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Sarker R, Roknuzzaman ASM, Emon FA, Dewan SMR, Hossain MJ, Islam MR. A perspective on the worst ever dengue outbreak 2023 in Bangladesh: What makes this old enemy so deadly, and how can we combat it? Health Sci Rep 2024; 7:e2077. [PMID: 38725559 PMCID: PMC11079431 DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.2077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Background and Aims Bangladesh has been going through outbreaks of dengue fever cases every year since 2000. Yet this year's (2023) episode of dengue fever has crossed every line concerning fatality. Symptoms of the fever range from high fever, headaches, and muscle aches to deadly dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). The present review aims to assess the current pathogenicity and associated risk factors of recent dengue outbreaks in Bangladesh. Methods To perform this review work, we extracted relevant information from published articles available in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. We used dengue virus, dengue fever, and dengue outbreaks as keywords while searching for information. Results This Aedes mosquito-transmitted viral fever is more common in Bangladesh because of the tropical nature and immense burden of populations, resulting in convenient conditions for the reproduction of the vector. The rapid genetic transformation of this RNA virus and the resistance of its vector against insecticides have intensified the situation. The number of hospitalized patients has increased, and the case fatality rate has risen to 0.47%. Inadequate mosquito control measures, plenty of vector breeding sites, and a lack of public awareness have worsened the situation. Routine spraying of effective insecticides in high-risk zones, regular inspection of potential mosquito breeding sites, and public awareness campaigns are the keys to limiting the spread of this virus. Also, the availability of detection kits, improved hospital settings, and trained health professionals are mandatory to keep disease fatalities under control. Conclusion Dengue fever is a preventable disease. The successful development of a competent vaccine is now a prime need for preventing any future upsurge of the disease. Also, we recommend public awareness, vector control activities, and global collaboration to prevent spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rapty Sarker
- Department of PharmacyUniversity of Asia PacificDhakaBangladesh
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2
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Diaz-Cánova D, Moens U, Brinkmann A, Nitsche A, Okeke MI. Whole genome sequencing of recombinant viruses obtained from co-infection and superinfection of Vero cells with modified vaccinia virus ankara vectored influenza vaccine and a naturally occurring cowpox virus. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1277447. [PMID: 38633245 PMCID: PMC11021749 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1277447] [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: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) has been widely tested in clinical trials as recombinant vector vaccine against infectious diseases and cancers in humans and animals. However, one biosafety concern about the use of MVA vectored vaccine is the potential for MVA to recombine with naturally occurring orthopoxviruses in cells and hosts in which it multiplies poorly and, therefore, producing viruses with mosaic genomes with altered genetic and phenotypic properties. We previously conducted co-infection and superinfection experiments with MVA vectored influenza vaccine (MVA-HANP) and a feline Cowpox virus (CPXV-No-F1) in Vero cells (that were semi-permissive to MVA infection) and showed that recombination occurred in both co-infected and superinfected cells. In this study, we selected the putative recombinant viruses and performed genomic characterization of these viruses. Some putative recombinant viruses displayed plaque morphology distinct of that of the parental viruses. Our analysis demonstrated that they had mosaic genomes of different lengths. The recombinant viruses, with a genome more similar to MVA-HANP (>50%), rescued deleted and/or fragmented genes in MVA and gained new host ranges genes. Our analysis also revealed that some MVA-HANP contained a partially deleted transgene expression cassette and one recombinant virus contained part of the transgene expression cassette similar to that incomplete MVA-HANP. The recombination in co-infected and superinfected Vero cells resulted in recombinant viruses with unpredictable biological and genetic properties as well as recovery of delete/fragmented genes in MVA and transfer of the transgene into replication competent CPXV. These results are relevant to hazard characterization and risk assessment of MVA vectored biologicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Diaz-Cánova
- Molecular Inflammation Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ugo Moens
- Molecular Inflammation Research Group, Department of Medical Biology, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Annika Brinkmann
- WHO Reference Laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 and WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Nitsche
- WHO Reference Laboratory for SARS-CoV-2 and WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Malachy Ifeanyi Okeke
- Section of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, School of Arts and Sciences, American University of Nigeria, Yola, Nigeria
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3
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Adegboye O, Alele F, Pak A, Alakunle E, Emeto T, Leggat P, Okeke M. Monkeypox Outbreak 2022, from a Rare Disease to Global Health Emergence: Implications for Travellers. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1451:355-368. [PMID: 38801590 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-57165-7_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Monkeypox (mpox), a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), poses a significant public health threat with the potential for global dissemination beyond its endemic regions in Central and West Africa. This study explores the multifaceted aspects of monkeypox, covering its epidemiology, genomics, travel-related spread, mass gathering implications, and economic consequences. Epidemiologically, mpox exhibits distinct patterns, with variations in age and gender susceptibility. Severe cases can arise in immunocompromised individuals, underscoring the importance of understanding the factors contributing to its transmission. Genomic analysis of MPXV highlights its evolutionary relationship with the variola virus and vaccinia virus. Different MPXV clades exhibit varying levels of virulence and transmission potential, with Clade I associated with higher mortality rates. Moreover, the role of recombination in MPXV evolution remains a subject of interest, with implications for understanding its genetic diversity. Travel and mass gatherings play a pivotal role in the spread of monkeypox. The ease of international travel and increasing globalization have led to outbreaks beyond African borders. The economic ramifications of mpox outbreaks extend beyond public health. Direct treatment costs, productivity losses, and resource-intensive control efforts can strain healthcare systems and economies. While vaccination and mitigation strategies have proven effective, the cost-effectiveness of routine vaccination in non-endemic countries remains a subject of debate. This study emphasizes the role of travel, mass gatherings, and genomics in its spread and underscores the economic impacts on affected regions. Enhancing surveillance, vaccination strategies, and public health measures are essential in controlling this emerging infectious disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oyelola Adegboye
- Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Casuarina, NT, 0811, Australia.
- Public Health and Tropical Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia.
- World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Vector-Borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia.
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia.
| | - Faith Alele
- Public Health and Tropical Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Anton Pak
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
- Centre for the Business and Economics of Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4067, Australia
| | - Emmanuel Alakunle
- Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, American University of Nigeria, Yola, 640001, Nigeria
| | - Theophilus Emeto
- Public Health and Tropical Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
- World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Vector-Borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Peter Leggat
- Public Health and Tropical Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
- World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Vector-Borne and Neglected Tropical Diseases, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Malachy Okeke
- Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, American University of Nigeria, Yola, 640001, Nigeria
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4
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Boulton S, Poutou J, Gill R, Alluqmani N, He X, Singaravelu R, Crupi MJ, Petryk J, Austin B, Angka L, Taha Z, Teo I, Singh S, Jamil R, Marius R, Martin N, Jamieson T, Azad T, Diallo JS, Ilkow CS, Bell JC. A T cell-targeted multi-antigen vaccine generates robust cellular and humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2023; 31:101110. [PMID: 37822719 PMCID: PMC10562195 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2023.101110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent behind the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, has continued to mutate and create new variants with increased resistance against the WHO-approved spike-based vaccines. With a significant portion of the worldwide population still unvaccinated and with waning immunity against newly emerging variants, there is a pressing need to develop novel vaccines that provide broader and longer-lasting protection. To generate broader protective immunity against COVID-19, we developed our second-generation vaccinia virus-based COVID-19 vaccine, TOH-VAC-2, encoded with modified versions of the spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins as well as a unique poly-epitope antigen that contains immunodominant T cell epitopes from seven different SARS-CoV-2 proteins. We show that the poly-epitope antigen restimulates T cells from the PBMCs of individuals formerly infected with SARS-CoV-2. In mice, TOH-VAC-2 vaccination produces high titers of S- and N-specific antibodies and generates robust T cell immunity against S, N, and poly-epitope antigens. The immunity generated from TOH-VAC-2 is also capable of protecting mice from heterologous challenge with recombinant VSV viruses that express the same SARS-CoV-2 antigens. Altogether, these findings demonstrate the effectiveness of our versatile vaccine platform as an alternative or complementary approach to current vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Boulton
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Joanna Poutou
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Rida Gill
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Nouf Alluqmani
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Xiaohong He
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Ragunath Singaravelu
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Mathieu J.F. Crupi
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Julia Petryk
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Bradley Austin
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Leonard Angka
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Zaid Taha
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Iris Teo
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Siddarth Singh
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Rameen Jamil
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Ricardo Marius
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Nikolas Martin
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Taylor Jamieson
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Taha Azad
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1E 4K8, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHUS, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 5N4, Canada
| | - Jean-Simon Diallo
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Carolina S. Ilkow
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - John C. Bell
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
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5
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Souza ARV, Brinkmann A, Esparza J, Nitsche A, Damaso CR. Gene duplication, gene loss, and recombination events with variola virus shaped the complex evolutionary path of historical American horsepox-based smallpox vaccines. mBio 2023; 14:e0188723. [PMID: 37729584 PMCID: PMC10653919 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01887-23] [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: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Modern smallpox vaccines, such as those used against mpox, are made from vaccinia viruses, but it is still unknown whether cowpox, horsepox, or vaccinia viruses were used in the early 20th century or earlier. The mystery began to be solved when the genomes of six historical smallpox vaccines used in the United States from 1850 to 1902 were determined. Our work analyzed in detail the genomes of these six historical vaccines, revealing a complex genomic structure. Historical vaccines are highly similar to horsepox in the core of their genomes, but some are closer to the structure of vaccinia virus at the ends of the genome. One of the vaccines is a recombinant virus with parts of variola virus recombined into its genome. Our data add valuable information for understanding the evolutionary path of current smallpox vaccines and the genetic makeup of the potentially extinct group of horsepox viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline R. V. Souza
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Annika Brinkmann
- Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens 1 – Highly Pathogenic Viruses & German Consultant Laboratory for Poxviruses & WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - José Esparza
