A potential live vector, foamy virus, directed intra-cellular expression of ovine interferon-tau exhibited the resistance to HIV infection

Interferon-tau (IFN-tau), produced by the embryonic trophectoderm, is a member of type I IFNs required for the establishment of pregnancy in the ruminant ungulates. Although this IFN possesses antiviral activity similar to other type I IFNs, the effectiveness of IFN-tau as an antiviral agent has not been well characterized. To investigate possible antiviral effects of ovine IFN-tau (oIFN-tau), oIFN-tau-GST fusion protein was expressed in E. coli BL21, from which the purified protein isolated possessed anti-viral activity. An apathogenic human foamy virus (hFV) was then used to establish a potential recombinant live vector consisting of oIFN-tau cDNA sense (+) or antisense (-) sequence, oIFN-tau(+)/hFV or oIFN-tau(-)/hFV, respectively. Human hematopoietic and other mammalian cell lines that had been transduced with hFV vector consisting of no oIFN-tau, oIFN-tau(+)/hFV or oIFN-tau(-)/hFV construct were cultured initially for 12 days, and three of cell lines were then maintained for up to 90 days. These cells with oIFN-tau expression directed by hFV exhibited the in vitro cytopathic effect minimally. Transduced cell lines that had been cultured for 90 days were subjected to studies on human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) infection, which was measured with infectivity of viral particles resulted from the GFP inserted T-cell tropic HIV SF2 or macrophage tropic HIV SF162: the number of HIV-1 positive cells was reduced by the hFV driven-intra-cellular oIFN-tau expression. Since oIFN-tau/hFV transduced cells exhibited the resistance to HIV-1 infection and/or replication, oIFN-tau could be considered as one of effective antiviral agents against HIV-1. These results suggest that the hFV genome could be an effective recombinant live vector for the expression of a targeted gene in various cell types.     

Effect of Season,Location, Cultivar and Spacing on Yield and Quality of Sugarcane in Western Kenya

In Kenya almost all sugarcane grown is under rainfall conditions that are planted in different locations during both long and short rainy seasons. Effect of season, location, cultivar and spacing on yield and quality of sugarcane is not clearly understood. The research was conducted at Kibos and Mumias to determine if the yields and quality of three sugarcane cultivars were affected by season, location and row spacing. Cultivars CO 945, EAK 73-335 and KEN 83-737 were manually planted during June and September in 2011. The trial was laid out as split-split plot arranged in a randomized complete block design （RCBD） replicated three times. Data collected at harvest, 17 months after planting （MAP） including cane yields, cane yield components and cane quality. The results revealed that cane length differed significantly between June and September. Stalk population and cane yields were significantly more at Mumias compared to Kibos. Cultivar EAK 73-335 showed significantly more cane yield （t/ha） than KEN 83-737 and CO 945. Both row spacing 1.2 m and 1.5 m did not affect cane yields. Brix%, Sucrose% and Purity% differed significantly between cultivars. The relationship between cane yield and stalk population was positive and significant, which indicated stalk population is a strong determinant of cane yield. The results showed that cane yield was significantly affected by location and cane quality by cultivars. Therefore Mumias is a better zone for sugarcane cultivation for both June and September seasons compared to Kibos.