Simian virus 40 rapidly lowers cAMP levels in mouse cells

The addition of SV40 to contact inhibited $\text{Balb}\text{3T3}$ cells causes a 2-fold decrease in intracellular cAMP levels. The levels reach a minimum 3 hours after virus addition, and after a few hours begin to rise toward normal. No significant changes in cAMP levels are observed after cells are exposed to UV-inactivated virus or are mock-infected. This is the earliest known effect of SV40 infection. We propose that SV40 induces host DNA synthesis by lowering cAMP levels.     

Induction of apoptosis by Sindbis virus occurs at cell entry and does not require virus replication

Sindbis virus (SV) is an alphavirus that causes encephalitis in mice and can lead to the apoptotic death of infected cells. To determine the step in virus replication during which apoptosis is triggered, we used UV-inactivated SV, chemicals that block virus fusion or protein synthesis, and cells that do and do not express heparan sulfate, the initial binding molecule for SV infection of many cells. In initial experiments, UV-inactivated neuroadapted SV (NSV) induced apoptosis in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells lacking heparan sulfate in the presence of cycloheximide. When fusion of prebound UV-inactivated NSV was rapidly induced at the plasma membrane by exposure to acidic pH, apoptosis was induced in CHO cells with or without heparan sulfate in the presence or absence of cycloheximide in a virus dose-dependent manner. In N18 neuroblastoma cells, the relative virulence of the virus strain was an important determinant of apoptosis induced by UV-inactivated SV. Treatment of N18 cells with monensin to prevent endosomal acidification an hour before, but not 2 h after, exposure to live NSV blocked the induction of cell death, as did treatment with NH(4)Cl or bafilomycin A1. These studies indicate that SV can induce apoptosis at the time of fusion with the cell membrane and that virus replication is not required.     

Sendai virus envelopes can mediate Epstein-Barr virus binding to and penetration into Epstein-Barr virus receptor-negative cells

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) receptor-negative cells were treated with UV-inactivated Sendai virus (SV) or with reconstituted SV envelopes having a low hemolytic activity and then assayed for EBV binding or for susceptibility to EBV infection. EBV binding was assessed by using both unlabeled and fluoresceinated EBV preparations. It was found that SV or SV envelope treatment renders these cells able to bind EBV. Various experiments were performed to clarify the mechanism of this SV-induced binding. The EBV receptor-negative 1301 cells were treated with SV either at 0°C or at both 0 and 37°C successively and then examined for EBV binding at 0°C. It was thus found that when SV treatment was performed exclusively at 0°C, the target cells showed higher fluorescence intensity after their incubation with fluoresceinated EBV. In addition, Clostridium perfringens neuraminidase treatment of 1301 cells did not induce any EBV binding to these cells. These data indicate that EBV binding is not due to the disturbance of the cell membrane by SV envelope fusion or to the uncovering of EBV binding sites on the cells after the enzymatic action of SV neuraminidase. Moreover, bound EBV was partly eluted from SV-treated 1301 cells at 37°C, and the treatment of EBV with C. perfringens neuraminidase inhibited its SV-mediated binding. These data indicate that EBV binds to the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase of SV on the target cell surface and that a fraction of the bound EBV becomes irreversibly associated with the SV-treated cell membrane. Our data also show that EBV can penetrate into 1301 cells which have incorporated SV envelopes into their membrane, as demonstrated by the induction of the EBV-determined nuclear antigen by B95-8 EBV in SV envelope-treated 1301 cells.     

Replication of mouse cytomegalovirus in thymidine kinase-deficient mouse cells.

In an attempt to determine whether mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) requires thymidine kinase (TK) for replication and whether it induces TK, TK-deficient mouse cells were isolated and used as host cells for MCMV. Mutant cells resistant to 200 μg/ml of 5-Bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR) were selected from SV40-transformed mouse cells, mks-A TU-7, by propagating the cells in the presence of varying concentrations of BUdR graded by serial 2-fold increments. The mutant cells, designated as TU-7 BU, showed a very low TK activity (less than 1/20 that of mks-A TU-7). Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) replicated in starved as well as in unstarved TU-7 BU, whereas MCMV could replicate only in growing TU-7 BU and could not form plaques in monolayers of mks-A TU-7 or TU-7 BU. HSV-1 infection enhanced TK activity equally in both mks-A TU-7 and TU-7 BU. In contrast, TK activity of MCMV-infected mks-A TU-7 was lower than that of uninfected cells or cells inoculated with UV-inactivated virus. In addition, TK activity of the MCMV-infected TU-7 BU remained minimal without showing any increase. The replication of HSV-1 was completely inhibited in the presence of BUdR (10 μg/ml), whereas MCMV could replicate even in the presence of 50 μg/ml of BUdR. The results indicate that MCMV neither requires TK nor induces TK activity in the infected cells.     

