scholarly journals Characterization of the untranslated region of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus S segment

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Taniguchi ◽  
Tomoki Yoshikawa ◽  
Masayuki Shimojima ◽  
Shuetsu Fukushi ◽  
Takeshi Kurosu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Genome ◽  
Lethal Dose ◽  
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis ◽  
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus ◽  
Untranslated Regions ◽  
Genome Replication ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Viral Genome Replication

ABSTRACTLymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a prototypic arenavirus. The viral genome consists of two RNA segments, L and S. The 5’- and 3’-termini of both L and S segments are highly conserved among arenaviruses. These regions consist of 19 complementary base pairs and are essential for viral genome replication and transcription. In addition to these 19 nucleotides in the 5’- and 3’-termini, there are untranslated regions (UTRs) composed of 58 and 41 nucleotide residues in the 5’ and 3’ UTRs, respectively, in the LCMV S segment. Their functional roles, however, have yet to be elucidated. In this study, a reverse genetics and a minigenome system for the LCMV strain WE were established and used to analyze the function of these regions. The results obtained from these analyses, plus RNA secondary structure prediction, revealed that not only these 19 nucleotides but also the 20th–40th and 20th–38th nucleotides located downstream of the 19 nucleotides in the 5’- and 3’-termini, respectively, are heavily involved in viral genome replication and transcription. Furthermore, the introduction of mutations in these regions depressed viral propagation in vitro and enhanced attenuation in vivo. Conversely, recombinant LCMVs (rLCMVs), which had various deletions in the other UTRs, propagated as well as wild-type LCMV in vitro but were attenuated in vivo. Most mice previously infected with rLCMVs with mutated UTRs, when further infected with a lethal dose of wild-type LCMV, survived. These results suggest that rLCMVs with mutated UTRs could be candidates for an LCMV vaccine.IMPORTANCEThe function of untranslated regions (UTRs) of the arenavirus genome has not well been studied except for the 19 nucleotides of the 5’- and 3’-termini. In this study the function of the UTRs of the LCMV S segment was analyzed. It was found that not only the 19 nucleotides of the 5’- and 3’-termini but also the 20th–40th and 20th–38th nucleotides located downstream of the 19 nucleotides in the 5’- and 3’-termini, respectively, were involved in viral genome replication and transcription. Furthermore, other UTRs in the S segment were involved in virulence in vivo. The introduction of mutations to these regions makes it possible to establish attenuated LCMV and potentially develop LCMV vaccine candidates.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Function of the Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus S Segment Untranslated Region on Growth Capacity In Vitro and on Virulence In Vivo

Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 896
Author(s):  
Satoshi Taniguchi ◽  
Tomoki Yoshikawa ◽  
Masayuki Shimojima ◽  
Shuetsu Fukushi ◽  
Takeshi Kurosu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reverse Genetics ◽  
Vero Cells ◽  
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis ◽  
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus ◽  
Genome Replication ◽  
Growth Capacity ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Viral Genome Replication

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a prototypic arenavirus. The function of untranslated regions (UTRs) of the LCMV genome has not been well studied except for the extreme 19 nucleotide residues of both the 5′ and 3′ termini. There are internal UTRs composed of 58 and 41 nucleotide residues in the 5′ and 3′ UTRs, respectively, in the LCMV S segment. Their functional roles have yet to be elucidated. In this study, reverse genetics and minigenome systems were established for LCMV strain WE and the function of these regions were analyzed. It was revealed that nucleotides 20–40 and 20–38 located downstream of the 19 nucleotides in the 5′ and 3′ termini, respectively, were involved in viral genome replication and transcription. Furthermore, it was revealed that the other internal UTRs (nucleotides 41–77 and 39–60 in the 5′ and 3′ termini, respectively) in the S segment were involved in virulence in vivo, even though these regions did not affect viral growth capacity in Vero cells. The introduction of LCMV with mutations in these regions attenuates the virus and may enable the production of LCMV vaccine candidates.

scholarly journals Reovirus Nonstructural Protein σNS Acts as an RNA Stability Factor Promoting Viral Genome Replication

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula F. Zamora ◽  
Liya Hu ◽  
Jonathan J. Knowlton ◽  
Roni M. Lahr ◽  
Rodolfo A. Moreno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Virus Replication ◽  
Viral Genome ◽  
Nonstructural Protein ◽  
Dsrna Virus ◽  
Genome Replication ◽  
Nonstructural Proteins ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Family ◽  
Viral Genome Replication

