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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Visualization of the African swine fever virus infection in living cells by incorporation into the virus particle of green fluorescent protein-p54 membrane protein chimera.

Many stages of African swine fever virus infection have not yet been studied in detail. To track the behavior of African swine fever virus (ASFV) in the infected cells in real time, we produced an infectious recombinant ASFV (B54GFP-2) that expresses and incorporates into the virus particle a chimera of the p54 envelope protein fused to the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). The incorporation of the fusion protein into the virus particle was confirmed immunologically and it was determined that p54-EGFP was fully functional by confirmation that the recombinant virus made normal-sized plaques and presented similar growth curves to the wild-type virus. The tagged virus was visualized as individual fluorescent particles during the first stages of infection and allowed to visualize the infection progression in living cells through the viral life cycle by confocal microscopy. In this work, diverse potential applications of B54GFP-2 to study different aspects of ASFV infection are shown. By using this recombinant virus it was possible to determine the trajectory and speed of intracellular virus movement. Additionally, we have been able to visualize for first time the ASFV factory formation dynamics and the cytophatic effect of the virus in live infected cells. Finally, we have analyzed virus progression along the infection cycle and infected cell death as time-lapse animations.

African Swine Fever Virus↗

Detection of hepatitis B virus precore TAG mutant by an amplification-created restriction site method.

A new method for detecting the hepatitis B virus (HBV) precore 1896 G-->A mutation is described. This mutation prevents hepatitis B e antigen production by introducing a TAG stop codon and has been associated with severe chronic and fulminant hepatitis. The method is based on a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that creates a restriction enzyme (Bsu36I) cleavage site if the mutation is present. After incubation of the PCR product with Bsu36I and a subsequent agarose gel electrophoresis, the presence of the TAG mutant is revealed by an altered position of the DNA band. The method was compared with direct sequencing on 36 serum samples and correctly identified all samples containing mutant HBV. The TAG mutant was present in 17 cases (as mixed wild type and mutant virus in 4). Twelve of 18 patients with advanced liver disease confirmed by biopsy carried mutant HBV. This method of detecting HBV precore 1896 G-->A should be useful for evaluation and follow-up of patients and for prevalence studies.

Adolescent↗

Baculovirus-mediated large-scale expression and purification of a polyhistidine-tagged rubella virus capsid protein.

The capsid protein of rubella virus was produced in baculovirus-infected Spodoptera frugiperda insect cells, with a polyhistidine affinity tag at the carboxy terminus. The RV capsid recombinant protein was produced in a 10-liter bioreactor and purified, under nondenaturing conditions, using immobilized metal-ion affinity chromatography. Immunoblot analyses indicated that the purified recombinant protein was intact and migrated with the expected molecular weight. The final yield was 5 mg of purified protein per liter of cell culture. Surface plasmon resonance was used to investigate the antigenic potential of the histidine tagged capsid protein in an antigen-antibody interaction study. A specific interaction between the two proteins was shown. Our results suggest that this strategy should be useful in interaction studies of other virus-specific proteins and antibodies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Replication of a recombinant hepatitis E virus genome tagged with reporter genes and generation of a short-term cell line producing viral RNA and proteins.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) replication has been demonstrated in HepG2 cells transfected with full-length in vitro transcripts of an infectious cDNA clone. This cDNA clone was modified to generate several subgenomic HEV replicons with fused reporter genes. In vitro-transcribed capped RNAs generated from these were transfected into HepG2 cells. Negative-strand RNA was detected, indicating the occurrence of replication. The replicon containing an in-frame fusion of HEV ORF2 with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was positive for fluorescence, whereas no signal was observed when the replicase domain was deleted. An HEV ORF3-EGFP in-frame fusion did not yield fluorescence. Deletions introduced into ORF2 did not affect the replication competency of the viral RNA. To explore the possibility of using a reporter-gene assay to monitor the synthesis of plus- and minus-strand RNA, the EGFP gene fused to the encephalomyocarditis virus internal ribosome entry site (IRES) was inserted into partially deleted ORF2 of HEV, in both the sense [HEV-IRES-EGFP(+)] and antisense [HEV-IRES-EGFP(-)] orientations. HepG2 cells transfected with HEV-IRES-EGFP(+) and HEV-IRES-EGFP(-) vectors were positive for EGFP fluorescence. To quantify HEV replication, EGFP was replaced with Renilla luciferase (RLuc). HEV-IRES-RLuc(+) showed approximately 10-fold higher luminescence than HEV-IRES-RLuc(-). There was complete loss of activity when the helicase-replicase domain in HEV-IRES-RLuc(-) was deleted. A short-term HepG2 cell line containing the full-length viral genome in the pcDNA3 vector was established. Viral RNA and proteins (RdRp, pORF2 and pORF3) could be detected in the geneticin-resistant cells, even after the seventh passage. In the absence of a reliable cell-culture system to study HEV biology, these reporter replicons, as well as the cell line, bestow immense utility.

