Purification and biophysical properties of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis virus

Expression of enterovirus 70 capsid protein VP1 in Escherichia coli

The VP1 gene of enterovirus 70 (EV70) possesses a large number of Escherichia coli low-usage codons (11.0%) and a bacterial ribosome binding site complementary sequence (RBSCS) 5'-UGUCUCCUUUUC-3' flanking the codon 139. Plasmids containing EV70 cDNA encoding the full-length VP1 failed to express in E. coli (BL21(DE3), Rosetta 2(DE3) or Rosetta (DE3)pLysS). High expression (>8% of total protein) of recombinant VP1 (rVP1m) in E. coli required engineering of the encoding cDNA (conserved modification of the native cDNA) by simultaneous substitution of a rare-codon cluster located between codons 103 and 132, and replacement of the RBSCS-TCCTTT sequence. The rare-codon frequencies of the cDNAs encoding VP1 non-overlapping terminal fragments N138 (1-138 aa) and C170 (141-310 aa) are similar (10.9 and 11.2%, respectively). However, in E. coli, high expression of recombinant C170 (rC170) required no modification of the native cDNA whereas high expression of recombinant N138 (rN138m) required minimal synonymous substitution of the above rare-codon cluster. The rare-codon cluster of EV70 VP1 gene has five least-usage arginine codons (AGG/AGA) and three tandem rare-codon pairs (AGGAGG, CUAAGG, and AGACUA). Our results suggest that the rare-codon cluster (its rare codon arrangement per se and/or its related mRNA secondary structure(s)) and the RBSCS in EV70 VP1 gene, not the rare-codon frequency, constitute the key elements that suppress its expression in E. coli.

Neutralizing monoclonal antibody against enterovirus-70 reacts with viral proteins 1C and 1D

A library of murine monoclonal antibodies against the prototype Enterovirus-70 (EV-70) strain, J670/71, was made for the purpose of studying the immunologically reactive determinants of the virus. Each of the monoclonal antibodies reacted with several other strains of Enterovirus-70 when tested by immunofluorescence. However, none of these monoclonal antibodies reacted with any other picornavirus tested. It was found that all of the monoclonal antibodies precipitated EV-70 viral proteins 1C and 1D in radio-immunoprecipitation assays. However, only one of these monoclonal antibodies, an IgG3 kappa, was capable of neutralizing the virus.

Evolution of enterovirus type 70: oligonucleotide mapping analysis of RNA genome

Different isolates of enterovirus type 70 (EV70) taken between 1971 and 1981 were studied by molecular biological methods to elucidate their evolutional change. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that only a few isolates had a slight alteration in mobility in some viral proteins. On the contrary, oligonucleotide mapping of virion RNA could clearly delineate the molecular changes among isolates. The number of base changes of isolates became greater as the years elapsed. In addition, the number of base changes among recent isolates from different areas of the world was much greater than those among early isolates. Thus, when the isolates were arranged three-dimensionally according to the number of base changes between each other, the constellation of the strains gave rise to a conical shape. The central axis of the figure was the time of isolation of the strains. The early isolates clustered near the top of the conical figure and the recent isolates tended to disperse divergently at the bottom. The figure indicated that all EV70 strains were derived from a common ancestor, and its top would be the time of emergence of the original strain. It was estimated to be around 1966, 3 years prior to the first epidemic in Accra, Ghana. From the results, it was presumed that EV70 would have emerged at a single focus in Africa as a novel human virus. After having circulated there for a few years, the virus spread to the other parts of the world. Based on the difference in the oligonucleotide spots between the recent isolates and early isolates, the base changes of EV70 that occurred during 10 years was estimated to be 320, about 4% (0.4% a year on the average) of the bases of the total RNA genome.

Characterization of a temperature-sensitive defect of enterovirus type 70

The mechanism of the failure of enterovirus type 70 to replicate at a nonpermissive temperature (39 degrees C) was investigated, and the following results were obtained. (i) Viral RNA synthesis was not observed at 39 degrees C in LLC-MK2 cells, in accordance with our previous findings with primary monkey kidney cells (Miyamura et al., Intervirology 9:206-213, 1978). (ii) Shutoff of host cell macromolecular synthesis by virus infection was as efficient at 39 degrees C as at a permissive temperature (33 degrees C). This inhibitory effect similarly occurred even in the presence of guanidine hydrochloride. (iii) Viral protein synthesis proceeded in vivo at the nonpermissive temperature, and the rate of the protein synthesis was higher than that at the permissive temperature under the conditions in which sufficient viral mRNA had been accumulated. This was also confirmed by analyzing the intracellular proteins synthesized at the nonpermissive temperature by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, which identified them as virus-specific proteins. (iv) When infected cells were incubated at 39 degrees C and then transferred to 33 degrees C, viral RNA synthesis took place even in the presence of cycloheximide. (v) Furthermore, in experiments performed with an in vitro cell-free assay system, viral polymerase activity was found in the membrane-bound preparation extracted from infected cells which had been incubated at 39 degrees C in the presence or absence of guanidine hydrochloride. These results indicate that early translation of mRNA proceeds normally at the nonpermissive temperature and that the temperature-sensitive defect resides in the transcriptional stage.

Enterovirus type 70 virion and intracellular proteins

The proteins of purified enterovirus type 70 grown in rhabdomyosarcoma cells and the intracellular proteins at 4 to 5 h after infection have been examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Virions contained four proteins: P-1 (35,000, daltons) P-2 (28,000, daltons) P-3 (27,000, daltons) and P-4 (9,000 daltons). Further, addition of ZnCl2 to infected cultures inhibited virus plaque development and interfered with post-translational cleavage.