THE INHIBITION OF INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES

本研究的目的是确定其抑制病毒的机制。 发炎。这些信息应该会加深我们对两者的理解 特异性炎症反应的调节，以及 这些反应的特定调解人。 牛痘病毒，一种编码约200个基因的DNA病毒 产品能够抑制哺乳动物的炎症反应 防止病毒感染。由于该属性，它提供了唯一的 用于研究炎症过程的系统。这个系统有 已经使我们能够识别出两种新的炎性抑制剂 介质：一种IL-1β成熟酶的抑制物，以及一种分泌的 肿瘤坏死因子α结合蛋白。这两种病毒蛋白不足以 抑制炎症反应，即使两个细胞因子靶点 这些抑制物是炎症的关键介质。这两种抑制剂 必须与其他病毒蛋白一起作用，以抑制多种炎症 流程。 这项研究的具体目的是： 1.确定与抑制有关的每一种病毒蛋白 炎症反应。 2.鉴定抗炎蛋白及其作用过程 抑制。 3.确定病毒蛋白抑制的机制 炎症过程。 将使用标准的遗传和生化程序来实现这些 目标，利用这种生物的特殊性质 系统，包括这些基因组成的简易性 病毒是可以修改的。 对这种有效的病毒抑制机制的了解 炎症反应的研究应有助于新方法的开发 来管理急性和慢性炎症。

The goal of this study is to identify mechanisms of viral inhibition of inflammation. This information should enhance our understanding of both the regulation of specific inflammatory responses, and the role of specific mediators of these responses. Cowpox virus, a DNA-containing virus encoding about two hundred gene products, is capable of inhibiting mammalian inflammatory responses against virus infection. Because of this property, it provides a unique system for the investigation of inflammatory processes. This system has already enabled us to identify two novel inhibitors of inflammatory mediators: an inhibitor of the IL-1beta maturase, and a secreted TNFalpha-binding protein. These two viral proteins are not sufficient to inhibit inflammatory responses, even though the two cytokine targets of the inhibitors are pivotal mediators of inflammation. The two inhibitors must act with other viral proteins to inhibit the multiple inflammatory processes. The specific aims of this study are: 1. To identify each of the viral proteins contributing to the inhibition of inflammatory responses. 2. To characterize the anti-inflammatory proteins and the processes they inhibit. 3. To determine the mechanisms by which the viral proteins inhibit inflammatory processes. Standard genetic and biochemical procedures will be used to achieve these aims, taking advantage of the special properties of this biological system, including the ease with which the genetic composition of these viruses can be modified. Knowledge of the mechanisms involved in this effective viral inhibition of inflammatory responses should assist the development of novel methods to manage both acute and chronic inflammation.