Rescue of Simian Virus 40 from Cell Lines Transformed at High and at Low Input Multiplicities by Unirradiated or Ultraviolet-irradiated Virus

The relation between simian virus 40 (SV40) input multiplicity during transformation of primary mouse kidney cultures and the subsequent rescue of SV40 from clonal lines of transformed cells has been studied. Primary mouse kidney cultures were transformed with unirradiated SV40 at input multiplicities varying from 0.06 to 200 plaque-forming units (PFU) /cell or with SV40 irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light to a survival of 0.04 to 0.01. All of the transformed lines contained the intranuclear SV40 T antigen, but cell-free extracts prepared from the transformed cell lines failed to yield infectious virus when assayed on monkey kidney cell (CV-1) monolayers. After fusion with susceptible CV-1 cells induced by UV-inactivated Sendai, all of the lines transformed by unirradiated virus yielded infectious SV40. The frequency of induction and the incidence of successful trials did not depend on the multiplicity of infection. “Good” yielders were obtained from mouse kidney cells transformed at the low input multiplicity of 0.06 PFU /cell. In contrast, only 4 of 12 clonal lines transformed at moderately low input multiplicity, and none of the lines transformed at very low input multiplicity with UV-irradiated virus yielded infectious SV40. The four positive lines have been classified as “poor” or “rare” yielders.     

Rearrangement of simian virus 40 regulatory region is not required for induction of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy in immunosuppressed rhesus monkeys

Rearrangements of the JC virus (JCV) regulatory region (RR) are consistently found in the brains of patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), whereas the archetype RR is present in their kidneys. In addition, the C terminus of the large T antigen (T-Ag) shows greater variability in PML than does the rest of the coding region. To determine whether similar changes in simian virus 40 (SV40) are necessary for disease induction in monkeys, we sequenced the SV40 RR and the C terminus of the T-Ag from the brain of simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)-infected monkey 18429, which presented spontaneously with an SV40-associated PML-like disease, as well as from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), kidneys, and brains of SV40-seronegative, SHIV-infected monkeys 21289 and 21306, which were inoculated with the 18429 brain SV40 isolate. These animals developed both SV40-associated PML and meningoencephalitis. Thirteen types of SV40 RR were characterized. Compared to the SV40 archetype, we identified RRs with variable deletions in either the origin of replication, the 21-bp repeat elements, or the late promoter, as well as deletions or duplications of the 72-bp enhancer. The archetype was the most prominent RR in the brain of monkey 18429. Shortly after inoculation, a wide range of RRs could be found in the PBMC of monkeys 21289 and 21306. However, the archetype RR became the predominant type in their blood, kidneys, and brains at the time of sacrifice. On the contrary, the T-Ag C termini remained identical in all compartments of the three animals. These results indicate that unlike JCV in humans, rearrangements of SV40 RR are not required for brain disease induction in immunosuppressed monkeys.     

Random location and absence of movement of the nucleosomes on SV 40 nucleoprotein complex isolated from infected cells.

SV 40 nucleoprotein complexes (NPC) containing viral DNA and cellular histones were extracted from nuclei of permissive cells and treated with either EcoR1 or BamI endonucleases. The fraction of SV 40 linear NPC, monitored by electron microscopy, reached a plateau value of about 15–20% after one hour and no further change occurred during further incubation for 2 hours. Free viral DNA added to the incubation mixture was totally cleaved. During the incubations of NPC and DNA, no redistribution of histones occurred, all the complexe still contained on average 21 nucleosomes and no nucleosomes were generated on the naked viral DNA. Our results suggest a random location and absence of movement of the nucleosomes in vitro on SV 40 nucleoprotein complex isolated from infected cells.     

Antibody-mediated neutralization of primary isolates of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells is not affected by the initial activation state of the cells.

