Retrovirus vectors bearing jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus Env transduce human cells by using a new receptor localized to chromosome 3p21.3

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) is a type D retrovirus associated with a contagious lung tumor of sheep, ovine pulmonary carcinoma. Other than sheep, JSRV is known to infect goats, but there is no evidence of human infection. Until now it has not been possible to study the host range for JSRV because of the inability to grow this virus in culture. Here we show that the JSRV envelope protein (Env) can be used to pseudotype Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMLV)-based retrovirus vectors and that such vectors can transduce human cells in culture. We constructed hybrid retrovirus packaging cells that express the JSRV Env and the MoMLV Gag-Pol proteins and can produce JSRV-pseudotype vectors at titers of up to 10(6) alkaline phosphatase-positive focus-forming units/ml. Using this high-titer virus, we have studied the host range for JSRV, which includes sheep, human, monkey, bovine, dog, and rabbit cells but not mouse, rat, or hamster cells. Considering the inability of the JSRV-pseudotype vector to transduce hamster cells, we used the hamster cell line-based Stanford G3 panel of whole human genome radiation hybrids to phenotypically map the JSRV receptor (JVR) gene within the p21.3 region of human chromosome 3. JVR is likely a new retrovirus receptor, as none of the previously identified retrovirus receptors localizes to the same position. Several chemokine receptors that have been shown to serve as coreceptors for lentivirus infection are clustered in the same region of chromosome 3; however, careful examination shows that the JSRV receptor does not colocalize with any of these genes.     

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus Env protein stabilizes retrovirus vectors against inactivation by lung surfactant, centrifugation, and freeze-thaw cycling

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) replicates in the lungs of sheep and causes the secretion of copious lung fluid containing the virus. Adaptation of JSRV to infection and replication in the lung and its apparent resistance to the denaturing activity of lung fluid suggest that vectors based on JSRV would be useful for gene therapy targeted to the lung. We show here that a retrovirus vector bearing the JSRV Env is stable during treatment with lung surfactant while an otherwise identical vector bearing an amphotropic Env is inactivated. Furthermore, the JSRV vector was stable during centrifugation, allowing facile vector concentration, and showed no loss of activity after six freeze-thaw cycles. However, the JSRV vector was inactivated by standard disinfectants, indicating that JSRV vectors pose no unusual safety risk related to their improved stability under other conditions.     

Improved enzootic nasal tumor virus pseudotype packaging cell lines reveal virus entry requirements in addition to the primary receptor Hyal2

Enzootic nasal tumor virus (ENTV) and jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) are closely related retroviruses that cause epithelial cancers of the respiratory tract in sheep and goats. Both viruses use the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell surface protein hyaluronidase 2 (Hyal2) as a receptor for cell entry, and entry is mediated by the envelope (Env) proteins encoded by these viruses. Retroviral vectors bearing JSRV Env can transduce cells from a wide range of species, with the exception of rodent cells. Because of the low titer of vectors bearing ENTV Env, it has been difficult to determine the tropism of ENTV vectors, which appeared to transduce cells from sheep and humans only. Here we have developed high-titer ENTV packaging cells and confirm that ENTV has a restricted host range compared to that of JSRV. Most cells that are not transduced by JSRV or ENTV vectors can be made susceptible following expression of human Hyal2 on the cells. However, five rat cell lines from different rat strains and different tissues that were engineered to express human Hyal2 were still only poorly infected by ENTV vectors, even though the ENTV Env protein could bind well to human Hyal2 expressed on four of these cell lines. These results indicate the possibility of a coreceptor requirement for these viruses.     

