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Valusenko-Mehrkens R, Schilling-Loeffler K, Johne R, Falkenhagen A. VP4 Mutation Boosts Replication of Recombinant Human/Simian Rotavirus in Cell Culture. Viruses 2024; 16:565. [PMID: 38675907 PMCID: PMC11054354 DOI: 10.3390/v16040565] [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: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Rotavirus A (RVA) is the leading cause of diarrhea requiring hospitalization in children and causes over 100,000 annual deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa. In order to generate next-generation vaccines against African RVA genotypes, a reverse genetics system based on a simian rotavirus strain was utilized here to exchange the antigenic capsid proteins VP4, VP7 and VP6 with those of African human rotavirus field strains. One VP4/VP7/VP6 (genotypes G9-P[6]-I2) triple-reassortant was successfully rescued, but it replicated poorly in the first cell culture passages. However, the viral titer was enhanced upon further passaging. Whole genome sequencing of the passaged virus revealed a single point mutation (A797G), resulting in an amino acid exchange (E263G) in VP4. After introducing this mutation into the VP4-encoding plasmid, a VP4 mono-reassortant as well as the VP4/VP7/VP6 triple-reassortant replicated to high titers already in the first cell culture passage. However, the introduction of the same mutation into the VP4 of other human RVA strains did not improve the rescue of those reassortants, indicating strain specificity. The results show that specific point mutations in VP4 can substantially improve the rescue and replication of recombinant RVA reassortants in cell culture, which may be useful for the development of novel vaccine strains.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Alexander Falkenhagen
- Department of Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, 10589 Berlin, Germany; (R.V.-M.); (K.S.-L.); (R.J.)
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Snyder AJ, Agbemabiese CA, Patton JT. Production of OSU G5P[7] Porcine Rotavirus Expressing a Fluorescent Reporter via Reverse Genetics. Viruses 2024; 16:411. [PMID: 38543776 PMCID: PMC10974435 DOI: 10.3390/v16030411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Rotaviruses are a significant cause of severe, potentially life-threatening gastroenteritis in infants and the young of many economically important animals. Although vaccines against porcine rotavirus exist, both live oral and inactivated, their effectiveness in preventing gastroenteritis is less than ideal. Thus, there is a need for the development of new generations of porcine rotavirus vaccines. The Ohio State University (OSU) rotavirus strain represents a Rotavirus A species with a G5P[7] genotype, the genotype most frequently associated with rotavirus disease in piglets. Using complete genome sequences that were determined via Nanopore sequencing, we developed a robust reverse genetics system enabling the recovery of recombinant (r)OSU rotavirus. Although rOSU grew to high titers (~107 plaque-forming units/mL), its growth kinetics were modestly decreased in comparison to the laboratory-adapted OSU virus. The reverse genetics system was used to generate the rOSU rotavirus, which served as an expression vector for a foreign protein. Specifically, by engineering a fused NSP3-2A-UnaG open reading frame into the segment 7 RNA, we produced a genetically stable rOSU virus that expressed the fluorescent UnaG protein as a functional separate product. Together, these findings raise the possibility of producing improved live oral porcine rotavirus vaccines through reverse-genetics-based modification or combination porcine rotavirus vaccines that can express neutralizing antigens for other porcine enteric diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony J. Snyder
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 212 S. Hawthorne Drive, Simon Hall 011, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; (A.J.S.); (C.A.A.)
| | - Chantal A. Agbemabiese
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 212 S. Hawthorne Drive, Simon Hall 011, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; (A.J.S.); (C.A.A.)
- Department of Electron Microscopy and Histopathology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra 00233, Ghana
| | - John T. Patton
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 212 S. Hawthorne Drive, Simon Hall 011, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA; (A.J.S.); (C.A.A.)
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Wei J, Radcliffe S, Pirrone A, Lu M, Li Y, Cassaday J, Newhard W, Heidecker GJ, Rose II WA, He X, Freed D, Citron M, Espeseth A, Wang D. A Novel Rotavirus Reverse Genetics Platform Supports Flexible Insertion of Exogenous Genes and Enables Rapid Development of a High-Throughput Neutralization Assay. Viruses 2023; 15:2034. [PMID: 37896813 PMCID: PMC10611407 DOI: 10.3390/v15102034] [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] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the success of rotavirus vaccines, rotaviruses remain one of the leading causes of diarrheal diseases, resulting in significant childhood morbidity and mortality, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The reverse genetics system enables the manipulation of the rotavirus genome and opens the possibility of using rotavirus as an expression vector for heterologous proteins, such as vaccine antigens and therapeutic payloads. Here, we demonstrate that three positions in rotavirus genome-the C terminus of NSP1, NSP3 and NSP5-can tolerate the insertion of reporter genes. By using rotavirus expressing GFP, we develop a high-throughput neutralization assay and reveal the pre-existing immunity against rotavirus in humans and other animal species. Our work shows the plasticity of the rotavirus genome and establishes a high-throughput assay for interrogating humoral immune responses, benefiting the design of next-generation rotavirus vaccines and the development of rotavirus-based expression platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajie Wei
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (A.P.); (M.L.); (Y.L.); (J.C.); (W.N.); (G.J.H.); (X.H.); (D.F.); (M.C.); (A.E.); (D.W.)
