Multiple phases of human occupation in Southeast Arabia between 210,000 and 120,000 years ago

Changing climatic conditions are thought to be a major control of human presence in Arabia during the Paleolithic. Whilst the Pleistocene archaeological record shows that periods of increased monsoon rainfall attracted human occupation and led to increased population densities, the impact of arid conditions on human populations in Arabia remains largely speculative. Here, we present data from Jebel Faya in Southeast (SE) Arabia, which document four periods of human occupation between c. 210,000 and 120,000 years ago. The Jebel Faya record indicates that human occupation of SE Arabia was more regular and not exclusively linked to major humid periods. Our data show that brief phases of increased rainfall additionally enabled human settlement in the Faya region. These results imply that the mosaic environments in SE Arabia have likely formed a population refugia at the end of the Middle and the beginning of the Late Pleistocene.

The expansion of Acheulean hominins into the Nefud Desert of Arabia

The Arabian Peninsula is a critical geographic landmass situated between Africa and the rest of Eurasia. Climatic shifts across the Pleistocene periodically produced wetter conditions in Arabia, dramatically altering the spatial distribution of hominins both within and between continents. This is particularly true of Acheulean hominins, who appear to have been more tethered to water sources than Middle Palaeolithic hominins. However, until recently, chrono-cultural knowledge of the Acheulean of Arabia has been limited to one dated site, which indicated a hominin presence in Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 7-6. Here, we report the first dated Acheulean site from the Nefud Desert of northern Saudi Arabia, together with palaeoecological evidence for an associated deep, probably fresh-water, lake. The site of An Nasim features varied and often finely flaked façonnage handaxes. Luminescence ages together with geomorphological and palaeoecological evidence indicates that the associated artefacts date to MIS 9. At present, An Nasim represents the oldest yet documented Acheulean sites in Arabia, and adds to a growing picture of regionally diverse stone tool assemblages used by Middle Pleistocene hominins, and likely indicative of repeated population re-entry into the peninsula in wet 'Green Arabia' phases.

Correction: Acheulean technology and landscape use at Dawadmi, central Arabia

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200497.].

Acheulean technology and landscape use at Dawadmi, central Arabia

Despite occupying a central geographic position, investigations of hominin populations in the Arabian Peninsula during the Lower Palaeolithic period are rare. The colonization of Eurasia below 55 degrees latitude indicates the success of the genus Homo in the Early and Middle Pleistocene, but the extent to which these hominins were capable of innovative and novel behavioural adaptations to engage with mid-latitude environments is unclear. Here we describe new field investigations at the Saffaqah locality (206–76) near Dawadmi, in central Arabia that aim to establish how hominins adapted to this region. The site is located in the interior of Arabia over 500 km from both the Red Sea and the Gulf, and at the headwaters of two major extinct river systems that were likely used by Acheulean hominins to cross the Peninsula. Saffaqah is one of the largest Acheulean sites in Arabia with nearly a million artefacts estimated to occur on the surface, and it is also the first to yield stratified deposits containing abundant artefacts. It is situated in the unusual setting of a dense and well-preserved landscape of Acheulean localities, with sites and isolated artefacts occurring regularly for tens of kilometres in every direction. We describe both previous and recent excavations at Saffaqah and its large lithic assemblage. We analyse thousands of artefacts from excavated and surface contexts, including giant andesite cores and flakes, smaller cores and retouched artefacts, as well as handaxes and cleavers. Technological assessment of stratified lithics and those from systematic survey, enable the reconstruction of stone tool life histories. The Acheulean hominins at Dawadmi were strong and skilful, with their adaptation evidently successful for some time. However, these biface-makers were also technologically conservative, and used least-effort strategies of resource procurement and tool transport. Ultimately, central Arabia was depopulated, likely in the face of environmental deterioration in the form of increasing aridity.

