Cloning of herpesviral genomes as bacterial artificial chromosomes

Cell type dependent stability and virulence of a recombinant SARS-CoV-2, and engineering of a propagation deficient RNA replicon to analyze virus RNA synthesis

Engineering of reverse genetics systems for newly emerged viruses allows viral genome manipulation, being an essential tool for the study of virus life cycle, virus-host interactions and pathogenesis, as well as for the development of effective antiviral strategies. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emergent human coronavirus that has caused the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The engineering of a full-length infectious cDNA clone and a fluorescent replicon of SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-Hu-1, using a bacterial artificial chromosome, is reported. Viral growth and genetic stability in eleven cell lines were analyzed, showing that both VeroE6 cells overexpressing transmembrane serin protease 2 (TMPRSS2) and human lung derived cells resulted in the optimization of a cell system to preserve SARS-CoV-2 genetic stability. The recombinant SARS-CoV-2 virus and a point mutant expressing the D614G spike protein variant were virulent in a mouse model. The RNA replicon was propagation-defective, allowing its use in BSL-2 conditions to analyze viral RNA synthesis. The SARS-CoV-2 reverse genetics systems developed constitute a useful tool for studying the molecular biology of the virus, the development of genetically defined vaccines and to establish systems for antiviral compounds screening.

Reverse genetic systems of SARS-CoV-2 for antiviral research

Reverse genetic systems are widely used to engineer recombinant viruses with desired mutations. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, four types of reverse genetic systems have been developed for SARS-CoV-2: (i) a full-length infectious clone that can be used to prepare recombinant SARS-CoV-2 at biosafety level 3 (BSL3), (ii) a trans-complementation system that can be used to produce single-round infectious SARS-CoV-2 at BSL2, (iii) an attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate (with deletions of viral accessory genes) that may be developed for veterinary use as well as for antiviral screening at BSL2, and (iv) replicon systems with deletions of viral structural genes that can be used at BSL2. Each of these genetic systems has its advantages and disadvantages that can be used to address different questions for basic and translational research. Due to the long genomic size and bacteria-toxic sequences of SARS-CoV-2, several experimental approaches have been established to rescue recombinant viruses and replicons, including (i) in vitro DNA ligation, (ii) bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) system, (iii) yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) system, and (iv) circular polymerase extension reaction (CPER). This review summarizes the current status of SARS-CoV-2 genetic systems and their applications for studying viral replication, pathogenesis, vaccines, and therapeutics.

Molecular Analyses of Clinical Isolates and Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Carrying B.1 and B.1.617.2 Spike Mutations Suggest a Potential Role of Non-Spike Mutations in Infection Kinetics

Some of the emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants are less susceptible to neutralization with post-vaccine sera and monoclonal antibodies targeting the viral spike glycoprotein. This raises concerns of disease control, transmissibility, and severity. Numerous substitutions have been identified to increase viral fitness within the nucleocapsid and nonstructural proteins, in addition to spike mutations. Therefore, we sought to generate infectious viruses carrying only the variant-specific spike mutations in an identical backbone to evaluate the impact of spike and non-spike mutations in the virus life cycle. We used en passant mutagenesis to generate recombinant viruses carrying spike mutations of B.1 and B.1.617.2 variants using SARS-CoV-2- bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC). Neutralization assays using clinical sera yielded comparable results between recombinant viruses and corresponding clinical isolates. Non-spike mutations for both variants neither seemed to effect neutralization efficiencies with monoclonal antibodies nor the response to treatment with inhibitors. However, live-cell imaging and microscopy revealed differences, such as persisting syncytia and pronounced cytopathic effect formation, as well as their progression between BAC-derived viruses and clinical isolates in human lung epithelial cell lines and primary bronchial epithelial cells. Complementary RNA analyses further suggested a potential role of non-spike mutations in infection kinetics.

Construction of a Novel Infectious Clone of Recombinant Herpesvirus of Turkey Fc-126 Expressing VP2 of IBDV

The increased virulence of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) is a threat to the chicken industry. The construction of novel herpesvirus of turkey-vectored (HVT) vaccines expressing VP2 of virulent IBDV may be a promising vaccine candidate for controlling this serious disease in chickens. We generated a novel infectious clone of HVT Fc-126 by inserting mini-F sequences in lieu of the glycoprotein C (gC) gene. Based on this bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC), a VP2 expression cassette containing the pMCMV IE promoter and a VP2 sequence from the virulent IBDV NJ09 strain was inserted into the noncoding area between the UL55 and UL56 genes to generate the HVT vector VP2 recombinant, named HVT-VP2-09. The recovered vectored mutant HVT-VP2-09 exhibited higher titers (p = 0.0202 at 36 h) or similar growth kinetics to the parental virus HVT Fc-126 (p = 0.1181 at 48 h and p = 0.1296 at 64 h). The high reactivation ability and strong expression of VP2 by HVT-VP2-09 in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) were confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence (IFA) and Western blotting. The AGP antibodies against IBDV were detected beginning at 3 weeks post-inoculation (P.I.) of HVT-VP2-09 in 1-day-old SPF chickens. Seven of ten chickens immunized with HVT-VP2-09 were protected post-challenge (P.C.) with the virulent IBDV NJ09 strain. In contrast, all chickens in the challenge control group showed typical IBD lesions in bursals, and eight of ten died P.C. In this study, we demonstrated that (i) a novel HVT BAC with the whole genome of the Fc-126 strain was obtained with the insertion of mini-F sequences in lieu of the gC gene; (ii) HVT-VP2-09 harboring the VP2 expression cassette from virulent IBDV exhibited in vitro growth properties similar to those of the parental HVT virus in CEF cells; and (iii) HVT-VP2-09 can provide efficient protection against the IBDV NJ09 strain.

A gD&gC-substituted pseudorabies virus vaccine strain provides complete clinical protection and is helpful to prevent virus shedding against challenge by a Chinese pseudorabies variant

Background

Since 2011, pseudorabies caused by a variant PRV has re-emerged in many Chinese Bartha-K61-vaccinated pig farms. An efficacious vaccine is necessary to control this disease. We described the construction of a gD&gC-substituted pseudorabies virus (PRV B-gD&gC^S) from the Bartha-K61 (as backbone) and AH02LA strain (as template for gD and gC genes) through bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) technology using homologous recombination. The growth kinetics of PRV B-gD&gC^S was compared with Bartha-K61. Its safety was evaluated in 28-day-old piglets. Protection efficacy was tested in piglets by lethal challenge with AH02LA at 7 days post vaccination, including body temperature, clinical symptoms, virus shedding, mortality rate, and lung lesions.

Results

The results showed that a BAC clone of Bartha-K61 and a B-gD&gC^S clone were successfully generated. The growth kinetics of PRV B-gD&gC^S strain on ST (Swine testicular) cells was similar to that of the Bartha-K61 strain. No piglets inoculated intramuscularly with PRV B-gD&gC^S strain exhibited any clinical symptoms or virus shedding. After AH02LA challenge, all piglets in PRV B-gD&gC^S and Bartha-K61 groups (n = 5 each) survived without exhibiting any clinical symptoms and high body temperature. More importantly, PRV B-gD&gC^S strain completely prevented virus shedding in 2 piglets and reduced virus shedding post challenge in the other 3 piglets as compared with Bartha-K61 group.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that PRV B-gD&gC^S strain is a promising vaccine candidate for the effective control of current severe epidemic pseudorabies in China.

