水痘-带状疱疹病毒糖蛋白E在昆虫细胞中的表达、鉴定及免疫原性分析

目的:利用昆虫-杆状表达系统建立表达和纯化分泌形式的水痘-带状疱疹病毒(varicellazoster virus,VZV)糖蛋白gE的方法,并鉴定其理化性质及免疫原性。方法:利用Gibson assembly同源重组试剂盒快速构建重组质粒pFastbac-VZV gE。在sf9昆虫细胞中鉴定序列优化前后表达量的差异,并在High FiveTM细胞中大量表达。通过Ni-NTA亲和层析方法得到高纯度gE蛋白,之后通过酶联免疫吸附试验等验证了其理化性质,并进行小鼠免疫分析其免疫原性。结果:构建了pFastbac-VZV g E1/2重组质粒,经过PCR及双酶切鉴定后均为阳性克隆。使用BAC/PAC试剂盒提取Bacmid转染sf9细胞制备杆状病毒,经Western blot检测,sf9细胞开始表达gE蛋白且随着病毒代次升高g E蛋白表达量增加。序列优化后表达量明显增加,但是大部分以胞内形式存在。通过Ni-NTA一步亲和层析获得纯度较高的gE蛋白,并与VZV单抗9C8具有较好的反应性。通过免疫小鼠产生高滴度抗体,且免疫荧光结果显示其血清可以与天然病毒上的gE抗原结合。结论:成功获得了杆状表达系统表达的gE蛋白并且纯化和鉴定了蛋白质的性质及免疫原性,为进一步研发具有自主产权的VZV亚单位疫苗研究奠定了基础。     

Autophagy and the Effects of Its Inhibition on Varicella-Zoster Virus Glycoprotein Biosynthesis and Infectivity

Autophagy and the effects of its inhibition or induction were investigated during the entire infectious cycle of varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a human herpesvirus. As a baseline, we first enumerated the number of autophagosomes per cell after VZV infection compared with the number after induction of autophagy following serum starvation or treatment with tunicamycin or trehalose. Punctum induction by VZV was similar in degree to punctum induction by trehalose in uninfected cells. Treatment of infected cells with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) markedly reduced the viral titer, as determined by assays measuring both cell-free virus and infectious foci (P < 0.0001). We next examined a virion-enriched band purified by density gradient sedimentation and observed that treatment with 3-MA decreased the amount of VZV gE, while treatment with trehalose increased the amount of gE in the same band. Because VZV gE is the most abundant glycoprotein, we selected gE as a representative viral glycoprotein. To further investigate the role of autophagy in VZV glycoprotein biosynthesis as well as confirm the results obtained with 3-MA inhibition, we transfected cells with ATG5 small interfering RNA to block autophagosome formation. VZV-induced syncytium formation was markedly reduced by ATG5 knockdown (P < 0.0001). Further, we found that both expression and glycan processing of VZV gE were decreased after ATG5 knockdown, while expression of the nonglycosylated IE62 tegument protein was unchanged. Taken together, our cumulative results not only documented abundant autophagy within VZV-infected cells throughout the infectious cycle but also demonstrated that VZV-induced autophagy facilitated VZV glycoprotein biosynthesis and processing.     

Genomic Sequence and Virulence of Clonal Isolates of Vaccinia Virus Tiantan,the Chinese Smallpox Vaccine Strain

Despite the worldwide eradication of smallpox in 1979, the potential bioterrorism threat from variola virus and the ongoing use of vaccinia virus (VACV) as a vector for vaccine development argue for continued research on VACV. In China, the VACV Tiantan strain (TT) was used in the smallpox eradication campaign. Its progeny strain is currently being used to develop a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine. Here we sequenced the full genomes of five TT clones isolated by plaque purification from the TT (752-1) viral stock. Phylogenetic analysis with other commonly used VACV strains showed that TT (752-1) and its clones clustered and exhibited higher sequence diversity than that found in Dryvax clones. The ∼190 kbp genomes of TT appeared to encode 273 open reading frames (ORFs). ORFs located in the middle of the genome were more conserved than those located at the two termini, where many virulence and immunomodulation associated genes reside. Several patterns of nucleotide changes including point mutations, insertions and deletions were identified. The polymorphisms in seven virulence-associated proteins and six immunomodulation-related proteins were analyzed. We also investigated the neuro- and skin- virulence of TT clones in mice and rabbits, respectively. The TT clones exhibited significantly less virulence than the New York City Board of Health (NYCBH) strain, as evidenced by less extensive weight loss and morbidity in mice as well as produced smaller skin lesions and lower incidence of putrescence in rabbits. The complete genome sequences, ORF annotations, and phenotypic diversity yielded from this study aid our understanding of the Chinese historic TT strain and are useful for HIV vaccine projects employing TT as a vector.     

