Bøger af Yechiel Becker

Over the generations the skin has been the site for immunization against smallpox. This method of immunization was described in a letter written by Lady Mary Montagu on April 1, 1717 in Adrianopole, Turkey: "e;The small-pox, so fatal, and so general amongst us, is here entirely harmless by the invention of ingrafting, which is the term they give it. . . The old woman comes with a nut-shell full of the matter of the best sort of small-pox . . . She immediately rips open (the skin) with a large needle . . . and puts into the vein as much venom as can lie upon the head of her needle, and after binds up the wound. There is no example of anyone that died of it; and you may believe that I am satisfied of the safety of this experiment since I intend to try it on my dear little son"e; (Letters from the right Honourable Lady Mary Montagu 1709-1762. Published by J. M. Dent and Co. London, 2nd edition, September, 1906, p. 124. ) The "e;variolation"e; method was, 80 years later, markedly improved by the use of cowpox virus, as reported by Edward Jenner in 1796. The successful method of intradermal immunization against smallpox and later against other virus diseases is in fact based on the presence of anitigen-presenting dendritic cells in the skin.

Herpesviruses, classified in the family Herpesviridae, are important human and animal pathogens that can cause primary, latent or recurrent infections and even cancer. The major interest in research on herpesviruses today focuses on understanding the organization of the DNA genome, as well as on characterizing the viral genes in regard to their control and function. Modern techniques have allowed the viral DNA to become a molecular tool in the study of gene function, since it is now possible to implant the DNA into eukaryotic cells. This book contains original studies on the structure and organization of the DNA of human and animal herpes- viruses. The various chapters acquaint the reader with the organization of the viral DNA, the mRNA transcripts, the replicative intermediates of the viral DNA, defective DNA genomes and their mode of synthesis, analyses of the viral DNA sequences in transformed cells, and the relationship between the presence of viral DNA fragments in the cancer cells and the transformed state of the cells.

The studies presented in this special issue of VIRUS GENES provide information on the two aspects of virus evolution: the ancient evolution of viruses from the time prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells evolved, and the ongoing process of the current molecular evolution of viruses. The studies of many scientists collected in this issue and many more that were published in other scientific journals provide insight into the molecular evolution of viruses as one of nature's mysteries. The use of computer porograms to study the nucleotide sequences of viral genomes, the amino acid compositions of proteins coded by viral genomes, and searches for regulatory mechanisms in viral nucleic acid replication, as well as identities of motifs in proteins of viruses from all families, will provide additional information on the subject. In future issues that will be devoted to this subject, the origin and evolution of RNA and DNA viruses will be further investigated.

Al though molecular virology could also be taught by means of bacteriophages or plant viruses, the advantage of using animal viruses is in their ability to cause human and animal diseases as well as to transform cells, a primary problem in medicine.

AIDS.

Al though molecular virology could also be taught by means of bacteriophages or plant viruses, the advantage of using animal viruses is in their ability to cause human and animal diseases as well as to transform cells, a primary problem in medicine.