Tet-on和Cre/loxP系统双重调控表达丙型肝炎病毒NS3/4A蛋白酶三转基因小鼠的建立

目的:建立Tet-On调控系统和Cre/loxP基因剔除系统双重调控表达丙型肝炎病毒(HCV)NS3/4A丝氨酸蛋白酶三转基因小鼠。方法:选择适龄并经鉴定的在Tet-on系统调控下肝脏特异性表达Cre重组酶的双转基因小鼠Lap/LC-1与在Tet-on系统调控下肝脏特异性表达萤光素酶(Luc)的双转基因小鼠Lap/NS3/4A交配,子代小鼠经PCR检测、筛选基因组中NS3/4A、Lap、LC-1等3个转基因片段均阳性的小鼠。三阳性的NS3/4A/Lap/LC-1小鼠经多西环素(Dox)诱导1周后,以在体生物发光成像系统(BLI)检测报告基因Luc的表达,免疫组化检测小鼠体内Cre重组酶、HCV NS3/4A丝氨酸蛋白酶的表达状况。结果:NS3/4A/Lap/LC-1小鼠经Dox诱导后,BLI结果显示仅在小鼠肝脏部位有强烈的发光信号,表明这些小鼠肝细胞内报告基因Luc特异高效表达;免疫组化结果证实Cre重组酶、NS3/4A蛋白酶仅在经诱导后的小鼠肝细胞中特异性表达。结论:建立了Tet-On调控系统和Cre/loxP基因剔除系统双重调控下表达HCV NS3/4A丝氨酸蛋白酶的三转基因小鼠模型,为进一步研究HCV NS3/4A丝氨酸蛋白酶在HCV感染后与宿主相互作用的机制,以及抗NS3/4A丝氨酸蛋白酶特异性抑制剂的筛选奠定了基础。     

HCV NS3/4A蛋白酶抑制剂细胞筛选模型

丙型肝炎病毒(hepatitis C virus,HCV)持续感染可导致慢性丙型肝炎,并可发展为肝硬化和肝细胞癌。HCV NS3/4A蛋白酶在HCV复制和致病机制中起着非常关键的作用,已成为HCV研究热点。由于候选药物分子必须具有易进入细胞、稳定性好等特征,建立一种细胞水平上酶活性的测定系统对于筛选抗NS3/4A药物无疑有着重要意义。目前已有多种NS3/4A蛋白酶筛选系统开发出来,本文将对此作一综述。     

丙型肝炎病毒NS3蛋白酶的研究进展

丙型肝炎病毒感染常呈慢性化,且易使病情进一步发展为肝硬化和肝细胞癌。其基因的多变性使得疫苗研究进展缓慢,鉴于NS3蛋白酶在病毒体的成熟和复制中所起的重要作用,阐明结构和功能,寻找其抑制剂可能对抗病毒治疗有重要意义。     

HCV NS3/4A蛋白酶胞内荧光检测方法的建立

目的:建立丙型肝炎病毒NS3/4A丝氨酸蛋白酶胞内荧光检测方法。方法:利用EGFP分子内合适位点可以插入一定长度外源片段而不影响荧光性能的特性,构建EGFP分子内插入NS3/4A蛋白酶识别序列NS5AB的EGFP-5AB重组分子。将EGFP-5AB与NS3/4A蛋白酶共表达,若短肽链被切断,则EGFP的两个部分解离,荧光消失,从而可以监测HCV NS3/4A蛋白酶的存在。通过将NS5AB插入三种不同位点,寻找最合适的插入位点;将EGFP-5AB转染进入不同宿主细胞,验证其在不同细胞的表达情况并选择最佳宿主细胞。结果:确定EGFP 173-174氨基酸位点是合适的插入位点;确定CHO-K1为理想的荧光检测系统宿主细胞;在构建的细胞模型中,能够检测到EGFP被切割后的条带,但检测不到荧光信号,说明EGFP-5AB蛋白被有效切割,该方法可以检测到NS3/4A丝氨酸蛋白酶的存在。结论:成功构建了一种在哺乳动物细胞中检测NS3/4A蛋白酶切割活性的荧光检测方法。     

