戊型肝炎病毒衣壳蛋白中和表位间的构象诱导

重组蛋白NE2包含了戊型肝炎病毒(HEV)衣壳蛋白(pORF2)的aa394～606片段.在NE2上已鉴定出了2个HEV中和表位,并获得了3个识别中和表位的单克隆抗体(MAb)8C11、13D8和8H3.这3个MAb间的交叉阻断ELISA实验发现,8C11和13D8可以彼此完全阻断,8H3对8C11和13D8均不能阻断,而8C11非但不能阻断8H3,反而显著增强了8H3与抗原的结合.用生物传感器进行的抗体与抗原结合的动力学分析也证实了这一现象.这些结果提示,在NE2上8H3表位区域受到抗原上某些结构的掩盖,而8C11与NE2的结合引起了抗原空间结构的改变,导致了掩盖8H3表位的结构的去除和8H3表位的充分暴露.免疫捕获RT-PCR发现,8C11同样可以显著增强8H3对天然HEV病毒的捕获能力,提示这种结合诱导的衣壳蛋白空间构象改变在天然HEV病毒颗粒上同样存在.     

戊型肝炎病毒IV型衣壳蛋白缺失突变体原核表达与性质

采用PCR技术扩增基因IV型HEV(Hepatitis E Virus,HEV)开放阅读框2(Open Reading Frame 2,ORF2)的缺失突变体(aa384-606),亚克隆到表达载体后,转化到大肠杆菌中进行诱导表达,表达蛋白命名为rP24。SDS-PAGE和免疫印迹实验表明,rP24获得了高效表达,且和单克隆抗体15B2具有强的反应活性。rP24经过包涵体洗涤、溶解复性、离子交换层析和分子筛层析纯化后,免疫印迹实验表明,纯化rP24能与抗HEV ORF2中和单克隆抗体8C11以及HE(Hepatitis E,HE)阳性血清发生很强的免疫反应性,说明rP24上具有构象型中和表位,模拟了HEV衣壳蛋白的空间结构。动态光散色测量结果表明,rP24的平均水化半径为7.48 nm;纯化rP24免疫动物实验表明,rP24具有强的抗原性,小鼠阳转周期短,抗体持续时间长;纯化rP24作为包被抗原检测HE阳性血清和阴性血清,结果显示rP24对HE阳性血清和阴性血清检出率与北京万泰公司的抗HEV-IgG检测试剂盒的检出率一致。这些实验结果说明,具有较好免疫反应性和免疫原性的rP24获得了高效表达,该蛋白模拟了天然病毒衣壳蛋白的中和表位,为进一步研究基因I型和基因IV型HEV感染不同宿主细胞差异的分子机制奠定了基础。     

戊型肝炎病毒细胞吸附模型的建立及病毒吸附区域初步研究

E.coli中表达的HEV衣壳蛋白片段P239(aa368~606)形成的类病毒颗粒与戊肝患者恢复期血清及中和单抗具有良好的反应性,较好地模拟了天然HEV病毒颗粒的表面空间结构。利用P239吸附HepG2细胞的模型来模拟HEV对宿主细胞的吸附,多株中和单抗对吸附的阻断验证了吸附的特异性。P239与多株传代细胞系的吸附结果则表明了这种特异性吸附的细胞选择性。对阻断P239吸附的线性单抗进行定位,初步确定了P239与细胞相互作用的区域:ORF2上的aa423~443很可能和病毒上的细胞膜受体结合部位非常靠近,或可能直接参与构成了病毒与细胞特异性识别的表位。此本研究为进一步研究HEV与宿主细胞的相互作用提供一定的线索。     