Pathogenicity of Glycoprotein C-Deficient Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Strain TN-1 Which Encodes Truncated Glycoprotein C

A clinical isolate of herpes simplex virus 1 (TN-1) from a stromal keratitis patient was found to be defective in the glycoprotein C (gC) gene (UL44), thus resulting in the production of truncated gC upon infection. To study the pathogenetic role of truncated gC, we prepared a recombinant LTN-8 derived from TN-1 with deletions of the 1.5 kilobase pairs of the gC gene including the initiation codon. A penetration assay revealed LTN-8 to be less efficient in its penetration ability than TN-1, the laboratory strain KOS and RTN-1-20-3, a recombinant derived from TN-1 with the KOS gC gene. The penetration of LTN-8 was facilitated by the addition of TN-1-infected culture medium. TN-1 virus preparations had no hemagglutinating activity. However, the animals infected with TN-1 did develop hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies. The LTN-8-infected animals did not develop HI antibodies. The pathogenicity in BALB/c mice following either corneal, intraperitoneal or intracerebral inoculation did not significantly differ among TN-1, RTN-1-20-3 or LTN-8. Our results indicate that truncated gC was sufficient for the induction of HI antibodies and was also able to facilitate penetration in vitro. Although truncated gC might be a virulence factor acting as a decoy, both truncated gC and intact gC had little effect on the outcome following intracerebral, intraperitoneal or corneal inoculation.     

The Cytoplasmic Domain of Varicella-Zoster Virus Glycoprotein H Regulates Syncytia Formation and Skin Pathogenesis

The conserved herpesvirus fusion complex consists of glycoproteins gB, gH, and gL which is critical for virion envelope fusion with the cell membrane during entry. For Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV), the complex is necessary for cell-cell fusion and presumed to mediate entry. VZV causes syncytia formation via cell-cell fusion in skin and in sensory ganglia during VZV reactivation, leading to neuronal damage, a potential contributory factor for the debilitating condition of postherpetic neuralgia. The gH cytoplasmic domain (gHcyt) is linked to the regulation of gB/gH-gL-mediated cell fusion as demonstrated by increased cell fusion in vitro by an eight amino acid (aa834-841) truncation of the gHcyt. The gHcyt regulation was identified to be dependent on the physical presence of the domain, and not of specific motifs or biochemical properties as substitution of aa834-841 with V5, cMyc, and hydrophobic or hydrophilic sequences did not affect fusion. The importance of the gHcyt length was corroborated by stepwise deletions of aa834-841 causing incremental increases in cell fusion, independent of gH surface expression and endocytosis. Consistent with the fusion assay, truncating the gHcyt in the viral genome caused exaggerated syncytia formation and significant reduction in viral titers. Importantly, infection of human skin xenografts in SCID mice was severely impaired by the truncation while maintaining the gHcyt length with the V5 substitution preserved typical replication in vitro and in skin. A role for the gHcyt in modulating the functions of the gB cytoplasmic domain (gBcyt) is proposed as the gHcyt truncation substantially enhanced cell fusion in the presence of the gB[Y881F] mutation. The significant reduction in skin infection caused by hyperfusogenic mutations in either the gHcyt or gBcyt demonstrates that both domains are critical for regulating syncytia formation and failure to control cell fusion, rather than enhancing viral spread, is severely detrimental to VZV pathogenesis.     