丙型肝炎病毒NS3蛋白酶在酵母系统中的可溶性表达

利用毕赤酵母系统表达具有催化活性的丙型肝炎病毒 (HCV)NS3蛋白酶 .将PCR直接扩增的病毒NS3丝氨酸蛋白酶基因和重组的带有辅酶的单链NS3 NS4A蛋白酶基因 ,分别插入表达载体pPICZαA的EcoRⅠ和XbaⅠ克隆位点 ,转化毕赤酵母GS115 ,可溶性表达NS3蛋白酶和单链NS3 4A蛋白酶 ;ELISA法测定表达蛋白酶的抗原性 ;原核高效表达载体pBVIL1表达酶切底物NS5A B片段 ,体外与蛋白酶共同温育 ,SDS PAGE鉴定蛋白酶催化活性 .载体测序结果表明 ,重组载体pPICZαA NS3和pPICZαA NS3 4A中的目的基因序列插入正确 ;SDS PAGE结果显示 ,培养物上清中存在分泌型目的蛋白带 ;ELISA结果证实 ,表达蛋白与HCV阳性血清有结合活性 ;蛋白酶与底物NS5A B片段不同作用时间的SDS PAGE ,看到约 2 4kD处底物条带的分解 .说明用毕赤酵母表达系统成功地表达了可溶性HCVNS3和单链NS3 4A蛋白酶 ;两种结构形式的蛋白酶在体外系统中都有催化活性 ,同时也都具有抗原性 .该研究为大量和方便地获得有催化活性的HCVNS3蛋白酶提供了有效途径 .     

基因枪法和肌内注射法免疫HCV NS3/4A诱导小鼠免疫应答的比较

目的比较肌内注射法和基因枪法对免疫效果的影响。方法将携带HCV NS3/4A基因的质粒pcDNA3.1-NS3/4A,分别肌内注射和基因枪免疫BALB/c小鼠。基因枪免疫采用2μg/只和10μg/只两种剂量,肌内注射免疫的剂量为100μg/只,共免疫3次。分别于第3次免疫后10 d和20 d,收集小鼠血清、分离脾细胞;ELISA法检测小鼠血清中特异性抗体水平;ELIspot检测小鼠IFN-γI、L-2和IL-4;非放射性细胞毒性试验检测其对肿瘤细胞的杀伤作用,从而比较肌内注射和基因枪法激发小鼠产生体液免疫和细胞免疫应答的影响。结果免疫后第10 d检测结果表明,2μg/只和10μg/只基因枪法免疫产生的抗体效价分别为1∶500和1∶1 000,100μg/只肌内注射免疫产生的抗体效价为1∶1 000。第20 d再次检测,基因枪法产生的抗体效价仍为1∶500和1∶1 000,肌内注射降低为1∶500。2μg/只和10μg/只基因枪免疫产生的IFN-γ和IL-2均高于100μg/只肌内注射免疫。但这两种免疫方法均未激发IL-4的水平。在不同的效靶比情况下,10μg/只和2μg/只基因枪免疫激发的CTL细胞杀伤活性均高于100μg/只肌内注射免疫。结论基因枪法免疫小鼠诱导的体液免疫和细胞免疫应答均显著高于肌内注射免疫。     

丙型肝炎核心蛋白与NS3蛋白在转基因小鼠中的表达

为研究丙型肝炎病毒核心蛋白及ＮＳ３蛋白在转基因小鼠体内的基因表达及细胞内定位,以及病毒蛋白 直接致细胞病变效应,我们采用ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ方法检测了靶基因ｍＲＮＡ在转基因小鼠各种组织中的表达,用免疫组化方法分析了核心蛋白与ＮＳ３蛋白在转基因小鼠体内的表达及细胞内定位。     

