A Single Point Mutation in Nonstructural Protein NS2 of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus Results in Temperature-Sensitive Attenuation of Viral Cytopathogenicity

For Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), the type species of the genus Pestivirus in the family Flaviviridae, cytopathogenic (cp) and noncytopathogenic (ncp) viruses are distinguished according to their effect on cultured cells. It has been established that cytopathogenicity of BVDV correlates with efficient production of viral nonstructural protein NS3 and with enhanced viral RNA synthesis. Here, we describe generation and characterization of a temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant of cp BVDV strain CP7, termed TS2.7. Infection of bovine cells with TS2.7 and the parent CP7 at 33°C resulted in efficient viral replication and a cytopathic effect. In contrast, the ability of TS2.7 to cause cytopathogenicity at 39.5°C was drastically reduced despite production of high titers of infectious virus. Further experiments, including nucleotide sequencing of the TS2.7 genome and reverse genetics, showed that a Y1338H substitution at residue 193 of NS2 resulted in the temperature-dependent attenuation of cytopathogenicity despite high levels of infectious virus production. Interestingly, TS2.7 and the reconstructed mutant CP7-Y1338H produced NS3 in addition to NS2-3 throughout infection. Compared to the parent CP7, NS2-3 processing was slightly decreased at both temperatures. Quantification of viral RNAs that were accumulated at 10 h postinfection demonstrated that attenuation of the cytopathogenicity of the ts mutants at 39.5°C correlated with reduced amounts of viral RNA, while the efficiency of viral RNA synthesis at 33°C was not affected. Taken together, the results of this study show that a mutation in BVDV NS2 attenuates viral RNA replication and suppresses viral cytopathogenicity at high temperature without altering NS3 expression and infectious virus production in a temperature-dependent manner.The pestiviruses Bovine viral diarrhea virus-1 (BVDV-1), BVDV-2, Classical swine fever virus (CSFV), and Border disease virus (BDV) are causative agents of economically important livestock diseases. Together with the genera Flavivirus, including several important human pathogens like Dengue fever virus, West Nile virus, Yellow fever virus, and Tick-borne encephalitis virus, and Hepacivirus (human Hepatitis C virus [HCV]), the genus Pestivirus constitutes the family Flaviviridae (8, 20). All members of this family are enveloped viruses with a single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome encompassing one large open reading frame (ORF) flanked by 5′ and 3′ nontranslated regions (NTR) (see references 8 and 28 for reviews). The ORF encodes a polyprotein which is co- and posttranslationally processed into the mature viral proteins by viral and cellular proteases. For BVDV, the RNA genome is about 12.3 kb in length and encodes a polyprotein of about 3,900 amino acids. The first third of the ORF encodes a nonstructural (NS) autoprotease and four structural proteins, while the remaining part of the genome encodes NS proteins which share many common characteristics and functions with the corresponding NS proteins encoded by the HCV genome (8, 28). NS2 of BVDV represents a cysteine autoprotease which is distantly related to the HCV NS2-3 protease (26). NS3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5A, and NS5B are essential components of the pestivirus replicase (7, 10, 49). NS3 possesses multiple enzymatic activities, namely serine protease (48, 52, 53), NTPase (46), and helicase activity (51). NS4A acts as an essential cofactor for the NS3 proteinase. NS5B represents the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) (22, 56). The functions of NS4B and NS5A remain to be determined. NS5A has been shown to be a phosphorylated protein that is associated with cellular serine/threonine kinases (44).According to their effects in tissue culture, two biotypes of pestiviruses are distinguished: cytopathogenic (cp) and noncytopathogenic (ncp) viruses (17, 27). The occurrence of cp BVDV in cattle persistently infected with ncp BVDV is directly linked to the induction of lethal mucosal disease in cattle (12, 13). Previous studies have shown that cp BVDV strains evolved from ncp BVDV strains by different kinds of mutations. These include RNA recombination with various cellular mRNAs, resulting in insertions of cellular protein-coding sequences into the viral genome, as well as insertions, duplications, and deletions of viral sequences, and point mutations (1, 2, 9, 24, 33, 36, 37, 42). A common consequence of all these genetic changes in cp BVDV genomes is the efficient production of NS3 at early and late phases of infection. In contrast, NS3 cannot be detected in cells at late time points after infection with ncp BVDV. An additional major difference is that the cp viruses produce amounts of viral RNA significantly larger than those of their ncp counterparts (7, 32, 50). While there is clear evidence that cell death induced by cp BVDV is mediated by apoptosis, the molecular mechanisms involved in pestiviral cytopathogenicity are poorly understood. In particular, the role of NS3 in triggering apoptosis remains unclear. It has been hypothesized that the NS3 serine proteinase might be involved in activation of the apoptotic proteolytic cascade (21, 55). Furthermore, it has been suggested that the NS3-mediated, enhanced viral RNA synthesis of cp BVDV and subsequently larger amounts of viral double-stranded RNAs may play a crucial role in triggering apoptosis (31, 54).In this study, we describe generation and characterization of a temperature-sensitive (ts) cp BVDV mutant whose ability to cause viral cytopathogenicity at high temperature is strongly attenuated. Our results demonstrate that a single amino acid substitution in NS2 attenuates BVDV cytopathogenicity at high temperature without affecting production of infectious viruses and expression of NS3 in a temperature-dependent manner.     

