A型流感病毒NS1蛋白羧基端PL结构域影响NS1在细胞核内的定位

A型流感病毒NS1蛋白羧基端4个氨基酸可以与PDZ结构域(the domain of PSD95,Dig and ZO-1)相结合,称为PL结构域(PDZ ligand domain)．对不同亚型或毒株的流感病毒而言,其NS1蛋白PL结构域的组成存在比较大的差异．有研究发现这种差异能够影响NS1与宿主细胞蛋白的相互作用进而影响病毒的致病力．为进一步探讨PL结构域对NS1蛋白生物学特性的影响,首先构建出4种不同亚型流感病毒(H1N1、H3N2、H5N1、H9N2)来源的NS1绿色荧光蛋白表达质粒．在此基础上,对野生型H3N2病毒NS1表达质粒进行人工改造,将其PL结构域缺失或者替换为其他亚型流感病毒的PL结构域,制备出4种重组NS1蛋白表达质粒．通过比较上述不同NS1蛋白在HeLa细胞中的定位情况发现,只有野生型H3N2病毒的NS1蛋白可以定位于核仁当中,而野生型H1N1、H5N1、H9N2病毒的NS1蛋白以及PL结构域缺失或替代的H3N2病毒NS1蛋白都不能定位于核仁．而通过比较上述NS1蛋白在流感病毒易感的MDCK细胞中的定位,进一步发现所有这些蛋白均不定位于核仁．上述结果表明：PL结构域的不同可以明显影响NS1蛋白在HeLa细胞核内的定位和分布,这有可能造成其生物学功能的差异．同时,NS1蛋白在细胞核内的定位还与宿主细胞的来源有着密切关系．     

不同亚型流感病毒NS1蛋白在酵母菌细胞中转录激活功能的差异

非结构蛋白1（nonstructural protein1,NS1）是甲型流感病毒一种重要的调控蛋白,与病毒的毒力密切相关,本文检测了不同亚型流感病毒NS1蛋白在酵母菌细胞中的基因转录激活能力,将携带NS1基因的诱饵载体与空的猎物载体共转化AH109和Y187酵母菌细胞,观察AH109在QDO培养基上的生长情况,以X-α-gal为底物检测其分泌α-半乳糖苷酶的能力;通过ONPG实验定量分析Y187酵母菌细胞β-半乳糖苷酶活性的强弱,结果发现转化H1N1,H5N1和H9N2亚型流感病毒NS1基因的AH109酵母菌细胞能够在QDO培养基上生长,并分泌高水平的α-半乳糖苷酶,同时这些基因转化的Y187酵母菌细胞具有很强的β-半乳糖苷酶活性,与此相反,H3N2亚型流感病毒NS1基因转化AH109和Y187后,上述实验结果均为阴性,这说明H1N1,H5N1和H9N2亚型的NS1蛋白具有刺激酵母菌细胞基因转录的功能,而H3N2亚型的NS1蛋白缺乏这种能力,表明NS1蛋白型别的不同可造成其生物学活性的差异。     

禽流感病毒NS第263~277位核苷酸缺失降低其抗干扰素能力*

2000年以来,多数H5N1亚型禽流感病毒在NS基因的263~277位发生15个碱基的缺失。为了研究此缺失在流感病毒进化中的生物学意义,构建H5N1亚型流感病毒A/SD/04株的HA、NA、NS的全基因表达载体,以及NS基因263~277位删除的突变载体。通过反向遗传学技术,与编码WSN的其他内部基因(PB2,PB1,PA,NP和M)的表达载体进行组合转染,获得在NS基因的263~277位缺失和不缺失的2个重组H5N1亚型流感病毒(RWSN-m248和RWSN-248)。此两个重组病毒在无干扰素产生的Ve     

禽流感病毒NS第263～277位核苷酸缺失降低其抗干扰素能力

2000年以来,多数H5N1亚型禽流感病毒在NS基因的263～277位发牛15个碱基的缺失。为了研究此缺失在流感病毒进化中的生物学意义,构建H5N1亚型流感病毒A／SD／04株的HA、NA、NS的全基因表达载体,以及NS基因263～277位删除的突变载体。通过反向遗传学技术,与编码WSN的其他内部基因（PB2,PB1,PA,NP和M）的表达载体进行组合转染,获得在NS基因的263～277位缺失和不缺失的2个重组H5N1亚型流感病毒（RWSN—m248和RWSN-248）。此两个重组病毒在无干扰素产生的Vero细胞上的繁殖滴度相似,在能产生干扰素的细胞MDCK和COS-1细胞上的繁殖滴度有明显差异。两个重组病毒在鸡胚中的繁殖滴,IVPI,MDT和EID50均无显著差异。说明NS基因的263～277位核苷酸的缺失不影响病毒的整体毒力,但降低了H5N1的抗干扰素能力。     

