Characterization of recombinant rabies virus carrying double glycoprotein genes

A recombinant rabies virus carrying double glycoprotein (G) genes, R(NPMGGL) strain, was generated by a reverse genetics system utilizing cloned cDNA of the RC-HL strain, and the biological properties of the virus were compared to those of the recombinant RC-HL (rRC-HL) strain. The extents of virus growth in cultured cells and virulence for adult mice of the R(NPMGGL) strain were almost same as those of the rRC-HL strain, while G protein content of the purified R(NPMGGL) virion and G protein expression level in R(NPMGGL)-infected cells were 1.5-fold higher than those of the rRC-HL strain. As a result of serial passages of the R(NPMGGL) strain in cultured cells, the expression level of G protein in cultured cells infected with the passaged R(NPMGGL) strain was maintained and virus titers rose with adaptation to the cultured cells. Furthermore, analysis of neutralization titers in mice immunized with UVinactivated virus suggested that the R(NPMGGL) strain had higher immunogenicity than that of the rRC-HL strain. The results suggest that the R(NPMGGL) strain carrying double G genes might be a useful candidate for development of a new inactivated rabies vaccine.     

狂犬病病毒EveIyn-Rokitnicki-Abelseth疫苗株反向遗传系统的建立

[目的]建立狂犬病毒的反向遗传系统,为研制不含狂犬病病毒致病性的新型安全高效的狂犬疫苗提供技术依据.[方法]本研究采用反向遗传学方法和分子克隆技术,建立了狂犬病病毒Evelyn-R0kitnieki-Abelseth(ERA)疫苗株的cMV/T7、T7启动子病毒拯救系统,构建了表达N、P、L蛋白的辅助质粒.[结果]成功拯救出野生型病毒rERA-VC,在Vero细胞上的生长动力学特性与父母本ERA相同,第三代可在Vero细胞上可获得很高的生长滴度.[结论]建立了狂犬病病毒的反向遗传系统,拯救出的野生型病毒生物学特性与父母本相同.     

狂犬病病毒Evelyn- Rokitnicki-Abelseth疫苗株反向遗传系统的建立

摘要：【目的】建立狂犬病毒的反向遗传系统,为研制不含狂犬病病毒致病性的新型安全高效的狂犬疫苗提供技术依据。【方法】本研究采用反向遗传学方法和分子克隆技术,建立了狂犬病病毒Evelyn- Rokitnicki-Abelseth (ERA)疫苗株的CMV/ T7、T7启动子病毒拯救系统,构建了表达N、P、L蛋白的辅助质粒。【结果】成功拯救出野生型病毒rERA-VC,在Vero细胞上的生长动力学特性与父母本ERA 相同,第三代可在Vero细胞上可获得很高的生长滴度。【结论】建立了狂犬病病毒的反向遗传系统,拯救出的野生型病毒生物学特性与父母本相同。     

狂犬病病毒分子生物学研究进展

狂犬病是由狂犬病病毒引起的一种重要的人兽共患传染病,一旦发病,100％死亡,目前尚无有效的治疗方法。本主要综述了狂犬病病毒基因组结构特点及其形态、结构与功能,并详细阐述了狂犬病病毒与毒力、感染及免疫有关的分子生物学基础。     

地鼠肾细胞培养的CTN株狂犬病新疫苗研究

应用细胞毒种代替豚鼠脑毒种制备狂犬病地鼠肾细胞纯化疫苗。将狂犬病毒CTN株在原代地鼠肾细胞（PHKC）传代适应,用病毒培养液上清作为生产用毒种,结果通过在PHKC传10多代,适应后病毒滴度达到了7.0LogLD50/ml,并应用适应株（CTN－LS－HK）细胞毒种制备三批疫苗,其效力在6.11-6.55IU/ml,高于用aG株豚鼠脑毒种制备的三批疫苗效力（3.77-5.85IU/ml)。     