Infectious Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (Strain NADL) RNA from Stable cDNA Clones: a Cellular Insert Determines NS3 Production and Viral Cytopathogenicity

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), strain NADL, was originally isolated from an animal with fatal mucosal disease. This isolate is cytopathic in cell culture and produces two forms of NS3-containing proteins: uncleaved NS2-3 and mature NS3. For BVDV NADL, the production of NS3, a characteristic of cytopathic BVDV strains, is believed to be a consequence of an in-frame insertion of a 270-nucleotide cellular mRNA sequence (called cIns) in the NS2 coding region. In this study, we constructed a stable full-length cDNA copy of BVDV NADL in a low-copy-number plasmid vector. As assayed by transfection of MDBK cells, uncapped RNAs transcribed from this template were highly infectious (>10⁵ PFU/μg). The recovered virus was similar in plaque morphology, growth properties, polyprotein processing, and cytopathogenicity to the BVDV NADL parent. Deletion of cIns abolished processing at the NS2/NS3 site and produced a virus that was no longer cytopathic for MDBK cells. This deletion did not affect the efficiency of infectious virus production or viral protein production, but it reduced the level of virus-specific RNA synthesis and accumulation. Thus, cIns not only modulates NS3 production but also upregulates RNA replication relative to an isogenic noncytopathic derivative lacking the insert. These results raise the possibility of a linkage between enhanced BVDV NADL RNA replication and virus-induced cytopathogenicity.     

Inhibition of Sphingosine Kinase by Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus NS3 Is Crucial for Efficient Viral Replication and Cytopathogenesis

