Cell lysates were prepared by lysing uninfected and infected 3D/4 cells in 1% NP-40 lysis buffer containing 1 mM PMSF, 1% aprotinin, 20 mg leupeptin ul 21 and 1 mM sodium vanadate (Sigma) as described previously [10] . Cell lystes were clarified by low speed centrifugation (1000 g, 5 min at 4uC) and subjected to SDS-PAGE (10 to 12%). Proteins were transferred to the Immuno-Blot PVDF membrane (Bio-Rad), and western blot analysis was performed following standard protocols [28] using rabbit or mouse anti-MAP kinase or phosphor-MAP kinase antibodies (1:500) in TBST containing 5% fat-free milk powder for 90 mins incubation at RT. After washes, incubation with APconjugated anti-rabbit or anti-mouse IgG antibody for another 90 mins followed. After incubation and thorough washes, BCIP/ NBT reagents (Sigma) were used for the development of colorimetric signals on the membrane. The membrane was also blotted with a monoclonal anti-actin antibody (Santa Cruz Biotechnology) for input control.