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Chen H, Phuektes P, Yeo LS, Wong YH, Lee RCH, Yi B, Hou X, Liu S, Cai Y, Chu JJH. Attenuation of neurovirulence of chikungunya virus by a single amino acid mutation in viral E2 envelope protein. J Biomed Sci 2024; 31:8. [PMID: 38229040 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-024-00995-x] [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: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has reemerged as a major public health concern, causing chikungunya fever with increasing cases and neurological complications. METHODS In the present study, we investigated a low-passage human isolate of the East/ Central/South African (ECSA) lineage of CHIKV strain LK(EH)CH6708, which exhibited a mix of small and large viral plaques. The small and large plaque variants were isolated and designated as CHIKV-SP and CHIKV-BP, respectively. CHIKV-SP and CHIKV-BP were characterized in vitro and in vivo to compare their virus production and virulence. Additionally, whole viral genome analysis and reverse genetics were employed to identify genomic virulence factors. RESULTS CHIKV-SP demonstrated lower virus production in mammalian cells and attenuated virulence in a murine model. On the other hand, CHIKV-BP induced higher pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, compromised the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, and led to astrocyte infection in mouse brains. Furthermore, the CHIKV-SP variant had limited transmission potential in Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, likely due to restricted dissemination. Whole viral genome analysis revealed multiple genetic mutations in the CHIKV-SP variant, including a Glycine (G) to Arginine (R) mutation at position 55 in the viral E2 glycoprotein. Reverse genetics experiments confirmed that the E2-G55R mutation alone was sufficient to reduce virus production in vitro and virulence in mice. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight the attenuating effects of the E2-G55R mutation on CHIKV pathogenicity and neurovirulence and emphasize the importance of monitoring this mutation in natural infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huixin Chen
- Laboratory of Molecular RNA Virology and Antiviral Strategies, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Patchara Phuektes
- Division of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, 40002, Thailand
| | - Li Sze Yeo
- School of Applied Science, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yi Hao Wong
- Laboratory of Molecular RNA Virology and Antiviral Strategies, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Regina Ching Hua Lee
- Laboratory of Molecular RNA Virology and Antiviral Strategies, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bowen Yi
- Laboratory of Molecular RNA Virology and Antiviral Strategies, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Xinjun Hou
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sen Liu
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yu Cai
- Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Justin Jang Hann Chu
- Laboratory of Molecular RNA Virology and Antiviral Strategies, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- Infectious Diseases Translational Research Programme, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
- Collaborative and Translation Unit for HFMD, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore.
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Koh JX, Masomian M, Anasir MI, Ong SK, Poh CL. Insights into In Vitro Adaptation of EV71 and Analysis of Reduced Virulence by In Silico Predictions. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11030629. [PMID: 36992213 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11030629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
EV-A71 is a common viral pathogen that causes hand, foot and mouth disease. It is a single-stranded RNA virus that has a low fidelity RNA polymerase and, as a result, spontaneous mutations frequently occur in the EV-A71 genome. The mutations within the genome give rise to quasispecies within the viral population that could be further defined by haplotypes. In vitro virulence of EV-A71 was shown by plaque size in Rhabdomyosarcoma (RD) cells, which was substantiated by in vitro characterizations of growth, RNA replication, binding, attachment and host cell internalization. Viruses could exhibit different host cell adaptations in different cell lines during viral passaging. The EV-A71/WT (derived from EV-A71 subgenotype B4) was shown to comprise six haplotypes through next-generation sequencing, where only EV-A71/Hap2 was found to be cultivable in RD cells, while EV-A71/Hap4 was the only cultivable haplotype in Vero cells. The EV-A71/WT produced plaques of four different sizes (small, medium, big, huge) in RD cells, while only two plaque variants (small, medium) were present in Vero cells. The small plaque variant isolated from RD cells displayed lower RNA replication rates, slower in vitro growth kinetics, higher TCID50 and lower attachment, binding and entry ability when compared against EV-A71/WT due to the mutation at 3D-S228P that disrupted the active site of the RNA polymerase, resulting in low replication and growth of the variant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Xuen Koh
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Malihe Masomian
- Research and Development Department, Pure Biologics SA, Duńska 11, 54-427 Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Mohd Ishtiaq Anasir
- Virology Unit, Infectious Disease Research Center, Institute for Medical Research, National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Shah Alam 40170, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Seng-Kai Ong
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Chit Laa Poh
- Centre for Virus and Vaccine Research, School of Medical and Life Sciences, Sunway University, Bandar Sunway, Petaling Jaya 47500, Selangor, Malaysia
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Archila ED, López LS, Castellanos JE, Calvo EP. Molecular and biological characterization of an Asian-American isolate of Chikungunya virus. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266450. [PMID: 35385544 PMCID: PMC8985947 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Chikungunya virus is an arthropod-transmitted virus that causes chikungunya fever, a disease characterized by severe muscle and joint pain. In 2013, the virus was introduced to the Americas and caused approximately 2.7 million cases of infection during the subsequent two years. The lack of knowledge regarding the biological behavior of the viral strains circulating during the outbreak motivated the characterization of an isolate from the Colombian outbreak, starting from analysis of the complete genome to the biological behavior in vitro. The full genome was retrieved using next-generation sequencing. The infective and replicative capacities were evaluated in HEK293T, Huh-7, and MRC-5 cell lines. The infection rates were determined by flow cytometry, and the cytopathic effect was assessed by a resazurin fluorescent metabolic assay. The viral yield was quantified using the virus plaque formation assay, while the viral proteins and genomic RNA kinetics were subsequently evaluated by western-blot and RT-qPCR. The COL7624 isolate clustered with other American and Caribbean sequences in the Asian American lineage. The T669A substitution in E2 protein distinguished it from other Colombian sequences reported in 2014. After 48 h post infection (hpi), the three cell lines analyzed reached infection percentages exceeding 65%, generating a high load of infectious viral progeny. The infection kinetics indicated that the replication peak of this CHIKV isolate is around 24 hpi, although gRNA is detectable in the culture supernatant from 4 hpi onwards. The infection caused the overexpression of interferon and pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-8. The COL7624 CHIKV isolate exhibited a high infective and replicative capacity as well as activation of cellular immune responses, similar to isolates belonging to the other genotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin D. Archila