Envelope-induced cell transformation by ovine betaretroviruses

Ovine betaretroviruses include Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) and enzootic nasal tumor virus (ENTV). JSRV and ENTV represent a unique class of oncogenic retroviruses that induce tumors of the respiratory tract. JSRV and ENTV are highly related but induce different diseases. Expression of the JSRV envelope (Env) induces transformation of rodent fibroblasts in vitro and phosphorylation of Akt, a central player in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3K)/Akt signal transduction pathway. However, little information is available on the molecular biology of ENTV. In this study, we initially assessed whether the ENTV Env has the same properties as the homologous JSRV protein. We performed entry and interference assays using retroviral vectors pseudotyped with either the JSRV or the ENTV Env and sheep choroid plexus cells, choroid plexus cells stably expressing the JSRV Env protein, human 293T cells, mouse NIH 3T3 cells, or NIH 3T3 cells expressing human hyaluronidase 2 (HYAL2), the cellular receptor for JSRV. The results obtained indicated that ENTV and JSRV share the same receptor in sheep cells and that they can use human HYAL2 as a cellular receptor in mouse cells. The ENTV Env induces transformation of rodent fibroblasts in vitro. As with the JSRV Env, the tyrosine at position 590 is critical for ENTV Env-induced cell transformation, and Akt is phosphorylated in ENTV Env-transformed cells but not in the parental cell lines. Thus, ovine betaretroviruses share a common mechanism of cell transformation. We further investigated the relevance of Akt activation in cells transformed by ovine betaretroviruses. A PI-3K inhibitor blocked Akt phosphorylation in JSRV Env-transformed cells, suggesting a possible involvement of PI-3K in JSRV and ENTV Env-induced cell transformation. In addition, phosphorylated Akt was detected in a cell line derived from a lung tumor of a sheep with naturally occurring ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma.     

Transformation of madin-darby canine kidney epithelial cells by sheep retrovirus envelope proteins

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) and enzootic nasal tumor virus (ENTV) induce epithelial tumors in the airways of sheep and goats. In both of these simple retroviruses, the envelope (Env) protein is the active oncogene. Furthermore, JSRV Env can transform cultured cells by two distinct mechanisms. In rat and mouse fibroblasts, the cytoplasmic tail of JSRV Env is essential for transformation, which involves activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, and the virus receptor hyaluronidase 2 (Hyal2) is not involved. In contrast, in the BEAS-2B human bronchial epithelial cell line, transformation is mediated by JSRV Env binding to Hyal2 followed by Hyal2 degradation and activation of the receptor tyrosine kinase RON, the activity of which is normally suppressed by Hyal2. Here we show that JSRV and ENTV Env proteins can also transform Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells, but by a mechanism similar to that observed in fibroblast cell lines. In particular, the cytoplasmic tail of Env is required for transformation, the PI3K/Akt pathway is activated, expression of RON (which is not normally expressed in MDCK cells) does not affect transformation, and canine Hyal2 appears uninvolved. These results show that the JSRV and ENTV Env proteins can transform epithelial cells besides BEAS-2B cells and argue against a model for Env transformation involving different pathways that are uniquely active in fibroblasts or epithelial cells.     

Role of virus receptor Hyal2 in oncogenic transformation of rodent fibroblasts by sheep betaretrovirus env proteins

The ovine betaretroviruses jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) and enzootic nasal tumor virus (ENTV) cause contagious cancers in the lungs and upper airways of sheep and goats. Oncogenic transformation assays using mouse and rat fibroblasts have localized the transforming activity to the Env proteins encoded by these viruses, which require the putative lung and breast cancer tumor suppressor hyaluronidase 2 (Hyal2) to promote virus entry into cells. These results suggested the hypothesis that the JSRV and ENTV Env proteins cause cancer by inhibiting the tumor suppressor activity of Hyal2. Consistent with this hypothesis, we show that human Hyal2 and other Hyal2 orthologs that can promote virus entry, including rat Hyal2, can suppress transformation by the Env proteins of JSRV and ENTV. Furthermore, we provide direct evidence for binding of the surface (SU) region of JSRV Env to human and rat Hyal2. However, mouse Hyal2 did not mediate entry of virions bearing JSRV or ENTV Env proteins, bound JSRV SU poorly if at all, and did not suppress transformation by the JSRV or ENTV Env proteins, indicating that mouse Hyal2 plays no role in transformation of mouse fibroblasts and that the Env proteins can transform at least some cells by a Hyal2-independent mechanism. Expression of human Hyal2 in mouse cells expressing JSRV Env caused a marked reduction in Env protein levels, indicating that human Hyal2 suppresses Env-mediated transformation in mouse cells by increasing Env degradation rather than by exerting a more general Env-independent tumor suppressor activity.     

Envelope proteins of Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus and enzootic nasal tumor virus induce similar bronchioalveolar tumors in lungs of mice

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) induces bronchioalveolar tumors in sheep and goats. Expression of the JSRV envelope (Env) protein in mouse airway epithelial cells induces similar tumors, indicating that Env expression is sufficient for tissue-specific tumor formation. Enzootic nasal tumor virus (ENTV) is related to JSRV but induces tumors in the nasal epithelium of sheep and goats. Here we found that ENTV Env can also induce tumors in mice but, unexpectedly, with a phenotype identical to that of tumors induced by the JSRV Env, indicating that factors other than Env mediate the tissue specificity of tumor induction by ENTV.     