戊型肝炎病毒第4基因型中国株ORF2编码蛋白的抗原表位分析

以戊型肝炎病毒(HEV)第4基因型中国株ORF2编码蛋白p166Chn制备单克隆抗体(McAbs), 同时制备20个N端或C端逐渐截短的p166Chn截短蛋白, 与7种不同基因型和亚型的p166蛋白一起, 通过ELISA、免疫印迹(Western blot)以及竞争抑制实验对主要存在于我国的HEV第4基因型毒株进行抗原表位分析。结果发现所制备的McAbs与p166Chn截短蛋白的免疫反应有两种类型, 以1G10为代表的McAbs能与N端不短于aa477、C端不短于aa613的截短蛋白反应, 其针对的抗原表位是构象依赖型表位, 依赖于aa477~aa613肽链区段; 而McAb 2F11则能与N端不短于aa474、C端不短于aa617的截短蛋白反应, 其针对的抗原表位也是构象表位, 但需依赖于较长的肽链区段(aa474~aa617)。竞争抑制实验显示两类McAbs互不抑制, 进一步证实了所发现的两个抗原表位在空间位置上的不同。更有意义的是, 两类McAbs均能与其他不同HEV基因型和亚型来源的p166重组蛋白发生阳性反应, 表明这两个抗原表位是HEV基因型共同性的, 可以在世界各国分布的不同基因型HEV毒株中诱导交叉免疫。     

戊型肝炎病毒衣壳蛋白同源二聚体的相互作用结构域

为了探讨戊型肝炎病毒衣壳蛋白同源二聚体形成的关键区域和相互作用结构域,以及二聚体形成与主要天然中和表位的形成之间的关系,通过末端缺失、定点突变技术研究戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）ORF2的aa394-aa606片段NE2的聚合现象,发现其C端的aa597-aa602（AVAVLA）疏水区是该片段同源聚合的核心区域,提高该区域氨基酸的亲水性将妨碍聚合现象的发生;半胱氨酸化学交联实验表明NE2形成同源二聚体时,aa597在空间位置上相接近,处于可生成化学键的距离,提示所处区域为疏水聚合的作用结构域;通过Blast程序估算核心区域的天然突变率,发现其疏水性高度保守;N端缺失实验表明,至少65个氨基酸既不影响同源聚合也不直接参与主要的天然中和表位的形成,但可协助中和表位构象的形成,而这种协助作用可被ORF2的末端肽段所代替。Aa597-aa602（AVAVLA）疏水区为戊肝病毒衣壳组装的第一步骤的核心区域,并与重要的天然中和表位的形成直接相关,从而为戊肝病毒疫苗的研究提供更详细的信息。     

戊型肝炎病毒中和性单克隆抗体的鉴定

阻断实验发现。用戊型肝炎病毒(HEV)衣壳蛋白重组抗原制备的8株抗HEV单克隆抗体(mAb),分别识别3个构象表位和2个线性表位。用抗体捕获反转录PCR方法证实,其中识别2个构象表位的3个mAb可以直接捕获HEV颗粒,表明这2个表位位于HEV颗粒的外表面。识别这两个表位的mAbSCll和8H3均可中和HEV对恒河猴的致病性和感染性。rnAb8C11缩短排毒时间的效应较明显,而mAb8H3延迟机体抗HEV抗体阳转时间的效应较明显。二者的中和效应具有较明显的协同作用。中和单抗8C11、8H3对戊肝不同感染时期的血清均有显著阻断作用,Fab片段的阻断作用与完整抗体类似,表明这两个mAb对应的中和表位是HEV体液免疫应答的优势表位。     

抗戊型肝炎病毒单克隆抗体识别表位的初步研究

通过 Western blot、体外捕获PCR、ELISA阻断实验及合成的多肽库等方法,对23株抗戊型肝炎病毒(HEV)单克隆抗体(单抗)识别HEV ORF2表位的作用进行系统研究.结果显示,7株线性单抗识别表位都位于ORF2aa408～458之间,16株构象型单抗识别表位都定位于ORF2 aa459～606之间,大部分构象型单抗识别表位都在天然病毒表面.对这些单抗识别表位系统地了解将为HEV疫苗、诊断、病毒受体和病毒感染机制等方面的研究提供重要工具.     