Antibody-mediated neutralization of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) was evaluated with primary isolates and sera from infected individuals, using human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) activated with phytohemagglutinin 1 day after virus inoculation (resting-cell assay) or 2 days prior to virus inoculation (blast assay). Assays were performed exclusively with syncytium-inducing (SI) isolates since non-SI isolates replicated poorly or not at all in the resting-cell assay. Ninety percent neutralization was difficult to achieve in both assays for most virus-serum combinations tested. Of particular note, virus replication in the absence of antibody was delayed 2 to 3 days in the resting-cell assay. At least part of this delay was due to a decrease in virus infectivity; the 50% tissue culture infectious dose of primary isolates was 25 to 30 times lower in the resting-cell assay than in the PBMC blast assay. When a broadly neutralizing serum and the same dilution of virus were used in both assays, neutralization was greater in the resting-cell assay than in the blast assay on day 7, but neutralization was equal in both assays when measurements were made 3 days sooner in the PBMC blast assay. Both assays had the same level of detection on day 7 when the amount of virus mixed with antibody and added to cells was standardized according to infectivity for the respective target cells. Thus, when the infectious dose was adjusted, the two assays were equally sensitive for detecting antibody-mediated neutralization of primary isolates of HIV-1. These results indicate that primary isolates of HIV-1 are difficult to neutralize in both assays and that the detection of neutralization is not affected by the initial activation state of PBMC.     

恒河猴外周血及肾组织SV40病毒基因分析

SV40即猿猴病毒40 (simian virus 40),是DNA肿瘤病毒的原型代表,其基因结构为共价闭合环状双股DNA分子,标准参考株SV40-776含5243个核甘酸。不同分离株bp数略有差异。SV40病毒为强DNA肿瘤病毒,具有使啮齿类动物及人源多种组织培养细胞永生化和转化能力。SV40病毒早期基因编码两个早期非结构蛋白即小T抗原(ST-ag、)和大T抗原(LT-ag),与病毒诱导的肿瘤发生有关。近年来研究表明,从猴体组织新分离的SV40株与实验室参考株SV40-776及SV40-B株相比较,具有明显的遗传异质性,并且SV40遗传变     

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 neutralization measured by flow cytometric quantitation of single-round infection of primary human T cells

There is currently intensive research on the design of novel human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) vaccine immunogens that can elicit potent neutralizing antibodies. A prerequisite for comparing and optimizing these strategies is the ability to precisely measure neutralizing antibody responses. To this end, we sought to develop an assay that directly quantifies single-round HIV-1 infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Initial experiments demonstrated that essentially all productively infected PBMC could be identified by flow cytometric detection of intracellular p24 antigen (p24-Ag). After infection of PBMC with HIV-1, p24(+) lymphocytes could be distinguished beginning 1 day postinfection, and the majority of CD8(-) T cells were p24-Ag positive by 3 to 4 days postinfection. To directly quantify first-round infection, we included a protease inhibitor in PBMC cultures. The resulting 2-day assay was highly sensitive and specific for the detection of HIV-1-infected PBMC. Serial dilutions of virus stocks demonstrated that the number of target cells infected was directly related to the amount of infectious virus input into the assay. In neutralization assays, the flow cytometric enumeration of first-round infection of PBMC provided quantitative data on the number of target cells infected and on the inactivation of infectious virus due to reaction with antibody. We also used this single-round assay to compare the percentage of cells expressing p24-Ag to the number of copies of HIV-1 gag per 100 PBMC. The precision and reproducibility of this assay will facilitate the measurement of HIV-1 neutralization, particularly incrementally improved neutralizing antibody responses generated by new candidate vaccines.     

Early changes in the membrane of HeLa cells adsorbing Sendai virus under conditions of fusion.

Adsorption of Sendai virus at high multiplicity (500-1,000 HAU/10(6) cells) to HeLa cells grown in monolayers causes immediate changes in the ion barrier of the cell membrane, as well as changes in the morphology of the virus-treated cells. Within minutes of adsorption the cells begin to lose potassium and an extensive influx of ions into the cells occurs. Concomitantly with these changes, the cell membrane becomes depolarized, and the resting potential across its membrane decreases. Twenty to sixty minutes post adsorption the damage to the cell membrane is repaired, and both the potassium uptake and the resting potential return to their pre-exposure values. Scanning electron-micrographs of Sendai infected cells incubated at 37 degrees C show formation of bridging microvilli in a zipper-like fashion within two to five minutes post-adsorption; 30 to 60 minutes thereafter the majority of cells in the monolayer are fused. Biochemical changes induced by virus adsorption and the role of Ca++ ions in the observed effects are discussed.     

