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Mutation of mapped TIA-1/TIAR binding sites in the 3' terminal stem-loop of West Nile virus minus-strand RNA in an infectious clone negatively affects genomic RNA amplification. J Virol 2008; 82:10657-70. [PMID: 18768985 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00991-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous data showed that the cellular proteins TIA-1 and TIAR bound specifically to the West Nile virus 3' minus-strand stem-loop [WNV3'(-)SL] RNA (37) and colocalized with flavivirus replication complexes in WNV- and dengue virus-infected cells (21). In the present study, the sites on the WNV3'(-)SL RNA required for efficient in vitro T-cell intracellular antigen-related (TIAR) and T-cell intracellular antigen-1 (TIA-1) protein binding were mapped to short AU sequences (UAAUU) located in two internal loops of the WNV3'(-)SL RNA structure. Infectious clone RNAs with all or most of the binding site nucleotides in one of the 3' (-)SL loops deleted or substituted did not produce detectable virus after transfection or subsequent passage. With one exception, deletion/mutation of a single terminal nucleotide in one of the binding sequences had little effect on the efficiency of protein binding or virus production, but mutation of a nucleotide in the middle of a binding sequence reduced both the in vitro protein binding efficiency and virus production. Plaque size, intracellular genomic RNA levels, and virus production progressively decreased with decreasing in vitro TIAR/TIA-1 binding activity, but the translation efficiency of the various mutant RNAs was similar to that of the parental RNA. Several of the mutant RNAs that inefficiently interacted with TIAR/TIA-1 in vitro rapidly reverted in vivo, indicating that they could replicate at a low level and suggesting that an interaction between TIAR/TIA-1 and the viral 3'(-)SL RNA is not required for initial low-level symmetric RNA replication but instead facilitates the subsequent asymmetric amplification of genome RNA from the minus-strand template.
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102
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Song BH, Yun SI, Choi YJ, Kim JM, Lee CH, Lee YM. A complex RNA motif defined by three discontinuous 5-nucleotide-long strands is essential for Flavivirus RNA replication. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2008; 14:1791-1813. [PMID: 18669441 PMCID: PMC2525960 DOI: 10.1261/rna.993608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2008] [Accepted: 05/23/2008] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Tertiary or higher-order RNA motifs that regulate replication of positive-strand RNA viruses are as yet poorly understood. Using Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), we now show that a key element in JEV RNA replication is a complex RNA motif that includes a string of three discontinuous complementary sequences (TDCS). The TDCS consists of three 5-nt-long strands, the left (L) strand upstream of the translation initiator AUG adjacent to the 5'-end of the genome, and the middle (M) and right (R) strands corresponding to the base of the Flavivirus-conserved 3' stem-loop structure near the 3'-end of the RNA. The three strands are arranged in an antiparallel configuration, with two sets of base-pairing interactions creating L-M and M-R duplexes. Disrupting either or both of these duplex regions of TDCS completely abolished RNA replication, whereas reconstructing both duplex regions, albeit with mutated sequences, fully restored RNA replication. Modeling of replication-competent genomes recovered from a large pool of pseudorevertants originating from six replication-incompetent TDCS mutants suggests that both duplex base-pairing potentials of TDCS are required for RNA replication. In all cases, acquisition of novel sequences within the 3'M-R duplex facilitated a long-range RNA-RNA interaction of its 3'M strand with either the authentic 5'L strand or its alternative (invariably located upstream of the 5' initiator), thereby restoring replicability. We also found that a TDCS homolog is conserved in other flaviviruses. These data suggest that two duplex base-pairings defined by the TDCS play an essential regulatory role in a key step(s) of Flavivirus RNA replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Byung-Hak Song
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, South Korea
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103
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Hoenninger VM, Rouha H, Orlinger KK, Miorin L, Marcello A, Kofler RM, Mandl CW. Analysis of the effects of alterations in the tick-borne encephalitis virus 3′-noncoding region on translation and RNA replication using reporter replicons. Virology 2008; 377:419-30. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2008.04.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2008] [Revised: 04/19/2008] [Accepted: 04/25/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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104
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A single N-linked glycosylation site in the Japanese encephalitis virus prM protein is critical for cell type-specific prM protein biogenesis, virus particle release, and pathogenicity in mice. J Virol 2008; 82:7846-62. [PMID: 18524814 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00789-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The prM protein of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) contains a single potential N-linked glycosylation site, N(15)-X(16)-T(17), which is highly conserved among JEV strains and closely related flaviviruses. To investigate the role of this site in JEV replication and pathogenesis, we manipulated the RNA genome by using infectious JEV cDNA to generate three prM mutants (N15A, T17A, and N15A/T17A) with alanine substituting for N(15) and/or T(17) and one mutant with silent point mutations introduced into the nucleotide sequences corresponding to all three residues in the glycosylation site. An analysis of these mutants in the presence or absence of endoglycosidases confirmed the addition of oligosaccharides to this potential glycosylation site. The loss of prM N glycosylation, without significantly altering the intracellular levels of viral RNA and proteins, led to an approximately 20-fold reduction in the production of extracellular virions, which had protein compositions and infectivities nearly identical to those of wild-type virions; this reduction occurred at the stage of virus release, rather than assembly. This release defect was correlated with small-plaque morphology and an N-glycosylation-dependent delay in viral growth. A more conservative mutation, N15Q, had the same effect as N15A. One of the four prM mutants, N15A/T17A, showed an additional defect in virus growth in mosquito C6/36 cells but not human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y or hamster BHK-21 cells. This cell type dependence was attributed to abnormal N-glycosylation-independent biogenesis of prM. In mice, the elimination of prM N glycosylation resulted in a drastic decrease in virulence after peripheral inoculation. Overall, our findings indicate that this highly conserved N-glycosylation motif in prM is crucial for multiple stages of JEV biology: prM biogenesis, virus release, and pathogenesis.
