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Development and Characterization of an Inducible Bacterial Artificial Chromosome System for Studying Lytic Replication and Pathogenesis of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus.

Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) is widely used to manipulate herpesvirus genome and generate recombinant virus. Here, we developed a new KSHV BACmid, namely as iBAC, by replacing the EGFP with TET3G transactivator under EF1α promoter and inserted Tet response elements in the promoter of RTA in the original KSHV BAC16 clone and characterized KSHV lytic replication in SLK-iBAC cells. SLK-iBAC cells developed more efficient lytic replication and generated more progeny virus than iSLK-BAC16 cells upon the same conditions of doxycycline treatment. Since SLK-iBAC cells only occupied hygromycin selection marker, it is convenient to generate cellular gene knockout via lentivirus-mediated CRISPR-Cas9 or stably express viral or cellular gene via lentivirus followed by antibiotic selection, making iBAC system a better tool to identify cellular targets of viral proteins in the context of virus infection or study the role of viral or cellular genes for KSHV lytic replication and pathogenesis. In addition, iBAC is color-free and can be utilized to track subcellular localization of viral proteins or colocalization between different viral proteins by introducing fusing fluorescent proteins into the BAC backbone. Therefore, the new KSHV iBAC is a powerful inducible tool to study KSHV lytic replication and pathogenesis in cell model.

Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial

Rapid Generation of Reverse Genetics Systems for Coronavirus Research and High-Throughput Antiviral Screening Using Gibson DNA Assembly.

Coronaviruses (CoVs) pose a significant threat to human health, as demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The large size of the CoV genome (around 30 kb) represents a major obstacle to the development of reverse genetics systems, which are invaluable for basic research and antiviral drug screening. In this study, we established a rapid and convenient method for generating reverse genetic systems for various CoVs using a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) vector and Gibson DNA assembly. Using this system, we constructed infectious cDNA clones of coronaviruses from three genera: human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) of the genus Alphacoronavirus, mouse hepatitis virus A59 (MHV-59) of Betacoronavirus, and porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV-Haiti) of Deltacoronavirus. Since beta coronaviruses including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) represent major human pathogens, we modified the infectious clone of the beta coronavirus MHV-A59 by replacing its NS5a gene with a fluorescent reporter gene to create a system suitable for high-throughput drug screening. Thus, this study provides a practical and cost-effective approach to developing reverse genetics platforms for CoV research and antiviral drug screening.

Reverse Genetics

Construction and evaluation of an independently generated transgenic mouse model carrying mutated human HRAS genes for short-term carcinogenicity assessment.

The study aimed to construct and evaluate an independently generated transgenic mouse model applied to the short-term carcinogenicity assessment. Mutated human HRAS fragment containing an intron point-mutation was inserted into C57BL/6JGpt mice via bacterial artificial chromosome transgenic technology, eventually generating BALB/c;B6J-Tg(hHRAS)16/Gpt mice, abbreviated as HRAS mice. The inserted human HRAS fragment in HRAS mice was characterized, revealing five tandem copies at chromosome 19. Baseline profiles, including biochemical, hematological, immunophenotypic, survival, and carcinogenic data of HRAS mice, were collected. To evaluate the tumor susceptibility in HRAS mice, we applied N-Nitroso-N-methylurea (MNU) to HRAS mice in a short-term carcinogenicity assessment conducted according to Good Laboratory Practice. The genetic characteristics of HRAS mice include five tandem arrays of mutated human HRAS fragments located in genomic coordinate 7,755,606 on chromosome 19 and the duplication of a 9-kilobase genome sequence (genomic coordinate 7,755,606-7,746,509) located on chromosome 19. HRAS mice showed a relatively lower incidence and range of spontaneous tumor formation during long-term observation compared to CByB6F1-Tg(HRAS)2Jic (Tg.rasH2) transgenic mice. The short-term carcinogenicity assessment showed a strong tumor response to MNU, with high incidences of lymphoma (≥ 90%) and stomach squamous cell papilloma (≥ 90%) in both male and female HRAS mice. The HRAS mice showed susceptibility to MNU and exhibited baseline characteristics distinct from those of Tg.rasH2 mice. The co-expression of HRAS and MKI67 at the cellular localization level was found in neoplasms of HRAS mice. These findings preliminarily evaluated the feasibility of HRAS mice applied to the short-term carcinogenicity assessment.

