Abstract: This invention provides methods of inducing cell death with Flavivirus or Pestivirus capsid protein, such as West Nile virus (WNV) capsid protein, and functional fragments thereof. The invention also provides methods of treating patients suffering from diseases characterized by hyperproliferating cells by administering pharmaceutical compositions comprising WNV or other virus including Flavivirus or Pestivirus capsid or other protein or a nucleic acid molecule encoding the same. Methods of identifying compounds which have anti-viral and/or anti-WNV and/or anti-Flavivirus and/or anti-Pestivirus capsid or other protein activity are disclosed. The invention also provides vaccine compositions comprising capsid or other proteins, or fragments thereof, or nucleic acids encoding same, from WNV or other virus including Flavivirus or Pestivirus and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods of producing protein in a recombinant expression system that comprises translation of mRNA transcribed from a heterologous DNA sequence in the expression system, said method comprising the steps of predicting the secondary structure of mRNA transcribed from a native heterologous DNA sequence; modifying the native heterologous DNA sequence to produce a modified heterologous DNA sequence wherein mRNA transcribed from the modified heterologous DNA sequence has a secondary structure having increased free energy compared to that of the secondary structure of the mRNA transcribed from the native heterologous DNA sequence; and using the modified heterologous DNA sequence in the recombinant expression system for protein production. The invention also provides injectable pharmaceutical compositions comprising a nucleic acid molecule that includes a modified coding sequence.

Abstract: A full-length feline immunodeficiency virus NCSU1 (FIV-NCSU1) genome (JSY3) was cloned directly from FIV-NCSU1-infected feline CD4+ lymphocyte (FCD4E) genomic DNA and identified by PCR amplification with 5′ long terminal repeat (LTR), gag, env, and 3′ LTR primer sets. Cell-free JSY3 virus was cytopathogenic for FCD4E lymphocytes but did not infect CrFK cells in vitro. To determine in vivo infectivity and pathogenesis, six young adult specific-pathogen-free cats were inoculated with cell-free JSY3 virus. Provirus was detected at 2 weeks postinfection (p.i.) and was still detectable at 25 weeks p.i. as determined by gag region PCR-Southern blot analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cell lysates. Infectious virus was recovered from peripheral blood mononuclear cells at 6 and 25 weeks p.i., and an antibody response to FIV was detected by 4 weeks. In the acute phase of infection, JSY3 provirus was found only in the CD4+ lymphocyte subset; however, by 14 weeks p.i.