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105
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Genetic interactions among the West Nile virus methyltransferase, the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, and the 5' stem-loop of genomic RNA. J Virol 2008; 82:7047-58. [PMID: 18448528 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00654-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Flavivirus methyltransferase catalyzes both guanine N7 and ribose 2'-OH methylations of the viral RNA cap (GpppA-RNA-->m(7)GpppAm-RNA). The methyltransferase is physically linked to an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) in the flaviviral NS5 protein. Here, we report genetic interactions of West Nile virus (WNV) methyltransferase with the RdRp and the 5'-terminal stem-loop of viral genomic RNA. Genome-length RNAs, containing amino acid substitutions of D146 (a residue essential for both cap methylations) in the methyltransferase, were transfected into BHK-21 cells. Among the four mutant RNAs (D146L, D146P, D146R, and D146S), only D146S RNA generated viruses in transfected cells. Sequencing of the recovered viruses revealed that, besides the D146S change in the methyltransferase, two classes of compensatory mutations had reproducibly emerged. Class 1 mutations were located in the 5'-terminal stem-loop of the genomic RNA (a G35U substitution or U38 insertion). Class 2 mutations resided in NS5 (K61Q in methyltransferase and W751R in RdRp). Mutagenesis analysis, using a genome-length RNA and a replicon of WNV, demonstrated that the D146S substitution alone was lethal for viral replication; however, the compensatory mutations rescued replication, with the highest rescuing efficiency occurring when both classes of mutations were present. Biochemical analysis showed that a low level of N7 methylation of the D146S methyltransferase is essential for the recovery of adaptive viruses. The methyltransferase K61Q mutation facilitates viral replication through improved N7 methylation activity. The RdRp W751R mutation improves viral replication through an enhanced polymerase activity. Our results have clearly established genetic interactions among flaviviral methyltransferase, RdRp, and the 5' stem-loop of the genomic RNA.
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106
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Genetic analysis of Dengue 3 virus subtype III 5' and 3' non-coding regions. Virus Res 2008; 135:320-5. [PMID: 18436323 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2008.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2008] [Revised: 02/29/2008] [Accepted: 03/07/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of dengue hemorrhagic fever in Sri Lanka in 1989 correlated with the appearance of a genetic variant of Dengue 3 virus (DENV-3) subtype III (group B), closely related to the endemic group A variant. We studied the 5' and 3' non-coding regions (NCRs) of 15 DENV-3 subtype III isolates from Sri Lanka, Nicaragua and Martinique and found variability in the 3' NCRs. This included an 11-nucleotide insertion common to all isolates examined and two nucleotide differences that segregated viruses geographically into an American and a Sri Lankan group. Comparisons also identified three nucleotide differences shared by all group A Sri Lankan DENV-3 III isolates linked to mild disease epidemics but not group B Sri Lankan and group B-associated American isolates linked to severe disease epidemics. Clustering of the Latin American/Caribbean isolates with Sri Lankan group B DENV-3 in phylogenetic analyses supports the proposed common East African origin for all these strains and confirms the use of the 3' NCR for molecular epidemiologic studies of DENV-3. The differences in the 3' NCRs reported here, as well as potential alterations in the structural and non-structural coding genes, may contribute to the increased pathogenicity of group B DENV-3.
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107
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Yun SI, Choi YJ, Yu XF, Song JY, Shin YH, Ju YR, Kim SY, Lee YM. Engineering the Japanese encephalitis virus RNA genome for the expression of foreign genes of various sizes: implications for packaging capacity and RNA replication efficiency. J Neurovirol 2008; 13:522-35. [PMID: 18097884 DOI: 10.1080/13550280701684651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Using the RNA replication machinery of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), the authors have established and characterized three strategies for the expression of foreign genes. Initially, approximately 11 kb genomic RNA was engineered to express heterologous genes of various sizes by preferentially inserting a new cistron at the beginning of the 3' nontranslated variable region. RNA transfection yielded recombinant viruses that initiated foreign gene expression after infecting permissive cells. JEV was capable of packaging recombinant genomes as large as approximately 15 kb. However, larger genome size was inversely correlated with RNA replication efficiency and cytopathogenicity, with no significant change in infectivity. Second, a variety of self-replicating propagation-deficient viral replicons were constructed by introducing one to three in-frame deletions into the ectodomains of all the structural proteins of JEV. These replicons displayed a spectrum of RNA replication efficiency upon transfection, suggesting that remnant transmembrane domains play a suppressive role in this process. Third, the authors generated a panel of stable packaging cell lines (PCLs) providing all three JEV structural proteins in trans. These PCLs efficiently packaged viral replicon RNAs into single-round infectious viral replicon particles. These JEV-based virus/vector systems may provide useful tools for a variety of biological applications, including foreign gene expression, antiviral compound screening, and genetic immunization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Im Yun
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, South Korea
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108
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Yu L, Nomaguchi M, Padmanabhan R, Markoff L. Specific requirements for elements of the 5' and 3' terminal regions in flavivirus RNA synthesis and viral replication. Virology 2008; 374:170-85. [PMID: 18234265 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2007.12.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2007] [Revised: 11/13/2007] [Accepted: 12/16/2007] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
We initially studied requirements for 5' and 3' terminal regions (TRs) in flavivirus negative strand synthesis in vitro. Purified West Nile (WNV) and dengue-2 (DV2) RNA polymerases were both active with all-WNV or all-DV2 subgenomic RNAs containing the 5'- and 3'TRs of the respective genomes. However, subgenomic RNAs in which the 5'-noncoding region (5'NCR) or the 5'ORF (nts 100-230) in the 5'TR were substituted by analogous sequences derived from the heterologous genome were modestly to severely defective as templates for either polymerase. We also evaluated the infectivity of substitution mutant WNV genome-length RNAs. All WNV RNAs containing the DV2 3'SL were unable to replicate. However, WNV RNAs containing substitutions of the 5'NCR, the capsid gene, and/or 3'NCR nt sequences upstream from the WNV 3'SL, by the analogous DV2 nt sequences, were infectious. Combined results suggested that replication was not dependent upon species homology between the 3'SL and NS5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Yu
- Laboratory of Vector-Borne Virus Diseases, Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, CBER, FDA, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
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109
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Blaney JE, Sathe NS, Goddard L, Hanson CT, Romero TA, Hanley KA, Murphy BR, Whitehead SS. Dengue virus type 3 vaccine candidates generated by introduction of deletions in the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) or by exchange of the DENV-3 3'-UTR with that of DENV-4. Vaccine 2007; 26:817-28. [PMID: 18191005 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2007.11.082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2007] [Revised: 11/16/2007] [Accepted: 11/29/2007] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The dengue virus type 3 (DENV-3) vaccine candidate, rDEN3Delta30, was previously found to be under-attenuated in both SCID-HuH-7 mice and rhesus monkeys. Herein, two strategies have been employed to generate attenuated rDEN3 vaccine candidates which retain the full complement of structural and nonstructural proteins of DENV-3 and thus are able to induce humoral or cellular immunity to each of the DENV-3 proteins. First, using the predicted secondary structure of the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of DENV-3 to design novel deletions, nine deletion mutant viruses were engineered and found to be viable. Four of nine deletion mutants replicated efficiently in Vero cells and were genetically stable. Second, chimeric rDENV-3 viruses were generated by replacement of the 3'-UTR of the rDENV-3 cDNA clone with that of rDENV-4 or rDEN4Delta30 yielding the rDEN3-3'D4 and rDEN3-3'D4Delta30 viruses, respectively. Immunization of rhesus monkeys with either of two deletion mutant viruses, rDEN3Delta30/31 and rDEN3Delta86, or with rDEN3-3'D4Delta30 resulted in infection without detectable viremia, with each virus inducing a strong neutralizing antibody response capable of conferring protection from DENV-3 challenge. The rDEN3Delta30/31 virus showed a strong host range restriction phenotype with complete loss of replication in C6/36 mosquito cells despite robust replication in Vero cells. In addition, rDEN3Delta30/31 had reduced replication in Toxorynchites mosquitoes following intrathoracic inoculation. The results are discussed in the context of vaccine development and the physical structure of the DENV 3'-UTR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph E Blaney
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, United States.