Animals

Combinatorial genome engineering of pseudorabies virus Bartha by developing a reverse genetic system based on three overlapping genomic segments.

INTRODUCTION: The 138-kilobase genome of pseudorabies virus vaccine strain Bartha K61 harbors many nonessential genes for replication and exhibits remarkable capacity for incorporating foreign genes for therapeutic applications. However, the large size of the Bartha genome complicates its efficient engineering. OBJECTIVES: Development of a reverse genetic system for pseudorabies virus Bartha based on three overlapping genomic segments to facilitate multiplex genome engineering. METHODS: The 138-kb genome of Bartha was split into three overlapping segments (42 kb, 43 kb, and 53 kb), each cloned in a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) to facilitate genome engineering. The infectious virus was reconstituted by transfecting the 3 genomic fragments released from the BACs into Vero cells in which a complete virus genome was assembled using 2-kb overlaps between adjacent pieces. RESULTS: Employing the reverse genetic system, we individually deleted 15 candidate nonessential genes and confirmed that 10 were dispensable for viral growth in cell culture. Deletion of 7 nonessential genes had no impact on viral growth, whereas UL47 deletion reduced viral growth rate and deletions of UL44, UL47, or US3 resulted in smaller viral plaques. A total of 45 viral genomes with double deletions of nonessential genes were constructed, among which 22 were successfully rescued into infectious virions. Fifteen double-deletion mutant viruses had a viral titer comparable with the wild-type Bartha, while the remaining 7 showed a lower titer. Additionally, expressions of the mNeonGreen reporter gene at nonessential gene loci were evaluated. Cells infected with recombinant viruses carrying mNeonGreen at 8 loci showed strong green fluorescence, whereas those with mNeonGreen at 2 loci exhibited very weak fluorescence. CONCLUSION: The reverse genetic system developed in this study enables rapid and combinatorial engineering of viruses with the large DNA genome, and will accelerate development of large DNA virus-based therapeutics including live-attenuated vaccines, vector vaccines, and oncolytic herpesviruses.

Herpesvirus 1, Suid

1-Mb resolution array-based comparative genomic hybridization using a BAC clone set optimized for cancer gene analysis.

Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) is a recently developed tool for genome-wide determination of DNA copy number alterations. This technology has tremendous potential for disease-gene discovery in cancer and developmental disorders as well as numerous other applications. However, widespread utilization of a CGH has been limited by the lack of well characterized, high-resolution clone sets optimized for consistent performance in aCGH assays and specifically designed analytic software. We have assembled a set of approximately 4100 publicly available human bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones evenly spaced at approximately 1-Mb resolution across the genome, which includes direct coverage of approximately 400 known cancer genes. This aCGH-optimized clone set was compiled from five existing sets, experimentally refined, and supplemented for higher resolution and enhancing mapping capabilities. This clone set is associated with a public online resource containing detailed clone mapping data, protocols for the construction and use of arrays, and a suite of analytical software tools designed specifically for aCGH analysis. These resources should greatly facilitate the use of aCGH in gene discovery.

Cell Line, Tumor

Two CENH3 paralogs in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii have a redundantly essential function and associate with ZeppL-LINE1 elements.

Centromeres in eukaryotes are defined by the presence of histone H3 variant CENP-A/CENH3. Chlamydomonas encodes two predicted CENH3 paralogs, CENH3.1 and CENH3.2, that have not been previously characterized. We generated peptide antibodies to unique N-terminal epitopes for each of the two predicted Chlamydomonas CENH3 paralogs as well as an antibody against a shared CENH3 epitope. All three CENH3 antibodies recognized proteins of the expected size on immunoblots and had punctate nuclear immunofluorescence staining patterns. These results are consistent with both paralogs being expressed and localized to centromeres. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated insertional mutagenesis was used to generate predicted null mutations in either CENH3.1 or CENH3.2. Single mutants were viable but cenh3.1 cenh3.2 double mutants were not recovered, confirming that the function of CENH3 is essential. We sequenced and assembled two chromosome-scale Chlamydomonas genomes from strains CC-400 and UL-1690 (a derivative of CC-1690) with complete centromere sequences for 17/17 and 14/17 chromosomes respectively, enabling us to compare centromere evolution across four isolates with near complete assemblies. These data revealed significant changes across isolates between homologous centromeres including mobility and degeneration of ZeppL-LINE1 (ZeppL) transposons that comprise the major centromere repeat sequence in Chlamydomonas. We used cleavage under targets and tagmentation (CUT&Tag) to purify and map CENH3-bound genomic sequences and found enrichment of CENH3-binding almost exclusively at predicted centromere regions. An interesting exception was chromosome 2 in UL-1690, which had enrichment at its genetically mapped centromere repeat region as well as a second, distal location, centered around a single recently acquired ZeppL insertion. The CENH3-bound regions of the 17 Chlamydomonas centromeres ranged from 63.5 kb (average lower estimate) to 175 kb (average upper estimate). The relatively small size of its centromeres suggests that Chlamydomonas may be a useful organism for testing and deploying artificial chromosome technologies.