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive sphingolipid implicated in diverse cellular functions including survival, proliferation, tumorigenesis, inflammation, and immunity. Sphingosine kinase (SphK) contributes to these functions by converting sphingosine to S1P. We report here that the nonstructural protein NS3 from bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), a close relative of hepatitis C virus (HCV), binds to and inhibits the catalytic activity of SphK1 independently of its serine protease activity, whereas HCV NS3 does not affect SphK1 activity. Uncleaved NS2-3 from BVDV was also found to interact with and inhibit SphK1. We suspect that inhibition of SphK1 activity by BVDV NS3 and NS2-3 may benefit viral replication, because SphK1 inhibition by small interfering RNA, chemical inhibitor, or overexpression of catalytically inactive SphK1 results in enhanced viral replication, although the mechanisms by which SphK1 inhibition leads to enhanced viral replication remain unknown. A role of SphK1 inhibition in viral cytopathogenesis is also suggested as overexpression of SphK1 significantly attenuates the induction of apoptosis in cells infected with cytopathogenic BVDV. These findings suggest that SphK is targeted by this virus to regulate its catalytic activity.Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV)² is an enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus classified in the genus Pestivirus of the family Flaviviridae. BVDV establishes persistent infections in cattle populations worldwide. Because BVDV shares virological and molecular properties with the Flaviviridae family member hepatitis C virus (HCV), which chronically infects an estimated 200 million patients worldwide (1), BVDV is regarded as a surrogate model for HCV (2). Both HCV and BVDV encode a single large precursor polyprotein that is processed by cellular and viral proteases into mature structural and nonstructural (NS) proteins.BVDV NS3 exhibits serine protease and helicase/ATPase activities that require its cofactor NS4A (3). NS3/4A protease is essential for generating mature NS proteins that are required for viral replication. HCV NS3/4A is well characterized and has been shown to suppress type-I interferons by cleaving the cellular interferon mediators IPS-1 and TRIF (4, 5). However, neither interferon suppression nor cellular targets have been identified for the BVDV NS3/4A protease (6).Lytic and persistent BVDV infections depend on the virus biotype. Cytopathogenic (CP) BVDV causes cytopathic effects via apoptosis, whereas noncytopathogenic (NCP) BVDV does not induce obvious changes in cell morphology and viability. These features are distinguished by NS2-3 processing differences; free NS3 produced by NS2-3 cleavage is generated continuously following CP BVDV infections, whereas NS3 is detected only until ∼9 h postinfection (p.i.) for NCP BVDV due to down-regulation of NS2-3 cleavage by this biotype (7). The CP biotype is characterized by dramatic up-regulation of viral RNA synthesis that could be correlated with the induction of cytopathic effect (7–9). Because free NS3, but not NS2-3, can form an active viral replicase complex with other NS proteins, increased viral RNA synthesis promoted through the release of free NS3 has been suggested to be a determinant of the characteristic lytic phenotype of CP BVDV infections (10). However, little is known about the regulation of cellular signaling by BVDV NS2-3, NS3, and NS3/4A, which is crucial for the control of both viral replication and biotype.Recent studies on the mechanisms of viral replication revealed that HCV RNA synthesis occurs on a lipid raft membrane structure where the active viral replicase complex is found (11, 12). The significance of the lipid raft as a scaffold for viral replication is further demonstrated by the identification of a novel HCV replication inhibitor, NA255, which prevents the biosynthesis of sphingolipids, the major components of lipid rafts (13). Administration of NA255 results in disruption of the HCV replicase complexes from the lipid rafts. This report proposes that the interaction between HCV NS5B and sphingomyelin on lipid rafts plays a crucial role for HCV RNA replication. Cellular sphingolipid metabolism is regulated by a large number of converting enzymes that maintain a homeostasis (14) but viral mechanisms that affect the sphingolipid metabolism to facilitate viral replication have yet to be identified.In a search for potential host proteins that interact with BVDV NS3, we identified sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) as a binding partner of NS3 using the yeast two-hybrid system. SphK1 is a lipid kinase that catalyzes the phosphorylation of sphingosine to form sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive sphingolipid implicated in diverse cellular functions, including proliferation, survival, tumorigenesis, development, inflammation, and immunity (14, 15). Here, we analyze the biological significance of the SphK1 interaction with NS3, NS2-3, and NS3/4A. Using purified recombinant SphK1 and NS3, SphK activity was inhibited by NS3 in a dose-dependent manner, independently of its serine protease activity. The inhibition appears to be specific for BVDV NS3 because HCV NS3 had no effect on SphK activity. Using specific chemical inhibitors, small interfering RNA (siRNA), and a catalytically inactive mutant of SphK1, we investigated the significance of SphK inhibition in the viral replication. The present study is the first report demonstrating that SphK1 is targeted by a virus to inhibit its catalytic activity, and this mechanism may contribute to the efficient replication and pathogenesis of BVDV.     

牛病毒性腹泻病毒基因组cDNA文库的构建

以牛病毒性腹泻病毒（ＢＶＤＶ）┥ｎＬ株的基因组ＲＮＡ为模板,经逆向转录酶作用,合成第一链ｃＤＮＡ,再以ＲＮａｄｓｅ／Ｈ与ＤＮＡ聚合酶Ｉ联合作用合成ｄｓｃＤＮＡ,并以ｄＣ同聚物尾化。ｐＵＣ８ＤＮＡ在Ｐｓｔ Ｉ酶解后,以ｄＧ同聚物尾化,两者退火构成重组质粒,转化到Ｅ．ｃｏｌｉ ＪＭ１０１受体菌中,另以γ－＾３２Ｐ－ＡＴＰ标记ＢＶＤＶ ＲＮＡ制备探针,通过菌落原位杂交筛选重组子。酶切分配表明重组质粒插入     

