Baculovirus is Identified as Morgellons

[kammy]

Living systems from cardboard packaging materials

www.freepatentsonline.com/y2008/0005046.html

"Compositions, methods and business applications of using new and recycled cardboard infused with a plurality of saprophytic (including endophytic) and mycorrhizal fungi matched with seeds of plants (including trees, vegetables, herbs and grasses) whereby the cardboard can be sprouted by end-users to start ecosystems. Such containers may have carbon-credit value for companies and consumers when planted and grown as a carbon sink or carbon offset for the photosynthetic and mycelial sequestration of carbon dioxide.

A business method for packaging and shipping goods and generating carbon credits comprising packaging the goods in a non-corrugated cardboard container infused with seeds and a fungal inoculant of saprophytic fungi and mycorrhizal fungi, shipping the goods in the non-corrugated cardboard container via a delivery service and, after delivery of goods, placing the non-corrugated cardboard container in dirt and watering, whereby, upon growth of the seeds and fungi, carbon is sequestered and carbon credits are generated."

I don't know about you, but I don't want my cardboard boxes to be capable of sprouting extra fungi and especially, if I'm not aware that they have been 'super' designed to do this? We wonder about people with Morgellons who were flood victims?... cardboard boxes in their basements?... have things gotten totally out of hand?

Carbon Credit

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_credit

"Carbon credits are a key component of national and international attempts to mitigate the growth in concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs). One Carbon Credit is equal to one ton of Carbon. Carbon trading is an application of an emissions trading approach. Greenhouse gas emissions are capped and then markets are used to allocate the emissions among the group of regulated sources.

Policies that provide a real or implicit price of carbon could create incentives for producers and consumers to significantly invest in low-GHG products, technologies and processes. Such policies could include economic instruments, government funding and regulation. The mechanism was formalized in the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement between more than 170 countries."

[kammy]

A Baculovirus Superinfection System: Efficient Vehicle for Gene Transfer into Drosophila S2 Cells

jvi.asm.org/cgi/content/abstract/74/24/11873?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=postinfection&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=790&resourcetype=HWFIG

"The baculovirus expression vector system is considered to be a safe, powerful, but cell-lytic heterologous protein expression system in insect cells. We show here that there is a new baculovirus system for efficient gene transfer and expression using the popular and genetically well-understood Drosophila S2 cells. The recombinant baculovirus was constructed to carry an enhanced green fluorescent protein under the control of polyhedrin promoter as a fluorescent selection marker in the Sf21 cell line.

Recombinant baculoviruses were then used to transduce S2 cells with target gene expression cassettes containing a Drosophila heat shock protein 70, an actin 5C, or a metallothionein promoter. Nearly 100% of the S2 cells showed evidence of gene expression after infection. The time course for the optimal protein expression peaked at 24 to 36 h postinfection, which is significantly earlier than a polyhedrin-driven protein expression in Sf21 cells. Importantly, S2 cells did not appear to be lysed after infection, and the protein expression levels are comparable to those of proteins under the control of polyhedrin promoter in several lepidopteran cell lines. Most surprisingly, S2 cells permit repetitive infections of multiple baculoviruses over time. These findings clearly suggest that this baculovirus-S2 system may effect the efficient gene transfer and expression system of the well-characterized Drosophila S2 cells."

[kammy]

This was in the news this morning:

Shots on horizon for Alzheimer's, AIDS, herpes

New technology, lure of profits behind booming interest in making vaccines

www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33979090/ns/health-infectious_diseases/

AP updated 8:16 a.m. ET, Wed., Nov . 18, 2009

"Marietta, Pa. - Malaria. Tuberculosis. Alzheimer's disease. AIDS. Pandemic flu. Genital herpes. Urinary tract infections. Grass allergies. Traveler's diarrhea. You name it, the pharmaceutical industry is working on a vaccine to prevent it.

Many could be on the market in five years or less.

Vaccines are no longer a sleepy, low-profit niche in a booming drug industry. Today, they're starting to give ailing pharmaceutical makers a shot in the arm.

Unlike medicines that treat diseases, vaccines help prevent infections by revving up the body's natural immune defenses against invaders. They are made from viruses, bacteria or parts of them that have been killed or weakened so they generally can't cause an infection.

But a horde of biotech companies, many using multimillion-dollar government grants, already are testing state-of-the-art technology for the next pandemic."

[kammy]

Sugar-Coated Polymer Is New Weapon Against Allergies and Asthma

ScienceDaily (Nov. 22, 2009)

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119194126.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=

"Scientists at Johns Hopkins and their colleagues have developed sugar-coated polymer strands that selectively kill off cells involved in triggering aggressive allergy and asthma attacks. Their advance is a significant step toward crafting pharmaceuticals to fight these often life-endangering conditions in a new way.

To accomplish this goal, the team developed soft, flexible polymer strands coated with the sugar, "like microscopic spaghetti candy," says Bochner.

Using cells genetically modified to produce Siglec-8 on their surfaces and cells without the protein, the researchers tested whether the polymer bound when applied to the cells. As expected, the polymer bound only to the cells that produced Siglec-8. Polymer strands without the sugar, or with different attached sugars, could not bind to the cells. Additionally, when the researchers pretreated Siglec-8-producing cells with antibodies that target the protein, the polymer couldn't attach, suggesting that it specifically targets Siglec-8 and not another protein on the cells.

"This is initial proof that delivering the sugar through a polymer can give you the desired result of selectively engaging Siglec-8 and killing eosinophils, but we still have a long way to go," says Bochner. He and his team plan to try to optimize these results, reported in the August Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, by experimenting with other formulations to deliver the sugar to cells, including more rigid polymers, those with denser sugars, or nanoparticles coated with the sugar instead of polymers."

