A method for efficient gene isolation from phage lambda gt11 libraries: use of antisera to denatured, acetone-precipitated proteins

Experience with cloning pseudorabies virus (PRV) DNA in the lambda gt11 phage vector has shown that there are special requirements for the antisera used in screening the libraries, in addition to the requirement that the antisera recognize proteins on a Western blot. Initial screening of a lambda gt11 library of sheared PRV DNA fragments in Escherichia coli for expression of PRV antigens using PRV hyperimmune antisera was unsuccessful. It was only after screening the library with antisera raised against PRV proteins eluted from sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide (PA) gels that positive results were obtained. These "gel-slice" antisera (GSA) were equivalent in potency to hyperimmune antisera in standard immunoassays (including ELISA, immunoprecipitation, Western blots, and neutralization of virus), but only the GSA could recognize PRV fusion proteins expressed by recombinant lambda gt11 phage. This difference was seen despite the fact that hyperimmune antisera performed satisfactorily on Western blots of denatured PRV-infected cell extracts. These results show that the efficiency of screening expression libraries in E. coli can be improved if antibodies are raised against denatured proteins.     

含半胱氨酸的天冬氨酸蛋白水解酶(caspase-1)对猪伪狂犬病毒复制的影响

猪伪狂犬病是伪狂犬病毒(Pseudorabies virus,PRV)感染引起的一种烈性接触性传染病,其感染宿主会触发机体先天免疫应答,引起I型干扰素(Type I interferon,IFN-1)和炎性细胞因子等细胞因子的产生,为研究可诱导产生炎性细胞因子的含半胱氨酸的天冬氨酸蛋白水解酶(Cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 1,caspase-1)的基因敲除对PRV复制的影响,本试验利用近年来发展迅速的一项规律性短重复回文序列簇/Cas9核酸酶(Clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeat/CRISPR associated system 9,CRISPR/Cas9)基因定点修饰技术构建猪肾上皮细胞(Porcine kidney epithelial cells,PK15)caspase-1基因稳定敲除细胞系,并通过T7核酸酶检测敲除效率;细胞毒性(Cell counting kit-8,CCK-8)试剂盒检测PK15敲除caspase-1增殖影响;采用流式细胞术检测PRV-GFP感染PK15以及PK15-caspase-1^-/-的增殖差异;实时荧光定量PCR(Real-time quantitative PCR,RT-PCR)检测PRV-gB、TK及白细胞介素1β(Interleukin-1β,IL-1β)、IFN-β、干扰素刺激基因(Interferon-stimulated genes 20,ISG20)mRNA的表达;Western Blot检测PRV-gB蛋白表达;滴度测定检测子代病毒滴度。结果表明,2对特异性单链引导RNA(Single guide RNA,sgRNA)均能对caspase-1进行基因编辑,但经T7核酸酶酶切进行基因编辑效率分析结果表明sgRNA2的基因编辑效率较高;CCK-8试剂盒检测细胞活力结果表明caspase-1基因敲除对PK15以及PK15-caspase-1^-/-细胞活力无影响(P>0.05);流式细胞仪检测结果表明PRV-GFP在PK15-caspase-1^-/-中的增殖显著低于PK15细胞(P<0.05);定量RT-PCR结果表明PRV-gB、TK基因在PK15-caspase-1^-/-的mRNA表达显著低于PK15细胞(gB:P<0.05,TK:P<0.05),而IFN-β、ISG20基因在PK15-caspase-1^-/-的mRNA表达显著高于PK15细胞(gB:P<0.05,TK:P<0.05);Western Blot结果表明,PRV的gB蛋白在PK15-caspase-1^-/-的表达显著低于PK15细胞(P<0.05);滴度测定结果表明,敲除caspase-1能够抑制PRV子代病毒的增殖。以上结果均表明caspase-1基因敲除可抑制PRV在PK15细胞中复制。     

Genome Characteristics and Evolution of Pseudorabies Virus Strains in Eastern China from 2017 to 2019

Since late 2011, outbreaks of pseudorabies virus(PRV) have occurred in southern China causing major economic losses to the pig industry. We previously reported that variant PRV forms and recombination in China could be the source of continued epidemics. Here, we analyzed samples from intensive pig farms in eastern China between 2017 and 2019, and sequenced the main glycoproteins(gB, gC, gD, and gE) to study the evolution characteristics of PRV. Based on the g C gene, we found that PRV variants belong to clade 2 and detected a founder effect during by the PRV epidemic. In addition,we detected inter-and intra-clade recombination; in particular, inter-clade recombination in the g B genes of strains FJ-ZXF and FJ-W2, which were recombinant with clade 1 strains. We also found specific amino-acid changes and positively selected sites, possibly associated with functional changes. This analysis of the emergence of PRV in China illustrates the need for continuous monitoring and the development of vaccines against specific variants of PRV.     

