement of lentiviral infection after vaccination with an adenoviral vector in an animal model of AIDS.

The evaluation of vaccine strategies in animal models is essential for the development of a vaccine against HIV. In efficacy trials conducted in non-human primate models of AIDS, vaccines based on adenoviruses compared favourably with other vaccine vectors. To determine whether this strategy could be transposed to another animal model, and by extension, to humans, we have evaluated the efficacy of adenoviral vectors in a natural model of AIDS, infection of the cat by the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Recombinant canine adenoviruses expressing the envelope glycoproteins or the Gag protein of a primary strain of FIV were constructed. Three groups of six cats were immunised twice with vectors expressing FIV antigens or with a vector expressing an irrelevant antigen, green fluorescent protein, by intramuscular and subcutaneous routes. Humoral responses were elicited against the transgene product in 6/6, 3/6 and 0/6 cats after immunisation against green fluorescent protein, Gag or the envelope glycoproteins, respectively. Six weeks after the second administration, cats were challenged by the intraperitoneal route with the homologous strain, and viral burden in plasma was followed by quantitative RT-PCR. Immunisation with FIV antigens did not afford protection. Rather, viral RNA was detected at earlier time points in cats immunised against Gag than in cats immunised with a vector expressing an irrelevant antigen. Such immune-mediated enhancement did not appear to have a long-range impact on viral set point or inversion of the CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio. Thus, in the feline AIDS model pre-existing immunity against a viral antigen exacerbated acute phase infection.

Lactoferrin, a glycoprotein with immunomodulatory and mast cell stabilising properties, in skin of horses suffering from Culicoides hypersensitivity.

Lactoferrin (LF), a glycogen of the transferrin family with anti-bacterial and immunomodulatory properties, is expressed in various secretions and tissues. Cutaneous LF serves as a mast cell stabilising compound, modulates T cell activity and is found during IgE-mediated late phase reactions at allergen challenged sites. Culicoides hypersensitivity (CHS) in horses is a common IgE-mediated allergic dermatitis, characterised by an early and late phase cutaneous reaction upon allergen challenge. The aim of the study presented here was to examine whether LF mRNA expression in skin biopsies from horses affected by CHS prior to and 4h following intradermal challenge with a commercial C. nubeculosus extract is modified in comparison to skin biopsies from non-affected horses. In order to obtain reliable data, real time PCR was performed and genes of interest were normalized using three different housekeeping genes, beta-actin, GAPDH, beta-2-microglobulin. In comparison to non-affected horses, higher variation in LF mRNA levels both prior to and post-intradermal challenge with C. nubeculosus extract was seen in horses affected by CHS. However, the statistical analysis demonstrated that LF mRNA expression was not significantly different between CHS affected and non-affected horses prior to intradermal challenge with C. nubeculosus extract. Intradermal injection of C. nubeculosus extract did not result in local upregulation of LF mRNA at 4h post-injection. LF mRNA expression was therefore not significantly different pre- or post-intradermal challenge with C. nubeculosus extract in either group. Our data indicate that clinically normal skin of horses affected by CHS is not characterized by modified maintenance levels of LF mRNA. In contrast to human skin allergen challenged sites, LF mRNA levels in horses affected by CHS are not significantly different to that of control sites at 4h post-injection of C. nubeculosus extract.

Mutations in the catalytic core or the C-terminus of murine leukemia virus (MLV) integrase disrupt virion infectivity and exert diverse effects on reverse transcription.

Understanding of the structures and functions of the retroviral integrase (IN), a key enzyme in the viral replication cycle, is essential for developing antiretroviral treatments and facilitating the development of safer gene therapy vehicles. Thus, four MLV IN-mutants were constructed in the context of a retroviral vector system, harbouring either a substitution in the catalytic centre, deletions in the C-terminus, or combinations of both modifications. IN-mutants were tested for their performance in different stages of the viral replication cycle: RNA-packaging; RT-activity; transient and stable infection efficiency; dynamics of reverse transcription and nuclear entry. All mutant vectors packaged viral RNA with wild-type efficiencies and displayed only slight reductions in RT-activity. Deletion of either the IN C-terminus alone, or in addition to part of the catalytic domain exerted contrasting effects on intracellular viral DNA levels, implying that IN influences reverse transcription in more than one direction.

Prime-boost vaccination using DNA and whole inactivated virus vaccines provides limited protection against virulent feline immunodeficiency virus.

Protection against feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) has been achieved using a variety of vaccines notably whole inactivated virus (WIV) and DNA. However protection against more virulent isolates, typical of those encountered in natural infections, has been difficult to achieve. In an attempt to improve protection against virulent FIV(GL8), we combined both DNA and WIV vaccines in a "prime-boost" approach. Thirty cats were divided into four groups receiving vaccinations and one unvaccinated control group. Following viral challenge, two vaccinated animals, one receiving DNA alone and one the prime-boost vaccine remained free of viraemia, whilst all controls became viraemic. Animals vaccinated with WIV showed apparent early enhancement of infection at 2 weeks post challenge (pc) with higher plasma viral RNA loads than control animals or cats immunised with DNA alone. Despite this, animals vaccinated with WIV or DNA alone showed significantly lower proviral loads in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and mesenteric lymph node cells, whilst those receiving the DNA-WIV prime-boost vaccine showed significantly lower proviral loads in PBMC, than control animals, at 35 weeks pc. Therefore both DNA and WIV vaccines conferred limited protection against viral challenge but the combination of WIV and DNA in a prime-boost approach appeared to offer no significant advantage over either vaccine alone.