[kammy]

"The Cystine Crystals"

Jeany has been writing many blog articles on the metabolism in the human body of what is most likely happening inside our disease based on everyone's combined findings. When I went today to look at what's going on here with the cystine crystals on a more in-depth level - I can now see some of what Jeany has been trying to explain to us a little more clearly. We have to realize that we are dealing with subject matter that is over most of our heads and sometimes, I have to hear something new several times before I "get it". Not to say that I understand 1/1000th of what's entirely going on... but, I'm beginning to see some patterns.

About the cystine crystals... I know many others have captured these coming out of their skin and urine and have been posted them in the past. I believe this is possibly happening in all of our cases, this is evident with some more than others and probably depending on various factors and what stage we are in our disease, etc.

When I look at the definition of Cystine/Cystinosis again:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cystinosis

"The accumulation is caused by abnormal transport of cystine from lysosomes, resulting in a massive intra-lysosomal cystine accumulation in tissues."

Lysosomes

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysosome



"Lysosomes are large, spherical organelles that contain enzymes (acid hydrolases). They break up food so it is easier to digest. They are found in animal cells, while in plant cells the same roles are performed by the vacuole. They digest excess or worn-out organelles, food particles, and engulfed viruses or bacteria. The membrane around a lysosome allows the digestive enzymes to work at the 4.5 pH they require. Lysosomes fuse with vacuoles and dispense their enzymes into the vacuoles, digesting their contents. They are created by the addition of hydrolytic enzymes to early endosomes from the Golgi apparatus. The name lysosome derives from the Greek words lysis, which means dissolution or destruction, and soma, which means body. They are frequently nicknamed "suicide-bags" or "suicide-sacs" by cell biologists due to their role in autolysis.

The size of lysosomes varies from 0.1–1.2 μm.[1] At pH 4.8, the interior of the lysosomes is acidic compared to the slightly alkaline cytosol (pH 7.2). The lysosome maintains this pH differential by pumping protons (H+ ions) from the cytosol across the membrane via proton pumps and chloride ion channels. The lysosomal membrane protects the cytosol, and therefore the rest of the cell, from the degradative enzymes within the lysosome. The cell is additionally protected from any lysosomal acid hydrolases that leak into the cytosol as these enzymes are pH-sensitive and function less well in the alkaline environment of the cytosol.

Lysosomal enzymes are synthesized in the cytosol and the endoplasmic reticulum, where they receive a mannose-6-phosphate tag that targets them for the lysosome[citation needed] . Aberrant lysosomal targeting causes inclusion-cell disease, whereby enzymes do not properly reach the lysosome, resulting in accumulation of waste within these organelles[citation needed] and the there about .1 microns.

Functions

Lysosomes are the cells' garbage disposal system. They are used for the digestion of macromolecules from phagocytosis (ingestion of other dying cells or larger extracellular material, like foreign invading microbes), endocytosis (where receptor proteins are recycled from the cell surface), and autophagy (wherein old or unneeded organelles or proteins, or microbes that have invaded the cytoplasm are delivered to the lysosome). Autophagy may also lead to autophagic cell death, a form of programmed self-destruction, or autolysis, of the cell, which means that the cell is digesting itself.

Other functions include digesting foreign bacteria (or other forms of waste) that invade a cell and helping repair damage to the plasma membrane by serving as a membrane patch, sealing the wound. In the past, lysosomes were thought to kill cells that were no longer wanted, such as those in the tails of tadpoles or in the web from the fingers of a 3- to 6-month-old fetus. While lysosomes digest some materials in this process, it is actually accomplished through programmed cell death, called apoptosis.

Clinical relevance

There are a number of lysosomal storage diseases that are caused by the malfunction of the lysosomes or one of their digestive proteins, e.g., Tay-Sachs disease, or Pompe's disease. These are caused by a defective or missing digestive protein, which leads to the accumulation of substrates within the cell, impairing metabolism.

In the broad sense, these can be classified as mucopolysaccharidoses, GM2 gangliosidoses, lipid storage disorders, glycoproteinoses, mucolipidoses, or leukodystrophies."

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Localisations02eng.jpg


It just so happens that lysosomes, liposomes, micelles (all basically the same thing) are what I believe our 'spheres' resemble, as I have stated earlier in this thread.

[kammy]

JEANY JUST FOUND THE "SPACESHIPS" !!!!!

She found them on a German site ....

They are called "triclinic crystal clusters"...

[kammy]

This is a duplicate post from the "Kammy's request" thread pertaining to our spheres:

Nov 27, 2009 15:54:19 GMT -5 kammy said:

Our Spheres

When I take regular debris out of my lesion - the spheres start out looking like what I have described as a 'biofilm' - they are translucent in color and circular, such as this photo below, a little more translucent than this photo:

Petri Dish of "Biofilm"

With saliva and one other time when I had a phosphate remedy on my ear that also entered the Petri Dish, they showed up as white circular growths that I described as looking like PA, these dishes looked different than other dishes, even though, they eventually show up with the same 'artifacts' as seen many times before.

These dishes contain all white circular growths and NONE of the others, such as the greens, browns, blacks, greys, orange, white fuzzy, etc. growths that we're seeing in most. Eventually - as noted in certain experiments - these 'others' will have appeared:

Our yeast/fungus has a biofilm involved, in the petri dishes it is a light to mustard yellow in color, you will see this on the bottom side of the dish in a couple of weeks time.

We're looking for a fungus/yeast that starts out as translucent (like a biofilm), then turns to white circular cocci-shaped growth and then produces a yellowish biofilm as a by-product in a petri dish and I believe this same process is happening under our skin.