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Andreas Nitsche
- Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens 1 – Highly Pathogenic Viruses & German Consultant Laboratory for Poxviruses & WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Clarissa R. Damaso
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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6
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Brennan G, Stoian AMM, Yu H, Rahman MJ, Banerjee S, Stroup JN, Park C, Tazi L, Rothenburg S. Molecular Mechanisms of Poxvirus Evolution. mBio 2023; 14:e0152622. [PMID: 36515529 PMCID: PMC9973261 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01526-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Poxviruses are often thought to evolve relatively slowly because they are double-stranded DNA pathogens with proofreading polymerases. However, poxviruses have highly adaptable genomes and can undergo relatively rapid genotypic and phenotypic change, as illustrated by the recent increase in human-to-human transmission of monkeypox virus. Advances in deep sequencing technologies have demonstrated standing nucleotide variation in poxvirus populations, which has been underappreciated. There is also an emerging understanding of the role genomic architectural changes play in shaping poxvirus evolution. These mechanisms include homologous and nonhomologous recombination, gene duplications, gene loss, and the acquisition of new genes through horizontal gene transfer. In this review, we discuss these evolutionary mechanisms and their potential roles for adaption to novel host species and modulating virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greg Brennan
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Ana M. M. Stoian
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Huibin Yu
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - M. Julhasur Rahman
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Shefali Banerjee
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Jeannine N. Stroup
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Chorong Park
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Loubna Tazi
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Stefan Rothenburg
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA
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7
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Noyce RS, Westfall LW, Fogarty S, Gilbert K, Mpanju O, Stillwell H, Esparza J, Daugherty B, Koide F, Evans DH, Lederman S. Single Dose of Recombinant Chimeric Horsepox Virus (TNX-801) Vaccination Protects Macaques from Lethal Monkeypox Challenge. Viruses 2023; 15:v15020356. [PMID: 36851570 PMCID: PMC9965234 DOI: 10.3390/v15020356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The ongoing global Monkeypox outbreak that started in the spring of 2022 has reinforced the importance of protecting the population using live virus vaccines based on the vaccinia virus (VACV). Smallpox also remains a biothreat and although some U.S. military personnel are immunized with VACV, safety concerns limit its use in other vulnerable groups. Consequently, there is a need for an effective and safer, single dose, live replicating vaccine against both viruses. One potential approach is to use the horsepox virus (HPXV) as a vaccine. Contemporary VACV shares a common ancestor with HPXV, which from the time of Edward Jenner and through the 19th century, was extensively used to vaccinate against smallpox. However, it is unknown if early HPXV-based vaccines exhibited different safety and efficacy profiles compared to modern VACV. A deeper understanding of HPXV as a vaccine platform may allow the construction of safer and more effective vaccines against the poxvirus family. In a proof-of-concept study, we vaccinated cynomolgus macaques with TNX-801, a recombinant chimeric horsepox virus (rcHPXV), and showed that the vaccine elicited protective immune responses against a lethal challenge with monkeypox virus (MPXV), strain Zaire. The vaccine was well tolerated and protected animals from the development of lesions and severe disease. These encouraging data support the further development of TNX-801.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan S. Noyce
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | - José Esparza
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | | | | | - David H. Evans
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Seth Lederman
- Tonix Pharmaceuticals, Dartmouth, MA 02748, USA
- Correspondence:
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8
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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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9
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Cruz NVG, Luques MN, Castiñeiras TMPP, Costa Ferreira Jr O, Peralta RHS, da Costa LJ, Damaso CR. Genomic Characterization of the Historical Smallpox Vaccine Strain Wyeth Isolated from a 1971 Seed Vial. Viruses 2022; 15:83. [PMID: 36680123 PMCID: PMC9864299 DOI: 10.3390/v15010083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wyeth strain of vaccinia virus (VACV) produced by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals was supposedly used to manufacture the old freeze-dried American smallpox vaccine, Dryvax, until its discontinuation in 2008. Although the genomic sequences of numerous Dryvax clones have been reported, data on VACV-Wyeth genomes are still lacking. Genomic analysis of old VACV strains is relevant to understand the evolutionary relationships of smallpox vaccines, particularly with the recent resumption of smallpox vaccination in certain population groups as an attempt to control the worldwide monkeypox outbreak. Here we analyzed the complete genome sequences of three VACV-Wyeth clonal isolates obtained from a single seed vial donated to the Brazilian eradication program in the 1970s. Wyeth clones show >99.3% similarity to each other and >95.3% similarity with Dryvax clones, mapping together in clade I of the vaccinia group. Although the patterns of SNPs and INDELs comparing Dryvax and Wyeth clones are overall uniform, important differences were detected particularly at the ends of the genome. In addition, we detected recombinant events of clone Wyeth A111 and the Dryvax clone Acam2000, suggesting that other regions of the genomes may have similar patchy patterns of recombination. A small-scale serological survey using VACV-Wyeth as antigen in ELISA assays revealed that 63 of the 65 individuals born before the end of smallpox vaccination in Brazil still have anti-VACV IgG antibodies, demonstrating the usefulness of the VACV-Wyeth strain in future extended serological studies of the Brazilian population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nádia Vaez G. Cruz
- Instituto de Biologia do Exército, Rio de Janeiro 20911-270, Brazil
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Matheus Nobrega Luques
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Terezinha Marta Pereira P. Castiñeiras
- Núcleo de Enfrentamento e Estudo de Doenças Infecciosas Emergentes e Reemergentes (NEEDIER), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Orlando Costa Ferreira Jr
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | | | - Luciana J. da Costa
- Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Clarissa R. Damaso
- Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
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10
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Sprygin A, Mazloum A, van Schalkwyk A, Babiuk S. Capripoxviruses, leporipoxviruses, and orthopoxviruses: Occurrences of recombination. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:978829. [PMID: 36274700 PMCID: PMC9584655 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.978829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Poxviruses are double-stranded DNA viruses with several members displaying restricted host ranges. They are genetically stable with low nucleotide mutation rates compared to other viruses, due to the poxviral high-fidelity DNA polymerase. Despite the low accumulation of mutations per replication cycle, poxvirus genomes can recombine with each other to generate genetically rearranged viruses through recombination, a process directly associated with replication and the aforementioned DNA polymerase. Orthopoxvirus replication is intimately tethered to high frequencies of homologous recombination between co-infecting viruses, duplicated sequences of the same virus, and plasmid DNA transfected into poxvirus-infected cells. Unfortunately, the effect of these genomic alterations on the cellular context for all poxviruses across the family Poxviridae remains elusive. However, emerging sequence data on currently circulating and archived poxviruses, such as the genera orthopoxviruses and capripoxviruses, display a wide degree of divergence. This genetic variability cannot be explained by clonality or genetic drift alone, but are probably a result of significant genomic alterations, such as homologous recombination, gene loss and gain, or gene duplications as the major selection forces acting on viral progeny. The objective of this review is to cross-sectionally overview the currently available findings on natural and laboratory observations of recombination in orthopoxviruses, capripoxviruses, and leporipoxviruses, as well as the possible mechanisms involved. Overall, the reviewed available evidence allows us to conclude that the current state of knowledge is limited in terms of the relevance of genetic variations across even a genus of poxviruses as well as fundamental features governing and precipitating intrinsic gene flow and recombination events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Sprygin
- Federal Center for Animal Health, Vladimir, Russia
- *Correspondence: Alexander Sprygin,
| | - Ali Mazloum
- Federal Center for Animal Health, Vladimir, Russia
| | | | - Shawn Babiuk
- National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
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11
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Lum FM, Torres-Ruesta A, Tay MZ, Lin RTP, Lye DC, Rénia L, Ng LFP. Monkeypox: disease epidemiology, host immunity and clinical interventions. Nat Rev Immunol 2022; 22:597-613. [PMID: 36064780 PMCID: PMC9443635 DOI: 10.1038/s41577-022-00775-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 180] [Impact Index Per Article: 90.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Monkeypox virus (MPXV), which causes disease in humans, has for many years been restricted to the African continent, with only a handful of sporadic cases in other parts of the world. However, unprecedented outbreaks of monkeypox in non-endemic regions have recently taken the world by surprise. In less than 4 months, the number of detected MPXV infections has soared to more than 48,000 cases, recording a total of 13 deaths. In this Review, we discuss the clinical, epidemiological and immunological features of MPXV infections. We also highlight important research questions and new opportunities to tackle the ongoing monkeypox outbreak. In this Review, Ng and colleagues examine the clinical, epidemiological and immunological aspects of monkeypox virus (MPXV) infections, with a focus on mechanisms of host immunity to MPXV. The authors also consider the unique epidemiological and pathological characteristics of the current non-endemic outbreak of the virus and discuss vaccines, therapeutics and outstanding research questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fok-Moon Lum
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Anthony Torres-Ruesta
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Matthew Z Tay
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore
| | - Raymond T P Lin
- National Public Health Laboratory, Singapore, Singapore.,National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - David C Lye
- National Centre for Infectious Diseases, Singapore, Singapore.,Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore.,Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Laurent Rénia
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore.,Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.,School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Lisa F P Ng
- A*STAR Infectious Diseases Labs, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, Singapore. .,National Institute of Health Research, Health Protection Research Unit in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. .,Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
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12
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Poxvirus Recombination. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11080896. [PMID: 36015016 PMCID: PMC9415595 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11080896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic recombination is used as a tool for modifying the composition of poxvirus genomes in both discovery and applied research. This review documents the history behind the development of these tools as well as what has been learned about the processes that catalyze virus recombination and the links between it and DNA replication and repair. The study of poxvirus recombination extends back to the 1930s with the discovery that one virus can reactivate another by a process later shown to generate recombinants. In the years that followed it was shown that recombinants can be produced in virus-by-virus crosses within a genus (e.g., variola-by-rabbitpox) and efforts were made to produce recombination-based genetic maps with modest success. The marker rescue mapping method proved more useful and led to methods for making genetically engineered viruses. Many further insights into the mechanism of recombination have been provided by transfection studies which have shown that this is a high-frequency process associated with hybrid DNA formation and inextricably linked to replication. The links reflect the fact that poxvirus DNA polymerases, specifically the vaccinia virus E9 enzyme, can catalyze strand transfer in in vivo and in vitro reactions dependent on the 3′-to-5′ proofreading exonuclease and enhanced by the I3 replicative single-strand DNA binding protein. These reactions have shaped the composition of virus genomes and are modulated by constraints imposed on virus–virus interactions by viral replication in cytoplasmic factories. As recombination reactions are used for replication fork assembly and repair in many biological systems, further study of these reactions may provide new insights into still poorly understood features of poxvirus DNA replication.
