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Cao H, Gu H, Kang H, Jia H. Development of a rapid reverse genetics system for feline coronavirus based on TAR cloning in yeast. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1141101. [PMID: 37032894 PMCID: PMC10076789 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1141101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Reverse genetics has become an indispensable tool to gain insight into the pathogenesis of viruses and the development of vaccines. The yeast-based synthetic genomics platform has demonstrated the novel capabilities to genetically reconstruct different viruses. Methods In this study, a transformation-associated recombination (TAR) system in yeast was used to rapidly rescue different strains of feline infectious peritonitis virus, which causes a deadly disease of cats for which there is no effective vaccine. Results and discussion Using this system, the viruses could be rescued rapidly and stably without multiple cloning steps. Considering its speed and ease of manipulation in virus genome assembly, the reverse genetics system developed in this study will facilitate the research of the feline coronaviruses pathogenetic mechanism and the vaccine development.
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Parkhe P, Verma S. Evolution, Interspecies Transmission, and Zoonotic Significance of Animal Coronaviruses. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:719834. [PMID: 34738021 PMCID: PMC8560429 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.719834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Coronaviruses are single-stranded RNA viruses that affect humans and a wide variety of animal species, including livestock, wild animals, birds, and pets. These viruses have an affinity for different tissues, such as those of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tract of most mammals and birds and the hepatic and nervous tissues of rodents and porcine. As coronaviruses target different host cell receptors and show divergence in the sequences and motifs of their structural and accessory proteins, they are classified into groups, which may explain the evolutionary relationship between them. The interspecies transmission, zoonotic potential, and ability to mutate at a higher rate and emerge into variants of concern highlight their importance in the medical and veterinary fields. The contribution of various factors that result in their evolution will provide better insight and may help to understand the complexity of coronaviruses in the face of pandemics. In this review, important aspects of coronaviruses infecting livestock, birds, and pets, in particular, their structure and genome organization having a bearing on evolutionary and zoonotic outcomes, have been discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Subhash Verma
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, DGCN College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur, India
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Tekes G, Ehmann R, Boulant S, Stanifer ML. Development of Feline Ileum- and Colon-Derived Organoids and Their Potential Use to Support Feline Coronavirus Infection. Cells 2020; 9:E2085. [PMID: 32932592 PMCID: PMC7563363 DOI: 10.3390/cells9092085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Feline coronaviruses (FCoVs) infect both wild and domestic cat populations world-wide. FCoVs present as two main biotypes: the mild feline enteric coronavirus (FECV) and the fatal feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV). FIPV develops through mutations from FECV during a persistence infection. So far, the molecular mechanism of FECV-persistence and contributing factors for FIPV development may not be studied, since field FECV isolates do not grow in available cell culture models. In this work, we aimed at establishing feline ileum and colon organoids that allow the propagation of field FECVs. We have determined the best methods to isolate, culture and passage feline ileum and colon organoids. Importantly, we have demonstrated using GFP-expressing recombinant field FECV that colon organoids are able to support infection of FECV, which were unable to infect traditional feline cell culture models. These organoids in combination with recombinant FECVs can now open the door to unravel the molecular mechanisms by which FECV can persist in the gut for a longer period of time and how transition to FIPV is achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergely Tekes
- Institute of Virology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany
| | - Rosina Ehmann
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, 80937 Munich, Germany;
| | - Steeve Boulant
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Virology, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany;
- Research Group “Cellular Polarity and Viral Infection”, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Megan L. Stanifer
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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Lutz M, Steiner AR, Cattori V, Hofmann-Lehmann R, Lutz H, Kipar A, Meli ML. FCoV Viral Sequences of Systemically Infected Healthy Cats Lack Gene Mutations Previously Linked to the Development of FIP. Pathogens 2020; 9:pathogens9080603. [PMID: 32722056 PMCID: PMC7459962 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9080603] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Revised: 07/19/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP)—the deadliest infectious disease of young cats in shelters or catteries—is induced by highly virulent feline coronaviruses (FCoVs) emerging in infected hosts after mutations of less virulent FCoVs. Previous studies have shown that some mutations in the open reading frames (ORF) 3c and 7b and the spike (S) gene have implications for the development of FIP, but mainly indirectly, likely also due to their association with systemic spread. The aim of the present study was to determine whether FCoV detected in organs of experimentally FCoV infected healthy cats carry some of these mutations. Viral RNA isolated from different tissues of seven asymptomatic cats infected with the field strains FCoV Zu1 or FCoV Zu3 was sequenced. Deletions in the 3c gene and mutations in the 7b and S genes that have been shown to have implications for the development of FIP were not detected, suggesting that these are not essential for systemic viral dissemination. However, deletions and single nucleotide polymorphisms leading to truncations were detected in all nonstructural proteins. These were found across all analyzed ORFs, but with significantly higher frequency in ORF 7b than ORF 3a. Additionally, a previously unknown homologous recombination site was detected in FCoV Zu1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirjam Lutz
- Clinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services and Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, CH 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (M.L.); (A.R.S.); (V.C.); (R.H.-L.); (H.L.)