Rapid and efficient in vitro excision of BAC sequences from herpesvirus genomes using Cre-mediated recombination

Cre-mediated recombination is a widely used technique for the re-arrangement of DNA sequences that are bracketed by loxP recognition sites. This bacteriophage P1 enzyme is commonly used to excise the bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) sequence, a vector sequence used for large herpesvirus genomes for the purposes of propagation and manipulation in Escherichia coli. Most methods utilize cell lines that can be induced for the expression of Cre enzyme to facilitate this excision. In addition, methods have been developed that express Cre from the virus genome and enable auto-excision of the BAC plasmid. We report a versatile and rapid in vitro method based on purified Cre enzyme to carry out the same process in a test tube and does not require cell line generation or cloning into the virus genome. This method greatly increases the repertoire of methods available to modify the genome prior to reconstitution of virus infectivity in a mammalian host.

Highly Efficient CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Homologous Recombination Promotes the Rapid Generation of Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes of Pseudorabies Virus

Bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) are powerful tools for the manipulation of the large genomes of DNA viruses, such as herpesviruses. However, the methods currently used to construct the recombinant viruses, an important intermediate link in the generation of BACs, involve the laborious process of multiple plaque purifications. Moreover, some fastidious viruses may be lost or damaged during these processes, making it impossible to generate BACs from these large-genome DNA viruses. Here, we introduce the CRISPR/Cas9 as a site-specific gene knock-in instrument that promotes the homologs recombination of a linearized transfer vector and the Pseudorabies virus genome through double incisions. The efficiency of recombination is as high as 86%. To our knowledge, this is the highest efficiency ever reported for Pseudorabies virus recombination. We also demonstrate that the positions and distances of the CRISPR/Cas9 single guide RNAs from the homology arms correlate with the efficiency of homologous recombination. Our work show a simple and fast cloning method of BACs with large genome inserted by greatly enhancing the HR efficiencies through CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homology-directed repair mechanism, and this method could be of helpful for manipulating large DNA viruses, and will provide a successful model for insertion of large DNA fragments into other viruses.

Recombinant herpes simplex virus type 1 strains with targeted mutations relevant for aciclovir susceptibility

Here, we describe a novel reliable method to assess the significance of individual mutations within the thymidine kinase (TK) gene of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) to nucleoside analogue resistance. Eleven defined single nucleotide polymorphisms that occur in the TK gene of clinical HSV-1 isolates and a fluorescence reporter were introduced into the HSV-1 strain 17⁺ that had been cloned into a bacterial artificial chromosome. The susceptibility of these different strains to aciclovir, penciclovir, brivudin, and foscarnet was determined with a modified cytopathic effect reduction assay. The strains were also tested for their aciclovir susceptibility by measuring the relative fluorescence intensity as an indicator for HSV-1 replication and by quantifying the virus yield. Our data indicate that the amino acid substitutions R41H, R106H, A118V, L139V, K219T, S276R, L298R, S345P, and V348I represent natural polymorphisms of the TK protein, whereas G61A and P84L mediate broad cross-resistance against aciclovir, penciclovir, brivudin, and susceptibility to foscarnet. This method allows the definition of the resistance genotype of otherwise unclear mutations in the TK gene of HSV-1. Thus, it provides a scientific basis for antiviral testing in clinical isolates of patients suffering from serious diseases and will facilitate testing of new antivirals against HSV-1.

Construction of a recombinant duck enteritis virus (DEV) expressing hemagglutinin of H5N1 avian influenza virus based on an infectious clone of DEV vaccine strain and evaluation of its efficacy in ducks and chickens

Background

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (AIV) subtype H5N1 remains a threat to poultry. Duck enteritis virus (DEV)-vectored vaccines expressing AIV H5N1 hemagglutinin (HA) may be viable AIV and DEV vaccine candidates.

Methods

To facilitate the generation and further improvement of DEV-vectored HA(H5) vaccines, we first constructed an infectious clone of DEV Chinese vaccine strain C-KCE (DEV^C-KCE). Then, we generated a DEV-vectored HA(H5) vaccine (DEV-H5(UL55)) based on the bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) by inserting a synthesized HA(H5) expression cassette with a pMCMV IE promoter and a consensus HA sequence into the noncoding area between UL55 and LORF11. The immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the resulting recombinant vaccine against DEV and AIV H5N1 were evaluated in both ducks and chickens.

Results

The successful construction of DEV BAC and DEV-H5(UL55) was verified by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Recovered virus from the BAC or mutants showed similar growth kinetics to their parental viruses. The robust expression of HA in chicken embryo fibroblasts infected with the DEV-vectored vaccine was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence and western blotting analyses. A single dose of 10⁶ TCID₅₀ DEV-vectored vaccine provided 100 % protection against duck viral enteritis in ducks, and the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titer of AIV H5N1 with a peak of 8.2 log₂ was detected in 3-week-old layer chickens. In contrast, only very weak HI titers were observed in ducks immunized with 10⁷ TCID₅₀ DEV-vectored vaccine. A mortality rate of 60 % (6/10) was observed in 1-week-old specific pathogen free chickens inoculated with 10⁶ TCID₅₀ DEV-vectored vaccine.

Conclusions

We demonstrate the following in this study. (i) The constructed BAC is a whole genome clone of DEV^C-KCE. (ii) The insertion of an HA expression cassette sequence into the noncoding area between UL55 and LORF11 of DEV^C-KCE affects neither the growth kinetics of the virus nor its protection against DEV. (iii) DEV-H5(UL55) can generate a strong humoral immune response in 3-week-old chickens, despite the virulence of this virus observed in 1-week-old chickens. (iv) DEV-H5(UL55) induces a weak HI titer in ducks. An increase in the HI titers induced by DEV-vectored HA(H5) will be required prior to its wide application.

Fungal artificial chromosomes for mining of the fungal secondary metabolome

Background

With thousands of fungal genomes being sequenced, each genome containing up to 70 secondary metabolite (SM) clusters 30–80 kb in size, breakthrough techniques are needed to characterize this SM wealth.

Results

Here we describe a novel system-level methodology for unbiased cloning of intact large SM clusters from a single fungal genome for one-step transformation and expression in a model host. All 56 intact SM clusters from Aspergillus terreus were individually captured in self-replicating fungal artificial chromosomes (FACs) containing both the E. coli F replicon and an Aspergillus autonomously replicating sequence (AMA1). Candidate FACs were successfully shuttled between E. coli and the heterologous expression host A. nidulans. As proof-of-concept, an A. nidulans FAC strain was characterized in a novel liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) and data analysis pipeline, leading to the discovery of the A. terreus astechrome biosynthetic machinery.