Cell Line, Tumor↗

Identification of human cancer-related genes by naturally occurring Hepatitis B Virus DNA tagging.

Proviral tagging has been used in animals as a powerful tool for cancer genetics. We show that a similar approach is possible in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) infected by Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), a human pararetrovirus which may act by insertional mutagenesis. In this work, the HBV genome is used as a probe to identify cancer-related genes. By using HBV-Alu-PCR, we obtained 21 HBV/cellular DNA junctions from 18 different patients. In six of 21, we found the HBV DNA integrated into a cellular gene: (1) Sarco/Endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium ATPase1 Gene; (2) Thyroid Hormone Receptor Associated Protein 150 alpha Gene; (3) Human Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase Gene; (4) Minichromosome Maintenance Protein (MCM)-Related Gene; (5) FR7, a new gene expressed in human liver and cancer tissues; and (6) Nuclear Matrix Protein p84 Gene. Seven junctions contained unique cellular sequences. In the remaining eight, the HBV DNA was next to repetitive sequences, five of them of LINE1 type. The cellular genes targeted by HBV are key regulators of cell proliferation and viability. Our results show that studies on HBV-related HCCs allow to identify cellular genes involved in cancer. We therefore propose this approach as a valuable tool for functional cancer genomic studies in humans.

Base Sequence↗

Sequential localization of two herpes simplex virus tegument proteins to punctate nuclear dots adjacent to ICP0 domains.

The subcellular localization of herpes simplex virus tegument proteins during infection is varied and complex. By using viruses expressing tegument proteins tagged with fluorescent proteins, we previously demonstrated that the major tegument protein VP22 exhibits a cytoplasmic localization, whereas the major tegument protein VP13/14 localizes to nuclear replication compartments and punctate domains. Here, we demonstrate the presence of a second minor population of VP22 in nuclear dots similar in appearance to those formed by VP13/14. We have constructed the first-described doubly fluorescence-tagged virus expressing VP22 and VP13/14 as fusion proteins with cyan fluorescent protein and yellow fluorescent protein, respectively. Visualization of both proteins within the same live infected cells has indicated that these two tegument proteins localize to the same nuclear dots but that VP22 appears there earlier than VP13/14. Further studies have shown that these tegument-specific dots are detectable as phase-dense bodies as early as 2 h after infection and that they are different from the previously described nuclear domains that contain capsid proteins. They are also different from the ICP0 domains formed at cellular nuclear domain 10 sites early in infection but, in almost all cases, are located in juxtaposition to these ICP0 domains. Hence, these tegument proteins join a growing number of proteins that are targeted to discrete nuclear domains in the herpesvirus-infected cell nucleus.

Animals↗

Aberrant methylation and simian virus 40 tag sequences in malignant mesothelioma.

Aberrant promoter methylation and resultant silencing of several genes plays an important role in the pathogenesis of many tumor types. We compared the methylation profile of 66 malignant mesotheliomas (MMs) and 40 lung adenocarcinomas using methylation-specific PCR for seven genes frequently methylated in lung cancer. We also compared the methylation frequencies of these genes as well as the methylation index, a reflection of all of the gene frequencies, with the presence of SV40 large T-antigen (Tag) sequences, histological subtype, and patient survival. Our major findings are: (a) with the exception of the RASSF1A promoter of the RASSF1 gene, frequencies of aberrant methylation were significantly lower in MMs than in adenocarcinomas; (b) the frequency of RASSF1A aberrant methylation and the value of the methylation index were significantly higher in SV40 sequence positive MM than in negative MM; and (c) the methylation index was higher in epithelial MM than in sarcomatous/mixed MM. Our results demonstrate a relationship between SV40 and aberrant methylation in MMs.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Female mice chimeric for expression of the simian virus 40 TAg under control of the MISIIR promoter develop epithelial ovarian cancer.

