Vaccinia Virus Gene Acquisition through Nonhomologous Recombination

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

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.

Differences in pathogenicity among the mpox virus clades: impact on drug discovery and vaccine development

Since May 2022, mpox virus (MPXV) has attracted considerable attention due to a multi-country outbreak. Marked differences in epidemiology, transmission, and pathology between the 2022 global mpox outbreak (clade IIb) and classical mpox disease, endemic in Africa (clades I and IIa) have been highlighted. MPXV genome analysis has identified the genomic changes characterizing clade IIb and the drivers of MPXV rapid evolution. Although mpox cases have largely declined, MPXV cryptic transmission and microevolution continues, which may lead to an MPXV of unpredictable pathogenicity. Vaccines and antivirals developed against variola virus, the agent that caused the extinguished plague smallpox, have been used to contain the 2022 mpox outbreak. In this review article, recent findings on MPXV origin and evolution and relevant models able to recapitulate differences in MPXV pathogenicity, which are important for drug and vaccine development, are discussed.

Extensive ITR expansion of the 2022 Mpox virus genome through gene duplication and gene loss

Poxviruses are known to evolve slower than RNA viruses with only 1-2 mutations/genome/year. Rather than single mutations, rearrangements such as gene gain and loss, which have been discussed as a possible driver for host adaption, were described in poxviruses. In 2022 and 2023 the world is being challenged by the largest global outbreak so far of Mpox virus, and the virus seems to have established itself in the human community for an extended period of time. Here, we report five Mpox virus genomes from Germany with extensive gene duplication and loss, leading to the expansion of the ITR regions from 6400 to up to 24,600 bp. We describe duplications of up to 18,200 bp to the opposed genome end, and deletions at the site of insertion of up to 16,900 bp. Deletions and duplications of genes with functions of supposed immune modulation, virulence and host adaption as B19R, B21R, B22R and D10L are described. In summary, we highlight the need for monitoring rearrangements of the Mpox virus genome rather than for monitoring single mutations only.

Molecular Mechanisms of Poxvirus Evolution

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.

African Swine Fever Modified Live Vaccine Candidates: Transitioning from Discovery to Product Development through Harmonized Standards and Guidelines

The recent centennial anniversary of R.E. Montgomery's seminal published description of "a form of swine fever" disease transmitted from wild African pigs to European domestic pigs is a call to action to accelerate African Swine Fever (ASF) vaccine research and development. ASF modified live virus (MLV) first-generation gene deleted vaccine candidates currently offer the most promise to meet international and national guidelines and regulatory requirements for veterinary product licensure and market authorization. A major, rate-limiting impediment to the acceleration of current as well as future vaccine candidates into regulatory development is the absence of internationally harmonized standards for assessing vaccine purity, potency, safety, and efficacy. This review summarizes the asymmetrical landscape of peer-reviewed published literature on ASF MLV vaccine approaches and lead candidates, primarily studied to date in the research laboratory in proof-of-concept or early feasibility clinical safety and efficacy studies. Initial recommendations are offered toward eventual consensus of international harmonized guidelines and standards for ASF MLV vaccine purity, potency, safety, and efficacy. To help ensure the successful regulatory development and approval of ASF MLV first generation vaccines by national regulatory associated government agencies, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) establishment and publication of harmonized international guidelines is paramount.

Capripoxviruses, leporipoxviruses, and orthopoxviruses: Occurrences of recombination

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.

Poxvirus Recombination

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.

Viral Nucleases from Herpesviruses and Coronavirus in Recombination and Proofreading: Potential Targets for Antiviral Drug Discovery

In this review, we explore recombination in two very different virus families that have become major threats to human health. The Herpesviridae are a large family of pathogenic double-stranded DNA viruses involved in a range of diseases affecting both people and animals. Coronaviridae are positive-strand RNA viruses (CoVs) that have also become major threats to global health and economic stability, especially in the last two decades. Despite many differences, such as the make-up of their genetic material (DNA vs. RNA) and overall mechanisms of genome replication, both human herpes viruses (HHVs) and CoVs have evolved to rely heavily on recombination for viral genome replication, adaptation to new hosts and evasion of host immune regulation. In this review, we will focus on the roles of three viral exonucleases: two HHV exonucleases (alkaline nuclease and PolExo) and one CoV exonuclease (ExoN). We will review the roles of these three nucleases in their respective life cycles and discuss the state of drug discovery efforts against these targets.