| | - Aline R. Steiner
- Clinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services and Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, CH 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (M.L.); (A.R.S.); (V.C.); (R.H.-L.); (H.L.)
| | - Valentino Cattori
- Clinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services and Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, CH 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (M.L.); (A.R.S.); (V.C.); (R.H.-L.); (H.L.)
| | - Regina Hofmann-Lehmann
- Clinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services and Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, CH 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (M.L.); (A.R.S.); (V.C.); (R.H.-L.); (H.L.)
| | - Hans Lutz
- Clinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services and Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, CH 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (M.L.); (A.R.S.); (V.C.); (R.H.-L.); (H.L.)
| | - Anja Kipar
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, CH 8057 Zurich, Switzerland;
| | - Marina L. Meli
- Clinical Laboratory, Department of Clinical Diagnostics and Services and Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, CH 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (M.L.); (A.R.S.); (V.C.); (R.H.-L.); (H.L.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +41-44-635-88-56
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Mettelman RC, O'Brien A, Whittaker GR, Baker SC. Generating and evaluating type I interferon receptor-deficient and feline TMPRSS2-expressing cells for propagating serotype I feline infectious peritonitis virus. Virology 2019; 537:226-236. [PMID: 31539770 PMCID: PMC7112123 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2019.08.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Feline coronavirus infection can progress to a fatal infectious peritonitis, which is a widespread feline disease without an effective vaccine. Generating feline cells with reduced ability to respond to interferon (IFN) is an essential step facilitating isolation of new candidate vaccine strains. Here, we describe the use of Crispr/Cas technology to disrupt type I IFN signaling in two feline cell lines, AK-D and Fcwf-4 CU, and evaluate the replication kinetics of a serotype I feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV) within these cells. We report that polyclonal cell populations and a clonal isolate, termed Fcwf-4 IRN, exhibited significantly diminished IFN-responsiveness and allowed FIPV replication kinetics comparable to parental cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that replication of FIPV is enhanced by ectopic expression of a host serine protease, TMPRSS2, in these cells. We discuss the potential of these cells for isolating new clinical strains and for propagating candidate vaccine strains of FIPV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert C Mettelman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States
| | - Amornrat O'Brien
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States
| | - Gary R Whittaker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Susan C Baker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States.
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O'Brien A, Mettelman RC, Volk A, André NM, Whittaker GR, Baker SC. Characterizing replication kinetics and plaque production of type I feline infectious peritonitis virus in three feline cell lines. Virology 2018; 525:1-9. [PMID: 30205273 PMCID: PMC6483087 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2018.08.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Revised: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Investigating type I feline coronaviruses (FCoVs) in tissue culture is critical for understanding the basic virology, pathogenesis, and virus-host interactome of these important veterinary pathogens. This has been a perennial challenge as type I FCoV strains do not easily adapt to cell culture. Here we characterize replication kinetics and plaque formation of a model type I strain FIPV Black in Fcwf-4 cells established at Cornell University (Fcwf-4 CU). We determined that maximum virus titers (>107 pfu/mL) were recoverable from infected Fcwf-4 CU cell-free supernatant at 20 h post-infection. Type I FIPV Black and both biotypes of type II FCoV formed uniform and enumerable plaques on Fcwf-4 CU cells. Therefore, these cells were employable in a standardized plaque assay. Finally, we determined that the Fcwf-4 CU cells were morphologically distinct from feline bone marrow-derived macrophages and were less sensitive to exogenous type I interferon than were Fcwf-4 cells purchased from ATCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amornrat O'Brien
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States
| | - Robert C Mettelman
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States
| | - Aaron Volk
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States
| | - Nicole M André
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Gary R Whittaker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Susan C Baker
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, United States.
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Reverse Genetics for Type I Feline Coronavirus Field Isolate To Study the Molecular Pathogenesis of Feline Infectious Peritonitis. mBio 2018; 9:mBio.01422-18. [PMID: 30065095 PMCID: PMC6069117 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01422-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), one of the most important lethal infections of cats, is caused by feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV), the high-virulence biotype of feline coronaviruses (FCoVs). FIPVs are suggested to emerge from feline enteric coronaviruses (FECVs) by acquiring mutations in specific genes in the course of persistent infections. Although numerous studies identified mutations predicted to be responsible for the FECV-FIPV biotype switch, the presumed roles of specific genetic changes in FIP pathogenesis have not been confirmed experimentally. Reverse genetics systems established previously for serotype I and the less common serotype II FCoVs were based on cell culture-adapted FIPV strains which, however, were shown to be unsuitable for FIP pathogenesis studies in vivo To date, systems to produce and manipulate recombinant serotype I field viruses have not been developed, mainly because these viruses cannot be grown in vitro Here, we report the first reverse genetics system based on a serotype I FECV field isolate that is suitable to produce high-titer stocks of recombinant FECVs. We demonstrate that these recombinant viruses cause productive persistent infections in cats that are similar to what is observed in natural infections. The system provides an excellent tool for studying FCoVs that do not grow in standard cell culture systems and will greatly facilitate studies into the molecular pathogenesis of FIP. Importantly, the system could also be adapted for studies of other RNA viruses with large genomes whose production and characterization in vivo are currently hampered by the lack of in vitro propagation systems.IMPORTANCE The availability of recombinant serotype I FCoV field isolates that are amenable to genetic manipulation is key to studying the molecular pathogenesis of FIP, especially since previous studies using cell culture-adapted FIPVs had proven unsuccessful. To our knowledge, we report the first serotype I FECV field isolate-based reverse genetics system that allows the production of high-titer recombinant virus stocks that can be used for subsequent in vivo studies in cats. The system represents a milestone in FCoV research. It provides an essential tool for studying the molecular pathogenesis of FIP and, more specifically, the functions of specific gene products in causing a fundamentally different progression of disease following acquisition of specific mutations. The system developed in this study will also be useful for studying other coronaviruses or more distantly related RNA viruses with large genomes for which suitable in vitro culture systems are not available.