Assignment of the Multifunctional NS3 Protein of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus during RNA Replication: an In Vivo and In Vitro Study

Studies on the replication of the pestivirus bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) were considerably facilitated by the recent discovery of an autonomous subgenomic BVDV RNA replicon (DI9c). DI9c comprises mainly the untranslated regions of the viral genome and the coding region of the nonstructural proteins NS3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5A, and NS5B. To assess the significance of the NS3-associated nucleoside triphosphatase/helicase activity during RNA replication and to explore other functional features of NS3, we generated a repertoire of DI9c derivatives bearing in-frame mutations in different parts of the NS3 coding unit. Most alterations resulted in deficient replicons, several of which encoded an NS3 protein with an inhibited protease function. Three lesions permitted replication, though at a lower level than that of the wild-type RNA, i.e., replacement of the third position of the DEYH helicase motif II by either T or F and an insertion of four amino acid residues in the C-terminal part of NS3. While polyprotein proteolysis was found to be almost unaffected in these latter replicons, in vitro studies with the purified mutant NS3 proteins revealed a significantly impaired helicase activity for the motif II substitutions. NS3 with a DEFH motif, moreover, showed a significantly lower ATPase activity. In contrast, the C-terminal insertion had no negative impact on the ATPase/RNA helicase activity of NS3. All three mutations affected the synthesis of both replication products-negative-strand intermediate and progeny positive-strand RNA-in a symmetric manner. Unexpectedly, various attempts to rescue or enhance the replication capability of nonfunctional or less functional DI9c NS3 derivatives, respectively, by providing intact NS3 in trans failed. Our experimental data thus demonstrate that the diverse enzymatic activities of the NS3 protein-in particular the ATPase/RNA helicase-play a pivotal role even during early steps of the viral replication pathway. They may further indicate the C-terminal part of NS3 to be an important functional determinant of the RNA replication process.     

牛病毒性腹泻病毒RT-LAMP检测方法的建立

目的:建立牛病毒性腹泻病毒(BVDv)的环介导体外等温扩增(LAMP)快速检测方法。方法:根据BVDv的5'端非编码区序列,在保守区的8个位点设计LAMP特异性引物(2对特异性引物和1对环引物),对反应条件和试剂浓度进行优化,建立恒温(63.5℃)、快速(65min)的检测方法。结果:建立的方法特异性好,检测其他对照病毒均为阴性;灵敏度高,最低可检测到1个拷贝的阳性质粒,可通过观察浑浊度或加入染料后直接判定扩增结果。结论:建立了用于检测BVDv的LAMP方法,该方法简便、快速、特异性好、灵敏度高,适合基层和现场检测。     

中国牛病毒性腹泻病毒JZ05-1分离株全基因测序及分析

牛病毒性腹泻病毒为瘟病毒属成员,呈世界性分布并在乳/肉牛业中造成严重经济损失。本研究利用MD-BK细胞增殖一株分离于我国吉林地区的牛源牛病毒性腹泻病毒JZ05-1毒株,观察发现其具有典型的致细胞病变效应。使用逆转录-聚合酶链式反应(RT-PCR)方法分别扩增覆盖基因组全长的八个片段并测序,拼接获得该病毒的全基因组序列长12285核苷酸(nt),GenBank登录号:GQ888686。该病毒基因组具有编码多聚蛋白的一个11694nt可读框,5'非翻译区(UTR)长387nt,3'非翻译区长204nt。分别分析BVDVJZ05-1的5'-UTR序列和全基因组序列,发现该病毒属于BVDV-2a亚型。BVDV-2型多数毒株之间的相似性约为96%,与JZ05-1全基因组序列相似性最高的加拿大p11Q毒株和中国XJ-04毒株的相似性为90%和91%。因此,JZ05-1全基因组序列与BVDV-2型其他毒株的全基因组序列具有较大差异。     