糖蛋白G 基因在基因组P-M 位的插入重组表达对狂犬病毒Flury LEP 致病力的影响

【目的】研究狂犬病病毒Flury鸡胚低代毒株(Flury LEP)在基因组P-M位增加糖蛋白基因(G基因)的重组表达对病毒致病力的影响。【方法】利用反向遗传操作技术,构建了P、M基因之间额外插入G基因的重组狂犬病病毒Flury LEP株(rLEP-PGM),并对重组病毒的生物学特性及对小鼠的致病性进行了初步研究。【结果】亲本株和重组病毒具有相似的生长特性,LEP和rLEP-PGM在BHK-21细胞的生长滴度分别为4×106 FFU/mL和2.5×106 FFU/mL,在小鼠神经母细胞(NA)的生长滴度分别为4×107 FFU/mL和2.5×107 FFU/mL;嗜神经指数均为1;Western blot显示,rLEP-PGM在感染细胞的G蛋白表达量比LEP显著提高;小鼠感染试验显示,rLEP-PGM与LEP脑内注射小鼠的LD50分别为3 FFU和1 FFU,肌肉注射途径的LD50分别为4×104 FFU和3.2×105 FFU。【结论】P、M基因之间插入一个额外的G基因能够提高G蛋白的表达水平,同时增强重组病毒外周侵入中枢神经系统的能力。     

A comparison of complete genome sequences of the attenuated RC-HL strain of rabies virus used for production of animal vaccine in Japan, and the parental Nishigahara strain

In order to establish the molecular basis of the pathogenicity of the attenuated RC-HL strain of rabies virus used for the production of animal vaccine in Japan, the complete genome sequence of this strain was determined and compared with that of the parental Nishigahara strain which is virulent for adult mice. The viral genome of both strains was composed of 11,926 nucleotides. The nucleotide sequences of the two genomes showed a high homology of 98.9%. The homology of the G gene was lower than those of N, P, M and L genes at both nucleotide and deduced amino acid levels, and the percentage of radical amino acid substitutions on the G protein was the highest among the five proteins. These findings raise the possibility that the structure of the G protein is the most variable among the five proteins of the two strains. Furthermore, we found two clusters of amino acid substitutions on the G and L proteins. The relevance of these clusters to the difference in the pathogenicity between the two strains is discussed.     

Characterization of a slow-migrating component of the rabies virus matrix protein strongly associated with the viral glycoprotein

We investigated multiple forms of rabies virus matrix (M) protein. Under non-reducing electrophoretic conditions, we detected, in addition to major bands of monomer forms (23- and 24-kDa) of M protein, an M antigen-positive slow-migrating minor band (about 54 kDa) in both the virion and infected cells. Relative contents of the 54-kDa and monomer components in the virion were about 20-30% and 70-80% of the whole M protein, respectively, while the content of the 54-kDa component was smaller (about 10-20% of the total M protein) in the cell than in the virion. The 54-kDa components could be extracted from the infected cells with sodium deoxycholate, but they were quite resistant to extraction with 1% nonionic detergents by which most monomer components were solubilized. The 54-kDa component was precipitated more efficiently than the monomer by a monoclonal antibody (mAb; #3-9-16), which recognized a linear epitope located at the N-terminal of the M protein. The mAb #3-9-16 coprecipitated the viral glycoprotein (G), which was demonstrated to be due to strong association between the G and 54-kDa component of the M protein. Monomers and the 54-kDa polypeptide migrated to the same isoelectric point (pI) in twodimensional (2-D) gel electrophoresis, implicating that the 54-kDa component was composed of component(s) of the same pI as that of the M protein monomers. From these results, we conclude that the M antigen-positive 54-kDa polypeptide is a homodimer of M protein, taking an N-terminal-exposed conformation, and is strongly associated with the viral glycoprotein. Possible association with a membrane microdomain of the cell will be discussed.     

Genetic analysis of rabies virus isolates in the Philippines

To determine the genetic characteristics of the rabies virus in the Philippines, 59 rabies virus isolates were obtained from domestic rabid dogs and their partial nucleotide sequences of nucleoprotein (N) gene were compared. Based on comparison with reported sequences, phylogenetic analysis revealed that all isolates from the Philippines had close genetic relations and formed two subgroups. The Philippines isolates belonged to a different lineage from other Asian isolates but were closer to them than to terrestrial isolates and laboratory strains. Several specific nucleotide and amino acid substitutions were observed among the Philippines isolates. Our results suggest that rabies viruses in the Philippines might have a characteristic evolution.     

