鹅源新城疫病毒ZJ1株微型基因组的构建及其初步应用

在获得鹅源新城疫病毒ZJ1株全基因组序列的基础上,用增强型绿色荧光蛋白（eGFP）报告基因取代鹅源新城疫病毒ZJ1株整个编码区,只保留与病毒复制、转录和病毒粒子包装相关的调控序列,将其反向克隆入转录载体TVT7R(0.0)中,构建了该毒株的微型基因组。当转染用辅助病毒ZJ1株感染的Hep_2细胞时报告基因得到表达,表明此微型 基因组RNA可被辅助病毒提供的NP、P和L蛋白翻译。同时将该病毒NP、P和L蛋白基因分别克隆入真核表达载体pCI_neo中,构建了表达该病毒NP、P与L蛋白的辅助质粒,用此微型基因组对辅助质粒的表达产物进行了功能鉴定并对该病毒拯救过程中痘苗病毒的最适感染剂量进行了摸索。以上研究为该病毒的成功拯救及开展其它相关研究奠定了基础。     

Development of a novel Borna disease virus reverse genetics system using RNA polymerase II promoter and SV40 nuclear import signal

Borna disease virus (BDV) is a noncytolytic, neurotropic RNA virus that replicates and transcribes in the nucleus of infected cells. Therefore, efficient synthesis of BDV RNA in the nucleus is critical for the development of a reverse genetics system for this virus. Here, we report the development of such a system using the RNA polymerase II (Pol II) promoter. The BDV minigenome cDNA was flanked by hammerhead ribozyme and hepatitis delta ribozyme sequences and inserted downstream of the Pol II promoter. To improve the efficacy of minigenome expression, we estimated the effects of several signal sequences within the minigenome constructs. We found that insertion of the SV40 nuclear import sequence into the Pol II constructs significantly enhances the replication of the minigenome even in cells lacking the SV40 large T antigen. This novel system is theoretically applicable to any mammalian cell line and would be valuable for analyzing host- or cell-type-dependent differences in BDV replication and production. We could demonstrate here the cell-type-dependent inhibitory effect of the viral protein X on BDV polymerase activity. This system may be useful for various research fields not only of BDV but also of other negative-sense RNA viruses.     

Recombinant Lloviu virus as a tool to study viral replication and host responses

Next generation sequencing has revealed the presence of numerous RNA viruses in animal reservoir hosts, including many closely related to known human pathogens. Despite their zoonotic potential, most of these viruses remain understudied due to not yet being cultured. While reverse genetic systems can facilitate virus rescue, this is often hindered by missing viral genome ends. A prime example is Lloviu virus (LLOV), an uncultured filovirus that is closely related to the highly pathogenic Ebola virus. Using minigenome systems, we complemented the missing LLOV genomic ends and identified cis-acting elements required for LLOV replication that were lacking in the published sequence. We leveraged these data to generate recombinant full-length LLOV clones and rescue infectious virus. Similar to other filoviruses, recombinant LLOV (rLLOV) forms filamentous virions and induces the formation of characteristic inclusions in the cytoplasm of the infected cells, as shown by electron microscopy. Known target cells of Ebola virus, including macrophages and hepatocytes, are permissive to rLLOV infection, suggesting that humans could be potential hosts. However, inflammatory responses in human macrophages, a hallmark of Ebola virus disease, are not induced by rLLOV. Additional tropism testing identified pneumocytes as capable of robust rLLOV and Ebola virus infection. We also used rLLOV to test antivirals targeting multiple facets of the replication cycle. Rescue of uncultured viruses of pathogenic concern represents a valuable tool in our arsenal for pandemic preparedness.     

Functional characterization of the genomic promoter of borna disease virus (BDV): implications of 3'-terminal sequence heterogeneity for BDV persistence

Borna disease virus (BDV) is an enveloped virus with a genome organization characteristic of Mononegavirales. However, based on its unique features, BDV is considered the prototypic member of a new virus family, Bornaviridae, within the order Mononegavirales. We have described the establishment of a reverse genetics system for the rescue of BDV RNA analogues, or minigenomes, that is based on the use of polymerase I/polymerase II. Using this BDV minigenome rescue system, we have examined the functional implications of the reported sequence heterogeneity found at the 5' and 3' termini of the BDV genome and also defined the minimal BDV genomic promoter within the 3'-terminal 25 nucleotides. Our results suggest that the accumulation of RNA genome species containing truncations of one to three nucleotides at their 3' termini may contribute to modulate BDV RNA replication and gene expression during long-term persistence.     

