Identification of a baculovirus polyhedron formation mutant with a novel phenotype

Author(s):  
James M. Slavicek ◽  
Melissa J. Mercer ◽  
Mary Ellen Kelly

Nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPV, family Baculoviridae) produce two morphological forms, a budded virus form and a viral form that is occluded into a paracrystalline protein matrix. This structure is termed a polyhedron and is composed primarily of the protein polyhedrin. Insects are infected by NPVs after ingestion of the polyhedron and release of the occluded virions through dissolution of the polyhedron in the alkaline environment of the insect midgut. Early after infection the budded virus form is produced. It buds through the plasma membrane and then infects other cells. Later in the infection cycle the occluded form of the virus is generated (reviewed by Blissard and Rohrmann, 1990).The processes of polyhedron formation and virion occlusion are likely to involve a number of viral gene products. However, only two genes, the polyhedrin gene and 25K FP gene, have been identified to date that are necessary for the wild type number of polyhedra to be formed and viral particles occluded.

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary W. Blissard ◽  
David A. Theilmann

Baculoviruses are large DNA viruses of insects that are highly pathogenic in many hosts. In the infection cycle, baculoviruses produce two types of virions. These virion phenotypes are physically and functionally distinct, and each serves a critical role in the biology of the virus. One phenotype, the occlusion-derived virus (ODV), is occluded within a crystallized protein that facilitates oral infection of the host. A large complex of at least nine ODV envelope proteins called per os infectivity factors are critically important for ODV infection of insect midgut epithelial cells. Viral egress from midgut cells is by budding to produce a second virus phenotype, the budded virus (BV). BV binds, enters, and replicates in most other tissues of the host insect. Cell recognition and entry by BV are mediated by a single major envelope glycoprotein: GP64 in some baculoviruses and F in others. Entry and egress by the two virion phenotypes occur by dramatically different mechanisms and reflect a life cycle in which ODV is specifically adapted for oral infection while BV mediates dissemination of the infection within the animal.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 542
Author(s):  
Eduardo I. Tognarelli ◽  
Antonia Reyes ◽  
Nicolás Corrales ◽  
Leandro J. Carreño ◽  
Susan M. Bueno ◽  
...  

Human herpesviruses are a ubiquitous family of viruses that infect individuals of all ages and are present at a high prevalence worldwide. Herpesviruses are responsible for a broad spectrum of diseases, ranging from skin and mucosal lesions to blindness and life-threatening encephalitis, and some of them, such as Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), are known to be oncogenic. Furthermore, recent studies suggest that some herpesviruses may be associated with developing neurodegenerative diseases. These viruses can establish lifelong infections in the host and remain in a latent state with periodic reactivations. To achieve infection and yield new infectious viral particles, these viruses require and interact with molecular host determinants for supporting their replication and spread. Important sets of cellular factors involved in the lifecycle of herpesviruses are those participating in intracellular membrane trafficking pathways, as well as autophagic-based organelle recycling processes. These cellular processes are required by these viruses for cell entry and exit steps. Here, we review and discuss recent findings related to how herpesviruses exploit vesicular trafficking and autophagy components by using both host and viral gene products to promote the import and export of infectious viral particles from and to the extracellular environment. Understanding how herpesviruses modulate autophagy, endolysosomal and secretory pathways, as well as other prominent trafficking vesicles within the cell, could enable the engineering of novel antiviral therapies to treat these viruses and counteract their negative health effects.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 771
Author(s):  
Julen Rodríguez-Castejón ◽  
Ana Alarcia-Lacalle ◽  
Itziar Gómez-Aguado ◽  
Mónica Vicente-Pascual ◽  
María Ángeles Solinís Aspiazu ◽  
...  