Tn7-mediated introduction of DNA into bacmid-cloned pseudorabies virus genome for rapid construction of recombinant viruses

lacZa-mini-attTn7 was inserted into the intergenic region between the gG and gD genes in a PRV bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) by homologous recombination in E. coli. The resulting recombinant BAC (pBeckerZF1) was confirmed by PCR and sequencing. Green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene was then transposed into pBeckerZF1 by transposon Tn7 to generate pBeckerZF2. Recombinant viruses vBeckerZF1 and vBeckerZF2 were generated by transfection with the corresponding BAC pBeckerZF1 or pBeckerZF2. The titers and cytopathic effect (CPE) observed for by vBeckerZF1 and vBeckerZF2 was comparable to that of the parental virus vBecker3. vBeckerZF2 was serial passaged for five rounds in cell culture, and the mini-Tn7 insertion was stably maintained in viral genome. These results show that recombinant viruses can be rapidly and reliably created by Tn7-mediated transposition. This technology should accelerate greatly the pace at which recombinant PRV can be generated and, thus, facilitate the use of recombinant viruses for detailed mutagenic studies. Foundation item: Key technologies R&D program (2006BAD06A01) from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China.     

The interaction between viral protein and host actin facilitates the virus infection to host

Although the virus-host interaction has attracted extensive studies, the host proteins essential for virus infection remain largely unknown. To address this issue, the shrimp Penaeus stylirostris densovirus (PstDNV), belonging to the family Parvoviridae, was characterized. PstDNV, a single-stranded DNA virus with a 3.9-kb genome, encoded only three open reading frames (ORFs). Among the three viral proteins, the PstDNV ORF2-encoded protein was discovered to interact with the shrimp actin, suggesting that the host actin played a very important role in virus infection. The RNAi assays revealed that the ORF2-encoded protein was required for the PstDNV infection. The confocal evidence demonstrated that the interaction between the ORF2-encoded protein and actin was essential for the virus infection. Therefore our study indicated that the manipulation of the host actin cytoskeleton was a necessary strategy for viral pathogens to invade host cells.     

检测PCV2、PPV、PRV疫苗株与野毒株的多重PCR方法

本文建立了一种同时检测猪圆环病毒2型（PCV2）、细小病毒（PPV）、及伪狂犬病毒（PRV）疫苗株与野毒株的多重PCR方法.根据GenBank上发表的PCV2、PPV和PRV gB、gE基因序列,针对各自保守区各设计一对特异性引物,用这四对引物对同一样品中的PCV2、PPV和PRV gB、gE进行检测,结果可同时扩增出269bp（PCV2）、581bp（PPV）、372bP（PRV gB）及147bp（PRV gE）四条特异性片段.对JEV、PRRSRV、大肠杆菌和双蒸水的PCR扩增结果均为阴性;敏感性测定结果表明,该多重PCR能检出10pg PCV2、PPV和PRV gB、gE检测敏感度分别为10^-6.2、10^-3.8、10^-5.8TCID50的模板.该方法的建立对临床上进行这三种疾病的鉴别诊断和混合感染的检测具有重要意义.     

伪狂犬病病毒宿主关闭蛋白的基因克隆及结构分析

为研究伪狂犬病病毒 (pseudorabiesvires ,PRV)UL4 1基因编码的病毒宿主关闭蛋白 (VHS)的结构与功能 ,通过PCR扩增得到含UL4 1基因完整编码区的 1174bp片段 ,将该片段克隆到表达载体pGEX KG中GST下游 ,在大肠杆菌BL2 1(DE3)中实现了GST VHS融合蛋白的高效表达 .序列分析发现VHS蛋白具有 4个保守区 ,并且第 3个保守区与核酸内切酶结构域FEN 1(1A76 )高度同源 .PROSPECT软件预测的伪狂犬病病毒VHS蛋白三维结构中含有 10个α螺旋和 2 2个β折叠 ,与单纯疱疹病毒Ⅰ型的VHS蛋白三维结构十分相似 .     

Sorting and Transport of Alpha Herpesviruses in Axons

The alpha herpesviruses, a subfamily of the herpesviruses, are neurotropic pathogens found associated with most mammalian species. The prototypic member of this subfamily is herpes simplex virus type 1, the causative agent of recurrent cold sores in humans. The mild nature of this disease is a testament to the complex and highly regulated life cycle of the alpha herpesviruses. The cellular mechanisms used by these viruses to disseminate infection in the nervous system are beginning to be understood. Here, we overview the life cycle of alpha herpesviruses with an emphasis on assembly and transport of viral particles in neurons.     

伪狂犬病病毒基因编码区碱基组成与密码子使用偏差

由于伪狂犬病病毒(PRV)中G C含量高达74％,至今尚没有一个毒株完成全基因组测序。对已知的68个PRV基因编码区序列碱基组成及密码子使用现象进行了统计分析,结果发现PRV基因中存在非常强的密码子使用偏差。所有68个PRV基因编码区密码子第三位总的G C含量为96．24％,其中UL48基因高达99．52％。PRV基因偏向于使用富含GC的密码子,特别是以C或G结尾的密码子。此外,还发现PRV中G C含量变化较大的UL48、UL40、UL14和IE180等基因附近正好与已知的PRV基因组复制起始区相对应。根据基因功能将PRV基因分为6类进行分析发现,基因功能相同或相近的基因其密码子使用模式相似,其中调节基因的同义密码子相对使用度(RSCU)与其他基因有显著差异,在调节基因中以C结尾的密码子的RSCU值远大于其他同义密码子。最后,对PRV基因氨基酸组成差异进行多元分析,发现不同功能的PRV基因在对应分析图上分布不同,表明PRV基因密码子使用模式可能与基因功能相关。