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110
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Davis WG, Blackwell JL, Shi PY, Brinton MA. Interaction between the cellular protein eEF1A and the 3'-terminal stem-loop of West Nile virus genomic RNA facilitates viral minus-strand RNA synthesis. J Virol 2007; 81:10172-87. [PMID: 17626087 PMCID: PMC2045417 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00531-07] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
RNase footprinting and nitrocellulose filter binding assays were previously used to map one major and two minor binding sites for the cell protein eEF1A on the 3'(+) stem-loop (SL) RNA of West Nile virus (WNV) (3). Base substitutions in the major eEF1A binding site or adjacent areas of the 3'(+) SL were engineered into a WNV infectious clone. Mutations that decreased, as well as ones that increased, eEF1A binding in in vitro assays had a negative effect on viral growth. None of these mutations affected the efficiency of translation of the viral polyprotein from the genomic RNA, but all of the mutations that decreased in vitro eEF1A binding to the 3' SL RNA also decreased viral minus-strand RNA synthesis in transfected cells. Also, a mutation that increased the efficiency of eEF1A binding to the 3' SL RNA increased minus-strand RNA synthesis in transfected cells, which resulted in decreased synthesis of genomic RNA. These results strongly suggest that the interaction between eEF1A and the WNV 3' SL facilitates viral minus-strand synthesis. eEF1A colocalized with viral replication complexes (RC) in infected cells and antibody to eEF1A coimmunoprecipitated viral RC proteins, suggesting that eEF1A facilitates an interaction between the 3' end of the genome and the RC. eEF1A bound with similar efficiencies to the 3'-terminal SL RNAs of four divergent flaviviruses, including a tick-borne flavivirus, and colocalized with dengue virus RC in infected cells. These results suggest that eEF1A plays a similar role in RNA replication for all flaviviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- William G Davis
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302-4010, USA
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111
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Biochemical characterization of a recombinant Japanese encephalitis virus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. BMC Mol Biol 2007; 8:59. [PMID: 17623110 PMCID: PMC1934914 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2199-8-59] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2007] [Accepted: 07/11/2007] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) NS5 is a viral nonstructural protein that carries both methyltransferase and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domains. It is a key component of the viral RNA replicase complex that presumably includes other viral nonstructural and cellular proteins. The biochemical properties of JEV NS5 have not been characterized due to the lack of a robust in vitro RdRp assay system, and the molecular mechanisms for the initiation of RNA synthesis by JEV NS5 remain to be elucidated. RESULTS To characterize the biochemical properties of JEV RdRp, we expressed in Escherichia coli and purified an enzymatically active full-length recombinant JEV NS5 protein with a hexahistidine tag at the N-terminus. The purified NS5 protein, but not the mutant NS5 protein with an Ala substitution at the first Asp of the RdRp-conserved GDD motif, exhibited template- and primer-dependent RNA synthesis activity using a poly(A) RNA template. The NS5 protein was able to use both plus- and minus-strand 3'-untranslated regions of the JEV genome as templates in the absence of a primer, with the latter RNA being a better template. Analysis of the RNA synthesis initiation site using the 3'-end 83 nucleotides of the JEV genome as a minimal RNA template revealed that the NS5 protein specifically initiates RNA synthesis from an internal site, U81, at the two nucleotides upstream of the 3'-end of the template. CONCLUSION As a first step toward the understanding of the molecular mechanisms for JEV RNA replication and ultimately for the in vitro reconstitution of viral RNA replicase complex, we for the first time established an in vitro JEV RdRp assay system with a functional full-length recombinant JEV NS5 protein and characterized the mechanisms of RNA synthesis from nonviral and viral RNA templates. The full-length recombinant JEV NS5 will be useful for the elucidation of the structure-function relationship of this enzyme and for the development of anti-JEV agents.
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112
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Hughes AL, Piontkivska H, Foppa I. Rapid fixation of a distinctive sequence motif in the 3' noncoding region of the clade of West Nile virus invading North America. Gene 2007; 399:152-61. [PMID: 17587514 PMCID: PMC2268991 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2007.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2007] [Revised: 05/14/2007] [Accepted: 05/15/2007] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Phylogenetic analysis of complete genomes of West Nile virus (WNV) by a variety of methods supported the hypothesis that North American isolates of WNV constitute a monophyletic group, together with an isolate from Israel and one from Hungary. We used ancestral sequence reconstruction in order to obtain evidence for evolutionary changes that might be correlated with increased virulence in this clade (designated the N.A. clade). There was one amino acid change (I-->T at residue 356 of the NS3 protein) that occurred in the ancestor of the N.A. clade and remained conserved in all N.A. clade genomes analyzed. There were four changes in the upstream portion of the 3' noncoding region (the AT-enriched region) that occurred in the ancestor of the N.A. clade and remained conserved in all N.A. clade genomes analyzed, changes predicted to alter RNA secondary structure. The AT-enriched region showed a higher rate of substitution in the branch ancestral to the N.A. clade, relative to polymorphism, than did the remainder of the noncoding regions, synonymous sites in coding regions, or nonsynonymous sites in coding regions. The high rate of occurrence of fixed nucleotide substitutions in this region suggests that positive Darwinian selection may have acted on this portion of the 3'NCR and that these fixed changes, possibly in concert with the amino acid change in NS3, may underlie phenotypic effects associated with increased virulence in North American WNV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin L Hughes
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, United States.
