Transiently expressed short hairpin RNA targeting 126 kDa protein of tobacco mosaic virus interferes with virus infection

RNA-interference (RNAi) silences gene expression by'guiding mRNA degradation in asequence-specific fashion.Small interfering RNA (siRNA),an intermediate of the RNAi pathway,has beenshown to be very effective in inhibiting virus infection in mammalian cells and cultured plant cells.Here,wereport that Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transient expression of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) couldinhibit tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) RNA accumulation by targeting the gene encoding the replication-asso-ciated 126 kDa protein in intact plant tissue.Our results indicate that transiently expressed shRNA efficientlyinterfered with TMV infection.The interference observed is sequence-specific,and time-and site-dependent.Transiently expressed shRNA corresponding to the TMV 126 kDa protein gene did not inhibit cucumbermosaic virus (CMV),an unrelated tobamovirus.In order to interfere with TMV accumulation in tobaccoleaves,it is essential for the shRNA constructs to be infiltrated into the same leaves as TMV inoculation.Ourresults support the view that RNAi opens the door for novel therapeutic procedures against virus diseases.We propose that a combination of the RNAi technique and Agrobacterium-mediated transient expressioncould be employed as a potent antiviral treatment in plants.     

A virus-derived short hairpin RNA confers resistance against sugarcane mosaic virus in transgenic sugarcane

RNA interference (RNAi) is commonly used to produce virus tolerant transgenic plants. The objective of the current study was to generate transgenic sugarcane plants expressing a short hairpin RNAs (shRNA) targeting the coat protein (CP) gene of sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV). Based on multiple sequence alignment, including genomic sequences of four SCMV strains, a conserved region of ~ 456 bp coat protein (CP) gene was selected as target gene and amplified through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Subsequently, siRNAs2 and siRNA4 were engineered as stable short hairpin (shRNA) transgenes of 110 bp with stem and loop sequences derived from microRNA (sof-MIR168a; an active regulatory miRNA in sugarcane). These transgenes were cloned in independent RNAi constructs under the control of the polyubiquitin promoter. The RNAi constructs were delivered into two sugarcane cultivars ‘SPF-234 and NSG-311 in independent experiments using particle bombardment. Molecular identification through PCR and Southern blot revealed anti-SCMV positive transgenic lines. Upon mechanical inoculation of transgenic and non-transgenic sugarcane lines with SCMV, the degree of resistance was found variable among the two sugarcane cultivars. For sugarcane cultivar NSG-311, the mRNA expression of the CP–SCMV was reduced to 10% in shRNA2-transgenic lines and 80% in shRNA4-transgenic lines. In sugarcane cultivar SPF-234, the mRNA expression of the CP–SCMV was reduced to 20% in shRNA2-transgenic lines and 90% in shRNA4 transgenic lines, revealing that transgenic plants expressing shRNA4 were almost immune to SCMV infection.     

Comparison of bovine RNA polymerase III promoters for short hairpin RNA expression

RNA interference (RNAi) mediated by DNA-based expression of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) is a powerful method of sequence-specific gene knockdown. A number of vectors for expression of shRNA have been developed that feature promoters from RNA polymerase III (pol III)-transcribed genes of mouse or human origin. To advance the use of RNAi as a tool for functional genomic research and for future development of specific therapeutics in the bovine species, we have developed shRNA expression vectors that feature novel bovine RNA pol III promoters. We characterized two bovine U6 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) promoters (bU6-2 and bU6-3) and a bovine 7SK snRNA promoter (b7SK). We compared the efficiency of each of these promoters to express shRNA molecules. Promoter activity was measured in the context of RNAi by targeting and suppressing the reporter gene encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein. Results show that the b7SK promoter induced the greatest level of suppression in a range of cell lines. The comparison of these bovine promoters in shRNA expression is an important component for the future development of bovine-specific RNAi-based research.     