In women, >80% of malignant ovarian tumors are of epithelial origin. Early detection of these tumors is very challenging,and extensive i.p. dissemination is common by the time of diagnosis. The lack of adequate geneticmouse models of ovarian carcinomas significantly delays advances in early detection and treatment. We report that female transgenic mice expressing the transforming region of SV40 under control of the Mullerian inhibitory substance type II receptor gene promoter develop bilateral ovarian tumors in approximately 50% of cases. Histologically, these tumors are poorly differentiated carcinomas with occasional cysts and papillary structures present at the surface of the ovary. These tumors disseminate i.p., invade omentum, and form ascites as do human ovarian carcinomas. The epithelial origin of these tumors is supported by detection of cytokeratins 8 and 19, and the absence of alpha-inhibin, a protein characteristically expressed in normal granulosa cells and most granulosa cell tumors. Cell lines derived from the ascites exhibit the properties of epithelial ovarian cancer, such as anchorage-independent growth, tumorigenicity in immunocompromised mice, expression of epithelial cell markers, and organotropic implantation. The availability of a transgenic mouse model of disseminated ovarian carcinoma and respective cell lines should advance our understanding of this neoplasm, and serve as a useful tool for the evaluation of emerging detection and treatment strategies.

Animals↗

Cyclic cidofovir (cHPMPC) prevents congenital cytomegalovirus infection in a guinea pig model.

BACKGROUND: Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a major public health problem. Antiviral therapies administered during pregnancy might prevent vertical CMV transmission and disease in newborns, but these agents have not been evaluated in clinical trials. The guinea pig model of congenital CMV infection was therefore used to test the hypothesis that antiviral therapy, using the agent agent cyclic cidofovir (cHPMPC), could prevent congenital CMV infection. RESULTS: Pregnant outbred Hartley guinea pigs were challenged in the early-third trimester with guinea pig CMV (GPCMV) and treated with placebo, or the antiviral agent, cyclic cidofovir. To optimize detection of vertical infection, an enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)-tagged virus was employed. Compared to placebo, cyclic cidofovir-treated dams and pups had reduced mortality following GPCMV challenge. The magnitude of GPCMV-induced maternal and fetal mortality in this study was reduced from 5/25 animals in the placebo group to 0/21 animals in the treatment group (p = 0.05, Fisher's exact test). By viral culture assay, antiviral therapy was found to completely prevent GPCMV transmission to the fetus. In control pups, 5/19 (26%) were culture-positive for GPCMV, compared to 0/16 of pups in the cyclic cidofovir treatment group (p < 0.05, Fisher's exact test). CONCLUSION: Antiviral therapy with cyclic cidofovir improves pregnancy outcomes in guinea pigs, and eliminates congenital CMV infection, following viral challenge in the third trimester. This study also demonstrated that an eGFP-tagged recombinant virus, with the reporter gene inserted into a dispensable region of the viral genome, retained virulence, including the potential for congenital transmission, facilitating tissue culture-based detection of congenital infection. These observations provide support for clinical trials of antivirals for reduction of congenital CMV infection.

Animals↗

Baculovirus capsid display: a novel tool for transduction imaging.

Baculoviruses are enveloped insect viruses that can carry large quantities of foreign DNA in their genome. Baculoviruses have proved to be very promising gene therapy vectors but little is known about their transduction mechanisms in mammalian cells. We show in this study that Autographa californica multiple nuclear polyhedrosis virus capsid is compatible with the incorporation of desired proteins in large quantities. Fusions can be made to the N-terminus or C-terminus of the major capsid protein vp39 without compromising the viral titer or functionality. As an example of the baculovirus capsid display we show a tracking of the baculovirus transduction in mammalian cells by an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-displaying virus. Our confocal and electron microscopy results suggest that the transduction block in mammalian cells is not in the endosomal escape, as previously proposed, but rather in the cytoplasmic transport or nuclear entry of the virus capsid. Our results also suggest that the EGFP-tagged virus can be used for visualization of the virus biodistribution in vivo. Furthermore, capsid-modified baculoviruses hold great promise for the nuclear and subcellular targeting of transgenes and as a novel peptide display system for a variety of eukaryotic applications.

Animals↗

Posttranslational acetylation of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 integrase carboxyl-terminal domain is dispensable for viral replication.