丙型肝炎病毒感染过程中其NS3/4A蛋白酶切割线粒体抗病毒信号蛋白的动态过程

已知丙型肝炎病毒(hepatitis C virus,HCV)可通过其蛋白酶NS3/4A切割线粒体抗病毒信号蛋白(mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein,MAVS)来逃逸天然免疫识别,但尚不清楚其切割动力学及切割在抑制干扰素中的作用。本研究旨在细胞模型中探讨HCV感染过程中病毒复制建立及病毒NS3/4A切割MAVS的动态过程,探究NS3/4A切割MAVS对病毒逃逸宿主天然免疫建立感染的贡献。首先构建基于绿色荧光蛋白(green fluorescent protein,GFP)的MAVS切割报告系统(GFP-NLS-MAVS-TM462),用 HCV Jc1-Gluc 感染Huh7.5/GFP-NLS-MAVS-TM462细胞。结果显示,病毒复制早期MAVS切割效率较低;NS3/4A高效切割MAVS发生于HCV复制晚期,且其切割效率与NS3蛋白水平相关。利用带有GFP ypet的HCV报告病毒Jc1-378-1感染Huh7.5/RFP-NLS-MAVS-TM462细胞,在单细胞水平观察HCV感染阳性细胞中MAVS被切割情况,发现HCV复制细胞中仅部分细胞MAVS被切割。进一步研究发现,不同基因型NS3/4A切割MAVS的效率仅与NS3表达水平相关。以上结果提示,HCV蛋白酶NS3/4A切割MAVS依赖NS3/4A蛋白在病毒复制过程中的累积,对在病毒复制早期逃逸宿主天然免疫建立感染可能无显著贡献。     

表达丙型肝炎病毒NS3抗原的重组腺病毒构建及体外表达

为探索研制丙型肝炎疫苗的新途径,以期获得防治丙型肝炎的重组腺病毒减毒活疫苗,我们构建了表达丙型肝炎病毒(Hepatitis C virus ,HCV)非结构蛋白3(non-structural protein 3,NS3)抗原的重组腺病毒RAd-NS3,并检测其在体外表达.应用PCR从真核表达质粒pRC/NS3中扩增编码HCV NS3 蛋白(329-935aa)的基因片段,定向克隆到重组腺病毒AdEasy-1系统的穿梭质粒pAdTrack-CMV上,采用细菌内同源重组"两步转化法"构建携带HCV NS3基因的重组腺病毒基因组质粒pAd-HCV NS3,转染293细胞,成功包装出重组腺病毒RAd-NS3,利用它有效地感染人肝癌细胞株HepG2,经RT-PCR及免疫印迹等不同方法检测表明,被感染细胞能表达HCV NS3蛋白,为后续进行重组腺病毒在动物体内诱导抗HCV免疫应答能力的研究奠定了基础.     

丙型肝炎病毒Core与NS3基因的不同融合方式及其表达

丙型肝炎病毒(简称ＨＣＶ)是危害人类健康的传染性疾病,预防该病的传播主要借助于ＨＣＶ血清学诊断来筛选献血员和检测临床标本。从国内外已分离到的ＨＣＶ株得知,ＨＣＶ核心蛋白(Ｃｏｒｅ)和非结构蛋白ＮＳ3含有较强的优势抗原表位,其相应的抗体出现早,阳性率高,已成为目前第二、第三代ＨＣＶ免疫诊断试剂的重要成份[1,2]。通常Ｃｏｒｅ蛋白和ＮＳ3蛋白分别用基因工程方法表达,然后作为固定化抗原,检测人体内ＨＣＶ的抗体。我们对Ｃｏｒｅ和ＮＳ3的两种不同组合方式及其表达的研究,对于发展新的ＨＣＶ诊断试剂很有帮助,现将结果报道如下。1…     

Complex of NS3 protease and NS4A peptide of BK strain hepatitis C virus: a 2.2 A resolution structure in a hexagonal crystal form.