What's been so confusing, and this is where Frito can help us by studying the progressions, is... that even though we're starting with one sphere - there seems to be approximately 5 or more different characteristics that they end up with. They all don't perform the same way. Some of them stay spheres and allow the 'spaceship' (polyhedron) to land on them, some of them explode into a white fungus, some of them explode into a black/white fungus, some of them have 'fibers' laying on them or nearby in which they are appear to be quorum sensing with, some of them morph into 'other' different-looking spheres, and they reproduce in many different ways.

What I have described in the past as the 'biofilm' IS the main sphere. Out of the biofilm all things are created. It's as if we have a multi-faceted combination of events occurring out of our spheres - such as a possible baculoviral, protozoa-like artifacts, our mystery fibers, some sprouting into fungi, some are occluding, others not, some are budding, others not... etc.

The main sphere is like a biofilm, I want to say it is more of a yeast than fungus - the main 'yeast' sphere LATER creates a fungi or mold from inside of it - it appears that our sphere has properties that it can incorporate many other 'things' that come along into its 'system'.

This could explain why some of us have different symptoms... we all have this 'Master Sphere' in common and what it does is responsible for the three things we all have in common - the specks/spheres, biofilm and fibers, the cause of Morgellons - however, not all of us have been subjected to the same things in our environments and lives.

It's like a vacuum cleaner sphere that robs, sucks in, takes in, incorporates, morphing and creating... more and more variables within it. It's the 'house' for everything.

A TWO-PART SYSTEM

When you spit into a Petri Dish, and look microscopically - what do you see? Spheres? No, we see the micelles - that we are all starting to capture in our photographs... but, we don't see them being large like our big sphere - what do they turn into? I believe that our Master Sphere has to take on so much liquid, undergo chemical processes, temperature, time, and grow to a certain size before they start budding, dividing, etc.

You initially see 'fibers' and 'specks'... these specks are not spheres. (I can only speculate as to what these specks are... I am thinking they are related to agrobacterium or a pesticide, as they were tested to be by Marc Darrah, at one time - in a crystal-like form. Frito - something to pay attention to - does a 'speck' form our 'fibers' - I can't say that it does or doesn't?) There are some very small 'micelles' seen though, I believe I have shown that these eventually turn into our Master Spheres in observing them in the red wine culture experiment on my blog site.

Here's a photo of Jeany's saliva one day after, 100x:

And then on the 3rd day... as Frito said, look at the size these things can get to be in a hurry!...

Most of the fibers are gone, there was just one odd looking fiber left on day 3...

We're looking for an invention that starts with a 'fiber' (worm micelle) that can 'sprout'/create an adaptable, morphing 'Master Sphere'. I believe it creates these spheres on a very small scale and start out as what is known as a sphere micelle. I don't believe that the fungus/mold that we're looking for is entirely a known fungus, it's a hybrid that's been manipulated to be created from out of the sphere and the 'fiber' was its origin. Our Master Sphere is most likely something else... a yeast, a housing system, a larger micelle, that can hold fungi, mold, yeast, viruses, bacteria, and 'others'...

I do believe from what we're seeing, a 'fiber' that creates this Master Sphere is in certain red wine-making, cotton production and paper-making processes, it is in some areas of the country's water remediation processing... that it is quite well-known and considered safe - if it is, then - why can't we easily identify it?


Fiber --> Micelle --> Biofilm --> Yeast Cell ? --> Fungus/Mold/Others

I try to stay on an even keel and not wander off too far from presenting as factual information as I can in researching our disease. Naturally, I don't want to have such a complicated disease that no doctor can figure it out... or it's going to take them 10 years... etc. - I hope it is as simple as a mycologist's analysis of what we have in common, we get the right medicines and that's that. (But... just in case... I keep 'plugging' along... ;D)

SO... what the heck is our sphere?

I see that we have 10 people that are participating in having their Morgellons analyzed and we'll have some more conclusive evidence soon. All we need is a little more concrete evidence to put this puzzle together - we are on the threshold of discovery!

This has been very puzzling to me - why? Because what I proposed above defies the laws of nature. The laws of nature are...

Biogenesis

(1) The process in which life forms arise from similar life forms.

(2) It asserts that living things can only be produced by another living thing, and not by a non-living thing.

Spontaneous generation

The previously popular notion that living organisms arise or develop from nonliving matter.

Abiogenesis

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis

"In the natural sciences, abiogenesis, or "chemical evolution", is the study of how life on Earth could have arisen from inanimate matter. It should not be confused with evolution, which is the study of how groups of living things change over time."

**What I am theorizing, based on what I am witnessing in a Petri Dish with a microscope, is that Morgellons is utilizing Abiogenesis or a form of it, or some similar new, unheard-of science in our disease process.

Common sense tells us that if we have a chicken egg, and we hatch it - we're going to get a chick - every time! We're not going to get 5 different possibilities that might come out...!

I am still not certain that some of us might not have more than one sphere involved, thank goodness Frito is here to help clarify.

What our main sphere is - is of utmost importance in understanding our disease, only then will we be able to get a better handle on what has happened to us, what's going on and how to manage it.

[ctbarb]

Kam and Jeany,

While doing some research tonight...I found these crystals that look similar to yours...are they alike? Are these your 'spaceships'?

If so, they are [glow=red,2,300]B.t. crystals [/glow]for Monsanto's GMO corn process! Check out the website: tinyurl.com/yl9d7re

Excerpt taken from: Maintaining the effectiveness of Bacillus thuringiensis toxins as an insect pest management tool
Jennifer Lynn Russell.