狂犬病病毒N基因的杆状病毒表达及鉴定

利用分子克隆的方法,将CVS-11株狂犬病毒N基因片段克隆入杆状病毒穿梭载体Bacmid中,构建出含CVS-11 NP基因重组杆状病毒表达质粒Bacmid-N;脂质体介导Bacmid-N转染Sf9昆虫细胞获得表达CVS-11 NP的重组杆状病毒(AcMNPV-N)。用ELISA、FA、SDS-PAGE和Western-blot法对表达产物进行鉴定和分析,证实CVS-11 NP为胞内表达,且具有天然核蛋白良好的免疫反应性,为进一步研制高效、敏感的狂犬病病毒检测试剂和建立实验室检测方法奠定基础。     

中国流行的狂犬病病毒时空进化分析

本研究对1931~2009年间分离于中国20个省区的167株狂犬病病毒的N基因序列进行进化分析,以探讨中国狂犬病病毒株的基因分型和分组情况、时间和空间的动态进化。结果显示:从中国分离的毒株都属于基因1型狂犬病病毒,可以分为2个进化分支共计8个组,分支Ⅰ包括1~4组,分支Ⅱ包括5~8组;选择压力分析表明中国狂犬病病毒处于较强的净化选择约束下,狂犬病病毒N基因中的核苷酸突变主要是同义突变;运用贝叶斯中的马尔科夫链的蒙特卡洛方法估计中国狂犬病病毒N基因核苷酸的平均碱基替代率为4×10-4替代/位点/年,共同祖先出现的时间不超过2000年前;迁移分析表明中国狂犬病病毒株存在跨地域传播。     

应用ELISA法检测纯化狂犬病疫苗制备过程中的病毒回收率

应用ＥＬＩＳＡ和病毒毒力滴度测定两种方法对狂犬病疫苗纯化过程中各步样品进行检测,并应用ＮＩＨ效力测定法对ＥＬＩＳＡ法测定的结果进行验证。结果显示,ＥＬＩＳＡ法具有灵敏度高、特异性强、重复性好、简便易行等优点,是一种较理想的病毒回收率测定方法。     

我国四株狂犬病毒M和P基因序列分析和所编码蛋白的分析

为了解我国狂犬病毒M、P基因序列和结构特点,用RT-PCR方法获得目的基因片段,测定核苷酸序列后,计算机分析核苷酸和氨基酸序列及其功能区位点结构。结果显示四株病毒M基因核苷酸和氨基酸序列同源性分别为83.9%～99.5%和93.1%～99%,四株狂犬病毒M蛋白上调节病毒RNA转录和复制功能的第58位氨基酸残基均为谷氨酰胺残基(E),与特异性细胞蛋白WW区域作用的PPxY结构序列均为PPEY保守序列;四株病毒P基因核苷酸和氨基酸序列同源性分别为83.6%～99.8%和87.2%～99%,P蛋白与胞浆动力蛋白轻链LC8相互作用的序列位于143～148位氨基酸残基,均为DKSTQT,四株病毒P基因与L蛋白、N蛋白作用位点序列显示未发生影响其生物学功能的变异。研究结果证实了这两种蛋白结构在病毒致病性中起重要作用的推论。     

汉滩病毒M和S基因不同拼接方式嵌合基因免疫效果的研究

本文在前期工作的基础上,构建了汉滩病毒76－118株M基因G2片段与S基因5'端0.7Kb片段的嵌合基因真核表达载体pcDNA3.1-G2S0.7及pcDNA3.1-S0．7G2;用该质粒免疫BALB/c小鼠,结果表明两种质粒免疫小鼠可同时诱导产生抗滩滩病核蛋白（NP)及糖蛋白（GP）特异性的抗体,且前者刺激产生的抗体效价明显高于后者。淋巴细胞增殖实验表明,pcDNA3.1-G2S0.7组免疫小鼠脾细胞时NP及GP的增殖指数均明显高于空载体对照组,而pcDNA3.1-S0．7G2组未检测到其淋巴细胞有明显的增殖。这说明汉滩病毒M基因G2片段及S基因0.7Kb片段的嵌合基因既可刺激机体产生特异的抗汉滩病毒体液免疫应答,也可刺激机体产生特异的细胞免疫应答。不同拼接方式对嵌合基因免疫效果有很大影响,嵌合基因G2S0．7这种拼接方式明显优于S0．7G2。     

Immunogenicity of multi-epitope-based vaccine candidates administered with the adjuvant Gp96 against rabies

