Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R M Chanock.
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We obtained influenza viral DNA clones containing sequences derived from cytoplasmic viral mRNA and genomic viral RNA. Sequence analysis of terminal nucleotides of five independentlyisolated viral DNA segments showed that additional oligonucleotides were covalently linked to the 5' terminus of viral mRNA transcripts. The sequences of these additional nucleotides varied among DNA clones of the same gene and of different genes as well. These inserts also varied in length, ranging from 6 to 14 nucleotides. The heterogeneity of these sequences suggests that they were derived originally from cellular RNA molecules. These findings provide evidence that cellular RNA sequences are used to prime influenza viral mRNA transcription in infected cells. In addition, the sequences at both termini of vRNA were fully represented in clone pFV 88, indicating that the cloned DNA contained the complete viral gene coding for the hemagglutinin.
DNA sequences corresponding to gene segments that code for the nonstructural protein, the matrix protein, and the hemagglutinin of influenza A virus [strain A/Udorn/72 (H3N2)] were cloned in Escherichia coli pBR 322. Initially, positive and negative cDNA strands were prepared separately by reverse transcription. The positive strands of cDNA were transcribed from genomic RNA segments by using a specific dodecamer DNA sequence as a primer; the negative strands of cDNA were transcribed from cytoplasmic viral mRNA segments by using an oligo(dT) primer. DNA duplexes corresponding in size to the virus RNA segments were then purified, inserted into the plasmid DNA, and used for transformation of E. coli. The influenza virus-specific DNA sequences isolated from recombinant plasmid molecules were characterized by mapping restriction enzyme cleavage sites. In addition, the orientation of cloned DNA was determined with reference to the 3' terminus of viral RNA.
RNA segment 8 of the influenza virus genome is unique in coding for two polypeptides, NS1 (Mr, approximately 25,000) and NS2 (Mr, approximately 11,000). These polypeptides are synthesized from separate mRNA species. By using cloned DNA derived from RNA segment 8 (NS DNA) the two mRNAs have been mapped on segment 8 by hybridization of mRNAs with restriction endonuclease fragments of the DNA and nuclease S1 digestion methods. These data indicate that the body of the NS1 mRNA (approximately 850 nucleotides) maps at 0.05-0.95 units of the cloned NS DNA and the body of the NS2 mRNA (approximately 340 nucleotides) maps at 0.59-0.95 unitssuggesting that the two mRNAs are 3' coterminal and share the same poly(A) addition site. These positions of the mRNAs on the viral genome segment were confirmed in hybrid-arrested translation experiments using fragments of the cloned NS DNA to inhibit the synthesis in vitro of NS1 or NS2 polypeptides. In addition, in these translation experiments the use of certain DNA fragments resulted in premature termination of the NS1 polypeptide. From these data, it could be estimated that the termination of translation of NS1 is at approximately 0.76 map unit. Thus, the coding regions of the two mRNAs overlap by approximately 144-159 nucleotides, the equivalent of approximately 48-53 amino acids. Peptide mapping experiments indicated that polypeptides NS1 and NS2 do not share methionine- or leucine-containing tryptic peptides. The results obtained indicate the translation of the NS2 mRNA occurs in a reading frame different from that used for NS1.
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The virulence of three cloned influenza A viruses was compared in humans and in three readily available species of nonhuman primates (owl, squirrel, and cebus monkeys) in an attempt to identify a species of monkey that could be used to investigate the genetic basis of attenuation of influenza A viruses for humans. Three influenza A viruses from two subtypes, i.e., the A/Udorn/72 (H3N2), A/Alaska/77 (H3H2), and A/Hong Kong/77 (H1H1) viruses, produced febrile influenzal illness in humans. Squirrel monkeys developed mild upper respiratory tract illness in response to each of the three viruses. Illness was accompanied by a high level of virus shedding; each of nine squirrel monkeys that shed equal to or greater than 10(5.0) 50% tissue culture infective doses of virus became ill, whereas those that shed less remained well. In contrast, the cebus and owl monkeys remained clinically well despite infection with each of the three viruses. Thus, squirrel monkeys appear to be moderately permissive primate hosts in which to investigate the genetic basis of virulence of human influenza A viruses.
