Analysis of latency in cattle after inoculation with a temperature sensitive mutant of bovine herpesvirus 1 (RLB106)

Calves were inoculated with the bovine herpes virus 1 (BHV-1) vaccine strain (RLB 106), which is a temperature sensitive mutant. The route of inoculation was intranasal instillation or intramuscular (i.m.) injection (flank or neck). As a control, five calves were given placebo by i.m. injection of the neck. Regardless of the infection route, clinical symptoms did not occur. However, BHV-1 neutralizing antibodies were detected after inoculation demonstrating that sero-conversion occurred. At 60 days post-inoculation, dexamethasone was given by i.m. injection to attempt reactivation of RLB 106. Only those calves inoculated by the intranasal route shed virus leading to an increase in BHV-1 specific antibodies. As expected, viral DNA and the latency related-RNA were detected in trigeminal ganglia (TG) of calves inoculated by the intranasal route. In contrast, viral nucleic acid was not detected in TG of calves inoculated by the i.m. route or in calves inoculated with placebo. In cervical ganglia or sacral dorsal root ganglia, viral nucleic acid was not consistently detected. This study provides evidence that efficient latency and reactivation does not occur following i.m. inoculation. Since serum-neutralizing antibodies were detected in all inoculated calves, i.m. inoculation led to sero-conversion.

Virus-induced neuronal apoptosis blocked by the herpes simplex virus latency-associated transcript

Latent infections with periodic reactivation are a common outcome after acute infection with many viruses. The latency-associated transcript (LAT) gene is required for wild-type reactivation of herpes simplex virus (HSV). However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In rabbit trigeminal ganglia, extensive apoptosis occurred with LAT(-) virus but not with LAT(+) viruses. In addition, a plasmid expressing LAT blocked apoptosis in cultured cells. Thus, LAT promotes neuronal survival after HSV-1 infection by reducing apoptosis.

The latency-related gene of bovine herpesvirus 1 inhibits programmed cell death

Although viral gene expression occurs in the peripheral nervous system during acute infection, bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV-1) gene expression is extinguished, many neurons survive, and latency ensues. The only abundant viral transcript expressed during latency is the latency-related (LR) RNA, which is alternatively spliced in trigeminal ganglia during acute infection (L. Devireddy and C. Jones, J. Virol. 72:7294-7301, 1998). A subset of neurons express a protein encoded by the LR gene and the LR protein (LRP) is associated with cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (Cdk2)/cyclin complexes during productive infection (Y. Jiang, A. Hossain, M. T. Winkler, T. Holt, A. Doster, and C. Jones, J. Virol. 72:8133-8142, 1998). LR gene products inhibit cell cycle progression, perhaps as a result of LRP interacting with Cdk2/cyclin complexes. During acute infection, expression of cyclin A occurs in trigeminal ganglionic neurons (L. M. Schang, A. Hossain, and C. Jones, J. Virol. 70:3807-3814, 1996). Inappropriate expression of G(1)- and S-phase cyclins can initiate programmed cell death (PCD), apoptosis, in neurons, suggesting that LR gene products inhibit PCD. To test this hypothesis, we modified an assay to measure PCD frequency in transiently transfected cells. C(6)-ceramide, fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)), or etoposide was used to initiate PCD following transfection of cells with plasmids expressing LR gene products and the beta-galactosidase gene. Transfected cells that survived were quantified by counting beta-galactosidase-positive cells. Plasmids that expressed LR gene products promoted survival of monkey kidney (CV-1), human lung (IMR-90), or mouse neuroblastoma (neuro-2A) cells after induction of PCD. Plasmids with termination codons at the beginning of LR open reading frames or deletion of sequences that mediate splicing of LR RNA did not promote cell survival following PCD induction. We hypothesize that LR gene products play a role in promoting survival of postmitotic neurons during acute infection or reactivation.

