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Molteni C, Forni D, Cagliani R, Bravo IG, Sironi M. Evolution and diversity of nucleotide and dinucleotide composition in poxviruses. J Gen Virol 2023; 104. [PMID: 37792576 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Poxviruses (family Poxviridae) have long dsDNA genomes and infect a wide range of hosts, including insects, birds, reptiles and mammals. These viruses have substantial incidence, prevalence and disease burden in humans and in other animals. Nucleotide and dinucleotide composition, mostly CpG and TpA, have been largely studied in viral genomes because of their evolutionary and functional implications. We analysed here the nucleotide and dinucleotide composition, as well as codon usage bias, of a set of representative poxvirus genomes, with a very diverse host spectrum. After correcting for overall nucleotide composition, entomopoxviruses displayed low overall GC content, no enrichment in TpA and large variation in CpG enrichment, while chordopoxviruses showed large variation in nucleotide composition, no obvious depletion in CpG and a weak trend for TpA depletion in GC-rich genomes. Overall, intergenome variation in dinucleotide composition in poxviruses is largely accounted for by variation in overall genomic GC levels. Nonetheless, using vaccinia virus as a model, we found that genes expressed at the earliest times in infection are more CpG-depleted than genes expressed at later stages. This observation has parallels in betahepesviruses (also large dsDNA viruses) and suggests an antiviral role for the innate immune system (e.g. via the zinc-finger antiviral protein ZAP) in the early phases of poxvirus infection. We also analysed codon usage bias in poxviruses and we observed that it is mostly determined by genomic GC content, and that stratification after host taxonomy does not contribute to explaining codon usage bias diversity. By analysis of within-species diversity, we show that genomic GC content is the result of mutational biases. Poxvirus genomes that encode a DNA ligase are significantly AT-richer than those that do not, suggesting that DNA repair systems shape mutation biases. Our data shed light on the evolution of poxviruses and inform strategies for their genetic manipulation for therapeutic purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristian Molteni
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Diego Forni
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Rachele Cagliani
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, Italy
| | - Ignacio G Bravo
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Univ Montpellier CNRS, IRD), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Montpellier, France
| | - Manuela Sironi
- Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Bioinformatics, Bosisio Parini, Italy
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Whelan JT, Singaravelu R, Wang F, Pelin A, Tamming LA, Pugliese G, Martin NT, Crupi MJF, Petryk J, Austin B, He X, Marius R, Duong J, Jones C, Fekete EEF, Alluqmani N, Chen A, Boulton S, Huh MS, Tang MY, Taha Z, Scut E, Diallo JS, Azad T, Lichty BD, Ilkow CS, Bell JC. CRISPR-mediated rapid arming of poxvirus vectors enables facile generation of the novel immunotherapeutic STINGPOX. Front Immunol 2023; 13:1050250. [PMID: 36713447 PMCID: PMC9880309 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1050250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Poxvirus vectors represent versatile modalities for engineering novel vaccines and cancer immunotherapies. In addition to their oncolytic capacity and immunogenic influence, they can be readily engineered to express multiple large transgenes. However, the integration of multiple payloads into poxvirus genomes by traditional recombination-based approaches can be highly inefficient, time-consuming and cumbersome. Herein, we describe a simple, cost-effective approach to rapidly generate and purify a poxvirus vector with multiple transgenes. By utilizing a simple, modular CRISPR/Cas9 assisted-recombinant vaccinia virus engineering (CARVE) system, we demonstrate generation of a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing three distinct transgenes at three different loci in less than 1 week. We apply CARVE to rapidly generate a novel immunogenic vaccinia virus vector, which expresses a bacterial diadenylate cyclase. This novel vector, STINGPOX, produces cyclic di-AMP, a STING agonist, which drives IFN signaling critical to the anti-tumor immune response. We demonstrate that STINGPOX can drive IFN signaling in primary human cancer tissue explants. Using an immunocompetent murine colon cancer model, we demonstrate that intratumoral administration of STINGPOX in combination with checkpoint inhibitor, anti-PD1, promotes survival post-tumour challenge. These data demonstrate the utility of CRISPR/Cas9 in the rapid arming of poxvirus vectors with therapeutic payloads to create novel immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack T. Whelan
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ragunath Singaravelu
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Public Health Agency of Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Fuan Wang
- McMaster Immunology Research Centre, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada,MG DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Adrian Pelin
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Levi A. Tamming