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Interstrain Recombinants of Human Cytomegalovirus Reveal Complex Genetic Correlates and Epistasis Influencing Glycoprotein Display, Virion Infectivity and Spread Characteristics.

Most of the nucleotide diversity in the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genome is due to approximately 17 genes with 2-14 alleles each. These allelic genes are interspersed among longer stretches of highly conserved sequences with signatures of extensive recombination that would shuffle the allelic genes into a vast number of allelic haplotypes. Bacterial artificial chromosome clones derived from 3 independent clinical isolates (TB40/e (TB), TR and Merlin (ME)) display dramatic differences in the abundance of entry-mediating glycoproteins gH/gL/gO and gH/gL/UL128-131, virion infectivity and efficiency of cell-free and cell-to-cell modes of spread. Of these, TB and ME are the most phenotypically different and share only 2 of the 17 allelic genes. A set of recombinant HCMV was generated by coinfecting cells with TB and ME and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses demonstrated complex crossover patterns. Most recombinants were either "TB-like" with much more gH/gL/gO than gH/gL/UL128-131, or "ME-like" with much more gH/gL/UL128-131. This correlated with a TB or ME UL128 sequence, consistent with a G/T polymorphism affecting UL128 pre-mRNA splicing. One recombinant had a gH/gL/gO:gH/gL/UL128-131 ratio of 0.8, suggesting genetic determinants beyond UL128. Virion infectivity correlated with TB versus ME-like glycoprotein display, but intragroup variability indicated additional factors and variability in spread efficiency and the contribution of cell-free and cell-to-cell spread modes indicated an influence of characteristics beyond virion infectivity. Results suggest that the relationships among these three phenotypes are not strictly causal and that all three phenotypes are genetically complex and influenced by epistasis among polymorphic loci across the genome.

Journal Article

Genomic characterization of the attenuated human cytomegalovirus strain TR-VAC developed for subviral particle vaccine production.

We report the complete genome sequence of the attenuated human cytomegalovirus strain TR-VAC, developed for subviral particle vaccine production. Oxford Nanopore duplex sequencing confirmed all engineered modifications, including UL130 repair, UL25 stop codons, ddFKBP insertion, GFP deletion, and retention of the bacterial artificial chromosome backbone, without large-scale structural rearrangements.

Human cytomegalovirus

Marek's disease virus-1 unique gene LORF1 is involved in viral replication and MDV-1/Md5-induced atrophy of the bursa of Fabricius.

Marek's disease virus (MDV), an alphaherpesvirus, causes severe immunosuppression and T cell lymphomas in chickens, known as Marek's disease (MD), an economically important poultry disease primarily controlled by vaccination. Importantly, it also serves as a comparative model for studying herpesvirus-induced tumor formation in humans. MDV encodes more than 100 genes, most of which have unknown functions. MDV LORF1 is unique to serotype I MDV (MDV-1), lacking homologs in other herpesviruses, and has not been explored yet. To this end, an infectious bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) harboring the complete genome of the MDV-1 very virulent strain Md5 was generated, and the rescued rMd5 maintained biological properties similar to the parental virus both in vitro and in vivo. Subsequently, rMd5ΔLORF1, a recombinant Md5 virus deficient in pLORF1 expression, was generated by a frameshift mutation in the LORF1 gene. Chickens infected with rMd5ΔLORF1 exhibited a lower mortality rate and delayed bursal atrophy than those infected with the parental rMd5 and the revertant virus (rMd5-reLORF1). Consistently, viral loads of rMd5ΔLORF1 were obviously lower than those of rMd5 or rMd5-reLORF1 in the bursa, but not in the spleen. Importantly, we found that pLORF1 deficiency impairs viral replication in bursal B cells. Furthermore, we showed that pLORF1 associated with the cellular membrane, interacted with MDV structural proteins, and exhibited punctate colocalization with tegument or capsid proteins in the cytoplasm. Taken together, this study demonstrates for the first time that the MDV-1 unique gene LORF1 is involved in MDV-induced bursal atrophy but not in tumor formation.