Conclusion

The method we present can be used to capture the entire set of intact SM gene clusters and/or pathways from fungal species for heterologous expression in A. nidulans and natural product discovery.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1561-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Infectious delivery of alphaherpesvirus bacterial artificial chromosomes

Bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) can accommodate and stably propagate the genomes of large DNA viruses in E. coli. As DNA virus genomes are often per se infectious upon transfection into mammalian cells, their cloning in BACs and easy modification by homologous recombination in bacteria has become an important strategy to investigate the functions of individual virus genes. This chapter describes a strategy to clone the genomes of viruses of the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily within the family of the Herpesviridae, which is a group of large DNA viruses that can establish both lytic and latent infections in most animal species including humans. The cloning strategy includes the following steps: (1) Construction of a transfer plasmid that contains the BAC backbone with selection and screening markers, and targeting sequences which support homologous recombination between the transfer plasmid and the alphaherpesvirus genome. (2) Introduction of the transfer plasmid sequences into the alphaherpesvirus genome via homologous recombination in mammalian cells. (3) Isolation of recombinant virus genomes containing the BAC backbone sequences from infected mammalian cells and electroporation into E. coli. (4) Preparation of infectious BAC DNA from bacterial cultures and transfection into mammalian cells. (5) Isolation and characterization of progeny virus.

Reprint of: Coronavirus reverse genetic systems: infectious clones and replicons

Coronaviruses (CoVs) infect humans and many animal species, and are associated with respiratory, enteric, hepatic, and central nervous system diseases. The large size of the CoV genome and the instability of some CoV replicase gene sequences during its propagation in bacteria, represent serious obstacles for the development of reverse genetic systems similar to those used for smaller positive sense RNA viruses. To overcome these limitations, several alternatives to more conventional plasmid-based approaches have been established in the last 13 years. In this report, we briefly review and discuss the different reverse genetic systems developed for CoVs, paying special attention to the severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV).

Coronavirus reverse genetic systems: infectious clones and replicons

Coronaviruses (CoVs) infect humans and many animal species, and are associated with respiratory, enteric, hepatic, and central nervous system diseases. The large size of the CoV genome and the instability of some CoV replicase gene sequences during its propagation in bacteria, represent serious obstacles for the development of reverse genetic systems similar to those used for smaller positive sense RNA viruses. To overcome these limitations, several alternatives to more conventional plasmid-based approaches have been established in the last 13 years. In this report, we briefly review and discuss the different reverse genetic systems developed for CoVs, paying special attention to the severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV).

Detection of protein interactions during virus infection by bimolecular fluorescence complementation

The bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) allows not only the investigation of protein interactions but also the visualization of protein complexes in living cells. This method is based on two nonfluorescent fragments of fluorescent proteins (FPs) which can reassemble into a fluorescent complex. The formation of the fluorescent complex requires association of the nonfluorescent fragments which is facilitated by their fusion to two proteins that interact with each other. It is necessary to confirm the specificity of the BiFC signal, e.g., by using proteins with a mutated interaction site. Here, we describe a BiFC protocol adapted for the investigation of protein-protein interactions during herpesvirus infection.

Sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever virus: prospects for vaccine development

Sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever is emerging as a significant problem for several ruminant species worldwide. The inability to propagate the causative agent, ovine herpesvirus 2, in vitro has seriously hindered research efforts in the development of effective programs for control of the disease in clinically susceptible hosts. Recent molecular technologic advances have provided powerful tools for investigating this difficult-to-study virus. Identification of the infectious virus source, establishment of experimental animal models and completion of sequencing the genome for ovine herpesvirus 2 have put us in a position to pursue the development of vaccines for control of the disease. In this review, the authors briefly describe the current understanding of ovine herpesvirus 2 and prospectively discuss vaccine development against the virus.

Construction and characterization of bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) containing herpes simplex virus full-length genomes

Bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) are suitable vectors not only to maintain the large genomes of herpesviruses in Escherichia coli but also to enable the traceless introduction of any mutation using modern tools of bacterial genetics. To clone a herpes simplex virus genome, a BAC replication origin is first introduced into the viral genome by homologous recombination in eukaryotic host cells. As part of their nuclear replication cycle, genomes of herpesviruses circularize and these replication intermediates are then used to transform bacteria. After cloning, the integrity of the recombinant viral genomes is confirmed by restriction length polymorphism analysis and sequencing. The BACs may then be used to design virus mutants. Upon transfection into eukaryotic cells new herpesvirus strains harboring the desired mutations can be recovered and used for experiments in cultured cells as well as in animal infection models.

Distinct properties of human cytomegalovirus strains and the appropriate choice of strains for particular studies

Human cytomegalovirus is routinely isolated by inoculating fibroblast cultures with clinical specimens suspected of harboring HCMV and then monitoring the cultures for cytopathic effects characteristic of this virus. Initially, such clinical isolates are usually strictly cell associated, but continued propagation in cell culture increases the capacity of an HCMV isolate to release cell-free infectious progeny. Once cell-free infection is possible, genetically homogenous virus strains can be purified by limiting dilution infections. HCMV strains can differ greatly with regard to the titers that can be achieved, the tropism for certain cell types, and the degree to which nonessential genes have been lost during propagation. As there is no ideal HCMV strain for all purposes, the choice of the most appropriate strain depends on the requirements of the particular experiment or project. In this chapter, we provide information that can serve as a basis for deciding which strain may be the most appropriate for a given experiment.

A herpes simplex virus-derived replicative vector expressing LIF limits experimental demyelinating disease and modulates autoimmunity

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) has properties that can be exploited for the development of gene therapy vectors. The neurotropism of HSV enables delivery of therapeutic genes to the nervous system. Using a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC), we constructed an HSV-1(17⁺)-based replicative vector deleted of the neurovirulence gene γ₁34.5, and expressing leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) as a transgene for treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). EAE is an inducible T-cell mediated autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) and is used as an animal model for multiple sclerosis. Demyelination and inflammation are hallmarks of both diseases. LIF is a cytokine that has the potential to limit demyelination and oligodendrocyte loss in CNS autoimmune diseases and to affect the T-cell mediated autoimmune response. In this study SJL/J mice, induced for EAE, were treated with a HSV-LIF vector intracranially and the subsequent changes in disease parameters and immune responses during the acute disease were investigated. Replicating HSV-LIF and its DNA were detected in the CNS during the acute infection, and the vector spread to the spinal cord but was non-virulent. The HSV-LIF significantly ameliorated the EAE and contributed to a higher number of oligodendrocytes in the brains when compared to untreated mice. The HSV-LIF therapy also induced favorable changes in the expression of immunoregulatory cytokines and T-cell population markers in the CNS during the acute disease. These data suggest that BAC-derived HSV vectors are suitable for gene therapy of CNS disease and can be used to test the therapeutic potential of immunomodulatory factors for treatment of EAE.

Identification of the human herpesvirus 6A gQ1 domain essential for its functional conformation

Human herpesvirus 6 is a T lymphotropic herpesvirus, long classified into variants A and B (HHV-6A and HHV-6B) based on differences in sequence and pathogenicity. Recently, however, HHV-6A and HHV-6B were reclassified as different species. Here, we isolated a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (Mab) named AgQ 1-1 that was specific for HHV-6A glycoprotein Q1 (AgQ1), and we showed that amino acid residues 494 to 497 of AgQ1 were critical for its recognition by this Mab. This region was also essential for AgQ1's complex formation with gH, gL, and gQ2, which might be important for viral binding to the cellular receptor, CD46. In addition, amino acid residues 494 to 497 are essential for viral replication. Interestingly, this sequence corresponds to the domain on HHV-6B gQ1 that is critical for recognition by an HHV-6B-specific neutralizing Mab. Within this domain, only Q at position 496 of HHV-6A is distinct from the HHV-6B sequence; however, the mutant AgQ1(Q496E) was still clearly recognized by the Mab AgQ 1-1. Surprisingly, replacement of the adjacent amino acid, in mutant AgQ1(C495A), resulted in poor recognition by Mab AgQ 1-1, and AgQ1(C495A) could not form the gH/gL/gQ1/gQ2 complex. Furthermore, the binding ability of mutant AgQ1(L494A) with CD46 decreased, although it could form the gH/gL/gQ1/gQ2 complex and it showed clear reactivity to Mab AgQ 1-1. These data indicated that amino acid residues 494 to 497 of AgQ1 were critical for the recognition by Mab AgQ 1-1 and essential for AgQ1's functional conformation.