Fabry disease (FD) is a monogenic X-linked lysosomal storage disorder caused by a deficiency in the lysosomal enzyme α-Galactosidase A (α-Gal A). It is a good candidate to be treated with gene therapy, in which moderately low levels of enzyme activity should be sufficient for clinical efficacy. In the present work we have evaluated the efficacy of a non-viral vector based on solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) to increase α-Gal A activity in an FD mouse model after intravenous administration. The SLN-based vector incremented α-Gal A activity to about 10%, 15%, 20% and 14% of the levels of the wild-type in liver, spleen, heart and kidney, respectively. In addition, the SLN-based vector significantly increased α-Gal A activity with respect to the naked pDNA used as a control in plasma, heart and kidney. The administration of a dose per week for three weeks was more effective than a single-dose administration. Administration of the SLN-based vector did not increase liver transaminases, indicative of a lack of toxicity. Additional studies are necessary to optimize the efficacy of the system; however, these results reinforce the potential of lipid-based nanocarriers to treat FD by gene therapy.


1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1733-1761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Elita Batista de Castro ◽  
Marlinda Lobo de Souza ◽  
William Sihler ◽  
Júlio Carlyle Macedo Rodrigues ◽  
Bergmann Morais Ribeiro

Baculoviruses are insect viruses found mainly in Lepidoptera. The family Baculoviridae is taxonomically divided in two genera, Nucleopolyhedrovirus and Granulovirus, which differ by occlusion body morphology. NPVs (Nucleopolyhedroviruses) have polyhedrical inclusion bodies (PIBs) containing multiple viral particles, while GVs (Granuloviruses) appear to be generally single particles occluded in oval shaped occlusion bodies. During the life cycle, two different viral progenies are produced: BV (Budded Virus) and PDV (Polyhedra Derived Virus), which are essential for the infectious process and virus propagation in host cells. Baculoviruses are being used for pest control and they are especially safe due to their specificity and invertebrate-restricted host range. Baculoviruses have been used as vectors for high level protein expression ofheterologous genes from prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Also, recombinant DNA techniques have allowed the production of genetically modified viral insecticides. This study is a review on the taxonomy, structure, replication and molecular biology of baculoviruses, as well as their use as bioinsecticides in Brazil.


Temperature-sensitive mutants of polyoma virus have been examined to determine whether they are able to induce the synthesis of cellular DNA under conditions where viral gene products are defective. Two ‘early’ mutants, and one ‘late’ mutant of polyoma induce cellular DNA synthesis normally under conditions where virus growth is inhibited because viral gene products are defective.


Genetics ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 881-896
Author(s):  
John M Belote

ABSTRACT The male-specific lethal mutations (msl's) identify loci whose wild-type gene products are essential for male, but not female, viability. Earlier studies in which X-linked gene activities were monitored in msl/msl male larvae demonstrated that these genes are responsible for setting and/or maintaining the level of X chromosome transcription in males (i.e., they are necessary for proper dosage compensation). The present study examines several important questions concerning their mode of action during development—The results of an examination of the effects of an msl-1 deficiency on male-lethal phase and female viability suggest that this mutation is an amorph, or a severe hypomorph. The effects of rendering a fly mutant for more than one male-lethal mutation were also examined. Multiply mutant flies were no more severely affected than singly mutant ones. A gynandromorph analysis revealed that the male-limited lethality associated with msl-2 has no single lethal focus. Somatic clones of homozygous msl-2 cells were initiated at various times during development by X-ray-induced mitotic recombination. An examination of the viability, growth patterns and morphology of marked clones demonstrated that: (1) msl-2  + acts in a cell autonomous manner, (2) msl-2  + function is required not only in larval (polytene) cells as was shown in previous work but is also needed in the diploid cells that give rise to adult structures, (3) the msl-2  + gene is needed fairly late in development and perhaps continuously, (4) the msl-2 mutation does not affect sexual differentiation.


1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 3990-3998
Author(s):  
S Harashima ◽  
A G Hinnebusch

GCN4 encodes a positive regulator of multiple unlinked genes encoding amino acid biosynthetic enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Expression of GCN4 is coupled to amino acid availability by a control mechanism involving GCD1 as a negative effector and GCN1, GCN2, and GCN3 as positive effectors of GCN4 expression. We used reversion of a gcn2 gcn3 double mutation to isolate new alleles of GCD1 and mutations in four additional GCD genes which we designate GCD10, GCD11, GCD12, and GCD13. All of the mutations lead to constitutive derepression of HIS4 transcription in the absence of the GCN2+ and GCN3+ alleles. By contrast, the gcd mutations require the wild-type GCN4 allele for their derepressing effect, suggesting that each acts by influencing the level of GCN4 activity in the cell. Consistent with this interpretation, mutations in each GCD gene lead to constitutive derepression of a GCN4::lacZ gene fusion. Thus, at least five gene products are required to maintain the normal repressed level of GCN4 expression in nonstarvation conditions. Interestingly, the gcd mutations are pleiotropic and also affect growth rate in nonstarvation conditions. In addition, certain alleles lead to a loss of M double-stranded RNA required for the killer phenotype. This pleiotropy suggests that the GCD gene products contribute to an essential cellular function, in addition to, or in conjunction with, their role in GCN4 regulation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine E. Roebke ◽  
Pranav Danthi