颗粒化重组戊型肝炎病毒衣壳蛋白及其抗原性与免疫原性

过去的研究发现大肠杆菌表达的戊型肝炎病毒（HEV）衣壳蛋白ORF2的aa394-606片段NE2可以形成同源多聚体,并具有良好的免疫保护性,但纯化后的免疫原性较弱。这里表达了3个NE2蛋白的N端延伸突变体,发现对应于ORF2 aa368_606的重组蛋白HEV239在体外可以形成颗粒性抗原。HEV 239抗原颗粒与戊肝患者血清反应性良好,对中和性单克隆抗体8C11的反应性与NE2抗原相当,而对另一中和性单克隆抗体8H3的反应性较NE2抗原有显著提高,表明HEV 239抗原颗粒具有比NE2更好的抗原性。纯化后的HEV 239抗原颗粒直径约为15～30nm。铝佐剂吸附的HEV 239免疫Balb/c小鼠的半数有效剂量（ED50）在0.08～0.25μg之间,而同样以铝佐剂吸附的NE2抗原60μg剂量免疫的抗体阳转率仅25%,表明HEV 239抗原颗粒具有更好的免疫原性。     

HepG2细胞中与戊型肝炎病毒衣壳蛋白相互作用蛋白的初步研究

利用重组戊型肝炎病毒(HEV)衣壳蛋白片段p239(368~606 aa)形成的类病毒颗粒作为亲和层析诱饵蛋白,HepG2为细胞模型,筛选与p239类病毒颗粒特异性相互作用蛋白。经过二维电泳分离,MALDI-TOF-MS分析鉴定得到GRP78/Bip,HSP90,alpha-tubulin及P43四个与p239有相互作用的候选蛋白。GRP78/Bip为热休克蛋白家族成员,体外免疫共沉淀实验结果证实,其与p239有特异性的结合。此研究结果为深入研究HEV的感染过程如吸附、入胞,以及HEV的致病机理提供了有益线索。     

Ⅰ～Ⅳ型登革病毒包膜蛋白B细胞中和表位的鉴定

登革病毒包膜蛋白(Dengue virus envelope protein,DENV E)是诱导中和抗体主要的蛋白,登革病毒包膜蛋白Ⅲ区(Dengue virus envelope protein domainⅢ,DENV EDⅢ)是构建DENV亚单位疫苗的主要靶标,但是其B细胞中和表位目前了解不多。我们采用两组覆盖DENV-1EDⅢ的重叠多肽(12肽和16肽)同27株针对DENV-1EDⅢ中和单抗反应,筛选DENV EDⅢ上B细胞表位。采用该方法,我们发现了一高度保守的Ⅰ～Ⅳ型DENV共同交叉中和B细胞表位和一高度保守的DENV-1血清型特异性B细胞中和表位,分别位于DENV-1E蛋白氨基酸残基序列第309~320位和第381~392位(Amino acid residues 309~320,and 381~392;aa 309~320和381~392)。Ⅰ～Ⅳ型DENV共同交叉中和B细胞表位在Ⅰ～Ⅳ型DENV分离株中存在高度保守共同序列310 KEVAETQHGT319,DENV-1E蛋白中E309、V312、A313和V320不影响蛋白抗原性。DENV-1血清型特异性B细胞中和表位(DENV-1E蛋白氨aa 381~392)在DENV-1分离株中高度保守,在黄病毒属其它病毒中不保守。我们也发现一具有DENV-1分离株特异性的B细胞中和表位位于DENV-1E蛋白氨基酸残基序列第329~348位。这些新发现的DENV-1E蛋白EDⅢ上B细胞中和表位可能有助于研制新的DENV亚单位疫苗。     

C-Terminal Amino Acids 471-507 of Avian Hepatitis E Virus Capsid Protein Are Crucial for Binding to Avian and Human Cells

The infection of chickens with avian Hepatitis E virus (avian HEV) can be asymptomatic or induces clinical signs characterized by increased mortality and decreased egg production in adult birds. Due to the lack of an efficient cell culture system for avian HEV, the interaction between virus and host cells is still barely understood. In this study, four truncated avian HEV capsid proteins (ORF2-1 – ORF2-4) with an identical 338aa deletion at the N-terminus and gradual deletions from 0, 42, 99 and 136aa at the C-terminus, respectively, were expressed and used to map the possible binding site within avian HEV capsid protein. Results from the binding assay showed that three truncated capsid proteins attached to avian LMH cells, but did not penetrate into cells. However, the shortest construct, ORF2-4, lost the capability of binding to cells suggesting that the presence of amino acids 471 to 507 of the capsid protein is crucial for the attachment. The construct ORF2-3 (aa339-507) was used to study the potential binding of avian HEV capsid protein to human and other avian species. It could be demonstrated that ORF2-3 was capable of binding to QT-35 cells from Japanese quail and human HepG2 cells but failed to bind to P815 cells. Additionally, chicken serum raised against ORF2-3 successfully blocked the binding to LMH cells. Treatment with heparin sodium salt or sodium chlorate significantly reduced binding of ORF2-3 to LMH cells. However, heparinase II treatment of LMH cells had no effect on binding of the ORF2-3 construct, suggesting a possible distinct attachment mechanism of avian as compared to human HEV. For the first time, interactions between avian HEV capsid protein and host cells were investigated demonstrating that aa471 to 507 of the capsid protein are needed to facilitate interaction with different kind of cells from different species.     

