caterpillar

TWiV 495: Influenza virus keeps its ion channel 20

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The TWiVerati follow up on the Ebola virus outbreak, virulence of Ebola-Makona, and reveal how a parasitoid is revealed to hyperparasitoids, and binding of influenza virus to a calcium ion channel to mediate influenza virus entry. <span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;” class=”mce_SELRES_start”></span>&lt;span data-mce-type=”bookmark” style=”display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: …

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TWiV 372: Latent viral tendencies

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On episode #372 of the science show This Week in Virology, the TWiV-osphere introduces influenza D virus, virus-like particles encoded in the wasp genome which protect its eggs from caterpillar immunity, and a cytomegalovirus protein which counters a host restriction protein that prevents establishment of latency. You can find TWiV #372 at microbe.tv/twiv

TWiV #356: Got viruses?

This Week in Virology / By

On episode #356 of the science show This Week in Virology, Stephanie joins the super professors to discuss the gut virome of children with serious malnutrition, caterpillar genes acquired from parasitic wasps, and the effect of adding chemokines to a simian immunodeficiency virus DNA vaccine. You can find TWiV #356 at www.microbe.tv/twiv.

Wasps do a gain-of-function experiment in caterpillars

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Parasitic wasps (in the order Hymenoptera) inject their eggs into lepidopteran hosts, where the eggs go through their developmental stages. Along with the eggs, the wasps also deliver viruses carrying genes encoding proteins that inhibit caterpillar immune defenses. Some of these genes are permanently transferred to the lepidopteran host where they have assumed new defensive functions against other …

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An unusual symbiosis between wasp and virus

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Endoparasitic wasps inject their eggs into moth or butterfly larvae, which are cannibalized as the eggs mature and develop into adult wasps. The wasp larvae survive in the caterpillars because the eggs are injected together with virus particles called polydnaviruses. These viruses replicate in cells of the caterpillar, and their genomes express proteins that modify …

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