Interaction of foot-and-mouth disease virus with dendritic cells

Despite several decades of investigation, the manner in which foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) interacts with the innate and adaptive immune compartments is not completely understood. The importance of elucidating this relationship is emphasized by the inability of current FMDV vaccines to provide long-term protection and the recent outbreaks of FMDV in formerly disease-free countries. Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells that have evolved to monitor the environment and provide a link between the innate and adaptive immune systems. Comprehending the cross-talk between DC and FMDV will provide valuable information towards understanding the host response to the virus and will aid in the design of effective tools and vaccines to block virus spread.     

Exposure of in vitro-produced bovine embryos to foot-and-mouth disease virus

The aim of this study was to investigate whether foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) interacts with in vitro produced (IVP) bovine embryos. One milliliter of a suspension of FMDV (2 x 10(7) TCID50/mL) was added to several batches of these embryos 7 d after in vitro fertilization, by which time they had either developed to the morula/blastocyst stage (n = 256) or degenerated (n = 260). Six experiments were performed in which developed or degenerated batches of embryos were incubated with FMDV for periods of 1 h (3), 2 h (2) or 4h (1). After this, the embryos were washed 10 times according to the International Embryo Transfer Society (IETS), then pooled and ground up to form a suspension, and assayed on cell cultures for FMDV. The cell cultures were observed daily for cytopathic effects for 3 d post exposure. In addition to the cell culture method, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was used to assay for the presence of the virus in the washing fluids. Assays for FMDV were also conducted on the first and second wash and on the pooled sample constituting the eight, ninth and tenth wash. With the exception of the second wash from a batch of embryos exposed to FMDV for 2 h, all samples of the first and second wash produced FMDV cytopathic effects, but none occurred with the pooled samples of the 8th, 9th and 10th wash. FMDV was also isolated from all but 1 of the batches of embryos after 1 h of incubation, from 1 of 4 batches after 2 h of incubation and from all batches after 4 h incubation. By contrast, the presence of virus could not be demonstrated by PCR based on the technique used here. These results show that 7 d old IVP bovine embryos can retain FMDV after washing, unlike in vivo-derived embryos, which do not appear to carry risks of FMDV transmission when washed according to IETS recommendations. Stricter controls are, therefore, necessary when using IVP embryos from cattle in a non-FMD-free zone in domestic or international trade.     

Structure of foot-and-mouth disease virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and its complex with a template-primer RNA

Genome replication in picornaviruses is catalyzed by a virally encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, termed 3D. The enzyme performs this operation, together with other viral and probably host proteins, in the cytoplasm of their host cells. The crystal structure of the 3D polymerase of foot-and-mouth disease virus, one of the most important animal pathogens, has been determined unliganded and bound to a template-primer RNA decanucleotide. The enzyme folds in the characteristic fingers, palm and thumb subdomains, with the presence of an NH2-terminal segment that encircles the active site. In the complex, several conserved amino acid side chains bind to the template-primer, likely mediating the initiation of RNA synthesis. The structure provides essential information for studies on RNA replication and the design of antiviral compounds.     

An antiviral mechanism investigated with ribavirin as an RNA virus mutagen for foot-and-mouth disease virus

To prove whether error catastrophe/lethal mutagenesis is the primary antiviral mechanism of action of ribavirin against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). Ribavirin passage experiments were performed and supernatants of Rp1 to Rp5 were harvested. Morphological alterations as well as the levels of viral RNAs, proteins, and infectious particles in the BHK-21 cells infected using the supernatants of Rp1 to Rp5 and control were measured by microscope, real-time RT-PCR, western-blotting and plaque assays, respectively. The mutation frequency was measured by sequencing the complete P1- and 3D-encoding region of FMDV after a single round of virus infection from ribavirin-treated or untreated FMDV-infected cells. Ribavirin treatment for FMDV caused dramatically inhibition of multiplication in cell cultures. The levels of viral RNAs, proteins, and infectious particles in the BHK-21 cells infected were more greatly reduced along with the passage from Rp1 to Rp5, moreover, nucleocapsid protein could not be detected and no recovery of infectious virus in the supernatant or detection of intracellular viral RNA was observed at the Rp5-infected cells. A high mutation rate, giving rise to an 8-and 11-fold increase in mutagenesis and resulting in some amino acid substitutions, was found in viral RNA synthesized at a single round of virus infection in the presence of ribavirin of 1000 microM and caused a 99.7% loss in viral infectivity in contrast with parallel untreated control virus. These results suggest that the antiviral molecular mechanism of ribavirin is based on the lethal mutagenesis/error catastrophe, that is, the ribavirin is not merely an antiviral reagent but also an effective mutagen.     