The crystal structure of the NS3 protease of the hepatitis C virus (BK strain) has been determined in the space group P6(3)22 to a resolution of 2.2 A. This protease is bound with a 14-mer peptide representing the central region of the NS4A protein. There are two molecules of the NS3(1-180)-NS4A(21'-34') complex per asymmetric unit. Each displays a familiar chymotrypsin-like fold that includes two beta-barrel domains and four short alpha-helices. The catalytic triad (Ser-139, His-57, and Asp-81) is located in the crevice between the beta-barrel domains. The NS4A peptide forms an almost completely enclosed peptide surface association with the protease. In contrast to the reported H strain complex of NS3 protease-NS4A peptide in a trigonal crystal form (Kim JL et al., 1996, Cell 87:343-355), the N-terminus of the NS3 protease is well-ordered in both molecules in the asymmetric unit of our hexagonal crystal form. The folding of the N-terminal region of the NS3 protease is due to the formation of a three-helix bundle as a result of crystal packing. When compared with the unbound structure (Love RA et al., 1996, Cell 87:331-342), the binding of the NS4A peptide leads to the ordering of the N-terminal 28 residues of the NS3 protease into a beta-strand and an alpha-helix and also causes local rearrangements important for a catalytically favorable conformation at the active site. Our analysis provides experimental support for the proposal that binding of an NS4A-mimicking peptide, which increases catalytic rates, is necessary but not sufficient for formation of a well-ordered, compact and, hence, highly active protease molecule.     

Development of a cell-based assay for monitoring specific hepatitis C virus NS3/4A protease activity in mammalian cells

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) contains a positive-sense RNA genome that encodes a unique polyprotein precursor, which must be processed by proteases to enable viral maturation. Virally encoded NS3/4A protease has thus become an attractive target for the development of antiviral drugs. To establish an assay system for monitoring NS3/4A protease activity in mammalian cells, this study describes a substrate vector, pEG(Delta4AB)SEAP, in which enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was fused to secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) through the NS3/4A protease decapeptide recognition sequence, Delta4AB, which spans the NS4A and NS4B junction region. Secretion of SEAP into the culture medium was demonstrated to depend on the cleavage of Delta4AB by HCV NS3/4A protease. We demonstrated that the accumulation of SEAP activity in the culture medium depends on time up to 60h with the coexpression of active NS3/4A protease. The amount of SEAP in the culture medium was around 10 times greater than that of cells with coexpression of inactive NS3/4A mutant protease. This strategy has made it possible to monitor NS3/4A activity inside mammalian cells. Moreover, by using cells containing the HCV subgenomic replicon, the EG(Delta4AB)SEAP reporter can be used to detect the anti-HCV activity of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha). Consequently, this EG(Delta4AB)SEAP reporter can be used to screen for NS3/4A protease inhibitors in the cellular environment and for anti-HCV drugs in replicon cells.     

Molecular Mechanism by Which a Potent Hepatitis C Virus NS3-NS4A Protease Inhibitor Overcomes Emergence of Resistance

Although optimizing the resistance profile of an inhibitor can be challenging, it is potentially important for improving the long term effectiveness of antiviral therapy. This work describes our rational approach toward the identification of a macrocyclic acylsulfonamide that is a potent inhibitor of the NS3-NS4A proteases of all hepatitis C virus genotypes and of a panel of genotype 1-resistant variants. The enhanced potency of this compound versus variants D168V and R155K facilitated x-ray determination of the inhibitor-variant complexes. In turn, these structural studies revealed a complex molecular basis of resistance and rationalized how such compounds are able to circumvent these mechanisms.     

Mechanistic and kinetic characterization of hepatitis C virus NS3 protein interactions with NS4A and protease inhibitors