ABSTRACTThe reovirus outer capsid protein μ1 regulates cell death in infected cells. To distinguish between the roles of incoming, capsid-associated, and newly synthesized μ1, we used small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown. Loss of newly synthesized μ1 protein does not affect apoptotic cell death in HeLa cells but enhances necroptosis in L929 cells. Knockdown of μ1 also affects aspects of viral replication. We found that, while μ1 knockdown results in diminished release of infectious viral progeny from infected cells, viral minus-strand RNA, plus-strand RNA, and proteins that are not targeted by the μ1 siRNA accumulate to a greater extent than in control siRNA-treated cells. Furthermore, we observed a decrease in sensitivity of these viral products to inhibition by guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) (which targets minus-strand synthesis to produce double-stranded RNA) when μ1 is knocked down. Following μ1 knockdown, cell death is also less sensitive to treatment with GuHCl. Our studies suggest that the absence of μ1 allows enhanced transcriptional activity of newly synthesized cores and the consequent accumulation of viral gene products. We speculate that enhanced accumulation and detection of these gene products due to μ1 knockdown potentiates receptor-interacting protein 3 (RIP3)-dependent cell death.IMPORTANCEWe used mammalian reovirus as a model to study how virus infections result in cell death. Here, we sought to determine how viral factors regulate cell death. Our work highlights a previously unknown role for the reovirus outer capsid protein μ1 in limiting the induction of a necrotic form of cell death called necroptosis. Induction of cell death by necroptosis requires the detection of viral gene products late in infection; μ1 limits cell death by this mechanism because it prevents excessive accumulation of viral gene products that trigger cell death.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoko Uno ◽  
Ted M. Ross

Any potential dengue virus (DENV) vaccine needs to elicit protective immunity against strains from all four serotypes to avoid potential antibody dependent enhancement (ADE). In this study, four independent DENV envelope (E) glycoproteins were generated using wild-type E sequences from viruses isolated between 1943 to 2006 using computationally-optimized broadly reactive antigen (COBRA) methodology. COBRA and wild-type E antigens were expressed on the surface of subvirion viral particles (SVPs). Four separate wild-type E antigens were used for each serotype. Mice vaccinated with wild-type DENV SVPs had anti-E IgG antibodies that neutralized serotype specific viruses. COBRA DENV SVPs elicited a broader breadth of antibodies that neutralized strains across all four serotypes. Two COBRA DENV vaccine candidates that elicited the broadest breadth of neutralizing antibodies in mice were used to vaccinate rhesus macaques (Macca mulata) that were either immunologically naïve to any DENV serotype or were had pre-existing antibodies to DENV. Antibodies elicited by COBRA DENV E immunogens neutralized all 12 strains of DENV in vitro, which was comparable to antibodies elicited by a tetravalent wild-type E SVP vaccination mixture. Therefore, using a single DENV COBRA E protein can elicit neutralizing antibodies against strains representing all four serotypes of DENV in both naïve and dengue pre-immune populations. Importance Dengue virus infects millions of people living in the tropical areas of the world. Dengue induced diseases can range from mild to severe with death. An effective vaccine will need to neutralize viruses from all four serotypes of dengue without induced enhanced disease. A dengue E vaccine candidate generated by computationally optimized broadly reactive antigen algorithms elicits broadly neutralizing protection for current circulating strains from all four serotypes regardless of immune status. Most Dengue vaccines in development formulate four separate components based on prM-E from a wild type strain representing each serotype. Designing a monovalent vaccine that elicits protective immunity against all four serotypes is an effective and economical strategy


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