Rapid Virus Production and Removal as Measured with Fluorescently Labeled Viruses as Tracers

Pelagic marine viruses have been shown to cause significant mortality of heterotrophic bacteria, cyanobacteria, and phytoplankton. It was previously demonstrated, in nearshore California waters, that viruses contributed to up to 50% of bacterial mortality, comparable to protists. However, in less productive waters, rates of virus production and removal and estimates of virus-mediated bacterial mortality have been difficult to determine. We have measured rates of virus production and removal, in nearshore and offshore California waters, by using fluorescently labeled viruses (FLV) as tracers. Our approach is mathematically similar to the isotope dilution technique, employed in the past to simultaneously measure the release and uptake of ammonia and amino acids. The results indicated overall virus removal rates in the dark ranging from 1.8 to 6.2% h⁻¹ and production rates in the dark ranging from 1.9 to 6.1% h⁻¹, corresponding to turnover times of virus populations of 1 to 2 days, even in oligotrophic offshore waters. Virus removal rates determined by the FLV tracer method were compared to rates of virus degradation, determined at the same locations by radiolabeling methods, and were similar even though the current FLV method is suitable for only dark incubations. Our results support previous findings that virus impacts on bacterial populations may be more important in some environments and less so in others. This new method can be used to determine rates of virus degradation, production, and turnover in eutrophic, mesotrophic, and oligotrophic waters and will provide important inputs for future investigations of microbial food webs.     

山羊关节炎脑炎病毒甘肃株全基因组克隆和序列分析

根据GenBank中发表的山羊关节炎脑炎病毒CAEV-CO株（caprine arthritis encephalitis virus-CO,CAEV-CO）的全基因组序列（序列号：NC-001463）,设计合成了7对引物,对CAEV甘肃株的全基因组进行了PCR扩增,并对扩增产物进行了克隆和测序。结果表明,CAEV-甘肃株基因组全长为9186nt。与国际标准毒株CAEV—CO株相比,在编码区有12个碱基的缺失,二者的核苷酸同源性为91．0％;在非编码区有27个核苷酸的插人,核苷酸同源性为97．0％。gag、pol、蛋白Q、tat、env基因编码的氨基酸同源性分别为94．6％、94．7％、87．9％、94．7％和91．5％。     

Gene Arrangement within the Unique Long Genome Region of Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus Is Distinct from That of Other Alphaherpesviruses

The genome of the avian alphaherpesvirus infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) comprises ca. 155 kbp of which ca. one-third have been sequenced so far. To gain additional sequence information we analyzed two stretches of 15.5 and 1.9 kbp of the ILTV unique long (U_L) genome region. The larger fragment contains homologs of the herpes simplex virus (HSV) UL23 (thymidine kinase) and UL22 (glycoprotein H) genes followed by five open reading frames (ORF) encoding putative proteins of 334 to 410 amino acids which exhibit no homology to any known herpesvirus protein. RNA analyses showed that these unique ILTV genes are indeed expressed. An origin of replication separates this cluster of unique genes from a conserved gene cluster consisting of the UL45, UL46, UL48, UL49, UL49.5, and UL50 homologs. The absence of UL47 from this position coincides with the localization of a UL47-homologous ORF within the unique short (U_S) region of the ILTV genome (M. Wild, S. Cook, and M. Cochran, Virus Genes 12:107–116, 1996). Within the second analyzed region the ILTV UL21 homolog was found adjacent to the UL44 gene. We thus identified five novel herpesvirus genes in ILTV and present evidence for a large internal inversion in the ILTV U_L region, in contrast to the collinear genomes of other alphaherpesviruses. Interestingly, a similar inversion is also present in the porcine alphaherpesvirus pseudorabies virus.     

Lack of Sequence Homology Between the 70S RNA of Various RNA Tumor Viruses and the DNA of Simian Virus 40 or Polyoma Virus

No significant hybridization was detected of DNA from simian virus 40 or polyoma virus, and of 70S RNA from avian myeloblastosis virus, murine leukemia virus (Rauscher), murine sarcoma virus (Kirsten), RD-114B, simian sarcoma virus-1, or Mason-Pfizer virus.     