靶向Smad4基因shRNA质粒表达载体的构建及筛选

目的:构建编码Smad4mRNA的shRNA真核表达载体,并筛选出基因沉默效果最明显的shRNA质粒表达载体.方法:根据GenBank提供的人Smad4基因的mRNA序列构建2个shRNA质粒表达栽体和1个阴性对照质粒表达载体,并通过基因测序进行鉴定.经鉴定后转染体外培养人成纤维细胞,western-blot检测Smad4蛋白水平抑制表达效果.结果:构建质粒表达载体测序结果显示,插入片段测序结果与合成的shRNA序列一致;靶向Smad4基因shRNA质粒表达栽体对所转染的人成纤维细胞中Smad4蛋白水平表达均有抑制作用,其中shRNA1最为明显.结论:成功构建了靶向Smad4基因shRNA质粒表达栽体,其中抑制Smad4基因表达效果最为明显的是shRNA1,为进一步研究Srnad4基因的RNA干扰奠定了基础.     

Interactions of foot-and-mouth disease virus with soluble bovine alphaVbeta3 and alphaVbeta6 integrins

At least four members of the integrin family of receptors, alphaVbeta1, alphaVbeta3, alphaVbeta6, and alphaVbeta8, have been identified as receptors for foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) in vitro. Our investigators have recently shown that the efficiency of receptor usage appears to be related to the viral serotype and may be influenced by structural differences on the viral surface (H. Duque and B. Baxt, J. Virol. 77:2500-2511, 2003). To further examine these differences, we generated soluble alphaVbeta3 and alphaVbeta6 integrins. cDNA plasmids encoding the individual complete integrin alphaV, beta3, and beta6 subunits were used to amplify sequences encoding the subunits' signal peptide and ectodomain, resulting in subunits lacking transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains. COS-1 cells were transfected with plasmids encoding the soluble alphaV subunit and either the soluble beta3 or beta6 subunit and labeled with [35S]methionine-cysteine. Complete subunit heterodimeric integrins were secreted into the medium, as determined by radioimmunoprecipitation with specific monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. For the examination of the integrins' biological activities, stable cell lines producing the soluble integrins were generated in HEK 293A cells. In the presence of divalent cations, soluble alphaVbeta6 bound to representatives of type A or O viruses, immobilized on plastic dishes, and significantly inhibited viral replication, as determined by plaque reduction assays. In contrast, soluble alphaVbeta3 was unable to bind to immobilized virus of either serotype; however, virus bound to the immobilized integrin, suggesting that FMDV binding to alphaVbeta3 is a low-affinity interaction. In addition, soluble alphaVbeta3 did not neutralize virus infectivity. Incubation of soluble alphaVbeta6 with labeled type A12 or O1 resulted in a significant inhibition of virus adsorption to BHK cells, while soluble alphaVbeta3 caused a low (20 to 30%), but consistent, inhibition of virus adsorption. Virus incubated with soluble alphaVbeta6 had a lower sedimentation rate than native virus on sucrose density gradients, but the particles retained all of their structural proteins and still contained bound integrin and, therefore, were not exhibiting characteristics of a picornavirus A particle.     