- Laboratorio de Virología, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - Lady S. López
- Laboratorio de Virología, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | | | - Eliana P. Calvo
- Laboratorio de Virología, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
- * E-mail:
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Tran QTN, Lee RCH, Liu HJ, Ran D, Low VZL, To DQ, Chu JJH, Chai CLL. Discovery and development of labdane-oxindole hybrids as small-molecule inhibitors against chikungunya virus infection. Eur J Med Chem 2022; 230:114110. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2022.114110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Domingo E, García-Crespo C, Perales C. Historical Perspective on the Discovery of the Quasispecies Concept. Annu Rev Virol 2021; 8:51-72. [PMID: 34586874 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-virology-091919-105900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Viral quasispecies are dynamic distributions of nonidentical but closely related mutant and recombinant viral genomes subjected to a continuous process of genetic variation, competition, and selection that may act as a unit of selection. The quasispecies concept owes its theoretical origins to a model for the origin of life as a collection of mutant RNA replicators. Independently, experimental evidence for the quasispecies concept was obtained from sampling of bacteriophage clones, which revealed that the viral populations consisted of many mutant genomes whose frequency varied with time of replication. Similar findings were made in animal and plant RNA viruses. Quasispecies became a theoretical framework to understand viral population dynamics and adaptability. The evidence came at a time when mutations were considered rare events in genetics, a perception that was to change dramatically in subsequent decades. Indeed, viral quasispecies was the conceptual forefront of a remarkable degree of biological diversity, now evident for cell populations and organisms, not only for viruses. Quasispecies dynamics unveiled complexities in the behavior of viral populations,with consequences for disease mechanisms and control strategies. This review addresses the origin of the quasispecies concept, its major implications on both viral evolution and antiviral strategies, and current and future prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban Domingo
- Department of Interactions with the Environment, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBMSO), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain; .,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd) del Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Carlos García-Crespo
- Department of Interactions with the Environment, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBMSO), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Celia Perales
- Department of Interactions with the Environment, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBMSO), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 28049 Madrid, Spain; .,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd) del Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain.,Department of Clinical Microbiology, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (IIS-FJD, UAM), 28040 Madrid, Spain
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Sukkaew A, Suksatu A, Roytrakul S, Smith DR, Ubol S. Proteomic analysis of CHIKV-infected human fibroblast-like synoviocytes: Identification of host factors potentially associated with CHIKV replication and cellular pathogenesis. Microbiol Immunol 2020; 64:445-457. [PMID: 32246487 DOI: 10.1111/1348-0421.12793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Revised: 03/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus that causes arthralgic fever. Fibroblast-like synoviocytes play a key role in joint damage in inflammatory arthritides and can additionally serve as target cells for CHIKV infection. To gain a better understanding of CHIKV-induced arthralgia, the interaction between CHIKV and synoviocytes was investigated at the protein level. A gel-enhanced liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (GeLC-MS/MS) approach was used to examine protein expression from primary human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (HFLS) infected with clinical isolates of CHIKV at 12 and 24 hr post infection. Our analysis identified 259 and 241 proteins of known function that were differentially expressed (>1.5 or <-1.5 fold change) following CHIKV infection at 12 and 24 hpi, respectively. These proteins are involved in cellular homeostasis, including cellular trafficking, cytoskeletal organization, immune response, metabolic process, and protein modification. Some of these proteins have previously been reported to participate in arthralgia/arthritis and the death of infected cells. Our results provide information on the CHIKV-induced modulation of cellular proteins of HFLS at an early stage of infection, as well as highlighting biological processes associated with CHIKV infection in the main target cells of the joint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apamas Sukkaew
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Ampa Suksatu
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sittiruk Roytrakul
- Proteomics Research Laboratory, Genome Institute, National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathum Thani, Thailand
| | - Duncan R Smith
- Center for Emerging and Neglected Infectious Diseases, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Institute of Molecular Bioscience, Mahidol University Salaya Campus, Nakorn Pathom, Thailand
| | - Sukathida Ubol
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.,Center for Emerging and Neglected Infectious Diseases, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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Rheumatic manifestations of chikungunya: emerging concepts and interventions. Nat Rev Rheumatol 2019; 15:597-611. [DOI: 10.1038/s41584-019-0276-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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