病毒装配的分子生物学

病毒的装配是病毒复制和增殖过程中的一个重要步骤,它不是一个简单的静态的结构生物学问题,而是一个综合的动态的过程。它至少包括了下列几个问题：１．病毒的衣壳蛋白亚基是如何互相识别和装配成病毒衣壳的,是什么机制来控制这一过程的？２．病毒的基因组（ＤＮＡ或Ｒ...     

免出血症病毒的形态与结构的研究

免出血症病毒无锡株A_2R—3的完整病毒颗粒呈球形,廿面体等轴对称、无囊膜、其直径约为33—37nm。空心病毒粒子亦可看到,其核心直径为21—25nm。病毒衣壳包裹在颗粒的最外层,由紧密连结的子粒所组成,子粒排列规则,呈管状结构。其长度约为5—6nm,中心孔径为2—3nm。廿面体对称的等边三角形的面由6个子粒所构成,即每条边上排列3个子粒。据此推算出病毒衣壳的子粒总数为42,分负数为4,三角形面数为80,结构单位数为240。     

一种含有单链RNA的香菇球状病毒

从生长不正常的香菇(Lentinus edodes(Berk.)Sing)菌株中分离到一种等轴对称含单链RNA的病毒颗粒。病毒颗粒在电镜下直径为33～34nm,在SDS-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳中病毒外壳蛋白分子量为22000道尔顿。病毒核酸径DNase1和SI酶解试验及热变性紫外吸收曲线试验证明为单链RNA,在1.5％的琼脂糖凝胶电泳中,病毒核酸呈现一条带,分子量为2.38×10~6道尔顿。     

真核藻类的病毒和病毒类粒子（VLPs）

真核藻类的病毒和病毒类粒子（ＶＬＰｓ）赵以军石正丽（中国科学院水生生物研究所,武汉４３００７２）（中国科学院武汉病毒研究所,武汉４３００７１）ＶｉｒｕｓｅｓａｎｄＶｉｒｕｓ－ｌｉｋｅＰｅａｒｔｉｃｌｅｓｏｆＥｕｋａｒｙｏｔｉｃＡｌｇａｅＺｈａｏＹｉｊ...     

提高滴定病毒准确度的方法：胡宁病毒蚀斑检测的标准化

胡宁病毒是沙状病毒族中的一员,它可引起阿根廷出血热。阿根廷出血热是以血液、心血管、神经和肾脏改变为特征的。阿根廷出血热的诊断通常是通过全血接种乳鼠,该方法可获得经血清学证实病例中的50～70％查到胡宁病毒。Amtrosia等企图用单层细胞分离病毒,阳性标本的检出率却很低。胡宁病毒在单层细胞中明显缺乏敏感性的原因还不清楚。     

TT病毒的分类及致病性研究

TT病毒是近年来新发现的一种肝炎相关病毒,隶属圆环病毒科,迄今已确认了至少28种基因型。目前,人们对TT病毒的致病性存在很大的争议,它对肝脏确切的致病作用尚待进一步研究证实。最近的研究提示,TT病毒与呼吸系统疾病有一定相关性,其开放阅读框架产物可损害肾上皮细胞。     

Sindbis病毒的蛋白质合成与细胞骨架的关系

我们以Sindbis病毒感染BHK-21细胞为模式,研究了病毒的感染与细胞骨架的关系。结果显示:在病毒感染早期,细胞的蛋白质合成迅速被抑制,细胞的多聚核糖体(polysome)和mRNA从骨架上脱落,而病毒的RNA结合到骨架上。我们的结果还进一步表明,病毒的RNA是通过其3′-尾端与骨架结合的。另一方面在对Sindbis病毒非结构蛋白在体内与体外合成与加工的比较中,我们发现病毒蛋白在体外翻译加工的速度远低于体内,并且出现很多未成熟蛋白(premature protein),这种区别可能在某种程度上反应细胞骨架在蛋白质合成与加工中的作用。此外,在用秋水仙素和细胞松驰素B破坏微管和微丝后,病毒非结构蛋白的合成与加工没有明显变化,而结构蛋白的合成则受到明显的抑制。这表明病毒的两类蛋白的合成所依赖的细胞骨架成分可能有所不同,在结构蛋白合成过程中,微丝和微管起了重要作用,在非结构蛋白合成过程中,中间丝很可能起了重要作用。     

Functional defects of RNA-negative temperature-sensitive mutants of Sindbis and Semliki Forest viruses.

