摘要:
An objective of the present invention is to provide attenuated minus-strand RNA viruses. The present inventors discovered that the amino acid mutation at position 1214 (Y1214F) in the amino acid sequence of L protein of Sendai virus suppressed the viral genome replication activity and/or transcription activity. The inventors also found that the deletion of a particular gene from the viral genome could result in much less cytotoxicity and immune response than conventional. The inventors thus completed the present invention.
摘要:
The present invention provides methods for producing a minus-strand RNA viral vector, which comprise using a promoter comprising a cytomegalovirus enhancer and a chicken β-actin promoter, to induce the transcription of the genome RNA of a minus-strand RNA viral vector and the expression of minus-strand RNA viral proteins that form a ribonucleoprotein with the genome RNA. The methods of the present invention enable high efficiency production of highly safe minus-strand RNA viral vectors. The methods of the present invention are particularly useful for producing minus-strand RNA viral vectors that are deficient in envelope-constituting protein genes.
摘要:
An ultrasonic transducer according to the invention includes a flexible sheet, a rigid body portion including a lower electrode made of at least a thin-film conductive material on a surface of the flexible sheet, a dividing portion which divides the rigid body portion into segments, and a plurality of transducer elements including the divided rigid body portion, has at least one transducer cell composed of one of the segments, an insulating partition portion bonded to the segment, an air gap portion surrounded by the partition portion, an upper electrode opposed to the lower electrode extending to the partition portion to sandwich the air gap portion therebetween, and an upper insulating layer formed on the upper electrode, and includes an upper protection film which continuously covers a surface portion of the transducer elements and the dividing portion.
摘要:
An ultrasound transducer includes a substrate and a lower electrode layer, a lower insulating layer, an upper insulating layer, and an upper electrode layer. The lower insulating layer and the upper insulating layer are arranged to be opposed to each other via an air gap section. The upper insulating layer and the lower insulating layer are different in a material and thickness and satisfy Equation 1 below. In Equation 1, K1 represents a relative dielectric constant of the lower insulating layer, K2 represents a relative dielectric constant of the upper insulating layer, T1 represents thickness of the lower insulating layer, T2 represents thickness of the upper insulating layer, ρ1(x) represents a charge density distribution in the lower insulating layer, and ρ2(y) represents a charge density distribution in the upper insulating layer. 1 K 1 ∫ 0 T 1 x × ρ 1 ( x ) ⅆ x = 1 K 2 ∫ 0 T 2 y × ρ 2 ( y ) ⅆ y ( Equation 1 )
摘要:
A ultrasonic transducer of the invention comprises: a transducer cell including a first electrode and a second electrode disposed separated from the first electrode by an air gap portion; and an electret for applying a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode. The electret is disposed in a region where at least a part thereof does not overlap with the transducer cell when viewed from a transmitting direction of ultrasonic waves.
摘要:
An ultrasound transducer includes a substrate, an ultrasound transducer cell placed on one surface of the substrate and having a lower electrode, a first gap portion placed on the lower electrode and an upper electrode placed on the first gap portion, a first conductive layer placed on the other surface of the substrate and electrically connected to one of the lower electrode and the upper electrode, an electret film placed on the first conductive layer, an insulating layer placed on the electret film, and a second conductive layer placed on the insulating layer and electrically connected to the one of the lower electrode and the upper electrode not electrically connected to the first conductive layer.
摘要:
[Problems to be Solved] The present invention provides methods for producing antibodies and antibody-producing cells.[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides methods for producing antibodies or antibody-producing cells, such methods including the steps of inoculating non-human animals with minus-strand RNA viral vectors carrying nucleic acids which encode foreign polypeptides to be used as antigens, nucleic acids producing the viral vectors, cells into which the vectors or the nucleic acids producing the vectors have been introduced, or lysates of the cells; and collecting the antibodies or antibody-producing cells from the animals. The antibody production can be induced efficiently by the immune activating effect of the minus-strand RNA viral vectors and a high expression of the antigen polypeptides. The antibodies produced by the methods of the present invention can be used in research and development and in the clinical field.
摘要:
The present invention provides a vaccine containing a Sendai virus vector encoding a virus protein of an immunodeficiency virus. By intranasally administering a Sendai virus encoding a virus protein of an immunodeficiency virus to a macaque monkey, the present inventors have succeeded in efficiently inducing protective immunity against an immunodeficiency virus. As a result of intranasal inoculation of vaccine, expression of an antigen protein mediated by Sendai virus vector was detected in intranasal mucous membrane and local lymph nodes and antigen-specific cellular immune response was induced at a significant level. No pathological symptom by vaccination was observed. After vaccination, exposure of simian immunodeficiency virus was performed and the effect was examined. As a result, the amount of virus in plasma significantly decreased, compared with that of the control animal. The present invention provides a promising vaccine as an AIDS vaccine.
摘要:
A control system for an internal combustion engine having fuel injectors for injecting fuel into a combustion chamber of the engine. A fuel property is estimated based on a combustion state of the fuel injected into at least one cylinder of the engine. The fuel injectors are controlled so that a specific amount of fuel is injected into the at least one cylinder and an amount of fuel corresponding to an operating condition of the engine is injected into cylinders other than the at least one cylinder. An additional fuel injection is performed after the fuel injection of the specific amount with respect to the at least one cylinder, for example, when a torque difference parameter indicative of a difference between a torque generated by the at least one cylinder and a torque generated by the other cylinders is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.
摘要:
Minus-strand RNA viruses were found to have an effective tumor-suppressive effect even when they did not carry a therapeutically effective gene. The present invention provides anticancer agents comprising a minus-strand RNA virus. Furthermore, the present invention provides methods for producing the anticancer agents, which comprise the step of mixing a minus-strand RNA virus with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers. Furthermore, the present invention provides methods for suppressing cancer, which comprise the step of administering a minus-strand RNA virus to cancer tissues.