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Krappinger JC, Bonstingl L, Pansy K, Sallinger K, Wreglesworth NI, Grinninger L, Deutsch A, El-Heliebi A, Kroneis T, Mcfarlane RJ, Sensen CW, Feichtinger J. Non-coding Natural Antisense Transcripts: Analysis and Application. J Biotechnol 2021; 340:75-101. [PMID: 34371054 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2021.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Non-coding natural antisense transcripts (ncNATs) are regulatory RNA sequences that are transcribed in the opposite direction to protein-coding or non-coding transcripts. These transcripts are implicated in a broad variety of biological and pathological processes, including tumorigenesis and oncogenic progression. With this complex field still in its infancy, annotations, expression profiling and functional characterisations of ncNATs are far less comprehensive than those for protein-coding genes, pointing out substantial gaps in the analysis and characterisation of these regulatory transcripts. In this review, we discuss ncNATs from an analysis perspective, in particular regarding the use of high-throughput sequencing strategies, such as RNA-sequencing, and summarize the unique challenges of investigating the antisense transcriptome. Finally, we elaborate on their potential as biomarkers and future targets for treatment, focusing on cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian C Krappinger
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center for Cell Signalling, Metabolism and Aging, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6/II, 8010 Graz, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for innovative Pichia pastoris host and vector systems, Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6/II, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Lilli Bonstingl
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center for Cell Signalling, Metabolism and Aging, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6/II, 8010 Graz, Austria; Center for Biomarker Research in Medicine, Stiftingtalstraße 5, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Katrin Pansy
- Division of Haematology, Medical University of Graz, Stiftingtalstrasse 24, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Katja Sallinger
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center for Cell Signalling, Metabolism and Aging, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6/II, 8010 Graz, Austria; Center for Biomarker Research in Medicine, Stiftingtalstraße 5, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Nick I Wreglesworth
- North West Cancer Research Institute, School of Medical Sciences, Bangor University, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Lukas Grinninger
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center for Cell Signalling, Metabolism and Aging, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6/II, 8010 Graz, Austria; Austrian Biotech University of Applied Sciences, Konrad Lorenz-Straße 10, 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Austria
| | - Alexander Deutsch
- Division of Haematology, Medical University of Graz, Stiftingtalstrasse 24, 8010 Graz, Austria; BioTechMed-Graz, Mozartgasse 12/II, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Amin El-Heliebi
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center for Cell Signalling, Metabolism and Aging, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6/II, 8010 Graz, Austria; Center for Biomarker Research in Medicine, Stiftingtalstraße 5, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Thomas Kroneis
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center for Cell Signalling, Metabolism and Aging, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6/II, 8010 Graz, Austria; Center for Biomarker Research in Medicine, Stiftingtalstraße 5, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Ramsay J Mcfarlane
- North West Cancer Research Institute, School of Medical Sciences, Bangor University, LL57 2UW Bangor, United Kingdom
| | - Christoph W Sensen
- BioTechMed-Graz, Mozartgasse 12/II, 8010 Graz, Austria; Institute of Computational Biotechnology, Graz University of Technology, Petersgasse 14/V, 8010 Graz, Austria; HCEMM Kft., Római blvd. 21, 6723 Szeged, Hungary
| | - Julia Feichtinger
- Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center for Cell Signalling, Metabolism and Aging, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6/II, 8010 Graz, Austria; Christian Doppler Laboratory for innovative Pichia pastoris host and vector systems, Division of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6/II, 8010 Graz, Austria; BioTechMed-Graz, Mozartgasse 12/II, 8010 Graz, Austria.
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Strand-specific detection of overlapping transcripts via purification involving denaturation of biotinylated cDNA. Biotechniques 2020; 69:141-147. [PMID: 32372698 DOI: 10.2144/btn-2020-0008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) is the most widely employed technique for gene expression analysis owing to its high sensitivity, easy reproducibility and fast output. It has been conceived that priming RT reactions with gene-specific primers generates cDNA only from the specific RNA. However, several reports have revealed that cDNA is synthesized even without addition of exogenous primers in RT reactions. Owing to such self-priming activity, the signals from specific strands cannot be accurately detected and can confound the expression analysis, especially in context of overlapping bidirectional transcripts. Here, we demonstrate that purification of biotin-tagged cDNA in conjunction with alkaline denaturation can obviate the problem of background priming and enable accurate strand-specific detection of overlapping transcripts.