Adeno-Associated Virus Vector Mediated Expression of an Oncogenic Retroviral Envelope Protein Induces Lung Adenocarcinomas in Immunocompetent Mice

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. A poor overall survival rate of 16% necessitates the need for novel treatment strategies. Mouse models of lung cancer are important tools for analyzing the significance of somatic mutations in the initiation and progression of lung cancer. Of additional importance, however, are animal models of virally induced cancers. JSRV is a simple betaretrovirus that causes contagious lung cancer in sheep known as ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma and closely resembles human lung adenocarcinoma. Previously we showed that expression of the JSRV envelope (Env) from an AAV vector induced lung tumors in immunodeficient mice, but not in immunocompetent mice. Because of the importance of studying lung cancer in the context of an intact immune system we sought to improve our mouse model. In this report, we employed the use of a strong JSRV enhancer-promoter combination to express Env at high levels and demonstrate for the first time, lung tumor induction in immunocompetent mice. This occurred despite a robust Env-specific antibody-mediated immune response. The PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathways were activated in both immunocompetent and immunodeficient mice, however, differential activation of PTEN, GSKα, p70S6K, p38MAPK, ATF2 and STAT5 was observed. A JSRV Env lung tumor-derived cell line was shown to have a similar signal transduction activation profile as Env-induced lung tumors in C57BL/6 mice. Given the similarities between our model and pulmonary adenocarcinomas in humans, and the ease with which tumors can be induced in any transgenic mouse, this system can be used to uncover novel mechanisms involved lung tumorigenesis.     

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus infects multiple cell types in the ovine lung

Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) is a transmissible lung cancer of sheep caused by Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV). The details of early events in the pathogenesis of OPA are not fully understood. For example, the identity of the JSRV target cell in the lung has not yet been determined. Mature OPA tumors express surfactant protein-C (SP-C) or Clara cell-specific protein (CCSP), which are specific markers of type II pneumocytes or Clara cells, respectively. However, it is unclear whether these are the cell types initially infected and transformed by JSRV or whether the virus targets stem cells in the lung that subsequently acquire a differentiated phenotype during tumor growth. To examine this question, JSRV-infected lung tissue from experimentally infected lambs was studied at early time points after infection. Single JSRV-infected cells were detectable 10 days postinfection in bronchiolar and alveolar regions. These infected cells were labeled with anti-SP-C or anti-CCSP antibodies, indicating that differentiated epithelial cells are early targets for JSRV infection in the ovine lung. In addition, undifferentiated cells that expressed neither SP-C nor CCSP were also found to express the JSRV Env protein. These results enhance the understanding of OPA pathogenesis and may have comparative relevance to human lung cancer, for which samples representing early stages of tumor growth are difficult to obtain.     

A phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase docking site in the cytoplasmic tail of the Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus transmembrane protein is essential for envelope-induced transformation of NIH 3T3 cells

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) is the causative agent of a transmissible lung cancer of sheep known as ovine pulmonary carcinoma. Recently, we have found that the expression of the JSRV envelope (Env) is sufficient to transform mouse NIH 3T3 cells in classical transformation assays. To further investigate the mechanisms of JSRV oncogenesis, we generated a series of envelope chimeras between JSRV and the JSRV-related endogenous retroviruses of sheep (enJSRVs) and assessed them in transformation assays. Chimeras containing the exogenous JSRV SU region and the enJSRV TM region were unable to transform NIH 3T3 cells. Additional chimeras containing only the carboxy-terminal portion of TM (a region that we previously identified as VR3) of the endogenous envelope with SU and the remaining portion of TM from the exogenous JSRV were also unable to transform NIH 3T3 cells. The VR3 region includes the putative membrane-spanning region and cytoplasmic tail of the JSRV TM glycoprotein; this suggested that the cytoplasmic tail of the JSRV Env mediates transformation, possibly via a cell signaling mechanism. Mutations Y590 and M593 in the cytoplasmic tail of the JSRV envelope were sufficient to inhibit the transforming abilities of these constructs. Y590 and M593 are part of a Y-X-X-M motif that is recognized by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3K). PI-3K initiates a cell signaling pathway that inhibits apoptosis and is required for a number of mitogens during the G(1)-to-S-phase transition of the cell cycle. PI-3K activates Akt by phosphorylation of threonine 308 and serine 473. We detected by Western blot analysis phosphorylated Akt in serum-starved MP1 cells (NIH 3T3 cells transformed by JSRV) but not in the parental NIH 3T3 cells. These data indicate that the cytoplasmic tail of the JSRV TM is necessary for cell transformation and suggest a new mechanism of retroviral transformation. In addition, the ability to dissociate the function of the JSRV envelope to mediate viral entry from its transforming capacity has direct relevance for the design of JSRV-based vectors that target the differentiated epithelial cells of the lungs.     

