合成病毒:对流感病毒研究的贡献

流感病毒是一种单股负链分节段RNA病毒。完全以质粒为基础的反向遗传学技术的建立和发展解决了利用cDNA克隆人工合成流感病毒的难题和技术障碍,并逐渐成为研究流感病毒及生产流感疫苗的重要基础和手段。重点综述了流感病毒反向遗传技术20多年来的发展过程,以及以质粒为基础的反向遗传操作系统在对流感病毒的生命周期、致病性的研究和生产疫苗等方面的巨大贡献。     

Rapid and reliable universal cloning of influenza A virus genes by target-primed plasmid amplification

Reverse genetics has become pivotal in influenza virus research relying on rapid generation of tailored recombinant influenza viruses. They are rescued from transfected plasmids encoding the eight influenza virus gene segments, which have been cloned using restriction endonucleases and DNA ligation. However, suitable restriction cleavage sites often are not available. Here, we describe a cloning method universal for any influenza A virus strain which is independent of restriction sites. It is based on target-primed plasmid amplification in which the insert provides two megaprimers and contains termini homologous to plasmid regions adjacent to the insertion site. For improved efficiency, a cloning vector was designed containing the negative selection marker ccdB flanked by the highly conserved influenza A virus gene termini. Using this method, we generated complete sets of functional gene segments from seven influenza A strains and three haemagglutinin genes from different serotypes amounting to 59 cloned influenza genes. These results demonstrate that this approach allows rapid and reliable cloning of any segment from any influenza A strain without any information about restriction sites. In case the PCR amplicon ends are homologous to the plasmid annealing sites only, this method is suitable for cloning of any insert with conserved termini.     

An adenovirus vector-mediated reverse genetics system for influenza A virus generation

Plasmid-based reverse genetics systems allow the generation of influenza A virus entirely from cloned cDNA. However, since the efficiency of virus generation is dependent on the plasmid transfection efficiency of cells, virus generation is difficult in cells approved for vaccine production that have low transfection efficiencies (e.g., Vero cells). Here we established an alternative reverse genetics system for influenza virus generation by using an adenovirus vector (AdV) which achieves highly efficient gene transfer independent of cell transfection efficiency. This AdV-mediated reverse genetics system will be useful for generating vaccine seed strains and for basic influenza virus studies.     

A型流感病毒的反向遗传技术研究进展

A 型流感病毒基因组为单股负义RNA,分为8 个片段。反向遗传技术即从克隆的cDNA 产 生病毒的过程,是研究RNA 病毒、也是研究A 型流感病毒基因结构与功能的新技术。介绍了A 型流感病毒反向遗传技术的发展,完全以质粒为基础的新操作系统及其在研究病毒的生命周期、 致病性、产生基因修饰的疫苗候选株等方面的应用。     

Rescue of influenza C virus from recombinant DNA

The rescue of influenza viruses by reverse genetics has been described only for the influenza A and B viruses. Based on a similar approach, we developed a reverse-genetics system that allows the production of influenza C viruses entirely from cloned cDNA. The complete sequences of the 3' and 5' noncoding regions of type C influenza virus C/Johannesburg/1/66 necessary for the cloning of the cDNA were determined for the seven genomic segments. Human embryonic kidney cells (293T) were transfected simultaneously with seven plasmids that direct the synthesis of each of the seven viral RNA segments of the C/JHB/1/66 virus under the control of the human RNA polymerase I promoter and with four plasmids encoding the viral nucleoprotein and the PB2, PB1, and P3 proteins of the viral polymerase complex. This strategy yielded between 10(3) and 10(4) PFU of virus per ml of supernatant at 8 to 10 days posttransfection. Additional viruses with substitutions introduced in the hemagglutinin-esterase-fusion protein were successfully produced by this method, and their growth phenotype was evaluated. This efficient system, which does not require helper virus infection, should be useful in viral mutagenesis studies and for generation of expression vectors from type C influenza virus.     