____________________________________________________
tinyurl.com/yjr6zrq

Another search indicates: "While Roundup Ready corn is a reality, most U.S.-grown genetically modified corn is engineered to produce the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). [glow=red,2,300]Bt produces crystals and spores that paralyze the digestive tract of certain insect larvae, specifically the European corn borer.[/glow] Organic farmers and gardeners have historically (and discriminately) applied Bt powder when pests are at their larval stage.

Bt modified corn presents several concerns. Like the Roundup Ready gene, there’s no telling what impact the constant presence of Bt will have over time on mycorrhizae, rhizobia, and other soil and root microorganisms key to building healthy soil and to delivering proper nutrition to plants. No one disputes that Bt running through the entire plant for its whole life cycle, then being absorbed back into the earth as the plant decays will eventually lead to more rapid resistance by the pests it now controls. And the potential consequences to humans of eating Bt corn—like so many variables surrounding genetic engineering—are unknown (45 percent of all corn planted in the U.S. in 2004 was genetically engineered).

In 2002, British scientists at the University of Newcastle discovered DNA material from genetically engineered plants in human gut bacteria. Asides from the dangers the Roundup Ready and Bt genes may themselves present to human health, many of the GE crops also contain antibiotic-resistant marker genes. Some scientist fear a buildup of such materials would eventually sabotage a person’s ability to fight off infection.

Last year, Norwegian scientist Terje Traavik, Ph.D., linked flowering Bt corn to a wave of illnesses in the southern Philippines. Criticized for going public with his findings before they had been peer reviewed, Traavik now claims he’s found human antibodies to the Bt toxin in blood samples taken from people who had complained of illness the year before.

___________________________________________________

Perhaps we are producing variations of the Bt crystal? If this is the case, we are in serious trouble! "Bt produces crystals and spores that paralyze the digestive tract of certain insect larvae, specifically the European corn borer." What prevents this process from happening in the human body?

It would appear that if this is the case, then infection can run rampant where this situation occurs...since antibiotic resistant marker genes have already been found in many GE crops.

God Help Us All,

Barb

Attachments:

[lilsissy]

Well I just can't sit on this one.
Ok
then
barb
hmmmmmmmm,
three days before Karens organs shut down her salvillary gland
shut down.
Her mouth was totally dry and she knew her glands in her mouth shut down , she told me that tonight before I came home and read this article of yours!!!!

jen

Nice find barb
and Kammy
I love them spaceships you found!!!!

[jeany]

Nov 29, 2009 19:54:34 GMT -5 kammy said:

"The Cystine Crystals"

Jeany has been writing many blog articles on the metabolism in the human body of what is most likely happening inside our disease based on everyone's combined findings. When I went today to look at what's going on here with the cystine crystals on a more in-depth level - I can now see some of what Jeany has been trying to explain to us a little more clearly. We have to realize that we are dealing with subject matter that is over most of our heads and sometimes, I have to hear something new several times before I "get it". Not to say that I understand 1/1000th of what's entirely going on... but, I'm beginning to see some patterns.

About the cystine crystals... I know many others have captured these coming out of their skin and urine and have been posted them in the past. I believe this is possibly happening in all of our cases, this is evident with some more than others and probably depending on various factors and what stage we are in our disease, etc.

When I look at the definition of Cystine/Cystinosis again:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cystinosis

"The accumulation is caused by abnormal transport of cystine from lysosomes, resulting in a massive intra-lysosomal cystine accumulation in tissues."

Lysosomes

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysosome



"Lysosomes are large, spherical organelles that contain enzymes (acid hydrolases). They break up food so it is easier to digest. They are found in animal cells, while in plant cells the same roles are performed by the vacuole. They digest excess or worn-out organelles, food particles, and engulfed viruses or bacteria. The membrane around a lysosome allows the digestive enzymes to work at the 4.5 pH they require. Lysosomes fuse with vacuoles and dispense their enzymes into the vacuoles, digesting their contents. They are created by the addition of hydrolytic enzymes to early endosomes from the Golgi apparatus. The name lysosome derives from the Greek words lysis, which means dissolution or destruction, and soma, which means body. They are frequently nicknamed "suicide-bags" or "suicide-sacs" by cell biologists due to their role in autolysis.

The size of lysosomes varies from 0.1–1.2 μm.[1] At pH 4.8, the interior of the lysosomes is acidic compared to the slightly alkaline cytosol (pH 7.2). The lysosome maintains this pH differential by pumping protons (H+ ions) from the cytosol across the membrane via proton pumps and chloride ion channels. The lysosomal membrane protects the cytosol, and therefore the rest of the cell, from the degradative enzymes within the lysosome. The cell is additionally protected from any lysosomal acid hydrolases that leak into the cytosol as these enzymes are pH-sensitive and function less well in the alkaline environment of the cytosol.

Lysosomal enzymes are synthesized in the cytosol and the endoplasmic reticulum, where they receive a mannose-6-phosphate tag that targets them for the lysosome[citation needed] . Aberrant lysosomal targeting causes inclusion-cell disease, whereby enzymes do not properly reach the lysosome, resulting in accumulation of waste within these organelles[citation needed] and the there about .1 microns.

Functions

Lysosomes are the cells' garbage disposal system. They are used for the digestion of macromolecules from phagocytosis (ingestion of other dying cells or larger extracellular material, like foreign invading microbes), endocytosis (where receptor proteins are recycled from the cell surface), and autophagy (wherein old or unneeded organelles or proteins, or microbes that have invaded the cytoplasm are delivered to the lysosome). Autophagy may also lead to autophagic cell death, a form of programmed self-destruction, or autolysis, of the cell, which means that the cell is digesting itself.