我国猪瘟病毒兔化弱毒株囊膜糖蛋白E0基因的克隆及序列测定

采用异硫氰酸胍一步法从480代猪瘟病毒兔化弱毒株(HCLV)脾毒中提取总RNA,以该RNA为模板,进行反转录,然后采用套式PCR扩增出HCLV的囊膜糖蛋白E0基因,琼脂糖凝胶电泳表明其大小与预计相符.将扩增出的E0基因克隆到pGEM-T载体中,用自动序列分析仪对其进行序列测定.将测得的序列及推导的氨基酸序列与国外测得的C株相应序列进行比较,结果发现,它们之间核苷酸序列同源性为99.08%,氨基酸序列同源性为98.42%.     

我国猪瘟病毒兔化弱毒株囊膜糖蛋白E0基因的克隆及序列测定

采用异硫氰酸胍一步法从４８０代猪瘟病毒兔化弱毒株（ＨＣＬＶ）脾毒中提取总ＲＮＡ,以该ＲＮＡ为模板,进行反转录,然后采用套式ＰＣＲ扩增出ＨＣＬＶ的囊膜糖蛋白Ｅ０基因,琼脂糖凝胶电泳表明其大小与预计相符。将扩增出的Ｅ０基因克隆到ｐＧＥＭＴ载体中,用自动序列分析仪对其进行序列测定。将测得的序列及推导的氨基酸序列与国外测得的Ｃ株相应序列进行比较,结果发现,它们之间核苷酸序列同源性为９９．０８％,氨基酸序列同源性为９８．４２％。     

Role of the Varicella-Zoster Virus gB Cytoplasmic Domain in gB Transport and Viral Egress

To study the function of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) gB cytoplasmic domain during viral infection, we produced a VZV recombinant virus that expresses a truncated form of gB lacking the C-terminal 36 amino acids of its cytoplasmic domain (VZV gB-36). VZV gB-36 replicates in noncomplementing cells and grows at a rate similar to that of native VZV. However, cells infected with VZVgB-36 form extensive syncytia compared to the relatively small syncytia formed during native VZV infection. In addition, electron microscopy shows that very little virus is present on the surfaces of cells infected with VZV gB-36, while cells infected with native VZV exhibit abundant virions on the cell surface. The C-terminal 36 amino acids of the gB cytoplasmic domain have been shown in transfection-based experiments to contain both an endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi transport signal (the C-terminal 17 amino acids) and a consensus YXXphi (where Y is tyrosine, X is any amino acid, and phi is any bulky hydrophobic amino acid) signal sequence (YSRV) that mediates the internalization of gB from the plasma membrane. As predicted based on these data, gB-36 expressed during the infection of cultured cells is transported inefficiently to the Golgi. Despite lacking the YSRV signal sequence, gB-36 is internalized from the plasma membrane; however, in contrast to native gB, it fails to localize to the Golgi. Therefore, the C-terminal 36 amino acids of the VZV gB cytoplasmic domain are required for normal viral egress and for both the pre- and post-Golgi transport of gB.     

A Unique Mutation of Glycoprotein Gene of the Attenuated RC-HL Strain of Rabies Virus,a Seed Virus Used for Production of Animal Vaccine in Japan

Although the RC-HL strain of rabies virus is avirulent in adult mice, the amino acid at position 333 of its G protein is arginine, which is thought to be necessary for virulence in adult mice upon intracerebral inoculation of the virus. This result suggests that besides arginine at position 333, some other positions of G protein might also be involved in determining the virulence of rabies virus.     

狂犬病病毒SRV9疫苗株糖蛋白核酸序列及抗原特性研究

狂犬病病毒SRV9株是经克隆获得的中等蚀斑口服弱毒疫苗候选株,具有安全和免疫原性较好等。本试验根据狂犬病病毒糖蛋白核苷酸5'末端和3'末端序列设计了一对引物,通过反转录－聚合酶链式反应（RT－PCR）分别扩增了SRV9及其母源株SAD B19糖蛋白的全长cDNA,测序结果表明,SRV9和SAD B19糖蛋白cDNA读框长1575bp,编码524氨基酸残基的多肽。通过和其母源株SAD B19核苷酸序列比较发现,SRV9析158,575,931位碱基分别出现了G→A,A→G和A→G的转换,相应地导致第53位,192位,311位氨基酸出现了Gly→Glu,His→Arg,Thr→Ala突变。和我国现行的和疫苗株ERA的核苷酸和氨基酸比较,有10个碱其不同,7个氨基酸发生改变。经Jameson-Wolf抗原表位优势图分析发现。SRV9在192位氨基酸的改变,导致该部位产生了一个新的潜在抗原位点。由于狂犬病病毒糖蛋白是诱导机体产生中和抗体唯一抗原,因此,上述氨基酸的改变可能与其特殊的蚀斑特性和其安全性提高有关。保持对毒株的氨基酸序列分析也是监测其特性的重要手段之一。     