A recent report sought to demonstrate that acetylation of specific lysines within integrase (IN) by the histone acetyltransferase (HAT) p300 regulates human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) integration and is essential for viral replication (A. Cereseto, L. Manganaro, M. I. Gutierrez, M. Terreni, A. Fittipaldi, M. Lusic, A. Marcello, and M. Giacca, EMBO J. 24:3070-3081, 2005). We can corroborate the efficient and specific acetylation of the IN carboxyl-terminal domain (CTD) (amino acids 212 to 288) by p300 using purified recombinant components. Although arginine substitution mutagenesis of the isolated CTD confirms that the majority of p300 acetylation occurs at lysine residues 264, 266, and 273, the pattern of acetylation is not uniform and a hierarchy of reactivity can be established. Several combinatorial mutations of the CTD lysines modified by p300 in vitro were reconstructed into an otherwise infectious proviral plasmid clone and examined for viral growth and frequency of productive chromosomal integration. In contrast to the findings of Cereseto and coworkers, who used epitope-tagged viruses for their experiments, we find that an untagged mutant virus, IN K(264/266/273)R, is fully replication competent. This discrepancy may be explained by the use of an acidic epitope tag placed at the extreme carboxyl terminus of integrase, near the target site for acetylation. Although the tagged, wild-type virus is viable, the combination of this epitope tag with the RRR substitution mutation results in a replication-defective phenotype. Although IN belongs to the very small set of nonhistone proteins modified by HAT-mediated activity, an obligate role for acetylation at the reactive CTD lysines in HIV-1 IN cannot be confirmed.

Acetylation↗

A novel small reporter gene and HIV-1 fitness assay.

Most currently available HIV-1 reporter gene constructs are large and disrupt the nef reading frame. This report describes a novel reporter gene based on the small murine heat stable antigen (HSA) protein, which is expressed on the surface of infected cells. This HSA reporter can be inserted in the vpr reading frame, leaving nef intact. Nine amino acids from the extracellular domain of HSA are replaced with an influenza hemagglutinin (HA) antibody epitope (HSA-HA). Like the parental reporter protein, this novel reporter is expressed on the surface of infected cells. Antibodies for HSA and HA specifically detect reporter viruses with each construct, indicating disruption of the original HSA antibody epitope. Finally, a strategy is developed to detect each reporter virus by real-time PCR quantitation. The growth of viruses tagged with each reporter allows precise assessment of the relative growth of viruses differing in mutations of interest. Moreover, the availability of these reporters in either of two half-genome plasmids allows convenient production of reporter and non-reporter HIV-1 by co-transfection of appropriately paired plasmids. These paired reporter viruses offer a potentially useful standardized method for measurement of HIV-1 fitness in competition assays.

Alanine↗

Tobravirus 2b protein acts in trans to facilitate transmission by nematodes.

Analysis of RNA2 of TRV PaY4 showed it to be recombinant, carrying 3'-terminal sequences derived from RNA1. Virus produced using an infectious cDNA clone of PaY4 RNA2 was nematode transmissible, demonstrating that natural TRV recombinant isolates are not necessarily defective. Mutations introduced into PaY4 RNA2 showed that the 2b gene, but not the 2c gene, is required for transmission by both Paratrichodorus pachydermus and P. anemones nematodes. Experiments examined whether infection of plants with two different virus clones would impact upon nematode transmission of either virus. Simultaneous inoculation with TRV clones expressing green or red fluorescent proteins revealed that mixing of the two virus populations did not occur, although, in roots, adjacent cells were found containing green- or red-tagged viruses. Subsequently, in similar experiments it was found that a TRV PaY4 2b mutant was transmitted when combined with wild-type TRV PaY4. Also, transmission of a 2b mutant of an in vitro TRV/PEBV recombinant virus (TRV-C1) occurred after coinfection with wild-type virus. Thus, the tobravirus 2b transmission protein is trans-acting. Although TRV PaY4 and TRV PpK20 are both transmitted by P. pachydermus, a 2b mutant of TRV PaY4 was not transmitted when coinoculated to plants with TRV PpK20.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Tracking fluorescence-labeled rabies virus: enhanced green fluorescent protein-tagged phosphoprotein P supports virus gene expression and formation of infectious particles.

Rhabdoviruses such as rabies virus (RV) encode only five multifunctional proteins accomplishing viral gene expression and virus formation. The viral phosphoprotein, P, is a structural component of the viral ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex and an essential cofactor for the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. We show here that RV P fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) can substitute for P throughout the viral life cycle, allowing fluorescence labeling and tracking of RV RNPs under live cell conditions. To first assess the functions of P fusion constructs, a recombinant RV lacking the P gene, SAD DeltaP, was complemented in cell lines constitutively expressing eGFP-P or P-eGFP fusion proteins. P-eGFP supported the rapid accumulation of viral mRNAs but led to low infectious-virus titers, suggesting impairment of virus formation. In contrast, complementation with eGFP-P resulted in slower accumulation of mRNAs but similar infectious titers, suggesting interference with polymerase activity rather than with virus formation. Fluorescence microscopy allowed the detection of eGFP-P-labeled extracellular virus particles and tracking of cell binding and temperature-dependent internalization into intracellular vesicles. Recombinant RVs expressing eGFP-P or an eGFP-P mutant lacking the binding site for dynein light chain 1 (DLC1) instead of P were used to track interaction with cellular proteins. In cells expressing a DsRed-labeled DLC1, colocalization of DLC1 with eGFP-P but not with the mutant P was observed. Fluorescent labeling of RV RNPs will allow further dissection of virus entry, replication, and egress under live-cell conditions as well as cell interactions.