Herpesvirus saimiri antagonizes nuclear domain 10-instituted intrinsic immunity via an ORF3-mediated selective degradation of cellular protein Sp100

In recent studies, the nuclear domain 10 (ND10) components PML, Sp100, human Daxx (hDaxx), and ATRX were identified to be cellular restriction factors that are able to inhibit the replication of several herpesviruses. The antiviral function of ND10, however, is antagonized by viral effector proteins by a variety of strategies, including degradation of PML or relocalization of ND10 proteins. In this study, we analyzed the interplay between infection with herpesvirus saimiri (HVS), the prototypic rhadinovirus, and cellular defense by ND10. In contrast to other herpesviruses, we found that HVS specifically degraded the cellular ND10 component Sp100, whereas other factors like PML or hDaxx remained intact. We could further identify the ORF3 tegument protein of HVS, which shares homology with the cellular formylglycinamide ribotide amidotransferase (FGARAT) enzyme, to be the viral factor that induces the proteasomal degradation of Sp100. Interestingly, recent studies showed that the ORF3-homologous proteins ORF75c of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 and BNRF-1 of Epstein-Barr virus modulate the ND10 proteins PML and ATRX, respectively, suggesting that the ND10 targets of viral FGARAT-homologous proteins diversified during evolution. Furthermore, a virus with the ORF3 deletion was efficiently complemented in Sp100-depleted cells, indicating that Sp100 is able to inhibit HVS in the absence of antagonistic mechanisms. In contrast, we observed that PML, which was neither degraded nor redistributed after HVS infection, strongly restricted both wild-type HVS and virus with the ORF3 deletion. Thus, HVS may lack a factor that efficiently counteracts the repressive function of PML, which may foster latency as the outcome of infection.

Recent advances in cloning herpesviral genomes as infectious bacterial artificial chromosomes

Herpesviruses are common but important pathogens in humans and animals. These viruses have large complex genomes encoding genes with diverse functions in different phases of their life cycle and associated diseases. In the last decade, genomes of herpesviruses cloned as infectious bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) have become powerful tools for delineating the functions of viral genes and understanding the pathogenesis of their associated diseases. Here we review the history of herpesviral genetics and recent advances in methods for cloning herpesviral genomes as infectious BACs.

Equine herpesvirus 4: recent advances using BAC technology

The equine herpesviruses are major infectious pathogens that threaten equine health. Equine herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4) is an important equine pathogen that causes respiratory tract disease, known as rhinopneumonitis, among horses worldwide. EHV-4 genome manipulation with subsequent understanding of the viral gene functions has always been difficult due to the limited number of susceptible cell lines and the absence of small-animal models of the infection. Efficient generation of mutants of EHV-4 would significantly contribute to the rapid and accurate characterization of the viral genes. This problem has been solved recently by the cloning of the genome of EHV-4 as a stable and infectious bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) without any deletions of the viral genes. Very low copy BAC vectors are the mainstay of present genomic research because of the high stability of inserted clones and the possibility of mutating any gene target in a relatively short time. Manipulation of EHV-4 genome is now feasible using the power of BAC technology, and should aid greatly in assessing the role of viral genes in the virus-host interaction.

Construction and characterization of an infectious murine gammaherpesivrus-68 bacterial artificial chromosome

Here we describe the cloning of a sequenced WUMS isolate of murine gammaherpesvirus-68 (MHV-68, γHV-68, also known as MuHV-4) as a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC). We engineered the insertion of the BAC sequence flanked by loxP sites into the left end of the viral genome before the M1 open reading frame. The infectious viruses were reconstituted following transfection of the MHV-68 BAC DNA into cells. The MHV-68 BAC-derived virus replicated indistinguishably from the wild-type virus in cultured cells. Excision of the BAC insert was efficiently achieved by coexpressing the Cre recombinase. Although the BAC insertion did not significantly affect acute productive infection in the lung, it severely compromised the ability of MHV-68 to establish splenic latency. Removal of the BAC sequence restored the wild-type level of latency. Site-specific mutagenesis was carried out by RecA-mediated recombination to demonstrate that this infectious BAC clone can be used for genetic studies of MHV-68.

MHV-68 Open Reading Frame 20 is a nonessential gene delaying lung viral clearance

Recently, it has been demonstrated that the MHV-68 ORF20-encoded gene product induces cell-cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, followed by apoptosis. To study the role of this conserved gene in vivo, two independent ORF20-deficient MHV-68 viruses and their revertants were constructed. As the replication in vitro of both mutants followed similar kinetics to that of the wild-type and revertant viruses, ORF20 is therefore a nonessential virus gene. No cell cycle arrest could be observed upon infection of cells with wild type MHV-68 or mutant viruses. In addition, no major differences were detected between mock- and virus-infected cells when protein and inactivation levels of the mitotic promoter factor cdc2/cyclinB were analyzed. Following intranasal infection, the recovery of mutant, revertant and wild-type viruses in the lungs was similar. With the ORF20-deficient viruses, however, there was a significant delay of four days in clearance of virus from the lungs. Surprisingly, the magnitude and cell population distribution in the exudates of the lung was essentially similar to mice infected with wild-type, revertant or ORF20-deleted viruses. Subsequent establishment of latency was normal for both mutants, demonstrating that ORF20 does not play a critical role in establishment of a persistent infection. These results indicate that while expression of ORF20 may impact on the pathogenicity of the infection, the observed induction of G2/M arrest in ORF20-expressing cells may not be the primary function of ORF20 in the context of viral infection.

Cloning whole bacterial genomes in yeast

Most microbes have not been cultured, and many of those that are cultivatable are difficult, dangerous or expensive to propagate or are genetically intractable. Routine cloning of large genome fractions or whole genomes from these organisms would significantly enhance their discovery and genetic and functional characterization. Here we report the cloning of whole bacterial genomes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as single-DNA molecules. We cloned the genomes of Mycoplasma genitalium (0.6 Mb), M. pneumoniae (0.8 Mb) and M. mycoides subspecies capri (1.1 Mb) as yeast circular centromeric plasmids. These genomes appear to be stably maintained in a host that has efficient, well-established methods for DNA manipulation.