Putative phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) binding motifs in ovine betaretrovirus Env proteins are not essential for rodent fibroblast transformation and PI3K/Akt activation

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) and enzootic nasal tumor virus (ENTV) are simple betaretroviruses that cause epithelial cell tumors in the lower and upper airways of sheep and goats. The envelope (Env) glycoproteins of both viruses can transform rodent and chicken fibroblasts, indicating that they play an essential role in oncogenesis. Previous studies found that a YXXM motif in the Env cytoplasmic tail, a putative docking site for phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) after tyrosine phosphorylation, was necessary for rodent cell transformation but was not required for transformation of DF-1 chicken fibroblasts. Here we show that JSRV and ENTV Env proteins with tyrosine or methionine mutations in the YXXM motif can still transform rodent fibroblasts, albeit with reduced efficiency. Akt was activated in cells transformed by JSRV or ENTV Env proteins and in cells transformed by the proteins with tyrosine mutations. Furthermore, the PI3K-specific inhibitor LY294002 could inhibit Akt activation and cell transformation in all cases, indicating that Akt activation and transformation is PI3K dependent. However, we could not detect tyrosine phosphorylation of JSRV or ENTV Env proteins or an interaction between the Env proteins and PI3K in the transformed cells. We found no evidence for mitogen-activated protein kinase activation in cells that were transformed by the JSRV or ENTV Env proteins. We conclude that ovine betaretrovirus Env proteins transform the rodent fibroblasts by indirectly activating the PI3K/Akt pathway.     

Targeted Gene Delivery by Intravenous Injection of Retroviral Vectors

Specifically and effectively directing a therapeutic gene to its intended site of action is a critical issue for translation of basic genomics to clinical gene therapy. Delivering gene therapy vectors to specific cells or tissues through intravenous injection is the most desirable method for this purpose. In 2001, we reported successful targeted gene transduction in vitro utilizing both oncoretroviral and lentiviral vectors pseudotyped with a chimeric Sindbis virus envelope (ZZ SINDBIS). However, these pseudotypes mediated non-specific gene transduction to liver and spleen in vivo. To address this problem we generated the modified ZZ SINDBIS (termed m168) with significantly less non-specific infectivity. To investigate the ability of m168 pseudotyped lentiviral vector to mediate targeted gene transduction in vivo, we utilized a metastatic tumor model by using mouse melanoma cells engineered to express human P-glycoprotein. We administered the m168 pseudotyped vector conjugated with anti-P-glycoprotein antibody into the mice intravenously to target metastatic melanoma. The m168 pseudotyped vector selectively infected metastatic melanoma cells demonstrating successful targeted gene transduction in vivo. Targeting technology based upon m168 can be further modified for application not only to cancer but also potentially to genetic, neurologic, infectious and immune diseases, thereby expanding the future application of gene therapy.     

Cell cycle requirements for transduction by foamy virus vectors compared to those of oncovirus and lentivirus vectors

Retroviral vectors based on foamy viruses (FV) are efficient gene delivery vehicles for therapeutic and research applications. While previous studies have shown that FV vectors transduce quiescent cell cultures more efficiently than oncoviral vectors, their specific cell cycle requirements have not been determined. Here we compare the transduction frequencies of FV vectors with those of onco- and lentiviral vectors in nondividing and dividing normal human fibroblasts by several methods. FV vectors transduced serum-deprived fibroblast cultures more efficiently than oncoretroviral vectors and at rates comparable to those of lentiviral vectors. However, in these cultures FV vectors only transduced a subpopulation of proliferating cells, as determined by bromodeoxyuridine staining for DNA synthesis. In contrast to lentiviral vectors, FV vectors were unable to transduce human fibroblasts arrested by aphidicolin (G(1)/S phase) or gamma-irradiation (G(2) phase), and a partial cell cycle that included mitosis but not DNA synthesis was required. We could not determine if mitosis facilitated nuclear entry of FV vectors, since cell-free vector preparations contained long terminal repeat circles, precluding their use as nuclear markers. In contrast to oncoviral vectors, both FV and lentiviral vectors efficiently transduced G(0) fibroblasts that were later stimulated to divide. In the case of FV vectors, this was due to the persistence of a stable transduction intermediate in quiescent cells. Our findings support the use of FV vectors as a safe and effective alternative to lentiviral vectors for ex vivo transduction of stem cells that are quiescent during culture but divide following transplantation.     