中国猪瘟兔化弱毒兔脾毒NS2-3基因的序列分析

根据已发表的猪瘟病毒序列,设计并合成了覆盖有ＮＳ２－３全基因的４上物,应用ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ技术从接种了猪瘟兔化弱毒（ｈｏｇ ｃｈｏｌｅｒａ ｖｉｒｕｓ ｌａｐｉｎｉｚｅｄ Ｃｈｉｎｅｓｅ ｓｔｒａｉｎ,ＨＣＬＶ）的兔脾组织中,成功地扩增了ＮＳ２－３基因,将其克隆到Ｔ载体后,测定了其核苷酸序列。结果显示,所克隆的ＮＳ２－３基因长２９６４个核苷酸,编码９８８年氨基酸。用ＤＮＡＳＩＳ和ＰＲＯＳＩＳ软件分析表     

牛病毒性腹泻病毒E2蛋白单克隆抗体的制备及初步鉴定

为制备牛病毒性腹泻病毒(BVDV)糖蛋白E2单克隆抗体(MAb),利用原核表达并且纯化的重组糖蛋白E2(rE2)免疫BALB/c小鼠,取免疫后小鼠脾细胞与骨髓瘤细胞SP2/0融合.采用以BVDV为检测抗原的间接ELISA筛选阳性细胞克隆,经3次克隆纯化后获得2株稳定分泌抗E2特异性MAb的杂交瘤细胞株,分别命名为4E3与1G11.用4E3与1G11杂交瘤细胞株接种BALB/c小鼠制备腹水,采用rE2及BVDV包被的ELISA测得的效价分别是6.21×106和6.83×105及6.83×105和7.5×104.间接ELISA、Western blot、IFA试验表明两株杂交瘤细胞所分泌的MAb具有良好的反应性和特异性.经抗体亚类鉴定4E3与1G11均为IgM/K.特异性试验表明4E3与1G11这2株MAb均不与牛传染性鼻气管炎病毒、牛副流感病毒3型、牛腺病毒3型反应;其中4E3不与猪瘟病毒反应,而1G11则可与猪瘟病毒发生交叉反应,这种反应特性可试用于BVDV与猪瘟病毒的鉴别诊断.所制备的4E3与1G11 MAb可以用于BVDV抗原的检测,为建立检测BVDV E2蛋白血清抗体的ELISA奠定了基础.     

Crystal Structure of a Novel Conformational State of the Flavivirus NS3 Protein: Implications for Polyprotein Processing and Viral Replication