Levodopa medication improves incidental sequence learning in Parkinson's disease

Empirical evidence suggests that levodopa medication used to treat the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) may either improve, impair or not affect specific cognitive processes. This evidence led to the 'dopamine overdose' hypothesis that levodopa medication impairs performance on cognitive tasks if they recruit fronto-striatal circuits which are not yet dopamine-depleted in early PD and as a result the medication leads to an excess of dopamine. This hypothesis has been supported for various learning tasks including conditional associative learning, reversal learning, classification learning and intentional deterministic sequence learning, on all of which PD patients demonstrated significantly worse performance when tested on relative to off dopamine medication. Incidental sequence learning is impaired in PD, but how such learning is affected by dopaminergic therapy remains undetermined. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of dopaminergic medication on incidental sequence learning in PD. We used a probabilistic serial reaction time task (SRTT), a sequence learning paradigm considered to make the sequence less apparent and more likely to be learned incidentally rather than intentionally. We compared learning by the same group of PD patients (n=15) on two separate occasions following oral administration of levodopa medication (on state) and after overnight withdrawal of medication (off state). Our results demonstrate for the first time that levodopa medication enhances incidental learning of a probabilistic sequence on the serial reaction time task in PD. However, neither group significantly differed from performance of a control group without a neurological disease, which indicates the importance of within group comparisons for identifying deficits. Levodopa medication enhanced incidental learning by patients with PD on a probabilistic sequence learning paradigm even though the patients were not aware of the existence of the sequence or their acquired knowledge. The results suggest a role in acquiring incidental motor sequence learning for dorsal striatal areas strongly affected by dopamine depletion in early PD.

Rethinking the dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa

Current fossil, genetic, and archeological data indicate that Homo sapiens originated in Africa in the late Middle Pleistocene. By the end of the Late Pleistocene, our species was distributed across every continent except Antarctica, setting the foundations for the subsequent demographic and cultural changes of the Holocene. The intervening processes remain intensely debated and a key theme in hominin evolutionary studies. We review archeological, fossil, environmental, and genetic data to evaluate the current state of knowledge on the dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa. The emerging picture of the dispersal process suggests dynamic behavioral variability, complex interactions between populations, and an intricate genetic and cultural legacy. This evolutionary and historical complexity challenges simple narratives and suggests that hybrid models and the testing of explicit hypotheses are required to understand the expansion of Homo sapiens into Eurasia.

Apremilast is a selective PDE4 inhibitor with regulatory effects on innate immunity

Apremilast, an oral small molecule inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), is in development for chronic inflammatory disorders, and has shown efficacy in psoriasis, psoriatic arthropathies, and Behçet's syndrome. In March 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration approved apremilast for the treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis. The properties of apremilast were evaluated to determine its specificity, effects on intracellular signaling, gene and protein expression, and in vivo pharmacology using models of innate and adaptive immunity. Apremilast inhibited PDE4 isoforms from all four sub-families (A1A, B1, B2, C1, and D2), with IC50 values in the range of 10 to 100 nM. Apremilast did not significantly inhibit other PDEs, kinases, enzymes, or receptors. While both apremilast and thalidomide share a phthalimide ring structure, apremilast lacks the glutarimide ring and thus fails to bind to cereblon, the target of thalidomide action. In monocytes and T cells, apremilast elevated intracellular cAMP and induced phosphorylation of the protein kinase A substrates CREB and activating transcription factor-1 while inhibiting NF-κB transcriptional activity, resulting in both up- and down-regulation of several genes induced via TLR4. Apremilast reduced interferon-α production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells and inhibited T-cell cytokine production, but had little effect on B-cell immunoglobulin secretion. In a transgenic T-cell and B-cell transfer murine model, apremilast (5mg/kg/day p.o.) did not affect clonal expansion of either T or B cells and had little or no effect on their expression of activation markers. The effect of apremilast on innate immunity was tested in the ferret lung neutrophilia model, which allows monitoring of the known PDE4 inhibitor gastrointestinal side effects (nausea and vomiting). Apremilast significantly inhibited lung neutrophilia at 1mg/kg, but did not induce significant emetic reflexes at doses <30 mg/kg. Overall, the pharmacological effects of apremilast are consistent with those of a targeted PDE4 inhibitor, with selective effects on innate immune responses and a wide therapeutic index compared to its gastrointestinal side effects.

Beyond the Levant: first evidence of a pre-pottery Neolithic incursion into the Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia

Pre-Pottery Neolithic assemblages are best known from the fertile areas of the Mediterranean Levant. The archaeological site of Jebel Qattar 101 (JQ-101), at Jubbah in the southern part of the Nefud Desert of northern Saudi Arabia, contains a large collection of stone tools, adjacent to an Early Holocene palaeolake. The stone tool assemblage contains lithic types, including El-Khiam and Helwan projectile points, which are similar to those recorded in Pre-Pottery Neolithic A and Pre-Pottery Neolithic B assemblages in the Fertile Crescent. Jebel Qattar lies ∼500 kilometres outside the previously identified geographic range of Pre-Pottery Neolithic cultures. Technological analysis of the typologically diagnostic Jebel Qattar 101 projectile points indicates a unique strategy to manufacture the final forms, thereby raising the possibility of either direct migration of Levantine groups or the acculturation of mobile communities in Arabia. The discovery of the Early Holocene site of Jebel Qattar suggests that our view of the geographic distribution and character of Pre-Pottery Neolithic cultures may be in need of revision.