ABSTRACTViral nonstructural proteins, which are not packaged into virions, are essential for the replication of most viruses. Reovirus, a nonenveloped, double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus, encodes three nonstructural proteins that are required for viral replication and dissemination in the host. The reovirus nonstructural protein σNS is a single-stranded RNA (ssRNA)-binding protein that must be expressed in infected cells for production of viral progeny. However, the activities of σNS during individual steps of the reovirus replication cycle are poorly understood. We explored the function of σNS by disrupting its expression during infection using cells expressing a small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting the σNS-encoding S3 gene and found that σNS is required for viral genome replication. Using complementary biochemical assays, we determined that σNS forms complexes with viral and nonviral RNAs. We also discovered, usingin vitroand cell-based RNA degradation experiments, that σNS increases the RNA half-life. Cryo-electron microscopy revealed that σNS and ssRNAs organize into long, filamentous structures. Collectively, our findings indicate that σNS functions as an RNA-binding protein that increases the viral RNA half-life. These results suggest that σNS forms RNA-protein complexes in preparation for genome replication.IMPORTANCEFollowing infection, viruses synthesize nonstructural proteins that mediate viral replication and promote dissemination. Viruses from the familyReoviridaeencode nonstructural proteins that are required for the formation of progeny viruses. Although nonstructural proteins of different viruses in the familyReoviridaediverge in primary sequence, they are functionally homologous and appear to facilitate conserved mechanisms of dsRNA virus replication. Usingin vitroand cell culture approaches, we found that the mammalian reovirus nonstructural protein σNS binds and stabilizes viral RNA and is required for genome synthesis. This work contributes new knowledge about basic mechanisms of dsRNA virus replication and provides a foundation for future studies to determine how viruses in the familyReoviridaeassort and replicate their genomes.

scholarly journals Location of sequences in polyomavirus DNA that are required for early gene expression in vivo and in vitro.

1984 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. 2594-2609 ◽  
Author(s):  
C R Mueller ◽  
A M Mes-Masson ◽  
M Bouvier ◽  
J A Hassell
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Thymidine Kinase ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Viral Genome ◽  
Simian Virus 40 ◽  
Early Gene ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Transcription In Vitro

To define the DNA sequences required for the expression of the polyomavirus early transcription unit, we cloned part of the viral genome in a plasmid vector, isolated mutants bearing lesions introduced in vitro within DNA sequences upstream of the transcriptional start site, and measured the capacity of these various mutant genomes to transform cells and to function as templates for transcription in vitro by comparison with wild-type DNA. One set of mutants bore 5' unidirectional deletions beginning at position -810 and extending downstream to position +4. Another set of mutants bore 3' undirectional deletions starting at position +4 and progressing upstream to position -311. The last set of mutants bore internal deletions between positions -810 and +4. Analyses of the properties of these mutant DNAs led us to conclude that the region between positions -403 and -311 includes an enhancer of gene expression. Deletion of this area from the viral genome reduced gene expression in vivo to 1 to 2% of wild-type levels, as measured by transformation assays. Moreover, this region increased the frequency of transformation of thymidine kinase-negative Rat-2 cells by the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (tk) gene from 5- to 20-fold. This occurred only if the polyomavirus sequences were covalently linked to the tk gene and then occurred independently of their orientation or position relative to the tk gene. A second transcriptional element is located downstream of the enhancer between positions -311 and -213. This element together with the enhancer was sufficient to bring about transformation of Rat-1 cells at nearly wild-type frequencies, and together these elements constitute the minimal sequences required for gene expression in vivo. The sequences making up the second element may be functionally duplicated downstream of position -165 (between positions -165 and -60). This was revealed by the characterization of mutant genomes with deletions between positions -349 and -60. The role of these redundant elements is not known; however, they may be analogous to the 21-base-pair repeats of simian virus 40. Finally, sequences between positions -57 and -1 were required for accurate and efficient transcription in vitro. However, this DNA stretch, which includes the TATA box and major transcriptional start sites, was not absolutely required for gene expression in vivo. We conclude that the polyomavirus promoter comprises multiple functional elements which are distributed across a DNA stretch of about 400 base pairs.