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Abstract
Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) belongs to the few animal virus diseases in which, in the course of a generally harmless persistent infection, a virus acquires a small number of mutations that fundamentally change its pathogenicity, invariably resulting in a fatal outcome. The causative agent of this deadly disease, feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV), arises from feline enteric coronavirus (FECV). The review summarizes our current knowledge of the genome and proteome of feline coronaviruses (FCoVs), focusing on the viral surface (spike) protein S and the five accessory proteins. We also review the current classification of FCoVs into distinct serotypes and biotypes, cellular receptors of FCoVs and their presumed role in viral virulence, and discuss other aspects of FIPV-induced pathogenesis. Our current knowledge of genetic differences between FECVs and FIPVs has been mainly based on comparative sequence analyses that revealed “discriminatory” mutations that are present in FIPVs but not in FECVs. Most of these mutations result in amino acid substitutions in the S protein and these may have a critical role in the switch from FECV to FIPV. In most cases, the precise roles of these mutations in the molecular pathogenesis of FIP have not been tested experimentally in the natural host, mainly due to the lack of suitable experimental tools including genetically engineered virus mutants. We discuss the recent progress in the development of FCoV reverse genetics systems suitable to generate recombinant field viruses containing appropriate mutations for in vivo studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Tekes
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
| | - H-J Thiel
- Institute of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
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9
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Tekes G. Vaccinia Virus-Based Reverse Genetics for Feline Coronaviruses. SPRINGER PROTOCOLS HANDBOOKS 2016. [PMCID: PMC7122496 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3414-0_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
For decades, the genetic modification of coronavirus genomes and the generation of recombinant coronaviruses have been hampered mostly due to the extraordinary large size of the coronaviral genome. The very first reverse genetic system for feline coronaviruses (FCoVs) was established in the early 2000s; the respective approach exclusively enabled the manipulation of the 3′-third of the viral genome. Later on, vaccinia virus- and bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-based systems have been developed. Both systems have the advantage that the entire FCoV genome is amenable for mutagenesis. The main focus of this chapter is the vaccinia virus-based reverse genetic system for FCoVs. Here we present protocols for (1) the generation of a full-length cDNA clone, (2) the manipulation of the FCoV genome, and (3) the rescue of recombinant FCoVs.
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Lewis CS, Porter E, Matthews D, Kipar A, Tasker S, Helps CR, Siddell SG. Genotyping coronaviruses associated with feline infectious peritonitis. J Gen Virol 2015; 96:1358-1368. [PMID: 25667330 PMCID: PMC4635486 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.000084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Feline coronavirus (FCoV) infections are endemic among cats worldwide. The majority of infections are asymptomatic or result in only mild enteric disease. However, approximately 5 % of cases develop feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a systemic disease that is a frequent cause of death in young cats. In this study, we report the complete coding genome sequences of six FCoVs: three from faecal samples from healthy cats and three from tissue lesion samples from cats with confirmed FIP. The six samples were obtained over a period of 8 weeks at a single-site cat rescue and rehoming centre in the UK. We found amino acid differences located at 44 positions across an alignment of the six virus translatomes and, at 21 of these positions, the differences fully or partially discriminated between the genomes derived from the faecal samples and the genomes derived from the tissue lesion samples. In this study, two amino acid differences fully discriminated the two classes of genomes: these were both located in the S2 domain of the virus surface glycoprotein gene. We also identified deletions in the 3c protein ORF of genomes from two of the FIP samples. Our results support previous studies that implicate S protein mutations in the pathogenesis of FIP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine S Lewis
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Emily Porter
- School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK
| | - David Matthews
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Anja Kipar
- Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurer Strasse 268, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Séverine Tasker
- School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK
| | - Christopher R Helps
- School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, Langford, Bristol BS40 5DU, UK
| | - Stuart G Siddell
- School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, UK
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