Animals↗

HSP70 homolog functions in cell-to-cell movement of a plant virus.

Plant closteroviruses encode a homolog of the HSP70 (heat shock protein, 70 kDa) family of cellular proteins. To facilitate studies of the function of HSP70 homolog (HSP70h) in viral infection, the beet yellows closterovirus (BYV) was modified to express green fluorescent protein. This tagged virus was competent in cell-to-cell movement, producing multicellular infection foci similar to those formed by the wild-type BYV. Inactivation of the HSP70h gene by replacement of the start codon or by deletion of 493 codons resulted in complete arrest of BYV translocation from cell to cell. Identical movement-deficient phenotypes were observed in BYV variants possessing HSP70h that lacked the computer-predicted ATPase domain or the C-terminal domain, or that harbored point mutations in the putative catalytic site of the ATPase. These results demonstrate that the virus-specific member of the HSP70 family of molecular chaperones functions in intercellular translocation and represents an additional type of a plant viral-movement protein.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

Authentic and chimeric full-length genomic cDNA clones of bovine viral diarrhea virus that yield infectious transcripts.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is the most insidious and devastating viral pathogen of cattle in the United States. Disease control approaches must be based on detailed knowledge of virus biology. To develop reverse-genetic systems to study the molecular biology of the virus, we first constructed a plasmid containing the entire genome of BVDV cloned as cDNA. Subsequently, we showed that infectious BVDV was produced by cells transfected with uncapped RNA transcribed in vitro from the cDNA clone. This result defined functional 5' and 3' termini in viral genomic RNA and established the biological importance of the proposed internal ribosome entry site element in the 5' untranslated region of the viral genome. BVDV rescued from the infectious cDNA clone has an in vitro phenotype similar to that of the wild-type parent, the National Animal Disease Laboratory strain of BVDV. A deletion of a single codon in the full-length genomic BVDV cDNA clone, encoding glutamic acid at position 1600, gave rise to sequence-tagged virus easily identified by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of reverse transcription-PCR amplicons. Suitability of the molecular clone of BVDV for genomic manipulations was shown by substitution of the major envelope glycoprotein E2/gp53 with that of the Singer strain, giving rise to a chimeric virus. The predicted change in antigenic structure of the chimeric virus could be readily identified with strain-specific monoclonal antibodies by neutralization and immunofluorescence assays. Immediate applications of this system include development of safe and effective live vaccine strains possessing predetermined defined attenuating mutations.

Animals↗

Changes in the N- and C-terminal sequences of the murine R7 Gag-tMos protein affect brain lesion induction.

Our preliminary studies suggested that the novel gag-truncated mos (tmos) open reading frame (ORF) of R7, a spontaneous deletion mutant of Moloney murine sarcoma virus 124 (MoMuSV124), may be responsible for R7's unique ability to induce brain lesions in all R7-injected mice. However, when we replaced the gag-tmos ORF with either the MoMuSV124 or the homologous myeloproliferative sarcoma virus env-mos gene, we found that both recombinant viruses also induced brain lesions in all injected mice. Although these studies suggested that the critical determinants for brain lesion induction may reside in the tmos sequence common to all three viruses, they did not demonstrate if the N-terminus of Mos was dispensable for this activity. By inserting the FLAG sequence at the 3' end of the R7 gag-tmos ORF, we demonstrated that R7 does synthesize a Gag-tMos fusion protein. Using R7 gag deletion mutants with and without the FLAG sequence, we further demonstrated that (i) deletion of the entire gag sequence abolished R7's transforming activity; (ii) the ability of the virus to transform cultured NIH/3T3 cells was significantly reduced only when most of gag was deleted; (iii) the ability of the virus to induce brain lesions was inversely proportional to the extent of its gag deletions; and (iv) the insertion of FLAG at the Mos C-terminus did not reduce the in vitro transforming activity of the FLAG-tagged viruses but did reduce their ability to induce brain lesions. Thus, we have demonstrated that altering the N- or C-terminus of the R7 Gag-tMos fusion protein can affect disease manifestation.

3T3 Cells↗