Animals

[Study of chromosome characteristics of artificially-induced ascite tumors].

Some ascite tumours have been induced in rat by intraperitoneal injection of RadLV and in mouse by intraperitoneal injection of RadLV, or of protozoa such as Trypanosoma brucei and Toxoplasma gondii. Cytological examination of the resulting ascite tumours has shown that chromosome aberrations were associated with the presence of C and A viral particles.

Animals

Acidic transcription factors position the genome at nuclear speckles through transcription-dependent and -independent mechanisms.

A small fraction of the genome reproducibly positions near nuclear speckles (NSs), increasing the expression and/or splicing efficiency of NS-associated genes. How specific genomic regions in mammalian cells are targeted to NSs remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate the establishment of genome-wide NS association without active transcription. We show that DNA sequences derived from NS-associated regions, when integrated as transgenes, are autonomously targeted to NSs. By systematically dissecting one such genomic locus, the COL1A1-SGCA locus, we identified redundant NS-targeting cis-regulatory elements, including an ∼600-bp fragment with 17 binding motifs for 8 transcription factors (TFs). Four NS-targeting TFs within this fragment contain acidic activation domains (AADs) that provide both chromatin-context and transcription-dependent NS targeting, properties that appear to be common among several other tested AADs. A subset of acidic activator TFs contains an additional, transcription-independent NS-targeting activity. Our findings establish diverse and partially redundant NS-targeting activities, which may facilitate dynamic gene positioning at the NS periphery for context-specific transcriptional responses.

Transcription, Genetic

Construction of a 2-Mb resolution BAC microarray for CGH analysis of canine tumors.

Recognition of the domestic dog as a model for the comparative study of human genetic traits has led to major advances in canine genomics. The pathophysiological similarities shared between many human and dog diseases extend to a range of cancers. Human tumors frequently display recurrent chromosome aberrations, many of which are hallmarks of particular tumor subtypes. Using a range of molecular cytogenetic techniques we have generated evidence indicating that this is also true of canine tumors. Detailed knowledge of these genomic abnormalities has the potential to aid diagnosis, prognosis, and the selection of appropriate therapy in both species. We recently improved the efficiency and resolution of canine cancer cytogenetics studies by developing a small-scale genomic microarray comprising a panel of canine BAC clones representing subgenomic regions of particular interest. We have now extended these studies to generate a comprehensive canine comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) array that comprises 1158 canine BAC clones ordered throughout the genome with an average interval of 2 Mb. Most of the clones (84.3%) have been assigned to a precise cytogenetic location by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and 98.5% are also directly anchored within the current canine genome assembly, permitting direct translation from cytogenetic aberration to DNA sequence. We are now using this resource routinely for high-throughput array CGH and single-locus probe analysis of a range of canine cancers. Here we provide examples of the varied applications of this resource to tumor cytogenetics, in combination with other molecular cytogenetic techniques.

Animals

A bireporter recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.5 for in vitro and in vivo studies.