一种新香菇病毒基因组部分cDNA序列及病毒RT-PCR检测

本文报道从香菇菌丝体和子实体中分离到一种大小约20nm×(100-200)nm的杆形病毒颗粒,病毒基因组是大小约8.0kb的dsRNA。对病毒基因组部分cDNA序列进行克隆,完成1457bp的核酸序列测定(Accession No:GQ372842),该序列含1个不完整ORF,编码314个氨基酸残基,推测为病毒RNA聚合酶部分序列。病毒基因组部分cDNA序列与GenBank中的已知核酸序列无明显同源性,表明它可能是新发现食用真菌病毒。为了对实验室和野外的香菇病毒进行快速检测,我们根据得到的病毒基因组部分cDNA序列设计特异性引物,建立了一种方便、有效检测香菇病毒的RT-PCR方法,对感染病毒异常菌丝体中的病毒成功地进行了检测。     

Complete Genome Sequence of Two Variant Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Viruses Isolated from Vaccinated Piglets

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) continues to affect the Chinese swine industry. Since 2006, variant PRRSV strains sharing two unique discontinuous deletions of 30 amino acids in the nonstructural protein Nsp2 have become dominant in Chinese swine herds and have caused huge economic losses to the swine industry in China. Here we report the complete genome sequence of two novel PRRSV variants isolated from vaccinated piglets with additional amino acid deletions in Nsp2.     

Novel Virus Discovery and Genome Reconstruction from Field RNA Samples Reveals Highly Divergent Viruses in Dipteran Hosts

We investigated whether small RNA (sRNA) sequenced from field-collected mosquitoes and chironomids (Diptera) can be used as a proxy signature of viral prevalence within a range of species and viral groups, using sRNAs sequenced from wild-caught specimens, to inform total RNA deep sequencing of samples of particular interest. Using this strategy, we sequenced from adult Anopheles maculipennis s.l. mosquitoes the apparently nearly complete genome of one previously undescribed virus related to chronic bee paralysis virus, and, from a pool of Ochlerotatus caspius and Oc. detritus mosquitoes, a nearly complete entomobirnavirus genome. We also reconstructed long sequences (1503-6557 nt) related to at least nine other viruses. Crucially, several of the sequences detected were reconstructed from host organisms highly divergent from those in which related viruses have been previously isolated or discovered. It is clear that viral transmission and maintenance cycles in nature are likely to be significantly more complex and taxonomically diverse than previously expected.     

从我国分离的3株蛙虹彩病毒与蛙病毒3型主要衣壳蛋白基因同源性的比较

Since 1995,three viral isolates named RGV9506,RGV9807 and RGV9808 associated with frog mortality were isolated from farm-raised frogs (Rana grylio virus,RGV) in China.Both ultrastructural morphology and serological characterisitics had shown that the RGV isolates belong to genus Ranavirus. The DNA sequence analysis of the 5′end of the major capsid protein(MCP) gene of RGV isolates by PCR amplification produced a 531bp fragment.DNA templates were prepared from cells infected with different RGV isolates and the specific primers designed were based on highly conserved region at the 5′ of the gene encoding Frog virus 3(FV3) MCP, which is the typical species of the genus Ranavirus.The PCR products indicate that the nucleotide sequence of MCP gene of the RGV9506,RGV9807 and RGV9808 showed 99.6%, 99.8% and 98.4% homology respectively with the corresponding region of the MCP gene of FV3.     

绵羊进行性肺炎病毒荧光抗体的制备及其对病毒感染细胞的检测

绵羊进行性肺炎病毒荧光抗体的制备及其对病毒感染细胞的检测丁恩雨,相文华（复旦大学生命科学学院,上海２００４３３）（中国农业科学院哈尔滨兽医研究所,哈尔滨１５０００１）关键词绵羊进行性肺炎病毒,荧光抗体,间接免疫荧光法绵羊进行性肺炎（ＯＰＰ）是慢性进行...     

Structural Characteristics and Nucleotide Sequence Analysis of Genomic RNA from RD-114 Virus and Feline RNA Tumor Viruses

The results of molecular hybridization experiments have demonstrated that the RNA genome of RD-114 virus has extensive nucleotide sequence homology with the RNA genome of Crandell virus, an endogenous type C virus of cats, but only limited homology with the RNA genomes of feline sarcoma virus and feline leukemia virus. The genomic RNAs of RD-114 virus and Crandell virus also had identical sedimentation coefficients of 50S. A structural rearrangement of genomic RNA did not exist within released RD-114 virions, whereas a structural rearrangement of genomic RNA did occur within feline sarcoma virions and feline leukemia virions after release from virus-producing cells.     