scholarly journals Construction, Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization, and Immunogenicity of Attenuated ΔguaBA Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhi Strain CVD 915

2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 4734-4741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Yuang Wang ◽  
Marcela F. Pasetti ◽  
Fernando R. Noriega ◽  
Richard J. Anderson ◽  
Steven S. Wasserman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Strain ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Lethal Dose ◽  
Phenotypic Characterization ◽  
Typhoid Vaccine ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Gene Encoding

ABSTRACT A promising live attenuated typhoid vaccine candidate strain for mucosal immunization was developed by introducing a deletion in theguaBA locus of pathogenic Salmonella entericaserovar Typhi strain Ty2. The resultant ΔguaBA mutant, serovar Typhi CVD 915, has a gene encoding resistance to arsenite replacing the deleted sequence within guaBA, thereby providing a marker to readily identify the vaccine strain. CVD 915 was compared in in vitro and in vivo assays with wild-type strain Ty2, licensed live oral typhoid vaccine strain Ty21a, or attenuated serovar Typhi vaccine strain CVD 908-htrA (harboring mutations inaroC, aroD, and htrA). CVD 915 was less invasive than CVD 908-htrA in tissue culture and was more crippled in its ability to proliferate after invasion. In mice inoculated intraperitoneally with serovar Typhi and hog gastric mucin (to estimate the relative degree of attenuation), the 50% lethal dose of CVD 915 (7.7 × 107 CFU) was significantly higher than that of wild-type Ty2 (1.4 × 102 CFU) and was only slightly lower than that of Ty21a (1.9 × 108CFU). Strong serum O and H antibody responses were recorded in mice inoculated intranasally with CVD 915, which were higher than those elicited by Ty21a and similar to those stimulated by CVD 908-htrA. CVD 915 also elicited potent proliferative responses in splenocytes from immunized mice stimulated with serovar Typhi antigens. Used as a live vector, CVD 915(pTETlpp) elicited high titers of serum immunoglobulin G anti-fragment C. These encouraging preclinical data pave the way for phase 1 clinical trials with CVD 915.

scholarly journals Innate STAT1-Dependent Genomic Response of Neurons to the Antiviral Cytokine Alpha Interferon

2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (13) ◽  
pp. 8295-8302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianping Wang ◽  
Iain L. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Viral Infection ◽  
Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis ◽  
Gene Chip ◽  
Neuronal Cultures ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Rnase Protection ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Genomic Response

ABSTRACT Alpha/beta interferons (IFNs-α/β) are cytokines that play an essential role in the host defense against viral infection. Our previous studies have shown that the key IFN signaling molecule STAT1 is highly elevated and activated in central nervous system neurons during viral infection and in transgenic mice with astrocyte production of IFN-α (glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]-IFN-α), suggesting that neurons are a very responsive target cell population for IFNs. To elucidate the genomic response of neurons to IFN-α, we undertook studies both in vitro and in vivo. Gene chip analysis was applied to RNA from IFN-α-treated or untreated primary cortical neuronal cultures derived from embryonic day 15 fetal wild-type or STAT1 knockout (KO) mice. The expression of 51 known and 5 unknown genes was increased significantly by more than twofold after exposure of wild-type but not STAT1 KO neurons to IFN-α. Some more highly expressed genes included IFN-induced 15-kDa protein, ubiquitin-specific protease 18, glucocorticoid attenuated response genes, IFN-induced GTPases, and the chemokine CXCL10. For several of these genes, the gene chip findings were confirmed by RNase protection assays. In addition, examination of the expression of some of these selected genes revealed that they were increased in neurons in the brain of either GFAP-IFN-α mice or mice infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus. In conclusion, our study revealed a robust STAT1-dependent genomic response of neurons to IFN-α, highlighting an innate potential of these cells to defend against viral infection in the brain.

scholarly journals Tetrameric Ring Formation of Epstein-Barr Virus Polymerase Processivity Factor Is Crucial for Viral Replication

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (24) ◽  
pp. 12589-12598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanae Nakayama ◽  
Takayuki Murata ◽  
Yoshihiro Yasui ◽  
Kazutaka Murayama ◽  
Hiroki Isomura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Replication ◽  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Ring Formation ◽  
Genome Replication ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Viral Genome Replication ◽  
Processivity Factor ◽  
Epstein Barr

