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Bland WA, Mitra D, Owens S, McEvoy K, Hogan CH, Boccuzzi L, Kirillov V, Meyer TJ, Khairallah C, Sheridan BS, Forrest JC, Krug LT. A replication-deficient gammaherpesvirus vaccine protects mice from lytic disease and reduces latency establishment. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:116. [PMID: 38914546 PMCID: PMC11196663 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00908-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Gammaherpesviruses are oncogenic viruses that establish lifelong infections and are significant causes of morbidity and mortality. Vaccine strategies to limit gammaherpesvirus infection and disease are in development, but there are no FDA-approved vaccines for Epstein-Barr or Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus. As a new approach to gammaherpesvirus vaccination, we developed and tested a replication-deficient virus (RDV) platform, using murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68), a well-established mouse model for gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis studies and preclinical therapeutic evaluations. We employed codon-shuffling-based complementation to generate revertant-free RDV lacking expression of the essential replication and transactivator protein encoded by ORF50 to arrest viral gene expression early after de novo infection. Inoculation with RDV-50.stop exposes the host to intact virion particles and leads to limited lytic gene expression in infected cells yet does not produce additional infectious particles. Prime-boost vaccination of mice with RDV-50.stop elicited virus-specific neutralizing antibody and effector T cell responses in the lung and spleen. In contrast to vaccination with heat-inactivated WT MHV68, vaccination with RDV-50.stop resulted in a near complete abolishment of virus replication in the lung 7 days post-challenge and reduction of latency establishment in the spleen 16 days post-challenge with WT MHV68. Ifnar1-/- mice, which lack the type I interferon receptor, exhibit severe disease and high mortality upon infection with WT MHV68. RDV-50.stop vaccination of Ifnar1-/- mice prevented wasting and mortality upon challenge with WT MHV68. These results demonstrate that prime-boost vaccination with a gammaherpesvirus that is unable to undergo lytic replication offers protection against acute replication, impairs the establishment of latency, and prevents severe disease upon the WT virus challenge. Our study also reveals that the ability of a gammaherpesvirus to persist in vivo despite potent pre-existing immunity is an obstacle to obtaining sterilizing immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley A Bland
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
- Environment, Health and Safety, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Dipanwita Mitra
- HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Shana Owens
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Kyle McEvoy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Chad H Hogan
- HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- Institute for Genomic Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Luciarita Boccuzzi
- HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Doctor of Medicine Program, Rush University Medical Center, 1650, West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Varvara Kirillov
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Thomas J Meyer
- CCR Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Advanced Biomedical Computational Science, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Camille Khairallah
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Brian S Sheridan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - J Craig Forrest
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
- Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
| | - Laurie T Krug
- HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
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Cottingham E, Johnstone T, Vaz PK, Hartley CA, Devlin JM. Construction and in vitro characterisation of virus-vectored immunocontraceptive candidates derived from felid alphaherpesvirus 1. Vaccine 2024:S0264-410X(24)00615-7. [PMID: 38824082 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.05.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 05/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
There is a pressing need for effective feral cat management globally due to overabundant feline populations, disease transmission and their destructive impact on biodiversity. Virus-vectored immunocontraception (VVIC) is an attractive method for cat population management. Virus-vectored immunocontraceptives could be self-disseminating through horizontal transmission of the VVIC in feral cat populations, or they may be modified to act as non-transmissible vaccine-type immunocontraceptives for delivery to individual cats. These later constructs may be particularly attractive for use in owned (pet) cats and stray cats but could also be used for feral cats that are caught, vaccinated, and released. Here, we report the construction of three felid alphaherpesvirus 1 (FHV-1) derived immunocontraceptive candidates containing genes that encode for feline zona pellucida subunit 3 (ZP3) and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Two of the vaccine candidates were engineered to include disruptions to the thymidine kinase viral virulence gene to reduce the ability of the vaccines to be horizontally transmitted. Analysis of in vitro growth characteristics and protein expression are reported, and their potential for use as a population management tool for cats is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Cottingham
- The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia.