Hominin dispersal into the Nefud Desert and Middle palaeolithic settlement along the Jubbah Palaeolake, Northern Arabia

The Arabian Peninsula is a key region for understanding hominin dispersals and the effect of climate change on prehistoric demography, although little information on these topics is presently available owing to the poor preservation of archaeological sites in this desert environment. Here, we describe the discovery of three stratified and buried archaeological sites in the Nefud Desert, which includes the oldest dated occupation for the region. The stone tool assemblages are identified as a Middle Palaeolithic industry that includes Levallois manufacturing methods and the production of tools on flakes. Hominin occupations correspond with humid periods, particularly Marine Isotope Stages 7 and 5 of the Late Pleistocene. The Middle Palaeolithic occupations were situated along the Jubbah palaeolake-shores, in a grassland setting with some trees. Populations procured different raw materials across the lake region to manufacture stone tools, using the implements to process plants and animals. To reach the Jubbah palaeolake, Middle Palaeolithic populations travelled into the ameliorated Nefud Desert interior, possibly gaining access from multiple directions, either using routes from the north and west (the Levant and the Sinai), the north (the Mesopotamian plains and the Euphrates basin), or the east (the Persian Gulf). The Jubbah stone tool assemblages have their own suite of technological characters, but have types reminiscent of both African Middle Stone Age and Levantine Middle Palaeolithic industries. Comparative inter-regional analysis of core technology indicates morphological similarities with the Levantine Tabun C assemblage, associated with human fossils controversially identified as either Neanderthals or Homo sapiens.

The Nubian Complex of Dhofar, Oman: an African middle stone age industry in Southern Arabia

Despite the numerous studies proposing early human population expansions from Africa into Arabia during the Late Pleistocene, no archaeological sites have yet been discovered in Arabia that resemble a specific African industry, which would indicate demographic exchange across the Red Sea. Here we report the discovery of a buried site and more than 100 new surface scatters in the Dhofar region of Oman belonging to a regionally-specific African lithic industry--the late Nubian Complex--known previously only from the northeast and Horn of Africa during Marine Isotope Stage 5, ∼128,000 to 74,000 years ago. Two optically stimulated luminescence age estimates from the open-air site of Aybut Al Auwal in Oman place the Arabian Nubian Complex at ∼106,000 years ago, providing archaeological evidence for the presence of a distinct northeast African Middle Stone Age technocomplex in southern Arabia sometime in the first half of Marine Isotope Stage 5.

Dexamethasone synergizes with lenalidomide to inhibit multiple myeloma tumor growth, but reduces lenalidomide-induced immunomodulation of T and NK cell function

To determine the effect of dexamethasone on the antimyeloma effects of lenalidomide, we tested in vitro proliferation, tumor suppressor gene expression, caspase activity, cell cycling, and apoptosis levels in a series of multiple myeloma (MM) and plasma cell leukemia cell lines treated with lenalidomide and dexamethasone, alone or in combination. The effect of dexamethasone on the immunomodulatory activities of lenalidomide such as T cell and natural killer (NK) cell activation was measured via interleukin [IL]-2 production, and interferon-gamma and granzyme B production respectively. Lenalidomide inhibited proliferation in most cell lines tested, and this effect was enhanced by dexamethasone. This effect was observed in MM cells containing the high-risk cytogenetic abnormalities t(4;14), t(14;16), del17p, del13, and hypodiploidy. Mechanistically, lenalidomide plus dexamethasone synergistically induced expression of the tumor suppressor genes Egr1, Egr2, Egr3, p15, p21, and p27 in MM cell lines and MM patient cells. The combination activated caspases 3, 8, and 9; and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Lenalidomide alone increased T cell production of IL-2, and NK cell production of interferon-gamma and granzyme B. Notably, dexamethasone antagonized these immunostimulatory effects of lenalidomide in a dose-dependent manner. These data further elucidate the mechanism of action of lenalidomide and dexamethasone in MM, and suggest that use of low-dose dexamethasone with lenalidomide may retain the antiproliferative effect of lenalidomide while permitting greater immunomodulatory effects of this combination regimen.