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113
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Chambers TJ, Droll DA, Jiang X, Wold WSM, Nickells JA. JE Nakayama/JE SA14-14-2 virus structural region intertypic viruses: biological properties in the mouse model of neuroinvasive disease. Virology 2007; 366:51-61. [PMID: 17521693 PMCID: PMC2266982 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2007.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2007] [Revised: 02/04/2007] [Accepted: 04/07/2007] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
A molecular clone of Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus Nakayama strain was used to create intertypic viruses containing either the 5'-C-prM-E or the prM-E region of the attenuated JE SA14-14-2 virus in the JE Nakayama background. These two intertypic JE viruses, JE-X/5'CprME(S) and JE-X/prME(S), respectively, generally resembled the parental JE virus in cell culture properties. Similar to virus derived from the JE Nakayama molecular clone (JE-XJN), JE-X/prME(S) was highly neuroinvasive and neurovirulent for young adult mice, whereas JE-X/5'CprME(S) was attenuated for neuroinvasiveness and only partially attenuated for neurovirulence. Immunization of young mice with JE-X/5'CprME(S) virus elicited neutralizing antibodies against JE Nakayama virus and conferred protection against encephalitis following challenge with JE Nakayama virus. The sequence of the JE-X/5'CprME(S) virus differed from that of JE-X/prME(S) virus at two nucleotides in the 5' UTR, 3 amino acid positions in the capsid protein, 4 positions in the prM protein and 1 in the envelope protein. For JE-X/prME(S) virus, the 4 differences in prM and the single substitution in the envelope represented reversions to the sequence of JE Nakayama virus. Overall, this study reveals that molecular determinants associated with the prM-E region of the attenuated JE SA14-14-2 virus are insufficient by themselves to confer an attenuation phenotype upon JE Nakayama virus. This suggests a role for determinants in the 5' UTR and/or the capsid protein of the JE SA 14-14-2 virus genome in influencing the virulence properties of the JE Nakayama virus in the mouse model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J Chambers
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, St. Louis University School of Medicine, 1402 South Grand Ave. St. Louis, MO 63104, USA.
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114
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Romanova LI, Gmyl AP, Dzhivanian TI, Bakhmutov DV, Lukashev AN, Gmyl LV, Rumyantsev AA, Burenkova LA, Lashkevich VA, Karganova GG. Microevolution of tick-borne encephalitis virus in course of host alternation. Virology 2007; 362:75-84. [PMID: 17258260 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2006.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2006] [Revised: 09/26/2006] [Accepted: 12/09/2006] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Two tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus variants were studied: mouse brain-adapted strain EK-328 and its derivate adapted to Hyalomma marginatum ticks. The tick-adapted virus exhibited small-plaque phenotype and slower replication in PEK cells, higher yield in ticks, decreased neuroinvasiveness in mice, increased binding to heparin-sepharose. A total of 15 nucleotide substitutions distinguished genomes of these variants, six substitutions resulted in protein sequence alterations, and two were in 5'NTR. Two amino acid substitutions in E protein were responsible for the observed phenotypic differences. Data obtained during reverse passaging of the tick-adapted virus in vivo and in vitro suggest that TBE virus exists as a heterogeneous population that contains virus variants most adapted to reproduction in either ticks or mammals. Host switch results in a change in the ratio of these variants in the population. Plaque purification of the tick-adapted virus resulted in the prompt emergence of new mutants with different virulence for mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lidiya Iu Romanova
- M.P. Chumakov Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitides, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow Region 142782, Russia
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115
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Davis CT, Galbraith SE, Zhang S, Whiteman MC, Li L, Kinney RM, Barrett ADT. A combination of naturally occurring mutations in North American West Nile virus nonstructural protein genes and in the 3' untranslated region alters virus phenotype. J Virol 2007; 81:6111-6. [PMID: 17376926 PMCID: PMC1900292 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02387-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously reported mutations in North American West Nile viruses (WNVs) with a small-plaque (sp), temperature-sensitive (ts), and/or mouse-attenuated (att) phenotype. Using an infectious clone, site-directed mutations and 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) exchanges were introduced into the WNV NY99 genome. Characterization of mutants demonstrated that a combination of mutations involving the NS4B protein (E249G) together with either a mutation in the NS5 protein (A804V) or three mutations in the 3'UTR (A10596G, C10774U, A10799G) produced sp, ts, and/or att variants. These results suggested that the discovery of North American WNV-phenotypic variants is rare because of the apparent requirement of concurrent polygenic mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Todd Davis
- Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555, USA
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116
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Gritsun TS, Gould EA. Origin and evolution of 3'UTR of flaviviruses: long direct repeats as a basis for the formation of secondary structures and their significance for virus transmission. Adv Virus Res 2007; 69:203-48. [PMID: 17222695 DOI: 10.1016/s0065-3527(06)69005-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The 3' untranslated regions (3'UTRs) of flaviviruses are reviewed and analyzed in relation to short sequences conserved as direct repeats (DRs). Previously, alignments of the 3'UTRs have been constructed for three of the four recognized flavivirus groups, namely mosquito-borne, tick-borne, and nonclassified flaviviruses (MBFV, TBFV, and NCFV, respectively). This revealed (1) six long repeat sequences (LRSs) in the 3'UTR and open-reading frame (ORF) of the TBFV, (2) duplication of the 3'UTR of the NCFV by intramolecular recombination, and (3) the possibility of a common origin for all DRs within the MBFV. We have now extended this analysis and review it in the context of all previous published analyses. This has been achieved by constructing a robust alignment between all flaviviruses using the published DRs and secondary RNA structures as "anchors" to reveal additional homologies along the 3'UTR. This approach identified nucleotide regions within the MBFV, NKV (no-known vector viruses), and NCFV 3'UTRs that are homologous to different LRSs in the TBFV 3'UTR and ORF. The analysis revealed that some of the DRs and secondary RNA structures described individually within each flavivirus group share common evolutionary origins. The 3'UTR of flaviviruses, and possibly the ORF, therefore probably evolved through multiple duplication of an RNA domain, homologous to the LRS previously identified only in the TBFV. The short DRs in all virus groups appear to represent the evolutionary remnants of these domains rather than resulting from new duplications. The relevance of these flavivirus DRs to evolution, diversity, 3'UTR enhancer function, and virus transmission is reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- T S Gritsun
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Oxford, 0X1 3SR, United Kingdom
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117
