Host range restriction of vesicular stomatitis virus on duck embryo cells

Characterization of Durham virus, a novel rhabdovirus that encodes both a C and SH protein

The family Rhabdoviridae is a diverse group of non-segmented, negative-sense RNA viruses that are distributed worldwide and infect a wide range of hosts including vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants. Of the 114 currently recognized vertebrate rhabdoviruses, relatively few have been well characterized at both the antigenic and genetic level; hence, the phylogenetic relationships between many of the vertebrate rhabdoviruses remain unknown. The present report describes a novel rhabdovirus isolated from the brain of a moribund American coot (Fulica americana) that exhibited neurological signs when found in Durham County, North Carolina, in 2005. Antigenic characterization of the virus revealed that it was serologically unrelated to 68 other known vertebrate rhabdoviruses. Genomic sequencing of the virus indicated that it shared the highest identity to Tupaia rhabdovirus (TUPV), and as only previously observed in TUPV, the genome encoded a putative C protein in an overlapping open reading frame (ORF) of the phosphoprotein gene and a small hydrophobic (SH) protein located in a novel ORF between the matrix and glycoprotein genes. Phylogenetic analysis of partial amino acid sequences of the nucleoprotein and polymerase protein indicated that, in addition to TUPV, the virus was most closely related to avian and small mammal rhabdoviruses from Africa and North America. In this report, we present the morphological, pathological, antigenic, and genetic characterization of the new virus, tentatively named Durham virus (DURV), and discuss its potential evolutionary relationship to other vertebrate rhabdoviruses.

Cell-type-specific growth restriction of vesicular stomatitis virus polR mutants is linked to defective viral polymerase function

Vesicular stomatitis virus polR mutants synthesize defective RNA replication products in vitro and display growth restriction in some cultured cells (J. L. Chuang, R. L. Jackson, and J. Perrault, Virology 229:57-67, 1997). We show here that a recombinant virus carrying the polR N protein mutation (R179H) yielded approximately 100-fold- and approximately 40-fold-lower amounts of infectious virus than the wild type in mouse L-929 and rat 3Y1 cells, respectively, but only approximately 3-fold less in hamster BHK cells. Virus genome accumulation was inhibited 6- to 10-fold in restricting cells, but transcription was not affected. No defect in encapsidation of replication products was detected, but virus protein accumulation was reduced two- to threefold in both restricting and nonrestricting cells. polR virus particles released from the latter were 5- to 10-fold less infectious than the wild type but showed no difference in protein composition. Phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF-2alpha) was enhanced approximately 3-fold in polR versus wild-type virus-infected L-929 cells, but neither inhibition of host gene transcription nor inhibition of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-activated protein kinase showed significant effects on restriction. Conditioned medium studies revealed no evidence for secretion of antiviral factors from restricting cells. We conclude that the block in polR growth is due to the combined effect of reduced genome replication and lower infectivity of released virus particles and may be due to overproduction of dsRNA. An accompanying paper (D. Ostertag, T. M. Hoblitzell-Ostertag, and J. Perrault, J. Virol. 81:503-513, 2007) provides compelling evidence for the role of dsRNA in this unique restriction phenomenon.

Vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein pseudotyped retroviral vectors: concentration to very high titer and efficient gene transfer into mammalian and nonmammalian cells

The restricted host-cell range and low titer of retroviral vectors limit their use for stable gene transfer in eukaryotic cells. To overcome these limitations, we have produced murine leukemia virus-derived vectors in which the retroviral envelope glycoprotein has been completely replaced by the G glycoprotein of vesicular stomatitis virus. Such vectors can be concentrated by ultracentrifugation to titers > 10(9) colony-forming units/ml and can infect cells, such as hamster and fish cell lines, that are ordinarily resistant to infection with vectors containing the retroviral envelope protein. The ability to concentrate vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein pseudotyped vectors will facilitate gene therapy model studies and other gene transfer experiments that require direct delivery of vectors in vivo. The availability of these pseudotyped vectors will also facilitate genetic studies in nonmammalian species, including the important zebrafish developmental system, through the efficient introduction and expression of foreign genes.