Autoexcision of bacterial artificial chromosome facilitated by terminal repeat-mediated homologous recombination: a novel approach for generating traceless genetic mutants of herpesviruses

Infectious bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) of herpesviruses are powerful tools for genetic manipulation. However, the presence of BAC vector sequence in the viral genomes often causes genetic and phenotypic alterations. While the excision of the BAC vector cassette can be achieved by homologous recombination between extra duplicate viral sequences or loxP site-mediated recombination, these methods either are inefficient or leave a loxP site mark in the viral genome. Here we describe the use of viral intrinsic repeat sequences, which are commonly present in herpesviral genomes, to excise the BAC vector cassette. Using a newly developed in vitro transposon-based cloning approach, we obtained an infectious BAC of rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV) strain RRV26-95 with the BAC vector cassette inserted in the terminal repeat (TR) region. We showed that the BAC vector cassette was rapidly excised upon reconstitution in cells predominantly through TR-mediated homologous recombination. Genetic and phenotypic analysis showed that the BAC-excised virus was reversed to wild-type RRV. Using this autoexcisable BAC clone, we successfully generated an RRV mutant with a deletion of Orf50, which encodes a replication and transcription activator (RTA) protein. Together, these results illustrate the usefulness of TR for genetic manipulation of herpesviruses when combined with the novel transposon-based cloning approach.

Functional evaluation of the role of reticuloendotheliosis virus long terminal repeat (LTR) integrated into the genome of a field strain of Marek's disease virus

MDV-GX0101 is a field strain of Marek's disease virus with a naturally occurring insertion of the reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) LTR fragment. In order to study the biological properties of REV-LTR insertion in the MDV genome, we constructed a full-length infectious BAC clone of MDV-GX0101 strain and deleted the LTR sequences by BAC mutagenesis. The pathogenic properties of the LTR-deleted virus were evaluated in infected SPF birds. The study demonstrated that the LTR-deleted virus had a stronger inhibitory effect on the growth rates of the infected birds and induced stronger immunosuppressive effects. Surprisingly, however, the ability for horizontal transmission of the LTR-deleted virus appeared to be significantly weaker than its parental LTR-intact virus. Even though the precise molecular mechanisms are still not clear, the results of our studies demonstrate that the retention of the REV-LTR in the MDV genome decreases its pathogenic effects but increases its potential for horizontal transmission.

Dominant-negative proteins in herpesviruses - from assigning gene function to intracellular immunization

Investigating and assigning gene functions of herpesviruses is a process, which profits from consistent technical innovation. Cloning of bacterial artificial chromosomes encoding herpesvirus genomes permits nearly unlimited possibilities in the construction of genetically modified viruses. Targeted or randomized screening approaches allow rapid identification of essential viral proteins. Nevertheless, mapping of essential genes reveals only limited insight into function. The usage of dominant-negative (DN) proteins has been the tool of choice to dissect functions of proteins during the viral life cycle. DN proteins also facilitate the analysis of host-virus interactions. Finally, DNs serve as starting-point for design of new antiviral strategies.

Antigen delivery systems for veterinary vaccine development. Viral-vector based delivery systems

The recent advances in molecular genetics, pathogenesis and immunology have provided an optimal framework for developing novel approaches in the rational design of vaccines effective against viral epizootic diseases. This paper reviews most of the viral-vector based antigen delivery systems (ADSs) recently developed for vaccine testing in veterinary species, including attenuated virus and DNA and RNA viral vectors. Besides their usefulness in vaccinology, these ADSs constitute invaluable tools to researchers for understanding the nature of protective responses in different species, opening the possibility of modulating or potentiating relevant immune mechanisms involved in protection.

Cloning of Gallid herpesvirus 3 (Marek's disease virus serotype-2) genome as infectious bacterial artificial chromosomes for analysis of viral gene functions

Marek's disease virus serotype 2 (Gallid herpesvirus 3) is a non-pathogenic alphaherpesvirus belonging to the Mardivirus genus, used widely in live vaccines against Marek's disease. Although the complete genome sequence of the MDV-2 strain HPRS-24 has been published, very little is known about the gene functions. As a first step for carrying out functional genomic analysis of MDV-2, the full-length genome of the MDV-2 vaccine strain SB-1 was cloned as an infectious bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone pSB-1. Virus reconstituted from the pSB-1 clone showed morphological and growth characteristics in cell culture very similar to the parent virus. Generation of SB-1 constructs deleted in glycoprotein E and viruses expressing Citrine-UL35 fusion protein by the application of different BAC mutagenesis techniques demonstrated the amenability of the pSB-1 clone for reverse genetics approaches to identify molecular determinants associated with different biological features of this virus. The generation of replication-competent infectious clones of SB-1, together with those of CVI988 and herpesvirus of turkey strains described previously, completes the portfolio of generating infectious BAC clones of the MD vaccine strains belonging to all the three serotypes, paving the way for the application of reverse genetics for functional analysis of immunogenic determinants of these vaccines as well as for developing novel recombinant vectors.

A sequence-independent in vitro transposon-based strategy for efficient cloning of genomes of large DNA viruses as bacterial artificial chromosomes

Bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) derived from genomes of large DNA viruses are powerful tools for functional delineation of viral genes. Current methods for cloning the genomes of large DNA viruses as BACs require prior knowledge of the viral sequences or the cloning of viral DNA fragments, and are tedious because of the laborious process of multiple plaque purifications, which is not feasible for some fastidious viruses. Here, we describe a novel method for cloning the genomes of large DNA viruses as BACs, which entails direct in vitro transposition of viral genomes with a BAC cassette, and subsequent recovery in Escherichia coli. Determination of insertion sites and adjacent viral sequences identify the BAC clones for genetic manipulation and functional characterization. Compared to existing methods, this new approach is highly efficient, and does not require any information on viral sequences or cloning of viral DNA fragments, and plaque purifications. This method could potentially be used for discovering previously unidentified viruses.

In vivo attenuation of recombinant murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) is due to the expression and immunogenicity but not to the insertion of foreign sequences

Recombinant herpesviruses are increasingly utilized to study herpesvirus biology. For recombinant viruses carrying insertions of foreign sequences, attenuated phenotypes in vivo have been frequently observed. In most cases, the underlying mechanisms were not clear or have not been investigated. In this study, we used a recombinant murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68), carrying a cassette for the expression of the non-structural protein NS3 of Hepatitis C virus (MHV-68-NS3), to systematically address the question whether the insertion of a defined foreign sequence (NS3) interferes with the biological properties of the recombinant virus in vivo, and to analyze the underlying mechanism. We show that while MHV-68-NS3 is attenuated in vivo, recombinant MHV-68 carrying identical genomic inserts but unable to express the NS3 protein, are not attenuated. Moreover, we provide evidence that the attenuated phenotype of MHV-68-NS3 is caused by the immune response. Our findings are important for the in vivo use of recombinant MHV-68 carrying insertions of marker genes, reporter genes or genes of model antigens. They are also relevant for the potential application of MHV-68 as gene delivery vector.

Insertion of an EYFP-pp71 (UL82) coding sequence into the human cytomegalovirus genome results in a recombinant virus with enhanced viral growth

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL82-encoded tegument protein pp71 has recently been shown to activate viral immediate-early (IE) gene expression by neutralizing a cellular intrinsic immune defense instituted by the ND10 protein hDaxx. Pp71 localizes to ND10 upon infection and induces the degradation of hDaxx. Here, we report the successful generation of a recombinant HCMV expressing enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) fused to the N terminus of pp71. Intriguingly, insertion of the EYFP-UL82 coding sequence into the HCMV AD169 genome gave rise to a recombinant virus, termed AD169/EYFP-pp71, that replicates to significantly higher titers than wild-type AD169. In particular, we noticed strongly increased protein levels of pp71 after AD169/EYFP-pp71 inoculation. Although the high abundance of pp71 resulted in augmented packaging of the tegument protein into viral particles, no increased hDaxx degradation was detectable upon AD169/EYFP-pp71 infection. In contrast, further investigation revealed a significantly enhanced viral DNA replication compared to wild-type AD169. Thus, we hypothesize that an as-yet-unidentified function of pp71 contributes to the enhanced infectivity of AD169/EYFP-pp71. This assumption is additionally supported by the observation that increased early and late gene expression after AD169/EYFP-pp71 infection occurs independent of elevated IE protein levels. Finally, immunofluorescence analyses confirmed that hDaxx determines the ND10-localization of pp71 upon infection, since pp71 exhibited a nucleolar distribution in the absence of hDaxx. Taken together, we generated a recombinant HCMV that constitutes a useful tool not only to dissect the in vivo dynamics of pp71 subnuclear localization more precisely but also to explore new features of this viral transactivator.

Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 open reading frame 75c tegument protein induces the degradation of PML and is essential for production of infectious virus

Promyelocytic Leukemia nuclear body (PML NB) proteins mediate an intrinsic cellular host defense response against virus infections. Herpesviruses express proteins that modulate PML or PML-associated proteins by a variety of strategies, including degradation of PML or relocalization of PML NB proteins. The consequences of PML-herpesvirus interactions during infection in vivo have yet to be investigated in detail, largely because of the species-specific tropism of many human herpesviruses. Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (gammaHV68) is emerging as a suitable model to study basic biological questions of virus-host interactions because it naturally infects mice. Therefore, we sought to determine whether gammaHV68 targets PML NBs as part of its natural life cycle. We found that gammaHV68 induces PML degradation through a proteasome-dependent mechanism and that loss of PML results in more robust virus replication in mouse fibroblasts. Surprisingly, gammaHV68-mediated PML degradation was mediated by the virion tegument protein ORF75c, which shares homology with the cellular formylglycinamide ribotide amidotransferase enzyme. In addition, we show that ORF75c is essential for production of infectious virus. ORF75 homologs are conserved in all rhadinoviruses but so far have no assigned functions. Our studies shed light on a potential role for this unusual protein in rhadinovirus biology and suggest that gammaHV68 will be a useful model for investigation of PML-herpesvirus interactions in vivo.

Establishment of B-cell lines latently infected with reactivation-competent murine gammaherpesvirus 68 provides evidence for viral alteration of a DNA damage-signaling cascade

Gammaherpesvirus 68 (gammaHV68, or MHV68) is a naturally occurring rodent pathogen that replicates to high titer in cell culture and is amenable to in vivo experimental evaluation of viral and host determinants of gammaherpesvirus disease. However, the inability of MHV68 to transform primary murine B cells in culture, the absence of a robust cell culture latency system, and the paucity of MHV68-positive tumor cell lines have limited an understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which MHV68 modulates the host cell during latency and reactivation. To facilitate a more complete understanding of viral and host determinants that regulate MHV68 latency and reactivation in B cells, we generated a recombinant MHV68 virus that encodes a hygromycin resistance protein fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein as a means to select cells in culture that harbor latent virus. We utilized this virus to infect the A20 murine mature B-cell line and evaluate reactivation competence following treatment with diverse stimuli to reveal viral gene expression, DNA replication, and production of progeny virions. Comparative analyses of parental and infected A20 cells indicated a correlation between infection and alterations in DNA damage signaling following etoposide treatment. The data described in this study highlight the potential utility of this new cell culture-based system to dissect molecular mechanisms that regulate MHV68 latency and reactivation, as well as having the potential of illuminating biochemical alterations that contribute to gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis. In addition, such cell lines may be of value in evaluating targeted therapies to gammaherpesvirus-related tumors.

Development of cell lines that provide tightly controlled temporal translation of the human cytomegalovirus IE2 proteins for complementation and functional analyses of growth-impaired and nonviable IE2 mutant viruses

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) IE2 86 protein is essential for viral replication. Two other proteins, IE2 60 and IE2 40, which arise from the C-terminal half of IE2 86, are important for later stages of the infection. Functional analyses of IE2 86 in the context of the infection have utilized bacterial artificial chromosomes as vectors to generate mutant viruses. One limitation is that many mutations result in debilitated or nonviable viruses. Here, we describe a novel system that allows tightly controlled temporal expression of the IE2 proteins and provides complementation of both growth-impaired and nonviable IE2 mutant viruses. The strategy involves creation of cell lines with separate lentiviruses expressing a bicistronic RNA with a selectable marker as the first open reading frame (ORF) and IE2 86, IE2 60, or IE2 40 as the second ORF. Induction of expression of the IE2 proteins occurs only following DNA recombination events mediated by Cre and FLP recombinases that delete the first ORF. HCMV encodes Cre and FLP, which are expressed at immediate-early (for IE2 86) and early-late (for IE2 40 and IE2 60) times, respectively. We show that the presence of full-length IE2 86 alone provides some complementation for virus production, but the correct temporal expression of IE2 86 and IE2 40 together has the most beneficial effect for early-late gene expression and synthesis of infectious virus. This approach for inducible protein translation can be used for complementation of other mutations as well as controlled expression of toxic cellular and microbial proteins.

Nuclear domain 10 components promyelocytic leukemia protein and hDaxx independently contribute to an intrinsic antiviral defense against human cytomegalovirus infection

Infection with DNA viruses commonly results in the association of viral genomes with a cellular subnuclear structure known as nuclear domain 10 (ND10). Recent studies demonstrated that individual ND10 components, like hDaxx or promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML), mediate an intrinsic immune response against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, strengthening the assumption that ND10 components are part of a cellular antiviral defense mechanism. In order to further define the role of hDaxx and PML for HCMV replication, we generated either primary human fibroblasts with a stable, individual knockdown of PML or hDaxx (PML-kd and hDaxx-kd, respectively) or cells exhibiting a double knockdown. Comparative analysis of HCMV replication in PML-kd or hDaxx-kd cells revealed that immediate-early (IE) gene expression increased to a similar extent, regardless of which ND10 constituent was depleted. Since a loss of PML, the defining component of ND10, results in a dispersal of the entire nuclear substructure, the increased replication efficacy of HCMV in PML-kd cells could be a consequence of the dissociation of the repressor protein hDaxx from its optimal subnuclear localization. However, experiments using three different recombinant HCMVs revealed a differential growth complementation in PML-kd versus hDaxx-kd cells, strongly arguing for an independent involvement in suppressing HCMV replication. Furthermore, infection experiments using double-knockdown cells devoid of both PML and hDaxx illustrated an additional enhancement in the replication efficacy of HCMV compared to the single-knockdown cells. Taken together, our data indicate that both proteins, PML and hDaxx, mediate an intrinsic immune response against HCMV infection by contributing independently to the silencing of HCMV IE gene expression.