The influenza A/Udorn/72-ts-1A2 virus possesses temperature-sensitive mutations in the genes coding for the P1 and P3 polymerase proteins. It is being evaluated as a donor of its attenuating temperature-sensitive genes to produce recombinant live vaccine strains of epidemic variants of influenza A virus. Transfer of the P1 and P3 genes to two viruses within the H3N2 subtype of influenza A virus (i.e., the A/Victoria/3/75 and A/Alaska/6/77 viruses) conferred on each variant the following properties: (i) 37 degrees C shutoff temperature for plaque formation, (ii) almost complete restriction of viral replication in the lungs, (iii) a 100-fold restriction of viral replication in the nasal turbinates, and (iv) genetic stability after replication in hamsters. This study was undertaken to determine whether the transfer of the two ts-1A2 temperature-sensitive genes into a virus belonging to the H1N1 subtype (i.e., the A/Hong Kong/123/77 virus) would result in a restriction of replication in vitro and in vivo comparable to that observed with the previously studied H3N2 recombinant viruses in hamsters. This was found to be the case. In addition, infection of hamsters with the A/Hong Kong/77-ts-1A2 virus induced significant resistance to infection with wild-type A/Hong Kong/77 virus. Thus, the two ts-1A2 temperature-sensitive genes attenuated influenza A viruses belonging to two distinct subtypes to a specific and predictable level. An unexpected genetic interaction was observed between several A/Hong Kong/77-ts-1A2 segregants bearing the group 5 (P1) temperature-sensitive lesion. One interpretation of these results is that intracistronic complementation occurred between these segregants.
Sera from volunteers who received live influenza A wild-type or ts recombinant virus were tested by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay, neuraminidase inhibition (NI) assay, and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine which assay system was the most sensitive in detecting an immunological response to infection. The ELISA was performed with inactivated whole virus antigen, and the optical density at each of five serial twofold dilutions of pre- and postimmunization sera was measured. The difference in the amount of ELISA antibody in pre- and postinoculation serum specimens was taken to be proportional to the area between the respective titration curves. The ELISA was more sensitive than the HI or NI test in detecting a seroresponse in volunteers infected with A/Hong Kong/123/77 (H1N1), A/New Jersey/8/76 (Hswine N1), or A/Alaska/6/77 (H3N2) ts recombinant virus. These results suggest that the ELISA should be used to determine the frequency of infection with attenuated viruses as well as the 50% human infectious dose of candidate live influenza A vaccine viruses.
Two attenuated influenza A donor viruses, the A/Udorn/72 ts-1A2 and the A/Ann Arbor/6/60 cold-adapted (ca) viruses, are being evaluated for their ability to reproducibly attenuate each new variant of influenza A virus to a specific and desired level by the transfer of one or more attenuating genes. Each of these donor viruses has been able to attenuate influenza A viruses belonging to the H3N2 subtype by the transfer of one or more attenuating genes. To determine whether these two donor viruses could attenuate a wild-type virus that belonged to a different influenza A subtype, ts-1A2 and ca recombinants of a wild-type virus representative of the A/USSR/77 (H1N1) Russian influenza strain were prepared and evaluated in adult doubly seronegative volunteers at several doses. The recombinants derived from both donor viruses were attenuated for the doubly seronegative adults. Less than 5% of infected vaccinees developed a febrile or systemic reaction, whereas five of six recipients of wild-type virus developed such a response. The 50% human infectious dose (HID(50)) for each recombinant was approximately 10(5.0) 50% tissue culture infective doses. The virus shed by the ts-1A2 and ca vaccinees retained the ts or ca phenotype, or both. This occurred despite replication of the recombinant viruses for up to 9 days. No evidence for transmission of the ca or ts-1A2 recombinant virus to controls was observed. A serum hemagglutination inhibition response was detected in less than 50% of the infected vaccinees. However, with the more sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, a serological response was detected in 100% of the ca vaccinees given 300 HID(50) and approximately 70% of ca or ts vaccinees who received 10 to 32 HID(50) of virus. These results indicate that the recombinants derived from both donor viruses were satisfactorily attenuated and were stable genetically after replication in doubly seronegative adults although they induced a lower serum hemagglutination inhibition response than that found previously for H3N2 ts and ca recombinants.
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The possibility of immunizing human infants against rotaviruses, which cause severe dehydrating diarrheal disease, may depend on the use of a related rotavirus, derived from another animal species, as a source of antigen. To test the feasibility of this approach, calves were infected in utero with a bovine rotavirus and challenged with bovine or human type 2 rotavirus shortly after birth. Infection in utero with bovine rotavirus induced resistance to diarrheal disease caused by the human virus as well as the homologous bovine virus. These data suggest that the bovine virus is sufficiently related antigenically to the human type 2 virus to warrant further evaluation of the former as a source of vaccine.