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Komarova AV, Brocard M, Kean KM. The case for mRNA 5' and 3' end cross talk during translation in a eukaryotic cell. PROGRESS IN NUCLEIC ACID RESEARCH AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2007; 81:331-67. [PMID: 16891176 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6603(06)81009-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Anastassia V Komarova
- Unité Postulante Régulation de la Traduction Eucaryote et Virale, Institut Pasteur, CNRS URA 1966, 75724 Paris cedex 15, France
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118
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Romero TA, Tumban E, Jun J, Lott WB, Hanley KA. Secondary structure of dengue virus type 4 3' untranslated region: impact of deletion and substitution mutations. J Gen Virol 2006; 87:3291-3296. [PMID: 17030863 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.82182-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies have generated computer-based predictions of secondary structure of the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of Dengue virus (DEN); however, experimental verification of the formation of these structures in vitro is lacking. This study assessed the congruence of Mfold predictions of secondary structure of the core region of the DEN type 4 3' UTR with nuclease maps of this region. Maps and predictions were largely consistent. Maps supported the existence of previously predicted pseudoknots and identified putative regions of dynamic folding. Additionally, this study investigated previously identified conserved elements in the flavivirus 3' UTR that differ among viruses with different modes of transmission. Specific regions of mosquito-borne DEN type 4 were either deleted or replaced with homologous sequences from tick-borne Langat virus. All of these mutations caused substantial distortion of secondary structure, yet viruses carrying these mutations were viable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammy A Romero
- Molecular Biology Program, New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
| | - Ebenezer Tumban
- Molecular Biology Program, New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
| | - Jeongwon Jun
- Molecular Biology Program, New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
| | - William B Lott
- School of Life Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
| | - Kathryn A Hanley
- Department of Biology, New Mexico State University (NMSU), Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
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119
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Gritsun TS, Gould EA. The 3' untranslated region of tick-borne flaviviruses originated by the duplication of long repeat sequences within the open reading frame. Virology 2006; 354:217-23. [PMID: 17063566 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2006.03.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Comparative alignment of the 3'untranslated regions (3'UTRs) of tick-borne flaviviruses has previously revealed short direct repeat sequences about 25-70 nucleotides long [Gritsun, T.S., Venugopal, K., Zanotto, P.M., Mikhailov, M.V., Sall, A.A., Holmes, E.C., Polkinghorne, I., Frolova, T.V., Pogodina, V.V., Lashkevich, V.A., Gould, E.A., 1997. Complete sequence of two tick-borne flaviviruses isolated from Siberia and the UK: analysis and significance of the 5' and 3'-UTRs. Virus Res. 49 (1) 27-39; Wallner, G., Mandl, C.W., Kunz, C., Heinz, F.X., 1995. The flavivirus 3'-noncoding region: extensive size heterogeneity independent of evolutionary relationships among strains of tick-borne encephalitis virus. Virology, 213 (1) 169-178]. We now show that these short sequences appear to have originated from longer repeat sequences (LRSs) that are present both in the 3'UTR and the open reading frame of the genome. We propose that the 3'UTR, and possibly the open reading frame, evolved through multiple duplications, deletions and mutations of a primordial sequence element.
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Affiliation(s)
- T S Gritsun
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Mansfield Rd, Oxford 0X1 3SR, UK.
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120
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Hoshino K, Isawa H, Tsuda Y, Yano K, Sasaki T, Yuda M, Takasaki T, Kobayashi M, Sawabe K. Genetic characterization of a new insect flavivirus isolated from Culex pipiens mosquito in Japan. Virology 2006; 359:405-14. [PMID: 17070886 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2006.09.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2006] [Revised: 07/26/2006] [Accepted: 09/22/2006] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
We found a new flavivirus that is widespread in Culex pipiens and other Culex mosquitoes in Japan. The virus isolate, named Culex flavivirus (CxFV), multiplied only in mosquito cell lines producing a moderate cytopathic effect, but did not grow in mammalian cells. The CxFV genome is single-stranded RNA, 10,834 nt in length and containing a single open reading frame encoding a polyprotein of 3362 aa with 5' and 3' untranslated regions (UTRs) of 91 and 657 nt, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that CxFV is closely related to the insect flaviviruses associated with Aedes mosquitoes, Cell fusing agent (CFA) and Kamiti River virus (KRV). The 3' UTR of CxFV contains four tandem repeats, which have sequence similarities to the two direct repeats in the CFA and KRV 3' UTRs. These results suggest that CxFV may be a new group of insect flaviviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keita Hoshino
- Department of Medical Entomology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
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121
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Direct repeats in the flavivirus 3' untranslated region; a strategy for survival in the environment? Virology 2006; 358:258-65. [PMID: 17067651 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2006.09.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2006] [Revised: 09/07/2006] [Accepted: 09/12/2006] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Previously, direct repeats (DRs) of 20-70 nucleotides were identified in the 3' untranslated regions (3'UTR) of flavivirus sequences. To address their functional significance, we have manually generated a pan-flavivirus 3'UTR alignment and correlated it with the corresponding predicted RNA secondary structures. This approach revealed that intra-group-conserved DRs evolved from six long repeated sequences (LRSs) which, as approximately 200-nucleotide domains were preserved only in the genomes of the slowly evolving tick-borne flaviviruses. We propose that short DRs represent the evolutionary remnants of LRSs rather than distinct molecular duplications. The relevance of DRs to virus replication enhancer function, and thus survival, is discussed.
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122
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Gritsun TS, Gould EA. The 3' untranslated regions of Kamiti River virus and Cell fusing agent virus originated by self-duplication. J Gen Virol 2006; 87:2615-2619. [PMID: 16894200 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.81950-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Previously, it was shown that the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of Kamiti River virus (KRV) is nearly twice as long as the 3'UTR of other flaviviruses (1208 nucleotides compared with 730 nucleotides for the longest 3'UTR of any virus in the Tick-borne encephalitis virus species). Additionally, KRV and the closely related Cell fusing agent virus (CFAV) were shown to contain two short, almost perfect repeat sequences of 67 nucleotides. However, the construction of a robust comparative nucleotide alignment has now revealed that the double-length 3'UTR and the direct repeats resulted from the virtually complete duplication of a primordial KRV 3'UTR. We also propose that the CFAV 3'UTR was derived from a KRV-like precursor sequence with a large deletion that nevertheless preserved the two direct repeat sequences. These data provide new insights into the evolution of the flavivirus 3'UTR.