狂犬病病毒SRV9疫苗株糖蛋白核酸序列及抗原特性研究

狂犬病病毒SRV9株是经克隆获得的中等蚀斑口服弱毒疫苗候选株,具有安全和免疫原性较好等优点.本试验根据狂犬病病毒糖蛋白核苷酸5'末端和3'末端序列设计了一对引物,通过反转录-聚合酶链式反应(RT-PCR)分别扩增了SRV9及其母源株SAD B19糖蛋白的全长cDNA.测序结果表明,SRV9和SAD B19糖蛋白cDNA读框长1575bp,编码524氨基酸残基的多肽.通过和其母源株SAD B19核苷酸序列比较发现,SRV9的158、575、931位碱基分别出现了G→A、A→G和A→G的转换,相应地导致第53位、192位、311位氨基酸出现了Gly→Glu、His→Arg、Thr→Ala突变;和我国现行的犬用疫苗株ERA的核苷酸和氨基酸比较,有10个碱基不同,7个氨基酸发生改变.经Jameson-Wolf抗原表位优势图分析发现,SRV9在192位氨基酸的改变,导致该部位产生了一个新的潜在抗原位点.由于狂犬病病毒糖蛋白是诱导机体产生中和抗体唯一抗原,因此,上述氨基酸的改变可能与其特殊的蚀斑特性和其安全性提高有关.保持对毒株的氨基酸序列分析也是监测其特性的重要手段之一.     

Anti-Glycoprotein H Antibody Impairs the Pathogenicity of Varicella-Zoster Virus in Skin Xenografts in the SCID Mouse Model