Rabies, a zoonotic disease, causes 55,000 human deaths globally and results in at least 500 million dollars in losses every year. The currently available rabies vaccines are mainly inactivated and attenuated vaccines, which have been linked with clinical diseases in animals. Thus, a rabies vaccine with high safety and efficacy is urgently needed. Peptide vaccines are known for their low cost, simple production procedures and high safety. Therefore, in this study, we examined the efficacy of multi-epitope-based vaccine candidates against rabies virus. The ability of various peptides to induce epitope-specific responses was examined, and the two peptides that possessed the highest antigenicity and conservation, i.e., AR16 and h PAB, were coated with adjuvant canineGp96 and used to prepare vaccines. The peptides were prepared as an emulsion of oil in water(O/W) to create three batches of bivalent vaccine products. The vaccine candidates possessed high safety. Virus neutralizing antibodies were detected on the day 14 after the first immunization in mice and beagles, reaching 5–6 IU/m L in mice and 7–9 IU/m L in beagles by day 28. The protective efficacy of the vaccine candidates was about 70%–80% in mice challenged by a virulent strain of rabies virus. Thus, a novel multi-epitope-based rabies vaccine with Gp96 as an adjuvant was developed and validated in mice and dogs. Our results suggest that synthetic peptides hold promise for the development of novel vaccines against rabies.     

Amino acid substitutions at positions 242, 255 and 268 in rabies virus glycoprotein affect spread of viral infection

Rabies virus Nishigahara strain kills adult mice after intracerebral inoculation, whereas the derivative RC‐HL strain does not. It has previously been reported by us that the R(G 242/255/268) strain, in which amino acids at positions 242, 255 and 268 on the G protein have been replaced by those from the Nishigahara strain in the genetic background of the RC‐HL strain, kills adult mice. This indicates that these three amino acids of G protein are important for pathogenicity of the Nishigahara strain. In order to obtain insights into the mechanism by which these amino acids affect pathogenicity, in this study spread of viral infection and apoptosis‐inducing ability of the attenuated RC‐HL strain and the virulent R(G 242/255/268) strain were compared. RC‐HL infection spread less efficiently in the mouse brain than did R(G 242/255/268) infection. However, the apoptosis‐inducing abilities of both viruses were almost identical, as shown by both in vitro and in vivo experiments. It was demonstrated that cell‐to‐cell spread of RC‐HL strain was less efficient than that of R(G 242/255/268) strain in mouse neuroblastoma cells. These results indicate that the three amino acid substitutions affect efficiency of cell‐to‐cell spread but not apoptosis‐inducing ability, probably resulting in the distinct distributions of RC‐HL and R(G 242/255/268) strain‐infected cells in the mouse brain and, consequently, the different pathogenicities of these strains.     

基于双质粒拯救系统的新城疫病毒LaSota株的拯救

传统新城疫病毒(newcastle disease virus, NDV)的拯救系统包括一个cDNA克隆质粒和分别表达NDV的核衣壳蛋白(NP)、磷蛋白(P)、聚合酶蛋白(L)的3个辅助质粒,且必须满足4个质粒同时转染进入同一个宿主细胞才能完成病毒的组装,效率相对低下。【目的】提高NDV的拯救效率,并建立双质粒高效拯救系统。【方法】将NP、P、L基因表达盒串联克隆至真核表达载体pCI中,构建为可同时表达NP、P、L蛋白的单辅助质粒PCI-NPL;同时,采用分段克隆再拼接的方式,将NDV LaSota株基因组cDNA克隆于真核表达质粒pCI的CMV启动子下游,并分别在P和M基因中插入报告基因增强型绿色荧光蛋白(enhanced green fluorescent protein, EGFP)、5''端引入锤头状核酶序列、3''端引入丁型肝炎病毒核酶序列,构成全基因组转录质粒pCI-LaSota-EGFP;以pCI-LaSota-EGFP和pCI-NPL组成病毒拯救系统共转染至BHK-21细胞,拯救获得重组子代病毒rLaSota-EGFP,并进行系列生物学特性鉴定。【结果】经RT-PCR、荧光显微镜观察、Western blotting、生长特性测定等系列鉴定,证明rLaSota-EGFP构建正确,成功拯救获得了重组病毒rLaSota-EGFP,且与野生型(wild-type, WT) LaSota具有相似的生物学特性。【结论】基于CMV启动子的NDV双质粒新型拯救系统构建成功,为重组NDV及其他副黏病毒的高效拯救奠定了基础。