TASK DEFINITION: In this task, you're given a paragraph from the research paper and your task is to generate a suitable title for the research paper based on the given paper. Under 100 words is a good title length.
PROBLEM: Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is an attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis currently used as a vaccine against tuberculosis. Global distribution and propagation of BCG has contributed to the in vitro evolution of the vaccine strain and is thought to partially account for the different outcomes of BCG vaccine trials. Previous efforts by several molecular techniques effectively identified large sequence polymorphisms among BCG daughter strains, but lacked the resolution to identify smaller changes. In this study, we have used a NimbleGen tiling array for whole genome comparison of 13 BCG strains. Using this approach, in tandem with DNA resequencing, we have identified six novel large sequence polymorphisms including four deletions and two duplications in specific BCG strains. Moreover, we have uncovered various polymorphisms in the phoP-phoR locus. Importantly, these polymorphisms affect genes encoding established virulence factors including cell wall complex lipids, ESX secretion systems, and the PhoP-PhoR two-component system. Our study demonstrates that major virulence factors are different among BCG strains, which provide molecular mechanisms for important vaccine phenotypes including adverse effect profile, tuberculin reactivity and protective efficacy. These findings have important implications for the development of a new generation of vaccines.

SOLUTION: BMC Genomics Novel genome polymorphisms in BCG vaccine strains and impact on efficacy

PROBLEM: The coronavirus (CoV) responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), SARS-CoV, encodes two large polyproteins (pp1a and pp1ab) that are processed by two viral proteases to yield mature non-structural proteins (nsps). Many of these nsps have essential roles in viral replication, but several have no assigned function and possess amino acid sequences that are unique to the CoV family. One such protein is SARS-CoV nsp1, which is processed from the N-terminus of both pp1a and pp1ab. The mature SARS-CoV protein is present in cells several hours post-infection and co-localizes to the viral replication complex, but its function in the viral life cycle remains unknown. Furthermore, nsp1 sequences are highly divergent across the CoV family, and it has been suggested that this is due to nsp1 possessing a function speciWc to viral interactions with its host cell or acting as a host speciWc virulence factor. In order to initiate structural and biophysical studies of SARS-CoV nsp1, a recombinant expression system and a puriWcation protocol have been developed, yielding milligram quantities of highly puriWed SARS-CoV nsp1. The puriWed protein was characterized using circular dichroism, size exclusion chromatography, and multi-angle light scattering.

SOLUTION: Expression, puriWcation and characterization of recombinant severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus non-structural protein 1

PROBLEM: Surveillance for zoonotic diseases among wildlife is a research and public health challenge. The inherent limitations posed by the requisite human-animal interactions are often undefined and underappreciated. The national surveillance system for animal rabies in the United States was examined as a model system; reporting of animal rabies is legally mandated, each case of rabies is laboratory confirmed, and data have been consistently collected for more than 50 years. Factors influencing the monthly counts of animal rabies tests reported during 1992-2001 were assessed by univariate and multivariable regression methods. The suitability of passively collected surveillance data for determining the presence or absence of the raccoon-associated variant of rabies within states and within individual counties was assessed by determining critical threshold values from the regression analyses. The size of the human population and total expenditures within a county accounted for 72% and 67%, respectively, of the variance in testing. The annual median number of rabies tests performed was seven for counties without rabies, 22 for counties with non-raccoon rabies, and 34 for counties with raccoon rabies. Active www.elsevier.com/locate/prevetmed Preventive Veterinary Medicine 78 (2007) 246-261 surveillance may be required in locales with sparse human populations when a high degree of confidence in the status of rabies is required. #

SOLUTION:
Animal-based national surveillance for zoonotic disease: Quality, limitations, and implications of a model system for monitoring rabies