Novel ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction mediated short hairpin RNA plasmid transfection targeting survivin inhibits gene expression and induces apoptosis of HeLa cells

Survivin is an attractive target for tumor growth inhibition and represents a significant approach to anticancer therapy. RNA interference is an important tool for specifically down-regulating the expression of cellular genes. However, the efficiency of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) on the expression of survivin gene and the influence on the cell apoptosis transfected by the non-viral gene transfer system of ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction was not explored. In this work, recombinant expression plasmid of shRNA targeting survivin gene was constructed and added to cultured cervical cancer cells followed by ultrasound exposure and SonoVue((R)) microbubble. Expression of survivin mRNA and protein were assessed by RT-PCR and western blot analysis. Apoptosis ratio was quantified by flow cytometry marked with annexin V and 7-AAD. After transfected for 48 h, the expression of survivin mRNA and protein were (16.67 +/- 2.73)% and (21.33 +/- 3.55)%, respectively. The apoptosis rate was (45.41 +/- 1.47)%. The differences were significant as compared with other groups (P < 0.01). In conclusion, we suggested that survivin could be regarded as an ideal anticancer target of cervical cancer. Recombinant expression plasmid of shRNA targeting survivin gene mediated by ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction technique could effectively inhibit the expression of target gene and induce cell apoptosis. This novel method for RNA interference represents a powerful, promising non-viral technology that can be used in the tumor gene therapy and research.     

Characterization of foot-and-mouth disease virus types O and Asia 1 RNA

Poly (A) RNA was isolated from foot-and-mouth disease virus-infected cells by oligo (dT)-cellulose chromatography. One-dimensional oligonucleotide mapping of virus-induced poly (A) RNA indicated major differences between virus types O and Asia 1. Base composition analysis of virus-induced RNA showed no significant differences between types O and Asia 1.     

山羊PTHrP基因干扰重组腺病毒的制备与鉴定

甲状旁腺激素相关蛋白 (Parathyroid hormone related protein,PTHrP) 具有广泛生物学功能,对调控钙代谢具有重要作用。采用RNA干扰和重组腺病毒技术,对山羊乳腺上皮细胞中PTHrP基因表达进行沉默,为进一步研究该基因在乳腺上皮细胞中的功能奠定基础。采用BLOCK-iT shRNA腺病毒干扰系统,将设计好的寡聚shRNA-322/357经退火复性后插入穿梭质粒pENTR/CMV-GFP/U6中。经Western blotting检测干扰效率后,选择pENTR/CMV-GFP/U6-322与病毒骨架质粒pAd/PL-DEST进行同源重组,成功获得重组干扰腺病毒载体pAD/PL-DEST/CMV-GFP/U6-322,并转染HEK-293细胞,通过包装、扩增后产生干扰重组腺病毒AD-PTHrP-322,TCID50法测定其滴度为2.0×109 PFU/mL。用AD-PTHrP-322感染山羊原代乳腺上皮细胞(MOI=200),经实时定量PCR及Western blotting检测表明在病毒感染24 h、48 h和72 h后,山羊乳腺上皮细胞中PTHrP mRNA表达量分别下调了29.2％、68.1％和82.6％ (P＜0.05),其蛋白表达水平也明显下调,干扰效果明显。     

Small hairpin RNA targeting at Bcl-2 increases cytarabine-induced apoptosis in Raji cells

