Enhanced pathogenicity and transmissibility of H9N2 avian influenza virus in mammals by hemagglutinin mutations combined with PB2-627K

H9N2 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) circulate globally in poultry and have become the dominant AIV subtype in China in recent years. Previously, we demonstrated that the H9N2 virus (A/chicken/Eastern China/SDKD1/2015) naturally harbors a mammalian-adaptive molecular factor (627K) in the PB2 protein and is weakly pathogenic in mice. Here, we focused on new markers for virulence in mammals. A mouse-adapted H9N2 virus was serially passaged in mice by infecting their lungs. As expected, infected mice showed clinical symptoms and died at passage six. A comparison between the wild-type and mouse-adapted virus sequences identified amino acid substitutions in the hemagglutinin (HA) protein. H9N2 viruses with the T187P ?+ ?M227L double mutation exhibited an increased affinity to human-type (SAα2,6Gal) receptors and significantly enhanced viral attachment to mouse lung tissues, which contributed to enhancing viral replication and virulence in mice. Additionally, HA with the T187P ?+ ?M227L mutation enabled H9N2 viral transmission in guinea pigs via direct contact. AIV pathogenicity in mice is a polygenic trait. Our results demonstrated that these HA mutations might be combined with PB2-627K to significantly increase H9N2 virulence in mice, and this enhanced virulence was achieved in other H9N2 AIVs by generating the same combination of mutations. In summary, our study identified novel key elements in the HA protein that are required for H9N2 pathogenicity in mice and provided valuable insights into pandemic preparedness against emerging H9N2 strains.     

Characterization of changes in the hemagglutinin that accompanied the emergence of H3N2/1968 pandemic influenza viruses

The hemagglutinin (HA) of A/H3N2 pandemic influenza viruses (IAVs) of 1968 differed from its inferred avian precursor by eight amino acid substitutions. To determine their phenotypic effects, we studied recombinant variants of A/Hong Kong/1/1968 virus containing either human-type or avian-type amino acids in the corresponding positions of HA. The precursor HA displayed receptor binding profile and high conformational stability typical for duck IAVs. Substitutions Q226L and G228S, in addition to their known effects on receptor specificity and replication, marginally decreased HA stability. Substitutions R62I, D63N, D81N and N193S reduced HA binding avidity. Substitutions R62I, D81N and A144G promoted viral replication in human airway epithelial cultures. Analysis of HA sequences revealed that substitutions D63N and D81N accompanied by the addition of N-glycans represent common markers of avian H3 HA adaptation to mammals. Our results advance understanding of genotypic and phenotypic changes in IAV HA required for avian-to-human adaptation and pandemic emergence.     

Improvement of influenza A/Fujian/411/02 (H3N2) virus growth in embryonated chicken eggs by balancing the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase activities, using reverse genetics

The H3N2 influenza A/Fujian/411/02-like virus strains that circulated during the 2003-2004 influenza season caused influenza epidemics. Most of the A/Fujian/411/02 virus lineages did not replicate well in embryonated chicken eggs and had to be isolated originally by cell culture. The molecular basis for the poor replication of A/Fujian/411/02 virus was examined in this study by the reverse genetics technology. Two antigenically related strains that replicated well in embryonated chicken eggs, A/Sendai-H/F4962/02 and A/Wyoming/03/03, were compared with the prototype A/Fujian/411/02 virus. A/Sendai differed from A/Fujian by three amino acids in the neuraminidase (NA), whereas A/Wyoming differed from A/Fujian by five amino acids in the hemagglutinin (HA). The HA and NA segments of these three viruses were reassorted with cold-adapted A/Ann Arbor/6/60, the master donor virus for the live attenuated type A influenza vaccines (FluMist). The HA and NA residues differed between these three H3N2 viruses evaluated for their impact on virus replication in MDCK cells and in embryonated chicken eggs. It was determined that replication of A/Fujian/411/02 in eggs could be improved by either changing minimum of two HA residues (G186V and V226I) to increase the HA receptor-binding ability or by changing a minimum of two NA residues (E119Q and Q136K) to lower the NA enzymatic activity. Alternatively, recombinant A/Fujian/411/02 virus could be adapted to grow in eggs by two amino acid substitutions in the HA molecule (H183L and V226A), which also resulted in the increased HA receptor-binding activity. Thus, the balance between the HA and NA activities is critical for influenza virus replication in a different host system. The HA or NA changes that increased A/Fujian/411/02 virus replication in embryonated chicken eggs were found to have no significant impact on antigenicity of these recombinant viruses. This study demonstrated that the reverse genetics technology could be used to improve the manufacture of the influenza vaccines.     