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13
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Vandenbussche F, Mathijs E, Philips W, Saduakassova M, De Leeuw I, Sultanov A, Haegeman A, De Clercq K. Recombinant LSDV Strains in Asia: Vaccine Spillover or Natural Emergence? Viruses 2022; 14:v14071429. [PMID: 35891412 PMCID: PMC9318037 DOI: 10.3390/v14071429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
From 2017 to 2019, several vaccine-like recombinant strains of lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) were discovered in Kazakhstan and neighbouring regions of Russia and China. Shortly before their emergence, the authorities in Kazakhstan launched a mass vaccination campaign with the Neethling-based Lumpivax vaccine. Since none of the other countries in the affected region had used a homologous LSDV vaccine, it was soon suspected that the Lumpivax vaccine was the cause of these unusual LSDV strains. In this study, we performed a genome-wide molecular analysis to investigate the composition of two Lumpivax vaccine batches and to establish a possible link between the vaccine and the recent outbreaks. Although labelled as a pure Neethling-based LSDV vaccine, the Lumpivax vaccine appears to be a complex mixture of multiple CaPVs. Using an iterative enrichment/assembly strategy, we obtained the complete genomes of a Neethling-like LSDV vaccine strain, a KSGP-like LSDV vaccine strain and a Sudan-like GTPV strain. The same analysis also revealed the presence of several recombinant LSDV strains that were (almost) identical to the recently described vaccine-like LSDV strains. Based on their InDel/SNP signatures, the vaccine-like recombinant strains can be divided into four groups. Each group has a distinct breakpoint pattern resulting from multiple recombination events, with the number of genetic exchanges ranging from 126 to 146. The enormous divergence of the recombinant strains suggests that they arose during seed production. The recent emergence of vaccine-like LSDV strains in large parts of Asia is, therefore, most likely the result of a spillover from animals vaccinated with the Lumpivax vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Vandenbussche
- EURL for Diseases Caused by Capripoxviruses, Scientific Directorate Infectious Diseases in Animals, Sciensano, Groeselenberg 99, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium; (F.V.); (E.M.); (W.P.)
| | - Elisabeth Mathijs
- EURL for Diseases Caused by Capripoxviruses, Scientific Directorate Infectious Diseases in Animals, Sciensano, Groeselenberg 99, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium; (F.V.); (E.M.); (W.P.)
| | - Wannes Philips
- EURL for Diseases Caused by Capripoxviruses, Scientific Directorate Infectious Diseases in Animals, Sciensano, Groeselenberg 99, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium; (F.V.); (E.M.); (W.P.)
| | - Meruyert Saduakassova
- Kazakh Scientific Research Veterinary Institute (KazSRVI/KazNIVI), Raiymbek ave. 223, Almaty 050016, Kazakhstan; (M.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Ilse De Leeuw
- Unit of Exotic and Particular Diseases, Scientific Directorate Infectious Diseases in Animals, Sciensano, Groeselenberg 99, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium; (I.D.L.); (A.H.)
| | - Akhmetzhan Sultanov
- Kazakh Scientific Research Veterinary Institute (KazSRVI/KazNIVI), Raiymbek ave. 223, Almaty 050016, Kazakhstan; (M.S.); (A.S.)
| | - Andy Haegeman
- Unit of Exotic and Particular Diseases, Scientific Directorate Infectious Diseases in Animals, Sciensano, Groeselenberg 99, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium; (I.D.L.); (A.H.)
| | - Kris De Clercq
- Unit of Exotic and Particular Diseases, Scientific Directorate Infectious Diseases in Animals, Sciensano, Groeselenberg 99, B-1180 Brussels, Belgium; (I.D.L.); (A.H.)
- Correspondence:
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14
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Krotova A, Byadovskaya O, Shumilova I, van Schalkwyk A, Sprygin A. An in-depth bioinformatic analysis of the novel recombinant lumpy skin disease virus strains: from unique patterns to established lineage. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:396. [PMID: 35610557 PMCID: PMC9131581 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-08639-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Since the first description of lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) in Africa in the 1920’s, it has brazenly spread beyond Africa into the Middle East, Europe and most recently Asia. In 2017 the first atypical LSDV recombinant strain was reported in Russia, composed of both a live-attenuated Neethling vaccine strain and Kenyan vaccine strain. An increase in LSDV research enabled a public release of numerous full genome sequences of unique recombinant LSDV strains from Kazakhstan, Russia, China and Vietnam. Prior to the recombinant strain first described in China in 2019, every new recombinant strain was genetically unique and each of these recombinants clustered in a monophyletic lineage. In this work, we provide the complete genome sequences of two novel recombinant strains of LSDV from Russia and attempt to gain more insight into genomic composition of all the recombinant strains currently available. This analysis will provide new insight into the global molecular epidemiology of LSDV. Results By sequencing and analyzing two novel recombinant strains Khabarovsk/2020 and Tomsk/2020, this study investigates the differences and similarities of all five the available recombinant LSDV lineages from different countries based on the SNPs inherited from the aforementioned parental strains. A total of seven recombinant strains: LSDV/Russia/Saratov/2017, LSDV/Russia/Udmurtya/2019, LSDV/KZ-Kostanay/Kazakhstan/2018, LSDV/Russia/Tyumen/2019, LSDV/GD01/China/2020 Khabarovsk/2020 and Tomsk/2020 were examined. It was observed that strains isolated prior to 2020 were composed of unique combinations of open reading frames, whilst from 2020 onwards all circulating strains in Russia and South-Eastern Asia belonged to a single lineage radiating out in the region. The first representative of this lineage is LSDV/GD01/China/2020. Interestingly, the other four unique recombinant strains as well as the newly established lineage, exhibit consistent patterns of targeted selection pointing to regions constantly selected for during the recombination-driven processes. Conclusion This study highlights the inexplicable emergence of novel recombinant strains to be unique introductions of sibling viruses, with the most recent recombinant lineage establishing as the dominant strain across the south eastern Asian countries as evidenced by full genome sequence data. Overall, these findings indicate that LSDVs are subjected to accelerated evolutionary changes due to recombination in the face of homologous live attenuated vaccines as well as the slow genetic drift commonly observed in capripoxviruses curculatign in the field with hardly any genetic changes over decades. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-022-08639-w.
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15
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Boulton S, Poutou J, Martin NT, Azad T, Singaravelu R, Crupi MJF, Jamieson T, He X, Marius R, Petryk J, Tanese de Souza C, Austin B, Taha Z, Whelan J, Khan ST, Pelin A, Rezaei R, Surendran A, Tucker S, Fekete EEF, Dave J, Diallo JS, Auer R, Angel JB, Cameron DW, Cailhier JF, Lapointe R, Potts K, Mahoney DJ, Bell JC, Ilkow CS. Single-dose replicating poxvirus vector-based RBD vaccine drives robust humoral and T cell immune response against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Mol Ther 2022; 30:1885-1896. [PMID: 34687845 PMCID: PMC8527104 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2021.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires the continued development of safe, long-lasting, and efficacious vaccines for preventive responses to major outbreaks around the world, and especially in isolated and developing countries. To combat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), we characterize a temperature-stable vaccine candidate (TOH-Vac1) that uses a replication-competent, attenuated vaccinia virus as a vector to express a membrane-tethered spike receptor binding domain (RBD) antigen. We evaluate the effects of dose escalation and administration routes on vaccine safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity in animal models. Our vaccine induces high levels of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and favorable T cell responses, while maintaining an optimal safety profile in mice and cynomolgus macaques. We demonstrate robust immune responses and protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants after only a single dose. Together, these findings support further development of our novel and versatile vaccine platform as an alternative or complementary approach to current vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Boulton
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Joanna Poutou
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Nikolas T Martin
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Taha Azad
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Ragunath Singaravelu
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Mathieu J F Crupi
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Taylor Jamieson
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Xiaohong He
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Ricardo Marius
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Julia Petryk
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Christiano Tanese de Souza
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Bradley Austin
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Zaid Taha
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Jack Whelan
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Sarwat T Khan
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - Adrian Pelin
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Reza Rezaei
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Abera Surendran
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Sarah Tucker
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Emily E F Fekete
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Jaahnavi Dave
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Jean-Simon Diallo
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Rebecca Auer
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada
| | - Jonathan B Angel
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada; Department of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | - D William Cameron
- Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa at The Ottawa Hospital/ Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada
| | | | - Réjean Lapointe
- Institut du Cancer de Montréal, Montréal, Québec H2X 0A9, Canada
| | - Kyle Potts
- Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, AB T2N 6A8, Canada; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2T 1N4, Canada
| | - Douglas J Mahoney
- Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute, Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, AB T2N 6A8, Canada; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2T 1N4, Canada
| | - John C Bell
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada.
| | - Carolina S Ilkow
- Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON K1H 8L6, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada.