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Fikatas A, Dimitriou TG, Kyriakopoulou Z, Moschonas GD, Amoutzias GD, Mossialos D, Gartzonika C, Levidiotou-Stefanou S, Markoulatos P. Detection of negative and positive RNA strand of poliovirus Sabin 1 and echovirus E19 by a stem-loop reverse transcription PCR. Lett Appl Microbiol 2017. [PMID: 28631392 DOI: 10.1111/lam.12766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In this report a strand specific RT-PCR was established for the detection of the replicative negative RNA strand of poliovirus sabin 1 (Sabin1) and Echovirus 19 (E19) strains. The key for the successful conduction of the assay was the use of a specific reverse transcription primer targeting the 5'-UTR of enteroviruses that consisted of a stem-loop structure at the 5'-end and an enteroviral-specific sequence at the 3'-end. The stem loop RT-PCR was found to be an accurate and sensitive method, detecting even 10-2 CCID50 of poliovirus sabin 1 (Sabin1) and E19 strains 6 h postinfection (p.i.), while CPE appeared 3 days later. This assay was also validated in SiHa and Caski cell lines that are not used for the detection of enteroviruses. The negative RNA strand was detected 6 h and 12 h p.i. in SiHa and Caski cells, when these cell lines were inoculated with 105 and 1 CCID50 respectively, whereas CPE was observed 5 days p.i for SiHa cells and 8 days p.i for Caski cells and that only at 105 CCID50 . The results show that this approach may be used for replacing the time-consuming cell cultures in order to detect the active replication of enteroviruses. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY Enteroviruses are positive stranded RNA viruses that may cause severe diseases. The conventional method for detection of active viral replication involves virus isolation in sensitive cell cultures followed by titration and seroneutralization. In this report, we describe the use of a stem-loop secondary structured oligonucleotide in RT-PCR assay for the detection of the replicative negative strand of the positive-stranded RNA of poliovirus sabin 1 and E19 strains. This approach proved to be a useful tool that may be used for replacing the time-consuming cell culture assays in order to detect the active replication of enteroviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Fikatas
- Microbiology - Virology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - T G Dimitriou
- Microbiology - Virology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Z Kyriakopoulou
- Microbiology - Virology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - G D Moschonas
- Microbiology - Virology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - G D Amoutzias
- Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - D Mossialos
- Microbiology - Virology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - C Gartzonika
- Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - S Levidiotou-Stefanou
- Department of Microbiology, Medical School, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - P Markoulatos
- Microbiology - Virology Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
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Haist K, Ziegler C, Botten J. Strand-Specific Quantitative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for Measurement of Arenavirus Genomic and Antigenomic RNAs. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0120043. [PMID: 25978311 PMCID: PMC4433285 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2014] [Accepted: 02/02/2015] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Arenaviruses are bi-segmented, single-stranded RNA viruses that cause significant human disease. The manner in which they regulate the replication of their genome is not well-understood. This is partly due to the absence of a highly sensitive assay to measure individual species of arenavirus replicative RNAs. To overcome this obstacle, we designed a quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assay for selective quantitation of each of the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) genomic or antigenomic RNAs. During the course of assay design, we identified a nonspecific priming phenomenon whereby, in the absence of an RT primer, cDNAs complementary to each of the LCMV replicative RNA species are generated during RT. We successfully circumvented this nonspecific priming event through the use of biotinylated primers in the RT reaction, which permitted affinity purification of primer-specific cDNAs using streptavidin-coated magnetic beads. As proof of principle, we used the assay to map the dynamics of LCMV replication at acute and persistent time points and to determine the quantities of genomic and antigenomic RNAs that are incorporated into LCMV particles. This assay can be adapted to measure total S or L segment-derived viral RNAs and therefore represents a highly sensitive diagnostic platform to screen for LCMV infection in rodent and human tissue samples and can also be used to quantify virus-cell attachment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey Haist
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Division of Immunobiology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
| | - Christopher Ziegler
- Department of Medicine, Division of Immunobiology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
| | - Jason Botten
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, Division of Immunobiology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Gulraiz F, Rellinghausen C, Bruggeman CA, Stassen FR. Haemophilus influenzae
increases the susceptibility and inflammatory response of airway epithelial cells to viral infections. FASEB J 2014; 29:849-58. [DOI: 10.1096/fj.14-254359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fahad Gulraiz
- Department of Medical MicrobiologyMaastricht University Medical CentreMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Carla Rellinghausen
- Department of Medical MicrobiologyMaastricht University Medical CentreMaastrichtThe Netherlands
