Reverse Genetics and Artificial Replication Systems of Borna Disease Virus 1

Highs and Lows in Calicivirus Reverse Genetics

In virology, the term reverse genetics refers to a set of methodologies in which changes are introduced into the viral genome and their effects on the generation of infectious viral progeny and their phenotypic features are assessed. Reverse genetics emerged thanks to advances in recombinant DNA technology, which made the isolation, cloning, and modification of genes through mutagenesis possible. Most virus reverse genetics studies depend on our capacity to rescue an infectious wild-type virus progeny from cell cultures transfected with an "infectious clone". This infectious clone generally consists of a circular DNA plasmid containing a functional copy of the full-length viral genome, under the control of an appropriate polymerase promoter. For most DNA viruses, reverse genetics systems are very straightforward since DNA virus genomes are relatively easy to handle and modify and are also (with few notable exceptions) infectious per se. This is not true for RNA viruses, whose genomes need to be reverse-transcribed into cDNA before any modification can be performed. Establishing reverse genetics systems for members of the Caliciviridae has proven exceptionally challenging due to the low number of members of this family that propagate in cell culture. Despite the early successful rescue of calicivirus from a genome-length cDNA more than two decades ago, reverse genetics methods are not routine procedures that can be easily extrapolated to other members of the family. Reports of calicivirus reverse genetics systems have been few and far between. In this review, we discuss the main pitfalls, failures, and delays behind the generation of several successful calicivirus infectious clones.

Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Receptor 1 Mediates Borna Disease Virus 1-Induced Changes in Peroxisomal and Mitochondrial Dynamics in Neurons

Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV1) causes a persistent infection in the mammalian brain. Peroxisomes and mitochondria play essential roles in the cellular antiviral immune response, but the effect of BoDV1 infection on peroxisomal and mitochondrial dynamics and their respective antioxidant capacities is still not clear. Using different mouse lines-i.e., tumor necrosis factor-α transgenic (TNFTg; to pro-inflammatory status), TNF receptor-1 knockout (TNFR1ko), and TNFR2ko mice in comparison to wild-type (Wt) mice-we analyzed the abundances of both organelles and their main antioxidant enzymes, catalase and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), in neurons of the hippocampal, cerebral, and cerebellar cortices. In TNFTg mice, a strong increase in mitochondrial (6.9-fold) and SOD2 (12.1-fold) abundances was detected; meanwhile, peroxisomal abundance increased slightly (1.5-fold), but that of catalase decreased (2.9-fold). After BoDV1 infection, a strong decrease in mitochondrial (2.1-6.5-fold), SOD2 (2.7-9.1-fold), and catalase (2.7-10.3-fold) abundances, but a slight increase in peroxisomes (1.3-1.6-fold), were detected in Wt and TNFR2ko mice, whereas no changes occurred in TNFR1ko mice. Our data suggest that the TNF system plays a crucial role in the biogenesis of both subcellular organelles. Moreover, TNFR1 signaling mediated the changes in peroxisomal and mitochondrial dynamics after BoDV1 infection, highlighting new mechanisms by which BoDV1 may achieve immune evasion and viral persistence.