OBJECTIVES Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterised by breach of self-tolerance towards citrullinated antigens with generation of anti-citrullinated peptide/proteins antibodies (ACPA). Currently, the nature and source of citrullinated antigens driving the humoral autoimmune response within synovial ectopic lymphoid structures (ELS) is a crucial unknown aspect of RA pathogenesis. Here we chara...

objective(s): helicobacter pylori, a human specific gastric pathogen is a causative agent of chronic active gastritis. the vacuolating cytotoxin (vaca) is an effective virulence factor involved in gastric injury. the aim of this study was to construct a recombinant protein containing antigenic region of vaca gene and determine its antigenicity.   materials and methods: the antigenic region of v...

Background: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a subviral human pathogen that exploits host RNA editing activity to produce two essential forms of the sole viral protein, hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg). Editing at the amber/W site of HDV antigenomic RNA leads to the production of the large form (L-HDAg), which is required for RNA packaging. Methods: In this study, PCR-based site-directed mutagen...

Nap1 is a histone chaperone involved in the nuclear import of H2A-H2B and nucleosome assembly. Here, we report the crystal structure of Nap1 bound to H2A-H2B together with in vitro and in vivo functional studies that elucidate the principles underlying Nap1-mediated H2A-H2B chaperoning and nucleosome assembly. A Nap1 dimer provides an acidic binding surface and asymmetrically engages a single H...

H2B ubiquitylation has been implicated in active transcription but is not well understood in mammalian cells. Beyond earlier identification of hBRE1 as the E3 ligase for H2B ubiquitylation in human cells, we now show (1) that hRAD6 serves as the cognate E2-conjugating enzyme; (2) that hRAD6, through direct interaction with hPAF-bound hBRE1, is recruited to transcribed genes and ubiquitylates ch...

background toxoplasmosis is an opportunistic protozoan infection with a high prevalence in a broad range of hosts infecting up to one-third of the world human population. toxoplasmosis leads to serious medical problems in immunocompromised individuals and fetuses and also induces abortion and mortality in domestic animals. therefore, there is a huge demand for the development of an effective va...

background: mycobacterium tuberculosis is the causative agent of tuberculosis (tb). bacille calmette-guerin (bcg) vaccine, is not effective in adults, therefore, many efforts have been made to produce an effective adult tb vaccine. the aim of this study was to develop a new tuberculosis dna vaccine candidate encoding a recombinant hspx-ppe44-esxv fusion antigen of m. tuberculosis. methods: a fu...

Objective(s): Hepatitis C is a major cause of liver failure worldwide. Current therapies applied for this disease are not fully effective and produce side effects in most cases. Non-structural protein 3 helicase (NS3) of HCV is one of the key enzymes in viral replication and infection. Therefore, this region is a promising target to design new drugs and therapies against HCV infection. The aim ...

Background: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains are the major causes of diarrheal disease in humans and animals. Colonization factors and enterotoxins are the major virulence factors in ETEC pathogenesis. For the broad-spectrum protection against ETEC, one could focus on colonization factors and non-toxic heat labile as a vaccine candidate. Methods: A fusion protein is composed of a...