- Department of Respiratory MedicineNUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and MetabolismMaastricht University Medical CentreMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Cathrien A. Bruggeman
- Department of Medical MicrobiologyMaastricht University Medical CentreMaastrichtThe Netherlands
| | - Frank R. Stassen
- Department of Medical MicrobiologyMaastricht University Medical CentreMaastrichtThe Netherlands
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Gulraiz F, Bellinghausen C, Dentener MA, Reynaert NL, Gaajetaan GR, Beuken EV, Rohde GG, Bruggeman CA, Stassen FR. Efficacy of IFN-λ1 to protect human airway epithelial cells against human rhinovirus 1B infection. PLoS One 2014; 9:e95134. [PMID: 24751942 PMCID: PMC3994020 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0095134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2013] [Accepted: 03/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Impaired interferon (IFN) production has been observed in various obstructive respiratory diseases. This contributes to enhanced sensitivity towards viral infections triggering acute exacerbations. To compensate for this impaired host IFN response, there is need to explore new therapeutic strategies, like exogenous administration of IFNs as prophylactic treatment. In the present study, we examined the protective potential of IFN-λ1 and compared it with the previously established protecting effect of IFN-β. A549 cells and human primary bronchial epithelial cells were first treated with either IFN-β (500 IU/ml) or IFN-λ1 (500 ng/ml) for 18 h. For infection, two approaches were adopted: i) Continuous scenario: after pre-treatment, cells were infected immediately for 24 h with human rhinovirus 1B (HRV1B) in IFN-containing medium, or were cultured for another 72 h in IFN-containing medium, and then infected for 24 h with HRV1B, ii) Pre-treatment scenario: IFN-containing medium was replaced after 18 h and cells were infected for 4 h either immediately after pre-treatment or after additional culturing for 72 h in IFN-free medium. The protective effect was evaluated in terms of reduction in the number of viral copies/infectious progeny, and enhanced expression of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). In both cell types and in both approaches, IFN-λ1 and IFN-β treatment resulted in pronounced and long-lasting antiviral effects exemplified by significantly reduced viral copy numbers and diminished infectious progeny. This was associated with strong up-regulation of multiple ISGs. However, in contrast to the IFN-β induced expression of ISGs, which decreased over time, expression of ISGs induced by IFN-λ1 was sustained or even increased over time. Here we demonstrate that the protective potential of IFN-λ1 is comparable to IFN-β. Yet, the long-lasting induction of ISGs by IFN-λ1 and most likely less incitement of side effects due to more localized expression of its receptors could make it an even more promising candidate for prophylactic treatment than IFN-β.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahad Gulraiz
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Carla Bellinghausen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Mieke A. Dentener
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Niki L. Reynaert
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Giel R. Gaajetaan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Erik V. Beuken
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Gernot G. Rohde
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Cathrien A. Bruggeman
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Frank R. Stassen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
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Gagliardi TB, Paula FE, Iwamoto MA, Proença-Modena JL, Santos AE, Camara AA, Cervi MC, Cintra OAL, Arruda E. Concurrent detection of other respiratory viruses in children shedding viable human respiratory syncytial virus. J Med Virol 2013; 85:1852-9. [PMID: 23861138 PMCID: PMC7167105 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.23648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is an important cause of respiratory disease. The majority of studies addressing the importance of virus co‐infections to the HRSV‐disease have been based on the detection of HRSV by RT‐PCR, which may not distinguish current replication from prolonged shedding of remnant RNA from previous HRSV infections. To assess whether co‐detections of other common respiratory viruses are associated with increased severity of HRSV illnesses from patients who were shedding viable‐HRSV, nasopharyngeal aspirates from children younger than 5 years who sought medical care for respiratory infections in Ribeirão Preto (Brazil) were tested for HRSV by immunofluorescence, RT‐PCR and virus isolation in cell culture. All samples with viable‐HRSV were tested further by PCR for other respiratory viruses. HRSV‐disease severity was assessed by a clinical score scale. A total of 266 samples from 247 children were collected and 111 (42%) were HRSV‐positive. HRSV was isolated from 70 (63%), and 52 (74%) of them were positive for at least one additional virus. HRSV‐positive diseases were more severe than HRSV‐negative ones, but there was no difference in disease severity between patients with viable‐HRSV and those HRSV‐positives by RT‐PCR. Co‐detection of other viruses did not correlate with increased disease severity. HRSV isolation in cell culture does not seem to be superior to RT‐PCR to distinguish infections associated with HRSV replication in studies of clinical impact of HRSV. A high rate of co‐detection of other respiratory viruses was found in samples with viable‐HRSV, but this was not associated with more severe HRSV infection. J Med. Virol. 85:1852–1859, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- T B Gagliardi
- Department of Cell and, Molecular Biology, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