Influenza A virus NS2 protein mediates vRNP nuclear export through NES-independent interaction with hCRM1

For nuclear export of proteins, the formation of a ternary export complex composed of the export substrate, a cellular export factor and Ran-GTP is crucial. CRM1 is a cellular export factor for proteins containing leucine-rich nuclear export signals (NESs). Although the NES sequence is crucial for nuclear export, its exact role in the formation of the ternary export complex is controversial. Here we demonstrate an interaction between human CRM1 (hCRM1) and influenza A virus NS2 protein, which contains an NES motif in its N-terminal region. Replacement of the hydrophobic amino acids in the NES motif did not abolish NS2's interaction with hCRM1. Using our recently established systems for the generation of influenza virus or virus-like particles from cloned cDNAs, we found that NS2 is essential for nuclear export of influenza virus ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes, and that alteration of the NS2-NES abrogated this event and influenza virus generation. These findings suggest that the NS2-NES is not crucial for the interaction of this protein with hCRM1, but is for the formation of the ternary export complex with Ran-GTP.     

Influenza B and C Virus NEP (NS2) Proteins Possess Nuclear Export Activities

Nucleocytoplasmic transport of viral ribonucleoproteins (vRNPs) is an essential aspect of the replication cycle for influenza A, B, and C viruses. These viruses replicate and transcribe their genomes in the nuclei of infected cells. During the late stages of infection, vRNPs must be exported from the nucleus to the cytoplasm prior to transport to viral assembly sites on the cellular plasma membrane. Previously, we demonstrated that the influenza A virus nuclear export protein (NEP, formerly referred to as the NS2 protein) mediates the export of vRNPs. In this report, we suggest that for influenza B and C viruses the nuclear export function is also performed by the orthologous NEP proteins (formerly referred to as the NS2 protein). The influenza virus B and C NEP proteins interact in the yeast two-hybrid assay with a subset of nucleoporins and with the Crm1 nuclear export factor and can functionally replace the effector domain from the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Rev protein. We established a plasmid transfection system for the generation of virus-like particles (VLPs) in which a functional viral RNA-like chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene is delivered to a new cell. VLPs generated in the absence of the influenza B virus NEP protein were unable to transfer the viral RNA-like CAT gene to a new cell. From these data, we suggest that the nuclear export of the influenza B and C vRNPs are mediated through interaction between NEP proteins and the cellular nucleocytoplasmic export machinery.     

Influenza B viruses with site-specific mutations introduced into the HA gene.

We have succeeded in engineering changes into the genome of influenza B virus. First, model RNAs containing the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene flanked by the noncoding sequences of the HA or NS genes of influenza B virus were transfected into cells which were previously infected with an influenza B helper virus. Like those of the influenza A viruses, the termini of influenza B virus genes contain cis-acting signals which are sufficient to direct replication, expression, and packaging of the RNA. Next, a full-length copy of the HA gene from influenza B/Maryland/59 virus was cloned. Following transfection of this RNA, we rescued transfectant influenza B viruses which contain a point mutation introduced into the original cDNA. A series of mutants which bear deletions or changes in the 5' noncoding region of the influenza B/Maryland/59 virus HA gene were constructed. We were able to rescue viruses which contained deletions of 10 or 33 nucleotides at the 5' noncoding region of the HA gene. The viability of these viruses implies that this region of the genome is flexible in sequence and length.     

Isolation and genetic characterization of avian-like H1N1 and novel ressortant H1N2 influenza viruses from pigs in China

As pigs are susceptible to both human and avian influenza viruses, they have been proposed to be intermediate hosts or mixing vessels for the generation of pandemic influenza viruses through reassortment or adaptation to the mammalian host. In this study, we reported avian-like H1N1 and novel ressortant H1N2 influenza viruses from pigs in China. Homology and phylogenetic analyses showed that the H1N1 virus (A/swine/Zhejiang/1/07) was closely to avian-like H1N1 viruses and seemed to be derived from the European swine H1N1 viruses, which was for the first time reported in China; and the two H1N2 viruses (A/swine/Shanghai/1/07 and A/swine/Guangxi/13/06) were novel ressortant H1N2 influenza viruses containing genes from the classical swine (HA, NP, M and NS), human (NA and PB1) and avian (PB2 and PA) lineages, which indicted that the reassortment among human, avian, and swine influenza viruses had taken place in pigs in China and resulted in the generation of new viruses. The isolation of avian-like H1N1 influenza virus originated from the European swine H1N1 viruses, especially the emergence of two novel ressortant H1N2 influenza viruses provides further evidence that pigs serve as intermediate hosts or “mixing vessels”, and swine influenza virus surveillance in China should be given a high priority.     

