Neuronal changes induced by Varicella Zoster Virus in a rat model of postherpetic neuralgia
VIROLOGY
Authors: Guedon, Jean-Marc G.; Yee, Michael B.; Zhang, Mingdi; Harvey, Stephen A. K.; Goins, William F.; Kinchington, Paul R.
Abstract
A significant fraction of patients with herpes zoster, caused by Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV), experience chronic pain termed postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). VZV-inoculated rats develop prolonged nocifensive behaviors and serve as a model of PHN. We demonstrate that primary rat cultures show a post-entry block for VZV replication, suggesting the rat is not fully permissive. However, footpads of VZV infected animals show reduced peripheral innervation and innervating dorsal root ganglia (DRG) contained VZV DNA and transcripts of candidate immediate early and early genes. The VZV-infected DRG showed changes in host gene expression patterns, with 84 up-regulated and 116 down-regulated genes seen in gene array studies. qRT-PCR validated the modulation of nociception-associated genes Ntrk2, Trpv1, and Calca (CGRP). The data suggests that VZV inoculation of the rat results in a single round, incomplete infection that is sufficient to induce pain behaviors, and this involves infection of and changes induced in neuronal populations. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Granite gneiss basement on Flinders Island, South Australia
AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES
Authors: Cooper, SA; Belousova, EA
Abstract
A U-Pb zircon age of 1762 +/- 11 Ma is reported for granite gneiss located on Flinders Island, South Australia, This age is identical, within analytical uncertainty, to a previously reported age for schists of the Price Metasediments located 100 km to the southeast on the southwestern coast of the Eyre Peninsula. The outcrop represents the only known country rock to the Early Mesoproterozoic Calca Granite (Hiltaba Suite) of Flinders Island, the largest island of the Investigator Group of islands, in the southwestern Gawler Craton. The stratigraphic name Investigator Granite Gneiss is proposed for this rock unit. The discovery of the Investigator Granite Gneiss now considerably increases the extent of known Late Palaeoproterozoic rocks on the eastern side of the peninsula. The outcrop was previously included with the considerably younger St Peter Suite granite-monzogranite, and grouped together with other islands in the Investigator Group. This new dating suggests that the geology on the other islands may require revision, For the first time, detailed major and trace-element geochemistry is supplied for the granite gneiss on Flinders Island.