The flavivirus genome comprises a single strand of positive-sense RNA, which is translated into a polyprotein and cleaved by a combination of viral and host proteases to yield functional proteins. One of these, nonstructural protein 3 (NS3), is an enzyme with both serine protease and NTPase/helicase activities. NS3 plays a central role in the flavivirus life cycle: the NS3 N-terminal serine protease together with its essential cofactor NS2B is involved in the processing of the polyprotein, whereas the NS3 C-terminal NTPase/helicase is responsible for ATP-dependent RNA strand separation during replication. An unresolved question remains regarding why NS3 appears to encode two apparently disconnected functionalities within one protein. Here we report the 2.75-Å-resolution crystal structure of full-length Murray Valley encephalitis virus NS3 fused with the protease activation peptide of NS2B. The biochemical characterization of this construct suggests that the protease has little influence on the helicase activity and vice versa. This finding is in agreement with the structural data, revealing a single protein with two essentially segregated globular domains. Comparison of the structure with that of dengue virus type 4 NS2B-NS3 reveals a relative orientation of the two domains that is radically different between the two structures. Our analysis suggests that the relative domain-domain orientation in NS3 is highly variable and dictated by a flexible interdomain linker. The possible implications of this conformational flexibility for the function of NS3 are discussed.Flaviviruses such as dengue virus (DENV), yellow fever virus (YFV), West Nile virus (WNV), and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) belong to the family Flaviviridae and are the causative agents of a range of serious human diseases including hemorrhagic fever, meningitis, and encephalitis (37). They remain a global health priority, as many viruses are endemic in large parts of the Americas, Africa, Australia, and Asia, and vaccines remain unavailable for most members (31, 46, 57).Flaviviruses have a positive-sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) genome (approximately 11 kb) that encodes one large open reading frame containing a 5′ type 1 cap and conserved RNA structures at both the 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions that are important for viral genome translation and replication. The genomic RNA is translated into a single polyprotein precursor (11) consisting of three structural (C [capsid], prM [membrane], and E [envelope]) and seven nonstructural (NS1, NS2a, NS2b, NS3, NS4a, NS4b, and NS5) proteins arranged in the order C-prM-E-NS1-NS2a-NS2b-NS3-NS4a-NS4b-NS5 (reviewed in reference 33) (Fig. ​(Fig.1).1). Only the structural proteins become part of the mature, infectious virion, whereas the nonstructural proteins are involved in polyprotein processing, viral RNA synthesis, and virus morphogenesis (33, 43). The precursor protein is directed by signal sequences into the host endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where NS1 and the exogenous domains of prM and E face the lumen, while C, NS3, and NS5 are cytoplasmic. NS2A, NS2B, NS4A, and NS4B are largely hydrophobic transmembrane proteins with small hydrophilic segments (Fig. ​(Fig.1).1). The post- and cotranslational cleavage of the polyprotein is performed by NS3 in the cytoplasm and by host proteases in the ER lumen to yield the mature proteins (Fig. ​(Fig.1)1) (33, 43). Of the nonstructural proteins, NS3 and NS5 are the best characterized, and both are essential for viral replication (23, 27, 41). Both proteins are multifunctional. The N-terminal one-third of NS3 contains the viral protease (NS3pro), which requires a portion of NS2B for its activity, while the remaining portion codes for the RNA helicase/NTPase/RTPase domain (NS3hel) (21, 22, 32, 55). NS5, however, contains both an N-terminal methyltransferase and a C-terminal RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (16, 51). The functions of NS1, NS2A, NS4A, and NS4B are not well understood, but they appear to play important roles in replication and virus assembly/maturation and have been found to bind to NS3 and NS5, possibly modulating their activity (33, 36).Open in a separate windowFIG. 1.Schematic diagram of flavivirus polyprotein organization and processing. (Top) Linear organization of the structural and nonstructural proteins within the polyprotein. (Middle) Putative membrane topology of the polyprotein predicted from biochemical and cellular analyses, which is then processed by cellular and viral proteases (indicated by arrows). (Bottom) Different complexes that are thought to arise in different cellular compartments during and following polyprotein processing.Because of its enzymatic activities and its critical role in viral replication and polyprotein processing, NS3 constitutes a promising drug target for antiviral therapy (31). NS3pro (residues 1 to 169) is a trypsin-like serine protease with the characteristic catalytic triad (Asp-His-Ser) and a highly specific substrate recognition sequence, conserved in all flaviviruses, consisting of two basic residues in P2 and P1 followed by a small unbranched amino acid in P1′ (11). NS3pro has an aberrant fold compared to the canonical trypsin structure, and its folding and protease activity are dependent on a noncovalent association with a central 47-amino-acid hydrophilic domain of NS2B (19, 21). The remainder of NS2B contains three transmembrane helices involved in membrane associations. NS3 mediates cleavages at the C-terminal side of the highly conserved dibasic residue located at the coding junctions NS2A/NS2B, NS2B/NS3, NS3/NS4A, and NS4B/NS5 and also between the C terminus of C and NS4A (11, 33) (Fig. ​(Fig.11).The C-terminal portion of NS3 (NS3hel, residues 170 to 619) performs several catalytically related activities, namely, RNA strand separation and (poly)nucleotide hydrolysis (5, 22, 32, 55) at a common, RecA-like NTPase catalytic center that couples the energy released from the hydrolysis of the triphosphate moieties of nucleotides to RNA unwinding. Although the precise role of NS3 in replication has not been established, its helicase activity is thought to separate nascent RNA strands from the template strands and to assist replication initiation by unwinding RNA secondary structure in the 3′ untranslated region (11, 13, 15, 33). NS3 is a member of the DEAH/D box family within helicase superfamily 2 (SF2) and is characterized by seven conserved sequence motifs involved in nucleic acid binding and hydrolysis (45). In addition, its RNA triphosphatase activity is thought to be involved in the capping of the viral RNA. In the process of replication, NS3 interacts, most likely via its C-terminal domain, with NS5 (13, 15, 24, 26, 58, 62). The NS3 5′ triphosphatase and NS5 methyltransferase activities probably cooperate in cap formation by removing the terminal γ-phosphate and performing sequential N7 and 2′ O methylations, respectively (16, 28, 46, 56). The guanylyltransferase activity required for cap formation remains elusive at present, although recent evidence suggests that it may be present in NS5 (8, 17). In addition, the interaction between NS3 and NS5 can stimulate NS3 helicase/NTPase activity (15, 62).The atomic structures of NS3pro in the presence and absence of ligands and/or the NS2B activating domain (2, 19, 47) and NS3hel (35, 38, 39, 49, 58-60) are known, and recently, the structure of full-length DENV4 (one of four dengue virus serotypes) NS3 fused to an 18-residue NS2B cofactor (NS2B₁₈NS3) was reported (34). This structure revealed an elongated conformation, with the protease domain interfacing with the NTP binding pocket and being separated from NS3hel by a relatively flexible linker, which suggested that the protease domain may have a positive effect on the activity of the NTPase/helicase domain. However, other reports suggested that NS3pro has no or a very limited effect on the activity of NS3hel (32, 62). In addition, since current evidence suggests that NS2B is not part of the replication complex (Fig. ​(Fig.1)1) (36), and it is known that in the absence of the NS2B cofactor, NS3pro is unfolded and inactive, it becomes hard to envisage what effect the NS3 protease domain may have on the helicase domain in a biologically relevant context. Equally, it is still not clear what role the helicase domain plays during polyprotein processing by NS3pro and, in general, why these two apparently distinct and unrelated catalytic activities are harbored within a single polypeptide.In order to gain further insights into these questions, we report the biochemical analysis and crystallographic structure at a 2.75-Å resolution of full-length NS3 from Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV), a member of the JEV group of flaviviruses, fused to the entire protease activation peptide of the NS2B cofactor (NS2B₄₅NS3). The structure reveals the protease and helicase domains to be structurally independent and differs dramatically from the structure observed for DENV4 NS2B₁₈NS3. We discuss the implications of this unexpectedly different configuration of the NS3 protein and argue that the structural flexibility observed is likely to be crucial for its multifunctional nature.     