Other functions include digesting foreign bacteria (or other forms of waste) that invade a cell and helping repair damage to the plasma membrane by serving as a membrane patch, sealing the wound. In the past, lysosomes were thought to kill cells that were no longer wanted, such as those in the tails of tadpoles or in the web from the fingers of a 3- to 6-month-old fetus. While lysosomes digest some materials in this process, it is actually accomplished through programmed cell death, called apoptosis.

Clinical relevance

There are a number of lysosomal storage diseases that are caused by the malfunction of the lysosomes or one of their digestive proteins, e.g., Tay-Sachs disease, or Pompe's disease. These are caused by a defective or missing digestive protein, which leads to the accumulation of substrates within the cell, impairing metabolism.

In the broad sense, these can be classified as mucopolysaccharidoses, GM2 gangliosidoses, lipid storage disorders, glycoproteinoses, mucolipidoses, or leukodystrophies."

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6e/Localisations02eng.jpg


It just so happens that lysosomes, liposomes, micelles (all basically the same thing) are what I believe our 'spheres' resemble, as I have stated earlier in this thread.

Yes, Kammy I would also like to refer to the blog entries here:

morgellons2.wordpress.com/2009/09/15/lysosomes-magnesium-potassium-calcium-beneficial-for-morgellons-sufferers/

morgellons2.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/hormones-mineral-imbalance-susceptibility-for-morgellons-disease/

What I was trying to say is, that I believe we all might have a metabolic disorder, a hormone dis-balance, insulin resistance and a mineral imbalance which made us susceptible to the other main disease causing components used in pesticides such as the several fungi, bacteria and viruses which we think is causing our disease due to a long time overexposure of contaminates in food and water.

A lack of specific enzymes such as gluthiaone due to a genetic disorder may also play a significant role. Heavy metal overloads, iron and copper overload may also lead to a dysfunctional metabolism. A natural antagonist to iron and copper is zinc.

As you can read below, heavy metals and other minerals cause the formation of cysteine crystals, also common contaminates in our environment and of course pesticides.


Metallothionein
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallothionein

Metallothionein (MT) is a family of cysteine-rich, low molecular weight proteins.

MTs have the capacity to bind both physiological (such as zinc, copper, selenium) and xenobiotic (such as cadmium, mercury, silver, arsenic) heavy metals through the thiol group of its cysteine residues, which represents nearly the 30% of its amino acidic residues.

MTs may provide protection against metal toxicity, be involved in regulation of physiological metals (Zn and Cu) and provide protection against oxidative stress.

There are four main isoforms expressed in humans. In the human body, large quantities are synthesised primarily in the liver and kidneys.

Their production is dependent on availability of the dietary minerals, as zinc, copper and selenium.

Metallothionein has been documented to bind a wide range of metals including cadmium, zinc, mercury, copper, arsenic, silver, etc.

Metallation of MT was previously reported to occur cooperatively but recent reports have provided strong evidence that metal-binding occurs via a sequential, noncooperative mechanism.

Metallothioneins likely participate in the uptake, transport, and regulation of zinc in biological systems.

Cysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid, hence the name "-thionein".

However, the participation of inorganic sulfide and chloride ions has been proposed for some MT forms.

In some MTs, mostly bacterial, histidine participates in zinc binding. By binding and releasing zinc, metallothioneins (MTs) may regulate zinc levels within the body.

Zinc, in turn, is a key element for the activation and binding of certain transcription factors through its participation in the zinc finger region of the protein.

Metallothionein also carries zinc ions (signals) from one part of the cell to another.

When zinc enters a cell, it can be picked up by thionein (which thus becomes "metallothionein") and carried to another part of the cell where it is released to another organelle or protein.

In this way the thionein-metallothionein becomes a key component of the zinc signaling system in cells.

This system is particularly important in the brain, where zinc signaling is prominent both between and within nerve cells.

It also seems to be important for the regulation of the tumor suppressor protein p53.

Cysteine residues from MTs can capture harmful oxidant radicals like the superoxide and hydroxyl radicals.

In this reaction, cysteine is oxidized to cystine, and the metal ions which were bound to cysteine are liberated to the media.

As explained in the Expression and regulation section, this Zn can activate the synthesis of more MTs.

This mechanism has been proposed to be an important mechanism in the control of the oxidative stress by MTs.

Metallothionein gene expression is induced by a high variety of stimuli, as metal exposure, oxidative stress, glucocorticoids, hydric stress, etc... The level of the response to these inducers depends on the MT gene.

Because MTs play an important role in transcription factor regulation, problems with MT function or expression may lead to malignant transformation of cells and ultimately cancer.

Studies have found increased expression of MTs in some cancers of the breast, colon, kidney, liver, lung, nasopharynx, ovary, prostate, mouth, salivary gland, testes, thyroid and urinary bladder; they have also found lower levels of MT expression in hepatocellular carcinoma and liver adenocarcinoma.

Xenobiotic
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenobiotic

However, the term xenobiotics is very often used in the context of pollutants.

The body removes xenobiotics by xenobiotic metabolism.

This consists of the deactivation and the secretion of xenobiotics, and happens mostly in the liver.

Secretion routes are urine, feces, breath, and sweat.

Hepatic enzymes are responsible for the metabolism of xenobiotics by first activating them (oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis and/or hydration of the xenobiotic), and then conjugating the active secondary metabolite with glucuronic or sulphuric acid, or glutathione, followed by excretion in bile or urine.

Some xenobiotics are resistant to degradation. For example, they may be synthetic organochlorides such as plastics and pesticides, or naturally occurring organic chemicals such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and some fractions of crude oil and coal.

Xenobiotic substances are becoming an increasingly large problem in Sewage Treatment systems, since they are relatively new substances and are very difficult to categorize.