华南流感病毒NS1基因特性研究

为了解H9N2和H5N1亚型流行性感冒病毒株的NS1基因特性,采用RT-PCR方法测定了12株2000～2003年间在华南地区分离的禽流感病毒株的NS1基因核苷酸序列. 测序显示6株H9N2亚型流感病毒NS1基因开放阅读框(ORF)长654 bp,编码217个氨基酸. 6株H5N1亚型毒株NS1基因ORF长678 bp,编码225个氨基酸. 核苷酸和氨基酸同源性分析表明,同一亚型分离株之间有很高的同源性,而不同亚型的H9N2和H5N1毒株之间存在较大差异. BLAST分析表明,H5N1和H9N2亚型流感病毒分离株的NS1基因分别与近两年从香港特区和华南地区的鸭中分离的毒株A/Duck/Hong Kong/646.3/01 (H5N1)、A/Duck/Shantou/2143/01 (H9N2)有很高的亲缘关系. 该研究结果为进一步进行NS1功能研究奠定了基础.     

流感病毒NS1蛋白稳定表达的A549细胞系建立

A型流感病毒的NS1(Nonstructurol 1 protein,NS1)蛋白是病毒复制、毒力等的重要调节蛋白.运用RT-PCR方法扩增A/Beijing/501/2009(H1N1)流感病毒NS1基因,克隆至真核表达载体pCMV-HA,用Lipofectamine2000将线性化pCMV-HA-NS1与neo基因共同转染A549细胞,通过G418筛选获得阳性重组细胞,并采用PCR、RT-PCR、Western blot技术检测重组细胞中NS1蛋白的表达,通过免疫荧光技术观察NS1蛋白在细胞中的定位.PCR、RT-PCR检测显示NS1基因成功整合进入细胞基因组,并转录为mRNA;Western blot检测显示重组细胞系稳定表达NS1蛋白,免疫荧光显示NS1蛋白定位于细胞核内.表明通过G418筛选,成功构建稳定表达NS1蛋白的重组A549-HA-NS1细胞系,且NS1蛋白定位于细胞核内,为进一步研究NS1蛋白的生物学功能奠定基础.     

H5N1亚型禽流感病毒NS第263～277位核苷酸缺失提高病毒对鸡的致病力

为研究2000年以来绝大多数H5N1亚型禽流感病毒分离株在非结构基因的第263~277位发生15个碱基缺失现象的生物学意义,构建H5N1 A/D/SD/04株HA、NA、NS的全基因表达/转录载体,以及NS的删除突变载体(m248),A/D/YZ/04株的NS基因表达/转录载体(848)和其补加15个核苷酸的NS突变载体(m848)。构建的载体分别与编码WSN(H1N1)内部基因载体进行组合转染,拯救获得4个具不同NS的重组的H5N1亚型流感病毒:RWSN-848和RWSN-m248在263~277位缺失15个碱基,RWSN-m848和RWSN-248则在相同位置不发生缺失。4个重组病毒的平均鸡胚繁殖效价(HA)、鸡胚的平均死亡时间(MDT)和鸡胚半数感染量(EID50)均无显著差异;但RWSN-848和RWSN-m248对6周龄SPF鸡的致病力明显高于RWSN-m848和RWSN-248。结果说明H5N1的NS基因在263~277位核苷酸发生缺失后,不影响重组H5N1在鸡胚中的繁殖性能,但提高了病毒对鸡的致病力。     

重组细胞高产型H3N2猪流感病毒株的拯救

为拯救出一株能够在动物传代细胞中高水平复制的H3N2亚型猪流感疫苗株,利用反向遗传操作技术,将A/Goose/Dalian/3/01(H9N2)毒株的PB1、PA、NP、M、NS基因和A/PR/8/34毒株的PB2基因作为内部基因与猪流感病毒A/Swine/Henan/S4/01(H3N2)毒株的HA、NA基因进行重组,成功拯救出了具有高度细胞适应性毒株rH3N2株,该毒株接毒MDCK细胞60h后,血凝价可以达到1∶512,表明该毒株具有高度适应细胞繁殖特性,为H3N2亚型猪流感病毒细胞培养型疫苗的研制奠定了基础。     