Characterization of H9 subtype influenza viruses from the ducks of southern China: a candidate for the next influenza pandemic in humans?

A current view of the emergence of pandemic influenza viruses envisages a gene flow from the aquatic avian reservoir to humans via reassortment in pigs, the hypothetical "mixing vessel." Understanding arising from recent H5N1 influenza outbreaks in Hong Kong since 1997 and the isolation of avian H9N2 virus from humans raises alternative options for the emergence of a new pandemic virus. Here we report that H9N2 influenza viruses established in terrestrial poultry in southern China are transmitted back to domestic ducks, in which the viruses generate multiple reassortants. These novel H9N2 viruses are double or even triple reassortants that have amino acid signatures in their hemagglutinin, indicating their potential to directly infect humans. Some of them contain gene segments that are closely related to those of A/Hong Kong/156/97 (H5N1/97, H5N1) or A/Quail/Hong Kong/G1/97 (G1-like, H9N2). More importantly, some of their internal genes are closely related to those of novel H5N1 viruses isolated during the outbreak in Hong Kong in 2001. This study reveals a two-way transmission of influenza virus between terrestrial and aquatic birds that facilitates the generation of novel reassortant H9N2 influenza viruses. Such reassortants may directly or indirectly play a role in the emergence of the next pandemic virus.     

采用基因微阵列技术对常见呼吸道病毒进行检测的初步研究

建立一种高通量的基因微阵列检测技术,对常见呼吸道病毒感染进行监控.根据公开发表的8个病毒科38种常见呼吸道病毒的序列,计算其保守区域,设计病毒的特异性检测探针,制备呼吸道病毒检测基因微阵列.利用随机引物PCR方法标记样品中的病毒靶序列,标记产物与基因微阵列上的探针杂交,清洗、扫描后进行结果分析.采用流感病毒、麻疹病毒、腮腺炎病毒和风疹病毒作为报告病毒,并对80例上呼吸道感染患者的咽拭子标本进行验证测试.初步结果表明,该呼吸道病毒微阵列基因芯片检测是可行的,在利用基因微阵列技术对病毒监控方面进行了有益的尝试,得到了有经验的信息.     

Live bivalent vaccine for parainfluenza and influenza virus infections

Influenza and human parainfluenza virus infections are of both medical and economical importance. Currently, inactivated vaccines provide suboptimal protection against influenza, and vaccines for human parainfluenza virus infection are not available, underscoring the need for new vaccines against these respiratory diseases. Furthermore, to reduce the burden of vaccination, the development of multivalent vaccines is highly desirable. Thus, to devise a single vaccine that would elicit immune responses against both influenza and parainfluenza viruses, we used reverse genetics to generate an influenza A virus that possesses the coding region for the hemagglutinin/neuraminidase ectodomain of parainfluenza virus instead of the influenza virus neuraminidase. The recombinant virus grew efficiently in eggs but was attenuated in mice. When intranasally immunized with the recombinant vaccine, all mice developed antibodies against both influenza and parainfluenza viruses and survived an otherwise lethal challenge with either of these viruses. This live bivalent vaccine has obvious advantages over combination vaccines, and its method of generation could, in principle, be applied in the development of a "cocktail" vaccine with efficacy against several different infectious diseases.     

Molecular Basis for the Generation in Pigs of Influenza A Viruses with Pandemic Potential

Genetic and biologic observations suggest that pigs may serve as “mixing vessels” for the generation of human-avian influenza A virus reassortants, similar to those responsible for the 1957 and 1968 pandemics. Here we demonstrate a structural basis for this hypothesis. Cell surface receptors for both human and avian influenza viruses were identified in the pig trachea, providing a milieu conducive to viral replication and genetic reassortment. Surprisingly, with continued replication, some avian-like swine viruses acquired the ability to recognize human virus receptors, raising the possibility of their direct transmission to human populations. These findings help to explain the emergence of pandemic influenza viruses and support the need for continued surveillance of swine for viruses carrying avian virus genes.     