| | - Scott Radcliffe
- Department of Quantitative Biosciences, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (S.R.); (W.A.R.II)
| | - Amanda Pirrone
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (A.P.); (M.L.); (Y.L.); (J.C.); (W.N.); (G.J.H.); (X.H.); (D.F.); (M.C.); (A.E.); (D.W.)
| | - Meiqing Lu
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (A.P.); (M.L.); (Y.L.); (J.C.); (W.N.); (G.J.H.); (X.H.); (D.F.); (M.C.); (A.E.); (D.W.)
| | - Yuan Li
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (A.P.); (M.L.); (Y.L.); (J.C.); (W.N.); (G.J.H.); (X.H.); (D.F.); (M.C.); (A.E.); (D.W.)
| | - Jason Cassaday
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (A.P.); (M.L.); (Y.L.); (J.C.); (W.N.); (G.J.H.); (X.H.); (D.F.); (M.C.); (A.E.); (D.W.)
| | - William Newhard
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (A.P.); (M.L.); (Y.L.); (J.C.); (W.N.); (G.J.H.); (X.H.); (D.F.); (M.C.); (A.E.); (D.W.)
| | - Gwendolyn J. Heidecker
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (A.P.); (M.L.); (Y.L.); (J.C.); (W.N.); (G.J.H.); (X.H.); (D.F.); (M.C.); (A.E.); (D.W.)
| | - William A. Rose II
- Department of Quantitative Biosciences, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (S.R.); (W.A.R.II)
| | - Xi He
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (A.P.); (M.L.); (Y.L.); (J.C.); (W.N.); (G.J.H.); (X.H.); (D.F.); (M.C.); (A.E.); (D.W.)
| | - Daniel Freed
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (A.P.); (M.L.); (Y.L.); (J.C.); (W.N.); (G.J.H.); (X.H.); (D.F.); (M.C.); (A.E.); (D.W.)
| | - Michael Citron
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (A.P.); (M.L.); (Y.L.); (J.C.); (W.N.); (G.J.H.); (X.H.); (D.F.); (M.C.); (A.E.); (D.W.)
| | - Amy Espeseth
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (A.P.); (M.L.); (Y.L.); (J.C.); (W.N.); (G.J.H.); (X.H.); (D.F.); (M.C.); (A.E.); (D.W.)
| | - Dai Wang
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA; (A.P.); (M.L.); (Y.L.); (J.C.); (W.N.); (G.J.H.); (X.H.); (D.F.); (M.C.); (A.E.); (D.W.)
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Asensio-Cob D, Rodríguez JM, Luque D. Rotavirus Particle Disassembly and Assembly In Vivo and In Vitro. Viruses 2023; 15:1750. [PMID: 37632092 PMCID: PMC10458742 DOI: 10.3390/v15081750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Rotaviruses (RVs) are non-enveloped multilayered dsRNA viruses that are major etiologic agents of diarrheal disease in humans and in the young in a large number of animal species. The viral particle is composed of three different protein layers that enclose the segmented dsRNA genome and the transcriptional complexes. Each layer defines a unique subparticle that is associated with a different phase of the replication cycle. Thus, while single- and double-layered particles are associated with the intracellular processes of selective packaging, genome replication, and transcription, the viral machinery necessary for entry is located in the third layer. This modular nature of its particle allows rotaviruses to control its replication cycle by the disassembly and assembly of its structural proteins. In this review, we examine the significant advances in structural, molecular, and cellular RV biology that have contributed during the last few years to illuminating the intricate details of the RV particle disassembly and assembly processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dunia Asensio-Cob
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, The Hospital for Sick Children, 686 Bay Street, Toronto, ON M5G0A4, Canada;
| | - Javier M. Rodríguez
- Department of Structure of Macromolecules, Centro Nacional de Biotecnología/CSIC, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Luque
- Electron Microscopy Unit UCCT/ISCIII, 28220 Majadahonda, Spain
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
- Electron Microscope Unit, Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
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