Antibiotics, for example, were derived from plants originally, and so mimic naturally occurring substances.

This, along with the natural monopoly nature of municipal Waste Water Treatment Plants makes it nearly impossible to remove this new pollutant load.

Xenoestrogen
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenoestrogen

Xenoestrogens are novel, industrially made compounds, that have estrogenic effects.

Estrogens from a variety of sources may have a cumulative effect upon living organisms, and xenoestrogens may be part of a larger picture of a process of estrogenisation of the environment.

Xenoestrogens have been introduced into the environment by industrial, agricultural and chemical companies and consumers only in the last 70 years or so.

Chemicals shown to have estrogenic effects
Alkylphenol
atrazine (weedkiller)
4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) (sunscreen lotions)
butylated hydroxyanisole / BHA (food preservative)
bisphenol A (monomer for polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin; antioxidant in plasticizers)
dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (one of the breakdown products of DDT)
dieldrin (insecticide)
DDT (insecticide)
endosulfan (insecticide)
erythrosine / FD&C Red No. 3
ethinylestradiol (combined oral contraceptive pill) (released into the environment as a xenoestrogen)
heptachlor (insecticide)
lindane / hexachlorocyclohexane (insecticide)
metalloestrogens (a class of inorganic xenoestrogens)
methoxychlor (insecticide)
nonylphenol and derivatives (industrial surfactants; emulsifiers for emulsion polymerization; laboratory detergents; pesticides)
pentachlorophenol (general biocide and wood preservative)
polychlorinated biphenyls / PCBs (in electrical oils, lubricants, adhesives, paints)
parabens (lotions)
phenosulfothiazine (a red dye)
phthalates (plasticizers)
DEHP (plasticizer for PVC)
Propyl gallate

Endocrine disruptor
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocrine_disruptor

Endocrine systems are found in most varieties of animal life. The endocrine system is made up of glands which secrete hormones, and receptors which detect and react to the hormones.

Sex steroids such as estrogens and androgens, as well as thyroid hormones, are subject to feedback regulation, which tends to limit the effects of environmental chemicals.

Endocrine disrupting compounds encompass a variety of chemical classes, including hormones, plant constituents, pesticides, compounds used in the plastics industry and in consumer products, and other industrial by-products and pollutants.

Some are pervasive and widely dispersed in the environment.

The theory of endocrine disruption posits that low-dose exposure to chemicals that interact with hormone receptors can interfere with reproduction, development, and other hormonally mediated processes

There are studies of cell cultures, laboratory animals, wildlife, and accidentally exposed humans that show that environmental chemicals cause a wide range of reproductive, developmental, growth, and behavior effects, and so while "endocrine disruption in humans by pollutant chemicals remains largely undemonstrated, the underlying science is sound and the potential for such effects is real.

Food is a major source of pollutant exposure. Diet is thought to account for up to 90% of a person's PCB and DDT body burden.

With the increase in household products containing pollutants and the decrease in the quality of building ventilation, indoor air has become a significant source of pollutant exposure.

Residents living in homes with wood floors treated in the 1960s with PCB-based wood finish have a much higher body burden than the general population.

A study of indoor house dust and dryer lint of 16 homes found high levels of all 22 different PBDE congeners tested for in all samples.

Recent studies suggest that contaminated house dust, not food, may be the major source of PBDE in our bodies

The effects of acute exposure to PCBs were well known within the companies who used Monsanto's PCB formulation who saw the effects on their workers who came into contact with it regularly.

Direct skin contact results in a severe acne-like condition called chloracne.

Exposure increases the risk of skin cancer, liver cancer, and brain cancer.

Monsanto tried for years to downplay the health problems related to PCB exposure in order to continue sales.

Some examples of putative EDCs are vinclozolin, zearalenone, 17-alpha ethinylestradiol, Dioxins, PCBs, PAHs, furans, phenols and several pesticides (most prominent being organochlorine insecticides like endosulfan, atrazine, DDT and its derivatives) and other xenoestrogens and phytoestrogens.

Jeany

[kammy]

Nov 29, 2009 21:44:42 GMT -5 ctbarb said:

Kam and Jeany,

While doing some research tonight...I found these crystals that look similar to yours...are they alike? Are these your 'spaceships'?

Last year, Norwegian scientist Terje Traavik, Ph.D., linked flowering Bt corn to a wave of illnesses in the southern Philippines. Criticized for going public with his findings before they had been peer reviewed, Traavik now claims he’s found human antibodies to the Bt toxin in blood samples taken from people who had complained of illness the year before.

___________________________________________________

Perhaps we are producing variations of the Bt crystal? If this is the case, we are in serious trouble! "Bt produces crystals and spores that paralyze the digestive tract of certain insect larvae, specifically the European corn borer." What prevents this process from happening in the human body?


Barb

No, Barb - those don't look like ours. Ours have 3 layers - as in the name triclinic.

Here is a photo of one from human arm lesion debris cultured at 300x:

If we microscopically see these in all other Petri Dish specimens, then we might assume this is an integral part of our disease? These triclinic crystals can be caused by only a few reasons and sources that I saw tonight, from the fungi, from how certain metals are being processed such as copper sulfate, manganese, etc. It is a rare feature to be seeing these, especially in the fungi species, this factor might help us pinpoint more about our disease since it is not common. We're still in the process of researching it and waiting to see if others can verify that these are forming on/near their spheres in their Petri Dishes. I believe Frito has already verified that she is seeing them in her dish?

-------------------------

"Traavik now claims he’s found human antibodies to the Bt toxin in blood samples taken from people who had complained of illness the year before."