ABSTRACT The Epstein-Barr virus BMRF1 DNA polymerase processivity factor, which is essential for viral genome replication, exists mainly as a C-shaped head-to-head homodimer but partly forms a ring-shaped tetramer through tail-to-tail association. Based on its molecular structure, several BMRF1 mutant viruses were constructed to examine their influence on viral replication. The R256E virus, which has a severely impaired capacity for DNA binding and polymerase processivity, failed to form replication compartments, resulting in interference of viral replication, while the C95E mutation, which impairs head-to-head contact in vitro, unexpectedly hardly affected the viral replication. Also, surprisingly, replication of the C206E virus, which is expected to have impairment of tail-to-tail contact, was severely restricted, although the mutant protein possesses the same in vitro biochemical activities as the wild type. Since the tail-to-tail contact surface is smaller than that of the head-to-head contact area, its contribution to ring formation might be essential for viral replication.

scholarly journals Sumoylation of the Epstein-Barr Virus BZLF1 Protein Inhibits Its Transcriptional Activity and Is Regulated by the Virus-Encoded Protein Kinase

2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (9) ◽  
pp. 4383-4394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacy R. Hagemeier ◽  
Sarah J. Dickerson ◽  
Qiao Meng ◽  
Xianming Yu ◽  
Janet E. Mertz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Viral Genome ◽  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Transcriptional Activity ◽  
Genome Replication ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
293 Cells ◽  
Viral Genome Replication ◽  
Epstein Barr

ABSTRACT The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) immediate-early protein BZLF1 (Z) mediates the switch between latent and lytic EBV infection. Z not only activates early lytic viral gene transcription but also plays a direct role in lytic viral genome replication. Although a small fraction of Z is known to be sumoylated, the effects of this posttranslational modification on various different Z functions have not been well defined. In this report, we show that only the lysine at amino acid residue 12 is required for the sumoylation of Z, and that Z can be sumoylated by SUMO isoforms 1, 2, and 3. We also demonstrate that the sumo-defective Z mutants ZK12A and ZK12R have enhanced transcriptional activity. The sumoylated and nonsumoylated forms of Z were found to have a similar cellular location, both being localized primarily within the nuclear matrix. The Z sumo-defective mutants were, however, partially defective for disrupting promyelocytic leukemia (PML) bodies compared to the ability of wild-type Z. In addition, we show that lytic viral genome replication does not require the sumoylation of Z, although a Z mutant altered at both amino acids 12 and 13 is replication defective. Furthermore, we show that the sumoylation of Z is greatly increased (from less than 1 to about 11%) in lytically induced 293 cells infected with an EBV mutant virus deleted for the EBV-encoded protein kinase (EBV-PK) compared to that of 293 cells infected with wild-type EBV, and that the overexpression of EBV-PK leads to the reduced sumoylation of Z in EBV-negative cells. Our results suggest that the sumoylation of Z helps to promote viral latency, and that EBV-PK inhibits Z sumoylation during viral reactivation.

scholarly journals Stimulation of hepatitis B virus genome replication by HBx is linked to both nuclear and cytoplasmic HBx expression

2009 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 978-986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Man-Young Cha ◽  
Dong-Kyun Ryu ◽  
Hyeon-Sik Jung ◽  
Ho-Eun Chang ◽  
Wang-Shick Ryu
Keyword(s):  
Hepatitis B Virus ◽  
Hepatitis B ◽  
Nuclear Export ◽  
Viral Genome ◽  
Nuclear Export Signal ◽  
Genome Replication ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
B Virus ◽  
Viral Genome Replication ◽  
Stimulation Of

HBx, a small regulatory protein of hepatitis B virus, plays an important role in stimulating viral genome replication. HBx was shown to be associated with diverse subcellular locations, such as the nucleus, cytoplasm and mitochondria. Some studies have linked the stimulation of genome replication by HBx to its cytoplasmic function, while other reports have attributed this function to its nuclear component. To clarify this discrepancy, we measured viral genome replication by complementing an HBx-null replicon in two different ways: by (i) co-transfecting with an increasing amount of HBx expression plasmid and (ii) co-transfecting with re-targeted variants of HBx that are confined to either the nucleus or the cytoplasm due to either the nuclear localization signal (NLS) or the nuclear export signal (NES) tags, respectively. Intriguingly, immunostaining analysis indicated that the subcellular localization of HBx is primarily influenced by its abundance; HBx is confined to the nucleus at low levels but is usually detected in the cytoplasm at high levels. Importantly, HBx, whether re-targeted by either the NLS or NES tag, stimulates viral genome replication to a level comparable to that of the wild-type. Furthermore, similar to the wild-type, the stimulation of viral genome replication by the re-targeted HBx occurred at the transcription level. Thus, we concluded that the stimulation of viral genome replication by HBx is linked to both nuclear and cytoplasmic HBx, although the underlying mechanism of stimulation most likely differs.