| | - Thurid Johnstone
- ARH Essendon Fields, 72 Hargraves Ave, Melbourne (Essendon Fields), VIC 3014, Australia
| | - Paola K Vaz
- The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Carol A Hartley
- The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Joanne M Devlin
- The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Kamel MS, Munds RA, Verma MS. The Quest for Immunity: Exploring Human Herpesviruses as Vaccine Vectors. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16112. [PMID: 38003300 PMCID: PMC10671728 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/05/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Herpesviruses are large DNA viruses that have long been used as powerful gene therapy tools. In recent years, the ability of herpesviruses to stimulate both innate and adaptive immune responses has led to their transition to various applications as vaccine vectors. This vaccinology branch is growing at an unprecedented and accelerated rate. To date, human herpesvirus-based vectors have been used in vaccines to combat a variety of infectious agents, including the Ebola virus, foot and mouth disease virus, and human immunodeficiency viruses. Additionally, these vectors are being tested as potential vaccines for cancer-associated antigens. Thanks to advances in recombinant DNA technology, immunology, and genomics, numerous steps in vaccine development have been greatly improved. A better understanding of herpesvirus biology and the interactions between these viruses and the host cells will undoubtedly foster the use of herpesvirus-based vaccine vectors in clinical settings. To overcome the existing drawbacks of these vectors, ongoing research is needed to further advance our knowledge of herpesvirus biology and to develop safer and more effective vaccine vectors. Advanced molecular virology and cell biology techniques must be used to better understand the mechanisms by which herpesviruses manipulate host cells and how viral gene expression is regulated during infection. In this review, we cover the underlying molecular structure of herpesviruses and the strategies used to engineer their genomes to optimize capacity and efficacy as vaccine vectors. Also, we assess the available data on the successful application of herpesvirus-based vaccines for combating diseases such as viral infections and the potential drawbacks and alternative approaches to surmount them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed S. Kamel
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza 11221, Egypt
| | - Rachel A. Munds
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Krishi Inc., West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA
| | - Mohit S. Verma
- Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Krishi Inc., West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA
- Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
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Bland WA, Owens S, McEvoy K, Hogan CH, Boccuzzi L, Kirillov V, Khairallah C, Sheridan BS, Forrest JC, Krug LT. Replication-dead gammaherpesvirus vaccine protects against acute replication, reactivation from latency, and lethal challenge in mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.26.559621. [PMID: 37808844 PMCID: PMC10557649 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.26.559621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Gammaherpesviruses (GHVs) are oncogenic viruses that establish lifelong infections and are significant causes of human morbidity and mortality. While several vaccine strategies to limit GHV infection and disease are in development, there are no FDA-approved vaccines for human GHVs. As a new approach to gammaherpesvirus vaccination, we developed and tested a replication-dead virus (RDV) platform, using murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68), a well-established mouse model for gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis studies and preclinical therapeutic evaluations. We employed codon-shuffling-based complementation to generate revertant-free RDV lacking expression of the essential replication and transactivator protein (RTA) encoded by ORF50 to arrest viral gene expression early after de novo infection. Inoculation with RDV-50.stop exposes the host to intact virion particles and leads to limited lytic gene expression in infected cells. Prime-boost vaccination of mice with RDV-50.stop elicited virus-specific neutralizing antibody and effector T cell responses in the lung and spleen. Vaccination with RDV-50.stop resulted in a near complete abolishment of virus replication in the lung 7 days post-challenge and virus reactivation from spleen 16 days post-challenge with WT MHV68. Ifnar1-/- mice, which lack the type I interferon receptor, exhibit severe disease upon infection with WT MHV68. RDV-50.stop vaccination of Ifnar1-/- mice prevented wasting and mortality upon challenge with WT MHV68. These results demonstrate that prime-boost vaccination with a GHV that is unable to undergo lytic replication offers protection against acute replication, reactivation, and severe disease upon WT virus challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley A Bland
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Shana Owens
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Kyle McEvoy
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Chad H Hogan
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
- HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Luciarita Boccuzzi
- HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Varvara Kirillov
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Camille Khairallah
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - Brian S Sheridan
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - J Craig Forrest
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
- Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA
| | - Laurie T Krug
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
- HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Wang Y, Tibbetts SA, Krug LT. Conquering the Host: Determinants of Pathogenesis Learned from Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68. Annu Rev Virol 2021; 8:349-371. [PMID: 34586873 PMCID: PMC9153731 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-virology-011921-082615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Gammaherpesviruses are an important class of oncogenic pathogens that are exquisitely evolved to their respective hosts. As such, the human gammaherpesviruses Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) do not naturally infect nonhuman primates or rodents. There is a clear need to fully explore mechanisms of gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis, host control, and immune evasion in the host. A gammaherpesvirus pathogen isolated from murid rodents was first reported in 1980; 40 years later, murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68, MuHV-4, γHV68) infection of laboratory mice is a well-established pathogenesis system recognized for its utility in applying state-of-the-art approaches to investigate virus-host interactions ranging from the whole host to the individual cell. Here, we highlight recent advancements in our understanding of the processes by which MHV68 colonizes the host and drives disease. Lessons that inform KSHV and EBV pathogenesis and provide future avenues for novel interventions against infection and virus-associated cancers are emphasized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiping Wang
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UF Health Cancer Center, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA
| | - Scott A Tibbetts
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, UF Health Cancer Center, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32610, USA
| | - Laurie T Krug
- HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA;
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Foreman HCC, Kirillov V, Paniccia G, Catalano D, Andrunik T, Gupta S, Krug LT, Zhang Y. RNA-guided gene editing of the murine gammaherpesvirus 68 genome reduces infectious virus production. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0252313. [PMID: 34086743 PMCID: PMC8177658 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) are cancer-causing viruses that establish lifelong infections in humans. Gene editing using the Cas9-guideRNA (gRNA) CRISPR system has been applied to decrease the latent load of EBV in human Burkitt lymphoma cells. Validating the efficacy of Cas9-gRNA system in eradicating infection in vivo without off-target effects to the host genome will require animal model systems. To this end, we evaluated a series of gRNAs against individual genes and functional genomic elements of murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) that are both conserved with KSHV and important for the establishment of latency or reactivation from latency in the host. gRNA sequences against ORF50, ORF72 and ORF73 led to insertion, deletion and substitution mutations in these target regions of the genome in cell culture. Murine NIH3T3 fibroblast cells that stably express Cas9 and gRNAs to ORF50 were most resistant to replication upon de novo infection. Latent murine A20 B cell lines that stably express Cas9 and gRNAs against MHV68 were reduced in their reactivation by approximately 50%, regardless of the viral gene target. Lastly, co-transfection of HEK293T cells with the vector expressing the Cas9-MHV68 gRNA components along with the viral genome provided a rapid read-out of gene editing and biological impact. Combinatorial, multiplex MHV68 gRNA transfections in HEK293T cells led to near complete ablation of infectious particle production. Our findings indicate that Cas9-gRNA editing of the murine gammaherpesvirus genome has a deleterious impact on productive replication in three independent infection systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui-Chen Chang Foreman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Varvara Kirillov
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Gabrielle Paniccia
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Demetra Catalano
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Trevor Andrunik
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Swati Gupta
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Laurie T. Krug
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
- HIV and AIDS Malignancy Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Yue Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
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7
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Basinski AJ, Varrelman TJ, Smithson MW, May RH, Remien CH, Nuismer SL. Evaluating the promise of recombinant transmissible vaccines. Vaccine 2018; 36:675-682. [PMID: 29279283 PMCID: PMC5811206 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.12.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2017] [Revised: 12/12/2017] [Accepted: 12/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Transmissible vaccines have the potential to revolutionize infectious disease control by reducing the vaccination effort required to protect a population against a disease. Recent efforts to develop transmissible vaccines focus on recombinant transmissible vaccine designs (RTVs) because they pose reduced risk if intra-host evolution causes the vaccine to revert to its vector form. However, the shared antigenicity of the vaccine and vector may confer vaccine-immunity to hosts infected with the vector, thwarting the ability of the vaccine to spread through the population. We build a mathematical model to test whether a RTV can facilitate disease management in instances where reversion is likely to introduce the vector into the population or when the vector organism is already established in the host population, and the vector and vaccine share perfect cross-immunity. Our results show that a RTV can autonomously eradicate a pathogen, or protect a population from pathogen invasion, when cross-immunity between vaccine and vector is absent. If cross-immunity between vaccine and vector exists, however, our results show that a RTV can substantially reduce the vaccination effort necessary to control or eradicate a pathogen only when continuously augmented with direct manual vaccination. These results demonstrate that estimating the extent of cross-immunity between vector and vaccine is a critical step in RTV design, and that herpesvirus vectors showing facile reinfection and weak cross-immunity are promising.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Basinski
- Dept. of Mathematics, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844, United States.