I have noted in a blog article how we can see certain unknown debris, specks and what we believe are the 'micelles' - or the main sphere in a small form. These particles are easily visible at 100x, unfortunately - the days of when a doctor actually looks at our blood are over unless I suppose we go to a specialist? Any of these particles could easily be the Bt toxin, we need some testing done to verify this, one way or another.

-------------------------

""Bt produces crystals and spores that paralyze the digestive tract of certain insect larvae, specifically the European corn borer." What prevents this process from happening in the human body?"

Well... whatever Morgellons property that is inside my ear lesion numbs it - it should be a bloody mess and I should be in a lot of continuous pain from all the pulling I do on it to try to get the debris out. It is even split open in places, yet - it never bleeds and it doesn't hurt much. And, the debris that comes out at times numbs my fingers when I touch it.

[kammy]

Jen, I am so, so sorry to hear about Karen... please let us know how we can be of help - in any way. We're all here with our support for both of you.

[ctbarb]

Here's something about Bt crystals that I don't remember seeing before...

NSF PR 03-26 - March 6, 2003

Media contact:
Sean Kearns
[phone]
[e-mail]

NSF Science Expert:
Rita Teutonico
[phone]
[e-mail]




With Toxic Crystals, Bacterium Targets - and Takes out - Nematodes
Long-time farmers' friend shows promise against parasitic worms

Normal larvae (at left) from the nematode Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, which inhabits rat intestines as a parasite, are pictured at 75 X magnification and (at right) same-aged N. brasiliensis larvae three days after exposure to Bt crystal protein known as Cry21A. The scale bar equals 100 microns, or one-tenth of a millimeter.
Image Credit: Image courtesy of Raffi Aroian, UCSD
Select image for larger version
(Size: 144KB) , or download a high-resolution TIFF version of image (638KB)

Note About Images


ARLINGTON, Va. -- Roundworms, hookworms, watch out. Scientists this week announced that a soil bacterium's crystal proteins, long an effective weapon against many insect pests, are toxic to some nematodes, too.

The crystal proteins -- created by some strains of Bacillus thuringiensis, more commonly known as Bt -- thwart the development of some nematodes and kill others outright. The findings raise the possibility that these proteins might one day be used to combat parasitic worms that infect nearly one-fourth of the world's human population. Nematodes - unsegmented, long, round worms pointed at both ends - are responsible for illnesses that can lead to elephantiasis of the limbs, intestinal lesions, a type of meningitis and "river blindness."

Led by biologist Raffi V. Aroian of the University of California-San Diego, a team of researchers examined the impact of seven different Bt toxins upon six different nematode species, including one intestinal parasite. Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the research appears in the March 4 journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) and is available in the journal's online "early edition" at www.pnas.org.

The crystals, of which there are many variations, form from the aggregation of proteins that are produced as the bacillus makes spores. Individually, their toxicity is very species-specific, and more than 150 insect species are known to be susceptible to one type of Bt crystal or another. However, the crystals are harmless to humans and to natural enemies of many crop pests.

(For more about Bacillus thuringiensis, visit the Aroian lab's web site at http://www.btcrystal.org.)

Nematodes, relatively simple anatomically and genetically, are found in nearly every environment. Among the more than 100,000 known species are plant parasites, such as roundworms; animal parasites, such as hookworms and heartworms; and insect pathogens. Most are shorter than short-grained rice. Some, particularly those found in the relative comfort of another organism's gut, can reach lengths of several meters, including one in sperm whales that measures upwards of 13 meters long. Many feed on bacteria.

Applying an array of crystal proteins from Bt to a diverse group of five small, free-living nematodes, Aroian's group found that each worm species tested was susceptible to at least one of the toxins. The scientists also found that three of the Bt crystals were effective in crippling the free-living stage of a worm (Nippostrongylus brasiliensis) that spends its parasitic days in rats' guts.

Represented in the study were two "largely unstudied classes of crystal proteins," one of which is closely related to those long in use as organic insecticides. Their effectiveness known for nearly a century and first approved for use in the United States in 1961, these Bt insecticides kill crop-killing caterpillars and beetles, and disease-transmitting black flies and mosquitoes.

According to the PNAS report, "The success of these toxins is due in large part to their high toxicity towards insects but no/low toxicity toward other animals. They have an excellent track record in over 50 years of use by organic and conventional farmers."

The researchers found that the Bt crystal proteins' "toxicity in nematodes correlates with damage to the intestine, consistent with the mechanism of crystal toxin action in insects," leading them to question whether the worms, not insects, may be the natural primary target of the soil-dwelling bacterium's toxin.

"It is puzzling why a bacterium that is so ubiquitously found in the soil might have evolved ingestible toxins to target insects that may spend little time feeding in the soil," they write. "On the other hand, there are estimated to be more than 100,000 species of nematodes, many of which live in the soil and ingest bacteria. Could nematodes be a prime target for Bt and its crystal proteins?"

According to Rita Teutonica, a genetics program director at NSF, "This report complements Aroian's current exploration into the genetics of resistance to Bt toxins in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (a widely used model organism for research). More broadly, it also illustrates how inquiries into basic genetic mechanisms may ultimately lead to answers with profound worldwide benefits."

[toni]

Bt is what I've sure been wishing and a hoping someone
would test for.

I agree. I think the formations of crystalized particles, carbon particles, all of it that we're expressing, and the reason we're
contracting "everything we're in contact with" are all
"because of"....the Bt and the agro.

[jeany]

Dear Jen, please let Karen know how much we care about her. I'm very sorry to hear she's so sick and am sending her all the best wishes, hugs & kisses...