Apremilast, a cAMP phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, demonstrates anti-inflammatory activity in vitro and in a model of psoriasis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Apremilast is an orally administered phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor, currently in phase 2 clinical studies of psoriasis and other chronic inflammatory diseases. The inhibitory effects of apremilast on pro-inflammatory responses of human primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), polymorphonuclear cells, natural killer (NK) cells and epidermal keratinocytes were explored in vitro, and in a preclinical model of psoriasis.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Apremilast was tested in vitro against endotoxin- and superantigen-stimulated PBMC, bacterial peptide and zymosan-stimulated polymorphonuclear cells, immunonoglobulin and cytokine-stimulated NK cells, and ultraviolet B light-activated keratinocytes. Apremilast was orally administered to beige-severe combined immunodeficient mice, xenotransplanted with normal human skin and triggered with human psoriatic NK cells. Epidermal skin thickness, proliferation index and inflammation markers were analysed.

KEY RESULTS

Apremilast inhibited PBMC production of the chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10, cytokines interferon-gamma and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and interleukins (IL)-2, IL-12 and IL-23. Production of TNF-alpha by NK cells and keratinocytes was also inhibited. In vivo, apremilast significantly reduced epidermal thickness and proliferation, decreased the general histopathological appearance of psoriasiform features and reduced expression of TNF-alpha, human leukocyte antigen-DR and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in the lesioned skin.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Apremilast displayed a broad pattern of anti-inflammatory activity in a variety of cell types and decreased the incidence and severity of a psoriasiform response in vivo. Inhibition of TNF-alpha, IL-12 and IL-23 production, as well as NK and keratinocyte responses by this phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor suggests a novel approach to the treatment of psoriasis.

Detection of Enterobacter sakazakii in dried infant milk formula by cationic-magnetic-bead capture

Enterobacter sakazakii has been associated with life-threatening infections in premature low-birth-weight infants. Contaminated infant milk formula (IMF) has been implicated in cases of E. sakazakii meningitis. Quick and sensitive methods to detect low-level contamination sporadically present in IMF preparations would positively contribute towards risk reduction across the infant formula food chain. Here we report on the development of a simple method, combining charged separation and growth on selective agar, to detect E. sakazakii in IMF. This protocol can reliably detect 1 to 5 CFU of E. sakazakii in 500 g of IMF in less than 24 h.

Visual neglect after right posterior cerebral artery infarction

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the characteristics and neuroanatomical correlates of visual neglect after right-sided posterior cerebral artery (PCA) infarction.

METHODS

15 patients with acute PCA strokes were screened for the presence of neglect on a comprehensive battery of cognitive tests. Extra tests of visual perception were also carried out on six patients. To establish which areas were critically associated with neglect, the lesions of patients with and without neglect were compared.

RESULTS

Neglect of varying severity was documented in 8 patients. In addition, higher-order visual perception was impaired in 5 of the 6 patients. Neglect was critically associated with damage to an area of white matter in the occipital lobe corresponding to a white matter tract connecting the parahippocampal gyrus with the angular gyrus of the parietal lobe. Lesions of the thalamus or splenium of the corpus callosum did not appear necessary or sufficient to cause neglect, but may mediate its severity in these patients.

CONCLUSIONS

PCA stroke can result in visual neglect. Interruption of the white matter fibres connecting the parahippocampal gyrus to the angular gyrus may be important in determining whether a patient will manifest neglect.

Cognitive Processes in Saccade Generation

The analysis of saccades offers an opportunity to study a number of different cognitive processes, such as visuospatial attention, working memory, and volitional conflict. A study of saccades in patients with visuospatial hemineglect, who performed a visual search task, showed repeated fixations on targets previously discovered, yet they often failed to retain the information that a particular target had previously been discovered. High-resolution structural brain scanning showed that this abnormality was due either to a lesion in the right intraparietal sulcus or the right inferior frontal lobe. Detailed analysis of the scanpaths suggested that the former location was associated with an accumulating impairment in remapping target locations across saccades or impaired memory of previously inspected target locations, whereas the latter location was more consistent with a failure to inhibit responses to rightward locations. When combined with a spatial bias to the right, such deficits might explain why many neglect patients often reexamine rightward targets, at the expense of items to their left. The functions of the supplementary eye field (SEF), in the medial frontal lobe, in relation to saccade generation are controversial. A series of studies in a patient with a focal lesion of the right SEF has indicated an important role for the SEF in the rapid self-control of saccadic eye movements and in set-switching (i.e., implementing control in situations of response conflict when ongoing saccadic plans have to be changed rapidly), rather than monitoring errors. In a recent fMRI study of normal subjects, it was shown that the SEF is involved in implementing the resolution of any volitional conflict, whereas other presupplementary motor areas are involved in the generation of volitional plans and processing volitional conflict.