Nuclear egress and envelopment of herpes simplex virus capsids analyzed with dual-color fluorescence HSV1(17+)

To analyze the assembly of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) by triple-label fluorescence microscopy, we generated a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) and inserted eukaryotic Cre recombinase, as well as beta-galactosidase expression cassettes. When the BAC pHSV1(17(+))blueLox was transfected back into eukaryotic cells, the Cre recombinase excised the BAC sequences, which had been flanked with loxP sites, from the viral genome, leading to HSV1(17(+))blueLox. We then tagged the capsid protein VP26 and the envelope protein glycoprotein D (gD) with fluorescent protein domains to obtain HSV1(17(+))blueLox-GFPVP26-gDRFP and -RFPVP26-gDGFP. All HSV1 BACs had variations in the a-sequences and lost the oriL but were fully infectious. The tagged proteins behaved as their corresponding wild type, and were incorporated into virions. Fluorescent gD first accumulated in cytoplasmic membranes but was later also detected in the endoplasmic reticulum and the plasma membrane. Initially, cytoplasmic capsids did not colocalize with viral glycoproteins, indicating that they were naked, cytosolic capsids. As the infection progressed, they were enveloped and colocalized with the viral membrane proteins. We then analyzed the subcellular distribution of capsids, envelope proteins, and nuclear pores during a synchronous infection. Although the nuclear pore network had changed in ca. 20% of the cells, an HSV1-induced reorganization of the nuclear pore architecture was not required for efficient nuclear egress of capsids. Our data are consistent with an HSV1 assembly model involving primary envelopment of nuclear capsids at the inner nuclear membrane and primary fusion to transfer capsids into the cytosol, followed by their secondary envelopment on cytoplasmic membranes.

Recruitment of human cytomegalovirus immediate-early 2 protein onto parental viral genomes in association with ND10 in live-infected cells

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) immediate-early 2 (IE2) transactivator has previously been shown to form intranuclear, dot-like accumulations in association with subnuclear structures known as promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) nuclear bodies or ND10. We recently observed that IE2 can form dot-like structures even after infection of PML knockdown cells, which lack genuine ND10. To further analyze the determinants of IE2 subnuclear localization, a recombinant HCMV expressing IE2 fused to the enhanced green fluorescent protein was constructed. We infected primary human fibroblasts expressing Sp100 fused to the autofluorescent protein mCherry while performing live-cell imaging experiments. These experiments revealed a very dynamic association of IE2 dots with ND10 structures during the first hours postinfection: juxtaposed structures rapidly fused to precise co-localizations, followed by segregation, and finally, the dispersal of ND10 accumulations. Furthermore, by infecting PML knockdown cells we determined that the number of IE2 accumulations was dependent on the multiplicity of infection. Since time-lapse microscopy in live-infected cells revealed that IE2 foci developed into viral replication compartments, we hypothesized that viral DNA could act as a determinant of IE2 accumulations. Direct evidence that IE2 molecules are associated with viral DNA early after HCMV infection was obtained using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Finally, a DNA-binding-deficient IE2 mutant could no longer be recruited into viral replication centers, suggesting that the association of IE2 with viral DNA is mediated by a direct DNA contact. Thus, we identified viral DNA as an important determinant of IE2 subnuclear localization, which suggests that the formation of a virus-induced nucleoprotein complex and its spatial organization is likely to be critical at the early stages of a lytic infection.

Deletion of open reading frame UL26 from the human cytomegalovirus genome results in reduced viral growth, which involves impaired stability of viral particles

We previously showed that open reading frame (ORF) UL26 of human cytomegalovirus, a member of the US22 multigene family of betaherpesviruses, encodes a novel tegument protein, which is imported into cells in the course of viral infection. Moreover, we demonstrated that pUL26 contains a strong transcriptional activation domain and is capable of stimulating the major immediate-early (IE) enhancer-promoter. Since this suggested an important function of pUL26 during the initiation of the viral replicative cycle, we sought to ascertain the relevance of pUL26 by construction of a viral deletion mutant lacking the UL26 ORF using the bacterial artificial chromosome mutagenesis procedure. The resulting deletion virus was verified by PCR, enzyme restriction, and Southern blot analyses. After infection of human foreskin fibroblasts, the UL26 deletion mutant showed a small-plaque phenotype and replicated to significantly lower titers than wild-type or revertant virus. In particular, we noticed a striking decrease of infectious titers 7 days postinfection in a multistep growth experiment, whereas the release of viral DNA from infected cells was not impaired. A further investigation of this aspect revealed a significantly diminished stability of viral particles derived from the UL26 deletion mutant. Consistent with this, we observed that the tegument composition of the deletion mutant deviates from that of the wild-type virus. We therefore hypothesize that pUL26 plays a role not only in the onset of IE gene transcription but also in the assembly of the viral tegument layer in a stable and correct manner.

Identification of an Rta responsive promoter involved in driving gammaHV68 v-cyclin expression during virus replication

Among the distinguishing characteristics of members of the gamma-2 herpesvirus family is the expression of a mammalian D-type cyclin homolog, termed v-cyclin. Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (gammaHV68) is a gamma2-herpesvirus that can infect inbred and outbred strains of mice, providing a genetic system for the study of gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis. Disruption of the v-cyclin gene of gammaHV68 results in a virus that establishes latency in infected mice to wild-type levels, but is severely attenuated for virus reactivation [van Dyk, L.F., Virgin IV, H.W., Speck, S.H., 2000. J. Virol. 74:7451-7461]. Transcriptional regulation of the gammaHV68 v-cyclin has not been defined. We report here the initial characterization of the v-cyclin transcript expressed in permissive murine fibroblasts. Based on 5' mapping of the v-cyclin transcript, we identified a promoter that is involved in driving v-cyclin expression during virus replication. In addition, we determined that the promoter is responsive to the major viral lytic transactivator, Rta, encoded by orf 50. Using reporter plasmids we have analyzed both basal and Rta-induced v-cyclin promoter activity, initially identifying two regions of the v-cyclin promoter important for both basal and Rta-induced activity. Notably, only one of these regions could be shown to confer Rta responsiveness on a reporter construct containing the hsp70 TATA box. The importance of this region in regulating v-cyclin expression during virus replication was confirmed by introducing these mutations into the context of the viral genome and assessing v-cyclin expression following infection of permissive murine fibroblasts in tissue culture. In addition, we show that mutations that severely cripple Rta-induction of v-cyclin expression did not adversely impact virus reactivation from splenocytes recovered from latently infected mice, indicating that alternatively regulated v-cyclin gene expression is required for virus reactivation.

Construction of an infectious rhesus rhadinovirus bacterial artificial chromosome for the analysis of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-related disease development

Rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV) is closely related to Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)/human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) and causes KSHV-like diseases in immunocompromised rhesus macaques (RM) that resemble KSHV-associated diseases including multicentric Castleman's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. RRV retains a majority of open reading frames (ORFs) postulated to be involved in the pathogenesis of KSHV and is the closest available animal model to KSHV infection in humans. Here we describe the generation of a recombinant clone of RRV strain 17577 (RRV(17577)) utilizing bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) technology. Characterization of the RRV BAC demonstrated that it is a pathogenic molecular clone of RRV(17577), producing virus that behaves like wild-type RRV both in vitro and in vivo. Specifically, BAC-derived RRV displays wild-type growth properties in vitro and readily infects simian immunodeficiency virus-infected RM, inducing B cell hyperplasia, persistent lymphadenopathy, and persistent infection in these animals. This RRV BAC will allow for rapid genetic manipulation of the RRV genome, facilitating the creation of recombinant versions of RRV that harbor specific alterations and/or deletions of viral ORFs. This system will provide insights into the roles of specific RRV genes in various aspects of the viral life cycle and the RRV-associated pathogenesis in vivo in an RM model of infection. Furthermore, the generation of chimeric versions of RRV containing KSHV genes will allow analysis of the function and contributions of KSHV genes to viral pathogenesis by using a relevant primate model system.