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Affiliation(s)
- T S Gritsun
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SR, UK
| | - E A Gould
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3SR, UK
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123
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Pijlman GP, Kondratieva N, Khromykh AA. Translation of the flavivirus kunjin NS3 gene in cis but not its RNA sequence or secondary structure is essential for efficient RNA packaging. J Virol 2006; 80:11255-64. [PMID: 16971441 PMCID: PMC1642170 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01559-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Our previous studies using trans-complementation analysis of Kunjin virus (KUN) full-length cDNA clones harboring in-frame deletions in the NS3 gene demonstrated the inability of these defective complemented RNAs to be packaged into virus particles (W. J. Liu, P. L. Sedlak, N. Kondratieva, and A. A. Khromykh, J. Virol. 76:10766-10775). In this study we aimed to establish whether this requirement for NS3 in RNA packaging is determined by the secondary RNA structure of the NS3 gene or by the essential role of the translated NS3 gene product. Multiple silent mutations of three computer-predicted stable RNA structures in the NS3 coding region of KUN replicon RNA aimed at disrupting RNA secondary structure without affecting amino acid sequence did not affect RNA replication and packaging into virus-like particles in the packaging cell line, thus demonstrating that the predicted conserved RNA structures in the NS3 gene do not play a role in RNA replication and/or packaging. In contrast, double frameshift mutations in the NS3 coding region of full-length KUN RNA, producing scrambled NS3 protein but retaining secondary RNA structure, resulted in the loss of ability of these defective RNAs to be packaged into virus particles in complementation experiments in KUN replicon-expressing cells. Furthermore, the more robust complementation-packaging system based on established stable cell lines producing large amounts of complemented replicating NS3-deficient replicon RNAs and infection with KUN virus to provide structural proteins also failed to detect any secreted virus-like particles containing packaged NS3-deficient replicon RNAs. These results have now firmly established the requirement of KUN NS3 protein translated in cis for genome packaging into virus particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gorben P Pijlman
- School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, University of Queensland, MBS Bldg. 76, Cooper Rd., St. Lucia, 4072 QLD, Australia
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124
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Gritsun TS, Gould EA. The 3' untranslated region of tick-borne flaviviruses originated by the duplication of long repeat sequences within the open reading frame. Virology 2006; 350:269-75. [PMID: 16730048 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2006.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2006] [Revised: 03/01/2006] [Accepted: 03/02/2006] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Comparative alignment of the 3'untranslated regions (3'UTRs) of tick-borne flaviviruses has previously revealed short direct repeat sequences about 25-70 nucleotides long [Gritsun, T.S., Venugopal, K., Zanotto, P.M., Mikhailov, M.V., Sall, A.A., Holmes, E.C., Polkinghorne, I., Frolova, T.V., Pogodina, V.V., Lashkevich, V.A., Gould, E.A., 1997. Complete sequence of two tick-borne flaviviruses isolated from Siberia and the UK: analysis and significance of the 5' and 3'-UTRs. Virus Res. 49 (1) 27-39; Wallner, G., Mandl, C.W., Kunz, C., Heinz, F.X., 1995. The flavivirus 3'-noncoding region: extensive size heterogeneity independent of evolutionary relationships among strains of tick-borne encephalitis virus. Virology, 213 (1) 169-178]. We now show that these short sequences appear to have originated from longer repeat sequences (LRSs) that are present both in the 3'UTR and the open reading frame of the genome. We propose that the 3'UTR, and possibly the open reading frame, evolved through multiple duplications, deletions and mutations of a primordial sequence element.
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Affiliation(s)
- T S Gritsun
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Mansfield Rd, Oxford 0X1 3SR, UK.
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125
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Kofler RM, Hoenninger VM, Thurner C, Mandl CW. Functional analysis of the tick-borne encephalitis virus cyclization elements indicates major differences between mosquito-borne and tick-borne flaviviruses. J Virol 2006; 80:4099-113. [PMID: 16571826 PMCID: PMC1440478 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.80.8.4099-4113.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The linear, positive-stranded RNA genome of flaviviruses is thought to adopt a circularized conformation via interactions of short complementary sequence elements located within its terminal regions. This process of RNA cyclization is a crucial precondition for RNA replication. In the case of mosquito-borne flaviviruses, highly conserved cyclization sequences (CS) have been identified, and their functionality has been experimentally confirmed. Here, we provide an experimental identification of CS elements of tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV). These elements, termed 5'-CS-A and 3'-CS-A, are conserved among various tick-borne flaviviruses, but they are unrelated to the mosquito-borne CS elements and are located at different genomic positions. The 5'-CS-A element is situated upstream rather than downstream of the AUG start codon and, in contrast to mosquito-borne flaviviruses, it was found that the entire protein C coding region is not essential for TBEV replication. The complementary 3'-CS-A element is located within the bottom stem rather than upstream of the characteristic 3'-terminal stem-loop structure, implying that this part of the proposed structure cannot be formed when the genome is in its circularized conformation. Finally, we demonstrate that the CS-A elements can also mediate their function when the 5'-CS-A element is moved from its natural position to one corresponding to the mosquito-borne CS. The recognition of essential RNA elements and their differences between mosquito-borne and tick-borne flaviviruses has practical implications for the design of replicons in vaccine and vector development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Regina M Kofler
- Clinical Institute of Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1095 Vienna, Austria
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126
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Edgil D, Polacek C, Harris E. Dengue virus utilizes a novel strategy for translation initiation when cap-dependent translation is inhibited. J Virol 2006; 80:2976-86. [PMID: 16501107 PMCID: PMC1395423 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.80.6.2976-2986.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses have developed numerous mechanisms to usurp the host cell translation apparatus. Dengue virus (DEN) and other flaviviruses, such as West Nile and yellow fever viruses, contain a 5' m7GpppN-capped positive-sense RNA genome with a nonpolyadenylated 3' untranslated region (UTR) that has been presumed to undergo translation in a cap-dependent manner. However, the means by which the DEN genome is translated effectively in the presence of capped, polyadenylated cellular mRNAs is unknown. This report demonstrates that DEN replication and translation are not affected under conditions that inhibit cap-dependent translation by targeting the cap-binding protein eukaryotic initiation factor 4E, a key regulator of cellular translation. We further show that under cellular conditions in which translation factors are limiting, DEN can alternate between canonical cap-dependent translation initiation and a noncanonical mechanism that appears not to require a functional m7G cap. This DEN noncanonical translation is not mediated by an internal ribosome entry site but requires the interaction of the DEN 5' and 3' UTRs for activity, suggesting a novel strategy for translation of animal viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dianna Edgil