The present study demonstrates that the plaque size of certain influenza A H3N2 virus recombinants is dependent on their containing a specific neuraminidase glycoprotein, but is independent of the genes coding for the HA, P3, and NP proteins.
Twenty-five separate outbreaks of nonbacterial gastrointestinal illnesses were studied serologically for evidence of infection with the Norwalk virus and the rotaviruses that affect humans. Eight of 25 outbreaks appeared to be related to the Norwalk virus. In one of the 25 outbreaks, there was evidence of rotavirus infection. These observations suggest that the Norwalk virus or serologically related agents play an important role in epidemic nonbacterial gastroenteritis in adults and older children.
A sharp outbreak of gastroenteritis associated with human rotavirus type 2 involved not only all of nine infants and young children in a playgroup but also seven of 10 parents and grandparents studied. The source of the outbreak appeared to be two non-playgroup siblings. Six of 11 individuals studied shed human rotavirus type 2, and each of seven from whom paired sera were obtained developed a type 2 sero-response. Overall, evidence of infection with rotavirus type 2 was demonstrated in 10 of 11 individuals by detection of virus in stools and/or a serologic response in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Influenza A virus activity was demonstrated in infants and young children from metropolitan Washington, DC during each of 19 successive August-July respiratory disease years, and during 17 of these years at least 2% of hospitalized respiratory disease patients yielded an influenza A or B virus and/or showed an influenza A or B serum complement-fixing (CF) antibody response. Between October 1957 and July 1976, 14.3% of 860 croup patients and 5.3% of a total of 5655 hospitalized respiratory patients, including croup patients, showed evidence of influenza A or B infection. The mean period of hospitalization with either virus was about 8 days, though serious infection with influenza A virus was 4.5 times more common than with influenza B virus. Both influenza viruses were detected more frequently in respiratory disease outpatients than in respiratory disease inpatients. Patients with serious influenza A virus infections were especially likely to have croup (particularly during the H3N2 era), to be seen during December through February, and to be black male infants. During the peak month of a composite of 13 consecutive influenza A virus outbreaks, influenza A virus infection was demonstrated in 67.6% of croup patients and in 35.6% of all hospitalized respiratory patients including croup patients. During the peak month of a composite of 6 consecutive influenza B virus outbreaks, influenza B virus infection was demonstrated in 36.0% of croup patients and in 10.8% of all hospitalized respiratory disease patients including croup patients.
Human rotavirus (HRV) type 1 or 2, adenovirus, or non-cultivatable 27 nm virus-like particles were demonstrated by electron microscopy and/or rotavirus ELISA in fecal samples from 45.5% of 604 gastroenteritis inpatients, 25.0% of 200 gastroenteritis outpatients and 6.0% of 812 control subjects, all sampled at Children's Hospital National Medical Center. Washington, DC. Rotaviruses were the most common pathogens detected as 39% and 22% of gastroenteritis inpatients and outpatients, respectively, shed HRV. About three-fourths of the rotaviruses were type 2, which was prevalent during five successive epidemic years from January, 1974, through June, 1978. HRV type 1 was detected in the last four successive epidemic years and represented nearly half of the HRV infections observed among gastroenteritis inpatients during the year 1977--1978. Both rotavirus serotypes were detected most often in the month of January, when 71% of 123 gastroenteritis inpatients and 62% of 34 gastroenteritis outpatients shed one of these viruses. Uncultivatable adenoviruses were detected significantly more frequently in stools from patients with gastroenteritis (3.9%) than from control subjects (0.6%), suggesting that these viruses played a role in acute enteric disease. The frequency of detection of 27 nm particles was not significantly different in gastroenteritis and control patients. Numerically, HRV infection was detected most often in gastroenteritis inpatients who were 10 through 12 months of age. The group of gastroenteritis inpatients with the highest percentage of HRV infection was 13 through 15 months of age. The excess of type 2 HRV infection relative to type 1 infection was especially large in those aged 7 through 24 months. Lower socioeconomic status or greater crowding appeared to be associated with the occurrence of rotavirus infection earlier in life and earlier in the epidemic year.