Vaccinia virus is a large DNA virus that infects many cell cultures in vitro and animal species in vivo. Although it has been used widely as a vaccine, its cell entry pathway remains unclear. In this study, we showed that vaccinia intracellular mature virions bound to the filopodia of HeLa cells and moved towards the cell body and entered the cell through an fluid phase endocytic route that required a dynamin- but not a clathrin- or caveolae-mediated pathway. Moreover, virus penetration required a novel cellular protein, vaccinia penetration factor (VPEF). J. Virol. published 11 June 2008, 10.1128/JVI.00894-08 Read more...

TDP-43 is a multifunctional RNA-binding protein that we have been studying since 2000. In 2006, it was discovered by others to be a pathological signature protein of several neurodegenerative diseases including the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This paper presents the first evidence that TDP-43 very likely functions in the regulation of neuronal activities. J. Neurochem., 105 (3),797-806. Read more...