Hepatitis E Virus Genotype 1 Infection of Swine Kidney Cells In Vitro Is Inhibited at Multiple Levels

Genotype 1 hepatitis E viruses (HEVs) are restricted to primate hosts, whereas genotype 3 HEVs predominantly infect swine, in addition to primates. In order to identify possible determinants of the host range, infectious recombinant viruses and chimeras of a genotype 1 isolate and a genotype 3 isolate were compared for their ability to infect versus transfect cultured human HepG2/C3A cells and swine LLC-PK cells. The patterns of luciferase expression from virus replicons containing the Gaussia luciferase gene in place of the viral ORF2 or ORF3 genes demonstrated that translation of the ORF2 capsid gene of genotype 1 virus is severely inhibited in swine kidney cells compared to its translation in rhesus macaque kidney or human liver cells. Therefore, this virus may produce insufficient capsid protein for optimal assembly in swine cells. Infectivity assays with a virus containing a chimeric capsid protein confirmed that amino acids 456 to 605 of the virus capsid protein comprised the virus receptor-binding region and suggested that genotype 1 viruses may be prevented from infecting swine because genotype 1 viruses are unable to enter swine cells. Rhesus macaque cells appeared to be better than human cells for growing the genotype 1 virus. These cell and virus combinations may serve as a useful in vitro model with which to study determinants of the natural host range of this virus.     

The hepatitis E virus polyproline region is involved in viral adaptation

Genomes of hepatitis E virus (HEV), rubivirus and cutthroat virus (CTV) contain a region of high proline density and low amino acid (aa) complexity, named the polyproline region (PPR). In HEV genotypes 1, 3 and 4, it is the only region within the non-structural open reading frame (ORF1) with positive selection (4-10 codons with dN/dS>1). This region has the highest density of sites with homoplasy values >0.5. Genotypes 3 and 4 show ～3-fold increase in homoplastic density (HD) in the PPR compared to any other region in ORF1, genotype 1 does not exhibit significant HD (p<0.0001). PPR sequence divergence was found to be 2-fold greater for HEV genotypes 3 and 4 than for genotype 1. The data suggest the PPR plays an important role in host-range adaptation. Although the PPR appears to be hypervariable and homoplastic, it retains as much phylogenetic signal as any other similar sized region in the ORF1, indicating that convergent evolution operates within the major HEV phylogenetic lineages. Analyses of sequence-based secondary structure and the tertiary structure identify PPR as an intrinsically disordered region (IDR), implicating its role in regulation of replication. The identified propensity for the disorder-to-order state transitions indicates the PPR is involved in protein-protein interactions. Furthermore, the PPR of all four HEV genotypes contains seven putative linear binding motifs for ligands involved in the regulation of a wide number of cellular signaling processes. Structure-based analysis of possible molecular functions of these motifs showed the PPR is prone to bind a wide variety of ligands. Collectively, these data suggest a role for the PPR in HEV adaptation. Particularly as an IDR, the PPR likely contributes to fine tuning of viral replication through protein-protein interactions and should be considered as a target for development of novel anti-viral drugs.     

Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Induced Synthesis of a Novel Viral Factor Mediates Efficient Replication of Genotype-1 Hepatitis E Virus

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) causes acute hepatitis in many parts of the world including Asia, Africa and Latin America. Though self-limiting in normal individuals, it results in ~30% mortality in infected pregnant women. It has also been reported to cause acute and chronic hepatitis in organ transplant patients. Of the seven viral genotypes, genotype-1 virus infects humans and is a major public health concern in South Asian countries. Sporadic cases of genotype-3 and 4 infection in human and animals such as pigs, deer, mongeese have been reported primarily from industrialized countries. Genotype-5, 6 and 7 viruses are known to infect animals such as wild boar and camel, respectively. Genotype-3 and 4 viruses have been successfully propagated in the laboratory in mammalian cell culture. However, genotype-1 virus replicates poorly in mammalian cell culture and no other efficient model exists to study its life cycle. Here, we report that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress promotes genotype-1 HEV replication by inducing cap-independent, internal initiation mediated translation of a novel viral protein (named ORF4). Importantly, ORF4 expression and stimulatory effect of ER stress inducers on viral replication is specific to genotype-1. ORF4 protein sequence is mostly conserved among genotype-1 HEV isolates and ORF4 specific antibodies were detected in genotype-1 HEV patient serum. ORF4 interacted with multiple viral and host proteins and assembled a protein complex consisting of viral helicase, RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), X, host eEF1α1 (eukaryotic elongation factor 1 isoform-1) and tubulinβ. In association with eEF1α1, ORF4 stimulated viral RdRp activity. Furthermore, human hepatoma cells that stably express ORF4 or engineered proteasome resistant ORF4 mutant genome permitted enhanced viral replication. These findings reveal a positive role of ER stress in promoting genotype-1 HEV replication and pave the way towards development of an efficient model of the virus.     

Release of Genotype 1 Hepatitis E Virus from Cultured Hepatoma and Polarized Intestinal Cells Depends on Open Reading Frame 3 Protein and Requires an Intact PXXP Motif

Hepatitis E virus genotype 1 strain Sar55 replicated in subcloned Caco-2 intestinal cells and Huh7 hepatoma cells that had been transfected with in vitro transcribed viral genomes, and hepatitis E virions were released into the culture medium of both cell lines. Virus egress from cells depended on open reading frame 3 (ORF3) protein, and a proline-rich sequence in ORF3 was important for egress from cultured cells and for infection of macaques. Both intracellular ORF3 protein accumulation and virus release occurred at the apical membrane of polarized Caco-2 cells. ORF3 protein and lipids were intimately associated with virus particles produced in either cell line; ORF2 epitopes were masked in these particles and could not be immunoprecipitated with anti-ORF2.Hepatitis E virus (HEV) remains enigmatic in spite of recent advances (see references 7 and 16 for reviews). HEV is a major cause of acute hepatitis in numerous developing countries, but hepatitis E is infrequently detected in industrialized countries even though seroprevalence rates of anti-HEV as high as 20% in these countries have been reported. Although hepatitis E normally is a self-limited acute disease, recent studies have identified it as an emerging cause of chronic hepatitis in immunocompromised patients. Whereas contaminated drinking water is the source of most infections in developing countries, the sources in industrialized countries are not fully evaluated, but many, if not most, infections appear linked to eating undercooked meat, especially pork. These differences in epidemiology may reflect the fact that most infections in developing countries are caused by genotypes 1 and 2 while those in industrialized countries are mainly due to genotypes 3 and 4.HEV was initially classified as a calicivirus, but subsequent sequence analysis suggested that it was more closely related to the enveloped rubella virus. However, although HEV may be associated with lipids under some conditions (22), HEV virions do not possess an envelope. Four genotypes of HEV that infect humans have been identified (4). Genotypes 1 and 2 infect primates exclusively, whereas genotypes 3 and 4 are zoonotic and commonly also infect swine and rarely other nonprimates. Recent identification of a strain infecting farmed rabbits in China suggests that other reservoirs may exist (32).The capsid protein encoded by open reading frame 2 (ORF2) is able to form infectious virus particles, but these particles remain cell associated. The crystal structure of a truncated recombinant protein has been solved, but the size of the protein in mature virions is unknown (11, 15, 28, 31). The virus is not cytopathic, and it is unclear how it gets out of cells.The 7.2-kb genome of HEV is a capped mRNA that contains three ORFs that encode proteins involved in replication (ORF1), a capsid protein (ORF2), and a small protein of only 113 to 114 amino acids (ORF3). All but the 5′ terminus of ORF3 is overlapped by ORF2, and both proteins are translated from the same bicistronic subgenomic RNA (10). When overexpressed in cell culture, ORF2 is glycosylated, and ORF3 is phosphorylated (26); this phosphorylated ORF3 protein binds to nonglycosylated ORF2 protein in cell culture, but phosphorylation is not required for infection of macaques (9). The virus has been exceedingly difficult to propagate in cell culture, but recently Okamoto and colleagues reported the successful adaptation of both a genotype 3 and a genotype 4 strain to efficient growth in cultures of PLC/PRF/5 hepatoma or A549 lung cells (23, 24).The tiny ORF3 protein is particularly intriguing because it has a significant impact on virus propagation through mechanisms that have yet to be defined. Data from experiments performed with overexpressed ORF3 protein have suggested that, among other things, ORF3 may interact with cellular proteins, including signaling proteins containing Src homology 3 domains (14), bikunin (27), hemopexin (21), and microtubule proteins (13), and it may function to modulate the acute-phase disease response (3), protect cells from mitochondrial depolarization (18), and enhance expression of glycolytic pathway enzymes (17). Yet within transfected hepatoma cells in culture, virions of an ORF3 null mutant of genotype 1 were assembled in the absence of ORF3 protein and were infectious for naïve hepatoma cells (6) although this same ORF3 null mutant was unable to mount a detectable infection in rhesus monkeys (8). Also, swine transfected with genotype 3 mutant genomes encoding a truncated ORF3 protein did not get infected, indicating that an intact ORF3 protein is needed for infectivity in vivo (12). This lack of infectivity in vivo is possibly explained by the recent demonstration that the ORF3 protein of genotype 3 virus is important for export of virions out of cultured cells in vitro (30); however, this dependence on ORF3 for virion egress has not been confirmed in vivo or for strains of the other three genotypes.The four major genotypes of human HEV appear to segregate naturally into two distinct groups. One group contains genotype 1 and 2 strains that lack a zoonotic component and are spread mainly via contaminated water; in contrast, the second group contains genotype 3 and 4 strains which are able to cross species boundaries and are zoonotic since humans have been infected as a result of eating undercooked meat (16, 25). The molecular basis for the two groupings is unknown, and much more extensive comparative analyses are required to determine which variables are epidemiologically relevant. Here, for lack of an efficient cell culture system for genotype 1 or 2 strains, we have utilized an infectious cDNA clone of a genotype 1 strain in order to explore the role of the ORF3 protein in this group.     