The mechanism and kinetics of the interactions between ligands and immobilized full‐length hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1a NS3 have been characterized by SPR biosensor technology. The NS3 interactions for a series of NS3 protease inhibitors as well as for the NS4A cofactor, represented by a peptide corresponding to the sequence interacting with the enzyme, were found to be heterogeneous. It may represent interactions with two stable conformations of the protein. The NS3–NS4A interaction consisted of a high‐affinity (K_D = 50 nM) and a low‐affinity (K_D = 2 µM) interaction, contributing equally to the overall binding. By immobilizing NS3 alone or together with NS4A it was shown that all inhibitors had a higher affinity for NS3 in the presence of NS4A. NS4A thus has a direct effect on the binding of inhibitors to NS3 and not only on catalysis. As predicted, the mechanism‐based inhibitor VX 950 exhibited a time‐dependent interaction with a slow formation of a stable complex. BILN 2061 or ITMN‐191 showed no signs of time‐dependent interactions, but ITMN‐191 had the highest affinity of the tested compounds, with both the slowest dissociation (k_off) and fastest association rate, closely followed by BILN 2061. The k_off for the inhibitors correlated strongly with their NS3 protease inhibitory effect as well as with their effect on replication of viral proteins in replicon cell cultures, confirming the relevance of the kinetic data. This approach for obtaining kinetic and mechanistic data for NS3 protease inhibitor and cofactor interactions is expected to be of importance for understanding the characteristics of HCV NS3 functionality as well as for anti‐HCV lead discovery and optimization. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

丙型肝炎病毒 NS3 螺旋酶寡核苷酸 适配子的筛选与鉴定

为筛选和鉴定抗丙型肝炎病毒 (HCV) NS3 螺旋酶 (NS3h) 的寡核苷酸适配子 (aptamers). 利用 SELEX 技术,以 HCV NS3h 为靶分子,从体外合成的 81 bp 随机单链 DNA 文库中筛选与 HCV NS3h 特异结合的寡核苷酸适配子 . 克隆测序后,进行了解离常数 (K_d) 测定和 Clustal W 软件包分析适配子一级结构 . 经过 8 轮循环筛选,随机 ssDNA 库与 HCV NS3h 的结合率从 0.45% 上升到 29.5%. 所有的一级结构没有共同的同源序列,但可分 5 个家族,其中 4 个家族具有共同的保守序列 . 解离常数测定表明,寡核苷酸适配子 H2 与 HCV NS3h 特异结合的亲和力最高,K_d值为 140 nmol/L. 适配子 H2 (10 μmol/L) 在体外对 HCV NS3h 的活性具有一定的抑制作用,抑制率达 44%. 利用随机寡核苷酸文库获得了抗 HCV NS3h 的寡核苷酸适配子 .     

Characterisation of the role of zinc in the hepatitis C virus NS2/3 auto-cleavage and NS3 protease activities

Cleavage of the hepatitis C virus polyprotein between the non-structural NS2 and NS3 proteins is mediated by a poorly characterised auto-proteolytic activity that maps to the C terminus of NS2 and the N terminus of NS3, but is distinct from the NS3 protease activity responsible for downstream cleavages in the polyprotein. We have exploited the fact that the minimal precursor (residues 904-1206 of the HCV polyprotein) can be expressed as an insoluble protein in Escherichia coli and subsequently refolded into a form active for both auto-cleavage and NS3 protease activity, to further characterise the NS2/3 auto-cleavage activity. We show that both activities are zinc-dependent and show an absolute requirement for cysteine residues 1123, 1125 and 1171 within NS3. In contrast cysteine 922 (within NS2) is only required for NS2/3 auto-cleavage activity and histidine 1175 is only required for NS3 activity. Although the complete NS3 protease domain (including the C-terminal alpha-helix) is required for NS2/3 auto-cleavage, the activity of the NS3 protease is not essential. Lastly we show that the NS2/3 auto-cleavage activity is more sensitive to zinc chelation by 1,10-phenanthroline than the NS3 protease activity. This observation is consistent with different conformations of the precursor competent for either NS2/3 auto-cleavage or NS3 protease activity; these two conformations can be distinguished by their relative strength and geometry of zinc coordination.     

Structure-based design of a novel series of azetidine inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus NS3/4A serine protease

Structural homology between thrombin inhibitors and the early tetrapeptide HCV protease inhibitor led to the bioisosteric replacement of the P2 proline by a 2,4-disubstituted azetidine within the macrocyclic β-strand mimic. Molecular modeling guided the design of the series. This approach was validated by the excellent activity and selectivity in biochemical and cell based assays of this novel series and confirmed by the co-crystal structure of the inhibitor with the NS3/4A protein (PDB code: 4TYD).