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, 140 Warren Hall, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-7360, USA
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127
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Nukui Y, Tajima S, Kotaki A, Ito M, Takasaki T, Koike K, Kurane I. Novel dengue virus type 1 from travelers to Yap State, Micronesia. Emerg Infect Dis 2006; 12:343-6. [PMID: 16494770 PMCID: PMC3373118 DOI: 10.3201/eid1202.050733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Dengue virus type 1 (DENV-1), which was responsible for the dengue fever outbreak in Yap State, Micronesia, in 2004, was isolated from serum samples of 4 dengue patients in Japan. Genome sequencing demonstrated that this virus belonged to genotype IV and had a 29-nucleotide deletion in the 3´ noncoding region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Nukui
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
- University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Akira Kotaki
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mikako Ito
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | | | - Ichiro Kurane
- National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan
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128
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Choi YJ, Yun SI, Kang SY, Lee YM. Identification of 5' and 3' cis-acting elements of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus: acquisition of novel 5' AU-rich sequences restored replication of a 5'-proximal 7-nucleotide deletion mutant. J Virol 2006; 80:723-36. [PMID: 16378975 PMCID: PMC1346850 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.80.2.723-736.2006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We here demonstrate the successful engineering of the RNA genome of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) by using an infectious cDNA as a bacterial artificial chromosome. Runoff transcription from this cDNA by SP6 polymerase resulted in capped synthetic RNAs bearing authentic 5' and 3' ends of the viral genome that had specific infectivities of >5 x 10(5) PFU/microg of RNA. The synthetic viruses recovered from the transfected cells were genotypically and phenotypically indistinguishable from the parental virus. Using our system, a series of genomic RNAs with nucleotide deletions in their 5' ends produced viruses with decreased or no infectivity. Various pseudorevertants were isolated, and acquisition of novel 5' sequences of various sizes, composed predominantly of A and U bases, restored their infectivities, providing a novel insight into functional elements of the 5' end of the PRRSV genome. In addition, our system was further engineered to generate a panel of self-replicating, self-limiting, luciferase-expressing PRRSV viral replicons bearing various deletions. Analysis of these replicons revealed the presence and location of a 3' cis-acting element in the genome that was required for replication. Moreover, we produced enhanced green fluorescent protein-expressing infectious viruses, which indicates that the PRRSV cDNA/viral replicon/recombinant virus can be developed as a vector for the expression of a variety of heterologous genes. Thus, our PRRSV reverse genetics system not only offers a means of directly investigating the molecular mechanisms of PRRSV replication and pathogenesis but also can be used to generate new heterologous gene expression vectors and genetically defined antiviral vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Jeong Choi
- Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine and Medical Research Institute, Chungbuk National University, 12 Gaeshin-Dong, Heungduk-Ku, Cheongju, Korea
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129
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Mackenzie JS, Williams DT, Smith DW. Japanese Encephalitis Virus: The Geographic Distribution, Incidence, and Spread of a Virus with a Propensity to Emerge in New Areas. PERSPECTIVES IN MEDICAL VIROLOGY 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/s0168-7069(06)16010-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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130
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Holden KL, Stein DA, Pierson TC, Ahmed AA, Clyde K, Iversen PL, Harris E. Inhibition of dengue virus translation and RNA synthesis by a morpholino oligomer targeted to the top of the terminal 3' stem-loop structure. Virology 2005; 344:439-52. [PMID: 16214197 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2005.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2005] [Revised: 06/18/2005] [Accepted: 08/24/2005] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Dengue virus (DEN) is a major public health problem worldwide and causes a spectrum of diseases, for which no antiviral treatments exist. Peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (P-PMOs) complementary to the DEN 5' stem-loop (5'SL) and to the DEN 3' cyclization sequence (3'CS) inhibit DEN replication, presumably by blocking critical RNA-RNA or RNA-protein interactions involved in viral translation and/or RNA synthesis. Here, a third P-PMO, complementary to the top of the 3' stem-loop (3'SLT), inhibited DEN replication in BHK cells. Using a novel DEN2 reporter replicon and a DEN2 reporter mRNA, we determined that the 5'SL P-PMO inhibited viral translation, the 3'CS P-PMO blocked viral RNA synthesis but not viral translation, and the 3'SLT P-PMO inhibited both viral translation and RNA synthesis. These results show that the 3'CS and the 3'SL domains regulate DEN translation and RNA synthesis and further demonstrate that P-PMOs are potentially useful as antiviral agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Lynn Holden
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, 140 Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, USA
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131
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Abstract
Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is an important human pathogen that causes severe neurological illness in large areas of Europe and Asia. The neuropathogenesis of this disease agent is determined by its capacity to enter the central nervous system (CNS) after peripheral inoculation ("neuroinvasiveness") and its ability to replicate and cause damage within the CNS ("neurovirulence"). TBEV is a small, enveloped flavivirus with an unsegmented, positive-stranded RNA genome. Mutations affecting various steps of its natural replication cycle were shown to influence its neuropathogenic properties. This review describes experimental approaches and summarizes results on molecular determinants of neurovirulence and neuroinvasiveness that have been identified for this virus. It focuses on molecular mechanisms of three particular steps of the viral life cycle that have been studied in some detail for TBEV and two closely related tick-borne flaviviruses (Louping ill virus (LIV) and Langat virus (LGTV)), namely (i) the envelope protein E and its role in viral attachment to the cell surface, (ii) the 3'-noncoding region of the genome and its importance for viral RNA replication, and (iii) the capsid protein C and its role in the assembly process of infectious virus particles. Mutations affecting each of these three molecular targets significantly influence neuropathogenesis of TBEV, particularly its neuroinvasiveness. The understanding of molecular determinants of TBEV neuropathogenesis is relevant for vaccine development, also against other flaviviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian W Mandl
- Institute of Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1095 Vienna, Austria.