| | - Tanner J Varrelman
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844, United States
| | - Mark W Smithson
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, PO Box 644236, Pullman, WA 99163, United States
| | - Ryan H May
- Dept. of Mathematics, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844, United States
| | - Christopher H Remien
- Dept. of Mathematics, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844, United States
| | - Scott L Nuismer
- Dept. of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, Moscow, ID 83844, United States
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Ishida K, Xu H, Sasakawa N, Lung MSY, Kudryashev JA, Gee P, Hotta A. Site-specific randomization of the endogenous genome by a regulatable CRISPR-Cas9 piggyBac system in human cells. Sci Rep 2018; 8:310. [PMID: 29321585 PMCID: PMC5762678 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18568-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Randomized mutagenesis at an endogenous chromosomal locus is a promising approach for protein engineering, functional assessment of regulatory elements, and modeling genetic variations. In mammalian cells, however, it is challenging to perform site-specific single-nucleotide substitution with single-stranded oligodeoxynucleotide (ssODN) donor templates due to insufficient homologous recombination and the infeasibility of positive selection. Here, we developed a DNA transposon based CRISPR-Cas9 regulated transcription and nuclear shuttling (CRONUS) system that enables the stable transduction of CRISPR-Cas9/sgRNA in broad cell types, but avoids undesired genome cleavage in the absence two chemical inducing molecules. Highly efficient single nucleotide alterations induced randomization of desired codons (up to 4 codons) at a defined genomic locus in various human cell lines, including human iPS cells. Thus, CRONUS provides a novel platform for modeling diseases and genetic variations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Ishida
- Department of Life Science Frontiers, Center for iPS cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Core Center for iPS Cell Research, Research Center Network for Realization of Regenerative Medicine, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Huaigeng Xu
- Department of Life Science Frontiers, Center for iPS cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Noriko Sasakawa
- Department of Life Science Frontiers, Center for iPS cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Core Center for iPS Cell Research, Research Center Network for Realization of Regenerative Medicine, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mandy Siu Yu Lung
- Department of Life Science Frontiers, Center for iPS cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | - Peter Gee
- Department of Life Science Frontiers, Center for iPS cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Institute for integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Akitsu Hotta
- Department of Life Science Frontiers, Center for iPS cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
- Core Center for iPS Cell Research, Research Center Network for Realization of Regenerative Medicine, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED), Tokyo, Japan.
- Institute for integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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Murine Gammaherpesvirus 68 Expressing Kaposi Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Latency-Associated Nuclear Antigen (LANA) Reveals both Functional Conservation and Divergence in LANA Homologs. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.00992-17. [PMID: 28747501 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00992-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) is a multifunctional protein encoded by members of the Rhadinovirus genus of gammaherpesviruses. Studies using murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) demonstrated that LANA is important for acute replication, latency establishment, and reactivation in vivo Despite structural similarities in their DNA-binding domains (DBDs), LANA homologs from Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and MHV68 exhibit considerable sequence divergence. We sought to determine if KSHV and MHV68 LANA homologs are functionally interchangeable. We generated an MHV68 virus that encodes KSHV LANA (kLANA) in place of MHV68 LANA (mLANA) and evaluated the virus's capacity to replicate, establish and maintain latency, and reactivate. kLANA knock-in (KLKI) MHV68 was replication competent in vitro and in vivo but exhibited slower growth kinetics and lower titers than wild-type (WT) MHV68. Following inoculation of mice, KLKI MHV68 established and maintained latency in splenocytes and peritoneal cells but did not reactivate efficiently ex vivo kLANA repressed the MHV68 promoter for ORF50, the gene that encodes the major lytic transactivator protein RTA, while mLANA did not, suggesting a likely mechanism for the KLKI MHV68 phenotypes. Bypassing this repression by providing MHV68 RTA in trans rescued KLKI MHV68 replication in tissue culture and enabled detection of KLKI MHV68 reactivation ex vivo These data demonstrate that kLANA and mLANA are functionally interchangeable for establishment and maintenance of latency and suggest that repression of lytic replication by kLANA, as previously shown with KSHV, is a kLANA-specific function that is transferable to MHV68.IMPORTANCE Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68) are members of the Rhadinovirus genus of gammaherpesviruses. These viruses establish lifelong infections that place their respective human and murine hosts at risk for cancer. Latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) is a conserved Rhadinovirus protein that is necessary for long-term chronic infection by these viruses. To better understand the conserved functions performed by LANA homologs, we generated a recombinant MHV68 virus that encodes the KSHV LANA protein in place of the MHV68 LANA homolog. We determined that the KSHV LANA protein is capable of supporting MHV68 latency in a mouse model of chronic infection but also functions to repress viral replication. This work describes an in vivo model system for defining evolutionarily conserved and divergent functions of LANA homologs in Rhadinovirus infection and disease.
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