RNP template of vesicular stomatitis virus regulates transcription and replication functions

Small leader RNAs, copied from the extreme 3' ends of the minus and plus strands of the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) genome, are thought to play a central role in the regulation of viral transcription and replication. We describe here a novel class of VSV mutants, denoted pol R, in which termination at leader sites in vitro is specifically suppressed. We have assayed for the presence of leader RNAs and readthrough transcripts in reaction products from standard virion templates (plus leader) and defective interfering particle templates (minus leader). In both cases, mutant virions gave rise to a much higher proportion of readthrough transcripts than wild type (greater than 80% vs approximately 10%). Reconstitution experiments with separated ribonucleoprotein (RNP) templates and polymerase protein fractions revealed, surprisingly, that the N protein moiety of the RNP template was responsible for readthrough. This conclusion was further supported by protein analyses that showed a similar charge change in the N protein of two independently isolated pol R VSV mutants. These results lead us to propose that modification of the N protein may regulate termination at leader RNA sites.

Temperature-sensitive mutants of influenza A/Udorn/72 (H3N2) virus. III. Genetic analysis of temperature-dependent host range mutants

One hundred thirty-three ts mutants of influenza A/Udorn/72 virus were arranged into eight complementation groups, A-H, on Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) monolayer cultures at the restrictive temperature of 40 degrees. The eight complementation groups, A-H, on MDCK cells corresponded to the eight recombination groups, A-H, on rhesus monkey kidney (RMK) cells, respectively, and this suggested that each MDCK complementation group represented one of the eight influenza A RNA gene segments. These ts viruses were used to identify the locus of the ts mutation in temperature-dependent host range (td-hr) mutants of the A/Udorn/72 virus. Sixteen of the 133 ts mutants exhibited distinct host (MDCK)-dependent restriction of plaque formation at 40 degrees but not at 34 degrees and were referred to as td-hr mutants. These 16 td-hr mutants were ts+ (not ts) on RMK cells but ts on MDCK cells. The td-hr mutants did not share a common lesion and the ts lesions were distributed among the eight complementation groups, A-H, when tested on MDCK cells. An analysis of one of the td-hr mutants indicated that an extrageneic RMK-dependent suppressor mutation did not account for the td-hr phenotype. These data suggested that a host-dependent ts mutation was responsible for the td-hr restriction of this mutant. Representation of td-hr mutations in each of the eight complementation groups indicates that the influenza A virus genome can undergo mutation leading to an altered host range in any of its eight RNA segments.

Host cell receptors for two strains of Sindbis virus

Experiments were performed to determine whether neuronal cells have different numbers of receptors for a neurovirulent and an avirulent strain of the same virus and whether neurotropic strains of different viruses share the same cellular receptors. Attempts were also made to characterize the receptors for the two strains of Sindbis virus on viable cells by studying their enzyme sensitivity. The number of cellular receptors available for Sindbis virus attachment to several cell lines was determined by saturation studies using two virus strains differing in their pathogenicity for adult mice. Cultured neuronal cells had 1.3 x 10(6) receptors for a neurovirulent strain (SaAr86) and only 5 x 10(4) for the avirulent prototype strain (EgAr339) of Sindbis virus. A refractory Lepidopteran cell type possessed 1 x 10(5) surface receptors for the neurovirulent variant while the average number of receptors on five permissive cell types was 1.5 x 10(6). Cellular receptors for the two strains of Sindbis virus on rat glioma cells were found to be distinct. The cellular receptors for EgAr339 on viable mammalian cells were sensitive to proteolytic cleavage, while those on living mosquito cells were insensitive to proteases, phospholipases and neuraminidase. The receptors for the neurovirulent variant on three mammalian cell types were less sensitive to enzymatic inactivation than those for the avirulent counterpart. After cleavage, the receptors for EgAr339 reappeared rapidly at 37 degrees and 4 degrees C, apparently in the absence of cellular synthesis.