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16
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Van Schalkwyk A, Byadovskaya O, Shumilova I, Wallace DB, Sprygin A. Estimating evolutionary changes between highly passaged and original parental lumpy skin disease virus strains. Transbound Emerg Dis 2021; 69:e486-e496. [PMID: 34555250 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Research into the phylogenetic relationships of lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) strains was long overlooked, partially due to its original restricted distribution to sub-Saharan Africa. However, recent incursions into northern latitudes, and a rapid spread causing major economic losses worldwide, have intensified additional research on the disease and the causative virus. This study delineates the phylogeny of LSDV in the context of full genome sequences of strains recovered in the field, as well as strains highly passaged in cell culture. We sequenced the oldest known field strain to date (isolate LSDV/Haden/RSA/1954 [South Africa] recovered from an outbreak in 1954), a recent field isolate (LSDV/280-KZN/RSA/2018 [South Africa] sequenced directly from blood during an outbreak in 2018) and strain LSDV/Russia/Dagestan-75 (a high-passaged cell culture strain derived from the field strain, LSDV/Russia/Dagestan/2015 [Russia]). Sequence analysis placed the field strain LSDV/Haden/RSA/1954 in the same cluster (cluster 1.1) with attenuated Neethling-type commercial vaccine viruses, with eight SNP differences, discrediting the previously held hypothesis that cluster 1.1 vaccine strains were derived from cluster 1.2 field viruses via the process of attenuation between them. In contrast, the recent LSDV/280-KZN/RSA/2018 isolate grouped with other recent field isolates in cluster 1.2, providing evidence that cluster 1.1 strains were displaced by cluster 1.2 strains in South Africa. Based on the field isolates between 1954 and 2018, the substitution rate of 7.4 × 10-6 substitutions/site/year was established, with mutations occurring in either synonymous sites or intergenic regions. This is the first evolutionary metric recorded for LSDV. Comparing the genome sequences of high-passage strains of LSDV showed that propagation in vitro without animal host selective pressure generates mainly non-synonymous SNPs in virus-replication genes. These results improve our understanding of LSDV evolution and demonstrate that the population dynamics of circulating isolates is not constant, with LSDV associated with different genetic clusters dominating the landscape during specific periods in time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoinette Van Schalkwyk
- Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research institute, Onderstepoort, Gauteng, South Africa
| | | | | | - David B Wallace
- Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research institute, Onderstepoort, Gauteng, South Africa.,Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa
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17
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The Importance of Quality Control of LSDV Live Attenuated Vaccines for Its Safe Application in the Field. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9091019. [PMID: 34579256 PMCID: PMC8472990 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9091019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccination is an effective approach to prevent, control and eradicate diseases, including lumpy skin disease (LSD). One of the measures to address farmer hesitation to vaccinate is guaranteeing the quality of vaccine batches. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the importance of a quality procedure via the evaluation of the LSD vaccine, Lumpivax (Kevevapi). The initial PCR screening revealed the presence of wild type LSD virus (LSDV) and goatpox virus (GTPV), in addition to vaccine LSDV. New phylogenetic PCRs were developed to characterize in detail the genomic content and a vaccination/challenge trial was conducted to evaluate the impact on efficacy and diagnostics. The characterization confirmed the presence of LSDV wild-, vaccine- and GTPV-like sequences in the vaccine vial and also in samples taken from the vaccinated animals. The analysis was also suggestive for the presence of GTPV-LSDV (vaccine/wild) recombinants. In addition, the LSDV status of some of the animal samples was greatly influenced by the differentiating real-PCR used and could result in misinterpretation. Although the vaccine was clinically protective, the viral genomic content of the vaccine (being it multiple Capripox viruses and/or recombinants) and the impact on the diagnostics casts serious doubts of its use in the field.
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Gulla S, Tengs T, Mohammad SN, Gjessing M, Garseth ÅH, Sveinsson K, Moldal T, Petersen PE, Tørud B, Dale OB, Dahle MK. Genotyping of Salmon Gill Poxvirus Reveals One Main Predominant Lineage in Europe, Featuring Fjord- and Fish Farm-Specific Sub-Lineages. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1071. [PMID: 32547516 PMCID: PMC7272583 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Salmon gill poxvirus (SGPV) can cause serious gill disease in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) and represents a significant problem to aquaculture industries in Northern Europe. Here, a single-tube multi-locus variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) genotyping assay, targeting eight VNTR loci, was developed for studying the epizootiology of SGPV. Through MLVA typing of SGPV positive samples from 180 farmed and wild Atlantic salmon in Northern Europe, the first molecular population study of this virus was undertaken. Comparison of resulting MLVA profiles by cluster analysis revealed considerable micro-diversity, while only a limited degree of specific clustering by country of origin could be observed, and no clustering relating to the severity of disease outbreaks. Phylogenetic analysis, based on genomic data from six SGPV specimens (three Norwegian, one Scottish, one Faroese and one Canadian), complemented and corroborated MLVA by pointing to a marked transatlantic divide in the species, with one main, relatively conserved, SGPV lineage as predominant in Europe. Within certain fjord systems and individual freshwater salmon smolt farms in Norway, however, discrete MLVA clustering patterns that prevailed over time were observed, likely reflecting local predominance of specific SGPV sub-lineages. MLVA typing was also used to refute two suspected instances of vertical SGPV transmission from salmon broodstock to offspring, and to confirm a failed disinfection attempt in one farm. These novel insights into the previously undocumented population structure of SGPV provide important clues, e.g., regarding the mechanisms underlying spread and recurrence of the virus amongst wild and farmed salmon populations, but so far no indications of more or less virulent SGPV sub-lineages have been found. The MLVA scheme represents a highly sensitive genotyping tool particularly well suited for illuminating SGPV infection routes, and adds to the relatively low number of MLVA protocols that have so far been published for viral species. Typing is reasonably inexpensive, with a moderate technological requirement, and may be completed within a single working day. Resulting MLVA profiles can be readily shared and compared across laboratories, facilitating rapid placement of samples in an international ezpizootiological context.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Torstein Tengs
- Department of Molecular Biology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Brit Tørud
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Maria K Dahle
- Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway.,The Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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19
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Pelin A, Boulton S, Tamming LA, Bell JC, Singaravelu R. Engineering vaccinia virus as an immunotherapeutic battleship to overcome tumor heterogeneity. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2020; 20:1083-1097. [PMID: 32297534 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2020.1757066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Immunotherapy is a rapidly evolving area of cancer therapeutics aimed at driving a systemic immune response to fight cancer. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are at the cutting-edge of innovation in the immunotherapy field. Successful OV platforms must be effective in reshaping the tumor microenvironment and controlling tumor burden, but also be highly specific to avoid off-target side effects. Large DNA viruses, like vaccinia virus (VACV), have a large coding capacity, enabling the encoding of multiple immunostimulatory transgenes to reshape the tumor immune microenvironment. VACV-based OVs have shown promising results in both pre-clinical and clinical studies, including safe and efficient intravenous delivery to metastatic tumors. AREA COVERED This review summarizes attenuation strategies to generate a recombinant VACV with optimal tumor selectivity and immunogenicity. In addition, we discuss immunomodulatory transgenes that have been introduced into VACV and summarize their effectiveness in controlling tumor burden. EXPERT OPINION VACV encodes several immunomodulatory genes which aid the virus in overcoming innate and adaptive immune responses. Strategic deletion of these virulence factors will enable an optimal balance between viral persistence and immunogenicity, robust tumor-specific expression of payloads and promotion of a systemic anti-cancer immune response. Rational selection of therapeutic transgenes will maximize the efficacy of OVs and their synergy in combinatorial immunotherapy schemes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Pelin
- Centre for Innovative Cancer Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stephen Boulton
- Centre for Innovative Cancer Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Levi A Tamming
- Centre for Innovative Cancer Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - John C Bell
- Centre for Innovative Cancer Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ragunath Singaravelu
- Centre for Innovative Cancer Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of Ottawa , Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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20