Combined insertion of basic and non-basic amino acids at hemagglutinin cleavage site of highly pathogenic H7N9 virus promotes replication and pathogenicity in chickens and mice

Since mid-2016, the low pathogenic H7N9 influenza virus has evolved into a highly pathogenic (HP) phenotype in China, raising many concerns about public health and poultry industry. The insertion of a “KRTA” motif at hemagglutinin cleavage site (HACS) occurred in the early stage of HP H7N9 variants. During the co-circulation, the HACS of HP-H7N9 variants were more polymorphic in birds and humans. Although HP-H7N9 variants, unlike the H5 subtype virus, exhibited the insertions of basic and non-basic amino acids, the underlying function of those insertions and substitutions remains unclear. The results of bioinformatics analysis indicated that the PEVPKRKRTAR/G motif of HACS had become the dominant motif in China. Then, we generated six H7N9 viruses bearing the PEIPKGR/G, PEVPKGR/G, PEVPKRKRTAR/G, PEVPKGKRTAR/G, PEVPKGKRIAR/G, and PEVPKRKRR/G motifs. Interestingly, after the deletion of threonine and alanine (TA) at HACS, the H7N9 viruses manifested decreased thermostability and virulence in mice, and the PEVPKRKRTAR/G-motif virus is prevalent in birds and humans probably due to its increased transmissibility and moderate virulence. By contrast, the insertion of non-basic amino acid isoleucine and alanine (IA) decreased the transmissibility in chickens and virulence in mice. Remarkably, the I335V substitution of H7N9 virus enhanced infectivity and transmission in chickens, suggesting that the combination of mutations and insertions of amino acids at the HACS promoted replication and pathogenicity in chickens and mice. The ongoing evolution of H7N9 increasingly threatens public health and poultry industry, so, its comprehensive surveillance and prevention of H7N9 viruses should be pursued.     

Mutations in Hemagglutinin and Polymerase Alter the Virulence of Pandemic A(H1N1) Influenza Virus

To study the pathogenicity factors of the pandemic A(H1N1) influenza virus, a number of mutant variants of the A/Hamburg/5/2009 (H1N1)pdm09 strain were obtained through passage in chicken embryos, mouse lungs, and MDCK cell culture. After 17 lung-to-lung passages of the A/Hamburg/5/2009 in mice, the minimum lethal dose of the derived variant decreased by five orders of magnitude compared to that of the parental virus. This variant differed from the original virus by nine amino acid residues in the following viral proteins: hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA), and components of the polymerase complex. Additional passaging of the intermediate variants and cloning made it possible to obtain pairs of strains that differed by a single amino acid substitution. Comparative analysis of replicative activity, receptor specificity, and virulence of these variants revealed two mechanisms responsible for increased pathogenicity of the virus for mice. Thus, (1) substitutions in HA (Asp225Gly or Gln226Arg) and compensatory mutation decreasing the charge of HA (Lys123Asn, Lys157Asn, Gly158Glu, Asn159Asp, or Lys212Met) altered viral receptor-binding specificity and restored the functional balance between HA and NA; (2) Phe35Leu substitution in the PA protein increased viral polymerase activity.     