The Use of a Stably Expressed FRET Biosensor for Determining the Potency of Cancer Drugs

Many cancer drugs are intended to kill cancer cells by inducing apoptosis. However, the potency assays used for measuring the bioactivity of these products are generally cell viability assays which do not distinguish between cell death and growth inhibition. Here we describe a cell-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor designed to measure the bioactivity of apoptosis inducing cancer drugs. The biosensor contains cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) linked via caspase 3 and caspase 8 specific cleavage recognition sequences to yellow fluorescent protein (YFP). Upon caspase activation, as in the case of apoptosis induction, the linker is cleaved abolishing the cellular FRET signal. This assay closely reflects the mechanism of action of cancer drugs, in killing cancer cells and therefore can function as a potency test for different cancer drugs. We rigorously demonstrate this through characterization of a class of proteins targeting the death receptors. The one-step assay appears to be superior to other apoptosis-based assays because of its simplicity, convenience, and robustness.     

A distinct population of nonphagocytic and low level CD4+ null lymphocytes produce IFN-alpha after stimulation by herpes simplex virus-infected cells.

Human PBMC were stimulated for 6 h in vitro by HSV or Sendai virus (SV) and analyzed by flow cytometry. IFN-alpha producing cells (IPC) were identified through their content of IFN-alpha mRNA by in situ hybridization using a 35S-labeled IFN-alpha 2 cRNA probe. The IPC induced by HSV-infected WISH cells lacked capacity to adhere to and phagocytose latex particles. The induction of IFN-alpha by free infectious SV occurring in monocytes was abolished by phagocytosis of latex particles present in the cultures during the induction period. Such latex particles actually enhanced the IFN-alpha response induced by glutaraldehyde-fixed HSV- or SV-infected WISH cells or by free intact HSV. The HSV-induced IPC did not express the CD14 Ag expressed on monocytes. Cell sorting was performed on HSV-induced PBMC labeled with phycoerythrin-conjugated anti-CD3 and FITC-conjugated anti-CD4 mAb. A small population consisting of 1.4% of all PBMC, which was CD3- but expressed low but significant levels of CD4, contained the majority of the IPC with a 50-fold increase of their frequency. This cell population had a forward- and right-angle light scatter different from typical monocytes/macrophages. The results therefore further delineate IPC among PBMC into monocytes, being stimulated by viruses such as SV. Another distinct population of infrequent but highly efficient IPC, tentatively designated natural IFN-alpha producing cells, is activated by stimuli such as HSV.     

Entry of simian virus 40 is restricted to apical surfaces of polarized epithelial cells.

The uptake of simian virus 40 (SV40) by polarized epithelial cells was investigated by growth of cells on permeable supports and inoculation on either the apical or the basolateral surface. Binding of radiolabeled SV40 occurred on the apical but not the basolateral surfaces of permissive polarized Vero C1008 cells and nonpermissive polarized MDCK cells. When similar experiments were performed on nonpolarized Vero or CV-1 cells, virus binding occurred regardless of the direction of virus input. Electron micrographs of Vero C1008 cells infected at high multiplicities revealed virions lining the surfaces of apically infected cells, while the surfaces of basolaterally infected cells were devoid of virus particles. Analysis of the binding data revealed a single class of virus receptors (9 x 10(4) per cell) with a high affinity for SV40 (Kd = 3.76 pM) on the apical surfaces of Vero C 1008 cells. Indirect immunofluorescence studies revealed that synthesis of viral capsid proteins in Vero C1008 cells occurred only when input virions had access to the apical surface. Virus yields from apically infected Vero C1008 cells were 10(5) PFU per cell, while yields obtained from basolaterally infected cells were less than one PFU per cell. These results indicate that a specific receptor for SV40 is expressed exclusively on the apical surfaces of polarized Vero C1008 cells.     

Differentiation in vitro of a leukemia virus-induced B-cell lymphoma into macrophages.