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132
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Alvarez DE, Lodeiro MF, Ludueña SJ, Pietrasanta LI, Gamarnik AV. Long-range RNA-RNA interactions circularize the dengue virus genome. J Virol 2005; 79:6631-43. [PMID: 15890901 PMCID: PMC1112138 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.79.11.6631-6643.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 278] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Secondary and tertiary RNA structures present in viral RNA genomes play essential regulatory roles during translation, RNA replication, and assembly of new viral particles. In the case of flaviviruses, RNA-RNA interactions between the 5' and 3' ends of the genome have been proposed to be required for RNA replication. We found that two RNA elements present at the ends of the dengue virus genome interact in vitro with high affinity. Visualization of individual molecules by atomic force microscopy revealed that physical interaction between these RNA elements results in cyclization of the viral RNA. Using RNA binding assays, we found that the putative cyclization sequences, known as 5' and 3' CS, present in all mosquito-borne flaviviruses, were necessary but not sufficient for RNA-RNA interaction. Additional sequences present at the 5' and 3' untranslated regions of the viral RNA were also required for RNA-RNA complex formation. We named these sequences 5' and 3' UAR (upstream AUG region). In order to investigate the functional role of 5'-3' UAR complementarity, these sequences were mutated either separately, to destroy base pairing, or simultaneously, to restore complementarity in the context of full-length dengue virus RNA. Nonviable viruses were recovered after transfection of dengue virus RNA carrying mutations either at the 5' or 3' UAR, while the RNA containing the compensatory mutations was able to replicate. Since sequence complementarity between the ends of the genome is required for dengue virus viability, we propose that cyclization of the RNA is a required conformation for viral replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego E Alvarez
- Fundación Instituto Leloir, Avenida Patricias Argentinas 435, Buenos Aires 1405, Argentina
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133
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Kinney RM, Huang CYH, Rose BC, Kroeker AD, Dreher TW, Iversen PL, Stein DA. Inhibition of dengue virus serotypes 1 to 4 in vero cell cultures with morpholino oligomers. J Virol 2005; 79:5116-28. [PMID: 15795296 PMCID: PMC1069583 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.79.8.5116-5128.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Five dengue (DEN) virus-specific R5F2R4 peptide-conjugated phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (P4-PMOs) were evaluated for their ability to inhibit replication of DEN virus serotype 2 (DEN-2 virus) in mammalian cell culture. Initial growth curves of DEN-2 virus 16681 were obtained in Vero cells incubated with 20 microM P4-PMO compounds. At 6 days after infection, a P4-PMO targeting the 3'-terminal nucleotides of the DEN-2 virus genome and a random-sequence P4-PMO showed relatively little suppression of DEN-2 virus titer (0.1 and 0.9 log10, respectively). P4-PMOs targeting the AUG translation start site region of the single open reading frame and the 5' cyclization sequence region had moderate activity, generating 1.6- and 1.8-log10 reductions. Two P4-PMO compounds, 5'SL and 3'CS (targeting the 5'-terminal nucleotides and the 3' cyclization sequence region, respectively), were highly efficacious, each reducing the viral titer by greater than 5.7 log10 compared to controls at 6 days after infection with DEN-2 virus. Further experiments showed that 5'SL and 3'CS inhibited DEN-2 virus replication in a dose-dependent and sequence-specific manner. Treatment with 10 microM 3'CS reduced the titers of all four DEN virus serotypes, i.e., DEN-1 (strain 16007), DEN-2 (16681), DEN-3 (16562), and DEN-4 (1036) viruses by over 4 log10, in most cases to below detectable limits. The extent of 3'CS efficacy was affected by the timing of compound application in relation to viral infection of the cells. The 5'SL and 3'CS P4-PMOs did not suppress the replication of West Nile virus NY99 in Vero cells. These data indicate that further evaluation of the 5'SL and 3'CS compounds as potential DEN virus therapeutics is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard M Kinney
- Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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Elghonemy S, Davis WG, Brinton MA. The majority of the nucleotides in the top loop of the genomic 3' terminal stem loop structure are cis-acting in a West Nile virus infectious clone. Virology 2005; 331:238-46. [PMID: 15629768 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2004.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2004] [Revised: 09/07/2004] [Accepted: 11/10/2004] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The flavivirus genome RNA terminates with a conserved 3' stem loop (SL) structure that was shown to be essential for virus replication. A stretch of conserved nts is located in the top loop (TL) of this structure. Mutation of the TL nts (5' ACAGUGC 3') in a WNV infectious clone indicated that 3 of the 7 TL nts (5' ACAGUGC 3') are critical for virus replication. Mutation of 3 of the other nts reduced the efficiency of virus replication. The four 5' TL nts are conserved in both mosquito- and tick-borne flavivirus genomes, while the TL 3' C is conserved in mosquito-borne viruses. The conservation of two or three G-C base pairs in the TL flanking sequences suggests that a stable stem is necessary for precise presentation of the TL sequence. The TL may participate in RNA as well as protein interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salwa Elghonemy
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, PO Box 4010, Atlanta, GA 30302-4010, USA
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135
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Friebe P, Boudet J, Simorre JP, Bartenschlager R. Kissing-loop interaction in the 3' end of the hepatitis C virus genome essential for RNA replication. J Virol 2005; 79:380-92. [PMID: 15596831 PMCID: PMC538730 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.79.1.380-392.2005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 302] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a positive-strand RNA virus belonging to the Flaviviridae. Its genome carries at either end highly conserved nontranslated regions (NTRs) containing cis-acting RNA elements that are crucial for replication. In this study, we identified a novel RNA element within the NS5B coding sequence that is indispensable for replication. By using secondary structure prediction and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we found that this RNA element, designated 5BSL3.2 by analogy to a recent report (S. You, D. D. Stump, A. D. Branch, and C. M. Rice, J. Virol. 78:1352-1366, 2004), consists of an 8-bp lower and a 6-bp upper stem, an 8-nucleotide-long bulge, and a 12-nucleotide-long upper loop. Mutational disruption of 5BSL3.2 structure blocked RNA replication, which could be restored when an intact copy of this RNA element was inserted into the 3' NTR. By using this replicon design, we mapped the elements in 5BSL3.2 that are critical for RNA replication. Most importantly, we discovered a nucleotide sequence complementarity between the upper loop of this RNA element and the loop region of stem-loop 2 in the 3' NTR. Mismatches introduced into the loops inhibited RNA replication, which could be rescued when complementarity was restored. These data provide strong evidence for a pseudoknot structure at the 3' end of the HCV genome that is essential for replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Friebe
- Department of Molecular Virology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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136
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Bartenschlager R, Frese M, Pietschmann T. Novel insights into hepatitis C virus replication and persistence. Adv Virus Res 2005; 63:71-180. [PMID: 15530561 DOI: 10.1016/s0065-3527(04)63002-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small enveloped RNA virus that belongs to the family Flaviviridae. A hallmark of HCV is its high propensity to establish a persistent infection that in many cases leads to chronic liver disease. Molecular studies of the virus became possible with the first successful cloning of its genome in 1989. Since then, the genomic organization has been delineated, and viral proteins have been studied in some detail. In 1999, an efficient cell culture system became available that recapitulates the intracellular part of the HCV life cycle, thereby allowing detailed molecular studies of various aspects of viral RNA replication and persistence. This chapter attempts to summarize the current state of knowledge in these most actively worked on fields of HCV research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ralf Bartenschlager
- Department of Molecular Virology, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 345, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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