Hemispatial neglect

The syndrome of hemispatial neglect is characterised by reduced awareness of stimuli on one side of space, even though there may be no sensory loss. Although it is extremely common, it has proven to be a challenging condition to understand, and to treat. New insights from detailed behavioural and anatomical studies in patients, as well as functional imaging in healthy individuals, have begun to reveal some of the component deficits underlying the disorder. This review focuses on important clinical issues in neglect, including bedside diagnostic tests and emerging therapeutic and rehabilitation methods, involving both behavioural and drug treatments.

Recovery of Cryptosporidium oocysts from small and large volume water samples using a compressed foam filter system

A novel filter system comprising open cell reticulated foam rings compressed between retaining plates and fitted into a filtration housing was evaluated for the recovery of oocysts of Cryptosporidium from water. Mean recoveries of 90.2% from seeded small and large volume (100-2000 l) tap water samples, and 88.8% from 10-20 l river water samples, were achieved. Following a simple potassium citrate flotation concentrate clean-up procedure, mean recoveries were 56.7% for the tap water samples and 60.9% for river water samples. This represents a marked improvement in capture and recovery of Cryptosporidium oocysts from water compared with conventional polypropylene wound cartridge filters and membrane filters.

The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis across the normal menstrual cycle and in polycystic ovary syndrome

OBJECTIVE

We explored the hypothesis that activation of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis is involved in the pathogenesis of hyperandrogenism in the polycystic ovary syndrome.

PATIENTS

Seven women with polycystic ovary syndrome (mean age 27.6 +/- 1.6 (SEM) years) (hirsutism, oligo/amenorrhoea and elevated serum testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate) and nine normal female controls (mean age 24.6 +/- 1.5 years) were studied. To exclude anovulation as a confounding factor, four of these normal women were studied in both the follicular and luteal phase of the menstrual cycle.

DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS

Plasma ACTH and cortisol levels were measured at 15-minute intervals between 0600 h and 1800 h. ACTH and cortisol mean levels, pulse number and amplitude were calculated using established computer software, programmed to identify ACTH and cortisol peaks.

RESULTS

With the exception of mean plasma levels of ACTH over the 12-hour period, which were reduced in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle (1.8 +/- 0.3 pmol/l) compared to the follicular phase (2.3 +/- 0.2 pmol/l, P < 0.05), there were no differences in the pattern of ACTH or cortisol secretion across the normal cycle. In polycystic ovary syndrome, 12-hour ACTH pulse frequency was reduced (3.6 +/- 0.7) compared with controls (5.9 +/- 0.6, P < 0.05), but cortisol pulsatility and ACTH and cortisol mean levels were similar in both groups.

CONCLUSION

The hyperandrogenism of polycystic ovary syndrome cannot be explained by enhanced ACTH secretion. Normal circulating cortisol levels, yet elevated dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate levels, suggests that polycystic ovary syndrome is yet another example of discrepant adrenal glucocorticoid and androgen secretion, and provides further evidence for a putative adrenal androgen stimulating factor.

Hypothalamic abnormalities in patients with pituitary-dependent Cushing's syndrome

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to investigate the pattern of 24-hour ACTH and cortisol secretion in pituitary-dependent Cushing's syndrome and to evaluate the pituitary and hypothalamic contributions to the disease.

PATIENTS

Five women with Cushing's disease (mean age 35 +/- 5 (SEM) years) and five normal female controls (mean age 25 +/- 2 years) were studied.

DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS

Plasma ACTH and cortisol levels were measured every 15 minutes for 24 hours using established IRMA and RIA respectively. ACTH and cortisol mean and trough levels, pulse number and amplitude were calculated using established computer software, programmed to identify ACTH and cortisol peaks.