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Kieser Q, Noyce RS, Shenouda M, Lin YCJ, Evans DH. Cytoplasmic factories, virus assembly, and DNA replication kinetics collectively constrain the formation of poxvirus recombinants. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228028. [PMID: 31945138 PMCID: PMC6964908 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Poxviruses replicate in cytoplasmic structures called factories and each factory begins as a single infecting particle. Sixty-years ago Cairns predicted that this might have effects on vaccinia virus (VACV) recombination because the factories would have to collide and mix their contents to permit recombination. We've since shown that factories collide irregularly and that even then the viroplasm mixes poorly. We’ve also observed that while intragenic recombination occurs frequently early in infection, intergenic recombination is less efficient and happens late in infection. Something inhibits factory fusion and viroplasm mixing but what is unclear. To study this, we’ve used optical and electron microscopy to track factory movement in co-infected cells and correlate these observations with virus development and recombinant formation. While the technical complexity of the experiments limited the number of cells that are amenable to extensive statistical analysis, these studies do show that intergenic recombination coincides with virion assembly and when VACV replication has declined to ≤10% of earlier levels. Along the boundaries between colliding factories, one sees ER membrane remnants and other cell constituents like mitochondria. These collisions don't always cause factory fusion, but when factories do fuse, they still entrain cell constituents like mitochondria and ER-wrapped microtubules. However, these materials wouldn’t seem to pose much of a further barrier to DNA mixing and so it’s likely that the viroplasm also presents an omnipresent impediment to DNA mixing. Late packaging reactions might help to disrupt the viroplasm, but packaging would sequester the DNA just as the replication and recombination machinery goes into decline and further reduce recombinant yields. Many factors thus appear to conspire to limit recombination between co-infecting poxviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinten Kieser
- The Dept. of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ryan S. Noyce
- The Dept. of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Mira Shenouda
- The Dept. of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Y.-C. James Lin
- The Dept. of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - David H. Evans
- The Dept. of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- * E-mail:
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21
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Isolation and Characterization of Akhmeta Virus from Wild-Caught Rodents ( Apodemus spp.) in Georgia. J Virol 2019; 93:JVI.00966-19. [PMID: 31554682 PMCID: PMC6880181 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00966-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Akhmeta virus is a unique Orthopoxvirus that was described in 2013 from the country of Georgia. This paper presents the first isolation of this virus from small mammal (Rodentia; Apodemus spp.) samples and the molecular characterization of those isolates. The identification of the virus in small mammals is an essential component to understanding the natural history of this virus and its transmission to human populations and could guide public health interventions in Georgia. Akhmeta virus genomes harbor evidence suggestive of recombination with a variety of other orthopoxviruses; this has implications for the evolution of orthopoxviruses, their ability to infect mammalian hosts, and their ability to adapt to novel host species. In 2013, a novel orthopoxvirus was detected in skin lesions of two cattle herders from the Kakheti region of Georgia (country); this virus was named Akhmeta virus. Subsequent investigation of these cases revealed that small mammals in the area had serological evidence of orthopoxvirus infections, suggesting their involvement in the maintenance of these viruses in nature. In October 2015, we began a longitudinal study assessing the natural history of orthopoxviruses in Georgia. As part of this effort, we trapped small mammals near Akhmeta (n = 176) and Gudauri (n = 110). Here, we describe the isolation and molecular characterization of Akhmeta virus from lesion material and pooled heart and lung samples collected from five wood mice (Apodemus uralensis and Apodemus flavicollis) in these two locations. The genomes of Akhmeta virus obtained from rodents group into 2 clades: one clade represented by viruses isolated from A. uralensis samples, and one clade represented by viruses isolated from A. flavicollis samples. These genomes also display several presumptive recombination events for which gene truncation and identity have been examined. IMPORTANCE Akhmeta virus is a unique Orthopoxvirus that was described in 2013 from the country of Georgia. This paper presents the first isolation of this virus from small mammal (Rodentia; Apodemus spp.) samples and the molecular characterization of those isolates. The identification of the virus in small mammals is an essential component to understanding the natural history of this virus and its transmission to human populations and could guide public health interventions in Georgia. Akhmeta virus genomes harbor evidence suggestive of recombination with a variety of other orthopoxviruses; this has implications for the evolution of orthopoxviruses, their ability to infect mammalian hosts, and their ability to adapt to novel host species.
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22
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Malogolovkin A, Kolbasov D. Genetic and antigenic diversity of African swine fever virus. Virus Res 2019; 271:197673. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2019.197673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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23
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Forth JH, Forth LF, King J, Groza O, Hübner A, Olesen AS, Höper D, Dixon LK, Netherton CL, Rasmussen TB, Blome S, Pohlmann A, Beer M. A Deep-Sequencing Workflow for the Fast and Efficient Generation of High-Quality African Swine Fever Virus Whole-Genome Sequences. Viruses 2019; 11:v11090846. [PMID: 31514438 PMCID: PMC6783980 DOI: 10.3390/v11090846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 09/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is a severe disease of suids caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV). Its dsDNA genome (170-194 kbp) is scattered with homopolymers and repeats as well as inverted-terminal-repeats (ITR), which hamper whole-genome sequencing. To date, only a few genome sequences have been published and only for some are data on sequence quality available enabling in-depth investigations. Especially in Europe and Asia, where ASFV has continuously spread since its introduction into Georgia in 2007, a very low genetic variability of the circulating ASFV-strains was reported. Therefore, only whole-genome sequences can serve as a basis for detailed virus comparisons. Here, we report an effective workflow, combining target enrichment, Illumina and Nanopore sequencing for ASFV whole-genome sequencing. Following this approach, we generated an improved high-quality ASFV Georgia 2007/1 whole-genome sequence leading to the correction of 71 sequencing errors and the addition of 956 and 231 bp at the respective ITRs. This genome, derived from the primary outbreak in 2007, can now serve as a reference for future whole-genome analyses of related ASFV strains and molecular approaches. Using both workflow and the reference genome, we generated the first ASFV-whole-genome sequence from Moldova, expanding the sequence knowledge from Eastern Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan H Forth
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany.
| | - Leonie F Forth
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany.
| | - Jacqueline King
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany.
| | - Oxana Groza
- Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory, Republican Center for Veterinary Diagnostic, str. Murelor, 3, MD-2051, mun. Chișinău, Moldova.
| | - Alexandra Hübner
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany.
| | - Ann Sofie Olesen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
| | - Dirk Höper
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany.
| | - Linda K Dixon
- The Pirbright Institute, Ash Road, Pirbright, Woking, GU24 0NF, UK.
| | | | - Thomas Bruun Rasmussen
- DTU National Veterinary Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Lindholm, DK-4771 Kalvehave, Denmark.
- Department of Virus & Microbiological Special Diagnostics, Statens Serum Institut, DK-2300 Copenhagen S, Denmark.
| | - Sandra Blome
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany.
| | - Anne Pohlmann
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany.
| | - Martin Beer
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany.
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24
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Zorec TM, Kutnjak D, Hošnjak L, Kušar B, Trčko K, Kocjan BJ, Li Y, Križmarić M, Miljković J, Ravnikar M, Poljak M. New Insights into the Evolutionary and Genomic Landscape of Molluscum Contagiosum Virus (MCV) based on Nine MCV1 and Six MCV2 Complete Genome Sequences. Viruses 2018; 10:v10110586. [PMID: 30373153 PMCID: PMC6266040 DOI: 10.3390/v10110586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) is the sole member of the Molluscipoxvirus genus and the causative agent of molluscum contagiosum (MC), a common skin disease. Although it is an important and frequent human pathogen, its genetic landscape and evolutionary history remain largely unknown. In this study, ten novel complete MCV genome sequences of the two most common MCV genotypes were determined (five MCV1 and five MCV2 sequences) and analyzed together with all MCV complete genomes previously deposited in freely accessible sequence repositories (four MCV1 and a single MCV2). In comparison to MCV1, a higher degree of nucleotide sequence conservation was observed among MCV2 genomes. Large-scale recombination events were identified in two newly assembled MCV1 genomes and one MCV2 genome. One recombination event was located in a newly identified recombinant region of the viral genome, and all previously described recombinant regions were re-identified in at least one novel MCV genome. MCV genes comprising the identified recombinant segments have been previously associated with viral interference with host T-cell and NK-cell immune responses. In conclusion, the two most common MCV genotypes emerged along divergent evolutionary pathways from a common ancestor, and the differences in the heterogeneity of MCV1 and MCV2 populations may be attributed to the strictness of the constraints imposed by the host immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomaž M Zorec
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Zaloška 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Denis Kutnjak
- Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Lea Hošnjak
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Zaloška 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Blanka Kušar
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Zaloška 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Katarina Trčko
- Department of Dermatovenereology, University Medical Centre Maribor, Ljubljanska ulica 5, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia.
| | - Boštjan J Kocjan
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Zaloška 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Yu Li
- Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
| | - Miljenko Križmarić
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Taborska Ulica 6b, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia.
| | - Jovan Miljković
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Taborska Ulica 6b, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia.