山东一株鹦鹉幼雏病病毒全序列测定与分析

目的:对青岛即墨地区发病的濒死鹦鹉进行诊断,并对BFDV进行全基因测序,分析其遗传进化规律.方法:利用PCR对发病鹦鹉进行BFDV的检测,并设计引物进行BFDV全基因组的测序.结果:BFDV核酸扩增为阳性,经PCR分段扩增法获得全基因组并完成了序列测定.QDJM01株全序列测定结果与GenBank中仅有的七株BFDV全序列进行同源性比较与进化树分析.经BLAST和DNAStar软件分析,QDJM01与其他七株BFDV同源性为99.0%～99.6%,为同一个基因型.结论:此病例为鹦鹉幼雏病病毒感染,来源于不同宿主的BFDV与宿主关系紧密,与地理分布没有明显的相关性.     

Complete Genome Sequence of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Strain ZCYZ Isolated from Hybrid Wild Boars

A serologic investigation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) in hybrid wild boar herds was conducted during 2008–2009. PRRSV isolates with novel genetic markers were recovered. Experimental infection of pigs indicated that hybrid wild boars are involved in the epidemiology of PRRSV.     

The Lung Microbiome of Ugandan HIV-Infected Pneumonia Patients Is Compositionally and Functionally Distinct from That of San Franciscan Patients

Sub-Saharan Africa represents 69% of the total number of individuals living with HIV infection worldwide and 72% of AIDS deaths globally. Pulmonary infection is a common and frequently fatal complication, though little is known regarding the lower airway microbiome composition of this population. Our objectives were to characterize the lower airway microbiome of Ugandan HIV-infected patients with pneumonia, to determine relationships with demographic, clinical, immunological, and microbiological variables and to compare the composition and predicted metagenome of these communities to a comparable cohort of patients in the US (San Francisco). Bronchoalveolar lavage samples from a cohort of 60 Ugandan HIV-infected patients with acute pneumonia were collected. Amplified 16S ribosomal RNA was profiled and aforementioned relationships examined. Ugandan airway microbiome composition and predicted metagenomic function were compared to US HIV-infected pneumonia patients. Among the most common bacterial pulmonary pathogens, Pseudomonas aeruginosa was most prevalent in the Ugandan cohort. Patients with a richer and more diverse airway microbiome exhibited lower bacterial burden, enrichment of members of the Lachnospiraceae and sulfur-reducing bacteria and reduced expression of TNF-alpha and matrix metalloproteinase-9. Compared to San Franciscan patients, Ugandan airway microbiome was significantly richer, and compositionally distinct with predicted metagenomes that encoded a multitude of distinct pathogenic pathways e.g secretion systems. Ugandan pneumonia-associated airway microbiome is compositionally and functionally distinct from those detected in comparable patients in developed countries, a feature which may contribute to adverse outcomes in this population.     

Cohesin's DNA Exit Gate Is Distinct from Its Entrance Gate and Is Regulated by Acetylation

Sister chromatid cohesion is mediated by entrapment of sister DNAs by a tripartite ring composed of cohesin's Smc1, Smc3, and α-kleisin subunits. Cohesion requires acetylation of Smc3 by Eco1, whose role is to counteract an inhibitory (antiestablishment) activity associated with cohesin's Wapl subunit. We show that mutations abrogating antiestablishment activity also reduce turnover of cohesin on pericentric chromatin. Our results reveal?a "releasing" activity inherent to cohesin complexes transiently associated with Wapl that catalyzes their dissociation from chromosomes. Fusion of Smc3's nucleotide binding domain to α-kleisin's N-terminal domain also reduces cohesin turnover within pericentric chromatin and permits establishment of Wapl-resistant cohesion in the absence of Eco1. We suggest that releasing activity opens the Smc3/α-kleisin interface, creating a DNA exit gate distinct from its proposed entry gate at the Smc1/3 interface. According to this notion, the function of Smc3 acetylation is to block its dissociation from α-kleisin. The functional implications of regulated ring opening are discussed.     