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Giuseppe Pugliese
- Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Nikolas T. Martin
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Mathieu J. F. Crupi
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Julia Petryk
- Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Bradley Austin
- Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Xiaohong He
- Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ricardo Marius
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jessie Duong
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Carter Jones
- Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Emily E. F. Fekete
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Nouf Alluqmani
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew Chen
- Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Stephen Boulton
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Michael S. Huh
- Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Matt Y. Tang
- Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Zaid Taha
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Elena Scut
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jean-Simon Diallo
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Taha Azad
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Brian D. Lichty
- McMaster Immunology Research Centre, Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada,MG DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada,*Correspondence: John C. Bell, ; Carolina S. Ilkow, ; Brian D. Lichty,
| | - Carolina S. Ilkow
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada,*Correspondence: John C. Bell, ; Carolina S. Ilkow, ; Brian D. Lichty,
| | - John C. Bell
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada,Centre for Innovation Cancer Therapeutics, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada,*Correspondence: John C. Bell, ; Carolina S. Ilkow, ; Brian D. Lichty,
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Templeton CW, Traktman P. UV Irradiation of Vaccinia Virus-Infected Cells Impairs Cellular Functions, Introduces Lesions into the Viral Genome, and Uncovers Repair Capabilities for the Viral Replication Machinery. J Virol 2022; 96:e0213721. [PMID: 35404095 PMCID: PMC9093118 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02137-21] [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: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccinia virus (VV), the prototypic poxvirus, encodes a repertoire of proteins responsible for the metabolism of its large dsDNA genome. Previous work has furthered our understanding of how poxviruses replicate and recombine their genomes, but little is known about whether the poxvirus genome undergoes DNA repair. Our studies here are aimed at understanding how VV responds to exogenous DNA damage introduced by UV irradiation. Irradiation of cells prior to infection decreased protein synthesis and led to an ∼12-fold reduction in viral yield. On top of these cell-specific insults, irradiation of VV infections at 4 h postinfection (hpi) introduced both cyclobutene pyrimidine dimer (CPD) and 6,4-photoproduct (6,4-PP) lesions into the viral genome led to a nearly complete halt to further DNA synthesis and to a further reduction in viral yield (∼35-fold). DNA lesions persisted throughout infection and were indeed present in the genomes encapsidated into nascent virions. Depletion of several cellular proteins that mediate nucleotide excision repair (XP-A, -F, and -G) did not render viral infections hypersensitive to UV. We next investigated whether viral proteins were involved in combatting DNA damage. Infections performed with a virus lacking the A50 DNA ligase were moderately hypersensitive to UV irradiation (∼3-fold). More strikingly, when the DNA polymerase inhibitor cytosine arabinoside (araC) was added to wild-type infections at the time of UV irradiation (4 hpi), an even greater hypersensitivity to UV irradiation was seen (∼11-fold). Virions produced under the latter condition contained elevated levels of CPD adducts, strongly suggesting that the viral polymerase contributes to the repair of UV lesions introduced into the viral genome. IMPORTANCE Poxviruses remain of significant interest because of their continuing clinical relevance, their utility for the development of vaccines and oncolytic therapies, and their illustration of fundamental principles of viral replication and virus/cell interactions. These viruses are unique in that they replicate exclusively in the cytoplasm of infected mammalian cells, providing novel challenges for DNA viruses. How poxviruses replicate, recombine, and possibly repair their genomes is still only partially understood. Using UV irradiation as a form of exogenous DNA damage, we have examined how vaccinia virus metabolizes its genome following insult. We show that even UV irradiation of cells prior to infection diminishes viral yield, while UV irradiation during infection damages the genome, causes a halt in DNA accumulation, and reduces the viral yield more severely. Furthermore, we show that viral proteins, but not the cellular machinery, contribute to a partial repair of the viral genome following UV irradiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conor W. Templeton
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
| | - Paula Traktman
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
- Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA
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