Attenuation of equine influenza viruses through truncations of the NS1 protein

Equine influenza is a common disease of the horse, causing significant morbidity worldwide. Here we describe the establishment of a plasmid-based reverse genetics system for equine influenza virus. Utilizing this system, we generated three mutant viruses encoding carboxy-terminally truncated NS1 proteins. We have previously shown that a recombinant human influenza virus lacking the NS1 gene (delNS1) could only replicate in interferon (IFN)-incompetent systems, suggesting that the NS1 protein is responsible for IFN antagonist activity. Contrary to previous findings with human influenza virus, we found that in the case of equine influenza virus, the length of the NS1 protein did not correlate with the level of attenuation of that virus. With equine influenza virus, the mutant virus with the shortest NS1 protein turned out to be the least attenuated. We speculate that the basis for attenuation of the equine NS1 mutant viruses generated is related to their level of NS1 protein expression. Our findings show that the recombinant mutant viruses are impaired in their ability to inhibit IFN production in vitro and they do not replicate as efficiently as the parental recombinant strain in embryonated hen eggs, in MDCK cells, or in vivo in a mouse model. Therefore, these attenuated mutant NS1 viruses may have potential as candidates for a live equine influenza vaccine.     

Establishment and lineage replacement of H6 influenza viruses in domestic ducks in southern China

Domestic ducks in southern China act as an important reservoir for influenza viruses and have also facilitated the establishment of multiple H6 influenza virus lineages. To understand the continuing evolution of these established lineages, 297 H6 viruses isolated from domestic ducks during 2006 and 2007 were genetically and antigenically analyzed. Phylogenetic analyses showed that group II duck H6 viruses had replaced the previously predominant group I lineage and extended their geographic distribution from coastal to inland regions. Group II H6 virus showed that the genesis and development of multiple types of deletions in the neuraminidase (NA) stalk region could occur in the influenza viruses from domestic ducks. A gradual replacement of the N2 NA subtype with N6 was observed. Significant antigenic changes occurred within group II H6 viruses so that they became antigenically distinguishable from group I and gene pool viruses. Gene exchange between group II H6 viruses and the established H5N1, H9N2, or H6N1 virus lineages in poultry in the region was very limited. These findings suggest that domestic ducks can facilitate significant genetic and antigenic changes in viruses established in this host and highlight gaps in our knowledge of influenza virus ecology and even the evolutionary behavior of this virus family in its aquatic avian reservoirs.     

Reassortment between seasonal H1N1 and pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza viruses is restricted by limited compatibility among polymerase subunits

Reassortment is important for influenza virus evolution and the generation of novel viruses with pandemic potential; however, the factors influencing reassortment are still poorly understood. Here, using reverse genetics and a replicon assay, we demonstrated that a mixed polymerase complex containing a pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus PB2 on a seasonal H1N1 virus background has reduced polymerase activity, leading to impaired virus viability. Adaptation of viruses containing the mixed polymerase complex resulted in compensatory mutations in PB1. Taken together, our results identify the cooperation between PB2 and PB1 as an important restricting factor for reassortment of influenza viruses.     

Infection of human airway epithelium by human and avian strains of influenza a virus

We describe the characterization of influenza A virus infection of an established in vitro model of human pseudostratified mucociliary airway epithelium (HAE). Sialic acid receptors for both human and avian viruses, alpha-2,6- and alpha-2,3-linked sialic acids, respectively, were detected on the HAE cell surface, and their distribution accurately reflected that in human tracheobronchial tissue. Nonciliated cells present a higher proportion of alpha-2,6-linked sialic acid, while ciliated cells possess both sialic acid linkages. Although we found that human influenza viruses infected both ciliated and nonciliated cell types in the first round of infection, recent human H3N2 viruses infected a higher proportion of nonciliated cells in HAE than a 1968 pandemic-era human virus, which infected proportionally more ciliated cells. In contrast, avian influenza viruses exclusively infected ciliated cells. Although a broad-range neuraminidase abolished infection of HAE by human parainfluenza virus type 3, this treatment did not significantly affect infection by influenza viruses. All human viruses replicated efficiently in HAE, leading to accumulation of nascent virus released from the apical surface between 6 and 24 h postinfection with a low multiplicity of infection. Avian influenza A viruses also infected HAE, but spread was limited compared to that of human viruses. The nonciliated cell tropism of recent human H3N2 viruses reflects a preference for the sialic acid linkages displayed on these cell types and suggests a drift in the receptor binding phenotype of the H3 hemagglutinin protein as it evolves in humans away from its avian virus precursor.     