Defects in RNA and protein synthesis of seven Sindbis virus and seven Semliki Forest virus RNA-negative, temperature-sensitive mutants were studied after shift to the restrictive temperature (39 degrees C) in the middle of the growth cycle. Only one of the mutants, Ts-6 of Sindbis virus, a representative of complementation group F, was clearly unable to continue RNA synthesis at 39 degrees C, apparently due to temperature-sensitive polymerase. The defect was reversible and affected the synthesis of both 42S and 26S RNA equally, suggesting that the same polymerase component(s) is required for the synthesis of both RNA species. One of the three Sindbis virus mutants of complementation group A, Ts-4, and one RNA +/- mutant of Semliki Forest virus, ts-10, showed a polymerase defect even at the permissive temperature. Seven of the 14 RNA-negative mutants showed a preferential reduction in 26S RNA synthesis. The 26S RNA-defective mutants of Sindbis virus were from two different complementation groups, A and G, indicating that functions of two viral nonstructural proteins ("A" and "G") are required in the regulation of the synthesis of 26S RNA. Since the synthesis of 42S RNA continued, these functions of proteins A and G are not needed for the polymerization of RNA late in infection. The RNA-negative phenotype of 26S RNA-deficient mutants implies that proteins regulating the synthesis of this subgenomic RNA must have another function vital for RNA synthesis early in infection or in the assembly of functional polymerase. Several of the mutants having a specific defect in the synthesis of 26S RNA showed an accumulation of a large nonstructural precursor protein with a molecular weight of about 200,000. One even larger protein was demonstrated in both Semliki Forest virus- and Sindbis virus-infected cells which probably represents the entire nonstructural polyprotein.     

Chimeric Sindbis-Ross River viruses to study interactions between alphavirus nonstructural and structural regions.

Sindbis virus and Ross River virus are alphaviruses whose nonstructural proteins share 64% identity and whose structural proteins share 48% identity. Starting from full-length cDNA clones of both viruses, we have generated two reciprocal Sindbis-Ross River chimeric viruses in which the structural and nonstructural regions have been exchanged. These chimeric viruses replicate readily in several cell lines. Both chimeras grow more poorly than do the parental viruses, with the chimera containing Sindbis virus nonstructural proteins and Ross River virus structural proteins growing considerably better in both mosquito and Vero cell lines than the reciprocal chimera does. The reduction in replicative capacity in comparison with the parental viruses appears to result at least in part from a reduction in RNA synthesis, which suggests that the structural proteins or sequence elements within the structural region interact with the nonstructural proteins or sequence elements within the nonstructural region, that these interactions are required for efficient RNA replication, and that these interactions are suboptimal in the chimeras. The chimeras are able to infect mice, but their growth is attenuated. Western equine encephalitis virus, a virus widely distributed throughout the Americas, has been previously shown to have arisen by natural recombination between two distinct alphaviruses, but other naturally occurring recombinant alphaviruses have not been found. The present results suggest that most nonstructural/structural chimeras that might arise by natural recombination will be viable but that interactions between different regions of the genome, some of which were previously known but some of which remain unknown, limit the ability of such recombinants to become established.     

Comparison of the effects of Sindbis virus and Sindbis virus replicons on host cell protein synthesis and cytopathogenicity in BHK cells.

Infection of BHK cells by Sindbis virus leads to rapid inhibition of host cell protein synthesis and cytopathic effects (CPE). We have been studying these events to determine whether the expression of a specific viral gene is required and, in the present study, have focused our attention on the role of the structural proteins--the capsid protein and the two membrane glycoproteins. We tested a variety of Sindbis viruses and Sindbis virus replicons (virus particles containing an RNA that is self-replicating but with some or all of the viral structural protein genes deleted) for their abilities to inhibit host cell protein synthesis and cause CPE in infected BHK cells. Our results show that shutoff of host cell protein synthesis occurred in infected BHK cells when no viral structural proteins were synthesized and also under conditions in which the level of the viral subgenomic RNA was too low to be detected. These results support the conclusion that the early steps in viral gene expression are the ones required for the inhibition of host cell protein synthesis in BHK cells. In contrast, the Sindbis viruses and Sindbis virus replicons were clearly distinguished by the time at which CPE became evident. Viruses that synthesized high levels of the two membrane glycoproteins on the surface of the infected cells caused a rapid (12 to 16 h postinfection) appearance of CPE, and those that did not synthesize the glycoprotein spikes showed delayed (30 to 40 h) CPE.     