H5N1亚型禽流感病毒NS第263—277位核苷酸缺失提高病毒对鸡的致病力

为研究2000年以来绝大多数H5N1亚型禽流感病毒分离株在非结构基因的第263—277位发生15个碱基缺失现象的生物学意义,构建H5N1A／D／SD／04株HA、NA、NS的全基因表达／转录载体,以及NS的删除突变载体（m248）,A/D/YZ/04株的NS基因表达／转录载体（848）和其补加15个核苷酸的NS突变载体（m848）。构建的载体分别与编码WSN（H1N1）内部基因载体进行组合转染,拯救获得4个具不同NS的重组的H5N1亚型流感病毒：RWSN-848和RWSN—m248在263-277位缺失15个碱基。RWSN-m848和RWSN-248则在相同位置不发生缺失。4个重组病毒的平均鸡胚繁殖效价（HA）、鸡胚的平均死亡时间（MDT）和鸡胚半数感染量（EID50）均无显著差异;但RWSN-848和RWSN-m248对6周龄SPF鸡的致病力明显高于RWSN—m848和RWSN-248。结果说明H5N1的NS基因在263～277位核苷酸发生缺失后,不影响重组H5N1在鸡胚中的繁殖性能,但提高了病毒对鸡的致病力。     

H5N1亚型高致病性禽流感病毒NS1基因的克隆及其序列分析

目的：克隆H5N1亚型禽流感病毒的NS1基因,并分析其序列特性。方法：通过RT-PCR方法克隆H5N1亚型禽流感病毒NS1基因,并对该基因片段进行测序,将此序列与数据库中不同时间、地点、宿主来源的H5N1亚型流感毒株NS1基因序列进行同源性比较。结果：获得了678bp的NS1全长基因,可编码225个氨基酸;其与毒株A／chicken／Jilin／hq／2003的同源性最高,二者的核酸和氨基酸的同源性分别为99．7％和99．1％。比对分析发现,该毒株NS1基因在第238-252位有15个核苷酸的缺失;进化树分析表明,它与1997年香港流行的H5N1亚型禽流感病毒毒株分别属于2个不同的分支。结论：克隆了一株H5N1亚型禽流感病毒的NS1基因,并初步分析了其序列特性,为进一步研究NS1基因的功能奠定了基础。     

The role of nuclear NS1 protein in highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza viruses

The non-structural protein (NS1) of influenza A viruses (IAV) performs multiple functions during viral infection. NS1 contains two nuclear localization signals (NLS): NLS1 and NLS2. The NS1 protein is located predominantly in the nucleus during the early stages of infection and subsequently exported to the cytoplasm. A nonsense mutation that results in a large deletion in the carboxy-terminal region of the NS1 protein that contains the NLS2 domain was found in some IAV subtypes, including highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H7N9 and H5N1 viruses. We introduced different mutations into the NLS domains of NS1 proteins in various strains of IAV, and demonstrated that mutation of the NLS2 region in the NS1 protein of HPAI H5N1 viruses severely affects its nuclear localization pattern. H5N1 viruses expressing NS1 protein that is unable to localize to the nucleus are less potent in antagonizing cellular antiviral responses than viruses expressing wild-type NS1. However, no significant difference was observed with respect to viral replication and pathogenesis. In contrast, the replication and antiviral defenses of H1N1 viruses are greatly attenuated when nuclear localization of the NS1 protein is blocked. Our data reveals a novel functional plasticity for NS1 proteins among different IAV subtypes.     

Differential suppressive effect of promyelocytic leukemia protein on the replication of different subtypes/strains of influenza A virus

Promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) plays an important role in the defense against a number of viruses, including influenza A virus. However, the sensitivity of influenza A virus subtypes/strains to PML is unknown. We investigated the role of PML in the replication of different influenza A virus subtypes/strains using pan-PML knock-down A549 cells and PML-VI-overexpressed MDCK cells. We found that (i) depletion of pan-PML by siRNA rendered A549 cells more susceptible to influenza A virus strains PR8(H1N1) and ST364(H3N2), but not to strains ST1233(H1N1), Qa199(H9N2) and Ph2246(H9N2); (ii) overexpression of PML-VI in MDCK cells conferred potent resistance to PR8(H1N1) infection, while lacked inhibitory activity to ST1233(H1N1), ST364(H3N2), Qa199(H9N2) and Ph2246(H9N2). Our results suggest that the antiviral effect of PML on influenza A viruses is viral subtype/strain specific.     

Virus-like particle vaccine induces protective immunity against homologous and heterologous strains of influenza virus

Recurrent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus pose the threat of pandemic spread of lethal disease and make it a priority to develop safe and effective vaccines. Influenza virus-like particles (VLPs) have been suggested to be a promising vaccine approach. However, VLP-induced immune responses, and their roles in inducing memory immune responses and cross-protective immunity have not been investigated. In this study, we developed VLPs containing influenza virus A/PR8/34 (H1N1) hemagglutinin (HA) and matrix (M1) proteins and investigated their immunogenicity, long-term cross-protective efficacy, and effects on lung proinflammatory cytokines in mice. Intranasal immunization with VLPs containing HA induced high serum and mucosal antibody titers and neutralizing activity against PR8 and A/WSN/33 (H1N1) viruses. Mice immunized with VLPs containing HA showed little or no proinflammatory lung cytokines and were protected from a lethal challenge with mouse-adapted PR8 or WSN viruses even 5 months postimmunization. Influenza VLPs induced mucosal immunoglobulin G and cellular immune responses, which were reactivated rapidly upon virus challenge. Long-lived antibody-secreting cells were detected in the bone marrow of immunized mice. Immune sera administered intranasally were able to confer 100% protection from a lethal challenge with PR8 or WSN, which provides further evidence that anti-HA antibodies are primarily responsible for preventing infection. Taken together, these results indicate that nonreplicating influenza VLPs represent a promising strategy for the development of a safe and effective vaccine to control the spread of lethal influenza viruses.     