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection is usually mild in healthy individuals but can cause severe disease in immunocompromised patients. Prophylaxis with varicella-zoster immunoglobulin can reduce the severity of VZV if given shortly after exposure. Glycoprotein H (gH) is a highly conserved herpesvirus protein with functions in virus entry and cell-cell spread and is a target of neutralizing antibodies. The anti-gH monoclonal antibody (MAb) 206 neutralizes VZV in vitro. To determine the requirement for gH in VZV pathogenesis in vivo, MAb 206 was administered to SCID mice with human skin xenografts inoculated with VZV. Anti-gH antibody given at 6 h postinfection significantly reduced the frequency of skin xenograft infection by 42%. Virus titers, genome copies, and lesion size were decreased in xenografts that became infected. In contrast, administering anti-gH antibody at 4 days postinfection suppressed VZV replication but did not reduce the frequency of infection. The neutralizing anti-gH MAb 206 blocked virus entry, cell fusion, or both in skin in vivo. In vitro, MAb 206 bound to plasma membranes and to surface virus particles. Antibody was internalized into vacuoles within infected cells, associated with intracellular virus particles, and colocalized with markers for early endosomes and multivesicular bodies but not the trans-Golgi network. MAb 206 blocked spread, altered intracellular trafficking of gH, and bound to surface VZV particles, which might facilitate their uptake and targeting for degradation. As a consequence, antibody interference with gH function would likely prevent or significantly reduce VZV replication in skin during primary or recurrent infection.Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes chicken pox (varicella) upon primary infection. Lifelong latency is established in neurons of the sensory ganglia, and reactivation leads to shingles (herpes zoster) (1). Disease is usually inconsequential in immunocompetent people but can be severe in immunocompromised patients. The current prophylaxis for these high-risk individuals exposed to VZV is high-titer immunoglobulin to VZV administered within 96 h of exposure. This prophylaxis does not always prevent disease, but the severity of symptoms and mortality rates are usually reduced (32).Glycoprotein H (gH) is a type 1 transmembrane protein that is required for virus-cell and cell-cell spread in all herpesviruses studied (12, 15, 24, 26). gH is an important target of the host immune system. Individuals who have had primary infection with VZV or herpes simplex virus (HSV), the most closely related human alphaherpesvirus, have humoral and cellular immunity against gH (1, 56). Immunization of mice with a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing VZV gH and its chaperone, glycoprotein L (gL), induced specific antibodies capable of neutralizing VZV in vitro (28, 37). Immunization of mice with purified HSV gH/gL protein resulted in the production of neutralizing antibodies and protected mice from HSV challenge (5, 44), and administration of an anti-HSV gH monoclonal antibody (MAb) protected mice from HSV challenge (16). Antibodies to HSV and Epstein-Barr virus gH effectively neutralize during virus penetration but not during adsorption in vitro, indicating an essential role for gH in the fusion of viral and cellular membranes but not in initial attachment of the virus to the cell (18, 33).Anti-gH MAb 206, an immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) antibody which recognizes a conformation-dependent epitope on the mature glycosylated form of gH, neutralizes VZV infection in vitro in the absence of complement (35). MAb 206 inhibits cell-cell fusion in vitro, based on reductions in the number of infected cells and the number of infected nuclei within syncytia, and appears to inhibit the ability of virus particles to pass from the surface of an infected epithelial cell to a neighboring cell via cell extensions (8, 35, 43). When infected cells were treated with MAb 206 for 48 h postinfection (hpi), virus egress and syncytium formation were not apparent, but they were evident within 48 h after removal of the antibody, suggesting that the effect of the antibody was reversible and that there was a requirement for new gH synthesis and trafficking to produce cell-cell fusion. Conversely, nonneutralizing antibodies to glycoproteins E (gE) and I (gI), as well as an antibody to immediate-early protein 62 (IE62), had no effect on VZV spread (46).Like that of other herpesviruses, VZV entry into cells is presumed to require fusion of the virion envelope with the cell membrane or endocytosis followed by fusion. One of the hallmarks of VZV infection is cell fusion and formation of syncytia (8). Cell fusion can be detected as early as 9 hpi in vitro, although VZV spread from infected to uninfected cells is evident within 60 min (45). In vivo, VZV forms syncytia through its capacity to cause fusion of epidermal cells. Syncytia are evident in biopsies of varicella and herpes zoster skin lesions during natural infection and in SCIDhu skin xenografts (34). VZV gH is produced, processed in the Golgi apparatus, and trafficked to the cell membrane, where it might be involved in cell-cell fusion (11, 29, 35). gH then undergoes endocytosis and is trafficked back to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) for incorporation into the virion envelope (20, 31, 42). Since VZV is highly cell associated in vitro, little is known about the glycoproteins required for entry, but VZV gH is present in abundance in the skin vesicles during human chickenpox and zoster (55).Investigating the functions of gH in the pathogenesis of VZV infection in vivo is challenging because it is an essential protein and VZV is species specific for the human host. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of gH in VZV pathogenesis by establishing whether antibody-mediated interference with gH function could prevent or modulate VZV infection of differentiated human tissue in vivo, using the SCIDhu mouse model. The effects of antibody administration at early and later times after infection were determined by comparing infectious virus titers, VZV genome copies, and lesion formation in anti-gH antibody-treated xenografts. In vitro experiments were performed to determine the potential mechanism(s) of MAb 206 interference with gH during VZV replication, virion assembly, and cell-cell spread. The present study has implications for understanding the contributions of gH to VZV replication in vitro and in vivo, the mechanisms by which production of antibodies to gH by the host might restrict VZV infection, and the use of passive antibody prophylaxis in patients at high risk of serious illness caused by VZV.     

A Substitution in the Transmembrane Region of the Glycoprotein Leads to an Unstable Attenuation of Machupo Virus

Machupo virus (MACV) is the etiologic agent of Bolivian hemorrhagic fever (BHF). Utilizing a reverse-genetics system recently developed, we report the rescue of a rationally modified recombinant MACV containing a single mutation in the transmembrane region of the glycoprotein. Following challenge of susceptible mice, we identified a significant reduction in virulence in the novel virus. We also identified an instability leading to reversion of the single mutation to a wild-type genotype.