scholarly journals The Roles of Ebola Virus Soluble Glycoprotein in Replication, Pathogenesis, and Countermeasure Development

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjun Zhu ◽  
Logan Banadyga ◽  
Karla Emeterio ◽  
Gary Wong ◽  
Xiangguo Qiu

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a highly lethal pathogen that has caused several outbreaks of severe hemorrhagic fever in humans since its emergence in 1976. The EBOV glycoprotein (GP1,2) is the sole viral envelope protein and a major component of immunogenicity; it is encoded by the GP gene along with two truncated versions: soluble GP (sGP) and small soluble GP (ssGP). sGP is, in fact, the primary product of the GP gene, and it is secreted in abundance during EBOV infection. Since sGP shares large portions of its sequence with GP1,2, it has been hypothesized that sGP may subvert the host immune response by inducing antibodies against sGP rather than GP1,2. Several reports have shown that sGP plays multiple roles that contribute to the complex pathogenesis of EBOV. In this review, we focus on sGP and discuss its possible roles with regards to the pathogenesis of EBOV and the development of specific antiviral drugs.

1999 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 1293-1301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazunori Inabe ◽  
Masako Nishizawa ◽  
Shigeru Tajima ◽  
Kazuyoshi Ikuta ◽  
Yoko Aida

ABSTRACT The cytoplasmic domain of an envelope transmembrane glycoprotein (gp30) of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) has two overlapping copies of the (YXXL)2 motif. The N-terminal motif has been implicated in in vitro signal transduction pathways from the external to the intracellular compartment and is also involved in infection and maintenance of high viral loads in sheep that have been experimentally infected with BLV. To determine the role of YXXL sequences in the replication of BLV in vitro, we changed the tyrosine or leucine residues of the N-terminal motif in an infectious molecular clone of BLV, pBLV-IF, to alanine to produce mutated proviruses designated Y487A, L490A, Y498A, L501A, and Y487/498A. Transient transfection of African green monkey kidney COS-1 cells with proviral DNAs that encoded wild-type and mutant sequences revealed that all of the mutated proviral DNAs synthesized mature envelope proteins and released virus particles into the growth medium. However, serial passages of fetal lamb kidney (FLK) cells, which are sensitive to infection with BLV, after transient transfection revealed that mutation of a second tyrosine residue in the N-terminal motif completely prevented the propagation of the virus. Similarly, Y498A and Y487/498A mutant BLV that was produced by the stably transfected COS-1 cells exhibited significantly reduced levels of cell-free virion-mediated transmission. Analysis of the protein compositions of mutant viruses demonstrated that lower levels of envelope protein were incorporated by two of the mutant virions than by wild-type and other mutant virions. Furthermore, a mutation of a second tyrosine residue decreased the specific binding of BLV particles to FLK cells and the capacity for viral penetration. Our data indicate that the YXXL sequences play critical roles in both viral entry and the incorporation of viral envelope protein into the virion during the life cycle of BLV.


Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helge Kampen ◽  
Cora M. Holicki ◽  
Ute Ziegler ◽  
Martin H. Groschup ◽  
Birke Andrea Tews ◽  
...  

In 2018, West Nile virus (WNV) broke out for the first time in Germany, with continuation of the epidemic in 2019, involving birds, horses and humans. To identify vectors and characterize the virus, mosquitoes were collected in both years in zoological gardens and on a horse meadow immediately following the diagnosis of disease cases in birds and horses. Mosquitoes were identified and screened for WNV by qRT-PCR, with virus-positive samples being sequenced for the viral envelope protein gene. While no positive mosquitoes were found in 2018, seven mosquito pools tested positive for WNV in 2019 in the Tierpark (Wildlife Park) Berlin. The pools consisted of Cx. pipiens biotype pipiens (n = 5), and a mixture of Cx. p. biotype pipiens and Cx. p. biotype molestus (n = 2), or hybrids of these, and were collected between 13 August and 24 September 2019. The virus strain turned out to be nearly identical to two WNV strains isolated from birds diseased in 2018 in eastern Germany. The findings represent the first demonstration of WNV in mosquitoes in Germany and include the possibility of local overwintering of the virus.


Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Colavita ◽  
Mirella Biava ◽  
Concetta Castilletti ◽  
Simone Lanini ◽  
Rossella Miccio ◽  
...  

Ebola virus (EBOV) infection is characterized by an excessive inflammatory response, a loss of lymphocytes and a general paralysis of the immune system, however pathophysiological mechanisms are not fully understood. In a cohort of 23 fatal and 21 survivors of ebola virus disease (EVD) cases admitted to the Emergency Ebola-Treatment-Center in Goderich (Freetown, Sierra Leone) during the 2014 to 2016 EBOV epidemic in Western Africa, we analyzed the pathway-focused gene expression profile of secreted proteins involved in the immune response and the levels of specific anti-EBOV IgM and IgG from the time of admission till discharge or death. We observed a dysregulated inflammatory response in fatal patients as compared to survivors, mainly consisting of the upregulation of inflammatory mediators, whose extent directly correlated with viremia levels. The upregulation persisted and intensified during the late phase of infection. Relevant differences were also found in humoral immunity, as an earlier and more robust EBOV antibody response was observed in survivor patients.


2008 ◽  
Vol 89 (8) ◽  
pp. 1866-1872 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Zhao ◽  
Fei Ke ◽  
You-Hua Huang ◽  
Jiu-Gang Zhao ◽  
Jian-Fang Gui ◽  
...  

Viral envelope proteins have been proposed to play significant roles in virus infection and assembly. In this study, an envelope protein gene, 53R, was cloned and characterized from Rana grylio virus (RGV), a member of the family Iridoviridae. Database searches found its homologues in all sequenced iridoviruses, and sequence alignment revealed several conserved structural features shared by virus capsid or envelope proteins: a myristoylation site, two predicted transmembrane domains and two invariant cysteine residues. Subsequently, RT-PCR and Western blot detection revealed that the transcripts encoding RGV 53R and the protein itself appeared late during infection of fathead minnow cells and that their appearance was blocked by viral DNA replication inhibitor, indicating that RGV 53R is a late expression gene. Moreover, immunofluorescence localization found an association of 53R with virus factories in RGV-infected cells, and this association was further confirmed by expressing a 53R–GFP fusion protein in pEGFP-N3/53R-transfected cells. Furthermore, detergent extraction and Western blot detection confirmed that RGV 53R was associated with virion membrane. Therefore, the current data suggest that RGV 53R is a novel viral envelope protein and that it may play an important role in virus assembly. This is thought to be the first report on a viral envelope protein that is conserved in all sequenced iridoviruses.


2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (12) ◽  
pp. 924-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Honglian Zhang ◽  
Sheng Zhou ◽  
Liqun Xia ◽  
Xiaohong Huang ◽  
Youhua Huang ◽  
...  

Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV) is a major pathogen that causes heavy economic losses to the grouper aquaculture industry in China and Southeast Asian countries. In the present study, a viral envelope protein, VP39, encoded by SGIV ORF39L, was identified and characterized. SGIV ORF39L was found in all sequenced iridoviruses and is now considered to be a core gene of the family Iridoviridae. ORF39L was classified as a late gene during in vitro infection using reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and a drug inhibition analysis. An indirect immunofluorescence assay revealed that the VP39 protein was confined to the cytoplasm, especially at viral assembly sites. Western blot and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry analyses suggested that VP39 is an envelope protein. Immunogold electron microscopy further confirmed that VP39 is a viral envelope protein. Furthermore, a mouse anti-VP39 polyclonal antibody exhibited SGIV-neutralizing activity in vitro, suggesting that VP39 is involved in SGIV infection. Taken together, the current data suggest that VP39 represents a conserved envelope protein of iridoviruses that contributes to viral infection.


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