Assessment of optimal transduction of primary human skin keratinocytes by viral vectors

BACKGROUND: Genetically modified keratinocytes generate transplantable self-renewing epithelia suitable for delivery of therapeutic polypeptides. However, the variety of viral vectors and experimental conditions currently used make fragmented or contradictory the information on the transduction efficiency of the human primary keratinocytes. To compare the suitability of the most currently used viral vectors for efficient gene transfer to human keratinocytes, we have performed a comparative study using a panel of recombinant constructs. METHODS: For each vector, the transduction efficiency and the persistence of the transgene expression were quantified by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry analysis of the infected cells. RESULTS: We show that: (1) canine and human adenoviral vectors achieve a highly efficient but transient transduction of both primary and immortalized keratinocytes; (2) the adenovirus-associated virus (AAV) vectors transduce immortalized keratinocytes, albeit with a short-lived gene expression (<4 days), but fail to infect primary keratinocytes; and (3) under appropriate conditions, the oncoretroviral and lentiviral vectors can permanently transduce up to 100% of primary keratinocytes, but the highly clonogenic keratinocytes are more efficiently targeted by lentiviral vectors. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, AAV vectors are unsuitable to transduce primary keratinocytes, while human and canine adenoviral vectors appears to be appropriate to achieve short-term delivery of therapeutic products. Recombinant retroviruses provide sustained expression of the transgene, but the lentiviral vectors are the most suitable for ex vivo gene therapy because of their ability to transduce clonogenic primary keratinocytes.     

Expression of the jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus envelope glycoprotein is sufficient to induce lung tumors in sheep

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) is the causative agent of ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA). The expression of the JSRV envelope (Env) alone is sufficient to transform a variety of cell lines in vitro and induce lung cancer in immunodeficient mice. In order to determine the role of the JSRV Env in OPA tumorigenesis in sheep, we derived a JSRV replication-defective virus (JS-RD) which expresses env under the control of its own long terminal repeat (LTR). JS-RD was produced by transiently transfecting 293T cells with a two plasmid system, involving (i) a packaging plasmid, with the putative JSRV packaging signal deleted, expressing the structural and enzymatic proteins Gag, Pro, and Pol, and (ii) a plasmid which expresses env in trans for JS-RD particles and provides the genomes necessary to deliver JSRV env upon infection. During the optimization of the JS-RD system we determined that both R-U5 (in the viral 5' LTR) and the env region are important for JSRV particle production. Two independent experimental transmission studies were carried out with newborn lambs. Four of five lambs inoculated with JS-RD showed OPA lesions in the lungs at various times between 4 and 12 months postinoculation. Abundant expression of JSRV Env was detected in tumor cells of JS-RD-infected animals and PCR assays confirmed the presence of the deleted JS-RD genome. These data strongly suggest that the JSRV Env functions as a dominant oncoprotein in the natural immunocompetent host and that JSRV can induce OPA in the absence of viral spread.     

Roles of the Ras-MEK-mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-Akt-mTOR pathways in Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus-induced transformation of rodent fibroblast and epithelial cell lines