Jeany

[kammy]

I'm trying some Coconut Oil right now on my ears and eating some too, this article touts its benefits. It says we should eat 3 or 4 tablespoons a day, everyday... Has anyone else had good results with it?

www.mnwelldir.org/docs/nutrition/coconut.htm

[lilsissy]

cut from above,

Cysteine is a sulfur-containing amino acid, hence the name "-thionein".

Karen is allergic to sulphur.

[kammy]

Nov 30, 2009 9:14:06 GMT -5 toni said:

Bt is what I've sure been wishing and a hoping someone
would test for.

I agree. I think the formations of crystallized particles, carbon particles, all of it that we're expressing, and the reason we're
contracting "everything we're in contact with" are all
"because of"....the Bt and the agro.

We've noted, Toni, how some of us are not getting seasonal colds anymore since we've become evident with Morgellons. Some have said that this is because we're getting older and have more immunity, which I don't believe, but this is subjective. All I know is - I used to get at least one cold every year, most of my life, sometimes more.

Another thing we've noticed is that our lesions do not show signs of infection, that if they do, this is a secondary infection that's been introduced mostly likely from our hands.

I know some people have to had colds with Morgellons, I wonder, did they last long, were they severe?

We're seeing carbon-like artifacts in our cultured samples, carbon is known for its filtering and absorption properties.

If what I hypothesized earlier is true, that it seems as if we have a Master Sphere that has carbon-like components that incorporates whatever comes along into it or its system... is this why we aren't getting colds or showing signs of infection at our lesion sites? Are the carbon elements masking our pathogens from our immune system? And, if something does come in - like a cold - is the carbon absorbing it and causing the cold to be of lesser duration and severity?

Now that we know what these 'spaceships' are, we can look to see what they are supposedly composed of, possibly, they aren't carbon at all? If you want to help us search for 'triclinic crystal structures' in fungi, please feel free.

It seems that crystals are categorized with a "system space group" that they belong in... we also have one and two-tiered crystal structures in our lesion debris Petri cultures as is shown below and was shown at the beginning of this thread, identified as a baculovirus - the one-tiered are called 'monoclinic', not sure what the two-tiered are called yet?

This photo is from a cultured human arm lesion at 100x:



believed to be one of the two (possibly three) baculoviral components of Morgellons. I noticed in a earlier blog article I wrote that I stated that the 'spaceships' were also a baculovirus but didn't show proof with a photo and then wrote the "Morgellons Spaceships" article as per Barb's request on what they looked like - and didn't state in that article, one way or another that it was or wasn't, because this article was just thrown together to show what they were. My photo library is large and to find the photo/s that proves or shows evidence of this - takes a little time to find. I know that when I make such a 'bold' statement that I have proof, but - for now - the verdict is out until I can produce the photo/s that show this. From memory - I believe I have a photo or photos of these triclinical 'spaceships' with exit holes that occurred at the time the larvae appeared. (I think I already addressed this early in this thread?) Right now, I'm not as concerned with the baculoviral aspect - I'm looking at the cystine or hexagonal crystal aspect.

[jeany]

We're seeing carbon-like artifacts in our cultured samples, carbon is known for its filtering and absorption properties.

If what I hypothesized earlier is true, that it seems as if we have a Master Sphere that has carbon-like components that incorporates whatever comes along into it or its system... is this why we aren't getting colds or showing signs of infection at our lesion sites? Are the carbon elements masking our pathogens from our immune system? And, if something does come in - like a cold - is the carbon absorbing it and causing the cold to be of lesser duration and severity?

Now that we know what these 'spaceships' are, we can look to see what they are supposedly composed of, possibly, they aren't carbon at all? If you want to help us search for 'triclinic crystal structures' in fungi, please feel free.

It seems that crystals are categorized with a "system space group" that they belong in... we also have one and two-tiered crystal structures in our lesion debris Petri cultures as is shown below and was shown at the beginning of this thread, identified as a baculovirus - the one-tiered are called 'monoclinic', not sure what the two-tiered are called yet?

This photo is from a cultured human arm lesion at 100x, believed to be one of the two baculoviral components of Morgellons:

Yes, Kam! Good thought! It could possibly be that the carbon absorbs the toxins and that what we are seeing are carbon clusters, residues from absorbed toxins that react within the system OR which I actually tend to, they are formations of metal binding cysteine crystals so called Metallothionein due to an overload on heavy metals, iron and copper which I assume we all have. Pesticides react to heavy metals. This could explain, why the formations of these crystals appear and react within the pesticidal system and that is what we are seeing in the cultured human samples.

Here some info on zinc, copper and iron:
tuberose.com/Metal_Detoxification.html

Zinc and copper get displaced from metallothionine, the protein that binds and carries them.

This destroys many of the zinc-dependent enzymes.

Zinc is important for proper functioning in a host of major metabolic pathways; it is a component of over 90 metalloenzymes in the body.

Lead has always been known as a neurotoxin, with the brain being particularly susceptible to attack.

Lethargy is a common symptom of lead toxicity; lead inactivates the zinc-dependent enzymes of the Kreb's cycle, which produces our energy.

Zinc is also a part of the antioxidant enzyme, Zn-SOD, which fights superoxide radicals.

Symptoms of lead toxicity are similar to zinc deficiency symptoms because lead can bring on a zinc deficiency.

Zinc deficiency has been implicated in a wide variety of neuropsychiatric disorders, including dyslexia, epilepsy, mental depression, and attention deficit disorder.

The symptoms of lead toxicity are similar to zinc deficiency because the lead destroys the zinc-dependent enzymes.


Jeany

[fritolay66]

Kammy and Jeany,

I believe what you are specifically looking for is MMP9.

When looking at MMP9, you may also want to look more closely at the hypothalmus and its role.

Frito