Evolution of the Hemagglutinin Protein of the New Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Virus: Maintaining Optimal Receptor Binding by Compensatory Substitutions

Pandemic influenza A H1N1 (pH1N1) virus emerged in 2009. In the subsequent 4 years, it acquired several genetic changes in its hemagglutinin (HA). Mutations may be expected while virus is adapting to the human host or upon evasion from adaptive immune responses. However, pH1N1 has not displayed any major antigenic changes so far. We examined the effect of the amino acid substitutions found to be most frequently occurring in the pH1N1 HA protein before 1 April 2012 on the receptor-binding properties of the virus by using recombinant soluble HA trimers. Two changes (S186P and S188T) were shown to increase the receptor-binding avidity of HA, whereas two others (A137T and A200T) decreased binding avidity. Construction of an HA protein tree revealed the worldwide emergence of several HA variants during the past few influenza seasons. Strikingly, two major variants harbor combinations of substitutions (S186P/A137T and S188T/A200T, respectively) with opposite individual effects on binding. Stepwise reconstruction of the HA proteins of these variants demonstrated that the mutations that increase receptor-binding avidity are compensated for by the acquisition of subsequent mutations. The combination of these substitutions restored the receptor-binding properties (avidity and specificity) of these HA variants to those of the parental virus. The results strongly suggest that the HA of pH1N1 was already optimally adapted to the human host upon its emergence in April 2009. Moreover, these results are in agreement with a recent model for antigenic drift, in which influenza A virus mutants with high and low receptor-binding avidity alternate.     

Genetic variability of isolates of pandemic influenza A virus H1N1 isolated in Russia in 2009

Complete nucleotide sequence of the genome segments encoding the surface glycoproteins, hemagglutinin, and neuraminidase of influenza A virus H1N1 derived from the patients with influenza in the context of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 was determined out of 14 isolates of pandemic influenza. The philogenetic analysis of these sequences demonstrated their genetic similarity to the corresponding genes of the pandemic influenza virus A (H1N1) 2009 isolates obtained in other countries; each gene homology was greater than 99%. Neuraminidase mutations causing virus resistance to oseltamivir and other neuraminidase inhibitors, known from the literature, were not detected. The hemagglutinin gene mutation D222G was found in 4 isolates from autopsy material. In the hemagglutinin of pandemic A/Salekhard/01/2009(H1N1) isolate a mutation G155E leading to the increase in viral replication in developing chick embryos was detected. The nature and frequency of nucleotides substitutions within HA and NA genes were determined in the current research.     

Mouse-adapted H9N2 influenza A virus PB2 protein M147L and E627K mutations are critical for high virulence

H9N2 influenza viruses have been circulating worldwide in multiple avian species and have repeatedly infected humans to cause typical disease. The continued avian-to-human interspecies transmission of H9N2 viruses raises concerns about the possibility of viral adaption with increased virulence for humans. To investigate the genetic basis of H9N2 influenza virus host range and pathogenicity in mammals, we generated a mouse-adapted H9N2 virus (SD16-MA) that possessed significantly higher virulence than wide-type virus (SD16). Increased virulence was detectable after 8 sequential lung passages in mice. Five amino acid substitutions were found in the genome of SD16-MA compared with SD16 virus: PB2 (M147L, V250G and E627K), HA (L226Q) and M1 (R210K). Assessments of replication in mice showed that all of the SD16-MA PB2, HA and M1 genome segments increased virus replication; however, only the mouse-adapted PB2 significantly increased virulence. Although the PB2 E627K amino acid substitution enhanced viral polymerase activity and replication, none of the single mutations of mouse adapted PB2 could confer increased virulence on the SD16 backbone. The combination of M147L and E627K significantly enhanced viral replication ability and virulence in mice. Thus, our results show that the combination of PB2 amino acids at position 147 and 627 is critical for the increased pathogenicity of H9N2 influenza virus in mammalian host.     