CMV与T7启动子对仙台病毒微小基因组拯救效率的比较

构建一种以分泌型荧光素酶基因(Gluc)作为报告基因的仙台病毒BB1株微小基因组质粒,比较了CMV启动子与T7启动子对仙台病毒微小基因组的拯救效率。首先设计并合成锤头状核酶序列,仙台病毒trailer、L基因非编码区、N基因非编码区和leader序列以及丁型肝炎病毒核酶序列,插入含有CMV和T7双启动子的质粒pVAX1中,获得仙台微小基因组的通用型载体pVAX-miniSeV。将Gluc基因插入pVAX-miniSeV中,分别获得正向插入的仙台病毒微小基因组载体pVAX-miniSeV-Gluc(+)和反向插入的pVAX-miniSeV-Gluc(-)。用pVAX-miniSeV-Gluc(+)转染BHK21细胞能在上清中检测到高水平的Gluc活性,表明其中的CMV启动子具有正常转录功能。将pVAX-miniSeVGluc(-)和仙台病毒N、P、L蛋白表达质粒共转染BSR T7/5细胞(稳定表达T7RNA聚合酶的BHK-21细胞)检测到Gluc的高效表达,表明pVAX-miniSeV-Gluc(-)能够被有效拯救;但在BHK-21细胞中却未检测到Gluc的有效表达,提示该载体中的CMV启动子对仙台病毒微小基因组的拯救效率可能没有明显作用。为了进一步了解CMV与T7启动子各自对于仙台病毒微小基因组拯救的作用,本研究又构建了单独含有CMV或T7启动子的仙台病毒微小基因组载体pCMV-miniSeV-Gluc(-)和pT7-miniSeV-Gluc(-)。将这两种载体和仙台病毒N、P、L蛋白表达质粒分别共转染BSR T7/5细胞,结果pT7-miniSeV-Gluc(-)共转染组检测到了Gluc的高效表达,而pCMV-miniSeV-Gluc(-)共转染组未检测到,证实了通用型载体pVAX-miniSeV中仅T7启动子对仙台病毒微小基因组的拯救起了关键作用,而CMV启动子作用不明显。本研究成功构建了一种通用型双启动子仙台病毒微小基因组载体pVAX-miniSeV,并证明了T7启动子系统对仙台病毒微小基因组拯救的关键作用。本研究为下一步构建仙台病毒全基因感染性克隆打下了基础。     

Characterization of Uncultivable Bat Influenza Virus Using a Replicative Synthetic Virus

Bats harbor many viruses, which are periodically transmitted to humans resulting in outbreaks of disease (e.g., Ebola, SARS-CoV). Recently, influenza virus-like sequences were identified in bats; however, the viruses could not be cultured. This discovery aroused great interest in understanding the evolutionary history and pandemic potential of bat-influenza. Using synthetic genomics, we were unable to rescue the wild type bat virus, but could rescue a modified bat-influenza virus that had the HA and NA coding regions replaced with those of A/PR/8/1934 (H1N1). This modified bat-influenza virus replicated efficiently in vitro and in mice, resulting in severe disease. Additional studies using a bat-influenza virus that had the HA and NA of A/swine/Texas/4199-2/1998 (H3N2) showed that the PR8 HA and NA contributed to the pathogenicity in mice. Unlike other influenza viruses, engineering truncations hypothesized to reduce interferon antagonism into the NS1 protein didn''t attenuate bat-influenza. In contrast, substitution of a putative virulence mutation from the bat-influenza PB2 significantly attenuated the virus in mice and introduction of a putative virulence mutation increased its pathogenicity. Mini-genome replication studies and virus reassortment experiments demonstrated that bat-influenza has very limited genetic and protein compatibility with Type A or Type B influenza viruses, yet it readily reassorts with another divergent bat-influenza virus, suggesting that the bat-influenza lineage may represent a new Genus/Species within the Orthomyxoviridae family. Collectively, our data indicate that the bat-influenza viruses recently identified are authentic viruses that pose little, if any, pandemic threat to humans; however, they provide new insights into the evolution and basic biology of influenza viruses.     

Rescue and Autonomous Replication of Adeno-Associated Virus Type 2 Genomes Containing Rep-Binding Site Mutations in the Viral p5 Promoter

The Rep proteins encoded by the adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV) play a crucial role in the rescue, replication, and integration of the viral genome. In the absence of a helper virus, little expression of the AAV Rep proteins occurs, and the AAV genome fails to undergo DNA replication. Since previous studies have established that expression of the Rep78 and Rep68 proteins from the viral p5 promoter is controlled by the Rep-binding site (RBS) and the YY1 factor-binding site (YBS), we constructed a number of recombinant AAV plasmids containing mutations and/or deletions of the RBS and the YBS in the p5 promoter. These plasmids were transfected in HeLa or 293 cells and analyzed for the potential to undergo AAV DNA rescue and replication. Our studies revealed that (i) a low-level rescue and autonomous replication of the wild-type AAV genome occurred in 293 but not in HeLa cells; (ii) mutations in the RBS resulted in augmented expression from the p5 promoter, leading to more efficient rescue and/or replication of the AAV genome in 293 but not in HeLa cells; (iii) little rescue and/or replication occurred from plasmids containing mutations in the YBS alone in the absence of coinfection with adenovirus; (iv) expression of the adenovirus E1A gene products was insufficient to mediate rescue and/or replication of the AAV genome in HeLa cells; (v) autonomously replicated AAV genomes in 293 cells were successfully encapsidated in mature progeny virions that were biologically active in secondary infection of HeLa cells in the presence of adenovirus; and (vi) stable transfection of recombinant AAV plasmids containing a gene for resistance to neomycin significantly affected stable integration only in 293 cells, presumably because rescue and autonomous replication of the AAV genome from these plasmids occurred in 293 cells but not in HeLa or KB cells. These data suggest that in the absence of adenovirus, the AAV Rep protein-RBS interaction plays a dominant role in down-regulating viral gene expression from the p5 promoter and that perturbation in this interaction is sufficient to confer autonomous replication competence to AAV in 293 cells.