Prospects for immunocontraception in the European red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

The European red fox is an introduced pest species in Australia for which improved means of control are urgently needed. Research efforts have focussed recently on the development of novel biological control methods to reduce the serious impact this species continues to have on both native fauna and the sheep industry. The ultimate goal has been to generate an antifertility vaccine for use on foxes that relies on a process termed ‘immunocontraception’. A variety of proteins derived from sperm and oocytes, together with different delivery vectors, have been experimentally assessed for their ability to induce immunocontraceptive responses in foxes. Vaccine vectors screened have included Salmonella typhimurium, vaccinia virus and canine herpesvirus but suppression of fertility has yet to be achieved with any combination of antigen and delivery vector. Downregulation of fox mucosal antibodies during oestrus, lack of vector replication and low antibody responses to the target antigens have been the main constraints in successful fertility control. The fox is not well known as an experimental animal and the logistics of dealing with this difficult-to-handle species proved to be a major challenge when compared with other species, such as rabbits and mice. Despite these difficulties, research on fox immunocontraception has generated important insights into the reproductive biology, husbandry, biology and basic immunology of viral vectors in European red foxes. This information represents a valuable knowledge base should antifertility vaccination for foxes be revisited in the future.

Evidence for CDK-dependent and CDK-independent functions of the murine gammaherpesvirus 68 v-cyclin

Gamma-2 herpesviruses encode homologues of mammalian D-type cyclins (v-cyclins), which likely function to manipulate the cell cycle, thereby providing a cellular environment conducive to virus replication and/or reactivation from latency. We have previously shown that the v-cyclin of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 is an oncogene that binds and activates cellular cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and is required for efficient reactivation from latency. To determine the contribution of v-cyclin-mediated cell cycle regulation to the viral life cycle, recombinant viruses in which specific point mutations (E133V or K104E) were introduced into the v-cyclin open reading frame were generated, resulting in the disruption of CDK binding and activation. While in vitro growth of these mutant viruses was unaffected, lytic replication in the lungs following low-dose intranasal inoculation was attenuated for both mutants deficient in CDK binding as well as virus in which the entire v-cyclin open reading frame was disrupted by the insertion of a translation termination codon. This replication defect was not apparent in spleens of mice following intraperitoneal inoculation, suggesting a cell type- and/or route-specific dependence on v-cyclin-CDK interactions during the acute phase of virus infection. Notably, although a v-cyclin-null virus was highly attenuated for reactivation from latency, the E133V v-cyclin CDK-binding mutant exhibited only a modest defect in virus reactivation from splenocytes, and neither the E133V nor K104E v-cyclin mutants were compromised in reactivation from peritoneal exudate cells. Taken together, these data suggest that lytic replication and reactivation in vivo are differentially regulated by CDK-dependent and CDK-independent functions of v-cyclin, respectively.

Graft-versus-host and graft-versus-leukemia reactions: a summary of the Seventh International Symposium held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, February 22nd–25th, 2006, Tolerance and Immunity, an update on lymphoid malignancies

The Seventh International Symposium on graft-versus-host and graft-versus-leukemia reactions was held in Garmisch Partenkirchen (Germany, near Lake Riessersee) between January 22nd and 25th, 2006. A total of more than 100 invited participants (scientists and clinicians working in the area of allogeneic stem cell transplantation) discussed research in the area of lymphoid malignancies. Major topics of the 2006 meeting were lymphocyte biology, experimental systems, lymphoma pathogenesis, cellular therapy in vivo and vitro, idiotype-specific responses and graft-versus-malignancy reactions for lymphomas and multiple myeloma. Further highlights were immune responses to blasts of ALL, haploidentical transplantation, role of natural killer cells, clinical guidelines for allogeneic transplantation and adoptive immunotherapy in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma, new antibody-mediated strategies. As can be seen in the summaries of the individual presentations, progress was made in the understanding of lymphoma biology and in the clinical application of graft-versus-lymphoma or graft-versus-myeloma effects. Each day was followed by round-table discussions, which summarized new data and challenged established concepts. The discussions resulted in new insights and projects for basic research and clinical transplantation.

Construction of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus infectious cDNA clone and a replicon to study coronavirus RNA synthesis

The engineering of a full-length infectious cDNA clone and a functional replicon of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) Urbani strain as bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) is described in this study. In this system, the viral RNA was expressed in the cell nucleus under the control of the cytomegalovirus promoter and further amplified in the cytoplasm by the viral replicase. Both the infectious clone and the replicon were fully stable in Escherichia coli. Using the SARS-CoV replicon, we have shown that the recently described RNA-processing enzymes exoribonuclease, endoribonuclease, and 2'-O-ribose methyltransferase were essential for efficient coronavirus RNA synthesis. The SARS reverse genetic system developed as a BAC constitutes a useful tool for the study of fundamental viral processes and also for developing genetically defined vaccines.

Genetic design of an optimized packaging cell line for gene vectors transducing human B cells

Viral gene vectors often rely on packaging cell lines, which provide the necessary factors in trans for the formation of virus-like particles. Previously, we reported on a first-generation packaging cell line for gene vectors, which are based on the B-lymphotropic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a human gamma-herpesvirus. This 293HEK-derived packaging cell line harbors a helper virus genome with a genetic modification that prevents the release of helper virions, but efficiently packages vector plasmids into virus-like particles with transducing capacity for human B cells. Here, we extended this basic approach towards a non-transforming, virus-free packaging cell line, which harbors an EBV helper virus genome with seven genetic alterations. In addition, we constructed a novel gene vector plasmid, which is devoid of a prokaryotic antibiotic resistance gene, and thus more suitable for in vivo applications in human gene therapy. We demonstrate in this paper that EBV-based gene vectors can be efficiently generated with this much-improved packaging cell line to provide helper virus-free gene vector stocks with transducing capacity for established human B-cell lines and primary B cells.

Induction of early murine cytomegalovirus infection by different reporter gene-associated recombinant viruses

Murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) has provided useful models for acute, chronic and latent CMV infection because of its similarities in structure and biology with human CMV. We report the induction of acute MCMV hepatitis with different bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-cloned virus constructs [MCMV-SEAP which includes the gene for secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) under Rous sarcoma virus (RSV)-promoter control, MCMV-GFP which includes the gene for enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) under HCMV-ie promoter control, MCMV-HBs includes the gene for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) under simian virus (SV)40-promoter control and the DeltaMC95.21 virus in which the m152 gene was deleted and substituted by the reporter gene lacZ] in order to elucidate the histopathological changes together with different reporter-gene products in the liver tissue and the effect of the deletion of a certain gene. All the virus constructs induced a similar mild acute hepatitis which had its climax from days 3 to 5 post-infection in immunocompetent mice. In situ, the reporter-gene products beta-galactosidase and secreted alkaline phosphatase could be visualized in relation to the inflammatory changes. The composition of the invading cell populations did not change even in the absence of the m152 gene. Additionally discrete inflammatory changes were seen in kidney and serosa while the other organs were not involved. This model helps us understand the immunological and histopathological mechanisms of the CMV-induced hepatitis, which plays an important role especially in the immunocompromised patient. The morphological changes can be analysed while the respective reporter gene product is expressed by the virus construct.