A single amino acid at the hemagglutinin cleavage site contributes to the pathogenicity and neurovirulence of H5N1 influenza virus in mice

H5 influenza viruses containing a motif of multiple basic amino acids at the hemagglutinin (HA) cleavage site (HACS) are highly pathogenic in chicken but display different virulence phenotypes in mammals. Previous studies have shown that multiple basic amino acids of H5N1 influenza virus are a prerequisite for lethality in mice. However, it remains unclear which specific residue at the cleavage site affects the pathogenicity of H5N1 in mammals. A comprehensive genetic analysis of the H5N1 HACS showed that residues at P6 (position 325, by H3 numbering) were the most polymorphic, including serine (S), arginine (R), deletion (*), glycine (G), and isoleucine (I). To determine whether a single residue at P6 could affect virulence, we introduced different mutations at P6 of an avirulent clade 7 H5N1 strain, rg325G, by reverse genetics. Among the recombinant viruses, the rg325S virus showed the highest cleavage efficiency in vitro. All these viruses were highly pathogenic in chicken but exhibited different virulences in mice. The rg325S virus exhibited the highest pathogenicity in terms of unrestricted organ tropism and neurovirulence. Remarkably, the HA-325S substitution dramatically increased the pathogenicity of H5N1 viruses of other clades, including clades 2.2, 2.3.2, and 2.3.4, indicating that this residue impacts genetically divergent H5N1 viruses. An analysis of predicted structures containing these mutations showed that the cleavage site loop with 325S was the most exposed, which might be responsible for the efficient cleavage and high virulence. Our results demonstrate that an amino acid substitution at the P6 cleavage site alone could modulate the virulence of H5N1 in mice.     

Mutations in H5N1 Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin that Confer Binding to Human Tracheal Airway Epithelium

The emergence in 2009 of a swine-origin H1N1 influenza virus as the first pandemic of the 21st Century is a timely reminder of the international public health impact of influenza viruses, even those associated with mild disease. The widespread distribution of highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus in the avian population has spawned concern that it may give rise to a human influenza pandemic. The mortality rate associated with occasional human infection by H5N1 virus approximates 60%, suggesting that an H5N1 pandemic would be devastating to global health and economy. To date, the H5N1 virus has not acquired the propensity to transmit efficiently between humans. The reasons behind this are unclear, especially given the high mutation rate associated with influenza virus replication. Here we used a panel of recombinant H5 hemagglutinin (HA) variants to demonstrate the potential for H5 HA to bind human airway epithelium, the predominant target tissue for influenza virus infection and spread. While parental H5 HA exhibited limited binding to human tracheal epithelium, introduction of selected mutations converted the binding profile to that of a current human influenza strain HA. Strikingly, these amino-acid changes required multiple simultaneous mutations in the genomes of naturally occurring H5 isolates. Moreover, H5 HAs bearing intermediate sequences failed to bind airway tissues and likely represent mutations that are an evolutionary “dead end.” We conclude that, although genetic changes that adapt H5 to human airways can be demonstrated, they may not readily arise during natural virus replication. This genetic barrier limits the likelihood that current H5 viruses will originate a human pandemic.     

Increased pathogenicity of a reassortant 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus containing an H5N1 hemagglutinin

A novel H1N1 influenza virus emerged in 2009 (pH1N1) to become the first influenza pandemic of the 21st century. This virus is now cocirculating with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses in many parts of the world, raising concerns that a reassortment event may lead to highly pathogenic influenza strains with the capacity to infect humans more readily and cause severe disease. To investigate the virulence of pH1N1-H5N1 reassortant viruses, we created pH1N1 (A/California/04/2009) viruses expressing individual genes from an avian H5N1 influenza strain (A/Hong Kong/483/1997). Using several in vitro models of virus replication, we observed increased replication for a reassortant CA/09 virus expressing the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of HK/483 (CA/09-483HA) relative to that of either parental CA/09 virus or reassortant CA/09 expressing other HK/483 genes. This increased replication correlated with enhanced pathogenicity in infected mice similar to that of the parental HK/483 strain. The serial passage of the CA/09 parental virus and the CA/09-483HA virus through primary human lung epithelial cells resulted in increased pathogenicity, suggesting that these viruses easily adapt to humans and become more virulent. In contrast, serial passage attenuated the parental HK/483 virus in vitro and resulted in slightly reduced morbidity in vivo, suggesting that sustained replication in humans attenuates H5N1 avian influenza viruses. Taken together, these data suggest that reassortment between cocirculating human pH1N1 and avian H5N1 influenza strains will result in a virus with the potential for increased pathogenicity in mammals.     