Differential nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of the nucleoprotein of influenza a viruses and association with host tropism

The nucleoprotein (NP) of influenza A virus plays a crucial role in virus replication, infectivity, and host adaptation. As a major component of the viral ribonucleoprotein complexes (vRNP), NP initiates vRNP shuttling between the nucleus and cytoplasm in the host cell. However, the characteristics of the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of NP from H1N1 influenza A virus still remain unclear. In the present study, the subcellular localization and the related key residues of the H1N1 influenza virus NP were identified and evaluated. The NP of influenza virus A/WSN/33 (H1N1; WSN) displayed a more obvious nuclear accumulation than A/Anhui/1/2013 (H7N9; AH) and A/chicken/Shandong/lx1023/2007 (H9N2; SD). NP residue K4, located in NLS1, and residue F253, located in NES3, from WSN NP are not conserved in H7N9 and H9N2, which instead encode Q4 and I253, respectively. Crucially, these residues are involved in the regulation of NP nucleocytoplasmic shuttling through interactions with CRM1 and importin‐α. Moreover, residues at position 253 also play important roles in the replication of the virus, resulting in an increase in vRNP polymerase activity and an alteration of the cell tropism and pathogenicity in mice. The present data revealed a pivotal role of the Q4 and I253 residues of NP from H7N9 in enhancing the cytoplasmic accumulation of NP and vRNP activity compared to the K4 and F253 residues in WSN‐NP. In addition, an F253I substitution in the NP of WSN altered the survival ratio of infected mice and the growth curve in infected avian‐origin cells (DF‐1). The current data indicate that the F253I mutation results in attenuated pathogenicity of the virus in mice and altered cell tropism. The present study demonstrated the dissimilarity in subcellular NP transport processes between H1N1 virus WSN and other influenza A virus strains, as well as uncovered the mechanism responsible for this difference.     

PA from an H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus activates viral transcription and replication and induces apoptosis and interferon expression at an early stage of infection

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Although gene exchange is not likely to occur freely, reassortment between the H5N1 highlypathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) and currently circulating human viruses is aserious concern. The PA polymerase subunit of H5N1 HPAIV was recently reported toactivate the influenza replicon activity. METHODS: The replicon activities of PR8 and WSN strains (H1N1) of influenza containing PA fromHPAIV A/Cambodia/P0322095/2005 (H5N1) and the activity of the chimeric RNApolymerase were analyzed. A reassortant WSN virus containing the H5N1 Cambodia PA (CPA)was then reconstituted and its growth in cells and pathogenicity in mice examined. Theinterferon promoter, TUNEL, and caspase 3, 8, and 9 activities of C-PA-infected cells werecompared with those of WSN-infected cells. RESULTS: The activity of the chimeric RNA polymerase was slightly higher than that of WSN, and CPAreplicated better than WSN in cells. However, the multi-step growth of C-PA and itspathogenicity in mice were lower than those of WSN. The interferon promoter, TUNEL, andcaspase 3, 8, and 9 activities were strongly induced in early infection in C-PA-infected cellsbut not in WSN-infected cells. CONCLUSIONS: Apoptosis and interferon were strongly induced early in C-PA infection, which protected theuninfected cells from expansion of viral infection. In this case, these classical host-virusinteractions contributed to the attenuation of this strongly replicating virus.     

Naturally Occurring Mutations in the PA Gene Are Key Contributors to Increased Virulence of Pandemic H1N1/09 Influenza Virus in Mice

We examined the molecular basis of virulence of pandemic H1N1/09 influenza viruses by reverse genetics based on two H1N1/09 virus isolates (A/California/04/2009 [CA04] and A/swine/Shandong/731/2009 [SD731]) with contrasting pathogenicities in mice. We found that four amino acid mutations (P224S in the PA protein [PA-P224S], PB2-T588I, NA-V106I, and NS1-I123V) contributed to the lethal phenotype of SD731. In particular, the PA-P224S mutation when combined with PA-A70V in CA04 drastically reduced the virus''s 50% mouse lethal dose (LD₅₀), by almost 1,000-fold.