Location of sequences in polyomavirus DNA that are required for early gene expression in vivo and in vitro

1984 ◽  
Vol 4 (12) ◽  
pp. 2594-2609
Author(s):  
C R Mueller ◽  
A M Mes-Masson ◽  
M Bouvier ◽  
J A Hassell
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Thymidine Kinase ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Viral Genome ◽  
Simian Virus 40 ◽  
Early Gene ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Transcription In Vitro

To define the DNA sequences required for the expression of the polyomavirus early transcription unit, we cloned part of the viral genome in a plasmid vector, isolated mutants bearing lesions introduced in vitro within DNA sequences upstream of the transcriptional start site, and measured the capacity of these various mutant genomes to transform cells and to function as templates for transcription in vitro by comparison with wild-type DNA. One set of mutants bore 5' unidirectional deletions beginning at position -810 and extending downstream to position +4. Another set of mutants bore 3' undirectional deletions starting at position +4 and progressing upstream to position -311. The last set of mutants bore internal deletions between positions -810 and +4. Analyses of the properties of these mutant DNAs led us to conclude that the region between positions -403 and -311 includes an enhancer of gene expression. Deletion of this area from the viral genome reduced gene expression in vivo to 1 to 2% of wild-type levels, as measured by transformation assays. Moreover, this region increased the frequency of transformation of thymidine kinase-negative Rat-2 cells by the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (tk) gene from 5- to 20-fold. This occurred only if the polyomavirus sequences were covalently linked to the tk gene and then occurred independently of their orientation or position relative to the tk gene. A second transcriptional element is located downstream of the enhancer between positions -311 and -213. This element together with the enhancer was sufficient to bring about transformation of Rat-1 cells at nearly wild-type frequencies, and together these elements constitute the minimal sequences required for gene expression in vivo. The sequences making up the second element may be functionally duplicated downstream of position -165 (between positions -165 and -60). This was revealed by the characterization of mutant genomes with deletions between positions -349 and -60. The role of these redundant elements is not known; however, they may be analogous to the 21-base-pair repeats of simian virus 40. Finally, sequences between positions -57 and -1 were required for accurate and efficient transcription in vitro. However, this DNA stretch, which includes the TATA box and major transcriptional start sites, was not absolutely required for gene expression in vivo. We conclude that the polyomavirus promoter comprises multiple functional elements which are distributed across a DNA stretch of about 400 base pairs.

scholarly journals Protection against Shiga Toxin 1 Challenge by Immunization of Mice with Purified Mutant Shiga Toxin 1

2003 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 3235-3239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Ishikawa ◽  
Kazuyoshi Kawahara ◽  
Yutaka Kagami ◽  
Yasunori Isshiki ◽  
Aki Kaneko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shiga Toxin ◽  
Lethal Dose ◽  
Vero Cells ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
One Step ◽  
A Subunit

ABSTRACT Shiga toxin 1 (Stx1) of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 was cloned, and four mutant Stx1s were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis with PCR. The wild-type and mutant Stx1s with amino acid replacements at positions 167 and 170 of the A subunit were purified by one-step affinity chromatography with commercially available Globotriose Fractogel, and the mutant Stxs were used for the immunization of mice. The mutant toxins were nontoxic to Vero cells in vitro and to mice in vivo and induced the immunoglobulin G antibody against the wild-type Stx1, which neutralized the cytotoxicity of Stx1. The induced antibody titers depended on the mutation at position 170 of the A subunit. The mice immunized with the mutant Stx1s were protected against a challenge of approximately 100 times the 50% lethal dose of the wild-type Stx1, suggesting that the mutant toxins are good candidates for toxoid vaccines for infection by Stx1-producing E. coli.

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