Genetic Requirement for Hemagglutinin Glycosylation and Its Implications for Influenza A H1N1 Virus Evolution

Influenza A virus has evolved and thrived in human populations. Since the 1918 influenza A pandemic, human H1N1 viruses had acquired additional N-linked glycosylation (NLG) sites within the globular head region of hemagglutinin (HA) until the NLG-free HA head pattern of the 1918 H1N1 virus was renewed with the swine-derived 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus. Moreover, the HA of the 2009 H1N1 virus appeared to be antigenically related to that of the 1918 H1N1 virus. Hence, it is possible that descendants of the 2009 H1N1 virus might recapitulate the acquisition of HA head glycosylation sites through their evolutionary drift as a means to evade preexisting immunity. We evaluate here the evolution signature of glycosylations found in the globular head region of H1 HA in order to determine their impact in the virulence and transmission of H1N1 viruses. We identified a polymorphism at HA residue 147 associated with the acquisition of glycosylation at residues 144 and 172. By in vitro and in vivo analyses using mutant viruses, we also found that the polymorphism at HA residue 147 compensated for the loss of replication, virulence, and transmissibility associated with the presence of the N-linked glycans. Our findings suggest that the polymorphism in H1 HA at position 147 modulates viral fitness by buffering the constraints caused by N-linked glycans and provide insights into the evolution dynamics of influenza viruses with implications in vaccine immunogenicity.     

Identification of Low- and High-Impact Hemagglutinin Amino Acid Substitutions That Drive Antigenic Drift of Influenza A(H1N1) Viruses

Determining phenotype from genetic data is a fundamental challenge. Identification of emerging antigenic variants among circulating influenza viruses is critical to the vaccine virus selection process, with vaccine effectiveness maximized when constituents are antigenically similar to circulating viruses. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay data are commonly used to assess influenza antigenicity. Here, sequence and 3-D structural information of hemagglutinin (HA) glycoproteins were analyzed together with corresponding HI assay data for former seasonal influenza A(H1N1) virus isolates (1997–2009) and reference viruses. The models developed identify and quantify the impact of eighteen amino acid substitutions on the antigenicity of HA, two of which were responsible for major transitions in antigenic phenotype. We used reverse genetics to demonstrate the causal effect on antigenicity for a subset of these substitutions. Information on the impact of substitutions allowed us to predict antigenic phenotypes of emerging viruses directly from HA gene sequence data and accuracy was doubled by including all substitutions causing antigenic changes over a model incorporating only the substitutions with the largest impact. The ability to quantify the phenotypic impact of specific amino acid substitutions should help refine emerging techniques that predict the evolution of virus populations from one year to the next, leading to stronger theoretical foundations for selection of candidate vaccine viruses. These techniques have great potential to be extended to other antigenically variable pathogens.     

在疫苗免疫选择压力下H9N2亚型禽流行性感冒病毒HA基因的遗传变异

为了解H9N2亚型禽流行性感冒(流感)病毒在同亚型灭活疫苗的选择压力下的遗传变异情况,对某鸡场的感染鸡群进行连续4年的跟踪监测,对使用疫苗前和持续使用疫苗后不同时段分离到的H9N2亚型禽流感病毒的HA基因进行全序列分析.结果表明,在使用第一次分离的病毒株制备的疫苗后8个月分离到的病毒株,其HA基因仅发生一个氨基酸的差异;但在继续使用该疫苗的第二个和第三个年头分离的病毒株,它们的HA基因则一直在发生较大的变化.这一发现对进一步研究禽流感病毒在不断使用疫苗的选择压力下发生变异的规律,指导制定正确的禽流感防制对策具有重要意义.     