Microarray Chip Based Identification of a Mixed Infection of Bovine Herpesvirus 1 and Bovine Viral Diarrhea 2 From Indian Cattle

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV1) and bovine viral diarrhea virus 2 (BVD2) are endemic in India although no mixed infection with these viruses has been reported from India. We report first mixed infection of these viruses in cattle during routine screening with a microarray chip. 62 of the 69 probes of BHV1 and 42 of the 57 BVD2 probes in the chip gave positive signals for the virus. The virus infections were subsequently confirmed by RT-PCR. We also discuss the implications of these findings.     

牛病毒性腹泻病毒E^rns-E2融合蛋白在果蝇S2细胞中的表达与鉴定

目的：利用果蝇S2细胞表达牛病毒性腹泻病毒（BVDV）Erns-E2融合蛋白,并对其抗体结合能力进行鉴定。方法：用RT-PCR方法扩增BVDV NADL株Erns和E2蛋白的编码基因,利用（G4-S）3柔性15肽基因将扩增的2个基因连接,再与昆虫表达载体pMT/BiP/V5-His连接构建重组表达载体pMT/BiP/V5-His-Erns-E2,将后者与筛选质粒pCoBlast共转染果蝇S2细胞后表达Erns-E2融合蛋白,并对表达产物进行鉴定。结果：SDS-PAGE结果表明,融合蛋白相对分子质量为76800;Western blotting检测表明,该融合蛋白具有与BVDV抗体良好的结合能力。结论：BVDV的Erns-E2融合蛋白能在果蝇S2细胞中进行表达;经鉴定,表达产物具有良好的抗体结合能力,可用于抗原检测。     

牛病毒性腹泻病毒Erns-E2融合蛋白在果蝇S2细胞中的表达与鉴定

目的:利用果蝇S2细胞表达牛病毒性腹泻病毒(BVDV)Erns-E2融合蛋白,并对其抗体结合能力进行鉴定.方法:用RT-PCR方法扩增BVDV NADL株Erns和E2蛋白的编码基因,利用(G4-S)3柔性15肽基因将扩增的2个基因连接,再与昆虫表达载体pMT/BiP/V5-His连接构建重组表达载体pMT/BiP/V5-His-E(MS)-E2,将后者与筛选质粒pCoBlast共转染果蝇S2细胞后表达Erns-E2融合蛋白.并对表达产物进行鉴定.结果:SDS-PAGE结果表明,融合蛋白相对分子质量为76 800;Westem blotting检测表明,该融合蛋白具有与BVDV抗体良好的结合能力.结论:BVDV的Erns-E2融合蛋白能在果蝇S2细胞中进行表达;经鉴定,表达产物具有良好的抗体结合能力,可用于抗原检测.     