| | - Maja Ravnikar
- Department of Biotechnology and Systems Biology, National Institute of Biology, Večna pot 111, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| | - Mario Poljak
- Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Zaloška 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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25
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Prow NA, Jimenez Martinez R, Hayball JD, Howley PM, Suhrbier A. Poxvirus-based vector systems and the potential for multi-valent and multi-pathogen vaccines. Expert Rev Vaccines 2018; 17:925-934. [PMID: 30300041 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2018.1522255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION With the increasing number of vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases, the pressure to generate multi-valent and multi-pathogen vaccines grows. Combining individual established vaccines to generate single-shot formulations represents an established path, with significant ensuing public health and cost benefits. Poxvirus-based vector systems have the capacity for large recombinant payloads and have been widely used as platforms for the development of recombinant vaccines encoding multiple antigens, with considerable clinical trials activity and a number of registered and licensed products. AREAS COVERED Herein we discuss design strategies, production processes, safety issues, regulatory hurdles and clinical trial activities, as well as pertinent new technologies such as systems vaccinology and needle-free delivery. Literature searches used PubMed, Google Scholar and clinical trials registries, with a focus on the recombinant vaccinia-based systems, Modified Vaccinia Ankara and the recently developed Sementis Copenhagen Vector. EXPERT COMMENTARY Vaccinia-based platforms show considerable promise for the development of multi-valent and multi-pathogen vaccines, especially with recent developments in vector technologies and manufacturing processes. New methodologies for defining immune correlates and human challenge models may also facilitate bringing such vaccines to market.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie A Prow
- a Inflammation Biology , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute , Brisbane , Australia.,b Inflammation Biology , Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre , Brisbane , Australia
| | - Rocio Jimenez Martinez
- a Inflammation Biology , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute , Brisbane , Australia
| | - John D Hayball
- c Experimental Therapeutics Laboratory, School of Pharmacy & Medical Sciences , University of South Australia Cancer Research Institute , Adelaide , Australia
| | - Paul M Howley
- d Inflammation Biology , Sementis Ltd , Berwick , Australia
| | - Andreas Suhrbier
- a Inflammation Biology , QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute , Brisbane , Australia.,b Inflammation Biology , Australian Infectious Disease Research Centre , Brisbane , Australia
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26
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Sasani TA, Cone KR, Quinlan AR, Elde NC. Long read sequencing reveals poxvirus evolution through rapid homogenization of gene arrays. eLife 2018; 7:35453. [PMID: 30156554 PMCID: PMC6115191 DOI: 10.7554/elife.35453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2018] [Accepted: 08/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Poxvirus adaptation can involve combinations of recombination-driven gene copy number variation and beneficial single nucleotide variants (SNVs) at the same loci. How these distinct mechanisms of genetic diversification might simultaneously facilitate adaptation to host immune defenses is unknown. We performed experimental evolution with vaccinia virus populations harboring a SNV in a gene actively undergoing copy number amplification. Using long sequencing reads from the Oxford Nanopore Technologies platform, we phased SNVs within large gene copy arrays for the first time. Our analysis uncovered a mechanism of adaptive SNV homogenization reminiscent of gene conversion, which is actively driven by selection. This study reveals a new mechanism for the fluid gain of beneficial mutations in genetic regions undergoing active recombination in viruses and illustrates the value of long read sequencing technologies for investigating complex genome dynamics in diverse biological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A Sasani
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake, United States
| | - Kelsey R Cone
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake, United States
| | - Aaron R Quinlan
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake, United States
| | - Nels C Elde
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake, United States
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27
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Luteijn RD, Drexler I, Smith GL, Lebbink RJ, Wiertz EJHJ. Mutagenic repair of double-stranded DNA breaks in vaccinia virus genomes requires cellular DNA ligase IV activity in the cytosol. J Gen Virol 2018; 99:790-804. [PMID: 29676720 PMCID: PMC7614823 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Poxviruses comprise a group of large dsDNA viruses that include members relevant to human and animal health, such as variola virus, monkeypox virus, cowpox virus and vaccinia virus (VACV). Poxviruses are remarkable for their unique replication cycle, which is restricted to the cytoplasm of infected cells. The independence from the host nucleus requires poxviruses to encode most of the enzymes involved in DNA replication, transcription and processing. Here, we use the CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering system to induce DNA damage to VACV (strain Western Reserve) genomes. We show that targeting CRISPR/Cas9 to essential viral genes limits virus replication efficiently. Although VACV is a strictly cytoplasmic pathogen, we observed extensive viral genome editing at the target site; this is reminiscent of a non-homologous end-joining DNA repair mechanism. This pathway was not dependent on the viral DNA ligase, but critically involved the cellular DNA ligase IV. Our data show that DNA ligase IV can act outside of the nucleus to allow repair of dsDNA breaks in poxvirus genomes. This pathway might contribute to the introduction of mutations within the genome of poxviruses and may thereby promote the evolution of these viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rutger David Luteijn
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Present address: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA
| | - Ingo Drexler
- Institute for Virology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | | | - Robert Jan Lebbink
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Emmanuel J H J Wiertz
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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28
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Noyce RS, Lederman S, Evans DH. Construction of an infectious horsepox virus vaccine from chemically synthesized DNA fragments. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0188453. [PMID: 29351298 PMCID: PMC5774680 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Edward Jenner and his contemporaries believed that his variolae vaccinae originated in horses and molecular analyses show that modern vaccinia virus (VACV) strains share common ancestry with horsepox virus (HPXV). Given concerns relating to the toxicity of modern VACV vaccines, we asked whether an HPXV-based vaccine might provide a superior alternative. Since HPXV may be extinct and the only specimen of HPXV that has been identified is unavailable for investigation, we explored whether HPXV could be obtained by large-scale gene synthesis. Ten large (10-30 kb) fragments of DNA were synthesized based on the HPXV sequence along with two 157 nt VACV terminal sequences, and were recombined into a live synthetic chimeric HPXV (scHPXV) in cells infected with Shope fibroma virus (SFV). Sequencing of the 212 kbp scHPXV confirmed it encoded a faithful copy of the input DNA. We believe this is the first complete synthesis of a poxvirus using synthetic biology approaches. This scHPXV produced smaller plaques, produced less extracellular virus and exhibited less virulence in mice than VACV, but still provided vaccine protection against a lethal VACV challenge. Collectively, these findings support further development of scHPXV as a novel replication-proficient smallpox vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan S. Noyce
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology and Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Seth Lederman
- Tonix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., New York, New York, United States of America
| | - David H. Evans
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology and Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Molecular and microscopic characterization of a novel Eastern grey kangaroopox virus genome directly from a clinical sample. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16472. [PMID: 29184134 PMCID: PMC5705601 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-16775-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 11/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Poxviruses are large DNA viruses with varying zoonotic potential, and are recognised in a broad range of wildlife. Although poxviruses have been detected in kangaroos, their genetic relationships to poxviruses in other animals and humans is not well understood. Here, we present a novel genome sequence of a marsupial poxvirus, the Eastern grey kangaroopox virus (EKPV-NSW), isolated from a wild eastern grey kangaroo. In the present study, histopathologically confirmed epidermal pox lesions were used to recover the full-length viral genome and perform electron microscopic analysis, with both immature virions and intracellular mature virions detected. Subsequent analysis of the EKPV-NSW genome demonstrated the highest degree of sequence similarity with EKPV-SC strain (91.51%), followed by WKPV-WA (87.93%), and MOCV1 (44.05%). The novel EKPV-NSW complete genome encompasses most of the chordopoxviruses protein coding genes (138) that are required for genome replication and expression, with only three essential protein coding genes being absent. The novel EKPV-NSW is missing 28 predicted genes compared to the recently isolated EKPV-SC, and carries 21 additional unique genes, encoding unknown proteins. Phylogenetic and recombination analyses showed EKPV-NSW to be the distinct available candidate genome of chordopoxviruses.
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Esparza J, Schrick L, Damaso CR, Nitsche A. Equination (inoculation of horsepox): An early alternative to vaccination (inoculation of cowpox) and the potential role of horsepox virus in the origin of the smallpox vaccine. Vaccine 2017; 35:7222-7230. [PMID: 29137821 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Revised: 10/18/2017] [Accepted: 11/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
For almost 150 years after Edward Jenner had published the "Inquiry" in 1798, it was generally assumed that the cowpox virus was the vaccine against smallpox. It was not until 1939 when it was shown that vaccinia, the smallpox vaccine virus, was serologically related but different from the cowpox virus. In the absence of a known natural host, vaccinia has been considered to be a laboratory virus that may have originated from mutational or recombinational events involving cowpox virus, variola viruses or some unknown ancestral Orthopoxvirus. A favorite candidate for a vaccinia ancestor has been the horsepox virus. Edward Jenner himself suspected that cowpox derived from horsepox and he also believed that "matter" obtained from either disease could be used as preventative of smallpox. During the 19th century, inoculation with cowpox (vaccination) was used in Europe alongside with inoculation with horsepox (equination) to prevent smallpox. Vaccine-manufacturing practices during the 19th century may have resulted in the use of virus mixtures, leading to different genetic modifications that resulted in present-day vaccinia strains. Horsepox, a disease previously reported only in Europe, has been disappearing on that continent since the beginning of the 20th century and now seems to have become extinct, although the virus perhaps remains circulating in an unknown reservoir. Genomic sequencing of a horsepox virus isolated in Mongolia in 1976 indicated that, while closely related to vaccinia, this horsepox virus contained additional, potentially ancestral sequences absent in vaccinia. Recent genetic analyses of extant vaccinia viruses have revealed that some strains contain ancestral horsepox virus genes or are phylogenetically related to horsepox virus. We have recently reported that a commercially produced smallpox vaccine, manufactured in the United States in 1902, is genetically highly similar to horsepox virus, providing a missing link in this 200-year-old mystery.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Esparza
- Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | - Livia Schrick
- Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens 1 - Highly Pathogenic Viruses & German Consultant Laboratory for Poxviruses & WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Clarissa R Damaso
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Virus, Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Andreas Nitsche
- Centre for Biological Threats and Special Pathogens 1 - Highly Pathogenic Viruses & German Consultant Laboratory for Poxviruses & WHO Collaborating Centre for Emerging Infections and Biological Threats, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
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Combined Proteomics/Genomics Approach Reveals Proteomic Changes of Mature Virions as a Novel Poxvirus Adaptation Mechanism. Viruses 2017; 9:v9110337. [PMID: 29125539 PMCID: PMC5707544 DOI: 10.3390/v9110337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2017] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA viruses, like poxviruses, possess a highly stable genome, suggesting that adaptation of virus particles to specific cell types is not restricted to genomic changes. Cowpox viruses are zoonotic poxviruses with an extraordinarily broad host range, demonstrating their adaptive potential in vivo. To elucidate adaptation mechanisms of poxviruses, we isolated cowpox virus particles from a rat and passaged them five times in a human and a rat cell line. Subsequently, we analyzed the proteome and genome of the non-passaged virions and each passage. While the overall viral genome sequence was stable during passaging, proteomics revealed multiple changes in the virion composition. Interestingly, an increased viral fitness in human cells was observed in the presence of increased immunomodulatory protein amounts. As the only minor variant with increasing frequency during passaging was located in a viral RNA polymerase subunit and, moreover, most minor variants were found in transcription-associated genes, protein amounts were presumably regulated at transcription level. This study is the first comparative proteome analysis of virus particles before and after cell culture propagation, revealing proteomic changes as a novel poxvirus adaptation mechanism.