Bcl-2, a prominent member of the Bcl-2 family proteins, is responsible for the dysregulation of apoptosis and resistance to chemotherapy. In this study, we inves-tigated whether small hairpin RNA （shRNA） targeting at Bcl-2 mRNA could enhance cytarabine （Ara-C）- induced apoptosis in Raji cells. Bcl-2 shRNA was trans-fected into Raji cells and the expression levels of Bcl-2 mRNA and protein were assayed by RT-PCR and immunofluorescence. Cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay. Apoptosis was determined by morphological observation and flow cytometric analysis. Our results show that expression levels of Bcl-2 mRNA and protein from Raji cells transfected with Bcl-2 shRNA decreased, compared with either negative control shRNA group or untransfected cells group （P 〈 0.05）. Viability of cells transfected with Bcl-2 shRNA was less than the cells transfected with control shRNA and untransfected Raji cells, respectively （P〈 0.05）. Bcl-2 shRNA combined with Ara-C significantly inhibited the growth of cells （P 〈 0.05）. There was no difference in cell survival between control shRNA/Ara-C combination and cells treated with Ara-C alone. Using Giemsa staining, cells treated with Bcl-2 shRNA plus Ara-C at 48h displayed changes of apoptosis. Apoptotic rates of Raji cells treated with Bcl-2 shRNA combined with Ara-C significantly increased （P 〈 0.05）, compared with either control shRNA/Ara-C combi- nation or Ara-C-treated cells alone. Our results suggest that the shRNA against Bcl-2 mRNA could increase Ara-C-induced apoptosis in Raji cells.     

Identification of T-cell epitopes in nonstructural proteins of foot-and-mouth disease virus

Porcine T-cell recognition of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) nonstructural proteins (NSP) was tested using in vitro lymphoproliferative responses. Lymphocytes were obtained from outbred pigs experimentally infected with FMDV. Of the different NSP, polypeptides 3A, 3B, and 3C gave the highest stimulations in the in vitro assays. The use of overlapping synthetic peptides allowed the identification of amino acid regions within these proteins that were efficiently recognized by the lymphocytes. The sequences of some of these antigenic peptides were highly conserved among different FMDV serotypes. They elicited major histocompatibility complex-restricted responses with lymphocytes from pigs infected with either a type C virus or reinfected with a heterologous FMDV. A tandem peptide containing the T-cell peptide 3A[21-35] and the B-cell antigenic site VP1[137-156] also efficiently stimulated lymphocytes from infected animals in vitro. Furthermore, this tandem peptide elicited significant levels of serotype-specific antiviral activity, a result consistent with the induction of anti-FMDV antibodies. Thus, inclusion in the peptide formulation of a T-cell epitope derived from the NSP 3A possessing the capacity to induce T helper activity can allow cooperative induction of anti-FMDV antibodies by B cells.     

Adenoviral short hairpin RNA therapy targeting phosphodiesterase 5a relieves cardiac remodeling and dysfunction following myocardial infarction

We previously showed that treatment with tadalafil, a long-acting phosphodiesterase-5a (PDE5a) inhibitor, effectively prevented adverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling of the infarcted heart. We hypothesized that short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) therapy targeting PDE5a would simulate the effects of pharmacological intervention for treatment of postinfarction LV remodeling and dysfunction. Experimental model of myocardial infarction was developed in female mice by permanent ligation of left coronary artery. Immediately after that, an adenoviral vector encoding for shRNA sequence targeting PDE5a (Ad-shPDE5a) was injected intramyocardially, which specifically inhibited PDE5a in the heart. Four weeks later, Ad-shPDE5a treated mice showed significant mitigation of the left ventricle (LV) dilatation and dysfunction as indicated by smaller LV cavity and more preserved ejection fraction and fractional shortening. Infarction size and fibrosis were significantly reduced in Ad-shPDE5a-treated mice. Additionally, more salvaged cardiomyocytes, significantly reduced collagen contents, and higher blood vessel density were observed in Ad-shPDE5a-treated mice. The cytoprotective effects of Ad-shPDE5a were demonstrated in vitro in Ad-shPDE5a transfected cardiomyocytes cultured under oxygen glucose deprivation. Among downstream mediators of PDE5a signaling, cyclic GMP (cGMP) and cGMP-dependent protein kinase G (PKG) were activated with concomitant reduction in caspase-3 activity. However, no significant change in PKA and cAMP activities were observed in Ad-shPDE5a-treated hearts. Inhibition with shRNA improved cardiac remodeling and dysfunction by reducing infarction size and cardiac fibrosis and increased cGMP and PKG activity. These findings suggest that PDE5 inhibition with Ad-shPDE5a is a novel approach for treatment of myocardial infarction.