猪瘟病毒石门株NS2-3基因片段的序列测定及比较

A couple of CSFV specific primer (PF 5648 and PR 6604) was designed with the aid of computer primer designation software and synthesized based upon the relative conserved regions of published sequences of C strain. NS2-3 gene (p125 gene) fragment of CSFV Shimen strain was amplified successfully by RT-PCR from the anticoagulant blood of infected pig. The product length is 957 bp, located in the central of NS3, a putative NTPase and helicase domain. The obtained PCR product was cloned and then sequenced. The sequence showed that this fragment contained all of seven typical conserved segments of helicase superfamily, including two common NTP-binding motifs, namely, “A” site (GXGKT/S) and “B” site (3hy, 2x) D. Sequence homology analysis revealed that Shimen strain had the highest homology with Japanese strains (ALD and GPE^-), and slightly lower homology with other three CSFV strains (C, BresciaandAlfort). Shimen strain had also significant homology with two BVDV strains (NADL and SD-1). The deduced amino acid sequence homology of Shimen strain with five CSFV and two BVDV strains was all upper than 90%. It is further confirmed that this fragment is the most conserved in pestivirus amino acid sequence. It is consistent with its essential function in replication and translation of virus genome and in processing of polyprotein precursor.     

猪瘟病毒石门株NS2—3基因片段的序列测定及比较

根据猪瘟病毒Ｃ株的序列,以计算机辅助设计,化学合成１对引物（ＰＦ５６４８／ＰＲ６６０４）,应用ＲＴＰＣＲ技术从感染猪血中成功地扩增了我国猪瘟病毒强毒石门株ＮＳ２３基因片段,大小为９５７ｂｐ,位于ＮＳ３基因的中部ＮＴＰａｓｅ和Ｈｅｌｉｃａｓｅ活性区。克隆后测序,结果表明该段基因产物具有解旋酶超家族全部七个特征性保守序列,包括共同的ＮＴＰ结合基序Ａ位点（ＧＸＧＫＴ／Ｓ）和Ｂ位点（３ｈｙ,２ｘ）Ｄ。序列同源性比较表明,石门株与日本的ＡＬＤ和ＧＰＥ－株同源性最高,与其它３株猪瘟病毒（Ｃ株、Ｂｒｅｓｃｉａ株和Ａｌｆｏｒｔ株）的同源性也很高,并与２株牛病毒性腹泻病毒（ＢＶＤＶ）（ＮＡＤＬ株和ＳＤ１株）也有较高的同源性,尤其是由核苷酸序列推导的氨基酸序列,同源性均大于９０％,是瘟病毒属基因组中最保守的区段,这与该基因产物在病毒复制及聚蛋白前体加工过程中所具有的重要功能是一致的     

Residues Arg283, Arg285, and Ile287 in the Nucleotide Binding Pocket of Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus NS5B RNA Polymerase Affect Catalysis and Fidelity

Residues Arg283, Arg285, and Ile287 are highly conserved amino acids in bovine viral diarrhea virus RNA polymerase (BVDV RdRp) and RdRps from related positive-strand RNA viruses. This motif is an important part of the binding pocket for the nascent RNA base pair during initiation and elongation. We found that replacement of the arginines with alanines or more conserved lysines or replacement of isoleucine with alanine or valine alters the ability of the mutant RdRps to incorporate ribonucleotides efficiently. The reduced RdRp activity stems from both decreased ribonucleotide binding and decreased catalytic efficiency in both primer-dependent and de novo initiation, as shown by kinetic studies. In line with other studies on flaviviral RdRps, our data suggest that Arg283 and Ile287 may be implicated in ribonucleotide binding and positioning of the template base in the active site. Arg285 appears to be involved directly in the selection of cognate nucleotide. The findings for Arg285 and Ile287 mutants also agree with similar data from picornavirus RdRps.