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Okeke MI, Okoli AS, Diaz D, Offor C, Oludotun TG, Tryland M, Bøhn T, Moens U. Hazard Characterization of Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara Vector: What Are the Knowledge Gaps? Viruses 2017; 9:v9110318. [PMID: 29109380 PMCID: PMC5707525 DOI: 10.3390/v9110318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Revised: 10/21/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) is the vector of choice for human and veterinary applications due to its strong safety profile and immunogenicity in vivo. The use of MVA and MVA-vectored vaccines against human and animal diseases must comply with regulatory requirements as they pertain to environmental risk assessment, particularly the characterization of potential adverse effects to humans, animals and the environment. MVA and recombinant MVA are widely believed to pose low or negligible risk to ecosystem health. However, key aspects of MVA biology require further research in order to provide data needed to evaluate the potential risks that may occur due to the use of MVA and MVA-vectored vaccines. The purpose of this paper is to identify knowledge gaps in the biology of MVA and recombinant MVA that are of relevance to its hazard characterization and discuss ongoing and future experiments aimed at providing data necessary to fill in the knowledge gaps. In addition, we presented arguments for the inclusion of uncertainty analysis and experimental investigation of verifiable worst-case scenarios in the environmental risk assessment of MVA and recombinant MVA. These will contribute to improved risk assessment of MVA and recombinant MVA vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malachy I Okeke
- Genome Editing Research Group, GenØk-Center for Biosafety, Siva Innovation Center, N-9294 Tromso, Norway.
| | - Arinze S Okoli
- Genome Editing Research Group, GenØk-Center for Biosafety, Siva Innovation Center, N-9294 Tromso, Norway.
| | - Diana Diaz
- Molecular Inflammation Research Group, Institute of Medical Biology, University i Tromsø (UiT)-The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromso, Norway.
| | - Collins Offor
- Department of Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, IMC University of Applied Sciences Piaristengasse 1, A-3500 Krems, Austria.
| | - Taiwo G Oludotun
- Department of Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, IMC University of Applied Sciences Piaristengasse 1, A-3500 Krems, Austria.
| | - Morten Tryland
- Genome Editing Research Group, GenØk-Center for Biosafety, Siva Innovation Center, N-9294 Tromso, Norway.
- Artic Infection Biology, Department of Artic and Marine Biology, UIT-The Artic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromso, Norway.
| | - Thomas Bøhn
- Genome Editing Research Group, GenØk-Center for Biosafety, Siva Innovation Center, N-9294 Tromso, Norway.
| | - Ugo Moens
- Molecular Inflammation Research Group, Institute of Medical Biology, University i Tromsø (UiT)-The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromso, Norway.
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Smithson C, Imbery J, Upton C. Re-Assembly and Analysis of an Ancient Variola Virus Genome. Viruses 2017; 9:v9090253. [PMID: 28885569 PMCID: PMC5618019 DOI: 10.3390/v9090253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2017] [Revised: 09/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We report a major improvement to the assembly of published short read sequencing data from an ancient variola virus (VARV) genome by the removal of contig-capping sequencing tags and manual searches for gap-spanning reads. The new assembly, together with camelpox and taterapox genomes, permitted new dates to be calculated for the last common ancestor of all VARV genomes. The analysis of recently sequenced VARV-like cowpox virus genomes showed that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and amino acid changes in the vaccinia virus (VACV)-Cop-O1L ortholog, predicted to be associated with VARV host specificity and virulence, were introduced into the lineage before the divergence of these viruses. A comparison of the ancient and modern VARV genome sequences also revealed a measurable drift towards adenine + thymine (A + T) richness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad Smithson
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3P6, Canada.
| | - Jacob Imbery
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3P6, Canada.
| | - Chris Upton
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3P6, Canada.
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Smithson C, Meyer H, Gigante CM, Gao J, Zhao H, Batra D, Damon I, Upton C, Li Y. Two novel poxviruses with unusual genome rearrangements: NY_014 and Murmansk. Virus Genes 2017; 53:883-897. [PMID: 28762208 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-017-1501-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The genome sequence and annotation of two novel poxviruses, NY_014 and Murmansk, are presented. Despite being isolated on different continents and from different hosts, the viruses are relatively similar, albeit distinct species. The closest known relative of the novel viruses is Yoka poxvirus. Five novel genes were found in these genomes, two of which were MHC class I homologs. Although the core of these genomes was well conserved, the terminal regions showed significant variability with large deletions and surprising evidence of recombination with orthopoxviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad Smithson
- Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 3P6, Canada
| | - Hermann Meyer
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany
| | - Crystal M Gigante
- The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jinxin Gao
- The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Hui Zhao
- The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Dhwani Batra
- The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Inger Damon
- The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Chris Upton
- Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 3P6, Canada.
| | - Yu Li
- The National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Emergence of a Viral RNA Polymerase Variant during Gene Copy Number Amplification Promotes Rapid Evolution of Vaccinia Virus. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.01428-16. [PMID: 27928012 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01428-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2016] [Accepted: 11/29/2016] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Viruses are under relentless selective pressure from host immune defenses. To study how poxviruses adapt to innate immune detection pathways, we performed serial vaccinia virus infections in primary human cells. Independent courses of experimental evolution with a recombinant strain lacking E3L revealed several high-frequency point mutations in conserved poxvirus genes, suggesting important roles for essential poxvirus proteins in innate immune subversion. Two distinct mutations were identified in the viral RNA polymerase gene A24R, which seem to act through different mechanisms to increase virus replication. Specifically, a Leu18Phe substitution encoded within A24R conferred fitness trade-offs, including increased activation of the antiviral factor protein kinase R (PKR). Intriguingly, this A24R variant underwent a drastic selective sweep during passaging, despite enhanced PKR activity. We showed that the sweep of this variant could be accelerated by the presence of copy number variation (CNV) at the K3L locus, which in multiple copies strongly reduced PKR activation. Therefore, adaptive cases of CNV can facilitate the accumulation of point mutations separate from the expanded locus. This study reveals how rapid bouts of gene copy number amplification during accrual of distant point mutations can potently facilitate poxvirus adaptation to host defenses. IMPORTANCE Viruses can evolve quickly to defeat host immune functions. For poxviruses, little is known about how multiple adaptive mutations emerge in populations at the same time. In this study, we uncovered a means of vaccinia virus adaptation involving the accumulation of distinct genetic variants within a single population. We identified adaptive point mutations in the viral RNA polymerase gene A24R and, surprisingly, found that one of these mutations activates the nucleic acid sensing factor PKR. We also found that gene copy number variation (CNV) can provide dual benefits to evolving virus populations, including evidence that CNV facilitates the accumulation of a point mutation distant from the expanded locus. Our data suggest that transient CNV can accelerate the fixation of mutations conferring modest benefits, or even fitness trade-offs, and highlight how structural variation might aid poxvirus adaptation through both direct and indirect actions.
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Paszkowski P, Noyce RS, Evans DH. Live-Cell Imaging of Vaccinia Virus Recombination. PLoS Pathog 2016; 12:e1005824. [PMID: 27525721 PMCID: PMC4985154 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1005824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Recombination between co-infecting poxviruses provides an important mechanism for generating the genetic diversity that underpins evolution. However, poxviruses replicate in membrane-bound cytoplasmic structures known as factories or virosomes. These are enclosed structures that could impede DNA mixing between co-infecting viruses, and mixing would seem to be essential for this process. We hypothesize that virosome fusion events would be a prerequisite for recombination between co-infecting poxviruses, and this requirement could delay or limit viral recombination. We have engineered vaccinia virus (VACV) to express overlapping portions of mCherry fluorescent protein fused to a cro DNA-binding element. In cells also expressing an EGFP-cro fusion protein, this permits live tracking of virus DNA and genetic recombination using confocal microscopy. Our studies show that different types of recombination events exhibit different timing patterns, depending upon the relative locations of the recombining elements. Recombination between partly duplicated sequences is detected soon after post-replicative genes are expressed, as long as the reporter gene sequences are located in cis within an infecting genome. The same kinetics are also observed when the recombining elements are divided between VACV and transfected DNA. In contrast, recombination is delayed when the recombining sequences are located on different co-infecting viruses, and mature recombinants aren’t detected until well after late gene expression is well established. The delay supports the hypothesis that factories impede inter-viral recombination, but even after factories merge there remain further constraints limiting virus DNA mixing and recombinant gene assembly. This delay could be related to the continued presence of ER-derived membranes within the fused virosomes, membranes that may once have wrapped individual factories. Recombination plays a critical role in DNA repair and also creates the genetic diversity that underpins evolution. This has important implications for viruses, since recombination may create new pathogens with new infectious properties. It has long been known that hybrids can be recovered from cells co-infected with related viruses, some of the first artificial recombinants were produced >50 years ago from variola and rabbitpox viruses. A particular property of poxviruses is that they replicate in membrane-wrapped cytoplasmic structures called “factories”, and each of these factories develops from a single infecting particle. However, if each genome is isolated inside different factories, when and how does the DNA mix to permit recombination? To examine this question, we have developed a fluorescence-based virus recombination assay. Using live cell confocal microscopy, we have timed these reactions and observed that recombinants can be quickly formed when the recombining sequences are located on the same virus genome. However, when the gene fragments are located on different viruses, there is a significant delay (and a reduction) in recombinant gene formation. This delay supports the hypothesis that factories, and the ER-derived cell membranes that surround factories, impede recombination in poxvirus-infected cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Paszkowski
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology and Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ryan S. Noyce
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology and Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - David H. Evans
- Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology and Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- * E-mail:
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Buijs PRA, Verhagen JHE, van Eijck CHJ, van den Hoogen BG. Oncolytic viruses: From bench to bedside with a focus on safety. Hum Vaccin Immunother 2016; 11:1573-84. [PMID: 25996182 DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2015.1037058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Oncolytic viruses are a relatively new class of anti-cancer immunotherapy agents. Several viruses have undergone evaluation in clinical trials in the last decades, and the first agent is about to be approved to be used as a novel cancer therapy modality. In the current review, an overview is presented on recent (pre)clinical developments in the field of oncolytic viruses that have previously been or currently are being evaluated in clinical trials. Special attention is given to possible safety issues like toxicity, environmental shedding, mutation and reversion to wildtype virus.
