Schmallenberg virus (SBV), an arthropod-transmitted pathogenic bunyavirus, continues to be a threat to the European livestock industry, causing morbidity and mortality among young ruminant livestock. Here, we describe a novel SBV subunit vaccine, based on bacterially expressed SBV nucleoprotein (SBV-N) administered with a veterinary-grade Saponin adjuvant. When assayed in an IFNAR-/- mouse model, SBV-N with Saponin induced strong non-neutralizing broadly virus-reactive antibodies, decreased clinical signs, as well as significantly reduced viremia. Vaccination assays also suggest that this level of immune protection is cell mediated, as evidenced by the lack of neutralizing antibodies, as well as interferon-γ secretion observed in vitro. Therefore, based on these results, bacterially expressed SBV-N, co-administered with veterinary-grade Saponin adjuvant may serve as a promising economical alternative to current SBV vaccines, and warrant further evaluation in large ruminant animal models. Moreover, we propose that this strategy may be applicable to other bunyaviruses.

Iron is a vital nutrient to bacteria, not only in the basal metabolism but also for virulent species in infection and pathogenicity at their hosts. Despite its relevance, the role of iron in Xanthomonas citri infection, the etiological agent of citrus canker disease, is poorly understood in contrast to other pathogens, including other members of the Xanthomonas genus. In this review, we present iron assimilation pathways in X. citri including the ones for siderophore production and siderophore-iron assimilation, proven to be key factors to virulence in many organisms like Escherichia coli and Xanthomonas campestris. Based on classical iron-related proteins previously characterized in E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and also Xanthomonadaceae, we identified orthologs in X. citri and evaluated their sequences, structural characteristics such as functional motifs, and residues that support their putative functions. Among the identified proteins are TonB-dependent receptors, periplasmic-binding proteins, active transporters, efflux pumps, and cytoplasmic enzymes. The role of each protein for the bacterium was analyzed and complemented with proteomics data previously reported. The global view of different aspects of iron regulation and nutrition in X. citri virulence and pathogenesis may help guide future investigations aiming the development of new drug targets against this important phytopathogen.

This paper illustrates the strengths and limitations of a novel “sub-basin-scale” seismic attribute (van Hoek et al. in this special section). It focuses on the use of the unconformity attribute within exploration and appraisal work flows as a “regional-seal indicator” and its applications in de-risking prospects in deepwater clastics depositional environments. Integration of this new attribute with traditional data and interpretation techniques is discussed in three case studies (Figure 1):

GUERRA, G. S. Development of an inhibition strategy for ABC transporters utilizing antibodies. 2019. 92 p. Master thesis (

O conteúdo dos artigos e seus dados em sua forma, correção e confiabilidade são de responsabilidade exclusiva dos autores. 2019Permitido o download da obra e o compartilhamento desde que sejam atribuídos créditos aos autores, mas sem a possibilidade de alterá-la de nenhuma forma ou utilizá-la para fins comerciais.