Cells of the hemopoietic system arise by proliferation and differentiation of progenitor cells. This process begins with multipotential stem cells which can self-renew and also undergo progressive differentiation to progenitor cells committed to particular lineages, ultimately yielding mature blood cells (D. Metcalf and M. A. S. Moore, Haematopoietic Cells, 1971). Early commitment of lymphoid progenitors is generally believed to separate the lymphoid lineage from the myeloid and erythroid lineages, whose progenitors are separated late in differentiation (Metcalf and Moore, 1971). We recently developed a derivative of Moloney murine leukemia virus (M-MuLV) in which the enhancer sequences from simian virus 40 were substituted into the M-MuLV long terminal repeat. This recombinant virus (delta Mo + SV M-MuLV) induces pre-B and B lymphoid leukemia with long latency after inoculation of 2-day-old NIH Swiss mice (R. Hanecak, P. K. Pattengale, and H. Fan, J. Virol. 62:2427-2436, 1988). In this report, we describe the derivation of a permanent, virus-producing cell line with the phenotypic characteristics of mature macrophages from a B-cell-derived lymphoblastic lymphoma induced by delta Mo + SV M-MuLV. Comparison studies of immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene rearrangements and also delta Mo + SV M-MuLV proviral integration sites confirmed that the macrophage cell line was derived from the original B-lymphoblastic lymphoma. Moreover, inoculation of the macrophage cell line into animals resulted in histiocytic sarcomas of the macrophage type, thus reflecting stable conversion of B-lymphoid tumor cells to the macrophage phenotype. These results suggest a closer relationship between lymphoid and myeloid cells than previously believed.     

ELISPOT检测高致病性猪繁殖与呼吸障碍综合征病毒感染后猪γ-干扰素的分泌情况

目的:研究高致病性猪繁殖与呼吸障碍综合征病毒(PRRSV)感染后猪外周血单个核细胞(PBMC)特异性分泌γ-干扰素(IFN-γ)的免疫反应。方法:将仔猪接种PRRSV,于病毒接种前后各时间点分别采血并分离PBMC,采用酶联免疫斑点法(ELISPOT)检测PBMC分泌IFN-γ的情况。结果:猪感染高致病性PRRSV后,PBMC分泌IFN-γ的能力明显增强,对照组无明显变化。结论:该结果可为研究高致病性PRRSV致病机理提供参考,为评价PRRSV疫苗诱发的细胞免疫效应提供依据。     

Induction of manganese-superoxide dismutase in MRC-5 cells persistently infected with an alphavirus, sindbis.

Sindbis virus (SV), a single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus, multiplies in a variety of cells and causes various outcomes of infection. As we described acute infection of SV induces stress response of small heat shock protein HSP27 and activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP) signaling pathway (Nakatsue, T., et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 253, 59-64, 1998). In contrast to lytic infection in Vero cells, MRC-5 cells, a human fetus lung cell line, resulted in persistent infection by SV. Here we investigated a cellular factor involved in persistent infection of MRC-5 cells infected with SV. Partial sequence analysis of a 25 kilodalton (kDa) protein, accumulated in large amounts in the cells, showed that manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) was induced during the infections. When Mn-SOD was overexpressed in Vero cells, 20% of the cells survived more than one month, in contrast with the death of 99% of the vehicle-transfected Vero cells at 48 h after infection with SV. These data strongly suggest that a cellular factor which regulates the oxidative pathway modulates the outcome of SV infection.     

Feasibility of ex vivo gene therapy for neurological disorders using the new retroviral vector GCDNsap packaged in the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein

Neuronal progenitor cells (NPC) are particularly suited as the target population for genetic and cellular therapy of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease or stroke. However, genetic modification of these cells using retroviral vectors remains a great challenge because of the low transduction rate and the need for fetal calf serum (FCS) during the transduction process that induces the cell differentiation to mature neurons. To overcome these problems, we developed a new retrovirus production system in which the simplified retroviral vector GCDNsap engineered to be resistant to denovo methylation was packaged in the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein (VSV-G), concentrated by centrifugation, and resuspended in serum-free medium (StemPro-34 SFM). In transduction experiments using enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) as a marker, the concentrated FCS-free virus supernatant infected NPC at a high rate, while maintaining the ability of these cells to self-renew and differentiate in vitro. When such cells were grafted into mouse brains, EGFP-expressing NPC were detected in the region around the injection site at 8 weeks post transplantation. These findings suggest that the gene transfer system described here may provide a useful tool to genetically modify NPC for treatments of neurological disorders.