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Key Words
- CAR, Coxsackie Adenovirus receptor
- CD, cytosine deaminase
- CEA, carcinoembryonic antigen
- CVA, Coxsackievirus type A
- DAF, decay accelerating factor
- DNA, DNA
- EEV, extracellular enveloped virus
- EGF, epidermal growth factor
- EGF-R, EGF receptor
- EMA, European Medicines Agency
- FDA, Food and Drug Administration
- GBM, glioblastoma multiforme
- GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor
- HA, hemagglutinin
- HAdV, Human (mast)adenovirus
- HER2, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
- HSV, herpes simplex virus
- ICAM-1, intercellular adhesion molecule 1
- IFN, interferon
- IRES, internal ribosome entry site
- KRAS, Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog
- Kb, kilobase pairs
- MeV, Measles virus
- MuLV, Murine leukemia virus
- NDV, Newcastle disease virus
- NIS, sodium/iodide symporter
- NSCLC, non-small cell lung carcinoma
- OV, oncolytic virus
- PEG, polyethylene glycol
- PKR, protein kinase R
- PV, Polio virus
- RCR, replication competent retrovirus
- RCT, randomized controlled trial
- RGD, arginylglycylaspartic acid (Arg-Gly-Asp)
- RNA, ribonucleic acid
- Rb, retinoblastoma
- SVV, Seneca Valley virus
- TGFα, transforming growth factor α
- VGF, Vaccinia growth factor
- VSV, Vesicular stomatitis virus
- VV, Vaccinia virus
- cancer
- crHAdV, conditionally replicating HAdV
- dsDNA, double stranded DNA
- dsRNA, double stranded RNA
- environment
- hIFNβ, human IFN β
- immunotherapy
- mORV, Mammalian orthoreovirus
- mORV-T3D, mORV type 3 Dearing
- oHSV, oncolytic HSV
- oncolytic virotherapy
- oncolytic virus
- rdHAdV, replication-deficient HAdV
- review
- safety
- shedding
- ssRNA, single stranded RNA
- tk, thymidine kinase
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal R A Buijs
- a Department of Surgery; Erasmus MC; University Medical Center ; Rotterdam , The Netherlands
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Recombination Analysis of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Reveals a Bias toward GC Content and the Inverted Repeat Regions. J Virol 2015; 89:7214-23. [PMID: 25926637 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00880-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 04/26/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) causes recurrent mucocutaneous ulcers and is the leading cause of infectious blindness and sporadic encephalitis in the United States. HSV-1 has been shown to be highly recombinogenic; however, to date, there has been no genome-wide analysis of recombination. To address this, we generated 40 HSV-1 recombinants derived from two parental strains, OD4 and CJ994. The 40 OD4-CJ994 HSV-1 recombinants were sequenced using the Illumina sequencing system, and recombination breakpoints were determined for each of the recombinants using the Bootscan program. Breakpoints occurring in the terminal inverted repeats were excluded from analysis to prevent double counting, resulting in a total of 272 breakpoints in the data set. By placing windows around the 272 breakpoints followed by Monte Carlo analysis comparing actual data to simulated data, we identified a recombination bias toward both high GC content and intergenic regions. A Monte Carlo analysis also suggested that recombination did not appear to be responsible for the generation of the spontaneous nucleotide mutations detected following sequencing. Additionally, kernel density estimation analysis across the genome found that the large, inverted repeats comprise a recombination hot spot. IMPORTANCE Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) virus is the leading cause of sporadic encephalitis and blinding keratitis in developed countries. HSV-1 has been shown to be highly recombinogenic, and recombination itself appears to be a significant component of genome replication. To date, there has been no genome-wide analysis of recombination. Here we present the findings of the first genome-wide study of recombination performed by generating and sequencing 40 HSV-1 recombinants derived from the OD4 and CJ994 parental strains, followed by bioinformatics analysis. Recombination breakpoints were determined, yielding 272 breakpoints in the full data set. Kernel density analysis determined that the large inverted repeats constitute a recombination hot spot. Additionally, Monte Carlo analyses found biases toward high GC content and intergenic and repetitive regions.
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Biek R, Pybus OG, Lloyd-Smith JO, Didelot X. Measurably evolving pathogens in the genomic era. Trends Ecol Evol 2015; 30:306-13. [PMID: 25887947 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2015.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Revised: 03/06/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Current sequencing technologies have created unprecedented opportunities for studying microbial populations. For pathogens with comparatively low per-site mutation rates, such as DNA viruses and bacteria, whole-genome sequencing can reveal the accumulation of novel genetic variation between population samples taken at different times. The concept of 'measurably evolving populations' and related analytical approaches have provided powerful insights for fast-evolving RNA viruses, but their application to other pathogens is still in its infancy. We argue that previous distinctions between slow- and fast-evolving pathogens become blurred once evolution is assessed at a genome-wide scale, and we highlight important analytical challenges to be overcome to infer pathogen population dynamics from genomic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Biek
- Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD, USA.
| | | | - James O Lloyd-Smith
- Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda MD, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Xavier Didelot
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College, London, UK
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40
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From lesions to viral clones: biological and molecular diversity amongst autochthonous Brazilian vaccinia virus. Viruses 2015; 7:1218-37. [PMID: 25785515 PMCID: PMC4379567 DOI: 10.3390/v7031218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Revised: 03/05/2015] [Accepted: 03/09/2015] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Vaccinia virus (VACV) has had an important role for humanity because of its use during the smallpox eradication campaign. VACV is the etiologic agent of the bovine vaccinia (BV), an emerging zoonosis that has been associated with economic, social, veterinary and public health problems, mainly in Brazil and India. Despite the current and historical VACV importance, there is little information about its circulation, prevalence, origins and maintenance in the environment, natural reservoirs and diversity. Brazilian VACV (VACV-BR) are grouped into at least two groups based on genetic and biological diversity: group 1 (G1) and group 2 (G2). In this study, we went to the field and investigated VACV clonal diversity directly from exanthemous lesions, during BV outbreaks. Our results demonstrate that the G1 VACV-BR were more frequently isolated. Furthermore, we were able to co-detect the two variants (G1 and G2) in the same sample. Molecular and biological analysis corroborated previous reports and confirmed the co-circulation of two VACV-BR lineages. The detected G2 clones presented exclusive genetic and biological markers, distinct to reference isolates, including VACV-Western Reserve. Two clones presented a mosaic profile, with both G1 and G2 features based on the molecular analysis of A56R, A26L and C23L genes. Indeed, some SNPs and INDELs in A56R nucleotide sequences were observed among clones of the same virus population, maybe as a result of an increased mutation rate in a mixed population. These results provide information about the diversity profile in VACV populations, highlighting its importance to VACV evolution and maintenance in the environment.
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42
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Identification of nucleotide-level changes impacting gene content and genome evolution in orthopoxviruses. J Virol 2014; 88:13651-68. [PMID: 25231308 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02015-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
UNLABELLED Poxviruses are composed of large double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes coding for several hundred genes whose variation has supported virus adaptation to a wide variety of hosts over their long evolutionary history. Comparative genomics has suggested that the Orthopoxvirus genus in particular has undergone reductive evolution, with the most recent common ancestor likely possessing a gene complement consisting of all genes present in any existing modern-day orthopoxvirus species, similar to the current Cowpox virus species. As orthopoxviruses adapt to new environments, the selection pressure on individual genes may be altered, driving sequence divergence and possible loss of function. This is evidenced by accumulation of mutations and loss of protein-coding open reading frames (ORFs) that progress from individual missense mutations to gene truncation through the introduction of early stop mutations (ESMs), gene fragmentation, and in some cases, a total loss of the ORF. In this study, we have constructed a whole-genome alignment for representative isolates from each Orthopoxvirus species and used it to identify the nucleotide-level changes that have led to gene content variation. By identifying the changes that have led to ESMs, we were able to determine that short indels were the major cause of gene truncations and that the genome length is inversely proportional to the number of ESMs present. We also identified the number and types of protein functional motifs still present in truncated genes to assess their functional significance. IMPORTANCE This work contributes to our understanding of reductive evolution in poxviruses by identifying genomic remnants such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and indels left behind by evolutionary processes. Our comprehensive analysis of the genomic changes leading to gene truncation and fragmentation was able to detect some of the remnants of these evolutionary processes still present in orthopoxvirus genomes and suggests that these viruses are under continual adaptation due to changes in their environment. These results further our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms that drive virus variation, allowing orthopoxviruses to adapt to particular environmental niches. Understanding the evolutionary history of these virus pathogens may help predict their future evolutionary potential.
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