CUREs in biochemistry-where we are and where we should go.

Integration of research experience into classroom is an important and vital experience for all undergraduates. These course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have grown from independent instructor lead projects to large consortium driven experiences. The impact and importance of CUREs on students at all levels in biochemistry was the focus of a National Science Foundation funded think tank. The state of biochemistry CUREs and suggestions for moving biochemistry forward as well as a practical guide (supplementary material) are reported here. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(1):7-12, 2017.

Multiorgan WU Polyomavirus Infection in Bone Marrow Transplant Recipient.

WU polyomavirus (WUPyV) was detected in a bone marrow transplant recipient with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome who died in 2001. Crystalline lattices of polyomavirus-like particles were observed in the patient's lung by electron microscopy. WUPyV was detected in the lung and other tissues by real-time quantitative PCR and identified in the lung and trachea by immunohistochemistry. A subset of WUPyV-positive cells in the lung had morphologic features of macrophages. Although the role of WUPyV as a human pathogen remains unclear, these results clearly demonstrate evidence for infection of respiratory tract tissues in this patient.

WU polyomavirus in respiratory epithelial cells from lung transplant patient with Job syndrome.

We detected WU polyomavirus (WUPyV) in a bronchoalveolar lavage sample from lungs transplanted into a recipient with Job syndrome by using immunoassays specific for the WUPyV viral protein 1. Co-staining for an epithelial cell marker identified most WUPyV viral protein 1-positive cells as respiratory epithelial cells.

Immunohistochemical detection of KI polyomavirus in lung and spleen.

Little is known about the tissue tropism of KI polyomavirus (KIPyV), and there are no studies to date describing any specific cell types it infects. The limited knowledge of KIPyV tropism has hindered study of this virus and understanding of its potential pathogenesis in humans. We describe tissues from two immunocompromised patients that stained positive for KIPyV antigen using a newly developed immunohistochemical assay targeting the KIPyV VP1 (KVP1) capsid protein. In the first patient, a pediatric bone marrow transplant recipient, KVP1 was detected in lung tissue. Double immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that approximately 50% of the KVP1-positive cells were CD68-positive cells of the macrophage/monocyte lineage. In the second case, an HIV-positive patient, KVP1 was detected in spleen and lung tissues. These results provide the first identification of a specific cell type in which KVP1 can be detected and expand our understanding of basic properties and in vivo tropism of KIPyV.

Human polyomaviruses in children undergoing transplantation, United States, 2008-2010.

Immunocompromised patients are at risk for disease caused by infection by some polyomaviruses. To define the prevalence of polyomaviruses in children undergoing transplantation, we collected samples from a longitudinal cohort and tested for the 9 known human polyomaviruses. All were detected; several were present in previously unreported specimen types.

Identification of MW polyomavirus, a novel polyomavirus in human stool.

We have discovered a novel polyomavirus present in multiple human stool samples. The virus was initially identified by shotgun pyrosequencing of DNA purified from virus-like particles isolated from a stool sample collected from a healthy child from Malawi. We subsequently sequenced the virus' 4,927-bp genome, which has been provisionally named MW polyomavirus (MWPyV). The virus has genomic features characteristic of the family Polyomaviridae but is highly divergent from other members of this family. It is predicted to encode the large T antigen and small T antigen early proteins and the VP1, VP2, and VP3 structural proteins. A real-time PCR assay was designed and used to screen 514 stool samples from children with diarrhea in St. Louis, MO; 12 specimens were positive for MWPyV. Comparison of the whole-genome sequences of the index Malawi case and one St. Louis case demonstrated that the two strains of MWPyV varied by 5.3% at the nucleotide level. The number of polyomaviruses found in the human body continues to grow, raising the question of how many more species have yet to be identified and what roles they play in humans with and without manifest disease.