The continuous emergence of variants of concern (VoCs) represents a significant challenge to effectively control severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Although FDA-approved vaccines and antivirals have been successfully developed and implemented for the prophylactic and therapeutic intervention of SARS-CoV-2 infection, recent VoCs could escape protection garnered by previous vaccine and antiviral approaches. Determining the efficacy of prophylactics and/or therapeutics against recent VoCs will assist in efficiently controlling currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains. We used our previously described bacterial artificial chromosome-based reverse genetics approach for Omicron BA.5 to generate a recombinant SARS-CoV-2 BA.5 encoding a fusion of ZsGreen to Nanoluciferase (rBA.5 ZsG-Nluc) from the locus of the viral nucleocapsid (N) protein separated by the porcine teschovirus-1 2A proteolytic cleavage site. The rBA.5 ZsG-Nluc replicates to levels comparable to recombinant BA.5 wild type (rBA.5 WT) and expresses high levels of ZsG and Nluc in cultured cells. This facilitates tracking viral infection and the identification of antivirals and neutralizing antibodies with EC50 and NT50 values, respectively, similar to those obtained with rBA.5 WT. Importantly, in Keratin-18 human angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 mice, rBA.5 ZsG-Nluc retains the same pathogenicity and ability to replicate in the lungs of infected mice as rBA.5 WT. Using rBA.5 ZsG-Nluc, we detected Nluc activity systemically and Nluc and ZsG expression in the lungs of infected mice using an in vivo imaging system. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of using rBA.5 ZsG-Nluc to track viral infections and identify prophylactics and therapeutics against recent SARS-CoV-2 VoCs in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo.IMPORTANCESevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative virus of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, is continually evolving to escape immunity acquired by previous natural infections or vaccinations. Moreover, recent SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs) have acquired antiviral-resistant mutations to FDA-approved drugs. The emergence of these VoCs highlights the importance of identifying new prophylactics and therapeutics against currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 strains. We generated a recombinant bireporter Omicron BA.5 SARS-CoV-2 (rBA.5 ZsG-Nluc) that expresses reporter proteins, which are useful for cellular and whole animal studies, and has similar viral replication and pathogenicity to a wild-type recombinant Omicron BA.5 SARS-CoV-2. In Keratin-18 human angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 mice, rBA.5 ZsG-Nluc infection can be tracked systemically or in the lungs of infected mice using an in vivo imaging system. We establish a proof-of-concept platform of rBA.5 ZsG-Nluc in combination with an ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain expressing mCherry to simultaneously identify antivirals and neutralizing antibodies against original and recent SARS-CoV-2 strains.

SARS-CoV-2

Chromosomal anomalies of preimplantation rabbit blastocysts and human artificial abortuses in relation to maternal age.

It is well established that in man there is a higher frequency of chromosomally and phenotypically abnormal offspring and a decline in fertility as maternal age increases. This paper describes preliminary work on some chromosomal aspects of 5- and 6-day old preimplantation rabbit embryos, with attention to maternal age dependence of chromosome anomalies. Chromosome preparations were made by a modification of the method of Shaver and Carr (1967). Two trisomic blastocysts were observed among 50 embryos examined from 10 does of 40 to 52 months of age, that is, 45XY with an extra submetacentric chromosome and 45XX with an extra acrocentric chromosome. In man, three trisomies (47XX, G+, 47XX, D+, and 47XY, G+), one monosomy (45X or 45XX, C-) and one double trisomy (48XY, C+, E+ or 48XXY, E+) were karyotyped out of 32 early induced abortuses from women older than 40. Among the 22, induced abortuses analyzed from women between 35 and 39, one trisomic embryo of 47XY, G+ was observed.

Abortion, Induced

Can polymorphism be maintained by selection favouring an intermediate optimum phenotype?

Populations of Drosophila melanogaster containing the special chromosome, M-5, were subjected to artificial selection to canalise scutellar bristle phenotype at four bristles. At the end of the experiment allele frequencies at three enzyme loci were measured. In the selected population, these frequencies were found to have diverged from their starting values less than would have been predicted on the basis of random genetic drift. This was not found in control populations or in populations selected for low bristle number.

Alleles

The separation of X-and Y-spermatozoa with regard to the possible clinical application by means of artificial insemination.

With the sephadex gel-filtration method according to Steeno and Adimoelja (1974), X-spermatozoa have been successfully separated from the Y-spermatozoa in semen samples from 81 donors with the possibility of practical use with the aid of artificial insemination to promote pregnancy. A better quality of spermatozoa is obtained after this method of filtration, which will support these spermatozoa in having the potency of fertilization. There is indeed a decrease in concentration of spermatozoa after filtration, but the samples still fulfil the minimal concentration required in artificial insemination.

Cell Separation

Induction of triploidy in the newt Pleurodeles waltlii by heat shock or hydrostatic pressure: interpretation of the different types of ploidy using a chromosomal marker.

Eggs of diploid females of Pleurodeles waltii, fertilized artificially by waltlii sperm, have been submitted to increased temperature of hydrostatic pressure during the first hour of development. Of the resulting viable individuals about 95% were triploid, the remainder diploid or tetraploid. Other types of ploidy have been observed in abnormal embryos (n, 2n/4n, 5n, n/5n, 6n). Some of the treated eggs came from females with a marker chromosome (pericentric inversion). The karyotypes of the animals developing from such eggs confirm that triploidy results from retention of the second polar body and make it possible to interpret the origin of the other types of ploidy. From the results it can be envisaged how gynogenetic animals can be obtained from eggs inseminated by inactivated sperm and shock-treated to restore diploidy.

Aneuploidy