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De Smet L, Ravoet J, de Miranda JR, Wenseleers T, Mueller MY, Moritz RFA, de Graaf DC. BeeDoctor, a versatile MLPA-based diagnostic tool for screening bee viruses. PLoS One 2012; 7:e47953. [PMID: 23144717 PMCID: PMC3483297 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0047953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2012] [Accepted: 09/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The long-term decline of managed honeybee hives in the world has drawn significant attention to the scientific community and bee-keeping industry. A high pathogen load is believed to play a crucial role in this phenomenon, with the bee viruses being key players. Most of the currently characterized honeybee viruses (around twenty) are positive stranded RNA viruses. Techniques based on RNA signatures are widely used to determine the viral load in honeybee colonies. High throughput screening for viral loads necessitates the development of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction approach in which different viruses can be targeted simultaneously. A new multiparameter assay, called "BeeDoctor", was developed based on multiplex-ligation probe dependent amplification (MLPA) technology. This assay detects 10 honeybee viruses in one reaction. "BeeDoctor" is also able to screen selectively for either the positive strand of the targeted RNA bee viruses or the negative strand, which is indicative for active viral replication. Due to its sensitivity and specificity, the MLPA assay is a useful tool for rapid diagnosis, pathogen characterization, and epidemiology of viruses in honeybee populations. "BeeDoctor" was used for screening 363 samples from apiaries located throughout Flanders; the northern half of Belgium. Using the "BeeDoctor", virus infections were detected in almost eighty percent of the colonies, with deformed wing virus by far the most frequently detected virus and multiple virus infections were found in 26 percent of the colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina De Smet
- Laboratory of Zoophysiology, Department of Physiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
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Keum SJ, Park SM, Park JH, Jung JH, Shin EJ, Jang SK. The specific infectivity of hepatitis C virus changes through its life cycle. Virology 2012; 433:462-70. [PMID: 22999258 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2012.08.046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2012] [Revised: 07/06/2012] [Accepted: 08/29/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes liver diseases, such as hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, steatosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. To understand the life cycle and pathogenesis of HCV, the one-step growth of HCV in a cell culture system was analyzed using a highly infectious variant of the JFH1 clone. The observed profiles of HCV RNA replication indicated that the synthesis of negative-strand RNAs occurred at 6 h (h) after infection, followed by the active synthesis of positive-strand RNAs. Our measurements of infectious virus production showed that the latent period of HCV was about 12 h. The specific infectivity of HCV particles (focus-forming unit per viral RNA molecule) secreted to the extracellular milieu early in infection was about 30-fold higher than that secreted later during infection. The buoyant densities of the infectious virion particles differed with the duration of infection, indicating changes in the compositions of the virion particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sun Ju Keum
- Department of Life Science, POSTECH Biotech Center, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, South Korea
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Boncristiani HF, Di Prisco G, Pettis JS, Hamilton M, Chen YP. Molecular approaches to the analysis of deformed wing virus replication and pathogenesis in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. Virol J 2009; 6:221. [PMID: 20003360 PMCID: PMC2797523 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422x-6-221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2009] [Accepted: 12/11/2009] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Background For years, the understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms that underlie honey bee viral diseases has been severely hindered because of the lack of a cell culture system for virus propagation. As a result, it is very imperative to develop new methods that would permit the in vitro pathogenesis study of honey bee viruses. The identification of virus replication is an important step towards the understanding of the pathogenesis process of viruses in their respective hosts. In the present study, we developed a strand-specific RT-PCR-based method for analysis of Deformed Wing Virus (DWV) replication in honey bees and in honey bee parasitic mites, Varroa Destructor. Results The results shows that the method developed in our study allows reliable identification of the virus replication and solves the problem of falsely-primed cDNA amplifications that commonly exists in the current system. Using TaqMan real-time quantitative RT-PCR incorporated with biotinylated primers and magnetic beads purification step, we characterized the replication and tissue tropism of DWV infection in honey bees. We provide evidence for DWV replication in the tissues of wings, head, thorax, legs, hemolymph, and gut of honey bees and also in Varroa mites. Conclusion The strategy reported in the present study forms a model system for studying bee virus replication, pathogenesis and immunity. This study should be a significant contribution to the goal of achieving a better understanding of virus pathogenesis in honey bees and to the design of appropriate control measures for bee populations at risk to virus infections.
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