The S190R mutation in the hemagglutinin protein of pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza virus increased its pathogenicity in mice

Human influenza viruses preferentially bind to sialic acid-α2,6-galactose (SAα2,6Gal) receptors, which are predominant in human upper respiratory epithelia, whereas avian influenza viruses preferentially bind to SAα2,3Gal receptors. However, variants with amino acid substitutions around the receptor-binding sites of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein can be selected after several passages of human influenza viruses from patients’ respiratory samples in the allantoic cavities of embryonated chicken eggs. In this study, we detected an egg-adapted HA S190R mutation in the pandemic H1N1 virus 2009 (pdmH1N1), and evaluated the effects of this mutation on receptor binding affinity and pathogenicity in mice. Our results revealed that residue 190 is located within the pocket structure of the receptor binding site. The single mutation to arginine at position 190 slightly increased the binding affinity of the virus to the avian receptor and decreased its binding to the long human α2,6-linked sialic acid receptor. Our study demonstrated that the S190R mutation resulted in earlier death and higher weight loss in mice compared with the wild-type virus. Higher viral titers at 1 dpi (days post infection) and diffuse damage at 4 dpi were observed in the lung tissues of mice infected with the mutant virus.     

一株H3N2亚型猪流感病毒广东分离株的基因组序列分析

从广东省疑似流感发病猪分离到1株H3N2亚型猪流感病毒(A/Swine/Guangdong/01/2005(H3N2)),对其各个基因进行克隆与测序,并与GenBank中收录的其它猪流感、禽流感和人流感的相关基因进行比较,结果表明,HA全基因与广东2003~2004年分离的H3N2猪流感毒株的核苷酸序列同源性在99%以上,与纽约90年代末分离的H3N2人流感毒株同源性在98.5%以上;NA基因与纽约1998~2000年分离的H3N2人流感毒株的核苷酸序列同源性在99%以上;NS基因、M基因的核苷酸序列与H1N1亚型猪流感毒株A/swine/HongKong/273/1994(H1N1)的核苷酸序列同源性较高,分别为97.9%、98.4%,与美洲A/swine/Iowa/17672/1988(H1N1)的核苷酸序列同源性分别为96.7%、97.1%;其他基因的核苷酸序列与H3N2人流感毒株具有很高的同源性。因此,推测其M和NS基因来源于H1N1亚型猪流感病毒,HA、NA及其他基因均来源于H3N2亚型人流感病毒。表明此H3N2亚型猪流感病毒为H3N2亚型人流感病毒和H1N1亚型猪流感病毒经基因重排而得到的重组病毒。     

N-Linked Glycosylation of the Hemagglutinin Protein Influences Virulence and Antigenicity of the 1918 Pandemic and Seasonal H1N1 Influenza A Viruses

The hemagglutinin (HA) protein is a major virulence determinant for the 1918 pandemic influenza virus; however, it encodes no known virulence-associated determinants. In comparison to seasonal influenza viruses of lesser virulence, the 1918 H1N1 virus has fewer glycosylation sequons on the HA globular head region. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we found that a 1918 HA recombinant virus, of high virulence, could be significantly attenuated in mice by adding two additional glycosylation sites (asparagine [Asn] 71 and Asn 286) on the side of the HA head. The 1918 HA recombinant virus was further attenuated by introducing two additional glycosylation sites on the top of the HA head at Asn 142 and Asn 172. In a reciprocal experimental approach, deletion of HA glycosylation sites (Asn 142 and Asn 177, but not Asn 71 and Asn 104) from a seasonal influenza H1N1 virus, A/Solomon Islands/2006 (SI/06), led to increased virulence in mice. The addition of glycosylation sites to 1918 HA and removal of glycosylation sites from SI/06 HA imposed constraints on the theoretical structure surrounding the glycan receptor binding sites, which in turn led to distinct glycan receptor binding properties. The modification of glycosylation sites for the 1918 and SI/06 viruses also caused changes in viral antigenicity based on cross-reactive hemagglutinin inhibition antibody titers with antisera from mice infected with wild-type or glycan mutant viruses. These results demonstrate that glycosylation patterns of the 1918 and seasonal H1N1 viruses directly contribute to differences in virulence and are partially responsible for their distinct antigenicity.     