Molecular defects caused by temperature-sensitive mutations in Semliki Forest virus nsP1

Alphavirus replicase protein nsP1 has multiple functions during viral RNA synthesis. It catalyzes methyltransferase and guanylyltransferase activities needed in viral mRNA capping, attaches the viral replication complex to cytoplasmic membranes, and is required for minus-strand RNA synthesis. Two temperature-sensitive (ts) mutations in Semliki Forest virus (SFV) were previously identified within nsP1: ts10 (E529D) and ts14 (D119N). Recombinant viruses containing these individual mutations reproduced the features of the original ts strains. We now find that the capping-associated enzymatic activities of recombinant nsP1, containing ts10 or ts14 lesions, were not ts. The mutant proteins and polyproteins also were membrane bound, mutant nsP1 interacted normally with the other nonstructural proteins, and there was no major defect in nonstructural polyprotein processing in the mutants, although ts14 surprisingly displayed slightly retarded processing. The two mutant viruses were specifically defective in minus-strand RNA synthesis at the restrictive temperature. Integrating data from SFV and Sindbis virus, we discuss the domain structure of nsP1 and the relative positioning of and interactions between the replicase proteins. nsP1 is suggested to contain a specific subdomain involved in minus-strand synthesis and interaction with the polymerase nsP4 and the protease nsP2.     

An attenuating mutation in nsP1 of the Sindbis-group virus S.A.AR86 accelerates nonstructural protein processing and up-regulates viral 26S RNA synthesis

The Sindbis-group alphavirus S.A.AR86 encodes a threonine at nonstructural protein 1 (nsP1) 538 that is associated with neurovirulence in adult mice. Mutation of the nsP1 538 Thr to the consensus Ile found in nonneurovirulent Sindbis-group alphaviruses attenuates S.A.AR86 for adult mouse neurovirulence, while introduction of Thr at position 538 in a nonneurovirulent Sindbis virus background confers increased neurovirulence (M. T. Heise et al., J. Virol. 74:4207-4213, 2000). Since changes in the viral nonstructural region are likely to affect viral replication, studies were performed to evaluate the effect of Thr or Ile at nsP1 538 on viral growth, nonstructural protein processing, and RNA synthesis. Multistep growth curves in Neuro2A and BHK-21 cells revealed that the attenuated s51 (nsP1 538 Ile) virus had a slight, but reproducible growth advantage over the wild-type s55 (nsP1 538 Thr) virus. nsP1 538 lies within the cleavage recognition domain between nsP1 and nsP2, and the presence of the attenuating Ile at nsP1 538 accelerated the processing of S.A.AR86 nonstructural proteins both in vitro and in infected cells. Since nonstructural protein processing is known to regulate alphavirus RNA synthesis, experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of Ile or Thr at nsP1 538 on viral RNA synthesis. A combination of S.A.AR86-derived reporter assays and RNase protection assays determined that the presence of Ile at nsP1 538 led to earlier expression from the viral 26S promoter without affecting viral minus- or plus-strand synthesis. These results suggest that slower nonstructural protein processing and delayed 26S RNA synthesis in wild-type S.A.AR86 infections may contribute to the adult mouse neurovirulence phenotype of S.A.AR86.     

SINDBIS病毒对宿主细胞基因表达的影响

Sindbis病毒(SBV)的感染能迅速地抑制宿主细胞的基因表达(mRNA合成与蛋白质合成),但细胞rRNA的合成水平与正常细胞接近.同时SBV还诱导产生一种细胞特异的核基质结合蛋白P105.用放线菌素D处理细胞,导致感染细胞中病毒结构蛋白的合成量及有感染力的子代病毒产量明显下降.实验结果不仅显示了SBV对宿主细胞基因表达的复杂调控关系,而且还表明SBV的非结构蛋白nsP2和衣壳蛋白C可能直接参与这一过程.     

Host range mutants of human rhinovirus in which nonstructural proteins are altered.

Human rhinovirus type 2 did not replicate in nonpermissive mouse cells; the restriction was not in adsorption but in the early events of virus replication. Mutants which had been adapted to grow in mouse cells had the following characteristics: (i) no change in the structural protein, (ii) a larger nonstructural protein and its precursor protein, and (iii) an altered viral RNA synthesis. The altered nonstructural proteins correlated with a change in host range of the virus and may be involved in viral RNA synthesis.