Genome Sequence Analysis of In Vitro and In Vivo Phenotypes of Bunyamwera and Ngari Virus Isolates from Northern Kenya

Biological phenotypes of tri-segmented arboviruses display characteristics that map to mutation/s in the S, M or L segments of the genome. Plaque variants have been characterized for other viruses displaying varied phenotypes including attenuation in growth and/or pathogenesis. In order to characterize variants of Bunyamwera and Ngari viruses, we isolated individual plaque size variants; small plaque (SP) and large plaque (LP) and determined in vitro growth properties and in vivo pathogenesis in suckling mice. We performed gene sequencing to identify mutations that may be responsible for the observed phenotype. The LP generally replicated faster than the SP and the difference in growth rate was more pronounced in Bunyamwera virus isolates. Ngari virus isolates were more conserved with few point mutations compared to Bunyamwera virus isolates which displayed mutations in all three genome segments but majority were silent mutations. Contrary to expectation, the SP of Bunyamwera virus killed suckling mice significantly earlier than the LP. The LP attenuation may probably be due to a non-synonymous substitution (T858I) that mapped within the active site of the L protein. In this study, we identify natural mutations whose exact role in growth and pathogenesis need to be determined through site directed mutagenesis studies.     

Complete Genome Sequence of a Highly Pathogenic Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus NM1 Strain from Northern China

NM1 is a highly pathogenic North American-type porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). The complete genome sequence shows that NM1 shares high sequence identity (99.2 to 99.4%) to other HP-PRRSV isolates, containing two discontinuous deletions, a 1-amino-acid deletion at position 481 and a 29-amino-acid deletion at positions 533 to 651, in nonstructural protein 2.     

Genome and Bioinformatic Analysis of a HAdV-B14p1 Virus Isolated from a Baby with Pneumonia in Beijing,China

The genome of HAdV-B14p1 strain BJ430, isolated from a six-month-old baby diagnosed with bronchial pneumonia at the Beijing Children’s Hospital in December 2010, was sequenced, analyzed, and compared with reference adenovirus genome sequences archived in GenBank. This genome is 34,762 bp in length, remarkably presenting 99.9% identity with the genome from HAdV14p1 strain 303600, which was isolated in the USA (2006). Even more remarkable, it is 99.7% identical with the HAdV-B14p (prototype “de Wit” strain) genome, isolated from The Netherlands in 1955. The patient and its parents presumably had no or limited contact with persons from the USA and Ireland, both of which reported outbreaks of the re-emergent virus HAdV-14p1 recently. These genome data, its analysis, and this report provide a reference for any additional HAdV-B14 outbreak in China and provide the basis for the development of adenovirus vaccines and molecular pathogen surveillance protocols in high-risk areas.     

Sequence Similarity of Clostridium difficile Strains by Analysis of Conserved Genes and Genome Content Is Reflected by Their Ribotype Affiliation

PCR-ribotyping is a broadly used method for the classification of isolates of Clostridium difficile, an emerging intestinal pathogen, causing infections with increased disease severity and incidence in several European and North American countries. We have now carried out clustering analysis with selected genes of numerous C. difficile strains as well as gene content comparisons of their genomes in order to broaden our view of the relatedness of strains assigned to different ribotypes. We analyzed the genomic content of 48 C. difficile strains representing 21 different ribotypes. The calculation of distance matrix-based dendrograms using the neighbor joining method for 14 conserved genes (standard phylogenetic marker genes) from the genomes of the C. difficile strains demonstrated that the genes from strains with the same ribotype generally clustered together. Further, certain ribotypes always clustered together and formed ribotype groups, i.e. ribotypes 078, 033 and 126, as well as ribotypes 002 and 017, indicating their relatedness. Comparisons of the gene contents of the genomes of ribotypes that clustered according to the conserved gene analysis revealed that the number of common genes of the ribotypes belonging to each of these three ribotype groups were very similar for the 078/033/126 group (at most 69 specific genes between the different strains with the same ribotype) but less similar for the 002/017 group (86 genes difference). It appears that the ribotype is indicative not only of a specific pattern of the amplified 16S–23S rRNA intergenic spacer but also reflects specific differences in the nucleotide sequences of the conserved genes studied here. It can be anticipated that the sequence deviations of more genes of C. difficile strains are correlated with their PCR-ribotype. In conclusion, the results of this study corroborate and extend the concept of clonal C. difficile lineages, which correlate with ribotypes affiliation.