Analysis of cyclin-dependent kinase activity after herpes simplex virus type 2 infection

Small DNA viruses (adenoviruses, simian virus 40, or human papillomaviruses) induce S-phase progression but prevent cell division to provide precursors for viral DNA replication. Herpes simplex viruses types 1 or 2 (HSV-1 or HSV-2) contain genes which encode DNA-metabolizing enzymes, for example, ribonucleotide reductase, thymidine kinase and dUTPase, suggesting that S-phase factors are not required for an efficient infection. However, several studies indicated that HSV induces some events that occur during cell-cycle progression. To determine if HSV-2 induces S-phase entry, we examined serum-arrested African green monkey kidney cells (CV-1) after infection. Two hours after infection steady-state levels of the S-phase-specific cyclin, cyclin A, increased. S-phase cyclin-dependent kinase activity (CDK2) was stimulated 10-fold 8 h after infection but decreased at 16 or 24 h after infection. Mitotic CDK activity (CDC2) was not activated after infection, in part due to decreases in CDC2 protein levels and inactivation of enzymatic activity resulting from tyrosine phosphorylation of CDC2. Furthermore, CDK4 activity was not dramatically affected by infection. These studies indicate that HSV-2 infection selectively activates CDK2 after infection but cell-cycle progression does not occur. We hypothesize that infection activates certain components of the cell cycle which enhance viral gene expression and DNA replication.

Comparison of the abilities of serologic tests to detect pseudorabies-infected pigs during the latent phase of infection

OBJECTIVE

To compare the sensitivities of all available serologic tests in detecting pseudorabies virus (PRV) antibodies in pigs during long-term latent pseudorabies.

DESIGN

Pigs experimentally infected with a virulent strain of PRV were maintained for 2 to 27 months after inoculation. At the time of necropsy of each pig, blood was collected for serologic evaluation, and tissues were obtained for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) verification of latency.

ANIMALS

65 crossbred pigs each weighing approximately 18 kg at the start of the study.

PROCEDURE

Serum samples from each pig were analyzed by serum neutralization, latex agglutination, screening ELISA, particle concentration fluorescence immunoassay, automated latex agglutination, and differential ELISA for glycoproteins I, III, and X. DNA was extracted from the trigeminal ganglia and tonsils of each pig and was analyzed by PCR for PRV genomic sequences.

RESULTS

PCR analysis of trigeminal ganglia and tonsils indicated that all pigs were latently infected with PRV at the time of necropsy, and serologic testing verified that all pigs had PRV-specific antibodies, regardless of duration of infection. The screening tests were virtually equivalent in sensitivity for detection of PRV antibodies. Of the differential serologic tests, the glycoprotein-I and -III marker systems, which performed with similar sensitivity as screening tests, were superior to the glycoprotein-X marker system in detecting PRV antibodies in latently infected pigs.

CONCLUSION

Serologic testing consistently detects pigs in the latent phase of PRV infection, provided that the test detects the antibody response to the whole virus or to a reliable PRV-marker glycoprotein.

Fumonisins and Alternaria alternata lycopersici toxins: sphinganine analog mycotoxins induce apoptosis in monkey kidney cells

Fusarium moniliforme toxins (fumonisins) and Alternaria alternata lycopersici (AAL) toxins are members of a new class of sphinganine analog mycotoxins that occur widely in the food chain. These mycotoxins represent a serious threat to human and animal health, inducing both cell death and neoplastic events in mammals. The mechanisms by which this family of chemical congeners induce changes in cell homeostasis were investigated in African green monkey kidney cells (CV-1) by assessing the appearance of apoptosis, cell cycle regulation, and putative components of signal transduction pathways involved in apoptosis. Structurally, these mycotoxins resemble the sphingoid bases, sphingosine and sphinganine, that are reported to play critical roles in cell communication and signal transduction. The addition of fumonisin B1 or AAL toxin, TA, to CV-1 cells induced the stereotypical hallmarks of apoptosis, including the formation of DNA ladders, compaction of nuclear DNA, and the subsequent appearance of apoptotic bodies. Neither mycotoxin induced cell death, DNA ladders, or apoptotic bodies in CV-1 cells expressing simian virus 40 large T antigen (COS-7) at toxin concentrations that readily killed CV-1 cells. Fumonisin B1 induced cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase in CV-1 cells but not in COS-7 cells. AAL toxin TA did not arrest cell cycle progression in either cell line. The induction of apoptosis combined with the widespread presence of these compounds in food crops and animal feed identifies a previously unrecognized health risk to humans and livestock. These molecules also represent a new class of natural toxicants that can be used as model compounds to further characterize the molecular and biochemical pathways leading to apoptosis.