Processing of Nonstructural Protein 1a of Human Astrovirus

Astrovirus contains three open reading frames (ORF) on its genomic RNA, ORF1a, ORF1b, and ORF2. ORF1a encodes a 920-amino-acid (aa) nonstructural protein, nsP1a, which displays a 3C-like serine protease motif. Little is known about the processing of nsP1a or whether the protease it contains is active and involved in autocatalytic processing. Here we address both of these matters. Intact and N-terminally deleted forms of ORF1a from human astrovirus serotype 1 were expressed in BHK cells, and nsP1a-derived processing products were immunoprecipitated with an nsP1a-specific antibody or an antibody specific for an N-terminally linked epitope tag. The mapping of the main processing products, p20 and p27, suggests cleavage sites near aa 170, 410, and 655 of nsP1a. Cleavages at around aa 410 and 655, but not aa 170, were abolished when a 9-aa substitution was introduced into the protease motif in nsP1a. The p27 processing product was also found in Caco-2 cells that had been infected with human astrovirus serotype 1, confirming the presence of the cleavage sites at approximately aa 410 and 655.     

南京地区戊型肝炎病毒基因型鉴定和变异分析

为了解南京地区戊型肝炎病毒(Hepatitis E virus,HEV)基因型的分布以及变异状况,本研究采用逆转录套式聚合酶反应(RT-nPCR)的方法检测南京地区40份急性散发性戊型肝炎患者的粪便标本,对PCR产物进行测序,利用生物信息学软件比较核苷酸的同源性、遗传距离,进行基因分型和变异分析。40份粪便标本中检测到14份阳性HEV、RNA,检出率为35%,基因分型均为HEV IV型,且分属2个不同的亚型;利用生物信息学软件对国内I型和IV型毒株加以比较,发现HEV IV型毒株比I型变异程度高,不同年份的HEV IV型毒株变异更大,有新的亚型出现,且变异有随时间推移而增大的趋势。