Ubiquitous reassortments in influenza A viruses

The influenza A virus is a negative-stranded RNA virus composed of eight segmented RNA molecules, including polymerases (PB2, PB1, PA), hemagglutinin (HA), nucleoprotein (NP), neuraminidase (NA), matrix protein (MP), and nonstructure gene (NS). The influenza A viruses are notorious for rapid mutations, frequent reassortments, and possible recombinations. Among these evolutionary events, reassortments refer to exchanges of discrete RNA segments between co-infected influenza viruses, and they have facilitated the generation of pandemic and epidemic strains. Thus, identification of reassortments will be critical for pandemic and epidemic prevention and control. This paper presents a reassortment identification method based on distance measurement using complete composition vector (CCV) and segment clustering using a minimum spanning tree (MST) algorithm. By applying this method, we identified 34 potential reassortment clusters among 2,641 PB2 segments of influenza A viruses. Among the 83 serotypes tested, at least 56 (67.46%) exchanged their fragments with another serotype of influenza A viruses. These identified reassortments involve 1,957 H2N1 and 1,968 H3N2 influenza pandemic strains as well as H5N1 avian influenza virus isolates, which have generated the potential for a future pandemic threat. More frequent reassortments were found to occur in wild birds, especially migratory birds. This MST clustering program is written in Java and will be available upon request.     

Plasmid-only rescue of influenza A virus vaccine candidates.

The potential threat of another influenza virus pandemic stimulates discussion on how to prepare for such an event. The most reasonable prophylactic approach appears to be the use of effective vaccines. Since influenza and other negative-stranded RNA viruses are amenable to genetic manipulation using transfection by plasmids, it is possible to outline new reverse genetics-based approaches for vaccination against influenza viruses. We suggest three approaches. First, we use a plasmid-only rescue system that allows the rapid generation of high-yield recombinant vaccine strains. Second, we propose developing second-generation live influenza virus vaccines by constructing an attenuated master strain with deletions in the NS1 protein, which acts as an interferon antagonist. Third, we suggest the use of Newcastle disease virus recombinants expressing influenza virus haemagglutinin proteins of pandemic (epizootic) strains as novel vaccine vectors for use in animals and possibly humans.     

Characterization of low-pathogenic H5 subtype influenza viruses from Eurasia: implications for the origin of highly pathogenic H5N1 viruses

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses are now endemic in many Asian countries, resulting in repeated outbreaks in poultry and increased cases of human infection. The immediate precursor of these HPAI viruses is believed to be A/goose/Guangdong/1/96 (Gs/GD)-like H5N1 HPAI viruses first detected in Guangdong, China, in 1996. From 2000 onwards, many novel reassortant H5N1 influenza viruses or genotypes have emerged in southern China. However, precursors of the Gs/GD-like viruses and their subsequent reassortants have not been fully determined. Here we characterize low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) H5 subtype viruses isolated from poultry and migratory birds in southern China and Europe from the 1970s to the 2000s. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that Gs/GD-like virus was likely derived from an LPAI H5 virus in migratory birds. However, its variants arose from multiple reassortments between Gs/GD-like virus and viruses from migratory birds or with those Eurasian viruses isolated in the 1970s. It is of note that unlike HPAI H5N1 viruses, those recent LPAI H5 viruses have not become established in aquatic or terrestrial poultry. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the dynamic nature of the influenza virus gene pool in Eurasia with repeated transmissions between the eastern and western extremities of the continent. The data also show reassortment between influenza viruses from domestic and migratory birds in this region that has contributed to the expanded diversity of the influenza virus gene pool among poultry in Eurasia.