RESULTS

Patients with Cushing's disease had a twofold increase in 24-hour mean cortisol levels and a threefold increase in 24-hour mean ACTH levels (Cushing's 5.9 +/- 1.0, controls 1.9 +/- 0.2 pmol/l, P less than 0.01). This was predominantly mediated by an increase in ACTH pulse amplitude. However, 24-hour ACTH pulse number was also increased (Cushing's 15.2 +/- 2.6, controls 10.6 +/- 1.7, P less than 0.05) due to an increase in pulse number between 1800 and 2400 h. ACTH trough levels were also higher in patients with Cushing's disease (Cushing's 5.3 +/- 1.3, controls 2.3 +/- 0.2 pmol/l, P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Twenty-four-hour mean plasma cortisol and ACTH levels are elevated two to three-fold in patients with Cushing's disease. The increase in ACTH pulse amplitude suggests a pituitary abnormality in patients with Cushing's disease. However, the increased ACTH pulse frequency together with elevated trough levels is interpreted as indicating coexisting hypothalamic stimulation (or loss of inhibition).

Detection of novel splicing patterns in a HPV16-containing keratinocyte cell line

The W12 cell line was derived from a low grade cervical lesion, and is unique among HPV16-containing cell lines in carrying its HPV16 genome as a multicopy episome. As such it is thought to be more representative of a premalignant HPV16-induced tumor than the cervical cancers from which other cell lines have been derived. Using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), we report here the identification and cloning of a number of novel cDNA species, which appear to be characteristic of the W12 cell line. Two species were identified with E6* coding capacity (E6*I and E6*III). The smaller of these (1009 bp) was predicted to encode a novel E6*III polypeptide containing C-terminal amino acids derived from an out of frame region of the E2/E4 ORFs. The larger species (1480 bp) contained, in addition to the E6*I ORF, an intact E7 ORF and probably represents the transcript for E7 expression, as the E7 protein was readily detectable in the W12 cell line. Both species appeared to be transcribed from the p97 promoter which has been shown to be active in other cell lines. A putative E2 repressor cDNA (891 bp), an E1/E4 message (883 bp), and two novel late cDNA species (1757 and 2031 bp) were also detected, allowing the identification of a splice acceptor immediately in front of the L1 open reading frame (nt 5637) and a splice donor at nt 3631. Although the 1757-base species has the capacity to encode a full-length L1 protein, both messages use a splice donor at nt 1301, and are thus not analogous to late species previously identified in HPV11. Of the six cDNAs cloned, only the 1480-bp E7 message has been observed in other HPV16-containing cell lines. The presence of L1 transcripts, and an E2 repressor mRNA, although unexpected, may reflect the different origins of the W12 cell line.

The expression of the adenovirus 12 early region 1B 19K protein using a recombinant simian virus 40 system

Using a simian virus 40/adenovirus 12 (Ad12)-recombinant virus, the Ad12 early region 1B (E1B) 19K protein has been produced at high levels after infection of Cos 1 cells. Expression of the 19K polypeptide reaches a maximum at about 48 h post-infection, declining at later times as host cell death occurs. Using two-dimensional isoelectric focusing/SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, we have shown that the Ad12 E1B protein is a major species following infection of Cos 1 cells with recombinant virus. Two forms of 19K polypeptide can be distinguished following isoelectric focusing. Using subcellular fractionation of infected cells, it was found that a similar distribution of 19K protein occurred after recombinant virus and Ad12 infection, with the polypeptide being most abundant in nuclear and membranous fractions. Similarly, as in Ad12-infected cells, a certain proportion of the protein is located on the outside surface of the cell after recombinant viral infection. Immunohistochemical studies suggest that, at early times post-infection, the E1B 19K protein is located in the nuclear membrane, the Golgi apparatus and the endoplasmic reticulum. At later times, it can be seen to have spread to the cytoplasm as well as to the other organelles. These results are discussed in relation to the known functions of the 19K E1B protein.

Nucleotide sequence of the HPV16 L1 open reading frame

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Integrated HPV 1 genomes in a human keratinocyte cell line can be transactivated by a SV40/BPV1 recombinant virus which expresses BPV1 E2 proteins

This paper describes studies carried out on an HPV 1 carrying human keratinocyte cell line (SVD2) and two subclones of it. Although these lines contain multiple copies of HPV 1 genomes, in situ hybridization revealed that integration was restricted to band q33 on the long arms of chromosome 2. An E4 1.25-kb mRNA was specifically identified by Northern blotting and a PCR generated cDNA confirmed the presence of the E1/E4 spliced mRNA which is abundant in HPV 1 containing papillomas. Infection of an SVD2 subclone (SVD2 (cyst) sp) with a SV40/BPV1 recombinant virus which expresses the BPV1 E2 48-kb transactivator protein enhanced HPV 1 transcription at least 20-fold.