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: After human coronaviruses OC43, 229E and NL63, human coronavirus HKU1 (HCoV-HKU1) is the fourth human coronavirus discovered. HCoV-HKU1 is a group 2a coronavirus that is still not cultivable. The G + C contents of HCoV-HKU1 genomes are 32%, the lowest among all known coronaviruses with complete genome sequences available. Among all coronaviruses, HCoV-HKU1 shows the most extreme codon usage bias, attributed most importantly to severe cytosine deamination. All HCoV-HKU1 genomes contain unique tandem copies of a 30-base acidic tandem repeat of unknown function at the N-terminus of nsp3 inside the acidic domain upstream of papain-like protease 1. Three genotypes, A, B and C, of HCoV-HKU1 and homologous recombination among their genomes, are observed. The incidence of HCoV-HKU1 infections is the highest in winter. Similar to other human coronaviruses, HCoV-HKU1 infections have been reported globally, with a median (range) incidence of 0.9 (0 -4.4) %. HCoV-HKU1 is associated with both upper and lower respiratory tract infections that are mostly selflimiting. The most common method for diagnosing HCoV-HKU1 infection is RT-PCR or real-time RT-PCR using RNA extracted from respiratory tract samples such as nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPA). Both the pol and nucleocapsid genes have been used as the targets for amplification. Monoclonal antibodies have been generated for direct antigen detection in NPA. For antibody detection, Escherichia coli BL21 and baculovirus- Viruses 2009, 1 58 expressed recombinant nucleocapsid of HCoV-HKU1 have been used for IgG and IgM detection in sera of patients and normal individuals, using Western blot and enzyme-linked immunoassay.

SOLUTION: More and More Coronaviruses: Human Coronavirus HKU1

PROBLEM: We determined the interferon-␥ (IFN-␥) cDNA sequence from three porcine breeds, Duroc, Landrance/Duroc hybrid, and Landrance breeds. Five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of porcine IFN-␥ (PoIFN-␥) were identified, respectively, at positions 269 (A/G), 376 (C/T), 426 (T/C), and 465 (T/C) of the coding sequence in Landrance/Duroc hybrid, and at position 251 (A/G) in Landrance breed. Among them, A269G and A251G polymorphisms resulted in Q67R and K61R replacements in the mature protein. PoIFN-␥ cDNAs of Duroc breed (PoIFN-␥-W) and Landrance/Duroc hybrid (PoIFN-␥-M), which, respectively, encoded Q67 and R67, were introduced into a prokaryotic expression vector pET32 to express recombinant PoIFN-␥-W (rPoIFN-␥-W) and rPoIFN-␥-M protein variants in Escherichia coli. The identity of both protein variants was further confirmed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). We then compared bioactivities of these two recombinant proteins. Although both recombinant protein variants exhibited comparable activities in antiproliferation of PK-15 cells and in nitric oxide (NO) induction of porcine peripheral monocytes, antiviral activity of rPoIFN-␥-W protein was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than that of rPoIFN-␥-M protein in a plaque inhibition assay using pseudorabies virus (PRV). IC50 values of rPoIFN-␥-W and rPoIFN-␥-M protein in anti-PRV assay were determined as 5.3 ± 1.3 and 9.3 ± 4.3 nM, respectively. In conclusion, we have identified five novel SNPs in PoIFN-␥ cDNA, including two missense polymorphisms that result in Q67R and K61R replacements. Our results further demonstrate that Q67R can markedly reduce antiviral activity of the PoIFN-␥ protein. This is the first report that shows the functional SNP in the coding region of IFN-␥. In the future, it is imperative to determine whether Q67R replacement in IFN-␥ may have disease association.

SOLUTION: A missense polymorphism in porcine interferon-␥ cDNA affects antiviral activity of the protein variant

PROBLEM: PRRSV PEDV Antiviral inhibitor Broad-spectrum 3C-like serine/3C-like protease A B S T R A C T Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) are highly virulent and contagious porcine pathogens that cause tremendous economic losses to the swine industry worldwide. Currently, there is no effective treatment for PRRSV and PEDV, and commercial vaccines do not induce sterilizing immunity. In this study, we screened a library of 1000 compounds and identified two specific inhibitors, designated compounds 2 and 3, which target the PRRSV 3C-like serine protease (3CLSP). First, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of compounds 2 and 3 on PRRSV 3CLSP activity. Next, we determined the anti-PRRSV capacity of compounds 2 and 3 in MARC-145 cells and obtained EC 50 and CC 50 values of 57 μM (CC 50 = 479.9 μM) and 56.8 μM (CC 50 = 482.8 μM), respectively. Importantly, compounds 2 and 3 also targeted the PEDV 3C-like protease (3CL protease) and inhibited PEDV replication, showing EC 50 and CC 50 values of 100 μM (CC 50 = 533.8 μM) and 57.9 μM (CC 50 = 522.3 μM), respectively. Finally, our results indicated that the active sites (His39 in 3CLSP and His41 in 3CL protease) were conservative, and contacted compounds 2 and 3 via hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic forces in the putative substrate-binding models. In summary, compounds 2 and 3 exhibit broad-spectrum antiviral activity and may facilitate the development of antiviral drugs against PRRSV and PEDV.

SOLUTION:
Identification of two antiviral inhibitors targeting 3C-like serine/3C-like protease of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and porcine epidemic diarrhea virus A R T I C L E I N F O