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) is the causative agent of ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA), a transmissible lung cancer of sheep. The virus can induce tumors rapidly, and we previously found that the JSRV envelope protein (Env) functions as an oncogene, because it can transform mammalian and avian fibroblast cell lines. (N. Maeda, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98:4449-4454, 2001). The molecular mechanisms of JSRV Env transformation are of considerable interest. Several reports suggested that the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway is important for transformation of mammalian fibroblasts but not for chicken fibroblasts. In this study, we found that Akt/mTOR is involved in JSRV transformation of mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, because treatment with the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin reduced transformation. We also found that H/N-Ras inhibitor FTI-277 and MEK1/2 inhibitors PD98059 and U0126 strongly inhibited JSRV transformation of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, suggesting that the H/N-Ras-MEK-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) p44/42 pathway is necessary for the transformation. In RK3E epithelial cells, the MEK1/2 inhibitors also eliminated transformation, but FTI-277 only partially inhibited transformation. It was noteworthy that p38 MAPK inhibitors enhanced JSRV transformation in both fibroblasts and epithelial cells. Treatment of transformed cells with p38 inhibitors both increased levels of phospho-MEK1/2 and phospho-p44/42 and induced rapid enhancement of the transformed phenotype. Immunohistochemical staining of tumor tissues from naturally and experimentally induced OPA and naturally occurring enzootic nasal adenocarcinoma revealed strong activation of MAPK p44/42 in all cases examined. However, p38 activation was not generally observed. These results indicate that signaling through two pathways (in particular, H/N-Ras-MEK-MAPK and, to a lesser extent, Akt-mTOR) is important for JSRV-induced transformation and that p38 MAPK has a negative regulatory effect on transformation, perhaps via MEK1/2 and p44/42.     

Mutational analysis of the cytoplasmic tail of jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus envelope protein

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) is the etiologic agent of a transmissible lung cancer in sheep, ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma. JSRV is unique in that the envelope protein functions as an oncogene, since it can morphologically transform fibroblast and epithelial cells in culture and can induce lung tumors in mice. Previous studies indicated that the transmembrane (TM) protein is essential for transformation, and particular attention has focused on a YXXM motif in the cytoplasmic tail. In this study, we carried out systematic mutagenesis of the cytoplasmic tail of JSRV Env. Alanine scanning mutagenesis revealed four classes of mutants: mutants in which transformation was abrogated, those in which transformation was not affected, those with reduced transformation, and those with increased transformation (supertransformers). In general, the alanine mutations did not affect Env protein production or its localization to the plasma membrane. Three functional domains of the cytoplasmic tail were identified: an amphipathic helix at the N-terminal (juxtamembrane) side, a nonessential C-terminal region, and an internal region (including the YXXM motif) where mutations resulted in abrogation, decreases, or increases in transformation. Alanine mutations in the amphipathic helix in both the hydrophobic and hydrophilic faces generally abolished transformation. The mutation R591A showed partial transformation that was consistent with loss of signaling through the Akt-mTOR pathway and signaling predominantly through the Ras-Raf-MEK1/2-extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 pathway. The supertransforming mutants generally showed increased signaling through Akt and reduced activation of p38 MAPK that is inhibitory for transformation. These mutants provide further insight into the role of the TM cytoplasmic tail in JSRV transformation.     

Transformation of rodent fibroblasts by the jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus envelope is receptor independent and does not require the surface domain

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV) is the etiological agent of a contagious lung cancer of sheep known as ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA). Expression of the JSRV envelope protein (Env) is sufficient to transform immortalized and primary fibroblasts, but the precise mechanisms of this process are not known. The cellular receptor for JSRV is hyaluronidase 2 (Hyal-2), the product of a putative tumor suppressor gene that in humans maps to a chromosomal region frequently deleted in the development of lung and breast cancers. Here we report studies to determine whether the Hyal-2-JSRV Env interaction plays a role in virus-induced transformation of rodent fibroblasts. Chimeric Env proteins between JSRV and the unrelated murine retroviruses Moloney murine leukemia virus (MMuLV) and mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) showed cell surface expression comparable to that of wild-type MMuLV Env and rescued infection of MMuLV particle pseudotypes. Interestingly, an MMuLV-JSRV chimera in which the putative receptor binding domain (RBD) and proline-rich region (PRR) of JSRV Env were replaced by the RBD and PRR of MMuLV induced transformation of 208F, a rodent fibroblast line. Cell lines derived from foci of MMuLV-JSRV chimera-transformed 208F cells grew in soft agar and showed Akt activation, a hallmark of JSRV-transformed rodent fibroblasts. Transformation assays performed using proteins with amino-terminal deletion mutations showed that the carboxy-terminal 141 amino acids of the transmembrane subunit (TM) were sufficient to induce cell transformation when targeted to the membrane with a myristoylation signal. Thus, the JSRV TM is necessary and sufficient to transform rodent fibroblasts. Taken together these results indicate that the interaction with Hyal-2 at least is not an essential determinant of JSRV-induced transformation of fibroblasts and that the viral TM functions essentially as an oncoprotein.