A Novel Activation Mechanism of Avian Influenza Virus H9N2 by Furin

Avian influenza virus H9N2 is prevalent in waterfowl and has become endemic in poultry in Asia and the Middle East. H9N2 influenza viruses have served as a reservoir of internal genes for other avian influenza viruses that infect humans, and several cases of human infection by H9N2 influenza viruses have indicated its pandemic potential. Fortunately, an extensive surveillance program enables close monitoring of H9N2 influenza viruses worldwide and has generated a large repository of virus sequences and phylogenetic information. Despite the large quantity of sequences in different databases, very little is known about specific virus isolates and their pathogenesis. Here, we characterize a low-pathogenicity avian influenza virus, A/chicken/Israel/810/2001 (H9N2) (Israel810), which is representative of influenza virus strains that have caused severe morbidity and mortality in poultry farms. We show that under certain circumstances the Israel810 hemagglutinin (HA) can be activated by furin, a hallmark of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. We demonstrate that Israel810 HA can be cleaved in cells with high levels of furin expression and that a mutation that eliminates a glycosylation site in HA₁ allows the Israel810 HA to gain universal cleavage in cell culture. Pseudoparticles generated from Israel810 HA, or the glycosylation mutant, transduce cells efficiently. In contrast, introduction of a polybasic cleavage site into Israel810 HA leads to pseudoviruses that are compromised for transduction. Our data indicate a mechanism for an H9N2 evolutionary pathway that may allow it to gain virulence in a distinct manner from H5 and H7 influenza viruses.     

Impact of host cell line adaptation on quasispecies composition and glycosylation of influenza A virus hemagglutinin

The genome of influenza A viruses is constantly changing (genetic drift) resulting in small, gradual changes in viral proteins. Alterations within antibody recognition sites of the viral membrane glycoproteins hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) result in an antigenetic drift, which requires the seasonal update of human influenza virus vaccines. Generally, virus adaptation is necessary to obtain sufficiently high virus yields in cell culture-derived vaccine manufacturing. In this study detailed HA N-glycosylation pattern analysis was combined with in-depth pyrosequencing analysis of the virus genomic RNA. Forward and backward adaptation from Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells to African green monkey kidney (Vero) cells was investigated for two closely related influenza A virus PR/8/34 (H1N1) strains: from the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) or the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). Furthermore, stability of HA N-glycosylation patterns over ten consecutive passages and different harvest time points is demonstrated. Adaptation to Vero cells finally allowed efficient influenza A virus replication in Vero cells. In contrast, during back-adaptation the virus replicated well from the very beginning. HA N-glycosylation patterns were cell line dependent and stabilized fast within one (NIBSC-derived virus) or two (RKI-derived virus) successive passages during adaptation processes. However, during adaptation new virus variants were detected. These variants carried "rescue" mutations on the genomic level within the HA stem region, which result in amino acid substitutions. These substitutions finally allowed sufficient virus replication in the new host system. According to adaptation pressure the composition of the virus populations varied. In Vero cells a selection for "rescue" variants was characteristic. After back-adaptation to MDCK cells some variants persisted at indifferent frequencies, others slowly diminished and even dropped below the detection limit.     

Antigenic drift in influenza virus H3 hemagglutinin from 1968 to 1980: multiple evolutionary pathways and sequential amino acid changes at key antigenic sites

Surveys of the antigenic properties of a wide range of variants of the H3N2 (Hong Kong) influenza virus subtype have revealed complex patterns of variants cocirculating during each of the main epidemic eras of the subtype. We determined hemagglutinin (HA) gene sequences for 14 isolates chosen to give the wildest possible spread of variant types. The addition of these data to existing HA gene sequence information for other variants provides a comprehensive picture of HA gene evolution during antigenic drift among H3N2 subtype viruses. The data reveal the existence of multiple evolutionary pathways during at least one period of development of the subtype and strikingly demonstrate that amino acid changes are limited to a small number of locations on the HA molecule during antigenic drift. The occurrence of sequential amino acid changes at key positions within these variable regions suggests that the HA structure has remained constant during subtype evolution so that only limited possibilities remain for further antigenic drift among H3N2 viruses.